He cleared his throat. “I guess I just wanted to confirm some hunches.”
Her blue eyes didn’t waver, making him even more conscious of being pinned in her perceptive gaze. “Do you always operate on hunches, Chief Davenport?”
“It’s only one of my methods,” he said, giving her a slight smile.
After a moment, Emily looked away. “Well, I’m glad your hunch leans in my favor this time.”
Lady, you have no idea.
EMILY COULDN’T HELP noticing that the police chief seemed to be in no hurry to leave her living room. He took his time sipping his tea and eating cookies, looking as though there was nowhere else he needed to be anytime soon.
“Good cookie,” he said, nodding in approval. Watching Wade with greedy eyes, the overweight poodle made a sound that closely resembled a belch, then looked at the plate of cookies and whined.
“You aren’t getting cookies, Oliver,” Emily said sternly. “You’re too fat already.”
“Have you had the dog long?” Wade asked, looking curiously from Emily to Oliver.
“About three hours,” Emily answered wryly. “I’m dog-sitting.”
Wade chuckled. “That explains it, then.”
“Explains what?”
He nodded toward the bad-tempered poodle. “I was having a little trouble imagining you with this dog. It just didn’t seem to fit.”
“I’m afraid Oliver has been overly indulged,” Emily agreed wryly. “I’m fond of dogs, in general, but like children, they can be terribly spoiled if they aren’t given boundaries.”
Wade swallowed the last bite of his cookie, then asked, “Do you like children?”
“When they’re housebroken,” she replied. And then she laughed softly and admitted, “Actually, I love children. My cousin Savannah has thirteen-year-old twins. And my cousin Trevor has an adorable two-year-old son. They all live out of town, but I see them as often as I get the chance.”
Wade looked around the spacious living room again, and she saw him take note of the old-fashioned high ceilings and wood-sashed windows. Again, that funny, hollow feeling came over her when she thought of him living in her house.
“This looks like a great place
to raise kids,” he murmured.
She nodded. “My cousins and I loved playing in our woods when we were young.”
Memories flashed in swift succession through her mind. Burying the time capsule with Savannah and Tara. Climbing trees with Tara’s brothers, Trevor and Trent, who’d been only a couple of years younger than Emily. Fishing in the shallow creek with Lucas.
The unbidden thought of her half brother made her wince. She had unabashedly idolized him. She had treasured those afternoons when he’d indulged her by taking her fishing or to afternoon movies.
“How old is the house?” Wade asked, breaking into the bittersweet memories.
“Almost forty years. My father built it when he married his first wife.”
Wade’s expression was somber. “You said your father died recently?”
Emily saw the warm sympathy in his eyes, and felt an urge to be honest with him. “Dad died in May. He was ill for a very long time, and he didn’t speak or recognize anyone for the last few years of his life. His death finally put him at peace.”
And then she decided that she’d talked more than enough about her family to this man. She wouldn’t mind turning the tables a bit.
“So you want to buy a house,” she said. “Does that mean you like living in Honoria?”
“Very much,” he answered with a smile. “I’ve been pretty busy, settling into the new job and all, but everyone’s been real nice and neighborly, for the most part.”
“Where did you live before you moved here?”