father’s murder was solved.
Maybe now that Graham was back in her life Mandy wouldn’t care if Brody distanced himself from her. Maybe she’d stop calling him late in the evenings just to say good-night. This might be his opportunity to step away from her.
And he needed to step away from her. He’d started looking forward to her good-night calls. He dreamed of capturing her lips with his, of stroking her naked curves and more. He didn’t want or need anyone in his life, especially a woman who was looking for her prince. He was definitely no prince.
“Where were you on the night your father was murdered?” Dillon leaned forward in his chair.
Graham smiled. He had a smile just like Mandy’s...wide and warm. “I was at a company Christmas party. I’ll be happy to give you names of people who were there with me and will corroborate that I attended.”
“And after the party ended?” Dillon’s expression was pleasant enough but his gray eyes were hard and cold. Those same cold eyes had been directed at Brody when Dillon believed one of the Holiday Ranch cowboys was guilty of murder.
“The party didn’t break up until after one or so and then I went to my fiancée’s apartment and spent the night there,” Graham replied.
“I can’t believe you’d think he’s guilty of anything,” Mandy said to Dillon with a touch of outrage.
“Honey, now isn’t the time or the place,” Cassie said softly to Dillon.
“Of course,” Dillon replied and sat back in his chair. “But I would like to speak to you later,” he added to Graham.
“I’ll be glad to,” Graham replied.
Butch and some of the others left and eventually everyone else got up, filled a plate and found places to sit at the table. The talk turned to what Mandy intended to do with the property.
“I need to clean out everything. I’ll donate Dad’s clothes and the furniture, and then I’m going to sell.” She looked at her brother seated next to her. “I’ll split everything fifty-fifty with you, Graham.”
“I don’t need your money, Mandy,” he replied. “I’ve done pretty well for myself. Besides, that’s not why I came back here.”
“Why did you come back?” The words blurted out of Brody.
Graham frowned. “I came back because not a day went by that I didn’t think about my little sister.” He gazed at Mandy. “I was always sorry that I left you behind, but we were both so young.” He looked at Brody. “When I heard about the murder, I knew I needed to see Mandy and make sure she was okay.”
Mandy reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters other than you’re here now.”
“I’m here until just after the first of the year, and then I need to get back to my job and my life in Dallas,” he replied.
“And I can’t wait to hear all about your life in Dallas,” Mandy replied.
Brody glanced at his watch. The day was fading away and he needed to leave. He had someplace he had to be in thirty minutes.
“Mandy, I need to head out,” he said.
She jumped up from the table. “Okay, I’ll walk you out.”
She grabbed her coat from the hall tree and shrugged it on. Together they walked out into the fading light of day. “Brody, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to support me over the last couple of days.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied.
“I really don’t know what I would have done without you.” They reached his truck’s driver’s door and she gazed up at him with her gorgeous dark-lashed eyes. “You aren’t going to stop being my friend just because I have a brother now, are you?”
Although that was exactly what he’d intended to do, there was no way he could look into her soulful eyes and tell her that...especially not today of all days. “Of course not,” he replied.
She grinned, suddenly threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips firmly against his cheek. His body immediately responded to her body so close to his and to the warmth of her lips against his skin.
“What’s that for?” he asked gruffly as she released her hold on him.
“That’s for being the best friend I could ever ask for,” she replied. “I’ll call you later?”
“Sounds good,” he said.
He watched while she hurried back into the house. Adrenaline still whipped through him. He needed to lift a car or cut down a tree or do something physical to rid himself of the unwanted surge of desire inside him.
He got into his truck and pulled away from the Wright place, grateful that he was on his way to spend some time with Ellie.
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