As a former cop, she stayed in top shape. A walk, even in the Texas heat, would not deter her.
Leaving the truck parked along the curb, they walked the area, four square blocks of beautiful Buchanon Built homes. Signs heralding their construction company stabbed the ground in front of several yet to be sold.
Sawyer’s long legs outpaced her but when he realized she trailed him by several yards, he slowed, adjusting his speed to hers. In his relaxed manner, he chatted about the area, pointing out the attractive features like a real estate salesman.
He was easy in his skin, a confident man.
Across the street, a home owner with a toddler in tow exited one house and waved. Jade’s thoughts zoomed to the young mother at the motel. She wasn’t in Gabriel’s Crossing to babysit teenage mothers but it wouldn’t hurt to check on the pair after work, to make sure Bailey and Ashton had something to eat.
Sawyer lifted a hand and greeted the home owner by name.
“How are you doing, Maggie? Enjoying your new home?”
“Loving it. You guys do great work.” She lifted the toddler into a car seat.
“Thanks. I’ll pass along the compliment.”
The woman waved again as she drove away.
Friendly. Attractive to women. Was Sawyer truly a nice guy? Or was his smile and friendliness a facade to get what he wanted? Like Cam’s?
Troubled at the line of thought and the way she couldn’t stop noticing Sawyer as a man, Jade forced her attention back to the houses. Do the job. Do it right. Focus on the investigation.
She asked questions, took photos, made notes and considered the location of this particular housing complex. They’d built on the edge of a rural area but close enough to town for convenience, a perfect location for those wanting expansive lawns and a little privacy without all those board fences. The kind of neighborhood where kids could safely play outside, roller-skate and ride bikes.
She’d love to live in a family-friendly place like this.
“Why this housing addition? Was there a problem with any of the nearby landowners? Did someone object to the city pushing out this far into the countryside?”
“Dad wrangled with the owner for a while over the price but in the end both parties approved of the agreement.”
“Maybe. I’ll need the previous owner’s name and contact info.”
“I think Leroy’s already checked that out.”
“Leroy?” She jacked a doubtful eyebrow. “The local police officer?”
Sawyer’s easygoing nature disappeared. He bristled, eyes narrowed. “Leroy’s a good cop and a great friend. He’s done his best on this.”
Here was another new side to Mr. Charm. Loyalty, willing to stand up for a friend.
“I didn’t mean that as an insult. Leroy does a good job, but he’s short-staffed, and a growing town stretches him to the limit. He could have missed something.”
She raised the camera and snapped. A line of woods and a small creek flowed to the south of the houses. “This location is beautiful. I see the appeal. Do kids play in that creek?”
“Sure. It’s very shallow. Perfect for tadpole fishing.” He paused. “Ever been?”
She glanced at the sky, a pretty blue dabbled with cotton-ball clouds and with an egg-yolk sun perched halfway between morning and noon.
She wouldn’t play his game. They were not friends having a chitchat.
“The only thing I’m fishing for is clues.”
“You don’t like to fish? To cast a lure in the water and get mocked by big, fat bass that swim around your line and laugh?” He made a casting motion and began to reel. With his left hand, she noticed. “And maybe, just maybe, if you hold your mouth right, you catch one off guard and—” He yanked back on his imaginary rod, pretending to battle a fighting fish. Suddenly his shoulders dipped and he relaxed. “Rats. Lost him.”
She bit back a laugh.
Sawyer Buchanon was fun. No wonder women loved him. Caution would be her friend around this man.
“I haven’t been fishing in years,” she said. “Not since my brothers and I used to go to the lake on weekends. We’d rent a boat at the marina and play all day.” Just the three of them, away from the stress of home. She smiled a little at the memory.
“Good memories, huh?” Sawyer’s focus was on her face, interested. And she liked the feeling. “Do you water-ski?”
“I haven’t in a long time. Do you?”
He tapped his chest. “King of the waves. Until Brady decides to make a sharp U-turn and dump me in the brink.”
“That’s mean.”
“No, that’s fun. The trick is to pay close attention so he can’t lose me and, of course, to maneuver with my mad skills and precision—” He laughed to lessen the brag. “Challenge is the Buchanon way.”
“I see what you mean. It sounds like fun.” And she’d not allowed herself much fun in a long time. Oh, she went out with friends, had dinner and saw movies, but the outdoors had been her love as a kid. “You and your family spend a lot of time together? All of you?”
“Lots of time. We’re our favorite people.” His gaze slid over her. “I imagine you were good. At water-skiing, I mean.”
“As a matter of fact, I was. Light and quick.” She twitched an eyebrow and crossed her arms in a teasing challenge. “I think I could handle Brady’s devious moves.”
“I think you could, too.” He grinned, his eyes all happy dancing. “Next time Brady takes the boat out, you should come with us. Two masters competing with the boat-rocking Brady.”
The invitation was like ice water. What was she doing? Flirting with a client? With the kind of man she couldn’t afford to like? And during an investigation, of all the inappropriate times.
She dropped her friendly stance and stiffened. “I think we should concentrate on the investigation. Which of these homes is next on our list?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but a tiny pucker appeared between his onyx eyebrows. After a long, thoughtful pause, he pointed to a pretty cream-colored brick. “That one.”
They walked toward the house in silence. She was annoyed with herself. She was here to pry into his life, not let him pry into hers. At least she’d learned some useful information during the conversation. Nothing earth shattering but his family was close, he adored his brothers and he liked to fish and ski. He was an outdoors person. Like her.
She shut that line of thinking off so fast, she got a headache. Knowing more about him was a means to an end and part of her job. Nothing personal. Nothing personal at all.
