A Kiss in the Dark by Karen Foley Page B

commented as he thrust the truck into Park and turned off the engine.
    Lacey glanced at her watch. It was barely nine o’clock. As they climbed out of the cab, one of the men looked up, spoke briefly with the others, and walked over to greet them. He was too young to be Sheriff Hathaway. In fact, he looked to be about Cole’s age, and was just as good-looking in his own right, with chocolate-brown eyes and a shock of tawny hair.
    “Cole,” he said with a grin. “Good to see you, man.” He thrust a hand out to Cole, who shook it warmly. “I heard you were back in town. What brings you out here?”
    “Carr, I’d like you to meet Lacey Delaney. She’s come from Boston to demonstrate the GPS units.” He took Lacey’s elbow in one hand and drew her forward. “Lacey, this is Carr Hamilton. He heads up the search-and-rescue team.”
    Carr’s eyebrows shot up briefly in surprise before he swiftly composed his features, but Lacey didn’t miss the sharply questioning look he gave Cole. “Ma’am.” He inclined his head toward Lacey and extended a hand in greeting. “How’d you manage to hook up with Cole?”
    Lacey wondered at his choice of words, but was spared from having to answer by Cole.
    “I came across her broken down in Mel’s parking lot last night. She was staying at the Blackwater Inn, but they’re having problems with their air-conditioning, so I persuaded her to spend the night with me.” He turned away to retrieve Lacey’s presentation materials from the bed of his truck, but not before she saw a telltale dimple flash briefly in one lean cheek.
    She bit the inside of her cheek. Not “stay at my place,” but “spend the night with me.” There was no way anyone could miss the blatant message in those words. He’d just stamped her with his own seal of ownership as surely as if he’d said, “Hands off—she’s mine.”
    To his credit, Carr’s expression never wavered from one of polite interest. “Well, you couldn’t have been in better hands.”
    Lacey’s face turned warm at the unintended double meaning. “I agree,” she murmured in acknowledgment, and didn’t dare look at Cole as he set her equipment down on the grass beside the truck.
    Unaware of her discomfort, Carr continued blithely on. “Cole used to be part of the rescue team. He was the best damn tracker we ever had. It was a real loss to the team—and the community—when he left.” He turned to Cole and stared at him directly, as if challenging him to dispute his words.
    Beside her, Cole smiled, but Lacey could almost feel the tension in him. But when he spoke, his voice was friendly. “I signed on as the new engineer at the Black River Mines, but I have no interest in rejoining the team,” he said. “And I’m sure the entire community drew a collective sigh of relief the day I left Black Stone Gap.”
    Carr gave him a quizzical look before clapping him on the back. “Absolutely not so. The team would welcome you back, you know that. Nobody ever blamed you for what happened, except yourself.”
    “Carr.” Cole’s voice held a soft warning. Lacey risked a curious glance at him. He turned back to his truck and made a show of rearranging the tools he carried in the back.
    Carr considered him for a long moment, and then focused his attention on Lacey, making a visible effort to steer the conversation back to less dangerous ground.
    “So, you’re actually checked into the Blackwater Inn? That place doesn’t have a great reputation. You’re smart to stay at Cole’s place while you’re here.”
    “It’s only a temporary situation.” She didn’t dare look over at Cole. “I intend to ask Sheriff Hathaway to recommend another place just as soon as I see him.”
    Carr’s eyebrows drew together and his brown eyes turned somber. “Well, that may not be anytime soon. His wife was involved in a car wreck and she’s in the hospital.”
    Cole turned sharply from the truck. “What? When did this happen?”
    Carr