Midwife Cover - Cassie Miles by Intrigue Romance

definitely wasn’t going to start thinking of him that way. He wasn’t her spouse or even her boyfriend. At best, they were partners.
    He pulled up in front of the two-story cedar house. “We’re home.”
    A balcony with a railing separated the top and bottom of the house. A couple of hummingbird feeders dangled from hooks attached to the lower side of the balcony. The two windows on either side of the front door had the shades drawn as though the house was asleep. “I like this place.”
    “It’s not bad.” Brady maneuvered the truck until the back bumper was closest to the door. “The sight lines are clear in three directions. The only way somebody can sneak up on us is through the forest at the rear.”
    Of course, he’d be concerned about security. “Is there an alarm system?”
    “We’re on our own.”
    Those words triggered a response in her—a surge of excitement. This was something new for her, something different, an adventure.
    They got out of the truck and crossed the flagstones leading to the entrance. Brady unlocked the front door, pushed it open, reached inside and turned on the porch light. Standing under the glow, he flashed a grin. “Should I carry you over the threshold, Mrs. Gilliam?”
    She hesitated before answering. She wasn’t overly superstitious, but she appreciated the wisdom in old wives’ tales. Like most traditions, there was a basis for the groom lifting the bride into her new home. If she stumbled on her way inside, it brought bad luck upon the house. But Petra wasn’t really a bride, so it shouldn’t count. “Not necessary.”
    Carefully stepping over the door, she followed him inside. The front room had a moss rock fireplace and a couple of earth-tone sofas. Two of the walls were paneled with knotty pine. A long counter, also knotty pine, separated the front room from a kitchen with a terra-cotta floor. The whole effect was unspectacular but pleasant. The warm glow of the wood felt welcoming. “Who did you say lived here before?”
    “A husband and wife in the witness protection program. I don’t know anything more than that.”
    To the left of the front door was a rugged wood staircase. As she climbed, she said, “It seems like witness protection would be a huge trauma. First, there’s a horrible crime. Then they’re torn away from their families and friends. These people might have left behind some bad juju.”
    “Some what?”
    “Negative energy.”
    The upstairs consisted of a landing, three bedrooms and a bathroom. After she’d turned on all the lights, she claimed the bedroom that overlooked the front entrance. “This one is mine. I like the blue walls.”
    He stood in the doorway watching her. With his stubble and disheveled hair, he looked as rugged and sexy as the man who invaded her dreams last night. “Blue is your color. It goes with your eyes.”
    “That’s sort of an artistic observation, Mr. Gilliam.”
    “I like art. It’s rational, all about proportion.”
    She needed to keep that in mind because her response to him seemed to be growing out of proportion. The cute little house wrapped around them with a warm intimacy. The surrounding forest felt too silent. She was intensely aware of being alone with him.
    “I should get unpacked,” she said.
    It took less than an hour for her to unload her boxes, unpack her clothes and make the bed, using some of the bed linens Brady had brought with them. His sheets were ice blue, a million thread count and smooth as a caress. The man might be compulsive, but he had excellent taste.
    On the dresser, she set out some of her personal belongings: a framed family photo, a beaded jewelry box, a purple crystal dolphin and a green earthenware bowl with a lotus design. She stepped back and took a look at the blank walls and hardwood floor with a blue-and-gray rag rug next to the bed.
    This place didn’t feel like home. She wasn’t going to live here for long, so no need to put down roots. But she needed to be