Brave Love Read online

  “It still needs a ton of work,” he said. “But you should have seen it when I first bought it.”

  They stepped into the dining room, and she gestured to the built-in cabinetry. “The detail is great.”

  “I think so too.” He tilted his head apologetically toward the take-out boxes sitting on the table. “I’m not exactly wining and dining you tonight.”

  Charmed by his boyish expression, she smiled. “Whatever it is, it smells good.”

  Ethan laughed. “That’s because I know all the good take-out places.”

  After they’d begun eating, Paige met Ethan’s gaze. She’d just answered a question he’d asked and now he was studying her. He had a way of doing that; she supposed it was the cop in him.

  What had happened to her—she knew she should share it with him, especially if they were going to be intimate. But she just didn’t want to go back to that dark place.

  More importantly, she didn’t want Ethan feeling sorry for her. She could still remember the looks of pity she’d received when she’d been questioned by the FBI. There was no way she could handle that from Ethan.

  They finished dinner, and she attempted to move past the negative thoughts while they cleared the dishes.

  “You okay tonight?” Ethan asked after they’d sat down on his sofa.

  God, she was not going to let this affect her. Instead of answering, she kissed him. Then, swallowing hard, she leaned forward and pulled off her sweater. Knowing what would happen tonight, she’d worn the nicest lingerie she owned—a lacy lilac-colored bra-and-panty set.

  Ethan’s gaze fell to her chest, and his eyes widened. It looked as if she’d distracted him. Now to curb her own wayward thoughts and let nature take its course.

  • • •

  The next morning, Paige woke up early. She rolled over in the unfamiliar bed and took in Ethan’s profile as he slept. Smiling to herself at the memory of their lovemaking the night before, she moved over and wrapped an arm around his waist, then snuggled close in the hope of getting back to sleep.

  Fifteen minutes later, a neighbor’s dog started barking, and she gave up. Ethan murmured in his sleep as she pulled away and slipped out of bed, then he rolled over and stilled. It was just after dawn, a little early, but she could go ahead and start breakfast for him. Dressing quickly in the bathroom, she peeked in at him one more time before she headed downstairs, but he was sleeping peacefully.

  Half an hour later, Ethan shuffled into the kitchen, yawning as he walked over and hugged her. “I smell coffee. You’re cooking?”

  She nodded. “Are you hungry?”

  He laughed. “Always. You’re lucky I went shopping this week. Usually, it’s a good morning if I have enough milk to manage a bowl of cereal.”

  “So you’re the one who keeps Bennington’s take-out restaurants alive,” she said as she dished out the eggs she’d made, then added a piece of toast to each plate.

  “My schedule’s going to be changing soon,” Ethan said after they sat down. “I’ll be off on weekends again.” He chuckled. “Then again, you work so much, I’m not sure it matters.”

  Paige smiled, happy that the bi-weekly rotation would give him some weekend time off. “I’ll have to cut back. Weekends together sound really nice.”

  Chapter 21

  The next week, Ethan took three days off to work on the volunteer construction project he’d signed up for. He arrived at the jobsite bright and early, pleased to see that the frame was up, the roof was complete, and the siding appeared to be done as well. He pulled up to the curb and finished his coffee in the truck, thinking about the war widow and her three small children. The house wasn’t restitution for what they’d lost, but it made him feel good to be a part of such a worthy cause.

  Ethan walked into the house, set his toolbox down, and shook hands with the men already there. Craig, the director, gave an update on their progress. Today they’d be starting on the drywall.

  By ten a.m., when Craig walked over with a teenage boy in tow, Ethan had already put up several sheets. The boy’s gaze darted nervously around the unfinished room after Craig introduced him. At over six feet tall, the teenager was eye level with Ethan.

  “Bryan here is doing a community service project for school and decided to work with us today. Do you mind showing him what to do?” Craig asked.

  “I’d be happy to.”

  After Craig walked away, Ethan turned to the boy. “So, Bryan, have you ever done drywall before?”

  His eyes wide, Bryan shook his head.

  “Well, it’s not very hard. Why don’t you watch me for a minute?”

  Ethan walked to the stack of drywall and grabbed hold of a piece. Carrying it to the wall, he set it in place against the framing and asked Bryan to help hold it as he drilled in two screws.

  “Want to try?”

  Bryan nodded and Ethan handed over the drill. To his surprise, the teen managed to drill the next two screws in straight.

  “You’re good at this.”

  Bryan shrugged, then finally spoke in a low voice. “My dad used to do this kind of thing. I would watch.”

  Ethan frowned. “Used to?”

  The teen averted his eyes as he picked up another screw. “He died. Last summer.”

  Blinking hard, Ethan said, “I’m very sorry to hear that.”

  With a nod, Bryan turned back to the drill.

  Two hours later, when they stopped for lunch, Ethan surveyed the room. Drywall was now up on all four walls. While they’d still need to cut pieces to fill in the corners and entryways, the space now resembled a room.

  Ethan and Bryan went outside, grabbed sandwiches, and sat down at a picnic table.

  “What school do you go to?” Ethan asked.

  “Meadow High.”

  “You live in Garvin, then?”

  Bryan nodded.

  “And you’re a senior?”

  “Yeah.”

  As they ate, Bryan began to relax a little and open up. Ethan asked a lot of questions, and they talked about high school and Bryan’s hobby—skateboarding. It sounded like the teen put in a lot of time on a board. He’d been skateboarding since he was twelve.

  Half an hour later, they were back at work. By the middle of the afternoon, they had the drywall fully installed.

  Ethan handed Bryan a spatula. “We’re going to tape the joints now. Watch me for a second.” He scooped joint compound out with a spatula and spread it over a seam between two pieces of drywall.

  Bryan tried it next.

  “Perfect. Want to finish the rest of the joint?”

  Bryan gave a nod and scooped out more compound. For the rest of the day, they worked side-by-side.

  As Ethan was gathering up his tools that evening, he asked, “Do you need a ride home?”

  “Nah,” Bryan said. “My mom’s on her way.”

  • • •

  Ethan and Bryan worked together Thursday and Friday morning. At lunchtime on Friday, Paige stopped by. Ethan showed her around the house before driving her and Bryan to a nearby diner.

  “What else do you do besides build houses?” Paige asked Bryan after the three of them were seated in a booth.

  Bryan told her he skateboarded.

  “How long have you been doing that?” she asked.

  “Five years.”

  “You must be really good.”

  Bryan shrugged. “There’s a contest coming up where the winners get sponsors. I’m not sure I’m good enough to enter, though.”

  “Is the contest around here?”

  “No. It’s the kind where you have to send in a video.”

  Ethan listened with a smile while Bryan continued to open up to Paige. Half an hour later, when they arrived back at the construction site, Bryan got out of Ethan’s truck and said good-bye to Paige.

  “Wait,” she said, then pulled a card from her bag and held it out. “My office has a lot of video equipment. You can use it for your contest. Just give me a call.”

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sp; Bryan took the card with a smile and thanked her before walking into the house.

  What Ethan had just witnessed, while not surprising, warmed his insides. “That was really nice of you.”

  “He’s a nice kid.”

  Ethan nodded, thinking about the boy’s loss. It was hard on a boy growing up without a father, as he well knew.

  Seconds later, it was as if Paige had read his mind. Tilting her head to the side, she regarded him through narrowed eyes and mused, “You understand what he’s going through.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, I suppose I do.” Leaning forward, he gave her a kiss. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  He couldn’t wait for the weekend. It was his first one off since the rotation, and he and Paige would be spending it together.

  Chapter 22

  At Monday morning’s shift briefing, Ethan and the other officers learned of another fire. The latest had been set inside a sporting goods warehouse, thankfully after business hours, so no one had been in the building at the time.

  An hour later, Ethan and Mark stood in front of the burned structure, waiting for the fire inspector from the state police who was inside. Maybe with the investigator’s help, they’d finally be able to get some clues. Although the arsonist had targeted a structure at a park, this was the first time he’d set fire to a building.

  The acrid stench of smoke hung heavy in the air as Ethan surveyed the damage. The escalation was deeply troubling. It was only a matter of time before someone would be hurt. Between the office shooting and the arson, there had been a little too much action in Bennington lately. People moved here to live in a safe, quiet city. He glanced at Mark, who was shifting restlessly from foot to foot as they waited, and willed the inspector to find something that would help their investigation.

  Fifteen minutes later, the inspector emerged carrying an evidence bag. He was an older man, in his early sixties or so, with thinning hair and the beginnings of a paunch, and wore a navy windbreaker a size too large for him with the words State Police emblazoned in white on the back. A black Labrador retriever walked beside him on a leash.

  “You found something?” Ethan asked.

  The man nodded. “Daisy alerted, so I took a sample of the flooring.” He held up the bag. “I’m pretty sure he used accelerant.”

  “Gasoline?”

  “Most likely,” the inspector said with a nod. “I’ll get it to the lab so we can find out for sure. If so, we can prove the fire was arson, but that doesn’t help you catch the guy.”

  Ethan frowned. “Fires are the worst cases. Any forensic evidence is usually destroyed, which makes our job harder.”

  “He’s probably young, right?” Mark asked.

  The inspector glanced at him. “Typical arsonist is. He’s likely in his twenties. Maybe even in his teens.” He gave the dog’s leash a slight tug, then said good-bye to the officers before heading to his vehicle.

  Mark scowled at the burned-out building, glaring at the small wisps of smoke still drifting from hot spots as he hooked his hands on his hips. “That doesn’t help much to narrow it down.”

  Ethan agreed, but had an idea as his gaze went down the block. “There are several other businesses nearby. Maybe they’ll have video surveillance. Let’s check it out.”

  The two officers split up, each taking one side of the street. Half an hour later, Ethan entered the last building on the block, praying silently, Let them have something. The only other cameras on the block had been dummy cameras, and Mark had struck out as well so far.

  Inside, the owner confirmed video surveillance—not only from a camera on the door, but from one on the roof as well.

  By noon, Ethan, Mark, and Captain Liu were sitting inside the captain’s office, viewing the DVD of footage the business owner had provided. The fire had been called in shortly after two a.m., so they forwarded past the midnight hour. When 1:30 a.m. appeared on the bottom of the screen, Mark let the video play. A streetlight illuminated a spot on the screen, but the footage was otherwise dark and grainy.

  The bottom of the screen read 1:46 a.m. when Ethan leaned forward. “I think I just saw something.”

  Mark hit Rewind and the footage replayed.

  “There.” Ethan pointed to an indistinct dark figure that moved in the shadows. “See that flash?”

  They viewed it several more times before concluding there was a key chain swinging from a long chain at the individual’s waist. Ethan sat back with a frown after they’d watched the rest of the video. Other than the key chain, they had nothing.

  “Think we can track that chain down?” Mark asked. “Find out who sells it?”

  The captain nodded. “Let’s let one of the detectives handle this part. I’ll put Mitch on it.”

  • • •

  That evening, after Ethan and Mark arrived back at the station, Mitch walked up to them. He’d visited the local stores, but none carried chains similar to the one on the video. An online search hadn’t revealed any leads either. Their only clue looked like it was a dead end.

  Ethan sighed, then glanced at the clock. Tonight, Paige would be joining him at Tony’s. For the first time, she’d be meeting James and Denise. Hopefully he’d be able to finish up here and make it on time.

  He was excited about Paige meeting his friends, but at the same time a little apprehensive about expanding outside the safe little cocoon they’d been sharing together so far. Everything had been going well, and he wanted that to continue. Paige was so different from anyone else he’d ever dated or been with, less sure of herself and more vulnerable, and his outgoing friends might be a little much for her. But there was only one way to find out.

  An hour and a half later, he walked into the bar. It was busy already, with most of the bar stools filled and the tables taken. The music was turned up loud, and a football game was playing on the flat-screen TVs mounted on the walls. A chorus of groans rang out throughout the bar at a referee’s questionable call as Ethan scanned the crowd, looking for his friends. When James raised his hand in a wave, Ethan weaved his way through the other patrons to the far side of the bar.

  James slapped Ethan on the back when he reached his table. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Ethan glanced back at the door. “I was hoping Paige would be here by now.”

  Denise stood up and gave him a hug. “So glad we finally get to meet her.”

  “I am too,” James said with a grin, practically rubbing his hands together.

  Ethan shook his head and narrowed his gaze on his best friend. “Tell me you’re not planning on grilling her the second we sit down.”

  “Hey, give me some credit,” James said with a mock hurt expression, then waggled his eyebrows. “I was going to wait until after we ordered.”

  Ethan huffed out a laugh. When he looked toward the door again, Paige was just entering. A warm heat spread through him at the sight of her. She stepped inside the door and paused, looking nervous as she bit her lip and brushed her back long brown hair. She was casual tonight, wearing a brown T-shirt and jeans that hugged her curves. He lifted a hand in the air to catch her eye, and when she spotted him, her apprehension disappeared and her face lit up in a smile that made him catch his breath.

  Ethan watched her as she made her way to their table, sending up a silent prayer that tonight went well. More than anything, he wanted Paige to feel comfortable. James was a lot to handle, especially when you first met him. Hopefully he’d tone it down for the night.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said shyly as she reached the table.

  “You’re not,” he said, then pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I just got here myself.” Putting a hand on the small of her back, he introduced her to James and Denise.

  A waitress stopped by their table, and Ethan and James ordered beers while Paige and Denise opted for white wine. As they waited for their drinks, Denise told them how she’d dropped her engagement ring down the drain that morning.

  “You got it out for her?” Ethan asked James.

/>   “Hey!” Denise crossed her arms over her chest. “I got it out myself.”

  Ethan held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry for assuming wrong. I’m a chauvinist pig.”

  Denise pretended to elbow him and laughed.

  “You’re getting married in January?” Paige asked.

  Denise nodded. “You’ll be coming, right?”

  Paige exchanged a smile with Ethan. “Of course. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

  “No problem,” James said, then leered at Ethan. “You can get some ideas for when the two of you get married.”

  Paige’s lips tipped up in a grin, and Ethan couldn’t help but smile too.

  While Paige and Denise chatted about the wedding, discussing florists and DJs and dresses, James glanced at Ethan and rolled his eyes. Leaning closer, James raised an eyebrow and said, “I heard at the fire station that the warehouse fire was arson. Denise and I were out of town this weekend, so I just learned about it this afternoon. Do you have any leads?”

  Ethan told him what little he could about the surveillance video they’d found. Even though he and James were close, talking about an ongoing investigation could get him fired, so Ethan kept the details to himself. James listened intently; as a fireman, he was well aware how little evidence was usually left behind in an arson situation. When Ethan finished, James clapped him on the shoulder and wished him luck with it.

  It was past ten o’clock by the time the four of them walked out of the bar. Ethan walked Paige to her car, and then followed her back to his house.

  As they walked up the walkway, he asked, “Did you have fun tonight?”

  “I did.”

  “James likes to tease.”

  Paige laughed. “I sort of noticed that.”

  “He’s a lot when you first meet him.” Even afterward, Ethan added silently.

  She stopped at her door and turned to kiss him good night. With her arms around his neck, she looked up at him through her lashes and smiled. “Well, I liked him. I liked both of them. You’ve got nice friends.”

  Ethan felt his entire body relax at her words. He knew his friends had thought Paige was great, too. It was a good sign, the first of many, he hoped.