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wanted to make sure that she didn t get it from someone who had little idea as to what they were
doing.
Your brother is going to kill me. Heck, he may kill you too. Then me again just for fun. Either
way, he s going to be mighty unhappy. You ve thought this through, right?
I have. I know he s going to have a kitten or a cow but he doesn t get to run my life. It s going to
be a hard lesson for him to learn but I m determined he will learn it.
Rayne had a sinking feeling this tat was simply the opening shot in an ongoing battle for control of
Sophie s young life. Dare wouldn t give up without a fight.
Just relax then. I need to run into the back room for a few supplies. I ll be right back.
The shop was empty this late in the evening and Rayne had turned her door sign to Closed to give
Sophie more privacy. The back room was still cluttered from the break-in, supplies in stacks instead
of put away neatly. Rayne needed an uninterrupted afternoon to organize everything but she never
seemed to have the time.
She had everything balanced perfectly in her arms and was turning off the light switch with her
elbow when she heard them.
Raised voices.
Dammit, it was Dare. Did he have some sort of radar as to the whereabouts of Sophie? She
wouldn t put it past him to have implanted a chip in the back of her neck so he could keep tabs on her
all hours of the day.
Striding into the front of the shop, she dumped her armload on the table and turned to face the man
that hadn t called her since their date.
Good evening, Sheriff, she said loudly enough to be heard over the argument brewing between
brother and sister. Can we keep it civil tonight?
Whatever she expected him to say or do, she sure as hell didn t think he d clamp his large hands
on her shoulders and propel her backwards until they were in the storeroom. He slammed the door
behind them and bent his head so they were eye to eye.
Rayne was trembling inside. She wasn t a stupid woman and Dare looked livid, but images of
Dare dancing in the rain with her kept coming to the forefront of her mind and keeping her from
turning around and running. Ultimately she didn t believe he d hurt her.
He d yell. Probably a bunch. He s stomp around and growl as if this was the end of the world and
only her acquiescence could save it. But this man wasn t going inflict any damage on her person.
I thought we talked about this. His voice came out as a deep rasp, clearly unhappy but then that
was nothing new. I told you not to ink Sophie.
Straightening her spine, she placed her hands on Dare s arms and gave them a push. Unhand me,
Dare. I don t enjoy being manhandled.
His hold loosened and his arms fell back to his sides as he took a step back. Fine. I apologize.
Thank you. Now if you re going to make a scene please leave my place of business. I won t have
that kind of drama here.
Then don t ink Sophie, he retorted. I told you not to.
Rayne rolled her eyes at his high-handed attitude. Boy, he was barking up the wrong tree trying to
order her around. This might work with his airheaded blonde girlfriends but it wouldn t work with
her.
And your point is? You don t get to decide who my customers are, Dare. This is my business. I
don t tell you how to run yours or place citizen s arrests when people speed down Main Street. I
can t afford to let a third party s capricious nature mess with this shop. If you and Sophie have issues
you need to deal with them and stop putting me in the middle. I tried to scare her off, believe me, but
she s determined. If she s going to do this I d rather do it myself and not send her to some fly by night
shop that will do God knows what. I know you re trying to protect her, but so am I.
Like a fish out of water, Dare s mouth gaped open, closed, and then opened again. Rarely at a loss
for words, he appeared to be completely flummoxed.
Cat got your tongue?
Dare s head fell back and he stared at the ceiling for several heartbeats before facing her again.
Fuck.
Rayne couldn t help but laugh. That s the eloquent curmudgeon we all know and love. Care to
elaborate?
I hate it when other people are right, he sighed, resignation in his tone.
So do I. Luckily it doesn t happen to me often.
He rubbed the back of his neck, and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes indicating he
hadn t had much sleep lately.
I need to talk to Sophie and Tim. It turns out they and Tim s brother were in the same restaurant
at exactly the same time as our victim. I want to know if they saw him or anyone he may have been
with.
That was interesting news. So you were looking for your sister to ask her questions and you
found out she was here. Cue the general anger and frustration. Have I guessed correctly?
Dare glared but she wasn t too scared. You re right again.
She was on a roll so why not go for broke. In addition, you re freaked out that Sophie was in the
same room with possible bank robbers and killers. Also correct? He gave her a curt nod. So you
stomped in here treating her like a naughty toddler, so she ll have no choice but to leave for Denver
sooner and you won t be able to protect her there even though you can t really do it here either. You
just can t admit that.
Dare sat heavily into a chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. Damn, woman, you re
annoying. Anyone ever tell you that?
Rayne inwardly snickered. He didn t know the half of it. Tons. Loads. You re not even close to
the first.
I m not surprised but I am sorry I barged in here like that. Sometimes my brain doesn t engage
correctly when it comes to someone I care about.
She liked a man who could apologize and didn t make it sound passive-aggressive.
Thank you and I appreciate that. I can understand it too. My family can make me crazy as well,
although I m sure I do it to them too. So are you going to talk to Sophie and Tim?
What about the tattoo?
Now you re just giving me a hard time. You don t want her to have it and you have a perfect
excuse for why she can t get it today. You need to talk to her about a murder. It doesn t get much more
important than that.
She could swear she saw a smile ghost across his lips. You are fun to tease.
But not fun enough to call for a second date?
Dammit. She hadn t meant to say that. She hadn t meant to say anything at all about it.
His cheekbones were streaked with red. About that& I meant to call but work kind of got crazy.
Sure. I get that. Rayne shrugged her shoulders as if it didn t matter. It didn t really. The kiss had
been awesome and they d had fun, but that didn t mean she was disappointed. Just so you know I ve
been busy too.
Dare scratched his head and stood, grabbing one of her hands in his. I truly meant to call and I m
sorry I didn t. The fact is I m not very good at balancing work and a personal life. I tend to get
wrapped up in the job. If I ask nicely, will you go out with me again?
Rayne rolled her eyes even as her heart tumbled in her chest. I d love to. I won t even make you
run around in the rain this time. Maybe we can just have a nice meal or something, completely warm
and dry.
His expression went blank at that and he dropped her hand. What about that guy?
Rayne looked around the room. They were the only two people in it. What guy?
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