Publisher's Synopsis
Sam followed Cassie as she went into the bedroom to get her gun and a flannel shirt to cover it when she stuck it in the back waist band of her jeans. The fear subsided some as the cold steel touched her skin, but she was angry that the people of Stanton had made her so vulnerable she needed to carry a gun to feel safe when a police officer came to her home. Her first impression was that he was taller than her by a foot; and the second was that Sam liked him. Sam was wary around nearly everyone, taking his cues from her, she guessed, but the big man at her door knelt and petted her dog with genuine liking, and Sam was in heaven. Cassie watched until he started to give Sam a treat, then she reacted from her experience with the dead puppy and slapped his hand away from Sam. "It's a dog biscuit." he said, startled. "I don't let him take treats from strangers." Her voice was cold. "Are you always this unfriendly, Miss Barnes?" He was angry. Cassie backed away and she knew from his expression that he had not believed her fear to be real. Until now. She took a deep breath and told Sam to go to his bed. She didn't have to watch him to know he would obey her, and she watched Kyle Braden warily as he removed his hat, giving her a toe to top examination which she knew was meant to put her in her place for being rude. Then he stared at her in surprise, recognizing her, and Cassie saw the half-moon scar on his forehead. "You arrested that elderly couple." she said, startled. "They had nine kilos of cocaine in their trunk. They were mules, moving it from Florida to Boston." Cassie remembered the bags on the trunk of the car. "It's a small world, Miss Barnes." "Would you like some coffee, Chief? It's fresh." "From the smell of them, so are the muffins." He tried a half grin on her. "I promise you, you are safe, Cassie...Miss Barnes." "Cassie is fine." She relaxed a little. "Go ahead into the kitchen and we'll have some with the coffee." It occurred to her that he seemed to know his way around her home, and she tensed again as he stood by the table. She brought the muffins and the mugs to the table and stepped away quickly when he reached to get the coffee pot. She set her cell phone beside her cup. "Relax, Cassie." he said quietly. "I am relaxed." She reached for a muffin. "The fact that I asked you into my home shows how relaxed I am." "The fact that you feel like you need to carry a gun when a cop comes to your house on a friendly visit tells me you're scared to death and a whole other story about the little town of Stanton."
