Page 28 of Built of Flames
After a bit, Christo stood back and crossed his arms over his chest and studied the placement.
He frowned a bit when he turned to see Izzy snuggled up beside Mitch, but he didn’t comment. “Is he targeting our family?”
Bella heaved out a sigh. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“But why August? Are these the only ones? I think we need to check the other months. We’re probably missing some. I can’t see anyone waiting an entire year before setting the next fire. From what I know, they need more frequent highs than that. Is it possible this guy is setting one a month?”
A knot formed in Bella’s stomach. “If he is, he doesn’t fit typical patterns, and he’s a whole lot smarter than we’d like.”
She moved to a spot at the table where she could see the board and opened her laptop. “We need a lot more information. Kelsor is a small town. It could be we’re simply seeing connections where none exist. Let’s add in fires that you remember and see how they fit in.”
“Only fires that weren’t resolved, right?” Christo asked.
Bella thought about that before answering. “Probably. Unless there’s some connection to us.”
“That’s still a lot.”
Hours later, Bella shoved the laptop away from her. “I can’t look at it anymore. I need a break.”
“Agreed.” Mitch stood and stretched. Her eyes were drawn to the play of his muscles beneath his t-shirt and she wanted to run her fingers over those muscles.
Christo stood as well. “Why don’t you show me around this place? That should clear our heads for a bit.”
Bella flushed even as she smiled at her brother. She’d been distracted by Mitch’s muscles and momentarily forgotten he was even there. “Good plan.”
They wandered the property, chatted with Sam about Midnight Security, and ended up in the lodge checking out the CleanySaurs.
Just after supper, Mitch tugged her aside. “I’m going to head out and let you and Christo have some time together.”
“But—”
He grinned. “Marcus is off, so we’re going to hang out for a bit.”
She immediately felt bad, even though her own time with Mitch was precious and coming quickly to an end. “Well, heisthe reason you came to Midnight Lake. You should definitely spend some time with him.”
Mitch leaned down and kissed her forehead, then cupped her face. “I should, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss you like crazy. I’ll be back in the morning.”
Then he captured her reply in a kiss that went from sweet to scorching in a heartbeat.
She watched him head out the back door and head down the trail. He turned and blew her a kiss, then disappeared into the trees. She watched for a few minutes more and then sighed.
Falling in love was supposed to be scary. For her, it had been more of a slip down a playground slide. Probably because she’d been in love with Mitch her whole life.
Bella knew he cared about her. That was obvious in every word and action. But love? It was too soon for most people. Too soon with all the mess in their backgrounds and with the suspicion of a serial arsonist.
For now, she’d hug the knowledge that she was in love to herself and enjoy the way it filled her up. She’d never felt this way before and it was glorious.
When she turned, she found her brother leaning on the doorjamb, watching her with their mother’s eyes. “You really like him, don’t you?”
Tears wanted to fill her eyes, but she swallowed hard and nodded. “I do.”
Christo gave her a lopsided smile, then moved forward and wrapped her in a hug. “Okay. I won’t beat him up.”
Her laugh chased the tears away. “You weren’t going to.”
He shrugged. “I guess we’ll never know. It’s a big brother’s right to intimidate the suitors.”
Laughing, she took him out to the front deck where they would have a view of the lake and the stars. Once they were seated, she reached out to squeeze his hand. “I’m really glad you drove over.”