“I was sitting in my car. How would I know?”

  “You’d know. Was he?”

  “He seemed tall. His hands were big. I couldn’t help but notice when I put my license and registration in his palm. Or when he gave them back to me with the ticket.”

  “And didn’t I tell you I had a dream that you’d run into a guy with big hands and feet?”

  She shook her head. “Blair...”

  “Did I, or didn’t I?”

  “Do you know how many people I cross in a day that could fit that description?”

  “You didn’t want to hear about my dream before, do you now?”

  She didn’t think she had a way out of it so she picked up the wine glass and drank some more. “If I say no you’re going to keep bringing it up.”

  “I will. He was tall. He had sunglasses on and smelled musky. Not musky like a smelly man, but musky like a man.”

  Yep, and this was why she didn’t want to hear about Blair’s dreams. The trooper did have on sunglasses and he smelled really good. Those were just details that bothered Brina when she heard them.

  “What else?” Brina asked since they’d gotten this far.

  “In my dream you ran into him more than once. It was like everywhere you went he was there. Not only that but there was also some misunderstanding or confusion. Like an assumption gone wrong. I couldn’t pinpoint it. You know how it is.”

  “Great,” she said. “I hope that doesn’t mean I’ll get another ticket.”

  “I doubt it,” Blair said. “Just that in my dream you two were dancing around each other. Lots of smiling and snarky words.”

  “The snarky words had to be from my mouth,” she said. “Though I was nice to him when he pulled me over.”

  “I’m sure you were. You probably had all your information ready for him before he got to the window so you could be accommodating.”

  She bared her teeth. “I was in a hurry. I thought it’d speed things up.”

  “You’re so easy to rile at times. Eat your cheese and grapes. I’ll be right back.”

  Brina grabbed a few grapes and popped them in her mouth while Blair walked into the house. When she came back there was a container in her hands. “What’s that?”

  “Lemon bars.”

  “Oh man, and this is why I come to visit. You didn’t even know I was coming and don’t say you had a dream I’d be here so you were going to make my favorite treat.”

  “No,” Blair said. “I made them because Philip likes them and set these aside for you. I was going to drop them over to your place tomorrow on my way to work, but when you texted earlier I figured I’d give them to you tonight.”

  She pulled the lid off and the scent of citrus and cream cheese hit her hard. “You’re the best cousin ever,” she said, reaching in and pulling one out, then biting into it.

  “Yes, I am,” Blair said back.

  An hour later, Brina decided it was time to go home. “Thanks for letting me visit and vent tonight.”

  “Any time,” Blair said.

  They walked off the deck together and to her SUV in the driveway.

  She started the engine, stepped on the brake, and put it in reverse to do a three-point turn, then heard Blair yelling through the closed window.

  Slamming on the brakes, she threw it in park, and rolled the window down. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’ve got a brake light out.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re brake light is out.”

  She reached over into her briefcase and pulled out the ticket, read it, and realized that was why she was pulled over.

  “I’ll be damned.”

  “What?” Blair asked, moving closer. “Did you get a ticket for that instead of speeding?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Really?” Blair asked. “Kind of like a misunderstanding of something on your part.”

  It took her a second to realize Blair was talking about her dream again. “Bye,” she said and pulled away.

  The last thing she needed was a man in her life. Least of all a sexy state trooper. And though she told her cousin he was rugged, what she didn’t say was that it’d been way too long since she’d been drawn to any man for any reason and yet this one hadn’t left her mind all day.

  She didn’t need to be distracted by a man again. She didn’t need one taking up all her thoughts either.

  Been there and done that and never would again.

  2

  In His Blood

  “Just the man I wanted to see.”

  Nathan Randal looked up at Josh Turner, an investigator at Troop G out of Latham where they were both stationed.

  “What’s up?”

  “Ruby asked me to pass this on to you. She said you might be interested in it. It hasn’t been listed yet though so you’d have to move fast.”

  Ruby Gentile was Josh’s fiancée. The two had gotten engaged on Valentine’s Day six months ago. They met when Josh was looking to buy a house and Ruby was his realtor.

  He took the printed out paper and checked over the house. Ruby had listed the last place that Nathan had flipped and sold it for him, but she’d yet to really find him any places. She was in the business of selling at the higher end, not listing at the lower end for him to buy and flip.

  This listing was in Paradise Place, the development where Josh and Ruby lived. The one they all busted on Josh about too.

  “How far is this from you?” he asked.

  “A few blocks.”

  “What’s wrong with it?” The house was about thirty years old. Not as old as half the things he bought and flipped. This development never had anything run down at all. He couldn’t tell much from this listing. There were no pictures except for the front of the house that was sided a dull brown color.

  “I have no clue. She said she knows it’s going to go fast once she lists it, but wanted to give you first dibs to look at it before it’s officially on the market. Just give her a call if you want. She didn’t want to bug you and knew I’d probably see you today.”

  “Thanks,” he said, going to a room and shutting the door. He was just returning after being out on patrol. The air felt hotter than boiling water and he had no problem driving around in the air conditioning, but he had paperwork to do so he might as well get it done now before his shift ended at six. Then he’d be off for four days and start his two weeks of nights.

  He pulled his phone out and made the call. “Ruby Gentile.”

  “Hi, Ruby. It’s Nathan. Josh gave me the listing.”

  “Hey, Nathan. I thought I’d take a risk with this. I’m sure it’s nothing you are interested in, but as we know, houses go fast in Paradise Place and this one isn’t going to last an hour. My guess is I’ll get bids sight unseen.”

  “I’m not into bidding wars,” he said.

  He’d been buying and flipping houses on the side for years. His grandfather was in construction and he took that love to give himself a nice second career. When he hit his twenty-year mark with the State Police, he’d only be forty-seven. Way too young to retire, but he didn’t plan on doing this forever either. Regardless of if it was in his blood.

  “I know. But I told my client I might know of someone and that if they wanted to sell their house before the actual listing I’d take a percentage off my fee.”

  “Why would you do that?” he asked.

  “Because I feel bad for her. The homeowner’s husband passed away a few months ago. He’d lost his job a year prior and they had a lot of medical expenses. They are going to lose the house to the bank and I don’t want to see that happen. The house needs a lot of work inside. They’ve let it go. The price is about what it’s worth. After they pay realtor and legal fees, it’s enough to clear off their mortgage.”

  “They’d need a fast closing then, right?” he asked, trying to figure out how much cash he had. He could probably pull this off if he emptied his savings. He’d have no cash to rehab but then could get a home equity loan after the purchase. It could work.

  “Yes. I don’t know your personal situation and it’s not my business, but I really thought there was a big margin of profit in this house. A house three down sold for two hundred thousand more just a few months ago and it was smaller, but it was updated.”

  “Interesting,” he said. “I guess the question is how much work this house needs.”

  “A complete facelift. But I know you do all your own work and the costs are much less than if you hired someone. If you want to check it out, let me know. I need to go take pictures tonight and get ready to list it in two days otherwise.”

  “What time tonight?” he asked.

  “Seven.”

  “Can I go with you and check it out? That way if I’m not interested you can just proceed as planned?”

  “That was what I was hoping for. You’ve got the address. Just meet me there.”

  “Thanks for thinking of me, Ruby.”

  “Any time. Now that I live there myself it’s nice to make sure all the houses are kept to a certain standard.”

  “You know as well as I do anyone who bought this house was going to improve it.”

  “I know,” she said. “But I think Josh might enjoy having a coworker in the same development as him.”

  “That’s only so there’d be someone else the guys could bust on about living in Paradise.”

  “There is that too,” she said, laughing. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  He hung up and thought about it some more. He bought and flipped. He even lived in the houses when he was flipping them. The one he was in now was ready to be listed soon and Ruby knew that. He was going to have to find a place to stay if he didn’t buy another investment soon anyway.

  He hated apartment living so this was a good enough option. He’d been looking around for other properties and not much caught his eye. It’s not like he bought and sold multiple houses a year. Maybe one a year depending on the amount of work it needed.

  “So are you going to check it out?” Josh asked when he walked back to his desk.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ve driven by it. The area is nice, you already know that. The outside just needs to be spruced up. The shutters are faded, a few cracked. The brick porch is kind of grimy, but that is all cosmetic.”

  “The question is how bad does the inside look though.”

  “I guess you’ll know that tonight.”

  And four hours later he was pulling into the driveway in his motorcycle and parking behind Ruby’s SUV.

  “Josh never told me you rode a motorcycle,” she said. “Very sexy.”

  He laughed. “You’re engaged.”

  “I am. Do you think you could teach Josh to ride this?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not going there. And I don’t ride it often. I don’t even know why I’ve still got it. Or why I rode it today when it’s hotter than hell out.”

  He’d gotten the bike when he was in the service. It was easier to move around with him than a car. Easier to store at his father’s too when he had to.

  Those years in the service were behind him, but he couldn’t seem to let go of the bike for some reason and wasn’t sure why. Maybe because he knew how much his mother hated it. That’d be a stupid reason, but it was really the only thing that came to his mind.

  And thoughts of his mother had no business being there when he tried to wipe as much of her away as he could.

  “The owner is here. I did tell her I was bringing you by though.”

  “Okay.” He followed her up the stairs. “These steps need to be replaced. The concrete is all cracked.”

  “Do you need something to write down everything on?”

  “No,” he said. “I’ve got an app on my phone.”

  “Technology is a great thing.”

  They knocked on the front door but didn’t have long to wait before a middle-aged woman stood there in shorts and a T-shirt. “I’ve got it, Scott. Finish packing. I’m sorry. I’ve got my son packing his room up.”

  “We won’t be here long,” Ruby said. “This is Nathan Randal. He’s going to take a look around. He might be interested in purchasing it before we list.”

  “Oh, you’re the man Ruby told me about. I guess I expected someone older or a company or something.”

  He smiled. “I’ve got a company on the side,” he said. He was looking around the foyer. “Did you have a leak?”

  “There’s a leak in the master bath somewhere. I had a plumber come and just shut the water off to those pipes. I couldn’t afford to get it fixed at that time and since we have two full baths and a half down here and it’s only Scott and me, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

  He made a note that there would be plumbing issues, but by the looks of the house so far, nothing had been changed in the thirty years since it was built. “How long have you lived here?” he asked. “If you don’t mind me asking?”

  “About eighteen years. We moved in when I was pregnant with Scott. I told Ruby we put a new roof and furnace in about eight years ago. We had to take a home equity loan out for it.”

  Which would explain why they had more left on their mortgage than he would have figured. “That’s good to know then.” At least those two big-ticket items could come off the list.

  But twenty minutes later he realized that was the only thing off the list. Every single room in the house needed work. Not just a facelift either. Every bathroom and the kitchen would be gutted down to the studs if he was flipping this. He’d reconfigure it while he was at it too. Maybe even remove a few walls.

  The upstairs had four good-sized bedrooms, but the carpets were nasty and worn. The hardwoods downstairs couldn’t even be refinished upon first glance they were in such rough shape.

  “What do you think?” Ruby asked him when they were in the basement.

  “This space would be nice if it was finished. It looks dry down here and we had a lot of rain a few days ago.”

  “Overall, what do you think of the house? It needs a lot of work. If you flipped this my guess is you’d gut the main rooms.”

  “Yeah. That’s a definite. I’ll take it,” he said.

  She laughed. “Just like that? You don’t even need to run numbers or does that app do it for you too?”

  “It does, but the truth is, this place is pulling me in for some reason.”

  He’d never had a flip do that before. He’d never walked into an investment property and felt a connection like he did in this house and he couldn’t explain what it was.

  It’s not like the house was anything like the one he’d grown up in. Memories of his childhood weren’t things that brought on nostalgia like the feelings in this rundown house that had a ton of potential.

  “Hmm. Maybe you’ll buy it and stay rather than turn around and sell it?” she asked. “Weren’t you the one who told Josh he’d know the house the minute he walked in?”

  He laughed. “I was, but I’m not looking for a forever home. I’m just looking for a place to stay while I make money. You know that since you’ll be listing my current house soon enough.”

  She grinned. “Which is another reason why I called you. Either way, what you do in the long run is up to you. I’m just concerned about my client upstairs.”

  “Do they have a place to stay?” he asked. “I know you said it has to be a quick turnaround.”

  “Her son is going off to college in a month or so and she has an apartment lined up. She just needs to clear off her debt and she should be fine.”

  He didn’t want to kick them out of their house or leave them on the street if he could avoid it. If they didn’t have a place, he’d put them in the house he was in now and move into theirs until she found something, but he wouldn’t have to worry now.

  “Then I’d like to offer her asking price. I’ve got the cash so we can close as soon as the paperwork is set.”

  “No inspection or contingencies?” she asked.

  “I’ve got what I need. I know what to look for. The houses in this area are built solid. The frame and structure are in good shape. I can handle what it needs inside, but it’s going to be a long big job.”

  “And you can have Josh come help you since you helped him with so much in our house. I still love the master bath and he would have never finished it as fast without your assistance.”

  Josh had done the bulk of the work in his own house, but there were things he’d needed help with. Like gutting an entire bathroom and reconfiguring it. Nathan had to admit the finished product was sweet and much nicer than anything he’d done.

  Since he always flipped he didn’t often go high end like Josh and Ruby did.

  “I’m sure I’ll be calling on him.”

  “And we know I’m good at painting so just say the word.”

  He wasn’t used to having people he could call to help him. Sure, the guys at the barracks always lent a hand when someone needed it, but he didn’t ask often since it was his job on the side.

  And if he really needed help, he’d get his brother over for grunt work and labor. Even his father was an extra set of hands. But being around family was something he avoided as much as possible too and it’s not like they lived all that close to him that they could run over when he needed them.

  He turned and put his hand out with a grin. “Nice doing business with you.”

  “Same here. Give your lawyer a call.”

  “Will do,” he said and left while Ruby went to talk to the homeowner.

  Lawyers. Why was he thinking of the sexy Sabrina Shepard he’d pulled over earlier today?

  He’d fully expected her to pull the lawyer card when she said she was on the way to the courthouse, but she didn’t. She had all her paperwork ready to go for him.

  She probably thought she was being pulled over for speeding, which she was doing, but she was going with the flow of traffic. There were some around her going faster. But when she tapped her brakes as she passed by him, he’d noticed the light out.

  He’d never thought much of lawyers in his life. Not after his parents’ divorce and how his mother pretty much tried to take his father for everything she could even though she’d been at fault. But there was something about Sabrina Shepard that made him grin while on duty when he never did before.