“Afraid it has something to do with you?” He looked amused by her statement.

  “No,” she said hesitantly. “Although now I am. Thanks for that.”

  He laughed as he reached into the cooler and grabbed a couple beers, opening one and handing it to her. “Why would you be the topic of conversation? Have you done anything scandalous that I don’t know about?”

  “You caught me,” she joked. “Though the only time I seem to be the object of their gossip is when it has something to do with you. I think you’re their favorite topic, and I just get caught up in it.”

  Ben just shrugged with a mischievous grin. “I guess I’m just an interesting person.”

  “They just think you’re cute in that boy next door kind of way, that’s all.”

  She glanced over at him just in time to see his ears begin to flare. “Why don’t I go make sure the coast is clear for you?” he offered. “If the topic is in danger of moving to you, I’ll let you know.”

  “You’re so brave,” she chuckled as he walked toward the crowd of cheerful women.

  “So have you two gone out again?” Matthews asked as he walked up behind her.

  She turned to find Matthews eyeing Ben as he walked away. “Out again would mean that we went out before, which we haven’t,” she explained.

  “Whatever you say,” he mumbled.

  Rilynne had actually really enjoyed the night out she had with Ben two months before. After picking her up, they drove to a fun park on the other side of town and spent the evening chasing each other around on go-carts and playing miniature golf. She couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun. She had even allowed herself to briefly consider taking the leap and passing out of the veil of just friendship. Things might have been different had he not left the next day for back-to-back conferences. By the time he got back two weeks later, things seemed to have slipped right back into the comfortable groove they had always been in.

  Despite that, she still found herself wondering if she should take that step and pursue something more. Part of her was still scared, however, and it was just strong enough to hold her back.

  “Hi, Detective Evans,” a peppy voice came from behind her. Rilynne turned around to find Scarlett standing behind her with three large bags of chips. “I didn’t know what you needed, so I figured chips were always a safe place to start.”

  “They’re great, thank you,” Rilynne said as she reached for the bags. “And Rilynne is fine. I’m glad that you could make it.”

  “I’m just glad that Ben was able to pick me up. My car had a flat when I walked outside this morning,” she said. Something about her statement struck Rilynne as odd, and it took her several moments to realize what it was; this was the first time that she had heard Scarlett call him ‘Ben.’

  Rilynne shook it off and gave her a friendly smile. “He’s a good guy like that. The food should be ready soon,” she said as she motioned toward the grill. “Have you had a chance to meet everyone yet?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “Other than Ben and the rest of the forensic team, I have really only had a chance to talk to you and Detective Matthews.”

  “Well, here’s your chance. Nearly everyone in the homicide unit is here along with their families,” Rilynne said as she pointed around the yard. “Why don’t you go mingle? Everyone is very friendly, I promise. You can start with that group over there. That would be Jeremy Steele, Ernie Tylers, Thomas LaShad, and Avery Steele. Oh, and that’s Frank Donovan walking up behind them. He’s a doll, and single I believe,” she whispered. Scarlett took one last longing look at Ben sitting with the group of detective’s wives, before resigning to the suggestion and making her way toward the back gate.

  Rilynne let out a long, slightly frustrated sigh.

  “You can’t hold it against her, you know,” Matthews said from just over her shoulder. “From all outward appearances, Ben’s an attractive, intelligent, single young man.” He put extra emphasis on ‘single’. “Unless someone spends a good deal of time with the two of you together, they would never know that you’re a bit of a thing.”

  Rilynne wanted to argue, but she knew he was too smart to be fooled by anything that she could say. “Did you just call him attractive?” she joked.

  He shook his head and chuckled. “I just repeat what my Katy tells me,” he said with a shrug. “But you shouldn’t be too hard on her. His attentions aren’t going to wonder. You’re safe.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Rilynne asked before she could stop herself. Instantly, she felt her cheeks begin to burn and she quickly looked away.

  After a few seconds of silence, she looked back toward him only to find him wide eyed, with a pleased grin on his face. She cursed under her breath as she quickly realized that this was the first time she hadn’t denied her growing feelings to her partner. It made knots form in her stomach. Matthews appeared to be nearly giddy, but seemed to be restraining his comments.

  “I’m a detective,” he said, simply. “It’s my job to notice things.”

  “You’re going to go straight to Katy with this, aren’t you?”

  “I’m a husband,” he laughed. “It’s my job to notify her.”

  Rilynne shook her head as her cheeks grew even warmer. She looked out across the yard and found Ben sitting between Katy and Sherri Wilcome. As if he could sense them talking about him, Ben looked over and met her gaze. He smiled at her warmly before returning his attention to the group of women around him. “I’m not going to hear the end of this, am I?” she asked, turning back to Matthews.

  He just offered her a big smile and flipped the last hamburger patty onto the awaiting platter. “Food’s ready!” he announced to the crowded backyard. As he carried the tray to the nearby table, Rilynne tried to shake off the butterflies fluttering inside of her. This was made even more difficult at the sight of the playful smile Ben gave her as he crossed the yard.

  “You’re safe,” he said as he leaned against the table just beside her.

  “What?” A wave of panic passed through her.

  “You don’t seem to be in any immediate danger of being the subject of their gossip,” he replied looking mildly suspicious by her response. “At least not within the next four or five conversation changes.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she mumbled.

  “What?” he asked, leaning a little closer to hear what she said.

  “Oh, nothing. So what were they gossiping about then?” she asked in hopes of distracting him. To her delight, it worked.

  Ben reached out and grabbed a plate to hand to her before getting one for himself. “The ladies were talking about how wonderful it is that Julio Vega is adopting the child of his fallen friend,” he replied.

  “I wonder how everything’s going with him,” she said as she put her cheeseburger together.

  He nudged her gently and motioned toward the backdoor. “You can ask him yourself,” he said. “Looks like he just got here.”

  She smiled warmly and waved him over. “You’re just in time,” she said as she handed him a plate. “I’m glad you could make it.” Despite the casual smile on his face, she could tell that the past few months had been hard on him. He had lost at least ten pounds, and dark circles had formed under his eyes.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” he said as he took the plate. “You have a nice place.”

  “It looks much better now that I’ve finally gotten around to unpacking. How are things going with you?”

  “They’re going,” he replied. “I’m trying to just take things one day at a time right now.”

  “How are things with the baby?” she asked. “Do you know if it’s going to be a boy or girl?”

  He nodded as he assembled the cheeseburger on his plate. “The prison doctor is making recordings of the ultrasounds for me so I don’t have to go down there for them.” He looked up and gave her a large smile. “I found out last week that it’s a boy.”

  “Oh, that’s great,” Rilynne said excitedly. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “I’m excited. I’m going to name him Shane.”

  Rilynne and Julio followed Ben to a table on the other side of the yard. “Are you running into any trouble with legal issues?” Ben asked as he took his seat.

  “Everything has been pretty smooth so far,” he answered. “The papers have already been drawn up for a legal adoption. Since she was sentenced to fifty years, the state is also working on terminating her rights. We’ll have to wait until he’s born to have everything finalized, but it’s all right on track for now.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “I’ve also convinced Jane to list Shane as the father on the birth certificate.”

  “Well let us know if you need anything,” Rilynne said as she reached across the table for a bottle of ketchup.

  He smiled warmly at her. “You have already done more than enough,” he said. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  Rilynne didn’t have time to respond before Scarlett sat down in the chair across from Ben. “These burgers are fantastic,” she said energetically. “Detective Matthews is a really good cook.”

  “That he is,” Ben managed to get out in between bites. “He’s won Addison Valley’s annual grilling competition for the last six years. You should try his steaks; they’re the best I have ever had.”

  “Are they better than the place you took me to?” Rilynne asked. She noticed the curious look coming from Scarlett, but didn’t acknowledge it. She felt a twinge of guilt for bringing it up, because she knew she wouldn’t have mentioned it had Scarlett not been sitting there.

  “I take that back,” he said with a raised eyebrow. Without asking, she knew what he was thinking; Rilynne was being uncommonly open about their time spent together. “Second best steaks I’ve ever had. You’re right; Pinkston’s does have the best steaks. For such a classy place, though, they’re bound to have the best food.”

  Rilynne glanced briefly at Scarlett, just long enough to see her eyes shifting inquisitively from Ben to Rilynne. She was filled with a sudden mix of emotions, pleasure from Scarlett’s unpleased reaction, and shame for stooping so low. Ben, while seemingly oblivious to her motives behind it, was left with an impish grin on his face.

  The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful. After their conversation while eating, Scarlett spent the remainder of the party talking to Frank Donovan. By the time everyone was getting ready to leave, he had offered to drive her home.

  “It looks like Scarlett and Donovan really hit it off,” Ben said at the last car pulled away. “I thought he was already seeing someone, though.”

  Rilynne shook her head as she grabbed the remaining empty beer bottles. “They broke up a while ago,” she said. “I think they’re perfect together. That’s why I suggested she go talk to him when she got here.”

  “Playing match maker, huh?” he joked. He grabbed an empty trash bag and began filling it.

  “Well, I thought it was about time she moved past her crush on you,” she said hesitantly. “You seemed to be completely oblivious to it, and the poor girl was beginning to make a spectacle. Besides, once she stops spending all of her time trying to impress you, she can actually begin doing what she’s supposed to be doing here, learning.”

  Ben leaned back against the table and ran his knuckles across his chin. Rilynne felt her chest growing tight as she turned to take the bottles to the recycling bin. “I’m not completely oblivious,” he called out from behind her just as she stepped through the gate. She dropped the bottles in and spun around to face him.

  “No?” she asked.

  He shook his head and grinned. “Actually I’m quiet astute,” he said. “I’ve learned, though, that sometimes it’s better for everyone involved just to ignore certain things. If you pretend that you don’t know about a crush, you’re much less likely to hurt someone’s feelings. You can’t tell me you don’t do the same thing.”

  Rilynne had a feeling that his comment was very pointed, but as he said, she chose to ignore it. “So you knew she had a crush on you?”

  “Of course I did,” he scoffed. “It’s not like she was overly shy about it. Just like you’re not overly shy about disliking her for it.”

  “I don’t dislike her,” she said as her cheeks began to burn. She walked back over toward him and sat down on the edge of the table. “She’s just a little peppy for me.”

  He looked her in the eye in a way that said he knew she was lying, but if he meant to call her out on it, he decided not to. Instead, his gaze just swept over her face and he grinned. She felt her cheeks growing even warmer, and she quickly looked away.

  “So the day you sent her to deliver the results for the DNA test,” she said as she thought back. “You knew she had a crush on you, and was bound to mention it in front of me. You did that just to bother me.”

  He just shrugged as he threw her a grin. Rilynne pushed him nearly over as she hopped off of the edge of the table.

  “Thank you for staying and helping me pick up,” she said as she flipped it over to unfold it. “Once you get enough drinks in these guys, they tend not to think about anything but having more fun.”

  “I’ve had as much to drink as any of them,” Ben said as he moved to the next table.

  “Some things will surpass drunken instincts,” she replied.

  He squinted at her as his ears flared crimson.

  “What are you thinking?” Rilynne asked curiously.

  He smiled at her, his ears only burning more. He looked as if he was going to avoid the question altogether, but after dragging his knuckles roughly against his jaw, he responded. “Some drunken instincts can be stronger than others.”

  As hard as she tried, Rilynne couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. She walked back over to him and dropped the plates in her hand into the awaiting bag. She looked up and met his gaze, allowing her eyes to quickly pass over his face.

  “And what do your drunken instincts telling you?” she asked timidly. She knew as the words left her lips just what could come from them, but as her chest tightened and her breathing grew heavier, she found that she didn’t care.

  His lips parted but he quickly closed them again as he cocked his head slightly to the side. From the dim light coming from the lamps placed around the yard, Rilynne could see the gears turning in his eyes. “Quite a bit,” he said softly.

  She didn’t know if it was his answer or the cold January air that sent a sudden wave of goose bumps across her body making her quiver.

  “You should get inside before you get yourself sick,” Ben said. “The trash is all picked up, and the rest can be taken care of tomorrow.”

  Rilynne took a look around the yard before giving in to his suggestion. “Okay,” she said. “But as on officer of the law, I cannot allow you to drive in your current state.” She reached out and grabbed him by the bottom of his shirt and led him toward the house.

  “You know I’m not actually drunk,” he said as he willingly followed her.

  She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. “Why Mr. Davis, are you arguing with a police officer?”

  He grinned playfully and looked down to her grip on his shirt. “I would never dream of it, Detective.”

  “That’s what I thought,” she said as she started again for the door. “Why don’t you go get a fire started and I’ll make some of my special apple cider.”

  He looked at her suspiciously, and she knew why. Rilynne was skilled at many things, but cooking was not one of them. “What’s so special about it?” he asked hesitantly.

  She held in her chuckles as best she could. “It was on sale,” she tried to say with a straight face. “Two for one.”

  He was still laughing when she rounded the corner to the kitchen. After using her hot water dispenser to quickly mix two large mugs, she carried them into the living room to find Ben standing in front of a roaring fire.

  “Wow, that was quick,” she said as she handed him a mug. “I’ve never been good with starting fires. Well, not without a few starters logs and a lot of newspaper.”

  “I have a better answer for you,” he said as he sat the mug down on the table just below him.

  She nearly choked on her cider as she took her first sip. “A better answer to what?”

  “To what my drunken instincts tell me,” he said softly. “They tell me what I want.”

  Rilynne’s chest grew tight again as she fought both the urge to run and the desire to reach out for him. “And what is it that you want?” she asked apprehensively.

  “You,” he said without hesitation. “I think it’s time that I take you out.”

  Other Books by Jenn Vakey

  Rilynne Evans Mysteries

  Delusions with Murder

  Betrayal with Murder

  Suspicions with Murder

  Wanted with Murder

  Betrayal with Murder

  Book #3 in the Rilynne Evans Mystery series

  by Jenn Vakey

  Chapter One

  “You know,” Rilynne Evans said as she slid into the candlelit booth. “When you said you wanted to take me out, I didn’t see you waiting over a month to actually do it.”

  “It wasn’t my plan,” Ben Davis said in a playful, yet defensive tone. “It isn’t my fault that I’m so good at what I do that they wanted me to spend the last month training the new overnight forensic team.” If she didn’t know better, she would have thought him bragging. “But you can’t argue that Valentine’s Day makes for a pretty good first date.”

  He was right there. Rilynne couldn’t have imagined a better first date for the two of them.

  Rilynne met Ben at a crime scene just weeks after moving to Addison Valley. Despite having only known each other for seven months, they had been through a surprising amount together, including kidnapping, bar fights, and the death of a mutual friend at the hand of Rilynne.

  After finally giving in to the feelings that had been developing between them, she had found herself really looking forward to moving beyond just friendship. Ben seemed to have come to the same realization when he told her after her housewarming party the month before that he thought it was about time he took her out.