Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
kole
I was a fucking idiot.
Telling Dani my true thoughts about her had been a mistake.
And now that I got a peek of her body? Oh my fuck.
The last three days have been torture. I’d been spending most of the afternoons in my room if I wasn’t at the bar.
She clearly put on that little show to test me.
She didn’t trust at all, making me curious about her past. I knew where she was working and what she did. A forensic psychologist.
I was sure she’d spent some time with Harry, since as the sheriff, he spent time at the police station, but he hadn’t brought her up at the bar at all this week, meaning she wasn’t a talker.
If she was, he would talk her ear off all day and then tell me all about it when he was drinking his whiskey at my bar.
“You’re here early.”
I lifted my head to see Adella coming in the back door.
It was her day to open the bar, but being here was better than avoiding Dani at the house.
I couldn’t get her naked image out of my head.
I bit my tongue, annoyance running through me.
Never had a woman affected me like this.
If she wasn’t living at my house, it would make this so much easier.
“I wanted to make sure we’re stocked up for winter,” I grumbled, going back to counting the vodka bottles.
“You did that inventory last week.”
“I’m double checking.” I gave it another couple of days before snow began falling. Then there would be no more deliveries. I’d been ordering extra for the past few months to make sure we didn’t run out of anything until the road opened again in the spring.
“Or maybe you’re coming in on your days off to see the intern you hooked up with.”
I blew out a breath, shooting a glare at her. “We didn’t hook up, but I’m sure you know that since you talked to her about me.”
She laughed, shrugging out of her jacket. “You’re not upset about that, are you? I told her you were a god in bed. You should be thanking me.”
“Adella, please stay out of my business,” I grated out. “I made one damn mistake messing with an intern. It’s not going to happen again.”
If Adella knew that Dani was living with me, I was sure she’d mention it. No one except Fiona and Harry knew, but I was sure that would change. Gossip spread through this town like wildfire.
A pounding at the front door cut off Adella’s response, and I frowned as I checked my watch.
The bar didn’t open for another hour, and everyone here knew the hours.
Adella disappeared in the storage room while I went to see who was shaking the front door.
Sliding the deadbolt, I opened the door, glaring at the guy standing in front of me.
“Did you miss the giant sign?” I asked, pointing to it. “We’re still closed, Jerry. You know this.”
Jerry was out of breath, his black hair sticking up every which way as if he’d just rolled out of bed. He was a few years older than me and had lived here for less than a year. He worked at the butcher shop across the street.
“Someone broke in,” he huffed out. “The back window is busted. Things are missing, Kole.”
“Then go get Harry. He’s the sheriff, not me.”
“I called the office, no one is answering.”
Grumbling under my breath, I stepped outside and followed him across the empty street.
Whenever things went wrong around here, and Harry wasn’t available, people seemed to think I was the one to go to.
Maybe it was because they all shared their problems with me at the bar, but whatever the reason, I was going to talk to Harry.
This was his damn job, and if he couldn’t handle it, he needed to hire more help.
“They trashed the place too,” Jerry muttered as he opened the front door for me. “It’s going to take forever to clean up.”
I peered around the small store, my stomach knotting slightly. Jerry hadn’t been exaggerating. The glass under the counter was smashed out with all the wrapped meat scattered on the floor. The cash register was open, and I was guessing all the money was gone.
I moved toward the back, pushing the door open, seeing that this area was just as bad as the front.
It was much colder back here to keep the meat fresh.
A deer was hanging from the ceiling which was the only thing untouched.
During the winter, deer and birds were the only fresh meat until the road opened again.
“They took knives,” Jerry said in a low voice.
My eyes snapped to him. “What?”
He nodded, motioning to the back wall. “They’re missing.”
Following his gaze, I instantly spotted what he was talking about. The entire wall had knives and other butchering tools hanging from small hooks. It was glaringly obvious that some were missing.
This was not good. Petty crime happened here. But this? This was different.
“Go to the police station,” I ordered, looking at Jerry. “Whoever is there better get ahold of Harry.”
Jerry spun around and left as I turned my attention back to the mess. I eyed the wall again, dread coiling within me. Whoever came in and stole those knives did it for a reason. It could be a hunter who didn’t want to pay for their own supplies.
But what if it wasn’t?