He was quiet for nearly a minute, and I could see he was processing everything.
“Somebody knows you’re lyin’. They have the proof with your gun and your key fob.”
“Max swears a deputy couldn’t have gotten it. Do you think he took them?” I didn’t think so, but Wyatt had known his brother far longer.
“No. Max is too protective of you to have set you up. He’s not lyin’.”
Relief rushed through me, I wanted to able to trust Max.
I gave Wyatt a tight smile. “When you came into the tavern and accused me of doing something, I wondered if you’d found them.”
His jaw tightened. “I’ve been an utter ass to you. I’m sorry.”
“No,” I said. “I like that you’re so protective of them.”
“I’m protective of the people I care about Carly.” Something in his words warmed my blood…and other parts.
We were closing in on Drum as I turned sideways in my seat to face him. “I am too.”
He slowed down and gave me a long, searching look. “I know.”
He pulled into a parking spot across the street from the library and put the truck in park. Tucking his leg at an angle on the seat, he turned to face me completely. “I don’t feel good about leavin’ you. I’m worried Bingham might try to snatch you and question you about what you know.”
I realized I hadn’t filled him in on that part. “He won’t. Unless he’s not a man of his word.”
His body stiffened. “What did Hank do?”
“It was my doing,” I said. “It seemed the safest way to get him to let me be.”
“What arrangement did you make?”
“We’re meeting in public for ten minutes, and we get to ask each other questions.”
His eyes nearly popped out of his head. “You want to ask Bingham questions? Have you lost your mind? Do you plan to tell him everything?”
“No. Hank said it’s never best to show your hand right off the bat, and in this instance, I think he’s right. I plan to tell Bingham as little as possible and let him sort the rest out.”
“Todd Bingham’s no fool. You can’t string him along, Carly.”
“I don’t plan to. And I’m counting on the public place to keep me safe.”
He grimaced. “Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. When and where are you meetin’?”
“I don’t know.” And it worried me more than I wanted to let on.
“All the more reason for me to stay close. Maybe Ewing’s a bad idea.”
“No, if there’s even the slightest chance your source knows something, you need to go,” I said. “And I have another purpose for going to the library—I’m hoping to get onto a computer to do some internet sleuthing.”
He frowned, looking like he was at war with himself. Finally, he said, “Don’t use the computer at the library. Go to the garage and use mine. In fact, when you finish at the library, call Junior and have him walk you to the garage and then the tavern. I’ll give you a ride back to Hank’s after you finish your shift. The old man will have to suck it up because I’m stayin’. I’m not leavin’ you alone tonight. If someone breaks in, I plan to be there to kick his ass to kingdom come.”
I smiled up at him.
“What?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
“Nothing,” I said, feeling like a fool. The last thing I should do was indulge in my feelings for him, or encourage any feelings he might have for me.
I released my seatbelt and started to reach for the door handle.
“Carly.”
I turned back to face him, then sucked in a breath when I saw the longing in his eyes. Every nerve ending in my body pinged.
His hand lifted to my cheek as he lowered his mouth to mine in a surprising gentle kiss. When he lifted his head, he smiled. “I’ve been wantin’ to do that since I saw you sittin’ on that rock at the overlook.”
Before I could respond, he kissed me again, this time with a hunger that matched my own. Needing more of him, I lifted my hand to the back of his neck, pressing him closer and tilting my head to give him better access.
He groaned and my body reacted with a primal urge I’d never felt with another man. And that was what brought me to my senses.
I pulled back, my chest heaving, and I took some satisfaction in the fact that Wyatt was in the same state.
“I can’t,” I said, sliding back toward the door to get some distance.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I told myself I wouldn’t kiss you, but you’re…” His voice trailed off.
“I’m not sorry you kissed me,” I said. “And obviously I kissed you back. But…” How did I explain this without insulting him and destroying the bridge of trust we’d just spanned?
“I trust you to keep me safe, Wyatt. And I trust you to help find Seth’s murderer. But after what happened with Jake, I’m not sure I can trust any man with my heart.” Despite everything that had transpired between us since meeting a few days ago, I knew Wyatt was a good man, and he deserved more than what I could give him. I had so little to offer.
And here I was, keeping secrets from him still, having withheld Seth’s numbers from him. But I’d tell him when he came back.
He gave me a sad smile. “We’ll take it slow. Give me time.”
I just smiled and scooted out of the car. We both knew time was a luxury I didn’t have. As soon as I found some closure for Hank and some justice for Seth, I had to leave town.
Suddenly, I wasn’t so eager to go.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When I looked back at Wyatt from the door of the library, he was still sitting there in his truck, keeping watch. I gave him a little wave and a smile, and he smiled back and took off toward Ewing.
The library was smaller than I’d imagined, and a quick glance told me there were more DVDs than books. The DVDs occupied four rows of shelves along the left side of the space, while three computer stations were situated along the right wall, currently in use by an older man, an even older woman, and a man in his twenties. The librarian sat at a desk at the wall opposite the front door, and she was on her own computer. Books lined the wall behind her, and the room opened past the computer stations, revealing an alcove full of books. In the middle of the book alcove was a small table with two beat-up elementary school chairs.
The middle-aged librarian greeted me with a warm smile.
“I’m looking for diabetic cookbooks,” I said, “but I don’t have a library card.”
“I’m Carnita,” she said, her eyes bright. “Welcome to the Drum Library. You can’t check out any books, but you’re welcome to look at whatever you’d like.” She stood and walked around the desk. “I take it you’re here for Hank?”
I nodded, unsure if it was a good thing she knew who I was when I hadn’t introduced myself, but she seemed pleased. “I’ve been trying to push information on that man for years. Let’s hope you’re more successful.”
She led me to a small section of cookbooks and pulled one out. “We don’t have many, but this is a good one.”