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reached out as if to put an arm around her waist. She could feel the heat of his breath against her face. What the…?
    “Not unless you want to drag this along.”
    He pulled something from the back of her jeans.
    Maggie looked down to see a feathery strip of toilet paper in his hand. It took a second for this to sink in.
    “Oh…my God.”
    “Yeah.”
    If there had been a hole anywhere near, she would have happily crawled in to die.
    “Thank you,” she mumbled.
    He stepped aside, letting her pass without another word. Which was just fine with her. She had no desire to make small talk with a man who’d just plucked Charmin from her jeans.
    Maggie made it back to her chair with her cheeks still burning. She must have looked uptight because Candi frowned.
    “What?”
    “Oh, nothing. But I’d better get going.” The urge to leave the coffee shop at nothing less than a sprint was overwhelming.
    “Why? Besides, Koda just came in. He’ll be back in a second. You can say hi.”
    “I kind of already did. We bumped into each other in the bathroom.”
    “Oh. That’s great, because you guys didn’t get off to the best start yesterday.”
    Maggie looked at her shoes, not trusting herself with the toilet-paper story without laughing. Or crying. Or both.
    “He’s not a bad guy,” Candi continued, mistaking the look on Maggie’s face for something else. “He’s really just a teddy bear underneath.”
    Maggie wondered what else might be underneath before she could help it.
    “Koda.” Candi glanced over Maggie’s shoulder and waved him over. She stood, adjusting the skirt, which had crept up her thighs. “Want to hang out for a minute?”
    Maggie watched as Candi gave him a kiss on the cheek. She felt like an outsider. Which, of course she was.
    “Can’t. I’m on patrol. But I’m glad I ran into you.” His gaze shifted toward Maggie.
    “Yeah?”
    “Aunt A is making dinner tomorrow. Wanted to see if you’d come.”
    “Of course. Should I bring anything?”
    “Just yourself.”
    “You know,” Candi said, stepping back, “Maggie’s staying at the Inn. She doesn’t really know anyone in town yet. I’d love to bring her, if that’s okay.”
    Horrified, Maggie stared at her. “Um…uh…I wouldn’t want to—”
    Koda cut her off. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” His demeanor went rigid again. Formal. Apparently without toilet paper in the mix, he was going to be a tough nut to crack. “We wouldn’t want her to feel like a fifth wheel.”
    Maggie shot him a look. It was one thing for her to say it. Another for him to. She wasn’t nearly as stubborn as her mother, but she’d never been one to back down from a challenge, either. And he was starting to represent a hell of one.
    “Nonsense,” Candi said. “I know Aunt A wouldn’t mind. I’ll call her tonight.”
    Frowning, he put a hand on the back of his neck and rubbed methodically. “I don’t think—”
    “I’d love to,” Maggie said, and smiled sweetly.

Chapter Six
    Koda watched Maggie Sullivan walk out the door, not thinking about the way her green eyes had looked just now, or the way her hair corkscrewed about her face. Or the way those jeans cupped her slender backside.
    Mostly, he just wanted to throttle her.
    “Well, that was rude.” Candi swatted his arm.
    “Rude, how? She’s staying right across the street. She doesn’t need an escort to walk across the damn street.” Unable to help it, he looked out the window at her retreating form. Actually, she probably did need an escort.
    “There’s a murderer on the loose, or have you forgotten? Besides, isn’t it in your job description to protect us female folk?” She batted her lashes, coaxing a reluctant smile from his lips. She was always teasing, always trying to get him to loosen up.
    “Maybe I should try protecting you from yourself,” he said.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means, you don’t need to be involved in this.”
    “In