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considered dating since he’d moved up here. There were some pretty, single women in town. A few had made their interest clear, but Reed hadn’t felt the tiniest spark of chemistry.
    Jayne Sullivan had ignited an explosion in two ridiculously brief meetings.
    Danger Will Robinson.
    Reed blinked, breaking the connection. He unzipped his parka, letting a wave of cold wrap itself around his chest to lower the heat wave that was building up underneath his wool sweater. He kept his eyes and his imagination off the wave of hair that curled over one shoulder and tumbled across her breast. Which he should
not
picture naked in his head. Too late. He knew it’d be as perfect as the rest of her.
    The lady needed help
. Say something, moron
. But his vocal cords refused to cooperate. And his brain was occupied with mentally stripping off each piece of her clothing. Reed’s blood began to flow in a southerly direction.
    She chewed a full pink lip and nervous fingers pulled a tiny tube from her pocket. Her purple gloves were knit, with little rubber dots on the insides of the palm and fingers. Reed swallowed. Watching someone apply Chapstick had never been so erotic. He shifted his weight. His jeans definitely hadn’t been this tight when he’d left the house. He took a moment to admire the concrete under his Timberlands. And to get a grip on reality. This woman was here to see Hugh. She needed a cop. Not a horny handyman.
    “The chief should be back in a few minutes.” Reed nodded in the direction of the door behind him. In his peripheral vision, he caught Hugh’s squat figure hustling toward them. “And here he is.”
    Reed gave Hugh’s extended hand a quick shake. “Hugh. This is Jayne Sullivan. She needs to speak with you.”
    “Hey, Reed.” Hugh’s gaze passed over Reed with a flicker of acknowledgment, then settled on Jayne. Surprise and a rare smile spread across his bulldog face. “How can I help you?”
    She stepped forward and extended a gloved hand toward the chief. “I need to report a crime. My tires were slashed right in the parking lot of the diner. And there’s this weird graffiti all over the windshield.”
    “Why don’t you show me?” Hugh raised his chin to look over her shoulder and catch Reed’s eye. “Care to tag along, Reed?”
    “Yeah. Sure, Hugh.”
    Hugh turned back to Jayne. “Tell me more.”
    She stepped into place beside the chief. Reed followed. Damned if the back view wasn’t just as sexy as the front. Snug, low-rise jeans hugged her perfect body and highlighted every mouth-watering curve. While admiring her, Reed kept his ears tuned to the conversation as she succinctly outlined her situationfor Hugh. Someone had written weird symbols on her door at the inn as well, but Mae had blown it off as Bill’s scribble.
    “Was anything stolen?” Hugh asked as they rounded the diner and strode across the back lot.
    “No. There wasn’t anything of value in there.” As they approached her vehicle, Jayne’s shoulders hunched against the wind, and she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. Her posture stiffened as she walked to the front of the Jeep, which listed drunkenly from the two flats.
    Hugh stooped to examine her tires. “Son of a b—gun.”
    Jayne stared. “It’s gone. Five minutes ago there were weird symbols all over the windshield.”
    “I don’t see anything there now,” Hugh said evenly, but Reed could hear the hint of disbelief in his tone.
    “Wait. I can prove it.” Jayne reached into her purse for her digital camera.
    Reed stepped up to the Jeep and leaned close. “The windshield is cleaner that the rest of the vehicle.” He swiped a fingernail along the edge. Tiny white shavings came away on his nail. “What color was the writing?”
    “White. Looked like soap.” Jayne’s camera beeped as she turned it on.
    Reed extended his hand toward Hugh.
    The chief fished out his reading glasses and grasped Reed’s hand to adjust the distance between it and his