The Mighty Quinns: Devin

There he was. Dressed in navy blue, a badge hanging from a chain around his neck. But the cap and the sunglasses were gone. Elodie swallowed hard. “Hello.” It was all she could manage.

“The front door was open,” he said. “I thought it was you this morning.”

“I thought I recognized you, too.”

He grinned in that same sweet boyish way she remembered. “You haven’t changed a bit,” Dev murmured. “Still...beautiful.”

“Devin Cassidy.” Her heart slammed in her chest and her knees trembled. This was crazy. They’d been high school sweethearts, but that had been years ago. Why was she having such a powerful reaction to seeing him again? Other than the fact he was now an absolutely gorgeous specimen of manhood. “You look...older. I mean, you look like a—a grown-up.”

“Elodie,” he replied with a chuckle. “Still the most honest person I’ve ever met.”

“You’re a—a policeman?”

“Chief of police, actually,” he said. “What are you doing back in town?”

Elodie wasn’t sure she wanted to get into the complicated details of her trip. But if she didn’t continue the conversation, he might leave, and she was certain she didn’t want that. In truth, she wanted a nice, long time to just stare at him, to admire the adult he’d become, to take in every little detail of his face until she’d erased the boy in her memories and replaced him with this incredibly sexy man.

“I’m here to tie up some loose ends. The house has been for sale for years and we’ve had no biters, so I’m considering donating it to the town or maybe to the county.”

“Why would you do that?”

“I can’t afford the taxes any longer. And there’s maintenance that needs to be done that can’t be put off. It’s become an anchor around my neck.”

“Instead of abandoning it, you could always stick around and make something of it.”

She laughed softly. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. It just seems to me that a Winchester should be living in this house.”

“Well, there will be one living here for the next week or two,” she said.

“You’re staying here?”

“It’s cheaper than a motel. I can rough it. Your mother is upstairs putting my bedroom back together.” Elodie met his gaze. “Has she been coming here all along?”

Dev shrugged. “I suppose someone should have asked you, but she wasn’t doing any harm. Your family was her life. She started working for your parents when she was a teenager. I think this is the closest thing she’s ever had to a real home and she couldn’t stand to see it neglected.”

“I can’t pay her,” Elodie said.

“That’s the last thing that matters to her,” he replied.

A long silence grew between them. “I—I’d offer you a cool drink, but I haven’t had a chance to shop.” She laughed. “And right now, I have no electricity for the refrigerator.”

His portable radio squawked. He grabbed it and clicked it on. “This is Dev,” he said.

“We’ve got a report of a 10-68 out on Highway 16, just west of Mike Murphy’s place.”

“I’m five minutes away,” Dev said. “I’ve got it. Out.” He smiled at Elodie. “I have to go. Duty calls.”

“I hope it’s not something dangerous,” she said.

“Nope. A 10-68 is livestock in roadway. I suspect one of Mike Murphy’s pigs got loose. He raises particularly brilliant pigs. They always seem to figure out a way to open the gate and run onto the road rather than crawl through the big broken gaps in his fencing and into the field beyond.”

Elodie laughed. “Glad to hear it’s nothing dangerous. I won’t have to worry.” A blush warmed her cheeks. Had that been too forward? After all, they were barely more than strangers now. And yet, it didn’t feel that way. He felt like an old friend, like someone she’d known very well and hadn’t seen for a few years.

“All right,” he said. “I have to get back to work. I’ll stop by later.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.” Oh, now she was assuming he was concerned about her? “Not that I think you’re worried,” Elodie added. “You have more important things to deal with. So don’t—”

He reached out and pressed his finger to her lips. The contact was startling and undeniably intimate. “You’re currently residing in the village of Winchester, where I am the chief of police,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to worry about your well-being.”

Elodie forced a smile. “All right,” she said.

Dev nodded, then strode through the house to the front door. She heard it close behind him, and she sank back against the wall.

It had been twelve years since she’d last seen him and nothing had changed between them. He still had the ability to set her heart racing and turn her brain to mush. It had taken every ounce of her willpower to stop herself from touching him and running her fingers over his handsome face.

She’d met a lot of boys, and then men, since leaving Winchester. She’d had some serious relationships that had ended up imploding in a spectacular fashion. And in the midst of all that pain and turmoil, Elodie had always wondered if she’d left her one true love behind at age sixteen.

The notion was ridiculous, but it had stuck with her over the years. Maybe she’d been fated to love Devin Cassidy, and she’d never be truly happy unless she was with him. Elodie sighed. Or maybe she was searching for something—a sense of belonging, a place for her to finally feel safe and secure again. She was home, but it wasn’t the home she remembered. It was silly to get too attached to Dev simply because he was familiar.

She closed her eyes and let a delicious image of the dark-haired, blue-eyed man drift through her mind. How was it possible that he was still here, still single and— Elodie stopped herself. Was he still single? She hadn’t bothered to check for a wedding band. Surely she would have noticed that.

Elodie opened her eyes and pushed away from the wall. “Mary?” She ran through the house and took the stairs to her bedroom two at a time.

If she wanted to know more about Winchester’s sexy police chief, she’d simply ask his mother.

2 (#ulink_82466c36-eeb7-562a-8de6-9c97492e7935)

“I UNDERSTAND THAT there’s a procedure to turn the power back on,” Dev said, “but I’m asking you to do me this favor. Come on, Jack, I’ll pay the overtime or the upcharge or whatever’s necessary to get your guys out there this afternoon. With all the bad feelings around town about the Winchesters, it’s not safe for Elodie Winchester to stay in that house with the power off. Now, if you want that responsibility on your head, you’ve got it. Anything happens to her, I’ll let everyone know that we talked.”

Dev pushed the grocery cart up to the checkout register and began to unload the groceries as he listened to Jack’s excuses on the other end of the line. He smiled at the young girl behind the register. Erv and Maggie Ronkowski’s daughter. Honor student. Caroline. Played flute in the high school band.

He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet Jimmy Joe in front of Zelda’s after school. Dev glanced at his watch. School let out ten minutes ago. Jimmy Joe was probably at the hardware store picking up supplies. If he hurried, he’d make it on time.

“Jack, just get it done. I’ll owe you one.” He switched off his phone and shoved it in his pocket. “Hey there, Caroline,” he said. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” she said. “Would you like paper or plastic?”

“Paper is fine,” he said.

He waited as she called over the manager to check out the wine he’d purchased. The store manager, Eddie Grant, strolled over and began to bag the groceries. “Did you hear that one of the Winchesters is back in town?”

“I did,” Dev said. “Elodie. The youngest daughter.”

“Jeb Baylor was in here talkin’ that he and a bunch of the boys were going to pay her a visit later. They’re all upset about the pension thing and they want some answers.”

“Did they define ‘later’?”