“Of course. How could I forget?" Luke replied.

The huskiness in his voice seemed to flow directly toward her. A heated blush crept up the back of her neck, spreading downward through her spine. His stare was the same. Brown with specs of gold. Penetrating. Animalistic. If her memory was correct, he was now the same age as her brother—thirty-one. Ten years older than she was. Luke was more breathtaking now than he was eight years ago. Age progression had refined him to perfection. His beard was trimmed and well-manicured. He was dressed down in casual slacks and an unbuttoned worn flannel shirt. His hard-edged body was corded with nothing but lean, sinewy muscles. Her gaze slowed when she took in the dark trail of hair disappearing under his waistband. Cassie gulped dry air as she identified the sexiest part of his body—the sculpted V made by his defined lower abs and hip flexors.

Neil cleared his throat.

Luke diverted his gaze from what Cassie knew to be her breasts and turned slightly to gesture toward the log cabin.

"Excuse me for being rude," Luke said. "Come on inside."

He ushered them inside the home and offered them drinks. As the two men exchanged light chatter, she glanced about the small cozy space that made up Luke's home. The cabin couldn't have had more than one bedroom, maybe two. The living area was very spacious. A desk sat in one corner where Cassie noticed several hand-drawn geographical maps and building sketches scattered across the surface. There were even some drawings hanging on the wall. It reminded her of the type of sketches that Neil kept in his work binder at his apartment. She wondered if Luke had pursued the same architect career as her brother since they had both graduated with honors and held the same exact degree.

The men came back into the room with beers. Luke handed her a cold bottle of water, but truth be told, she needed the beer. She took the bottle from him anyway. The moment their fingertips brushed, something warm and electrifying passed through her. Affection radiated between them. She was not only happy to see him again but surprised by the effect he still had on her. Only when Neil popped the cap off his beer did that disrupt them out of their exchange.

"So…uh, here's the thing…I stopped by the cabin and was greeted by a nasty surprise," Neil said from his position on the couch.

"What happened, man? Have the locals been looting again?"

"No, it's the roof. The rain from a couple days ago leaked through the front half of the home."

Luke frowned. "Sounds pretty bad. I thought you had hired a maintenance guy to look after the property for you."

"Yeah, I did. I'm wondering if he was really looking after the cabin or just feeding me bullshit," Neil exclaimed.

"Who is this guy anyway?" Luke asked.

"Barry's Handyman Services. I signed a contract with him right after I bought the cabin. He was supposed to be doing all the quarterly maintenance."

"Never heard of him," Luke said, sitting down in the empty space next to Neil.

"The guy on the next lot recommended him as a jack of all trades. I guess he missed the darned hole in the roof when he was out there last time."

Luke shrugged. "It happens. Most of my older units need more than quarterly maintenance these days, so it could be that it's just time to repair the roof. If you want, I can go take a look at it and get it patched up until you can get a new roof."

"Ah man, I can't ask you to fix my roof. You've done enough. Plus that'll take more than a couple days, won't it?"

Luke sat back in the chair. "Possibly, but didn't you say that Cassie was staying there?"

"Not anymore, but I have to leave out tonight if I'm going to make my flight out to Maine in time. I don't have time to stick around and we're out of options."

"What do you mean? What happened exactly?" Luke looked from Neil to Cassie.

"I was on a high profile news assignment. I came across some information that made someone mad and they threatened me," Cassie said.

"The cops suggested that I not return to my apartment alone," she added.

"Cassie thinks there's no issue with letting the local cops handle it while she stays in Aspen Valley. I don't trust that at all. I'd rather have her lay low for a few weeks until the authorities can break the case. She's already handed over what she knows, so it's just a matter of them giving the case a little more priority," Neil said.

"I agree. She shouldn't be out on her own if the person who threatened her is still on the loose."

"The cops should have given this case a little more priority in the first place," Cassie said. "These shifter murders have been buried for quite some time now. I almost wonder who's helping them. You'd think the cops would at least try to work with the Pack Alpha to solve this thing with what little clues they have instead of trying to close the case every chance they get."

Luke's gaze swept over her appreciatively, but not in the same way as before. This time he regarded her with admiration. And she had to admit…she loved when he stared at her that way—as if what she did and said mattered. She worked in a department that consisted of mostly males and had always had to go out of her way to prove herself. The case had become near and dear to her because of how much safer Aspen Valley could be for all of its citizens, but case closure would’ve at least given her a chance to be recognized and recommended for the raise she knew she deserved. But no one had picked up on that aspect of it, not even her brother. When she returned to work again, she'd be back at square one, trying to claw her way to the top of an already populated news station. It didn't help that the jobs were sparse in Aspen Valley either.

Neil sighed. "See what I mean, Luke. She won't let it go. This case is out of her league. Why put a young woman on a case like this?"

"I'm not a child. If you want to know the truth, I asked for the assignment, okay? No one wanted it and I took it because I wanted it solved and it was a chance to prove myself in my new role."

"I agree with your brother, Cassie," Luke said. "You've done a lot of good with the assignment. I'm willing to bet that because of your push for the real story, the case is receiving more attention from the authorities. You've proven enough. Now it's time to think about your safety."

"You're damned right it's receiving more attention…and so is she," Neil said. "And the fact that she's standing here proves that she knows she needs to get away from Aspen Valley now that the murderers know her name and her face."

"The community here is pretty low key. She'll be safe if she stays out here until the dust settles in the Valley," Luke said.

Neil nodded. "I know you've got a lodging business running here, so that's why I need to see about renting one of your cabins."

Luke blew outward and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm booked solid for the next six months. That includes both short-term and long-term rentals. My next set of guests arrives in two days and that cabin is currently being cleaned out now. Besides the cabin that we partially converted into an office space last year for the hired help, I've got nothing."

"Bummer," Neil exclaimed.

"It's okay," Cassie said. "I'll just stay somewhere else. It's no problem. Didn't we pass another lodging company on the way here?"

"No, I don't know those guys up the road. I know Luke," Neil exclaimed. "And somewhere else, like where? How are you certain the place is safe for you?"

"I'm not. Maybe I'll just call Uncle Ronnie and Auntie Lynn in Illinois to see if they can spare a room. You know I'm always welcome there."

"That's not going to happen. The last time we visited them, a known drug dealer showed up at their home to collect money. Mom and Dad would never want you to stay there under any circumstances."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Auntie Lynn is clean now. And like you said, I'm out of options."

"Wait," Luke interjected. "You can stay in the office cabin until I hire someone. By that time, maybe we'll have the roof fixed on Neil's cabin."

"Are you sure?" Cassie asked. "I don't want to cause any issues for your business."

"It's fine. I'm having a heck of a time finding an Office Manager replacement. My niece used to keep all the books and now she’s away at college. I don't know if it's the pay I offered or the fact that I'm virtually out in the middle of nowhere, but I haven't received any suitable bites yet."

"Well, if you need someone to organize your books and records, Cassie has loads of experience doing that. She was the receptionist at the news station for months before they took her on as an intern."

Luke looked to her for validation.

"I was." She shrugged. "I'm not a pro at organization or customer service by any means, but I can help out around here if you need it."

"Yeah, put her to work. She can do any job you've got for her," Neil said.

Cassie nudged her brother hard in the side. "Look who's talking. Mr. I Play Hooky From Work Every Other Week Because I'm Useless."

"Just consider this a favor," Luke told her. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you either."

"We really appreciate this. Things have been rough for us lately and the trust fund our parents left us ran out quicker than we thought. I'm taking on double the projects at work and with Cassie being on a leave of absence from the station, that's not doing her any good either," Neil added.

"Yes…thank you," Cassie said, smiling shyly. "I just hope this isn't a big inconvenience for you."

"Don't worry about it," Luke reassured her. "We'll figure this out. Once the cops nail this guy, I'm sure you'll be able to return to work."

"I hope so."