Landry's Law Read Free

her nose was adorable. It was just another of her quirks that he tucked away in his mind.
    “What do I do, then?”
    “You could get a cage and some feed and…”
    “I don’t do roommates, Sheriff,” she said. “Especially furry ones that aren’t house-trained and eat trash.”
    No roommates? He added that to his list. “I’ll take care of it,” he offered.
    Her expression brightened just as the reflection of sunlight filtered inside, painting her shoulder-length brunette hair with auburn highlights.
    “You’re going to take care of it?” Savannah fairly gasped. “As in, a favor?”
    Seth shrugged. “Sure. I’ll run him out to theBronco for now so we can talk, and take him to the Lucky 7 on my way back to the office.”
    “You’re taking him to your ranch? As a pet for Kevin?”
    Seth blinked and Savannah blushed.
    He allowed his mouth to curve into a slow grin. “Been checking up on me Miss Wyatt?”
    Her lips pursed momentarily. “No,” she insisted firmly. “Working part-time at Olive’s Attic, I meet people. People tend to gossip about the richest family in town. By the way, how is Callie feeling?”
    “Fine,” Seth answered, hiding his disappointment. He wished she would show half the interest in him that she did on his brother Sam and Sam’s expectant wife, Callie. Even before the first murder, he’d felt as if he were invisible to Savannah. He didn’t like that feeling. Not at all.
    “She’ll tell you she feels like a whale, but I think pregnancy agrees with her.”
    He watched as something flashed in Savannah’s kaleidoscope eyes. It wasn’t long enough for him to get a read, so he had nothing to add to his list but a suspicion that babies, pregnancies, family—something along those lines—made her react, even if she was a master at hiding most of her reactions. Maybe today, with the new development, her facade would crumble.
    After Seth had taken the mouse out to his car, he returned, walking in without knocking. That didn’tseem to bother Savannah. She was standing in the living area, between a sofa covered with various warm throws and a coffee table made out of what looked like a portion of a wooden feed trough with a custom-cut glass top. When he took a second to glance around, he realized her place was homey in a funky, New Yorkish way. She had the usual stuff, living room, dining room and kitchen furnishings. But it was what she didn’t have that tweaked his imagination. No photographs, nothing really personal in view. It was as if she hadn’t existed until this cabin, but he knew that wasn’t possible. He’d checked. Savannah was a transfer doctoral candidate from the University of Maryland. The dean of students at Montana West had verified all her paperwork and transfer credits.
    “Should I make coffee?”
    “Should you?” Seth countered.
    She stiffened, “I was offering.”
    Seth smiled. “No, an offer is, ‘May I make you some coffee?’”
    Reluctantly, she smiled, as well. “Fine. May I make some coffee?”
    “Please.”
    As she took down a grinder and retrieved a bag of whole beans, she asked, “Are you the resident grammar fairy? If so, you’re welcome to critique my thesis. If I ever get it finished.”
    “I’m not a grammar anything. My momma justinsisted that all her boys be polite, especially to women.” He let that sink in for a minute, then said, “Your thesis is on forensic psychology, right?”
    Savannah turned and gave him a cool smile. “I keep forgetting that after Richard was killed, you investigated every aspect of my life.”
    “It’s my job,” Seth said somberly.
    “If you’re not here to arrest me for Richard’s murder, would you kindly take an ad out in the town paper proclaiming my innocence? I’ve found Jasper a little slow to warm to outsiders, and labeling me a murder suspect isn’t helping.”
    “I’m not here about Richard’s murder.”
    That got Savannah’s attention. “Since I didn’t call 911 about the mouse,