Visit explained. Her sisters were at loose ends and had decided to liven up their Fourth with a road trip.

“Now that we have three law enforcement types in the family, I have a feeling unpredictable schedules will be the story of our lives going forward.” Grace nabbed a tea and filled a glass with ice.

“Could be four law enforcement types, if your sheriff pans out.” Eve nudged her aside to gain access to the ice dispenser.

“Aren’t you being a tad premature?”

“Am I?” Eve arched an eyebrow at her.

“He checked out, by the way.” This from Cate.

Grace pivoted and glared at her oldest sister. “You ran background on him after all.”

Cate shrugged. “I had a few spare minutes one day. He appears to be the real deal, in case you’re interested. It’s hard to go wrong with a decorated former Green Beret. I can’t wait to meet him at the wedding.”

The decorated part was news, but she was not going to prolong this discussion by asking for details.

“Maybe I’ll decide not to bring him.”

Eve dismissed that with a flip of her hand. “An idle threat. You’re besotted.”

“Besotted?” Grace snorted. “Where did you dredge up that antiquated word?”

“Words are my business.”

Cate began pouring the rest of her soda into the glass. “If you ask me, the fact she doesn’t want to—crud.” The Sprite overflowed the cup and dripped down her hand onto the counter.

Grace yanked open the cabinet door under the sink and reached for the dish towel.

It wasn’t there.

“Sorry. The wash is in the laundry room, waiting to be folded.”

“I’m on it.” Eve bounded toward the small annex off the kitchen that doubled as a laundry/mud room.

When she returned, she was bearing not only a dish towel, which she tossed to Cate, but Nate’s shirt.

The old one he’d loaned his unexpected helper to protect her clothes while she helped him paint.

The one she’d insisted on bringing home to launder.

“Since when are men’s shirts in your laundry room?” Eve waved it like a flag.

Grace snatched it from her. “There’s a simple explanation.”

Without waiting to hear it, Cate sopped up the soda with the dish towel and strode toward the laundry room.

“What are you doing?” Grace wadded up the shirt.

“Searching for evidence.”

“I already found plenty.” Eve smirked and sipped her soda, perusing the shirt.

Grace tried not to squirm.

“There could be more clues.” Cate’s voice wafted from the recesses of the laundry room. “It’s easy to overlook the . . . aha.”

“What did you find?” Eve swung toward the doorway.

Cate reappeared a few seconds later holding one of Grace’s sport shoes. “Get a load of this.”

Eve leaned closer. “Is that paint?”

“I’d have to run it through the lab to be certain, but circumstantial evidence would suggest that’s a reasonable conclusion.”

“You were painting?” Eve gaped at her. “The woman who swore off DIY projects a decade ago, after Dad recruited all of us to help strip the window frames in the house after he decided we should restore all the woodwork?”