Brody grinned, and the tanned skin around his eyes crinkled. Her heart did a quick shimmy. She ran her tongue over her teeth. No time to run upstairs to freshen up. Wait. She did not preen for men. But she wanted to. She pressed a palm to her forehead.

Not feverish.

Scarlet Falls was a whirlpool, and Hannah was circling the drain. She needed to get the hell out of town before she was sucked under. Every moment she spent here, her job held less and less attraction. Maybe she was caught in a Doctor Who episode about parallel dimensions.

Resigned, she retreated to the kitchen to turn off the alarm, then opened the door. “Dunkin’ Donuts? That’s cheating.”

“Boston Kreme.” His smile faded as he scanned her face. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks.”

His gaze raked her from her slept-in jeans and sweater to her likely bed head. “Did I wake you?”

“No. Yes. It doesn’t matter.” Hannah pressed her fingertips to one closed eye. “What brings you here, Brody?”

His eyes flickered to his brown loafers. “I was passing by.”

Hannah snorted. “This house isn’t on the way to anywhere.”

Brody lifted a palm, feigning innocence. The sincerity in his warm brown eyes could almost convince her.

“I’m sorry. I’m a bitch before I’ve had my coffee. You’re welcome to come in if you like.”

“Thanks, I’d love to come in for a cup of coffee and a donut.” He stepped over the threshold, forcing Hannah backward.

With a sigh, she turned around and headed for the kitchen. “All right, but be warned. I need a shower, some sugar, and a vat of caffeine before I can hold a conversation without snapping off a head.”

“Fair enough.” He followed her back to the kitchen. She fed the dog and started a pot of coffee. Surveying the room, he set the bakery box on the counter. His sharp eyes paused on the gun and holster on the coffee table in the adjoining family room. Putting the gun away would have been a good idea. AnnaBelle scarfed her food and padded to the back door. Hannah snatched the leash from its hook.

“Grant and Ellie just let her outside by herself,” Brody said.

Hannah stomped into a pair of her brother’s boots standing by the back door. “I am not taking a chance of losing Carson’s dog while the kid’s in Disney World. I have one job while I’m here, and that kid has already lost too much. Yesterday I couldn’t get her to come in, and last night she went nuts over a deer in the yard. I don’t need her running off after the wildlife.” She contemplated a row of jackets hanging on wall hooks. “Is it cold out?”