“Outsiders aren’t the only unhappy ones,” an older woman stated. “I almost broke my neck when I tripped on the crack in front of the post office.”

“Yeah, that’s a bad one,” another person chimed in.

“That sounds like a good compromise. We’ll fix the pavement and sidewalks. We can even spring for the money to fix the streetlights, too.” Uriah grinned. “There are all of eight lights total. For now, the businesses will beautify the place on their own.”

That vote carried.

Other issues were brought up, increasingly petty, and the meeting grew more rancorous. As the voices rose, Audrey shrank in her chair, wishing she were home. But people would notice if she stood up to leave.

Someone touched her arm, and she jumped.

Gabe was down on his haunches beside her. “You look like you need to get out of here,” he murmured.

“But—” She flushed and glanced at all the people in the room.

“They’re busy bickering. Come on.” He rose, pulled her to her feet, and with a firm grip on her arm, guided her out of the room.

To her surprise, he didn’t release her once they were outside the building.

“Thank you, but I can get to my car myself. It’s still light out.” A glance at his unsmiling face told her that protesting was useless.

An ache grew inside. She missed the easy camaraderie of earlier. Before he’d asked her about her past. Eff-it-all, why did he continue to dig for information?

But he was a law enforcement person through and through. Cops probably resented mysteries in the same way she resented a search query that returned incorrect answers. With a silent sigh, she simply walked beside him to her car.

Releasing her arm, he opened the car door. “Drive safely.”

“I will.” She looked up. “Are you going back in?”

“Yep. Attendance is part of the job as someone pointed out earlier today.”

“True enough.” She gave him a half-smile. “At least the issue of police funding is done. You rocked that report.”

The lines in his face eased. “Good to hear.

“Thank you for pulling me out.”

“Julie.” He stood close enough she could feel the heat from his body. Another inch closer, and her breasts would rub on his chest. Her skin felt too tight, as if she’d gotten into clothes a size too small.

Everything inside her wanted those arms around her.

He wanted to know her past. She couldn’t tell him. “No. No more.”

When she edged away, he studied her face for a second and nodded. “All right.” He took his own step back.

Eff-it-all. She slid into the car…and he closed the door.

Letting out a forlorn sigh, she glanced in the rear view mirror. Yes, duty done, he was striding toward the municipal building.