He had been lucky getting this place with its pretty location. It was both quiet and isolated, which suited him perfectly, though he could also understand how, in darkness, it had spooked the hell out of Hannah.

She was the reason he had barely slept and he knew revisiting the past had been difficult for her. The conversation had been off the record and he had promised he wouldn’t print anything she had spoken about without her permission, though much of it was now stored in his mind. Whether she decided to help him with the book or not, he was keen to talk to her again. Curious to learn more about events through her eyes.

It would be baby steps with Hannah. He understood he couldn’t push her. And when she had decided she had relived enough, he had been careful to move the conversation back on to lighter topics. He could tell talking about Eileen had drained her, which was why he had persuaded her to stay the night.

As Tank finished his business and they both went back inside, he thought of her now in the spare bedroom. The door was still closed as he climbed the stairs, and he wondered if she had slept better than him, not replaying everything they had talked about like he had. Of course, knowing she was in the room next door hadn’t helped. He would be a liar if he said he wasn’t attracted to Hannah Cole.

It was important that he keep any relationship between them professional, however. Hannah was simply business and he needed to stay focused.

Keeping his movements quiet, he slipped into the bathroom, figuring he would have a shower and maybe check out that sunrise after all.

When she wandered downstairs a couple of hours later, he had already drunk two cups of coffee, the first watching the sunrise, which had been worth staying up for, the sky a spectacular blaze of orange hues and moody purples, the second after returning from a walk with Tank and while typing up some notes for the book.

‘Hey, you sleep okay?’

She nodded, yawning, blonde hair tousled and still wearing the T-shirt he had lent her to sleep in, though she had put her jeans on with it. It was too big for her and he thought made her look a little vulnerable. He ignored the kick inside his chest as his heart hitched a little.

‘How’s your ankle?’

She hadn’t appeared to be struggling with it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still in pain.

‘It’s okay. Still a little sore, but getting better.’

‘Sit down. I’ll get you a coffee,’ he told her, getting up and heading into the kitchen as Tank went over to her for a fuss.

‘Thank you for letting me stay last night.’

‘No problem. Are you hungry?’