Melanie beamed. “Here.” She scribbled her cell number on the back of a business card and passed it to Luke. “Please feel free to contact me at any time.”

Honestly. It took titanic restraint to keep Finley from rolling her eyes.

Luke steered her outdoors. The park at Misty River’s center faced them. Beyond that, forested hills hemmed in the town on three sides.

“Melanie was hitting on you.” She faced him.

One dark brow tilted up. “Yeah. So?”

“Do women often hit on you?”

“I don’t get out much these days.”

“But when you do, they hit on you?”

“I guess so.”

“I really don’t think it would be wise to . . . dally with women . . . here in Misty River.”

A beat of silence. “Dally?” He appeared amused by her choice of words.

“Dally.” She stood beside the verb. “Now might not be the best time to—to take part in casual relationships.”

“You think I should take part in serious relationships?” He was being purposely obtuse.

The heat of a blush climbed her cheeks. “Someday! Just maybe not now.”

“Really? Because it’s been seven years.”

Why had she brought up this subject? That had been rash. “All I’m saying is that you’re working hard to get back on your feet, and that’s the best thing to focus on at the moment.”

His attention remained on her.

She jutted her chin and refused to look away. Seconds passed. He was tall and muscular with body language that said back off to everyone he came in contact with. Yet she knew she had nothing to fear from him. On the contrary, when he was nearby, it was as if safety encircled her.

“I agree,” he said, releasing her from the stalemate. He strode down the sidewalk. “I don’t want a casual or a serious relationship. But even if I did, it wouldn’t be with Melanie.”

She rushed to catch up with him.

“When can we travel to the depot in Chickamauga?” he asked.

She punched details into her phone. “It looks like it will take us about three hours to get there, heading due west.”

“Let’s drive there now.”

“Absolutely not. I have appointments this afternoon.” She ran a new search on her phone. “The depot is now a regional heritage and train museum. It’s open ten to four, Tuesday through Saturday.”

“Was it a museum back when you were there?”

“I don’t remember, but that definitely sounds like the type of thing my dad would have taken me to see. He was a museum junkie.”

“Do you think he left a white envelope there?”

“Probably not. It would be hard to leave an envelope at a museum in a place where I’d be able to find it but no one else would disturb it. This clue is likely an object. Something that’s a part of their collection.”