He appeared dumbstruck as well, staring as if she were the ghost. He swallowed hard, eyes moving down her body and back up.

Shay remembered what she wasn’t wearing. She grabbed the edge of her damp T-shirt and stretched it down as far as she could, which further outlined her breasts. “Could you hand me that sweater on the coatrack?” It was a long, belted cardigan, probably dusty, but she didn’t care.

He blinked and nodded, reaching for the sweater. A tattoo covered the side of his neck. A series of swirls. Maybe it was something to do with Special Forces. She accepted the long sweater and slipped her arms inside, watching as he picked up his gun and holstered it.

“Sorry about that. You don’t smell like you.” He sniffed, nostrils flaring inappreciatively. “Smells like a party.” His gaze locked on her left hand. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. A guy on the airplane spilled bourbon on my shirt.”

“What are you doing here?”

Her first reaction was to say it was her home, she could come whenever she wanted, but it hadn’t been her home for nine years, so some explanation was due. “I was supposed to meet Renee in Leesburg, but she wasn’t answering her phone. Since I had to drive this way, so I thought I’d stop here first.” And face old ghosts. “I was surprised the gate wasn’t locked.” It stayed locked when she was here.

“Marcas has been working on it,” Cody said, darting another glance at her left hand.

“How long are you staying here?” she asked, fiddling with the belt.

He frowned, his hazel eyes so familiar, yet different, as if something fierce lurked in the depths. “I live here,” he said. “Next door, I mean. I’ve been here for months. Nina didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Shay bent and picked up the candlestick to hide her shock. He lived here. Her reports on Cody were always the same, off fighting battles in some godforsaken place, putting himself in death’s way so other people could live free. And now, here he was standing in front of her, larger than life, and all the accusations she thought would come shooting off her tongue if she ever saw him again had dried up and blown away. All she could think about was twining her fingers in his hair and kissing him, finding out if his lips felt as familiar as his body had, pressed against hers. Get a grip, Shay. “Are you still Special Forces?”

“No. I’m a PI now. I have an office in town. I’m surprised Nina didn’t tell you.”

Why hadn’t she? If Shay had given in to Nina’s pleas and moved back here, it would have been one heck of a shock. She licked her lips. “I need a drink.”

Cody nodded, watching her. “Nina has wine, but you don’t…” he cleared his throat. “Do you drink wine now?”

She’d tried it once, when she was sixteen. They’d sneaked one of Nina’s bottles out to the lake. Half a bottle later, Shay threw up in the bushes while Cody held her hair. “No.” But it might be a good time to start. “I’ll see what’s in the fridge. I fell asleep as soon as I got here.” She hadn’t even brushed her teeth or washed her face. She probably had mascara smeared under her eyes.

“Should be something here. We try to keep a few things on hand in case Nina pops in.”

Shay set the candlestick by the stairs, and Cody followed her into the big kitchen where she’d eaten most of her childhood meals, more often than not, with a MacBain boy or two, sometimes all three, joining them at the table. The Four Musketeers, Nina had called them.

Shay found two cans of soda in the fridge and turned to find Cody leaning against the counter studying her, something working hard behind his eyes.

“Still like Pepsi?” she asked.

He nodded. Shay glanced at him again, wondering if she could just light into him and demand answers after nine years, or if there was some kind of etiquette regarding the first face-to-face with a best friend who had betrayed you. “Sorry I bit you.”

Cody rubbed his shoulder and a smile played at his lips, sending a tingle blasting through Shay’s chest. “You’ve still got wicked teeth. Knee’s not bad either.” He started to cup his groin, but caught himself. “You didn’t forget everything we taught you.” His smile faded. “You’re sure I didn’t hurt you?”

“I’m fine.” Where was this concern years ago, when it mattered? She eyed the Glock holstered at his side. “Do you always carry a gun?”

“When I’m working. Do you always carry a candlestick?”

“I heard a noise. Aunt Nina said there were mice.”

“You were going to throw the candlestick at a mouse? Well, you always did have good aim.”

Thanks to the endless hours of practice they’d bullied her into.

“She wants us to get a cat for the barn—” he met her eyes and looked quickly away. “I’ve been meaning to call an exterminator.” His gaze narrowed. “What’s wrong? You seem jumpy.”

Of course she was jumpy. She’d intended to confront memories, not Casper in the flesh. “I had a break-in,” she blurted out, not wanting him to know it was his presence that had upset her. “I guess I’m still a little shaken.” She handed him the Pepsi, keeping her lashes at half mast in case he could still see through her lies.

“Your house?”

“My shop. The police arrested the guy after I left.”

“Was anything taken?”

“Not that I could tell.” She hadn’t stayed long enough to check. “The guy claimed it was all a mistake.”

“Nina said you sell antiques.”

“I do. I’m opening another shop in Leesburg with Renee.” Shay wished she had gone straight there. Renee was bound to show up sooner or later. Cody’s eyes flared at the mention of Renee. Shay knew why Renee didn’t like Cody, but what did Cody have against Renee? They’d always gotten along before Renee moved. “What made you decide to move back home?” Shay asked.

The overhead light reflected in his eyes, highlighting flecks of gold. “It was just time.” He set the drink down and ran his finger over a gouge that had been in the pine table for as long as Shay could remember. “Lots of memories here. Shame for the place to sit empty. Nina’s crazy to choose Matilda over this.”

The place was beautiful, a quaint house smack in the middle of rolling hills, surrounded by woods. At one time this had been the carriage house. When the MacBains bought the estate, they sold Nina the smaller home.

“You know Nina. She’s like some kind of fairy godmother, always trying to fix everyone’s life. Even a crazy cousin who dreams of traveling the world before she croaks.”

“If Matilda croaks, it’ll be from one of the tour guides pushing her off a pyramid.” Cody popped the top on his Pepsi. “Nina’s threatening to call off the trip to Egypt in the spring and stick Matilda in a retirement home, if she doesn’t stop being such a pest.”

It irritated Shay that he knew more about the woman who had raised her than she did, but it had been her choice to stay away. “Aunt Nina said Marcas and Lachlan would be back in a couple of days.”

“Aye. Tomorrow, I expect.”

The sound of his voice made her ache inside. She’d forgotten the hint of accent she’d found so enchanting. “You’ve spent nearly all your life in America, and still you have a touch of brogue.”

He shrugged. “Guess you can take the boy out of Scotland, but you can’t take Scotland out of the boy.” Ewan and Laura MacBain had moved here when Cody and his brothers were little more than babies, but they were Scots through and through.

“Remember when we were kids, you and Marcas tried to teach me some words in Gaelic to use as our secret code?” Shay smiled.

Cody’s gaze dropped to her left hand again. “I’m surprised you’re not married by now, with a couple of kids of your own.” His voice was soft; his eyes weren’t. “You always loved kids. Are you waiting for a real knight in shining armor to show up?”

Shay gripped the counter until the edge bit into her hands. “Knights aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Armor tends to get rusty after a while. What about you? Are you married?” Nina hadn’t mentioned it, but she also hadn’t said he’d moved back here.

He shook his head, focusing on his soda for so long the silence grew awkward. “Why did you do it, Shay?” He looked up at her, his eyes burning with emotion. “Why’d you leave without telling me, without even saying good-bye? Now you show up, nine years later, after refusing to speak to me.” He plunked down the can and pushed away from the table. “I need to get some sleep. I’ll get an exterminator out here.”

With one brief glance over his shoulder, he walked out the door, leaving Shay feeling as if she’d been hit by a tornado.

Refusing to speak to him? What about the blasted letters he hadn’t bothered to answer?

***

Cody walked until he reached the gate. He turned, looked at Nina’s house, and blew out a hard breath. Shay was safe. She was here. He didn’t know whether to run like hell or get on his knees and thank God for another chance. He pulled his phone from his pocket to call off the bodyguard. No answer. He left a message, shoved the phone in his pocket, reminded himself to charge the battery, and then detoured into the woods. He needed to cool off. He’d call Scotland tomorrow and see what this burglar business was about. She might not have been home in years, but he knew her well enough to know she was hiding something. He jogged along the old trail, blaming the prickly feeling in his spine on the fact that his world had just exploded at his feet.

***

Shay tried eating, but her encounter with Cody left her with no appetite. If he hadn’t gotten her letters, then she’d spent nine years blaming him for something he hadn’t done. Hoping a walk would clear her head, Shay ambled along the old trail behind the house, leaves crunching beneath her feet, the earlier rain having already soaked into the thirsty earth. The moon was bright, eliminating the need for a flashlight, but the trees were taller and thicker now, making the woods feel more isolated. She shivered and glanced over her shoulder, then chided herself for foolishness. All she had to worry about here were wild animals and painful memories.