Feeding the dog was easy; feeding the man was a problem.
“I’m at a loss for breakfast,” she confessed. “I have the aforementioned skim milk and cereal—Grape-Nuts, if you’re interested.” She knew she wasn’t. In her mind, cereal was for when there was nothing else in the house. “I also have instant oatmeal, and I can throw in some raisins to make it more hearty. Other than that, we’re back to the PB&J, or another smoothie. Or—” Thinking of something, she quickly opened the refrigerator door and checked the contents. Yes, she had cheese. “—a grilled cheese sandwich.”
“I’m fine with just coffee,” he said. “I’m not hungry.”
“We went through this yesterday. You have to eat.”
“Sandwich,” he said grudgingly. “Peanut butter.”
“I’m sorry for the pitiful selection, but like I said, I haven’t been shopping.” She felt chagrined by her lack of options, even though she hadn’t had any warning. “What would you like while I’m shopping? Eggs, sausage, pancakes?” She pulled a notepad toward her and began scribbling down a list. Eggs, breakfast ham, salsa, fresh fruit, whole milk—
“Yes,” he said, evidently to everything.
The enormity of feeding him dawned on her. It wasn’t just breakfast; it was three meals a day, every day, for an unspecified length of time. Her scribbling got faster. Steaks, though maybe he wasn’t up to that yet. She could put them in the freezer until he was. Salad fixings. Hamburgers, potatoes, frozen hash browns.
This was going to cost a fortune. Good thing Axel was paying her well.
Food wasn’t the only problem. She couldn’t hide him away out here for any length of time. For one thing, her grocery bill would give her away, and Hamrickville was small enough that things like that got noticed. For another, she didn’t intend to hide him. That was a scandal waiting to happen. She’d tell Jesse that Morgan was out here, and the basic truth that he’d had open-heart surgery and needed a place to recover.
She couldn’t tell Morgan’s real name, though, given that he was in hiding and Internet searches were like taking out an electronic billboard.
She thought about that as she slapped peanut butter and jelly between two slices of bread—he got a whole sandwich this time—and when she took the sandwich to him, she said, “What name will you be using?”
Evidently he and Axel had already covered that base because he said, “I have a second ID that’ll past muster in case anyone checks.”
“Oh, it’ll be checked. As soon as my chief deputy finds out you’re here, he’ll be all over it.”
He showed no surprise at her having a chief deputy, which told her that he already knew her circumstances here, and the setup she had with Hamrickville. She cocked her head, eyeing him. If he so readily had a fake ID, how did she know he’d shown her his real one? On the other hand, did it really matter?
“Yes, I told you my real name,” he said tersely, correctly reading her expression.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if you did or not, because I wouldn’t know either way. I don’t know you. All I know is that Axel sent you, you’re in sorry shape and obviously need help, and a big payment is supposed to be deposited in my bank account today. You can call yourself Lady Gaga, for all I care.”
“I’ll stick with Morgan,” he said drily. “My second ID is for Morgan Rees, R-E-E-S.” He didn’t pronounce it Reece, but rather the way it was spelled. “Middle name Allen.”
“Is Allen your real middle name?”
“No.”
“Okay. Morgan Rees. I got it. And if Jesse asks, I don’t know your middle name, because it isn’t as if we hooked up in the past or anything.”
“Jesse is your chief deputy?”
“He is. Jesse Tucker. You’ll be meeting him, probably some time this afternoon.”
“Why?”
“Because when I tell him you’re here, he’ll have to check you out himself.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” The blue eyes narrowed, his gaze drilling into her and the intensity in his gaze taking her aback.
“Lord, no!” she said, startled. What had made him ask that, unless he was weighing the possible complications of jealousy and prolonged contact? She supposed that was reason enough, given his circumstances.
“But he’ll come out here to check for himself whether or not I’m on the level?”
“He’s a good cop. He’s also a friend, though not romantically.” And Jesse was somewhat protective of her, not because of any romantic feeling but because he was afraid being chief of police would make her a target for people who didn’t know the position was administrative and wanted to show up the “lady chief.” She lived alone in an isolated area, something she still sometimes felt uneasy about, so she was grateful for the attention he paid to her welfare.
Come to think of it—Jesse always checked in when he left for the night, and last night he hadn’t. The omission was so unusual Bo swiftly got her cell phone and called Jesse’s cell, her brow knit with worry.
Jesse answered on the second ring. “Mornin’, Chief.”
She blew out a breath of relief. “I was worried. You didn’t check in last night, and I just realized it.”
“Ah . . .” Jesse fell silent, as if he couldn’t think what to say. Bo could practically feel his embarrassment.
“What happened?” she demanded. “Is anyone hurt?”