A Merciful Death (Mercy Kilpatrick #1)(105)

“That’s not who you are,” Mercy stated.

“No, it’s not,” he agreed. “I’ve changed my mind about a few things over the past week. I even want to take a closer look at my uncle’s backup power system and water supply. Maybe there’s a tiny bit of sense in being prepared in case of an emergency.”

She punched him lightly on the upper arm and he winced. “Watch the ribs!”

“I forgot. Sorry.” She leaned closer and pressed her lips on his, loving the heady rush that ran through her at the touch of his skin. There’d been several intimate moments over the last few days. Enough to make her question her future. He’d become important to her, and now her heart was vulnerable. A feeling she hadn’t experienced in years.

But she wasn’t scared. It felt good.

“When do you go back to Portland?” he finally asked. The question had been floating over both their heads for three days. Her case was done. She’d requested a week’s leave, which had been immediately granted, but its end was near.

“Saturday.”

“I’ll come visit the following weekend. The drive isn’t that bad.”

“It’ll begin to suck if we’re doing it several times a month,” she pointed out.

“It’s worth it.”

“Jeff told me his Bend office got a budget approval to let him bring on three more agents.” She waited for his reaction.

Truman froze. “Are you serious?” His smile started to widen. “What will you do about that?”

“I’ve already applied.” The joy on his face made her heart happy. “But there’s a catch.”

“What? I don’t care. Just name it.” He took both her hands and pulled her up to stand on the rock, where he hugged her tight.

“Kaylie might be living with me.”

“That’s fantastic. She needs a home and you’re perfect for her.”

“You think so?” Is he joking? “I know nothing about raising a teen.”

“Weren’t you a teenage girl?”

“Well, yes, but my situation—”

“Then you have more experience than half the population.” He grinned at her. “You’ll do great. You’ll be good for each other.”

“I think I might buy a house in Bend.” She looked at their view of the spreading valley. “I need this. I need the wide-open skies and less gray rain. I need to look up and see a long row of white mountains. It speaks to my soul. I’d forgotten until I came back.” She met his gaze. “I want to be closer to you . . . see what develops.” She whispered the last word.

“Just don’t ask me to inspect your crawl space.” His grin made her heart beat faster.

“Never! I swear on my life I’ll never force you into a small space.”

“Then we have a deal.”

He swung her into a dramatic dip and kissed her again.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In 2014 I was on a plane to Thrillerfest in NYC. My third book, Buried, had been nominated for a Thriller Award, and an editor from a different publishing house had reached out to me, saying she loved my work and wanted to know if I’d be interested in writing something for their house. I agreed to meet her in NYC, and on that plane ride I had a moment of terror as I realized I didn’t have a concept to pitch. Ideas are difficult for me. I’m not that writer who has so many ideas she doesn’t know where to start. I stress and moan to come up with every single one. I whipped out my notebook on the plane and started brainstorming. Mercy Kilpatrick was born at thirty-five thousand feet, and that editor was enchanted with my concept.

Long story short: I asked my agent to first officially offer the idea to my current publishing house. My editor loved the concept, and I was relieved because I adore my Montlake team and there’s no one I’d rather have publish my books. They took a chance on me when no other house would and are the coolest, most innovative people on the planet. This is my tenth novel with them, and I look forward to the next ten.

Ten books? How did that happen so fast?

Thank you to Special Agents Devinney and Gluesenkamp for answering all my questions. Maybe I need to write an FBI duo with those names. Thank you to Charlotte Herscher for her editing expertise. Thank you to my agent, Meg Ruley, who has been an enthusiastic Mercy fan from day one.

My last book was dedicated to my espresso maker. This book is 100 percent caffeine free, so I hope my readers still enjoy it.