Strange Medicine (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #1)(42)

He cleared his throat. “We’ll get this figured out. The bastard who killed Ned isn’t going to be able to hide forever.”

“Yeah, but it might be months.”

“Like I said, we’ll figure it out.”

“I can’t just stay with you forever. It’s really nice of you and all but—”

“But what?”

I shrugged. “Wouldn’t you think it’s weird if I stayed longer than a few days?”

He chuffed. “No. You have to sleep somewhere. I’ve thought about advertising for a roommate over the years.”

“Yeah, but you never did it. You probably want your privacy.” I chewed on my thumbnail.

“Nah, I just never got around to it. It always seemed like a hassle to post a notice, so I just didn’t. But I don’t have a problem having a little company. Why do you think I got Grumpy? I like the idea of having some living creatures around me. You just stay with me as long as you need.”

“I don’t see how I can do that. It’s too much. We barely know each other, and you don’t owe me this much kindness.”

He frowned. “You worry too much.”

“You might end up hating having me around. I can be quite irritating, and I don’t even mean to be. It just seems to come naturally to me.”

“Maxwell.” His voice was a low rumble. “You can stay with me as long as you’d like.”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I just stared out the window at the town as we drove through. Most of the shops were closed for the evening, but the restaurants looked busy, bursting with families and couples out for dinner. I’d never had the kind of life those people had. I hadn’t made time for parties and nights out with friends. I’d rarely had friends. Most of the time they’d seemed more of an imposition than anything else. I’d worked constantly, and if I did have a night off I’d preferred to stay home and rest. Alone.

I glanced over at Royce. His profile was handsome, his nose straight and his jaw square and rugged. I always got the funniest little tingles in my gut when he looked directly at me and held my gaze. Of all the men I’d known over the years, it sometimes struck me as amusing that he was the one that got my pulse racing. While I hadn’t dated often in LA, when I had, my companions had usually been respected, powerful surgeons like myself. We’d talk, mostly about work, and then we’d fuck, strictly to release sexual tension. I’d never experienced butterflies in my stomach until I’d met Royce. And I had no idea what it meant or if it was good or bad.

Royce parked in his driveway, and he took Grumpy from me. I exited the car, scanning his split-level ranch home. It was dark gray with a stone facade and white accents around the windows. The walkway was red brick, and there was a small porch at the front with two rocking chairs.

“Is one of those for Grumpy?” I asked with a smirk.

He smiled and didn’t answer. He slipped the key in the lock and opened the door, and I followed him in. The house smelled like gingerbread cookies, and it was rustic but cozy. He had a nice big stone fireplace at one end and beige couches. There was a kitchen off to the left with a breakfast nook, and a bearskin rug in front of the hearth.

“Did you kill that bear yourself?” I hugged my pillow, feeling weird about being in his home.

“Nah. My granddad did when he was sixteen.” He set the puppy down and headed into a hallway on the right. “Your room’s down here.”

I followed him, catching glimpses of family photos hung on the wall in the narrow hallway. The room he took me to was large, and the bed looked like a queen-size mattress. I nodded appreciatively and set my pillow on the blue plaid comforter. “Nice. I was picturing sleeping on a futon.”

He patted the comforter. “Only the best for my guests.”

“Do you have them often?”

“No I do not.” He laughed. “The sheets are clean because I literally just washed them for some strange reason.”

I met his gaze. “I’m honestly just so happy to be out of that house.”

He moved closer, his brown eyes darker than usual. “I’m glad too. I worry about you.”

“Oh, well… you don’t need to… probably.” I laughed nervously.

His smile was knowing as he moved away again. “You said you had dinner in town?”

“I did. Then I grabbed a few things from the grocery store. Fortunately nothing perishable since I forgot all about them when I dropped them on the floor.”

“I’d have dropped my groceries too if I walked into my house and found a stranger demolishing my kitchen with a sledgehammer.” He frowned.

Grumpy whined, and Royce snapped his head toward the puppy. “Hold that thought. I’m still potty-training him.” He ran down the hall, and the puppy trotted after him.

I left the room and walked down the hall studying the photos. There were lots of them with a younger Royce on horses and some with what looked like his parents. Everybody looked happy in the photos, whereas my family photos had always looked like we were lined up awaiting execution.

I headed out into the backyard, where Royce was clapping and praising the puppy. He turned when he saw me out of the corner of his eye. “He went potty outside!”

He sounded so excited it was hard not to smile. “That’s great?”