4.

Janey wasn't so sure about Kyle's assessment of Fred Mitchel. As they crossed the lawn, the irritation on his face didn't lessen. He wasn't happy to see them.

"Afternoon, Fred," Kyle said when they reached the edge of the porch. "I was hoping we could talk to you about the kids you ran off a couple weeks ago."

Fred Mitchel's gaze shifted from Kyle to her then he turned his head and spat over the porch rail. "Who's she?"

"This is Detective Davis. She's visiting from Indianapolis." Kyle didn't seem bothered by Fred Mitchel's attitude.

The farmer looked her up and down. "She here about the body you found?"

Janey stayed quiet, letting Kyle decide how much to share. "Among other things."

"Humph." Mitchel took a step forward. "And what does that have to do with me and the kids I chased off my property?"

Kyle shrugged. "Probably nothing."

"And yet you're here harassing me." Mitchel huffed again and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, on with it. What do you want to know? I've got work to do."

"Did you happen to recognize any of the kids?" Kyle asked.

"No." Short and to the point. Disappointment settled in Janey's gut. Unless they got a hit on those fingerprints, they'd struck a dead end again.

"Thank you for your time, Fred. We'll let you get back to work." Kyle headed toward his SUV and she followed.

"That was a waste," she said once they were inside the vehicle.

He nodded. "It was worth a shot."

"So what now?"

"Now . . ." The look Kyle gave her had her heart rate picking up. "I drop you off at my sister's so you can rest up for our date tonight."

Janey bit the inside of her cheek. She had no idea if going to this shindig with him was a good idea or not, but if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit she wanted to go. It had been a while since a guy had piqued her interest the way Kyle did. "I was talking about the case."

"We cross our fingers and hope the lab gets a hit on one of those fingerprints."

It was close to three by the time he dropped her off at Ava's with a promise to be back to pick her up around six. Ava was in the living room folding laundry. She glanced behind Janey expectantly, and then frowned. "Kyle isn't coming in?"

"He'll be back later." Janey wasn't sure how much he'd want his sister to know, but figured she'd find out eventually. "Apparently, there's some sort of pig roast tonight."

A sly smile crossed Ava's face as she took a towel from the basket.

"What?"

"Nothing." When Janey continued to wait, Ava sighed. "It's just been a while since Kyle showed any real interest in anyone. It's good to see. I want him to find someone. Settle down. He deserves to be happy."

Curiosity nagged her, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Kyle lived here in Liberty. Her life was in Indianapolis. Granted, it wasn't a huge distance, but it was far enough.

Realizing how absurd her train of thought was, Janey excused herself and went to grab a shower. She told herself nothing was going to happen tonight, but even she didn't believe it. Besides, it was better to be prepared. If nothing happened, it wouldn't hurt to make sure everything was shaved and neatly trimmed.

It was as she was standing at the end of her bed in nothing but a towel that Janey realized she had a problem. The only clothes she'd brought with her were khaki pants and shirts-her work attire. Somehow she didn't think that would help her to fit in at what sounded more like a community barbecue.

Janey threw on some clean clothes and headed back downstairs. Ava was roughly the same size. Hopefully, she wouldn't mind letting her borrow something. She didn't think she had time to make it to the nearest mall and back before Kyle returned to pick her up.

"Ava?" Janey called out when she didn't find Ava in the living room or the kitchen, the only two rooms she'd been in on the first floor.

"In here."

Janey followed Ava's voice to what had to be the master bedroom.

"Hey. Come in," Ava said, setting aside the book she was reading.

"I didn't mean to bother you in your personal space."

Ava waved her comment away. "It's fine. I was just enjoying some peace and quiet while I can. What did you need?"

For a moment Janey reconsidered. It didn't feel right asking Ava, Kyle's sister or not, if she could borrow an outfit. She didn't even know the woman. "Nothing. Never mind."

"Janey, just spit it out."

"I was wondering if maybe you had something I could wear tonight. All I brought with me were work clothes. I wasn't planning on going out."

Before she'd even finished her sentence, Ava was up and moving toward her closet. "I'm sure I have a dress that would fit you. Let me see . . ." She rooted around in her closet, pushing hangers to one side until she found what she was looking for. "What do you think?"

The dress was navy blue with a white belt at the waist. It was simple but cute. "As long as it fits, I think it will work."

Ava held it out to her. "Go try it on. You can use my bathroom if you want. And if it doesn't work, we can find something else."

"Thanks, Ava. I really appreciate this."

Janey hurried into the bathroom and stripped out of the clothes she'd put on a few minutes earlier. Since the dress had wider straps, she was still able to wear her bra, which was a good thing. She wasn't exactly small on top. It was a little loose around the middle, but the belt took care of that. Otherwise, it was a pretty good fit.

"What do you think?" Janey asked when she stepped out of the bathroom. She did a little twirl and loved how the skirt flared up a little.

Ava moved in for a closer look. "Wow. I think it looks much better on you than me."

"Thanks, but I doubt that." Kyle's sister had one of those hourglass figures, and a dress like this would only highlight that.

A sad smile crossed Ava's face, and Janey wondered if the other woman was thinking about her late husband. "I'm glad it fits. Now you can go out and have a good time tonight."

The way she said it gave Janey the impression that Ava wouldn't be attending. "Aren't you going? Your brother said most of the people in the area would be there."

"Oh, they will be. Ethan and his family do this every year. It's a big deal around here."

"But you're not going." It wasn't a question.

Ava shook her head. "I have lots to do here. Besides, I need to get Cole to bed by eight or he'll be cranky all day tomorrow."

Janey chose to keep her mouth shut. She didn't know Ava well enough. "Well, I should probably go upstairs and finish getting ready."

"Let me know if you need anything else." Ava smiled and lifted Cole from his playpen. "I'm going to go make this little guy some dinner."

It didn't take Janey long to finish getting ready. She was a minimalist when it came to makeup. A little bit of eye shadow, some mascara, and a touch of lip gloss. That was it. Anything more had her feeling as if she had goop slathered all over her face.

With five minutes to spare, she descended the stairs, but Kyle was already standing near the front door waiting for her. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," Janey said, trying to ignore the butterflies tumbling around in her stomach. "I had to borrow the dress from your sister."

He offered her a hand. "We should get going. They'll be pulling the hog out of the pit soon. I don't want you to miss it."

Janey had no idea what the big deal was, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Let me just say goodbye to Ava."

The words had barely left her mouth when Kyle's sister poked her head out of the kitchen. "You two have a good time. I won't wait up." She winked.

Heat rushed to Janey's cheeks. Of course, Kyle noticed. "We'll see you later, sis."

Ava waved as they walked out the door, Kyle's hand resting on her lower back.

"That wasn't awkward at all," Janey mumbled.

"You want to talk about awkward? Try walking in on your little sister going at it with her husband on the couch." He shuddered as he pulled open the passenger door of his truck for her.

Janey giggled and brushed past him to climb inside the cab. "Got an eyeful, did you?"

"Oh, yeah. There is no amount of brain bleach that'll get rid of that memory."

The best part of Ethan's annual hog roast was that his family farm had plenty of space for everyone. A large farmhouse sat in the center of the property surrounded by more than one thousand acres of farmland. There were four barns on the property and all of them served a purpose. Tonight one had been converted into a dance hall of sorts.

Kyle parked his truck along the long driveway, hopped out, and went to help Janey. He hadn't even thought about her not having something to wear when he'd asked her to come with him tonight. Then again, he wouldn't have cared if she'd stayed in what she'd worn earlier.

They had to walk a ways to reach the roasting pit where everyone was gathered. It was situated on the back side of the barn to keep the smoke away from the other festivities.

"What's everyone waiting for?" Janey asked as they approached the crowd.

"You'll see."

A few minutes later, Ethan, his brother Evan, and his father emerged from one of the other barns, all three of them with shovels. They made a beeline for the mound of fresh dirt covering the pit and began digging. After a few minutes, three other men stepped up and took turns removing the dirt. This back and forth went on until they reached the sheet metal underneath. Ethan and Evan pried the metal back while their father, wearing heavy gloves, pulled out burlap sacks.

"Are those the pigs?" Janey asked in a low whisper.

Kyle nodded. "Best pork you've ever tasted. Trust me."

"It doesn't look all that appetizing at the moment."

A few of the guys stayed behind to cover the pit up again so no one accidently fell in, while everyone else moved into the barn. Kyle guided Janey over to a long table set up with drinks. "What would you like? They've got everything from water and Kool-Aid for the kids to beer."

Janey glanced around, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I think I'll just stick to water."

"Two waters," Kyle told Elena, Ethan and Evan's sister, who was manning the table.

She opened a cooler to her left, dug two bottles of water from the ice, and placed them on the table. He handed her two dollars before picking up the drinks.

"Thanks, Elena."

"Enjoy your evening."

Kyle handed Janey one of the waters and guided her over to a less crowded area of the barn. It would take ten minutes or so for the meat to be ready and the band was still getting set up. For the moment, there wasn't much to do besides wait. Wait and try to get to know his date a little more.

"How long have you been a detective?" he asked. Work seemed to be a safer subject with her than her past.

She sat down on a nearby chair and he lowered himself into the seat next to her. "Almost six years. I worked patrol for a couple of years before that."

"Really? Why the change?"

"I always wanted to be a detective. That was always the goal. So at the first opportunity, I took the test." The look on her face told him all he needed to know. Janey loved her job. He knew the feeling. Being a deputy made him feel connected to the community. He didn't want to be anywhere else.

"I know what you mean. As soon as I got my discharge papers from the Army, I applied to the sheriff's department."

"Did you ever think about working in a bigger city?"

Kyle tried not to read more into her question than there really was. "Not really. Ava was still in school, and I wanted to be here for her last years of high school." He took a drink of his water. "I think I can do more good here. People around here . . . they care about each other. Even Fred Mitchel, who acts like everyone and everything annoys him. I've seen him pitch in and help a neighbor whose crop was about to go bad because he couldn't get it in fast enough."

Janey rolled her bottle of water between her fingers. "That's hard to imagine."

"People can surprise you."

She met his gaze and whispered, "Yes, they can."

Kyle had an undeniable urge to kiss her in that moment. The only thing that stopped him was where they were. Not that he had any problem kissing Janey in public; more that he wanted a little privacy the first time it happened.

He stood, needing to move. "Why don't we see if the food's ready? I'm starving."

There was already a line at the food table. Several people stopped to introduce themselves to Janey. Most already knew who she was.