"No, go ahead," Ian said. "Id be interested in your thoughts and I know youll handle it carefully. Im just about to leave Riverside and head home. Why dont I stop by on my way and we can take it from there."

Dash agreed to Ians plan and, after ending the conversation, forced his mind to focus on the paperwork in front of him so that when Matty arrived hed be done for the day. Except for dealing with the toe.

He finished reviewing the last of the monthly accounting sheets just as the bell on the clinic door rang. Hed locked up after closing so went to open the door for her. He couldnt help the smile that crept onto his face when he saw her standing there, hair down, in a sundress and flip-flops.

"Now thats a way to say hi," she said, stepping inside. Without a thought, his arms came around her and pulled her against him for a long kiss.

"And thats even better," she said when he drew back to look down at her. "Not to spoil the mood or anything, but I have this for you," she said, holding up a paper bag. "Its in a Ziploc bag inside this but I didnt like looking at it so I put it in the second bag."

He could hardly fault her for that. Taking her to have a seat in his office, he proceeded down to one of the exam rooms that had a microscope. Using a small pair of forceps, Dash retrieved the toe and placed it in a thin, glass container. Before looking at it under the scope, he held it up to examine with his naked eyes.

He couldnt say for certain that it was Bobs, but hed bet the farm it was-same color fur, same size, and with the same kind of incision along the skin and bone. Not liking what he was seeing, he placed it under the microscope.

And he liked what he saw there even less. Based on what he could tell from the toe and what he remembered of Bobs paw, the cut looked like it was made with a thin, knife-like blade, not glass. He wouldnt wish an injury on any animal, but he had hoped to find something on the toe to indicate that it had been an accidental slice caused by glass left over from some long-ago house. He sat back and sighed. He was glad Ian was coming by. Like Matty, Dash didnt know what it meant, but even the possibility of someone out there mutilating animals wasnt one he liked to contemplate.

"Dash?" Matty walked into the room. "Is everything okay?"

He rolled his chair away from the desk. "Its what I thought it would be."

She eyed him for a minute then came forward and placed her arms around his neck. "Thats an answer that doesnt really answer the question, isnt it? Is it Bobs toe? And if it is, how did it get back to my patio? Could one of the other dogs have brought it? Or one of the cats?"

He looked up at her and nodded but said nothing. He didnt want to give her any more reason to be concerned, but any answers he might have would do just that. She eyed him again as he brushed a strand of hair from her face, then she lowered herself onto his lap, dropping her purse at his side.

"Did you have a good day?" she asked, feathering kisses along his neck.

He slipped one hand onto her thigh and held her waist with the other. "Its definitely getting better," he responded, grateful shed changed the subject but knowing shed likely done so because she knew she wouldnt like the answers if she continued to press him.

He felt her smile against his skin and pulled her closer. Tilting his head back, he maneuvered his mouth to hers and, just like the night before, his body went from zero to sixty in about two seconds. Wrapping his arms around her, he stood, lifting her with him, and walked the two steps to the exam table. She jumped when her bare legs touched the cool tabletop, but the protest was short lived when he pulled her to the edge and pressed himself against her.

Matty let her head fall back as he trailed his lips along her collar bone, nudging the top of her dress down as he went. He tugged the straps down her shoulders far enough to trap her arms and expose her breasts to him. Gently, he pushed her back onto the table. She arched her back against the cold metal but he kept one hand on her belly, holding her in place, as he began unbuttoning his pants with the other. She would like to think she hadnt planned for this to happen, but taking a lesson from Dash, she had grabbed a couple of condoms to carry in her purse before shed left the house. If their first time had been in his car in a public parking lot, clearly inhibition wasnt going to be a problem.

The hand on her belly drifted down and Dashs fingers found the edge of her underwear. Slowly, he slid them off and touched her softly as he took himself in his other hand.

"Close your eyes, Matty," he ordered, and after a moment she complied, focusing her senses on his touch and the sounds they were making.

He pulled her hips to the edge of the table and draped her thighs over the side. She sucked in a breath and arched into him as he slid a finger inside her then slowly drew it out.

"Condoms, Dash. In my purse," she managed to say, keeping her eyes closed, as shed been told.

She heard him let out a quiet chuckle as he withdrew his finger from her and moved his hand back to her belly. Immediately she felt the loss of his intimacy but her anticipation ratcheted up when she heard the sound of him searching inside her purse, then the muted ripping noise of a little foil packet being torn open. Moments later, she felt the tip of him replace his finger and she was more than ready.

"Keep your eyes closed, Matty," he said as he ever so slowly eased himself in. She didnt need the gentleness; he was doing it to torture her.

Other than his hands on her hips, the only parts of their bodies making contact were the most intimate ones. And while the slow torture was building to a sensuousness shed never experienced before, she wanted more. And she wasnt shy about letting him know.

Dash didnt say a word when she pleaded with him; he just gave her everything she asked for. And when she wanted more, when she wanted him faster, he gave her that, too. And then, finally, between the friction, the connection, and everything else, she arched off the table and locked herself around him. He pressed into her impossibly deep and she felt him pulse against her insides as he let out a very primal sound.

Once all the tremors died down, she lazily opened her eyes. His hands were resting on the table beside her thighs, his head was bent down, and he was breathing hard. She lifted a hand and traced a finger along his forearm. His eyes came up and he smiled.

"My day definitely just got better," he said, making her laugh.

"Maybe we could just stay here for a while. The chair in your office is pretty comfortable," she suggested, only partly tongue in cheek.

"Nice thought-"

Dash cut off whatever else he was going to say when, as if on cue, they heard a knock on the front door. She sat up and they disentangled themselves.

"Ian," he said in explanation.

"You called Ian?" she asked as she pulled on her underwear and pulled up her dress straps, making sure everything was in place.

Dash nodded. "I didnt like the idea of Bobs toe just showing up, so I called to get his opinion." He was doing his best to clean up and make himself presentable but it was little more complicated for him than for her.

She walked by him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Ill go let him in. Come out when youre ready."

Ians upper body was visible through the doors window as Matty approached. He raised his eyebrows at her as he entered.

"Did I interrupt anything?" he asked, knowing full well he had.

"Nope," she countered. "Perfect timing," she grinned, making Ian laugh.

"Perfect timing for what?" Dash asked, entering the room.

"For not interrupting anything," Ian responded.

Dashs eyes went from Mattys to Ians. "I was just looking at the toe under the microscope."

Matty laughed and Ian chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So thats what theyre calling it these days?"

"Thats not what Im calling it," she said. "But if it makes Dash feel better," she added with a shrug. Ian shook his head and tried to stop grinning.

"The toe," Dash said holding out the paper bag.

In a flash, Ian was all business. "And?"

Dash glanced at Matty and she gave him a look that let him know that he shouldnt even think about hiding anything from her.

He let out a deep breath. "It looks like it was sliced off with a very sharp blade."

"Intentionally?" Ian asked.

Dash wagged his head. "Its possible Bob walked into an old bear trap or something like that."

"But thats not what it looks like to you, is it?" Ian asked.

With obvious reluctance, Dash shook his head.

Ian let out a grunt of disgust. "Great, just what we need, someone mutilating animals."

"On top of the body that dropped into Brads truck," Matty added. Ian shot her a look and she shrugged. "Sorry, just stating the facts."

"Such as they are," Ian said. "Well, I guess Ill take that," he reached for the bag Dash held. "And well get a team up to have a look around Brads property, if you dont mind, Matty?" he added.

"Of course not," she responded.

"Well need you to show us where Bob was when this happened and where you found the toe today," Ian continued. When she nodded, he seemed about to say more, then thought better of it and changed topics. "Vivienne and I are going to The Tavern for dinner tonight. Do you guys want to join us?" he asked.

"The Tavern? Wheres that?" Matty asked.

"Just south of town about a half a mile," Dash answered.

She looked at Dash and raised her shoulders. "Ive only ever been to Franks or Andersons, I wouldnt mind trying someplace new. And it would be nice to see Vivi again."

Dash and Ian shared a look. "You went to Franks?" Dash asked, his lips twitching.

"Frank and I are like this," she said holding up her crossed fingers. "We have a little understanding now. He makes me the iced mochas I want and I dont actually order them out loud, so the rest of his customers wont find out. Its our little secret."

Dash and Ian laughed.

"Of course it is," Dash said. "Come on, Matty, I want to go home and change. I imagine Ian does too. Meet you there in an hour?" he asked and Ian nodded. Dash locked the front door after the sheriff left then turned toward her.

"Ready?"

"It just dawned on me Ive never seen your house," she said as they headed toward the back door. "It makes sense and all, but still." And it actually did seem strange, and that it was strange at all was even stranger. Because it felt like she should know more about him than she did, it felt like she did know more about him-even though theyd only spent one night together.

"Its nothing too special, but I like it. Lets drop your car at your place, we can check on the animals, and then well take my truck back to my house. You can poke around and be as nosy as you want while I shower and change."

And they did just that. Shed thought about showering too, but curiosity had gotten the better of her and shed spent the time exploring Dashs house and the surrounding land instead. His place wasnt as big as Brads, but it had a great screened-in porch with a swinging bench seat that overlooked a field and a swimming pond. It was the same Greek Revival style as most of the older homes in the area and had three bedrooms with two baths upstairs and a kitchen, dining room, living room, and powder room on the bottom floor. The grounds were mostly grass, which made sense-with the amount of time Dash spent away from home, it would be hard for him to tend any kind of elaborate garden. But the whole piece of property was tucked up on a quiet dirt road and it felt peaceful and, with its warm colors and inviting furniture, cozy.

By the time Dash came trotting back down the stairs, Matty had decided that his home, whether intentional or not, was a perfect reflection of him: strong enough to withstand the years, yet welcoming, unfussy, and comfortable.

Right on time, they walked into The Tavern, a building that also looked to double as an inn. The restaurant and bar were to the left of the door and, as they entered, Matty caught sight of Vivi talking to the bartender and Ian leaning against the bar listening. When he saw them, Ian signaled Matty and Dash to meet him at a table in the back.

"Vivienne is just finishing some wedding plans with Rob, the owner," Ian said as they sat.

"Are you having the reception here?" Matty asked.

Ian shook his head. "No, Rob is providing the bar services. The wedding will be at the church downtown and the reception will be at a bed and breakfast near our house." When he spoke a small smile touched his lips.

"You like saying that, dont you? 'Our house," Dash said.

Ian cocked a brow and his smile spread. "It aint bad," he said.

"What isnt bad?" Vivi asked, joining them.

"Marriage, being together," Matty answered.

Vivi cast an affectionate look at Ian. "No, its not. Although the getting married part isnt quite as fun."

They paused in their conversation when Rob, whom Vivi introduced to Matty, stopped by to take drink orders and drop off menus.

"Big wedding?" Dash asked, returning to the topic when Rob had departed.

Ian shrugged. "Vivienne has a huge family."

"And every one of them wants to be involved in every part of this," Vivi added.

"Only because they love you," Ian pointed out.

Vivi let out a little laugh. "I know. Believe me, I know. And it will be fun. But its going to be crazy, I can promise you that. My father was one of four and my mother, one of six," she said, looking at Matty. "I think Windsor may be in for a shock when my Italian brood descends on the town. Then again, theyre a fun, easy-going bunch and they tip well, so Im sure everyone will have a good time."

Matty murmured her agreement. She couldnt imagine what it would be like to have such a big family. When she got married, if she ever got married, shed have lots of friends to invite, but for family it would really just be her mom and Charlotte, plus Charlottes mom, Nanette. Her dad wasnt in the picture and with her grandmother gone, it was a pretty small group.

"Oh, Matty, I meant to touch base with you on those numbers," Vivi said, bringing Matty back to the conversation. "Weve had a couple of busy days at the lab so I havent had a chance to look at them. But things should calm down in the next day or two, so Ill dig into them then."

Matty wasnt ready to talk about what shed found quite yet, so when Rob returned with their drinks, she hoped hed also serve as a distraction.

No such luck. "Numbers?" both Dash and Ian said at the same time as soon as Rob stepped away.

Matty cast a quick look at Dash. For some reason she felt a little niggling of guilt for not having told him about the numbers. "Uh, its okay, I figured it out. Have you been able to ID the man who fell into the truck, yet?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"No, she hasnt. The fingerprints were degraded, the facial recognition didnt give us any hits, and the guy wore dentures, so no dentals. It may take a bit longer than we thought. But just what is it that youve figured out?" Ian pressed, his voice somewhat stern.

"Yes, Im curious, too." Dashs tone was laced with more than just curiosity.

Vivi must have sensed something; her eyes went from Matty to Dash and then back again with a look of question and apology.

Matty sighed. "I found an old racing form at Brads and there were some bumps on it. Vivis cousins told us it was braille and that it was a string of numbers. Vivi and I were trying to figure out what the numbers meant."

Ian sat back and crossed his arms. "Let me get this straight. Brad left you what amounts to a secret message?"

"More like a string of them, right Matty?" Dash added. And he was not happy.

"Meaning?" Ian pushed.

"You found the form in the liquor cabinet, didnt you?" Dash asked.

Matty nodded. Dash then filled in the blanks for Ian, telling him of the set of directions Brad had left that included the reference to the cabinet, where she found the racing form, which led to something else.

"So what are the numbers?" Vivi asked. Her voice was soft, no doubt trying to balance out the tension coming from the male side of the table.

"It was an ISBN number. To one of my books, actually. One that has a very significant character who is blind."

"And?" Dash pressed with a piercing look.

Matty looked away for a moment then shrugged one shoulder. "And Brad had a copy in his library and inside it were some pictures. Nothing incriminating, just strange," she said, cutting off both Dash and Ians inevitable questions about the content of the images.