Lydia

Six

Lydia moved her hands up higher, sliding them around Nick's neck, bringing her closer to him. As she caressed his soft hair, he released a moan. His arms tightened around her as he turned the kiss more urgent. More exciting. She couldn't get enough, and she thought that he might feel the same way this time. It made her want to show him how it felt to long for something, as she had longed for him these past thirty days.

Heavy footsteps pounded on the floor in the hallway, coming closer by the second. Nicholas pulled away quickly but remained by her side. It took Lydia a little longer to gain her bearings, only because she refused to snap out of the wonderful dream he had created inside her mind.

A tall, handsome man with dark hair, and a silver star pinned to his vest, came into the room. Mrs. Hansen and Samantha hurried behind him.

Nicholas nodded to the man. "Sheriff Reed, I'm glad you came so quickly."

"As luck would have it, I was passing the hotel just as Mrs. Hansen ran out to get me." The sheriff stopped in front of Lydia as his gaze fixed on her. "Miss Swanson, can you tell me what happened?"

"I wish I knew." She shrugged. "Because when I entered my hotel room several minutes ago, someone had been through my things and tossed everything on the floor."

"You didn't see anyone leaving the hotel when you entered?"

She shook her head. "No..." Her mind came to a halt, and she remembered the scraggly man in the alley. "Actually, I didn't see a man leaving, but as I neared the hotel, a man stepped out of the alley and stopped me."

"Did he say what he wanted?" the sheriff asked.

"No. I had even asked him if there was something I could help him with. Thankfully, all he did was look me up and down and walk away." She shivered. "He had frightened me."

The sheriff's gaze narrowed. "How so?"

"He... just looked mean."

"Lydia, can you describe him?" Nicholas asked.

She moved her attention to Nicholas. "He was tall, but not as tall as you, and he was medium built. He had a bushy beard that was gray with black mixed in, and it was the same color of his hair."

Nicholas' eyes widened. "What did he say?"

The anger filling the agent's gaze let her know that Nicholas had an idea who this man was. "Nothing. He just looked me over and left."

The sheriff turned to Mrs. Hansen. "Where were you and your daughter during this time?"

Mrs. Hansen pointed to Nicholas. "We were tending to Doctor West's patient, Agent Drake."

"All morning?" the sheriff asked.

"Well, not all morning, but most of it." Mrs. Hansen nodded sharply.

The sheriff kept his stern expression. "Did you or your daughter notice anyone coming in or out of the hotel?"

"No, sir," Mrs. Hansen answered as Samantha shook her head. "And there are only two people registered at the hotel today – Miss Swanson and Agent Drake. I would have noticed if someone different came in."

"Ma?" Samantha grasped her mother's arm. "Do you still think it's someone in town who is terrorizing us?"

Mrs. Hansen frowned and nodded. "I fear that whoever is doing this might succeed in destroying my business."

"No, Mrs. Hansen," the sheriff said with a heavy sigh. "I'll make certain of that." He turned back to Lydia. "Were you harmed in any way?"

"No, sheriff." She took an uneven breath. "I was only frightened, that's all."