Sam ran his hands over his face and then slammed them onto his hips. “What exactly does that mean?”
“I delete his emails.”
“Without reading them.”
He hadn’t bothered making it a question, but she answered it anyway. “I have no desire to read anything he writes.”
“What if he’s threatening you? All information is useful. You can’t mount a good defense if you don’t know your enemy’s weaknesses and goals.”
Tansy walked over to the couch and picked up her brontosaurus again. “This isn’t war. James is a weasel. He’s not a threat, and he’s not mounting an offense.”
“And you know that how? You don’t know what he’s planning if you don’t read his emails. Why don’t you check it now?”
And let him see the name? Not likely.
“Tansy, he might come after you. Does he know about the lodge and sawmill? Does he know where you are?”
“He wouldn’t bother traveling across the country to find me.”
“Does he know?” Sam emphasized each word.
Tansy shrugged. “I doubt it. I think I only talked about the move with Cinnia, but I don’t remember who I spoke with when Grandpa Koko died. Anyway, it’s not a problem. It’s not like he’s going to come and ask me to donate my ideas to him. No one’s that stupid.”
Sam shook his head. “You’d be surprised, Tansy.”
Tansy patted his arm and thought about how to distract him from protective brother mode. She could kiss him, but if he didn’t kiss her back, she’d ruin everything.
Instead, it was time to turn the tables. “Time to talk about you. I’ve told you mine. Your turn.”
Sam scowled at her. “You didn’t tell me everything.”
Tansy shrugged. “I’ve told you all the important stuff. Tell me about your last case, Sam.”
For a long moment, he simply watched her eyes. She kept hers steady. She felt better having told him about her worries and now she’d help him do the same.
When he broke eye contact, Sam looked around the space, but she knew he wasn’t seeing it.
Then he turned and walked out the door.
Sam wasn’t sure how long it would be until Tansy realized her mistake, but he wasn’t pointing it out.
He had a first name.
James.
And James the Asshole was about to find out messing with Tansy was the last thing he should be doing.
Telling her the basics about his last case was a good tradeoff for that.
But not in the cabin. He needed to be out in the woods for that. It was easier to talk about it when he wasn’t looking into those beautiful eyes and wanting to kiss the concern off her face.
Outside would be easier.
Behind him, he knew Tansy would be shutting down her computer and securing her experiments and her fort. At least she took security seriously out here.
Sam moved back enough to see the solar panels on the roof here as well. And the outhouse.
Tansy Cheveyo made him smile like no one else. It was impossible to be depressed and down for long around her. Her belief that the world could and should be better made her constantly optimistic.