Tangled Web: A Small Town Romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 6)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  I walked away, hitching the wagon to the back of the tractor so he could drive to the wood pile. Together, we loaded the wood on the wagon, and then I picked up the axe to continue.

  “Don’t you have enough for now?”

  I laughed. “For now, but I’ll definitely need more. This won’t last me a week, let alone the winter. I need to get as much done before the cold weather really hits.”

  To my surprise, Andrew walked back to the barn and minutes later returned with another axe. We worked together in silence, both of us chopping wood and loading it on the tractor. Hours went by and my arms were killing me, but I still had to unload everything. We had taken breaks when necessary, and I could tell that Andrew’s foot was starting to bother him, but he didn’t complain once. I couldn’t figure him out. I didn’t understand why he was helping me or why he was so interested in me.

  That was what I wanted, but aside from me trying to catch his attention, I didn’t understand why he was still here. It made me very wary. People didn’t usually stick around unless they wanted something, and I had a feeling that Andrew wanted something from me. I just had to figure out what that was.

  As we carried the wood up to the side porch where I planned to keep the wood, I decided to dig a little deeper into who he was.

  “So, are you dating anyone?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t usually date.”

  “Booty calls?”

  He nodded, but didn’t look at me.

  “So, why are you here? You’re looking for a booty call with a widow?”

  He stopped and rested his hands on his hips. “You know, I want to get to know you, but there’s something off here.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the fact that you’re recently divorced and you just pointed at a map and moved here. You’re fixing up this old house and I know that costs a shitload of money.”

  “My finances are none of your business,” I snapped.

  “No, they’re not, but you’re living in this town, you don’t seem to care at all that your husband died, yet you put up a good front—“

  “Excuse me? Who are you—“

  “You’re coming on to me, just weeks after your husband died. That’s fucked up.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that there was a timeline for grief.”

  He grumbled something under his breath, but I didn’t understand him.

  “What are you even doing here? I didn’t ask for your help. I didn’t ask you to spend your day helping me.”

  “Call me crazy, but I like you,” he snapped. Sighing, he tugged at his beanie and looked like he wanted to yell. “I can’t figure you out. You’re widowed and you should be sad, but you look happy. You buy a house that’s way too fucking big for one person and you have all this money to fix up the whole damn thing. One minute, you’re fixing cars, and the next you’re crocheting an afghan! Who the hell are you?”

  It was clear that Andrew was the wrong person to try and get on my side. He was way too smart for his own good. He wasn’t just curious about me, he was digging for information, and that was something I couldn’t afford right now.

  “Maybe you should just leave and forget about me. I’m not someone that wants to be figured out.”

  I stomped up the steps and into the house, slamming the door behind me. As sad as it was that I was going to have to cut Andrew from my life, I needed a different target, someone that wouldn’t ask so many questions. And I was pretty sure I knew just who to go after.

  Andrew

  “Fuck!” I shouted as I climbed in my truck. I had played my hand too soon. I had let her know that I was suspicious of her, and now she cut me off. I was out and that would be harder to figure out what her end game was. I knew Barty wanted me to just dig into her past and find the connections, but there had to be more to it. One minute, I was terrified she was going to kill me, and the next, she was fucking crocheting! It didn’t make any sense.

  To be honest, I was glad to be leaving. There was a point during the day that I started to get the feeling that she liked to chop wood just a little too much. It was probably my paranoia taking over, but I kept wondering if my head would be on the chopping block next. And then I went and asked her all those fucking questions. I was insane.

  A bang on my window had me jumping like a scared little girl. There may have also been a tiny little scream that slipped from my lips. But it was just Eric. I rolled down the window and ignored the grin on his lips.

  “What do you want?”

  “Maybe I should be asking you that. Did you have a fight with the missus?”

  “She’s not my missus.”

  “You sure about that?” he laughed. “You’ve been spending a lot of time out here for someone you barely know. I’m beginning to think you’ve found a woman you want to keep around.”

  “You’ve got it all wrong.”

  And he did. I didn’t want her. Okay, I did want her, but I knew I couldn’t have her because she was a fucking psychopath that killed people.

  “Then why were you here all day chopping wood?”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him. I really wanted to say something, but I couldn’t. I had already told Kat and that was one person too many. So, instead, I just shook my head.

  “She’s hot. I thought she would be an easy lay, but she’s widowed. I’m not interested in the baggage.”

  “Then why did you look so upset when you got in your truck?”

  “Because my foot hurts.”

  His grin stretched across his face. “Right. Okay, fine. Don’t tell me how much you want to kiss her.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Or how much you’re dying to see what she looks like naked. I can tell. I’ve seen that look before. In fact, it’s the same way I look at Kat.”

  “Please don’t start in on this shit.”

  He looked off dreamily. “You know, the sex is even better when she’s pregnant. I’m thinking that I’ll need to get her pregnant at least a few more times. Everything is just so heightened.”

  I covered my ears, wincing at the words that were literally stripping the insides of my ears. If I started bleeding and had to go to the doctor, I would be sending him the bill.

  “You know, I’m gonna leave now. I can’t listen to this anymore.”

  I was backing up before he even had time to step away from the truck. He was shouting something at me, but I just ignored him, rolling up the window to get rid of the chill. I headed home, but as I was driving through town, it struck me how stupid I was being. I didn’t need Kat’s perspective on things. I needed a killer’s perspective. I had already passed Josh’s shop, so I drove around the block and turned back toward his garage.

  Walking inside, Josh immediately shook his head at me. “I don’t have time to talk right now.”

  “I’m not here to see you, Hunty,” I said, continuing to walk past him to the office. I grinned when I opened the door and saw my niece sitting on the ground, playing with blocks. She was so freaking cute. I knelt down beside her and tickled her little cheeks, earning me a toothy grin.

  Wrapping my arms around her sides, I lifted her and gave her a huge kiss on her tummy, which earned me a load of giggles. She pulled at my beanie, which I normally would hate, but because it was her, I just couldn’t bring myself to get upset. She was too damn cute. She started pulling at my hair while she squealed and laughed.

  “Oh, you think that’s funny? You’re taking away my hat? How am I supposed to pick up the ladies now?”

  “Unca!” she shouted in response.

  “You realize that she can’t answer that, right?” Carly asked, not even bothering to look up from the desk.

  “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t give good advice.” I put Alessa on my hip and bounced her. “Right? You give great advice. I know,” I said, using baby talk. “You’re just the most beautiful thing in the world. Yes, you are. You are.”

  “Oh my God, please stop
talking like that. She’s a human.”

  “A very tiny, adorable human,” I grinned, rubbing my nose against hers.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Giving her Eskimo kisses.”

  Carly sighed. “You know, when I first met you guys, I never thought a baby would make you guys all go gooey.”

  “Well, that’s because I don’t have to take her home.”

  “But if you did want to take her home, I would totally let you. I’m swamped right now.”

  “How about this, I’ll take her with me for the rest of the day if you help me with a problem I have.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “You have five minutes.”

  “Ten,” I countered.

  “Seven and a half, and not a second more.”

  “Fine.”

  I walked over and shut the door, not wanting Josh involved in this just yet.

  “Time’s ticking,” Carly pointed at her watch.

  “Geez, alright. I have a woman problem.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “Why is it that people only come to me when they have female problems?”

  “Hey, this is the first time I’ve come to you.”

  “Fine, what’s this female problem?”

  “Well, she’s like you. At least, I think she’s like you.”

  “Beautiful and ready to kick ass?”

  I hesitated. “Something like that. Probably more like kill me if I ask too many questions, which I may have done already.”

  She leaned forward in her chair, obviously intrigued. “Okay, who is this woman?”

  “I can’t tell you. She’s a person of interest.”

  “Like, wanted by the police?”

  “No, but she might be soon. Her step-son came to me with some concerns about his father’s death.”

  “Is this the new woman in town?”

  I sighed heavily. “Shit, why can’t anyone just not get that?”

  “Well, I don’t know, Captain Obvious, maybe because it’s a small town and there aren’t that many people you could have met.”

  I frowned. She had a point there. I was being too obvious about this. Maybe I should have presented it as a hypothetical situation.

  “So, this is the woman that Eric is working for.”

  “Yes,” I said hesitantly.

  “And you’re letting him work there without telling him that you think she’s murdery.”

  “Well, he’s not exactly her target.”

  “Nobody ever is. A murderer doesn’t decide not to kill someone based on the fact that someone wasn’t their target. If you get in the way, you’re gone.”

  “So, you think I should tell Eric?”

  “Well, what makes you think this person is a killer?”

  “Her husband died of a heart attack at a young age…” I went on to tell her all the other facts that I had learned so far, but also what I had learned from spending time with her. When I was done, I knew I was well past my seven and a half minutes.

  “So, you think she’s out to find another victim.”

  “Possibly.”

  “So, you thought you would toss your name in the hat for that one.”

  I frowned. “No, I was—“

  “You said there are sparks between the two of you. You said that you kissed her. I would say that makes you her next target.”

  “No,” I shook my head, not wanting to believe it was true, even though I suspected it all along.

  “Look, she obviously knows how to use an axe, and a little too well, from what you told me. But from what it sounds like, she’s the typical female killer. She uses poison. My recommendation to you is that you don’t eat or drink anything she makes.”

  “That’s it?” I asked incredulously. “That’s all you have for me?”

  “Well, if I told you to stay away from her, you wouldn’t be able to do your job. And somehow, I have a feeling that you like her a lot more than you’re letting on.”

  “Only because she’s skilled at getting men to like her,” I argued.

  “Oh, so it’s her fault that you’re falling for a woman that you know to be a killer.”

  I sighed. “Well, what if she’s not?”

  She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “If you knew that there was a chance that a bomb would go off, but you also knew there was a chance it wouldn’t, would you hold the bomb anyway just to see what happened?”

  “That’s hardly the same thing.”

  She shrugged. “Seems to me, either way you’re going to die.”

  “And you seem so concerned by that.”

  “Hey, if you die, I’ll be sure to avenge your death. I have no problem removing someone like her.”

  “And if she’s not a killer?”

  “Then I would find out sooner rather than later. If you think you might actually like this woman, and you’re not just intrigued because you can’t figure her out, I would suggest you take a risk, show her that you want her and play her before she plays you. The only way you’ll really win this game is to get her to fall for you so that you can figure out who she really is. You need to know what really happened in her home town, because that’s where all this started. Until you figure that out, you’re playing by her rules.”

  That actually made a lot of sense. And as much as I was terrified of the woman, I was also attracted to her, so it wouldn’t be hard to play up that side of things. I just had to figure out how to hide my fear of her. Or maybe I didn’t. Maybe I could play it off as she was scary because she was so awesome at everything. That could totally work. Sometimes I really was a genius.

  I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel as I drove out to Lorelei’s house. It was well past quitting time for Eric, so I knew I would be alone with her. Now I just had to fake an apology, pretend like I was more confused over liking her than anything, and then get her to open up to me. The trouble was, I really was confused over liking her. I was insanely attracted to her. It was those goddamn eyes. They were so innocent and yet so seductive and tempting at the same time. Hell, it was all of her. Who was I kidding? Killer or not, I wanted this woman. But that wouldn’t be my objective tonight.

  Tonight was all about repairing the damage I had done today. I wouldn’t get her to open up if I was an ass to her. She needed to know that I wanted her. I had to seduce her, and I had done that with plenty of women before. Tonight would be no different, aside from the threat of death if I fucked this up. But that was just small potatoes.

  And the truth was, I actually liked her, way more than I wanted to admit. Yes, I thought she was a killer, but when I stood with her in the kitchen and told her all that stuff about her cooking and the kids fighting…her kissing her husband…I was imagining that was me and those were our kids.

  I pulled into her driveway and shook off my nerves. This was my job. I could totally do this. I was just taking one for the team. My team of one. Shit, I was so fucked. I flung the door open and walked up to her house, more like stomped. I was a bit terrified and it was coming out as anger. That just might work for me.

  I didn’t even have my fist raised before she had the door open and was glaring at me. “Did you come back to tell me what a terrible widow I am again?”

  “I just came to apologize.”

  She snorted. “Oh, that would be a first. Since when does a man ever apologize for anything he does?”

  My chest tightened in anger. “You know, for someone that doesn’t like to be judged, you sure do throw it around a lot.”

  “Well, maybe that’s because I’ve dealt with men like you all my life.”

  “Men like me. You think you know anyone like me? Because I can bet that your ex sure wasn’t anything like me.”

  “He wasn’t my ex. He’s deceased.”

  “As in, not in your life, therefore your ex,” I retorted.

  She went to slam the door shut, but I stopped it with my boot. “You’re an asshole.”

  “And you’re the most fucking confusing, beauti
ful, insane, and terrifying woman I’ve ever met,” I said, slamming my hand against the door and shoving my way inside. I yanked her against me, well aware that I was treading on dangerous ground right now, but I couldn’t help it. God, I wanted her. I flung the door shut and pushed her up against it and slammed my lips down on hers.

  Her fingers instantly threaded around the back of my neck and her mouth opened for me, her tongue sliding inside. I pushed up against her, my body needing to be as close as possible to this potential serial killer. It was hot.

  “You’re an ass,” she mumbled, arching her neck to the side as I slid my tongue across her jaw and caressed her neck.

  “And you’re a fucking liar,” I mumbled. “Your husband never gave you this.”

  She pushed against my chest, but then yanked me back, slapping me across the face before kissing me hard again. “You know nothing about my husband.”

  “I know he never made you feel anything like this.” I ground my hips against her and ran my hands down her body, gripping her ass in my hands.

  “How would you know that?” she gasped.

  “Because if he did, you wouldn’t be all over me, desperate to have my cock inside you.”

  She glared at me just seconds before kissing me hard, biting down on my lip. I could taste the blood and wondered if this was the end. Would she fuck me and then kill me? And then an even crazier thought entered my mind. Would I really care? It wasn’t the worst way to go.

  Deciding I didn’t care, I lifted her in my arms and carried her into the living room, dropping her down on the couch as I knelt between her legs. I flung the blanket off the couch, removing anything that might get in my way, and started undoing her buttons. I thought what I could see was amazing, but under all those layers of clothes was a tight body and the most amazing, full breasts.

  “God, those are spectacular.”

  “You should see them out of my bra,” she said breathily.

  That sounded very enticing, but I wanted to kiss the swells of her breasts and lead up to what was underneath. This was so different from the way I normally did this. I usually picked up a girl and took her home to fuck. There was no worshiping her body, which was exactly what I planned to do right now.