by Elle James
“We’ll figure this out.”
“Yes. We will. In the meantime, you need to rest and let your head recover from that blow.”
He shoved his hand through his hair and felt the back of his neck. Andrew winced. “That’s some bump. But I’ll live.”
“Go to sleep. I’ll check on you in a couple of hours.”
“Wake me up. I want to know you’re okay, too.”
“I will.” Once more, she tried to leave but he caught her hand and dragged her back to his side.
“Be careful out there.” He pulled her to stand between his legs. “Leigha is getting used to having you around.” Andrew wrapped his hands around her waist.
“She’s a sweet kid.” Dix leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. “Sleep. We can talk more in the morning.” Once more she bent to kiss him.
He circled the back of her neck with his hand and drew her closer, deepening the kiss, his tongue teasing hers.
Using all of her resolve, she pulled free of his grip and backed out of his reach. If she continued kissing him like that, she would never leave the room. “Rest. I’ll be back later.” Dix spun and walked out without looking back. She couldn’t do her job if she couldn’t focus. She couldn’t focus when she was around Andrew Stratford. Clearly, making love to her client was a conflict of interest and left her and him vulnerable to attack.
She’d call Fontaine in the morning and ask him to relieve her. Falling in love with a client was not conducive to keeping him and his daughter safe.
Chapter 16
Andrew lay beside Leigha on the little girl’s bed, counting the minutes until Dix returned. He didn’t like being confined to a bed, but when he sat up, his head hurt and his vision blurred. Granted, it wasn’t quite as bad as when he’d first woken in the sitting room. But he wouldn’t be of any use to Dix if he fell down the stairs running after her.
Leigha needed someone to fight her dream dragons. Or, to be more precise, rescue her from the fire that had nearly ended her life.
Even as worried as he was about Dix wandering the house searching for bad guys, Andrew couldn’t stop his heart from swelling at what Leigha had called him when she’d been so frightened from her nightmare.
Daddy.
He’d told himself it didn’t matter that she referred to him as Mr. Stratford. But hearing her call him Daddy had melted every bone in his body and swelled his heart to twice its size. He’d move heaven and earth for that little girl. She was his little girl. She had his eyes and his name was on her birth certificate.
He turned onto his side to relieve the pressure on the lump at the back of his neck. It gave him a chance to study his daughter in the soft glow of the night-light plugged into a wall socket.
Part of him wanted to know for certain whether or not she was his child biologically. But another part of him knew she was his whether they shared the same DNA or not. Leigha needed him as much as he needed her.
Brewer stood, turned around three times and lay across Andrew’s ankles.
The dog had proved to be a great companion to Leigha, but she really needed some human friends, too. Andrew would consult with Mrs. Purdy about the best way for Leigha to get the interaction she needed. His housekeeper knew everyone in town. Surely she had a contact who could steer him in the right direction.
Tomorrow he’d also go to the local school and enroll his daughter for the coming fall. She’d be old enough to attend first grade. She would make friends with other little girls and, eventually, she might give up her imaginary friend.
The biggest task for the following day would be to find the bastard who was threatening them. Once he was arrested and sent to jail, Andrew, Leigha and Dix could stop jumping at shadows. They wouldn’t need bodyguards to protect them. Dix wouldn’t have to work for him and he could kiss her all he wanted.
Andrew must have fallen asleep.
A hand on his arm gently shook him awake.
“Hey,” a gravelly voice whispered in his ear.
He opened his eyes to stare into Dix’s green gaze. “Hey, yourself.”
“How do you feel?”
He blinked and thought about it. “My head doesn’t hurt as badly and my vision isn’t blurry.”
“That’s a good sign.” She took his hand and held it in hers. “You can go back to sleep.”
“What time is it?”
“Four o’clock. The sun won’t be up for another two or three hours, assuming the fog clears soon.”
“Any problems?”
“Not so far.”
“Good.” He yawned and patted the bed beside him. “I don’t suppose I could talk you into staying?”
“Not tonight.” She pulled out of his reach, rounded the bed to Leigha’s side and pressed her hand to her forehead. “Has she had any more nightmares?”
“She hasn’t called out in her sleep, so I assume no.”
“I’ll check with you again in a couple hours.”
“I don’t like you wandering around this big old house by yourself.”
“It’s my job. Let me do it.”
His gaze followed her every move. She tiptoed around the room on silent feet, the sway of her hips making him crazy with need. “And if I fire you?”
“I’d still do it. I don’t want anything else to happen to you or Leigha.”
Andrew sighed. “I’ll be up tomorrow and we’re going to find out how that guy got in and back out without being seen.”
“I think Leigha might be able to help us with that effort. Somehow she knows about this house’s secrets.”
“She’s amazing,” Andrew said, staring at his daughter as she slept. “And I haven’t paid nearly enough attention to her.”
Dix left Leigha’s side and walked toward the door. When she reached it, she looked back at them. “Sleep.”
Andrew wasn’t going to fight her on this. She was the trained professional. He wasn’t. In the morning, he would turn the house inside out if he had to.
He closed his eyes, knowing she would take care of them. What bothered him was who would take care of Dix?
He closed his eyes and slept, hoping that by morning, the power of rest would have restored him to full functionality. He’d need it to tear the big old mansion apart to find what he was looking for.
* * *
“Daddy?”
A hand on his shoulder woke him from a dream about running through dark, narrow corridors, searching for Dix and Leigha.
When he opened his eyes to see Leigha smiling down at him, he drew in a deep breath, his pulse returning to normal.
Brewer crawled up the comforter, his tail wagging, eager to be a part of a morning wake-up.
Andrew smiled at his daughter. “Hey, sweetheart.”
She grinned. “You stayed the whole night of my slumber party.”
He nodded, the pull of swelling at the back of his head reminding him of the attack. “I did.”
Leigha glanced around the room. “Where’s Dix?”
Andrew had been wondering the same. “She probably got up early to help Mrs. Purdy in the kitchen. I can smell bacon.”
Brewer woofed at the mention of bacon.
Despite his determination not to feed the dog anything but the special-blend dog food he’d purchased from the vet, Andrew knew he was given treats by the women in the house. He’d caught Leigha sneaking bits of bacon to him beneath the table. She thought he didn’t know. He did, but he hadn’t said anything. Mrs. Purdy was just as bad. When she filled the dog’s bowl with his dry dog food, she poured bacon grease on the top.
The dog barked again.
“I think Brewer wants to go down for breakfast,” Leigha said. She flung her arms around Andrew, kissed his cheek and rolled out of the bed onto her bare feet.
/> Andrew pressed a hand to his cheek. He couldn’t recall a time when his heart was as full as it was at that moment.
He pushed to his feet, happy that he wasn’t dizzy. Other than a dull ache at the base of his skull and a knot the size of a guinea egg, he felt as close to normal as a man could after being attacked in his own house.
Andrew opened the curtains to a cloudy day. But the fog had cleared and he could see the bay. “How would you like to spend the day exploring?”
Leigha looked up from rummaging in her dresser. “With you?”
“Yes, with me.” He had yet another reminder that he hadn’t spent nearly enough time being a father to this child.
“And Dix?” she persisted.
“And Dix.” After she had the opportunity to rest. Andrew left Leigha to dress by herself and hurried into his room to shave and put on some clothes. By the time he was ready, Leigha had already left her room with Brewer.
Andrew stepped out into the hallway. He could hear voices below. As he descended the stairs, he looked at his home with a keener eye. Hidden passages had never occurred to him. Now that he knew one existed, he had to know if there were more.
He followed the voices to the kitchen, where it looked like a party going on. The Kessler twins were playing with Brewer, scratching his belly and throwing one of his favorite plush toys for him to retrieve.
Dix stood to one side, talking to the woman Andrew had met the night he’d brought Dix to his home.
The tall, svelte blonde stepped away from Dix and held out her hand. “I don’t know if you remember me from the other night. I’m—”
“Nicole Steele.” He touched her hand with his injured and scarred one. When she didn’t flinch, he added, “Tazer.”
She smiled. “I must have made an impression. I hope it was a good one.”
He nodded, his gaze going to Dix. “Everything all right?”
She had shadows beneath her eyes, but other than that, she appeared alert and ready to go. “The night was quiet after everyone went to bed.”
“I told Dix I’d hang out until she caught a couple hours’ sleep.” Tazer turned to Dix, her lips twisting. “She says she doesn’t need it.”
“How are you this morning?” Jared stepped up to Andrew. “That was some nasty bump on the head.”
Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s already going down. I’ll be fine.” His attention remained on Dix. Her gaze hadn’t left him since he’d entered the room. “I agree with Tazer. You need rest. Leigha and I can hang out in the study until you’ve had a chance to sleep.”
Dix was shaking her head before he could finish his sentence. “I’m fine. I want to spend some time exploring the house and, if we have time, I’d like to visit the library in town. There has to be more information about your family inheritance.”
“Anyone hungry?” Mrs. Purdy plowed through the middle of the adults, carrying a platter full of fluffy scrambled eggs and setting it in the middle of the table. “You might save this conversation until later. Little bits have big ears.”
Andrew glanced down at his daughter, who’d been quietly following the conversation like a spectator at a tennis match. Mrs. Purdy was right. They didn’t need to give the curious little girl any more fodder to fuel her imagination.
The others shot glances at Leigha and nodded.
“You’ve gone to all the trouble of cooking for all of us. Let us help by setting the table.” Jared grabbed a plate of bacon and one of toast and added them to the offering on the big kitchen table.
Everyone joined in, helping to set the table with orange juice, glasses, butter, jelly, plates, knives and forks. For the next twenty minutes the conversation centered on food and local festivities.
When the plates and platters had been emptied, they all helped carry the dishes to the sink.
“Let us do the dishes,” Joe said.
“No, you all need to talk. Leigha can help me.” Mrs. Purdy handed Leigha a towel. “I’ll wash. You can dry. If we do a really good job, we can have one of those cookies we baked yesterday when we’re done.”
“Cookies for breakfast?”
“Shh.” Mrs. Purdy pressed a finger to her lips and winked. “Don’t say it too loud or everyone else will want one and there won’t be any left for us.”
Leigha grinned and set to work drying.
“We’ll be out on the porch,” Andrew said.
* * *
Once they were all outside, Andrew turned to the twins. “I get the feeling whoever has been attacking me knows something about this house and what might be hidden inside. Do you think the Malones stashed their treasure somewhere around here?”
“That would be my bet.” Dix had had all night to think of a motive for someone to attack Andrew Stratford. “You say you moved here with Leigha less than a year ago. Was there a gap between when your grandfather died and when you arrived?”
“My grandfather died two years ago. I came out for the funeral and to secure the house. I had no intention of moving here at that time.”
“Then you found out about Leigha and moved here,” Dix stated. “There were several months that the house sat empty. Someone could have been in here, looking for the treasure. They could have found some of the secret passageways.”
Andrew nodded. “That’s possible. When I got here, one of the door locks wasn’t working. I had to replace it.”
“Who, besides you, knows about the Malone legacy?” Dix asked.
Jared chuckled.
“Practically everyone in town. We went through every newspaper article in Cape Churn related to Peg and Percy Malone. We also looked at everything we could find on Margaret and Percival Mason,” Joe offered. “We know for certain that the theft took place. Where they stashed the ill-gotten gains is a mystery.”
“We spent time in the Oregon State Library in Portland before coming here and dug up everything we could find,” Jared added. “You’re welcome to our file of data.”
Jared’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t suppose your family has a blueprint of the Stratford House?”
Andrew shook his head. “If they did, I have yet to find it.”
“We’d like to look through the caves a little more thoroughly. There were other tunnels besides the one leading to the beach.”
“I have no problem with you looking through the caves. Just be careful.”
“You’ll be the first to know if we find anything.”
Mrs. Purdy stuck her head out the door. “Dave Logsdon is here to pick up the Kessler boys.”
Jared grinned. “That’s our cue to leave. We’ll head back to our hotel and grab what we need for spelunking and come back in our own car.”
“I don’t know if there are other ways into and out of the cave,” Andrew said. “You might have to come through the house. In which case, I’d rather be here when you are.”
The Kesslers nodded.
“We understand,” Jared said.
Dix probably wouldn’t have been as generous as Andrew, but then, the young men hadn’t been the ones to hit him and they had helped get him up the stairs after the attack. Her gut told her to trust them.
The twins left a few minutes later.
Leigha slipped between Dix and Andrew and grabbed a hand from each. “Are we going exploring today?”
Andrew smiled down at his daughter. The love shining from his eyes was apparent.
It made Dix’s heart squeeze hard in her chest.
“Where are we going?” Leigha asked, looking up at Andrew and then Dix.
Dix knelt beside Leigha. “Remember how you showed me the secret hallway in the sitting room?”
Leigha nodded.
“You said there were others like it.” Dix stared into her eyes, forcing a smile when she felt tension bui
lding inside. “Could you show us another?”
Leigha’s brows knit. “I don’t know.”
“Why?” Andrew asked. “Have you forgotten where they are?”
She shook her head. “No. But I promised Bennet I wouldn’t tell anyone where they are.”
Andrew frowned. “Who’s Bennet?”
Dix shot Andrew a stern glance and gave a slight shake of her head before she faced Leigha with a smile. “But you showed me the one yesterday.”
Leigha twisted the hem of her T-shirt in her fingers. “Bennet said it would be okay.”
“Could you ask Bennet about the others?” Dix persisted.
“Yes.” Leigha let go of their hands and ran from the room, calling out over her shoulder, “I’ll be right back. Stay there.”
Andrew and Dix started to follow Leigha. When they reached the door, Dix noticed Leigha was going up the stairs. Brewer followed. “Let her go. She’s heading for her bedroom.”
Andrew’s frown deepened. “Who’s Bennet?”
Dix grinned. “Bennet is her imaginary friend.”
“Are you sure he’s imaginary?”
Remembering that creepy feeling she’d had in the cave, Dix chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m not ready to believe in ghosts, so I’m calling him an imaginary friend.”
“Explain,” Andrew demanded.
She told him about the trip through the cave and how Leigha had insisted Bennet was in the cave with them, standing beside her.
Andrew shook his head. “I’m enrolling her in school today. And I’m going to find some activity center she can go to during the day so that she can make friends with kids her own age.”
Dix nodded.
A door slammed and tiny footsteps sounded on the floor above.
Leigha came running down the stairs, Brewer keeping pace. She skidded to a halt in front of Dix and Andrew.
Andrew dropped to his haunches and caught Leigha in his arms. He hugged her and chuckled, the sound warming Dix’s heart. “Well? What did Bennet say?”
Dix was glad Andrew hadn’t tried to tell Leigha that Bennet didn’t exist. He seemed to know she needed Bennet, even if he wasn’t real.
