Upstairs was only Kim’s bedroom, a guest bedroom with bath and an art studio. He looked over her paintings. They were high quality and really captured the light and essence of a towering waterfall and the greenery surrounding it. There were also some paintings of a lush valley. He assumed the locations were all close by, but he and the other security guys had driven in the dark. Kim had been a talented actor at a young age. It appeared her skill for painting was unsurpassed as well.
He dropped his bag in the guest bedroom and almost laid down on the bed, but had a better idea. Finding a couple of blankets and a pillow in a linen closet between the bedrooms, he spread them out in front of Kim’s door. Pulling his gun out of the back of his waistband and slipping off his shoes, he stretched out on top of the blankets. He wouldn’t need anything on top of him with as warm as it was in here. There was a bit of cool air seeping from underneath her door.
He listened closely and could hear Kim pacing the bedroom floor and frowned. Was that because she was so upset with him? Or was there a possibility she still cared about him and didn’t know how to navigate this situation any better than he did?
Last week he’d found out that Holden Jennings was in fact Kim’s cousin and his world had upended. He’d gone directly to Sutton, who he’d worked for off and on the past few years on his brother Griff’s recommendation, and begged to utilize Sutton’s tech experts to find Kim Heathrow’s location and protect her from the stalker who had never been caught.
Sutton questioned him extensively and Colt confessed like he was a twelve-year-old who’d stolen the offering cup and Sutton was his pastor. He told him everything about him and Kim, their relationship, the fallout, everything. Sutton took it all in stride, like he did with everything, and finally admitted that Kim was a client. If that wasn’t the good Lord saying Colt should find Kim he didn’t know what was. It took more begging on Colt’s part until Sutton promised he’d think about his request and get back to him.
A hard week of waiting and praying for information had drug by. This morning he thought his every dream had come true when River called him in, told him about the update with the stalker apparently being in Costa Rica, and assigned him to the case. He’d flown directly here in Sutton’s Airbus with a team who was going to be low to the ground, quietly checking out the population of La Fortuna, all fifteen thousand of them. There were also a whole slew of tourists who came and went, so their job wouldn’t be easy.
Colt squeezed his eyes shut and shifted on his hard bed. His job apparently wasn’t going to be easy either. He thought he’d apologize, and then instantly reconnect with the love of his life, before spending the next few days holding her close while the other men found her stalker. Then he’d take her home to America, ask her daddy for her hand, and be married as quickly as their mamas could book the church.
He pushed out a long breath. His dreams weren’t coming true. Kim hadn’t so much as gifted him with her smile; her dimples appearing in her naturally-tanned skin while her dark brown eyes glittered at him. But at least he was here and he had the truth. Kim was an amazing, reasonable woman. Soon she’d let him apologize correctly and give him her heart again. Then their every youthful dream could come true. It would be even better than before. They were older, they’d been through hard things, and they would both appreciate how special and unique their love was. He just needed time to soften her. Colt smiled to himself. Kim was the only woman he’d ever wanted. It wouldn’t take long to convince her of his love and devotion.
Kim wasn’t able to fall asleep until the early morning hours, her heart was in too much turmoil and wouldn’t let her rest. When sunlight flooded her bedroom windows before six a.m., she wanted to roll over and crash again but out of strongly-engrained habit she pushed out of bed, brushed her teeth, and put on a tank top and shorts.
Had Colt stayed the night in her house? She’d fought herself throughout the night, as she wanted so badly to go investigate, but she knew she wasn’t in any frame of mind to face him again. Partway through the night she wanted nothing more than to find him and kiss him until the sun rose. She’d forced herself to take a melatonin, chamomile, and lavender mix and lay down, she’d finally fallen asleep.
Slipping on her socks and tying her running shoes, she felt a moment of fear and panic. Did she dare run to the waterfall and do her usual rounds of running up and down the five-hundred steps four times? She always let herself swim in the waterfall after her last set and then allowed ten minutes to relax and soak in the beauty before she walked up the long staircases and jogged home. It was her favorite part of her day, but today, knowing her stalker could be close by, she second-guessed going. The thought of not going made her palms clammy. She liked her healthy habits and her predictable schedule. Curse her stalker, and Colt, for messing them up.
Jutting out her chin, she decided she’d just find Colt and demand he follow her, at a respectable distance. He could keep her safe and she could get her workout in. The thought of stripping down to her sports bra to swim while Colt was close by shot fire through her. Maybe she shouldn’t swim today. The idea of altering her schedule made her chest tight. Colt couldn’t mess up her plans. He was being paid to be here and he’d better just fall in line and follow her throughout her well-planned days. The only positive was she did feel safe with him here.
She nodded her head, determination coursing through her. Now to find Colt. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing him again. Could she be strong through this ordeal, when he was so irresistible and handsome and she could easily remember how desperately she loved him? Had loved, not currently loved. Sheesh, her heart was in turmoil and her mind seemed to be as messed up.
Yanking the door open, she ran into a body sprawled in front of her doorway, tripped, and fell in a heap on top of him.
Kim screamed and tried to scuttle off of him but Colt wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Their bodies melded together like they were designed to be one. All too familiar feelings of desire and love overwhelmed her as she stared into his blue gaze. Colt is here and holding me again, her heart and body seemed to cheer.
His slow grin appeared. “You didn’t have to throw yourself on me, love, I would’ve come to you.”
Kim yanked back and thankfully he released her. She scrambled back into her bedroom and stood quickly.
Colt took his time standing and she was able to appreciate every glorious inch of him. He walked toward her with his hands outstretched. His chest, shoulder, and abdominal muscles were all on fine display. “Good morning, love.”
“Where is your shirt?” she demanded, backing away.
Colt stopped his progression toward her and gifted her with his award-winning grin. “You like that?” He flexed his chest muscles and they popped.
Kim gasped and backed up two more steps. “Stop it! What have you been doing to yourself the past five years?” He’d matured in a lot of ways. Was it possible he’d matured in his ability to have a faithful relationship? No, she couldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt simply because he’d honed his body to perfection.
“I’ve put on a little muscle.” He lifted his hands, pretending innocence, but there was nothing harmless about how good he looked or how she was reacting to him. Her mouth was parched and her heart raced. Colt had always been fit and looked great, but he’d probably put on twenty pounds of sheer muscle since the last time she’d seen him.
“Get a shirt on,” she begged.
He shrugged and her eyes were drawn to the beautiful sculpt of his shoulders. “It was so hot last night I had to take it off.”
“There’s only air conditioning in the bedrooms.” She tilted her chin. “That’ll teach you to sleep where you belong.”
“I belong wherever you are,” he said boldly, his blue eyes heating her clear through and his firm lips beaconing her to sample them.
Kim panted for air. “Stop with the flirting and put your shirt on.” The words were said in desperation and he finally seemed to reg
ister that she wasn’t going to fall for him, at least not at the moment. She hoped.
He backed up, scooped a gray t-shirt off the ground, and shrugged back into it. Kim’s palms started sweating as the too-tight shirt didn’t go all the way over his abs, and she had no choice but to stare unabashedly at the ripple of muscle displayed. What else was she supposed to focus on?
Forcing her gaze to lift to his face, she saw Colt watching her with a knowing grin. He slid his shirt back into place. “You like it, don’t you?”
“Shut up!” she yelled at him.
Colt didn’t stop smiling. “When did you get so grumpy?”
Kim’s neck got hot and she stormed across the room, poking him in his very solid chest. “When you ripped my heart out.”
Colt’s eyes widened and his smile slipped. “If you’ll just let me explain.”
“No!” She shook her head, shoved at his chest, and thankfully he stuttered back a step. Kim raced around him.
“Where are you going?” It seemed to finally register with him that she was dressed to go for a run.
“Try and keep up, military man,” she flung at him.
“Let me get my shoes on.”
Kim was already racing down the stairs. “No.”
“Kim, stop!” His voice was a command that few would dare disobey. He had never used that tone of voice with her before. He’d always been the quintessential gentleman until the night he broke her heart.
The shock of his forceful, unfamiliar tone stopped her on the bottom stair. She glared back up at him, clinging to his shoes a few steps up. “How dare you boss me around? I’m not some new recruit you can command.”
“Forgive me. Your stalker could be out there and you can’t go running alone.”
“Fine,” she huffed, hating that he was right. Hating the box she was forced into because of her stupid stalker. She’d felt safe here in this tropical paradise but, apparently, she had to change her mindset to being constantly wary. “I’ll go get us some water bottles.”
She hurried to the kitchen while he dropped down to get his shoes on. This was going to be the worst day of her life.
Chapter Four
Colt jogged up the steep hill, keeping pace with Kim. He could’ve gone at a faster trot, but he was also almost a foot taller than her. She was in impressive shape, just like she’d been when he’d been with her before. It made him smile that she’d checked him out so thoroughly. Maybe she was mad at him, but she still wanted him, and that was at least something to start with.
The deep woof of a dog came from far too close by before a large, black Pit Bull slammed into the fence next to Colt.
“Whoa!” Colt dodged away from the fence, pushing Kim behind him.
“What are you doing?” Kim asked.
“Protecting you from a vicious beast.”
The dog was barking out of control now. Thank heavens for the fence. The animal ran along the length of the fence with them, barking and growling.
Kim laughed. Colt almost stopped running, so stunned and taken in by the intriguing sound of it, her laugh. Oh how he’d missed it. He’d also missed her dimples. How depressing that she hadn’t smiled at him at all since he’d found her again. He almost begged her to smile and laugh some more when the fence ended and the dog tore out after them.
Colt whirled to face the beast, completely prepared to pull out his gun if necessary. He yelled in his commanding Army sergeant tone, “Stand down!” And puffed himself up to make himself bigger.
The animal stopped in its tracks but growled and yipped threateningly at him.
Kim tried to step around Colt. He pushed her back. “Don’t.”
Kim laughed again and didn’t go in front of him but came to his side. “Hi, Bowzer. How are you boy?” she crooned in a silly voice, her dark eyes sparkling.
The vicious animal’s tail started wagging, and he barked playfully, sidling around Colt to Kim’s extended hand. Colt instinctively wanted to push in front of her again, but it was obvious that these two knew each other. Kim scratched the ugly mutt’s ears and Colt could’ve sworn he purred.
Then the beast looked up at Colt and let out a low, warning growl deep in his throat.
“I could thump you in a second,” Colt said, his voice just as menacing.
“Colt!” Kim was still laughing though. “I didn’t know you were scared of dogs.”
“I’m not, but …” He wasn’t about to admit that this dog was scary. “How do you know old Bowzer?”
“He’s my neighbor.” Kim kept scratching. “Aren’t you boy? You watch out for me, huh boy?”
Colt rolled his eyes. He was going to watch out for Kim, not some dog.
A man approached the fence, eyeing Colt every bit as warily as his dog did. He was probably early fifties but appeared fit and had a shaved head.
“Hi, John,” Kim called out. “Bowzer about made Colt pee his pants.”
That was low. “Really?” Colt pinned her with a look. “I thought I was protecting you.”
She grinned at him and finally, finally those dimples were pointed his way, they were the perfect adornment to her smooth, dark skin.
“John Graham.” the man extended his hand across the fence. Colt stepped forward and gave it a firm shake before returning to Kim’s side. “Friend of Kim’s?” The way the man said it was too suspicious. What was this guy to Kim? He was old enough to be her dad.
“Good friend,” Colt returned.
“He wishes,” Kim quipped.
Colt was going to have to have a chat with her about keeping his cover, River had suggested he pretend to be Kim’s boyfriend in public and Colt had thought that was brilliant. This guy was as suspicious a character as anyone. He lived close to Kim, sounded and looked American. He could easily be her stalker, and here she was buddying up to his dog. When they got back to her house he was going to insist they make that list of everyone she came in contact with, for Sutton’s guys to research.
“I didn’t get your name,” John said.
“Colt.”
“No last name? You think you’re Madonna or something?” John’s pale blue eyes were hard.
“Nice to meet you.” Colt looked at Kim. “We need to go.”
Kim arched an eyebrow at him but didn’t question him. “See you, John. Bye, Bowzer.”
The dog ruffed, and the man stared hard at their backsides. Colt increased their pace until they rounded a bend in the road. He wrapped his hand around Kim’s arm and pulled her to a stop. “We need to pretend that I’m your boyfriend.”
“Oh, don’t you wish,” she threw back at him.
“Yeah, I do.” He waited for any sign of softening, but she folded her arms across her chest and stared defiantly at him. “It’s River’s idea for my cover and is important around people like that.”
She pointed back down the road. “John?”
“Yes, John. Did it occur to you that he might be your stalker?”
Kim’s eyes rounded. “No way. John’s just a creepy old guy. My stalker started sending the notes back when I was like twelve. John would’ve been late thirties then, and he’s lived here forever.”
Colt said a prayer for patience and help with how to say this without sounding belittling. He hated to ruin her illusions of people’s goodness. “Kim. I know you’re an innocent, good person and I’m grateful for that.”
“You think I’m stupid?”
He put up his hands. “Not in the least. I’m saying you’re so good you can’t wrap your mind around the depravity of some people’s souls.”
She put her hands on her hips. “You’re saying an almost forty-year old man would’ve stalked a preteen from another country?”
“Have you never heard of child porn?”
Kim’s face pulled into a look of disgust and fear. “That’s so wrong. I always assumed it was … somebody close to my age.”
“We have no idea, but we have to be suspicious of everyone.”
Kim blew out a breath and the
n muttered, “Thanks for ruining my day.”
He had no response for that. He had no desire to ruin her innocence, or her day, but she had to be careful what she said and did. And maybe they could work on the boyfriend and girlfriend cover act. He liked the idea of that.
She started at a jog again and Colt stayed by her side, running in silence for a few minutes.
The humidity and heat was making him sweat profusely, and when they reached a parking lot at the top of the hill and Kim stopped and screwed off the lid of her water bottle, he was happy to follow suit. He drained more than half of it, tempted to pour some over his head.
“Go easy on the water, big guy, I’m not sharing mine.”
Colt focused on her face. She was actually smiling at him, and her dimples were so perfect. “You used to share everything with me.”
Her dimples disappeared. “Not anymore.”
“Aw, no. That was cruel.”
“What? Not sharing?”
“Yeah, but I was referring to those beautiful dimples flashing at me then disappearing all too quick. I’ve missed those.”
Instead of smiling again, Kim whirled from him and took off for the gate. “Hi, Frazier. Hi, Ricki.” She waved to a couple of guys manning the gate and ran right through. They both watched her go. Colt was steps behind her.
The men heard him coming and stepped in front of him. “You need to pay, sir.”
Colt pointed at Kim’s retreating backside. “I’m with her.”
The older of the two looked at Kim, who was almost to a set of stairs that led down. “Doesn’t look like it,” he said to Colt, pinning him with a triumphant look. He pointed back at a desk. “You pay there, sir, sign the disclosure, get a wrist band, and then you see our lovely waterfall, by yourself.” The guy’s voice was dripping with condescension.
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