by Jill Sanders
“Thank you.” He set the painting down and walked over to wrap his arms around his mother.
“I’ve made you some meals,” his father signed from across the room. “They’re in the freezer.”
Conner chuckled and signed back. “I’m not moving across the state. I’m only going three miles away. Not to mention I’ll be living above a grocery store.”
“Yeah,” his dad signed back, “but you know how your mother is.” His father smiled sweetly as his mother narrowed her eyes at him.
“I’ve put them in a paper bag in the freezer.” His mother turned her attention back to him and said. “You can grab it on your way out.”
He stopped short of rolling his eyes at his parents coddling. But since he wanted the free home-cooked meals, he placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek, grabbed his new painting, and headed out.
“Don’t forget dinner at your sister’s this weekend,” his mother called after him.
“Right,” he called back.
Both Riley and Lilly had texted everyone in the family last week with a formal invitation to dinner over at Riley and Carter’s place. Carter had purchased a classic Victorian home that sat on one of the small cliffs that overlooked the town shortly after moving to Pride. The home was big enough to easily host every single one of the Jordan clan.
“Oh, and Conner?” His mother stopped him as he was halfway out the garage door, his hand still on the door handle.
“Yeah?”
“Bring Kara,” she called out.
“Right,” he said and shut the door in case his mother had any more instructions.
Driving back to his own place, he couldn’t help but smile. If his family was expecting him to bring Kara, that meant that they already liked her.
How many girls had he tried to inaugurate into his family over the years? The Jordans got along great with anyone and everyone, except when it was a girl that he’d brought home as a date. Then they’d turned into a pack of hyenas, which, he knew, was ironically called a clan, like his family.
Not that they were rude to his dates. Hell, most of the girls he’d dated in high school still lived in Pride and dealt with his family on a regular basis. Some of them were even still friends with his cousins.
As he settled down later on his queen-sized air mattress in the middle of his new bedroom floor, he thought about how Kara already fit in with his family members. After all, she’d organized two of their weddings, not to mention several of the family’s other events as well.
His mind must have been on Kara as he fell asleep since his dreams were filled with her and images of the perfect wedding he’d described to her earlier. But when a dark shadow fell over the crowd at the event and lightning struck, he jolted in his sleep as his mind tried to warn him that something was coming.
Chapter Seventeen
The next few days, Kara busied herself with her normal daily routines. Prep work for the upcoming events was slightly hindered by the fresh foot of snow. She’d have to drive the old truck to and from the flower shop the evening before their next event.
The new heater was working overtime in the massive barn, as was the large gas fireplace, in order to heat up the space for the middle school dance they were hosting Friday night.
As she walked around, watching the awkward kids asking one another to dance or avoiding asking each other, she thought about Conner.
Each night after he’d gotten off work, he’d either stopped by to see her or he’d called and talked to her for as long as he could. He’d helped them pull up the carpet in the rest of the house and had replaced the rest of the cabinet doors in the kitchen. Now every room in the cottage looked and felt like home.
He’d even invited her to a family dinner on Sunday night up at his sister and Carter’s place. Which had to mean something. Didn’t it?
She’d been over to Riley and Carter’s beautiful home several times already, but this would be her first official Jordan clan dinner invite. She needed to make a good impression. Not that she hadn’t already been around his family plenty of times before, but this was just… different. This would be the first event since she’d officially started dating Conner.
She remembered how nice Allison had been to her that day on the beach and how she’d gone out of her way to let her pick out the furniture she wanted from the barn.
Then again, everyone in Pride knew how wonderful and generous Allison Jordan was. Rumors were that she’d given more than a million dollars of her art income last year to a charity that helped deaf children. Of course, with the subject being so close to her heart, everyone automatically assumed the rumors were true.
Everyone knew that Allison’s paintings easily sold for those high figures. Kara could imagine the woman giving even more than that to help out someone in need. She was just that generous of a person.
She’d only met Conner’s father a few times. She hadn’t spoken to him directly since she didn’t know sign language very well. Outside of the basic ABCs she’d learned in summer camp one year, she also knew a few other words like mother, father, and sister.
Still, she’d heard enough about the man to know that he was just as kind as the rest of the family. It was obvious that Conner got his looks from his father. He was tall like Iian Jordan and had similar features. Still, Kara could see a lot of Allison in him as well. Conner’s dark curly hair had come from his mother, as well as his blue eyes.
She was thankful that her sister had taken the hint every time Conner had showed up and had disappeared with her laptop to work.
Kara had met Conner at Baked, the local pizza shop, one evening for dinner. Corey and Carter Miller, twin brothers who had married cousins Riley and Lilly, owned the pizzeria.
Most everyone in town could tell the identical brothers apart at this point. Kara could usually guess who was who as long as they didn’t switch jobs on her. Corey worked the counter while Carter was usually hanging out in the back, overseeing the kitchen.
She knew that Conner’s brother and sister, Riley and Jacob, were fraternal twins, but the pair were as different as day and night. Riley was shorter and had flyaway bleached blonde hair with a bubbly personality while Jacob… Well, the best way Kara could describe him was dark, brooding, and outdoorsy.
Speaking of brooding, Kara was in a funk herself. Since last weekend, she’d been hoping for another night with Conner. Whenever they were around one another, she just couldn’t keep that night out of her mind.
She understood that he had very early mornings on the days that he worked and couldn’t stay up late. She was very thankful for the time she did get with him during the week and was looking forward to seeing more of him that weekend. She was even planning on trying to convince him to let her stay at his place after the family dinner.
She knew that he was moving the rest of his things into the apartment that night after he got off work. She’d thought about sneaking out of the dance to go help him move, but then she’d caught several of the boys trying to spike the juice with a small bottle of rum and knew that she was needed at the dance instead.
She couldn’t imagine getting sued because all of the kids in attendance had ended up drunk.
Looking back at her own childhood, she couldn’t imagine doing something like that. Both she and Robin had been quiet and amenable children. There had never been a time when either of them had caused or gotten in any trouble. Maybe it was their cousins’ influence that caused the sisters to want to be better?
“Were we this awkward?” Robin whispered as she stopped next to her.
Kara glanced over at her sister and chuckled. “Maybe you were.” She shrugged. “I was never awkward.”
Robin laughed. “Right, and I suppose I’m the one who broke my wrist trying to play football to impress a boy?”
Kara rolled her eyes. “I was eleven and in love.”
Robin smiled. “And Sean Wilson didn’t even notice you.”
“Jerk,” she added without conviction.
&nbs
p; “He owns several animal rescue sites now,” Robin reminded her.
“Right, he’s a jerk that’s kind to animals.”
“I would have thought that you’d be over helping Conner move tonight,” Robin said.
“I’m needed here.”
Robin glanced around and motioned to several of the parent chaperones. “I think we’ve got it covered. Actually, I think I have tomorrow night and Sunday morning’s events covered as well.” She bumped hips with her and winked. “If you get my drift. You’ve been in a funk, and I think Conner has the cure.”
Kara’s heart did a little flip at the idea of heading over to be with Conner again. Of being able to spend the next few days with him.
Her sister nudged her shoulder again. “Go on. Go be with your boy toy.”
“Are you sure?” Kara asked.
“Yeah, someone around here has got to get some and since I have no prospects in sight, it might as well be you. Take the truck though. It’s still snowing out there.” She motioned to the large barn doors that were currently shutting out the cold. “If I need it tomorrow, I’ll stop by and get it with my spare keys.”
“Thanks.” She knew better than to argue with her sister when she was being tossed a bone.
Rushing from the back door of the barn and heading down the newly lit pathway towards the cottage, she realized she’d forgotten her coat earlier when a large clump of snow landed on her head, causing a shiver to race down her spine.
She let herself in the back door of the cottage and raced around and gathered up what she expected she’d need to stay over.
She debated over the sexy new pink nighty she’d purchased with Conner in mind and figured she would save that for a special occasion. This was, after all, a spur of the moment decision. She hadn’t even messaged him to tell him she was coming over.
The one other time she’d done that with a boyfriend, he’d had another woman over that night. Being cheated on sucked. Especially when you were pretty sure the guy was the one. She’d spent most of her senior year in high school planning out her very own perfect wedding. But Ben had cheated on her and secretly joined the military. He’d left her the day after she’d found out his secret.
Maybe that’s why she had decided to get out of Portland.
But Conner was not like Ben. Not in the least.
She threw a few other things into her overnight bag, grabbed the truck keys, and headed out, only to come up short when the truck wouldn’t start. She tried everything she knew to get the old thing to turn over. Kicking the tire for good measure, she grabbed her overnight bag. The snow and broken truck weren’t going to stop her from having the Friday night she wanted.
She sent her sister a text message updating her on the truck situation and headed out towards Conner’s place.
It wasn’t as if Pride was unsafe. Actually, a few years back it had been voted the safest small town in all of Oregon, an award the town had been very proud of.
It wasn’t the people or crime Kara was worried about as she hit the halfway mark, it was the cold. She’d grabbed her thick winter coat and had slipped on her snow boots and gloves before heading out, but when a gust of wind blew right through her, she wished she’d had the foresight to grab a scarf as well.
She was so preoccupied with keeping the wind at bay that, at first, she didn’t notice the truck following behind her. It wasn’t until she’d passed the closed flower shop, All in Bloom, that she noticed the truck reflected in the darkened store’s glass.
She normally wouldn’t have worried, but the dark blue color reminded her instantly of the truck that had almost hit her and Conner up at the property.
She stopped at the flower shop and faked as if she was looking at the pretty display inside while actually watching the truck’s reflection in the glass. When it stopped just behind her, she pulled out her cell phone and, in a very loud voice, pretended to answer a call.
“Hey, no, I’m just outside the flower shop,” she said to herself as she watched the passenger side door open slightly. It hung there while she acted as if she was listening to someone. “Yeah, I’ll be there in two minutes. Is everyone else already there?” she asked loudly. “Okay, I’m just outside the floral shop. I’ll see you soon.” She put her phone back in her pocket and took off at a quick pace towards Conner’s place.
She didn’t look back to see what the truck did or if anyone had even gotten out. Instead, she half sprinted down the rest of the block until she could see the bright grocery store sign just ahead of her through the thick falling snow.
She saw Conner’s truck in the parking lot and relaxed slightly. She was heading towards the stairs when a hand gripped her arm, and she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Chapter Eighteen
“Wow.” Conner jumped away from Kara quickly. A flood of concern washed over him when he noticed how pale she looked and how scared she obviously was. “What’s going on?” he asked, taking her in his arms and scanning the snow-covered parking lot.
“The truck… I think it was following me,” she said into his shoulder. He felt her shivering and started to pull her up the stairs to his apartment. He’d run downstairs to get some basic groceries and had spotted her rushing across the street through the windows. He’d left all his groceries in the cart to greet her.
At first, he’d been prepared to scold her about walking in the middle of a snowstorm, but after she’d screamed, he was too concerned to lecture her.
She stood there as he shut them inside the apartment.
“I’m going to warm you up while I wait for Aiden to get here.” He pulled out his cell phone and shot a text message to Aiden, letting him know what had happened.
Kara stood in place with her arms wrapped around her and continued to shiver. Her soft pink hat hadn’t saved most of her hair from the snow and long strands of her hair were soaked and falling over her shoulders. Her jacket and pants were now as wet as the rest of her since the warmth of his apartment had melted the snowflakes that had covered her.
“Here.” He helped her remove her wet jacket and hat, then hung them on the hooks by the door. “Come over and sit down on the sofa. I’ll make you something warm to drink.” He nudged her towards the sofa and then covered her with a throw blanket. Leaning down, he removed her boots and set them by the front door as well.
Just as he put a pot of water on the stove, there was a knock on his door, and Kara jumped and gasped.
“Easy, it’s just Aiden,” he assured her.
“Evening.” His cousin Suzie’s husband, the chief of police for Pride, stepped into his apartment. Aiden was also a longtime friend.
Not too long ago, Aiden had lived in this very apartment. Now, he and Suzie were living in a rental house until their new home was finished being built up near the property where his own home would be soon.
“Hey.” He motioned to where Kara was sitting on the sofa, looking wide-eyed and cold.
“I drove past the flower shop. Everything looked locked up. No sign of the blue truck anywhere in town,” Aiden said quickly.
“It was the same truck,” Kara chimed in. “I know it was.”
“I don’t doubt it. I just wanted to stop off and see if you happened to grab the make or model or by chance the plate number?” Aiden asked.
Kara quickly shook her head. “No, sorry. I was…” She swallowed and glanced at Conner. “I couldn’t think. I pretended to be on a phone call when the man started to get out of the passenger side.”
Conner tensed. “Someone was coming at you?” he asked, feeling his blood begin to boil.
“N-no. I…” She shook her head. “I pretended to look in the flower shop windows and saw them pull up behind me. Then the passenger door opened and… I took off running.” She looked down at her hands.
Conner walked over and sat next to her, taking her cold hands into his own. “That was a smart move,” he assured her before turning back to Aiden. “She’s frozen. I’m going to see about warming her up.”
Aiden nodded. “I’ve got everyone on shift driving around town looking out for the truck. I’ll keep you posted.” He nodded to Kara. “It might be best, at least for a while, if you didn’t walk alone after dark.”
“Thanks,” she said quickly before Aiden left.
“How about some soup? My dad made a few meals for me and his homemade chicken soup is one of them. I can head down and grab a loaf of bread? I was getting a few other things when I spotted you.”
Kara nodded as she continued to look down at her hands.
“Hey,” he started, only to stop when the tea kettle started whistling. Standing up, he poured her a cup of hot chocolate and then returned to her side. She held onto the mug as if using it to warm her entire body.
His eyes zoned in on the overnight bag that she’d set down just inside his doorway and he smiled.
“You could have called me. I would’ve come over and picked you up,” he suggested.
Her eyes flashed to his. “I was going to drive, but… the truck wouldn’t start.”
He reached up and brushed his hand down her cold cheeks. “Why don’t you drink your hot chocolate, then head in and enjoy a hot shower? I’ll heat us up some soup and bread and then we can snuggle on the sofa and watch a movie.”
Her eyes met his and she sighed with relief and relaxed slightly. “That sounds… amazing,” she said with a smile.
He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “I’ll be right back,” he promised her.
He made sure to lock his door behind him as he went back downstairs to the grocery store.
Patty O’Neil was a staple in Pride. Anyone who stepped foot in the small town knew who the woman was. Even more, Patty knew everything there was to know about everyone in her town.
“What spooked Kara?” Patty asked him when he returned to get his almost-full cart of food.
“Someone followed her over here,” he answered with a shrug, causing Patty to frown.
