Untried Heart

by Nicky Charles

  “I suppose not.”

  “You’re an honourable man and it’s one of the things I love about you.”

  “Thanks. And you always seem to see the positive side of things and I love that about you.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “In the meantime, it’s pointless hanging around here. Let’s go back to your place. I’m sure the police will contact you when it’s all over.”

  They drove in silence for a few miles. Ben’s concern was palpable. Truth be told, she was concerned as well. Zeke, even though young in angelic terms, was a far more powerful guardian angel than she; he must have experience with danger but it was still hard to get her head wrapped around the idea. And then there was Ben’s carving. It was important to him and she hoped Zeke would be able to keep it safe. The note she’d seen on the computer screen mentioning the carving could be easily hollowed out filled her with unease.

  An idea popped into her head and she decided to act on it. Maybe, just maybe, she could be of some help. If she was at least in the vicinity…

  “Ben, take the next turn.” She pointed to the right.

  “Why?”

  “Christmas is only a week away. We need to get a Christmas tree for the house, right? The road leads to a tree farm. See? There’s the sign.”

  “I’m not in the mood for this, Eugenie. I just want to get home.”

  When she heard Ben say home she felt a pain in the region of her heart, but she pushed it aside and continued with her plan. “Please, Ben, let’s go. It’ll be fun and it will take your mind off things.”

  “I doubt that but all right, for you, I will.” He made the turn.

  It was a gravel road and they bumped along for some distance before she called out. “Look, Ben. Over by that farmhouse. That’s the car Mr. Brown was driving; I remember that dent in the fender.”

  Ben slowed the vehicle and then eased over to the shoulder. A stand of trees partially obscured the view but the car was visible. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Positive. Let’s stay and watch what happens for a while.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’m not sure I totally trust that cop. I kept getting a weird vibe about him. Like he wasn’t exactly who he said he was.”

  Eugenie struggled to keep her expression from revealing her surprise. So much for Zeke saying humans didn’t notice things! “Probably because he works undercover a lot.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “Err...just a guess. Something about him...” How could Zeke ever think this became easier?

  “Oh.” Thankfully, Ben accepted her explanation. He switched off the engine and rested his forearms on the steering wheel. He narrowed his eyes then nodded to the left. “Look over there, beyond that group of trees.”

  She peered at where he’d indicated. “You mean those cars?”

  “Yep. I bet those are unmarked police cars. And look over to the right, there are the cops.”

  Sure enough, cautiously approaching the farm house was a small contingent of men and women who seemed about to storm the house or do a takedown or whatever it was called.

  A wave of nervousness washed over her. They were almost in the middle of a police operation. What if there was gunfire? Ben might get hurt. This may not have been such a good idea after all.

  “Ben, I think we should leave. I—”

  Just then, there was a rush of movement. One RCMP officer kicked the door down, the dull thud of his boot on the wooden surface echoing across the distance. It was immediately followed by the sound of shouting as the other members of his team rushed into the building. Eugenie barely had time to register what was happening at the front of the building when activity at the rear drew her attention. There was a crashing sound and an explosion of glass shards as Brown burst through a window like a bat out of hell. He rolled as he hit the ground, scrambled to his feet, then bolted towards the woods. Eugenie sat up straighter in her seat as she realized he was heading straight for their vehicle.

  “That’s him! That’s the bugger who took my sculpture! Something must have tipped him off.” Ben shoved his door open.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Eugenie grabbed at his arm but was too late. Ben was out of the truck and running towards the buyer trying to head him off.

  “Oh, hell and damnation!” Not even caring she was swearing, she tore off her seatbelt and ran after him.

  The forest floor was lightly covered with snow, enough to obscure a view of the ground and she tripped and stumbled over unseen vines and branches. Ben, however, seemed to have no similar issues, his long legs carrying him across the terrain as if he was the one with wings rather than she. The gap between him and Brown became smaller and smaller and then with a yell, Ben launched himself through the air to tackle the fleeing man.

  Brown turned at the sound of Ben’s yell, shock showing on his face before Ben slammed into him and they both hit the ground, a shower of snow flying up into the air momentarily obscuring them from view.

  Eugenie skidded to a halt and watched, wide-eyed as the two men grappled. Brown was stronger than she would have suspected and the two men struggled, rolling back and forth, eventually falling into a ditch, breaking through the thin layer of ice and soaking them both in freezing water and mud.

  Brown managed to push Ben away, reached into his pocket and…pulled out a knife!

  A scream ripped from her throat. “Ben, look out!”

  Oh no, not Ben! Please keep him safe. The rough prayer spilled from her lips as she rushed forward with every intention of helping her lover. She didn’t get far, however. A dark-haired angel dressed in black denim and white t-shirt blocked both her headlong flight and her view with his outstretched wings.

  “Zeke, what are you doing? I have to help Ben. That man has a knife.”

  “Orders from above, Eugenie. Sorry, but we can’t interfere. Ben has to face his fate head-on.”

  “No! To hell with orders and rules!” She feinted left then to the right and ducked under Zeke’s wings. She’d deal with the punishment later. Right now, she had to save Ben!

  She’d only taken a step when strong arms snaked around her waist. “Nope. I can’t let you do it, Eugenie.”

  Like a madwoman, she pulled at the arms that held her, not caring her nails were scoring his skin. “Let me go! Please, I’m begging you.” Tears blurred her vision and her words were spoken between sobs.

  “Aww, Eugenie...” His resolve might have weakened in the face of her tears or maybe it was the fact that she’d resorted to a backwards kick towards his groin. Whatever the case, she was suddenly free and flying across the distance that separated her from the man she loved.

  Ben had Brown’s knife hand in a vise-like grip, their arms trembling with strain as they fought to overpower each other. Not sure what to do, not wanting to distract Ben lest the other man took advantage, she looked around wildly for something, anything, she could use to tip the balance in Ben’s favour.

  Just as she reached for a stick, thinking she’d whack it down across Brown’s arm, Ben gave a roar and somehow managed to overpower his opponent. The knife slipped from Brown’s fingers and Eugenie quickly kicked it out of reach.

  Zeke was suddenly at her side again, pulling her away. “Jeez, Eugenie, you just broke a gazillion rules. Attacking a fellow angel. Flipping into angelic form and flying within view of humans. Attempting to interfere with fate. Michael is going to have a fit.”

  “What?” She answered distractedly, watching as Brown took a swing at Ben. Ben dodged, drew back his fist and hit Brown square on the chin. The man’s head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground.

  Ben grabbed the man’s collar and dragged him from the soggy ditch, dumping him on the ground.

  “Perfect timing,” Zeke commented and jerked his chin towards the farmhouse. “Here come the cops.”

  Sure enough, when Eugenie turned her head to look, several men were running in their direction.

  “Zeke, I’m sorry if I hurt
you but I couldn’t stand by and watch, doing nothing.” She managed to pull her attention away from the human activities and turned to apologize. “And I’ll take full blame and tell Michael—”

  He shook his head. “Don’t fret. I did a quick mind wipe and the humans won’t recall seeing you. And as for hurting me, I’m pretty tough.” He gave her a gentle push. “Go see your man and don’t worry about me.”

  Heeding Zeke’s words, she ran over to where Ben now stood shaking his hand.

  “Are you all right?” She grabbed his shoulders and looked him over head to toe.

  “Yeah. My hand hurts, that’s all. The guy’s got a jaw like steel!” Ben grinned and pulled her close then kissed her. “But I must say I thoroughly enjoyed hitting him.”

  “Men!” She shook her head and then realized her skin was getting damp, the water from Ben’s clothing transferring to hers.

  “You’re soaking wet and you’re shivering! Here,” she pulled off her coat and tried to wrap it around him. “Use my coat. It’s not much but it’s the best I can do until we get someplace warm.”

  “Eugenie, I don’t need...” He paused in the act of removing the coat and frowned. ‘“Why do I feel like we’ve done this before?”

  “I...I’ve no idea.” She scrambled trying to think of an explanation and breathed a sigh of relief when the cops arrived and diverted Ben’s attention.

  Of course, there were questions as to how they happened to be on the scene but she was able to weave a plausible tale. After all, they really had been on their way to get a tree when she’d seen the car and recognized it. A small white lie, or was that a lie of omission? At this point, she didn’t really care. She just wanted to get Ben home and warm.

  Chapter 19

  Ben cranked up the heat in the truck. He was frozen. His teeth were chattering, his toes and fingers numb. During the fight, he hadn’t noticed the cold; anger and adrenaline had kept him going. Now, however, he couldn’t wait to get home and into a hot bath.

  That same sense of déjà vu niggled at his brain again. It was almost a year to the day from the last time he’d ended up in water in the middle of winter. He’d been eager for a hot bath then, too.

  Of course, last year he’d been partially drunk after having received the final divorce papers in the mail along with several nasty letters from creditors. His life had been at an all-time low and he’d tromped off into the woods to think. Not paying attention he’d stepped on some rotted boards on the bridge and ended up in the creek that cut across his property. He still had no recollection of how he’d dragged himself home.

  “Ben?”

  “Hmm?” He turned to look at Eugenie. She was damp from where he’d hugged her but seemed otherwise unaffected by their adventure.

  “I asked if you were okay to drive. You’ve been staring out the windshield.”

  “Sorry.” He put the car in gear and started to head for home. “I was thinking. Did I ever tell you about the time I fell in the river?”

  “No.”

  Was it his imagination or did she seem tense? He flicked a glance at her and noticed her fingers were laced tightly together in her lap. Maybe it was a reaction to the fight. She probably wasn’t used to seeing two men beating the crap out of each other. It had likely frightened her half to death. Or had it?

  He frowned. At one point during his fight with Brown, hadn’t he noticed Eugenie racing towards him?

  “Eugenie?”

  “Yes?

  “During the fight, were you trying to help me?”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to sit in the truck and not do anything!”

  “I mean, I thought I saw you running towards me and later you were yelling ‘let me go!’ like someone had a hold on you. Or at least that’s what it sounded like. I was a bit distracted by that guy trying to stab me.” He gave a dark chuckle.

  “Oh. Er... There were wild vines under the snow and I got my leg tangled in one and it tripped me up. Then while I was getting up, I somehow managed to get it wrapped around me. I thought I’d never get free.”

  He nodded. That made sense.

  “We’re almost home.” Eugenie pointed out the window and leaned forward as if urging the truck to move faster. “Won’t it be wonderful to get inside? I want you to pop right into the bathroom and get out of those wet clothes while I make you some coffee.”

  She continued to babble away at such a speed he wouldn’t have been able to get a word in edgewise if he’d wanted to. It was okay though. He was too busy thinking about what she’d said. We’re almost home.

  Damn, those words sounded sweet coming from her lips.

  An hour later, he was warm and dry, his stomach full from the pot of stew they’d reheated. Before Eugenie had arrived in his life, he’d been surviving mostly on frozen dinners. It wasn’t that he couldn’t cook, it was more the fact he’d had no interest in it. Now, his freezer was stocked with nourishing leftovers and casseroles since Eugenie was always discovering some new dish she wanted to try to make.

  “Come and sit by the fire with me. We can clean up later.” He helped Eugenie from her chair and led her to the living room.

  “Well...” She glanced back at the kitchen.

  “We’re both tired. It won’t hurt to leave the plates on the table for once.”

  She conceded and soon they were seated together on the sofa, his arm around her shoulder, a fire crackling in the hearth.

  “The warmth feels good,” he murmured, staring into the fire.

  “Are you still cold? I could get a blanket—” She started to rise and he pulled her back down.

  “No. I’m fine. You don’t have to fuss over me.”

  “But I like fussing over you.”

  “Well, that’s kind of you but tonight all I want is you by my side while we sit here quietly.”

  “It was a tiring day.”

  “Yep. Battling bad guys isn’t part of my daily routine.”

  “Thank goodness!” She leaned her head against his shoulder, one hand creeping up to rest on his chest. “I nearly had a heart attack when you left the truck to chase that Mr. Brown.”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to let him get away. No one messes with my artwork. Especially artwork that was inspired by you.”

  A flush appeared on her cheeks and she lowered her eyes. “That’s kind of you to say but a bit over the top.”

  “No, it isn’t.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that point.”

  He chuckled softly and pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head, loving the feel of her against his side. She could protest all she wanted, but he knew the truth. She was his salvation, his guardian angel who had miraculously appeared just when he’d been losing all hope.

  Lifting his gaze from the fire, he studied the portrait on the wall as he’d done so many times before. Even as a boy, the woman had fascinated him. Who’d ever have thought he’d have the real-life version in his arms?

  He idly stroked Eugenie’s arm, his thoughts drifting as companionable silence filled the room. What a crazy week it had been. Art shows, RCMP officers appearing on his doorstep, smuggling rings... What was going to happen to his carving of Eugenie? Would he ever get it back or would it be held as evidence for years to come? The thought saddened him but even if he never got the bust back, he’d always have the portrait and the woman at his side.

  Or would he?

  He frowned. How much longer would Eugenie remain in the area? There wasn’t much stuff left to sort through in the shop and she’d said she moved often. The thought of her leaving created a cold feeling in the region of his heart. He should ask her to stay.

  “Eugenie?”

  “Hmm?”

  He tried to speak but his mouth wouldn’t form the words. What was wrong with him? He loved her, so it made sense that he should say it and ask her to stay. Once more he opened his mouth but then closed it again.

  Coward.

 
That’s what he was. An emotional coward. He’d laid his heart out before Sabrina and she’d stomped on it like some annoying bug. The idea of opening himself up to that kind of pain again scared the crap out of him.

  But Eugenie was nothing like Sabrina. She loved him. She went out of her way to do things for him and never asked for anything in return. If he asked her to stay, he knew she’d say yes. All he had to do was man up and say the words.

  He took a deep breath and turned to look at her.

  She was sound asleep.

  He laughed softly to himself. That’s what he got for hesitating. He’d not wake her up though. She was exhausted. So was he for that matter.

  Carefully, he eased out from beside her and laid her on the sofa. After ensuring the fire was safe for the night, he filled Chip’s food and water bowls, then stacked the dishes as quietly as possible. For a moment, he considered doing the washing up but she might hear him. He’d take care of them in the morning instead.

  Gathering Eugenie in his arms again, he carried to her to bed, flicking off the lights with his elbow as he walked through the silent house.

  He set her on the bed, loosened her clothing and then tucked the blankets around her before readying himself for bed as well. When he climbed in beside her, she made a soft sound. He froze but she only rolled over and snuggled closer to him, wrapping herself around him.

  With her leg over his thigh and her breasts squished to his chest, his body began to react. Making love with her would be the perfect ending to the day, a celebration of having won the fight and nabbed the bad guy. He considered kissing her awake and...

  No. She was tired, exhausted if her deep breathing was anything to go by.

  Instead, he contented himself with looking at her, idly twirling a lock of her hair around his finger as he took in each of her features. By the light of the moon, he studied her as she slept. So sweet, so innocent, the epitome of perfection. And she was his for the taking... if he dared.