by Jill Sanders
The fact that she’d only ever slept with two men, and they were brothers, hadn’t even crossed her mind. Until she’d been alone.
As with before, she couldn’t figure out why she never compared Cade to Reggie. It wasn’t as if the brothers looked nothing alike. Sure, Cade looked more like his uncle and Reggie had taken after his mother, but still, there were enough similarities between them that it should have crossed her mind once while he’d been kissing her.
As she pulled into the long drive of the resort, she finally figured it out. Reggie had been a boy. At seventeen, he’d been the man of her dreams, but she’d been so young and naive herself.
She could remember Cade at that age. She’d never once thought of him as young or naive.
Just being with him, being around him, she knew that he was more man than she’d ever experienced before.
That was why Cade stood alone in her mind. Why, when he touched her, kissed her, her mind didn’t revert to thoughts of Reggie.
The few times Reggie and she had had sex, they had fumbled together. Back then she’d found it to be romantic, had thought what was between them was love.
Maybe it had been love, of sorts. Young love.
Now, however, she had more knowledge. More years behind her and a hell of a lot more needs. Especially since they’d been building up for ten years.
Had Cade guessed that she was short on experience?
That thought had her face heating when he parked next to her car.
“This place sure looks a lot different than it did a month ago,” he said as he helped Blue out of the truck.
Raven glanced around. Sure enough, the once-dead courtyard was now alive with colorful blooms and green grass, and there was the new paved area under the hanging string lights that would be utilized for romantic dinners under the stars.
The fresh coat of paint that had been applied to the balconies changed the entire look of the buildings. Instead of the dull dark brown, she’d lightened things up with a soft cream that matched the stonework on the lower levels. It made the buildings look newer and more modern.
“It’s getting there,” she agreed as she watched Blue race across the yard.
“You could always add a dog park,” Cade suggested as he walked over to pick up Blue’s mess with a small plastic bag he’d pulled out of his jacket.
Up until now, the resort had had a no-pet policy. But times were changing. She liked animals and didn’t see any reason, outside of a few mishaps, that would stop her from letting guests bring their pets. For a small up-charge, that was.
“Good idea.” She glanced around. “A gated area, over there?” she suggested, pointing to a corner. “It’s out of the way of the ice rink in the winter and close enough to the doors for guests.”
“You’re going to start up the skate ring again?” Cade asked, depositing the trash into one of the outdoor bins.
“I am,” she answered with a smile. “It is one of my favorite memories as a child.”
Cade leaned closer to her. “I got my first kiss on that rink.”
“Oh?” She locked her arm through his. “Who with?”
“Katie Plaskett.” He sighed and looked a little wistful. “Then she went and broke my heart by pushing me down.”
Raven laughed. “How old were you?”
He snapped his finger for Blue to follow them. “Ten,” he answered as they walked in together.
She was laughing as they passed through the lobby and headed towards the elevators. When the doors started to shut behind them, a hand pushed in, stopping the doors from closing.
Her uncle stepped forward, blocking the doors from closing.
“Raven, do you have a moment?” Colin asked, avoiding Cade’s eyes. Cade instantly stepped between them.
Placing a hand on Cade’s shoulder, she stepped around him.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Colin. I’ve been told by the sheriff not to have any contact with you at this point,” she said smoothly.
“So, it’s true.” Colin sighed and pushed the doors back again as they tried to shut on him. “You’ve gone to the police about this?”
“You knew I would,” she said firmly and took another step forward. “You stole over three million dollars.”
Raven watched her words sink in. Her uncle’s face turned pale white before shooting to bright red as anger took over.
“You’ll pay for this,” he said in a low tone before stepping back and letting the doors shut.
She couldn’t stop the shaking that ensued once they were alone in the elevator.
Cade’s arms wrapped around her, holding her close as he whispered soothing words to her.
When the doors opened again on her floor, Cade pulled her out the doors. She walked as if in a daze with him down the hallway towards her rooms.
The moment she unlocked her room, she tensed and knew there was something wrong before she even turned on the light.
Cade was once again there, pulling her back, shielding her.
“What the…” He broke off when he turned on the light. Then he turned to her. “Don’t touch anything. I’m calling my uncle.”
She stood in the hallway, looking in at the destruction of her rooms, as he relayed the information to his uncle.
“He’s on his way.” Cade wrapped his arms around her again.
“Who would do this?” she asked, closing her eyes, locking the scene of destruction out.
“I hate to say it, but we did just have a run-in with your uncle,” Cade supplied.
She nodded. “My aunt was here yesterday before I left to talk to your uncle.”
He nudged her down the hallway a little and helped her sit down on the bench by the elevator doors.
“You okay?” he asked as he sat beside her.
She had taken a few deep breaths, which had helped her put things into perspective. All she had was clothes and her toiletry items. She’d gotten rid of everything else before heading back to Cannon Falls.
“It’s just clothes,” she said with a slight smile. “I can always buy more.”
He chuckled. “If anything, it’s a good excuse to.” He took her hand in his as his smile slipped. “We’ll figure out who did this.”
She closed her eyes and shrugged. “Does it matter? Their point was made clearly.”
“Want to back down already?”
Her eyes flew open. “Hell no.”
His smile was back. “That’s my girl.” He hugged her.
Just then the elevator doors opened, and she tensed until she saw Sean step out, along with a female officer.
Raven stayed where she was while Sean and Cade walked through the destruction. The female officer, Karin Taper, sat with her and took her statement. The sandy blonde–haired woman looked vaguely familiar, and Raven realized she must have known her before she’d moved away.
Karin wrote down each of her responses in a small notebook.
When Sean and Cade stepped out again, Karin turned to her.
“If you’d like, I can help you gather some of your things?” she offered.
“Thank you, but at this point, I think I’ll just go shopping.” She smiled.
“Good idea.” The older woman touched her hand. “Everyone in the station knows what you’re going through. I just wanted to tell you that I went to high school with your parents. Your mom and I were friends. Not close, but…” She nodded. “Friends nonetheless. If you need anything…”
“Thank you,” Raven said easily.
“I think we have what we need,” Sean told her. “I’ve taken pictures, but something tells me it wouldn’t do any good to take fingerprints. Hotel rooms can be complicated as a crime scene. I think we’d do better asking employees who was around and who knew where your rooms were.”
She nodded in agreement and looked over to Cade. “My family… they all knew.”
Sean sighed. “Yeah, they’re top of my list.” He glanced over at Cade. “Any chance I could convince you to move into a different roo
m? Maybe keep it under wraps for a while? At least until the heat of the situation cools off some?”
“We were here to move her things to another room anyway. I’ve requested that all guests be housed in the other building until all the rooms and the fire system can be updated in this one.”
“Good.” Sean glanced over at Cade, then back at her. “Cade says that you were at his place after our meeting?”
“Yes,” she answered, unembarrassed about her choice to be with Cade. After all, if last night and this morning was a sign of how things could be, then she hoped to spend a lot more time with him. She knew people in town would find out sooner or later.
“Any chance you could be convinced to stay at his place for a while?” Sean asked.
Raven stilled as her eyes moved over to Cade, who just shrugged.
“I’d be open to it,” he said quickly.
What would it be like to live with Cade? Every fiber of her being wanted it. Dreamed of it. But it was too soon, and she wasn’t ready to give up that much of her freedom. Not that Cade was the kind of man who would consume her and control her. She doubted that completely.
No, it was more herself that she was afraid for. She’d never lived with someone. Hell, until last night, she’d never spend the night with a man before.
Sure, she’d enjoyed her time with him, but it had been only one night. She hoped it would lead to more nights, but living with him?
“No,” she answered after a moment. “Sorry, I…” She shook her head. “I need to be here.” She avoided Cade’s eyes.
“Okay,” Sean said quickly. “Then I’ll leave you two to it. We’re going to head down and talk to some of your staff.”
She nodded and looked down at her hands as they shuffled into the elevator.
“Hey.” Cade sat beside her and took her hands in his. “Don’t feel weird about my uncle.” He chuckled. “He was just trying to ensure your protection. I don’t feel weird about you not wanting to move in with me.” Her eyes moved up to his.
“It’s not personal,” she offered.
He chuckled. “How can it be? If you’d turned me down, that would have been one thing. But having my uncle ask you…” He shook his head. “He really was just trying to look out for you. He could have just as easily asked if you’d move in with my grandmother.”
“I know,” she said with a slight smile.
“Okay, so if you’re determined to stick around here, let’s see what we can do to ensure that this won’t happen again.” He squeezed her hand and she stood up with him.
Before they stepped into the destruction, Cade wrapped his arms around her once more.
“I’m so sorry someone did this to you. Just remember, this time it’s not you on trial,” he said softly.
Those words echoed in her mind. What had Cade meant by them? Was he trying to tell her that he’d believed at one point that she was guilty of setting the fire all those years ago?
She stepped into her rooms and held in a groan.
Every single piece of clothing and hotel furniture was destroyed. Her clothes and personal items lay in piles on the floor and the furniture, including the bedframe and nightstands, were broken into pieces and piled in the middle of the floor, as if ready to be set on fire.
“Who would do this?” she asked again. “I can’t see my uncle or aunt…” She turned around and thought about their anger. About their words towards her in the past few days. If anything, she could see them lashing out at her, but doing this? She just couldn’t see it. “I can’t see them doing this.”
Cade was silent for a moment.
“This does all seem a little… over the top.” He frowned. “You know, when I broke it off with Julia, she cut up a sweatshirt I had left at her place and returned it to me in a shoe box.”
“Your point?”
He motioned to the dress she’d worn out on their date. The material was, as he had just described, chopped up in little pieces and laid in a pile.
“Do you think this was her?” she asked.
“No. I’m saying, or rather asking, if you have someone in your past that might not like that you’ve moved on?”
She couldn’t help but laughing as tears rolled down her cheeks at the loss of everything she had.
“What?” he asked, moving closer to her.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to compose herself.
“Cade, the last person I dated was your brother,” she finally said.
She watched for his reaction. His smile surprised her.
“What?” she asked, frowning as he moved closer to her.
“Sorry.” He sobered. “It’s just… nice, I guess, knowing that I’m the one you chose to break your dry spell.”
“Dry spell?” She held in a chuckle. “If you want to call me being afraid to put myself out there a dry spell.”
He pulled her close and kissed her. “I’ve had a dry spell myself.” He kissed her again. “One that I’m very happy is over.”
The kiss had her knees shaking slightly and almost buckling. How could this man do this to her? Even while she stood in the middle of the mess of everything that used to be hers, he could easily take her mind off of the predicament.
Instead of focusing on the destruction, she was now dreaming of getting naked with Cade again.
Then he stepped back and took a deep breath.
“What do you say we get some trash bags and start going through your things? Then we can spend the rest of the day shopping for what you need.”
“I have a better idea.” She smiled. “What do you say we go find another room for me to stay in.” She ran her hands over his chest and met his eyes. “Then spend some time breaking the room in before heading out to shop? This mess can easily be cleaned up by the hotel staff. There’s nothing here I want to keep.” She waved her hands around the mess.
“Nothing?”
She glanced around and then shook her head. “No, nothing. Thankfully, I left my laptop locked downstairs in my office.” She winced. “My office.”
“Want to go check on it?”
“Yeah, I guess we’ll need to do that when we’re downstairs getting me another room,” she relented.
“Are you sure there’s nothing in here… worth salvaging?” he asked.
She took a moment to glance around once more, then walked into the bathroom. Seeing all of her toiletries destroyed and shoved into the bathtub and sink, she felt angry tears sting her eyes. Then she turned away and stormed out of the room with Cade on her heels.
“You okay?” he asked as they rode the elevator down to the lobby.
“No.” She glanced up at him. “But once I find out who did that and why, I might be.”
Chapter Eighteen
It is useful to first see the spark before the fire ~ Japanese proverb
Cade stood by while Raven talked with a few of her staff members after they had checked to make sure that her office hadn’t been touched.
He agreed with his uncle on this matter. Whomever had broken into her rooms and destroyed everything she owned had done so because it had been easy.
After all, Raven was the only person staying in the massive building. There were a handful of guests, all of whom had been moved to the main building when construction began in the east and west buildings. Even her cousin, Liza, had been moved out of the rooms her family had occupied for years in the east building and was now in the main building as well.
He refrained from jumping in and asking her employees any questions since she was doing a good job of it.
More than a dozen employees came into her office one at a time. Raven calmly asked each of them if they knew anything about who had destroyed her rooms. Cade knew most of the people but was slightly surprised to see a few employees that she’d hired. A handful of them were some of the biggest gossipers about Raven’s guilt. Including Heather Craft.
The woman looked a little taken aback when she’d spotted him in the office. He could remember all
the times she’d spread gossip about Raven in town. At one point, shortly after Raven had returned to Cannon Falls, she’d tried to rally everyone against taking jobs at the resort, so he’d been surprised when he’d found out that she’d taken a bartender position.
Still, Raven had handled Heather like an expert.
“You’d make a mighty fine detective,” he said when he and Raven were alone in her office again.
She was writing some questions and answers down in a notebook and glanced up at him.
She shrugged. “I like true crime and crime fiction television.”
He smiled. “It happens to be one of my favorite genres to watch too.” He leaned forward. “What’s next, partner?”
She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “Now, I suppose we let your uncle see what he can come up with.”
He stood up, waking Blue, who was fast asleep on the sofa next to him.
“Everyone claims they saw your aunt leave yesterday right after you did.” He leaned on the edge of her desk.
“Yeah.” She turned towards him. “And no one saw her or anyone out of the ordinary head up the west building’s elevator.” She walked over to the window and looked out. He watched her in silence. After a moment, she turned back to him. “I need a few basic things in town, a new room to stay in, and then some food. Up for a trip into town?”
He thought about spending the rest of the day shopping with her for cloths, toiletries. Normally, he would have searched for any excuse to bow out. But just thinking about her alone, exposed, in town, had him agreeing quickly.
After a quick stop to drop Blue off at home, they headed to the town’s main street, where more than a dozen small shops kept the townspeople in the latest fashions and home supplies.
Growing up with his gran and his mother, he’d spent many hours trailing behind a woman while she looked for items. With experience, he’d learned how to answer any of what he called their trick questions.
“Do you like this color?”
“Would this color look good on me?”
“Do you think these shoes go with this outfit?”
