Darkness Bound

by Stella Cameron

  “That was a long time ago,” she said quickly. Gabriel’s Place had been their favorite place to grab a meal.

  Gabriel glanced away from her and the smile disappeared.

  “Anyway,” Leigh said tentatively, “will that suit you? To go over things at the end of the day and—”

  “Sure will,” he said in a rush. He turned his head sideways to see what she had written so far. “Roadside signage?” He crumpled up his face.

  “So people will see we’re here and drive in. It’s nice to be a ways off the main road but it’s too bad if you aren’t noticed. You could be losing a lot of custom that way.”

  His puzzlement deepened. “I’ve got a sign.”

  “Yup,” Leigh said. “Two by two. Bet that’s a nice cedar board you’ve got down there by the ground where a driver couldn’t see it if he wanted to. And I like the tasteful green fir trees and tiny “Gabriel’s Place” in black. Black on brown, Gabriel? Think about it. It’s just a thought, but could we be going overboard with tasteful?”

  “What do you want then, neon?”

  Offense overtook the puzzled expression. Men had a way of misunderstanding the obvious sometimes.

  “There’s neon and there’s neon. Don’t worry, ‘You Want It, We Got It!’ wasn’t what I had in mind. Not even, ‘Drop In For A Good Time.’ ”

  Gabriel narrowed his eyes and gave her one of those looks that suggests a meeting with an alien life form.

  He would have to be dragged up to date. “Or we could start with a simple, ‘Open,’ if you want to stick with the elegant approach.” She smiled up at him to soften her teasing.

  “Yeah,” he said, but he cracked a little smile. “I get it. You’ll be having your dinner here, too, so you can tell me more about it all then.”

  “I’ll go home and cook for myself,” she said gently to take away any sting.

  “Some days you will,” Gabriel said, unperturbed. “Some days you won’t. It’s my job to make sure you stay fed and from the look of you it’s time someone did.”

  She didn’t reply but nodded. Eating wasn’t something she always remembered anymore but that was one more thing she intended to change.

  “I’m responsible for you, see,” he said, not looking right at Leigh again. He kind of lowered his eyelids and let his gaze slide away. “You’re taking a big step to start over and all. It can’t be easy to come back here. Your Chris was a helluva man.”

  Leigh couldn’t help blinking. “Thanks. He was a helluva man.” She smiled a little. At least there weren’t too many people up here who knew anything about her life. Even Gabriel knew very little other than the obvious. “Coming back here could be just what I need. It’s not good to keep living in the past. You aren’t responsible for me, though. I’ve been looking after myself… most of my life.” Out of habit she had almost said: all of her life.

  “You think Jazzy likes her new bed,” Gabriel said, not changing the subject too smoothly.

  Bringing her dog to work with her had been about the only condition she had put on taking the job.

  “Jazzy’s a boy,” Leigh said. “He looks as if he’s wearing eyeliner but I think it suits him. And the blond bangs. I think they’re cute. It was sweet of you to think of him with the bed—and the treats yesterday. Totally unexpected and Jazzy appreciates it. So do I.” She was glad Gabriel was too busy waving off her thanks to notice the scruffy little dog roll his eyes.

  “You got here before seven this morning,” Gabriel said. “No need to show up until nine or so.”

  “I’m an early bird.” And she hadn’t felt like hanging around the house any longer. “I get a lot done before sunup.” That was true. The dark Welsh pony masquerading as a dog could not be forgotten easily, but she wasn’t ready to risk sounding paranoid by outing her visitor to Gabriel.

  She could see him deciding what to say next.

  “Leigh,” he said at last. “This is no big deal but I’d rather you weren’t out in the dark on your own. There’s always someone coming past your place who’d be glad to give you a ride in the morning. I can take you home.”

  Her twin sister, Jan, had been the closest Leigh had to a mother. They had looked after each other, and she didn’t need a new surrogate now. “Thanks, but I like driving my own car.”

  “That’s not the point.” He closed his mouth in a hard line.

  Gabriel was saying a whole lot less than he was thinking and Leigh wondered how reassuring the rest of his thoughts might be.

  “What is the point?” she asked, looking quickly behind her and immediately feeling ridiculous.

  He shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just fussing. C’mon, it’s time you had breakfast.”

  Leigh didn’t like lying so she said, “I’m ready for coffee,” rather than pretending she had already eaten breakfast. “I’ll get it and bring it back here.”

  There was something about the way Gabriel talked about not being out in the dark alone that made her uneasy. Darn it, she had never been afraid of the dark and she wanted to feel safe and at home here. She needed to feel at home. She told Jazzy to stay and followed her boss into the bar. A big room, it did smell strongly of cedar, with beer mixed in. Tables dotted the room around a tiny dance floor in the center. The fire, only just lit when she had arrived and it was still dark outside, curled its way fiercely inside a huge, brick-faced fireplace. A single downward step led to the area reserved for restaurant customers.

  Gabriel pulled out a chair at one of the oak tables and made her sit. The heat felt good. “You relax a bit,” he said. “No reason to take a break in the office when you can be out here. Besides, you gussy the place up.” He smiled.

  Chris had liked to sit by the fire in this room. She stared into the flames.

  “Coffee, ma’am?” Cliff Ames had come from the kitchen himself to take care of her. Leigh already knew he was a great cook. Short and all muscle, with a close gray crewcut, he had placed a mug on the table and stood with the coffee pot poised to pour.

  “Yes, please,” she told him. “Can I call you Cliff if you call me Leigh?”

  Cliff turned the color of poppies in full bloom and his brown eyes crinkled up. “That’d be good,” he said.

  She wondered if all the men around here blushed and immediately doubted if Niles Latimer did.

  A woman appeared from the direction of the kitchens and rocked her way rapidly across the room as if her feet hurt and her hips were fused. A tan hopsack apron covered a fair amount of the floral dress and shapeless cardigan she wore.

  “This is Sally,” Cliff said. “She helps me in the kitchen. Couldn’t do any of it without her. She don’t say a whole lot when she’s busy but she likes seeing people happy with their food.”

  With one hand Sally slid down a plate of scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and gravy. With the other hand she plopped already buttered toast and two muffins beside the bigger plate. Deftly, she swooped honey, jam, and marmalade from a serving trolley.

  “Thank you,” Leigh said. “It all looks wonderful.”

  Sally wiped her hands on the apron and nodded. “Got ’em ready to go right after Gabriel went to get you from the office,” she said. “It’s a good thing you came back to Chimney Rock.”

  “A good thing?” The comment confused Leigh.

  “It’s always best being where you belong.”

  No less confused, Leigh studied her food. One of the first things that came to her mind when she woke up that morning was that she felt right—comfortable, despite some misgivings about the big dog’s visit and the difficult memories of Chris. The sensation, when she isolated it, had felt very strange. Sally’s remarks sounded as if the woman had some way of knowing what Leigh felt.

  She drank more coffee. Jazzy would make short work of the sausages but Leigh would have difficulty not leaving most of the rest of the food on the plates.

  “Cliff here decides what we’re doing for each meal,” Sally said in a hoarse voice. Except for the roots, her cu
rly hair was white blond and she applied makeup with a lavish hand. “Can’t have a big variety. There’s not room out there. Cliff’s clever at making a few choices sound like a lot. But if there’s something special you fancy, just give me the word.” She nodded and returned the way she had come, disappearing behind the log wall loaded with shelves of spirits that backed the bar.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Cliff said quietly. “She’s taken a shine to you. Sally never says that much to anyone she doesn’t know.” He followed Sally, muttering to himself.

  The logs were stripped raw on the inside as well as the outside of the building’s walls. Leigh liked the way it looked, and the snug atmosphere in the place. Last night might not have been easy, but with each passing hour she felt hope grow.

  What Sally had said was a coincidence.

  The front door of the bar opened and two men walked in. Niles and another man, who was just as tall but leaner. The second man also had a visibly powerful physique beneath the wool jacket he wore open over a T-shirt. But Niles’s musculature seemed more massive, more powerful, as if he was no stranger to physical work. The second man wore thick, dark blond hair pulled straight back in a band.

  Niles saw her and nodded. She waved and he hesitated before heading for her table. He said something to the other man, who followed but looked reluctant about it.

  “You’re an early bird,” Niles said. “Got your breakfast already, huh?”

  “Mine and six other people’s,” Leigh said. She had hoped to see him today and ask him about a possible stray dog. The stranger with Niles made her less comfortable about asking questions.

  Two unsmilingly watchful, very noticeable men, standing close beside her, didn’t make for a relaxed feeling, yet when she looked directly at their faces, they weren’t actually watching her at all.

  Leigh cleared her throat and said, “Would you like to join me? It’s nice by the fire.” Despite his seriousness, seeing Niles again pleased her. He felt familiar.

  Niles sat down at once, tipped his chair onto its back legs, and gave her a slight smile.

  He did have the bluest eyes, and one of those rare male mouths you couldn’t look away from. Niles had a habit of keeping the edges of his top teeth pressed into his bottom lip. Leigh raised her eyebrows. She was surprising herself. It had been a very long time since she responded to a man but she was very aware of Niles.

  His companion shifted from foot to foot a couple of times and remained standing.

  “This is Sean Black,” Niles said. “He’s our next closest neighbor. His place is in the forest—literally. If you didn’t know where to look you’d never find it.”

  Sean’s quiet, unreadable expression didn’t suggest he cared if no one ever found his house, but it was the way his light brown eyes passed over her, never making total contact, that made the biggest impression on Leigh. She couldn’t seem to stop herself from studying him—repeatedly. His beard shadow, brows, and thick lashes were much darker than his hair.

  Coffee arrived for the men, delivered by Gabriel himself. “I need a word with both of you later,” he told the men. “I’ll give you a call.”

  From the artificially neutral tone of his voice and the intense look he gave Niles and Sean, Leigh figured he had something important and private to discuss. She also sensed that Gabriel was tense.

  “Later,” Niles said, breaking his gaze with Gabriel and turning his attention to Leigh again.

  She looked at her plate and gamely ate several mouthfuls of eggs, then drank some coffee.

  Gabriel walked away.

  “I burned the first of that wood last night,” Leigh said. Trying to read these people was senseless and not her affair. “Why don’t you let me pay for it? I thought I’d bake you something but that doesn’t seem enough.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t do anything,” Niles said, letting the front legs of his chair smack down on the floor. “It was Sean here who told me that tree needed to come down—and about your woodshed being empty. Gabriel thought you’d be glad to have the logs.”

  Sean kept his face half turned away and his weight on one leg. “Worked out well all the way around,” he said.

  “Well, thank you both, then.” Leigh wished he would look at her but she could feel how eager he was to get away.

  Sean gave her a sudden, piercing stare, excused himself, and went outside.

  “He’s always quiet,” Niles said. He frowned a little. “Interesting guy, huh?”

  “I don’t know enough about him to have an opinion.”

  “I think most women would like to know Sean. I have it on good authority that he’s a hunk. Or so Gabriel’s girlfriend, Molly, tells me.”

  Leigh raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t sure why she said, “I don’t tend to be impressed by the silent type.”

  “Really?” His frown disappeared.

  “I don’t suppose I could get you to eat some of this food?” Leigh said. Talking about her taste in men suddenly felt uncomfortable and she was eager to change the subject. “I don’t want to upset Cliff and Sally.”

  “You aren’t hungry?”

  She grimaced. “Not hungry enough to eat all this.”

  Niles actually grinned, and Leigh thought he ought to try it a lot more often. He demolished the bacon. Leigh rolled one of the sausages in a paper napkin. “For my dog,” she explained and inched the plate closer to Niles.

  He watched her with a little too much concentration for Leigh’s comfort.

  She couldn’t ask him about anything. He was a stranger.

  “What?” he said, his blue eyes never leaving her face. “Tell me.”

  Leigh sat straighter. Goosebumps shot out on her arms. “How do you know I wanted to say something?”

  He shrugged. “Just a hunch.”

  A hunch that made him seem as if he had read her mind.

  “Are there a lot of stray animals around here? A really big… ” She hesitated. In a low voice she went on, “dog, a really big dog came to my door last night. He was big enough to be scary.”

  Niles looked at her and said, “Almost black. Shaggy guy with big feet?”

  “Huge. Bigfoot with a dye job.”

  “Blue,” Niles said, finishing the last sausage. “That’s the name on his collar. He’s mostly Irish wolfhound, I think.”

  “The rest must be horse,” she said. “He really freaked me out.”

  Niles wiped his hands on a napkin. “Don’t be scared of him.” He put a hand over hers on the table but quickly took it away again. “He’s a pussycat. Hangs around with me when I’m working. If you’re worried about anything at all, just give me a shout on the phone.”

  The door opened again and three men came in, heading for a table in one corner but talking loudly enough about their plans for the day to be heard all over the room. “Amateur hunters,” Niles said as if that explained everything. “Looks like they starched their duds. Any wildlife should have a good laugh at that bunch.”

  Leigh nodded and sipped her coffee, but she was too distracted by thoughts of Blue to concentrate on what Niles was saying. “That dog was massive—biggest dog I’ve ever seen. But he was gentle enough. I hope he’s got someone taking care of him.”

  “Sure he does. He wouldn’t keep all that muscle and meat on him if he wasn’t being fed.”

  Niles’s tone was light, but when Leigh looked at him she saw his gaze was locked on the hunters, his eyes slightly narrowed. Leigh decided he looked Slavic, all angles and upward-slashing brows. Handsome—whatever that meant—and she had long ago decided that a positive reaction to male looks was more about the vibes you got from them than anything else.

  Gabriel stood behind the bar while Cliff went to take the hunters’ orders. Obviously the staff was lean and everyone doubled up.

  Niles touched her hand. “Hey, don’t talk about Blue to anyone else, okay? I’m always afraid some yahoo will get pie-eyed and pick him off when it’s getting dark one evening. They’d probably say they thought he was a bea
r or something. I keep an eye out for him.”

  “Pick him off?” Leigh’s tummy made a sickening roll. “Shoot him, you mean?”

  “Keep your voice down,” Niles said. “It’s not a big deal. I just wouldn’t want to see something happen to him is all.”

  “Um,” Leigh looked for the right words. “He is safe to have around, isn’t he? He wouldn’t do something… to my dog or anything?”

  Niles laughed and tipped his head back. “No! Geez, no. If I thought otherwise I’d tell you right off, but, no. So forget that. If anything, Blue would look after your guy.” Taking a drink of his coffee, Niles stared at Leigh, all humor in his expression gone. “What time did you get in this morning?” he asked.

  “Around seven or so.” She hadn’t forgotten Gabriel’s anxiousness about her driving around alone when things were really quiet.

  “Dark then,” Niles commented.

  “My car does have headlights,” she said with a smile. But his frown was back and she had the feeling he was stopping himself from saying more.

  “It’s a good idea to lock your doors as soon as you’re in the car,” Niles finally said. “And make sure they’re locked when it’s parked.”

  “Right.” There was no mistaking the menace in all these warnings, or her own queasy reaction.

  They fell silent. Leigh looked at Gabriel and saw how closely he watched the three men at their corner table.

  “Gabriel told us you worked for Microsoft,” Niles said, his voice returning to a lighter note. “What did you do?”

  “Games,” Leigh told him, her attention still on Gabriel’s watchfulness over some of his customers. “Developer.”

  “But you just gave it up?”

  “I felt like a new challenge.” And if she didn’t push herself to change, she could spend her forever between an office and an apartment in Seattle where she didn’t know or speak to a soul.

  “You’ll settle here,” he commented. “You’ll make friends.”

  Leigh began to wonder if her thoughts were written on her forehead. “I’m sure I will.”