What Belongs to Her (Harlequin Superromance)

by Rachel Brimble

  Grief for the little girl she once was, for the little girl forced to grow up overnight, pressed down on her chest. “It will.”

  “It won’t.” He lifted his hand to her jaw. “Your happiness is out there for the taking. It’s not in Funland. It’s anywhere but there. Why won’t you see that?”

  Tears gathered and fell, slipping down her cheeks. “I’m scared. I don’t really know anything but the fair. It’s all I have.”

  He brushed the tears from her cheeks and leaned closer. He looked deep into her eyes before pressing a firm kiss to her mouth. “You have so much more. You have your liberty now. You know the truth. You know that staying at Funland is the last thing your grandfather wanted for you....” He kissed her again. “You have me.”

  Her heart hitched. “You?”

  “If you want me.” He smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips, her jaw and lower to her neck.

  Sasha closed her eyes as a myriad of emotions whipped through her. She stole her hands onto the strong, muscular plane of his shoulders and held on. She tipped her head back and relished the pain and pleasure of his teeth nipping at her skin. How could she consider a relationship with him, when the real passion burning like fire inside her was to right the wrongs that happened that fateful summer? What did she really have to give such a wonderfully strong and determined man, when she continued to live so steadfastly in the past? He deserved a woman whose heart was filled with him, adored him and made his needs as high a priority as hers.

  She eased him back and drew his hands from her face. “I need to know if I’m wrong about making the fair good again. I have to know if it’s possible to stand true to what you love and not turn away when something evil threatens its very existence. Tell me you understand that.” She kissed his mouth. “Please.”

  Sasha’s heart pounded in her ears. She wanted him to say he’d stay in Templeton, stay with her and wait for her as they returned Funland to its former glory together, but she had no right. No right to smear her pain over what she hoped would soon be a bright and happy life for him.

  He raised her knuckles to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss there. “I don’t understand, but I won’t stand in your way.” He lowered her hands into her lap and shifted in his seat to face front. He slipped his hands from hers and gripped the steering wheel. “The fair is yours, but I’m leaving.” He met her eyes. “You’re a stronger person than me because I can’t stand true to somebody I love when something evil threatens her very existence, and I’m truly sorry about that.”

  He turned the ignition and the powerful engine roared to life. Sasha stared at his hardened profile as he rejoined the traffic, her heart splintering a little more with each mile they covered on their way back into the Cove.

  * * *

  JOHN JABBED THE end call button on his cell and tossed it onto the sofa cushion beside him. He dropped his head back and pushed his hands into his hair. Three days. Three days since he’d dropped Sasha at home and they’d spoken their last words to each other. He’d lost count how many messages he’d left on her cell and her home phone. Lost count how many times he’d “dropped by” her apartment in the hope of changing her mind about pursuing her need to put Funland back the way it was before her abuse.

  She never once opened the door to him.

  How could she not see it was impossible to change the past? How could she not understand she would continue to hurt unless she made the decision to move on? He’d finally done it and was ready to live the life he should have been living before his father sent for him and made him pursue further ghosts, further hurt.

  John stared toward the huge doors opening onto Kyle’s back garden. In the distance, the For Sale sign glinted in the midafternoon sun, lit up like a beacon for anyone rich enough to be passing the back of Kyle’s mansion by boat.

  His other properties were now up for sale, too. John smiled. Best of all, it was time to go and deliver the news to the husband-and-wife team he’d learned got things done in Templeton. The man who owned most of Templeton and the woman who protected it. If there were any two people who could ensure Kyle’s money was used in the best way possible, it was Mr. and Mrs. Jay Garrett.

  Unable to sit still or waste another moment brooding over the impossible dream Sasha might leave Templeton with him, John pushed to his feet. With adrenaline rushing through him, he snatched his keys from the kitchen counter and headed for the front door.

  He drove through town and toward Clover Point, purposely avoiding looking at the picturesque views, the promenade, Marian’s bakery and every place he’d grown fond of. It would serve no purpose to linger on the good stuff in Templeton. He’d store it in a box in his memory along with Sasha—firmly locked and marked Do Not Open.

  Gritting his teeth, he pressed on the gas and ate up the steep incline toward the Garretts’ home. A few minutes later, he drew the car to a halt outside their golden-brown cabin and let out a low whistle from between his teeth. “What a beauty.”

  The cabin was amazing. Enormous but not ostentatious. Grand, yet homey. He got out of the car and as soon as he stepped onto the gravel driveway, the front door swung open and a man John assumed was Jay Garrett came down the steps toward him...closely followed by his wife, DI Garrett.

  John took a few steps closer, forcing a smile on his face despite the apprehension that this meeting might not go as he hoped. He offered his hand. “Jay?”

  “Yes, indeed. Nice to meet you, John.” A broad smile split Jay Garrett’s face as he firmly clasped John’s hand. “Cat’s told me a lot about you.”

  John slid his gaze to DI Garrett and raised an eyebrow. “All good I hope?”

  A soft smile played at her lips, her intelligent green eyes neutral in their welcome. “Good and bad, Mr. Jordon. Good and bad.”

  John laughed. “I didn’t know I’d done anything bad in the short time I’ve been here.”

  “You just being here is enough for Marian to poison our minds.” She smiled. “If anyone chose to take her seriously, of course.”

  The soft teasing in her eyes told John the inspector made up her own mind one way or another. He shrugged and shook her hand. “Well, I won’t be arguing with the formidable Marian anytime soon.”

  “Intelligent man.” She dropped his hand and gestured toward the cabin. “Why don’t we go inside? I’ve been looking forward to your arrival.”

  She turned and led the way toward the cabin. John glanced at Jay, who smiled. “She likes to think she’s the boss at home as well as the station.”

  John grinned. “Isn’t she?”

  He clapped John on the shoulder. “That’s between me and her. If I told you the truth, she’d damn well kill me.”

  Laughing, John walked toward the cabin. The welcome he’d received had knocked him off-kilter, and he had a sneaking suspicion that since his phone call yesterday, DI Garrett had most likely spoken to Sasha as well as Liam Browne. Even though Sasha wouldn’t talk to John directly, he couldn’t imagine she would have she said anything negative about him.

  He drew in a long breath and shoved away the pain that shot like a bullet into his heart. God, he longed to see her and talk to her, to convince her to leave Templeton and come with him. Deep inside, he knew there was nothing he could do or say to make her believe it was time for her to let Funland go. The determination in her dark and beautiful eyes left no room for argument. He could only pray she came looking for him if his belief that her mission would only bring further trouble was ever proven right.

  The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted him as John stepped inside the cabin. As the coffee scent hit his nostrils, his eyes feasted on pure, unadulterated luxury. The cabin was probably worth equally as much as Kyle’s place, but that was where the similarity ended. Rich, oak beams crisscrossed the enormous living room; huge sofas and bookshelves lined every wall.

  He shook his head. “Wow, this is my idea of a house.”

  Jay smiled. “Ours, too. Why don’t you take a seat? Do you want cof
fee?”

  “Great. Thank you.” John chose to sit on the armchair opposite the sofa where DI Garrett sat perched on the arm.

  When he met her eyes, she was steadily studying him, the smile that had curved her lips when they’d been outside was somewhat diminished. She coughed. “So, we’ve read the papers Mr. Browne dropped here last night and we understand your proposition.” She frowned. “A proposition that, if I’m perfectly honest, I’m more than a little wary of, considering who your father is. Plus, it’s only been days since we found Freddy Campton guilty of planting class A drugs on property owned by you. What on earth could you have to say to me—”

  “Us,” Jay interrupted and raised his eyebrows. “Mr. Jordon wanted to speak to us, Cat.”

  She shot her husband a glare. “Fine. Us.” She faced John, a faint blush darkening her cheeks. “That could make us consider what you’re proposing.”

  John took the cup of coffee Jay offered and looked from DI Garrett to Jay and back again. Never before had he felt so sure he was doing the right thing. Never before had he met two people who seemed so right together. A quiet yet palpable tension emanated between DI Garrett and her husband. He couldn’t help wondering if the inspector realized Jay didn’t take his eyes off her for more than two minutes at a time.

  John inwardly smiled. He was confident Kyle’s money would be spent in the right way once he left it in their capable hands. He took a sip of his coffee and then placed the cup on the low table in front of him. He leaned his forearms on his thighs. “I want to give you every penny of Kyle’s money.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?”

  He grinned as DI Garrett’s and Jay’s voices joined, their disbelieving gazes not that dissimilar, either. He started again. “I want to give you Kyle’s money—”

  “Why?”

  “Why?”

  “Do you always echo each other? Or is it the prospect of anything of my father’s coming into your hands bringing on this weird phenomenon?”

  DI Garrett scowled at him and then Jay. “Is this guy insane or is it me?”

  Jay shook his head and turned to John. He sat on the sofa, moving up close to where Cat was perched. He put his cup on the table and slid his hand onto the inspector’s thigh. She appeared oblivious, and John guessed there weren’t many times when these two were together and not in some sort of physical contact.

  Ignoring the pull in his chest that felt far too much like longing, John flicked his gaze to Jay’s. “Are you saying no?”

  Jay frowned. “Why would you want to give us Kyle’s money?”

  “It makes complete sense. I want you to be the executors to his entire estate. I will give you power of attorney to every penny. There will be more when his houses are sold.”

  DI Garrett crossed her arms. “Why would you even think I want anything to do with Kyle’s immoral earnings? You know I’m a cop, right?”

  “Everything he has left after the police seized what he owed, is now his...or rather, mine. You and I both know their origin can’t be proven, no matter what we might think. I want you—” he looked at Jay “—to use them to help the people at the center. Use the money to open more all over southwest England, if possible.” He grinned. “It will fill me with more satisfaction than I could possibly tell you to know that after all the wrong Kyle has done throughout his years in Templeton, he’ll leave this earth having done something irrevocably good.”

  Jay looked at his wife and their eyes met, identical frowns furrowing their foreheads.

  When seconds passed with neither of them speaking or even looking away from each other, John pressed on. “You’ve read through the paperwork. Liam’s told you it’s all perfectly legal and aboveboard, right?”

  Jay shifted forward on the sofa and dragged his eyes from the inspector’s. “Of course, but why us? You know how we feel about Kyle.”

  John lifted his shoulders. “It’s because of those feelings that it makes complete sense it should be you and DI Garrett ensuring this money is used the right way. Simple.”

  They shook their heads.

  “You’re insane.”

  “You’re insane.”

  John laughed as DI Garrett and Jay glared at each other as though it was the other’s fault they kept saying the same thing. Satisfaction wound a warm knot in John’s stomach. It felt good being there and giving Kyle’s money to the woman who put him in prison and the man who obtained his damn crack house to make it a drop-in center.

  “So...is it a yes or no?” He raised his eyebrows.

  They searched each other’s faces before they turned and grinned. “It’s a yes.”

  John wasn’t surprised when they answered in unison.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  SASHA STOOD IN the doorway of the Funland office and stared out into the deserted fairground. Since its reopening a week before, she’d waited for a sense of coming home to whip through her...but it had yet to come. For days she’d avoided John’s phone calls and his intermittent arrivals at her apartment. She’d ignored his incessant ringing of her doorbell, knowing seeing him or speaking to him again would just be too painful.

  No matter how strong her yearning to talk to him, she stood firm.

  Yet, her enforced separation was futile.

  Another week had passed since he’d left Templeton, and her heart still lay heavy with a strange sense of bereavement, equal to that of when her grandfather died. She couldn’t sleep or eat. Concentration and focusing on even the most menial tasks had disappeared the moment she walked away from John’s car the last time she saw him.

  Now it neared midnight on the eighth night since he’d gone, and she was lonelier than ever.

  The last group of giggling, screaming and undoubtedly drunk teenagers had lumbered past her through the gates an hour before, oblivious to her presence. Much the same as she’d been oblivious to the cruel, heartbreaking aftermath of turning away from the most wonderful man she’d ever met.

  Sasha turned back into the office, slamming the door behind her. She’d made her decision. John had laid himself bare to her and told her he was hers if she wanted him and she’d refused him.

  She dropped into her chair. She was entirely alone. Funland was hers to do with as she pleased without having to answer to Kyle, Freddy or anyone else. So where was her excitement? Where was her passion and fire to get on with things and start making her dreams for the place come true?

  “God damn it.”

  She slapped her palm onto the desk as frustration at her stupid, yearning heart and its unerring need to punish her. Her gaze fell on the two envelopes that sat on her desk, tormenting her. The buff-colored envelope contained the deed to the fair, all signed and sealed with her name emblazoned at the top. She’d squealed with delight when she opened it and then cried when she opened the second envelope that now lay next to it. The second envelope couldn’t be more different than the first. This one shone in all its tempting red-and-white glory, was significantly flamboyant...and contained a ferry ticket.

  The letter that accompanied the ticket was in her apartment trash can, ripped to a million pieces so no one would ever see the blot of her tears blurring John’s words. He’d left Templeton...and in his words, “would never come back.”

  He’d left, but not without pleading with her one more time to come with him and leave Funland and her pain behind. Left, but not without telling her his address and enclosing an open-ended ferry ticket out of the Cove, should she ever change her mind.

  She swiped at her cheeks. Who did that? What sort of person gave another human being an open invitation to be with them, when the human being in question had so resolutely rejected them?

  A person like John Jordon.

  Her heart ached to go to him; her mind told her to stay exactly where she was and work on obliterating the evil that lingered in every inch of Funland since that fateful summer. Her heart beat for John; her mind burned with Matt Davidson.

  She stared blindly through the windows
toward the darkened fair. All day long the lights had seemed too bright, the rides and music too loud. Where was her joy in it? Where was the burning need to be there? It was as though it had packed up and slipped into John’s suitcase when she wasn’t looking.

  “I have to do this, God damn it.” She pushed away from the desk and marched into the kitchen.

  She filled the kettle and flicked it on, gripping the counter in an effort to steady the thundering pain in the very center of her chest.

  So many people wanted her to leave Funland and all it entailed. Her grandfather, her mother, John...even Kyle, but if she did that, her molester had won. He would have taken the only thing she’d ever loved and destroyed it, right along with her self-worth.

  Sasha reached for a cup in the cupboard and her hand froze around the handle.

  The only thing I’ve ever loved is the fair...the only person I’ve ever loved is John. Am I wrong to stay here? Am I sacrificing the man I am meant to spend the rest of my life with for a place a monster violated the day he violated me?

  “What am I doing?” she whispered. “God, what have I done?”

  A sharp and powerful panic stole the air from her lungs and set her heart pounding. She turned and stared around the kitchen as if seeing it for the very first time. She stared at the counter on the opposite side of the room, her heart racing. Right there he’d made love to her, taken her body and heart in a single moment in time. Right there, her world had shifted and she fled from John and his power, blaming and lashing out, fearing what this new feeling toward someone else meant.

  Trembling, she marched from the kitchen into the office and snatched up her cell. She punched in Leah’s number.

  “Hey, you.” Leah’s delighted greeting came down the line. “Long time, no hear.”

  Sasha swallowed against the dryness in her throat. “Listen. I’ve got something to say and I want you to hear me out. Once I’m done, don’t hold back.”

  Silence.

  “Leah?”

  “I’m listening.”