As they walked around the side to the back of the house, Dee described the two bedrooms, one bath, living room, and eat-in kitchen. “I could set up an office in the second bedroom,” she said as her fingers sketched the rooms in the air.
“Do you have a computer? Is the house wired for cable?” He kept his tone casual.
“Ed says it is. He says it’s only been empty two years.”
“Has it only been two years?” He recalled the stories about the son’s fiancé deserting him. The abandonment had driven the son to leave the farm—the only home he’d ever known, the only work he’d ever done—and move to the city.
A life destroyed by love.
As they stepped around the back of the house, Jared stopped to test the strength of the support studs of the deck. There was more give than he liked. One strong tug and the thing would come down. He examined the steps, walked up them, and checked the decking planks. “This deck isn’t too sound,” he said.
Dee shrugged, her gaze fixed on the line of trees that ran along the west side of the house and obscured it from the highway.
Her thoughts were transparent. “The only place you can see this house from the road is up there.” He pointed east toward a single, tall hill. “And even there you have to be looking for it. These trees”—he nodded toward the stand of pines—“provide a lot of cover.”
She studied the hill, a crease forming between her brows, her teeth tugging at her bottom lip.
“What needs to be done before you move in?”
Dee shook her head as if to dispel her thoughts. “I didn’t say I was moving in. Ray just wanted me to look at it. He wanted me to have options.”
Options. Yeah, it was just like Ray the Matchmaker to toss around options. But he was on to the schemer, a step ahead of that game. Still, Dee needed to stay. She needed to face whatever was behind her. And since Ray had managed to get her to at least consider it, he could forgive the bartender’s interference. Just this once.
Jared ran his hand along the railing as he came down the steps. “You might want to have Ed brace the deck before you use it much.”
Dee followed as he walked toward the pine-filled woods. The late summer heat baked the scatter of fallen needles into a crunchy brown carpet. The pungent scent surrounded them.
“What about furniture?” Jared asked.
“It’s already furnished. Ed covered everything with cloths when his son left.”
“That was a hard time for Ed.”
Dee lifted eyes full of sadness. “I know. He told me.”
Ed had rarely been capable of more than a surly grunt. Now he was sharing family secrets. The day was full of wonders.
“He says all I have to do is remove the cloths and do a little cleaning.”
Jared lifted a low sweeping branch and allowed her to pass.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To the car. It’s too hot to stay out here much longer. And I’m hungry.”
A grin flashed across her face then just as quickly disappeared beneath furrowed brows. “The car’s out front.”
Placing a hand at the small of her back, Jared ushered her deeper into the woods. “The drive is just ahead of us. It’ll be easier to walk along it than to go back through that hay.”
They rounded another tree, and the woods ended abruptly beside a dirt path. The parallel tracks were deeply rutted, this part of the drive obviously used more than the front.
“The old farm house is that way”—Jared nodded toward the back of the path—“about a quarter of a mile back.” He studied the drive, the way it dwindled to a grass-covered track just to the front of the son’s house. A tangle of wild shrubs and scrawny trees overran it near the highway.
“What’s this?”
Jared looked over just as Dee, on tiptoe, reached out to the pale pink flowers at the top of a fat, leafy plant.
“Don’t…” Her hand, his words, all seemed to move in slow motion.
“…touch…” Her body leaned in to the wide green leaves as her fingers wrapped around the stalk.
“Eewww,” she shrieked. “Get it off me.”
Before Jared could take a step, she’d lifted her other hand to swat at the leaves that clung to her neck, her clothes.
“Help!” She thrashed, the plant consuming her as her movements spun her deeper into the sticky-leafed embrace.
“Don’t move,” Jared’s mouth fought to form words as he struggled against the building laughter.
“I can’t get out,” she shouted as she twisted.
He approached with caution, staying clear of flailing arms. “I’ll get you out, but you’ve got to be still. You don’t want it in your hair.”
Dee stopped dead still.
“What is this?” She shuddered as Jared, with two fingers, pried a leaf from her shoulder.
“Tobacco,” he stated as he peeled another leaf from the front of her shirt, trying not to stare at the trail of glistening moisture the leaves had deposited on her curves. “It’s nasty stuff this time of year. You’re going to want to stay away from it.”
Freed from the plant, Dee stepped back, holding her arms stiff and away from her body. “What did they put on it?” She forcefully separated her fingers from the palms of her hands.
“Nothing. Tobacco has a natural resin.” The droplets were already turning to dark stains. “Tobacco comes like that?” she asked, as they started down the driveway.
“Yeah.”
“And people smoke it?”
He tipped his head in agreement.
“Every puff pulls that gooey stuff into their lungs?” Rolling her eyes, she gave an exaggerated sigh. “That’s disgusting.”
His easy grin slid from his face as he unlocked his car. His gaze shifted between the fine, black leather seat and Dee.
“This is going to be a problem,” Dee said, peering over his shoulder. “I can’t get in your car like this. How do I get it off?”
“There’s only one thing I know that gets it off. And it’s at the station.”
“Really, I can’t get in your car. Just go get…”
Jared lifted a finger to her mouth, silencing her protest. “I’m not leaving you here.” The contrast of his olive-toned finger against her milk-white skin was fascinating. The softness of her lips, their texture mesmerized him.
Dee inched back, tucking those lips between her teeth, and the moment was gone.
What was the matter with him? Abuse and fear rode too close in her past. He knew the signs. She wasn’t ready, didn’t need a guy hounding her now. Shaking his head in self-disgust, Jared popped the trunk, pulled out a blanket, and spread it over the leather seat. “Climb in,” he said as he stood aside.
Her arms were bright red beneath her scrubbing hands, but the sticky resin remained.
“You can wash up at the service station while I check on your car.”
****
“You don’t have to sit out here with me.”
Carrying the tray loaded with cheeseburgers, fries and shakes, Jared followed her out of the air-conditioned building.
“Really,” she insisted. “It’s too hot out here, even in the shade.”
Jared set the tray on a concrete table shaded by a red and white umbrella and perched on the bench across from her. She’d chosen a table closest to the parking lot, the building providing shelter from the busy road. “I’ll eat inside if you do.”
Dee snatched a fry and tossed it at him, a tiny grin tugging at her lips. “You know I can’t. No one would be able to eat if they had to smell these fumes.”
The sharp, noxious odor of gasoline surrounded her. He had to give her credit: aside from the shocked look, she hadn’t complained when he’d handed her the gasoline-soaked rag to remove the resin. And she’d tossed her ruined outfit with a certain stoicism.
Maybe it helped that a change of clothes, dirty and wadded up in the back seat of her car, was easily accessible. But still, she surprised him.
“You d
o reek,” he deadpanned.
A second fry bounced off his nose. “Seriously….”
“Look, I’ve got to stay out here,” he said. “I’ve got to warn everyone against lighting matches around you.”
Dee gasped and snatched another fry, stared into his eyes for a second, then folded the crispy strip in her mouth. “I may share one or two,” she said, “but you can’t have them all. I’m starved.”
He laughed, and together they dug into the food. When was the last time he’d felt this easy with a woman? When she forgot to be afraid, her green eyes sparkled, and she was fresh and funny and cute. Maybe he could understand the taciturn Ed spilling his guts to her.
“So when are you going to decide about the house?” He polished off his last bite of burger and made a point of staring at her food.
Narrowing her eyes, Dee lowered a finger and inched her box of fries farther from his reach. “I told Ed I’d let him know tomorrow.”
He grinned. The woman was fun.
“What time?” He deliberately studied the last of her burger.
She lifted a shoulder. “Sometime in the afternoon. I’m supposed to call him after I meet with Ray again.” Holding his gaze with her steady eyes, Dee stuffed the last bite of burger in her mouth.
“You’re meeting with Ray?”
“He wants to talk about remodeling. Maybe sign a contract.”
“A contract?” he said as his hand whipped across the table.
Just as his fingers grazed the near-empty box of fries, Dee snatched it, stood and towered over him, an outraged queen.
Jared lowered his head and glanced at her through his lashes. “I just wanted one more,” he wheedled.
As if his words were a trigger, Dee’s hand shot across the table.
He grasped her wrist before she could dump the fries on his head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’re setting a bad example for the kids,” he said, nodding toward the glass walls of the fast-food joint.
Dee turned. Four small, chubby-cheeked faces pressed against the glass, eyes round, expressions hopeful. Returning her attention to him, Dee stretched her mouth to one side in a this-is-so-lame look and lowered the box in front of him. “You wanted one more?”
He nodded, feigning a pitiful look.
“Well, take two. And never let me hear you say I’m not generous.”
Knowing he had an avid audience couldn’t stop him. Jared snagged all the fries and stuffed them in his mouth as a chorus of muffled cheers and shrieks drifted through the glass.
“You are such a pig,” she muttered as she flipped the box upside down and shook it before tossing it in the trash bin.
Her hands were elegant—fingers long and slender with shiny nails. She had toned arms. And breasts…yeah, she had them, too. Soft and high, and enough to make a man….
He took a slow, deep breath, and pushed the thought away. The woman made him forget himself. Who knew laughter and food fights were aphrodisiacs?
Maybe he’d let Ray work on keeping her around. Lord knew she needed help of every kind. Ray and Ed were seeing to her shelter. Given the handful of clothes—no suitcase—in the back of her car, she needed a job, too.
He winced. Surely a graphic designer, whatever they did, could find work in the area without having to change the bar. But ultimately, she needed protection. He would find out what she was running from. That was on him.
As they started toward the parking lot, Jared couldn’t help but notice the way her head reached his shoulder. If…when he had her in his arms, she’d align perfectly with him.
“You’re moving in tomorrow?” he asked.
“I didn’t say I was moving in. I said I might. I’m meeting Ray again tomorrow.”
“Where are you staying tonight?” The words popped out as fast as they entered his mind.
Dee jerked to a halt. Her teeth worried at her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
Those words, the first crack in her wall of fear, pounded through him.
“Stay at my place.” He’d meant to gentle the idea into a question, but her vulnerability, her absolute belief that trouble was right behind her—heck, everything about her—stole the gentle right out of him.
“Uh.” She swallowed hard and looked out over the parking lot. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
No, it wasn’t a good idea. It was a great idea. A fantastic, stupendous idea. He couldn’t regret the offer, wouldn’t take it back. She needed him, whether she knew it or not. “I have three bedrooms. It’s not like I’m suggesting…anything.”
Uncertainty filled her eyes. “Look, I….”
A state patrol car pulled into the space in front of them, stopping inches from their legs.
Dee took a quick step back.
Jared groaned.
“Hey, Jared. Is this the missing woman?”
Jared bristled as he watched his friend and fellow officer Mike Flanders, quickly catalogue the way they were standing. The way Jared had taken a protective step in front of her.
With a nod, Jared made the introductions. “Mike has lived in this town all his life.”
“Hi.”
Her single word response, spoken in little more than a whisper, caught his attention.
Jared recognized Mike’s step-by-step study of her. Of them. He was fact-gathering. He’d probably call Geri at dispatch as soon as he got back in the car. Ragging on each other was a favorite pastime during routine, monotonous patrolling.
“Glad he found you safe, ma’am,” Mike said with a grin.
“I didn’t know I was missing.”
Jared caught the slight tremor in her voice. “When I found your car abandoned,” he turned to explain, “I thought you’d wandered off to get help.”
Her lips thinned. “I didn’t abandon my car.”
“He called in a ‘missing persons.’ Got everybody looking for you,” Mike chimed in, a choirboy’s innocent expression settling over his features.
Dee gasped. “What?”
“I didn’t report you missing.” Jared shot Mike a cease-and-desist look. “I called dispatch for a wrecker, and when Geri found out you were new to the area, she volunteered to have the guys look for you.”
“I’ve never been missing.” She took another step back, her green eyes gone round and haunted. “It was just a mistake.”
Her upset was understandable. She was trying to hide; now there were lots of people looking for her. But they were the good guys; she should feel comforted.
“She was up on Trumble’s property,” Jared said. “My mistake.”
“Well, somebody”—Mike directed a pointed look at Jared—“should notify dispatch that she’s been found.”
Jared winced inwardly. What was it about her that distracted him so? Twisted him up inside, erasing common sense, making him forget long-ingrained procedure? When he’d asked her to stay, he visualized her in his house, moving among his things. Their things. The idea of her there for more than one night held appeal.
His heart gave a hard kick against his ribs. The irony wasn’t lost on him. He, Mr. Nice and Easy, was dreaming of long term with a woman who was dreaming of the next town.
Mike leaned into his cruiser and placed the call to dispatch.
A sullen breeze kicked up, pushing at the cloying heat. Flashes of deep red captured his vision as a strand of her hair lifted then swirled around the pale column of her neck. He had four more weeks of rehab left before attempting to go back to active duty. Four weeks to focus on her.
Finished with his call, Mike came around the car and leaned on the front of the hood. “So is her car okay?”
Dee snorted. “There was nothing wrong with it.”
“She needed a new front tire,” Jared said, folding his arms over his chest. It was obvious Mike had orders from Geri.
“Jared said you’re new to the area. Where are you from?”
Oh yeah, the fishing expedition had begun.
Her lips tightened. “California.”
Another ping hit Jared’s radar. Her car had Ohio tags. He was sure of it.
“What do you do for a living?” Mike inquired.
Jared rolled his eyes. Mike wasn’t even trying to be subtle.
“I’m a graphic designer,” she answered with unmistakable pride.
“Business must be good in California,” Mike said.
Dee shrugged, her lips disappearing between her teeth.
The subtle tensing of Mike’s body, the tiny crease that marred his brow, had Jared straightening, his stomach going hollow.
“How’d you wind up in central Kentucky?” Mike’s voice was friendly, his manner easy. The good cop mode.
Instinctively, Jared’s insides settled to a low-level hum of readiness.
No matter what instructions Geri had given, Mike was taking this too far. It felt like an interrogation, and she was already too skittish.
But when she hesitated to answer, when her gaze turned vague and drifted away for a second, a cold slide of sweat snaked down his neck.
“Actually, I missed a couple of turns,” she finally answered. “When I figured out where I was, I aimed for Lexington.” Her lips lifted in a small, self-deprecating smile. “I missed that, too.”
Mike drew in a slow breath, his good humor evaporating as his gaze tagged Jared before settling on Dee. “What kind of car do you drive, Dee?”
“A Mustang,” she answered. “A red Mustang.”
“With Ohio tags?”
Her brows furrowed. “I guess.”
“Do you know your license number?”
Mike’s gaze hit Jared again, his shoulder lifting, a clear apology.
For the first time in nearly an hour, Jared became aware of the gasoline fumes that surrounded Dee. Nausea clawed up his throat.
Dee shook her head, her eyes crinkling in confusion.
Mike turned to Jared. “It’s at Charlie’s?”
Jared could only nod.
“Mind if we go look at it?”
Dee’s face went pale, her expression blank.
Mike straightened and opened the passenger side doors. “We got an APB on a stolen car,” his said, his voice crisp, solid. “A red Mustang, 2005, with Ohio plates.”
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 234
