WindSwept Narrows: #13 Charity, Faith & Hope

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “I…I honestly don’t know,” Hope couldn’t stop the shudder racing through her, her brain working to remember what he’d told her to say. “We were reading and Mina fell asleep. My…my husband was working downstairs. Some…person…he shoved the door open and…and grabbed me…and I screamed…why was he in our house? What did he want?” She heard the confusion in her own voice even as the words broke free. “I heard crashing on the stairs…” She looked from one to the other, a little frantic.

  “I think we have all we need, sir, ma’am…”

  “Is he…did he…” Hope looked from one to the other, their grim expressions answering her questions. “Oh god…”

  “Hope…” Devon took hold of her shoulders again. “No…stay with me, honey…”

  “I’m good…I’m sorry…I…someone died…” she forced a deep breath into her lungs, sitting upright, hands out to steady her. “I’m good…”

  “They’re cleaning things up now, Mr. Alexander. If the prosecutor’s office has any further questions, we’ll be in touch,” the officer nodded at Hope and left them alone.

  “I have to go downstairs,” Devon bent his head to peer into her eyes. “Okay?”

  “Yeah…oh, yeah…I’m good…”

  “You did good with the police, but with me, you’re a lousy liar, Hope,” he said with a chuckle, glancing at his daughter. “I’m just glad she slept through the whole thing. I owe you,” he told her solemnly, striding from the room and going below to finish dealing with the police.

  Hope felt her stomach give another lurch when she heard the sounds below.

  She just killed a man.

  And she lied to the police, her mind whimpered, laying back and pulling the blankets over her head.

  “I just got a new job,” she wailed softly. “I don’t want to go to jail…”

  “I’ll do my best to see that doesn’t happen,” Devon commented with a low chuckle, watching the sudden explosion of dark brown hair appear, the blanket stopping just below a pair of very wide, very dark eyes. “Devon Alexander.”

  “Hello,” Hope answered, swallowing hard. “I killed a man and lied to the police!” She whispered hoarsely.

  He took a slow inventory. Her features were delicate, and she would have been simply cute if not for her stubbornly set mouth and arresting dark eyes which transformed her into stunning. With her golden tanned skin, dark hair and long lithe body, he was positive she was the feature of many men's illicit daydreams. Her hair had been pinned out of her face, but that was many hours ago and the tendrils of her somewhat unruly mane had begun to slip free.

  “Technically, the fall killed him,” he winced as she fell back on the bed, the blanket over her head. “Not that I’m questioning my good fortune, but how is it you came to be inside my house?”

  “I didn’t listen to the voices that said don’t go into the haunted house,” she mumbled from inside her cocoon.

  “Think we could do this face to face, Hope?” He asked, watching as she slowly lowered the blanket and sat upright. He didn’t remember his shirt ever looking quite that curved. “Haunted house?” He prompted, leaning back in the chair and studying her. There were no rings on her hands, the deep brown hair barely touched her neck and he had a glimpse of something gold dangling from each ear. “Is there someone waiting up for you, Hope?”

  “Waiting…no, no…” her head shook slowly, long legs pulled so she could sit cross legged, elbows on her knees. “My room mates are a little self involved at the moment and wouldn’t notice I was gone until the food ran out. I start a new job on Monday! I’m not sure they’ll hire me if I have a felony breaking and entering! Oh, let’s not forget the murder part…” she said with a groan. “Only I didn’t break in! The door was already broken…”

  “I know…and I’ll have to check in the morning to find out how he bypassed the gate security,” Devon told her flatly. “And once more…I don’t intend to turn you over to the police, Hope. Just remember the story and we’re fine. It’s called home owner self defense. He was threatening my family,” Devon felt the surge of anger in him once more.

  “He was going to kidnap her…” Hope whispered softly.

  “I didn’t give him the answer he wanted,” he supplied tonelessly.

  “I heard the crash…you knocked something over when you fell.”

  “How were you close enough to hear that?” He asked, trying to get back to the beginning.

  Hope closed her eyes, sighing thickly. “I run in the evenings, usually after work. And I run in this old world part of Defiance Point. I’ve run here for a couple years, the house I’m sharing is just outside this area. So I’m familiar with…with things…around the homes. You moved in about a year ago. I saw the renovations. I talked to the person installing the security on the gate. There was ever only one large black car under the carport. The gates were always locked at night,” she outlined things in her memory.

  Devon felt his brows arch, impressed at her observations.

  “When I came around the corner tonight, all that was off. He parked his car and left it running by the back door. The house was dark and your door was broken,” Hope dragged two sets of fingers through the short, thick hair. “I…went inside and heard you arguing then the crash. It…it didn’t feel like a robbery, so that meant he was after something else. I heard you moaning so I knew he left you alive…” She met his eyes and shrugged. “Logic…he went upstairs, so I went up the back stairs…and I got there first,” she looked down at the little body curled against the pillow. “She’s tiny…I wrapped her in the blanket and went back to the kitchen. She woke up enough for me to tell her we were playing hide and seek…and that she wasn’t to speak to anyone but me or daddy.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for that, Hope. Sincerely…”

  “Her mother?”

  “Maggie died when Mina was six months old…cancer…”

  “I’m sorry,” Hope whispered.

  “She won’t remember…that’s one pain I can spare her in her life,” he said quietly.

  “What did he want from you?” Hope asked carefully, taking a mental inventory of the man with his head back on the cushioned chair. His hair was a dirty blond and his eyes a light brown. He had a shadow forming and she knew from his hands on her shoulders, he was strong beneath that button down shirt and casual slacks.

  “A hotel in Seattle. He wanted me to bow out so his people could buy it,” he said flatly. “I should have been smarter,” he shook his head, his hand up and rubbing the back of his head with a wince.

  “He hit you…” Hope was out of the bed, ignoring the lack of clothing, she moved to his side. “Let me see…” her fingers were gentle, parting the hair and biting her lip. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

  “Under the cabinet in the bathroom,” he turned his head, watching the expanse of long leg, the barest hint of lace peeking out at the hem of his tee shirt. She walked toward him, head bent and hand rummaging in the white kit she set on the table beside the chair.

  “Hold still…this might sting…” she warned, dabbing gently at the dried blood. “Not deep enough for stitches…but you might not wash your head for a day or so,” she dropped the gauze and picked up a fresh piece, dousing it with antiseptic before dabbing up more of the blood. “It’s about an inch long…”

  “Nursing your career?” He asked casually.

  “Good grief, no…I had a couple brothers who were always in need of first aid, though. I’m an admin. I was just offered a job with the resort,” she shared her information excitedly, carefully keeping her voice low. “They’re opening an office to help people financially plan their futures and use their money wisely. It’s an amazing opportunity for me. I was getting terribly bored at the bank.” She gathered the things and carried them back to the bathroom, returning and trying to recall where she’d left her clothing. “I really should be going.”

  “It would be best if you didn’t,” Devon said after a few seconds of silence. “If the
police are looking for you, it would be more convincing if you were here.”

  “But I don’t live here,” she pointed out, hands flying in the air. “I live with a couple of crazy people bent on driving me insane with late teen hormones!” One palm few to her mouth.

  “A problem with room mates?” Devon asked cautiously.

  “Don’t mind my mouth,” she murmured, shaking her head. “This is the same mouth that said don’t go into the haunted house.”

  “What did you expect to find in the haunted house?” He asked, standing up and moving carefully towards her. A gleam sparked in his eyes, lighting up the amber color in the dim room.

  Hope swallowed and backed up a step, coming against the wall. “Oh...you know…the usual…vampires…werewolves…” she mumbled, frowning at the golden edges to his eyes. “Just…stories I make up when I run…”

  “The room on the other side of Mina is finished being remodeled, Hope,” he said easily, taking her palm and leading her into the hall.

  “Exactly why did I have to tell them I was your wife?” Bare toes flinched a little on the cold hardwood beneath them.

  “One would be to preserve your reputation,” he said evenly.

  “My…in this day and age?” She choked a little. “The truth…”

  “Would have you entering a house without permission and admitting to smacking the guy with the pan, Hope,” he pointed out, looking down at her expression. “The other reason is selfish. The people I’m working with to get the hotel deal in place are a little on the rigid side and I flat out don’t want the grief.”

  “If…if you’re working with them, aren’t they aware you’re not married?” She returned, clearing her throat to try and get her voice closer to its normal self.

  “I’ll think of something for that one…whirlwind romance kind of thing,” he told her tapping the light switch near the door.

  “It’s beautiful,” Hope stepped away from him. A huge walk in closet, a private bath and nice furniture, she mused, thinking of the things she’d pieced together in her little room. “Can’t have really nice things with roommates…you’re just never sure someone won’t borrow stuff…”

  “Have you always had roommates?” He watched her shrug as she wandered around the room. She looked up and pulled on the heavy drapes until the full length thick windows were bared on the other side of the bed.

  “A sister…parents with little money or time…friends…it’s hard to afford a place of your own here,” she licked her lips and faced him. “You’ll let me stay here? For how long?”

  “A month…maybe two,” Devon shrugged. “Give this stuff time to blow over,” he couldn’t guess her age. He was a little surprised she didn’t bulk at getting Mina to safety or hitting the guy with the frying pan. She only got nervous when she realized he had broken his neck on the way down the stairs. “I might need a favor, though, Hope.”

  “Favor?” suspicion immediately filled her frown.

  “I have some dinners to attend getting this hotel set up and all the principles pulled together…” He began immediately.

  “Oh…and you’ll need someone to take care of Mina,” she breathed, nodding immediately.

  “No, I’ll need someone as my wife,” he corrected. “If you don’t have the right clothing, I’ll give you my credit card and you can go shopping. This is very important to me and I don’t want to lose it.”

  “I…wife…like a date?” She really hated the height her voice got to when she was surprised.

  “Hmmm…a date with my wife…now there’s a concept that could go far towards world peace,” Devon said with a chuckle. “How about talk tomorrow? I think I’m about out of adrenaline tonight and my head is pounding. I’ll get your clothing from the other room. Do you think you could move your clothes or whatever in here tomorrow?”

  “I…yes, yes…alright…” Hope figured the evening was filled with surprises and snap decisions. Why not one more? She waited, accepting the shoes and clothes at the door. “Good night.”

  “Good night, Hope,” Devon pulled the door closed, rubbing his neck and heading down the stairs to his office for a little research before bed.

  Hope stood in the center of the large room and quickly grabbed up a pillow off the bed, screaming into the fluffy white rectangle before lowering it enough so her eyes could be seen. She tossed the pillow back to the bed, her voice a low, disbelieving whisper.

  “I have a room of my own!” Bare feet that belonged to a ten year old instead of a thirty-four year old ran to the bathroom door, another squeal breaking from behind her palm.

  “I have my own master bathroom! With a big soaking tub and walk in shower!” She opened the thick, shiny new frosted glass doors before spinning around and picturing where her things would go.

  Her things. Just her things. With no one stealing them or using them and leaving the mess for her to clean up!

  She ran through the room and threw herself into the bed, rolling and tangling herself in the blankets once she’d pulled the neatly made up bed apart. She finally lay in the center, breathless and grinning up at the ceiling.

  Chapter Twenty

  Hope knew it was still dark outside several hours later when she heard the little voice mumbling as she crossed the floor to the bathroom, one hand up and rubbing her eyes. She lifted her head from the pillow and stared at the tiny figure that had come to stand by the hand she had dangling over the side.

  “Can I sleep with you?”

  “Do you snore?” Hope asked, enjoying the little giggle she got for an answer.

  “Nope…but daddy does…if you shove him, he rolls over.”

  “Sure…it’s a big bed,” Hope told her, reaching her other hand up and lifting the girl to the bed. “How old are you, Mina?”

  “Three. Did we win?” She asked with a yawn, snuggling down beside Hope. “It’s warm here.”

  “We surely did win…’cause we’re the best at hide an’ seek,” Hope told her, her own yawn matching Mina’s. She rolled to her side, deciding sharing wasn’t bad when you got to chose who to share with. She tucked the little girl next to her, making sure both of them were covered before sliding gracefully back to sleep.

  Devon felt several moments of panic when he went to check on Mina around midnight, his breathing almost normal when he noticed the open connecting door. He’d forgotten she’d been using the bathroom in there. He went inside quietly, the small nightlights he’d put in place working again once the power was restored. He stood at the bottom of the queen sized bed, his sigh uncertain.

  Part of him wanted to snatch her from the protective, slender arm resting over the little girl. He didn’t want Mina liking another woman. Part of him said he was a hypocrite because he liked this new woman, too. He sat down, letting his head fall to the back of the chair.

  Almost three years. The guilty part of him was glad she wasn’t with him any longer. A little part of him still bargained with all the gods out there to bring her back.

  He had never really known Maggie. Maybe she had changed. Maybe she decided they had spent enough time alone and sent him a spunky kitten to liven up their lives a little. He got up and went to his room, considering this as he fell asleep.

  Hope rubbed herself down briskly with the thick, snowy towel before pulling on her clothes. She met the curious eyes watching her from the center of the bed.

  “Morning,” Hope said with a smile.

  “Hi…what’s that?” She asked, wild blond hair shoved out of her face.

  “This?” Hope followed her point, tugging on her leotard top. “My clothes?” She asked hopefully, relieved when she nodded. “I like to run outside…and these are my running clothes. Running on the beach is the best ever,” she said with a laugh. “Need the bathroom? And then breakfast?”

  Mina wiggled her way onto her belly and onto the floor, little feet showing out from the hem of her nightgown as she ran past Hope. She was tying her shoes into place when the little girl returned.

&
nbsp; “Clothes first and then breakfast?”

  Mina nodded and easily slid her palm into Hope’s, leading her back into the other bedroom.

  “Let’s take these in my room so we don’t wake up daddy, okay?” Hope had her dressed and had brushed the hair into a neat little bundle before they went downstairs to the kitchen. She started coffee and had Mina munching on cereal when the back door knob rattled. Her breath caught in her chest as she met the unfamiliar features when she pulled the little curtain aside. “Who is it?”

  “Who are you? What are you…”

  “It’s Jackie…she cooks and keeps us neat,” Mina parroted in between bits of cereal and milk.

  “I’m sorry…” Hope quickly moved the chair Devon must have put against it to keep it closed. “There was a break in last night…and the door needs repaired. My name’s Hope…umm…”

  “Hope Alexander,” Devon said from the other side of the room, sighing and meeting the eyes of both women as he pulled a thick mug from the cabinet and poured coffee. “Thanks for making this…it was a long night,” he moved to Mina, bending down and whispering something in her ear that made her giggle. He tugged on the little blond tail. “You’re a pony…”

  “I’m a unicorn,” she corrected loftily. “We’re magical.”

  “That you are…”

  “I’m…Mrs. Alexander,” the woman several years older than Hope offered her palm. “Jackie Crossland.”

  “Please…call me Hope…nice to meet you,” Hope felt like a fraud and she glared at Devon.

  “Jackie and her husband work for me. They have the large unit over the garage,” Devon told her easily. He moved to her side, tipping her head back and kissing her softly. “Going out for a run?”

  “I…yes…yes…” she whispered, her mind trying to work out how the man could pin her in place without touching her. She stared into his eyes, backing up slowly. “Be back in a while…”

  “Can I run?” Mina asked curiously.