For some reason he couldn’t disappoint her.
Uneasily, he drove on into the city.
Six
Concealing his qualms, Tuck said casually, “Let’s just drive around and take a look at the town.” He didn’t want Nicole to suddenly decide to do some shopping, or to get out of the car for any other reason. As long as they stayed in the car, he felt she would be safe.
“Sure, sounds good to me,” Nicole agreed.
Slowly they cruised Sherman Avenue, the main downtown thoroughfare. Along with the large hotel complex on the shore of the lake, he spotted numerous motels: He started thinking about that white sports car again. Even if it was in Coeur d’Alene, the odds of spotting it were astronomical. But unless Jillian Marsden knew someone here and was staying in an ordinary residence, she would have to be staying in a motel. Or that impressive hotel, of course.
Nicole was content with studying the shops, restaurants and various businesses they drove past and didn’t notice Tuck paying particular attention to the motels. It was such a long shot that Tuck didn’t hold much hope for spotting that car, but it gave him something to do while chauffeuring Nicole around the city.
“Coeur d’Alene is much larger than I expected,” Nicole commented after Tuck had made a turn onto Fourth Street and it went on for miles before coming into another commercial section of town.
More motels, thought Tuck with a narrowing of his eyes. The town was full of them. Obviously the area’s economy relied heavily on tourism.
“It’s grown a lot since I was here,” he mumbled. He’d never find that white sports car this way. Besides, he had only a gut feeling that Ms. Marsden had even come to Coeur d’Alene, which wasn’t much to go on.
The streetlights were starting to come on. Tuck frowned. Along with having no weapon, they would be returning to the cabin in the dark. Damn, where was his mind?
“I think we should be heading back now,” he said.
Nicole sighed. “If you say so.” She turned slightly to look at Hannigan. “I’d like to say something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Well…I know I’ve been a real pain and I’d like to apologize.”
“Forget it. You’ve been under a lot of stress.”
“I just wanted you to know that I’ll try to do better,” Nicole said quietly.
Tuck nodded without looking at her. “Thanks.”
Nicole faced front. Hannigan’s word of thanks had been almost clipped, certainly unemotional. Not that she’d expected or even hoped for gushing gratitude because of her apology, but must he remain so aloof? Was this his normal personality, or was he so determined to keep them at arm’s length because of that kiss that he purposely kept even a trace of warmth from seeping into his voice?
He’s a very unusual man, she thought, mulling it over as they started the drive around the lake toward the cabin. That kiss, for example. Any of the men she had dated during the past several years would have interpreted her response to a kiss as permission to go further. Maybe even as a request to go further. Not Hannigan. It could be, of course, that he’d acted on impulse and suddenly remembered that he was committed to another woman. And yet he showed no signs of impulsive behavior. He was a man who thought things through, or appeared to be. If that really was the case, why had he kissed her?
He’s not only unusual, he’s a challenge, Nicole thought, surprising herself with that bizarre assessment. She almost laughed. When had she become a woman intrigued by a challenging man? A man who backed off and guarded his privacy with an armor-plated expression? But then, she hadn’t met any of that ilk before, had she? It was she who’d been doing the backing off in Vegas, and maybe that was Hannigan’s big draw. With him, she might not back off.
She gulped as a flash of heat raced through her body at the provocative picture that idea brought to mind. Hannigan was a handsome guy, and if he ever unbent…
Nicole lowered her window and the damp night air hit her full in the face. It felt great.
“Too warm?” Tuck asked.
“Uh, a little. I’ll just leave it down for a minute.”
“Leave it down as long as you want, but I could turn on the air conditioner if you’d prefer.” He himself wasn’t a bit too warm. In fact, with Nicole’s window down, the air coming off the water felt chilly.
“No, this is fine.”
“You’re getting acclimated to cooler weather pretty fast,” he remarked. “Maybe you’re a Northerner at heart.”
“Maybe,” Nicole agreed in a weak voice. If he ever caught on that she’d had such personal, erotic thoughts about him, she would die of embarrassment. He was distant and she must follow suit. Anything else from her would only be humiliating for both of them.
But for a fact she was aware of Hannigan as a man, regardless that feelings of a personal nature had no place in their unusual relationship. Staring out the open window into the deepening darkness, she sighed softly, then, after a while, she rolled up the window.
Tuck was thinking about his gun again, lying in the drawer of his bedstand. His negligence in leaving it behind was inexcusable. Neither had he left any lights on in the cabin. They were returning in the dark, which he vowed would never happen again. But self-made promises about future expeditions did nothing to reassure him on this evening’s carelessness. The closer they got to the cabin, the tenser he became. Cynicism entered his thoughts. Joe Crawford believed he’d assigned the job of protecting a very important witness to one of his best men; Joe was wrong.
Nicole was surprised when Tuck pulled the car over to the side of the road—so far over it was practically in the ditchsome distance from the cabin’s driveway. At the same time he switched off the headlights and engine.
Tuck turned in the seat to peer at her in the dark before she could ask what he was doing. “I want you to wait here until you see lights on in the cabin. That’ll be a signal that everything’s okay. Then you can drive the car on in.”
A frisson of fear darted up Nicole’s spine. “Do you think someone’s in there?” She squinted in an attempt to see through the trees. The cabin was only slightly visible as a dark, hulking shadow. “We should have left some lights on,” she said worriedly.
Yes, and I should have taken my gun with me. Tuck’s mouth tightened in self-reproach. He was frightening Nicole, probably without cause, but he couldn’t take a chance with her life. He had royally screwed up this evening, starting with his invitation to take a ride with darkness only a few hours away.
He rolled down his window. “Move over here after I get out, and listen. If you hear anything unusual…”
“Unusual?” Nicole’s heart was pounding and her throat was dry. “Like what?”
“Just something that shouldn’t be there,” Tuck said curtly. “If you do, start this car and get the hell away from here. Drive back to town, go to the police station and have someone there call Captain Crawford in Vegas.”
“Drive away and…and leave you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Just do exactly as I said.” Tuck opened his door, got out and then closed the door with the utmost caution, making only a faint clicking noise as the latch caught.
Nicole twisted on the seat to watch him glide around the back of the car, jump the ditch and move into the trees. “My God,” she whispered frantically. She didn’t like this cloak-and-dagger business one little bit. What made Tuck think it was necessary? Had he seen something, noticed something that had alerted him to danger? Was there someone at the cabin, maybe inside, awaiting their return?
He had his gun, of course, she thought, which alleviated some of her distress. Recalling his instructions then, she scooted over, situating herself behind the wheel. But every cell in her body was clenched and she was afraid to breathe too loudly for fear of missing any sound from outside.
Shivering, she scanned the trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hannigan, to no avail. It was as though the night had swallowed him up, as though he had vanished from the face of the earth.
Her fearful gaze drifted to the lake, but only momentarily as the dark water and the occasional distant dock or buoy light in that direction merely increased her sensation of being completely alone in an alien land.
Tuck circled the cabin in the trees and approached the building from its hindside. Standing in the shadow of a large pine tree, he studied the scene through sight, sound and smell. Nothing moved. The only sounds came from nocturnal insects. He kept his breathing quiet and felt some relief that he could still move silently when necessary; apparently he hadn’t lost every instinct he’d once taken for granted.
But this whole damned fiasco was his fault and he’d never forget it. Scaring the hell out of Nicole because of his negligence was unforgivable.
Inhaling slowly, he started toward the cabin, moving with concentrated stealth, using any available shadow as cover. With the same concentration he silently walked around the cabin, checking each window for signs of entry. Everything appeared normal. Reaching the back of the building again, he took out his key and stepped up to the door. With amazing precision, considering how dark it was, he inserted the key into the lock on his first attempt. Opening the door only wide enough to slip inside, he left it ajar a crack and waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the interior blackness. When he could make out the refrigerator and the rest of the kitchen, he began his search of the cabin.
There was nothing amiss. No one was lurking in a closet or behind a door. He started snapping on lamps and ceiling fixtures, until the entire cabin was ablaze with light.
Nicole nearly collapsed with relief. Her hands were trembling, and turning the key in the ignition took monumental effort. Somehow she managed to drive the car into the driveway without mishap. Braking next to the cabin, she turned off the engine and laid her head on the steering wheel, willing her racing heart to calm down.
“Nicole?” Tuck was bent over, peering at her through the open window. “Are you okay?”
Raising her head, she released the tension-laden breath she’d apparently been holding. “Are you?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” He opened the door. “Come on. Get out.” He rolled up the window and held out his hand.
Not sure her legs would hold her up, Nicole took it. “What happened? What made you think something was wrong?”
“I’ll explain inside.” Tuck hung on to her for the short walk to the cabin’s door, feeling through physical contact the indisputable proof of her shattered emotions. It had been so damned unnecessary, and he felt like a horse’s rump for putting her through this.
Inside in the light he saw the strung-out pallor of her skin. He led her to the living room and a chair. “Sit down.” She sank into the chair like a deflating balloon, all limp and lifeless. “I’ll get you something to drink. Don’t move.”
Moving wasn’t on her agenda. Now that the crisis had passed, whatever it had been, she was feeling the debilitating aftermath of overwhelming fright and tension. Her head fell back against the chair, seemingly too heavy for her neck to support.
Tuck opened cupboards in the kitchen, looking for the three bottles of dinner wine Nicole had picked out the day they’d shopped for groceries. He wished now that he’d included a bottle of brandy in their order, though at the time it hadn’t entered his mind that they might actually need something stronger than wine. He didn’t need it, but Nicole did. A shot of brandy would arrest the shock she was still feeling and put color back into her face.
Finally locating the wine, Tuck took down a bottle of cabernet, deciding it would have to do. Uncorking the bottle, he poured a water glass about half full and carried it back to the living room.
He held it out. “Here, drink this.”
Nicole’s eyes fluttered open. “Wine?”
“You need it. Take it. I wish it were brandy or whiskey.”
She really didn’t have the strength to refuse, and maybe a few sips of wine would help her get her bearings, she rationalized while weakly lifting her hand to accept the glass.
Tuck lowered himself to a chair, leaned forward in it, and watched her take a swallow, then another. A strange mixture of emotions and feelings gathered within him—remorse for his carelessness, self-directed anger for the same reason, empathy for Nicole and her situation, and an almost intolerable need to go to her, to hold and comfort her, to assure her that nothing like tonight would ever happen again.
Her eyes met his and she spoke in a voice that sounded frayed and unsteady. “I’ve never been so frightened in my life. What happened?”
He suddenly didn’t want to appear inept in her eyes, which was damned odd when he couldn’t have cared less what she thought of him before tonight.
He lied. “I didn’t know you’d get so scared over ordinary police procedure.”
“Tonight was ordinary?” There was skepticism and outright astonishment in her eyes. “You mean that you live your life creeping around in the dark night after night? How do you bear a job like that?”
“It’s not like that. Believe it or not, just as many arrests are made in broad daylight as occur after dark.” It was a vague variation of the truth. Some crimes were more prevalent during daylight hours, some after dark. Banks, for instance, were held up during the day because they were only open during the day. Murders were committed at any hour. Family disturbances occurred at any hour, although holidays were notorious for bringing out the worst in families. People drove drunk at any hour, though most of the arrests in that category took place at night.
“Do you actually like being a cop?” Along with the skepticism and astonishment in Nicole’s eyes, Tuck saw incredulity. He’d run into her attitude before. People who weren’t in law enforcement had a hard time understanding why anyone would choose risking life and limb on a daily basis for a career.
Tuck didn’t answer right away. Her question had hit him in a very tender spot. He had liked being a cop, but that was before he’d killed two men. The gist of Nicole’s query was what he’d been trying to figure out ever since.
“It’s a job,” he finally said offhandedly.
For a few minutes Hannigan had been as human as herself, Nicole realized, but right before her eyes he’d returned to that distant place in which he kept himself separate from the rest of humanity. Pity the woman who fell in love with Tuck Hannigan, she thought.
Since he was no longer compassionate and polite, she saw no reason for her to hold anything back. “I’m not completely convinced tonight was merely ordinary police procedure,” she said, daring him with a look to challenge her statement. “I think there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Tuck got to his feet. “Think what you want. If you’re feeling all right now, I’m going to bed.”
Nicole finished the last of the wine in the glass. “I may never be all right again, but I’m sure you won’t lose any sleep over it. Good night.”
Tuck started from the room. “When you go to bed, turn off all of the inside lights. Leave the outside ones on. I’ve already seen to locking the doors.”
“Your every word is my command,” she drawled.
Ignoring her sarcasm, Tuck continued on to his bedroom. He undressed and got into bed, but his hope of falling asleep was almost laughable. Remnants of the tension he’d undergone during the past hour still held his body rigid. He told himself that checking the cabin before letting Nicole come in had only been sensible. But the fact remained that if he’d done his job right in the first place, it could have all been handled without scaring her witless.
He was too easily spooked now, he thought with a discomfiting sensation in his gut. He never should have taken this job. Damn Joe for talking him into it, and damn himself for letting Joe’s cushy-job routine influence his judgment. He should be alone somewhere, sorting things through, trying to understand who he was now. If Nicole got hurt because of his incompetence…
The thought was too abhorrent to complete. What Joe had said about her being a nice woman was true. What Joe hadn’t said was another truth:
she was strikingly attractive, sexy in an understated, disturbingly feminine way. At least, she was disturbing Tuck. He was noticing his own reactions to her movements, her voice, her scent, more and more. Maybe awareness of her physical charms was only natural, given the circumstances. Put a man and a woman in the same small space for any length of time and something was bound to happen, either intense dislike or intense desire. In his and Nicole’s case, Tuck feared it was going to be the latter.
He thought of that kiss and her response, and felt a rush of blood to his groin. Groaning, he turned over, punched his pillow into another configuration and forced his eyes to shut. It wasn’t going to happen, dammit. It simply was not going to happen. He wouldn’t let it. Making love to the woman he was duty-bound to protect would be the act of a damned fool. He might be different than he’d been before those shootings, but he hadn’t yet reached the fool-for-a-day stage.
After Tuck’s abrupt departure, Nicole got up, went to the kitchen and poured herself some more wine. The trembling of her hands and the weakness in her legs had passed, thank goodness. The wine had helped, obviously, even if it had also made her head feel a little woozy. But wooziness was a whole lot better than fear. God, she’d never been so scared in her entire life. And for what? Because of “ordinary police procedure”? Bull! Did Hannigan think her a complete idiot? Something had occurred that she had missed and Tuck hadn’t. Had he seen a face from Vegas during their drive? He’d seen something, but what? Why wouldn’t he tell her about it? Why clam up the way he had?
Switching off the kitchen light, Nicole returned to the living room. Before resuming her seat, she turned off all of the lights except for the small lamp next to her chair. She wasn’t sleepy, and in fact was too keyed-up to even lie down. The wine was good, and each swallow seemed to relax her a bit more.
Now that her fear had dissipated, questions about Hannigan’s “ordinary police procedure” kept stacking up in her mind. For one, if they were out after dark again, would he put her through the same frightening exercise as tonight? If only he would explain. Why wouldn’t he explain? It was frustrating to be ignorant of something that plainly revolved around her.
Assignment: Marriage Page 8
