by Addison Fox
“How did you know to come?”
“Word travels fast through town. I’d met up with your brother at the liquor store and then headed on to—”
She interrupted him. “You met my brother?”
“Knox was at the liquor store picking out wine. I introduced myself, then we spent a riveting half hour arguing over wine neither of us understood.”
“Oh. Okay.” He didn’t make any sense but she figured Knox was the lead part of that statement anyway. “And then what?”
“Then I headed to the mercantile to see if I could get some flowers when the call into the police station made the quick rounds as I stood in line.”
“It made the rounds?”
“I’ve only been here a few days, but it’s been long enough to know that anything Colton-related is hot gossip around town.”
She sighed. “Sad truth. But still true all the same.”
“Hey.” He brushed several strands of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“It’s not insensitive when it’s the truth.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” He traced the shell of her ear before trailing a path down the column of her throat. “But right now I’d really like to kiss you.”
“I’d really like that, too.”
The last vestiges of fear that lingered at the afternoon’s events faded as Hawk lowered his lips to hers. With his body pressed to hers and the door at her back she should have felt claustrophobic.
Trapped.
She felt anything but as she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung.
Simply clung as the touch of his hands, the warmth of his body and the sheer power of his kiss carried her away from all the pain, trouble and confusion that was life in Shadow Creek.
And life as a Colton.
* * *
Hawk savored the warm taste of her lips and the lush curves of her body that filled his hands. He wanted this woman. Like he wanted his next breath, he wanted her.
Claudia moaned in his arms, her hands drifting over his back before settling at his hips. Her fingers stilled there, pulling him even closer against her and he fought the desperate desire to strip them both bare.
How had this happened?
He’d spent so many years with this part of his life on hold, every bit of feeling seemingly vanished from his body, that it was a shock to have it all rush back at once.
He wanted her. No, he needed her. It gripped at him with fierce fangs, a desperate yearning that wouldn’t be sated. Their stolen moments in Mac’s kitchen had given him a taste, and he was unable to resist taking more.
Even if you had to rush in here to deal with a threat to her safety.
The castigation blindsided him, the swift smack upside the head enough to have him pull away.
“Hawk?” Desire stamped itself in the smoky depths of her eyes, along with a rapidly dawning confusion as he pulled away from her. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re in danger. And here I am ravishing you against the door.”
“Ravishing me?” A silly, lopsided smile tugged at her mouth. “That’s a new one.”
“I’ll give you another one, then. Try taking advantage on for size.”
The grin faded. “Taking advantage? Since I’m standing right here feeling quite advantaged all by myself, why don’t you look for a new description that’s more appropriate? I’d suggest you start with consenting adults.”
Claudia pushed off the door and stomped across the room. Her heels clicked on the hardwood, short little stabs of irritation marking each and every step.
“I know we’re consenting adults. That’s not what I meant.”
She whirled on him. “Oh no? Why don’t you explain it to me, then?”
“You were in danger.” He jabbed a finger toward the door. “A half hour ago you were calling in a threat and dragging the police out here. I hardly think I should be kissing you after something like that.”
“If not after something like that, then when?”
“I—” He stopped and choked back whatever he was going to say next. He wanted to kiss her, damn it. He didn’t need any further encouragement to act, no matter how determined she was to absolve him of guilt.
Because he was guilty.
He’d failed in his ability to protect Jennifer and now, damn it, he’d failed again. Had he brought this to her door with his suspicions?
Had they somehow gotten back to Livia Colton?
Because someone had threatened Claudia. He and Dan had gotten the full story out of her and Evelyn after that bumbling ass of a sheriff had gone on his way, and with each piece of the story, he’d grown more and more upset.
Dead rats? Gunshots?
What the hell was going on here?
This was a fashion boutique. And yet something dangerous and horrible had found its way to her door. Literally found its way to her door.
“Have you been threatened before this?”
“No.” She shook her head, angry color still riding high in her cheeks. “Not here.”
His attention sharpened. “What do you mean, ‘not here’?”
“I mean, not here. I haven’t had any incidents since I’ve been back in Shadow Creek. Sadly, my family can’t say the same.”
“Did you have any incidents in New York?”
“Look... I...” She stopped. “It’s a big city.”
He might have believed her—he almost did—until those expressive gray eyes dipped, avoiding his stare.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing. It hasn’t happened in a while. I mean, it just can’t be related to this.”
“Damn it, Claudia.” He stomped across the room, following the same path she’d trod on her heels. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“I dated a guy last year. Ben Witherspoon. He got nasty at the end. Possessive. And then the last time we were together, he took a few swings. Smacks, really.”
She was calm as she related the incidents—robotic, almost—even as Hawk felt his blood vessels constricting at the image of what she’d endured. “He hit you? Slapped you?”
“At the end. That was it. I was going to end things but that was the final straw and I walked away.”
“Has he contacted you here? Did you tell the sheriff? Does your family know?” The questions spilled, one after the next, each generating several dozen more.
Had he hurt her?
Where did he live?
And where could he find the freaking ass to destroy him?
“Hawk, it’s fine. My friend’s boyfriend talked to him and he’s left me alone. I don’t think he even knows I moved out of New York.”
“Oh no? Because it looks like he’s shown up with a dead pile of street rats. Feels like a piece of home, doesn’t it?”
He saw the moment his words penetrated, her head whipping toward the door before she turned back to him. “Sheriff Jeffries insinuated it was Mac’s farm and that I’d made it all up, anyway.”
“Sheriff Jeffries is an ass. I saw that coming the moment I saw the piss-poor way he parked out front. But putting that aside, why the hell would you drum up a pile of rats and put them in the back of your store?”
“No one said he was a smart ass.”
A small laugh bubbled out as she made the connection between her words and Hawk fought a smile of his own. His heart still felt too tight in his chest and he wanted to punch a hole in the wall, but the juxtaposition of words was funny.
And the laughter felt good. Far better than thinking about some jerk threatening her and slapping her around.
“You sure you’re okay?” He closed the small distance between them, pulling her close once again. Her head nestled just beneath his chi
n and he stood there for a moment, his eyes closed as he breathed her in.
Dangerous ex-boyfriends and threats in the middle of the day?
He’d been a cop long enough and around law enforcement even longer. Abuse, mutilation and death of animals was a bad sign, rodents or not.
A very bad sign.
Which meant he needed to put all his skills to use to track down Ben Witherspoon and find out what the man had been up to for the past several months. As Hawk held Claudia tight against him, he could only hope for the asshole’s sake that he had stayed far away from Texas.
Far, far away.
* * *
Hawk followed the long, narrow driveway Claudia had navigated the day before, the late afternoon sun high against his windshield. He’d kept Claudia company in her shop for another hour before she’d slipped to her apartment upstairs above the shop to change for dinner.
He’d wanted to follow her, but had stayed in the shop instead, armed with the knowledge that seeing where she lived would only add one more tick in the fascination column that was rapidly forming in his collective conscious about Claudia Colton.
Damn, but the woman tied him up in knots. Even now, his hands firmly against the steering wheel, he could feel the softness of her curves and the heat of her body against his palms. His senses were full of her, the light scent of honeysuckle that pervaded her shop seeming to cling to her with delicious sweetness.
And her lips.
A man could die happy after tasting their rich, lush softness.
Drunk.
He was positively drunk on her.
Unbidden, a memory of his early days with Jennifer swatted at him. He’d been in love before. Had married his love, convinced they’d find their way to old age together. Was he so fickle he could forget that?
Even as the thought wormed its way through the sensual feast that had accompanied him all day, he had to acknowledge he was being unfair. He’d loved Jennifer. Still did. And if things had been different, he’d still be faithfully married to her, honoring that love and their vows. His attraction to Claudia wasn’t a black mark on his marriage or his love for his wife, and he did both Jennifer and Claudia a disservice for thinking it.
Whatever pain or continued self-loathing he carried for his inability to keep his wife safe, he wasn’t cheating on her, memory or no. His wife had been far too pragmatic for that.
Besides, he remembered with a small smile, hadn’t she teased him mercilessly when he was on the force that if he ended up dead she was going after George Clooney for round number two?
“What’s so funny?”
“Hmm?” Hawk navigated around several parked cars to find a space on the far side of the paddock.
“Your smile. It looked like something was funny. Is it some nervous reaction to my five brothers and sisters?”
“No, I was actually thinking about my wife.”
“Oh?” Curiosity stamped itself in those deep gray eyes, even as a subtle wariness seemed to grip her as she folded her hands in her lap.
“I um—” He broke off, the sudden reality of the situation—and his big mouth—filling him. “I haven’t dated much since Jennifer died.”
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s just, well. I loved kissing you earlier. I wanted to kiss you earlier. And yesterday. Both times.” He stopped again, his ham-handed sharing as embarrassing as a teenage boy on his first date.
He inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. Took another and did the same as he put the car into Park. “Let me try this again.”
“Alright.”
“I loved kissing you. And I wanted to kiss you. I want to kiss you again, as a matter of fact. But I haven’t wanted that in a long time. That longing that comes from wanting a woman. It’s an adjustment. And as I was getting down on myself for wanting those things with you, I realized that Jennifer would have smacked me upside the head for thinking so.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. She was a special woman. Warm and caring and wonderful. And she had a funny practical streak that was oddly endearing, even as she cut you off at the knees. And for those reasons, I know she wouldn’t be upset by my kissing you.”
“That’s a beautiful way to speak of her. To remember her.”
“She also told me on several occasions that if I ended up killed in the line of duty when I was a cop, she was going after George Clooney for her second husband.”
A small smile curved Claudia’s lips. “I suppose she wasn’t going to let his wife stand in her way?”
“She died before he got married, but knowing Jennifer, I suspect not.”
Claudia laughed then, the subtle nerves fading as she turned more fully to face him. “I’m glad you told me that. If we’re being truthful, I have to admit I’ve never dated a man who lost his wife. It’s not something you expect.” She took a deep breath of her own. “It’s not something you expect at our age.”
“No, it’s not.”
Although he’d shared the details of Jennifer’s death with Mac, he sensed even before she spoke that Claudia was going to ask him how she’d died.
How did he share that?
All the shame and embarrassment he’d managed to push aside rushed back at the thought of sharing how badly he’d failed his wife. Just like he’d failed Claudia today.
The muted sound of feet and a big shout interrupted the moment just as Cody slammed his palm on Claudia’s window, shouting for her. “Aunt Claudia!”
“We’re coming!” She laughed, their discussion fading in the face of youthful exuberance. She tapped on the window. “Stand back so I can open the door.”
He tumbled back like a puppy, letting her out before racing around to Hawk’s side. “Mr. Huntley! I have to tell you what happened. Grandpa Mac gave me one single horse to groom and take care of every single time I’m here! And not just a pony, but a big mare!”
Cody danced back around the front of the car, regaling Claudia with the same news as if she hadn’t heard him.
“A mare? Already?”
“She’s over here. He’s letting me work with Bunny to ride and train and work with when I’m here. But he says I have to learn how to take care of her, because that’s just as important as riding her.”
Claudia was already out and following behind Cody. She waved a distracted hand in the direction of the car. “We’ll get the food in a minute. Let’s go see.”
Once again, Hawk was captivated by the easy way she was with her nephew. She’d changed for the evening into a printed sundress and a pair of summer heels and seemed oblivious to both as Cody marched her determinedly toward the paddock.
He stopped at the rails, content to simply take in the sweet moment as Cody whistled for Bunny. The horse’s ears perked immediately and she trotted over toward the small boy. Claudia helped him as Bunny joined them, petting her nose and making a general fuss over the pretty bay mare.
“Come on, Mr. Huntley!” Cody waved him over. “Come meet Bunny.”
Hawk moved toward the excited boy, the pretty mare and the gorgeous woman, the early evening sun highlighting them all in a golden tableau.
The scene captivated him, the pleasure of the moment erasing all that had come earlier in the day.
Here there were no vicious attacks. No questions about parentage and birth. No death.
Right here, right at this moment, there was joy.
He’d be a fool to miss the opportunity to reach out and grab it with both hands.
Chapter 8
Claudia washed her hands at the sink, scrubbing off the visit with Bunny before helping Cody to do the same.
“I’m not dirty.” The words slipped out, yet another stream of happy chatter as he squeezed soap onto his hands. “Bunny is pretty and
clean. Grandpa Mac and I washed her earlier so she had a bath.”
While she appreciated his nine-year-old logic, she figured she couldn’t play the softie all the time. “While I believe you gave her a very good bath and she’s quite clean as horses go, she’s not quite human clean. Especially when we’re about to eat.”
Hawk came up behind them, reaching around her back to get his own squeeze of the soap. “My mom had a rule I try to live by. Any time spent outside the house or inside the bathroom means the hands get washed.”
Cody nodded, his gaze growing serious. “That’s a pretty good rule. Makes it easy to remember.”
Hawk winked at Claudia before flicking a wet hand at Cody. “That was her point.”
Her nephew squealed at the water and quickly retaliated, shaking his hands like a dog climbing out of a tub.
“Now you’ve done it.” She giggled as she sidestepped to get out of the way, only to find Hawk’s arms tight around her and positioning her as a human shield. “Hawk!”
He only laughed behind her and held her still as Cody shook his hands one more time.
“Cody Colton!” Allison hollered as she walked into the kitchen. “Stop that.”
Hawk dropped his arms and turned to Allison with a good-natured grin. “I’m the guilty one. Got a little carried away with getting clean.”
Allison’s eyebrows rose as she took in the three of them. “Remind me not to put you on dishwashing duty.”
Hawk winked again before offering Cody a high five. “Works every time, my man.”
Before she could protest or stop them, Cody was dragging Hawk toward the family room and what sounded like an active baseball game in progress.
Allison watched them leave, her smile wide. “And I thought he had a case of hero worship for Knox. My husband had better look out.”
“Oh, I don’t think Knox has anything to worry about.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Allison pulled her close for a hug. “But it’s wonderful to see yet another adult male figure in his life. He’s been so anxious for that. And has just blossomed with the opportunity to have it.”
