Discovery

by Char Webster

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, looking directly at her. “You dropped this back there.” In his hand was Maddy’s favorite stuffed dog.

  He watched Kate intently as he held out the dog. “It fell out of the stroller back there.” Maddy didn’t reach for the dog; she just clung to Kate and shyly hid her face in Kate’s neck.

  “Thank you,” Kate said quietly. “She would have been very upset later if we couldn’t find it.” She took the dog in her free hand and slid it into the stroller. His hand lingered longer than necessary on the stuffed animal. He took a half step closer. Kate had to stop herself from taking another step back.

  “No problem,” he said, still studying her. Kate kept trying to get a read on his emotions, but she still felt nothing coming from him. A loud noise made her look around nervously.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem jumpy.”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” she replied quietly. She was jumpy; she just couldn’t shake that creepy feeling, and not getting a read on the guy in front of her made it worse.

  He leaned closer and stuck out his hand. “Where are my manners? I’m Robert.”

  Kate paused for a second before grasping his hand. “Kate,” she said reluctantly. Maybe it was the fact she couldn’t read his emotions, but something about this guy just wasn’t right.

  “Well, thanks again, but I have to go,” Kate said, as she tried to pull her hand away.

  He leaned even closer, almost right up against her, and said, “What’s your hurry?”

  Just then, an arm settled across her shoulders, and she jumped. “Hey. Here you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

  Kate turned to look at the face that belonged to the voice in her ear. She was shocked to be looking into the vivid blue eyes that had been featured in many of her daydreams over the past two weeks. Her gorgeous dream guy was standing directly next to her with his arm across her shoulders.

  He kept his arm around her and Maddy and angled them away from Robert, who was still grasping Kate’s hand. Robert was forced to release her hand, or he would have been pulled forward. Kate thought she caught a flicker of anger, but it was so fleeting that she wasn’t sure.

  “What are you doing here, Robert?” Blue Eyes asked, pulling them back another step.

  Blue Eyes knows this guy, Kate thought. Are they friends? He didn’t sound friendly when he spoke to Robert. She wasn’t getting any feeling from him, either. Was her emotion gauge broken? She always counted on that being there even when she didn’t want it. No, it wasn’t broken. She could feel Maddy and could tell that she was happy now. She was also leaning behind her to look at their rescuer. Weird.

  “Mind your own business, Nick.” So, Blue Eyes had a name. . .Nick. Kate made a mental note of that.

  “This IS my business,” Nick told him. “You need to leave now.”

  “We were just getting acquainted, weren’t we, Kate?” Robert said, like it was something dirty.

  “We have to go,” said Kate, wanting to find the kids and head home. She was confused and felt as if she had walked into the middle of a movie and was trying to catch on.

  “Not so fast,” Robert said, taking a step forward.

  “Do you really want to try me?” Nick asked with strong confidence.

  “Until next time, Kate.” Robert gave her one last look and walked back through the carnival.

  Nick held on to them for another minute before dropping his arm and stepping away. Kate was shaken from the interaction: shaken and more than a little bit confused.

  Kate stared at him. He was as gorgeous as she remembered—actually more so, she admitted to herself. He had on a tight Lacoste shirt that displayed his muscles to perfection and a pair of faded jeans. His hair was a bit messy looking, as if he had run his hand through it more than once.

  He was watching Kate check him out. She really is beautiful, he thought. He loved her long, wavy hair and expressive honey eyes—incredible eyes that were shooting him daggers as he watched her. This is not how I wanted to meet her, he thought. Robert had really complicated things. He sighed, knowing what was probably going to come next.

  Kate got herself under control and turned to fully face Nick. “What exactly was that all about? I see you twice and both times as soon as we make eye contact you disappear. Then, you show up here acting like we know each other, to play the hero. And don’t even try to act like you didn’t see me before because I know you did,” Kate demanded, just getting started. “Who are you? How do you know Robert? Why was he acting like that?”

  Nick smirked at Kate, which just set her off even more. “Are you going to answer me?” she demanded.

  “I was waiting for you to get done first,” he replied. Kate just arched a brow and waited. She had to stop herself from tapping her foot impatiently.

  “Which question would you like me to answer first?” he asked. He knew he was pushing her buttons, but he just couldn’t help himself. She was cute when she was angry.

  Kate looked up and noticed that Alex and Zach were heading toward her. Nick followed her gaze and made a quick decision.

  “I have to run,” he said quickly and started to walk off.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” Kate said, starting to follow him. “You can’t keep disappearing. You owe me an explanation.”

  “I really have to go. I promise I’ll answer your questions later,” Nick said, continuing to walk away.

  “When?” She demanded.

  He called over his shoulder as he was jogging off, “Soon. I’ll find you. I always do.” He smiled the whole way down the aisle and around the back of the building next to the carnival. She is going to be irritated with me all night, he thought.

  Kate just stood there and watched him leave. She couldn’t believe that he had just done that. He was the most infuriating guy she had ever met. He was also one of the most gorgeous guys she had ever met. What the heck is going on? she wondered.

  The four kids walked up to Kate and Maddy, laughing and joking around. They were completely unaware of what had just taken place.

  “Hi, Kate,” called Alex, who was holding a big bag of cotton candy. Zach kept trying to snatch the bag away from her but was not able to do so yet. Kate gave him a look, and he stopped trying to take it from her.

  Kate took a deep breath and put on a happy face. “Hey, guys. Did you have fun?” she asked.

  They all started talking at once, and Kate was swept away by their excitement and happiness.

  “We want to go over to the rides. If that’s okay?” Alex asked. Kate loved seeing her act like a normal teenage girl having fun with her friends.

  “Sure, why don’t we all head over there now?” Kate told them. She wanted to move away from where they were, and she wanted to take her mind off of the weird situation that just had happened. She still had no idea what that was all about, but she knew one thing: Nick would not get away from her again.

  ~*~*~

  Robert Tate was waiting for Nick behind the building. He knew Nick would seek him out after that scene with Kate. Mmmm, Kate. Now that was a cute little thing. He would sure like to get with someone like that, he thought. Nick showing up was a surprise. He wondered what that was all about. She must be important for the Boy Scout to be acting as bodyguard. She might be worth a closer look.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Nick asked as soon as he spotted Robert.

  “Nice to see you, too.” Robert smirked. “Miss me?”

  “It would’ve been better had you stayed away longer,” Nick replied, annoyed.

  “Oh, but I missed you,” Robert taunted.

  “Quit the crap, Tate,” Nick said impatiently. He needed to find out why he was messing with Kate.

  “I see you’re still the little errand boy for the Association. Don’t you ever get tired of following orders?” he sneered. “Don’t you ever just want to do whatever you want, and to hell with them?”

  Nick didn’t bother to acknowledge his rant. It was always th
e same old thing with Robert. He never changed. “Why were you bothering Kate?”

  “Can’t a guy show interest in a girl he wants to take out?” Robert taunted. It shouldn’t have bothered Nick as much as it did, but just hearing that made Nick want to punch Robert.

  “We both know you are not interested in her like that,” Nick told him. “Just stay away from her.”

  “No, I don’t think I will,” Robert replied with a smirk. “I’m going to stay right here and make it a point to get to know that little beauty.”

  “We were friends once, Robert, so I don’t want to hurt you, but if you mess with her, I will.” Nick warned.

  “Got it, Boy Scout. I look forward to the challenge.” Robert snickered as he walked away. Nick watched him disappear around the corner. He would have to watch more closely from now on. He didn’t know what Robert was up to, but it couldn’t be good.

  He walked back toward the carnival but stayed in the shadows. He wanted to make sure Robert didn’t try to approach her again. He watched as Kate laughed with the kids. They looked so happy, and after what all of them had gone through, they deserved a fun night.

  He thought about Kate as he watched them enjoy the carnival rides. She wasn’t what he had expected. When he first heard that Dawn Johnson was going to bring in a psychologist to evaluate the kids, he wanted to check her out before she got too close to them. He had been spying on Mrs. Johnson since she had taken over as case manager for the kids. Dawn seemed like a nice lady, but when she started talking about psychological help for the kids, he couldn’t have someone getting into their heads. There was too much at stake to allow that.

  At first he thought Kate was a harmless guidance counselor, but then she went and became a foster parent to the kids. Suddenly, she became more interesting. What was her deal? Why did she want the kids? What was in it for her? Sure, she was beautiful and smart, but there were lots of smart, beautiful women out there. From what he gathered, she was very wealthy, had a really good Ivy League education, and a mediocre-paying job as a school counselor. She could have worked anywhere, but she chose a school. People there seemed to really like her. He had watched the families come up to her tonight, and she seemed to be loved by them as well.

  He was starting to think that maybe she was just one of those do-gooder types who loved to help people. That was before Robert took an interest in her. He never took an interest in anyone unless there was something in it for him or the person could benefit him in some way. Robert was all about opportunities. He hadn’t been hanging around the kids, so it was Kate he was interested in. Nick needed to find out what was going on.

  There was way more to Kate, he thought.

  Nick pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, looking for one he had not called in a while. Hesitating for a second with his thumb hovering over the number, he finally gave in and pressed call.

  Two rings later it was answered in surprise. “Dude. What’s going on? Haven’t heard from you in ages.”

  “It’s been a long time, Ry.” Nick almost stumbled over his words, unsure of what to say. “I have a little job for you. I need to keep an eye on someone.”

  “No problem. I can take care of that this week.”

  Nick could hear the smile in the other man’s voice. “Thanks, man.”

  “Anytime. And Nick, don’t be a stranger.”

  ~*~*~

  Kate tried to act like she was having a good time for the kids, but she just couldn’t shake her unease. She needed to find out what had happened tonight. She was in the middle of something she didn’t understand.

  Robert had freaked her out a bit, but Nick showing up had completely thrown her. Why had she felt all that anger before, and why did it seem to following her? Why did she no longer felt the anger when Robert showed up, and why couldn’t she feel anything from Robert or Nick? Her emotion gauge had always worked. This was the first time she couldn’t feel someone, and that made her uneasy, too.

  Robert was aggressive and a bit of a jerk, and Nick had swooped in to save her, but was he really being a hero, or were they both playing some sort of a game? Nick and Robert acknowledged that they knew each other, but had seemed to be at odds. What if all of that had been some sort of act? She had too many questions and hardly any answers. She needed to find out what was going on.

  Chapter Six

  Brooks was on the golf course with two other men when Frank approached from the middle of the fairway on hole twelve. Frank figured a public place would be best for the bad news he had to deliver. A golf course was the perfect spot because Brooks would be relaxed, since he loved the game. Frank was also counting on the relaxation factor to be higher due to the amount of scotches Brooks usually consumed while playing.

  The men Brooks was with wouldn’t be a problem. They were loyal to Brooks but would not be privy to this conversation. As soon as they saw Frank approach, they hopped into their golf cart and headed to the next tee location.

  Brooks waited for Frank to approach and leaned back against his cart. He slowly pulled off his golf gloves and began to slap them against his thigh. It was an impatient gesture designed to tell Frank that his plan to chat while Brooks was relaxed wouldn’t work. Brooks was waiting and not happy.

  “Well?” Brooks said with a slightly annoyed tone.

  “I went in again myself, but I can’t find any information at all about those kids. The computers have no records and the file was not there,” Frank told him quickly. “I’m going to Johnson’s house to see if she brought anything home with her. There has to be some kind of paper trail for those kids.”

  Brooks took a menacing step forward. “I don’t have to tell you how important this is. I want those kids. No more delays.” Brooks turned around and climbed into the golf cart. As he was pulling away he said, “Get it done.”

  Frank watched the cart move away. He was more determined than ever to find the information he needed.

  ~*~*~

  Cindy tried to stroll up the walkway to Kate’s house as slowly as possible. She wanted to enjoy the view for as long as she could without completely stopping. The cable repair man was just too hot to ignore. She loved how he filled out his work shirt and jeans. Too bad I can’t see his face, she thought. The baseball hat he had on was pulled down too far to see much beyond a strong jaw with a little scruff on it.

  She dropped her purse on the porch in what she hoped looked like an accident. Cindy knelt down and took her time sorting through all of her items.

  Kate heard something on the porch and opened the door to find her friend stooping down gathering the contents of her purse.

  “Hey. What happened?” Kate asked.

  Cindy frowned momentarily but changed her expression into a smile. It wasn’t her friend’s fault for wrecking her fun.

  “Oh, I just dropped my purse. Nothing to worry about.”

  Kate watched Cindy glance back to the cable guy who was currently on top of the utility pool and realized why Cindy had been delaying coming in to the house.

  “See something you like there, Cin?”

  Cindy straightened out and hurried past Kate into the living room. “What?”

  Kate smirked. “I saw you checking out the cable man.”

  “I was not.”

  Kate gave her a disbelieving look.

  “Oh, okay. I was admiring the view. Why can’t I get a hot cable guy like that to come to my house?” She moved toward the window so she could peek out at him.

  “He is really cute and very nice. The man’s changing out the cable connectors. He said it would make the picture clearer.” Kate shrugged. She had thought the TV looked good, but if he wanted to upgrade the hardware, that was fine with her.

  “Mmmmm.” Cindy stepped closer to the window.

  Kate raised her eyebrows at her friend. “What about Mike?”

  Cindy smiled sheepishly. “Oh, I’m just looking.” She started heading toward the kitchen to prove her point. “Mike’s good. We’re going out t
onight.”

  “Uh huh.”

  ~*~*~

  Unable to contain his huge grin, the cable repair man climbed down the pole and packed up his gear, making sure his baseball hat was pulled down over his eyes as far as it would go. He didn’t want anyone to recognize him. Nick had told him that a woman lived here, but he didn’t tell him that she was hot and that her friend was even hotter.

  Jumping into his commandeered cable van, he reluctantly drove away from the best conversation he had overheard in a long time. He tried to think up an excuse to stick around longer, but he risked drawing too much attention to himself. He was going to find out what was going on.

  Picking up the phone, he dialed Nick’s number.

  “Hey, Ryan. Did you finish the job?” Nick asked eagerly.

  “Yeah, just left her place. You didn’t tell me how hot she was.”

  “Stay away from her.” Nick’s voice was laced with venom.

  “I was just commenting. I didn’t know she was your girl,” Ryan tried, soothingly, but ruined his attempt with his next comment. “Why are you spying on your woman anyway?”

  “She’s not my girl. She’s an assignment. Nothing else. I have to go.” Nick’s tone didn’t leave any room for Ryan to question him farther.

  “Got it. Talk to you later.” Ryan wondered what that was all about.

  ~*~*~

  Kate couldn’t sleep again. No matter how much she tossed and turned, she just couldn’t settle her mind enough for sleep. It had been like this every night since the carnival. She had never had trouble sleeping in the past, so this was new territory. Maybe I’m just too stressed about everything that has been happening lately.

  It had been five days since Kate watched Nick walk away. She still had no answers but had added a few more questions. Finally giving up around 4:00 a.m., Kate got out of bed, pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a V-neck T-shirt and threw her dark hair up in a ponytail so that she didn’t have to worry about it. It was easier out of the way.