Sage chuckled. “I don’t do that kind of massage. I specialize in reflexology.” He must have looked as clueless as he felt because her lips quirked and she brushed back her unruly brown curls. “I focus on whole-body wellness through the feet.”
That had him looking down at her feet. She wore hemp sandals, had her toe nails painted in bright pink, and wore silver toe rings. He’d had no clue feet could be so sexy, but they fit the package from her pixie proportions, to her wild brown curls and haunting gypsy eyes. “If you say so.” Time to focus back on the reason he was there. “Though your dad had wanted me to stay incognito for a while longer, I decided it would be best if I spoke with you, especially after you spotted me. Again.” She always seemed to know when he was nearby, like a sixth sense. He could usually blend into the background when he tried—especially in a crowd that size—so he was intrigued.
“I know there’s a stalker,” he continued. “I know you’ve been receiving notes and emails, but without all of the information you can give me, the chances of me catching him are minimal. The police reports only held a few details. What do you know about him—or her; it could be a woman.” He thought it unlikely, but didn’t want to overlook the possibility.
“Not much, but I’ve kept all of his notes to me. And since most of them are signed by ‘your future husband,’ it’s unlikely the stalker is a woman.” Sage folded her arms over her chest and kept her distance from him in the small room. “So how did my dad find out about it, anyway? I haven’t mentioned it to him.”
“The police report, though how he unearthed it, I’m not sure.”
She checked her watch, something he noticed she did often, though he’d been following her for several days and she didn’t seem to run late. “I only have ten minutes until my next appointment, and I have the feeling you’re going to have more questions than I have time to answer right now.”
Joel smiled. “I’d say that was a safe bet. How about if I meet you after you get off work? We’ll eat, and I can interrogate you properly.”
Sage smiled back, making something turn over in his chest. “I know just the place.”
~*~
Sage watched the dismay cover Joel’s face as he got a look at the offerings at her favorite restaurant—a vegetarian deli a couple of blocks from the spa where she worked. Though she didn’t adhere blindly to her vegan upraising, she preferred a whole-foods approach to eating and rarely ate meat. Joel apparently had a different idea of what constituted a real meal.
She ordered a salad, he chose an egg salad sandwich—the only thing in the deli that qualified as meat in any form, and they found a table in the corner. She noticed he studied the room before sitting down, and took a seat with his back to the wall so he looked out over the deli. His eyes tracked the room and flicked back to the door every time it opened. She felt herself relax, knowing he was watching out for her. “So you’re a former SEAL? How long did you do that?” she asked.
“I was in the Navy for twelve years, a SEAL for ten.” He lifted the edge of his rye bread and looked at the egg filling, and though his expression was doubtful, he gamely lifted the sandwich for a bite.
“That’s quite a while. Why’d you quit?” Sage speared a tomato and popped it into her mouth, studying his face. She felt better about Joel, knowing her father had sent him—her dad was no fool and would have checked his background extensively—but there was still something dark and dangerous about him. It would be a mistake to underestimate him.
“I got injured on a mission, messed up my ACL. I’ve been through surgery, and I’m doing great, but I’ll never be at a hundred percent again.” His face was calm, expressionless, but his dark brown eyes revealed his regret.
“You miss it.” She didn’t know much about SEALs except that they were the navy elite with advanced combat skills. She wondered if his experiences had made him dangerous, or if the inner predator had always existed and the training had merely enhanced it.
“Yeah, I miss it.” He took a sip of his water and turned the conversation back to her. “So tell me about this stalker.”
She washed down her salad with a drink of her tea and plunged ahead. “It started in January. At first it was just emails, then I started getting letters to my home, and deliveries of gifts to home and work. They’re coming more regularly now. He seems to think we have a relationship already, but I have no idea who it is.” The thought made her shiver with revulsion.
When Joel’s eyes switched from cool to frigid, she was glad he was on her side.
Acknowledgements
Though writing is a solitary endeavor, I could never publish a novel without the help of many friends along the way. Thank you to Danyelle Ferguson, Rachelle Christensen, Maria Hoagland, Tamara Hart Heiner, Christine Bryant, Debbie Davis and Rebecca Blevins for taking the time to give me feedback on the editing and the story.
The internet is an awesome resource for a writer, allowing me to find information about typical weather for my fictional city, hot air ballooning and finding the perfect hotel management textbook to fill in the blanks with information my college days of working in a hotel didn’t teach me. Big kudos to everyone who posts such useful information online. Seriously, you make my life so much easier!
A big, gigantic thanks to my husband who created my cover, does web work for me, reads a final time for punctuation corrections, and is just there for me all of the time. He is my staunchest cheerleader and best friend. I love you, Bill!
About the Author
Heather Tullis has been reading romance for as long as she can remember and has been publishing in the genre since 2009. When she’s not dreaming up new stories to write, she runs with the local volunteer ambulance, enjoys gardening, playing with her chickens, geese and ducks, cake decorating and working with her husband in their small business.
Learn more about her at her website at http://heathertullis.blogspot.com/ or her Facebook fan page http://www.facebook.com/HeatherTullisBooks.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
A Perfect Fit Page 23
