Desperate Strangers

by Carla Cassidy

  But if she looked deeply into her heart, she knew the answer. As long as his items were in her house, she could pretend they were still a couple. When he picked up his clothing, the end of them would be final.

  She got up from the sofa and walked upstairs. Instead of going down the hallway to her own bedroom, she veered into the guest room where he’d been staying.

  One of his T-shirts lay on the bed. She picked it up and held it to her nose, breathing in the familiar scent of home and security.

  The sight of a pair of his socks on the floor almost made her laugh as she remembered their conversation about his penchant for not picking up his socks. Instead, tears leaped into her eyes.

  She threw the shirt back on the bed and angrily wiped at her tears. She was through crying over Nick Simon. It was time for her to start getting over him.

  However, an hour later when the doorbell rang, her heart leaped with the anticipation of seeing him again. Her hands trembled with nervous energy as she opened the door to him.

  For a brief moment she couldn’t speak. Oh, why did he have to look so wonderful in his jeans and a camo-green T-shirt that complemented the color of his eyes? Why did the mere sight of him threaten to break her heart all over again?

  “Come in,” she said quickly after an initial awkward pause. She opened the door further for him to enter. As he swept by her, his familiar scent wrapped around her broken heart. “Feel free to go upstairs to get your things,” she said.

  “Can we talk first?”

  Once again she hesitated.

  “Please, Julie,” he said softly...pleadingly.

  She gestured him toward the living room, although she wasn’t sure they had anything to discuss. He’d used her until he didn’t need her anymore and now he was here to take the last pieces of him away.

  He walked into the living room and sank down on the sofa. She sat opposite him in a chair. There was no way she wanted to sit close to him. She didn’t want to smell his familiar scent, feel the warmth of his body heat as he told her goodbye.

  “Julie, I can’t let this end like this,” he said. He leaned forward, his eyes glittering bright and intent. “There’s no question that initially I did you wrong. I made selfish choices that served only myself.”

  “Do you really have a wife who was murdered?”

  “Absolutely. Why do you think I would lie about such a terrible thing?”

  “The problem is I don’t know what you lied about and what you didn’t. What were you doing out on the street on the night of my accident?”

  For the first time since they’d come into the living room, his gaze shifted away from her and to some point over her left shoulder.

  He released a deep sigh. “If I tell you everything about that night then I’ll be betraying the trust of five other men.” His gaze met hers again. “I can promise you that I did nothing wrong and I can’t regret what happened that night because it brought you to me.”

  Although he’d piqued her curiosity about the other men, she realized it didn’t really matter what he’d been doing that night. What mattered were the lies that had fallen so effortlessly out of his mouth during the weeks they’d been together.

  “You’re a terrific liar,” she said, unable to help the bitterness that crept into her tone.

  “You might think so, but you don’t realize how difficult it was for me. I hated each and every lie I told you. There’s no question that initially I used you to my advantage. But, Julie, it didn’t take me long to realize I was falling in love with you. I don’t want to take my things and go home. My home is here with you and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make up for all the hurt I’ve done to you.”

  Was it possible for him to manufacture the love that shone from his beautiful eyes? Everything was out in the open now; what possible reason would he have to lie about loving her?

  Her heart began to beat at a quickened pace. He was who she wanted in her life. Despite their crazy path so far, she believed he loved her. And she loved him.

  She might never fully understand why he’d made the choices he had on that night. He was a good man. He could have run right past her car and left her unconscious. It might have been hours before anyone had found her.

  He could have dumped her off at her home and exited her life immediately, but he’d seen the remnants of the physical fight she’d had with Casey and had stayed because he’d thought Julie might be in trouble.

  Most men would have walked away, unwilling to become embroiled in a stranger’s drama, but Nick had stayed. To her surprise, the light of forgiveness filled her heart.

  “You’ll make it up to me for the rest of your life?” she finally said.

  “Just give me the chance, Julie. Give us a chance.” He gazed at her intently, as if holding his breath for her reply.

  “When are you going to put a ring on my finger?”

  A burst of excited laughter escaped him and he jumped up off the sofa. “Today...tomorrow...right now!” he exclaimed as he walked over and pulled her up from the chair and into his arms. “And I’m intending a very short engagement,” he said before his lips captured hers in a kiss that nearly took her breath away.

  When the kiss finally ended, he placed his hands on either side of her face and stared deeply into her eyes. “Julie, I swear to you I’m the man you dreamed of when you thought of love and marriage. I’m going to be the best husband any woman would ever want.”

  “And I’m going to be the best wife,” she replied. Her heart expanded with happiness. “I think maybe it was fate that brought us together. I was so lonely and ready for love in my life.”

  He nodded. “And now there’s going to be two less lonely people in the world.”

  “If you start singing that song, I’ll never forgive you. Nobody does Air Supply better than Air Supply,” she replied.

  He laughed and then lowered his head to kiss her once again. This one tasted of his love, of his sweet longing for her. It tasted of the promise of forever.

  He raised his head and smiled at her. “I love you, Julie Peterson.”

  “And I love you, Nick Simon,” she replied.

  “I can’t wait to make you Julie Simon. Maybe we should just elope.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “My mother would hate you forever if you took away her opportunity to be mother of the bride at a traditional wedding.”

  “I certainly don’t want to start out with the wrath of George and Lynetta focused on me,” he said.

  “There’s no reason why we can’t plan a fairly quick wedding.”

  “Can we enjoy a little honeymoon in your bedroom before the wedding?” His gaze was light and teasing, but with a fiery hunger that instantly lit one in her.

  She twirled out of his embrace and ran for the stairs. “Last one up has to cook dinner,” she cried over her shoulder.

  His laughter chased her up the stairs where they would make love and plan a wedding and plan a future together filled with children and laughter and love.

  Epilogue

  “Hold them,” Nick yelled to the defense. Thank goodness this was a practice and not a real game. The defense still left a lot to be desired. As the play ended, he motioned the teenagers in.

  While he waited for them all to gather around, he shot a glance at the bleachers where Julie sat with several of the kids’ parents.

  As he gave the boys his usual pep talk, his mind drifted over the events of the past two weeks. They had definitely been eventful.

  He’d put his house up for sale as he and Julie had decided to live in her place. They’d also been busy making wedding plans. She now sported a pretty diamond engagement ring, pleasing not only her but Lynetta, as well.

  He still checked the news every day, hoping not to see any of the names that had been on a hit list of sorts. But that time of his life seemed distant an
d alien to him now.

  As the sweaty boys headed in to the locker rooms, he waved to Julie and followed them. He was thrilled that she was taking an interest in the team and had sworn she would be at all the games.

  She’d told her parents she would continue to work part-time at the store until classes began at the community college where she was enrolled. She was taking action on achieving the dream of becoming a nurse.

  Casey had been held over for trial and while Julie and the rest of Casey’s family were sad at the choices Casey had made, they’d also agreed that she had to face whatever consequences the court handed down.

  Once he saw that all the boys were gone from the locker room, he headed toward the bleachers where she was the last one remaining. He couldn’t help the way his heart lifted as he approached Julie.

  With each day that passed, he only loved her more. She was his heart, his soul, and each day with her was a gift. And the amazing part was that he knew she felt the same way about him.

  “Hey, Coach,” she said as she stood from the bleacher seat.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” he replied. “You know what I’ve always wanted to do?”

  “What’s that?” Her eyes sparkled with happiness.

  “I’ve always wanted to kiss the woman I’m going to marry on the fifty-yard line.”

  Her grin was infectious. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  He grabbed her hand and together they ran across the neatly manicured grass of the field.

  Together...forever...the warmth of love embraced him. It was the way they would run to their future...together and with love.

  * * *

  HE’D SUSPECTED ALL along that when the time to act came, Nick Simon would falter. That was why he had done Brian McDowell. That scumbag had deserved a painful death. A bullet to the head had been too easy.

  He’d wanted Brian’s death to be slow and painful, which was why he’d brought the large knife with him. It had been so easy. The large flower pot had been a handy tool to throw at the sliding-glass door.

  Knowing the noise would rouse Brian out of bed, he’d simply waited in the shadows. When Brian had stumbled toward the shattered glass, he’d attacked.

  Brian had squealed like a pig as he’d driven his knife in him over and over again. God, what a high it had been. His adrenaline had pumped hotter, faster, through his body than he could ever remember. It had been such a rush, like having sex, only better.

  He didn’t even mind the thick, coppery scent of blood or the ultimate odor of death that wafted in the air when he’d finished. He’d remained seated on the floor next to the body for several long moments.

  He’d liked it. He’d liked it so much he was going to do it again. There were a lot of bad people in the world that the justice system had allowed to walk scot-free. He even had a list of the next five men to start with. He’d be patient and he could be careful.

  It was time somebody cleaned up the trash on the streets. He wondered how long, how many bodies, it would take before the cops realized the V carved into the dead men’s foreheads stood for vengeance.

  Oh, yes, he couldn’t wait to strike again.

  * * * * *

  Check out other Harlequin Intrigue romances

  by Carla Cassidy:

  SCENE OF THE CRIME: MEANS AND MOTIVE

  SCENE OF THE CRIME:

  WHO KILLED SHELLY SINCLAIR?

  SCENE OF THE CRIME: THE DEPUTY’S PROOF

  SCENE OF THE CRIME: KILLER COVE

  SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM

  Tucker Cahill returns to Gilt Edge, Montana, with no choice but to face down his haunted past when a woman’s skeletal remains are found near his family’s ranch—but he couldn’t have prepared for a young woman seeking vengeance and finding much more.

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  HERO’S RETURN,

  A CAHILL RANCH NOVEL

  from New York Times bestselling author

  B.J. Daniels!

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  Hero’s Return

  by B.J. Daniels

  Skeletal Remains Found in Creek

  The skeletal remains of a woman believed to be in her late teens or early twenties were discovered in Miner’s Creek outside of Gilt Edge, Montana, yesterday. Local coroner Sonny Bates estimated that the remains had been in the creek for somewhere around twenty years.

  Sheriff Flint Cahill is looking into missing-persons cases from that time in the hopes of identifying the victim. If anyone has any information, they are encouraged to call the Gilt Edge Sheriff’s Department.

  “NO, MRS. KERN, I can assure you that the bones that were found in the creek are not those of your nephew Billy,” Sheriff Flint Cahill said into the phone at his desk. “I saw Billy last week at the casino. He was alive and well... No, it takes longer than a week for a body to decompose to nothing but bones. Also, the skeletal remains that were found were a young woman’s... Yes, Coroner Sonny Bates can tell the difference.”

  He looked up as the door opened and his sister, Lillie, stepped into his office. From the scowl on her face, he didn’t have to ask what kind of mood she was in. He’d been expecting her, given that he had their father locked up in one of the cells.

  “Mrs. Kern, I have to go. I’m sorry Billy hasn’t called you, but I’m sure he’s fine.” He hung up with a sigh. “Dad’s in the back sleeping it off. Before he passed out, he mumbled about getting back to the mountains.”

  A very pregnant Lillie nodded but said nothing. Pregnancy had made his sister even prettier. Her long dark hair framed a face that could only be called adorable. This morning, though, he saw something in her gray eyes that worried him.

  He waited for her to tie into him, knowing how she felt about him arresting their father for being drunk and disorderly. This wasn’t their first rodeo. And like always, it was Lillie who came to bail Ely out—not his bachelor brothers Hawk and Cyrus, who wanted to avoid one of Flint’s lectures.

  He’d been telling his siblings that they needed to do something about their father. But no one wanted to face the day when their aging dad couldn’t continue to spend most of his life in the mountains gold panning and trapping—let alone get a snoot full of booze every time he finally hit town again.

  “I’ll go get him,” Flint said, lumbering to his feet. Since he’d gotten the call about the bones being found at the creek, he hadn’t had but a few hours’ sleep. All morning, the phone had been ringing off the hook. Not with leads on the identity of
the skeletal remains—just residents either being nosy or worried there was a killer on the loose.

  “Before you get Dad...” Lillie seemed to hesitate, which wasn’t like her. She normally spoke her mind without any encouragement at all.

  He braced himself.

  “A package came for Tuck.”

  That was the last thing Flint had expected out of her mouth. “To the saloon?”

  “To the ranch. No return address.”

  Flint felt his heart begin to pound harder. It was the first news of their older brother Tucker since he’d left home right after high school. Being the second oldest, Flint had been closer to Tucker than with his younger brothers. For years, he’d feared him dead. When Tuck had left like that, Flint had suspected his brother was in some kind of trouble. He’d been sure of it. But had it been something bad enough that Tucker hadn’t felt he could come to Flint for help?

  “Did you open the package?” he asked.

  Lillie shook her head. “Hawk and Cyrus thought about it but then called me.”

  He tried to hide his irritation that one of them had called their sister instead of him, the darned sheriff. His brothers had taken over the family ranch and were the only ones still living on the property, so it wasn’t a surprise that they would have received the package. Which meant that whoever had sent it either didn’t know that Tucker no longer lived there or they thought he was coming back for some reason.

  Because Tucker was on his way home? Maybe he’d sent the package and there was nothing to worry about.

  Unfortunately, a package after all this time didn’t necessarily bode well. At least not to Flint, who came by his suspicious nature naturally as a lawman. He feared it might be Tucker’s last effects.

  “I hope you didn’t open it.”

  Lillie shook her head. “You think this means he’s coming home?” She sounded so hopeful it made his heart ache. He and Tucker had been close in more ways than age. Or at least he’d thought so. But something had been going on with his brother his senior year in high school and Flint had no idea what it was. Or if trouble was still dogging his brother.