"This isn't your fault, Tess, but whoever these guys are, they're playing for keeps. And they're good. I can't help but think they wanted me to find those bugs. As a message. I was on my way to get you when I spotted them."
"Gil! You promised you wouldn't—"
"I know what I promised. But you're in way over your head on this. And I'm not sure who they've got on me. Or what tags I've missed. I can't take the chance of trying to get to you or I'll lead them right there." He paused for a long moment. "Who are those guys?"
Who, indeed? Tess fell silent. If they had spied on Gil, what else did they already know about her? Did they know about Cara? This cabin?
"I called your Dr. Waltrip."
Tess dragged her thoughts back to the conversation. "And?"
"He claims someone did call him into work that night on an emergency gunshot wound, but he was called not fifteen minutes later on his cell phone, canceling. Someone claiming to be the charge nurse said the patient had been transferred to another facility for insurance reasons."
Tess smiled grimly. So they had covered almost all of their bases, but whatever information Waltrip had wouldn't hold up in any investigation without the rest of the pieces. It seemed that the whole night had been erased. But how and by whom?
"By the way," Gil said, breaking into her thoughts, "bow's the patient?"
"Cranky," was all she said.
"He hasn't tried anything with you, has he?"
Gil sounded like an overprotective brother ready to jump to her defense at a moment's notice. He knew her the way a professional gambler knew what hands his opponents were holding by just looking at the way they were sitting at the table. "Tried anything? No," she lied. "I mean, he's practically an invalid."
She thought briefly of the look in Jack's eyes when he'd trapped her against him, that predatory glint that had reminded her of nothing less than a hungry mountain cat. And she thought about the way he'd kissed her. That wouldn't go away.
"Don't get involved," Gil warned. "It would be a mistake."
"Involved?" Her attempt to infuse the word with innocence failed utterly.
"You know what I mean. You're caught in something bigger than the two of you. It's easy to lose perspective."
That's exactly what she'd told Jack. "Can I ask you something, Gil?"
He was silent a moment, as if trying to brace himself for what he knew was coming. "What?"
"Am I … do you think I seem … unapproachable? Cut off from my emotions?" She waited for him to reply, but when he hesitated, she pressed on. "I mean, since Adam died, am I so different?"
He seemed to choose his words carefully. "Of course you're different. You lost your husband. You've been hurt. It's natural that you'd take a step back for a while."
Her throat felt thick. "So I am, then."
A long pause stretched across the airwaves between them. Gil's voice, when he spoke, was roughened by emotion. "Is this about him?" About Jack, he meant.
She shook her head in the dark. "It's about me. About the me I seem to have lost. I don't know where I went, Gil."
"You're healing," he said gently. "That's nothing to be ashamed of." She could almost hear him rubbing his temples. "You're falling for this guy, aren't you?"
Gil's question hit her like a fist to the stomach, pushing the air from her lungs. "That's ridiculous. I don't even know his real name. Besides," she added, "Adam is—"
"—dead. He's dead, Tess."
Tess fell silent, waiting for Gil to take it back, to remind her that she owed her loyalty to his late partner, her husband. But he didn't.
"Be careful, darlin'," he said at last. "Be very, very careful. Because if he breaks your heart, I'll personally finish what those other guys started."
She wished, for a moment, that Gil was the man who made her feel light-headed. But it was Jack who did that, and there was nothing she could do about it. "Bye, Gil. I'll be in touch."
"I'm counting on it."
* * *
Tess didn't go back to his room again until morning. She was surprised to find him standing at the window staring out through the pines. He'd dressed, wearing his jeans, which she'd washed, and a men's white, button-down shirt she'd scrounged out of the back of Cara's closet. His feet were bare, sticking out under the worn hems of his jeans. The sight set something tumbling through her stomach. Setting down the tray of food beside his bed, she stood still until he turned around.
"You're up." Stating the obvious was becoming a habit. "I brought you some breakfast."
He glanced at the tray without replying.
"I'll, uh, leave you alone."
"Tess," he called after her.
She turned back with a questioning look.
"About last night— It was my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you. I was way out of line."
She shook her head. "But you were right."
A frown tugged at his brow. "What happened between you and your husband is none of my business."
Tess wrapped her hand around the pineapple finial at the end of the bedpost and fingered the carving there. "It's been nobody's business for a long time. A taboo topic. I thought if I didn't think about him, about what happened, that I could put it behind me and move on. But last night, I realized that it's had just the opposite effect." She looked up to find Jack watching her intently. "You were right when you said it was easier for me to hide behind his ghost than to really feel anything. It's so much easier."
Jack didn't say anything. He just watched her.
"And I haven't felt anything in a long time. Really felt it. Not until you." The admission shocked even her, and she half wished she could swallow it back down.
He stared at the floor. "It shouldn't have happened, Tess."
She knew he meant the kiss, but she was talking about so much more. "No, you're right," she said quickly. "You're absolutely right. And it won't. Ever again. But it made me realize how I've been using Adam's death to straight-arm the people who care about me. To hold them at bay. And, Adam doesn't deserve to be remembered that way." She looked up at him. "You would have liked him."
Jack wondered, considering that the man had stolen a piece of Tess that she might never reclaim. A piece of her heart he wanted to know. He shook off the thought. No, she was still in love with the guy. That was plain enough. And there wasn't enough room in what was left of her broken heart for a man with no name and no past. And no room in whatever fragments remained of his for a woman like her. But it didn't stop him from wondering about the man who'd gotten there first.
He lowered himself down on the bed, covering his aching shoulder with his hand, and against his better judgment said, "Tell me about him."
She hugged her arms to her chest. "He was a good man. Kind. Ambitious. A little impatient … like you."
Jack wasn't sure why, but he smiled at the comparison.
"He would take me fly-fishing. He loved to fish. Of course, I was abysmal at it. I couldn't throw the darned thing and I had the ungraceful tendency to fill my waders more often than I hooked a fish. But this one time, a few years ago, he had this brand-new, shiny fly rod he'd saved months for, and he couldn't wait to use it. He had it all set up with a handmade fly he'd taken hours tying." Tess laughed, remembering. A dimple appeared miraculously in her cheek.
Jack couldn't stop looking at her, wondering how he'd missed it, and thinking she was the prettiest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
"Anyway," she continued, "he carefully baited mine, knowing I wouldn't catch anything because I never did. And then he cast out over the river and waded in."
She looked at Jack with a twinkle in her eye. "Well, naturally, not two minutes later, something hit my line like a Mack truck and nearly pulled me in. I got so excited, I screamed for him to help me, and he came lumbering over in his waders to my rescue. And he would've made it, too, if it hadn't been for that deep hole in the river bottom."
Laughing, Tess covered her mouth with her hands, remembering. "Oh, he was mad, and soak
ing wet. His prize pole went flying downstream, never to be seen again, and that fish that hit my line? History. Gone with my bait."
"No," Jack said, just wanting her to keep talking.
"Yes!" She shook her head. "And I couldn't stop laughing. Oh… He never forgave me for that darned pole. And from then on, I sat on the bank and watched him."
Still smiling, she looked at Jack, flushed by the memory. She sighed. "That felt good."
"What?" he asked softly. "To remember him?"
"To remember something other than that last day. Something good." But in the next instant she looked stricken. "Oh, Jack, that was mean of me. I'm sorry."
"What?"
"When you can't remember anything… I'm sorry."
She continued to amaze him. "Don't be ridiculous. Just because my memory's gone the way of the dinosaurs doesn't mean I can't enjoy yours. I like hearing you talk, watching you smile."
Color crept to her cheeks. "It's ironic, isn't it? You want so desperately to remember, and I wish I could forget."
"Not so ironic," he mused. "You know what they say? Opposites attract."
"Do they?" She smiled slowly. "Maybe we're not so opposite, after all."
The sound of a car on the gravel drive outside the window drew their attention.
"Oh, hell," Jack swore, pushing the curtains aside just as a khaki-uniformed sheriff stepped from the green-and-white patrol car sitting in Tess's driveway.
* * *
Chapter 10
«^»
"Let me handle this." Tess got to her feet, feeling panic creep up her throat.
Jack's eyes went wide and they scanned the room like a trapped cat. "Handle it?"
"I know him. It's Dan Kelso. Just take a deep breath."
The loud knock on the door in the next room made them both jump.
Stay here, she mouthed, and walked to the living room. She opened the door as Dan was pulling his sunglasses off.
"Tess." His smile was genuine, and the lump in her throat eased a bit.
"Dan. What a surprise." Her own smile felt frozen, and she hoped he didn't notice the way her lips quivered. Sweat gathered between her breasts as she eased past the door and forced him back onto the porch. Tandy, the golden retriever from next door, bounded up the steps to Dan, wagging her tail.
He scratched the dog behind the ears. "Hiya, girl. Long time no see."
Tandy panted and sniffed at Tess's legs, then moved her attention to the door, ignoring them both.
Dan lifted his hat off and curled the brim in one hand. Tall as the door frame, he had the kind of boy-next-door looks – with his sandy-brown hair, hazel-green eyes and endless smile – that could turn a girl's head. He hadn't seen thirty-five yet, but he had small lines around his eyes from smiling. He'd been pursuing Tess for the last year with a quiet patience she couldn't quite comprehend.
"Ned mentioned that you were in town," he said in that slow drawl that betrayed his Texas roots.
She frowned, her mind blank as she scratched Tandy and kneed her away from the door. "Ned…?"
Dan grinned. "…Wilton? At the pharmacy?"
"Oh." She laughed. "Ned. He told you?"
"Yeah, he said you'd been in for some bandages and things, and I thought I'd just drop by and see if you were okay."
"Oh! That's so nice of you to worry about me, but I'm fine. Right as rain. It was nothing. I told him. Just a scratch from a fence. I fixed it right up."
The same famous smile that bad gotten him elected spread across his mouth. Under different circumstances she might have welcomed his visit. But not now. Not with Jack inside the house.
"You up here for a vacation?"
Tandy whined and scratched at the door.
Tess laughed, and it sounded suspiciously like a bubble of hysteria. "Yeah. A vacation. You know what they say, all work and no play…" Oh, that was original. She took the dog by the collar and hauled her back to sit near her feet.
"Yeah, Cara said you'd been working way too hard last time I saw her."
"Oh," Tess said, "she worries too much about me. She's in Brazil, you know. She said I could use the cabin. Anytime. So, I'm just, um, using it."
"Good. Well, that was another reason I stopped by," he said, looking more serious.
Tess felt her smile slipping.
"You got a cat in there or something?" Dan asked with a laugh, watching Tandy.
"Uh, no. I don't know what her problem is. Just wants in, I think. You were saying?"
"Your promise," he reminded her.
She frowned, hauling back on Tandy's collar. "My p…promise?"
"That you'd have dinner with me the next time you came up. Remember?"
Her heart sank. Of course, she remembered. She'd only said it because he wouldn't stop asking her, and she'd decided that it wouldn't be so awful to spend an evening with a man like Dan. She could do a lot worse. But his timing could use some work.
"I did promise, didn't I?" she said, wincing. "It's just that I brought a lot of work up with me and I'm kind of behind on this deadline…"
His eyebrow went up in reprimand. "I thought this was a vacation."
She smiled. "Well, you know how it is. I can never get completely away from work. It kind of follows me around." Tandy growled and woofed. Tess pulled the dog to the step and pointed to the house next door. "Tandy, go home! Now!"
The retriever's ears drooped and she slunk disconsolately down the steps, glancing back as she plodded across the yard.
"Listen – about my invitation. You still have to eat," he said easily. "It's just dinner. What do you say? Tomorrow night at seven? There's a real nice little place that just opened down on Main. Dilly's. They're having a little thing for the Pioneer Days Festival. Good food." When she still hesitated, he added, "C'mon, Tess. It'll be fun. You could use a little fun, I think."
That phrase sounded vaguely familiar. She should have felt simple relief that he hadn't come about Jack. But what she felt wasn't relief. It was trepidation. His invitation was a minefield, strewn with more complications than she could navigate. But if she turned him down again, he'd be suspicious.
"Tomorrow at seven then," she said, forcing a smile.
Dan returned it in spades. "You won't be sorry, Tess."
Yes, she would. But she smiled anyway. "I'll look forward to it."
Dan slid his Stetson back on his head and skipped down the stairs. She watched until he waved, pulling out of her driveway, before she slid back inside the house. What she saw made her suck in a breath.
"Jack!" Her horrified gaze went from the gun he was holding, to his face, and back again. "What are you doing?"
He shoved the pistol back behind the books. "What does it look like?"
Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. It took her a moment to realize that all the while she'd been talking to Dan, Jack had been standing there with the gun trained, ready to blow him off her porch. "And what were you going to do with it? Shoot him?"
"Just playing it safe, Tess. That's all. I wasn't going to shoot him."
"No?" She wasn't sure she believed him.
He didn't reply, simply prowled back to the bedroom.
She followed him. "Are you capable of shooting a man in cold blood, Jack?"
He slumped down on the bed and rubbed his temple. "Do you think I am?"
"I'm asking you."
He closed his eyes and draped one forearm over them. "I guess the fact that you are answers my question."
Anger vibrated through her. What if she'd been wrong about him? What if Gil was right? What if that APB belonged to him and he had murdered someone? "How dare you question my motives? You're the one who was holding a gun. And how did you find that gun? I hid it."
He lifted his forearm and sent her a look that said she should have known better. "What did Deputy Dan want?"
Tess ground her fingernails into her palms. "Sheriff," she almost spat. "And he wanted a date."
"A date?"
"Yes, He wants m
e to go out with him. Tomorrow night. For dinner."
"You turned him down." It wasn't a question but an assumption of fact.
"Actually," she said, strolling to the window, "I accepted."
Jack gaped at her.
"I had to. I had promised him that next time I came up I'd have dinner with him. I tried to get out of it, but he was persistent. If I'd flatly turned him down, it would have looked suspicious."
"Suspicious? Do you think he might be the least bit put out by the fact that you're harboring a fugitive under his nose?"
Tess folded her arms. "Only if you do something foolish again like point a gun at him. Otherwise, he won't even know you're here."
But I'll know you're with him. The thought made Jack want to smack his forehead with an open palm. What was wrong with him? Was he actually jealous? The possibility was laughable. Jealous of what? Tess's affections? The flush Deputy Dan had put on her face? Or was it simply the knowledge that nothing that started out this bad could ever be good?
Frustrated, Jack lurched off the bed. The sudden movement made him freeze. He grabbed his throbbing shoulder, bit back a curse and sat back down, cradling his arm against his chest. Jack wanted to lash out at something. Just when he thought he was getting his feet under him, the damned rug disappeared from beneath him again. He needed some control. He needed his damned life back!
Tess took a few steps toward him before stopping. "Are you—?"
He waved her off. "I'm fine! I'm great. My shoulder feels like an elephant sat on it, my memory has more holes than Swiss cheese and my doctor's getting cozy with the local law enforcement."
"It's only dinner," she argued gently.
Only dinner with a guy every woman's mother would kill to have sitting at her—
The thought was cut short by an image in his mind. Like a silent movie screen on the blink, a picture flashed of a dark-haired, beautiful woman he didn't recognize seated across the table from him. "It's only dinner," she was saying, her tone curt and angry. "Why did I imagine it'd be anything more?" Her hostility was palpable as she deliberately put her fork down and threw her napkin on the table as she shoved herself to her feet. Then the picture vanished like a blip on a computer screen.
I'LL REMEMBER YOU Page 11
