Keeping Her Safe

by Sherry Lewis

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he propped one hip against a fence post and crossed his arms over his chest. But she’d worked herself up too far to stop now. “I don’t need you coming in here and butting into my life and telling me how I should deal with my problems. I don’t need you standing around my kitchen looking like some…some…” She searched the sky for the words, then shoved him with both hands. “Some hairy-faced testosterone-ridden male. I don’t have time for you. I don’t have room for you in my life right now.”

  He waited a second, then asked, “Is that all?”

  “No!” She paced a few steps away. “I’m frightened, Adam. Can’t you understand that? I don’t know what I want. I don’t know who I am anymore. Yes, I want to get to know my father. I think. But you’re right. I’m afraid. I’m deathly afraid.” Tears stung her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. She tried dashing them away with the back of her hand, but she couldn’t stop them. “Oh, God!” she cried. “Look at me!”

  She turned away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m confused. I’m scared. I feel lost and alone. I feel as if I’ve lost everyone who ever mattered to me all at once.”

  Before she heard him approach, he put his arms around her and turned her to face him. His eyes looked gentle and caring, and he pulled her against him until her cheek lay against his chest. “You still have Marissa,” he said softly.

  More touched than she could ever have imagined, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let her tears flow. He held her there for a long time and let her cry until she couldn’t cry anymore. He whispered to her—words she couldn’t even understand but which carried their message to her wounded heart.

  She clung to him, feeling grounded and solid for the first time since Larry Galloway had walked into her life.

  He kissed her softly on the forehead and once more on the temple, and said, “I’m not going to leave you alone. If you want to learn more about him, I can help you.”

  She pulled away slightly and met his gaze. “How?”

  “I have contacts.”

  “Who?”

  To her surprise, he grinned and his eyes twinkled with mischief. “Just a few of my hairy-faced, testosterone-ridden friends.”

  She ducked her head, embarrassed by her outburst. Of course he made contacts doing research. And he was willing to use them now for her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  He touched one hand to her mouth to still the words. “DJ, you needed to say everything you said. You were confused and angry. You needed to clear everything out so you could start over.”

  “But—”

  “You feel better, don’t you?”

  She pulled back to arm’s length and scowled at him. “You goaded me into getting angry?”

  He shrugged and looked off to one side as if he needed to consider his answer. “Yes,” he said at last. “I did.”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  He grinned and made a face of exaggerated horror. “I may not have known you very long, but already I know enough not to try to tell you what to do.” He kissed the tip of her nose quickly and released her.

  She let her arms fall to her sides. To her surprise, she wanted him to hold her awhile longer. But she knew she couldn’t hide from reality in his arms. He was right. She could either wallow in self-pity or take steps to reach a solution.

  “I’d feel funny asking someone to check on him. What I should do is invite him over for dinner. That would give us time to talk, and I could ask him everything I want to know. Did you keep that number he gave you?”

  Adam pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket. “I did.”

  She took it and clutched it in her hand. “If I do, will you be there? I’m not sure I’m ready to be alone with him yet.”

  He nodded. “Of course, if you want me there. But what are you going to tell Marissa about him? Have you thought about that?”

  What could she tell her? Jeff’s parents had been as absent from Marissa’s life as Jeff himself. Marissa couldn’t remember any grandparent other than Christina, and DJ didn’t want to spring a grandfather on her without warning. She couldn’t help Marissa adjust until she’d accepted the idea of having a father first. The whole concept still seemed unreal. Dreamlike. Or perhaps more accurately, nightmarish.

  “I won’t tell her anything yet,” she said. “Not until I have a better handle on the situation.”

  “She’ll be there during dinner, won’t she? You don’t think she’ll pick up on the conversation?”

  “I won’t discuss it until she’s gone to bed.”

  “No, but Larry might say something you don’t want her to hear.”

  D.J. squared her shoulders and prepared for an argument. “I’m not leaving Marissa with a baby-sitter while I deal with this. I’m away from her too much as it is.”

  “All right.” Adam ran his fingers though his hair and stared at the trees in front of him for a few seconds. “Why don’t I fire up that barbecue grill I saw on your deck? It’s still warm enough to eat outside if we start early. Marissa could play on the lawn with Holly, and I could do the cooking and leave you two free to talk.”

  His reaction amazed her. She relaxed again and smiled. “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.”

  “What about your book? I shouldn’t interfere with your work.” It was a halfhearted protest, and DJ had no doubt Adam knew it.

  He brushed away her concern. “Don’t worry about that. The research is coming along fine. Besides, I have to eat sometime—it might as well be with you.”

  She allowed herself a relieved laugh. “That’s true. Besides, think what a great story line this would make. You could chalk up the whole evening to research.”

  His expression grew thoughtful. “Yes, I could, couldn’t I?” All at once, his eyes brightened. “You know, this is sounding better all the time. It might give us what we both need. When do you want to do it?”

  “Tonight. I.hate waiting.”

  Adam half smiled and started to respond just as Ramon’s voice blared over the store’s loudspeaker and demanded DJ’s presence at the customer-service booth.

  She groaned a little and stuffed her hands back into her hip pockets. “Sounds as if they need me. I’d better go.” She started down the road, but Adam fell into step behind her.

  “I’ll walk back with you,” he said.

  She couldn’t even pretend not to want his company. “Okay. Thanks.” To her surprise, her headache had all but disappeared and she felt almost relaxed in spite of everything she still had to deal with. She wondered how he’d known she needed to release some of her pent-up tension and what would trigger her response.

  They walked in silence, and DJ glanced at him every few seconds. He felt solid beside her. Reassuring. And she’d done exactly what she’d hoped to avoid last night—she’d turned to him for comfort for all the wrong reasons.

  Yes, he’d held her while she cried. He’d even kissed her. It had been the embrace of a brother—a friend. Nothing more. But it had left her body pulsing with a life of its own.

  She looked down at her feet and followed a rut in the road. When it dipped suddenly, her arm brushed against his and her skin tingled at the point of contact. She drew away quickly, disturbed by her reaction to him and more than a little embarrassed.

  Even if he reacted to her as a man instead of a brother, she couldn’t let herself get involved. A relationship based on need couldn’t hope to survive. She moved a few feet away to avoid accidentally touching him again and kept her eyes straight ahead so she wouldn’t be tempted to look at the line of his jaw or the set of his shoulders.

  He didn’t appear to notice anything. In fact, he didn’t look at her again until the nursery came into view. “Let me know when you’ve talked to Galloway. I can even pick up the groceries while you’re working.”

  “Thanks. I’ll call.” She started to turn around, then made herself look back again. “And thanks, Adam. For everything.”

>   A smile curved his lips and sent another flash of longing through her. “No trouble. That’s what friends are for.”

  She made herself turn away and hurry through the open glass doors, but when she reached Heather’s cash register, she gave in to the urge to look back. To her surprise, Adam stood rooted to the spot, watching her.

  In spite of the vow she’d just made to herself, she didn’t blush or look away, but returned his smile and held his gaze until the loudspeaker clicked on again. And when at last she could make herself walk away, she warned herself she was inviting heartache. But at that moment, she didn’t care.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ADAM YANKED OPEN the door to the federal building and strode inside. His footsteps echoed from the walls of the foyer and brought Don Meier’s head up from his newspaper with a jerk.

  Don stood and propped his hands on his duty belt, but when he recognized Adam, he relaxed and smiled broadly. “What are you doing here? I thought they finally fired you.”

  Adam forced a smile and tried to look as if he’d stopped by for a casual visit and not like he wanted to throttle Chuck for sending him on assignment without a full briefing. “You wish.”

  Don laughed. “Yeah, I do. It’d be the only way I’ll ever get top score on the firing range again.” He stood, stretched, and readjusted his belt. “What’s up? I heard you were on some top-priority detail.”

  “I am,” Adam admitted. “And if anyone asks, you haven’t seen me. I need to talk to Chuck. Is he here?”

  Don nodded toward the elevators. “I just saw him heading downstairs. I think he’s on his way out.”

  “Damn.”

  “You want me to call him back?” Don started to lift his radio from his belt, but Adam stopped him.

  “Don’t call. I’ll find him.” Opting against using the slow-moving elevators, Adam raced to the stairwell and bounded down the steps two at a time to the basement level. There he followed the corridor around a couple of twists and outside into the parking lot.

  Chuck had made it halfway across the lot, but he wheeled around when Adam shouted, and waited with his fists on his hips while Adam closed the distance between them.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I need some answers.”

  Chuck turned away. “Then call in like you’re supposed to. You’re putting the contract on the line by coming down here.”

  Adam followed him. “I want to know what’s going on, Chuck, and I want the truth.”

  Chuck glared up at him without breaking his stride. “Have you jeopardized the assignment? Does DJ Woodward know who you are?”

  “No, I haven’t. No, she doesn’t. But why in the hell didn’t you tell me who Larry Galloway was?”

  Chuck’s step faltered. “Why? What happened? Did he show up?”

  “Yeah. He showed up early yesterday morning. Came waltzing right up to the house and asked to talk to her. We were just damned lucky I was outside when he came along, or I’d never have known about it.”

  Chuck halted beside his car and slipped the key into the lock. “No kidding? I never figured he’d actually show. I thought you were there for nothing.”

  “Yeah?” Adam asked skeptically. “Well, so did I.”

  “So what happened? Did you keep him away from her?”

  Adam gave a harsh laugh. “No. The best I could manage was to stand there like a nosy tenant until he left.”

  “You got rid of him, then?”

  “For the moment.”

  Chuck pulled open his door and pressed the automatic unlock button. With a jerk of his head to indicate that Adam should get inside, he dropped his cell phone onto the dashboard and slid into his seat. “What did he want?” he asked when Adam joined him.

  “Want? He came for a reunion.”

  “A what?” Chuck stared at him, squinty-eyed, as if he couldn’t process Adam’s words.

  The mock confusion won no sympathy from Adam. “Damn it, Chuck, you sent me in there blind. Why didn’t you tell me he’s DJ’s father?”

  Chuck’s eyes widened with genuine shock. “Her father? Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure.” For some reason, Adam couldn’t make himself tell Chuck about Christina Prescott’s call. “He had a birth certificate with him.”

  Chuck leaned back in his seat and rubbed a hand across his chin. “DJ didn’t know about him?”

  Reluctantly, Adam conceded that Chuck might be as surprised as he had been. “No. She thought her father was a man named Peter Prescott. She’s been told he died when she was two.” He shifted in his seat and leaned his head back. “I’m going on record, here. This detail stinks and I have no idea how to handle it.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t know how to handle it? You’ve got your assignment. Do your job. If you catch him violating parole, you call SLPD immediately. Until then, keep him from getting too close.”

  Adam shot him a look of disbelief. “How? I’m supposed to be a writer, remember? What excuse do I give for hanging around all the time? And if Galloway gets pushy, how do I convince him to back off—pull a pencil on him?”

  Chuck’s face reddened. “Don’t get sarcastic with me. I didn’t accept this contract or assign you to it. I’m the middleman here, remember?”

  Adam drew in a steadying breath and rubbed his forehead. “You’re right. Let me talk to Dodge, then.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? So he can tell me what’s going on. Why didn’t Christina Prescott tell DJ about her father?”

  “You don’t need to know that. Your job is to keep Galloway away from DJ and her daughter.”

  “I don’t like being blindsided.”

  “That’s unfortunate.”

  Adam’s temper flared. “Yeah, it is. What’s Dodge’s number?” He reached for the cell phone, but Chuck caught his wrist in a surprisingly tight grip.

  “You’re not calling Dodge.”

  Adam glared at him. “I can’t protect DJ and Marissa unless I know what’s going on. I can’t do my job this way. I need to know everything about Galloway and why Christina Prescott kept them apart all this time.”

  “You’re assuming Larry Galloway’s telling the truth.”

  “Yeah? Well, he is. Christina Prescott admitted it to DJ last night.”

  Chuck whistled softly, but he still shook his head. “You know Larry’s an ex-con with a fondness for using weapons. You know our client is paying you to keep Larry away from her daughter and granddaughter. What else do you need?”

  “How about what happened between them, and why is Christina Prescott so set against Larry and DJ knowing each other?”

  Chuck released Adam’s wrist and leaned back in his seat. “What’s going on, Adam? This isn’t like you. You’re the best man I’ve got because you take your assignments and you complete them. No questions asked. Results guaranteed.” He shook his head slowly and met Adam’s gaze. “You’ve never jeopardized an assignment before. So what’s different this time? Why are you here?”

  Adam stared back, uncertain how he would respond if he could force himself to speak.

  Chuck propped an elbow on the door handle and faced him squarely. “If your loyalties are unclear, you won’t do anybody any good—not DJ, not Marissa, not Christina Prescott and especially not yourself.”

  His accusation hit Adam like a blow to the midsection. Clenching his jaw, he ground his next words out through his teeth. “My loyalties aren’t in question.”

  “Frankly,” Chuck said, “the way you’re acting, I’d just as soon take you off this case. But you’re too good a man.” He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked tired.

  Adam thrust his fingers through his hair. “I still don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it. Dodge wants you on this detail because of your police background. He doesn’t give diddly-squat what your personal feelings are.”

  Not very comforting, but true. Adam stared straight ahead, working a muscle in his jaw.

/>   Silence stretched between them for several long seconds before Chuck spoke again. “So, tell me, how do you get along with DJ?”

  Adam forced an indifferent shrug. “She’s all right, I guess.”

  “She believes your story?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I hope you’ve been pleasant.”

  Adam flicked him a sideways glance. “I’ve been a bundle of charm. You know me.”

  To his surprise, Chuck laughed. “I do. That’s why I’m worried.” He paused again. “How did she react to Larry?”

  Adam could still see her as she’d looked facing Galloway. The top of her head barely reached his shoulder, but she’d faced him like a warrior, straightbacked, her eyes black with anger. And Adam hadn’t known whether to shield her or stay out of her way.

  Chuck studied him as if he’d spoken aloud. “What? Why are you smiling?”

  Slightly embarrassed, Adam wiped the unexpected grin from his face. “She didn’t believe him.”

  “She didn’t? Good. I’ll tell Dodge.”

  “She knows the truth now,” Adam reminded him. “Her mother admitted it. Now DJ wants to get to know him. In fact, she’s invited him for barbecue tonight at the house.”

  “You’re kidding?” Chuck stared at him. “You’re not kidding, are you?”.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Can you find a way to be there?”

  “I’m already there. I’m cooking while DJ talks to Galloway.”

  “You’re what?” Chuck laughed in disbelief, but he sobered almost immediately. “What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing.” Adam had intended to reassure him, but even he could tell his answer had come too quickly.

  Chuck leaned back in his seat and groaned aloud. “Don’t tell me you’re attracted to her! Hell, Adam. You know the rules—”

  “Quit trying to read something into every move I make, would you? I’m not attracted to her. I’m doing my job. I’m keeping an eye on the subject of our investigation, that’s all.”