Illegal Procedure (Fair Catch Series, Book One)

by Christine Kersey

  Hope blossomed within her. I might have somewhere to go! “I also know how to garden.”

  “And work in the yard,” he added with a smirk.

  “And then you’ll let me stay?”

  He stared at her a moment. “We’ll see how it goes.”

  She knew that was the best offer she was going to get that day, so she held out her hand. “You’ve got a deal.”

  His gaze went to her hand, and when he wrapped his large hand around her smaller one, a jolt of energy arrowed right into the heart of her, and she knew this was going to be a very interesting job.

  What was he getting himself into? Why had he suggested she come back to his cabin? This was supposed to be his time off, time to recharge his batteries before preseason practice started. How would having some woman he’d barely met living at his place help?

  Still, the thought of those scumbags forcing her into their truck to do who-knew-what with her brought out the protective side of him. Shoving her out there, into their eager embrace, sat wrong with him. The vibe he got from her, like she was vulnerable, just made it all the worse.

  Even as a kid, Josh had been a big guy. Maybe because his parents had feared he could easily become a bully, they’d taught him that he should look out for the little guy, the underdog. That he should stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves.

  If anyone needed that kind of protection, it was Shay. At least in relation to the scumbags of the world. Of which there were many.

  Bringing her back to the cabin was the only option. The girl was clearly homeless. How could he turn his back on her? He couldn’t, that’s what.

  “I know you don’t have any shoes,” he finally said as they stood next to his truck. “And I can only assume you don’t have any clothes in that little purse of yours.”

  A soft blush rose on her cheeks, which Josh found endearing. She nodded. “Yeah. When that jerk shoved me out of his car, he took my suitcase with him.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yes it does.”

  He stared at her. Did he want to take the next step? He could certainly afford to, but where would it lead? How far down this road of helping her did he want to go?

  “What?” she asked.

  Josh lifted his gaze to the stores that lined the parking lot, then he looked at her. “I suppose I can buy you a few things.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Shay already felt in his debt. She didn’t want him buying her stuff. Looking at what she had on—the same shorts and t-shirt she'd been wearing since the day before, plus the socks Josh had put on her feet that morning—she had to agree that maybe she needed a few things. “This is just an advance on my…” He’d never said he would pay her, just that he would let her stay for a while. “Well, on the work I’m going to do.”

  He stared at her a moment, then he nodded. “Right.”

  Feeling slightly better about him spending money on her—a woman he’d only met when he’d found her in his bed the night before—when he pulled a wad of cash out of his wallet and handed it to her, she had second thoughts.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said, although she was really glad he was offering.

  “Uh, yeah. I do.” He laughed. “You can’t wear the same thing day in and day out. Plus, if I may remind you, you need shoes.”

  She couldn’t argue with that.

  “Take it, Shay.” His voice was firm.

  She looked at him as a wave of gratitude crashed over her. “Thanks.”

  He turned and began walking back to his side of the truck.

  “Aren’t you…” she began, confused. “Aren’t you coming?”

  He laughed. “I hate shopping. I’ll wait here.”

  Yeah right. He was probably planning to leave the moment she was inside one of the stores.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said as if he’d read her mind. “I promise.”

  She had no choice but to believe him. Anyway, if he left she'd be in the same situation she would have been when they’d driven there, only with some new clothes.

  “Okay.” She turned and walked toward the stores, resisting the temptation to look behind her to see if he was already driving off.

  Normally she liked to take her time when she shopped, but she was afraid the longer she took—the longer he had to wait for her—the more likely it would be that he wouldn’t wait at all.

  Thirty minutes later she had a new pair of sneakers, a few new outfits, and some basic toiletries.

  To her great relief, when she walked out to the parking lot, there he was, sitting in his truck.

  “You’re still here,” she said in a tone of disbelief when she opened the passenger door.

  He chuckled. “I told you I’d wait.” He cocked his head. “You’re a fast shopper.” He grinned. “I like that in a woman.”

  Pleased that he was happy with her, she put her seatbelt on. “Thank you, Josh. For the loan.”

  He smiled as he turned on the engine. “You’re welcome.”

  The black truck was still parked in the same place, and she noticed Josh looking in that direction as well. Wanting to think about something else, she said, “What’d you do while you were waiting?”

  He backed out of the parking space and turned onto the road that would take them back to his cabin. “Took a power nap.”

  There was something else she'd been thinking about the whole time she'd been shopping. Something that she was hesitant to bring up, but decided she had to anyway.

  “Are you, uh, really sure about this…arrangement?”

  He glanced at her before facing the road, but he didn’t smile and he didn’t reply.

  Dang. He was already thinking it was a bad idea. Worried that he’d dump her along the road now that he’d gotten her some shoes, she said, “I’ll do a really good job. And I’ll leave you alone.” He frowned in her direction. “I won’t even talk to you if you don’t want me to.”

  His frown deepened, but he still didn’t reply.

  Deciding it would be best if she kept her mouth shut—that way she could demonstrate that she was capable of silence—she didn’t say another word until they’d reached his cabin and walked inside, the bags with her new things in her hands. She glanced around and remembered that the only bed in the house was in Josh’s room. “Where should I put these?”

  Josh hung his keys on a hook near the front door, then turned to her. “In the spare room upstairs. The couch folds out into a bed.” His gaze raked over her. “That’s where you’ll sleep.”

  The way he looked at her sent a pleasant tingle through her. “Okay.”

  “There’re some extra sheets in the linen closet.” His lips twisted into a smirk. “I think you know where to find the linen closet.”

  Yeah. That was where she'd helped herself to a towel the day before. “Uh-huh.”

  “After you get settled, you might as well get started.”

  “Get started?”

  His eyebrows pulled together as he cocked his head. “Yeah. Get started working. You can make us something to eat.”

  Oh that. Right. “Okay.” Inside she grimaced, because she'd forgotten to mention that cooking wasn’t her favorite thing, and she had kind of a limited repertoire of foods that she knew how to make. But she did have a green thumb. And she was sure she could follow a recipe book.

  Knowing those things would only cut it for so long, she tried not to think about how her limited skills would affect her “employment”.

  Josh turned away and she knew their conversation was over. She carried her meager belongings up the stairs and into the spare room. The space needed dusting. Good thing Josh has a maid now. Then she frowned because she'd also failed to mention that she hated to clean. She knew how, of course, but she hated doing it.

  Suck it up, Shay. Unless you want to be sent away, you’ll cook and clean like it’s been your life’s ambition.

  She set the bags on top of the desk, then went to the linen closet and pulled ou
t a set of sheets, a spare blanket, and a pillow. After bringing them into the room which she figured she could consider hers, she changed into clean clothes and headed to the kitchen.

  She didn’t know where Josh had gone, but she dug around until she came up with bread and lunch meat, then she put together sandwiches. She found a package of red grapes in the fridge and added a small bunch to each plate before carrying the plates to the table in the dining room—the only place to eat that she'd seen in this house.

  “Uh, Josh?” she called out. “Lunch is ready.”

  Since she didn’t know where he’d gone, she had no idea if he’d heard her, and after waiting a few moments and getting no response, she decided she'd better go look for him.

  Chapter Twelve

  Shay found him in the garage standing next to a workbench, tinkering with what looked like a small motor.

  “Lunch is ready,” she said.

  He dropped the thing he was working on with a clatter and turned to her, a look of annoyance on his face. “You startled me.”

  “Sorry.” Although she really wasn’t. Instead, she was worried. Worried that he was used to being alone and that he would quickly tire of having her around.

  Better step up your game. What little game you’ve got.

  He wiped his hands on a rag, then walked past her with barely a glance. She followed him into the house.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she asked, eager to please.

  He sat at the table. “A cold beer would be great.”

  At least he was talking to her. Scurrying to the fridge, she pulled out a beer for him and poured cold water for herself—she’d never cared much for beer. “Here you go,” she said as she set the bottle in front of him.

  “Thanks.”

  She nodded, but sat at her place without saying another word.

  He picked up the sandwich and took a large bite. On pins and needles to see if he would like it, she didn’t touch her sandwich.

  “Not bad,” he said, his blue eyes meeting hers. Then he smiled ever so slightly.

  “Thank you.” She began eating, and wondered—not for the first time—if he had a girlfriend. But with the way he lived—in the middle of nowhere, isolated and alone—she didn’t really think so. Then again, where had he been when he’d come home and found her in his bed the night before? It had been kind of late. Maybe he’d been with a woman.

  A streak of jealousy slammed into her, but she shoved it down and focused on eating.

  They ate in silence for a while, and then she couldn’t take it anymore. “Why are you doing this?” she asked. “Why are you letting me stay?”

  He shook his head. “Heck if I know.”

  That didn’t sound too promising. Sounded more like he could change his mind on a whim.

  She took another bite. She had to convince him that he wanted her around.

  Smiling brightly, she said, “Can I get you anything else?”

  His mouth turned up in a smile. “No. But thanks.” He pushed back from the table. “I’ll be in the…” He paused, like he had to check what he was going to say before speaking. “The barn.”

  “Okay.” She smiled. “I’ll be in here. Cleaning.”

  He nodded, then he walked out of the kitchen and she heard the front door open and close.

  She began cleaning up from lunch, which is when she realized that there was no dishwasher. Great. She just loved washing dishes by hand. Not.

  Putting aside her irritation at the extra work she’d volunteered for, she finished her task, then got to work tidying up the main floor. As she worked, she thought about her motives for wanting to stay.

  What was the worst that would happen if Josh made her leave? She could go home and stay with her mother and her boyfriend of the moment. But that would be a special kind of torture, although she could make herself scarce as much as possible. Or she could stay with Megan. She couldn’t forget about that.

  In all reality, that was the last thing she wanted to do. Shay loved her big sister, but Megan had too much advice for her—advice she didn’t want to hear. At least at her mother’s house she wouldn’t have to listen to unwanted advice about how to live her life, but that was only because her mother was too wrapped up in her own messy life.

  To be honest, neither option was appealing. Besides, when Will discovered she’d fled, her mother’s house would probably be the first place he’d look.

  The thought of him finding her sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

  No. Going anywhere he would think to find her was out of the question.

  She finished cleaning the main floor, then she headed upstairs. She poked her head into Josh’s room and briefly considered cleaning in there first, but then she decided to focus on her little slice of heaven. After tidying up her room—neatly stacking all of his magazines on the desk—she thoroughly dusted the room, then transformed the couch into a bed and put the bedding on it.

  Maybe if Josh saw this room as her bedroom he’d be less likely to send her on her way.

  She hung her few outfits in the closet, then sat on the edge of her bed and looked around. Not bad. She could see this as home. Which was a good thing since for the moment it was the only home she had.

  Pleased with the progress she’d made, she cleaned the hall bathroom. Then she went into Josh’s room to clean. How would he feel about her cleaning in there? He’d never said not to. Besides, she’d already slept in his bed. He probably wouldn’t mind if she tidied up in there.

  When she’d gotten up that morning she’d made the bed, so she vacuumed the carpet and dusted the top of the dresser, then she put away the cleaning supplies and headed downstairs to figure out what she was going to make for dinner.

  With her limited cooking abilities, she figured it would be a good idea to get a jump start on the big meal. After digging around in Josh’s kitchen cupboards, she found some old cookbooks that she took out and set on the counter. Opening the first one, she looked through the well-used pages and found some recipes that had notes scrawled beside them—use an additional cup of broth, cut salt in half. Figuring those were recipes Josh had used and liked, she chose one that didn’t seem too complicated and made sure all the ingredients were available.

  As she was busily gathering the necessary supplies so she’d be ready to start later, Josh walked in.

  His hair was damp and he smelled like he’d just showered.

  He had a shower in the barn? That was weird.

  Picturing him in the shower was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t seem to stop the image from filling her mind and she had to look away.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  She met his gaze and tried not to swoon. “Good. I cleaned the house and now I’m getting dinner figured out.”

  One of his eyebrows lifted like he was impressed, and she hoped that put a check in the Keep Shay Around column. “Great.”

  “Do you need me to do any laundry or anything?” Because she could do laundry. She was actually quite useful to have around.

  “Maybe tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow? Hoping that meant she would be welcome for at least another day, she smiled. “Okay.”

  Josh had had a good workout in his state of the art gym. What looked like a barn to anyone who happened to notice was actually his custom-built gym. When he’d signed his first NFL contract he’d bought the cabin and the twenty acres surrounding it. His very first place. He loved it.

  Though he could afford to renovate the house, to make it large and luxurious, he had no desire to. He loved it just the way it was. It represented his very first accomplishment, and in a way it kept him humble. No one would see it and think he was anything special.

  The gym, on the other hand, would give a whole different impression. Built to look like a barn, inside it had everything he needed to work out to his heart’s content. Not to mention a sauna and a really sweet bathroom, including an oversized shower and a jacuzzi tub. He also had an office out there wher
e he conducted all of his business. That was where he had his Internet access set up, although with the wifi username and password he could get online on his phone in the cabin.

  Now that he thought about it, Shay hadn’t asked about contacting anyone. It was almost like she wanted to be isolated.

  Another mystery to be solved.

  Speaking of Shay, he’d seen the questioning look on her face when he’d walked into the kitchen looking like he’d just showered. That was okay. He didn’t owe her an explanation. She could wonder all she wanted. He wasn’t going to let her in on his little secret, and there was no way for her to get inside the barn. Not without knowing the code for the keypad.

  He found he really liked the idea that she had no clue what he did for a living. He remembered her guesses as they’d driven to town. An assassin? Hardly. But if she knew he was a star quarterback in the NFL, would she look at him differently?

  Well, yeah. Of course she would. He had to protect his secret at all costs.

  Wait. Why did he make it sound like she would be around for a while? Why not just give her some cash, call an Uber, and send her on her way? Yeah, he was concerned about her safety, and he felt bad for her, but he didn’t owe her anything. There was no reason to keep her around.

  So why was he?

  Shaking his head in confusion, he settled onto the living room couch and scanned through the latest issue of Sports Illustrated on his tablet. Though he liked print magazines, lately he’d found it more convenient to get the digital version.

  He could hear Shay working in the kitchen. The chop chop chop of a knife, and then a sizzling sound, filled him with an unexpected warmth. Maybe he liked having her around after all.

  “I’m so sorry,” Shay said once again, feeling terrible for burning dinner.

  “It’s okay,” Josh said. “Eggs are actually a good source of protein.” He scooped up another forkful of the eggs she’d scrambled in an attempt to give them something to eat—despite the fact that they’d had the same thing to eat when he’d made brunch earlier.