He walked around her car and saw.
MISS ME YET? in enormous capital letters. The writing reminded him of the Just Married he’d sometimes seen in the back windows of cars also festooned with dangling cans or streamers.
“Never given a woman a valentine before,” he remarked, “so maybe I’m not an expert, but I can’t say this one strikes me as very romantic.”
Cait’s laugh sounded semi-hysterical. “No,” she agreed. “Romantic is the last word I’d use.”
He looked at her. “Do you know who did this?”
She closed her eyes. After a moment, she gave a stiff little nod.
She was not only shocked, but scared, Noah diagnosed. “No sign of him?” he asked.
“No, but I didn’t exactly mount a search.”
“I’m glad to hear you had the sense not to poke around all by yourself in a deserted parking garage for the asshole who’d do this,” he said grimly. “Stay put.”
He didn’t consider her a meek woman, but she nodded in acquiescence.
It didn’t take him long to determine that they were alone down there. Had been alone. As he walked back toward her, the elevator disgorged five people, two of whom separated from the pack, going straight for their vehicles, while the other three stood talking.
“Oh, God.” Cait sounded frantic. “I don’t want them to see this.”
“No.” He took an experimental swipe over the heart and discovered the color didn’t come off on his finger. “You can’t drive the car like this.”
“No. I’ll call Colin.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll take you home.” He frowned. “I’ve got a tarp. I can toss it over your car.”
She thanked him.
He wasn’t parked far away. It took him only a minute to unlock the rear of his Suburban and grab the heavy canvas tarp he’d been using to keep the cargo space clean when he hauled construction materials. Returning, he found her staring at that damn pierced heart as if she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Noah pulled the tarp over her car, glad to hide it from her gaze.
“I thought you were new in town.”
Her mouth twisted as her eyes met his. “I am.”
Seeing how frail she suddenly looked, he shook his head. “Come on.”
He circled around in case she needed a hand getting in with those damn heels. Or maybe so he could catch a glimpse of an extra few inches of thigh as she hiked herself up.
Once in, he started the engine but didn’t release the emergency brake. “All right, what’s the deal?” he asked.
Her glance was swift. “Does it matter?”
“Yeah, I think it does. Was this meant to be fun? Some kind of prank? Or should we notify the police and have your car fingerprinted?”
Staring straight ahead, she chewed on her lower lip. Finally she let out a long breath. “I’ll tell Colin and see what he thinks. I hoped...”
Noah waited.
She still didn’t seem to want to look at him. “An ex-boyfriend has been stalking me. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to stay in Seattle to finish my dissertation.”
Anger balled in his gut. “Define stalking.”
“Mostly following me. Popping up everywhere I went. I changed health clubs. He’d show up at my new one. Trail me through the grocery store. That kind of thing.”
Mostly following? The tension in her voice told him there was substantially more.
She turned her head, her eyes still dark with unhappiness. “I could tell he was getting mad. The last time I was coming out of my health club after an evening class and he was waiting at my car.”
“Tell me you hadn’t gone out alone.” His voice sounded like the crunch of gravel.
“Well, I did,” she said with a spark of defiance. “Until then, he really was just a nuisance.”
He gripped the steering wheel hard. “Until then.”
Her eyes shied from his. “When I said no again, that I didn’t love him and he needed to accept that, he, well, sort of threw a temper tantrum.” She paused. “Did throw a temper tantrum. He was wearing heavy boots, and he kicked my car, over and over. He did a lot of damage to the body.”
Goddamn. The thought of those boots slamming into her little car had Noah’s whole body rigid with the need to do battle. Useless, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. He didn’t have to be a psychologist to know the ex-boyfriend had wanted to hurt her, not the car.
“And while he was doing this?”
“I dialed 911, of course! What do you think, I’m stupid?”
“Was he arrested?”
“Some people were coming out of the health club, and he took off. The police did charge him later and he did some kind of plea deal. But, um, the last thing he said was that he’d never accept losing me.”
“And that’s when you decided coming home to your cop brother was a good idea.”
“Well...yes.”
“Does Colin know about this creep?”
She visibly winced. “Um...no. I really did hope Blake wouldn’t follow me. He has a job. I can’t imagine what he’s thinking!”
“How long had this been going on?”
“Like...six months?”
He swore under his breath and reached for the gearshift. Having backed out, he then punched in the code to open the iron grill of the gate, closed at night. Within moments, he was driving through downtown, which had gone pretty well dead except for a few places like Chandler’s that stayed open until eleven on weeknights.
Cait was quiet for close to five minutes. Then, “Do you know where Colin lives?”
“Someone pointed his place out to me.”
Another couple of minutes passed. “Will you say something?” she burst out.
“Better if I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’d give you hell for not taking precautions!” Despite his best intentions, his voice had risen. “What were you thinking, going down to your car all by yourself tonight?”
“I was thinking he was in Seattle!” she yelled back. “And...and I did look around the garage before I got out of the elevator.” That part came out more subdued. “I’m not stupid,” she said again but softly, as if she was trying to convince herself.
Feeling like he had grit in his chest that scraped when he breathed, Noah grasped her fine-boned hand in his. Cait gave a little jerk, as if he’d startled her, but after a very still moment, she squeezed back. Holding on, he thought.
“Your hand is cold,” he said quietly.
“My hands are always cold.” It was a poor excuse for a laugh, but Noah admired the effort. “My feet, too. Lousy circulation, I guess.”
He was betrayed into imagining himself sandwiching her cold feet between his shins at night, warming them.
No. Don’t go there.
Neither of them said another word until he had to take his hand back to steer into the dark driveway leading through a tall stand of pines to her brother’s house. He was glad to see that the front porch lights were on. A floodlight over the detached garage lit up, too, presumably motion-sensitive. He drove as close as he could get to the front steps and then braked.
“Thank you for the lift,” she said, already releasing her seat belt and reaching for her purse. “And for listening.”
“I’m coming in with you.”
Door halfway open, she swiveled back to look at him. “What?”
“You heard me.”
By the time he turned off the engine and walked around, her brother stood on the porch looking down at them. “Cait.” His eyes narrowed. “Chandler.”
“You really don’t have to...” she tried.
Noah gripped her elbow and started her up the porch steps.
“Your car break down?” Colin asked.
/>
At the top of the steps, she shook free of Noah’s hold and glared at him. “No. I’m going to have to get someone to clean it in the morning. It suffered from...I guess you could call it graffiti.”
“Shall I tell him about it?” Noah asked.
She’d gotten over being scared and was mad. “This is none of your business!”
“It happened in the city hall parking garage. While you were attending a city council meeting.” He put some extra weight on the word city. “You work for me. That makes it my business.”
Her brother’s narrow-eyed gaze moved back to his sister. “Cait?”
“Oh, fine.” She stomped past him into the house.
Colin glanced back. “You coming in?”
Surprised at the invitation, he said a firm, “Yes.” He was damned if he’d leave her alone to make light of the whole story to her brother.
Only a single lamp was on in the living room. A newspaper lay open on the hassock. He’d been waiting up for her, Noah guessed. Or for his wife?
“Is Nell home?” Cait asked.
“She’s taking a shower and getting ready for bed.” Although she’d perched on the sofa, Colin still stood, arms crossed. “Quit procrastinating.”
Her mutinous expression amused Noah despite his dark mood.
She sniffed. “You remember Blake.”
“We already established that I did,” her brother said slowly.
“Well, he’s been stalking me.” She told the story briskly, not minimizing but not revealing the fear Noah had seen. He didn’t comment, however.
Colin, he suspected, wasn’t deceived.
“And you didn’t tell me about this.... Why?”
She had a pretty mouth, but Noah wouldn’t have called it sultry until now, when her lower lip protruded. “I really didn’t think Blake would follow me.”
“That son of a bitch. If he thinks he’s going to terrorize you here in my town—”
“He’s convinced that he can talk me into going back to him,” she tried to explain.
“Is there a chance in hell of that happening?” Colin asked, the timbre of his voice roughening.
She scowled at both men. “Of course not!”
“All right,” Colin said. “He’s got to be staying somewhere local. We’ll look for him in the morning. I want to see your car.”
Cait nodded unhappily. “You’ll have to drive me to work anyway.”
“For now, it might be better if I drive you and pick you up every day.”
Noah approved.
“You’re overreacting. He painted a heart on my back windshield. It wasn’t a threat.”
“Yeah, it was.” Noah had been content to allow her brother to grill her until now, but her intransigence was beginning to annoy him. “He’s letting you know he’s in town and watching you. Given his history, that’s a threat.”
“Do you have a restraining order?” Colin asked.
“I didn’t think I needed one.”
Noah stared incredulously at her, and realized Colin was doing the same. Cait’s expression grew mutinous.
“We’ll get a restraining order first thing in the morning,” Colin said.
“Good,” Noah agreed.
Colin cast him a not-so-happy look. “Say good-night to Mayor Chandler,” he said. The momentary accord had apparently dissolved. “He’s leaving now.”
She rose and thanked him politely again, talking to their backs as Noah found himself being hustled out by Colin. On the porch, Noah balked.
“Your sister is trying to play down any threat. Don’t let her.”
The police captain’s jaw tightened, but to his credit, he also nodded. “I noticed. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”
“It’s ugly.” More urgency than Noah wanted to feel infused his voice. “The arrow is way bigger than the heart. It’s not piercing it—it’s stabbing. She’s more frightened than she’s letting on.”
Unblinking, shadowed gray eyes held his. “I notice everything about my sister.”
That almost sounded like a threat to Noah, who began to wonder if he’d get tossed off the porch if he stood his ground. Let him try. Immature, he decided.
Nodding, he retrieved his keys from his pocket and started down the steps. He was circling his SUV when the quiet voice carried to him.
“Thank you.” It was grudging as hell but genuine.
He stopped briefly. “I like your sister.”
No answer to that, but he hadn’t expected one.
* * *
APPARENTLY, THE right kind of cleaning solution took any kind of paint right off glass. As if her car was a serious crime scene, Colin had pictures taken from every angle but hovering above in a helicopter. He did concede that fingerprinting was useless, given that she’d lived with Blake for two years and he’d been in her car countless times. His fingerprints shouldn’t be on the exterior since she’d had the bodywork done and the car was returned to her with the paint job gleaming, but it was still conceivable.
Colin had her talk to a female attorney who was starting the process of requesting the restraining order. It was midmorning Wednesday before Cait had a chance to escape to her office.
She was struggling to concentrate on a preliminary design done some months back for a pipeline replacement project when Noah appeared in her doorway. With the breadth of his shoulders, he completely filled it.
“You okay?” he asked gruffly.
“I’m fine.” Same thing she’d told Colin when he’d let her off in front of work that morning.
She had a bad feeling Noah’s sharp blue gaze saw the dark circles under her eyes she’d tried to hide with makeup that morning.
“You heard from your brother?”
“He called a few minutes ago. My car is clean and ready to go. He can’t get away soon enough to follow me home today, but assumes I’ll use my head and have an escort when I go down to the garage.”
Noah’s grin flickered at the sarcasm she let edge into the direct quote.
“Officers have as yet failed to locate Blake,” she added, drolly using cop-speak.
The grin vanished. “Why the hell can’t they put their hands on him?”
“This can’t possibly be the highest priority for the entire Angel Butte P.D.,” she protested.
“You want to bet?”
He actually sounded serious. Cait didn’t know whether to be flattered, grateful—or to scream.
One overprotective man was enough.
“There’s no saying Blake is staying in town,” she pointed out, the voice of reason. “He could be all the way back in Seattle by now. He could have a room in Bend or Prineville. There are places he could pay cash. Heck, he could conceivably be at a campground or even just camped in the woods somewhere.”
Deepening lines made Noah’s brow heavier. “It’s still damn cold at night.” The month of May in country caught between the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and the high desert wasn’t like May in the milder climates of Portland or Seattle. “Is he an outdoorsman?”
“He and I did some backpacking. He has a two-man tent.”
“Did you tell Colin that?”
“They’ve only been looking for a few hours.”
Noah grunted. “What are you doing for lunch?”
“I’m eating at my desk.”
“I’ll walk you down when you’re ready to leave. Call me.”
He was gone before she could get a word out.
Cait was beginning to think there was an excellent reason he and Colin clashed: they were too much alike. She had a vision of the two of them charging at each other like two elk in rutting season. She restrained a snort. She doubted either of them actually cared about the female elk, who had probably wandered awa
y to graze.
She, of course, wasn’t the female elk; they had entrenched their dislike of each other long before she’d arrived. Their dispute, she suspected, was territorial. My town, Colin had said. Cait was pretty sure Noah would claim Angel Butte as his.
With a small laugh, she wondered what the angel would think of all this.
* * *
NOAH CALLED AT five minutes to five. “You ready to knock off?”
“Actually, I’m planning to have dinner with Beverly Buhl and someone she wants me to meet. Um.” She hunted on a cluttered desk for her notepad. “Michael Kalitovic? Did I get that right?”
“His hobbyhorse is affordable housing.”
“Oh. That’s not really my bailiwick.”
“No, but he’s got his fingers in a lot of pies. You should get to know him.”
“Anyway, it appears I don’t need an escort.”
He wasn’t listening. “Maybe I’ll join you,” he said, sounding thoughtful.
“Were you invited?”
“You don’t think I’d be welcome?” To her exasperation, he sounded amused.
“They might be trying to get my ear when you’re not around, you know.”
“They might. All the more reason for me to stick close.”
Cait sighed. “Noah, really...”
“What time? Where are we eating?”
She couldn’t shake him, with the result that forty-five minutes later, she was once more ensconced in the passenger seat of his black Suburban as he drove the quarter of a mile to the Newberry Inn. Beverly had insisted that, if Cait didn’t remember the inn, she would enjoy the chance to eat there.
“It’s one of our finest historic buildings,” she had enthused.
Cait remembered it, but she had never been inside. Her parents wouldn’t have been able to afford to dine there. In fact, her family had hardly ever eaten out at all, which was probably why she remembered those lunches Jerry Hegland had bought for her and her mother so well. A burger and fries at the Icicle Drive-Thru had been a huge treat in her eyes.
“You just want to come so you can assess your competition,” she accused Noah as he parked.
“I don’t consider the inn a competitor. We’re in different weight classes.”
Harlequin Superromance January 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Everywhere She GoesA Promise for the BabyThat Summer at the Shore Page 7
