by Jill Sanders
She shook her head and glanced down at her fingers. “Nothing yet. From what I can tell, you’ve bounced back nicely after your father’s death.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled, knowing what it had taken to get there.
Her head tilted as she looked at him. “Your father ran a pretty tight business.”
He nodded, not trusting his voice. Thinking about his father still got to him.
She laid her elbows and arms on the table and leaned closer. “Why won’t you sell?”
He shifted slightly and was about to give her the same answer he had before, but then stopped.
“Have you ever worked hard for something, so hard that you feel like it’s no longer just a part of you, but . . . everything?”
He watched her take several deep breaths. When she shook her head from side to side, he nodded.
“When you do, you’ll understand,” he said, just as their food arrived.
CHAPTER FIVE
There was a time in her life when Kristen could have listed off a dozen or more things that she’d worked hard for. But, sitting across from Tyler, nothing sprang to mind. Especially seeing the look in his eyes.
Had she ever felt that strongly about anything before? Sure, she’d worked hard to get where she was in her life and her career, but still, if something happened to her job, she knew there were at least a dozen or more places lined up that she could walk into and start over.
They sat in silence as they ate their lunch, and with the first bite of the juicy steak, she had to admit that he had a point about the food there. So the atmosphere left a lot to be desired, but the food was the best she’d had in a long time.
“So?” he asked after her plate was cleared. “How’d you like it?” He stood up and helped her on with her coat.
“Okay, so the food was amazing.” She felt a shiver run down her spine when he reached up and gently pulled a strand of her hair out from the collar of her coat.
“Well, well,” a woman purred from just behind them, causing Tyler to turn and drop his hands from Kristen’s shoulders. “It’s about time you showed up again.”
Kristen turned just in time to see a half-dressed woman wearing a shimmering evening dress that barely covered the most impressive pair of breasts money could buy plaster herself to Tyler. The skirt had a long slit that traveled up the woman’s leg, showing off a towering pair of neon heels that were lit up and blinking with the music.
The bleach-blonde woman ran a very long painted fingernail up Tyler’s chest to his neck until she covered his lips with it, stopping him from saying anything.
“No.” She reached with her other hand and tugged on his arm, trying to get him to follow her. “I owe you a private dance.” Her eyes scanned over and narrowed at Kristen. “You know, from last time,” she purred and turned back toward Tyler.
She tried to tug him toward the back hallway, which no doubt led to private booths, but Tyler planted his feet and didn’t move from Kristen’s side.
“Sorry, can’t today.” He stood, not budging, until the woman dropped her hand.
Kristen watched as her bright-pink painted lips puckered up into a frown. She was surprised when she realized this brazen woman had been their waitress at the diner this morning. It seemed like the men weren’t the only ones in Haven who worked hard.
“Surely you have a few minutes to enjoy . . .”
Tyler leaned in and picked up his sweater, ignoring the woman’s pouting.
“Sorry, Darla, not today.” He reached down and took Kristen’s hand and pulled her toward the front door. They were outside so fast that Darla didn’t have a chance to respond.
Tyler opened the truck door and helped Kristen up into the cab. She watched him walk around and climb in behind the wheel.
“Yes, I can see that the Wet Spot doesn’t just have good food,” she said dryly, hoping that the sarcasm in her voice didn’t go unnoticed.
Instead of responding, Tyler just chuckled as he drove out of town.
Her eyes traveled over the countryside as he drove. In the last hour they had been inside, the weather had turned.
“It looks like it’s going to snow again,” she said.
“Yeah, we’ll probably get a few more inches of the stuff by tomorrow.”
“Does it ever get old?” she asked. When he didn’t respond, she turned and looked at him. “You know, the snow? I mean, we get a lot in New York, but . . .”
He smiled at her and nodded. “I know what you mean. When I went to LA I couldn’t get enough of the beach. The warm water, the sun.” He sighed. “But after a while, I missed this,” he said, reaching down and turning on the wipers as snow started falling. “We do have some pretty awesome summers.”
“I bet.” Kristen sighed and looked out the window, imagining how the hills would look covered in green.
“You should come up and see it when everything is green and warm.”
She turned back toward him. “I’d like that.”
His eyes held hers for a moment, then he turned into the parking lot and cursed suddenly. “Stay in the truck,” he said as he jerked it into park.
She wanted to argue with him, but he’d jumped from the cab and was striding across the makeshift parking lot toward a white sedan.
Tyler walked over to it, yanked open the door, pulled out the driver, and pushed the very tall man up against the car before she could even blink.
She jumped from the truck, feeling something twist in her ankle from the long drop and hard landing. Pushing the twinge of pain aside, she rushed over to Tyler. She grabbed his arm just as he was pulling it back to slam his fist into the man’s face.
“Tyler!” she screamed, holding his arm back. “What’s going on?” She held tight as he tried to jerk his arm free.
“Get inside.” He turned to her, anger darkening his brown eyes. “Tell Rea to call the sheriff.”
But instead of moving, she held onto his arm, feeling his muscles flinch under her fingertips.
“I think you’d better come with me. We can call the police together.” She tried to tug him toward the door, but he stopped her.
“Yeah.” The man who Tyler had pinned up against the side of the car smiled over at her. “Yeah, McGowan, better hurry up inside.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Tyler growled. “There’s a restraining order . . .”
“I know,” the man said between clenched teeth. “You think I don’t know what the bitch has said to the law about me?”
“Kristen, go inside and make the call.” Tyler’s muscles relaxed under her arm and their eyes met. She could see that he was back under control. He wouldn’t beat the man senseless.
“I’m going, but I’ll be right back,” she warned and watched as Tyler nodded at her.
She rushed through the snow and when she opened the front door, she noticed Rea standing and looking out the window in complete shock.
“Rea, call the police,” Kristen said, but when the woman didn’t make a move, she stepped over to her and took her shoulders in her hands. “Rea?”
“I . . . I didn’t think,” the woman said, shaking her head. “He’s grown so much.”
“Rea?” Kristen shook her lightly. “Tyler wants you to call the police.”
“Yes.” The older woman blinked and Kristen watched as a tear fell down her cheek. “I’ll make the call now.” She walked over to the desk, then stopped and looked up at her. “Make sure he doesn’t kill him.”
“I think Tyler can handle himself.”
Rea shook her head. “It’s not him I’m worried will get hurt.” She turned and picked up the phone.
Kristen walked out of the building and by the time she was next to Tyler, he’d stepped back and dropped his hands to his sides, keeping the man pinned with a dangerous look.
“Kristen?” Tyler asked without dropping his steely gaze.
Kristen’s eyes ran over the man. He was roughly Tyler’s age and weight. She knew that Tyler was built of lean mu
scles; the other man appeared to be similarly built, although he was much taller than Tyler.
“She’s making the call now.”
“You don’t have to call, I’m going,” the man said, taking a step toward the car.
“You’ll stay,” Tyler growled. “Until they haul you away.”
That’s when the taller man whipped back toward Tyler, menacing. “You shit, McGowan! I have every right to see her!”
“No, you gave up your rights when you held a knife to her throat,” Tyler said calmly.
Kristen tried to hold in a gasp, but when the other man’s eyes moved toward her, she knew it had escaped her lips.
“What?” The man’s blue eyes narrowed at her. “You haven’t heard their lies about me yet?” He turned back toward Tyler. “I’m surprised you haven’t told all your lies to your latest bitch.”
Tyler moved so fast, she didn’t even realize he’d moved at all until the other man sat in the snow, blood flowing from his nose.
“If you ever come within twenty miles of this town again, you’ll get more than a busted nose,” Tyler said.
Just then, Kristen heard the siren, shaking her from her stupor. She took Tyler’s arm and pulled him toward the door. As soon as they crossed the threshold into the warmth of the trailer, Tyler rushed over to Rea and gathered the massive woman up in his arms.
“You okay?” he asked her gently.
“Yes. You didn’t hurt him, did you?” the woman asked.
“Broke his nose, but it’s nothing compared . . .” His words dropped off and Kristen heard Rea sniffle.
“I’m sorry,” she said several times.
“Stop it,” Tyler said, brushing a hand over the woman’s hair gently. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“He’s my son,” Rea said, shocking Kristen to the core.
“Your son?” Kristen said, taking a step forward. Thoughts of the older woman with a younger man had crossed her mind instantly when she’d overheard Tyler talking to him, but she hadn’t once thought that the man who’d held a knife to Rea’s throat had been her own son.
“I’m sorry,” Rea said, her eyes going toward Kristen. “Brian . . . lost his way,” the woman said, taking a step back from Tyler. “Shortly after his father . . .”
“Don’t make excuses. Brian has always been an ass,” Tyler broke in and walked over to open the door and allowed the sheriff in. “Tom.” He reached out and shook the man’s hand.
“You know, I could arrest you,” Tom said to Tyler.
“For what? The criminal was on my property and he was in violation of his restraining order.”
Tom sighed and ran his eyes over to Rea. When he noticed the tears, Kristen watched as the gruff, uniformed man softened. “You okay, Rea?”
“Yes,” Rea said, sitting down behind her desk. “What’s he doing back in town?”
Tom shrugged. “Mike’s talking to him now. We’ll haul him in, tow his car. He shouldn’t be back around anytime soon.”
“Thank you,” Rea said as she used a tissue and wiped her eyes dry.
“Tyler, can I have a word with you?” Tom asked, then glanced back toward Rea. “Outside.”
The two men stepped out the door and Kristen followed behind them. Tyler gave her a look, but she didn’t back down.
“You know I hate to do this, but I’m going to have to haul you in,” Tom said.
“Why?” Kristen broke in before Tyler could reply. “He didn’t do anything,” she added. “I never saw Tyler hit him.” She wasn’t actually lying since he’d moved too fast for her eyes to track. “The man must have slipped on a patch of ice.” She didn’t know why she’d spoken up, but something told her it was the right thing to do.
Both Tom and Tyler looked at her like she’d grown an extra head.
She turned to Tyler and tilted her head. “Didn’t he?”
Tyler seemed stupefied for a moment, then turned back to Tom. “Sure,” he smiled at the man. “Like Kristen said, he must have slipped on some ice.”
Tom’s eyes moved between the two of them, then he sighed and turned to go. He stopped at the base of the stairs. “Tyler, next time Brian shows up, call us first before . . . letting him slip on ice.”
Tyler watched the police cruiser disappear down the road, then turned back to Kristen with a frown.
“Why did you lie?” he asked her. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle and he could tell that she was cold, but he didn’t want Rea to hear their conversation. Instead, he walked over and removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders, over her own thin coat.
“I didn’t lie. I honestly didn’t see you hit him.” He watched her chin rise slightly.
The wind whooshed from his chest in a laugh. “Do you wear glasses?” he asked, shaking his head. She frowned up at him and shook her head. “You must be blind,” he said, not knowing how she could’ve missed his move.
“You move fast,” she said, and he watched as snowflakes fell over her face. The cold wind kicked up and the snow swirled around them. Pink color rose in her cheeks.
Her eyes met his and he couldn’t explain what drew him a step toward her, but suddenly he was a breath away from her.
“I can,” he said softly. He reached to where her hair was bound and tugged gently until the soft locks fell around her face. For some reason, he desperately wanted to see snow among the brunette locks. Her eyes searched his as he closed the small space between them. He rejoiced silently when he felt her hands move to his shoulders and stay there—grounding him, but not pushing him away. “When the occasion calls for it.” He finished just before their lips met.
There was little left in life, at this point, that shocked Tyler. But just the feel of Kristen’s lips beneath his shook him to the core. When he finally stepped away, his entire body shivered and he felt as weak as a baby. Even his breathing was labored.
Eager to hide his reaction from her and himself, he turned away and opened the door, holding it until she moved past him without a word.
“You’re in trouble,” Rea said as he stepped through the door.
Boy, was he. He shook his head clear. “No, not this time,” he said, his eyes avoiding Kristen. “Rea, why don’t I drive you home?”
“No,” Rea said, looking between him and Kristen. “I have too much to do still today.”
Kristen stepped forward. “Rea, take the rest of the day off. You need it.”
Rea shook her head. “I have to get this proposal out to the Rowans.”
“I can step in. I’ll finish it for you,” Kristen said. “Let Tyler take you home. Take a hot bath, have a glass of wine, watch TV.” Kristen walked over and gave the older woman a hug. “Forget about today.”
“I . . .” More tears slid down Rea’s face. “You wouldn’t know how to . . .”
“I think I can manage it,” Kristen added.
“The file is here,” Rea said, tapping a thick folder. “Everything you need to know is in there.”
“Go.” Kristen turned to Tyler. “Take her home.”
He nodded and picked up Rea’s coat from the hook and held it out for her. He waited as the woman pulled her purse and lunch box from her bottom desk drawer.
“Thank you,” Rea said as he helped her on with her coat. “If you need anything . . .”
“I’ll leave it for tomorrow.” Kristen smiled.
“Thank you,” Tyler mouthed to Kristen before he shut the door behind him.
Rea lived just outside of town, but with the snow falling faster and piling up, it took him almost an hour to drop her off and get back to the trailer.
When he walked in, he held in the laughter as his eyes scanned the once very tidy room. There were stacks of papers all over Rea’s normally very neat desk. Kristen had the phone tucked under her ear while she typed away at the computer.
“Yes, okay, did it go that time?” she asked, then when she got the answer, did a fist pump in the air and smiled. “Now I’ll send you the . . . Wait, no!�
� He watched her chin drop and her eyes get huge. “What did I just . . . No!” She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. “The computer is rebooting. I’ll call you back when everything comes back up.”
He leaned against the door frame and watched her pound her fist on the desk, then for good measure tap the keyboard a few times while cursing at the computer.
“Rea needs a new computer,” she said without glancing over at him.
“We all need something,” he replied, walking over to the end of the desk.
“Yes, but how do you expect her to get anything done when the damn thing keeps shutting down?” She turned toward him, her eyebrows up as she waited.
“I’m looking into replacing all of our systems.” He sighed and remembered it was on his very long to-do list.
“I don’t know how Rea has been able to do anything around here.” She let out a breath and started typing again. “It’s back up. I’d better call them back.” She reached for the phone.
“Kristen,” he said, and she glanced up at him from the computer screen. “Thank you.”
He saw something flit across her eyes, but before he could tell what she was thinking, she gave a quick nod and turned back to the screen.
He felt like a fool when he shut his office door behind him. He sat behind his desk for almost five minutes before his mind settled down.
What had that simple kiss done to him? Why had he kissed her in the first place? He’d set his overwhelming reaction aside to make sure Rea had been okay. But now his mind was consumed by thoughts of Kristen’s lips. He stared at his computer screen for almost an hour before finally giving up and walking back into the front office.
CHAPTER SIX
Kristen could feel Tyler’s eyes on her from across the room. But she was too busy trying to explain why Rea wasn’t in the office without telling everyone the woman’s private affairs. Finally, after dancing around it for a minute, Tyler walked over and took the phone from her.
“Steve, she’s off for the rest of the day. Whatever you need, you can tell Kristen here. She’s covering for us today. I’m sure she’ll make sure you get everything handled.” His eyes moved to her and then he nodded and handed the phone back to her.
