by Renee Roszel
Twirling, she hissed, “You’ve taken enough from me. Must you take my privacy—” She stopped short.
Cocking her head, she tried to get a better look at the figure rounding a large spruce. Uncertainty nagged at her. “Why, you aren’t—” Before she could finish, he lunged for her. A rough hand clamped down over her mouth and nose, cutting off both her words and her air.
“Well, well, missy...” her attacker whispered, his voice gravelly, his breath rank with whiskey. “I been waitin’ for this.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ALEX didn’t feel a sense of victory, only a hollowness as he scanned the legal papers scattered over Elissa’s desk. Her tears had left the top page wet and puckered. Not sure why, he laid his palm over the dampened paper. An unexpected and disturbing feeling went through him at the touch, a ferocity of passion that he had never experienced, until now.
He was angry with himself for making her cry. He knew her well enough to realize she wasn’t a woman who broke down easily, yet he had managed to drive her to tears. The page beneath his palm began to burn where only seconds before he’d felt cool moisture. A preposterous guilt tore at him, and he crumpled the piece of paper in his fist. With a dark curse, he threw it against a wall, damning himself for caring.
Less than three weeks ago, Elissa Crosby had been nothing more to him than a name. He’d come here with a legal claim on the property she thought was hers, and he had known he was within his rights to do so. Her problems had been no concern of his.
But now, his responsibility for her sadness ate at him. It shouldn’t. He must not let it. With gritty determination, he cast the memory of her haunted expression from his mind. He’d known how this would come out from the moment she’d told him she would fight his claim. He’d known she would lose. So what was his problem?
The word “love” tried to claw its way through his defenses, but he blocked it. He didn’t love Elissa Crosby. What he felt for her was a passing infatuation, a challenge. That was all. Struggling to regain his detached indifference, he left the office and walked up the stairs to the kitchen, his festive mood gone.
Helen shifted in her seat to look over her shoulder at him as he entered. “I thought I saw you and Elissa out side, just a second ago.”
Alex shook his head. “No—she went for a walk, but I’ve been downstairs.”
Helen frowned. “Hmm.” Turning back, she indicated the side window. “But...I was sure that was you with her, going into the woods.” Looking back, she said, “If it wasn’t you then who—”
His gut knotting with cold, hard terror, Alex suddenly knew who was with Elissa. “No! God, no!” Turning on his heel, he grabbed the kitchen doorknob. “Call the police!” he yelled as he barreled outside.
He came to a halt midway between the inn and the fence. Alerting himself to the slightest sound, he even stopped breathing, trying to detect anything—the crack of a fallen branch, the squeak of snow compacted underfoot. The roar of his blood thundering in his ears was the only sound he could hear. “Damn me,” he moaned, scanning the ghostly woods. “I should have done more!”
“What the hell...” Damien came running down the steps, tossing Alex his parka and a flashlight. “What’s going on?”
“Elissa’s been getting threatening letters.” Alex shrugged into the coat. “I’m afraid the bastard who sent them has her.”
“Why the hell didn’t she say anything?”.
Alex looked at him, his frustrated expression saying it all.
Damien’s curse hung in the air. “Damn woman and her independence. Then, why didn’t you tell us?”
“She said it wasn’t my business.” Eyeing heaven, Alex exhaled, disgusted with himself. “I guess I wanted to believe that.” Turning away, he trudged deeper into the darkness. “We have to find her. Look for tracks.”
Just as Alex reached the fence, he spotted what looked like the trail. Two sets of footprints; one appeared as though the person had been half dragged.
“Over here, ” he shouted, waving his flashlight.
Jack bolted out the door, shouting, “The police are on their way.” Both he and Damien jogged toward Alex as he leapt the fence. Running into the dense woods, he following the dim trail, getting a head start on the other men.
“Help!”
He veered toward the sound. “Elissa?” Dodging and ducking, he crashed through the forest, evergreen branches stinging his face as he ran. “Are you okay?”
“Alex! Alex!”
She was gasping and sounded terrified. He couldn’t tell from her voice if she was hurt, but he sent up a silent prayer of thanks that she was alive.
Weaving through the damnable undergrowth, he batted back limbs, his flashlight hardly penetrating the tangle of trees and snow-clogged weeds. In the dense wood, every shadow danced and lunged as his light swung and dipped with his mad dash. His heart pounded with dread and self-loathing. One eye began to sting, and he realized a branch had cut his forehead, bloodying his face. Half feeling his way, he charged through the tangle of snow-clogged weeds and branches, tripping and stumbling. “Elissa, are you hurt?”
He could hear Damien and Jack in the distance, but nothing else. He floundered in a drift, righted himself, then stumbled on like a blind man.
“Alex!” Elissa cried, sounding close by.
He skidded to a halt. Finding himself in a small clearing, he spun around to locate her. What he saw, stunned him. Elissa deftly took her knee to a burly man, who howled and doubled over. Almost faster than Alex could see it happen, Elissa whirled behind the man and rammed her foot into the back of his knee, knocking him into a kneeling position. With a warlike shout, she did some sort of karate chop to the back of his neck or between his shoulder blades, Alex couldn’t be sure. This time, the man went all the way down, hard and flat on his face.
By the time he reached Elissa, she stood above her attacker, one foot squarely in the small of his back. Grasping a beefy arm with both fists, she twisted it behind him. The man on the ground moaned in agony.
“Elissa?” Alex asked, breathing hard. He was tensed and ready for battle, but it seemed the battle was over. “Are you okay?”
She smiled. Though the effort was weak, he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. “I bruised my knee, but I think it hurt him more than it did me.”
“Get this witch off me!” the man whined, but with another torque on his arm, he yelped, then grew quiet.
Jack and Damien rushed into the clearing. In a flurry of activity, the man on the ground was hustled out, his wrists secured behind him with Jack’s belt. Watching the subdued attacker stagger along between the brothers-in-law, it was plain to Alex that he wasn’t going to cause anyone else trouble for a good long while. He didn’t look as if he felt well, bent over and groaning the way he was.
Alex turned to scan Elissa from head to toe. Her hair was tousled and he had a tremendous urge to brush it back from her eyes. Deciding not to think about it, he simply did it, grinning down at her. “You’re dangerous, you know? I think you broke that man’s arm.”
She slumped against an oak and closed her eyes. “Do you know who that was?”
He grew serious. “No. But he wrote those letters, didn’t he?”
She nodded and looked at him, her expression sad. “I’ve heard about people like him. They’re called loveobsessed stalkers. They pick a victim almost randomly—somebody who unknowingly attracts them while shopping or buying gas or whatever.”
She shook her head and stared off into the shadows, as though recalling something. “He—he worked behind the counter in the dry cleaner’s I used to use. When they ruined a skirt, I complained and changed cleaners. I guess he took that as a personal rejection. I—I didn’t connect it, but the first letter came a couple of weeks after I complained.”
She lifted her gaze to meet his. “Alex, I don’t even know his name.” Her lips began to tremble, and he could tell the adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off. “When he was dragging me out here,
he told me he started the fire. You were right about that, too—and I was wrong. I—I guess I’m pretty much a failure at eversrthing...”
“A failure?” he echoed dubiously. “After what you did tonight, how can you say that?” He reached out to take her into his arms, not caring about anything but comforting her.
She saw his intent and something like fear slashing in her eyes. “No...” She stiff-armed him, her fingers splayed against his chest. “Don’t patronize me, Alex. Don’t pity me, and please don’t touch me.” Her voice was shaky, but uncompromising. “I appreciate your help, but I think you know we have nothing to say to each other.”
Tension stretched between them as their gazes clashed. Her hand pressing against his chest became the only thing in his world, his entire reality. One small force of will, commanding him to stay away. His heart cried out to brush her arm aside, to drag her against him and kiss away her fears. But when he looked deeply into her eyes, all he saw was reproach for him—and for herself.
Sirens off in the distance grew louder as the tension in the air between them became palpable. Suddenly Elissa propelled herself from the tree, hurrying away from him. Experiencing an odd mixture of relief and loss, he watched her go, her head held high. This was what she wanted—and what he needed. He’d almost lost control a moment ago, almost allowed himself to admit an emotion for Elissa that he couldn’t consider—couldn’t deal with—for it was an emotion he mistrusted.
At two-thirty in the morning, the police were gone and the attacker was in custody. Elissa sat at the kitchen table, staring into a cup of cooling coffee, sensing the glowers of her family. She felt like a specimen being examined under a microscope.
Glancing up, she peered around the table. Everyone was seated, except Alex. He stood some distance away, leaning against the wall near the kitchen entrance. He sported a bandage above his right eye. Avoiding his gaze, she lifted her coffee mug to her lips, gratified her hand was no longer shaking. She sipped the tepid brew, then set it down with a thump. “Look, everybody, it turned out okay. I wish you’d forget it.”
“Forget it?” Helen’s whisper was horrified. Leaning across the table she took Elissa’s hand. “The man could have murdered you, honey. Why didn’t you think we should know?”
Embarrassed, Elissa pulled her fingers from her sister’s grasp. “I didn’t want to worry you. It could have been nothing more than a prank.”
“I’m not laughing.” Jack said. “Look, Lis, you don’t have to take on the world by yourself. We’re here for you.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Remember that.”
Her eyes filled, and she swiped at a tear. “Thanks...” She couldn’t bear the soft reproof in his gaze, and shifted to look at Helen and Damien. “I know you’re all here for me.” She made herself smile. “Let—let’s all go to bed. Everything’s okay.”
Alex cleared his throat. Against her will she glanced his way.
He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes silver slits of disapproval.
She could read the message in his hard gaze. He thought she should tell her family everything—that she didn’t own the inn. Gritting her teeth, she balked at the notion. “What is it with you, Alex?” she growled. “Do you thrive on being ejected from homes?”
His crooked grin was almost sad. “My parents helped me become accustomed to rejection. I can handle it.”
“What are you two babbling about?” Helen asked.
Elissa ran a hand over her face, silently condemning Alex to whatever hell meddling shyster-lawyers were damned to. “Nothing—nothing...” she muttered. “Everything’s fine.”
Uneasy with her lie, her glance flitted back to Alex.
He held her gaze in a vise grip, but said nothing. He merely looked at her, almost through her. His steady perusal was unnerving and cruel, making her feel tremendous guilt. “Okay, okay,” she moaned, “maybe everything’s not quite fine.”
“What does that mean?” Helen twisted in her chair to look at Alex. “What’s going on?”
He pursed his lips and shrugged, his glance remaining on Elissa.
Helen turned back. “What are you keeping from us, Lips?”
Elissa felt sick to her stomach at the concern in her sister’s voice. Dragging her gaze from Alex, she mumbled, “There’s this little problem, er, with the inn...” Her voice caught and she couldn’t stand the thought of saying it aloud. Lurching up from the table, she made for the door, but Alex snagged her wrist. “You’re doing fine, don’t stop now.”
She jerked on his hold. He let her go so easily she almost upended herself. Though his touch was gone, her skin still tingled from it, and she registered the loss. Was she insane? How could her body betray her so with this man, even now!
Suddenly the decision was entirely hers. She could run, or she could stay and face her family. She could admit her failure, or she could go on hiding it. Whatever she did, she knew that ultimately the truth would have to come out Her conscience nagged, Are you being fair to keep on lying and lying? Isn’t it better, more honest, to tell them now rather than write them later? What kind of a sniveling chicken are you? She cringed. Now her own conscience was against her—calling her names. That was too much! One thing Elissa had never been, and that was a coward.
She pulled her lips between her teeth to keep them from trembling. Alex was right. She had to face it. Her family had a right to be involved.
Yet, even knowing all that, she eyed him with resentment before she faced her family. “Okay, here it is in a nutshell. The inn doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to Alex. I was tricked by a con artist. The crook was good, but that’s no excuse. I’ve lost everything—your investments, my inn...”
Nausea swept over her, and she had to choke back bile. “Mr. D’Amour is tearing down the inn to make room for his golf course, and I have to be out of here by the end of January. I kept it from you because I was fighting his claim, but tonight I got the bad news.” Peering sideways at Alex, she cried brokenly, “Are you happy now?”
Though his face remained solemn, he winked in answer, and she had the most bizarre feeling that he was proud of her.
The room went as quiet as a tomb. Elissa watched her family stare at her.
“Then you and Alex aren’t—close?” Helen asked.
“No,” Elissa growled. “We pretended to be friends so your vacation wouldn’t be ruined.”
“Oh—oh, Elissa, I’m—we’re so sorry!” Lucy’s blue eyes glimmered with tears.
There was a scraping of chair legs, and Elissa caught movement as Jack stood. His expression was closed but not angry. He seemed more unhappy than outraged. “Alex,” he said quietly, “I think, under the circumstances, it would be best if you stayed in a hotel until Elissa vacates the property, don’t you?”
Elissa peeked at the man beside her as he nodded in acquiescence. “I’ll send for my bags.” With that, he turned away, but stopped, his glance resting on Elissa’s face. “Your family is a gift, Elissa.” His smile was rueful. “Don’t squander it.”
Seconds later, he was gone.
January 5 was a dismal day for Elissa, though the sun shone brightly, melting the snow. She hated watching her family bustle about getting ready to leave. Elissa intended to stay at the inn through January, honoring reservations she’d booked through the end of the month. She had notified the staff of the inn’s imminent closing, and their usual happy mood dimmed.
Elissa assured her employees that with Alex opening his resort, there would be places for them all. It galled her to think that her employees would go over to the enemy, but she couldn’t let her resentment for Alex stand in the way of their employment.
Both Jule and Bella had come to her privately, insisting they wouldn’t apply for work with Alex if it would upset her. She’d assured them she was fine with it. She knew they were loyal enough to her, that if she asked them not to, they would never work for him. But that wouldn’t be fair to them, since she didn’t know if she would ever open another inn, herself.
“Wait a minute,” Damien said as he came down the stairs carrying two suitcases. “I’m the man she wants as her partner in this deal.” Elissa shifted to face him as he added with a grin, “Aren’t I, Red?”
She shook her head at both men. “I don’t deserve you two, considering what I did.”
Damien put down the bags. “That’s true. We’re hurt as hell.” He walked over and curled a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to deposit a goodbye kiss on her jaw. “Keep us informed. And remember, we’d love to have you visit us for a while. Heaven knows Helen has enough animal projects going on. We can always use warm bodies to help feed something or bathe something or set bones or—”
“You silver-tongued devil,” Elissa said with a laugh. “How can I refuse such an exciting offer. I’ll just get my veterinarian degree and rush right up.”
Helen came in from outside. “I’ve got the twins strapped in their car seats. Is everybody ready to get this show on the road?”
Damien chuckled. “That reminds me, Elissa. We also have a few nieces who’d love to have their aunt ’Lissa visit.”
With deep affection she touched his scarred cheek. “When you put it like that, it’s a deal.”
“Whatever you need,” Lucy added, hugging her sister. “And don’t ever keep secrets again, do you hear?”
Elissa started at Lucy’s stern tone. “Yes, ma’am.” She smirked, but when Lucy didn’t grin back, she grew serious. “Okay, okay. No secrets.”
As the Lords and Gallaghers loaded up the luxury rental car, Elissa felt very fortunate. She was touched by her family’s offers of help. Alex had been on target about this, too. Her family didn’t need her to be their mother, just their sister. She should have included them earlier. Their loving concern helped blunt her feelings of pain and loss.
