“Don’t worry about it.” Dallas stopped and turned toward me. “I’m glad you came by.”
“Now you know why I’m still single.”
“I figured you just hadn’t met the right person.” He leaned closer and slipped his arm around my waist. His gaze was intense, and I stared at him a moment before he kissed me. My eyes fluttered as I gave into the kiss, but my mind wandered back to Dallas’s office, thinking about how he’d called me his girlfriend. It took a lot more than three dates for me to classify someone as my boyfriend. Maybe that was because I’d always been too occupied with work for a serious relationship.
Dallas was a great kisser. I allowed myself to enjoy the closeness and warmth of his lips. He trailed his hands through my curls, resting them on my hips. I kissed him once more and then pulled away. “We’d better finish our walk so I can get back to the shop.”
Dallas frowned. “You look like you need more mouth-to-mouth.”
I laughed as he leaned toward me for another kiss. Then pulling his hand, I moved at a brisk pace around the block. His fingers interlaced with mine as he hurried to keep up with me.
“When can I use my rain check for that trip up to the springs?”
I’d figured he would ask, but I hadn’t been able to think beyond the upcoming adventure in the cemetery. “I’m trying to see if I can move some things around this weekend. I might have time after Natalie’s bridal shower.”
“Are you going to bring your swimsuit?”
“It would be fun to soak, but I don’t know if I have enough time.”
We had completed the circle and stood in front of his office again. He turned toward me. “You have to take time for yourself.”
“Now you sound like my mother.”
“Sorry.” He placed his hand on my cheek. “I care about you, that’s all.”
“Thanks. Anyway, summers are my most busy time.”
He kissed me on the cheek and held onto my hand as he took a step toward the front door. “See you soon?”
I untangled my hand from his and blew him a kiss, leaving his question unanswered as I slid into the driver’s seat.
I felt so confused. One part of me wished I had more time to hang out with Dallas, feel his lips caressing mine—the rest of me felt relieved to be heading back to work. Briette had always told me I hid in my work so I wouldn’t have to deal with a real relationship. I wondered if the conflicted feelings I was experiencing lent truth to her evaluation.
Chapter 20
Cream Cheese-Stuffed Strawberries
Rinse one pound of large strawberries. With a paring knife, remove the tops and cores. In a mixing bowl, beat one package of cream cheese, ¼ to ½ cup powdered sugar, and one teaspoon vanilla extract until creamy. Fill a frosting bag with the cream cheese mixture and pipe it into the strawberries. Crush enough graham crackers to fill a ½-cup measure, and dip the strawberry tops in the crumbs, or sprinkle them over the tops. If not serving immediately, refrigerate the strawberries until serving.
Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.
Barely two blocks from Dallas’s office, I clicked the air conditioning up another notch and noticed a familiar person to my right. Luke Stetson stood in the front yard of a lovely two-story home painted a muted olive green. His Harley was parked in the driveway, so I figured he must live there.
Watching him water the flowerbeds with a high-powered sprayer attached to a yellow garden hose, I thought of how Luke had stopped during his run and apologized to me and then told me his secret. Before I had a chance to talk myself out of it, I stopped and hopped out of my Mountaineer.
“Hey, you’re going to kill those flowers if you don’t change the setting on that sprayer.”
Luke startled and turned toward me—with the water still going full blast. I screamed as an icy stream hit my midsection.
“Oh, no!” He released the trigger and dropped the hose. “I’ll grab a towel.”
I didn’t say anything, just sucked in my stomach away from the dripping fabric that was my new rayon blouse. At least it would dry quickly. The coral color had deepened from the water, and my khaki capris were a bit soggy around the waistline too.
Luke jumped down the last three steps of his porch and handed me a fluffy blue bath towel. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking—you startled me.” The worried look on his face added a few creases to his forehead, and he wiped his hand across it, as if subconsciously smoothing the tanned skin. “Did I ruin your shirt?”
“No, it’ll dry quickly in this heat.” I blotted at the water on my arms and held the towel awkwardly.
“Sheesh, I can’t believe I did that.” Luke’s expression was contrite, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.
“Don’t worry about it.” I handed him the towel. “I was just trying to save your flowers.” I motioned to the petunias that had been taking a beating from his trigger finger.
Luke glanced at the flowers, and his shoulders drooped. “I’m not much of a gardener. One of my clients offered to do some landscaping in trade for a bill reduction. He said I needed to water them every day when it heated up.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from smirking. The garden hose at my feet vibrated with the pressure from the water. I picked it up, and Luke immediately stepped back. “I’m not going to spray you. Let me show you how to water your flowers so you don’t kill them.”
“Hey, thanks.” He moved closer so he could see the different nozzle settings. “I grew up on the east coast. You don’t have to water much there.”
“No problem. I grew up an hour and a half from here—in the desert. I know all about irrigating.” I explained to him how and when to water the petunias and the few shrubs that banked the sides of his house. Then I handed him back the hose. “You could also install some drip lines, so you wouldn’t have to do it by hand.”
“Thanks, Adri.” There was a question in his eyes, and I realized he probably wondered why I had stopped by his house.
“I didn’t know you lived in this neighborhood.” I stopped myself before I blurted out that the guy I was dating worked just around the corner.
“Yeah, I moved in two months ago. Bought the place through a realtor who works around the corner.”
“No way.” I hesitated, wondering if life could be this coincidental. “His name wouldn’t be Dallas Reynolds, by chance?”
Luke rubbed the back of his neck with the damp towel. “Yes, do you know him?”
“I’m on my way back from his office right now.” I was embarking on dangerous territory, and I could anticipate what the next question might be—boyfriend? The problem was, I didn’t know how I would answer it. Luke was more tactful than I deserved.
“Thinking of buying some property?”
“No, I bought a condo three blocks from here.” I pointed down the street. “You know the ones with the river rock and tan stucco and a one-car garage?”
“Yeah, that’s a nice area. Are you close to the road or farther back?”
“Mine is the third one in the complex.”
“Great location. So, how do you know Dallas?”
Here was where I needed to decide how much explanation I wanted to give. Smoothing the damp material of my blouse, I looked at the ground. “He wanted me to go to lunch.” I raised my eyes to Luke’s to gauge his reaction. “But this is the best I could do today.”
“Huh. Small world.” The skin around his eyes tightened, but then he straightened and gave me a look I was sure he’d used in court before. “Do you like him a lot?”
“We’ve been dating for about two weeks. He’s very nice, and he likes weddings.” I lifted my chin and waited to see how he would react to my little barb.
Luke laughed but remained focused. “You didn’t answer my question.”
He definitely was a lawyer. I nodded. “Yes. I like Dallas.”
“But?”
“I didn’t say but.”
“Yes, you did—I mean, you didn’t say it, but
you didn’t have to. I could hear it in your voice. You’re hesitant.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What? Are you cross-examining me now?”
He laughed again. “I’m just trying to figure you out. What’s so hard about admitting you’re not into this guy?”
I swallowed and kept eye contact with Luke. “It’s not that.” I blew out a breath. Might as well get it off my chest. “It’s just that he already refers to me as his girlfriend. I like him, but he’s moving kind of fast.”
Luke tilted his head and took a step closer to me. “So you’d be open to dating other guys?”
“Does that make me seem like a bad person?”
“No, it means you’re careful and honest with yourself.” He stared at me for a moment. The rich blue of his eyes held my focus. He lowered his voice. “It makes me want to ask you out.”
I felt my face go slack, and I struggled to regain my composure.
“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me.” He twisted the towel between his hands. “I don’t usually, uh, date, but you know my story. Anyway, I’d just like to hang out.”
There it was again. I felt like he was talking himself out of liking me. He let go of the towel, and I watched it slowly unwind. It was about the least compelling invitation for a date I’d ever received, but something about the storm clouds in his eyes kept me riveted. I wanted to know more about him, in spite of Dallas. “This is an incredibly busy time for me. You know—June is the month for weddings.”
Luke nodded and brushed his hand past mine. “Just dinner. I—well, you’re the only one I’ve told . . .” His mouth opened as if to say more, but he clamped it shut. Then he touched my wrist and whispered, “Think about it.”
I swallowed and looked at the ground, unsure of how to answer. Then I remembered why I had stopped in the first place. “Mind your manners with those petunias, and they’ll keep blooming into September.” I had skirted his question, but it was the best I could do.
He saluted me. With a wave, I got into my car and hurried back to work. The detour had cost me another twenty minutes.
Luke’s invitation for a date pressed against the back of my brain. He was both infuriating and attractive, but at the same time I wasn’t sure if I should trust him. He said he just wanted to hang out and he had shared his past, but what if Luke’s story was something he made up to gain my trust?
I mulled that over for a few blocks. No, the idea was silly. He was a divorce lawyer, not a criminal—depending on who you asked, of course. The encounter we’d had on the running trail had calmed my suspicions. I thought of the emotion I’d seen on Luke’s face. He deserved an award if that was an act.
But still, there had to be more than one person involved with the diamonds. What if Luke was staking me out? It wouldn’t be hard for him to take my picture. He knew what time I usually ran and was familiar with my route. My thoughts spiraled out of control as I tried to pin the blame on someone, anyone. The faceless enemy made me feel so much more vulnerable.
I was afraid to go home, so I worked until the last possible minute and then texted Tony that I’d be home in ten minutes to change into my running clothes and be on my way. Tux bumped up against the patio window when I got home, and I opened the door and cuddled him for a moment before refilling his cat dish. “Wish me luck,” I murmured as I set him down.
Briette smiled up at me from the picture frame, and I touched it as I came into my bedroom. I could be brave tonight. Ten minutes later, I walked out to my vehicle, stretched, and climbed inside. Tony had told me to take a couple of switchbacks so it would seem like I was trying to throw the thief off my trail. I drove toward Warm Springs Road again, but this time I turned off onto a side street that didn’t offer a hiding place. I turned around and drove to the park. I counted to one hundred before getting out, adjusted the laces on my shoes and headed for the path. Without a backward glance, I began running, hoping Tony and his gang were as close by as he said they’d be. I usually didn’t run this late at night, so if the thief was as attentive as I thought, he would know the diamonds were on the move.
With each step, I felt my anxiety heighten. I kept reminding myself to breathe. My iPod was snug on my arm, but no sound came from the earbuds. I wanted to be alert to any strange noises along the way.
Fifteen minutes into my run, I could feel the tension from my shoulders radiating up my neck. Relax, Adri. I checked my watch—it was nearly eight twenty, and I was almost to the entrance of the cemetery. I had run way too fast. Tony planned to pass by me on the trail around eight forty. At this rate, I’d be on my way back, a mere half mile from my car. I worried I would pass the meeting point before Tony could get there. I needed to kill some time.
The cemetery had no visitors that I could see. I couldn’t resist looking behind me as I entered. No one followed, but I couldn’t shake the oppressive feeling of someone watching. I ran toward Hemingway’s grave and darted between the large fir trees flanking the slab marked with the famed writer’s name. I paused and looked around again.
A slight breeze lifted the pine boughs, and I could hear the tree creak in the stillness. My shoulders rippled in an involuntary shiver. Taking a deep breath, I ran across the cemetery toward the rusty bird feeder. As I approached the tree, my stomach clenched. The bird feeder was gone.
For a second I panicked, my eyes scanning the branches and the surrounding headstones. Then I caught sight of the feeder lying haphazardly in a mound of grass. I dropped to my knees and reached my hand inside. Rusty metal chafed against my skin as my hand closed around the Ziploc bag. I pulled it out and checked it carefully. I didn’t dare unwind it, but I could tell it hadn’t been touched.
Brushing off a few more flecks of rusty debris, I stuffed the bag into my sports bra and raised my body into a crouch. My heart pounded in my ears as I rotated slowly, peering out from under the tree. A brilliant sunset had tinged the clouds pink and purple. It was hard to ignore the particularly large cumulus cloud hovering right over the sun, tinged in gold from the last rays as the orb ducked beneath the horizon.
Dusky shadows erased the fine details of the day, making it harder for me to see clearly. Tony and I had talked about that. I didn’t like running in semidarkness, but he insisted it would be to our advantage. A sudden movement to my right and a flapping sound nearly gave me a heart attack. I bolted and ran about twenty-five yards at a sprint before my senses caught up to each other. It was only a bird. I glanced behind me. I was still safe, but I didn’t stop running.
With the cemetery behind me and the diamonds against my chest, I entered the unknown of the bike trail with its multitudinous bushes and weeds flanking the path. Every shrub seemed like the perfect place for a criminal to hide. I reminded myself that policemen were stationed at regular intervals. An officer had probably been at the cemetery, and I just hadn’t seen him.
Checking my watch, I slowed my pace to a comfortable jog. I was still too early, so I stopped for a moment to adjust my shoes. Adrenaline buzzed along my nerves as I retied my laces. Every sound made my heart jump, and it took all my willpower to keep from sprinting down the trail again at full speed. My pace was much slower than usual, but I didn’t want to slow to a walk. I hoped Tony would be early.
The paved bike trail was one of my favorite features of the Sun Valley area. It ran alongside the highway, and on more than one occasion I had followed the trail the full ten miles to Hailey, the town next to Ketchum. The road was quiet, and the lack of traffic added to the stillness of the encroaching night. Each footfall reverberated in my ears, and I strained my eyes for any sign of Tony or another police officer.
I had at least another half mile to go before the drop point with Tony, but I would still get there before eight-forty. With another glance behind me, I slowed my pace again. The trail appeared empty, but I could see only about twenty yards into the ever-darkening night. I faced forward again, concentrating on my breathing instead of the fear clawing at my insides.
The tra
il curved slightly to the right, and a formidable-looking bush in need of a trim reached for my bare legs. I sidestepped the branch and ran into something solid that hadn’t been there a millisecond before.
Before I could react, strong arms pulled me off the trail and through the scraggly sagebrush. One hand reached up to cover my mouth, extinguishing my rising scream.
“I know you have the diamonds,” a low voice spoke right next to my ear. “If you want to stay alive, you’ll cooperate.”
I felt something jab me in the back, and I recoiled. All of my self-assurances that this little operation would go off without a hitch left the instant I realized he had a gun.
He prodded me with the weapon, and I winced. “Now let’s take a little walk.”
I tripped through the undergrowth off the trail as we headed away from the road toward the mountain. Thoughts of struggling against him and biting his hand flitted through my mind, but the touch of cold steel against my back killed any courageous ideas. I held onto the hope that someone was coming. The police had been watching me, and this man didn’t know it. As we moved farther from the path, I began to worry about how wide a surveillance they had set up.
The man pushed me up a rise and around a couple of large boulders. He shoved me to the ground and put his knee in my back. I grunted as my face hit the dirt. Tears stung my eyes as several rocks bit into my skin.
“Were you hoping to keep those diamonds for yourself?” I could feel his hot breath on my ear as he whispered, “Like you would even know what to do with them. Lucky me, you decided not to take them to the police first thing.”
I did not need a reminder of how stupid I had been. I’m a fast learner. Tony would be the first to know if anything out of the ordinary happened from now on. At least he knew now—but where was he?
The man turned me over and grabbed my wrists so hard I cried out. “Don’t try to fight, or things will get bad in a hurry.”
Diamond Rings Are Deadly Things Page 20
