Maybe it was something she simply said so that no one expected her to do it.
“I can barely boil water,” she sighed. “I’ve tried many times but trust me when I say that nothing good has ever come out of a kitchen with me in it. So I’m afraid that I’m going to have to decline the offer of hot chocolate even though it sounded wonderful.”
Carter had milk. And cocoa. He even had marshmallows, thanks to the cookout the Anderson family had had a few weekends ago.
Just like that, he made up his mind.
“Let’s get you a bag packed. You’re not staying here.”
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. “I–What do you mean?”
“You’re coming home with me.”
Those eyes had narrowed and she was giving him a look that said he was full of shit. Yep, this woman was definitely growing on him. She didn’t take any crap.
“We’re both shook up,” he explained, guiding her down what he hoped was a hall to her bedroom, his hands gently on her shoulders. “Honest to God, I don’t think either one of us should be alone right now. I have an extra bedroom and a big yellow Lab that will smother you with slobbery kisses but he’d rip the leg off of an intruder. You can feel safe there, maybe even get some sleep. When you wake up, if you want to leave, I won’t try and stop you.”
She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to study him. Standing very still under her scrutiny, he took the opportunity to do the same. There was determination in her eyes but he could see the fear that lurked there as well. She was torn in two, wanting to be strong but not wanting to be alone.
“Listen, I’m a nice guy. I know that our date kind of sucked and I’m really sorry about that. That’s my fault, too. But I truly just want to protect you. You’ll be behind gates and a security system. Believe me, there is no safer place in Montana.”
Her brow arched and she crossed her arms over her chest. “And just where is this oasis of personal safety?”
The Anderson ranch.
Chapter Five
‡
It shouldn’t have felt so comfortable to be in Carter’s company. They’d had a crappy date and she should have pushed him out of her front door but there was something about him that made her feel safe. Especially at this moment when she didn’t feel safe in the least. Her brain knew good and well that she wasn’t in any danger. No one wanted her dead or was coming after her. But her emotions? Jangled and in a spin. She didn’t know up from down, right from left, or her ice maker from a serial killer.
Honestly, she simply didn’t want to be alone.
Which is how she found herself sitting next to him in his car as he drove down a long road to the Anderson ranch. Considering it had been over fifteen minutes since they’d entered the front gate, this place had to be huge, which kind of made sense considering how the officer’s demeanor had quickly changed when finding out that Carter was one of those Andersons. Whatever that meant. She could have done a quick Google search on her phone about the family but it seemed like a strange way to get to know someone. If she had questions, she simply needed to open her mouth and ask them like a grownup.
“I guess the ranch is pretty big.”
Not exactly a question. More like an observation but it seemed to do the trick. Carter glanced over at her, giving her a reassuring smile. He really wasn’t the jerk she’d thought several hours ago.
“It’s the largest privately held ranch in Montana. I swear we’re not criminals. Just a family trying to do the best they can for themselves and their community. My parents are terrific people. Mom is going to want to coddle you so you should probably just let her. It’s easier than arguing, I’ve found. Now that she doesn’t have her brood to fuss over she takes any chance she can get to go into Super Mom mode.”
That sounded sweet but Mallory didn’t want to be a bother. She already felt terrible that she was such a wuss she couldn’t be alone.
“I hope your cousin didn’t wake them.”
“You can hope all you want,” he chuckled. “But I’m guessing that every Anderson is out of bed right now based on the fact that the family attorney showed up at the rest stop. Mom is probably frying bacon right about now. Or maybe pancakes. Or both.”
Carter nodded toward a structure that had appeared on the horizon. “And the house is lit up like an airport. Just as I suspected.”
They were closer now and Mallory could see that indeed just about every light in the two-story home was on. There were several cars parked around it and as they pulled up a yellow Lab bounded out of the front door and down the porch steps.
Carter climbed out and was immediately circled by a tail wagging and barking canine. He paused to pet the dog but didn’t linger, coming around to her side of the vehicle, Lab on his heels.
“Tiger, this is Mallory. Mallory, this is Tiger. Pet him and he’s your friend for life. You aren’t afraid of dogs, are you?”
“Not at all.” She bent over to receive a slobbery kiss on her cheek. Tiger was a sweetheart. She’d missed having a pet but her ex had been allergic. “I love dogs.”
Tiger was also pretty well-behaved, sitting on his furry bottom when it was clear he wanted to jump up on her. The sound of footsteps captured her attention and two men were approaching them, friendly smiles on their faces. She tensed for a moment but Carter’s reassuring arm around her shoulders didn’t allow her to turn and run.
“That’s my older brother Noah. He runs the ranch. The guy behind him is Easton, his twin. Easton runs the financial arm of Anderson Industries.”
Mallory was beginning to get an inkling of what the Anderson family might represent, although she couldn’t be sure. The fact that there was an arm for finances was a big clue though.
“And you run the construction part, right?”
When he’d told her over dinner, she’d pictured him in a yellow hardhat carrying a metal lunchpail on some dirty construction site. She had a feeling that she was way off.
“I do. We have several projects going right now including a housing development near Green Pine. It’s going to have fifty luxury homes plus two hundred affordable condos.”
She knew the one he was speaking about. The locals were excited because it meant jobs. She’d seen the Anderson Construction signs around the area but until this moment she hadn’t put two and two together.
Noah and Easton both hugged their brother and then stepped back, waiting to be introduced.
“Mallory, this is Noah and Easton. The way to tell them apart is that Easton is always a pain in the ass and Noah…wait. You can’t tell them apart that way.”
The one with longer hair and a twinkle in his eye held out his hand. “Forgive my little brother. He thinks he’s funny and we’ve humored him his whole life. I’m Noah and this uptight bastard is Easton, my younger brother by about seven minutes.”
Easton didn’t look uptight, although his hair was shorter and his clothes looked slightly preppy while Noah’s were definitely Montana ranch.
She shook their hands. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a little bit about you.”
That you threw Carter into the snow and locked him out of the house.
“Lies, lies, lies,” chanted Noah with a grin before he addressed Carter. “Mom’s cooking breakfast so I hope you’re hungry. Everyone’s inside and they’re going to want all the details.”
Giving Mallory a worried glance, Carter shifted on his feet. “I brought Mallory here because she’s really freaked out about what happened. I’m not sure we’re ready to relive it all.”
“I’m not going to be able to sleep,” she found herself replying. “We might as well tell them. I’ve already told four cops and a reporter.”
That made Carter scowl. “That asshole, sticking a camera in your face when we were trying to leave.”
“He was just doing his job.”
Although he could have been nicer about it. Or more sensitive. Even the cameraman had winced when the reporter had asked her que
stions.
Badgered is more like it. He hadn’t wanted to take no comment for an answer. He’d stuck that microphone in her face and when she didn’t tell him everything he’d wanted to know, he’d done the same to Carter. Carter, on the other hand, wasn’t as patient as she was and he’d shoved the reporter, knocking him back into the cameraman. The reporter had had the audacity to ask if they’d killed that poor man but were being let go because Carter was an Anderson.
Once again…whatever that meant.
“His job sucks,” Carter said bluntly, placing his hand on her lower back and guiding her into his home. “He’s a leech on society and gives good and decent reporters a bad name.”
Easton growled, baring his teeth slightly. “Let me guess who it was. Dave Gorman? I bet it was him. He’s had it in for the Anderson family for years.”
She didn’t know the answer but Carter was already nodding in the affirmative. “It was and it looks like his vendetta is still on. I have no idea what we did to piss him off.”
A voice came from another room. “I put his brother in jail.”
A handsome dark-haired man stepped into the living room, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. All of the Anderson men resembled each other, and they were all good-looking in their own way. Carter couldn’t have been the only heartbreaker in this family.
Holy shit, the parents must look like movie stars.
He held out his hand for Mallory to shake. “I’m West, Carter’s cousin. I used to be the head of detectives in Tremont.”
This must be the cousin Carter had called. Thank goodness he’d sent the attorney, otherwise she had a feeling that they’d still be there telling their story over and over again.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you so much for sending your lawyer. I was sure we’d be there all day.”
Grimacing, West enfolded her hand in his much larger one. “I had a feeling that they would do that. Bryce made them pull the footage from the security cameras right away and it showed that you both had nothing to do with it. Despite the gaps in video coverage, the tape clearly showed you and then Carter exiting the building after the victim had already been wounded.”
Unfortunately the actual murder and murderer hadn’t also been caught on film.
“And yet they still didn’t want to let us go,” groused Carter. “You could tell that they wanted it to be us.”
Carter and Mallory were all that the police had. Everyone else had already left when she’d come out of the restroom. Of course, the cameras showed that there were other suspects but the cops needed to find them.
The smell of eggs, bacon, and toast wafted under Mallory’s nose and it actually smelled good. She was shocked that she had an appetite but the last time she’d eaten had literally been hours ago when she’d had a small popcorn at the movie.
Carter’s stomach had no inhibitions and it growled loud enough to let everyone know he was hungry.
“Please tell me Mom is in the kitchen.”
“What if I tell you it’s Jason?” Noah teased. “He can cook, too.”
“Not like Mom.”
Noah slapped Carter on the back. “It’s Mom and she’s made a feast. I hope you both are hungry, although there might not be any food left. Jason is in there and he was filling his plate when we came out to meet you. Tiger’s in there too, strategically located to get any fallout.”
Carter sighed. “Mom feeds him. I think he eats more bacon than I do. Are you hungry, Mallory? Do you think you could eat a little something?”
Maybe it was the warm and friendly welcome she had received. It might have been how secure she felt with all of these people around. It could even have been the way Carter rested his hand on her back so reassuringly. Whatever it was, for the first time in hours, Mallory felt safe. One small step towards getting back to normal.
“I could eat.”
Chapter Six
‡
Kathy and Peter Anderson, Carter’s parents, were absolutely adorable. Clearly in love after all their years together, they made Mallory feel instantly at home. The food was delicious and the company even better. If this was the family that Carter had been brought up in, he couldn’t be too bad of a guy.
The enormous kitchen located at the back of the house was packed to the gills with people. Normally, Mallory preferred an open floor plan but this room had its charms – the major one being the large French doors that led out onto a glassed-in patio that ran the length of the house. A dining room was off to the left with a long table that looked as if it could seat ten or twelve with ease. If she hadn’t met his family this morning, she would have thought it was a strange thing for a bachelor to have in his home.
No one pushed Mallory or Carter to tell their stories. The delicious food was devoured and small talk was made. It was as if the horrible night never happened, although the tension hovered just on the periphery. It was there but for a few minutes she was able to ignore it. It wouldn’t last, however. As Kathy and Noah began to gather the dirty dishes, that peace was going to come to an end.
The cousin Jason, whom she’d learned was a former DEA agent, had been quiet for most of the meal, his eyes watchful but his mouth closed. He’d been taking it all in but now that he’d finished eating he appeared to ready to speak.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, his expression somber. “You were lucky. God knows what that poor man was involved in that got him killed but you two could have been tangled up in it and ended up hurt.”
Or dead. But he didn’t have to say it out loud. They were all thinking it. At least she was.
Carter nodded. “We are lucky. I just wish I’d been there for Mallory. She got the bad end of all of this.”
It was silly for him to say that. He’d seen the man bloody and dying just as she had. The only thing he hadn’t witnessed was the pleading for help. Mallory was sure she’d never forget that if she lived to be a hundred. She didn’t even have to strain to hear the dying man’s voice. She shuddered and Carter turned to her, his brows pinched together with concern.
“You okay, honey?” His fingers trailed down her arm. “Are you cold? I can get one of my sweatshirts for you.”
Easton hopped up from his chair. “I’ll do it. It is a cold night.”
The sun still wasn’t up yet and despite being awake for almost twenty-four hours Mallory wasn’t tired. At least her brain wasn’t…her body on the other hand felt like she’d drank far too much caffeine, like when she’d studied for finals back in college. Exhausted and energized all at the same time, her thinking processes sluggish and muddied.
“Thank you.”
She didn’t want to argue that she wasn’t all that cold. It didn’t seem polite and these people were only trying to be nice.
Even with Easton out of the room temporarily there were still several pairs of eyes trained on herself and Carter. They all wanted the story and she only hoped she could give it to them. They were a heck of a lot nicer than the police so it ought to be…easier, or at least bearable.
“The tire pressure monitor came on,” Carter began. “So I needed to pull over and check the tires. There was a rest stop a mile and a half up. You know, the one between here and Green Pine.”
Jason nodded, his fingers stroking his chin. “That’s a nice one. Well lit. I always thought it felt safe.”
“I did too,” Carter agreed grimly. “But clearly we were both wrong. So anyway, I pulled over and Mallory went to the ladies’ room as I was finishing up. Then I went too. When I came out, Mallory was leaning over the man and they were both covered in blood.”
A simplified version, clean and to the point. And brief. No emotion or commentary. He didn’t mention the horror they’d both felt and the sounds the man had made as he’d died.
Jason and his brother West had now turned their attention to Mallory. “Was there anyone else around when you walked outside?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t see anyone.”
West’s eyes narrowed. “J
ust because you didn’t see anyone doesn’t mean that you were alone.”
Well…shit. He had a point.
Now that is truly creepy.
The thought of someone standing in the shadows while she watched the man die was truly awful. Chilling right down to the bone.
Easton returned with a huge dark blue hoodie that zipped up the front. “This should keep you warm.”
She accepted it gratefully, feeling chilly after the murderer playing hide and seek talk. She wrapped it around her with a helping hand from Carter. Another point in his favor. She could hardly believe it was the same guy she’d had dinner with.
“The idea that someone might have been watching us freaks me out,” Mallory admitted. “That’s some creepy stuff right there.”
West’s lips twisted. “Sorry. I really don’t mean to make you afraid. Sometimes I think out loud. I’ll try and stop that.”
“It’s okay, it’s just weird. I don’t want you to censure yourself because I’m a little queasy about what happened.”
West and Jason exchanged a glance before the latter leaned forward in his chair. “Do you think you can tell your story? Right from the beginning? All the details?”
She could, of course. Carter’s version had been a good one. Concise and not messy. If they wanted details, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“I can–”
“You don’t have to,” Carter cut in. “If you don’t feel up to it, you don’t have to.”
Would there be some sort of catharsis if she talked about it to friendly listeners? Or was that simply an optimistic hope?
“I can do that but it’s not going to be easy.”
Jason looked at Carter. “What about you?”
Carter nodded, his jaw set. “I can but like Mallory told you, this isn’t a sweet story.”
Jason sat back in his chair. “Then start from the very beginning. What did you see when you pulled into the rest stop? Was there anyone else there?”
Chapter Seven
‡
Road to Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 8) Page 3
