“Well, that’s something, at least.” Emma frowned, looking at Brad’s tired face. She had an unexpected urge to pull him into a hug. Unsettled at the thought, she continued, “Do you believe him?”
Brad nodded. “Yeah, I do. Bishop PD knows all about Jackson. He’s been arrested a few times for DUI, drug possession, that kind of thing. He did a little time for B&E. He’s someone who’s always on the lookout for a quick and easy way to feed his addictions.”
Emma had seen the type in every run-down motel she and her mother had ever lived in. The image only served to remind her she would never go back to that life.
Thunder rumbled across the valley though the storm appeared to be abating. “Emmaline, can you think of anyone who would want to cause you harm? Maybe an ex-boyfriend or coworker who has a grudge?”
She was already shaking her head. “No one.”
“Take a minute to think. Ex-boyfriends are the most likely.”
“There’s no one,” she repeated.
“No ex-boyfriends? I don’t believe it.”
“None with any strong passions involved. I can’t see anyone I’ve known motivated to take extreme measures to get at me.”
Brad looked unconvinced. “Maybe you were unaware of how they felt. I’ll need their names regardless.” At her reluctant nod, he went on, “Has anyone been asking about this property? If you want to sell it?”
She thought of the letters from Great Mountain and told him about them. “They were persistent, but from what I can tell, they didn’t cross the line into harassment.” She went into the cabin to retrieve the letters and found a slip of paper to jot down the names of the boyfriends she’d had, then handed them over.
Brad scanned the list of names, then raised an eyebrow at her. “This is it? You’ve only had two boyfriends?” At her baleful expression he held up his hands. “Okay, I’ll follow up on these.”
He folded the papers and put them into his pocket before turning to look at her again. “The Bishop boys will check around town, see if anyone knows anything. Since Jackson’s best chance of a minimum sentence depends on his cooperation, my team will keep talking to him, see if he’ll give up anything more.”
Considering, Emma commented, “Must be a slow day if you can put those kinds of resources into a garage fire.”
Brad smiled at her. “Yeah, well. One of my officers, Warren, told the Bishop cops we were looking for the guy who’d torched my girlfriend’s garage. They took it a lot more seriously then.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why would he think that? I thought the girl at the café must be your girlfriend.”
“Madison? Madison is not my girlfriend. I wouldn’t be hitting on you if I had a girlfriend.”
She thought of how he’d held her the night before but shrugged. “Last night you were just being nice. You haven’t been hitting on me.”
Brad gave her a hard look, then took her coffee mug and set it deliberately down with his on the porch rail. He turned, taking her shoulders in his big hands. “Pay attention.”
He dipped his head, then paused, his lips a breath away from hers, eyes open and dark, before closing the distance. The rain pounding on the metal roof kept time with her racing heart.
Warm, firm lips angled across hers as she struggled not to tremble. Her heart thundered and she felt herself melt into the kiss. Warm palms reached up to cup her face while she slid her hands along his hips under the warmth of his coat. His tongue parted her lips and she opened to him, a humming sound of pleasure low in her throat when he deepened the kiss. Fingers traced lightly along her jaw for long moments before his lips left hers to graze her cheek and along her temple. The shivers Emma felt now had nothing to do with adrenaline or cold, and everything to do with heat and desire.
He pulled away momentarily before ducking his head to brush her another kiss against her lips. “Did you notice this time?”
She stared at him, her brain still in total meltdown. She felt like she’d been pulled out into the storm, pummeled, shaken and disoriented. “What? Notice what?”
He grinned at her. “Emmaline, darlin’, just so there’s no mistaking, that was me hitting on you.” He ran his fingers through her hair before dropping his hands to step back.
She could only stare at him, at a complete loss.
“And the girl at the café? Madison? She’s my sister. And as for Warren, he saw me holding you last night and drew his own conclusions.”
“That’s absurd.” Emma tried to gather her scattered thoughts. “I don’t like cops.” But her statement lacked her usual conviction, as if she was saying the words by rote and they had lost their meaning.
He exhaled noisily. “You’ll have to tell me about that sometime. Right now, I’m going home to crash for a couple hours.”
He leaned forward to whisper softly in her ear. “See if you can stay out of trouble while I’m doing that, okay?” He brushed his lips across her cheek then ducked into the lessening rain. He strode to his SUV and drove off, leaving a bemused Emma to pick up the coffee mugs and take them inside.
Chapter Five
Emma and Dory spent the rest of the morning going through the rentals. They planned to completely outfit those closest to the lake, to scavenge working coffeemakers, toasters, and anything else that was needed from the other cabins. Once they were able to rent those and had some money coming in they could begin to furnish the remaining cabins.
Emma stared at the wreckage of her garage. While the damage wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, it still looked like a charred disaster. The fire had been mostly contained to one side and while the built-in cabinets were a loss, from what she could see, the building still looked structurally sound. An inspector was due out the following week to determine whether it could be salvaged or would need to be torn down. Thank God Walt had paid the insurance premium through the end of the year.
She trudged from the garage to the main cabin, the road muddy from the rain. She paused at the front step when she recognized Bert Morales’s truck turning off the highway. He parked and got out, strolling over to where Emma stood.
“Hear you had trouble last night.” He motioned toward the garage. “Looks like a helluva mess.”
Emma nodded. “I guess word gets around a little town.”
“Sure does. Thought I’d come by and see if you need any help cleaning up. And to say ‘hey’ to my daughter and grandson.”
“Dory’s your daughter?” Emma couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d said he’d set the fire himself. “Why didn’t she mention it?”
Bert grimaced. “She’s mad at me. We had words the last time we spoke, but her mother said she’d kick my butt if I didn’t make it right. She’d do it, too.” He ran a thumb under a suspender strap. “I wanted Dory to come back home to stay. She finally left that bastard Rodrigo, and I thought she could stay with us until she gets her feet back under her.” He sighed. “But she’s a stubborn girl and thinks she needs to have a place of her own.” His lined face clearly showed his worry for his daughter.
“I’m glad you’ve come to talk with her. Family drama can be the hardest to get past.” Emma knew that from personal experience. “I can’t say I’m sorry she’s here with me, though. She’s a hard worker and I need the help.”
Bert looked over toward the burned garage. “I hope you’re both safe here.”
“Since the cops have the guy who started the fire, I think we will be.” Emma waved in the direction of Black Bear cabin. “Go on up the road to the first cabin. She and Adrian were heading that way about half an hour ago. And don’t worry about the cleanup,” she added. “I can’t do anything until the insurance company and the fire department clear it.”
Emma watched Bert walk through the trees. She knew how hard life could become when an estrangement became bitter and stubborn pride kept people apart. Hopefully Dory would realize Bert’s concern was motivated by love.
She crossed the porch to her cabin, leaving the door open as the afternoo
n had turned warm. The storm of the morning had blown through, leaving behind the clean, fresh smell of the forest. She pulled off her sweatshirt to hang on a hook in the closet. She felt unsettled, edgy. And though there was plenty of work that needed doing, she didn’t feel like starting on any of it. Bradley Gallagher was to blame for this restlessness, she was sure.
Making a quick decision, she grabbed her keys and purse, dug out her sunglasses, and headed for her car. At the highway, instead of turning north into town, she headed south. Aspens grew thick on either side of the road, and where the mountain climbed steeply to the east tall pines rose majestically.
A gravel road veered to the right and Emma guessed it was the driveway to Brad’s house. The highway continued to circle the lake until it followed a curve, crossed over a rise and she found herself in another valley. The creek that fed Hangman’s Lake tumbled over boulders at the bottom of a ravine, aspens crowding its banks. The scene was so beautiful Emma wondered how she had survived for so long living among the concrete and asphalt of the big city.
The highway continued its circuitous route deeper into the mountains and she finally pulled over at another lake. This one was smaller than Hangman’s Lake with a campground on its western shore. She parked off the road to take in the scenery. A few fishermen were scattered along the shore. She heard the excited sound of a young boy, his pole bent and line quivering, shouting to his father in a high voice. The dad spoke calmly and when the boy reeled the fish into shore, the man swooped it up in a net. Watching the scene made her want to go through her grandfather’s fishing gear, to get up early one morning and see what she remembered from his lessons on the art of trout fishing.
Leaning against her car she tilted her face to the warm sun. Emma finally allowed herself to think about what she’d walled off from her mind all day. Bradley Gallagher. Police Chief Bradley Gallagher. Emma Kincaid, who’d just as soon kick a cop in the shin as talk to one, had been cuddled up to a cop last night and been kissed near senseless by him this morning. She didn’t want to be attracted to him, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
And if she was honest, since last night she hadn’t been sending him any slow down or stop signals. Responding to his kiss as if she were a Roman candle and he’d lit the fuse surely wasn’t how to show him she wasn’t interested. For her own self-preservation she had to back off.
Eyes closed, she thought through the scene from the night before. She hoped he didn’t think her weak, like she was someone who couldn’t take care of herself or stand up to difficulties unless she had a strong man to support her. Brad had seen a need and responded like he was built to.
She opened her eyes to see a hawk circling lazily on an air current. She was beginning to realize he had a need to protect ingrained in his character. That she had enjoyed the results way too much didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything. She’d lived without intimacy, emotional and physical, for so long she knew she could survive without either. She would have to stop where this seemed to be going. She simply couldn’t start a relationship, especially with a cop.
After getting back in her car, Emma swung it around and headed back the way she’d come. In a quick decision, she passed her resort and drove into Hangman’s Loss. She found a spot on the street and parked in front of the café. Just because she wasn’t open to hooking up with the rugged chief didn’t mean she would ignore the connections she wanted to build with the community.
Emma walked in and was greeted with a friendly wave from Maddy. She wondered how Maddy had ended up with such sunny, fair looks, the quintessential blond-haired and blue-eyed cheerleader type, while her brother carried the dark hair and sexy green eyes so well.
“How are you doing, Emma? I heard about the fire. What a horrible thing to happen.” A frown brought a small vee between her eyebrows. “I hope it doesn’t make you want to leave. I know I’d be scared.”
Emma gave a half shrug. “I guess I should be, but I’m really not.” She stifled the idea that the reason was perhaps because she trusted Brad to find out what was going on and to protect her. “I’m staying.”
“Good.” Maddy beamed at her.
Emma paid for her order, taking coffee and the cranberry-orange muffin Maddy had tempted her with to the same booth she’d sat in her first morning in Hangman’s Loss.
She looked up, surprised, when Maddy slid into the seat across the table from her, a large mug of tea steaming in her hand. “I need a break. Do you mind?”
Emma shook her head and broke off a piece of muffin. “God, this is terrific,” she said, her mouth full.
Maddy smiled. “They are pretty terrific. You’ll have to try my berry scones when the blackberries ripen in late summer. They’re very popular.”
“I bet.” Emma sipped her coffee.
“I’ve had an idea that might help both of us,” she said, leaning forward in her seat. “You see that empty wall over the cream and sugar table?”
Emma nodded. “Yeah, so?”
“Well, I want to put a glass-fronted case there. If you had some T-shirts made up with the resort’s logo on them, got me a couple of photos of the cabins, the kayaks and whatnot, I could display them there. And I could have some brochures in a holder.”
Emma looked at her expectantly. “You could. That would be nice for me, but I don’t see how it helps you.” Now Emma saw the resemblance to Brad. Maddy’s eyes had focused with the same intensity her brother habitually possessed.
“That’s because that is only part one of the plan. In your check-in office, you could do something similar—have a display that has my menu and the rates for the picnic lunches I sell. I could put together a picnic basket with pretty napkins and a wine bottle of to make it appealing. What do you think?”
She chewed her muffin thoughtfully. “Sounds good. I’ve been tweaking the logo for the resort. I like the old-fashioned look it currently has so I don’t want to change it too much. I was thinking of having some T-shirts and hats made.”
Maddy glanced over Emma’s shoulder and her satisfied smile dimmed. “Great. Here comes the queen,” she muttered.
Emma glanced up when Marla Banks, in a skirt and jacket that looked at once both professional and sexy, stopped beside their table.
“I’m sorry to hear about your little adventure last night, Ms. Kincaid. Lucky for you our stalwart police chief happened to be there so quickly.”
“Yeah, lucky for me.” Happened to be there? What was she insinuating?
“You know, Ms. Kincaid, I can represent you if you want to sell those cabins of yours. We can get an appraisal done quickly and I know some interested parties who might be in the market for such a property.”
Emma didn’t like the vibes she was getting. The mayor didn’t like her; that was obvious. And she certainly seemed keen on showing Emma the way out of town. She replied firmly, “Thanks, but I’m not selling.”
“Don’t be hasty. You haven’t heard what the potential buyers might offer.” It seemed like she was making a determined effort to keep her tone neutral.
“I’ll bet you have interested parties, Marla,” Maddy growled. “Developers who would tear down the cabins and build ugly condominiums and a posh hotel. Just like they’re trying to buy up the town and put in ritzy shops. They want to turn Hangman’s Loss into another sanitized resort town with nothing unique to set it apart.”
Marla raised a perfectly plucked brow. “You’re very passionate, Maddy. But not everyone wants this town to stay a sleepy little backwater.” She turned to Emma. “Don’t let Madison brainwash you, Ms. Kincaid. You have my card. Give me a call.” She looked at Maddy, then back at Emma. “We’ll meet at the diner. They make the best coffee in town.”
The mayor left the café and Maddy glowered. “She makes me so mad. And their coffee isn’t the best, they just give it to her for free so she’ll have her business breakfasts there.”
Emma smiled. She had to agree with Maddy. She didn’t like the mayor and she didn’t like the
idea of Hangman’s Loss losing its simple appeal to an upscale version of itself that catered to the wealthy elite.
The women talked some more. Maddy explained how the town was divided between those who wanted the developers who would bring in the national restaurant chains and chic boutiques and those who wanted to keep Hangman’s Loss as it was, with its comfortable charm and quiet pace.
“What about the ski resorts across the lake? Are they the type the mayor wants?”
“No, those are like your cabins. Simple, good quality, and affordable. They cater to a lot of families and college students, people who like to ski and snowboard but don’t have the big bucks.”
The bell over the door jangled again, and Maddy stood up. “I’ve got customers.” She paused, eyes bright. “Can I come out to your cabins some afternoon? I’d like to see what you’re doing to the place.”
“Of course, I’d love to show you around.” Maddy walked away and Emma smiled to herself. It seemed that maybe she’d found a friend.
She sat back and sipped the last of her coffee. The bell sounded again and she felt the change in the air even before Brad slid into the seat recently vacated by his sister. She’d tried to forget that kiss, but looking at him it was all she could think about, that confusing, heart-pounding, mind-melting kiss.
“Hey.” The dark eyes were searching, taking in every detail.
“Hey back.”
Her hand lay on the table, and he took it in his, a calloused thumb lightly rubbing her knuckles.
Emma forced herself to pull her hand away.
“Did you take a nap? Catch up on any of the sleep you missed last night?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’m not much for naps. I’ll turn in early tonight.”
“Good, then you can get up at sunrise tomorrow morning and come out on the lake with me.”
Spending time with Brad, watching day break over the lake, appealed far too much. It was time to apply the brakes. “Brad.”
A Need to Protect Page 6
