by Diane Bator
“Yeah. On the shelves at the back of the store past the counter.” Did he knew he had her nerve-racked? Her knees trembled and threatened to buckle any second.
“Great. Thanks.” He flashed a sexy grin that made her even more nervous. “If I need help, who do I ask for?”
“Katie!” Laura shrieked from the counter.
Her eyes widened. “That would be me.”
“Sounds like she needs you too.”
“Excuse me.” Katie’s face burned while she scurried away, careful not to walk into the table again. She blew out a breath and wished she’d worn something other than blue jeans and a chambray shirt. She brushed back the loose strands of hair from her ponytail. She must look scary.
“Katie. Now. Please.” Laura clamped one hand over her mouth.
Mr. Humphrey stood on the opposite side of the counter, a scowl on his face and his arms folded across his chest. Rust-colored stains marred the sleeves of his usual grey flannel shirt.
Katie hadn’t heard him enter the store. She glanced back at the man in the leather jacket. She turned away with a sigh then focused her attention on the problem at hand. At least Laura's agitation made her forget her hair woes.
“Mr. Humphrey would like to return a book.” Laura’s voice was tight and controlled, betraying an underlying hysteria.
“You’re not sure how to do that?” Katie’s eyebrows rose.
“You might want to hear the whole story first.”
She took a deep breath. “What seems to be the problem, Mr. Humphrey? Wasn’t the trapping book helpful?”
“Didn’t even read the damned thing.”
“Well, then, of course, I could take it back.” She smiled and shrugged, not sure why Laura needed her assistance.
“Good.” Mr. Humphrey slammed the book on the counter in front of her.
In pristine condition only two days ago, the book was now a heap of water-damaged, bloody pages stuck with little wads of orange fur. Laura gagged. Katie blinked and tried to convince herself she was seeing things. Ray hobbled down the stairs from the loft.
“Oh dear.” Mimsy paled.
Katie swallowed hard then steeled herself and turned back to Mr. Humphrey. “I thought you said you didn’t use the book?”
“I said I didn’t read the book.” He gave a warped yellow grin. “I threw it at the damn cat yesterday and hit him square in the face.”
“You what?” Katie fought to breathe. “Is the cat okay?”
“Nope.”
Mimsy smacked his arm. “Kitty killer. People like you should get life in prison.”
“It was an accident. I didn’t do it on purpose.” Mr. Humphrey yanked his arm out of her reach. “Even I’m not that sick.”
Katie ignored the choked laughter that erupted behind a bookshelf across the store. “I can’t take this book back. It’s a health hazard. You should just toss it in the garbage.”
Ray chuckled. When she glanced at him for help, he only grinned. She shot him a nasty look.
Mr. Humphrey folded his flannel-clad arms across his chest. For a few tense seconds, Katie was afraid he might throw the book at her next.
Her heart pounded in her ears and her eyes widened.
The stranger in the leather jacket chuckled.
She wasn’t so sure what he found so amusing, especially when she couldn’t help but gag.
Mr. Humphrey banged the door shut then climbed into a rusty old pickup. The engine struggled to life before he drove off in a cloud of blue smoke. An odd noise caught her attention. The Adonis in the leather jacket was laughing so hard he leaned against the wall for support. Katie stared, suddenly not finding him so attractive. Well, less attractive. Okay, he was still hotter than any guy she’d ever seen. Who did she think she was kidding?
“You okay, Danny?” Ray asked.
He nodded and wiped away a tear. “I’m good.”
“You know him?” Katie narrowed her eyes.
“Yeah.” Ray rubbed his chin and lumbered back up the stairs. “He’s my older sister’s grandson. The guy Nate told you about earlier. He and I are pretty close.”
Danny regained his composure and walked over to the counter. He straightened his jacket and set the book he’d selected on the counter on top of a copy of Sports Illustrated. “Sorry about that. I’m impressed. You took the whole thing rather well.”
Katie avoided his gaze while she walked around the counter and kept her voice businesslike out of humiliation. His voice sent a shiver over. It was as if she’d heard it before. “Thanks.”
“You’ve done a nice job with the store.” He pulled a credit card out from a thin black wallet and handed it to her. “For the record, I really do like cats. My sister has a lot of them on the farm, but I’d never throw books at them.”
No stack of credit cards for this guy. No pictures of a wife or kids either. He did, however, have a cell phone, which buzzed with a text. He checked the message then tapped a reply.
She glimpsed at the name on his card and gave herself a mental slap to the head. Men were nothing but trouble, especially the handsome ones.
“We haven’t been properly introduced.” He reached out a hand. “Danny Walker.”
She avoided his hand. When her eyes met his, her voice grew as weak as her knees. “Katie Mullins.”
“The new owner of the bookstore I hear. Have you been in town long?” His slow smile spread and he leaned on the counter. “I mean before you took over the bookstore.”
“No.” Why did he seem so familiar?
“I’d better put it in a bag.” Katie stared in disbelief at the blood-stained pile of pages on the counter. She should get rid of them before they left a stain. Using a pen, she nudged the tattered book across the counter and into a bag. She wanted to toss the book into the dumpster out back and be done with the whole business. At least Maddox’s bloodlust hadn’t rubbed off on her.
Ray’s face blanched. “Oh hell.”
They stared in disbelief at the rusty brown stain on the aged wooden countertop. Blood had soaked into the old wood as a morbid reminder. What little was left of Katie’s energy drained right out onto the floor. She wanted to sit down and cry. “Oh, man.”
“That’s too bad. We worked really hard on that counter, didn’t we, Danny?” Ray’s voice softened. “You might want to get something to clean that up a bit.”
“I’m out of cleaner. I have to get more tomorrow.”
“Drugstore’s still open.” Ray walked away. “Back in a minute. Clean the worst of it up. I’ll get Nate to sand it down later. You want me to get rid of the book?”
“I can pitch it in the dumpster on my way out.” She wished Ray would hurry up with the cleaner before the stain set in deeper.
“It still is a great counter.” Danny wiped his eyes with the back of one hand and scrawled his signature on the credit card slip. His phone buzzed again. “These types of things go on a lot around here?”
“Not usually as bad as this.”
“Never as bad as this.” Laura disappeared into the backroom.
Danny checked his phone then studied Katie for a long minute. “Are you doing anything later? Would you like to meet for dinner?”
“Who? Me?” Katie asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be eating at your sister’s house? That’s what Ray and Nate said.”
“You could come along. She’s usually badly outnumbered by all the men in the house.”
“I’ll pass. Thanks.”
He grinned and nearly made her heart stop. “Then I’ll call her and back out. You do eat, don’t you? What time are you done? I’ll pick you up and we can go somewhere nice.”
“I’m a mess. I’ve been unpacking books all day and—”
“Five thirty. Don’t be late.” Laura bustled back into the room. “She’ll wait out front.”
“See you then.” Danny snagged a cookie from the white box and winked. “I’d better actually do some work on Ray’s car before he comes after me with a wrench. Poor guy c
an’t afford a real mechanic. Most of the ones around here are crooks, anyway.”
Katie’s stomach flipped over, making her glad she hadn’t eaten any cookies yet.
“Yeah. Poor guy.” Laura eyed him like a chocolate éclair. “If Ray weren’t richer than the president and half of congress, I’d feel bad for him.”
“Ray’s not rich,” Danny said. “He lives in a retirement home with a beat-up old dresser and a television.”
“Please. You should know better than the rest of us. You and Hannah have Power of Attorney, don’t you? If I were you, I’d keep on his good side and get in that will.” Laura winked. “Someday I’ll fill you in. All you have to do is buy us coffee.”
Katie gasped as though she’d swallowed a bug. “What are you talking about?”
She smiled. “There have been stories going around about Ray since I was a kid. I’ve heard he was a bank robber, a counterfeiter and even a vigilante. I keep meaning to ask him if any of the rumors are true, but—”
“I can assure you, they’re not.” Danny’s jaw tensed.
She held up her hands. “I’m just telling you what I’ve heard.”
“It’s nothing but gossip.” He turned to Katie, jaw tensed. “See you at five thirty.”
When he left, Laura set the cookies in front of Katie and handed her a much needed cup of coffee from the pot in the backroom. “That boy is yummy. You think he’d date an older woman?”
“You’re married.”
“Yeah, but I’m not dead. I can look. I just can’t touch the forbidden fruit, no matter how good it looks in blue jeans.”
The door opened again and Danny came in, set a bottle of cleaner on the counter, winked at Katie then left.
Katie stared at Laura then burst into a fit of giggles. “Can you believe this week?”
“This week? Honey, this day was hairy enough for me. I nearly woofed my cookies when Mr. Humphrey put that book on the counter. Way too gross for words.”
“I know. Who knew he was so twisted?” She winced.
“Not me, although the stains on his jacket should have been a clue.” Laura stared at the cookies on the plate. “I’m just glad you finally have someone you’ll go to dinner with without making excuses for a week.”
Katie’s eyes widened as realization sunk in. “Oh, my God. I have a date. I’m filthy.”
“Run home and take a shower. I can finish up.”
“I have to work on this stain before it soaks in deeper.” She grabbed a rag from the back.
“You’re going to wreck your hands and reek for your date. I’ll call my hubby. He’s off work soon anyway. He loves working with wood.”
Katie winced. “I have nothing to wear.”
“So, wear nothing.” Laura giggled. “Honey, the way he looked at you, you could wear a paper bag and he’d be happy.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I’m sure you have something nice to wear.” She nudged Katie toward the door.
“I don’t even know him.”
“You know he’s Ray’s nephew and he likes cats, what more do you need?”
“Laura.” She should have said no.
“Hurry up and get cleaned up before your knight in shining armor returns.”
Katie should tell him something came up so there’d be less chance of her slipping up. She didn’t need a knight in shining armor any more than she needed a date, but something about Danny Walker piqued her curiosity. That nagging gut feeling she knew him from somewhere. Something about those eyes.
She jogged back to Hilda’s house, her heart pounding even without the physical exercise. His eyes. All she’d ever seen of Donovan Wild’s face were his eyes. The rest was hidden beneath a thick beard much like Chevy’s. She’d always had the gut feeling Donovan’s beard was fake, but he’d never let her touch it.
In fact, he was the only one of Maddox’s men who’d never let her touch him. He always kept his distance. When Maddox offered her to him for a night, he’d politely refused. What kind of man wore a fake beard and refused a night of pleasure with a…
A hooker.
She pushed that thought out of her head.
That was then. This was now. She must know him from somewhere else. Despite recognizing his voice and having a red rash on his face that could be from glue, Danny couldn’t possibly be Donovan.
Nor was he Maddox.
Chapter 19
Danny
Danny didn’t bother to drive out to Hannah’s. Instead, he parked near the grocery store. His right eye twitched. “I have a date with Katie tonight.”
Ray’s eyebrows rose. “That’s interesting. Where was I?”
“Getting the cleaner.”
“Oh.” He frowned. “Have you told Hannah?”
“Not yet.” His face grew hot. “It sort of just happened.”
“Well, you’d better. She’ll be worried if you don’t show up for dinner.”
“It’s just a date.” Katie Mullins wasn’t a girl. She was a case. He didn’t feel the need to mention Maddox was more interested in her than he was. “I’ll call Hannah.”
“You be good to Katie,” Ray growled. “I know she’s just a case to you, but if you break her heart, I’ll write you out of my will.”
“I don’t want your money, just your car.”
“You won’t get that, either, hot shot. You treat that girl like she’s gold. If I find out you were a jerk, I’ll tell your sister on you.”
Danny grinned. Ray seemed to think the world of Katie Mullins. How would his uncle feel if he knew half of what she’d done? After all the late night meetings at DMR, Danny knew her better than Ray ever would. Somehow, she hadn’t seen through his disguise then and she didn’t seem to recognize him now.
They bought a few groceries Hannah had texted him to pick up and stopped at the automotive store for parts. On top of everything, he’d promised, repeatedly, to fix both Nate’s truck and Ray’s car. There was no way Danny would get to either of them tonight. Provided the date with Katie went well. He texted Hannah to let her know he wouldn’t be at dinner.
Ray jumped into the driver’s seat and took him back to the bookstore. “You see. There’s that noise again. It sounds like a squirrel got into the engine.”
“I’ll fix it.”
“Maybe I should leave it parked tonight and get Nate to pick me up.”
“Maybe.” Danny’s attention was on the front door of the bookstore.
“We’re on time. She’s locking up.” Ray pulled the car to the curb.
Katie Mullins—a.k.a. Paulina Chourney, if Danny’s hunch was right—locked the front door of the bookstore. She’d changed clothes since he and Ray had left. Her skirt was calf-length and her jacket covered a lot more flesh than anything Paulina would wear. She seemed softer. More human. He liked her better this way.
“Wow.” Ray blinked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her dressed up before. She looks good.”
“Yeah, she does.”
Ray cuffed the side of his head. “Yeah? That’s it? That woman looks amazing and you’d better get your butt out there and tell her so.”
Panic seized Danny by the throat. What was he thinking? This date was strictly business. He had to be sure she was Paulina.
“You’d better buy her dinner and make sure she gets home safe or I’m gonna track you down and straighten you out later. You hear me?”
“Yes, Ray. I…” He sighed.
When Katie turned toward them and smiled, his heart stuttered.
Danny was in trouble.
Lots of trouble.
Chapter 20
Katie
There was lots of time for Katie to back out. Right up until she took her key out of the lock as Ray’s cranky blue Honda Civic rattled up to the store. When did the “great mechanic” actually plan to fix it? Maybe after their date.
Date. She blew out a breath and pushed a strand of hair over her ear. Was she crazy?
Danny lunged out of the car as th
ough making his escape and Ray drove off yelling at his nephew and shaking his index finger, his shouts drowned out by a frightening rattle from the motor. He paused beside a black Harley Davidson motorcycle, straightened his jacket and jammed his hands in his pockets. “Hello, Katie Mullins.”
The way he said her name sent a shiver up her spine. “Hello, Danny Walker.”
“You changed.” He studied her from head to toe and smiled.
“I was kind of dusty and Laura…” Katie bit her glossed lower lip then raised and lowered herself on the toes of her high-heeled black boots. The appraising look he gave her was worth digging her gauzy red and black skirt and the red blouse out of storage. “I went to change.”
“You look great.”
“Thanks.” She tugged Laura’s jacket tighter around her shoulders, more from nerves than from the air temperature. “How did things go with Sophie?”
Danny stifled a chuckle and moved closer. “I’d rather not get into that until we’re sitting down. I may need a drink to go with it. How did it go with the stain on the counter?”
The smile on her face drooped. “Oh no. I probably reek of bleach. Laura’s husband came in after work and…”
Danny cupped her chin and raised her face to his.
She stopped breathing for a split second until he sniffed. Since Laura had doused her with perfume half an hour earlier, she smelled less like bleach and more like a stuffy room full of spicy roses.
“You smell wonderful.” Their bodies scant inches apart, his breath warmed her ear. “Where do you want to eat?”
Katie was speechless. He smelled like cinnamon gum and musky cologne that both mystified and intoxicated her at the same time. She needed to put some serious distance between them before she did anything stupid like kiss him.
“Katie?” His buttery voice washed over her.
“Oh. Right. Dinner. Um, how about the Cardinal? Casual but nice.”
“Also not too romantic for a first date.” Danny grinned.
“Right.” She slapped her forehead. “I mean…”
“It’s okay. Ray told me it’s been a while since you’ve been on a date. I have to say, it’s been a long time for me too. Work and all that.” His gaze darted away from her. “Shall we?”
