At Night's End

by Katherine Matzen

  She gathered up the stained clothes and went to grab some ibuprofen. Given the number of bruises, Lateef had to be sore. When she returned, she found her guest stretched out under the patchwork quilt with the dog snuggled up to his side.

  Lateef accepted the drink and pills, wincing as he stretched.

  Dani worried the damage was worse than she knew. The level of concern she felt for the man surprised her. Something about him tugged at her emotions. She should at least call Charlie in case whoever had hurt Lateef was still in the area.

  “I was alone until you and Abby found me.”

  Once again, he answered her unspoken question.

  “I only need to rest now.”

  She rubbed at her temples trying to wipe away the buzz in her brain. “Are you sure no one’s after you? Charlie won’t forgive me if you bring trouble and I didn’t warn him.”

  “I will allow no harm to come to you and I vow I am not involved in anything illegal.” He raised his left hand, fingers cupped together. He touched his forehead then his heart and turned his hand toward her and spread his fingers wide.

  Dani didn’t recognize the salute, but the gesture obviously held meaning for her unexpected guest. Finally able to think without the ever-present dread that had enveloped her since the accident, she decided to trust him.

  “Get some rest. I’ll be in the kitchen. Send Abby if you need me.”

  The dog lifted her head and Dani swore she saw a wink. She shook her head. Whatever. This day could get stranger, but I can’t imagine how.

  Chapter Three

  I must leave you alone for a short time, my lovely human. We’re not ready to let the Beryllians know about our Apirri. But I won’t go far, never fear.

  A break is probably for the best, anyway. My Apirri tells me you are getting too weak. She thinks time to regain some strength will make your dreams far more satisfying for me.

  Rest, little one. Grow strong again so you can provide me with many more nights of fear. And bring my enemy to me.

  Chapter Four

  Lateef limped toward the stove where Dani cooked an omelet. His mouth watered at the scent of frying bacon. “Smells good in here.” The deep bruises scattered across his torso were yellowish-green instead of the angry purple and black they had been a mere two days earlier and would be gone in another day or so. He had been able to heal the worst of his own injuries, but the less life-threatening ones were still not cooperating. Wonder if the drug that trashed my other abilities is involved? Yet another mystery for later. Much like the mystery of why he felt such a close connection to this woman he’d never met until he crashed in her backyard.

  Not quite true. You talked to her while you were in the life pod. Of course, he’d also been half out of his mind with a fever but her mental touch had felt like they’d been together for years, instead of seconds. He’d never believed the stories of love at first sight, but maybe?

  Dani glanced at him. He heard the incomplete thoughts in her brain, but they disappeared before he could understand. The unexpected psychic connection he shared with this alien woman confused him. He had no trouble blocking other people’s thoughts and emotions, but Dani’s seeped through his tightest shields like she was constantly nestled into the back of his brain. He hoped she didn’t catch as many of his thoughts as he caught of hers.

  “Can I do something?” He felt well enough to help with some of the household chores. Rissa would laugh if she could hear him now. She was convinced he’d gone into healing only to get out of washing dishes. In reality, he was rarely in his quarters for much beyond sleep. Most of his meals were nutritious protein shakes, especially in the aftermath of a Falgaran attack. Those happened far too often for his stomach’s comfort.

  “Just sit and eat.” Dani gestured at the stool on the other side of the kitchen bar where a plate of strawberry muffins and a squeeze jar of honey waited beside a mug of coffee.

  His stomach growled as he sat, startling a grin from her. She placed the omelet in front of him before retreating to the kitchen counter with her own mug of coffee.

  “I don’t bite. You can sit by me and eat some breakfast yourself.” Irritation at her remoteness put a snap in his tone he instantly regretted. He’d been here several days already, and she still treated him like a wild animal she expected to attack at any second. Obviously, she didn’t share his attraction.

  “I’m not a big breakfast person. I usually have coffee.”

  “It isn’t nice to make me eat alone.” Lateef gave her his best puppy-dog look and a chuckle escaped her.

  With a roll of her eyes she gave in and sat across the counter from him. She snagged a muffin to crumble more than eat.

  “See.” Lateef grinned at her. “It wasn’t that hard.”

  “How do you feel today?” The question was an obvious attempt to change the subject.

  “A lot better,” he admitted with a smile in between bites of the loaded omelet. “This is good! If you keep feeding me like this, I might have to pretend to never recover. You’ll never get rid of me.”

  “Maybe you’d prefer the dog food?” Her tone was wry. “I’m positive Abby wouldn’t mind sharing.”

  The dog looked up from her bowl across the room. She lifted one lip and snarled briefly before burying her nose back in her kibble.

  “I’m not so sure the lady agrees with you.” His laughter made his bruised ribs ache but being happy felt good. No one in his family would recognize him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so joyful. His life had been one crisis after another since his last promotion.

  Dani rolled her eyes again with a sigh and studied the contents of her mug.

  The urge to touch her had his hand on her arm before he could think. Her skin flushed and she stared at him.

  Sparks flew along his nerve endings as his pulse accelerated.

  Suddenly, she jumped, spilling her coffee as a wave of guilt flooded over her.

  How can I be happy when my precious child is in the cold ground?

  “You okay?” Lateef gently took her hand in his to study the reddened flesh where the hot coffee had spilled as he tried to understand the emotion-laden thought she had projected so strongly.

  “I’m fine.” She pulled away.

  He watched her through hooded eyes as she wiped the table and returned to the sink to run cool water over her hand. A flood of her emotions battered at his mental shields like a hurricane. Self-recrimination consumed the woman to such a large extent he was amazed she was able to function. He also knew she was not yet ready to give up the guilt she carried in an apparent attempt at atonement.

  He wanted to help her recover from the trauma that tied her emotions in knots. That guilt affected her physical health as well. That was the only reason he hadn’t gone home yet. It couldn’t be because of the joy and peace he felt in Dani’s presence. As deep as his debt to her was, he had to leave before the Hatti could track him down. This planet was not yet ready for an angry alien invasion, and getting Dani caught in the middle would be poor payback for her help. He pushed some calm emotions in her direction and they both jumped when she dropped the fresh cup of coffee.

  She stared at the shattered mug on the slate floor, eyebrows drawn together and a frown wrinkling her forehead.

  Lateef guiltily hurried over to clean up the ceramic shards, astonished she had reacted so strongly to his efforts to calm her. Maybe she had more psychic abilities than most of the Terrans his sister had told him about.

  Abby darted toward the front of the house, barking wildly as the sound of a truck engine shattered the quiet morning.

  “Oh, crap.” Dani’s shoulders sagged as if she carried a heavy weight. “I have to get an order out today and that’s my delivery driver.”

  “Can I help?” Lateef offered.

  “I have everything made—I only have to throw it in
a box,” she said. “And print the shipping label and…”

  “And you don’t want anyone to know I’m here?” He finished the dropped sentence.

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  “You don’t need to explain anything. I’ll hide.”

  The grateful look she turned on him melted his heart. The front door flew open before he had taken more than a single step toward the back of the house and safety.

  ****

  “Hey Dani,” the uniformed, middle-aged woman began speaking as soon as she walked in, staring down at a device in her hands. “I knew you had a shipment to go out…” Her voice trailed off as she looked up and caught sight of Lateef frozen in mid-stride.

  “I’m ss-sorry,” she stammered. “I never dreamed you’d have company. I didn’t mean to barge in and interrupt…” Blue eyes were huge in her lined face as she stared at the half-naked, bare-footed stranger.

  “It’s okay,” Dani hastily reassured the older woman. She darted forward to grab her elbow and get her settled at the table with a muffin and cup of coffee. “Holly Thompson, this is Lateef D’Oro —he was out hiking and took a nasty tumble. Got banged up pretty bad and needed some recovery time and I have room so…” Her voice faded at the skeptical look the older woman gave her.

  “You’re letting a stranger stay with you?”

  “It didn’t… I didn’t plan… It just kind of happened.” Dani shrugged helplessly. How could she explain a situation she didn’t understand herself?

  “You sure you’re okay?” Holly speared Lateef with a deeply suspicious look. “Do you need to get to town for something?”

  “I’m not a hostage, Holly.” Anger burned off some of her lingering confusion. “I am quite capable of taking care of myself.”

  “No one doubts you.” Holly turned to Lateef.

  “Do you need anything?” she asked. “I can give you a lift down to Boulder.”

  “My ride will be here soon.” Lateef slowly returned to his plate at the table. “But I appreciate the offer.” He grinned and scooped up another forkful of omelet.

  “And you wouldn’t want to leave the food any faster than you have to?” Holly asked drily.

  Lateef spared her a sideways grin. “I have been to high feasts not nearly so good.”

  A frown passed over his face so quickly Dani wasn’t certain she had seen correctly.

  Holly returned his grin. “I keep trying to get her to open a restaurant or at least a special-order business, but she insists on selling soap. Got a food critic down in Denver crazy about her coffee cake, but she won’t even talk to him.”

  Dani shook off the tendrils of panic encasing her heart. She couldn’t afford publicity for her cooking—her former father-in-law would watch for such an obvious clue. “I have to get the shipment ready, Holly. If you can hang out and give Lateef some company for a few minutes, I’ll finish up.”

  “No rush.” Holly waved a hand dismissively as she buttered a muffin then took a swallow of her coffee. “I’m early since I planned on catching up with you. Lateef and I can chat for a bit instead.”

  The dog remained in the spacious kitchen, her head on Lateef’s thigh, patiently watching for any opportunity to snag a bite of people food as Dani reluctantly left them alone.

  ****

  Several days later Dani and Lateef stood on the front veranda, watching her neighbor’s ancient, yellow VW van slowly trundle down the long, gravel driveway.

  “I thought you didn’t have very much company.” Irritation colored his tone.

  “Bob buys herbs from me,” she said. “He wants to buy a lot more, too.”

  “Is that why he’s been here every other day since Holly stopped by?”

  Dani sighed. “I told you to hide. You were too slow.”

  “So, all this extra company is my fault?”

  His voice roughened and one corner of his mouth quirked up in a way that struck her as adorable rather than cranky.

  Dani looked at him, falling into those deep, sea-blue eyes once again. He was casting some kind of spell on her and she didn’t know what to do about it. Or if she wanted to fight it. She had been alone for so long. Maybe it’s safe to accept human companionship?

  “You have good people around here who care for you.”

  His sexy voice broke the fascination and she realized she was leaning toward him. She shook her head and looked around guiltily.

  “They shouldn’t,” she muttered under her breath. “I’m not worth it.”

  She darted back into the house before he could respond. Lateef had helped her with several batches of soap in her shop as well as tending to the garden. He seemed to know what she needed him to do before she could ask. In the back of her mind she knew the situation was bizarre. She had never trusted anyone like this before—not even her husband. And Carl’s touch had never sent such electric tingles through her body. Carl had always made her feel more like an item necessary to advance his career than the object of his passion. Their first talks about starting a family had felt more like one of his contract negotiations than an expression of love. She should tell Lateef to leave, but every time she thought about it, her heart stuttered and something would come up and the thought would slide away.

  ****

  “Heyo, Danielle!” The deep voice boomed from the front yard. She sighed and continued to fill her basket with purple Echinacea flowers. She wasn’t in the mood for company, but Sheriff Charlie White Bear would never take no for an answer.

  Abby took off with a vicious bark, so she knew it wouldn’t be long before her solitude was blown. She was surprised the dog was with her today. The sheltie had been glued to Lateef’s side since his unexpected arrival, but today she’d remained at home when he went on his afternoon walk. Her guest had been antsy the last couple of days and she was just as glad to have him out from underfoot, although a tiny part of her felt an unexpected pang of loneliness. Okay, maybe not such a tiny part.

  “Hi, Charlie.” She stretched as the tall, copper-skinned man ambled up. She placed her basket on the ground and carefully removed the purple garden gloves covered in pink lizards. Caitlin had picked them out and they were one of the very few reminders she allowed herself of her previous life. “How are you and what rumors have Bob and Holly been feeding you this time?”

  He laughed heartily and removed his hat to wipe his brow. “That’s why I love coming to visit you, Dani,” he said. “You always make me laugh.”

  “Can you stay for coffee?” She placed the gloves and garden snips on top of the large pile of purple flowers. “I have fresh crumb cake.”

  “Lordy, girl,” he grumbled. “I swear you are on a one-person crusade to change the gravity of this place. You’re gonna make us weigh a ton apiece and that much weight’s got to go some way toward creating a black hole.”

  She frowned and then nodded, giving him a sideways look. Sometimes I don’t get his humor. “So, would you like a piece?”

  “I hate to say no.” He declined with obvious regret. “But I can’t stay for very long.”

  “Then I’ll wrap some up for you to take home. Anna can have some, too.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that.” The stage whisper carried on the still air as he carried the heavy basket into the kitchen to set on the well-worn, large wooden table as she washed her hands and pulled out the cake and a paper plate. Her motions were quick and practiced as she placed a large piece on the plate and wrapped it securely in plastic film before leaning against the counter to stare at him.

  “So, what brings you out here?” Dani’s question broke the comfortable silence.

  He gave her his best ‘trust me’ grin. “Just wanted to check on you. Anna’s been on my case to make sure you’re eating right. I’ll have to tell her you look good.”

  Dani’s breath hissed out. She loved Anna like a mother, but the woman coul
d be such a busybody buttinski. However, she owed Anna her life. Anna and Charlie had been the ones to get her through the aftermath of the accident. They were the only ones who knew the whole story about her past, and who she really was. They had seen her reaction to the pain and constant calls from the media demanding she tell the story of the accident over-and-over until she wanted to scream. Her life had changed for the better once they helped her disappear from her previous life.

  “You know how she worries, Dani. Besides, we’ve been hearing a lot about your visitor…” His voice trailed off and he looked around as if expecting Lateef to magically appear.

  “He went for a walk,” she said.

  “Pretty strange, that accident,” he said. His brow wrinkled as if he struggled to capture a thought.

  “Strange things happen this far up in the mountains.” She shrugged. She no longer wondered about how Lateef had arrived at her doorstep. So many other things were more important.

  Charlie nodded agreement and continued. “Also wanted to warn you about some intruders around town. Nothing’s missing other than some tomatoes and other garden plants, and no one’s been hurt. Unless you count Fran.”

  “What happened? Did she break a bone this time? I swear she buys my entire supply of bruise balm every time she goes on a bender.”

  “She’s convinced the Iranians or Russians or bug-eyed monsters from outer space have landed and are stealing fresh produce for some nefarious purpose.” He shook his head with a wry grin. “So, when she heard a noise outside, she grabbed her shotgun and ran out shooting.”

  “Oh, no.” All sorts of horrible possibilities flashed across Dani’s mind.

  “She’s fine,” He quickly reassured her. “Forgot to put in shells and tripped over a raccoon digging through the trash, but her version of the story is much better.”

  “I bet.”

  “Anyway, the real story is there’s a group of strange men who claim to be looking for a friend of theirs that got lost several days ago.” He watched her intently. “The man they describe is tall with black hair and blue eyes.”