by Destiny Ford
Hawke walked beside me back to the car. “You’ll have to soon enough.” I frowned at him. He gave me an impatient look. “I’m a man, Kitty Kate, and I’m telling you, this is just the beginning of the relationship issues you’re going to have to deal with.”
Hawke unlocked the Mustang and we both opened our doors. Hawke stopped, put his arms on the roof of the car, and locked eyes with me. “And Kitty Kate, of all the men in your life . . . I’m the one you should worry about the most.”
Hawke was making all sorts of pronouncements today that left me simultaneously excited and uneasy. He pulled up in front of the Tribune office. “Do you have stuff to do in the office today?”
“Yeah, I need to finish the editing I didn’t get done last night.”
“Okay,” Hawke said. “I’m going to drop you off. If you need to go anywhere, just call my cell phone.”
“Where are you going?”
“I need to do some more checking on things.”
“Why is it that we’re investigating this story together, but I never know where you are, or who you’re getting your information from?”
“Those things aren’t important. The only thing that matters is whether the information I give you is accurate or not,” he said. “It always is.”
I stared at him for a couple of seconds. “I think you know more about this case than you’re telling me, and I think it’s been that way from the beginning.”
Hawke only responded with a mysterious smile.
“What else are you keeping from me?” I asked, a little annoyed.
Hawke sighed. “I told you before; I give you as much information as I can, when I’m able to. I can’t tell you who I work for, or where the information comes from. You knew that going in.”
“I don’t like feeling as if I’m being used,” I said, the frustration making my voice lower than usual.
“You shouldn’t feel that way. We’re partners, just like I told you in the beginning. You give me information I need, and I do the same for you.”
“I don’t like secrets.”
He shrugged. “Is it a deal breaker?”
I stared at him, wondering what kind of deal breaker we were talking about. “What do you mean?”
“My job is secretive by nature and there will always be things I have to keep from you. You need to decide if that’s a deal breaker.”
“A deal breaker to our partnership?”
He studied me for several heartbeats. “If that’s what you want to call it.”
I sat in silence, looking at the floor and tried to figure out why my stomach was in knots. Hawke was just a friend helping me with a story, so why did I feel like we were about to define our relationship?
Hawke finally spoke up, “This partnership can be whatever you want it to be. You don’t have to decide now. I just think it’s better for you to know what you’re getting into up front. ”
“Thanks. I think,” I said, opening my door.
“I’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To your self-defense lesson.”
I let my shoulders fall. I’d forgotten about that. I hated being told what to do and hated it even more when I felt like I was being railroaded. “Honestly, I can take care of myself.”
“Maybe. But I’d rather know for sure,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I closed my eyes and nodded my assent, knowing I wouldn’t win if I tried to argue. I opened the office door as Hawke’s Mustang engine grew quieter the further away it got. I stood there for a minute considering Hawke’s deal breaker question. When I realized I didn’t have an answer, I went inside.
“What was that?” Ella asked. “You two havin’ a lovers’ quarrel?” Spence looked up from the counter where he was sorting through papers and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. I knew he wasn’t happy I’d been spending time with Hawke again.
“What?” I asked.
“You two looked like you were havin’ a serious conversation out there.” Ella pointed to where Hawke’s Mustang had been parked.
“What are you, the friendly neighborhood Branson Falls spy?”
“It’s not my fault you were bein’ so public about it.”
I sighed. “We weren’t arguing, so make sure you get that spread around your gossip tree.”
“What were you doing?”
“Talking about the Bradford case, and my Jeep.”
“Hot-dang,” Ella said, clapping her hands. “Spence told me all about that! You’ve made someone good and mad.”
“I seem to have a talent for it.”
“Is Hawke fixing your Jeep for you or somethin’?”
I walked over to my desk, rifling through the box with articles I needed to edit. Sometimes I really wish we had a copy editor—other than me. Even more articles had accumulated since last night. “No, but he seems to think I need self-defense lessons if I’m going to keep pissing people off.”
Spence turned around. “That’s one thing Hawke and I agree on.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think you’re both overreacting.”
I sat as Ella pulled a chair up, parking it in front of my desk. “What was goin’ on at your parents’ house last night?”
“I just went to dinner; Spence went with me. Why?”
“Because people saw Drake’s Hummer parked in front of the house for a long time. The rumor is Drake was there askin’ your dad for his permission to propose,” Ella said. “Has he done it yet? Is the ring huge? Can I see it?”
Spence gave a disbelieving laugh and shook his head some more.
I threw my hands in the air. “Are you kidding me?” I yelled. “First of all, Drake and I hardly know each other, so we definitely won’t be getting married.”
“Knowin’ each other doesn’t seem to matter,” Ella rationalized. “Most people around here meet someone and are married in two months.”
“I’m not one of those people. I’m one of the women who will have to know a man for years and live with him before I ever commit to spending my entire life with him—and that’s a hell of a long way off—if ever.”
Ella gasped. “Live with them? Without being married?” She put her hands on her hips and thought about it for a few seconds. “I don’t have a problem with it, but you know if you do that, your nickname around town will be Jezebel.”
I rolled my eyes. “Second, if a man ever asks my dad for permission to marry me, I’ll turn the idiot down flat. My dad’s not the one marrying the guy! My dad doesn’t need to give permission, I do!”
Ella looked like I’d shocked the skirt off her. When she recovered she turned her attention to Spence. “Hear that, Spence? This one,” she pointed at me, “isn’t traditional, so you’d better be prepared for that.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Spence mumbled from across the room.
“I don’t understand why people are so interested in my love life?”
“‘Cause you’re cavortin’ with the most eligible bachelors in town!” Ella answered.
I rolled my eyes. “Why does everything have to be scandalous around here? People need to understand the difference between work and personal life. I’m just working with Drake on this story.” I paused. “And for that matter, why are most of the rumors about me and Drake instead of me and Hawke?”
Ella shrugged. “People know Drake. Hawke’s still a mystery. And people are scared of him. There’s plenty of speculation about the two of you, but it’s kept pretty hush, hush.”
“Geez!” I blew out a breath, sinking back into my office chair. “Who starts these rumors?”
“I heard about it from Amber Kane. She told all The Ladies.” Ella looked like she was about to say something else, but stopped herself.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What is it, Ella?”
She closed her lips tight, making a motion like she was zipping them shut.
“I’d rather find out now than later.”
I shrugged. “I’m a journalist. I’m used to it.”
“Not this kind of thing. At least, I don’t think so.”
I stared at her. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know, but came to the conclusion that it was better to find out and fight the trending topic than pretend it didn’t exist. “Spit it out.”
Ella squirmed in her seat and wouldn’t look at me. “Well, she thinks you’d be better at your job if you’d learn to get a clue—I’m not sure what that means,” Ella answered. She paused before she continued, “She also said that between Drake, Hawke, and Spence, you’re taking up all the eligible men in town and since you’re fat and ugly, you must be having hot sex with all of them to keep them from finding decent wives.”
Spence dropped the stapler he was using. His face was almost as red with fury as mine felt. In a dangerously calm voice I said, “Anything else?”
Ella shrank back from my expression. “I don’t think I want to tell you.”
“Ella,” I said, trying not to growl.
Her voice was timid as she answered, “She might have said something about you being the Branson Falls Hussy and . . . a whore.”
I clenched my teeth and balled my fists as I tried to process the slanderous statement. I wondered what I could do to get Amber back while emphasizing my point that I was not, in fact, a “hussy” or a “whore” and wasn’t even dating the guys she had accused me of having sex with. I didn’t respect Amber Kane, and I didn’t really care what she thought, but the fact that she was spreading complete lies about me and calling me names, which other people were surely taking as gospel, made me furious.
Ella probably would have come over to comfort me, but I was so coldly distraught that she didn’t dare. After a few minutes, I realized I’d squeezed the pen I was holding so hard I’d broken it in two. The black ink dripping from my leg to the floor brought me back from my anger coma and the rage became conscious. I stood up, grabbing my purse. “Someone give me their car keys so I can murder Amber Kane.”
Spence approached me like he was trying to tame a wild animal. “I think you need to take some deep breaths and try to calm down.”
“That’s easy for you to say!”
“You’re not the only one she was talking about, Kate. My name is in that rumor cluster too.”
Yeah, it was, but a rumor about Spence sleeping with me would help his situation. I put my purse back on the desk and fell into my chair. “This is the danger of living in a small town. I can’t even talk to a couple of guys without being accused of having sex with them.” I shook my head.
“It will blow over,” Spence said. “As soon as a new piece of gossip comes along, they’ll stop talking about you.”
“Maybe for a while, but as long as I live here, it won’t be over.” I couldn’t lift my eyes from the ground.
I heard Ella get up out of her chair and say softly, “I’ll let The Ladies know they were wrong.”
Spence lingered at my desk as Ella left the room. He put his hands on my shoulders and massaged them for a minute before leaning down so our conversation couldn’t be overheard, “I wish I could help, but I don’t think me coming out would do either of us any favors.”
He was right about that. We’d both be out of a job if people in Branson found out Spence was gay.
He touched my arm in a comforting gesture. “It will be okay, Kate. I’ll be in my office if you want to talk.”
I attempted a half-hearted smile, but don’t think I succeeded. Trying to carry on a conversation with anyone at the moment wasn’t what I needed. Instead, I took the articles from the box on my desk and lost myself in editing.
Hours later, in the silence of the office, I heard the front door open. “Ready for your lesson, Kitty Kate?” Hawke asked, walking toward me.
My eyes were burning from staring at articles and computer screens all afternoon. My only break had been a trip to get dinner. Even then, my anger at Amber Kane and the gossip around town made it difficult to eat. I couldn’t wait to leave the office and get rid of some of my aggression, even if it was just for a self-defense lesson.
“Yeah, let’s go.” I grabbed my purse, following Hawke to his Mustang. “I need to pick up my Jeep.”
Hawke nodded and took me to the car detail shop. I paid for the cleaning and drove my Jeep home, where this time, I locked it safely in my detached garage.
I got in Hawke’s car and didn’t say anything as we drove to who-the-hell-knows-where. I wasn’t sure if we were going to a gym, or a corn field. Maybe Hawke was one of those people who liked to teach in the element. Hawke sensed my mood. “Are you all right?”
I didn’t look at him as I answered, “I didn’t have a very good day.”
Instead of asking any questions he said, “You can take it out on the punching bag.” I folded my arms across my chest and stared out the window, a slight smile curving my lips as I thought of beating the hell out of Amber. Hawke could tell I was lost in my thoughts and we stayed in comfortable silence for the rest of the drive.
We were about ten miles outside of town in the middle of some farming areas when we turned onto a blacktopped lane heading toward the mountains. The lane wound down until we came to a large two-story red brick house with white shutters on the windows and a white portico surrounding the entrance to the front door.
“Where are we?” I asked.
Hawke cut the engine. “My house.”
I sucked in my breath. I hadn’t considered that Hawke would take me to his house. Inviting someone into your personal space is a big deal; at least, it was to me. I was surprised someone as private as him would be comfortable letting me in so fast. I got out, staring at the massive home and meticulous landscaping. In all my years living in Branson Falls, I’d never seen this house, didn’t even know it was here. Then again, I’d been gone for seven years. Hawke had probably built it during that time.
I let my gaze wander around the property. The maple trees were strategically planted around the perimeter of the yard to ensure extra privacy. Burning bush shrubs wrapped around the foundation of the entire house like a leafy army, and white petunias were planted below the shrubs. Two large red brick buildings were situated about two hundred yards from where we stood. They looked like they were almost as big as the house.
“What’s in there?” I asked, pointing to the buildings.
“One building is my garage.”
I snorted. “You must have a lot of cars.”
Hawke smiled. “And the other is the gym.”
I stared at it, more than a little intimidated. That was one gigantic gym.
“Come on.” Hawke motioned for me to follow him into the building on the right. I was seriously hoping he was going to show me his car collection. He wasn’t.
I let my gaze wander as he turned on the lights. The gym floor looked like white oak. The walls were painted a dark chocolate color. Four windows, at least eight feet tall, were built into the south wall and another four mirrored those windows on the north. Each window was tinted almost black, allowing you to see out the windows, but not look in from outside.
The building was full of equipment. Every type of strength training and aerobic machine I’d ever seen seemed to be in Hawke’s gym. As I followed Hawke through the building, a lot of the machines left me staring at them, trying to figure out exactly how they worked and what they were supposed to do. Most of them reminded me of medieval torture devices—which fit right in with my opinion of exercising.
Hawke stopped in front of a bench press. “I was thinking we could do some target practice, but I realized you probably don’t know how to shoot—do you?”
“Psshh,” I breathed. “Sure I do.” Water guns. I know how to shoot water guns. Unlike most of the kids I’d grown up with, I’d never gone hunting or learned how to shoot a real gun. I’d never even held one. C
onsidering how I felt about Amber Kane at the moment, that was probably a good thing.
Hawke read the look on my face. “Maybe we should start with something less . . . intense.”
I followed Hawke across the floor to a set of metal cabinets with a lock on them. “So where’s the gun range? In the basement with the dungeon?” I joked.
“Actually, the gun range and dungeon are in the side of the mountain,” Hawke answered immediately, missing my flippant tone.
I blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
“First of all, you own the mountain behind your garage?”
He paused. “Parts of it.”
I took a few seconds to come to terms with that. “And you’re telling me you have a gun range and a dungeon built into the mountain?”
“It’s more like a holding facility than a dungeon.”
I nodded my head and ran my tongue over my teeth, then in a raised voice said, “Who are you?”
He clicked the corner of his mouth. “You know how the saying goes. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” I stared at him, wondering how literally he took that adage. He opened the cabinet to reveal several shelves stocked with everything from handcuffs to spare cell phones. He handed me a can of Mace from one of the shelves. “I assume you know how this works?”
I snapped the lid off the can, looking at the pressurized sprayer. “Yeah. Like hairspray.”
He gave a slight shake of his head as if he was disgusted I’d just compared a disabling device to Aqua Net. “Let’s warm up on the punching bag; you look like you could use it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Hawke grabbed some black boxing gloves off the punching bag stand. “It means you’ve had a bad day and need to get rid of some of your aggression.” I narrowed my eyes at him. He ignored it. “Have you boxed before?”
“A little.” If the imaginary opponents I beat up while suffering through my workout DVDs counted.
Hawke helped me put the gloves on and gave me some tips about how to hold my wrists so I wouldn’t injure them. After a few practice punches, Hawke held the bag as I punched the black logo with every ounce of strength I had. As soon as I thought I couldn’t punch it any more, I thought of Amber’s face, and punched even harder. At that point, I started adding in some kicks as well. Hawke moved out of the way and stood back in silence, letting me abuse the bag. After about twenty minutes, I slowed down and finally slumped over as I took the gloves off, trying to catch my breath.