Someone to Watch Over Me

by Iris Morland

  “I can’t. I’m busy.” It was a lame excuse, but it was all she could come up with. Normally she could tell guys no more smoothly, but Seth was something else entirely.

  She expected annoyance, but Seth just said, “One drink, then. It’s not marriage. You don’t even have to pay for it.”

  That made her laugh. “I hope not. Isn’t the guy always supposed to pay?”

  “Now you’re being archaic.”

  She laughed, and when his eyes crinkled, her heart did that annoying little flutter in her chest. It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes when her front door opened.

  “Rose, hey, I thought you’d like some coffee,” her brother, Heath, said. When he saw Seth Thornton standing in her living room, he stopped in his tracks.

  The trio all stared at each other. Rose suddenly felt like she’d been caught doing something naughty, and based on Heath’s irritated expression, she’d have to explain that nothing had happened.

  If only my brother wouldn’t treat me like a child.

  Seth’s eyes widened. Then: “You’re his sister.”

  “Yes. Did you not realize that?” She was confused now.

  Seth shook his head. “DiMarco. Of course. I should’ve known.”

  Heath pressed one of the cups of coffee into her hand before asking in a deceptively casual tone, “So, how do you two know each other?”

  2

  Seth considered Heath DiMarco, whose expression looked very much like he’d enjoy throwing Seth out on his ass. Seth had known that Rose’s last name had rung a bell, but he’d been so wrapped up in her that he’d never considered that she had an older brother.

  An older brother who was currently bristling with protective instincts.

  Heath was shorter than Seth, but Seth had a feeling the elementary school teacher had more to him than he let on. Despite his glasses and his quiet demeanor, something lurked beneath that calm façade. Seth had encountered too many men trying to hide their darkest parts not to recognize it now.

  Seth had met Heath a handful of times when Heath had joined the Thornton brothers for drinks. Heath had been a good friend, especially to Harrison, and to Harrison’s wife, Sara, when she’d begun teaching at Fair Haven Elementary. Seth knew little about Heath, though, and since he’d been gone from Fair Haven for so long, he was at a loss at how to respond to Heath’s automatic antipathy toward him.

  “Have you two met?” Rose said brightly—too brightly. “Heath, this is Seth Thornton. Oh, you must be Harrison’s brother,” she said, almost to herself.

  Seth smiled grimly. “I have three brothers, actually. And two sisters.”

  “Too many damn Thorntons around here,” Heath muttered.

  Seth saw Rose register surprise; he had a feeling her normally quiet older brother was never this irritable around company.

  Heath finally held out his hand, which Seth shook. Heath’s grip was clearly a warning, and Seth only gripped the man’s hand harder in response.

  Be pissy if you want. Your sister is a grown-ass woman, he thought.

  Of course, he could admit he’d acted similarly when Trent Younger had come sniffing around Lizzie last year after he’d broken her heart. Seth hadn’t minced words with her ex—who was now her husband and the father of her child—and Seth and Trent had only come to an understanding after punching the shit out of each other.

  “You live around here?” Heath inquired.

  “As a matter of fact, I live next door. Funny, right?”

  “What a coincidence.” Heath turned his attention toward his sister. “What all do you need help with? Sorry I couldn’t come earlier.”

  Seth knew when he’d been dismissed. Giving Rose a salute, he left, knowing full well that Heath DiMarco was staring holes into his back.

  Seth collapsed onto his couch and drummed his fingers against the cushion. Seeing Heath act like some protective Neanderthal over his sister should’ve given Seth a very good reason to leave her be.

  Yet he felt the opposite—it made him want her all the more.

  What was it about her? For some reason, she reminded him of a hummingbird: all fluttery and colorful, flitting from flower to flower. Delicate and small, yet able to weather more storms than you’d expect.

  He rolled his eyes at himself. Soon he’d be writing poetry about her. A hummingbird, really?

  Next he’d be buying her flowers, taking her to fancy restaurants. He rubbed his temples at the thought of what came after going out to dinner.

  Would she blush that same shade as he undressed her? He realized with a groan that her blush was probably the same color as her nipples.

  Seth had enjoyed beautiful women before, although since he’d been on three tours, he’d never had time for a real relationship. When he’d returned to the States, he’d enjoyed the company of his fellow female soldiers, or perhaps a sister or two who visited base to see a brother. The longest relationship had lasted through one whole tour, although when Seth had returned, he’d discovered she’d gotten engaged to an attorney.

  I need someone who’s here, she’d said when he’d seen her visiting her brother on base. You get it, right?

  He did. But now that he had returned, who was he, really? He had to admit that he didn’t know more often than not.

  He glanced at his watch. He still had hours yet before he’d need to get to work. After much persuasion from Lizzie, Seth had decided to start woodworking again, something he’d enjoyed as a teenager but had given up when he’d enlisted. He knew he needed something productive despite still receiving a small paycheck from the Marines.

  He didn’t want to be a bum by any means. It just felt like any other job—accountant, barista, construction worker—seemed pallid in comparison to being in the military. It felt so…pointless, really.

  Sometimes Seth wasn’t sure he was fit for anything except being a soldier.

  Taking up a figurine he’d started a few days ago, he began to whittle, not entirely certain what the figurine was going to become. A horse? A dog? With a smile, he began to carve out the delicate wings of a bird—a tiny hummingbird, to be precise, caught in midflight.

  Callie sensed Heath’s unease, and she followed him about Rose’s apartment as he paced. Rose had seen her brother agitated—to say the least—but never from something as benign as another man in her apartment. He was acting like he’d caught them naked and fooling around on the living room floor.

  Rose blushed at the image. Feeling exceptionally foolish and out of sorts, she started unpacking more boxes. She needed to do something productive. She needed to stop thinking about Seth Thornton, and about fooling around with him.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” Heath asked. He crouched down next to her. “Rose, stop. Look at me.”

  She glared at him. “How many times are you going to ask me that question?”

  “Until you answer me with something that isn’t ‘I don’t know.’”

  She sighed. “I moved here for you. I was content to stay in Seattle, but you wanted me close by. I lived with you for a month until I got my own place. I have a job, an apartment. A life. What more do you want?”

  “You have a place with no furniture, no bed, and barely any things. You’re a waitress when you could be so much more.” His tone gentled. “I haven’t seen you in years. You wouldn’t let me see you.”

  She looked away. She had hidden herself away from Heath. Not because he’d done something to her—quite the opposite. She’d been ashamed, and she’d wanted to lick her wounds without anyone hovering. Mostly, she’d wanted to hide from everyone and everything until maybe all of the bad would dissipate like a thick mist.

  Except that wasn’t how life worked. She could run, hide, avoid, deny until she reached the ends of the earth, but it would all catch up with her eventually.

  She hadn’t told Heath about her run-in with Rich, or how Johnny was getting impatient.

  At the tender age of twenty, Rose had met Johnny Porter at a local bar, and she’d
become enamored with him within two hours. Johnny had been handsome, self-assured, and he’d wanted her, tiny, unassuming, plain little Rose DiMarco.

  After their parents’ deaths, Rose and Heath had been on their own. Heath had done his best to provide for them both; he’d finished college and received his teacher’s license. They’d never be rich, but it’d be a steady income. Rose had been able to attend college on a scholarship, and that was when she’d met Johnny.

  But then Heath had been arrested for drug trafficking, which had been a total setup. Heath would never do such a thing. And Johnny had come to the rescue, promising to get the charges dismissed and erased. All Rose had to do was stay with him.

  She’d had no idea what that would really mean. That staying would mean imprisonment in that tower she hated so much.

  Heath didn’t know the deal she’d made with the veritable devil. He thought she’d gotten the money some other way. She would keep it that way; she never wanted Heath to feel guilt over a decision she’d made herself.

  Rose had been working to save up the money to pay Johnny back ever since she’d escaped his clutches. She’d reasoned that he’d leave her be if she could pay him back—with interest.

  She was so close to having enough money. And then she could get her life back.

  “I’m sorry I avoided you for so long,” she said quietly. “My breakup really did me in.”

  “Seven years is a long time to get over a broken heart.”

  “Six,” she murmured. “We were together a year.”

  She’d made the lame excuse that Johnny had broken her heart and had cheated on her. She hadn’t wanted Heath to see her at her very lowest. She’d struggled with odd jobs, lived in seedy apartments, and had barely survived. But she’d clawed her way back from the horror of her past, and she refused to let anyone take advantage of her ever again.

  If that meant she’d live the rest of her life alone? So be it.

  “I’m not sure one less year makes a difference.” Heath smiled sadly. “I’m glad you’re here, Rose. I’ve missed having you around.”

  That made her want to cry, but she choked back any tears that threatened. “I know. Although I’m not sure how you can stand to live in a town this small. Everyone knows you.”

  “It’s worse when you’re a teacher. The kids never ever leave you alone.”

  “Poor Heath. You could’ve been anything else, you know. A fireman. Park ranger. Tree surgeon.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “A tree surgeon? Now you’re just making stuff up.”

  Rose, never one to have anyone think she was wrong, pulled out her phone to prove to her brother that tree surgeon was, in fact, a viable profession. After that, they finished unpacking her things, Callie lying down on her dog bed in the corner.

  “I’d ask you to stay for dinner, but it’s going to be ramen noodles for a little while before I get my paycheck,” Rose admitted. At Heath’s concerned look, she added, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “You keep saying that, but it’s not really working.”

  “I know this might be hard to believe, but I’m not that stupid twenty-year-old girl anymore.”

  He chucked her under her chin. “You still look young, and you’re my baby sister. Tough luck.” He looked away, his expression going serious. “Speaking of which…”

  Rose really didn’t want to hear where this segue was going, but Heath was too stubborn to keep it to himself. She sighed inwardly.

  “About Seth Thornton. Watch yourself.”

  “What, does he have a cellar full of bodies somewhere?” she joked.

  Heath didn’t laugh. “I don’t know him well, since he’s been in the military until last year, but from what his brothers have told me, he’s not the same guy they knew. He went through some shit; he’s basically disconnected from his family entirely.”

  “But he came back to Fair Haven anyway?” Now Rose was even more intrigued.

  “I guess. Look, just be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?”

  Rose barely bit back a smile. “I’m not interested in dating anyone. I’ve decided to become a nun, actually. Now, are you done lecturing me about the monsters under my bed, or should I get a chair and sit down?”

  “You’re a brat.” He kissed her cheek and then said goodbye.

  Rose sat on the floor next to Callie after Heath left, rubbing the dog’s silky head. She’d spoken the truth when she’d said she didn’t want to date. After Johnny, she couldn’t date. She’d gone on two dates that had been disasters: one had resulted in her accidentally punching the guy in the nose, while the second had ended with her leaving the guy without a word when he’d asked her to come over to his place.

  She was messed up. Broken. No guy wanted a girl who was too scared to let a guy so much as hold her hand.

  “What do you think, girl? Have I made a mistake moving here?”

  Callie woofed quietly and wagged her tail.

  Rifling through her suitcase, Rose found the safe where she kept her most precious possessions: a ring from her mother; a watch from her father; her passport; and a wad of cash that she counted whenever she needed to find some sense of calm.

  She counted the bills, knowing the amount exactly but needing to confirm the number anyway. She was so close to paying Johnny off, she could taste it. It had taken her years of saving, but by the end of the summer, she’d have the money.

  The last item in her safe? A gun she’d bought the day she’d run from Johnny.

  The gun was small, unassuming, yet it had provided her with peace of mind ever since she’d bought it and taken shooting lessons. She wasn’t a sharpshooter by any means, but she could protect herself. Combined with Callie as her guard dog, she felt almost safe.

  She knew it was an illusion, though. Until she paid Johnny off, she’d never be fully safe.

  3

  “Shh, Bea is napping,” Lizzie cautioned as she let Seth in. “She should be up in a half hour, though.”

  Seth wanted to tease his twin sister about how much she’d changed in the last year—who would’ve imagined Lizzie worried about waking up a baby?—but considering what his sister would do to him if he woke up the baby…

  “Trent’s at La Bonita until this evening. How are you? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “It’s been a week, Lizard.”

  Lizzie, with her dark hair and bright green eyes, looked like one of the Thorntons, although she and Seth only resembled each other in their hair and eye color. She was the opposite of him in every other way: slender and of average height, she was quite a bit shorter than him and had been since he’d outgrown her in junior high.

  Despite having given birth only two months ago, Lizzie looked radiant. Tired, definitely, and a little harried: her hair was frizzy, and Seth saw what looked like spit-up on her t-shirt, but she was happy. After a long road of ups and downs, she and her soulmate, Trent Younger, had finally gotten back together.

  Now they were married with a daughter. Seth felt old. Or maybe more left out. While his siblings married and reproduced, he was—doing what? Whittling and building tables?

  “Have you been sleeping?” he asked Lizzie. Last time they’d talked, Bea hadn’t exactly enjoyed sleeping through the night.

  “Somewhat. We’re getting three to four hours without her waking up. It could be worse. At least she isn’t screaming all day long.”

  “Do babies do that?”

  Lizzie laughed. “You’re such a guy. Yeah, some babies are colicky and scream no matter what you do.”

  At the thought, Seth paled. He’d been to war, seen men die, yet the thought of an infant screaming nonstop for hours every day? He shuddered.

  Lizzie cocked her head to the side. “Oh, she’s up. I’ll be right back.”

  Seth hadn’t heard a thing, but he put it down to mother’s intuition. A few minutes later, Lizzie returned with Bea in her arms. At two months old, Bea still had blue eyes, although they’d turned a lit
tle grayer in the past few weeks. She had a shock of dark hair sticking from the crown of her head and the softest skin Seth had ever felt.

  And clearly she was wide awake and in no hurry to go back to sleep.

  “That’s your uncle Seth. Remember him? Here, can you hold her while I get us some tea?”

  Seth took his niece without protest. He’d held her enough times not to freak out, although he still couldn’t believe how tiny she was. How fragile. Gazing down at her now, he took in her long, dark eyelashes and her rosebud mouth. He traced a finger along her forehead, which made her coo. She’d been making eye contact more and more and working on lifting up her head.

  Before long she’d be a teenager and sneaking out of the house to meet her boyfriend.

  Seth’s stomach turned. No way is any boy getting close to my niece, he vowed.

  He let Bea hold his finger, which she quite happily gnawed on. Lizzie came back with tea for them both.

  “You’re going to get baby slobber all over you doing that,” she warned, smiling. “We think she has a tooth coming in.”

  “Isn’t she young for that?”

  “Now you’re Mr. Baby Expert? Yeah, it’s early, but she wants to chew everything.”

  Seth smiled. “Sounds like a puppy.”

  They chatted, Lizzie telling him about her album sales, how Terry, her producer, wanted her to go on tour later that year but that she didn’t know how to do that except to take Bea with her.

  “Even by December I’ll still be nursing her, at least on and off. And I’m not going to leave my kid behind for months on end. No way.”

  Seth didn’t respond to the nursing remark. He’d learned all he ever needed to know about breastfeeding during one visit when Bea had kept kicking the blanket Lizzie had placed over her to give them both some privacy during a feeding.

  “But I’ve been writing even more than usual, so that’s good. Now that I’m getting some sleep and Bea has more of a schedule, I can think about other things besides baby, baby, baby.” Lizzie tickled Bea under her chin, which made her gurgle.