Secret Agent Groom (The Bridal Circle #2)

by Andrea Edwards

  “So how did you start rescuing cats?” he asked her a few hours later when they’d sat down on a fallen log to eat lunch.

  “I’m not sure,” she said and pulled some sandwiches and cans of pop out of the backpack he’d been carrying. “It just sort of happened. When I was growing up, I was always finding lost or orphaned animals. I only brought one home. My mom was sure it was carrying bubonic plague or something. After that, I took them to Penny’s farm.”

  He opened the cans of pop and balanced them on the log between them. “Until you got your own place.”

  “Yeah, true.” Her smile was like a flash of the sun after a storm. “That was the best thing about having a house. I could rescue as many critters as needed rescuing.”

  He bit into one of the sandwiches as she pulled a collapsible water dish for Junior and a bottle of water from the backpack. She set the dish up on the ground and filled it with water for the dog who lapped it up gratefully.

  Alex put his sandwich down slowly. She’d not only thought about lunch for them, she’d thought about Junior, too. She had to be the kindest, most genuinely good person he’d ever met. Which made it all the more necessary to get her out of here and out of the mess he was involved in.

  Heather sat back down on the log and picked up her sandwich. “I have a question for you,” she said.

  “Why do I gamble?” he guessed, and was overcome with the need to tell her the truth. He couldn’t, he knew that. And wouldn’t. But still he hated the deception more than he expected. “I just like the thrill, I guess. But I really don’t gamble as much you think.”

  Oh, no? Wasn’t this whole weekend a gamble in a way? But not in the way she meant.

  She took a bite of her sandwich and frowned at him. “If you don’t gamble much, why did you get beaten up?”

  “I didn’t,” he protested. “I fell and hit my head on your sprinkler.”

  “Then why did you get a threatening phone call?”

  “I didn’t—” He stopped, his eyes narrowing. “What call?”

  Her cheeks blushed but he was no longer in the mood to be charmed. “Someone called when I went over to close your door,” she admitted.

  “Someone called?” he snapped. Junior stopped drinking and turned his head toward Alex with that low growl deep in his throat, but Alex didn’t care. “Why didn’t you tell me?

  “Be quiet, Junior.” She turned back to Alex. “What was there to tell? They called to tell you that you’d get beaten up last night if you didn’t pay them.”

  Damn! The operation was racing ahead and he wasn’t there to point it in the right direction. “You had no right to keep that from me,” he said.

  “Why? So you could stay there and be all macho while they pounded the hell out of you? I don’t think so.”

  “Maybe I was going to pay them.”

  “Yeah, right,” she said with a short laugh. “Like you were about to pay them when you fell on my sprinkler.”

  He took a deep breath to try to hold in the anger. It didn’t work so he tried another. It was less successful than the first. What was that he’d thought earlier about how good and kind she was? Well, he’d been wrong. She was a meddler. A busybody of the highest level.

  “None of this was your affair,” he said stiffly. “I was handling it just fine myself.”

  She put her half-eaten sandwich down and took his hand. “Alex, be honest. You can’t handle this. You need to go to the police and tell them all about it.”

  He didn’t like his hand in hers. Somehow it pulled the anger from him, and he needed it to stay strong. “All about what?” he said. “They don’t care if I place a few bets.”

  “But they would care about those people threatening you. Let them help you.”

  He stopped, torn and conflicted. She’d opened a path before him. To take it would mean he was a heel, a crud, an absolute worm. But to not take it would be even worse—it would mean keeping her in the potential danger of the unsecure cabin. He had no choice.

  “You’re right,” he said slowly. “I got in over my head and need to go to the authorities. It’s the only way out of this mess.”

  Her eyes were so gentle and understanding, so sympathetic. “It’ll be hard to admit it all, but it’s the only way to really put it behind you.”

  “And maybe in stopping them, it’ll keep someone else from getting pulled into their claws.”

  Heather got to her feet. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she cried. “Of course, it’s not just you who was in danger but others, too. We should get you back to Chesterton. Toto’ll know what to do.”

  She seemed ready to march out on a Crusade. “I think we can finish lunch first,” he said.

  She looked at the sandwich lying there and laughed as she sat back down. “Yeah, I guess we can stay a few minutes longer.”

  “Or even a few hours,” he said. “You haven’t had your canoe nde.”

  She just waved off his words. “Oh, that doesn’t matter. I can have a canoe ride anytime.”

  “You said you haven’t managed one yet so, if the canoe is seaworthy, we’re going canoeing.”

  A few hours one way or another was hardly going to matter. And this way he could give her her canoe ride. It was the least this heel, this worm, this scum of the earth could do for her.

  They glided over the water like in a dream, slipping along the edges of the forest silently. The only sound was Junior’s breathing and the slight splashing of Alex’s paddle in the water. Up ahead of him in the canoe, Heather sat still, just gazing into the trees as they passed, catching quick glimpses of deer and maybe even a fox.

  “This is just so beautiful,” Heather said softly. “I can’t believe it.”

  Even though his heart weighed a ton, he couldn’t help but smile at her. Her pleasure was so pure. “And you were willing to miss it. Aren’t you glad I insisted?”

  She looked over her shoulder, around Junior who was sitting in the middle of the canoe, and made a face at Alex. “Yes, you were right.”

  They glided past the deer feeding at the water’s edge and the forest grew denser. Rather than peer in under the trees, she oohed and aahed over the fish darting up to snatch bugs off the surface of the water. The turtles sunning on fallen logs. And the family of ducks sitting in the shade under an overhanging branch. He had seen all this before, but he felt her excitement and it seemed new to him, too. Though his eyes did seem to stay on her more than the wildlife around them.

  “I never knew canoeing could be this great,” she said. “I should have been doing it for years.”

  “Well, it helps to have a great place to canoe,” he pointed out. “I don’t think you’d see all this wildlife along Lake Palomara.”

  Two dragonflies landed on the surface of the water next to them, their wings catching the sun and shining in iridescent splendor. “Oh, look!” Heather cried. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

  Alex just laughed. “What was in your lunch?” he teased. “Those are bugs. You know, those things I thought you were afraid of.”

  But she just held on to the sides of the canoe as they skimmed over the water. “Me, afraid? I don’t think so.” A submerged branch scraped the bottom of the canoe and she laughed even as she shivered. “I feel too wonderful to be afraid of anything. I am so happy that you’re going to ask Toto for help.”

  The atmosphere suddenly changed. A cloud passed over the sun, even though it was perfectly clear. Damn. It shouldn’t mean that much to her.

  She looked over her shoulder at him as if sensing his change of mood. “Stop looking so glum,” she told him. “It’s all going to work out fine.”

  Nothing was going to work out fine, not like she thought. The knowledge nagged at him. “When do you stop worrying about others and take care of yourself?” he snapped. “You shouldn’t be basing your happiness on what I do.”

  “Why not? You’re a friend and I care about you.”

  “You should worry more about yourself.”

  “
I do worry about myself when I need to,” she countered. “But right now we need to get you safe.”

  Her good-heartedness was like an annoying fly that wouldn’t leave him alone. “How do you know I meant anything I said.” he asked her. “Maybe I made it all up just to get the fuses.”

  But she just laughed. “I know you, Alex Waterstone. And I trust you. You wouldn’t lie about all this to me. I know you wouldn’t.”

  Her certainty was like a knife slicing into him, slicing and turning and digging in deeper. He wouldn’t lie? Everything he’d done since he came back to Chesterton had been a lie. Everything he’d said to her since he found her in his yard trying to catch Bonnie had been a lie. Damn. His whole life was one big lie. How had he thought he could have a quiet peaceful last hour with her? Another hour of his lies?

  “I think we’d better turn back,” he said.

  “Does it matter which fuse goes where?” Heather asked, leaning in the open car door. The late afternoon sun was coming through the trees at just the wrong angle and she could hardly see Alex. “I didn’t mark which came from where.”

  Alex was lying across the car seats so he could get at the fuse box under the dashboard. “The different sizes go in different slots,” he said. “Hopefully there’s a schematic in here.”

  Heather bit her lip, waiting as he pulled the cover off the box. He seemed pretty patient though. Almost gentle with her. Maybe he saw a light at the end of his tunnel now and was more relaxed.

  “Yeah, there’s one here,” he said. “It’ll take a little figuring out, but it’ll be fine.”

  She sighed in relief. “That’s good. I hadn’t really wanted to strand us here permanently.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “I guess I could start packing up our stuff.”

  She hated to leave his side, silly as it seemed. It wasn’t like she thought he was going to run out on her or anything. Or that he was going to change his mind. It was just some strange sense of sadness that everything was going to be different soon. As much as she wanted him to see the danger in the life he led, she was sorry realization had come so quickly. She wouldn’t have minded spending another day or two here. But that was being silly.

  “Junior and I are going inside,” she said. “Call if you need anything.”

  She wandered into the kitchen. With a sigh, she patted Junior’s head. “Guess we’d better tell Bonnie it’s time to go home.”

  She stopped patting him and frowned as she looked around. Funny, the little kitten was usually around someplace. She wasn’t terribly confident yet and didn’t rush up to greet Heather like her other cats did, but she wasn’t so standoffish, either. Worry dried up her mouth.

  “Where’s Bonnie?” she asked Junior.

  The dog just looked at her, wagging his tail.

  “Come on, Junior. Find Bonnie. Go get Bonnie.”

  The dog turned this time and trotted through the cabin. Heather followed on his heels, her stomach knotting itself up. The kitten had to be here someplace. She probably was asleep and hadn’t heard them come in. Junior stopped at the bed, then hopped up, looking proud of himself.

  “Is she here?” Heather asked, and looked under the pillows.

  Nope.

  She pulled back the quilt even though it looked smooth and flat.

  Nope. No Bonnie.

  She got on her hands and knees and looked under the bed. When she saw nothing that way, she slid under the bed, but the bottom of the mattress was solid. There was no place for the kitten to hide. Where could she be?

  Alex came in while she was searching the living room. “I got them all back in,” he announced, then stopped. “What’s the matter?”

  Heather clutched at the back of the chair for support. “I can’t find Bonnie anyplace.”

  “You can’t find her? She’s got to be here someplace.”

  Heather took a deep breath. “I’ve been looking and she’s just not here.” Suddenly she was close to tears. “What if she got outside? She wouldn’t survive more than a few hours out there at most. She’s just a baby.”

  Alex was at her side, leading her over to the sofa. She just buried her face in his chest, so afraid she could barely think.

  “What am I going to do?” she asked, fighting back tears. “I can’t leave without her.”

  “Who said anything about leaving?” Alex snapped. “If we have to stay all month to find her, we will.”

  All month! But Heather wiped at her eyes and wiped that scary notion away. They would find her and find her soon.

  But the kitten wasn’t in the pantry, or under the living room sofa, under the table or in the fireplace. She wasn’t on the bookshelves or behind the pillows on the armchair.

  “Maybe we’d better check outside while it’s still light,” Alex said slowly.

  Heather nodded, biting back her worst fears. She should have listened to Alex and left Bonnie at home. A setback in her socialization was nothing compared to losing her.

  Alex, Heather and Junior circled the house, calling for Bonnie and peering under bushes. They widened their circle, then went individually, but there was no sign of her. The shadows grew longer and deeper; finding her in the dark would be almost impossible.

  “We’ll get the lantern from the pantry and light that,” Alex said. “Maybe if she sees the light, she’ll come home.”

  They trudged into the house. Even Alex’s steps were slow and heavy, Heather noticed. He was feeling discouraged too.

  “Maybe we should take her carrier out with us,” Heather suggested. “She likes to sleep in it.”

  Heather stopped and stared at Alex. “Did you...”

  He shook his head. “You?”

  She shook hers, then they both practically ran across the living room to the cat carrier in the corner. Heather picked it up and nodded with a grin. She slowly turned the opening toward the light and they peeked inside. Bonnie lay curled up in the back, sound asleep. Heather put the carrier down softly.

  “You mean the little dickens has been in there all along?” he whispered. Then he started to laugh and pulled Heather into his arms. “I take it she had a hard day and was busy sleeping it off.”

  “Hey, you can’t expect a girl to forgo her beauty sleep just to answer roll call.”

  “Silly me.”

  Silly Heather. She’d forgotten how hard it was to breathe while in his arms. And then coupled with the relief over finding Bonnie, she could barely stand.

  Alex must have felt her wobbliness for he looked down at her. His lips were so temptingly close, but he used them to frown instead of to revive her.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said with a laugh. “Just a little weak with relief.”

  He helped her to the sofa and sat her down. That was all well and good, but then he stood up. She preferred his arms closer to her.

  “You just sit here,” he said. “I’ll make us some dinner.”

  “I’m okay,” she insisted and got to her feet. “I thought we were going to leave.”

  He gently pushed her back down on the sofa. “What’s a few hours?” he said. “You just relax. And don’t take your eyes off of our hide-and-go-seek champ.”

  Our? It was just a casual use of the word. It meant nothing but her heart still skipped a beat. “Did you hear that, Bonnie?” she whispered as she slipped the cat out of the carrier. “Maybe we don’t want to rush home after all.”

  Rushing did not seem to be in anybody’s plans. Alex made a simple salad with all the fresh fruits and vegetables that were left, and then heated up a can of soup to go with it. It didn’t take long to make, and didn’t have to take long to eat, but they both just lingered over it. Then rather than clean up and leave, they went out back to sit on the steps and watch the sun sink slowly in the west while Junior snoozed in the last warming rays of the day.

  “Shouldn’t we be going?” she finally asked, though she would have been content to stay there for hours.

 
Alex pulled Heather into his arms. “When we couldn’t find Bonnie, my perspective changed. I’m not in quite such a rush to go back to the way things were.”

  “Oh.”

  She was not going to argue, not nestled in his arms as nicely as she was. She was thinking, though, that they were other things they could be doing so close together like this.

  “Do you think—” she began.

  “Want to—” he said at the same time.

  They were laughing for only a moment before she looked up at him while he was looking down at her and the earth stopped. It was such a short distance between their lips, and one so speedily traversed.

  His mouth took hers with the hunger of ages and she answered back in kind. Need, yearning, desire, longing. All merged in the touch of their lips against the other’s. There was a desperation in his touch, which puzzled and saddened her. Why should kissing her bring on sadness?

  But the very thought made her bolder and more daring. Her lips moved against his, as if she could pull the sadness from his soul. As if she could wrest the demon from him that was trying to cast a shadow on their joy.

  Her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer to her body, closer to her heart. If she could just get him close enough, she could make him forget the clouds that wanted to block their sunshine. She could make him feel the warmth inside her.

  But then he was releasing her and there was nothing she could do but let go also. The sadness was still in his eyes, farther back and harder to see, but she knew it hadn’t disappeared. There was a hint of it in the way his hands slid down her arms to take her hands in his. There was a trace of it in his soft laughter, and a whisper of it in the sweetness of his smile.

  “You’re a dangerous woman, Heather Mahoney,” he said with a short laugh. “You look so quiet and calm, but underneath there’s a tiger ready to chew me up.”

  Heather just laughed. A tiger inside her? Hardly. “It’s got to be the stinging nettle,” she said and got to her feet. “Either that or you’re possessed.”

  “There is that possibility.”