A Man You Can Trust

by Jo McNally

  Two hours later, Cassie was finishing the last touches in West’s office. The computer and voice mail were set up with temporary passwords. The security team had delivered his passes and key cards—his master key would open any door in the resort. Brad, their IT whiz, had been busy over the weekend, and a huge flat-screen hung on one wall. On it, twelve different feeds from the security surveillance room downstairs were scrolling in black and white. It looked like a scene straight out of some crime-fighter TV show.

  A familiar voice rang out in the office. “Hel-lo? Damn, no one’s here.”

  Cassie stepped to the doorway and waved to Blake’s wife. “I’m here!”

  Amanda Randall rushed to give Cassie a tight hug. Cassie hated hugs, but Amanda got a free pass. The woman simply couldn’t help herself—she was a serial hugger. She was also Cassie’s best friend in Gallant Lake. They’d bonded one night over a bottle of wine and the discovery they shared similar ghosts from their pasts. Other than that, the two women couldn’t be any more different. Amanda was petite, with curves everywhere a woman wanted curves. Cassie was average height and definitely not curvy—her nervous energy left her with a lean build. Amanda had long golden curls, while Cassie’s straight auburn hair was usually pulled back and under control. Amanda was a bouncing bundle of laughing, loving, hugging energy. Cassie was much more reserved, and sometimes found her friend’s enthusiasm overwhelming.

  “I brought chocolate chip cookies for everyone, but I guess you and I will have to eat them all.” Amanda held up a basket that smelled like heaven.

  “You won’t have to twist my arm. Come on in and keep me company.”

  Amanda followed her into the new guy’s office.

  “Wow—this is some pretty high-tech stuff, huh?” Amanda walked over to the flat-screen and watched the video feeds change from camera to camera. One feed was from a camera in front of Blake and Amanda’s stone mansion next door to the resort. The private drive was visible in the view from above their front door. “I really need to talk to Blake about those cameras. I don’t like the feeds popping up in some stranger’s office.”

  “Hasn’t resort security always been responsible for the house, too?”

  “I was never crazy about that, but Blake insisted. And it was different when it was Paul, whom I’d known from the first week I was here. And then Ken. I mean, he’s like having a favorite uncle watching over the house. But some hotshot ex-cop from LA watching me and the kids coming and going?” Amanda shuddered. “I don’t think so. Have you met him yet?”

  “Who?”

  “The new guy? Superhero cop coming to save us all? The one who has my husband drooling?”

  “No, I haven’t met him yet.” Cassie set a stack of legal pads on the corner of the desk, opposite the corner Amanda now occupied as she devoured a cookie. “What do you know about him?”

  “What don’t I know? He’s all Blake talked about this weekend. ‘Nick is so brave!’ ‘Nick is so brilliant!’ ‘Oh, no! What if Nick doesn’t like it here?’ ‘What if Nick leaves?’” Amanda acted out each comment dramatically, and Cassie couldn’t help laughing. “But seriously, he really wants this guy to work out. You know Blake—he believes in preventing problems before they happen, and that wasn’t Ken’s strong suit. He’s so anxious for this guy to be happy here that he actually suggested we skip our trip to Vegas so he could be here all week for Nick! That was a ‘hell no’ from me. We haven’t been away together without the kids in ages.” Amanda finished off the last of her cookie, licking her fingers. “And this girl is ready to par-tay in Vegas, baby! Whatcha doin’?”

  “Blake said Nick dropped off these boxes. I’ll unpack them, and he can organize later.” Cassie pulled the top off one of the boxes on the credenza. It was filled with books on criminal science and forensics. She put them on the bookshelves in the order they were packed. Police work was usually a life’s calling. What made this guy walk away from it?

  She stopped after pulling the cover off the second box. It contained more books and binders, but sitting on top was a framed photo. She lifted it out and Amanda came around the desk to study it with her.

  It was a wedding portrait. The tall man in the image looked damned fine in a tuxedo, like a real-life James Bond. His hair was dark and cropped short, military style. His features were angular and sharp, softened only by the affectionate smile he was giving the bride. Her skin was dark and her wedding gown was the color of champagne. Her close-cropped Afro highlighted her high cheekbones and long, graceful neck. She was looking up at the man proudly, exuding confidence and joy. Cassie felt a sting of regret. When was the last time anyone thought that about her?

  “Wow—are those two gorgeous or what?” Amanda took the silver frame from Cassie and whistled softly. “I wonder who it is.” She turned the frame over as if there might be an answer on the back.

  “I’m assuming it’s Nick West and his wife.”

  “No. Blake told me he’s single.”

  “Maybe she’s an ex?”

  Amanda rolled her eyes. “Who keeps photos like this of their ex? Maybe it’s not him at all—could be a brother or a friend. But if it is Nick, he’s hot as hell, isn’t he?”

  Cassie took the picture back and set it on a shelf. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Yeah, I call BS on that. There isn’t a woman under the age of eighty who wouldn’t notice how hot that guy is. You’d better be careful, especially now that you’re living in the love shack.”

  “The what?”

  “Nora’s apartment—we call it the love shack. First it was her and Asher. Then Mel moved in there and met Shane. And now you’re there, so...”

  Cassie’s aunt had sold her coffee shop in the village to Amanda’s cousin Nora a few years ago but still worked there part-time. The apartment above the Gallant Brew had been a godsend when it came vacant shortly after Cassie’s arrival. But a love shack?

  “I don’t believe in fairy tales. And even if Nora’s place did have magic powers, they’d be wasted on me.” She started to pull more books out of the box, but Amanda stopped her.

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push you. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain. But someday you’re going to find someone...”

  Cassie shook her head abruptly. “That ship has sailed, Amanda. I have zero interest in any kind of...whatever.” She glanced back to the photo and studied the man’s dark eyes, sparkling with love for the bride. Her heart squeezed just a little, but she ignored it. “I can’t take the chance. Not again.”

  “Not every guy is Don. In fact, there are millions of guys who aren’t Don.”

  Amanda meant well, but they were straying onto thin and dangerous ice here. Cassie had wedding photos, too. They were packed away somewhere, and they showed a smiling couple just like this one. She’d been so innocent back then. And stupid. She was never going to be either again.

  “Look, I have a ton of work to do, and this guy—my coworker—is going to be here any time now. No more talk about love shacks and hotness, okay?”

  Amanda stared at her long and hard, her blue eyes darkening in concern. But thankfully, she decided to let it go. She picked up the basket of cookies. “Fine. I have to finish packing for the trip anyway. I’ll leave these out on the coffee counter.” She started to walk away, then spun suddenly and threw her arms around Cassie in an attack hug. “We leave in the morning, but we’ll be back next week. If you need anything at all—anything—you call Nora or Mel and they’ll be there in a heartbeat.”

  Cassie bit back the surprising rebuke that sat on the tip of her tongue. She was fed up with everyone hovering and fretting, but she knew it was her own damn fault. How many times had she called Amanda those first few months, crying and terror-stricken because of a bad dream or some random noise she heard? Sure, she’d changed her name and moved about as far away from Milwaukee as she could get, but Don was an ex-cop with all
the right connections. That’s why she kept a “go-bag” packed and ready at her door. She took a deep breath, nodded and wished Amanda a safe and fun trip. But after she left, Cassie was too agitated to sit at her desk. She ended up back in Nick West’s office, unpacking the last box.

  A little flicker of anger flared deep inside. It had been nudging at her more and more lately, first as an occasional spark of frustration, but now it was turning into a steady flame. She wanted her life back. She wanted a life where she could rely on herself and stand up for herself. She looked at the wedding photo again. She wanted a life where she smiled more. Where she didn’t jump every time someone...

  A shadow filled the doorway.

  “Hey! Whatcha doin’ in here?”

  Chapter Two

  Nick West knew he’d startled the woman, but he was just trying to be funny. It was a joke. He figured the auburn-haired stranger would jump, then they’d both have a good laugh as he introduced himself. Humor was always a good icebreaker, right?

  He never figured she’d send a stapler flying at his head.

  He managed to swat it down before it connected with his face, but it ricocheted off the corner of his desk and smacked him in the shin.

  “Ow!” He hopped on one leg. “Damn, woman! I was just kidding around.” He rubbed his throbbing shin, unable to keep from laughing at the way his joke had backfired on him.

  But the woman wasn’t laughing. She was wide-eyed and pale, her chest rising and falling sharply. Her eyes were an interesting mix of green and gold. Her hair was a mix, too—not quite red, but more than just brown. It was pulled back off her face and into a low ponytail. She was pretty, in a fresh-scrubbed, natural way. Then he noticed her hand, which was clutching a pair of scissors like she was getting ready to go all Norman Bates on him.

  The desk was still between them, but he raised his hands as if she was holding a loaded gun. He’d already seen how good her aim was.

  “Whoa, there! Let’s dial it back a notch, okay? I’m Nick West and this is my office...I think. Am I in the wrong place?” The thought didn’t occur to him until he said it out loud. Shit. Had he just burst into some woman’s office and scared the bejesus out of her? What if this was the boss’s wife? He’d heard Randall’s wife was involved in the resorts somehow. Even if it wasn’t her, traumatizing a coworker wasn’t a good way to start his first day here.

  The hand holding the scissors lowered and color came back to her previously white knuckles. She lifted her chin, but it trembled, and there was genuine fear in her eyes. It made him feel like a jerk.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I was kidding around. I do that sometimes.”

  “You scared the hell out of me, and you did it on purpose!” Those green-gold eyes flashed in anger. “Is that how you plan on introducing yourself to everyone here? Because I’ve got news for you—it won’t go over well.” She reached up to push her hair behind her ear and took a steadying breath. “This is your office, Mr. West. I’m Cassie...um...Smith, and I’ll be working with you. I was setting up your desk.”

  Great. He’d never had a secretary before, and he’d just traumatized the first one he got. Smooth move, West. He grunted out a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how to fix this mess.

  “Let’s rewind and start over, okay? You’re my first secretary.” He stopped when her eyes narrowed. “What? What’d I say wrong now?”

  “I am not your secretary. I’m Mr. Randall’s executive assistant, and I’ll be supporting you with some of your projects. I’ll provide data. I’ll run reports. But I don’t take dictation and I won’t be fetching your damned coffee.”

  Well, well, well. The jumpy lady had a backbone after all. Nick knew how to be a good cop. He had no damned clue how to be a good executive.

  “Not a secretary. Got it. Like I said, I’m new at this corporate thing. In LA, I had a dispatcher and a desk sergeant. Something tells me you’ll be closer to the latter.” He nodded down to her hand. “I’d be a lot happier if you’d put those down.”

  Cassie looked down and appeared surprised to see the scissors still in her hand. She dropped them to the desk like they were burning her.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled. She continued to look down, lost in thought.

  Her body language was all over the place, causing his cop’s sixth sense to kick in. First she was jumpy and defensive. Then proud and outspoken. And now, as she apologized, she visibly shrank. He didn’t like timid women. They reminded him of victims, and he’d had his fill of victims. But then again, victims didn’t fling staplers at people’s heads.

  “Don’t apologize,” he said. “That was a juvenile thing for me to do. I gotta remember I’m not in a police precinct anymore.” And he’d never be in one again. He rubbed his thigh absently. Shoving that thought aside, he flashed her a rueful grin. “I’ll probably need your help monitoring my corporate behavior.”

  She nodded, not returning the smile, but straightening a bit. “I don’t like practical jokes, but I’m sure you’ll do fine here. It’s a good group of people, and they like to have fun.”

  Interesting. She said they like to have fun, not we. He looked around the office. He’d barely noticed it yesterday, just dropping off his boxes and checking in to his room to crash after the long cross-country drive. The view of Gallant Lake was sweet. The giant flat-screen on the wall with all the changing camera feeds was even sweeter. He saw the photo on the bookshelf and blinked. Jada. It was her death that chased him out of LA and into this new life. The picture was a reminder of how quickly good things could go bad.

  A large hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind, and Nick restrained himself from spinning around swinging. Old habits were hard to break. In this case, it would have been especially bad, since it was his new boss.

  “Sorry I missed your arrival, Nick. We had a guest giving the desk staff a hard time about the five movies on his room bill. Turns out his ten-year-old has a thing for superheroes and didn’t realize movies are fifteen bucks a pop.” There weren’t many men who could make Nick tip his head back and look up, but Blake Randall was one of them. He was a few years older than Nick, but he had no doubt Randall could hold his own in a physical challenge. Blake spotted Cassie on the other side of the desk. “Oh, good, you’ve met Cassie. You’re going to want to treat this girl right because she’s the one who can make or break you, man.”

  Nick met Cassie’s gaze. Her moods were as changeable as her eyes. Now that Blake was here, she was clearly more relaxed.

  ...she’s the one who can make or break you...

  Even after Blake’s warning, Nick couldn’t resist teasing her.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Blake. Cassie’s made quite an impression already.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “She’s already throwing things...I mean...ideas...at me.” Her hands clenched into fists, and he was surprised his skin wasn’t blistering under the heat of her glare. “She even took a stab at trying to define her job responsibilities.”

  Blake was oblivious to the tension buzzing in the room. “Trust me, there is no way to define her job duties. Cassie’s always surprising you by doing more than expected.” Nick’s smirk grew into a wide smile.

  “Yeah, she’s full of surprises. Oh, look, the stapler fell off the desk.” He bent over to pick it up from where it had landed earlier. He couldn’t help wondering if exposing his back to the woman, with scissors still nearby, was a good idea. “We don’t want the boss to think you were throwing things at me, now, do we?”

  “No, we don’t.” She watched as he set the stapler on the desk. Her voice was cold as ice. “But Blake knows me well enough to know I’d never launch an unprovoked attack.”

  Nick looked up in surprise. Touché. She was playing along. He winked at her, and a little crease appeared between her brows.

  Blake chuckled behind him. “I can’t imagine Cassie throwing things at anyo
ne.” Her cheeks went pink, but Blake didn’t seem to notice. “Come on, Nick, let’s grab lunch and I’ll make some introductions. Would you like to join us, Cass?”

  “No, thanks. I have work to do. You and Mr. West go ahead and...”

  “Mr. West?” Blake looked at Nick and frowned. “We’re on a first-name basis up here, Nick.”

  “No problem. Cassie and I were joking around earlier and she’s just trying to get a rise out of me.” Now it was her turn to be surprised. She looked at him and her mouth opened, but she didn’t speak.

  For the first time, Blake seemed to pick up on the undercurrent of...something...that was swirling around them.

  “Really?” He looked at Cassie with clear surprise. Apparently she wasn’t known for cracking jokes. She gave Blake a quick nod and smiled. It was the first smile Nick had seen from her, and it was worth waiting for, even if it was aimed at someone else. Her whole face softened, and her eyes went more green than gold.

  “You two go on to lunch, and let me get back to work, okay?”

  His curiosity was definitely piqued. Cassie Smith had a story.

  * * *

  On Thursday morning, Cassie was still trying to put a finger on her riled-up emotions. It started before Nick West’s arrival, so she couldn’t place all the blame on him for this low rumble of frustration and anger that simmered in her. In no mood to deal with her tangled hair, she pulled it into a messy knot on top of her head and frowned at the mirror. Simple khakis, sensible shoes and a dark green Gallant Lake polo shirt. Practical attire for a busy day. She was giving Nick a tour of the grounds today and wanted to be able to keep up with his long strides.

  The man was always in motion, leaving her constantly on edge. He paced when he talked and bounced when he sat. He had a foam basketball that he tossed around his office when he was alone in there, and it drove her crazy. Yesterday she’d moved her computer so her back was to his door, trying to avoid the distraction of the ball flying through the air. Nick started laughing the minute he walked into the office and saw the new arrangement, and laughed every time he walked by. Jerk.