“What do you mean you checked the house, Samantha? By yourself? Why? You could’ve been killed!”
“Oh, come on, Jack, I think that’s a bit of an overstatement.” She pulled her hand out of his and picked up a broom leaning against the railing, starting to sweep up the broken glass.
“Jack.” Mike’s hand was firm on his shoulder. “Look, she did the right thing calling me. You probably shouldn’t have checked the house, though.” He gave Samantha an admonishing glance before turning back to Jack, still keeping a firm grip on his arm. “But you need to settle down, Jack. Samantha has enough on her plate without you getting all upset at her. I’m here, I’m taking a report, and if you’re so damn worried I don’t know why you didn’t call to let me know about the graffiti last weekend.”
“She told me not to!” Jack glared at Samantha and then realized that he sounded like a little kid in a squabble. He tried to calm himself, to think clearly through the anger and worry. “Sorry. You did the right thing, calling him, Samantha. And we should have called you last week, Mike, but Samantha was sure it was just kids and I was half inclined to believe her. But now I’m not so sure. What broke the window...a rock?”
“A rock wrapped in this.” Mike picked up the note and handed it to him. Jack read the cruel words through a haze of fury and then handed it back to Mike. He needed some air, needed a minute to calm down.
“I’m gonna go find some boards for this window,” he muttered, and strode off to the barn, his shoulders tight and his hands clenched into fists.
Mike was right. Samantha had so much trouble coming her way right now. She didn’t need him venting his anxiety about it on her. But if Jack could figure out who was doing this to her house, he’d relish the opportunity to show them just how angry he really was.
* * *
SAMANTHA WAS SILENT as she and the sheriff watched Jack stride away. She didn’t know what to make of him. He seemed like a pretty modern guy a lot of the time, but right now he reminded her more of a Neanderthal, stomping through the overgrown grass, shoulders hunched, head down, throwing out curse words that got fainter as he wrenched open the door of the old barn and disappeared inside.
“Well, Ms. Rylant...” The sheriff’s voice had a laugh hidden in it. “He’s a little hotheaded this evening. But he’s a good man...a great man, really.”
Samantha felt herself flush, and looked away from the shed. Thankfully Mike went back to the crisis at hand.
“So, you got any enemies out there, Ms. Rylant?” He kept his voice light but his eyes were alert, scanning her face. “Any ex-husbands or boyfriends who could be holding a grudge?”
She scowled at the thought. “My ex-boyfriend is most definitely not the one holding the grudge, Sheriff. And I can’t imagine anyone around here would care enough about me to write notes and throw rocks. I still think it was most likely some kids.”
“Well, it could be teenagers who are used to having this old place for themselves and don’t appreciate your arrival. I’ll make some inquiries; see what the kids around here were up to this afternoon. That’s one of the benefits of a small town, Ms. Rylant. It’s not so easy to keep secrets around here.” He shook her hand and started down the steps. He paused and turned, suddenly looking serious.
“Look, maybe you should go on over to the hotel. Stay there for a while until we get this whole thing sorted out.” His broad face was etched in fatherly concern. “I don’t like the idea of you up here all alone with this type of thing happening.”
“She won’t be alone.” Jack came around the corner of the porch, laden with an armful of wood. “We’ll just board this up to keep any local wildlife out and Samantha can come on up and stay with me.”
“What?” Samantha asked. Annoyance crept into her voice. “Thanks for the offer, but the last time I checked, Jack, I was a grown-up, and very able to make these decisions on my own.”
Jack set the boards down underneath the broken window. “I admire your independence, Samantha, I really do. But there’s also a point where it’s just foolish to try to handle everything by yourself.”
“Jack! Why can’t you understand? I don’t need you, or anyone to hold my hand.” Samantha turned to the sheriff. “Thank you for coming out here, Sheriff Davidson. You said yourself it’s probably just vandalism. I’m sure I can handle a few teenagers with a rock. Just call me if you find out anything.”
The sheriff enveloped her hand in his firm grasp. “You’re a strong woman, Ms. Rylant, like your grandma. But even she knew when it was time to rely on the folks around her. You need to call me right away if you notice anything suspicious, anything at all. And if you can’t reach me immediately, call this guy here.” He nodded in Jack’s general direction. Then he grinned at her. “Look, he may be a horse’s ass at times, but he means well. Let him help you out a little.”
Samantha’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment but the sheriff had already turned away, hefting himself into his jeep and turning it back down the driveway.
When it was out of sight, she turned around. Jack was sitting on the steps behind her, his expression serious, the handsome planes of his face obscured by a streak of dirt. Her instinct was to reach out and wipe it off, but she reminded herself that her instincts these days were generally wrong. He looked tired and worried.
“He’s right.” Jack’s voice was glum. “I can be a horse’s ass. I’ve felt like one all week whenever I think about how I acted at the barbecue last weekend.”
“Thanks.” It didn’t fix what had happened, but it was nice that he was trying.
“Stay with me tonight.” His voice was quiet. “I really don’t want you to be down here by yourself.”
A part of Samantha wanted to say yes because despite her better judgment, she wanted an excuse to be near this man. The memories of his touch at the lake sent ripples over her skin, but she stilled them as much as she could, and tried to ignore the heat they created. She reminded herself that those were her feelings, not his. His feelings and his longing had a lot more to do with her acreage than with her. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up with another person who didn’t truly want her.
“Jack, I don’t know why you think I need your help. I’m fine on my own, always have been, always will be, so please quit worrying.” She nodded toward the boards. “Look, you’ve already given me all the help I need.”
He stood up and pulled a hammer out of his back pocket and grabbed a bag of nails he’d thrown down with the boards.
“No.” Samantha stepped up and gently took the hammer out of his hand. “It’s my problem, I’ll deal with it. Thank you, Jack.”
He sighed. “Okay, Samantha, I give up. It’s your problem and yours alone. Just take this.” He handed her a business card from his wallet. It was cream, with copper embossed horses running across it. “My cell number is on there, and the office number is a landline in my house, so if there’s anything suspicious, a noise, a rustle, anything at all, please call me.”
His kindness was making it so hard to stay strong, and to stay away. She needed him to leave before she gave in to the desire she felt, the desire he didn’t feel. Her voice was sharp. “Jack, this old-fashioned prince-charming-to-the-rescue thing is outdated. I’m not a damsel in distress. I don’t need your guilt, or your pity, or whatever it is that has you showing up here trying to help me.” She picked up a board and turned toward the window, calling back over her shoulder, “Good night, Jack.”
He didn’t answer but she heard his frustrated sigh before he called his dog and left, his footsteps striding purposefully away from her over the gravel. She didn’t let herself watch him go. Instead she poured all her anger and frustration into hitting the nails. The window was boarded up in no time.
She went into the house, flipping on lights and checking all the locks and bolts on every window and door. Maybe it was just teenagers pla
ying a prank, but somehow the house didn’t feel like the same safe haven it had before.
* * *
SHE HATED TO ADMIT that she was nervous. She’d left her computer in the car, but it was fully dark now and she was afraid to walk outside. For all of her bravado with Jack, the truth was that the rock through the window had shaken her up more than she was willing to admit. It felt so hostile, the note, the broken glass and the threat of an unknown person who seemed to hate her for no reason she could think of.
Steeling herself, Samantha grabbed her keys and a flashlight and went out the front door. The sky made her breath catch in wonder and for a moment she forgot to be nervous. Stars were hanging jewellike above the shadows of the mountains. Down toward the plains, they lit up the dark sky all the way to the horizon. There were so many stars here compared to the foggy San Francisco sky she’d grown used to.
This was the sky of her childhood summers, and she could almost hear her grandfather’s voice, pointing out the constellations as he’d done so many times when she was young. Stepping down from the porch and onto the gravel of the driveway, she looked for the dipper, then found Orion in the east and searched for his dogs, who were supposed to be walking beside him. No sign of the dogs, but slowly the fear in her faded, leaving behind an odd sort of peace. It was almost as if her grandparents stood on either side of her, holding her hands, pointing to the sky.
If her grandparents were really here there’d be a blanket on the ground, a thermos of hot chocolate and some homemade cookies packed neatly into a tin, she remembered wistfully. If they were really here, they would remind her that all of this heartache would fade in time. She could almost hear their voices reassuring her. “I wish I could go back,” she whispered to the stars. “I wish I could go back and stand here with them again—this time I’d cherish every second.” The air was cold and there was no hot chocolate to warm her. Next time, she vowed, she’d carry on their tradition and make some herself. For now, the wide sky slathered in stars would have to be enough.
Samantha strode to her car and pulled her computer from the backseat. She slammed the door and turned in time to see a shadow, just a darker shape against the already dark landscape, disappear around one of the bushes in the lower pasture. Her scream echoed off the hills.
* * *
JACK HAD BEEN WATCHING Samantha’s house all evening while perched on the enormous boulder behind his barn, his back leaning on the rough wood wall. Not the most comfortable of accomodations. Although he’d worn his thickest parka, one of the wool hats his aunt periodically sent him, and he’d thrown a horse blanket over his legs to keep the rest of himself warm, he still felt the cold of an autumn night in the mountains. A thermos of Walt’s blackest coffee and a sandwich helped a little.
He knew he couldn’t do this forever, but tonight something didn’t feel right to him. The rock through Samantha’s window was one problem too many. Someone was out to scare her, or worse. He wouldn’t be able to sleep from thinking about it, so he might as well make sure that no one attempted a return visit.
He wished again that she had just come home with him. He could have apologized again. Tried to atone for his idiocy last weekend with a good dinner. Maybe they’d be finishing off a bottle of wine in front of the fire right about now.
Jack took another gulp of coffee. Here he was, playing protector to a woman who’d probably smack him upside the face if she found out he was here. Here he was, thinking nonstop about a woman he couldn’t have. Hadn’t he learned anything from past hurts?
Then he heard Samantha scream and there was no thought, only his frantic reaction as he raced through the darkness toward the sound. The path flew by him in a blur of dark shapes that he leaped over in an attempt to get to her more quickly.
His voice sounded crazed, even to him. “Samantha!” he yelled as he rounded the back corner of the house, not caring who heard him, or what he might face when he got there. All he wanted was for her to be okay and the fact that no other sound had come after the scream had his feet moving faster and his heart beating in his ears.
He came onto the gravel drive and looked wildly around. At first glance all was quiet, and then he saw her, up on the front porch, pressed up against the wall of the house with a two-by-four in her hand. Relief flooded him and he vaulted the rail, then ducked as she swung the board within inches of his head.
“Jack!” Samantha dropped the board and grabbed his arm, panic in her voice. “Did I hit you? Are you okay?”
“You missed. Nice swing, though.” He gasped, trying to get his breath. “Samantha, are you all right?”
“Sort of! What are you doing here?” Despite the fear that made her breathing audible she was staring at him in disbelief.
“I heard you scream. What happened?”
Her usual confidence was gone. Pale and shaken, she stared out at the driveway, her makeshift club again at the ready. “I came out here to get my computer and I stopped to look at the stars. And then I thought I saw something, a shape, over there.” She pointed to some bushes on the other side of the front pasture fence.”
“Stay here,” Jack commanded. “And keep hold of that board. If you see or hear anyone, yell for me, and whack the crap out of them with that.”
He started walking toward the bushes. He vaulted the pasture fence, but couldn’t see anything behind them. He came back over to the fence to the driveway and started walking the edge of it, shoving bushes back, pulling the flashlight out of his pocket to scan the ground for footprints. Nothing. If someone had been there they were most likely long gone anyway. A crunch in the gravel behind him had him spinning around, torch raised to strike.
“Ouch! Jack! Stop shining that in my eyes!” It was Samantha, of course.
“I told you to wait over there for me!” Worry turned to anger. How was he supposed to protect her when she wouldn’t listen to him for one minute?
“I didn’t realize you were in charge. Plus, I figure if I’m supposed to whack people with this piece of wood, I might as well protect you while I’m at it.” Her composure was back and she was smiling, damn it, and downplaying the whole situation, as usual.
“Samantha, it’s not a joke. Something out here scared you and we need to figure out what it was. If you won’t listen to me, then at least help me.” He started down the driveway, pushing aside bushes and shining the powerful torch through them, under them, and out into the pasture.
Thirty minutes later they’d covered the entire length of the drive and decided to give up. Walking side by side back toward the house, Jack was silent, thinking. If she’d really seen someone, it could have been the vandal who stuck around after throwing that rock. It seemed unlikely that someone would wait so many hours to make their next move, but it was possible. Tomorrow morning he’d get the sheriff out here and they’d take a better look at that front pasture. And he was going to do something about all this overgrown grass and brush, as well. There were too many places to hide on that hillside.
Samantha interrupted his train of thought. “Maybe it was an animal? A deer?”
“It’s possible, but not likely. Did you hear it run away afterward? If animals are startled they often crash through the bushes.”
“I don’t think so.” She sighed, wrapping her sweater more closely against the crisp chill of the mountain night. “But honestly, it startled me so badly that I screamed and ran for the house. It could have been jumping all over the bushes at that point and I wouldn’t have heard.”
Jack couldn’t figure out who would want to scare her so badly that they’d hang around in the bushes half the night. It wasn’t someone who wanted to really hurt her, because they’d certainly had the chance while she was getting her computer. The thought brought another wave of fear and anger and he glared out into the dark of the pasture, wanting so badly to wrap his hands around the neck of whoever was stalking Samantha.
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She broke the silence again. “I wasn’t that loud, Jack.”
He knew what she meant but pretended otherwise. “What do you mean?”
“When I screamed. I wasn’t that loud. I’m sure of it. There’s no way it could have woken you up.”
He could feel her watching him but kept his gaze straight ahead. “I’m a light sleeper.”
“Oh come on, Jack. You know that’s impossible. What’s going on?”
He knew he’d have to come clean. He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but don’t get all upset at me. The truth is, I wasn’t that far away.”
She looked up at him sharply. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I was worried, really worried, after that rock through the window stunt, and I decided to keep an eye on things. So I camped out on that boulder up there.” He pointed up the hill to his perch, the huge mass of granite shining faintly in the light of the waning moon.
She blinked at him in disbelief. “You spent the evening on a rock? For me?”
“Look, Samantha, it’s not a big deal. I’ve slept rough many nights in these mountains.”
“Yes, but...”
He interrupted, not wanting to dig deeper into why he felt such a need to protect her. “If something happens to you here, with our houses being so close to each other, I’m going to feel responsible. I don’t want that on my hands.” He started walking toward the house again and she followed.
“You’re not responsible for me. I can take care of myself. I always have.”
Jack bit back his exasperation and faced her. “That’s not the point, Samantha. I know you’re used to doing things on your own. But you’re not alone. You have me, and the sheriff, and I’m sure a whole bunch of friends in San Francisco who care what happens to you. No one wants to see you hurt. Maybe all this is nothing, but what if it’s not? What if someone really is holding a grudge against you?”
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