The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros.: Box Set

by MJ Nightingale

  She leaned the particularly strange item against the wall, but glanced at him to see his reaction. When his expression showed nothing she nodded and smiled. “For the weeds,” was her quick retort and she chuckled. Her laugh was like listening to silver coins jingling. It stirred something in him. She was giving him a funny look.

  Blaze just laughed then too. He couldn’t help it. Her expression revealed she thought his earlier doubts about her proved he’d been a moron.

  “Again Izzy, I’m sorry about that earlier with the knife. I definitely don’t think you’re going to lop off my head with that thing,” he teased to try to get her to relax. “But seriously I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done to help me. It was really nice of you to go out of your way and do all of this. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t come along.”

  His remorse, this apology, sounded sincere and so Bella decided to ease up on him. But his words also had her wondering what he was doing up here on her mountain anyway. And so she asked him. She still had her doubts too. Just who was this Blaze Marino? “Oh,” Bella started. “That reminds me of something I wanted to ask you. What are you doing out this way anyway? As far as I know I’m the only one who lives up this road. Were you lost or something?” she added to make her question sound like an accusation.

  Blaze hated liars, but he knew he was going to have to lie to her now. He was stuck here, for the night at least, and he needed her to cooperate. “Yeah I got lost. I was on my way to Gatlinburg and I must’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere. The GPS and my cell phone weren’t getting service.” He hoped she would buy that.

  Bella knew this part of the Smokies very well. She’d driven through it several times with friends in high school on their way to concerts or going on a camping trips. “Well, you should’ve just stayed straight, not turned. There is only one road that goes through these parts,” she informed him knowledgeably.

  “I must’ve looked down at my cell and turned by accident. I don’t know.” Blaze blanched. This girl is going to think he was a complete idiot by the time the night was over.

  Bella just shook her head and used her crank can opener to open the cans of soup. This man wasn’t having much luck. Kind of like her, she thought, watching him over her work. She poured the two cans into the small electric frying pan, and set the temperature to medium and put the lid on.

  “Would you care for a sandwich as well? I could make us a grilled cheese,” she asked pulling out her loaf of bread, only half of which remained. She would need to pick up more if she planned on feeding Blaze much longer. It would mean another walk into town, she groaned stretching her calves. Graham wouldn’t be back for another four days. She’d been hoping to make this last.

  “I’m not sure. With a possible concussion, perhaps I shouldn’t eat too much. How about we share?” he offered, noticing her perplexed expression.

  “Sounds good to me,” she responded pulling out two slices of bread, then set to slice a piece of cheese off of the block she had purchased. It was hard cheddar, and she had it wrapped on the counter in wax paper.

  She pulled two bowls off the shelf above her and then poured the steaming chicken noodle into them. Her pan worked fast. She quickly cleaned it out, pouring water into it from the gallon container she kept by the sink. She wiped it out, and then plugged the pan back in, and again set it to medium and placed the sandwich inside after dropping in a pat of butter. It didn’t take long for the one side to turn golden, and she repeated the process for the second side.

  All the while, Blaze watched the very efficient Bella as he carefully got up and made his way over to the small table careful not to bear too much weight on his tender ankle. Her movements were quick, and he rather enjoyed watching her wait on him. It had been quite some time since any woman had prepared him a meal. Other than his Aunt Mary, it had been a very, very long time, since he had allowed himself to enjoy such a simple pleasure.

  She was carrying the two bowls over to him. He quickly took his from her, and she put hers on the table beside him. Then she went back to get the sandwich she had cut into two triangles and placed those on the table as well. Lastly, she fetched them each a glass of warm lemonade.

  “Sorry,” she apologized. “I guess I should have mentioned I don’t have a refrigerator yet. I just have a small cooler and I need to keep the necessities in there. I just moved in and all, and I am still working on the place.” She picked up her sandwich and sunk her small white even teeth into it.

  “I can tell,” he murmured, picking up his spoon and taking his first taste of the simple fare, enjoying it immensely. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had chicken noodle.

  “You could?” she asked, taking her spoon up.

  “Yes, I noticed the steps, and the paint outside. In here though, I can see you have been busy recently. Looks good.”

  She laughed. And her laugh had him looking up at her. He noticed her eyes for the first time. It was like an explosion of greens, her eyes looked like emeralds, kelly green and glittering with numerous other shades as well. It was like a kaleidoscope of color, and he had to look away or be mesmerized. When he first noticed her, he couldn’t help but make the comparison to Nicole. But seeing her eyes changed all that.

  Nicole’s eyes had been brown. Yes, the hair color, and style were similar. But those eyes were so . . . spellbinding. Her face was heart shaped, while Nicole’s had been oval, and her features were softer, while Nicole’s had been sharper. Her beauty overwhelmed him for a moment, and he almost forgot where he was.

  “Are you okay?” Bella asked, confused. The man was staring at her strangely.

  “Yes. Fine, Why?” he asked, tearing his face away and resumed his focus on his meal once more.

  “Oh, you stopped eating and you were looking at me strangely,” Bella answered. Had he recognized her? Her stomach had butterflies, and although she had been hungry the thought of this man sleeping here had her nervous. Especially if he recognized her.

  “Oh,” he looked at her sheepishly. He wanted to ease her fear. She looked scared, and he felt like a complete ass. She must think he was some kind of creep, or worse he possibly recognized her. “I . . . well . . . it’s just that I was so woozy earlier, head and all, I didn’t get a good look at you, and please don’t take this the wrong way. I am not a creep,” he informed her. “I swear. But you are a remarkably beautiful woman. I’m sorry I’m putting you through all this inconvenience. I promise to be a better guest. You have been an excellent host. I don’t know where I would be if you hadn’t come along.” Blaze knew honesty was the best policy, and he gave her as much as he could.

  Bella blushed under his praise. And even though him telling her that should have made her even more uncomfortable, somehow it didn’t. She’d never had a man like Blaze, so handsome, say something like that to her. Her other two relationships had been with men her own age. Blaze was older than she; he had a distinguished air about him, and was definitely more mature.

  Her blushing did something to Blaze. It was so innocent a reaction. He felt something moving within the constraints of his heart. A heart he no longer thought he had when it came to the opposite sex. He shook his head yet again, knowing his head injury was causing him all sorts of confusion.

  “Thank-you,” Bella was finally able to say. His reaction was just to nod, and he continued to attack his food. She resumed her eating, but carefully observed him under her long eyelashes.

  The rest of their dinner was consumed in quiet, and before Bella went up to the loft above, she did one more examination of Blaze’s injuries before she left him ensconced on the pallet she had made for him by dropping her bedroll down into the living room earlier. It would be sheets and blankets for her tonight. She also had several pillows upstairs for added comfort. Her exhaustion had her sleeping almost immediately.

  Blaze on the other hand, although comfortable, was restless. He dozed briefly until she woke him the first time she cried out in her sleep
. The remainder of his night was fitful at best, with the night sounds, and her cries in the dark. He fought the urge to go comfort her until sleep finally overtook him.

  Chapter 10

  A New Day

  When Bella arose in the morning Blaze was sound asleep. She didn’t bother to wake him as he probably needed the rest.

  She, on the other hand, had lots to do. She had planned chores already for the day and so when she found him sound asleep the next morning, she set about to tackle some of those tasks. One was to use her new hedge clippers to trim back some of the weeds from around the house. Two, was to work on the painting. She had painted the front of the cabin from the porch on up to the soffit which was all she was able to do while reaching from a chair. But now she had the ladder Graham brought for her to use; she would be able to paint the sides of the cabin which extended up to the roof. It would be much more welcoming once it was all painted.

  But she couldn’t even start until she cleared the weeds. So that was number one today. She’d worn her jeans in order to be able to muck through it, and her walking boots to protect her from any creatures that might be lurking in the brush. This was not going to be an easy task. The weeds were thick.

  She worked for an hour and the sweat was dripping down her back at her exertion, but luckily the clippers worked well and sawed through the over growth. She had one side of the cabin clear and was able to walk easily by giving her at least a two foot wide berth.

  She decided to stop, have a break, and get a drink. She also wanted to check on her “guest.” He still had not risen.

  When she peered inside her cabin, he was still asleep although this time he was turned onto his side. The blanket she had given him was so low on his side, it revealed his chest and arms to her feasting eyes. And although damaged, this man was definitely someone who took great care of his body. He was solid muscle and sinew. Wondering what he did for a living to stay in such great shape, she could not help but appreciate the view. She knew she was staring, and just couldn’t help it. It had been a long time since she had been with a man. She and Anthony had broken up over a year ago. She slipped by Blaze to pour herself a drink.

  As she did so, she couldn’t get rid of her image of Anthony. She cursed herself for staying friends with the man, and letting him deceive her into driving him to that bank. The only reason he even knew she needed to go there was because she had confided in him. In a moment of weakness, she told him her mother was not doing well at all. They still spoke when they ran into one another as they still shared many of the same friends.

  She’d mentioned she was going to talk to a new oncologist, and he’d offered to drive her to Tampa to talk to this new specialist at the Moffat Cancer Center. She didn’t know why she had accepted, but she had. That was her mistake. In her moment of weakness he had pounced. She didn’t know he and his brother were planning on robbing that bank. When they’d stopped and asked her to get behind the wheel to move the car if she was asked to, because they needed to make a quick stop and because her appointment was soon, she hadn’t thought anything of it. She didn’t want to be late, but she hadn’t wanted to be rude either. They were saving her the expense of the trip, and in her mind, she believed they were just running in to make a withdrawal, or she had thought.

  She had no clue she was their getaway driver in their stupidly hatched plan to rob the Wells Fargo Bank. She’d no idea that they were only using her and her naiveté to have an extra person, one they were certain would keep her mouth shut.

  She tried explaining that to the police at first, and they just shook their heads at her, telling her to tell it to her lawyer. Her public defender had laughed. It was a miracle she’d even made bail. She still had no clue how her mother managed that.

  Blaze’s groan startled her back to reality. He was turning in his sleep, and his blanket slid lower exposing even more of him. Not wanting to get caught ogling the poor man, she decided to take her drink and finish it outside.

  Once there, the paint cans beckoned her. So she decided to go ahead and begin tackling the side of the house she had cleared of weeds. There was no time like the present. Might as well make the most of the time she had that day. She was planning on walking to town later, once Blaze woke up, to get him help even though she felt confident he would recover from his injuries. Last night after dinner, he seemed to be feeling much better, and had only complained about his ankle when she’d examined him one last time. Yes, she shook her head, painting would surely clear her mind of her fantasizing about the man and his naked torso.

  Chapter 11

  Fall From Grace

  Blaze felt the sun streaming in through the front door. The screen was closed, but the inner door was left wide open, and he cracked his eyes open a slit to avoid being blinded. He was glad he’d gotten some sleep eventually. He was feeling better too. Bella, er, Izzy, was nowhere to be seen. He heard some noises coming from outside and knew she must be near. It sounded like someone dragging something heavy along the side of the house.

  He wasn’t in a rush to get up just yet. He listened to her softly hum some tune he did not recognize, and thought about what transpired last night. He was a good judge of character, and he just couldn’t picture her being a bank robber.

  He moved to lay flat on his back, and stretched the soreness and stiffness from his joints, and again was surprised he wasn’t in much pain. The ointment Bella used had worked wonders. He moved his ankle, rotating it, and it felt better too. He sat up, and reached down to remove the wrap Bella had placed on it. He felt a momentary twinge as the blood rushed to the area, but once that subsided, he resumed his rotation of it, and indeed it did feel better.

  Next, he inspected the scrapes on his hands and chest, and they too felt immeasurably better; they looked better too. The salve she used, she had called it White Oak, had the healing process already begun. This Clara was quite the accomplished practitioner in herbal remedies. He would have never expected it, but the proof was in right in front of him. The scratches on his chest were pink and closed, and his hands were not far behind.

  Blaze stretched a few more times and then got up. He needed to relieve himself, and searched around for a bathroom. He saw no door other than the front door and hoped beyond measure that perhaps there was one behind the absent staircase to the loft. He’d noticed Bella climbing the ladder where a staircase should have stood. It was probably one of the repairs she had yet to accomplish.

  He gingerly took his first step. He tested his weight, and other than the first few steps felt minimal pain. He’d need to baby it one more day, and then he should be fine.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when he rounded the corner and saw a door. The place did have a rest room. He opened the old wooden door in need of paint and faced a very small bathroom. It had a tub that had seen better days, a shower head, a small sink and toilet. He turned on the tap, but nothing came out. Shoot, no running water in here. Then he remembered Bella saying she didn’t trust the plumbing in the bathroom because of all the rot. She had a pump in the kitchen that was connected to her well outside. He noticed a pitcher sitting beside the sink, and a gallon water container sitting along the back of the tank. He presumably could use the facilities, he just needed to fill the tank after each use. So he did that.

  Seeing a small pile of washcloths on the counter, he took one and dipped it into the basin, and managed to freshen up as best he could, but he desperately wanted a shower and left the bathroom regretting he couldn’t have one. His tumble down the embankment had left him feeling pretty grimy. But, at least in his duffle bag in the trunk of the inoperable rental, he’d be able to get fresh cloths. His shirt had been torn to shreds, and his light weight blazer had seen better days. His cargo pants which he had slept in were filthy. He needed to make a trip out to the car and get a change of clothes.

  Finishing up with the wash cloth, he was determined to get his clothes. He set out for the front door when he heard a blood curdling scream that immediately set hi
s nerves on edge, and then a loud thud beside the cabin made him jump. Despite his injured ankle, he allowed instinct to kick in and headed straight for the noise.

  He flew out of the cabin and what he found when he rounded the corner was Bella waist deep in weeds and an upended twelve foot ladder. He first looked to her and then the house. He saw a few strokes of paint along the upper part of the house under the soffit and quickly put two and two together. She had cleared the weeds, and then had decided to start painting, tackling the higher parts of the house first.

  Apparently in her gusto to get started on the painting she had placed the ladder on uneven ground without bracing it on a flat enough surface, and had come tumbling down when she reached.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as she attempted to claw her way out of the weeds. Already up and moving, with weeds and dirt in her hair, she seemed okay, but he asked to be sure.

  “Yeah, but I feel like an idiot. I fell off the ladder. Sorry, I woke you,” she sighed as she grabbed his proffered hand to pull her out of the three foot tall grass. She stumbled that last foot, as her ankle get stuck in a rabbit hole, and despite his best efforts to prevent it she went down.

  “Ow, oh,” she shouted clutching her injured ankle.

  “Oh no, are you okay?” he asked for the second time in less than ten seconds stooping down beside her.

  “I don’t think so,” she answered. She was rocking gently and still clutching her ankle.

  “Do you think you can get up?” he asked, voice full of genuine concern.

  “I don’t know. It really hurts.”

  Blaze took her arm and put it around one of his shirtless shoulders. He felt the heat between them and tried to ignore it. His reaction to her today was just as fierce as it had been the night before. It bothered him, but he needed to focus on her now.