Mia’s face warmed, and she tried to suppress the smile that wanted to spread across her face. “He’s not my young man. He’s a good friend who’s helping with a problem in my life. In fact, he saved my life today. I’m very grateful.”
They had reached the exit by this time, and Mia caught sight of Lucas pulling to a stop outside. The nurse chuckled as Lucas jumped from the car and hurried back toward the exit. “Not your young man, huh? I see friends of patients all the time in my job, and I’d say that man coming toward you right now has more than friendship on his mind.” She leaned forward and whispered in Mia’s ear. “Take my word for it.”
Mia started to respond, but Lucas opened the door for the nurse to push her outside. When they stopped at the car, Lucas put his arm around Mia’s waist and helped her to her feet. Then, supporting her weight against his side, he opened the car door and held on to her until she was safely seated. Once she was settled, he turned and smiled to the nurse.
“Thank you for all your help.”
“You’re welcome,” she answered. “And you have the prescription?”
He nodded. “I do. I’ll get it filled on the way home.”
Lucas still held the car door open, and the nurse leaned over to speak to Mia. “Good luck. I’m glad you’re getting to go home. Just take it easy for a few days.” She glanced over her shoulder at Lucas. “And don’t forget what I told you.”
Mia smiled and nodded as the woman stepped back and Lucas closed the door. Then Lucas was in the car, and they were pulling out into the late afternoon traffic. “What a day,” he said.
Lucas directed his attention to the street in front of them and didn’t say anything else as they drove toward his parents’ home. Mia leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, her mind returning to the way Lucas had stared down at her after he’d pulled his lips away from her forehead.
Her heart hammered at the memory, and she clasped her curled fists in her lap. Thoughts like that would only end up getting her hurt. Lucas had made it clear he only wanted to be friends. “So, tell me everything that happened after Clyde hit me with his gun.”
Lucas darted a glance at her and frowned. “We don’t need to go into that right now.”
“Yes, we do. I want to know.” Her head was starting to ache, in spite of the pain reliever the hospital had given her, and she felt exhausted and frightened and perilously near the end of her rope. “I’m paying you to work for me, and I want a full report on what happened at my house this afternoon.”
He gave a short gasp and then glanced at her, a scowl etched across his features. “Excuse me, Mrs. Lockhart, I guess I forgot for a moment that I’m only the hired help instead of a friend who’s concerned about how you’re feeling. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Her throat constricted at the harsh tone of his words, but she couldn’t let him know how much she regretted what she’d said. Putting a little more distance between them was for the best, even if it hurt to see him scowl at her like that. “Then, please, tell me what I want to know.”
His lips pursed for a moment, and then he began to speak. As the description of what had happened while she was unconscious began to unfold, she found her heart rate accelerating. When he described falling to the ground and shielding her with his body, she began to tremble. When he’d finished, she had the urge to reach over and squeeze his arm, but she forced her hands to remain in her lap.
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“You’re welcome. Just part of the job.” His clipped tone pierced her heart, and she groaned inwardly. He didn’t look at her but stared through the windshield, the muscle in his jaw flexing.
She swallowed hard and turned her head to stare out the window of the car. Ten minutes later they pulled into the driveway at his parents’ home. She was out of the car and walking toward the porch before he caught up with her. The front door opened immediately, and Mrs. Knight stood there, a worried expression on her face.
“I thought you would never get here.” She reached for Mia’s arm and pulled her inside and underneath the entry hall light. “Lucas told me you were hurt. Let me get a look at your head.”
Mia smiled. “I’m okay. No need to fuss.”
Mrs. Knight checked the bandage on the wound and nodded. “It seems good to me, but I’ll keep a close watch on you tonight.”
Lucas stepped into the house and headed for the stairs. For the first time Mia noticed that he had her suitcase in his hand. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Where did that come from?”
He stopped on the first step and glanced around at her. “I went back in the house and gathered up some of your clothes before I came to the hospital. That’s what we went there to get. So I’ll take this up to your bedroom, and then I’ll go on home,” he said.
“You’ll do nothing of the kind,” his mother replied. “You’re staying for dinner.”
Lucas shook his head. “I can’t, Mom. I’m tired, and I want to get on home.”
“But I made your favorite, spaghetti. You can leave as soon as you’ve eaten.”
“Mom, please.” He sighed and shook his head. “Not tonight.”
His mother’s eyes darkened, and she bit down on her lip. “All right, darling. If that’s what you want.”
The atmosphere seemed charged with electricity, and Mia darted a glance at Mrs. Knight. “Can I help you get dinner ready?”
Mrs. Knight pulled her gaze away from her son and reached out to squeeze Mia’s hand. “After what you’ve gone through today, absolutely not. Now, go sit down in the den until I get the food on the table.”
Mia cast a quick glance at Lucas, who had continued upstairs, and headed toward him. “I think I’ll go see what Lucas packed in my suitcase.”
Without waiting for a reply, Mia hurried to the steps and arrived at the bedroom just as Lucas set down her suitcase. He pressed his hands on top of the case, bowed his head and exhaled a deep breath. When he straightened and turned around, his eyes grew wide. His gaze traveled over her face as he stared at her standing in the doorway.
“I didn’t know you had followed me upstairs.” He took a step toward her. “Do you need any help unpacking?”
She shook her head. “Lucas, I think I insulted you in the car, and I wanted to apologize.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Could you possibly be talking about what you said about me being the hired help who was supposed to report to you?”
Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that, Lucas. I just don’t know how to act with you. When I came to see you, at first you acted like I was the enemy. You’ve made it clear that you would like for us to try to be friends, but I think it’s fair to say that neither of us knows if that’s possible. Then today I wake up, and you’re kissing my forehead. It’s hard to understand.”
He raked his hand through his hair and nodded. “We were in love once, Mia. And you’re right, I don’t know if we can ever be friends or not. It’s like we take one step forward, and then two back. But I think if we work at it, we can have some kind of relationship.”
Tears blurred her vision. “I think so, too. I’ll try.”
“I’m really not in the mood to talk about it tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mia nodded and moved aside as he walked from the room. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it a moment. Then, shaking her head, she walked over and lifted the lid of the suitcase, her eyes opening in surprise.
Teddy lay on top of her clothes, his one eye staring up at her. She picked him up and held him close as she sank down on the bed. Today Lucas had saved her life, and then he’d gone back into the house and brought her the one thing that he knew would bring comfort to her.
Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She’d taken Lucas’s kindness for granted years ago. Now, after the years of abuse she had suffered at Kyle’s hands, she could appreciate all those times he’d insisted on staying late at night at her rehearsals so he could walk her back across
a dark campus. How he’d dragged her away from cramming for exams to make sure she had a healthy meal. And how he’d always shown up with her favorites—strawberry ice cream and a chocolate cupcake—when she was sad because her father had ignored her birthday.
And she’d repaid him by breaking his heart. She took a deep breath, stood up and placed Teddy on the table beside the bed.
She should never have come to him for help. It could only remind him of her betrayal. After all these years, she’d shown up with all the baggage her choices had made, and she wasn’t going to make Lucas suffer any more than he already had. As soon as Tony Chapman was behind bars, she would be on her way. Then Lucas would never have to see her again.
*
Lucas slammed on the car’s brakes just in time to keep from running through a red light. Behind him horns blared as vehicles slid to a stop in the heavy morning commuter traffic. His face burned with embarrassment that he’d let his thoughts distract him. That wasn’t like him at all.
He rubbed his fingers across his eyes and sighed. Even after two cups of coffee and several aspirins this morning, his head still pounded as if a marching band had taken up residence inside. That wasn’t surprising after the sleepless night he’d had. Every time he’d closed his eyes, the memory of his arms around Mia’s still body returned to taunt him.
That vision had then been quickly replaced by her words later. I’m paying you to work for me, she’d said, and his heart had shriveled at the icy tone of her voice.
How could he have been so foolish? He’d let down his guard and had acknowledged the feelings he still had for her. He’d even wondered if he was ready to trust her again, to let go of the doubts that lingered from their past. She had put a stop to that. She’d made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing from him except his services as a bounty hunter, and he’d do well to remember that.
A car horn blared at him, jarring him from his thoughts, and he jerked to attention. The traffic light had turned green. With an apologetic wave, he stepped on the accelerator and drove forward.
Ten minutes later he stepped onto the front porch of his parents’ home and took a deep breath. Professional facade, that’s what he hoped he could maintain today. No talk of friendship. Nothing that could be construed as personal. Just another client with the Knight Fugitive Recovery Agency. That’s all Mia was.
He pushed the front door open, stopped inside the entry and inhaled. The aroma of cinnamon and cloves drifted through the house, and he closed his eyes as his stomach rumbled. His mother was baking this morning, and the smell reminded him of the mornings right before Christmas when he was a child and would wake to the smell of his mother’s holiday spice cake drifting through the house. He licked his lips in anticipation of devouring a big piece of the cake with its thick buttercream frosting.
He headed to the kitchen and stopped at the door as he spotted his mother and Mia sitting at the table having a cup of coffee. His mother turned and smiled when she heard him at the door. “Lucas, I didn’t expect you this early. I was just changing the bandage on Mia’s head.”
“And how does it look?”
His mother turned back to the table and picked up the emergency first-aid kit that she’d been using ever since he could remember. “Everything seems to be good this morning. Why don’t you sit down and have some coffee while I put this away?”
He shook his head. “I’ve already had some, but I would take a slice of that cake.” He grinned, knowing what her answer would be.
“That cake is for the Christmas bazaar at the church. I’m taking it with me when we go to church this morning. If you want a piece, you’ll have to go by there tomorrow and buy it.”
“Aw, Mom,” he whined. “I’ll pay you for it right now.”
Her eyes sparkled, and she shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll bake another cake for Christmas dinner, and you’d better be here to help eat it.”
Lucas arched his eyebrows and kissed her on the cheek. “And where else would I be but here with my family that day?”
His mother laughed and patted him on the cheek. “You’d better be, if you know what’s good for you.” She smiled down at Mia who as yet hadn’t spoken to him. “And what about you, Mia? Can you join us for Christmas dinner?”
Mia’s face flushed, and she shook her head as she reached for her coffee cup. “I don’t think so. I’m sure Lucas will have tracked Tony down by that time, and I’ll be gone.”
His mother frowned. “Christmas is only a week away. I hope Tony is back in jail by that time, but you’re welcome to join us whether he’s caught or not.”
“Thank you. We’ll see what happens.”
Taking a deep breath, Lucas’s mother glanced at Mia before she checked her watch. “Oh, Lucas, I didn’t know it was getting so late. After church your father and I are having lunch at the mall and then finishing our Christmas shopping. Are you and Mia coming to church?”
Mia didn’t look up at him, and he raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I thought you might be home after church, but I guess I can take her with me again. She has to have a bodyguard.”
“Good,” his mother said as she hurried to the coatrack next to the back door. “I’ll see you two later. Have a nice day.”
When his mother was gone, Lucas walked to the counter, poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. Mia didn’t glance up but wrapped her fingers around her mug and stared down into its contents.
After a minute she straightened her shoulders and looked up at Lucas. The bandage on the side of her head wrinkled as she frowned at him. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
Lucas took a sip of coffee before he answered. “I never said you did.”
“Having to take me with you sounds like an imposition. Why can’t I just stay here?”
Lucas exhaled. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to be alone, not until I’ve found Chapman.”
Mia was silent for a moment before she spoke. “Lucas, I know you don’t take other clients with you when you’re tracking a fugitive. I don’t want any special treatment from you. Just find Tony Chapman. Then I’ll go away, and you’ll never have to deal with me again.”
Her words sliced back through the wound her statement last night had left, and Lucas pushed back from the table. Gritting his teeth, he stood and strode toward the living room but stopped before he exited the kitchen. Slowly he turned and came back to where she still sat at the table. She stared up at him, and a slight tremor pulled at the corner of her mouth.
“Mia, I get the message. It was loud and clear yesterday, and now you’ve repeated it. But you don’t have to worry. I understand how you feel about me. I’d hoped we could be friends, but I don’t think that’s going to be possible now.”
A startled look flashed across her face, and she stared up at him. “What message? What are you talking about?”
He closed his eyes for a moment and bit down on his lip. Why was he doing this now? He needed to let it alone, but his heart told him to be honest. “I know you have hard feelings about how I deserted you, and I’m sorry about that. I was wrong to do it.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she frowned. “Deserted me? I don’t understand.”
“If I had done things differently, you never would have had to go through what you suffered with Kyle. I’m sorry I let you down.”
Mia pushed to her feet and shook her head. “You didn’t…”
Lucas held up his hand to stop her. “I did. When I asked you to put our wedding off because I wanted to pursue my own dream of being a navy SEAL, I didn’t give a thought to how you’d feel about that decision. I knew you’d always felt abandoned by your father, and yet there I was—abandoning you, too. I ignored everything you wanted and left you with no other choice than to go back to your father’s house—a place where you’d always been so unhappy. If I had taken care of you, you never would have met Kyle, and things would have turned out differently. I’m sorry you’ve suffered because of me.”<
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Mia reached out and grasped his arm. “Lucas, you can’t blame yourself for the mistakes I made. If I’d been strong enough, I never would have given in to my father’s pressure to marry Kyle. But I didn’t know what else to do. I hadn’t heard from you, and I thought you’d moved on.”
“Not heard from me?” he almost yelled. “I emailed, but every one I sent bounced back that the address wasn’t valid. I tried calling, but your number was no longer in service. Then I resorted to writing letter after letter, but I never heard a word in reply from you. And yet when I came home a year later, I still went to your father’s house to find you, but a maid told me you were married and no longer living at home.”
Her eyes had grown large while he talked. Finally, she said, “I was so angry at you when I had to go back home that I changed my email address and got a new phone. But I never received any letters.”
“Well, I sent them. Maybe somebody at your father’s house didn’t want you to get them.”
“That’s possible. I know my father wanted me to move past my feelings for you, especially once I met Kyle at a charity fund-raiser. Kyle set off from the start to sweep me off my feet, and I was ready to have some attention from a man. We were married a few months later. It didn’t take me long to realize what a mistake I’d made. I’d thrown away whatever chance I might have had with you. Now it’s too late.”
Lucas’s hands curled into fists at his side. “Mia, please, don’t say that. I thought we were going to try and be friends.”
She shook her head. “We can’t, Lucas. Too much happened in the past. I’m not the same person I was when we were in college. I’m too damaged, and you deserve better than having a friend like me. I’ll be fine on my own, once this situation is resolved. All I need is to have some peace in my life, but I can’t do that until Tony is back in jail.”
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck and pursed his lips. Well, if that’s what she wanted, he’d better get busy trying to give it to her. Because being around her was dredging up too many old feelings, and he couldn’t take much more.
Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 Page 28