by Mia Ross
But much as he wanted to reassure her, he drew the line at lying to make her feel better. Not only was it wrong, but she’d see right through it. He’d worked hard to earn her trust, and he wasn’t about to do anything that would cause her to withdraw back into the shell she’d been in when he first met her.
So he settled for catching her eye and giving her what he hoped came across as a confident grin. She responded with a tentative smile, but the gratitude shining in her eyes balanced it out. Under the circumstances, he figured that was about the best he could ask for.
The game was a defensive battle, and just before halftime, the teams were tied at seven. During a commercial, Drew strolled into the kitchen to get a soda from the fridge.
Erin sat at the large table, staring wide-eyed at something on her laptop. When she noticed him, she motioned toward the screen. “Bekah did an amazing job on the new website. It’s so fabulous, I can’t even remember what the old one looked like.”
“Tell her that, wouldya?”
“Absolutely.”
Shouting erupted from the front parlor, and he grinned. “Parker likes his new game?”
“He taught Abby how to play, and they’re having a blast. It’s giving me some time to get caught up with clinic business.” Leaning back in her chair, she gave him the Mom look that must have come with the ream of foster-parent papers she’d signed when she took in Parker. “You’ve been acting worried all night, which isn’t like you at all. What’s going on?”
“Wish I knew,” he confided, perching on the end of a long bench. He nutshelled what he’d seen and heard during the day, ending with “She won’t tell me the whole story, and I’m afraid if I ask her directly, she’ll think I’m prying. What should I do?”
“Send her in here,” Erin suggested immediately. “I’ll find out.”
“I don’t know. That sounds like a bad idea.”
She waved that off like a gnat. “It’s girl talk. I’ll start out giving her notes on the website, then move over to what Sierra told me about that weasel showing up unannounced. If there’s something you need to know, I’ll share.”
“Who decides if I need to know?”
“Me.” Raising one eyebrow, she added an evil grin. “Take it or leave it.”
* * *
“Anything else?” Bekah asked, pen poised over her notepad to record more input from the woman Sierra affectionately called The Boss. She hadn’t had much direct contact with Erin before the fire, but since then they’d bonded over their mutual concern for the animals and how to approach bringing the clinic’s facilities back up to speed.
“Not that I can think of.”
Bekah eyed her notes dubiously. “Are you sure? This isn’t very much to fix.”
To her surprise, the usually serious Erin laughed. “That’s because you did such a great job. Take the compliment, okay?”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” After a sip of fragrant orange tea, Erin leaned back and gave her a long, assessing look. “A little birdie mentioned that you had a less-than-welcome visitor at the center today. Tell me about it.”
It wasn’t a request, Bekah noticed wryly. It was an order from someone who was accustomed to people obeying her—either out of love or fear. And judging by the patient expression she was wearing, she fully intended to sit at this table until Bekah answered the question to Erin’s satisfaction.
Bekah wasn’t used to people troubling themselves about her well-being, and a few weeks ago the prying would have sent her scurrying back into the shadows to avoid calling attention to herself. Now, though, she took the meddling as proof that Erin not only cared about her, but would help if she could. “What did Drew tell you?”
“The basics, but I think he’s missing the big picture. You left Cleveland months ago, so I want to know why Richie would put so much effort into hunting you down in the first place.”
Bekah had kept the truth to herself for so long, it felt like a part of her. But as she met Erin’s direct, unflinching gaze, she realized the time had come to share it with someone who just might be able to help her shed the past once and for all.
“Before I tell you the gory details, let me ask you something.” Erin nodded for her to continue. “You work for a judge, right?”
“I’m his office assistant, not a paralegal. Why?”
“I have something that needs to stay safely tucked away, but I’m not sure it’s legal to do that and I don’t want to cause you any ethical problems.”
Erin leaned in and spoke more quietly. “Something of Richie’s?”
“Not exactly.” Bekah considered what she was about to do one more time, then took a deep breath and forged ahead. “The department store I used to work at went bankrupt just before I left Cleveland. I have evidence that proves it was mostly because Richie and the senior accountant were embezzling money from the company.”
Erin’s eyes rounded in shock, and Bekah almost expected to be accused of participating in the crime. She was relieved when Erin said, “Those crooks. A lot of people must’ve lost their jobs because of what those two did.”
“More than a hundred of them, from maintenance to upper-level managers. I didn’t know what was going on until the end, when Richie left some of the undoctored financial reports at the apartment. When I realized what they were, I realized he was more than abusive—he was a criminal. I knew that if I didn’t get out of there, people would assume I was in on their scheme, and I’m sure he wouldn’t tell them otherwise.”
“That’s awful,” Erin seethed. “You could’ve ended up in jail.”
“In a heartbeat. I had no intention of letting that happen, so I copied the computer files onto a portable drive and one day when he was out, I left.”
“Good for you,” Drew’s voice approved from behind her. When she turned, his jaw was set in grim lines that would have frightened her if she didn’t know his gentle nature as well as she did. “So that’s why he’s really here. It’s got nothing to do with wanting you back.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt he misses having me to kick around,” she retorted crisply. “But he’s a lot more worried about what I know and how I might use it against him.”
“What do you need from me?” Erin asked in a pragmatic tone that was oddly comforting.
“Just a safe place to keep the evidence I have. Taking it to the police wouldn’t help save the company at this point, but it could put Richie and that crooked accountant away for a long time. I think they’d prefer to avoid that,” she added with a wry grin.
Strolling into the kitchen, Drew spun a chair around and sat down. “I know that look, Bekah. You’ve got a plan.”
“I do,” she confirmed, glancing from one Kinley to the other. “But I’m going to need a little help.”
* * *
“I don’t like this,” Drew muttered to Bekah when they arrived at the Oaks Café the following afternoon. “Have I mentioned that?”
“Repeatedly.” Taking his hand, she gave him a confident smile. “I appreciate the moral support, but I don’t want you and Richie getting into a fight. Cam promised to keep an eye on me, so you’ll have to be content hanging out in the snack bar.”
His eyes wandered through the connecting archway, then settled back on her. “I’m gonna sit in view of the door. If he so much as looks at you funny...”
“I know, you’ll do terrible things to him. He’s due here anytime now, so you need to get going.” She gave him a playful shove toward the adjoining room and couldn’t help laughing when he didn’t budge. “Drew, I’ll be fine. I have a plan, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. I still don’t like it.”
“Too bad. This is my problem and my solution. Now go.” He remained stubbornly by her side, and despite the serious reason she was here, she couldn’t help smilin
g at the sweet, protective gesture. “Please?”
“Well, since you said please.” Giving her a lopsided grin, he quickly kissed her before walking away.
Bekah had to admit, knowing he was on the other side of the wall ready to spring into action made her feel a lot more confident than she would have otherwise. She chose a table in the middle of the dining room, in full view of everyone there. Including Cam, who caught her eye from the front desk and gave her a nod.
Despite the ugly confrontation that was probably coming, she’d never felt safer in her life.
When Richie appeared in the entryway, she sent up a heartfelt prayer for courage to carry through with the maneuver she’d so carefully plotted out. While she didn’t really expect him to harm her in front of so many witnesses, she wouldn’t put it past him to try something more subtle but just as unnerving.
As she watched him come toward her, an unexpected sensation washed over her, replacing her anxiety with a calmness so complete, she felt it all the way to her toes. And in that moment, she knew that if she just followed the course she’d chosen, everything would be all right.
“Hello, Bekah.” When he noticed the two chairs were directly opposite each other, he chuckled as he sat. “Was this your idea or your Doberman’s?”
“This is a table for two,” she replied smoothly. “The chairs are always set up like this.”
“Okay, have it your way.” Folding his hands on the table, he skewered her with a sharp stare. “I have to admit, I’m impressed.”
The compliment caught her off guard, but she managed to maintain contact with those dark, penetrating eyes. “With what?”
“That you called me instead of sneaking out of town in the middle of the night. It’s not your style.”
“I don’t run from my troubles anymore,” she informed him icily. “I stand up to them.”
“Good for you.”
His words echoed Drew’s from the night before, but the mocking tone was decidedly different. But now, rather than making her feel small, his condescending attitude just annoyed her. Batting away her irritation, she got down to business. “I have a solution to our mutual problem.”
Something akin to respect flared in his eyes. “I’m listening.”
“I have proof of what you did to our former employer. It’s safely tucked away, with instructions on what to do with it if anything happens to me. It will stay that way as long as you never contact me in any form ever again.”
She had his full attention, and she could almost see the wheels spinning in his devious mind. “And if I don’t agree to your little blackmail scheme?”
“I’ll file restraining orders against you in every state and go to the district attorney with everything I have. When the evidence I’ve accumulated comes out, you and your numbers guy will be sent to prison for a very long time.”
The boldly specific legal threats had been Erin’s idea, and while Bekah wasn’t certain she could actually follow through on them, she thought they had a nice, official ring to them. Once Richie had a chance to absorb that, she leaned in and added the kicker. “If you want to stay out of jail, all you have to do is leave me alone.”
“How do I know you have what you say you have?”
She’d anticipated the challenge, and she slid a few sheets of paper across the table. “These are some random printouts from hundreds of electronic pages. See for yourself.”
While he skimmed them, she casually lifted her water for a sip. Cam traded a look with someone in the distance, and she assumed it was some kind of silent communication between him and Drew. Knowing they were watching out for her made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and she swallowed a grin that would only have made Richie angry.
“Fine,” he spat, tossing the pages back at her. “But how do I know you’ll keep your word?”
“Would you like it in writing?” This wasn’t exactly the kind of arrangement you documented, and she was more than happy to point that out to the man who’d made her life so miserable for so long.
Apparently realizing he’d stepped into that one, he frowned and shook his head. “No, but you’re treading a fine line here. How do I know you’ll keep your end of the bargain?”
“You don’t,” she said evenly. “You’ll just have to trust me.”
Clearly, he didn’t like that, but she had him in a corner, and they both knew it. He stood up and glared down at her. “Like you’re going to trust me?”
“I don’t have to,” she informed him sweetly, waving the papers for emphasis. “This time, I’ve got all the cards.”
Without another word, he pivoted on his heel and stalked from the café. He hadn’t been gone more than a few seconds when Drew came over and settled into the vacant chair on the other side of the table. Taking her hands, he pinned her with a worried look. “You okay?”
“I am now.”
And for the first time in a very long time, she meant it.
Chapter Eleven
Today was the day.
After weeks of preparation and nervously crossing off the days on their countdown calendar, praying they’d be ready in time, Animal Palooza was finally here. Bekah woke up long before the sun, cleaning and arranging things before going through the clinic’s morning routine as efficiently as humanly possible. The critters were more cooperative than usual, which helped tremendously. Then she took another tour, making sure everything was ready for the onslaught of visitors they’d have throughout the day.
When she was satisfied that everything was in the best shape that could be expected, she headed for the area that was quickly gaining fame as their Birds of Prey sanctuary. Long ago, she’d gotten over what they ate for breakfast, but this morning she felt a knot starting to form in the pit of her stomach. Pausing in front of Rosie’s enclosure, she rested her palms on the outside of the bars and stared in at the magnificent creature that had inadvertently brought her to the rescue center so many weeks ago.
If it hadn’t been for the wounded hawk, Bekah was fairly certain she’d still be on the run, constantly looking over her shoulder instead of in this charming town, working at a job she loved.
“I know this doesn’t make any sense to you,” Bekah whispered as her eyes welled with tears, “but I’d still be lost if it wasn’t for you. I’ll never forget you, Rosie.”
The bird cocked her beautifully sculpted head and squawked softly. Crazy as it seemed, Bekah couldn’t help thinking the bird had understood what she’d said and replied in her own way.
Hanging on to the bars, Bekah closed her eyes, trying to stem her tears. She’d known all along that one day, Rosie would go back to the wild skies where God meant for her to be. But it had always been at some point in the nebulous future. Now it was today, and thrilled as she was for her hawk friend, Bekah couldn’t deny that she was going to miss her terribly.
Behind her, a door closed, and she heard familiar boot steps coming up behind her. When Drew’s arms came around her, she gratefully turned into his embrace.
“It’s stupid,” she mumbled into his soft flannel shirt. “I knew she was going to be leaving someday.”
“It’s always hard to let go of someone we care about, even if we know it’s gonna happen.”
Bekah angled her head to look into the cage again and let out a deep sigh. “I’m happy for her, though. She’s strong and healthy, and it’s time for her to go home.”
“She’s got pretty distinctive markings,” Drew said quietly, kissing the top of Bekah’s head. “It wouldn’t surprise me that if you keep your eyes open, you’ll see her around.”
Tilting her head back, Bekah smiled up at the kind, generous man who’d done so much for her. “That makes me feel a lot better. Thank you for thinking of it.”
“Anything for you,” he assured her, sealing his promise with a quick kiss.
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”
Gazing into those warm hazel eyes, she felt the depth of that truth with a conviction she’d never experienced with anyone else. Drew had come to mean more to her than she could have dared to hope for, and into her mind came the words that would best tell him how she felt.
“I love you, Drew.”
A slow grin drifted across his tanned features. “You do?”
“Yes.” More than a little surprised by his reaction, she laughed. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard that before.”
“Too many times,” he confided with a grimace. “Usually right before things got ugly and fell apart.”
She could only recall a handful of times she’d seen him being anything other than optimistic, and the current of doubt in his voice definitely got her attention. “Are you worried that’s going to happen with us?”
“You really feel like there’s an ‘us’?” he asked, clearly amazed. When she nodded, the grin came back even brighter than before. “That’s awesome, ’cause I’m pretty sure I love you, too.”
“Pretty sure?” she echoed, giving him a mock glare.
Obviously, he’d caught on that she was teasing, because he laughed as he pulled her closer. “Y’know, when you get mad, those pretty eyes of yours spark like fireworks.”
He dropped in for a long, leisurely kiss that she honestly wished could have gone on forever. Unfortunately, the rest of the staff would be arriving any minute, and she reluctantly untangled herself from his arms. “We’ve got a lot to do today. Why don’t we make dinner at your place tonight to celebrate?”
“The fund-raiser or us?”
“Both.”
“Sounds good to me.”
He drew her in, plainly angling for another kiss, and she pushed him away with a laugh. “The food or the celebrating?”