The sensation, the ripple that traveled through her belly, was a lot like a girl’s first crush—sweet, innocent and tempting, like taking a tentative step into the unknown. She wondered if he felt it too. In a way she hoped he did, but it would only serve to make her more vulnerable if he realized her developing feelings for him.
His fingers played with her hair, caressed her shoulder. It wasn’t about the past anymore, not to her. The possibilities of where this moment could go made her heart race, an exciting sensation she wanted to pursue. She wondered what would happen if she turned her face to his. Sparks burst through her body.
Their cozy moment was disturbed when Gus struggled to rise. At first Krista thought it was because he didn’t like the close proximity of the two humans.
Then he started barking frantically, facing the trail behind them.
Chapter 5
Matt pulled away and got to his feet as well, holding out a hand to help Krista up. Gus’s woof reminded her of the dog’s reaction after the incident with the brick. She doubted that some casual, innocent hiker was coming. She thought about the pepper spray, but instead took the leash and attached it to the dog’s collar.
“What is it?” she asked Matt, straining her eyes to see through the thick cover of trees. The only movement was the restless fall of leaves in the breeze. If anyone was out there they were out of sight, but Gus sensed it, pulling on the leash to rush over and sniff their stalker out.
“I thought I saw something. Stay here, I’m going to take a look.”
Krista grabbed his arm. “No, why don’t we just walk away, get down the trail. I’d rather not know.”
“Damn it, Krista, I’m not going to run away.” He pulled from her and started down the trail that entered the woods. He walked slowly, searching all around him.
Krista considered letting Gus loose. Maybe the dog would flush out the person hiding out there.
Matt paused and stared into the dense woods. He took two steps off the path and paused again.
“Okay, John, come on out. Damn, what in hell are you doing up here?”
Krista had expected to see Ricky, not John Frechette emerge from the trees, a hangdog look on his face. She felt her jaw drop open when the older man, dressed in a camouflage jacket and olive drab hat, walked up the path in front of Matt. He didn’t meet her eyes, just stared at the ground.
“So what’s going on here, John? Out for a hike?” Matt asked quietly, keeping his gaze fixed on the older man.
He didn’t reply. Though she remembered what Patricia had told her about John’s feelings toward her, she couldn’t imagine John would think so ill of her that he’d follow her here. To do what? Talk?
“Come on, John,” Matt urged. “We’re all friends here. Let’s discuss this, get it out in the open.”
Krista wanted that, too. It was horrible to think this man still blamed her for Liz’s death.
“I’m not in uniform here, John,” Matt continued when John remained silent and nervous. “We can talk about it off the record.”
“Please, Mr. Frechette. I don’t want you to hate me.” Krista finally spoke up. She walked to him, got close enough so she could look into his eyes. He tried to avoid her gaze but she took hold of his chin as if he were a child and lifted it.
He jerked his face back from her hold. Disappointed, she dropped her hand. “Why did you come here today?”
“I wanted to get you to leave,” he replied gruffly.
“How did you think you were going to do that, John?” Matt didn’t look pleased at all. His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened.
The older man shrugged and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. “Don’t know. I was figuring it out as I went.”
“Did you throw the brick through Krista’s window?”
That seemed to get his attention a bit. He swung a startled glance toward Matt. “No, I didn’t do that. I haven’t been near her house.”
“Or the center?” Matt added.
Krista grabbed Matt’s arm. “Stop it, Matt. I’m sure he had nothing to do with that, either.” Well, she hoped not. There had to be a chance she and Liz’s father could return to their old friendship. “Mr. Frechette . . . John. Please, can’t we talk about this? I would give anything to have Liz back. I loved her, she was the best friend I had in my whole life.”
She took his hand but he didn’t withdraw it. “There was more to that night than me slamming on the brakes. I told you the truth after the accident. You know me, John, you’ve known me nearly all my life.”
His shoulders started to shake and his face reddened. She wrapped her arms around him. He stood stiffly in her arms, didn’t return the embrace, but he didn’t shove her away. Her body absorbed the shudders that ran through his chest. Moments before, an unlikely person had comforted her and now she was on the giving end. There must’ve been something in the air for these two men to finally believe her.
Well, maybe not one hundred percent, but she’d take what she could get.
John pulled back and wiped his eyes off on the sleeve of his jacket. “I’m going home.” Without another word, he headed back down the trail, his shoulders slumped.
“Well,” Krista murmured when John disappeared down the hill. She glanced at Matt who stared at her. “This is just plain weird. I never expected . . .”
“I’m just as confused about things as he is, Krista,” Matt admitted seriously. “I’m glad he wasn’t behind the trouble.”
“My number one suspect is still Ricky. He has more to lose if people start doubting him. What is he doing for a living now, anyway?”
“He’s a lawyer over in Nashua. His father’s connections have gotten him a long way. He likes his life now. A part of me can’t believe he’d risk it for this, but you may be right. If his story is false and it gets out, he could lose the nice house on the hill and the fiancée.”
“What a mess,” Krista murmured and closed her eyes. “All I wanted to do was open a youth center to help out the families in this area. I just want to be left alone. I’ve learned to live with others’ ideas of what happened, as sucky as it is. I don’t want the extra troubles.” She opened her eyes and looked toward the land stretched out beneath them. From their height it seemed like they weren’t even a part of that world.
“They’re still breaking the law, no matter what the circumstances. I think the center is going to do a lot for this community. Whoever is targeting you will be caught.”
He was right, of course. But she considered it more trouble down the road for her. Perhaps more contempt, too.
Despite the perfect sky and the brilliant landscape, and despite the moment of truce between her and Matt, Krista felt her afternoon was spoiled now. The wind didn’t blow as fresh, just chilly. The sun had begun its descent behind the trees. Gus had settled back at her feet, relaxed now and looking sleepy.
“I’d better get back to my car. Thanks for being at the right place at the right time.” She glanced at him.
Matt seemed to study her closely. She couldn’t imagine what thoughts went through his head. Maybe all the problems she had brought back to Quail Ridge. Was he regretting the way he embraced her before John Frechette intruded? Or her intrusion into his life once more?
“I’m walking you back,” he told her, his voice firm in case she decided to argue.
“No, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine on my own. I’ve got pepper spray and Gus.”
“Too bad, I’m walking you. Come on, it’s starting to get cold.”
She could’ve said no again, but Matt had made up his mind, so she let him follow her back down the path. In fact, she was grateful for his company. If she’d gone alone, she would’ve been clutching the pepper spray for dear life, expecting bad guys to be hiding behind every tree. Obviously having Matt there had scared them all
away.
She’d never admit such a thing to Matt. Instead, Krista kept her back straight and her stride strong as they descended from the ridge.
When they got to the bottom of the trail, she was puzzled to only see her Jeep there.
“Where did you park?”
“I walked from home. There’s a trailhead about a quarter mile from my house. On the other end of the ridge.”
Krista rolled her eyes. “Get in and I’ll drive you home. Unless you want to walk.”
“I’ll take the lift,” he replied with a grin.
Matt watched the Jeep pull away from his driveway before going inside. “What the hell?”
What had happened on that ridge, sitting on the ledge with her, his arm around her? Had she felt it?
Felt what?
He let out a growl. He had no clue, except it felt rather nice, in a strange sort of way, holding her like that.
But she may as well have killed your brother. The part of his brain—still believing she was the sole reason for Jay’s death—shouted inside his aching head. How could he feel anything but contempt for her? Maybe she deserved everything bad that came her way. Maybe he was thinking all wrong about Ricky. Maybe some other person was pissed at the way she just waltzed back into town and set up shop in his mill, and they wanted to chase her right back to where she came from.
And life here could go back to normal.
Except for one thing. The other part of his brain actually believed what she told him there on the ledge, what she’d tried to tell him and everyone else after the accident. Would that justify the attraction he felt for her? The urge to protect her?
“Damn,” Matt swore under his breath as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.
He was taking the next three days off, though he hadn’t any plans. He didn’t want to sulk, worry, or stare at the walls. He would’ve offered to go help Krista with the mill, but somehow getting closer to her now would only cloud his feelings and his good sense.
Sitting here swearing wouldn’t make anything better either.
He stared out the kitchen window at his back yard, littered with a patchwork of fall leaves. Raking would be good. He put the unfinished beer down and went out.
Some good physical labor—getting the yard cleaned, maybe repairing the stone wall along the back boundary of his property and anything else he could come up with—would get him good and tired. Maybe then he wouldn’t dwell on the mess of thoughts and emotions that stewed in his brain.
Unfortunately the sun had already gone low enough so he only got a quarter of the yard raked before he had to call it quits. He certainly hadn’t spent near enough time out there to work away his thoughts. On the contrary, with each moment that passed, he thought about Krista more and more. Worried about her more and more. Was she safe? Gus didn’t seem quite the dog to watch over her, no matter how much heart he had.
“She’s fine,” he muttered as he hung the rake in the garden shed.
“Who’re you talking to?”
Matt whipped around and found Dean leaning against the door, grinning like a fool.
“Nobody,” he replied grumpily and stalked past him.
“Can’t be ‘nobody.’ If it were nobody, you wouldn’t be looking like you were ready to strangle the next guy who looked at you the wrong way.”
“Try me.”
Dean made a face, his eyes crossed and tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Matt snickered in spite of himself. “You’re an idiot.”
“But my kids like it.”
Now Matt laughed. “Great, admit you have the mentality of a toddler and a four-year-old. I’m impressed.”
“Hey, I couldn’t think of anyone I’d like to impress more.”
Matt replaced the padlock on the shed and walked toward the back door, leaving Dean to follow him. He wasn’t in the mood to entertain, but a long evening stretched before him like a boring, endless road. At least Dean would liven things up.
“You want a beer?”
“Nope. I tried calling, but you were out beating up your lawn with a rake. I’m here to drag you to my lair. Why don’t you shower, get changed, and let’s head out.”
Oh, yeah, that’s exactly what I need. Yet a night with Dean, his wife, and kids might provide the distraction the lawn work didn’t.
On the other hand, being around Dean’s boisterous group reminded him of what he didn’t have, what he might never have. What he might have had if he hadn’t gotten all dour and serious.
Three-year-old Brianna climbed on top of her father, sprawled on the living room floor. The small, dark-haired girl giggled and Dean laughed as she tickled him mercilessly under his chin. Dean’s wife, Suzette, was in the kitchen with Evan, who fed the three cats.
Would Rachel and I have had cats? Children? Matt had no idea. Rachel was sleek, elegant, and spoiled. Children hadn’t been discussed between the two of them back in the good ole days. Then again, not too many teenaged boys thought much about being dads. That had changed over the years they were together, at least for him. He’d never once seen a glimpse of maternal instinct in Rachel. Good thing Ricky didn’t seem too interested in adding new branches to his family tree.
And that, no doubt, was a definite good thing for everyone concerned.
“Uncle Matt!” Evan dashed out of the kitchen and leapt into his lap. Matt laughed and put his arms around the little boy.
“Did you catch any bad guys today?” Evan asked. His brown eyes were wide. For the past few weeks Evan had been fixated on cops. He planned to be one when he grew up. Before that he wanted to be a fireman. Next week it would probably be an army soldier.
“No bad guys today, kid. I’m waiting for you to ride out with me and help spot them. Just as soon as you graduate from police school, you and I will go out and hunt for bad guys together.”
“I wanna go too!” Bri rolled off Dean’s back and dashed across the room, crawling onto Matt’s vacant knee.
“Two partners? Wow, I think I’m the luckiest cop in the world,” Matt declared. And Dean had to be the luckiest father in the world. No wonder he was so young at heart.
“Hey, you two, why don’t you let Uncle Matt breathe? Time to go wash up for dinner.” Dean glanced up from the position Bri had left him in, his face red from laughter. His grin hadn’t gone away. He made a grab for Evan’s leg, which sent both children into peals of laughter. They shot off Matt’s lap and headed into the kitchen.
“I bet you’d be a natural.” Suzette leaned against the doorjamb between the kitchen and living room, smiling at Matt.
Matt turned his attention to Dean’s wife with a raised brow. “A natural what?”
“A natural father, you fool. Such a waste of talent.” She walked back into the kitchen.
Matt eyed Dean suspiciously. “Please don’t tell me Suzette is about to go all yenta on me,” he said.
“Her? Little Suzy Sunshine who wants peace and love, bunnies and rainbows for everyone?” Dean heaved himself off the floor and sat on the sofa.
“Better not let her hear that, she’ll deck you.”
“Nah, she’ll admit it freely. And to answer your question, I can’t answer your question. I have absolutely no idea whether she has any designs on you. Or whether she’s picked out your prospective bride.”
“Well, in case she asks your opinion, please make it very clear to her I’ll pick my own bride. Not that I’m looking.”
“You should be. You’re getting to be an old man, Matt.” Dean elbowed him in the ribs. “You need someone in your life to take care of you, entertain you when you get home so you don’t have to do any late night yard work.”
“Don’t know if it’s in the cards for me. I’m too serious, according to some people. What woman in her right mind is going to
want me?” He said it with a grin, but deep down the thought depressed him.
Suzette summoned everyone to dinner. Matt, thrilled to see an end to this conversation, was determined to steer clear of any further discussion of his love life for the rest of the night. He gave all his attention to the food in front of him. According to Evan, Suzette made the best “basagna” in the world.
As much as he despised admitting it, the seed of settling down had been planted in his head. One didn’t just decide to do it, especially when one didn’t have any kind of prospective mates in the picture. And hadn’t since Rachel. A few dates here and there, nothing that went anywhere more than a couple weeks. That lifestyle had always worked for him. No matter how much it hurt to acknowledge it, he hadn’t been much fun. What woman wanted a guy who didn’t smile or laugh?
It wasn’t as if he had lots of money to entice a woman, but then again, if it came down to wealth, he didn’t want a woman more interested in his money than in him.
It seemed he faced a long, lonely life as a crusty old bachelor.
“Everything okay, Matt?”
He hadn’t realized Suzette had been staring at him. Again he wondered if she had Cupid on her mind for him.
“Great, wonderful. Why do you ask?”
She laughed. “The way you were staring at your plate I thought maybe you found a bug in your food or something.”
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