by Alice Sharpe
“You were scared.”
“Tell me about it. But now I’m mad, and I shouldn’t take it out on you. Meanwhile, I will not allow a lowlife like David Lee to run me out of my home. I can’t believe I just called that hole a home. Anyway, I’ll nail the damn door shut first.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I admire your spunk, but there’s also an inside staircase,” he said as he maneuvered the big truck through narrow old streets lined with parked cars.
“An inside staircase? You mean from Ruby’s house to my apartment?”
“Your apartment used to be the basement, right?”
“Of course, I should have thought of that. But I’ve never seen a door—”
“It’s at the back of a small room, behind a sliding panel next to a little closet full of tools.”
“I saw the closet. I didn’t know about the panel.”
“I didn’t think so. It looks as though you didn’t use the room for anything other than storing furniture and boxes.” For a second he thought about that dark, dank cave. It was hard to picture Faith living there.
“You have to leave,” he insisted as he drove down Ruby Lee’s driveway and parked in front of Faith’s pathetic excuse for a home. “You’re in danger here.”
“Trip, just stop. I can’t afford a move. I paid two months’ rent up front plus a nonrefundable cleaning deposit. I have medical bills to pay off if I’m ever going to be solvent again. I need to stay put.”
“If they are abusing your rights, they should have to give you a refund.”
“I thought of that. Enforcing it is the trouble.”
The wind whistled by the truck as he assimilated this news and searched for a way to tell her what he had in mind. It was getting dark outside. She looked at him across the dim interior of the truck. “Face it, I’m broke. There is no shame living hand to mouth, but I used rotten judgment moving into this dump, and now I’m going to make the best of it.”
No way was he leaving her here with David Lee lurking around upstairs. “I have a proposition for you.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Not that kind,” he said quickly, but he was secretly pleased she’d made the leap to sex so quickly. Sitting in the half dark, her face a glowing pale oval, her eyes heavily shadowed, she looked ethereal. He wanted her badly, not that wanting her was going to do him any good. He added, “I need a babysitter…you need a place to live and a car to drive to work. You’re great with kids—”
“I have a job,” she interrupted. “At least, I think I still do.”
“Exactly. What, two more days of work and then a couple of weeks of vacation, right? Spend the time at my place. If you don’t want to sleep in the house, fine, you can have one of the vacant cabins. The ranch is crawling with unused vehicles this time of year.”
“This is very kind of you but—”
“And in return,” he said, talking over her, “you help me find a new babysitter. I don’t think Gina is coming back anytime soon. I don’t know how to hire someone new, and you said you wanted to help Noelle, inside or outside of school.”
“Mrs. Murphy can help you.”
“Mrs. Murphy will pick someone she approves of, someone solid and respectable and as fun as dirt. I want someone Noelle and Colin like.”
Her fingers made the trip past her cheek and into her hair as she considered his offer. “What about us?” she finally said.
“What about us?”
“You know.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her laugh sounded forced. “Okay, we’ll pretend ‘us’ never happened.”
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” he murmured.
“Yes. And Neil Roberts? Have they caught him yet? Has anyone seen him?”
“No one. He’s disappeared. That’s another reason I’d like you at the ranch.”
“So you can keep an eye on me.”
He tried what he hoped was an engaging smile, assuming she could see it. “I’m not allowed to worry about you, I forgot.”
“You’re impossible,” she said.
“Maybe, but maybe I’m just more experienced with things like this.”
“I have no desire to put myself in harm’s way—”
“Then come to the ranch, save a little money so you can make a decent move in January, get me through the hiring process for a replacement for Gina. You’d be helping me and the kids.”
She looked over her shoulder at the dingy white house and then back at him. “I’d like to help Noelle and Colin.”
He noticed how she hadn’t mentioned helping him. “Then you’ll come?”
“No hovering?”
“Not even if Neil Roberts shows up in Shay?”
“Maybe then,” she said.
RUBY LEE SHOWED UP as Faith carried a box out to Trip’s truck. By the way she teetered down the drive and stood leaning against the fence, it looked as though she’d started the evening festivities a little early.
She narrowed her eyes when Trip exited through the doorway carrying an armload of clothes still on hangers.
“You!” Ruby screamed.
“Evening,” Trip said, depositing the clothes in the backseat of the cab.
“You were with those damn cops this morning,” she hissed. Turning her wrath on Faith, she added, “And you’re the one who fingered my boy.”
“Yes, I admit it, I told the sheriff the only one I could think of who would try to harm me and two innocent children was your son.”
“He would never!”
Faith shook her head. “The sheriff will figure it out. If David is guilty, I’ll press charges. If he’s not, I’ll apologize. Meanwhile, I’ve decided to move out.”
“Good riddance.”
“And I want my money back.”
“That’s outrageous,” Ruby said, letting go of the post and grabbing it again when she wobbled. “I rented to you in good faith.”
“You and your son have made it impossible for me to live here,” Faith said.
Trip cleared his throat. “There’s always small claims court—” he began.
Faith glanced at him. “Please,” she said. “I’ll take care of this.” Looking back at Ruby, she added, “Mr. Tripper is right, though.”
“You have no proof of anything,” Ruby seethed. “And if you want to sue me, go ahead and try.”
Faith finally realized she was still holding the heavy box. She plopped it down in the back of the truck and shoved it forward. “Then is it okay with you if I leave a few things in the back room until later? I mean as long as I’m paying rent?”
“Sure,” Ruby said, almost gloating. “You’re paid up until the end of January—it’s yours to do with what you will.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m a reasonable woman,” Ruby said, and then she seemed to realize she’d started this conversation angry with Faith and Trip for getting her beloved son in trouble. She turned unsteadily and lurched her way back up the driveway.
As soon as she was gone, Trip said, “I can have someone come get the rest of your things later tonight. No need for you to stay tied to this dump.”
Faith shook her head. “Thanks, Trip, but no.” She went back to lock the door behind her, grateful when he let the matter drop.
This time, when they crossed the cattle guard under the Triple T sign, Faith felt a sense of homecoming. She knew it was fantasy, but she didn’t care. The very fact she didn’t have to worry about running into David Lee made her heart feel lighter. No more drunken diatribes from Ruby, either.
And yet, as they drove up the road she had to admit there were also no locked gates, no guards, nobody to keep someone intent on evil from taking the same road they traveled into the heart of the ranch. And at the heart? The house, of course, warmly glowing with Christmas lights as before, but also the new wood rising from the ashes of a burned out barn, a phoenix soon to be struck down again.
Trip drove past the house, stopping when he reached a
small cabin-like structure that sat close to the house on the other side of a fence. It was built up off the ground, with stairs and a broad porch. He turned off the engine and honked the horn a couple of short blasts. Within seconds, a cluster of ranch hands appeared from around the back. They each took a box or two and, as Trip opened up the cabin and switched on the lights, carried the belongings Faith had brought with her inside.
As she walked behind them, carrying an armful of clothes, a sudden gust of chilly wind assaulted her nose. She could swear she smelled the acrid remains of smoke.
The cabin was really just a glorified studio apartment, but it was clean and dry and had obviously been made ready, probably by Mrs. Murphy. There was a poinsettia plant on the counter, along with a stack of folded linens and a few basic supplies. Weak light filtered in through the skylight right above the bed.
“It’s not very big—” Trip began, but Faith hushed him.
“It’s perfect. It’s snug and safe and clean and warm, and best of all, private. Thank you.” The fact that she could see the new construction outside the window? Immaterial.
“Wait until my ad goes in the paper and you have to start interviewing applicants for a nanny,” he said. The ranch hands, including a very sheepish looking Paul Avery, had departed and now it was just the two of them. Trip looked bigger than ever standing in the small space.
Gesturing toward her little kitchen, which was really an alcove containing a microwave, hot burner, tiny fridge and a toaster, he said, “You’re welcome to eat inside with the rest of us.”
“I have the food I brought from my old place,” she said. “I think I’ll stay in tonight and get everything all situated. It’s a workday tomorrow.”
“Just so you know, you’re welcome anytime. Oh, and I’ll dig up the keys to a car for you.”
“Thanks. I meant to ask about Buster.”
“I drove out to Gina’s mother’s place and asked if I could get him out of Gina’s car. She didn’t care one way or another. I’ll give him to Noelle when I go inside.”
“So Gina left Buster in her abandoned car?”
“Yeah. I saw him yesterday.”
“Did she sew him up?”
“Good as new.”
“If Gina knew the toy was that important to Noelle, would she have gone off and left it like that?”
“I don’t think so,” he said cautiously, “but who knows for sure. If she was excited about going away with Peter Saks, maybe she just forgot.” He glanced at his watch and added, “I’d better get inside.”
She followed him to the door in order to lock it after his departure. He turned the knob and the wind tugged on the door, admitting a slap of cold air. She touched his arm and said, “Again, thanks.”
He looked down at her, his eyes mysterious beneath the brim of his hat, holding her gaze. He put his hand over hers. She couldn’t seem to turn away. It was like they were caught in amber, the cold all but forgotten, nothing existing except the two of them.
“Boss?” The word was immediately followed by an “Er…Oh, sorry…”
Faith came back to reality with a thud, the cold wind snaking through her clothes. A whiff of aromatic smoke tickled her nose as she turned to find George Plum and another man standing on the small porch outside the open door. George was puffing on an ivory-bowled pipe.
The newcomer appeared to be about Faith’s age, in his late twenties. He wore dark clothes that looked a little baggy, had a round face and a round-shouldered frame. A wisp of a fair mustache brushed his upper lip.
Trip turned to him. “Eddie, right? I saw you this morning at the diner.”
The younger man grinned. “I saw you, too. I’m Eddie Reed, the mechanic.”
“Sure,” Trip said.
George piped in. “He showed up today.”
“I heard old Duke got a snootful at the tavern last night and got himself thrown in jail,” Eddie said.
Trip narrowed his eyes. “Where did you hear that?”
“At the diner, where else? Being in the same line of work, me and Duke got lots of the same friends. I figured you was going to be needing a new mechanic so I hightailed it out here.”
“He’s right, we do,” George said.
“Has Duke been charged with anything?”
George plunged his hands in his jacket pockets, as though the cold was getting to him. “This is his third DUI, he ain’t getting out of jail anytime soon.”
Trip swore. “He knew what was at stake—I warned him often enough. I’m sorry to hear he fell off the wagon, but getting behind the wheel of a car, that’s the end of it as far as the Triple T is concerned. Still, I’ll go talk to him, make sure we aren’t judging him before we get the facts, see what he has to say for himself.”
“Then you want I should delay hiring Eddie?”
“Can you give us a day or two?” Trip asked.
Eddie shrugged. “Sure.”
“Boss, I hate to disagree with you, but the weatherman is predicting snow and the hay tractor is down,” George interjected. “We need Eddie now. If it’s okay with you…”
“No offense, Eddie, but we’ll need to run background checks before we can make anything permanent.”
“No offense taken,” Eddie said.
“Couldn’t he work now and we’ll do that next week?” George asked.
“Yeah, okay, go ahead. Welcome aboard, Eddie,” Trip added, extending a hand.
Eddie Reed looked as excited as a small kid on the first day of an adventure as he uttered his thanks.
Trip turned back to Faith. “Are you sure I can’t send someone to the Lee house to get the rest of your belongings?”
“I’m sure,” she replied.
“If you end up suing her to get your money back, it will look better if you moved out all the way. Asking her to store things—”
“Trip? Let it drop, okay?”
He tugged on the brim of his hat. “I’ll leave you to get settled.”
As Trip and the other two men walked off, Faith closed the door and turned the lock.
Chapter Eight
It didn’t take long to find a place for everything. The last item to be unpacked was the little porcelain figurine that Olivia had insisted Faith keep. Dressed in blue, bowing to an invisible escort, her best friend said it reminded her of Faith because of the blue eyes and yellow hair. Faith didn’t see herself in the little doll, but it did remind her of Olivia.
A knock on the door took care of an impending wave of nostalgia by sending her heart into overdrive. There was no way to see who was on the other side, no peephole through which to peek.
Did people like David Lee and Neil Roberts knock on doors, though? She stood rooted to the floor, waiting.
“Faith, it’s me. I have news!”
Trip. Almost as dangerous, in his own way, as Lee or Roberts. She opened the door and stood aside. No use pretending she wouldn’t let him in.
“Guess what,” he said, closing the door. When he grabbed her arms, the pressure of his fingers raced through her veins. “Colby just called. Neil Roberts was sighted down in San Diego. He must be trying to cross the border into Mexico. We as good as have him.”
“That is great news,” she said, and flung her arms around his neck.
Mistake. She was wearing satin pajamas, and the moment her breasts rubbed against his chest and his hands wrapped around her back, she could feel the sizzle of his desire burn through the slinky material.
Or was it her desire?
She lowered her arms, determined to reestablish boundaries.
His grip loosened, but he kept her within the circle of his arms. She faced the fact it was very comfy there.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he added. “Until we have the son of a bitch behind bars again, there’s no point in letting down our guard. But it looks promising. Roberts has been sighted a thousand miles away, all is right with the world. Except for David Lee, but we’ll get him, too.”
“This is a side of you I haven
’t seen,” she said, looking up into his glittering dark eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“The happy, carefree side.”
“The relieved side, that’s all.”
“It’s very attractive,” she said.
He raised his eyebrows.
She started to laugh, but there was something in his gaze that killed the impulse. Something that reminded her how close they were standing, of the weight of his hands touching the top curve of her bottom, of the wide set of his shoulders and his inherent masculinity.
As his fingers flexed against her satin-covered skin, lust shot through her pelvis, bypassing the mended bones and scars and creating a whole new sensation of its own.
One kiss, she thought frantically, willing him to sense her shifting emotions, to free her from the decision to take matters into her own hands. She’d told him she didn’t want him caring for her, she didn’t want the responsibility of his affection or concern. And she didn’t, she really didn’t. He’d respected her desires, he’d backed off, and now she was telling him something else, and this time without uttering a single word.
And she meant that, too.
Very slowly, she raised her arms again until they circled his neck, her breasts once again pressing against his chest. His gaze went from her breasts to her eyes, the tension in his big body vibrating through hers, his obvious desire empowering her in unexpected ways. She raised herself on tiptoes, pulling the back of his head just a little—and he lowered his face slowly, giving her all the time in the world to slip away, to change her mind, to come to her senses.
Until his lips touched hers, and then time was up.
The kiss was long and wet and moistened every vulnerable inch of her body, priming her for the erection she could feel growing against her thigh. His desire inflamed her own, and when his hand slid over her rear and down the back of her legs, she all but shuddered with the strength of her need for him. He lifted her into his arms effortlessly, never breaking the connection they’d forged with their mouths. As her eyes drifted closed, her mind turned off to negative thoughts, the world ablaze with vibrations that were brand new in their intensity.
He was carrying her across the room and she knew when he stopped they were next to the bed. She opened her eyes when his lips left hers and found him staring at her, his gaze glimmering with starlight.