“He’s what?”
The smirk turned into a fully-fledged gloat. “I said, your dear Patrick O’Neil is sleeping with another woman. My woman. I told you there was something happening between them, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did, but I don’t appreciate your tone, Adam.”
“Are you willing to help me now?”
“No more than I was before.”
Hope vanished in a poof of thick, inky black smoke. Maybe he’d pegged her wrong. Maybe she wasn’t as vindictive and vengeful as he remembered. How had he misread the signs? She followed her ex-fiancé around, tormenting him by inquiring after him at his workplace or “bumping” into his family or friends. He hadn’t needed to ask around to learn her habits regarding Patrick O’Neil. She’d flat out told him herself. Surely none of those actions were those of a woman who felt nothing for an ex. Unless it wasn’t vengeance she was after. The fact that she might still love him hadn’t crossed his mind until just then. He quickly brushed it aside. Sara Montgomery wasn’t capable of love. She wasn’t just cold-hearted. That would mean she actually had a heart.
“So you’re just going to let him slip away? You’re not going to make him pay for leaving you?”
“Oh, he paid for leaving me,” she replied. “If you ever meet him, you should ask him about a couple of scars, particularly the one below his collarbone.”
Her tone was unnervingly smug and Adam was reminded of whom he was dealing with. Any woman who could stab a man with a kitchen knife and take pride in the act was someone to fear. He briefly wondered if it was wise to include her in his endeavor. Probably not, but it was too late now.
“And no, I’m not going to just let him ‘slip away’. I spent six months in prison because of him and I had to wear a bracelet for another six months after that.”
“You know, Sara, six months for assaulting a cop is nothing. You should have done years. They coulda pinned you with attempted murder.”
“Six months, six decades, it doesn’t matter. I owe him for that marvelous little vacation and the fine jewelry I received as a parting gift. And I owe him for the restraining order that nearly got me arrested again.”
Adam wanted to laugh at the idea of Sara wearing an ankle bracelet, but didn’t dare. The fact that the cop had put a restraining order on her was funny, too. But he’d laugh later, when this was all over.
“So, will you help me, or what?”
“I’m going to go with the ‘what’. I’ll be out there as soon as I can get away, but I want you to be clear that I’m only doing this to get back at that son of a bitch. I don’t give a rat’s ass about you or your psychotic obsession.” She laughed and the sound sent chills along his spine. “I hope he loves her. He’s the sort that would fall for some little backwoods twit. It’ll be marvelous to rip them apart. Don’t do anything stupid until I get there, Adam.”
After he’d hung up, Adam went back to the restaurant. He really needed a drink after that phone call. Even the thought of her wearing an ankle bracelet didn’t seem so funny now. She’d gotten off easy. Someday, karma was going to come back around and bite her in the ass and he didn’t want to be anywhere near her when it did. He was probably just as responsible for whatever trauma befell Pat O’Neil as Sara was because he’d brought her into this game.
“I thought you said you were going home.”
The snide voice jolted Adam out of his unpleasant daydream and he realized with a start that he was sitting at the bar in the restaurant’s lounge. He couldn’t recall arriving back at the motel in the first place, nor could he remember walking inside or taking a seat.
“I did. I’m back. And I’m staying off the clock, so don’t even ask.” He peered into the dining room. “Besides, it’s slowed down.”
Dora humpfed and stalked away.
“Ain’t too many people that can talk that way to that old bitch and walk away with their ears in tact.”
Adam glanced to his left and nodded a greeting at JP. “I guess I have more job security than most here.”
“Apparently. So, tell me, what’s got your panties in a bunch tonight?”
Adam flagged down the bar tender, who was so new they hadn’t yet met. It was an older woman who reminded Adam a lot of Dora. He’d already heard tales circulating that she was about as pleasant to work with as the manager.
“What can I get you?”
“Moose Drool, please.”
Without a word or any of Amber’s sassy chatter, the woman moved off to fetch his drink.
“The owner’s in town. He’s got everyone stirred up,” Adam replied while he waited.
“As usual. I’ve met him once or twice. I didn’t find much of anything useful about the man. That ain’t all that’s got you fired up.”
Adam shook his head. He really didn’t like it that JP could read him so well. There was no lying to the man and he was one of those people it was hard to say no to. Adam could have told him that he didn’t feel like talking about it—which he didn’t—but JP would buy him a couple of beers or a couple of shots and get it out of him eventually. He should have known JP would be in town tonight. He should have just gone to the store and bought himself a case of beer to drink in private misery. It wasn’t very often that he set out to get drunk, but tonight called for it. The new bar tender brought his beer and he asked for another as soon as she got a chance, then drained the first in one long swallow. He hoped JP would get bored and move on to some other topic.
“There’s only one thing I’ve found that makes you drink like that,” JP said.
He was, apparently, without luck tonight.
“Your girl. And I’d say she’s got you more bothered tonight than usual.”
“You might say that.”
“What happened?”
Adam frowned at his companion. “You know, JP, it really isn’t any of your business.”
JP slapped his knee and guffawed. “Oh, sonny boy, she’s really got you going tonight.”
“It ain’t just her tonight. I talked to an old friend in Seattle just a few minutes ago. She’s one crazy bitch.”
“Crazy can be interesting,” JP mused.
“Not that kind of crazy. She stabbed her ex-fiancé with a paring knife because he told her he was leaving.”
JP’s brows lifted. “Hellcat.”
Adam nodded. “I don’t know what I was thinking, calling her.”
“Why’d you call her?”
“Her ex is the detective staying with Aelissm.”
“Small world.” JP took a long drink of his own beer. “Let me guess. You thought you could involve her, get her to chase the detective off and then you’d have Miss Davis all to yourself. Is that it?”
“That’s the basic idea, yeah.”
JP shook his head, which irritated Adam anew. From what he’d heard about JP’s interest in June Montana and lack of progress with her, the man had little right to tell him what to do.
“You’re a smart man, Brandon, and I like you, but some days you can be really stupid. What makes you think you can control a woman who’s already stabbed one man in a rage? What makes you think she won’t ruin everything for you?”
“What else am I supposed to do? Before much longer, I’ll lose Aeli to that cop for good. I have to get him out of the way.”
“No, you have to grow a pair and take care of things yourself.”
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t let this woman take care of your problem for you. Every time you involve someone else and give them that kind of role, it only complicates matters. It makes for too many variables.”
“What are you now, some kind of math genius?”
“Nope. Just someone who’s taking his time to lay out the pieces just right.” JP requested another round for himself and Adam. “That way, when the time comes for me to move, there won’t be any variables. Now, tell me, Brandon, what’s changed in the game for you? Because I know something has. Otherwise you wouldn’t have given in to desperatio
n and called your old friend in Seattle.”
“She left a note on my door.”
“Ah. So she has the upper hand now.”
“How do you figure?”
“She knows where you live, probably where you work, what vehicle you’ve been driving and I’d bet she even knows you’re banging that cute little bar tender. While you still haven’t figured out where she lives. She has one more piece of information on you than you have on her. Take a look at all that and try and tell me she doesn’t have one up on you.”
Adam sullenly admitted defeat to JP’s argument. After hours upon hours of driving the roads of that damned valley, he still didn’t have a clue which one she lived on. Most of the secondary roads weren’t marked. From the directory, he knew where she lived, he just didn’t know how to get there. There was no map of the Northstar Valley. Apparently, everyone in Northstar knew all the roads and didn’t need signs or maps to know where they were going. When he’d followed Aelissm out here, he hadn’t thought it would be so hard to find her. No wonder she’d chosen to hide here. Not only was everything impossible to find, her neighbors were a tight-lipped, protective lot. He’d made the mistake of trying to pry information—casually of course—out of the other woman who worked the post office just that morning. From her stern refusal to answer his questions, he knew the valley residents were on the look out for him.
“Yeah, fine, whatever. So what? I’ll find her.”
“Uh-huh.”
He was getting more than a little annoyed by JP’s smug, know-it-all attitude tonight.
“What? You got a better idea?”
“Nope. But, then again, I know where she lives. More importantly, I know how to get there.”
Adam stood up. He wasn’t about to take aid from JP. God only knew what he’d end up having to do in return for the information. He’d find Aelissm on his own if he had to spend every waking hour prowling down every damned back road out there. He had a little time until Sara arrived anyhow. And Amber was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks after her finals were over. He almost wished he could go with her instead of staying here, like she’d begged, but her absence would give him the opportunity to poke around without her learning what he was up to.
“Going somewhere, Brandon?” JP asked.
“Yeah. I’m going home, like I should have done right after work, and get piss-drunk. Thanks for the offer, JP, but no thanks.”
“Just remember, when you can’t find Aelissm on your own…”
JP let the sentence hang and Adam walked away without another word. Had the man not just told him it was stupid to involve other people? Too many variables. He’d wait until there was no other option but accepting JP’s help. He’d already made the mistake of seeking Sara’s help without first knowing for sure he couldn’t get Pat O’Neil out of the picture on his own. It was a realization that had come too late, because now he couldn’t go back and un-ask her. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake with a man he was certain was at least half crazy.
While he walked home, he earnestly began to wonder why he was still so hung up on Aelissm.
Chapter Seventeen
TWO WEEKS HAD SHOWN PAT that his promise to not get more deeply involved with Aelissm was impossible to keep. They’d made love at least once nearly every night, sometimes more. They never meant to, always saying that this time would be the last. Kissing her or touching her was the sweetest bliss he’d ever known and making love to her… heaven itself would have a hard time comparing. Her body was incredible, her willingness was breathtaking, and the pleasure she took from their joinings was the most potent aphrodisiac.
He’d never been unable to resist a woman before. And it wasn’t just the sex. He loved her spirit and her wit. He found himself wanting to be with her because of who she was. Like today, he’d decided to tag along for the first day of her new class at the college. He’d sat in the back of the room while she went over her syllabus, detailing what she expected of her students, and was amazed. She was good at this. The students listened intently, asked questions and seemed genuinely interested. It was probably a testament to both her talent and her femininity that there were nearly as many young women in the class as there were men. Many of the girls had already made comments alluding to their joining the class because they’d heard about Aeli’s recently concluded blacksmithing course.
Now, he was standing with her outside the woodshop, watching and waiting as she bade her students good-bye until the next class.
“So,” she said, turning to him after the last student had left. “What do you think?”
“Wow.”
“Oh, c’mon, Pat, it’s just the first day.”
“Not the class, Aeli. You. You’re really good at this whole teaching thing, you know that?”
“I do now. College is definitely a better fit than high school was.”
She smiled and leaned into him. Her kiss was chaste, but desired flared as if she’d initiated a much hotter caress. His eyelids slid closed and he groaned low in his throat. When he opened his eyes, he found her angled away from him, watching him with a smug smile that was oddly gentle and warm. She was stunning when she looked at him like that, with her eyes full of joy and love. It was gone too quickly for his liking, replaced by the usual, playful sarcasm.
“C’mon, Mr. O’Neil, we need to get headed up to the valley.”
“Mmm. Anything you say, my dear,” he replied.
He followed her out to her truck like a faithful puppy and when he realized it, he was amused at his predicament. He knew he loved her like he had never loved another and he knew that a life spent with her would be a never-ending adventure. Nick Hammond had remarked upon that when he’d first met the man. But part of him refused to give up his dream of being a detective. The battle was beginning to tear him apart and he could see no easy resolution.
“I’m glad they scheduled my class in the morning,” Aelissm said as she drove away from the college. “That way I can still get some work done at the Bedspread, too.”
“You’re never going back to Washington, are you?”
“I don’t see why I would. I mean, my parents are there, and most of my family, but this is home. I have a great start with the college, as you pointed out, and Grandma and Grandpa really want me to take over operations of the Bedspread. Permanently. Besides, it was always my dream to settle down out here.” She paused. “I just lost sight of that when I went to Seattle.”
“I can understand that,” Pat said. “All of it.”
“You know, this may sound really insane, but I should thank Adam. If he hadn’t terrified me into running, I might never have come back here.”
By that single comment, Pat knew that Aelissm’s fear of Adam Winters was officially in her past. There were still loose ends to be tied up, but unless Winters did something nasty, Aelissm was through being afraid of him. She was thinking about her future again, not living from one day to the next. The conversation also reinforced his belief that he couldn’t ask her to leave this place. It was too much a part of her and taking her away from it, even if she was willing, would destroy what he loved the most about her.
“What are you thinking about, Pat? And don’t tell me ‘nothing’ because I can see the wheels turning.”
“I don’t think Adam is much of a problem for you anymore.”
She shrugged. “Not like he was, no, but I still have my moments. And I probably will until I know he’s gone and out of my life. I’ve come to a lot of realizations about my life, especially the time I spent in Seattle. And I know we said we were through apologizing and thanking each other, but I don’t think I could have come this far without you.”
He smiled. “Nor I.”
The rest of the ride up to the valley was spent in contented silence or light conversation about mundane things like the operations of the Bedspread, Aeli’s new students, and Luke’s official name change from McKindel to Montana, which had only happened a few days ago when he’d receiv
ed his new social security card. When Pat had talked to his boss that afternoon, Bill had expressed surprise that Luke had decided to take June’s last name. Pat had told the captain that he’d have been shocked if Luke had opted to keep McKindel.
Simple conversation like that had been missing from his life for most of the past three years. He’d missed the familial gossip and though June and Luke weren’t his blood relations, he’d come to love them like a second family. It reminded him, too, that he needed to start getting back to that same closeness with his own family.
He stared out the window as they drove up the mountain, amazed by the love that filled him. Not just this new love for Aelissm, but for everything. He was living again. Like Aelissm, he could start to focus on his future now. No more working himself to death, no more hiding in his bed staring at the ceiling as he waited for morning to come and no more bad days.
When they reached the cabin, Aelissm walked inside and stopped. She turned to face him, frowning thoughtfully.
“I’ve been thinking, Pat,” she began. “Since you’re so rarely in your own bed anymore, why don’t we just make the move official? Sleep with me from now on.”
He knew he should say no. Things between them were already too complicated. But he couldn’t seem to make his mouth form that simple word. The thought of sleeping in her bed with her tucked snuggly in his arms and waking up beside her was appealing. Since he couldn’t answer one way or the other, he did the only thing that came to his mind. He took her in his arms and kissed her. She melted into him, readily giving in to him.
He would have happily taken her there on the living room floor, but somehow they made it upstairs. Her power over him was awesome and by the time he laid her gently on her bed, he was shaking with raw need. With urgency pulsing through him and desire flooding his veins, he stripped off his t-shirt and hungrily sought Aelissm’s neck. She squirmed beneath him, kicking out of her jeans in the same, consuming passion. With their clothes discarded, Pat wasted no time in stroking her to aching need. He fought to control his own raging desire to give her time, but by the feel of her, she didn’t need it.
Mountain Angel (Northstar Angels, Book One) Page 25