She didn’t want to recognize it, but it was there between them, same as the strong attraction. No matter how hard she fought the pull linking them, it grew fiercer every time she saw him, and now it threatened to overwhelm her. Go now. She needed to get some sleep and be alert tomorrow to meet with the attorney. Yet, she couldn’t seem to move.
The need was too strong. Too elemental. Too vital. She felt the heat of his body, and every nerve in her body was sensitized. The air sizzled. His lightest touch sent currents of heat racing through her.
His fingers stroked her cheek. Gently as if she were a fragile piece of glass. Her gaze met his, and she wondered at the vulnerability she saw there. She thought about the way he’d said Braveheart had gone home. She knew that Eve had played with the idea that the dog really belonged with Clint, that for whatever reason, the two had bonded in a way that Braveheart hadn’t with anyone else. The somber note in Clint’s voice told her he had refused to keep the dog, and not because he didn’t want him. It was because of Nick.
All her defenses shattered. There was a decency in him that she hadn’t trusted in the beginning. And when she’d started to believe, she’d fought accepting it. It didn’t go along with her past experiences.
He was nothing like Mark. Nor was he like Rick who’d transferred all his rage into deadly activities. She had loved him like only a lost sixteen-year-old girl could when an obscenely handsome boy saved her. Temporarily.
“You have the most remarkable blue eyes,” he said.
She relaxed against him. His fingers followed the lines of her cheek, then touched her lips. She nibbled the tips of his fingers.
She knew this was not the time or place. The fact they were...romancing in the middle of the city park would be all over town tomorrow.
But she was loath to lose the warmth that surrounded her like a cocoon.
“I have to go,” she said. She didn’t want to. She was befuddled by longing. She wanted more of his touch. More of his gentleness. She’d never known that before. But this was a public place. Rumors would be running through town like a virus.
And there was the fact, of course, that he was a temporary resident.
He looked at her with questions in his eyes, questions she couldn’t answer. She didn’t know what would happen in the next few days with Mark. She steeled herself. Now was not the time to get involved with anyone, particularly someone who evoked the kind of emotions Clint did from her. She needed to think clearly.
“I have a dog you may like,” she said, switching to the impersonal, practical Stephanie that she’d worked so hard to maintain. “Lulu. I found her on the highway Sunday.”
“Ah, you trust me with a dog. Progress.”
“I’m getting there,” she said, surprised when she found her hand in his.
“As for Lulu, I thank you for trusting me with her, but I’m not really in a position to take one. I was just keeping Bart...Braveheart...for Eve and Josh. It was little enough to do after living in their cabin. We got along fine, but I knew it was temporary.”
We got along fine.
Casual words, but he was hurting because of Braveheart. He was an expert at hiding any sign of emotional pain. She certainly had noted how adverse he was to recognize physical pain. She should have figured it extended to the other kind, as well, but she had been blinded by her fear.
He hesitated, then said, “Come to the cabin with me,” he said. “Just for a drink? A soda? A glass of water?”
She wanted to. The air had thickened with desire. Shafts of electricity spiraled through her. She wanted more of his touch. More of that tenderness. Every fiber in her wanted to go with him. But then she remembered her appointment tomorrow. Her own terrible judgment in the past.
“I can’t,” she said. “I really do need to go home,” she said. “I have paperwork and the dogs to feed, and Lulu needs attention.”
“Then have lunch with me tomorrow,” he said.
“And have the entire town talking?” she said, desperately trying to inject a note of levity to dispel the overwhelming sexual tension hovering between them. “Maybe it’s tempting for that reason, but I have visitors coming in from out of town, and I’m not sure when they’ll arrive.”
“Tempting is good for whatever reason,” he said with a half smile that sent her heart reeling. “And I hate to tell you, but from what little I know of this town, I suspect everyone is already talking.” He kissed her nose. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. It’s a very delectable nose.”
“It’s a very plain nose,” she said.
“Nothing about you is plain.” He stroked her hand. “Maybe some other time?”
She should say no. She should shut this down now. She had no room in her life for someone else. And she had no idea what would come of tomorrow’s meeting and what damage Mark might wreak if she agreed to help Mark’s wife. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“You don’t plan to stay here, and I’m not very good at relationships,” she said frankly. And, unfortunately, truthfully.
The young couples at the swing departed, the music trailing behind them. Clint touched her hair and played with a curl, then rubbed the back of her neck. His tenderness nearly undid her. He had awakened her body from a long slumber and it craved the feelings long denied it.
He lightly touched her lips with his.
Her arms went around his neck, and his kiss deepened. The raw passion between them was so potent she could barely think. Damn, she wasn’t thinking at all. Just...feeling. Sensations. And aching. Aching like she’d never known.
And it scared the hell out of her.
She jerked away. “We can’t. Everyone will know.”
“And that’s so important?”
“Yes. No.” The latter was the truth. She didn’t care about what the town thought about a simple kiss. Or even a not-so-simple one. She cared about the life she’d carved out her for herself here. She cared about her independence. She cared about losing her heart.
She couldn’t afford another disaster.
She moved away from him. “I do have to go.”
“What are you afraid of?” he asked in a low, gentle voice.
She couldn’t answer. She couldn’t say “you” because that would admit there was something there between them, something so strong that she still hadn’t moved when she should be running like hell.
“I don’t want to get involved with anyone,” she finally said.
“Why?”
“You’re here just for a short time,” she said, seeking a more logical reason than fear. “It makes no sense to start something. It’s not...practical.”
His fingers moved to the back of her neck again. “And you’re big on practicality?”
Go. Go. Go...
She swallowed hard, then summoning all the self-control she had left, she moved away from him and stood on trembling legs. “I try to be,” she said in what she feared was not a very convincing tone.
“I don’t give up easily,” he said.
“Neither do I,” she replied and walked away, forcing herself not to look back.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
STEPHANIE COULDN’T SLEEP that night. She couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. Her body wouldn’t let her. She’d wanted him, and she had come so close to accepting his invitation.
She still wanted. She knew she would want him tomorrow and next week. And, she feared, many weeks after that.
Her lips still felt the warmth of his. His second kiss. The first at Eve’s corral had been gentle like a spring rain; this one had been a tornado, tearing apart all reservations. Tenderness had turned into raw, naked need. On both their parts.
She winced as she thought about how she’d basically run away. But the fear was too ingrained
in her. Fear of being wrong. Fear of loving and losing not only her heart, but the self-respect that had taken her so long to rebuild.
After she’d left him last night, she had retreated to her backyard. She sat for a while in a lawn chair, staring up at the stars. So bright. So eternal. So immune to feelings that afflicted mere human beings.
Lulu had jumped up on her lap and cuddled as the night grew deeper. Sherry and Stryker took a piece of grass on each side of her. Her protectors. At midnight, she’d gone inside.
But this was a new day and she had a busy morning. She went through the appointments, all, thank God, benign ones. Checkups and vaccinations. She had no appointments during the afternoon. Nothing unusual about that. She usually tried to keep Wednesday afternoons free. That was the time she caught up on paperwork, ordered medications and sent bills.
Beth usually helped her, but at noon Stephanie sent her home early and she put the closed sign on the door. Susan Townsend’s attorney called and said they expected to arrive at the bed-and-breakfast at 1:00 p.m. They wanted to meet her at 2:00 p.m.
Stephanie suggested they come over to her office. It would be the most private place in Covenant Falls.
Just before two, she took Lulu for a short walk, then put her in her kennel. She was in the office when she heard the front-door bell ring. She opened it and greeted the man and woman standing at her doorstep.
She brought them inside the waiting room. Sherry and Stryker had come to the front door with her and, as instructed, they were on their best manners. Both sat and wagged their tails in welcome.
“Thanks for seeing us,” David Matthews said while shaking her hand. He was a tall man in his midforties with a nice face and a friendly smile. She imagined he would be good with a jury; he’d certainly been convincing on the phone. Prior to their phone conversation, she’d been determined never to be involved in anything to do with Mark again.
Susan Townsend reminded her a little of herself ten years ago. She was a redhead, too, with blue eyes. Her hair was cut stylishly short and she wore expensive slacks and a silk blouse, but her manner was diffident as if convinced she had little of value to offer. She appeared shy, but whether that was due to Mark’s remarkable ability to beat people down, or her natural demeanor, Stephanie did not know.
“I am so sorry I believed what he said about you,” Susan said in a voice laced with nervousness.
“I believed everything he said, too,” Stephanie replied. “He can be very convincing.” She gestured to her dogs. “Meet Sherry and Stryker. They both love visitors. Sherry, say hello.”
Sherry held out her right paw. Both newcomers solemnly shook it.
“Stryker?”
Stryker did not always respond as trained, but today he did, and he raised his paw. He barked happily after both visitors took it. Stephanie relaxed. They had passed the Sherry and Stryker test.
She led them upstairs into her apartment. “Can I get you coffee, tea or a soda?” The attorney asked for coffee, Susan a glass of water.
After fetching the drinks, including coffee for herself, she brought the plate of pastries she had bought at Maude’s. “I didn’t know whether you had time for lunch. These were baked this morning by the best cook in this part of Colorado.” She paused, then added, “I know you didn’t come here for food. I’m just not sure how I can help you.”
The attorney spoke first. “I know from Susan’s experience that what you experienced must be painful, but anything you can tell us about your marriage would help. There were rumors...”
“I bet there were. But before I go into that, I want to know why you came to me, why you need information from me and how you propose to use it if I give you any.”
“It depends on what you have to say. But I promise I won’t repeat or use anything unless you give me permission.”
She studied him for a long time. “Let me hear your story first.”
Susan looked at the attorney, and he nodded.
She started to speak in a low voice. “Mark and I have a daughter,” she said. “Melissa. She’s three. He has temporary custody. Not because he really wants her. He never had much to do with her unless there was company around. It’s a weapon to make me stay. There’s a custody hearing in two weeks. Right now, I’ll lose. He says he can prove I’m an unfit mother, that I’ve had affairs and that I’m mentally unstable, none of which are true.”
“He told me he didn’t want children,” Stephanie said. “That was after the marriage.”
“He didn’t. He wanted me to take birth control pills. I did because I wanted to please him, but I’m one of the three percent for which they didn’t work. My pregnancy came as a surprise to both of us. I was happy. He wasn’t. His verbal abuse became worse, then he started hitting me after the baby was born. The last time, I thought he was going to kill me. He always called his personal physician who came to the house. No medical records, and I was too frightened to go anywhere else. He said he could prove I’d been unfaithful and take Melissa and I would never see her again. I remembered all the gossip about you, and I started wondering.”
“Whether it was true?” Stephanie asked. “It wasn’t.”
“I know. I came to understand how controlling he was, how abusive. That he could do what he did to you is only proof that he could ruin my life, as well, and worse, take Missy. But I knew I couldn’t stay. His rages were getting worse. If he killed me, what would happen to Missy? His mother...”
“Oh, I know about Mother Dearest,” Stephanie said. “Mark could do no wrong.”
Tears streamed down Susan’s face. “He won’t let me see Missy. I don’t even know where she is. I don’t have a chance against him. I thought, maybe, you could help.”
Stephanie believed her. It followed the trajectory of her time with Mark. She didn’t want to talk about it because she hated remembering how weak she’d been, how powerless. Wouldn’t she be exactly that if she didn’t help another of Mark’s victims?
“I can tell you what happened to me, but I don’t know how it will help.”
“Anything that tells us more about Mark Townsend would help,” the attorney said.
She told them the whole unvarnished story, not sparing any detail.
She’d kept it bottled up for years, but after the phone calls, she had realized she couldn’t keep it private any longer. He’d been the bogeyman in her closet too long. He had kept her from trusting. From loving. From living. She’d become a prisoner as much as if he had locked her in a room. She’d not known how he’d dulled her life until last night when Clint had kissed her.
When she came to the end of her story, she shook her head. “I was offered this opportunity in Colorado. I didn’t tell anyone in Boston, just moved here and legally changed my last name to my mother’s maiden name. I knew he would come back into my life at some time. He’s not someone who lets anyone go. Not without hurting them very, very badly. With me, it was taking away my career. With Susan, Melissa.
“Someone needs to stop him,” she continued. “I’ll do what I can. I want to warn you, though. I’ve received several phone calls from an unlisted number in Boston. I didn’t answer precisely because I think it may be him, and I didn’t want him to find me.”
“Do you think we led him to you?” Susan asked.
“Maybe, maybe not. I always knew he could find me if he really tried. However, I would check all your phones. I know he tapped mine when I was in Boston. He was able to block every attempt I made to find a job.”
The attorney’s face darkened. “Would you testify? In court?”
“If I think it will do any good. But he smeared me so badly in Boston, I don’t think anyone will believe me.”
Matthews shook his head. “I don’t know. Let me think about it. Thank you. You certainly confirmed all my thoughts about him. If he was violent with you and Susan, he mus
t have been violent with others. Now we know there’s a pattern. There must be others. Maybe not wives, but girlfriends.”
“Good luck,” Stephanie said. “He’s ruthless, a liar, and won’t stop at doing anything to protect his image.”
David stood. “We appreciate you seeing us. If we can find one more woman, maybe we can expose him.” He cocked his head to the side. “You really think it’s Townsend who is calling you?”
She nodded. “Anyone else would leave a message. Well, anyone I would want to answer.”
He swore. “I’ll have my investigator check our phones as soon as we get back.” He glanced at Susan. “Can we take you to dinner someplace? I promise not to discuss this anymore. Maybe that restaurant you mentioned earlier. We’re staying here tonight since our plane isn’t scheduled to return to Boston until tomorrow afternoon.”
Stephanie saw Susan shiver as David said the words. She didn’t want to go back. Stephanie glanced at her watch. Four o’clock. She owed them at least that much since it had been a long trip, maybe for nothing. And their enemy was her enemy.
“Did you rent a car?”
He nodded.
“What about a picnic? We would have to take your car since I only have a van with two seats. I think we all need fresh air.”
The attorney and Susan looked at each other and nodded.
“I’ll call Maude’s and ask her to fix a basket. I would suggest fried chicken, although she also has great steaks and hamburgers.”
“Chicken sounds good,” the attorney said.
“Vegetables?” Susan asked.
“Maude has a very good veggie plate.” She called Maude. “I have a couple of Easterners here. I’m going to take them up to the falls and thought we would have dinner there. Fried chicken for three and a veggie plate. Iced tea and three slices of your best pie.”
“Friends of yours?”
Tempted by the Soldier Page 16