A Man Like Him

by Rachel Brimble

“Yes.”

  “I don’t know how much you think you’ve got figured out, but no one knows him like Angela does. No one. So, take my advice—let her lead the way.”

  “Like you are, you mean?”

  “What?” Her eyes flashed with irritation.

  “She told me you weren’t happy about the engagement.”

  “Was it her idea?”

  Damn it. Chris crossed his arms. “No, but I didn’t push her into it, either.”

  Eloise smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. He took a step back and glanced toward the car. Angela stared back at them from inside, her brow creased.

  “My sister tells me everything.”

  The underlying sneer made his hackles rise. Chris turned. “And?”

  “And by the time we go to bed tonight, I’ll know how she feels about you, Robert, this town and what happens next. The trouble is, I won’t have a damn clue what you’re thinking or feeling.” She moved to brush past him and stopped. “And that doesn’t bode well for you, me or her.”

  What the hell? Chris touched her elbow. “Eloise.”

  “What?” Protectiveness swirled in the dark depths of her eyes and her body was rigid.

  He dropped her arm and held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m not the bad guy here. I like Angela. A lot. I want to help her.”

  Her gaze wandered languidly over his face. “Maybe you do, but it’s what happens after Robert that worries me.”

  “After? You mean, once he’s out of the picture?”

  She huffed out a laugh. “If that’s what you think will happen, you’ve already made your first mistake.”

  Irritation burned through Chris’s blood and he silently reeled in the urge to ask this woman who the hell she thought she was. She had no idea how he felt about Angela—or how strongly.

  “Come on, you two,” Angela yelled from the car.

  “Be right there.” Chris waved to Angela and faced Eloise. “He will be out of the picture. Even if it’s me who puts him there.”

  She grinned, her eyes flashing with interest. “Yeah? Well, I hope you’re right because I want to believe Angela can be happy again. I have to believe that or it makes all this worthless.”

  “She will be.”

  “We’ll have to see about that, won’t we?”

  This time when she moved away, Chris let her go lest he lose the weakening hold on his temper. The implication that Angela would never be free of Masters made him want to punch something.

  Everything had just gotten a whole lot worse and he had no idea why. Trepidation tiptoed up Chris’s spine.

  He strode toward the car. Suddenly giving Angela and her sister some space didn’t sound as bad as it had an hour before. Eloise was nothing like Angela, despite their similar looks. The question was, did he have the patience or inclination to uncover why? Angela was his priority and had been from the minute he laid eyes on her. He slid into the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition.

  Angela touched his arm when he pushed the shift stick into First.

  “You okay?”

  He forced a smile and met her eyes. “Sure.”

  “Good. Could you drop us back at my place?”

  “No problem.” Chris glanced at the rearview mirror.

  Eloise’s gaze locked with his for a moment before he looked ahead again and pulled out of the parking spot. He pressed down on the accelerator, the squeal of tires against asphalt more satisfying than he ever thought possible.

  * * *

  “LET’S GO OUT somewhere. I want to see Templeton. See the place that stole you away from me.” Eloise winked.

  Angela smiled as she poured them each a glass of wine. “I thought we could stay in tonight and catch up.”

  “Can’t we catch up over a meal in a posh restaurant?” Eloise pouted. “You have no idea how long it’s been since I put on a nice dress and went out for a meal. Tim has the kids. Let’s go out. Please...”

  Angela laughed. “Fine. We’ll have a glass of wine and then get ready. What do you fancy to eat? Chinese? Indian?”

  “Ooh, what about that place on the beach that I spotted on the way here? The Oceanside, was it?”

  Angela swallowed, her happiness evaporating. “Not there.”

  “Why not?”

  Angela came around the kitchen counter and held out a glass to Eloise.

  Eloise frowned. “Did something happen there?”

  Angela dropped down on the couch and pulled her legs underneath her so she and Eloise sat cross-legged facing each other. With her sister’s gaze intently on hers, she sighed. “It was where I thought I saw Robert.”

  “Ah.”

  The next fifteen minutes passed as Angela told Eloise about the mistaken sightings of Robert at the restaurant and bar. By the time she’d finished, both their glasses were empty and Eloise’s eyes were wide with anxiety, whereas Angela felt strangely calm.

  “So the police have this Garroway character in custody?” Eloise asked for the third time. “And they’re confident Robert hasn’t been here?”

  Angela nodded. “Yes.”

  “But you’re not.”

  “No.”

  “Is there more you’re not telling me?”

  Angela pushed to her feet and walked back into the kitchen for the wine. She always told her sister everything, but it felt wrong putting all this on her. It would serve no purpose but worry her. “It doesn’t matter. I’d just prefer we went somewhere else.”

  Picking up the bottle, Angela returned to the sofa and filled Eloise’s glass. “There’s nothing else. This is where it ends. I know Robert, and if he sees our engagement in the paper, he’ll come.”

  Eloise stared. “And you want that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ll never be free until he’s back in prison. I’m taking the control back.”

  “You’re setting him up?”

  Excitement knotted Angela’s stomach as empowerment surged through her veins. She smiled. “Yes.”

  “You can’t.”

  Angela’s confidence faltered. “Why not? It’s a perfect way to get him out of my life forever. If he’s arrested and charged again, the judge will throw the book at him. Why aren’t you supporting me? Why wouldn’t you want to see an end to this as much as I do?”

  A flush of color rose from Eloise’s neck to her face. “I do. I mean—” she smiled “—it’s a good plan...in theory. Won’t the police arrest you or something if they find out you’ve provoked him like that?”

  Angela stared. Could they? “I don’t know.”

  Eloise’s eyes widened. “You don’t know? Ange, this is serious. If I saw that newspaper, so did Robert. If he’s arrested and the police find out the engagement was a ruse to get him here, they aren’t going to look kindly at that.”

  Angela squeezed her eyes shut. Eloise was right. “Oh, God. I didn’t think. Do you think they could charge me with something?” She pushed to her feet. “I need to ring Chris.”

  Eloise stood, too. “Why run back to him? I’m here now. We’ll work it out.”

  “But this involves him as much as me. He should be here to talk it out with us.”

  “Don’t bother him tonight. Let’s go out. We’ll work out a plan and let him know what it is tomorrow. It’s late. Let’s do something together. Just us, huh? We can put our heads together against the world. You know that.”

  Indecision battled around in Angela’s conscience. One step forward, two steps back seemed to be a familiar refrain ever since the flood and she was sick of it. She’d love nothing more than to escape into the night with Ellie, but to do that would be wrong. And cruel. Chris didn’t deserve to be cut from her plans after everything he’d done for her.

/>   She looked around the living room, trying to remember where she put her phone. “No, we need to talk to Chris. This affects him as much as me. Better still, we need to speak to his sister.”

  “The cop?”

  “Yes. DI Garrett practically runs the whole damn town as far as I can tell. Oh, God, how could I be so stupid. What if I go to prison instead of Robert?”

  “Hey, hey, come here. That’s not going to happen.”

  Angela sank into Eloise’s outstretched arms and closed her eyes. “Why doesn’t anything go as planned? Why don’t I ever get to make the right decisions?”

  “Hey, you didn’t make this decision. Chris did.”

  Angela pulled upright. “He’s not to blame. I agreed. He wants nothing but good for me.”

  Eloise’s shoulders slumped. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blame the guy, but if anything happens because of this...”

  “It won’t. He’ll fix it. I’ll fix it.” She hurried to the phone in the kitchen and dialed Chris’s number. He picked up after three rings and his firm, masculine hello wound tight around her heart.

  She released her held breath. “It’s me.”

  “Hey, you. You okay?” He sounded alert, wide-awake. Like he’d been waiting for her call.

  Angela’s heart slowed from a gallop to a trot. “I think we’ve made a mistake. The engagement. Does your sister know? Has she seen the paper?”

  “She’s here now. And yes, she’s seen it and yes, I’ve got a black eye.”

  Her shoulders slumped and a smile tugged at her mouth to hear the humor in his voice. Why did just speaking to him make everything seem better? Once she heard his voice or saw his face, it didn’t feel as though the entire world were stacked against her. “Chris...”

  He laughed. “I’m joking. It’s fine. Everything’s under control.”

  She frowned. “How?”

  “I’ve fixed it.”

  “By doing what? Doesn’t Cat...I mean, DI Garrett want to see me? Want me at the station?”

  “Why would she?”

  “Because what we’re doing...luring Robert here. Isn’t it illegal?”

  He cleared his throat. “Like I said, I’ve fixed it.”

  “How?”

  “I’ve bought a ring.”

  “You’ve bought—”

  “Angela Taylor, will you marry me?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHRIS WAITED.

  Waited and wondered if she could hear the thump of his pulse down the telephone line. His gaze locked with Cat’s. She looked ready to punch him in the face. His brother-in-law, Jay, sat on the couch grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

  Cat threw up her hands. “He’s just asked her to marry him. He thinks this is some sort of game.”

  Jay laughed and Chris grinned as he turned away and moved outside before Cat could whip him upside the head. “Angela? Are you there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “You don’t have to give me an answer straight away, but under the circumstances—”

  “Not funny, Chris. Not funny at all. Could I be arrested for this?”

  Damn it. His attempt to put her at ease had clearly missed the mark—by twenty thousand feet. “No. Of course you won’t be arrested. The ring is a precaution, nothing more. If Masters turns up, I want him to know you’ve got me by your side. If he sees through this and starts asking questions around town and finds out the engagement is a lie...”

  “He’ll know I’ve got no one looking out for me.”

  Chris gripped the balustrade. God, she sounded so alone. “Yes. But I’m not going to let that happen. I told you before, men who hit women do not like taking on other men. Simple. No man worth a nickel would strike a woman. That’s why they’re lower than pond scum. If Masters thinks I love you...he’s going to be a damn sight more careful about hurting you.”

  “But—”

  “Angela, this is for the best. I promise.”

  A few seconds passed before she blew out a breath. “What did your sister say?”

  Chris smiled and turned around, leaning against the balustrade and staring into the house. “Before or after she stopped swearing and whacking me with the paper?”

  “After.” There was a smile in her voice.

  He grinned. “Well, after she’d calmed down, she told me to get my butt down to the newspaper. Tell them the engagement was off and to print a big old broken engagement story about us the next day. Saying how one or both of us realized it was mistake and we were moving way too fast and acting on the aftermath of the flood.”

  “Then why didn’t you? If the inspector was happy with that and willing to let our stupidity go...”

  Chris pushed his hand into his hair and stared at the planks at his feet. “I don’t want Masters thinking you haven’t got someone looking out for you. Someone personal.”

  Silence.

  He closed his eyes. “Look, if you’ve changed your mind about getting him here, I’ll ring that reporter right now and tell him to do as Cat asked. If you don’t, if a tiny part of you wants to see his ass back in prison for a second time and know it was you who put him there again, then trust me with this.”

  “We get engaged?”

  “We get engaged.”

  Her soft breathing whispered against his ear. He felt her hesitation. He imagined her worrying her bottom lip, her gorgeous caramel eyes darting back and forth around the room and her slender, sexy shoulders ever so slightly trembling. All the mannerisms he had come to know so well. Had come to love as much as her heart, her kindness, her smile and her.

  “Okay.”

  He grinned. “Okay?”

  She gave a soft laugh. “Okay. But what about Cat?”

  “Once she accepts this was the only way to guarantee your safety, she’ll be fine. This is the only way to make sure we know Masters isn’t coming back. Cat will turn a blind eye for now.” He looked up and met his sister’s steady gaze as she stood at the patio doors, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. “I hope.”

  “You hope?”

  Chris exhaled a shaky breath and leaped straight in. He’d fallen in love and was scared to death of losing her, of making a mistake. It was time Angela knew, time Cat knew. He inhaled a deep breath before releasing his words in a rush, his eyes locked with his sister’s.

  “I hope Cat trusts me, seeing as I think you’re amazing, sexy, caring and being around you makes me a better human being. Even more...she’ll know I’m falling in love with you.”

  Seconds ticked by in silence before Angela’s shaky exhalation rasped against the line. “Chris, this isn’t a joke.”

  His heart twisted. Was that disappointment he noted in her voice? God, was this thing between them, racing along at a hundred miles an hour, only inside him? Didn’t she feel the same? He swallowed. They needed more time. She’d asked for more time. They were messed up. In pain. Fighting the past like two warriors with villains to slay.

  “I’m not joking.” He pushed away from the balustrade as Cat shook her head and walked back inside. “I think I love you.”

  “Chris—”

  “Cat lost her best friend because she didn’t call her soon enough. She didn’t take action. We’re taking action the only way we can. This isn’t illegal. This is sensible. Cat knows that.”

  More silence. “The engagement or falling in love?”

  “The engagement...the love part is totally out of my control.”

  “I don’t know what to say. This is...this is—”

  “Insane. I know. Don’t say anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Wait. Can’t I see you tonight?”

  Chris’s stomach tightened and relief pushed his heart into his mouth. “Sure, if that’s what you wa
nt.”

  “Can you meet me and Eloise at The Oceanside?”

  “When?”

  Her tone didn’t give away anything about what she was thinking or feeling. Chris closed his eyes. She hadn’t said she loved him back. Hadn’t even said she liked him.

  “About an hour? She wants to go out and I want to sort out how we’re going to play this before the morning. The Oceanside is the perfect place to plan Robert’s demise, don’t you think?”

  That’s my girl. “Absolutely. See you in an hour.”

  “An hour.”

  “I’ll make the reservation.”

  “Great. See you soon.”

  The phone buzzed in his ear and Chris walked back inside.

  Cat stood by the fireplace, her legs planted apart and her hands fisted on her hips. He tried and failed to wipe the smile from his face. “What?”

  “What?” She looked at Jay. “What, he says.”

  Jay raised his hands. “Hey, he’s your brother, your problem. You leave me out of this. I’m just here to referee if things get physical.” He looked at Chris and grimaced. “I don’t fancy your chances. She’s a black belt in tae kwon do and fired up hotter than a damn furnace.”

  Chris mirrored Cat’s stance. “It makes sense, Cat.”

  “What does? What makes sense to you about any of this?”

  “The fake engagement.”

  “Fake? Are you sure about that?”

  Cursing the guilty heat that pinched his cheeks, Chris nodded and forced his gaze to stay locked with hers. “Yes.”

  “You have to take this seriously.”

  “I am.” Didn’t Cat see that? Didn’t she know Angela had stolen his stupid heart?

  “I just heard you ask that girl to marry you. Why try to make it funny? If I agree to this, it’s because my fear for her is stronger than my intellect. Why make it some sort of game?”

  Irritation hummed through his veins, making Chris’s heart pump faster. He dropped his chin and met her glare. Out of the corner of his eye, Chris saw Jay shift forward on the couch.

  He tightened his jaw. “Don’t do this.”

  She glared. “Do what?”

  “Lose faith in me again. Think I’m not going to come through. I won’t let Angela down.”