A Stranger in the Cove

by Rachel Brimble

  His father had known for a while Marian Ball lived here. Had he inferred something to Mac in the past that made his son overly cautious about communities he knew nothing about? Most likely. Kate was problem enough, but he had to keep everyone else at an enforced distance, too, or risk divulging something about why he was in town. He had to ensure Marian was the first to know, nobody else. He might want closure to his father’s search, but Mac also wanted the woman to hear what he knew from him and only him.

  “Hey, Mac.” Vanessa opened the fridge behind her and pulled out a bottle of his preferred beer. “You did good out there.” She flipped off the top and slid it across the temporary bar. “That one’s on the house.”

  “Thanks, but as the proceeds are going to charity...” He tossed a few coins into the bucket on the bar and took a lengthy slug. “All in the name of helping out those less fortunate, and all that.”

  “Hmm, not sure Kate sees your helping out that way.”

  His defenses immediately slammed up. “Why? What’s she been saying?”

  “Whoa.” Vanessa raised her hands, her brow creased and her gaze irritated.

  Mac briefly closed his eyes. “Sorry.”

  “So you should be. I’m just the messenger, after all.”

  “The messenger?” Mac stilled. “Of what?”

  Vanessa shrugged. “I just think the pair of you could get along quite nicely if you gave each other a chance.”

  Matchmaking. Another reason he didn’t like small towns. He sipped his beer. “You’re way off the mark there. Kate and I are...” He scowled. “Working each other out.”

  “Oh, that’s what you’re doing, is it?”

  Vanessa’s eyes turned infinitely softer as he hovered his beer at his mouth.

  She glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Hi, Kate. I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got some thirsty customers who need serving.”

  Slowly, Mac turned. Kate held her chin high, her chocolate-brown eyes burning with annoyance, her cheeks flushed and her hands firmly perched on her slender hips. “I came over here to thank you for playing, only I didn’t expect you to be chatting so offhandedly about me to Vanessa. Do you know she’s one of the worst gossips in town?”

  Despite, or maybe because of, her clear irritation, amusement rolled through him. “Then it’s just as well I didn’t give her anything to gossip about.”

  She rolled her eyes and, slid up to the bar beside him. “If you’re not careful, you’ll constantly be walking into a whole lot of trouble.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes, that’s so.” A sly smile curved her lips. “Which leads me to the conclusion it might be to your benefit to enlist some local help.”

  “Help? With what?” Then realization dawned and he laughed. “No thanks. I’ve got it covered.”

  Her smile vanished and her cheeks reddened. “Why are you so stubborn?”

  “Why are you so nosy?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I’m not nosy, I’m concerned. You’ll be chewed up and spat out if you go nonchalantly poking around in people’s lives. You’ve told me you’re looking for someone but won’t tell me who or why. Why don’t you let me in a little? I know Templeton and its people well. I’m betting I can help you find who you’re looking for in a matter of hours.”

  “Hours?”

  “Fine. Days.”

  He raised his eyebrows, unable to resist provoking her temper. “Because if you can find them quicker than I can, I’ll be out of your hair all the sooner, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Is there an unwritten rule somewhere that a person can only stay in the Cove so long before they’re ejected by the locals? Why I’m here is my business, Kate. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

  She held his stare as indecision flitted through her eyes. The noise around them faded as his heart beat a little too fast, indicating just how much he liked her. He shouldn’t like her. Her argumentative nature, her stubbornness and self-assumed right to get up in his business seriously irked him. Still, it was hard to ignore her thick, dark, curly hair that tumbled past her shoulders, leaving him itching to know if it was as soft as it looked. It was even harder not to want to fall headlong into her deep, dark eyes.

  Blinking, he turned to the stage. “I don’t need your concern, okay? I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.”

  “Who said my concern was about you?”

  He shook his head, took another sip of his beer. “Touché.”

  “Here’s the thing. I’m concerned for who you’re looking for.”

  “You’ve made that pretty clear.”

  “So convince me I’ve nothing to worry about.”

  “You haven’t.”

  “Not good enough.”

  Frustration pulsed through him as his defenses against her weakened once more. That damn worry glinted in her eyes again. He blew out a breath. “I just want to speak to this person. Get some things laid to rest. There won’t be any bloodshed if that’s what’s worrying you.”

  Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t worried about that until now.”

  He shook his head. “Look, this person is connected to my family. Okay? I just want to talk to her.”

  Triumph flashed in her eyes. “Aha. A her.” Then, like a switch had been flicked, the triumph dissolved into apprehension once more. “Let me help you. I work with families all the time. I could at least act as a mediator or something.”

  “No.”

  “But—”

  “I won’t need a damn mediator, Kate.” He clenched his jaw. “Just leave things alone.”

  “No.”

  He swiped his slightly trembling hand over his face. “Why does my being here bother you so much? Are you sure your nervousness is about someone else? Or more about you?”

  She swallowed. “Someone else.”

  Care for this woman and the inexplicable way she’d reacted to his presence since meeting him wound through him. There was something disconcerting in her eyes...the odd flicker of deep sadness, or shame, that made him want to hold her. Tell her everything would be okay.

  “Hey.” He gently placed his hand on her arm. “I can tell something’s happened to you. What, I don’t know. But believe me when I say I’m not here to cause you more pain. Everything will work out as it’s supposed to. End of story.”

  She snorted and turned, tears glinting in her eyes. “Nothing ever works out how it’s supposed to, and why should I trust that you don’t mean to hurt this woman? People hurt each other all the time.” She eased her arm from under his hand. “More often than not, the things people want, the things they hope for, never happen. If you don’t know that, you must have lived a more privileged life than most.”

  The tear that rolled over her cheek made him catch his breath, and he battled against his weakening defenses. God, if only she knew how acutely he’d experienced the brutal destruction of hopes and dreams. Of heartbreak so bad, he’d never be the same again.

  He leaned against the bar, felt the warmth of her arm alongside his. “My life has been far from privileged, believe me.”

  She stepped in front of him, her dark gaze burning with frustration. “Fine. But by going up on that stage, you saved me from having a lot of disappointed people demanding God knows what from the center. I’m in no doubt that because of you, the fund-raiser will be the success my team and I hoped it would be. I owe you. Let me help you, Mac. Please.”

  “I don’t need your damn help.” Yet inexplicable want edged far too close to his heart. He didn’t want her help, he wanted her in his bed; wanted her to look at him with lust, not pity. He tightened his jaw. “If that changes, you’ll be the first to know. So, please, just leave it be.”

  “Mac—”

  “Enough.” He slammed his bottle on the bar and tried to brush past her.

  She gripped h
is arm, her eyes dark with determination. “So I’ve been hurt. You’re right. But I can see that whatever has brought you to Templeton is hurting you, too. Am I right?”

  Shame that he could be so transparent to anyone tore through him. He’d felt isolated since he’d lost Jilly and the baby. Here, in Templeton, where no one knew him, he could be who he was before. He had the opportunity to laugh. At home, laughter felt inappropriate. At home, he was the man to feel sorry for; the man who’d lost his pregnant girlfriend in a car accident.

  Why else did he sign up for as many gigs as he could? Stay away for months at a time.

  On the road, he was anonymous. He could be who he wanted to be without judgment or guilt.

  Or so he thought.

  What the hell did Kate want from him? He’d been bloody horrible to her. The tattoos on his chest and arms relayed in perfect patterned honesty how he felt about life. Rejection, loss and disappointment were what life had to offer...they were all he had to offer.

  “Mac? Are you listening to me?”

  He glared. “Stop talking.”

  “What?”

  “I said stop talking.” Tears burned behind his eyes. “Right now.”

  Her brow furrowed as she intensely studied him. “My God, you really are hurting, aren’t you?”

  He had to stop her talking, had to stop her seeing any more of him. Without thinking, he reached out and pulled her close. Her gasp whispered into his mouth as he covered her lips with his and kissed her hard, sharing every ounce of his hurt, anger and passion. She tensed in his arms, her body rigid...and then she softened.

  Her lips pressed against his, and she tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Jesus... He gripped her tighter, kissed her deeper, and she returned his demand with her own. His heart pounded as the sweet taste of her lips and musky scent of her perfume infused his senses, sending his desire deep into his groin.

  The fire. The need. It was too much.

  He eased back and stared into her wide, beautiful eyes. Her breasts rose and fell with each harried breath, her mouth swollen and her body tense.

  Mac squeezed his eyes shut before snapping them open. “I’ve got to go.”

  He stormed past her and into the crowds, through the bar and out into the parking lot. He bent double and breathed in the cold night air as though dying from lack of oxygen. Feeling calmer, he straightened and stalked between the parked cars toward the exit.

  What the hell had he done?

  Chapter Six

  KATE CARRIED A steaming cup of coffee into her living room, and curled up under a blanket on the settee, exhausted after the previous night.

  She turned on the TV, and canned laughter flooded her apartment. Not that she had any interest in watching anything right now. It was the noise she needed.

  Dropping her head back, she picked up her coffee and took a sip, her thoughts filling with Mac. She’d finally crawled into bed at nearly two in the morning, the fund-raiser having gone better than she could’ve hoped. An early estimate indicated they had surpassed the intended monetary target. From the moment Mac had left the bar, Kate had done everything expected of her. She’d mingled, she’d laughed, she’d taken the microphone and thanked donors, the public, the band and Dave and Vanessa. Yet her focus had wandered to the doors as futile hope lingered that Mac would return.

  He hadn’t.

  But he had kissed her. No, devoured her. The few stolen seconds in his arms had engulfed her with a yearning she’d purposefully buried for good reason. Kate closed her eyes. Why had she let him kiss her? Why hadn’t she stepped way back and told him off? Instead, she’d pulled him closer and deepened their kiss until all she wanted to do was drag him upstairs to his room.

  The man was dangerous...and not only because he was here to cause trouble. In her job, Kate had witnessed people inflicting harm, upset, even occasional abuse on each other. But she’d sensed a gentle kindness buried beneath Mac’s exterior.

  Somehow, he’d perceived the pain from her miscarriage. The pain she tried so hard to hide—from her miscarriage and then, more recently, a tentative leap into romance with a man who had blindsided her. A man who tore two previously close siblings apart, and taken off, never to be seen by Kate or Ali ever again.

  Kate opened her eyes and sipped her coffee, glancing toward her phone. Nothing stopped her from calling Ali, but in the two years since Dean’s departure, her sister had moved on while Kate lingered in no-man’s land. What could she say to Ali after all this time?

  How the two of them would ever get past what happened, Kate didn’t know, but her mother had told her Ali now had a new man and a super-expensive engagement ring flashing on her finger. The hurt of Dean’s betrayal had most definitely burned deeper in Kate than her sister.

  Hating her resentment, Kate put her coffee on the table and walked across the living room, the throw wrapped around her and dragging along the floor. Unlocking her patio doors, she stepped onto the balcony, the frigid morning air making her shiver. Her slow exhale sent forth a stream of white vapor.

  She looked left toward the town’s fairground and then right along the promenade where the Coast was situated a few streets away.

  Mac.

  He was a mystery, but she’d be a liar if she didn’t admit that was part of his appeal. Who was he? Who was the woman he looked for and how long did he plan to stay in the Cove? These questions coiled inside her like contracted springs.

  As for her? Well, apparently, she was an open book. A woman who held no mystery whatsoever.

  It was terrifying to think her pain showed so clearly in her eyes. Yet hadn’t she recognized the pain in Mac’s, too? He was the first person in months who’d acknowledged her unhappiness. No one else, apart from Izzy and Marian, knew how much Kate still hurt; how much she refused to trust again.

  She tentatively touched her lips, and her heart swelled traitorously. How could she deny how good it felt to have a strong, capable man like Mac take control? Even for such a short moment, it had felt wonderful to lean into him.

  The ringing of her apartment doorbell ripped through her melancholy, and Kate flinched. She looked to the door and then her watch. It was barely eight thirty. Who would be calling on her at this time in the morning?

  She walked inside and pressed the buzzer at her door. “Hello?”

  “Darling? It’s Mum.”

  “Mum?” Kate frowned and mentally flicked through her calendar. Nothing. “Did we have something in the diary?”

  Her mother laughed. “No, but can’t I pop by for a visit when I have the chance? Can I come up?”

  “Of course. Sorry.”

  Kate pressed the entry button, pulled open the front door and quickly began tidying her apartment, shoving magazines under cushions and slamming glasses and plates into the dishwasher. Hurrying into her bedroom, she whipped the duvet into place and snatched pillows off the floor, plumping them and arranging them in a tragic display of domestic ineptitude.

  She hurried back into the living room just as her mother’s footsteps sounded at the door. Tightening her sleep-mussed ponytail, Kate swiped her fingers under her eyes, pulled back her shoulders and slapped on a smile. She took a deep breath and faced the doorway. “Mum! It’s great to see you.”

  “Oh, and you, darling.” Her mother pulled Kate into a hug and stood back, her canny gaze appraising Kate from head to toe. “You look...tired.”

  “I was at a fund-raiser until the early hours. Coffee?”

  “Lovely.”

  “Great. Take a seat.” Kate walked into the kitchen, separated from the living area by a long granite-topped counter. “So, what are you doing in Templeton?”

  “Having finally put to bed a deal I’ve been working on for three months, I spent last night in a hotel in the city. We’ve secured a huge two-year contract. I thought as I’m due a couple of da
ys off, I’d pop by and see my baby.”

  A couple of days? Kate’s smile strained as she stirred her mother’s coffee. “You know I have to work, right? I can’t take time off right now. After last night, I need to—”

  “Oh, darling, you’re so sweet.” Her mother took the cup of offered coffee from Kate’s hand. “When I said a couple of days, I have no intention of spending them in Templeton. God forbid. I thought I’d stop by for a quick chat before I head home for a fabulous spa break with the girls.”

  Relief lowered Kate’s shoulders. “Oh. Well, that’s great.”

  “But...” Her mother sipped from her cup and raised her eyebrows. “Wow, this coffee is surprisingly good, darling. Anyway, I came to invite you home for a few days next month. As you know, Alison is engaged and they’ve set the wedding date for June. Just four months away. I think the pair of you need to bury the hatchet before it becomes a problem for her big day. Your father and I refuse to have her wedding spoiled by something that happened two years ago.”

  Kate lowered into an armchair beside her mother, a horribly familiar inferiority coming over her. As much as Linda Harrington loved her daughter, she also managed to make Kate feel like a vagrant in the face of her perfect makeup and haute-couture clothes.

  Not to mentioned how lowly she considered Kate’s chosen vocation, when compared to her own and Alison’s. Was it any wonder Kate had never breathed a word about her miscarriage to her mother?

  Sadness swept through her, and Kate buried her thoughts back into the deep recesses of her heart. “Why would you even think I’d intentionally spoil Ali’s wedding day? Have you even asked if she wants me there?”

  “There’s no need.”

  Kate widened her eyes, disbelief of her mother’s presumption riling her, as it always did. “Of course there’s a need. The last thing a bride needs on her wedding day is unwanted guests.”

  “Don’t be so ridiculous, Katherine. You’re her sister. Her only sibling. Not only will she want you there, I should think she’ll have an intimate role in place for you, too.”