Just Pretending

by Myrna Mackenzie

  He gazed down at her. His eyes darkened, narrowed. “Yes.” The word came out harsh and fierce. As if he realized that, he folded his hands into fists, took a deep breath and backed off half an inch. “But I probably shouldn’t.”

  He was right. He shouldn’t. But he had brought her this news that she was happy to hear. He’d brought it because he knew she’d want to hear it, Gretchen told herself, and for no other reason. So…how could she be less of a good neighbor?

  “I’ll make a pot of decaf,” she said.

  “You’ll put your feet up and enjoy a few minutes with Goliath. I’m the intruder. I’ll make the coffee.”

  Gretchen smiled. “I thought I was the bossy one.”

  “You are. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

  “Of course I won’t. Bossy people generally don’t let anyone tell them anything they don’t want them to.” And as they walked in the door, she unleashed Goliath, washed her hands and went straight to the coffeepot.

  David chuckled. “Making a point?”

  She was. Men had tried to take the reins from her before. And they’d failed. It was part of the reason why she didn’t want to marry. She was too used to going her own way, too used to being the one in charge. She liked being the strong one.

  But as David came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders, as the warmth of his hands and his body and the soap and aftershave and male scent of him drifted around her, Gretchen couldn’t keep her hands from jostling slightly, the water sloshing just a bit.

  “David,” she drawled in warning.

  “Shh,” he whispered, bending his head, his breath warm at her ear. “You’ve had a long day and you’ve had your way, haven’t you? You’re making the coffee, aren’t you?”

  His long, lean fingers kneaded her skin, gently stroking, soothing, sliding over her. The tension of fatigue fled, the tension of being touched by a man who knew just how to turn her nerves to fire grew.

  “What…what are you doing?” She barely got the words past her suddenly dry lips.

  “Relaxing you. I realize now that I shouldn’t have come over here. You’re tired and now you’re making me coffee.”

  “You brought me news I wanted to hear.”

  His fingers slid beneath the thin cotton of her blouse. His skin met hers. Gretchen closed her eyes. She carefully lowered the coffeepot to the counter.

  “David?”

  He nudged aside thick strands of her hair, placing his lips against the side of her neck, and she sagged against him.

  Somehow she turned in his arms. She looked up into those hot green eyes.

  “I—” She parted her lips, snagging his attention.

  “Tomorrow. We’ll worry about the reasons why not tomorrow,” he promised as he caught his hands around her narrow waist and pulled her high and tight against him. “For now…this.”

  His lips covered her own as he claimed her. Hard, hungry lips that molded to the softness of her mouth, then gentled as he nibbled at her.

  David pulled back slightly and she followed him. Gretchen raised her hands, gripped his shirt and found his lips again.

  His hands skimmed her waist, climbed her back. He slid his fingers over her sensitive skin, bringing them forward to cup her breasts.

  A low moan curled deep in her throat, barely escaping. She leaned closer still.

  “Gretchen.” The word came out on a groan, just as Goliath barked.

  The sudden, unexpected sound sent Gretchen pushing back from David. Her breathing was labored, and David’s eyes looked dazed, still cloudy with desire.

  Her own probably did, too. She looked away, down at her little dog.

  “It’s all right, Goliath,” she managed to say, knowing that it was not all right at all. She had been kissing David, practically tearing his shirt from him. His hands had been everywhere, delighting her, seducing her. She shouldn’t have been enjoying this time with this man in this way. Besides, it was late and both of them had work tomorrow. They had to work together—as partners solving a crime, not as lovers.

  She kept her eyes on her dog, collecting her thoughts, enforcing a calm on herself she didn’t truly feel. But Goliath wasn’t looking at her or even at David. He was dancing in front of the window.

  David gave her one last intense look and moved to the window. He was probably making sure she was all right, Gretchen guessed, making sure Goliath hadn’t scared away an intruder. The darn man just had way too much protective male in him.

  “He probably just saw an owl,” Gretchen said. “Goliath’s a little high strung.”

  “You should keep this down at night,” David said, pulling down the shade.

  “Yes. I should. I usually do, but—”

  “But tonight your partner interfered and caught you by surprise.”

  It was the truth. She hadn’t been acting very smart from the moment David had shown up.

  She bit her lip.

  “Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t start getting that I-shouldn’t-have-been-kissing-a-fellow-officer look.”

  Somehow she dredged up a smile. “Well?”

  “I shouldn’t have started it,” he said, taking the blame. “It was definitely my doing. But you know what, Gretchen?” David moved to the door, a slow smile on his lips.

  “What?”

  “I don’t regret kissing you. Not one bit.”

  He paused, his hand cupping the doorknob as he looked back over his shoulder. “And I think I should give you fair warning. Someday I’m going to kiss you again when I get the chance. But not tonight.”

  She raised one brow. “Not in the mood anymore, David?”

  He chuckled at that. “Very much in the mood, Gretchen. Which is exactly why I’m leaving. You’re tired tonight, and I have the feeling we’re both going to need every ounce of energy we can muster when we finally make love.”

  And with that, he pulled the door open and stepped outside.

  Gretchen blinked twice as the door snapped shut behind him. She told herself to breathe.

  The man was totally outrageous. But then, she’d known that. What other kind of agent would come in and ask to take part in an investigation he had absolutely no right to be on? What kind of man was David Hannon, after all?

  “A very sexy one, Goliath. A man who makes my fingers itch, my toes curl, and every part of my body ache. And that makes him dangerous. No way am I letting my guard down around David Hannon again. I probably shouldn’t invite him into my house again, either. And don’t go giving me that look. The man is trouble. Big trouble, and we’re not looking for trouble, are we?”

  Goliath gave a short bark.

  But, Gretchen wondered, did that bark mean yes or no?

  Celeste Monroe stared blankly out her window of the Big Sky Bed & Break fast. The night was warm but slightly breezy. That should have made it pleasant, good sleeping weather, but there was no way she could sleep, Celeste knew, turning to pace up and down the deep carpeting of her room. The dreams were chasing her again.

  Something was wrong with this case regarding Raven Hunter. Something really bad. Something she should remember. Why couldn’t she remember any of it?

  Every time she thought of Raven or Jeremiah, she felt fear. Cold droplets of sweat trickled down her back, dampening her nightgown. Nausea rose up within her.

  There were so many questions rattling through her head. How could she sleep?

  She knew that Jeremiah was being blamed for Raven’s death. Something wasn’t right with that. If she could only remember what it was, if she could fill in the blank spots, dredge up the parts of that long-ago nightmarish night that eluded her.

  She didn’t know what had happened, but she knew one thing. She loved her nephew desperately and she didn’t want him digging into this case. Nothing good could come of that.

  If only she could remember why. If only she knew why her sister Blanche had come to her in those restless dreams she’d had. A day of spiritual awakening, Blanche had said. Soon she
would have an awakening.

  The only question was, Did she really want to have an awakening? Which was worse, the truth or the nightmares? And what if David discovered the truth and it was as bad as she feared?

  What if what he discovered was unchangeable, unforgivable, as awful as the constant tremors running through her led her to believe?

  Dark pain and anguish filled her soul. Regret. Fear. So much to lose. So much to flee from. She’d been fleeing for a long time.

  Only now there was news. Evidence of sorts. Something that might jar the memory and let everything come flowing back to her somehow. And now David had come home to find out the truth.

  She loved him. He was her nephew and she loved him almost as much as she loved her own children. Fondly. Ferociously. She would sacrifice her own safety for his, she loved him that much. But none of that mattered, because she didn’t want him here. Not like this.

  Somehow she had to find the answers he was seeking before he did. If she did that, maybe she could be ready. She’d go to the station. Maybe that would help her remember. And maybe she could finally find some peace and some rest.

  Chapter Five

  “You didn’t have to climb the tree to get the cat, David. This isn’t the sixteenth century. We have machinery that lifts us right up into the branches. Amazing stuff.”

  David heard the curt tone in Gretchen’s voice and couldn’t help smiling.

  “Worried about me, Gretch?”

  She let out her breath in a whoosh as they finally made it back to her office. She’d been silent all the way back to town. Now her eyes were flashing green sparks when she turned to him.

  “Yes, David. Of course I’m angry. Weren’t you the one who just a week ago said that you were now responsible for my life and I was responsible for yours? How do you think I would feel if you fell out of that tree and killed yourself?”

  “I don’t have to ask. I know, Gretchen, that you would feel you were somehow to blame.”

  She stood there looking up at him silently with those light green eyes of hers and he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her not to worry. He wanted to crush her softness beneath his hardness, to wrap her up in white sheets and roll with her in a big bed. He wanted to chase those shadows from her eyes.

  “You could have fallen,” she reiterated.

  “It wasn’t that far, Gretchen,” he said gently. “I’ve climbed much higher, been in a thousand times more danger.” It hadn’t been that high, although she was probably right. It would have been much simpler and easier to wait for the right equipment, but the child on the ground had been worried, and even Gretchen had looked a bit concerned about the tiny gray kitten up in the tree. And besides, darn it, he’d just needed some activity, anything to chase away the restlessness that had been edging into him lately. His hands were tied on this case. His hands were also tied where touching Gretchen was concerned, it seemed. Because the lady just wasn’t at all certain that she wanted his hands on her soft body. And he’d been thinking of nothing all day but that kiss they’d shared last night. He wanted his hands and his lips on her very badly.

  She blinked suddenly, as if reading his thoughts, and then finally shook her head. “All right, it wasn’t that high,” she agreed. “And I’m sorry for complaining. I’m just…a bit tense this morning. I wanted to talk to you. Last night—what happened last night—it shouldn’t have. It can’t. Not again. You have to know that as well as I do.”

  He reached out. She backed away a step. “I mean it, Hannon. You’re my assistant.”

  “A temporary one,” he told her. “And I don’t, in reality, work for you at all. I’m FBI. You’re one of White-horn’s finest. And very fine at that. Exquisite, in fact.”

  “David.”

  Her lips mouthed the words just as another voice said the same word behind them.

  Both Gretchen and David turned to see his aunt standing in the doorway. Celeste was clutching a large hemp bag, her fingers wrapped around the tortoiseshell handle. Her long rust skirt with the tan leaves besprinkled in the folds flowed out around her as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

  “Well, David, here you are,” she said briskly in that no-nonsense tone she’d always used to hide the very soft person dwelling inside. “I just…well, since I was in town, I thought I’d pop in for a minute to see you and make sure you were taking care of yourself. Your schedule’s so erratic these days, I thought it would be nice to just say hello. Besides, your mother wanted to check and see if you would be home for dinner tonight.”

  “Aunt Celeste,” he said, stepping forward and folding her into his arms. “What a nice surprise. You know Gretchen, of course.”

  “Celeste,” Gretchen said, holding out her hand.

  “Well, of course I know Gretchen,” Celeste agreed. “She’s been out to Big Sky to question me. I understand she’s extremely good at her job. I have no doubt at all that the two of you will be finding who’s responsible for all the upheaval in the town. Do you think you’ll find the person soon? Are you close?”

  She opened her eyes wider and glanced at both her nephew and Gretchen.

  “It’s an old case. Could take time,” David said, smiling at his aunt. “Come in. Sit down and rest.”

  “No, no, that’s fine. I’ll just be in and out. So you still don’t know what happened? You don’t really think it was Jeremiah, do you, David?” She let go of her purse with one hand and grasped a bunch of her skirt, twisting the fabric in her fingers.

  “Mrs. Monroe,” Gretchen began gently, “I know this must be difficult for you, but truly this case is still open. We can’t make assumptions.”

  “Come on, Aunt Celeste,” David said, taking her by the elbow. “Let me give you a lift home.” He glanced over his shoulder at Gretchen and she nodded back at him as he gently led his aunt out of the office.

  “I’m—really, I’m fine, David,” Celeste said as they made it to the sidewalk. “I just wondered. That was all. And, anyway, I do have my car here. Will you be home for dinner?”

  “I promise we’ll all be together tonight, Celeste. I’ll even dress for dinner and come prepared to entertain mother’s guests. Maybe I’ll even bring a guest.” He nodded pointedly toward the building they’d just vacated.

  Celeste’s dark eyes softened just a bit. “That would be nice, David. She’s very pretty, isn’t she?”

  “She’s lovely and accomplished, too, Aunt Celeste.”

  “Well, of course she is. Rafe told me so himself when I saw him right after he put her in charge of this investigation. Besides, your mother will approve.”

  David leaned back and looked his aunt straight in the eye.

  “Well, we never get to meet the women you’re involved with,” she said.

  He chuckled at that. “Don’t use the word ‘involved’ in front of Gretchen. I’m afraid she’ll walk out the door.”

  “Well, of course. You’re her…”

  “I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘partner,’ Aunt Celeste. As in business associate.”

  “Partner, yes.”

  “Yes, exactly,” he said to himself as she walked away. Partner. He’d better remember the word if he didn’t want Gretchen to run.

  “You’ve invited me to dinner at the Big Sky?” Gretchen asked a few minutes later.

  David grinned. “At the Big Sky. And don’t look so suspicious. We’re just going to feed you. I can guarantee that I won’t try slipping you into bed under the watchful eyes of my mother. Not that she’d object.”

  Gretchen’s eyes opened wide. “You’ve done that before?”

  His grin gave way to low, sexy laughter. “No, and that’s why she wouldn’t object. My mother would assume that if I was serious enough about a woman that I would risk sneaking her into a guest bedroom when there are so many other more obviously private places, that I would be making a more or less public declaration of my intentions.”

  “Your intentions being…”

  “Taking a wife, ma
king babies, shooting for forever.”

  Gretchen drank in a long breath of air. “I see.”

  “Yes, I guess you do. So we’re just talking dinner tonight. We’ll save our private moments for a private place.”

  “David?”

  He looked down at her, giving her his full attention.

  “Has any woman ever told you that you are absolutely shameless?”

  “Yes, I believe they have. A few teachers. My aunt. My mother.”

  “Not the women you date?”

  He shrugged. “I wouldn’t call most of what I do dating. In my line of work I do a lot of things…on the run, so to speak.”

  The slightest pink glow settled on her cheeks. As if she’d felt the heat, Gretchen rubbed one hand over her jaw, then slipped it into her pocket, suddenly standing up straighter.

  “So there’ll be no settling down for you, either?” she asked.

  “I’m a bit of a loner. Always have been.”

  She stared at him for several silent seconds, her lips soft, her eyes even softer—maybe even a tad worried—before she nodded.

  “Then I suppose there’s no problem with us having dinner,” she conceded. “This will simply be a visit between colleagues.”

  His smile was rueful.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You were way too happy to find out that I live my life on the solitary side,” he pointed out.

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Well, it just makes things easier knowing that you don’t get involved. You already know that I don’t. Not that being a loner is an essential part of my nature. I have a world of friends and relations so there’s always company when I want some, and I want that company frequently, but I choose to live alone. So, yes, it’s nice to know that we see eye-to-eye on this issue, and, yes, dinner with your family will be lovely. I’ve missed seeing them. I suppose being involved in this investigation has made me pull back just a bit. In a town this size, the professional and personal often overlap and sometimes I walk a fine line. You don’t think anyone will feel uncomfortable having me there, given the circumstances?”