“Naughty Jaci?” Heat raced through him. He had a new, glorious fantasy. “That’s a side of you I’d like to see.”
“My college days are long behind me.”
“Not so long,” he said, his gaze taking in her pixie hairstyle and the blush that touched her cheeks. She looked as young and innocent as the day he’d left Heron. “Why didn’t you find a nice boy and get married?”
She tilted her chin. “I like my independence.”
Those were the precise words he used when people pestered him about choosing a wife. Somehow, however, he was annoyed as they fell from her lips.
Disturbed by his strange reaction, he turned his attention to various projects that she had spread over the table. There was a stack of round pillows that looked like dog beds, and glass jars filled with fake grass and jelly beans that were clearly intended to be used as an Easter decoration, and wooden frames that were set next to a stack of black-and-white photos that were already placed on thick matting.
He frowned, reminded of the large pictures he’d seen in her house.
“Did you take these?”
“No. Nelson did,” she told him. “He’s preparing a new collection and asked me to create frames for them.”
Rylan leaned forward, his nose wrinkling as he shuffled through the pictures of barbed-wire fences tangled with weeds and old barns that were obviously abandoned.
“I like the frames better than the pictures,” he said.
“You sound like Andrew,” she said, nodding toward a pile of old boards in one corner of the garage. “Of course, he was the one who found the reclaimed wood for me, so he might be a little prejudiced.”
Rylan straightened, his brows pulling together. “Do both men have regular access to this property?”
She took a step back, her wariness returning at his sharp tone.
“Andrew cash-crops the land, so of course he has access.”
“And the photographer?”
She shrugged. “He travels a lot, but when he’s in town he stops by to show me photos from his latest shoot.”
“Is there anyone else?”
“During the summer Sid and his uncle mow the lawn.”
“Deputy Sid?”
“Yes.”
“Is that all?”
“No. I have deliverymen and the occasional customer who doesn’t want to wait until an art fair to buy one of my crafts.”
His scowl deepened. How was he supposed to protect her when she had a revolving door of visitors?
“You shouldn’t stay here alone,” he abruptly decided. “Not until we find out who left that locket.”
She made a sound of impatience. “Mike already offered to let me stay with him and I told him no. I won’t let some psycho terrorize me into leaving my own home.”
He bit back a curse. O’Brien had wasted no time in trying to get Jaci beneath his roof.
The knowledge made him consider punching something. Or somebody.
“Do you have a relationship with the sheriff?”
She sucked in a breath at his abrupt intrusion into her privacy. “That’s none of your business.”
“It’s a simple question,” he pressed.
“And none of your business,” she repeated, firmly heading toward the door of the garage. “I assume we’re done.”
Rylan swallowed a curse as he quickly moved to walk at her side. Hard to fathom why some people believed he was actually skilled in charming women.
“I need to download the software on your computer,” he told her. “I’ll also connect your cell phone to the system. You can start your baking while I work.”
Her lips flattened. “Will it take long?”
“Trying to get rid of me?”
Too polite to admit the truth, she sent him a meaningless smile.
“I don’t want to interrupt your visit with your father. I know you’ll have to return to California soon.”
He waved aside her concern. “Dad is planning to go to bingo at the Masonic Lodge tonight.”
“Your dad plays bingo?”
He chuckled at her surprise. He’d been baffled as well. Until he’d realized what was going on.
“He’ll never admit it, but he only goes so he can flirt with Rose Arlington. I don’t want to intrude on his fun.” His gaze skimmed over her pale profile. “Plus, if I stay long enough I can steal some of whatever you intend to bake.”
A portion of her tension seemed to ease at his light teasing.
“Shameless,” she chided, stepping out of the garage and into the deepening shadows.
“I try,” he admitted, pulling the door shut behind him. She started to walk away, but he reached out to lightly touch her arm. “Lock it.”
She rolled her eyes, but readily reached into the front pocket of her jeans to pull out the key he’d insisted she find before they’d come to the garage.
“Yes, sir,” she said, locking the door before continuing her path to the house.
The security light was flickering to life, battling against the encroaching darkness. Rylan was struck by the sheer isolation of the house. Anyone could drive here without being noticed.
The realization sparked a sudden memory.
“Does your family drop by for a visit?”
She sent him a puzzled glance. “My family is all gone. . . .” Her impulsive words dried on her lips as a blush stained her cheeks. “You mean my mother?”
“Your mother, or sister or brother?”
Her sharp laugh echoed through the damp air. “My mother and precious sister wouldn’t dare soil their thousand-dollar shoes by stepping foot out here.”
“And Christopher?” he pressed.
She shook her head. “He’s been at Wash U for the past couple of years. And even before then was always calling me his hillbilly sister. He didn’t come down from his big house to rub elbows with the hicks.”
Rylan arched a brow, but he didn’t mention he’d seen her half brother driving by just hours ago. Talking about the Hamiltons was clearly painful.
Rylan and Jaci had almost reached the front porch when he once again reached out to tug her to a halt.
“Wait.”
She glared at him with open impatience. “What is it now?”
“I hear a motor running.”
She paused, her head tilting as she listened. The peaceful silence that lay like a comforting blanket around the farm was disturbed by a distant buzz.
“It’s probably Andrew,” she suggested.
“No.” He pointed toward the thick line of trees that ran along the border of her land. “It’s coming from the south.”
She brushed aside his concern. “That must be the people who rented the old Johnson place. Frank built a new house last year.”
“Who rented it?”
“I’m not sure.” She turned to climb onto the porch. “I don’t think they’re from around here.”
Grimly Rylan followed behind her.
He intended to find out exactly who was living next to Jaci. Right after he had Griff do some searching on Andrew Porter, Nelson Bradley, Christopher Hamilton, Sid, Sid’s uncle, and the local deliverymen.
And, of course, Sheriff Mike O’Brien.
Right now Rylan didn’t trust any of them.
Chapter Nine
Jaci didn’t need to worry about her alarm the next morning. She’d spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, her thoughts whirling and her stomach tied in a tight knot of dread.
It was relief when her clock hit four a.m. and she could crawl out of bed to start her baking.
With Riff and Raff underfoot and the kitchen filled with the warm scent of baking bread, a portion of her tension eased. There was a sense of comfort in the small space that no one could steal from her. As if her grandmother’s love was too resilient to be banished.
Doing her best to concentrate on her busy schedule, Jaci arranged her trays with the various baked goods. Then, sucking in a deep breath, she carried them through the
lingering gloom to load them into the back of her Jeep.
She wasn’t going to be terrorized. And she certainly wasn’t going to become a prisoner in her own home.
Keeping the dogs at her side, she placed the last of the trays in her Jeep before she returned the animals to the house. No one would get in while they were standing guard.
She was headed back to the Jeep, which she’d kept running to warm up, when a familiar pickup pulled into the drive beside her.
Rylan.
With a roll of her eyes she watched as he climbed out of his father’s old truck, his hard body outlined by the zipped gray hoodie and worn jeans that clung to his long legs. He looked ridiculously handsome as he stepped into the beam from her headlights.
“Morning, Jaci,” he said.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, even as she knew exactly why he was there.
In fact, a part of her had been waiting for him to show up.
After all, he’d made no secret of the fact that he was not only connecting her new security system to her phone and computer, but he was going to have full access to the cameras. Which meant he would have known the second she’d opened her front door to check for a locket.
The knowledge should have annoyed her. Instead a part of her was deeply grateful to know she wasn’t completely alone.
Not that her gratitude extended to having him walk around the hood of her Jeep to open the passenger-side door.
“I’m going to tag along on your deliveries,” he informed her.
“Why?”
He glanced toward the door where the sound of furious barking echoed through the soggy morning air.
“I assume Riff and Raff are staying here?”
She grimaced at the chaos the dogs would create if she’d let them in the Jeep.
“They’re good dogs, but they don’t appreciate the fact that I need to sell my pastries to keep a roof over our head,” she said. “They just smell food and think it should be eaten. Usually in one gulp.”
“I don’t blame them,” he said, flashing a smile as he climbed into the Jeep and shut the door.
With a sigh, Jaci yanked open her door and climbed into the driver’s seat, glaring at the man who was buckling his seat belt.
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” she informed him.
He shrugged. “I don’t agree.”
She made a sound of impatience. “Whoever is doing this just likes to scare me.”
“How can you be so sure?”
She couldn’t be sure, of course. But, as crazy as it might be, she wouldn’t let herself think that the psycho intended to do more than leave creepy lockets. Otherwise she would be stuck cowering in her house, too afraid to step out the door.
“If they wanted to hurt me they could have already done it,” she pointed out. “If not yesterday, then when I was younger.”
He folded his arms across his chest. It was his “I’m not budging” gesture.
“First of all, we don’t know if it’s the same person who left the lockets when you were in high school.”
His words caught her off guard. She’d never considered the idea it might not be the same person who’d stalked her in the past.
“Who else could it be?”
“You might not have told a lot of people, but it wasn’t exactly a secret you were being harassed during high school.”
Her lips twisted at the reminder of exactly whom she’d turned to when the lockets started arriving.
“Or being an attention-seeking diva,” she reminded him.
In the soft glow of the security light, she watched as his face tightened with unmistakable regret.
“Jaci, I’ve told you I’m sorry,” he rasped. “Believe me, I’ll never forgive myself for ignoring your fears. If something happens to you—”
“Do you really think it’s a different person?” she interrupted, not sure why she was being such a bitch.
Maybe because a part of her suspected he was only there because he felt guilty for the past, not because he truly cared about her. Or maybe it was because she was wary of allowing herself to depend on his support. It wasn’t like he was going to be around for long.
Then, like everyone else in her life, he would be gone and she would be alone again.
“It’s a possibility.” He thankfully intruded into her dark thoughts. “My point is that we know nothing about your stalker, and until he’s caught I don’t intend to give him the opportunity to hurt you.”
She put the engine into gear and slowly headed down the muddy drive.
“You can’t protect me all the time.”
“I could if you would come and stay at my father’s house.”
Her heart missed a beat. There’d been a time when she would have given anything to be closer to Rylan Cooper.
Now . . .
Now she understood that it had been a foolish, teenage fantasy.
“And what happens when you leave for California?” she demanded.
“I don’t plan on going anywhere for a while.”
She sent him a confused glance. “What about your job?”
“I can work from here as easily as California,” he told her. “Most of our business is done online.”
She slowed the Jeep as she reached the end of the drive. There was a low spot that had become a hidden bog at the edge of the gravel road. It had trapped more than one unwary driver over the past weeks.
“Don’t you have to schmooze your customers?”
“In the beginning I did a lot of traveling to meet with potential clients. It was the only way to fully understand the market and what was needed.” His gaze scanned the darkness as if expecting something or someone to leap out of the shadows. “Now our product speaks for itself.”
“I hope you’re not delaying your return home because of me.”
“And if I am?”
Her heart missed another beat. “I’d say that there’s no need.”
“I disagree.”
“Rylan—”
“Stop.”
His command came without warning and she instinctively slammed her foot on the brake.
“What’s wrong?”
He leaned forward, gazing at the opposite side of the road that was visible in her headlights. The slow-rising bluff was covered in trees and underbrush. The land was owned by a developer from St. Louis who’d recently built a cabin that he intended to rent to hunters.
“I thought I saw someone in the trees,” he said.
Jaci studied the darkness. Dawn was creeping in, but heavy clouds shrouded the landscape in a dismal gray.
Was someone lurking in the shadows? It was possible, of course. But it was far more likely the movement he caught was a deer. The place was thick with them lately.
“Do you want to go check?” she asked.
He narrowed his gaze. “Will you take off without me?”
She shrugged. “Probably.”
“Fine.” He shook his head, no doubt concluding, like she had, the movement had been caused by some sort of wildlife. “Let’s go.”
Without warning, Jaci felt a pang of guilt.
Rylan might be bossy, and intrusive, and arrogant, but he was just trying to help her. Did she really want to drive him away just because he rubbed against her already raw nerves?
Turning in her seat, she reached into the back to grab a muffin off the top tray.
“Here,” she said, apologizing with pastry.
What better way?
“Thank God,” he said, eating half the muffin in one bite. “Hmm. I’m going to have to double the length of my run tonight.”
“All good things come with a price.”
“Unfortunately true,” he agreed, polishing off the muffin as she drove down the muddy road. Then without warning, he reached out to lightly brush his fingers through the short strands of her hair. “And speaking of good things that come with a price.” She forgot to breathe, nearly driving off the road. But even as his hand cupped her bar
e nape the sound of his phone buzzing provided a sharp interruption. With a low curse he reached into his pocket to pull out the cell. “I have to take this.”
Jaci released a soft breath as she picked up speed. There was no point in pretending that his casual touch hadn’t sent jolts of pleasure through her. Or that she wasn’t going to spend the rest of the day fantasizing about the feel of those fingers touching something far more intimate than her hair.
Blocking out the soft sound of Rylan’s voice as he spoke into the phone, Jaci bypassed the road she usually took into town. She didn’t know if it was still closed from the flood, but she wasn’t going to find out. Not this morning. The mere thought of driving past the field where the woman was found floating in the water was enough to send a shiver of horror down her spine.
Ten minutes later her detour ended at a paved road that led directly into Heron.
“Thanks, Griff,” Rylan at last said, shoving the phone in his pocket.
“Work?” she asked.
“Nope.” His gaze turned toward her as she pressed her foot on the gas pedal, a portion of his tension visibly easing as they neared civilization. “I had my partner do some investigating for me.”
“Investigating what?”
“Everything and everyone.”
Her brows lifted. “Everyone?”
“I started with those who had access to your property.”
“That’s a long list,” she said. She might live in the middle of nowhere, but her home business meant she had numerous people coming and going.
“Yeah, that’s what Griff said,” he told her in dry tones. “It’s going to take some time to run them all through our system.”
Her brows drew together. It was weird to think of the people in her life being churned through various search engines that were designed to reveal their darkest secrets. It didn’t matter if they had anything to hide or not. It was a violation of their privacy.
“I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with the thought of my friends being investigated,” she said.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“Is it even legal?”
“We have specialized connections in the world of law enforcement,” he smoothly answered.
She slowed as they reached the edge of town. “You didn’t answer my question.”
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