Playing with Fire

by Jen Talty

  “Shall we go find out?” Mentally, he smacked himself on the backside of his head for using a cute little girl as an excuse to see his sexy neighbor.

  “Yes!” Suzie leapt from the table, stumbling.

  He reached down, grabbing her arm to keep her from falling on her knees. He scooped her up to his hip and waved to her mother. “We’re going to meet the new neighbor,” he yelled.

  Elizabeth Easton nodded. The woman had four energetic kids between the ages of four and twelve. Three boys and Suzie, who ruled the roast. The Easton’s were good neighbors and Cade enjoyed tossing a football with the boys, but Suzie had wormed into his heart with her innocent sweetness.

  But mostly because the kid said exactly what she thought and had more confidence in herself than most grown women he’d met.

  Her little fingers gently gripped his shoulders as he strolled across the yards, making his way to the front of Heather’s house, grateful her SUV had been parked under her carport. His heart beat a little faster and the swirling sensation of butterflies filled his middle, something he hadn’t felt since high school.

  “I want to ring the bell!” Suzie exclaimed as he stepped onto Heather’s front stoop.

  He rested Suzie on his hip, grateful the independent little girl’s desire to be held gave him a convenient way to conceal his insecure, school boy shaking hands.

  He waited for what seemed like an eternity for Heather to open the door.

  “Hi! I’m Suzie Easton!” She held out her hand.

  Heather glanced between Cade and the little girl. “I’m Miss Heather.”

  “Oh, but you’re a doctor, should I call you doctor something?”

  The corners of Heather’s mouth tipped upward in a bright smile. “Doctor is too formal for neighbors,” Heather said, shaking the little girls hand. “So, where do you live?”

  “Behind Mr. Nash. We’re having dinner at his place tonight. Oh, and I made you cookies.” Suzie paused, cupping Cade’s cheeks with her tiny little hands. “I should have brought the cookies.”

  “Why don’t you go get them and bring your mom, dad, and brothers to my backyard,” Cade said. “I’ll invite our new friend to dinner.”

  “Okay!” Suzie said with a bright smile.

  The sound of an engine roaring behind Cade stole his attention as he glanced over his shoulder, setting the young girl down. The second her feet hit the concrete, she was off, running like she was being chased by a heard of Spanish bulls. “Be careful,” he called when a spiffy dark blue BMW rolled to a stop in Heather’s driveway.

  “Shit,” Heather muttered.

  “What’s wrong?”

  A tall man, well-muscled, closed to Cade’s height, dressed in a button down, light blue shirt, with pink golf shorts stepped from the vehicle.

  “That’s my ex-husband.” She chomped down on her fingernail. “I hate to ask another favor, but do you mind staying until I can get him to leave.”

  “Not at all.” Cade hated when people asked him why he and his ex-wife had split up, not so much because she’d been having an affair, though humiliating, but because he didn’t think the why mattered anymore. With that thought, he felt a sudden need to know everything about Heather and her dapper-looking ex-husband.

  “Jeff, what are you doing here?” She folded her arms across her middle.

  “I told you I was coming to town and that I wanted to have dinner.” Jeff held his hands out to the side and smiled. “We need to talk, baby.”

  Cade cringed, feeling the tug of jealously itch his fingertips. Not only that, he hated it when men referred to a lady as baby.

  “We’ve been over this,” she said with a tight voice. “We have nothing left to talk about.”

  Jeff stood three paces from the bottom step to the house eyeing Cade with disdain oozing from his gaze. “I’m not sure who you are, but I’m Heather’s husband and if you don’t mind—”

  “Her ex-husband.” Cade inched closer to her, casually sliding his hand around her waist. “And I do mind.”

  “Get your hands off my wife.” Jeff’s voice took on a possessive tone that made the hair on Cade’s neck stand up.

  “I’m not your wife and you’re not welcome here,” Heather said, her voice firm. Her muscles tightened and twitched under Cade’s hand.

  “You heard the lady.” Cade didn’t like getting into pissing contests with men, especially ones he doesn’t know, but Jeff appeared to the kind of man who didn’t back down.

  Never a good sign.

  Jeff pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes to tiny slits. “Heather, I’m not leaving until you give me five minutes alone.”

  Heather’s body shivered.

  Cade pulled her closer, curling his fingers around her slender hip.

  “Please, Jeff. I’m asking you nicely to leave.”

  “Five minutes, baby, that’s all I ask.” Jeff took a couple of steps closer.

  “Leave,” Cade said.

  “You need to leave.” Jeff put his hands on his hips and jutted out his chin. “Tell him to leave.”

  “No,” Heather said. “He’s welcome, you’re not.”

  “Mr. Nash! Miss Heather!” Suzie’s voice echoed in the air.

  Cade sucked in a deep calming breath as Suzie skidded to a stop in front of Jeff with a Tupperware container full of cookies.

  “Who are you?” Suzie asked, tilting her head, her messy curls bouncing with her action.

  No way was Cade going to give Jeff the opportunity to say much of anything, especially in front of an innocent child. “That’s an old friend of Miss Heather's who was just leaving.”

  “Is this your daughter?” Jeff asked, his smile curved. “Where’s your wife?” He arched a brow, staring at Cade.

  He’d had about enough of this asshole, but now that Suzie had joined them, he really needed to keep on lid on his temper, because all he wanted to do was take a pot shot at this jerkoff.

  Suzie giggled. “Mr. Nash doesn’t have a wife and Mrs. Baker says he and Miss Heather are going to be a couple because he jumped Miss Heather in the driveway and Mrs. Baker says it’s about time Mr. Nash has some babies of his own.”

  Heather gasped, covering her mouth.

  Cade choked on his own his own breath, but kept an eye on Jeff, who now had his hands clenched at his sides.

  “Princess,” Cade said, bending over and scooping the girl into his arms. “Mrs. Baker said I jump started Miss Heather’s car. The words you left out change the meaning of the story.”

  Suzie rolled her eyes, still clutching the cookies in her hands.

  Cade handed Suzie to Heather, who stared at him with wide-eyes, but gracefully took the child into her arms.

  He smiled, glancing over his shoulder, seeing Suzie’s family march into his back yard.

  “Why don’t you two ladies’ head over to my patio. I’ll be over in a minute to start dinner.”

  Heather nodded, carrying Suzie down the steps. “Goodbye, Jeff,” she said, hightailing it out of there like her ass was on fire.

  As soon as she crossed the properly line, Cade inched forward. “Heather doesn’t want you around, so if I were you, I’d stay away.”

  “Is that a threat?” Jeff took two steps forward, his body tense and ready for a fight.

  “No, but if I see you bothering her again, you’ll regret it.”

  Jeff laughed, pointing in the direction Heather had gone. “That’s my wife and she’s going to come back to me.”

  Cade seriously doubted that.

  “Now excuse me while I go talk to my wife.”

  Cade stepped in front of Jeff, blocking his way. “That’s my house. My yard. My property. You set foot on it and I’ll have the cops here so fast it will make your head spin. And if you’re not off Heather’s property in the next five minutes, I’ll make sure the cops—”

  “Do you have any idea who I am? I wouldn’t be tossing threats out there because my family’s reach is far and wide.”

  “I don’t giv
e a shit who you are or who your family is.” Cade held up his cell phone. “But you should care about the long line of law enforcement in mine, because I could have your ass hauled off to jail faster than you could whip out daddy’s credit card.” Cade’s blood boiled. For the most part, the world knew him as a laid-back man, who couldn’t hurt a fly, but he’d hurt this asshole if came anywhere near Heather again.

  “You’re fucking with the wrong man.” Jeff backed up, his hands up in the air, a menacing smile dancing across his shallow face. “I’d watch your back if I were you.”

  Cade shook out his hands as he watched Jeff backed his fancy-schmancy car out of the driveway and peeled off down the road, kicking up some loose gravel.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Cade collected himself before heading to the backyard. He plastered a smile on his face as he greeted his neighbors, determined to enjoy his evening.

  But when it was over, he was going to find out what the hell had happened in Heather’s marriage and subsequent divorce, because if his instincts were right, if he ever saw that man again, he'd likely be forced to lay him flat.

  4

  The last thing Heather ever wanted to do was rely on another man.

  For anything.

  But, as she stood in Cade’s kitchen, drying off a few dishes that Elizabeth handed her, staring out the window at Cade playing tag with the Easton children, she knew without Cade’s presence, Jeff could have been trouble.

  She’d seen that cocky glare in his eyes before, and it never ended well for her. When Jeff wanted something, he went after it, guns loaded, and didn’t care who he had to run over to get it.

  A lesson she hadn’t learned until after they’d been married.

  “Cade’s quite handsome, isn’t he?” Elizabeth said, nudging Heather with her elbow.

  Elizabeth didn’t look a day over thirty-five, so it surprised Heather to know she was forty-eight, which meant she had Suzie at forty-four. Why Heather found it important to figure that math out, she chose not to ponder.

  “Handsome is one way to put it.” Heather put the last dish a way before hanging up the towel on the rack, trying to ignore the pull he had on her. It wasn’t just that she didn’t want to rely on a man, she wanted to know she could be successful without one. Jeff’s family’s money helped pay off her student loans, something he held over her head in the divorce. In the end, she walked away with nothing.

  And she did so happily.

  “Cade is one of the few good ones left.” Elizabeth leaned against the sink, her fingers curling around the countertop. “When I first met him, I thought, what the hell is wrong with this guy, because he’s just to damn sweet.”

  Heather swallowed as she turned to face Elizabeth, putting Cade out of her view. Watching him play with children tugged at her heart.

  Watching him also tugged at something else.

  “He does seem to have a kind soul,” Heather admitted.

  Elizabeth laughed. “He does things for people without giving it a second thought. I can’t tell you how many times he’s waltzed through the yards and given me, my husband, or my children, a hand with any given task and he almost never asks for anything in return.”

  “Was he like that when he was married?” Why the hell did she ask that? She had no right snooping around in his life, much less getting the dirt on his failed marriage. “I mean, always coming to someone’s rescue?” God, she really needed to shut up.

  “Honestly, not as much as he does now, but you really couldn’t ask for a better neighbor.” Elizabeth smiled. “I think his ex-wife was nuts for leaving him.”

  But you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.

  “Everyone I’ve met so far in the neighborhood is wonderful.” Heather wanted off the topic of Cade. He appeared to be a gentleman through and through, and she appreciated his help. However, the anger that seeped from him when Jeff had been around only added to her nervousness. It didn’t matter that he contained his emotions, especially around Suzie. Having been married to an abusive man forced her to examine every detail of a person’s behavior, a new habit she both valued and resented.

  “It’s a great place to live,” Elizabeth said.

  She had an easy smile and laid-back demeanor, especially around her rambunctious, but well-behaved children. Her husband, Mark, had a similar personality, and it was impossible for Heather not to feel a pang of envy.

  “How long have you lived here?” Heather asked. She needed to get to know her neighbors and become part of the community. When she’d been married to Jeff, that had been the entire reason she agreed to do all she had at the country club, and she had made one or two good friends, but the majority were superficial.

  And even the few friends she thought she had, turned their back on her the second she dared walk out on Jeff Westerfield.

  She pushed the past into the back of her mind. She had a new life to live and it started with making friends.

  “Almost twenty-years. We thought it would be our starter home, but when we needed a bigger house, we couldn’t leave, so we put on addition.” Elizabeth glanced out the window and sighed. “Looks like Timmy is about to have a meltdown, and Suzie appears to be in battle mode. I should get going and tame the wild beasts and hopefully get them to bed soon.” Elizabeth pulled open the back door.

  The spicy smell of barbeque still lingered in the air. Heather had never eaten ribs, much less with her fingers, and part of her wished she could have done that in front of Jeff and all his country club buddies.

  Oy. That would have been scandalous.

  Cade jogged over from the trees lining the two yards and smiled.

  Heather’s stomach dropped to her toes.

  “I should get going,” Elizabeth said as she patted Cade on the arm. “Thanks again for dinner. It would have sucked to have to go to the store after being in the car for eight hours, much less cook.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Heather wiped her hands down the front of her jean shorts, watching the Easton’s, holding hands and making their way home.

  Home. Heather reminded herself that she would make this home. Her safe haven.

  Cade held up a beer and her first thought was to turn it down.

  “One more,” she heard herself say. Well, she did need to thank him. “I’m sorry you got put on the spot with my ex, but I really appreciate you helping me out, though I didn’t mean to crash your dinner party.” Nice way to bury the crux of the thank you, ending with a diversion. Hopefully he wouldn’t focus on what happened before dinner.

  “You didn’t crash anything.” Cade offered her a cushioned patio chair. “It was an impromptu gathering and I planned on inviting you anyway.”

  “It was delicious.” Settling in, she sipped her beer, watching the sky fill with the glow of the moon.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed.” He sat down next her, his face turning serious. “I don’t mean to pry, but what is the deal with your ex?”

  So much for diverting the conversation. Now she had to decide how much to tell Cade. Being a victim hadn’t been a good feeling, and she refused to be one ever again. “He didn’t want the divorce and he played a card he thought would make me either stay, or hold the divorce off for a while, but it didn’t work.”

  “Has he been bothering you like that the entire time?”

  She sucked in a breath and huffed it out. “No. The first few months he pretty much left me alone. It wasn’t until I bought this house that he’s wanted to discuss us getting back together, but only because he didn’t think I’d last five minutes without him.” She raised the longneck to her lips and gulped. She really needed to stop talking.

  Cade might be a good man.

  A good listener.

  Not to mention easy on the eyes.

  But he was a man, and she didn’t need to spill her guts.

  “My uncle is the Chief of the Lake George Village Police Department. If Jeff harasses you, my uncle can help.” Cade reached in his pocket and pulled out
a card, placing it on her knee. “I wrote my cell on the back of the card, as well.” He tapped her leg once, his hand hovering over her leg, heating her skin.

  She stared at the card for a long moment. The last time Jeff had hit her, she'd packed up her things and drove to her parents' home. They called the police and the incident had been documented, but nothing came of it other than a few articles in the tabloids.

  At least she’d gotten it out there as to what kind of man Jeff really was, so hopefully no other women would fall prey to his not-so-charming ways.

  “Thank you.” The card felt heavy as she lifted it between her fingers, before sliding it in her back pocket. She didn’t want to accept his help, but she wasn’t stupid, and Jeff could be relentless.

  “Don’t hesitate to use it.”

  She studied Cade as he took a long draw from his beer. He legs stretched out in front of him with one ankle over the other. He stared across the yards, seemingly at a large tree, but she couldn’t tell. Whatever his eyes focused on, his mind contemplated something else.

  “I’ll call if I need to.”

  Cade rested his head back on the chair. “What happened in your marriage is none of my business, but I don’t like the way he treated you, and he threatened me, something I don’t take too kindly to.”

  “I didn’t mean to drag you into the middle of my mess.”

  “You didn’t.” He turned, catching her gaze with his chocolate eyes. They were dark and filled with an intense heat, it made her body melt. His stare was both protective and filled with a greedy desire she dared not contemplate.

  “I could have taken Suzie and walked away, leaving you alone with him. But I chose to stay.” Cade’s eyes narrowed. “Did he hurt you?”

  Hers widened as she swallowed her breath.

  “Bastard,” Cade muttered, before chugging his beer. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  “I am too, but I got out.” She raised her bottle, and followed suit. Even though she hadn’t come out and said Jeff had hit her, nor did she give the details, it felt good to know she could talk about it and not feel shame.