In This Together

by Kara Lennox

  “Never mind. What the hell are you doing calling her? If you’re harassing her, so help me I will hang you up by your—”

  “I’m not harassing her. I know it sounds a little crazy, but we became friends.”

  “You expect me to believe Elena got friendly with a man who kidnapped her?”

  “She’s pretty amazing that way.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Daniel disconnected.

  Damn it to hell, now what? Daniel would call Elena and give her the third degree, probably chew her out for being gullible enough to associate with an ex-con kidnapper, and, really, could he blame Daniel?

  He wanted to warn her, but it was probably too late. Daniel was no doubt calling her on her new cell number—one Travis didn’t have.

  There was nothing he could do.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ELENA EXAMINED THE ancient Subaru and tried to put on a happy face. Uncle Cesar was letting her use it for free—it belonged to his daughter, who was away at a private university where they didn’t allow freshmen to have cars. All she had to do was pay for insurance. She was going to need some kind of transportation to go for job interviews and such.

  Daniel hadn’t taken the news well that she wanted to resign. He’d blamed Travis, and he’d been dubious when she’d insisted Travis had tried to talk her out of quitting.

  “The whole kidnapping thing did wake me up,” Elena had tried to explain. “I’ve gotten way too comfortable here. Spoiled, even. I don’t even have to buy my own toothpaste! I feel like I was in a cocoon, and now I’m a butterfly and I need to...migrate.”

  He hadn’t appreciated her analogy. He kept asking what she wanted—shorter hours? More pay? An assistant?

  “Didn’t you ever want to make your mark in the world? You started your first business when you were sixteen.”

  “You have plenty of time to make your mark,” he’d argued, but her mind was made up. He’d given her her final paycheck and accepted the phone, the computer and her keys.

  “I know it’s a little old and battered,” Cesar was saying. “And it’s nothing like those fancy cars you drove at your old job, but it’ll get you where you need to go. The engine’s all tuned up and it has new back tires. The air-conditioning is out, but you won’t really need that for a while.”

  “It’s wonderful, Uncle,” she said. “I’m so grateful you’re letting me use it. But won’t Angela want it when she comes home for Christmas?”

  “The kind of grades she’s making, I wasn’t going to give her the car back, anyway. Maybe in the summer.”

  Poor Angela. She’d never been the most studious girl, and Elena gave her points for getting into college at all.

  She gave Cesar a hug. “Thanks. Can I take her out for a spin?”

  “Anytime you want. It’s all yours now.”

  As she walked around to the driver’s side, she spotted her mother standing on the front porch, her arms crossed over her ample bosom.

  “I’m going to drive around the block.” Elena waved to her mother, but her mother didn’t wave back. She just kept staring, her expression decidedly...angry. What was going on?

  Elena closed the car door without getting in.

  “I have to go, Elena,” Cesar said. He’d probably noticed the expression on Rosalie’s face and didn’t want to tangle with her.

  “Yeah, okay. Thanks again.” Elena marched up to the front porch. “Mama? What’s wrong?”

  “How could you bring that man into our house? How could you let him eat at our table?”

  “What, um, what man are you talking about?” But she knew. Who else could it be but Travis?

  “You know who I’m talking about. That horrible man who kidnapped you. You never even told us what happened to you. Don’t you think we have a right to know?”

  “Mama, Mama, calm down. It’s not what it seems.”

  “Did he or did he not throw you into the back of his truck and hold you hostage for more than twenty-four hours?”

  “Who told you?” Oh, God, she hoped the story hadn’t somehow leaked to the press. An official police report had probably been filed, but she had a feeling Daniel had found a way to hush it up, mostly to save her any embarrassment and save him from having to explain why he’d claimed his assistant was kidnapped when it appeared she hadn’t been.

  “It doesn’t matter who told me. It’s true?”

  “It’s true,” she admitted. “But it was an act of desperation. His brother was going to lose his little girl for good—he just wanted someone to listen to him. That was all. And he didn’t hurt me. He took very good care of me—he made sure I had something to eat and that I was warm—”

  “Did he touch you?”

  “Touch me? Oh. No, of course not.” She tried not to think about the kiss. “He was a complete gentleman.”

  “A gentleman kidnapper.”

  “Yes. I’ve forgiven him for what he did, and I want you to forgive him, too. He’s a good man.”

  “Estas comiendo de lo que pica el pollo! He’s a criminal! And this isn’t the first time he’s been in trouble. Mr. Logan said—”

  “Daniel told you this?” She couldn’t believe it. He’d tattled on her.

  “Well, yes. He called wanting to talk to you. I guess he was upset because Travis called your old phone, looking for you.” Rosalie lowered her voice. “If your father finds out about this, he’s going to have a stroke.”

  Travis had called her? Despite being furious with Daniel, her heart lifted at the realization that Travis had opened the door between them again. She simply couldn’t help herself. He was making it pretty damn hard for her to believe him when he said he wanted to stay out of her life, but she didn’t care. She knew he was feeling a pull toward her just as she was drawn to him.

  “I don’t care what Daniel says, and I don’t care what Travis did in the past. I can tell he’s a good man who cares about his family, and I’m not stupid or naive. Excuse me.” She walked past her mother and into the house, found her purse and dug out her new cell phone. It was a basic model, nothing like the fancy phone she’d used working for Daniel. She’d thought it was important to return that one to him with all of the phone numbers and data intact.

  But she’d carefully copied down a few numbers and entered them into her new phone—including Travis’s. She wasn’t sure why she’d thought that necessary when she had no expectation that she would ever talk to him again.

  Now she was glad she’d done it. She went into her bedroom, closed the door and dialed him without hesitation.

  “Travis Riggs,” he answered. Obviously he wouldn’t recognize her new number.

  “Travis? It’s Elena.”

  He said nothing for several seconds. Then, “Elena, I’m so sorry. I—I called your number—”

  “I know what happened. Daniel answered, and he wasn’t too pleased you were calling me.”

  “To put it mildly. I think he blistered my eardrum. I guess he told you?”

  “Worse. He talked to my mother. Ratted me out. I was ready to forgive him for the SWAT team incident, but now I’m really angry again.”

  “How did your parents react when they learned you’d been kidnapped?”

  “My father doesn’t know, thank God. But my mother... She knows what it’s like to be judged unfairly. A lot of people were dead set against letting Cubans live in this country just because we managed to get our feet onto American soil before the Coast Guard caught us. We faced some pretty ugly attitudes. My mother should know not to judge someone—”

  “Elena, she’s just trying to protect you. No one wants their daughter associating with a criminal.”

  She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. “Forget about all that. Travis, why did you call?”

  “Oh. Well, I was
going to talk to you about being MacKenzie’s nanny. But there’s no way now.”

  “I’ll do it. I need to put some distance between myself and my parents.”

  “You haven’t even met MacKenzie.”

  “Of course, you’ll want to see whether she takes to me or not. She’s a traumatized little girl and probably wary of strangers. I understand. But I think we should try.”

  She could almost hear Travis thinking on the other end of the line.

  “Once I have childcare worked out,” he said after a moment, “the social worker says I can at least get temporary custody of MacKenzie. She’s not in a great situation now. They removed her from the Stover home and she’s in some kind of temporary shelter place, like an orphanage or something. I keep seeing scenes from Oliver Twist in my head.”

  “Then let’s do it! On a trial basis,” she said quickly. “You can fire me anytime you want. Or if you find someone better, or you find a day care that you love—I’ll understand. Meanwhile, at least you won’t have to worry about her safety. I only have a few things. I can move in immediately.”

  “You’re incredible, Elena. I never met anyone as open and forgiving as you.”

  That was odd. She would bet those were not the adjectives that came to mind when most people were asked to describe her. She’d been working on her resume earlier today and looking over some letters of referral she’d accumulated. Professional. Efficient. Pleasant. Organized. Those were the words people used to describe her. And sometimes, brutally efficient and ruthlessly organized.

  That wasn’t necessarily the kind of praise she wanted to live up to.

  She realized Travis was waiting for some type of response from her. “Something about you makes me want to be open and forgiving, Travis. Don’t ask me to explain it better than that. I can’t.”

  * * *

  TRAVIS WAS A mass of nerves as he waited for Elena. He’d spent the previous day furnishing both her room and MacKenzie’s and feverishly unpacking, rushing from the work site to Ikea to his new home and back. He wanted everything to be perfect. With Elena here, he could get MacKenzie by the end of the week.

  He had to focus on MacKenzie’s well-being and put aside his misgivings about Elena’s decision to help him.

  When a battered, red car pulled to the curb in front of his house, he was surprised. He’d expected to see Elmer’s SUV, and he’d been worrying about Elena’s lack of her own transportation. He wanted her to be able to pick up MacKenzie from school or take her to the park or the doctor or wherever, but his budget wouldn’t stretch to cover a second vehicle.

  His surprise quickly gave way to a host of other feelings at seeing Elena emerge from the car—relief that she hadn’t changed her mind and sheer delight over her beauty, her grace, her bouncy step and the smile on her face. She wasn’t just happy—she was happy to see him.

  His heart swelled, and for a few startling moments he didn’t recognize what he was feeling. Was he having a heart attack? No, way too pleasant for that.

  Travis opened the door before she could ring the bell. “Elena.” That was when it hit him. That alien feeling was happiness. He was genuinely happy for the first time in...well, maybe years. Before Tammy’s murder he’d been relatively satisfied with his life, but it was like he’d had a glass ceiling over his emotions, not allowing them to soar too high, careful not to take too much joy in life. But he couldn’t contain the feelings Elena brought out.

  She stared at him for several heart-stopping seconds, and he wanted more than anything to take her in his arms and kiss her. But that would be sending the wrong message. Elena was now his employee—and he would pay her a salary, never mind that she’d offered to do it for free. He’d asked Missy what would be an appropriate amount, and it wasn’t beyond his means.

  Salary or no salary, he absolutely could not take advantage of the fact that he and Elena would be sharing a roof. Plus, he didn’t want to confuse MacKenzie. Poor kid was probably confused enough.

  “This house is great!” Elena finally said, breaking the spell. She wore jeans and clogs and a gauzy top that was perfectly modest, even as it teased his senses by what it didn’t show. Her hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail and she wore hardly any makeup. She looked different than that polished, sophisticated woman he’d first met at the River Oaks mansion, but no less appealing.

  “Thanks. I’ve been working night and day on it to get it ready. This is the living room.” He took her on a quick tour of the downstairs, which consisted of the living room, dining room, a kitchen that hadn’t been updated since the 1960s, a half bath and a screened-in porch.

  Upstairs were the bedrooms plus two bathrooms. He was particularly proud of how MacKenzie’s room had turned out. He’d bought her a twin bed with a bright pink quilt and some ruffly pillows, a small desk and chair—not that a kindergartener had homework, but she might like to sit there and draw pictures or look at a picture book, he reasoned. Then there was a shelf for her toys. He’d bought a couple of stuffed animals and a doll to get her started, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her. He would let Eric direct the rest of his toy purchases.

  He’d also bought a fuzzy throw rug with a cartoon kitten on it. The saleswoman had assured him that every little girl would love it.

  “This is so cute! You did this?” Elena looked around, as if she expected him to be hiding an interior designer somewhere.

  “I tapped into my inner Martha Stewart, what can I say? The lady at Ikea helped. This is the bathroom. You and MacKenzie will have to share—I hope that’s okay.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I mean, I’d be happy to put you in the master bedroom, and then you could have your own—”

  “Don’t be silly. When I was a kid, I had to share a bathroom with four people. It’s no big deal sharing with one little girl.”

  He held his breath as he showed Elena her room. He’d bought an old-fashioned iron bed he’d spotted at a garage sale and outfitted it with a new mattress and box spring, crisp white sheets and a patchwork quilt his grandmother had made. He’d had the quilt in storage for his entire adult life, too sentimental to part with it even though he had only vague memories of his mother’s mother. He was pleased to be able to put it to good use. He’d also bought a dresser and nightstand, painted white with china knobs, and a small bookshelf.

  “I’m sure it’s not what you’re used to...”

  “It’s wonderful.”

  “Yeah, but at Daniel’s house and at your parents’—”

  Elena’s smile vanished. “Don’t speak Daniel’s name. He is dead to me.”

  “Isn’t that a little melodramatic?”

  She thought for a moment, worrying her lower lip with her teeth in a way that made his stomach clench with desire. “Okay, maybe he’s not dead. But he’s real sick.”

  “So you’ll do it? You’ll be MacKenzie’s nanny?”

  “Are you kidding?” The smile returned. “I’ve got all my stuff in the car. I’m moving in—try and stop me.”

  Dear God. Elena was moving in...today. Now. He’d thought he would have another day or two to prepare himself. He’d thought she would want to think it over before committing.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, all soft concern. “You look like you swallowed a bug.”

  “I’m...fine. It’s all just a little sudden. Everything’s happening so fast. I’m not sure I’m ready.”

  “Of course you’re ready.” She stood very close to him, looking up at him with those molten brown eyes, her lips plump and moist and slightly parted, her breasts rising and falling as if she was out of breath. If he didn’t know better, he would think...

  “I’m ready,” she whispered.

  That was when it happened. He lost it—he lost the thread of self-control he’d desperately been holding on to. She was in his arms and
his mouth was on hers, claiming her, branding, conquering.

  This kiss was nothing like the first tentative kisses they’d stolen, Travis thought dazedly. This one was fueled by passion and heat and a need for Elena that had been building for weeks.

  And here they were, alone in the house, neither of them in any hurry to be somewhere...and a brand-new bed with fresh sheets only a few steps away.

  He tried to grab on to some sanity when Elena worked her hands under his blue knit shirt—one of his nicest, which he’d put on just because she was coming over. “Elena, wait, wait, we can’t—”

  “I am so tired of people telling me what I can and can’t do. Do you want me?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It’s a yes-or-no question. Do you want to make love to me or not?”

  “Of course I do!” he said perhaps a little too enthusiastically. “But...but we’re not teenagers. We can’t just—”

  “Who says we can’t?”

  “Your father will kill me,” he blurted out, because it was the first excuse that came to mind.

  “My father won’t know.” She crossed her arms in front of her, grabbed the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head. His heart almost stopped seeing Elena’s breasts in nothing but a shell-pink bra edged with lace. She saw his expression and smiled lazily, and he was a goner.

  “You’re too good for me....”

  “That’s a bunch of mierda and you know it. It’s just sex. No one’s going to demand you make an honest woman of me, okay?” she said with a laugh, but that was exactly what he was thinking—that Elena was the kind of woman a man made a commitment to, not one to be tumbled casually on a whim.

  Although this didn’t feel like a whim. It felt important. Significant.

  “Stop overthinking, Travis. For just a little while shrug the world off your shoulders. Forget about everybody but you and me. It’s okay to do that.”

  He wasn’t sure it was okay, but he was beyond any ability to deny Elena. How could he say no to one of the best things to ever come into his lousy life?

  They fell onto the bed. The sheets still had that “new” smell, since he hadn’t had time to wash them. The quilt was as soft and fresh-smelling as the day he’d taken it down from the clothesline and vacuum-packed it. The pillows were brand-new, too—stuffed with fluffy down.