by Lynn, JB
Thankfully I was saved from having to explain myself by the wail of an approaching siren.
To be honest, the next part is a blur, probably due to the fact that the cold was affecting me more than I realized.
Really the next thing I remember was being warmed by Angel and thinking that maybe the old woman was right about the stamp on my hand after all.
Chapter Four
I was confused and disoriented, but I knew that I was cradled in someone’s arms. It felt good. It felt safe.
Part of me just wanted to go to sleep cocooned in that warmth, but then I remembered Katie. I’d left her for some reason…
I sat up abruptly. “Katie?”
“She’s fine,” Angel soothed, his breath tickling my ear.
He tightened his grip on me, pinning me against his chest as though he was afraid I might bolt and run into traffic or something.
“What?” I asked bewildered.
“You saved that little boy from drowning,” he reminded me gently.
“Alton.” It all came back to me in a whoosh that took my breath away, the out of control horses, the decision to leave the twelve kids, the trapped boy, the cold water.
“Yes, Alton.”
“But Katie’s okay?”
“She’s fine.”
I looked around, trying to figure out where we were. The room was swathed in shadows, but I could tell we were seated on a couch.
“Cam called me,” Angel continued carefully. “She said she’d take Katie home and I brought you here.”
“Where’s here?”
“My friend Glen’s place.”
I shook my head, trying to rid of mental cobwebs.
“His place is only ten minutes from the camp,” Angel explained. “The priority was to get you someplace warm, but Cam thought it best that Katie not see you in the condition you were in.”
“Which was what?”
“Shivering and…” He hesitated.
“And what?”
“You weren’t making a lot of sense talking about blacksmiths and doppelgangers.”
“Oh,” I said in a small voice, my entire body tensing. “How embarrassing.”
Angel chuckled, his laughter vibrating into me as he pressed my head against his shoulder. “You saved that kid’s life, Maggie. You’ve got no reason to be embarrassed.”
“So I suppose this is one of your official manny duties?” I asked nervously, as it sunk in that I was sitting in the man’s lap. A flush of warmth, that had nothing to do with his body heat, rushed through me.
“Naah. Warm-up duties fall strictly in the friend category.”
“Is that where we are? Strictly in the friend category?” I teased weakly, trying to keep things light.
“That’s where you seem to want to keep us,” he replied seriously. “I’m open to the idea of expanding the scope of our relationship.”
I knew that, but I wasn’t sure that was the best of ideas. I stayed silent.
After a long, uncomfortable moment, he said quietly, “We should get you back to the B&B and explain what happened before Cam brings Katie back.”
Nodding, I tried to climb off his lap, but the moment my bare feet hit the ground, pain shot through them. Gasping, I collapsed back down.
Angel lifted me and shifted us both so that I was lying on the couch while he crouched beside it. “Let me see,” he said, reaching for my feet.
I grit my teeth against the anticipated pain, but there wasn’t too much as he gently cupped one foot in his hands.
“There’s no frostbite. We just need to get the blood flow back to them,” he explained gently. “If I hurt you, let me know.”
He rubbed first one ice-cold foot with his warm hands, then the other.
“What happened to my shoes?” I asked as he ministered to the second one.
“They were soaked, so I took them off.”
Remembering that my jeans had gotten wet too, I grabbed my thighs and was relieved to find they were still clad in denim, albeit damp denim.
Angel chuckled, knowing what I was checking. “Would it have been so bad if I’d removed them?”
“Yes,” I squeaked, unable to remember whether I’d pulled on practical or pretty panties that morning. It would have been humiliating if he’d seen me in less than my best.
Chuckling again, he stretched his legs. “Ready to give standing up another try?”
“Yes.”
Remembering that the bra I’d worn had been chosen for God’s comfort, not seduction, I lifted the collar of my top and peered down my shirt.
A little foot waved a silent greeting at me.
Angel stood and offered me his hands. “I’ll steady you.”
As I placed my hands in his, I was struck by the thought he already steadied me quite a bit. He’d been a powerful ally when it came to bridging the gap between myself and Katie and he’d been a steadying influence overall at the B&B.
“I hope you know how much you’re appreciated,” I murmured as he pulled me to my feet, dropping my hands to grab my waist to steady me.
“You could show me,” he said huskily.
I swallowed hard, finding it hard to think with our bodies in such close proximity. His was giving off heat like a well-stoked furnace and mine was pretty close to melting.
Keeping one hand at my waist, he raised the other to cup my chin, his fingers branding my skin.
“This is a mistake, right?” he whispered.
I nodded.
“A dumb idea to mix business and pleasure.” He softly stroked the sensitive skin behind my earlobe.
My knees almost buckled from the sensation, but I managed to choke out, “Really dumb.”
“You could fire me.”
“I don’t want to fire you.”
“I could quit.”
Something made my heart flutter. I wasn’t sure if it was the promise of possibility or panic. “I don’t want you to quit.”
“Then we’re at an impasse,” he murmured.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
“A challenge,” he mused softly. “I like a challenge.”
Something in his voice set off fireworks of sensation deep in my belly.
He leaned closer and I held my breath thinking he was about to breach the impasse.
Instead, he placed a feathery kiss to the corner of my mouth, pulled back, and said, “You’ve had a hell of a day. Let’s get you home.”
“Let’s,” I agreed weakly, afraid that if we didn’t leave right away, I’d be tempted to do something I shouldn’t. Sorely tempted.
Of course, in all the excitement I’d forgotten that home would be its own special version of hell.
Chapter Five
After all the years she'd been missing, presumed dead, I found it quite unsettling to limp (since I was still barefoot) into the kitchen of the B&B and find my sister, Darlene, there shooting the breeze with my aunts, Leslie and Loretta.
“Look who’s here,” Loretta trilled when I walked in the door.
I wasn’t sure if the “who” referred to me or Darlene and I froze, feeling like any move I made would be the wrong one.
Darlene, though, didn’t hesitate. Leaping to her feet, she threw her arms around me. “Maggie. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too,” I muttered, following her lead. I patted her back awkwardly, trying to put on the appropriate show. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
My aunts didn’t need to know that we’d already had our little reunion weeks before and that I’d saved both her daughters and her life in the interim.
“And who are you, handsome?” Darlene asked, transferring her attention to Angel who stood behind me.
“This is Angel, Katie’s manny,” I explained a tad too quickly.
Angel winced a little, but had the good manners to extend a hand and polite smile.
“Angel, this is Darlene, Marlene’s twin, showing up here out of the blue after all these years.” I gave Darlene a hard loo
k, making it clear that I wasn’t pleased with her sudden reappearance. “Where have you been?”
Darlene kept a tight smile on her face as she shook Angel’s hand.
“Oh, Maggie. Don’t you go pulling a Susan too,” Loretta groused.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“She’s angry that Darlene’s back,” Loretta explained.
“She moved in next door,” Leslie piped in.
“I’m sure she’s not angry,” I countered, feeling the need to defend Susan. “It’s just a lot to take in.”
“Well you know your sister must have a good reason for doing what she did.” Loretta plucked at a false eyelash. “Don’t hound the girl. She’ll explain herself when she’s good and ready.”
“I wasn’t hounding her,” I argued. “I asked one question.”
I looked to Darlene for back-up. She just offered me a one-shoulder shrug.
“Come sit by me, darling,” Loretta invited my recently returned sister.
Smiling, Darlene slid into the seat beside our aunt, throwing an arm around her and resting her head on her shoulder like she’d done when she was six.
I swallowed hard, fighting the swell of jealousy that rose up within me. I knew it was petty and childish, but it felt like she was usurping my role in the family.
Marlene burst into the kitchen, balancing a pile of photo albums, no doubt wanting to share the family memories Darlene had missed. She stared at me for a long moment like she hadn’t expected to see me. “You’re back.”
“Uh huh.”
“Where’s Katie?”
“She was having a great time so another mom said she’d bring her home later,” Angel interjected smoothly.
“Maggie! Maggie! You missed.” I was almost knocked over by the ball of fur that ran inside and threw herself at me.
“Easy, DeeDee,” I chuckled, patting her head. “I missed you too.”
“Where are your shoes, Margaret?” Aunt Susan demanded in a clipped tone.
Turning, I saw that she still held DeeDee’s leash, having just returned from a walk.
“Maggie had quite the adventure,” Angel inserted smoothly. “She wanted to make sure she got to tell you about it before you saw it on the news.”
“News?” I yelped worriedly.
He shrugged. “Cam said that there was a reporter there taping the whole thing.”
“Even the whole doppelganger blacksmith thing?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What is this about doppelganger blacksmiths?” Susan asked suspiciously. “And what have you done to warrant the attention of the press? You know that the last thing this family needs is to be the laughingstock of the town yet again.”
Suddenly my knees went weak again. The last thing I needed was any kind of news coverage. The parents of the kids I’d left alone would probably sue me or something.
“You should be proud of her,” Angel told Susan with a warning in his voice. He gently propelled me into the nearest seat. “I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”
I looked at him inquiringly.
“You may have talked about wanting that too,” he said with a wink.
Wondering what else I might have babbled about wanting, my cheeks warmed.
He grinned in a way that I was sure made my blush deepen.
“What on earth are you two talking about?” Susan scowled at me.
“Maggie’s a hero,” Angel said, pulling a gallon of milk from the fridge. “Anyone else want hot chocolate?”
“Me! Me!” DeeDee panted.
“Hero?” Susan asked dubiously, settling into the seat beside me, but keeping her back ramrod straight.
“Heroine is probably more accurate,” Angel interjected.
“What happened?” Marlene asked, putting the photo albums down.
So I told them about the class separating, and the restrooms, but I left out the part about my dad’s lookalike because Susan already had enough family-related stress going on. Then I told them about the stampeding horses and searching for Alton (leaving the part about Mike’s help out because they were already looking at me like I was nuts).
“She saved his life,” Angel supplied, when I trailed off after saying I’d found him trapped beneath the wagon. “He’d landed in a stream and she kept his head above water until medical help arrived.”
“Wow,” Marlene marveled.
“Impressive,” Darlene agreed. She arched an eyebrow, letting me know that she knew that life-saving heroics were part of my regular repertoire.
For a moment, I felt a surge of kinship toward her over the shared secret.
Aunt Susan was looking at me aghast, though I couldn’t tell by her expression if she was imagining the horror the little boy had endured, or if she thought my actions had been recklessly foolish.
“But it’s not newsworthy,” I added hastily. “Or heroic.”
“It is when the kid is Alton Concord,” Angel said, placing a steaming cup of hot chocolate in front of me.
“Of the Concords?” Loretta asked, obviously impressed.
I slid a sidelong glance at Marlene to see if she had any idea who the Concords were since I didn’t have a clue. She didn’t even notice me looking at her, as she stared at the photo album she held, a pained expression etched on her face.
I frowned, wondering if she was upset with me that my “heroics” were detracting from her twin’s return.
“Who are the Concords?” Darlene asked, saving me from embarrassing myself by asking the very same question.
“Only one of the most rich and powerful families in town,” Loretta supplied, patting her hair.
“In the state,” Susan added.
“They made their fortune in pharmaceuticals,” Leslie fittingly explained.
“And other things,” Susan remarked drolly. “Rumor has it that half the family should be in jail.”
I looked to her for a further explanation, but she was looking up at Angel. An uncomfortable expression settled into the lines of her face. She coughed and looked away.
I guessed that the Concords’ “other things” included illegal shenanigans and she’d just remembered that a member of one of the best-known crime families in the state was standing in her kitchen.
If Angel noticed, he didn’t give any indication. His expression, while pleasant, was bland.
I made a mental note never to play poker with him.
Chapter Six
A horn tooted in the driveway. “That’s probably Cam.” I jumped up, forgetting that my feet still hurt, and immediately sat back down, trying not to do more than gasp my pain.
“I’ll get her,” Angel offered.
He hurried outside.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” Susan said.
“Said what?” Darlene asked.
Susan scowled. “Angel is a member of the Delveccio crime family.”
“His family members are part of the alleged crime family,” I corrected. “He’s not.”
Susan rolled her eyes.
“He’s not in the family business,” I continued needing to defend Angel. “Besides,” I added, “the Delveccios have been very good to me and especially Katie. Or have you forgotten that?”
Susan hung her head guiltily. “That’s true.”
It was more true than she knew since the assassination jobs I’d done for the Delveccios had paid for Katie’s medical care, but I kept that tidbit to myself.
I glanced at Marlene again and saw that she still seemed distracted, though she gave me a polite, but sort of wan smile, when she noticed me watching her.
“Here she is,” Angel announced as Katie rushed into the kitchen.
“Katie!” DeeDee greeted the girl with enthusiastic kisses.
My niece’s pleased giggling warmed me even more than Angel’s embrace had earlier.
“Cam wanted to see you,” Angel said, ushering my spiky-haired co-chaperone inside.
Her face split into a wide grin when she spotted m
e. “Oh thank God. Last time I saw you, you were whiter than a cotton ball. Now you’ve got some color back.” She glanced up at Angel. “Guess you really did know what you were doing, big guy.”