“There’s a chocolate bar in the bottom drawer.”
“See ya.” Emily hopped down and disappeared within seconds.
If Ian had sent his daughter away to talk to him alone, then clearly this conversation was serious.
“What’s happening?”
Ian’s jaw clenched and he shook his head. “I’ve not told you about this because I’m not proud. While I was in prison I met a man who became a close friend. I…helped him out over the years. Buying car parts that may or may not have been stolen.”
“Ah shite, Ian. You didn’t.” The brief stint in prison was water under the bridge, and that didn’t faze Colin. It had been a complete bullshit sentence for nearly beating to death Charles Richland after stopping the man from raping Kenzie.
What surprised him was that Ian had been involved with some shady dealings with a fellow inmate.
“It’s done with now,” Ian continued. “I’ve not worked with him in several months.”
“Christ, it was that recent?”
“Aye. You don’t have to arrest me, do you?”
“No.” Colin glowered at his brother. “This conversation never happened. What’s going on now with Sarah?”
“I think he may be following her and trying to intimidate her to get to me. The girls are at Applebee’s and Curt’s sitting in the parking lot watching them.”
Colin stilled, his breath catching. “What did you say his name was?”
“Curt. Curt MacGregor.”
“Shite.” The icy rage that swept through Colin’s blood was immediate and he dug into his pocket for his keys. “We need to go. Now.”
“Aye, we do. I need to close up my shop first, though. And Emily—”
“Listen. Do what you need to close up your business, and take care of Emily. I’ll head out and deal with this bastard.”
“The fuck you are. This is my prob—”
“This may not be about Sarah.” He didn’t want to have to explain how he knew about Hailey and her ex. The restraining order. There wasn’t time now. “I’ll explain later. But I’ll ask that you trust me to deal with this, Ian. I may have more influence on him anyway, being that I’m law enforcement.”
Ian grunted, seeming reluctant and wary, but finally he nodded. “All right then. Go. You call me the moment you can confirm they’re safe.”
“They’ll be safe.” Colin made the vow as he jogged out of Ian’s shop to his truck.
When he arrived at the restaurant ten minutes later, he scanned the parking lot for any sign of MacGregor. Most of the vehicles were empty, except for one, which held a teenaged girl talking on a phone.
Which meant he’d either left the scene or followed the women inside.
Climbing out of his truck, he made his way toward the front of the restaurant, even as he kept his gaze moving around the premises at all times.
The door opened before he reached it, and the three women filed out.
“Did Ian send you?” Sarah called out, reaching him first.
“I sent myself. What happened to MacGregor?”
“He’s gone.”
Hailey answered this time and he swept his attention to her. Her arms were folded beneath her chest and her gaze was troubled.
Concern swept through him, and he wanted to stride forward and pull her into an embrace—soothe away the fear in her eyes. But he couldn’t. Not only because Sarah and Kenzie were here, but because he sensed Hailey was still angry enough from last night to slug him.
“Did he say anything to you? Any of you?”
“No.” Sarah shook her head. “There’s not even a guarantee he was here for me. Maybe it was a coincidence.”
He didn’t think it was a coincidence, but he also suspected Sarah hadn’t been Curt’s primary motivation for showing up.
“Did you all drive separately?” he asked.
“I drove Sarah,” Kenzie answered quietly.
“All right then. That’s good. Just for caution’s sake, you’d best take Sarah back to her house because Ian assured me he’d be returning home shortly.”
“Easy enough.” Kenzie gave Hailey a quick hug, a promise to call soon, and Sarah followed suit. Soon after, the two climbed into Kenzie’s car and drove off.
Colin turned his attention to Hailey, but her gaze was moving a mile a minute around the parking lot and roads nearby.
“I’m fairly certain he’s gone.”
She nodded and bit her lip. “I know.”
“But I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you returning to your home right yet.”
“I’m not sure I am either,” she admitted. “I have a feeling he might be waiting for me.”
“Hailey…” he hesitated, “…we should talk.”
She brought her gaze back to his and held it. “I agree.”
“Would you come back to my house? I swear to you I’ll be on my best behavior.”
The first glimmer of amusement flickered in her eyes. “I trust you. And yes. I’ll go to your house.”
“I live on the south side of the island. Closer to Langley.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got enough gas.”
“You could ride with me—”
“I don’t want to leave my car here. I’d probably come back and find it stolen.” Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Stripped and with the parts sold.”
His stomach sank a little. So she knew all about her ex’s little hobby, did she? Shite, she hadn’t been a part of it, had she? Despite his old opinions of her, he found it hard to believe she’d be involved in the likes of that.
“Aye, actually you may be right.” He strode back to his car and grabbed a pen and paper out of it, then scrawled quickly. “Here’s my address, but why don’t you just climb in your car and follow me back to my place?”
She nodded, took the paper and then pulled her keys from her purse. “Okay. I have a GPS if you lose me.”
“I’ll not lose you.”
And he didn’t. The next forty minutes of driving had them caravanning smoothly to his home on the south end of the island. During the journey he’d been sure to keep an eye out for anyone who may have been following them.
Fortunately, he hadn’t noticed anyone. And there’d been no sign of that beat-up truck her ex drove. Colin pulled into his driveway and climbed out of his truck, watching as Hailey pulled in behind him.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” she remarked once she was out of her car.
“Thanks. I quite like it.” He spared a glance at his home, seeing it from her eyes.
The two-story house was set on two acres of land, with trees scattered about. He wasn’t so much about the appearance of his home—though it did look nice—but more so happy to have some land, and plenty of rooms in the home if he should need them.
“I’ll get you something to drink and then we can sit out back on the patio.”
They walked together to the front door and he unlocked it, gesturing for her to go in first.
She stepped into the entryway and paused, glancing around. A wistful, almost awed expression flitted across her face.
“It’s just as pretty on the inside.”
“You’ve only seen the foyer.” Though he couldn’t deny it was lovely. The house was all wood- and cabin-themed décor.
“How long have you lived here?”
“A few years. It’s home, though.”
“I’m sure.” She folded her arms across her chest and walked past him, down the hall and toward the kitchen.
“Hailey, was Curt driving his truck today?”
Her shoulders tensed and she gave a quick nod. “Yeah, he was.”
“Come on in. We should call about MacGregor—”
“Can we wait? I mean, just a little bit.”
She still hesitated to turn him in? He bit back a sigh, but gave a terse nod. He would allow it for a moment, but would insist on it later. Or he’d do it himself.
He passed her in the kitchen and went to the fridge. “Iced tea? Soda?
Juice?”
“Iced tea would be great. No sugar or lemon.”
“Disgusting. I’ve never understood how you Yanks drink your tea without sugar or cream. It’s weird.”
His attempt at diffusing some of her tension seemed to work. She visibly relaxed and arched a brow at him.
“Well, this is iced tea and cream would just be weird in it. Besides, if you hate tea enough to cover up the taste with cream and sugar, maybe you shouldn’t be drinking it.”
A soft laugh escaped him. “Touché. But I still say it’s weird.”
“Of course you do. And you do realize that you’re a Yank too now.”
“Technically, aye.”
She gave a faint smile. “Do you ever miss it? Scotland?”
“I do. But I visit every year or two, especially now that our parents have moved back to Edinburgh.” He handed her a glass of plain iced tea and then fixed himself a glass with sugar.
“You must miss them. Your parents are pretty amazing people.”
“They are indeed.”
Again, he noted the wistful expression on her face. Now he knew the reason behind it though. He knew so many details about her life now, some he suspected she probably regretted telling him.
“Let’s take our drinks out back.” He gave a small wave and led her toward the back door.
The porch was his place of relaxation and beauty. He’d known she’d find it just as enchanting, even before she stepped outside and uttered a small gasp of pleasure.
“Wow.” She walked past him to the edge of the porch. “I didn’t expect this from the front yard.”
He followed her gaze to where it drank in his property. The grass was recently cut and shimmered green in the sunlight, while a handful of large evergreen trees cast some parts of the property in shade. Beyond the trees, though, were the sparkling waters of Puget Sound.
“You have a gorgeous backyard. And a view.”
“A bit of a view,” he admitted. “When you’re on an island, it’s easier to arrange.”
“Even still, not everyone gets one. And this backyard is huge and so open. It’s ready to go when you decide to have…” she hesitated, “…I mean if you ever have kids. If you want them.”
“Aye. I want children.”
When he turned his attention her way, her face was red. She clearly looked as if she’d stepped into a topic she regretted.
She didn’t reply to that, instead she set her drink down on the porch railing. She moved her hands to her waist and rocked forward slightly on the balls of her feet.
While part of him itched to move up beside her and replace her hands with his own, he managed to keep his distance. Just barely.
Changing the subject was safe, and if he was doing his job right, necessary. He shouldn’t be thinking about how badly he wanted to touch Hailey right now. He needed to keep his mind on the problem at hand.
“Hailey, do you think Curt showed up for you or Sarah today?”
Chapter Twelve
That had been the question in her head for the last hour.
“I didn’t realize he even knew Sarah.” She paused and lifted one shoulder in a small shrug. “Well, maybe I did. Or I suspected it because he…”
“He what?”
Maybe she shouldn’t even admit it, but then it would look as if she were hiding something. She nibbled on her lower lip and scowled.
Colin appeared beside her, his questioning gaze weighing down on her.
“Hailey, are you going to answer me?”
“He told me to ‘make nice with the McLaughlins’,” she blurted. “And, honestly, I couldn’t even begin to tell you why he said that.”
“‘Make nice with the McLaughlins’?” he mused. “Now I wonder why he’d tell you that.”
“Like I said. No clue. How do Sarah and Curt know each other?”
“It’s more Ian and Curt, if I understand correctly. They served time together and became friends. Which makes no sense to me—the man is clearly filth.”
“He is,” she agreed, “but he’s charming filth. He gives off a great first impression to win you over.”
“Is that what he did with you?” he asked softly.
Damn, but she hated to think how naïve she’d been. “Yeah. We weren’t together long. Six months, if that. His charm quickly wore off.”
“You ended the relationship, I assume?”
“Yes.”
Colin grunted. “And he was not pleased.”
“Not at all.”
“Hence the restraining order.” He paused. “Did he ever hurt you?”
“No, but he came close.” She thought back to the times when he’d lost his cool. How he’d slam his fists into the wall beside her so hard he’d break the skin on his knuckles. “I knew if I stayed in the relationship he would.”
“He sounds like a bloody bastard. I’m glad you left him,” Colin muttered and drank another sip of his tea. “You know we need to report his presence today.”
Her heart sank, but she nodded. “I know. Just to have it on the record, at least.”
“Right. And also mention that he showed up at your house last week.”
Her life was just one big drama after another. She’d been so stupid to get involved with Curt. All she wanted was a normal life. A normal fucking life. And for a while she’d convinced herself she was close to getting it.
“Have a seat and relax a little.” Colin gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, as if he knew the turbulence in her head right now. “I need to step inside for a quick moment to call Ian, if you don’t mind.”
“Go for it. I’ll entertain myself with the view—” she reached for her glass and managed a small smile as she put on her best faux Scottish accent to mock him, “—and my dreadfully bland iced tea.”
“Ah, taking the piss are we?”
This time her laugh was genuine. “I don’t even want to know what that means.”
“I’m teasing you. Back in a few, sweetheart.”
And there it was again. Sweetheart. This time not in the midst of sex. Or in a derogatory way while they were arguing. It was just a light endearment he’d tossed her way.
It did all kinds of weird things to her. Made her pulse flutter and little goose bumps break out on her skin. Even if it was almost eighty out.
Hailey stepped off the porch and decided to wander his backyard.
Clearly he kept up with the lawn, because it was neatly mowed and green. There were a handful of big trees along the property line. On one tree, hanging from a massive, branch, she spotted a long, sturdy rope with a tire attached to it.
It looked brand new and never used. Had he put it in for Emily? It seemed more than likely. He didn’t have children. Yet. Though, as she’d stupidly made him admit, he did want them.
Which was rather sweet.
She pushed the tire and it swayed forward and back. It looked fun, youthful, and not at all reminiscent of her childhood.
She was tempted. Silly, because she was a grown adult. And yet…
Glancing back at the house, she made sure he was still inside, before easing her petite body into the tire swing. Using her weight, and clutching the rope, she tried to set the swing in motion. It took a few awkward jerks forward until it found some momentum and began to sway.
With her gaze on the sparkling water of Puget Sound and the gentle rocking motion of the swing, the rest of the tension eased from her body.
“You look rather adorable on that thing.”
Blushing, she tried to climb out at Colin’s unnoticed arrival.
“No, please, stay.” He closed his hands over the tire as he came to stand behind her. Trapping her in. “I was curious to know if it even worked, and doubted it would hold my weight.”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I’m sure I look ridiculous. I just don’t think I’ve ever been on one of these things and the temptation was too much.”
“Indulge in temptation. That’s what I always say. Though you might want to r
econsider if it’s illegal.”
She couldn’t help the soft laugh, and it quickly turned into a yelp of surprise when he pushed the swing high.
Hailey tightened her grip on the rope and held on as he kept the swing moving. Each time the tire would lift up in the air she’d hold her breath. When the swing fell back with gravity and momentum, her stomach would drop and she’d give a small squeal of excitement.
Pure sunshine and happiness whistled through her blood and every part of her felt alive and a little giddy. All from being on a tire swing that Colin McLaughlin was pushing.
She couldn’t stop to analyze if that made her really weird or not, because right now she reveled in it. It was like catching up on her childhood, with a boy she used to crush on, both at the same time.
Finally her stomach dropped one too many times, and her head started the spinning that signaled maybe it was time to slow down.
“Oh…” she tucked her chin against the tire and groaned, “…I think I’ve had enough.”
“Ah really? So soon?” Colin teased. “Well, then, you’ll just have to push me next.”
She couldn’t help but crack up over that image. “I doubt you’d even fit in the tire.”
“You’re likely right on that one,” he agreed as he brought the swing to a complete stop.
Attempting to climb out, Hailey quickly realized it’d been much easier to get in. Especially when she was in a skirt.
“Stuck?” Amusement laced his question.
“Maybe. But I can—oh.”
Just like that he’d slid strong hands around her rib cage and pulled her from the tire, then swept her into his arms so her skirt wouldn’t drag on the grass.
Her heart pounded again, but this time for a whole new reason. She felt weightless in his arms. Protected. Almost cherished—which was ridiculous.
Without really thinking about it, she pressed her palm against his chest. The solid muscles beneath her fingertips flexed and they both drew in unsteady breaths.
Heat slipped into her bloodstream, traveling swiftly to every inch of her body and bringing to life her nerve endings.
Her gaze flitted up to his and found him watching her with those intense green eyes.
“Hailey…”
She swallowed hard. What did he want to say? Did he want to happen?
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