Shadows from the Past
Page 10
What made her so sure it was a man? What about Mrs. Delaney? Or Peg? Could Peg be so jealous of her that she wanted her gone?
A sudden thought gripped Stacey as she had clutched the ledge. Had she discovered something about Helen that put her own life at risk? She thought about the strand from the yellow sweater and the flash drive by the rock. The flash drive! What had happened to it? It had flown from her hand during the initial attack.
Was the person who pushed her still up there? She longed to call out, but feared the person might come down to finish the job. Minutes crawled by. She tried pulling herself up the wall, but slid back onto the ledge. Only her grip on the tree kept her from sliding down the side of the quarry. How would she ever get up from this?
The afternoon was growing late and then dark. Surely someone would come looking for her. Her legs were growing weak from standing and pressing herself against the wall. How long could she hold on? Her knees were growing wobbly when she heard a voice.
“Stacey?”
Mack! But was he there to save her or to send her tumbling down the side? She’d avoided thinking about his motives for being rid of her.
“Stacey?”
That was Carlos calling, and then at a greater distance, she heard Del’s voice.
They couldn’t all want her dead.
“Over here,” she cried as loud as she could
Moments later a flashlight appeared at the top.
“I’m down here,” she called. Within minutes, a rope appeared and then Joe was beside her. With his assistance, she was able to climb along the rope to the top.
Mack caught her hand at the top and pulled her up, grasping her tightly. “Are you okay?”
She nodded but stumbled against him.
He lifted her into his arms and started to walk away from the quarry. After a few steps he faltered, and Carlos pulled her away from him.
“Damn fool,” he muttered, though she didn’t know if he meant her or Mack. Carlos carried her most of the way back to the house before she was finally able to walk on her own.
Peg greeted her at the door along with Mrs. Delaney. They muttered words of comfort when they heard where she’d been found, but Stacey noted that she saw no friendliness in the eyes of either woman. Peg’s brow pinched in an accusing frown, while Mrs. D’s colorless face remained rigid and stoic.
“She’s freezing,” Peg said in a curt tone. “We should get her into a bathtub. Mack, we’ll use yours.”
“You should probably take her to the hospital,” Mrs. Delaney urged.
“I’m okay,” Stacey protested, wanting to wave them all away. “There’s no need for a hospital. I’m just cold.” Her body ached, while her limbs shook. Or maybe it was the terror she had faced on that ledge, fearing any move would send her plummeting into the quarry.
Holding an arm around her shoulders, Carlos assisted her upstairs. Stacey perched on the edge of the toilet while Peg ran her bath. Mack had followed them, but he stood near the door, remaining silent. Stacey could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t look up. She was afraid to see what might be in his gaze. Condemning, like Peg? Indifferent, like Mrs. D? She didn’t want to know.
Finally they retreated and Peg closed the door. Stacey stripped off her damp clothes and sank into the large tub, thinking about the first day she’d been in this bathroom, when she had been almost this cold. If only she’d known then what lay ahead.
She drank in the scent of lime soap and thought of Mack and while it sent a quick shiver through her body, it also ignited a warm sensation inside her. Slowly the inner glow of her thoughts and the hot water began to soothe her body. She stretched her muscles feeling the aches leaving them. If only she could as easily erase the cold dread that was growing inside her brain. Who had pushed her?
When she lifted herself from the tub and put on a soft terry robe left by Peg, Stacey almost expected to find Mack waiting in his bedroom. Or maybe that was what she’d hoped would happen. The large, orderly room was as empty and cold as the first day she walked into it, and she swallowed her disappointment. They had come a long way since that initial afternoon. Thinking about his eyes on her and their warm kiss, she shivered, but it was from female delight, not the cold.
At the edge of the bedroom, the door to his study was open and she approached it. Mack bent over his papers on his desk. He appeared to be deep in thought as he considered the pages.
“Mack?”
He started and shoved the papers into a nearby folder before whirling around. His blue eyes met hers and she was pleased to see they carried concern and something else. What? Or maybe it wasn’t concern—perhaps it was irritation at her ongoing stupidity. Then a soft smile curved his full lips upward and she felt her insides melt. Any traces of her earlier frigidity fell away.
“Come in,” he said in a gentle tone that soothed her even more. He inclined his head toward the desk. “How are you feeling?”
She hesitated at the door before stepping into the room. “I…I’m fine.”
“I’m pleased to see you’re getting some of your color back,” he said with a nod. “You had me scared. You had us all scared.”
She touched her warm cheeks. They were probably very bright right now. How much could she tell him? Did she trust him or had he done it? No, his blue eyes were filled with apprehension. “I scared myself,” she said softly.
“I thought you realized how dangerous that trail is. You went right past the signs Del put up. Were you lost?”
“Not this time. Someone pushed me down,” she blurted.
He straightened in his chair and a frown slashed his face. “How could that be?”
She had no answer and he rose and held out his hand toward her. “Please, Stacey, come here for a minute. Let’s talk.”
He drew her to a small loveseat along one wall of the office. Unlike the parlor downstairs, this room was neat and organized as his bedroom. Bookcases lined one wall and a large desk that matched the one downstairs sat in front of them. But this room also had several comfortable chairs in addition to the love seat.
“You had a hell of a fall. Would you like a shot of brandy or something?” he asked.
“I would like someone to listen to me. I didn’t fall. Someone pushed me.”
Chapter Eight
A nerve in Mack’s jaw twitched as he studied her. She could read the skepticism in his clear sapphire eyes. He ran his hand through his short sandy hair, a gesture she recognized as frustration. Perhaps this was not the time to push this.
“I’m sorry for frightening everyone,” she said, keeping her voice calm and even. She pressed her lips together, fighting to stifle the words she wanted to blurt out about the person who had pushed her. “Thank you for coming to look for me.”
He attempted a smile as he dropped himself onto the sofa beside her. He reached over and pushed her damp hair from her face. “I knew you had to be around here. Dependable little Stacey. You’re never far away.”
She didn’t feel dependable, and his touch sent a torch of heat racing across her cheek. Her lips trembled as she let her true feelings spill out. “I was so scared… I didn’t know how long I could hold on.”
His fingers grazed her chin, lifting it. She realized he was using his right hand and she touched it.
“Your right hand,” she said. “You used it to lift me up.”
“There’s nothing that’s really wrong with the strength in my hand,” he admitted. “I don’t use it much because its movement is awkward and I suppose I’m vain about it. According to my doctor the physical therapy we’ve been doing in the gym has helped, and I have you to thank for that.” He leaned toward her and she closed her eyes, hoping he meant to kiss her again.
A quick knock on the door froze them both for an instant. Mack drew back and rose to his feet. “Yes?”
The door opened Carlos stuck his head inside. “How’s our girl?”
Mack gestured at where Stacey remained sitting on the sofa and then stepped away fro
m her as Carlos entered the room, followed by Peg.
“Stacey, you’re out of the tub.” A frown crossed her face as her sharp gaze traveled from Stacey to Mack. “Are you hungry? I put a sandwich in your room. Come, I’ll walk you there and sit with you while you eat it. You need to get to bed.”
****
Stacey wasn’t certain what she expected after her harrowing adventure. If she’d thought someone from the house had pushed her, she discovered she might be right. Suddenly everyone seemed to want to be rid of her. Mrs. D shoved her coffee at her the next morning, and even the eggs tasted dry.
“Maybe you ought to tell the Warrens to get a new girl.”
“What?” Stacey jerked her head up to stare at the woman whose voice had grown cold and unfriendly.
For a minute her withered face softened. “You’re a nice girl, Stacey. I’d hate to see you end up like those others.”
Stacey thought about what Carlos had said about Mack’s first assistants. “The other assistants, did they end up like Helen? Dead?”
The woman leveled a cool look at her. “No. But one girl gave up her job and came all the way out here just to get fired by Miz Warren after a week. And the other, well, she just up and took off. And then that Stanton girl dying. I don’t know. Maybe this job is cursed.”
Stacey couldn’t even joke about being a jinx. She could see Mrs. D was serious.
Luckily Del came stomping into the house at that point, but he was just as sour, not even inquiring if she was okay. “You want me to take you into town? I hear your car is ready. Maybe you can go home now.” His tone made it obvious he meant home to wherever she’d come from.
She saw him exchange a knowing look with Mrs. D. Did they all want her to leave? Why?
Stacey pressed her lips together firmly, just as determined not to give in to whoever had tried to hurt her. “Thank you, but I need to catch up on my work since I was gone yesterday.”
“I’m not going until this afternoon. I just took Carlos and Mr. Mack to catch the early ferry.”
“Mack is gone?” she asked in surprise. “He didn’t tell me he was going anywhere.”
“He’s the boss. He doesn’t need to tell you,” Peg said from the door. She stepped into the room, regal as a queen bee in a gray sweater and matching knit slacks. “But I doubt it means you can have the day off. He said something before he left about leaving dictation he needed done. It’s probably in his room.”
Stacey shoved aside her half eaten eggs. So much for everyone worrying about her close brush with death. Maybe the men in town were right. This was a cold bunch.
****
The click of Mack’s door seemed to reverberate in the hall. Stacey made a face. It shouldn’t matter. Mack was gone and she had Peg’s permission to go into his study, right?
And she’d been in there at his invitation the previous night. Had he meant to kiss her? The thought still made her feel warm inside.
Stacey entered on tiptoes as though someone might be listening. She crossed to his desk and then paused as a slash of sunlight came from the turret.
“Wow,” she whispered. The rays filled the octagonal room with slivers of sunlight through a ring of stained glass that surrounded the top edges of the windows. She let out a cry and stepped into the room. The view was as magnificent as that from Lily’s room. Damn! If only she had her watercolors. Maybe she should go into town with Del and pick some up. Maybe even some paint. One way or another she was going to paint this amazing view. If only she could capture the way the sun poured through those stained glass windows!
She turned away from the view. She needed to get to work, but maybe… Mack was gone. Stepping lightly, but with determination, Stacey hurried across the hall and grabbed her sketch pad.
****
Stacey wanted to share the drawings she made while sitting in Mack’s office, but given his warnings about visiting there, she kept them to herself. She spent the afternoon in his office, not leaving until she heard Peg come up the stairs.
As they sat in the drawing room after dinner, she was still thinking about how to get him to let her to return. He’d asked her to stay for a drink because he wanted to talk to her. She could tell Mack had something on his mind, but he gave no indication as he poured a glass of tawny port for them both.
His opening remark surprised her. “My sister thinks I’m burying myself here and I should get out more. Maybe even think of trying to get married again. What do you think?”
“It has to be up to you,” Stacey said, her throat growing dry. The drawing room was cool despite the fire that crackled in the stone fireplace. She hadn’t seen him all day, not since the night before when he’d been so sweet about her close brush with the quarry. Was he feeling guilty for not believing her claim that someone pushed her? Or was Carlos right and was Peg trying to push Mack away from her?
He stared into the golden liquid of his drink, as though it might hold the answer. “She has it in her mind, no one can be happy alone. She thinks if I remarry it’ll improve my disposition.”
“She’s alone,” Stacey pointed out. She stopped short of adding maybe marriage would improve Peg’s cold attitude.
“Hmmpf. That’s different. She says she chooses to be alone.” He held up a finger, waving it as though using it to punctuate the word “choosing.”
Stacey stared at the left hand he’d held up. He was no longer wearing his wedding band. “Aren’t…you…um…sort of choosing to be alone?” she stammered, flustered by the sight of his bare finger. Her stomach churned. What would she do if he began dating, bringing different women to the house? Could she stand to watch him fall in love? A tiny pang of pain ripped at her stomach.
“Yeah, true,” he said in more of a grunt than a reply.
She sipped her port, aware her breath had started to come in quick shallow gasps. There was something intimate about being in this dimly lit room with him, the fire crackling in the grate. Outside rain pelted the windows and the wind had picked up, rattling the windows. They had never really discussed personal lives to this level—not about dating or getting involved.
“You’ve been working damn hard,” he said, suddenly changing the subject. “Thanks for finishing up those pages. I didn’t mean for you to work today.”
She bit her tongue to keep from telling him Peg had practically ordered her to work. She also didn’t reveal the hours she spent in the turret with her sketchpad. “I didn’t mind. I needed to keep busy.”
“What will you do when we’re finished with this project?”
She hadn’t thought that far ahead. Did he want her gone too? Like Mrs. D and Del?
“I suppose I’ll go back to looking for work as a commercial artist. Sooner or later someone will hire me.”
“Check with Peg. She might know some people.”
“Maybe,” she said, though given Peg’s overall unhappiness with her, she doubted that.
“If you’re worried about me, Mack, please don’t. I really can take care of myself.”
“Even if you can’t tell left from right?” he asked, but for once he was smiling, a tiny gleam dancing in his eyes, or maybe it was the glow from the fire. “It isn’t difficult to fix, you know. I thought about this the other day. I’ve noticed you don’t wear a watch. Maybe if you put one on your left hand, you’d have an easier time figuring it out.”
Stacey had kept Helen’s bracelet in her pocket all day. Now she fingered it. “That’s a great idea. Maybe…a bracelet.”
“Exactly.”
She burst into laughter. “That’s so simple.” It was even more fitting that she could use Helen’s bracelet. It would be like having her friend with her all the time.
He lifted a finger. “So problem one solved.” He moved toward her and her breath caught as he stopped very close to her. “Now there is problem number two.”
She inhaled sharply as he sat beside her. Close. So close she could smell the wonderful scent of his lime soap. “Problem…” she began.
Her breath had become shallow again and now her fingers shook. Her insides no longer churned at the thought of him with someone else. They grew warm and the tingling sensations he normally gave her turned into outright quaking, like the walls of her insides were hot and crumbling.
“Don’t say you haven’t been thinking about this since that other night,” he said as his fingers brushed her hair. “It’s been on my mind at least once a day since the first time we kissed.”
She could hardly breathe and her clothes seemed very tight. The ends of her fingers tingled with wanting to touch him as her lower body began to smolder and not from the sherry. He’d been thinking of her since that kiss too? She felt as warm and limp as a wet bath towel.
“I saw the look in your eyes that night. And I know what I felt. That jolt was not one sided. I could sense your reaction and I’ve seen the flush in your cheeks when we’re close. I know how I feel every time you’re around me. I can feel it all the way to my toes sometimes just looking at you.” He leaned toward her, burrowing his face into her neck, inhaling sharply. The touch sent shivers of hot desire, of growing need through her trembling body. His lips were warm against her sensitive skin as his tongue flicked out to taste her neck.
“Umm,” he groaned deep in his throat. “You taste like honey, so sweet.”
Stacey’s body shuddered, as his hands spanned her abdomen, drawing wide circles with his palms. She shook again and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his crisp hair in her fingers. His lips trailed up her neck, across her hot cheeks and then found her mouth. They touched her lips quickly. And then again. She opened her mouth to his and drank in his touch, his tongue thrusting inside to explore her mouth. His shoulders and chest were hard against her searching hands and she felt like she was melting against him. The scent of his lime soap assaulted her, much as it had the previous night in his tub. But this was the heat from his body, not the water this time.