Obsession

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Again, Kendra wondered what he could be doing here, debating for a moment if she should really open the door. He turned toward the window and saw her. The corners of his lips twitched as though he was fighting back a grin.

  Suddenly feeling ridiculous for being so paranoid, Kendra stepped back, pushed her hair back from her face, and tried not to think about the fact that she still didn’t have any makeup on. Her curiosity humming, she forced herself to pull the door open.

  “You must be Kendra,” Charlie said the moment she opened the door. “I’m Charlie Whitmore, a friend of your grandfather’s. I don’t know if he mentioned that he’s letting me stay in the cabin across the street.”

  “Yes, he mentioned it.”

  “Sorry to drop by on you unannounced,” Charlie continued, his tone more professional than friendly. He motioned inside. “Do you mind if I come in?”

  Kendra hesitated. The manners her nannies had ingrained in her demanded that she let him in, but she didn’t know this man. She was also now acutely aware of how disconcerting it could feel to be without a bodyguard. When Charlie fought back a shiver, her manners won out over her trepidation. She let her confusion show on her face as he walked inside. She closed the door behind him. “How do you know my grandfather?”

  “Actually, it’s my father who knows him. I guess they met in DC a few years ago.”

  Her earlier conversation with her grandfather replayed in her mind, and she looked at him suspiciously. “Is your dad FBI too?”

  “No.” Charlie shook his head, and a smile played on his lips. “Actually, he’s a U.S. senator.”

  Kendra stared at him blankly.

  “Senator James Whitmore from Virginia,” Charlie expanded.

  “Sorry.” Kendra shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t really follow politics.”

  “I guess outside of DC politicians aren’t quite as well known,” Charlie said wryly. “Maybe you’ve heard of my brother, Matt Whitmore. He’s a baseball player. Just got traded back to the Florida Marlins.”

  “That name does sound familiar.”

  Charlie chuckled softly. “Well, one thing’s for sure. If everyone in the West is like you, I definitely shouldn’t have to worry about the paparazzi anytime soon.”

  “Seems to me that’s a good thing,” Kendra commented, her shoulders relaxing slightly. “I know how uncomfortable it is to be followed around because of who your family is instead of who you really are.”

  Amusement lit his eyes. “I have a feeling you would have people following you around even if your dad wasn’t an actor.”

  She gave him a tentative smile. “So what are you doing here in the middle of winter?”

  “I actually just finished up a case and needed some time away. I saw the smoke coming from the chimney but didn’t see a car outside. I thought I’d stop by and make sure everything was okay.”

  “Everything’s fine.” Kendra nodded. She glanced around the room and noticed the clothes strewn across the floor and her suitcase lying open, the contents spilling out of it. A prickle of irritation started to form that no one had cleaned up the mess. Then she realized that she was the only person here. Apparently, being alone meant she had to pick up after herself. Color rose to her cheeks as she bent down and gathered the wet clothes. “My car got stuck in the snow.”

  “Really?” Surprise sounded in his voice. “I just got in a few minutes ago, and I didn’t notice any cars on the side of the road.”

  “I tried coming in the back way. It didn’t work out so well.” She moved to the kitchen table and laid her wet clothes over the back of a chair.

  “Were you planning on staying up here long?”

  She turned back to face him. “Two or three weeks.”

  Charlie seemed to consider her answer for a moment, his expression serious. Then he motioned outside. “I was just going to head down to the store. Do you need anything? It might be a few days before we can get back down the mountain for supplies.”

  Kendra immediately glanced down at her feet and then looked back up at Charlie. Her grandfather obviously trusted this man, and he seemed honest enough. Deciding that she didn’t have much choice but to trust him, she nodded. “Actually, I would love a ride to the store. I came up here on the spur of the moment, and I definitely forgot a few things.”

  Charlie’s gaze swept down to see her open-toed sandals and her pink nail polish. His serious expression melted away, and humor lit his eyes. “Like boots?”

  “Yeah.” Kendra managed a laugh. “I’m sure Mrs. Burgess will harass me about this for the next five years.”

  “Mrs. Burgess?”

  “The woman who runs the general store,” Kendra explained. “If you want to know anything about anybody here in Pinewood, ask Mrs. Burgess. That woman has a memory like an elephant.”

  Charlie grinned. “Sounds like she’s quite a character.”

  “Oh yeah.” Kendra slipped her coat on, pleased that it was nearly dry. Then she glanced out the front window, suddenly realizing how long she must have been sleeping. Several more inches had fallen since she’d tracked her way into the cabin. She glanced over at Charlie, her voice wary when she asked, “Are you sure your car can drive in this?”

  “It has four-wheel drive,” Charlie told her. “We shouldn’t have any trouble if we leave now, but I’m not sure how bad these roads will be by tonight.”

  Kendra retrieved her purse from the couch. “In that case, let’s go.”

  Charlie reached for the door. “Do you have your key?”

  Kendra nodded. She started to follow him outside, but then Charlie turned to face her. He seemed to debate for a moment and then motioned down toward her sandals. “Your feet are going to be frozen if you try to walk through the snow. Do you want me to carry you?”

  Kendra’s eyebrows winged up. “You aren’t serious.”

  “Or I can give you a piggy-back ride.”

  “Now I feel like I’m back in third grade.”

  Humor filled his voice. “You used to wear sandals during snow storms when you were in third grade?”

  “We didn’t get a lot of snow storms in Southern California,” Kendra said dryly.

  “Come on,” Charlie said, squatting down in front of her so he could lift her onto his back. “I promise not to drop you.”

  “This is silly,” Kendra shook her head even as a giggle escaped her.

  “No sillier than walking through a foot of snow wearing sandals.” Charlie reached for her hand, his fingers engulfing hers as he pulled her closer.

  Kendra considered how cold her feet had been after walking in the snow the last time and let logic win out. “Oh, all right.” She reached her arms around his neck and let Charlie support her weight as he stood up and grabbed her legs to hold her in place on his back.

  She caught the subtle scent of his cologne and felt his damp hair brush against her cheek. Her heart knocked against her ribs, and a tremor shot through her. Then she looked down at the slippery path Charlie had to take to reach his car, and the unexpected spurt of attraction took a backseat to practicality. “Be careful on the stairs.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Charlie promised as he boosted her up a little higher on his back. “You just hold on.”

  Snow blew into her face, flakes catching on her lashes and in her hair. Kendra held on tight as Charlie carried her effortlessly to the rugged SUV he’d parked across the street. As soon as he reached the vehicle, he shifted so she could stand on the running board then pulled the door open and helped her inside.

  A moment later, Charlie climbed in on the driver’s side, started the car, and cranked the heat. “What else do you need from the store besides shoes and socks?”

  “The basics, I guess. Like I said, this trip was pretty spur-of-the-moment.”

  “With your career, I’m surprised you can do anything spur-of-the-moment.”

  “It isn’t easy,” Kendra muttered.

  Chapter 8

  Charlie was feeling more than a little
pleased with himself about his good fortune. Apparently, Elias had been right about using his family background as a starting point to get to know Kendra, although he had been somewhat humbled to find that, while he was something of a local celebrity in Washington DC, the rest of the country apparently didn’t know his name.

  He’d felt like a name-dropper when he’d tried to find some common ground with her. He imagined that Lisa would have been quite indignant to find someone who didn’t know who he was, even if that someone was a famous singer. The familiar pang settled deep in his gut as he tried to focus on the present.

  Undoubtedly, even a casual acquaintance with Kendra would make his job significantly easier. Charlie also didn’t discount the fact that the roads up the mountain were likely to be closed by tonight, if not sooner.

  The fact that Kendra was planning on staying here for a few weeks was an added bonus. He knew that the Los Angeles Police Department was already chasing down some leads to try to determine who had set the explosive backstage at her concert. He wasn’t terribly optimistic that the culprit would be ferreted out in the next few weeks, but he could hope that Kendra would agree to protection before she decided to leave Pinewood.

  A few weeks would certainly give the LAPD time to figure out how to proceed with the case before Kendra decided it was time to get back to her life in the fast lane. If he was right, she would be ready to leave the quiet, isolated cabin long before the snow melted.

  Kendra had been quiet on the drive down, except for making a request that they stop by her car so she could get the rest of her things. Charlie had made the instant decision to dispense with that task first. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to have the extra hour of snowfall to cover up his tracks.

  Taking pity on her lack of appropriate footwear, Charlie had insisted on getting her things out of her car for her. Her belongings had been thrown haphazardly into the trunk, and he could only guess that she had repacked some of her things before hiking the rest of the way to her cabin.

  He spotted her cell phone nestled under a pair of jeans and wondered if she realized it was missing. He took the time to make sure the phone was off and then went with impulse and left it behind. He doubted anyone could track the GPS signal with the phone turned off, but he decided not to give Kendra the chance to turn it on and give away her location. After loading all her things into his SUV and starting down the road again, Charlie was relieved that she hadn’t seemed to notice its loss. Her focus, instead, had been on some of the more unexpected items he had gathered for her.

  Charlie fought back a smile as he thought of the beat-up stuffed dog that had spilled out of a canvas bag, along with a few paperback novels. Color had flushed into her cheeks when he’d handed her the bag and she’d noticed his grin. He hadn’t expected that she would get embarrassed about something so trivial, and he found himself realigning his image of her.

  He supposed he’d never bothered to wonder what Kendra was really like, previously content to believe that her public image was accurate. After living his own life in close proximity to the spotlight’s glare, he knew that public images were rarely much more than a two-dimensional snapshot of a three-dimensional person. He should have known better.

  He certainly hadn’t ever read anything about her being an avid reader, yet she’d packed a tote weighed down with an eclectic variety of books. Besides a couple of popular bestsellers, he’d also noticed a copy of Great Expectations, a few Jane Austen novels, and a ragged copy of Booker T. Washington’s autobiography. Added all up, he figured her well-read and guessed that she was a bit of a romantic.

  Kendra clutched the tote in her hand as the SUV bounced over the road, and he pulled into the parking lot of the general store. Charlie climbed out and circled to open her door. As soon as she stood up on the running board, he reached out and put both hands on her waist. Her hands came up and instinctively gripped his shoulders for balance as he lifted her up and over the few feet of snow between the edge of the parking lot and the wide covered porch that spanned the front of the store.

  Charlie’s hands lingered at her waist for a moment, and he was unexpectedly satisfied when he noticed a blush rise in her cheeks. Attraction, strong and clear, rushed through him. He acknowledged it, felt his pulse quicken, and then reminded himself that he had no business feeling anything for Kendra Blake. He’d already learned the hard way not to trust anyone who wanted to live their life in the limelight, especially a beautiful woman. He gave her what he hoped was a casual smile and then released her and pulled the store door open.

  The moment they stepped inside, Kendra called out a greeting to the woman sitting in a chair beside the cash register.

  Mrs. Burgess looked up, her green eyes sharp, her wrinkled face splitting into a grin as she identified her visitor. She set down the paperback she had been holding and pushed out of her chair.

  “Kendra Blake! How are you?” Mrs. Burgess looked past Kendra to see Charlie beside her. “What are you doing in town? And who is this handsome man you brought to meet me?”

  “This is Charlie Whitmore.” Kendra glanced at Charlie and added, “Charlie, this is Eleanor Burgess.”

  “Good to meet you, Charlie.” Mrs. Burgess shook his hand briskly and then turned back to look at Kendra. “I didn’t know you were dating someone.” Her eyes narrowed. “How come I didn’t know you were dating someone?”

  Charlie laughed, and for the first time since he had knocked on Kendra’s door, he felt himself relax. To his surprise, the tension he noticed in Kendra seemed to ease as well.

  Kendra gave a little shake of her head and said, “We aren’t dating.”

  “You aren’t?”

  “Nope, afraid not.” Charlie shook his head.

  “Well, why aren’t you?” Mrs. Burgess demanded. “Two single, good-looking kids like yourselves. You need to stop worrying so much about your careers and start paying more attention to the important things in life.”

  Charlie glanced over at Kendra. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her face free of makeup, she looked like she was still a teenager. He noticed her fighting back a smile, and she winked at him before turning her attention back to Mrs. Burgess. Her voice was like an innocent schoolgirl’s when she asked, “You mean, there’s more to life than making money?”

  “Money!” Mrs. Burgess thumped her hand on the counter for emphasis and narrowed her eyes again. “Why, money is the root of all evil. Says so in the Bible too.”

  “I think I read something about that.” Kendra gave her a casual shrug and a grin. Then she moved forward and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

  “You’re a bad girl, Kendra Blake.”

  “You must have me confused with my sister.”

  Mrs. Burgess hooted with laughter. “That sister of yours always says the same thing when I scold her for anything.” Her laughter faded when she noticed Kendra’s shoes, or lack thereof, for the first time. “Where are your shoes, girl?”

  “Let’s see.” Kendra seemed to consider for a minute, and when she spoke, there was both warmth and humor in her voice. “I think they’re in the trunk of my Mercedes, but I might have left them at my house in Malibu or maybe at Daddy’s house in Palm Springs.” She paused for a second. “Or they could be in my place in Phoenix.”

  Mrs. Burgess stood up and wagged a finger at her. “Don’t you play little rich girl with me, young lady. There’s no excuse for coming up into this weather unprepared.”

  Kendra bit back on a smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Charlie watched the banter between the two women, a little surprised to see Kendra with her guard down. She didn’t look like the disinterested rich kid who had grown up in the spotlight, nor did she look like the pop star whose photograph was constantly on the covers of magazines. Instead, she looked like a normal girl chatting with the store owner as though they were family.

  Apparently determined to solve Kendra’s wardrobe problem, Mrs. Burgess took her hand and started to pull her toward a sma
ll clothing section at the back of the store. “Let’s see what we can find for you to wear.”

  Charlie called after them. “I’ll take care of my grocery shopping while you deal with the shoe problem.”

  He couldn’t help but grin as Mrs. Burgess lowered her voice fractionally and told Kendra, “Nothing like trying on shoes to send the men running.”

  Charlie shook his head as he grabbed one of the little carts next to the door and started browsing. If Kendra planned to stay for a few weeks, he had to assume that Elias would want him to stay for the duration. He wasn’t crazy about misleading her about why he was here, but for now, those were his orders. As soon as he got back to his cabin, he would put the call into Elias and give him an update.

  Charlie glanced out the store window and considered for a minute. Realizing that coming back into town for supplies would be difficult until after the storm had passed and the roads were cleared, he tried to decide what supplies he might need.

  He’d been so eager to see if Kendra was really at her family’s cabin that he hadn’t done an inventory when he’d first arrived. Instead, he’d dropped his bag in one of the bedrooms and had headed straight to her place.

  Better be prepared, he told himself. He started in the household section, picking up some matches, a lantern, a flashlight, and a bag of charcoal. He hoped he didn’t have to cook outside, but he suspected a summer town like Pinewood was probably low on the priority list when it came to winter power outages.

  After filling up one cart with emergency supplies, Charlie moved to the grocery side of the store and began making his selections. He heard Kendra’s laughter ring out. Maybe, if he could convince her to have dinner with him, he would have an excuse to keep an eye on her. And just maybe, he could find out why she was refusing protection.

  * * *

  Kendra put the hood up on her newly purchased parka and stepped out of Charlie’s SUV, her purse in one gloved hand and her tote in the other. The shopping spree had depleted most of the cash she had on her, especially since she had followed Charlie’s example and bought enough supplies to last her for at least a week or two. If she decided to stay longer, she would have to talk to Mrs. Burgess about setting up an account with her rather than risk using a credit card.