“Why don’t you come over here and I can get you checked in?”
She nodded, head twisting around again to look back as she followed. Then she sighed and wiped a hand over her face as if trying to regain her composure.
As he moved to the foyer’s registration desk, he looked past her for suitcases but saw none. “I can get your bags from the car once we’re done here.”
“Oh, I, uh, I don’t have any. Not with me.”
That surprised him. Sometimes couples did arrive in separate cars, though he always suspected such people were cheating on their partners. Hoping for a better answer than that, he asked, “Is someone joining you?”
“No,” she said.
He nodded and glanced at her legs, noticing the socks once more as he grabbed the registration book. “Oh, you didn’t have to take your shoes off. It’s okay.”
She looked embarrassed and admitted, “Um, I wasn’t wearing any, actually.”
Connor wasn’t sure what to make of that. Barefoot or shoes was one thing, but just socks was odd.
Quinn re-entered the room with truck keys in hand. “Hey, brother, I’ll see you later. Hi, Miss.”
“Hi.” Her eyes darted to his huge frame and she involuntarily leaned away from the giant.
Quinn shot Connor a grin and gave two thumbs up behind the woman’s back as he left through the front door.
Clearing his throat, Connor opened the red book and flipped through it. He preferred this old-fashioned way to the computerized systems taking over the world because it offered a more personal touch. With pen in hand, he asked, “What name? I’m sorry, I’m totally forgetting my manners. I’m Connor Kendall.” He reached out, excited for a reason to touch her.
“Sophia Turner.”
She took his hand. He didn’t let go at first, and neither did she, holding hands for several seconds before breaking contact. She looked away shyly.
Connor smiled, wanting to taste her name on his lips. “Hi, Sophia.”
She blushed a little. “Hi, Connor.”
“How long will you be staying?”
“Oh, uh, I guess just tonight.”
He’d never heard someone express hesitation about how long they wanted to stay. Something was off. “Okay.”
“I might want to stay longer, if that’s alright. I just don’t know. Yet.”
“Sure. You can let me know any time. You’re the only guest, so we have rooms.”
“We?” she asked, looking around hopefully but not seeing anyone. “Is there someone else here?”
“Just a figure of speech. I mostly run the place by myself. That was my brother leaving. I have some staff normally but not for a few more days. We just finished renovations so no one’s checked in since we reopened.”
She nodded and sighed, her eyes on his left ring finger, where a wedding ring could’ve been but wasn’t.
He interrupted her thoughts. “How did you want to pay for the room? It’s $120 a night, by the way.”
The number startled Sophia. A poor college student had to plan for expenses. One night wasn’t too bad, but with Seth and his goons out there and her mother gone for a whole week, she might need more time here. Or maybe somewhere cheaper. A hotel full of strangers struck her as more dangerous than being holed up with a handsome innkeeper, despite security cameras and maybe guards at a hotel. But until Connor asked for a form of payment, she hadn’t realized she’d fled with nothing but the keys in her hand. She bit her lip and turned red.
“I’m so sorry. I…I forgot my purse.” She stopped speaking, glancing nervously over her shoulder again. Seth could drive by any second and see her car out front, since she hadn’t lost him that long ago before circling back toward home and then deciding on the spur of the moment to stop here. But if she left, the risk of being found again was too great, and there was no way she was returning home for a wallet. Her first priority was getting herself—and her car—out of sight.
Normally she would’ve asked the innkeeper for a phone to call the police, but the last thing she needed was the cops to smell beer on her breath and realize she’d driven under the influence, even with good reason. They probably had a zero-tolerance policy or something, even for those running from kidnappers; that’s how screwed up the world was these days. They’d arrest her and cause her mother all sorts of turmoil and hassle, coming home early to bail her out after Sophia spent days in jail. Worse, she’d probably get kicked out of school. And the DUI conviction would be on her record for a long time, if not forever. She wasn’t really sure how that worked and didn’t want to find out the hard way. Being under-age wouldn’t help anything with the cops either. If she could avoid Seth seeing her car for maybe an hour or two, and hide out with Connor, then she would call the police. But it would all come to nothing if she had to leave the inn right now.
“I don’t have a way to pay,” she concluded.
Watching her, Connor’s eyes softened. “It’s okay. We can settle in the morning if you want.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, no problem. Country folk, you know. We’re nice that way.”
Sophia sighed a little too loudly, accepting that without comment. “I’m local, too.”
“Really? From where?”
“Just down the road.”
“Oh yeah? Where? I sort of need your address for the booking anyway.” When she gave it, he said, “That’s not five minutes from here. Do you want to go back and get your purse, or anything else?” The obvious reason she needed a room despite being so close to home was trouble there. He didn’t want to pry and added, “You know what? Forget I said anything. The deposit is not an issue. I just thought that if you wanted to…”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t need anything that can’t wait.”
“Sure.”
“Is there more parking out back? I can move my car. You know, to make way for someone else,” she added lamely. She bit her lip, which drew his gaze to it.
“Usually only family parks there, but I can move your car for you if you’d like.”
She nodded and he came around to her side of the desk. When she extended the keys, he let his fingers brush her palm while scooping them up. She looked down and then turned to watch him go, eyes dropping to his tight ass as he slipped on shoes.
“Hey, Connor,” she began, and he turned. “Thank you.”
He flashed his best smile. “You’re welcome, Sophia. I’ll do everything I can to make your stay a great one.”
Outside, Connor’s eyebrows shot up on reaching her car. He saw what looked like fresh damage on the driver’s side, as if she’d scraped along something black. Curious, he walked around to the back and saw the bumper had been struck, too, also by a black vehicle, judging by the smudged paint. He checked the front and passenger sides of the vehicle but saw nothing. Then he noticed her watching him from inside, looking impatient.
He got in, seeing only empty plastic bags, candy wrappers, a discarded coffee mug, and an empty pretzel bag. The car came to life and he backed up, then pulled it around back on the gravel driveway, stopping beside his blue BMW 3 series convertible. He was about to turn off the engine when a hunch made him put the car in reverse and back it into the detached garage, closing the garage door. If someone was after Sophia, he wasn’t letting them have her. And as long as she was under his roof, she was under his protection.
As he walked toward the house, a Dodge Challenger roared up to the intersection and stopped, the driver’s dark silhouette turning toward him for a few moments as the gravel crunched beneath his feet. The car didn’t move for a long time—longer than was appropriate for a mere stop sign, considering the absence of other cars—and only when Connor reached the back door of the inn did the car’s black color register on him. As he opened the door, the car took off with a squeal of tires on pavement, disappearing into the darkness. The lights of Sugarloaf Inn gleamed brightly in the night, and the girl inside smiled at Connor as he reappeared before her.
Chapter 2 – Charm Offensive
On returning to the foyer, Connor noticed Sophia’s green eyes dart to him, the whites around them showing. Despite her fear, something so sweet radiated from her that he suddenly vowed nothing would happen to her as long as she stayed here, if someone came looking for her. Unless it was the cops. He suddenly wondered if he had something to worry about, but she was clearly the victim of something, not a perpetrator. He wanted to calm her down, wrap his arms around her, kiss her temple, and tell her everything would be alright, that she was safe here. In his house. In his arms. Maybe in his heart, though it was pretty early for that one. Still, an allure about her had captured his attention on sight and made him intensely curious about her.
On seeing Connor, Sophia visibly relaxed, breathing a sigh of such relief that he bit his tongue to keep from prying, thoughts of an angry boyfriend or father in mind. She seemed to be putting on a brave face for him and clearly didn’t want to be alone. Maybe she wouldn’t resist offers to spend some time together tonight. He smiled, wanting to reassure her.
“I put the car in the garage out back and closed the door. No one will see it in there.” Connor gave her the keys, fingers lingering on hers.
“Yeah, I saw. Thank you.”
“If you’re hungry, I just made some shrimp scampi.” As he made the offer, Connor sensed that his customary hospitality wasn’t behind the offer, but a desire to protect and provide for her.
Her stomach growled. She’d never eaten that frozen pizza she’d started. “Yeah, that would be great.”
“Why don’t you have a seat over here and I’ll be right back.” He led her to the dining room, at the front corner of the house.
One advantage of running a bed-and-breakfast was that the place was always ready for guests, even though that meant he was perpetually cleaning up. The dining room was immaculate, a lace cloth covering the oval cherry wood table. Bay windows with built-in cushioned benches offered a peek at the lawns and roads outside. Ever the gentleman, he pulled out a cushioned chair for her and she looked away shyly as she sat down and he scooted her in.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, dimming the crystal chandelier to a notch above blatantly romantic.
Once in the newly renovated kitchen at the home’s rear, Connor poured two glasses of the Pinot Grigio, grabbed a hunk of fresh bread he’d made, and pulled a salad from the fridge. He served a generous portion of the scampi onto a plate he then popped into the microwave to warm up. While waiting, he made some decisions about her accommodations and how to make her feel relaxed and comfortable.
Still, a worry lingered, and after a moment, he realized that he was intending to flirt with her despite something unpleasant apparently going on with her. Was now a good time? Probably not. But then if this opportunity passed, would he get another? She was intending to stay the night but he assumed she’d be gone in the morning. He’d have to make his impressions now or risk not having another chance, but flirting during her stay could seem insensitive to her air of trouble. He decided to gently test the waters, trust his instincts, and let her reactions guide him.
Back in the dining room, Sophia’s thoughts drifted to home. Hopefully Minx had run away and hidden; she would no longer put it past Seth to hurt a cat, but he was probably out on the roads looking for Sophia. The idea sent chills down her spine. That Seth tried to run her car off the road twice had scared the shit out of her but the collisions had at least left evidence. He’d be going to jail for a long time. That was attempted murder, even if killing her wasn’t what he’d intended. The sight of Connor putting her car in the garage had caused such a huge wave of relief to wash over her that, for a moment, she’d almost cried.
Only now did she think of her local friends she could’ve turned to instead of Connor, but the decision to pull in here had been a spur-of-the-moment one. She wondered if Seth was driving by the houses of those old friends even now, looking for her car. Many of them had gone off to college like her, or at least moved out of their parents’ house, but she wasn’t that close with them anymore. College does that to people. So does living hundreds of miles away. Still, some of those parents would’ve taken her in, so maybe she’d try that tomorrow.
She looked up as Connor returned, balancing a wooden tray on one arm. “I hope you like Italian dressing. Both Quinn and I do so I’d poured it right in earlier instead of leaving it on the side.”
She was in no position to object and nodded. He set the lone dinner plate and silverware before her, the scent of garlicky scampi sauce making her stomach growl again.
“You’re joining me?” Sophia asked hopefully.
He gestured at the second glass and a dessert plate still on the tray as he sat across from her. “Some wine and cheese. I just ate, but I’ll keep you company, if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
She eyed the wine a few seconds before lifting the glass as if for a toast. “Thank you so much for taking me in tonight, Connor. You’re a life saver.”
He pursed his lips at the expression and clinked glasses. He was supposed to card younger drinkers, so he said with a smile, “I’m taking it on good faith that you’re old enough to drink.” She looked at him as if caught and he quickly added, “Don’t tell me anything that will get me into trouble.”
She sipped the dry wine and nodded. “This is good.”
“Thanks. It’s from our family winery down the street.”
She hadn’t seen the bottle label. “Comus Winery. I’ve been there. Your family runs Sugarloaf Stables, too, right? Everyone around here knows the Kendalls. You and I actually went to high school together.”
“We did? I don’t know. There’s no way I’d forget you.”
She flushed at his gaze and filled the spoon with scampi. “I was a freshman. You were a senior. And I wasn’t a woman then.”
“I’m sure you were unmistakable.”
Deflecting his attention, she said, “I don’t know about that, but we all used to talk about you, my girlfriends and me.”
His eyebrows rose and he watched her lips close around the spoon. “Really? Should I be afraid to ask what was said?”
“Probably.” She laughed, turning red. “One of them had a crush on you, so you know, she had some interesting ideas about being with you.”
“And you didn’t? The crush, or the ideas?”
“I never said that,” she teased. “Everyone knew you were a good guy.”
“So no racy thoughts, then? That’s just what I’ve always feared. Thanks for breaking my heart,” he joked.
“It’s true that some girls assume a nice guy is boring or something, but most girls like nice guys. Like me. I think they’re…stronger. On the inside.”
“Tell me more.”
Before she had a chance to respond, another car stopped at the intersection outside. On seeing it was black, a clear look of alarm widened her eyes.
Connor’s eyes shot to the car, noted the color, and quickly scanned for damage on the side. Nothing. The car went through the stop sign and disappeared. He went to the windows, casually closing the curtains as if merely wanting to keep people from peeping when he felt certain he was keeping a specific person from doing so. He just didn’t know who. He glanced at Sophia, who looked visibly relieved.
“How’s the food?” he asked, trying to distract her from whatever was worrying her. He picked up some pepperjack cheese as he sat.
Gulping nervously, she answered, “Really good. You cooked this?”
“Yes.”
“Surprising.”
“Why?”
“Most guys our age don’t seem to know how.”
“Real men know how to cook, so they can provide for their family. That’s one of the reasons I learned how.”
She smirked. “So you could be a real man, or to provide for a family?”
He laughed. “To provide.”
“There’s some truth to that idea, actually. It’s kind of sexy, too.”
&nbs
p; He returned her sparkling gaze. “Why?”
She shrugged. “A man who knows his way around a kitchen can probably stoke a fire in other places, too.” She grinned around another bite of bread and then asked, “Do you want to?”
“To stoke a fire in other places?” he asked, grinning. So far the flirting seemed to be going just fine.
She flushed and laughed. “To have a family.”
“Yeah. I came from a big one, so...”
“A big one would be a change for me. A welcome one, I think. Mine is small. Just me and my mother. My father died when I was little.”
“Mine, too. No stepfather?”
“Just my mother’s boyfriends. Few and far between, and none worth getting excited over. That seems to be the case with most guys I meet, too.” The absence of a decent man in her life had been systemic, causing her to romanticize the idea. Part of her knew she was unrealistic, but she couldn’t let go of her ideas on what a real man should be. There had to be one around here somewhere. Maybe not in Comus, but she hadn’t found one in Syracuse either. Maybe there was another planet...
Connor said, “My mother never dated after my dad died. I can’t imagine that, actually.”
“Sometimes I wish my mom wouldn’t, but everyone deserves a partner.” Their eyes met.
“Everyone deserves love,” he said, holding her look, “some more than others.”
Her eyes glittered as she said, “You’re a bold one, Mr. Kendall, I’ll give you that.”
Afraid he was coming on too strong, he sincerely said, “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not. And don’t apologize. I wasn’t complaining.”
He chuckled and let that hang in the air for a moment, his heart pounding at her reciprocation. He took another sip and said, “I haven’t seen you around, especially for someone living right up the road. Did you come back from college for the summer?”
Connor (The Kendall Family Series Book 2) Page 2