Anna grimaced. “Not a lot of news, unfortunately. Bluford Dam was drained and came up clear, which is a good thing I guess. Dogs can’t find a scent. It’s like she’s disappeared into thin air.”
“How does that happen in this day and age? Someone must have seen something.”
“Camping in the forest. Parents asleep.” Anna shook her head from side to side. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”
“Awful,” Willow agreed. “What about her clothes? Surely someone must have found something.”
Anna shook her head. “Photos are circulating of her pyjamas and beanie but so far there’s nothing.”
Willow nodded, and released a long, slow sigh. The thought of the little girl was too hugely sad to comprehend. There were no words that could help, nor that could adequately explain the horror of what the town was going through. “Do you have time for a coffee?”
“Nah, I should get back. Show him around. He hasn’t been down since we moved here.” She put a hand on Willow’s wrist. “Why don’t you come over for dinner? Get to know him a bit better.”
“Dinner?” Willow’s heart turned over in her chest. She shook her head. “I have plans.” A lie. A complete lie. She forced herself to smile apologetically.
“You’re going out?” Anna had every right to be surprised. Willow wasn’t precisely reclusive, but she infinitely preferred the characters of her novels to most real-world specimens. Anna and Ike were notable exceptions.
“No, not exactly,” she said quietly, looking around her lounge for inspiration. “I have to, um, Skype with my agent.” Perfect! “Sorry. Another time.”
“Okay,” Anna nodded. Her blue eyes twinkled in her heart-shaped face. “Matt’s going to be around for a while, so keep an eye on him.”
Willow pushed the door shut with a wry grimace. Keeping an eye on the handsome man next door was not going to be a problem. Keeping her eyes and mind off him was what Willow knew she was going to struggle with.
CHAPTER TWO
“She really left you in the middle of the night? That’s callous, man.”
“Nah, that’s Meghan,” Matt said with a shake of his head. He cracked the top off his beer and sipped it thoughtfully. “We’ve been basically separated for six months. Our marriage was falling apart a year before that. You know we hardly spent any time together. Honestly, I don’t know why she didn’t leave me sooner.”
Ike kicked his foot on the ground, watching the trail of ants that were beetling along the porch in a haphazard line. “Why are you shouldering the blame for this, man? She’s been cheating on you.”
“Yeah, but would she have cheated if I hadn’t left her to her own devices so much?”
“How can you be so forgiving? You guys were married. Didn’t those vows mean anything to her? She hooked up with one of your best friends.”
“Ex-best friends,” Matt amended with a wry smile. “And while I wish she’d told me sooner that she wanted out of our marriage, I take the full blame for it. If I’d been here, she wouldn’t have been looking for love with someone else.”
“Come on, that’s not fair. It’s not like you were off sunning yourself on a tropical paradise. You were at war. She married you knowing you were about to do your tour.”
“True, but I did three. And I don’t remember asking her what she thought. I was selfish. I was really begging her to leave me, you know.” He shrugged, and spun around to face Ike. “I know it’s hard for you to comprehend, given that you’re living out some kind of Brady Bunch-cum-Stepford Wives fantasy, but I hated being married. Especially to Meghan.”
Ike grinned, and unconsciously his eyes were drawn to the screen door. Anna was sitting at the other end of the house, but he could see her down the hallway. She’d changed into a tracksuit and was busy marking assignments. “She works so hard, Matt. She loves those kids.”
“She’s a great teacher. Gonna be a great mom some day, too.”
Ike’s face flashed white for a moment, before he quickly smothered the involuntary reaction with a half-smile. But Matt had known Isaac a long time. He didn’t miss the betraying gesture. “How’s that going anyway?” He sipped his beer, appearing nonchalant, while every fibre of his being was focussed on Isaac.
The red head looked away, staring off in the distance. And he was quiet for so long that Matt wasn’t sure he was going to say anything. Finally, though, he let out a sigh. “We’ve been trying to fall pregnant for over a year. Doc’s not sure what’s going on so we’ve got a whole truck load of tests in our future.”
“I’m sorry. How’s Anna taking it?”
“She doesn’t talk about it. She refuses to believe there might be a problem. Something that we can’t overcome.”
“You like your doctor?” Matt shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He’d taken a bullet a year ago. Despite a pretty good recovery, standing for too long made it stiff.
“Haven’t met the specialist yet. But a doctor’s a doctor.”
Matt nodded. Ike was a proud man, who’d done well for himself. Still, Mattias felt compelled to say, “If you need anything, man, I’m here. I mean, you know, if you feel like there are better doctors and your health insurance doesn’t cover it…”
“Thanks,” Ike sipped his beer, and willed the conversation to drop. They’d never let the disparity in their finances intrude on their friendship, and Isaac wasn’t about to start. While Mattias McCain could have bought half of California with what he had in the bank, he was the least materialistic man Ike had ever known. That was part of what he’d always liked about him.
Matt’s eyes drifted to the pretty cottage across the fence and he inwardly groaned. He’d put it off as long as he could. “I met your next door neighbour today.”
“Willow?” Isaac eyed his friend curiously. “How so?”
“I was locked out, remember? I saw her at her window and wondered if she might have a key.”
“She does.”
“I gathered as much.”
Ike’s grin was laced with amusement. “She didn’t let you in? Good for her.”
“Yeah, easy for you to say. You weren’t the one sweating like a pig on this here porch.”
Isaac’s laugh was rich. “Come on, you’ve had it harder than that. You live for the summer, anyways.” He looked towards Willow’s house. “She’s tight with Anna.”
“She seemed...” He frowned. What had she seemed? Commenting on the fact that she was an absolute knock out felt somehow tacky. He shrugged. “Cold.”
“You’re just used to women tripping all over themselves for you.”
Matt threw his friend a sardonic gaze. “I’ve been married four years. Three of those I spent in the Gulf. Hardly been batting women off with a stick.”
“Don’t forget about your life pre-Meghan though. You had being a ruthless bachelor down to a fine art.” Isaac drawled with a raised brow. “You’re just surprised to meet a woman who can’t be won over with your charm.”
Matt’s laugh was rich with amusement. “I’m barely separated. You think I want to go after your neighbour?”
“No,” Isaac retorted quickly. “You wouldn’t disrespect Anna or me like that. Willow’s as off limits to you as if she were my sister.” He took another sip of his beer, missing the way Matt’s face twisted in acknowledgement of the warning. “She’s a nice girl though. Once she softens up a bit.”
“Girl?” Matt’s lips twisted into a small smile at the childish description. “How old is she?”
“Twenty five. But she’s been through a bit. I guess I’m protective of her.”
Matt drank from his beer, then stared out at the rolling waves. He resisted the impulse to probe further. What she had or hadn’t been through wasn’t his business. She was twenty five. Seven years younger than he and Isaac. Yet she’d seemed mature. Wary, somehow. He’d guess that whatever she’d been through could explain that.
About an hour later, when Matt caught himself staring at her house broodingly
while Isaac took a call inside, he realised he was interested in her.
And he sure as hell couldn’t screw up his friendship with Isaac. It was the most meaningful relationship in his life. He looked back to the ocean resolutely. Willow was just his friends’ neighbour. Nothing more.
* * *
Willow padded down the hall in a daze. She’d been writing most of the night, had fallen asleep on the sofa, and woken to the sound of a persistent knock on her door. She caught sight of the microwave clock as she passed the kitchen. It was almost noon. She pulled a face and ran a hand through her hair. She’d fallen asleep with it in a plait, but the elastic had come loose somewhere in the night, leaving her with loose curls around her face. With one hand on the doorknob, she looked down at her clothes. The rumpled cream dress she’d been wearing the day before, a turquoise necklace, and mismatched socks.
She wrenched the door inwards, a politely inquisitive smile hovering on her lips. Until she saw who stood there.
“Howdy,” Matt drawled, grinning as he took in her sate of dishevelment.
Instantly, she crossed her arms across her chest. It meant releasing her hold on the door, which he took advantage of. He stepped into the hall. Not so far as to be invasive, but far enough that she couldn’t easily shut him out.
Willow narrowed her eyes. “Howdy yourself.” Her voice was remarkably clear given that her mouth felt dry like sawdust.
“I haven’t seen you in days.”
She bit down on her lip. Five days. Since he’d arrived, and she’d gone out of her way to lay low. Anna was getting annoyed with Willow’s uncharacteristic unavailability, Willow could tell, but no way did Willow feel like she could be in the same room as this man. She’d analysed the effect he had on her from top to bottom, and nothing really explained it.
She stepped backwards unconsciously, moving deeper into her home. “I didn’t realise you were still here,” she lied.
His smile was ironic. “Didn’t you?”
Damn it, was he flirting with her? Her cheeks coloured, and unconsciously she lifted a hand to her hair. She ran her fingers through the ends. Dressed in the same jeans as the other day, and a navy blue shirt, he looked good. He smelled good too, she thought. Like oranges and cloves.
“No.” She looked towards her office, then fixed him with a cool gaze. “I’m working, Mattias. I’m afraid I have to get back…”
“You must have time for lunch.”
“Lunch?” She looked at him in complete surprise. “I’m not having lunch with you.”
“Why not?” His smile tickled her senses, and made her knees weak.
“Because I hardly know…”
“Ah,” he nodded in agreement. “Because you hardly know me. You said that the other day.” He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “So come get to know me.”
Willow stepped back again, but now her body was against the wall. She shook her head. “And why would I do that?”
He took a step forward, and Willow realised she was silently willing him to move even further forward, so that they were touching. It was ridiculous. Totally out of character behaviour. She stepped aside, and dropped his gaze.
“Why do you think?” He asked with a quiet intensity.
He knew. He knew that she found him to be the most incredibly gorgeous man she’d ever seen, and he was baiting her. “I have no idea,” she responded, her tone deliberately dripped in ice.
“Because Isaac and Anna are my best friends, and they’re your best friends. Let’s swap stories and see if we have any embarrassing dirt on either of them.”
It was so unexpected, and such a relief, that she burst out laughing. What harm could one lunch do? “Okay, but I just have time for a quick bite.”
Matt felt like he’d won the lotto. He had sworn he wouldn’t act on his interest in this woman, yet here he was, basically forcing her to join him for a meal.
“Fine by me.”
“Can you give me a minute?” She asked, looking down at her socks with a bemused expression. One had pink spots, the other was yellow stripes. She pulled them off, balled them together and tossed them as far as she could down the hallway. Her teeth felt furry, and her face was free of make up, but Matt was waiting just inside her door. She settled for finger combing her hair and slipping a pair of silver sandals onto her feet.
“Where shall we go?” Willow asked, as she locked her house and slipped the keys into her bag.
“How ‘bout next door?” He grinned, holding a hand towards number eleven.
“Next door?”
“Yeah. I made sandwiches. You do eat sandwiches, don’t you?”
Willow hid a smile behind the wave of her hair. “Yes, I do.”
“Good. Seems like nowadays you can’t go anywhere without finding someone who doesn’t eat something.”
“Shellfish,” Willow supplied with a moue of disappointment. “I love them, but one bite of shrimp and wham!” She held her hands about two inches wide of her cheeks. “I blow up like a puffer fish.”
“And yet you live here.”
She let out a sigh of mock disappointment, looking in the direction of the gorgeous beach. “It’s tough, Matt, but someone’s got to do it.”
He laughed as she opened the gate wide for her. “These are cheese and pickle, sorry. My favourite.”
Willow stopped walking, her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Cheese and pickle’s your favourite?”
Matt nodded. “I know, I know. It sounds weird. I have ham, too, if you want…”
“No.” Willow shook her head and fell into step behind him again. She climbed the porch steps. Cheese and pickle happened to be her favourite filling. It had been since childhood. She shook her head. It was a coincidence. It did not mean they were destined to be together, just because they happened to like the same sandwich. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
He pulled the door open to the house, but didn’t go through it. Willow kept walking, and bumped straight into his chest. He was pure muscle, as hard as a wall, and she literally bounced backwards off him. She might have fallen had Matt not reacted so quickly. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her arms, holding her steady. The contact lasted only a moment. Just long enough for Willow to regain her balance, but it was enough to send tiny little darts of pleasure shooting through her body. Her dark brown eyes were drawn to his. Instantly, she felt a wave of warmth and attraction flow between them. Her whole body seemed to sag, and lean towards his.
It was madness. She jumped, as though electrified, and shook out of his grip. “You stopped walking,” she muttered accusingly, shifting her eyes away.
He nodded, not unaffected by what had just passed between them. But he knew Isaac’s sentiments on the matter, and he had just separated from his wife. No way could he act on what his body wanted.
“I was just going to say that it’s a nice day out. Why don’t we sit here?”
“Sure,” she lifted her shoulders and looked towards the water. “Sounds good.”
“Grab a seat. I’ll get lunch.”
She would have insisted on helping him, except that she desperately needed some space from this man. He was nothing like Ashton. At least, not in looks. Ashton’s mother had been Spanish, and Ashton had inherited that heritage strongly. He was mysterious and dark, handsome and elegant. He’d come into her life and swept her off her feet, before she’d had time to say, “Hey, by the way, are you married?”
And why should he have volunteered the information? When she, Willow, had been so smitten, and so naïve? She’d fallen into his bed, and under his thumb. Until his wife had appeared at her apartment, and called her every name under the sun. Yeah, men who talked so smoothly and looked so good were usually trouble. And she’d had enough of that for a lifetime.
When Matt appeared with a plate of sandwiches and a couple of glasses of water, Willow had almost convinced herself that she could dismiss these feelings. If only he weren’t so… she shook her head, and stood, relievi
ng him of the drinks. “Thanks.” She placed them down on the knee height table, then sat on the porch swing. She was both relieved and disappointed when Matt ignored the spare seat beside her and instead opted to lean against the railing.
Willow was five feet ten, and yet Matt was considerably taller. He was one of the few people she’d met who made her feel reasonably petite. She reached for a sandwich and bit into it gratefully. “Delicious, thank you.”
Matt’s expression was sceptical. “You sure?”
“Bizarrely, this is my favourite, too.”
He laughed. “We might be two of the only people.”
“What’s not to love?” She said with a shake of her head. “The saltiness of the cheddar with the vinegary tang of the pickle. Delicious.”
“Hey, you won’t get a fight from me.” He bit into his sandwich and watched her, while he finished the mouthful. “How long have you lived at the Bay?”
She bit into her own lunch to buy some time, then sipped her water. She’d moved to Haymarket right after she’d been confronted by Ashton’s wife. When her world had been falling apart, in some ways, and being made in others. For the day after Ashton’s treachery was laid bare, she’d signed her first book contract. “Four years.”
He nodded. “You like it?”
“For the most part, yeah. The beach is beautiful. The town’s nice enough. And Anna and Ike have been amazing.”
“Yeah, they’re good like that. What brought you to the area?”
She put her sandwich down on the plate and leaned back in the chair. “Do you always ask this many questions?”
He scanned her face with intense interest. She was determined to remain closed off, but every attempt to limit their conversation only gave rise to more questions. “Just curious is all.”
She frowned. “What makes you think there’s anything to be curious about with me?”
“Call it a hunch,” he responded seriously.
“A hunch, huh?” She ran her finger around the top of her water glass. “Well, I was looking for a change. I needed to get away from… Chicago.”
“You were what, twenty one?”
She lifted her gaze to his, surprise evident in the set of her features. “How’d you know?”
Tempted by the Billionaire: A Hometown Hero Series Novel Page 2