by Aimée Thurlo
He poured honey on his waffles and started eating. “Did you see anyone?” he asked between bites.
“I saw a pickup going around the corner right after the peddler left, but it wasn’t visible long enough for me to identify.”
Lucas’s fists clenched and unclenched on the table. “This peddler has targeted women my brothers have befriended in the past I don’t want his games to hurt you. Will you get rid of that carving he gave you?”
Lucas’s hands were strong and supple. His restless energy teased her imagination. Those hands were meant for caresses that would add warmth to even the coldest winter night. The walls around her heart shuddered.
Aware suddenly of the direction her thoughts were taking, she turned around and got busy cleaning the counter. She had to pay attention to what he was saying, not to her own daydreams. “The raven is just a simple carving. I won’t give it away out of fear of what some ignorant person might think about it. The day I start doing things because people are pressuring me to act in a certain way, I’ll lose what I like most about myself—my ability to be my own person. Can you understand and accept that?”
“I’ll have to, won’t I, darlin’?”
“True.” She smiled, pleased he’d used the endearing term, though she knew it was just a word and nothing more.
“You’re too stubborn for your own good.”
His deep voice, low and rough, danced over her skin, making her feel vibrantly alive. Even the air itself crackled with expectancy as they both stood their ground. For a breathless second, neither spoke.
Finally, with a smothered oath, Lucas stood. “If you won’t let Gabriel and me search this place, I better get started on today’s other jobs. I’ve got to stop by home, change clothes, then go on my rounds.”
“I think I’ll go up to the high school and check on Bradford. I like animals, even that crazy buffalo. I hope I didn’t make him sick yesterday by giving him all those cookies.”
“I doubt that,” Lucas said with a smile. “Ask around and see if anyone’s figured out whether somebody did shoot him with that big rubber band Gabriel found. That sure might have been the reason he got so riled up.”
Her body tensed. “Are you thinking that what happened was more than just a kid’s prank?”
He shrugged. “Maybe I just worry too much.” His hand circled her wrist, and obeying an instinct that demanded it, he pulled her toward him. “I won’t be far if you need me—for anything.”
He brushed her hair away from her face so tenderly that a soft sigh escaped her lips. For that moment, the scar didn’t matter to Marlee. Only Lucas’s touch and the spi-raling world of emotions it sent through her held any reality.
As if sensing her response, he drew her closer. A silver heat ribboned through her, making her tremble. There was no question of her pushing him away. An endless wanting overwhelmed any thoughts of resistance.
His kiss began slowly, with all the patient skill of a man experienced in the art of pleasuring a woman. He teased her mouth gently, insistently, showing her a need so primitive and so powerful it tore apart her caution and logic.
Danger, pleasure and longing combined, making her weak at the knees. It felt so right to be in his arms.
An eternity later, when he eased his hold reluctantly, she drew in a long, shaky breath.
“I’ve got to go now,” he said, his eyes dark and smoldering. “Watch yourself.”
Marlee shut the door behind Lucas, still tasting him on her lips. She’d wanted that kiss for such a long time. A silent tear spilled down her cheek as she forced herself to face her situation clearly. To Lucas it had only been a pleasant kiss, nothing more. To pretend differently was only to lie to herself. Lucas could have any woman he wanted. He was the most eligible bachelor in town. What had just happened between them changed nothing in the overall scheme of things. It had been nothing more than a bright flicker of light in the darkness of her soul.
Marlee took several deep breaths. At long last, when her hands stopped shaking, she went to the shelf and picked up the beautiful raven.
“One wish…wish upon a star,” she said, smiling. She’d give anything to believe in magic, but real life wasn’t so easy. “In this case, I guess it would be cravin’ upon a raven,” she continued, replacing the carving with a self-conscious laugh. “Nope, it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
After searching the room Lucas had slept in for any listening device, she came out empty-handed. Marlee considered everything that had happened, weighed her options and decided it would be a good idea to at least meet Lucas’s request halfway. In light of her intruder, perhaps placing the carving in her safe-deposit box for now would be the wisest thing she could do. Marlee wrapped the tiny wooden bird carefully, tucked it inside her purse and walked out to her car. She’d had enough stolen from her in her life. Nobody was going to take anything else.
As the rickety old engine started up, Marlee caught a whiff of a peculiar scent. It reminded her of the odors inside Charley’s garage. Her car had certainly spent a lot of time there in the past year. She eased out of the driveway in Reverse, but when she moved her foot to the brake to stop before she reached the street, the pedal went all the way to the floor. The sedan continued to roll backward, picking up speed as it rolled out into the street. The tires squealed as she turned sharply to stay in the road.
Marlee struggled to contain her rising panic. Driving backward down the hill was hard enough with working brakes, let alone without any means of slowing down. She pressed her foot down harder on the pedal, her mind rejecting the undeniable certainty that hope and force would not be enough this time.
Suddenly a small toddler ran out into the road, oblivious to danger. The tiny girl was busy chasing a bright red ball that was directly in the path of Marlee’s car.
With a scream lodged in her throat, Marlee turned the wheel hard, catapulting the sedan over the low curb and into a field covered with scrub brush and weeds. The car bounded and squealed as it crashed into a waist-high thicket. Marlee pulled frantically on the emergency brake, and finally the car came to a jarring stop.
A young woman came running up a few seconds later as Marlee tested her limbs, verifying nothing was broken.
“Are you okay? What on earth happened?” Marlee’s young neighbor, Jean, forced the driver’s-side door open against the brush, then crouched by Marlee, looking for injuries.
“The brakes wouldn’t work at all,” Marlee managed to explain in a shaky voice. She took several deep breaths, assuring herself that she was fine and the danger was past. The problem was she knew better. The danger wasn’t past. Not at all.
“Do you want me to call Lucas? He should check you out to make sure you really are okay.”
Marlee gathered herself enough to shake her head. “I’m not hurt. Your daughter?” She managed to push the last two words past the formidable lump that had formed at her throat.
“She’s back in the yard. You swerved so sharply you never even got close to her.”
When she heard the news, Marlee’s heart started beating again. “I saw her running out into the street, but there was no way for me to stop!”
“Come over to my house,” Jean said. “I’ll fix you something warm to drink, and you can try to relax.”
Forcing her body to move, Marlee pulled herself out of the car. Jean’s offer was tempting, but it was becoming clear that something was very wrong in her life right now, and the last thing she was about to do was get her neighbor any further involved. If there was one thing this last incident had brought home to her, it was that someone was after her. It was beginning to look as though she’d been wrong. The past had caught up to her. What frightened her most was the knowledge that as long as her enemy remained faceless, there was little she could do to fight him.
THAT AFTERNOON, Marlee stood in the repair bay at Charley’s garage. He’d come by and towed her car, promising to fix whatever was wrong.
“You’ve got a loose connection in your brake line,” C
harley said, crawling out from beneath the car. “The fluid all drained out.”
“I found that out this morning—the hard way. How did it happen?” she asked, forcing her voice to remain steady.
“Age, wear, take your pick. Your car is old, let’s face it. There are probably more rebuilt parts on that chassis than original ones by now. But no matter how many things I replace, there’ll always be something else wearing out You’ve hit that point with this car.”
“Can you fix the brakes for me just one more time?”
“Sure, but you better start thinking of getting yourself another vehicle soon. This one’s on its last legs.”
Depressed, Marlee slowly crossed the street to Sally’s Diner, desperately wanting some company to cheer her up. Marlee walked inside the door just as Sally stepped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands.
“Hey, I heard about your accident this morning,” Sally began, concern evident in her voice. “Sounds to me like you were awfully lucky.”
Hearing that her accident was already public knowledge in town didn’t surprise Marlee in the slightest. She sat on one of the counter stools and forced a smile. “The price of having an old car keeps going up,” she said, and explained.
“Well, just be glad that here in Four Winds nobody really needs a car except teenagers,” Sally added with a chuckle. “I mean it’s hard to go parking at Serenity Hill if you haven’t got transportation.” She placed a cup of coffee in front of Marlee. “This is on the house.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Marlee said, reaching into her purse.
“It’s just a friendly gesture, not charity,” Sally answered with a tiny smile. “Don’t get your feathers ruffled.”
Marlee chuckled. Everyone knew she had a giant chip on her shoulder about accepting handouts. “Thanks. By the way, if anyone comes through town looking for a place to spend the night, send them my way.”
“It’s been a while since you had a boarder, hasn’t it?” Sally noted with a thoughtful nod. “But don’t sweat it. There’s something really weird about the way things work around here. Your back is against the wall one minute, then your luck turns and everything’s fine again. That’s the way it works here in Four Winds. You know that.”
“Yes, it seems that way, doesn’t it?” she observed, not really expecting an answer.
Marlee finished her coffee, said goodbye to Sally, then went outside. The air was crisp today, and the sky a beautiful shade of blue. She set out for home, determined to enjoy the walk as she came up with a plan. There was nothing better than action, the right kind, to restore her confidence. All her life, she’d prided herself on achievement, knowing that it was the greatest gift anyone could give to themselves. She’d found purpose through it, following her own course, setting her goals with single-minded determination. To her, few evils could have matched dreams without motion, without the power of direction only the dreamer could give them.
It was that philosophy that had given her the strength to go on when everything she loved had been taken from her. Now she was being challenged again. This time, however, she had much less left to lose and was in a far better position to fight. No one would ever force her into doing anything she didn’t choose to do.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Marlee stopped and turned around. The street was empty, yet she knew someone was back there. She hadn’t just imagined it.
A stab of fear shot through her. The suspicion that someone was stalking her made it difficult to think clearly. Her mind instinctively drifted back to another time when she’d known only too well the stark terror occasioned by helplessness.
Marlee struggled to gain control. She wasn’t helpless now. Time had taught her how to survive. Marlee continued walking until she reached the alley that led to the library, then she ducked down it, out of sight. Hidden in the shadows, she held herself motionless, barely breathing.
She listened, keeping her body still until every single muscle in her body ached. Minutes passed, but no further sounds reached her. She peered out, but no one was near. Blaming it all on a case of nerves, she stepped out of the alley. Unfortunately Rosa came around the corner just then, and ran right into her.
Rosa yelped, dropping the case of pickles she’d been carrying. Startled, Marlee also jumped back, slamming into the wall.
Rosa crouched down, picking up the shattered glass jars and placing the pieces into the cardboard box. “Oh, no! See what you made me do?”
“I’m so sorry!”
“What were you doing? Were you waiting to pounce on me, or did I just get lucky?”
“I ducked into the alley—” She stopped speaking abruptly. She couldn’t tell Rosa what was going on. The woman would gossip about it to the entire town. “I discovered my blouse had come unbuttoned. I ducked into the alley to button it up again, out of view.”
Rosa sighed loudly. “Every jar of pickles is broken.”
“Let me pay you for it,” Marlee said. “It was my fault.”
“Well, yes, it was.” Rosa considered the matter for a moment, then shook her head. “No, never mind. It was an accident. Let’s just forget it.”
As Rosa returned to her grocery store, Marlee resumed her trip home. Everything seemed to be unraveling for her now. In a way, it was almost as if every story she’d ever heard about the peddler was coming true, and the bad luck that preceded the good was just starting. Of course, that was utter nonsense. Curses and magic didn’t exist.
Twice on her way home, she thought she heard faint footsteps, but invariably no one was there when she looked back. The incidents disturbed her despite efforts to brush her concerns aside. By the time she arrived at her board-inghouse, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Marlee walked inside, and as she turned to lock the door, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She’d be safe now.
Exhausted, she went to the sofa and dropped down unceremoniously onto it. Looking across the room, she began to wonder how much of what had happened had been nerves, and how much of it had been real. That’s when she saw her face reflected in the mirror. Dark red lines had been drawn on the surface of the glass. As her face stared back at her, the crimson network of trails made her appear hideously disfigured—a portrait of pain and ugliness like nothing she’d ever seen. It made the scar she actually bore seem almost insignificant.
Her heart in her throat, she stood up, covering the scar on her cheek with her hand as she walked to the mirror. She was staring at her reflection in shocked silence when she saw a shadow flitter across the wall. The realization that someone was in the house with her made her blood turn to ice.
Terror swept over her. Forcing herself not to run, she headed for the door. To her surprise, no one tried to stop her.
She’d just reached the porch when she heard something fall onto the tiled kitchen floor with a crash. Without hesitation, she raced down the driveway toward Jean’s house.
Chapter Five
Twenty minutes later, Marlee stood in her front yard, shivering and waiting for Gabriel to give her the all-clear. Time passed slowly. Finally he came out onto the porch, and waved for her to come in.
Marlee was walking up to the door when a loud backfire echoed all around her. The sound, though jarring, was familiar by now. She turned her head in time to see Lucas pulling up in his old pickup.
As he got out of his truck, Marlee could see the concern on his face. She wasn’t sure how much he’d already heard about the accident or the break-in, but she was glad he was there.
As Lucas came toward her, that clean, pure strength he used to face the world emboldened her, supporting and bolstering her courage. There was no doubt that he’d seen the best and worst of human nature while he’d served his country in the military, but Lucas had the kind of nobility that belonged to a man who could not be compromised. He faced the world on his own terms. That bravery was the quality she admired most about him.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. That those had been his first words meant the
world to her, though she knew that she was probably giving them more weight than they merited.
“The house isn’t in bad shape,” Gabriel said, coming out the front door to join them, “but the damage was certainly calculated to hurt you.”
“I already saw the mirror. Is it like that in the other rooms?”
He nodded. “All the mirrors, and any paintings or photos that had a woman’s face, have been scratched up, too. But the intruder is gone. You can come in now.”
Marlee followed Gabriel inside, and Lucas followed close behind.
“Whoever did this wants to remind you of your scar in a major way,” Gabriel stated.
“As if I could forget?” she said, smiling mirthlessly. Then she noticed the magazines on the kitchen table. The face of each model had been ritually savaged with a red marker. “He’s made them all ugly,” she observed, forcing her voice to remain steady.
“My police experience tells me something like this is often the work of a jealous suitor. Have you been seeing someone, or have you broken up with anyone recently?” Gabriel asked.
“No, and let’s face it, even if I’d tried to keep it a secret, if I had been dating someone, you and everyone else in town would have known. Four Winds is a very small place in that respect.”
“Tell me about your scar,” Gabriel said quietly. “How did you get it?”
She looked at him in surprise. “That happened a long time ago, before I came to Four Winds.”
“I’m aware that no one in Four Winds is used to being asked about their private business. But if there’s anything that might link that injury with what’s going on now, I have to know about it.”
“My scar is a result of a car accident. There’s nothing mysterious about it. My guess is that someone’s decided to remind me it’s there just to hurt my feelings.”
Gabriel held Marlee’s gaze for several seconds, and she forced herself not to flinch.
“I’ll accept that for now, but I don’t think you should stay here alone until we find whoever is responsible for this. Lucas told me about the hidden microphone you uncovered, and I heard about the problem with your car from Jean. That’s too many nasty surprises to be coincidental. Something’s going on, and it’s not good.”