Better Watch Out

by Dani Sinclair

  He dropped her pant leg and stood. “That needs to be looked at.”

  “You just did. It’s sprained.”

  “Do you have a medical degree?”

  Jackie nodded. “I hang it in the bathroom at Sundae Delights,” she told him sweetly, and was rewarded by his low, throaty chuckle.

  “Come on. I’ll carry you out to the car.”

  Her heart quickened at the thought of being held in his arms. With a day’s growth of beard shadowing his jaw, his hair and clothing slightly rumpled, he looked more dangerously masculine than ever.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “The plows have been through,” he cajoled. “The roads are sanded and everything.”

  There was no point in being stupid, she realized. The leg needed an X ray. “Okay, but you aren’t going to carry me. If I hold on to your arm I can limp out to the car on my own.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  She didn’t dare.

  SHE’D BEEN RIGHT about two things. She had a severe sprain and it took half the morning for the diagnosis to become official.

  J.D. had promised to find a working telephone and ask Angel to come in early and open the store for her. Jackie was both grateful and slightly nervous to find J.D. still waiting for her more than three hours later. She clutched a prescription for pain medication in her left hand, while using the crutches awkwardly.

  “So it was broken, after all,” he said, eyeing the cast as they made their way outside. Melting ice gave the world a fraying wonderland appearance.

  “Sprained. This is a temporary cast held together with Velcro. I’m sorry you waited all that time. I told you it wasn’t necessary.”

  “You were planning to walk home?”

  “I was going to call a cab. I’m not going home, at all. I have to stop by the mortgage company to sign papers this morning.”

  “Under the circumstances, couldn’t that wait?” J.D. set the crutches on the back seat before helping her inside the car. Each movement was sheer torture.

  “No,” she told him. “Bessie insists we go through with the sale as planned. Frank told her to put it off, but she’s so distraught over Donnie’s death there’s no reasoning with her. She wants the sale of the house over with as quick as she can. Since the loan officer is a friend of theirs, he agreed to rush the paperwork.”

  “Who’s Frank?” J.D. asked as he started the engine.

  “Bessie’s husband. They married six months ago. She’s been liquidating her assets so they can retire to Florida. By this time next year, I’ll own both shops and her former home.” She couldn’t help the trace of pride that crept into her voice.

  J.D. frowned. “Where’s this mortgage company located?”

  “On Main Street, but you don’t have to drive me. I know you need to get to work.”

  “No, I already called my office. My assistant can handle things this morning. In fact, sometimes I get the impression Carol is better at my job than I am. Guess it’s a good thing I own the company.” His smile told her he was amused rather than resentful. “And I called your friend Angel. She was happy to get some extra hours, so your store is open and running.”

  “That’s fine, but—”

  J.D. simply shook his head and demanded directions. “I’ve been thinking about last night,” he began.

  “I know, and I’m sorry you had to be involved,” she hastened to interrupt. “I never even thanked you for your help.”

  “You’re welcome, but I was thinking about the elf.”

  She stilled, watching his profile as he concentrated on his driving. She didn’t want to think about the elf right now.

  “Are you sure the body was real? Now, wait, before you get your dander up, could it have been a mannequin instead of a real person?”

  Jackie fought past the anger and disappointment. She told herself he wasn’t trying to placate her. He was looking for other possibilities, that was all.

  “You know, in the dark, maybe—”

  “He was real, J.D. As real as you are right now. I know what I saw.”

  “Okay. Sorry. It was just a thought.” They left the hospital in Frederick and drove the next fifteen minutes in silence until they reached their exit. Kylerston, just a tiny town between Hagerstown and Frederick, wasn’t even on most maps.

  Sun had already melted away most of the ice from the night before. The weather changes lately had been as rapid as they were bizarre.

  J.D. turned onto Main Street and waited for a Volvo to pull out, then angled his car into the newly vacated parking space in front of a small building. “Here we are.”

  “Thanks.” Jackie reached for the door handle, but had to wait for J.D. to get her crutches from the back seat. When they stepped inside the overly warm building and she realized the receptionist was at lunch, Jackie was more than grateful for J.D.’s continued presence at her side. Seth Bislow scuttled forward to greet them. Behind his thick-rimmed glasses, blue eyes watched her progress with disturbing intensity.

  “Were you in an accident, Jackie?”

  “I slipped on the ice last night.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. Is your leg broken?”

  “Sprained,” J.D. replied for her.

  Bislow regarded J.D., proffering his hand in a limp fashion when introduced. “Sit down, sit down. This won’t take long. Frank tells me you’ve already moved into the house,” he said.

  “Yes. Bessie insisted.”

  Bislow tsked. “Terrible thing about her boy. Are you getting settled okay?”

  “Pretty much,” she agreed hastily. “What do I need to sign?”

  Bislow’s mouth turned down in a disapproving frown. “I have the paperwork all ready for you. I need your signature here and here. What day are you going to settlement?”

  “Thursday afternoon,” she told him, picking up the documents and leaning back to read.

  “Did you get contact lenses?” Bislow asked abruptly.

  She lifted her head in surprise, then realized she’d forgotten all about her eyeglasses. J.D.’s amused expression was knowing. He must have found them in the kitchen and realized her deception.

  “I’ve been thinking about getting them,” Seth added, pulling at his thick black frames to settle them more firmly on his face. “What do you think?”

  “Depends on how sensitive your eyes are,” J.D. interjected smoothly. “Some people have trouble wearing contacts.”

  Jackie bestowed him with a grateful look. Seth Bislow was such an oily little man, but he and Frank were close friends, so she couldn’t avoid him entirely. She went back to reading the papers. Satisfied they were in order, she signed her name quickly, wanting nothing more than to get outside again and away from this dreary, little office with its ominously loud clock.

  Bislow slicked back his receding hair and shifted in his chair. “Bessie’s taking her son’s death pretty hard. Frank always said Donnie was a wild one, but what a horrible way to die.”

  Superimposed on a mental image of the demolished car came a vision of the twisted face of the dead elf on her bed. Jackie shuddered in revulsion.

  “I saw you at the funeral,” Bislow continued, “but when I came over to say hello, you were talking to the minister.”

  Mainly because she’d seen him coming over to say hello. She reached for her crutches, desperate to get outside.

  “His three friends were certainly distraught. What were their names again? One boy had an unusual first name, as I recall.”

  An image of three gangly young men huddled awkwardly at the graveside made Jackie stand quickly, sending a jolt of pain through her ankle. J.D. stood and cupped her elbow.

  “I’m afraid we need to get going,” he said smoothly. “Jackie has to get back to the shop and I have a two o’clock meeting.”

  “Yes, of course.” Bislow pushed back his chair and stood, his limp hand reaching for hers before she could avoid the contact. Jackie pasted on a smile and clasped his moist fingers lightly, letting go quickly.


  “Give my best to Bessie, and let me know if I may be of any further assistance to you.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Bislow.”

  “There’s no need for formality, Jackie. Even here in the office I’m still Seth.”

  She nodded, once more grateful for the comforting presence of J.D. at her side.

  Outside, she took a deep breath of the crisp air, noting the snow and ice were nearly gone as the sun beamed down benevolently.

  “You okay?” J.D. asked.

  “Fine.” In truth, she felt like a football after a rough game. Her leg hurt worse now than it had when she injured it.

  “Let’s stop and get that prescription filled, then I’ll take you to my house and we’ll let Aunt Dottie fuss—”

  “No!”

  He cocked his head to one side and looked at her. “Something wrong?”

  “It’s kind of you to offer, but I can’t go to your house. I need to go home.”

  J.D. opened the car door. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jackie.”

  “I can’t say I’m crazy about the idea myself, but it’s what I need to do. I have to get a locksmith out to change the locks. And I’m not going to rest until I know there is nothing in that basement.” He started to interrupt, but Jackie shook her head. “It’s broad daylight, J.D. I’ll be fine. I’ll just spend the afternoon on the living-room couch.”

  He studied her expression, shut the door and came around the car to slide in behind the wheel.

  “What about a hotel?”

  “J.D., I do have friends. If I need help, there are people I can call, but I wouldn’t be comfortable going to your house. I promise I’ll stay on that awful couch. I need to go home.”

  She added the last with quiet emphasis.

  J.D. contemplated her with a slight frown. “Awful, huh?”

  She smiled. “I guess I’ve no right to complain since the couch came with the house.”

  “You should do that more often,” he told her. His eyes held a smoky sensual appraisal that choked all thoughts from her mind.

  “What?”

  He touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “Smile. You have a lovely smile.” Then he drew back and started the engine. “How come the couch came with the house?”

  Flustered, she responded automatically. “All the furniture did except for my bedroom set. After her son died, Bessie wanted the contents of the house added to the contract. That’s why I had to amend the purchase agreement.” It was her turn to regard him with amusement. “You thought that stuff was my taste?”

  He shrugged diplomatically. “Tell me about Bessie’s son.”

  Jackie rubbed at her forearms. “I didn’t really know him. He seemed nice enough the few times we met. He liked to party and I know that worried Bessie, but he was young and single and had a lot of friends.”

  “How old was he?”

  “Only twenty-four,” Jackie said sadly. “Bessie’s still in shock. Thank God for Frank. He’s a bit pompous, but he dotes on her.”

  Jackie realized they were on her street and took a moment to study the frame house as they pulled into her driveway. All her uneasiness returned full force. She didn’t want to go back inside. For a nickel, she’d go with J.D. to meet Aunt Dottie. But if she did that, she might never be able to face her demons again.

  Getting inside proved a painfully slow process. The muscles in her leg were in spasm. She was in agony long before they made it to the couch.

  “Let me get your prescription filled,” J.D. coaxed as he shifted furniture to make up the bed once more. Too exhausted to protest, she handed J.D. the paper. He didn’t wait for her to change her mind. “I’ll be right back,” he promised.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  Her muttered question brought him to a halt halfway through the doorway. It surprised her, as well. She hadn’t planned to voice that aloud.

  “Why shouldn’t I be nice to you?”

  Jackie squirmed, wishing she could recall her words. “You don’t even know me. And I haven’t exactly been Miss Congeniality.”

  He rubbed at the stubble on his chin, looking tempted to smile. “You haven’t been that bad.”

  “But you don’t even believe my story about what happened last night.”

  The amusement faded. He shifted, watching her closely. “You’ve been nice to my children,” he countered. “Why shouldn’t I be nice to you?”

  She sat back feeling oddly deflated. He was being nice to her because of his children. “Oh. I see.”

  “What do you see?”

  He crossed the room to stand directly in front of her.

  “Never mind.”

  “But I do mind. Yes, you’ve been nice to my kids,” he said softly. “Yes, I feel bad about whatever happened to you last night” She watched in mild alarm as he reached out to tip her face toward his. “But you must really need those fake glasses because without them I don’t think you see things clearly, at all.”

  Before she could protest, he covered her startled lips with his own.

  Tentatively, she responded. He cupped her face between his hands, stroking her scalp with his thumbs while letting his tongue glide over her bottom lip.

  She shivered and parted her teeth, allowing his tongue entrance to her mouth. Her hands clutched at his upper arms, her body becoming pliant beneath his tender assault. Experimentally, she touched his tongue with hers, and a shaft of pure pleasure jolted through her. J.D. made a sound of satisfaction deep in his throat, then abruptly let her go.

  “You don’t see anything clearly,” he told her, his gravelly voice husky, matching the passion in his eyes. He kissed the tip of her nose and straightened to his full height. “Including the fact that I like you, Jackie.”

  She touched her lips with two shaky fingers.

  “Don’t forget to elevate that leg,” he admonished as he went out the door.

  He’d kissed her. And she’d kissed him back. The knowledge stunned and alarmed her. She couldn’t afford to want him or any man. She should never have allowed him to get so close.

  Ha. As if she could have stopped him.

  As if she hadn’t wanted to taste him and feel those strong arms around her. As if she hadn’t wanted that kiss to go on and on.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” she admonished herself sternly.

  Something in the way he touched her undermined all her well-built defenses. She had to remember that J.D. Frost was one of the sexiest men she’d ever seen and she wasn’t his type. She wasn’t any man’s type and she wanted to keep it that way.

  The house immediately took on a quiet, brooding feeling. Jackie headed for the telephone in the kitchen, pausing at the basement door which remained securely locked, the chair still tucked beneath the doorknob. Good.

  The telephone worked, so she called the store. Angel insisted she had everything under control and was glad to work the extra hours. She’d already talked to the other part-time woman who would come in this evening to help.

  Satisfied that at least her store was under control, Jackie hunted for the local telephone book. Amazingly, the small town boasted two locksmiths. At the first number she got an answering machine. A pleasant woman answered at the second number and explained she had no one available for nonemergencies until sometime the following week.

  “All those burglaries we’ve had lately, you know,” the woman confided. “Why, we’re even getting calls from Boonsboro. We can’t keep up with the demand for dead bolts and security systems.” Jackie left her name and number and hung up. Glowering at the basement door wouldn’t accomplish a thing, but it was a cinch she wouldn’t sleep a wink until someone checked the contents beyond it.

  Suddenly exhausted to the point of trembling, she entered the living room, removed the cast and her sweatshirt, so she could sleep in the T-shirt underneath, and collapsed on the miserable excuse for a mattress. The ceiling overhead offered no solutions to her dilemma. She couldn’t stay and she couldn’t leave. Her eyes dri
fted shut.

  She roused groggily a short time later to find J.D. standing over her. There was no mistaking the masculine interest in his eyes. Though startled, she wasn’t frightened or defensive—almost as if she’d known he stood there even before she woke.

  Jackie followed his stare and realized her nipples had pebbled against the material of her T-shirt. She accepted the pill he held out then ducked her head, avoiding eye contact.

  “You were sleeping so soundly I hated to wake you. Should I call Angel to check on your store?”

  “I already did,” Jackie mumbled. A yawn caught her unprepared. It was such an effort to keep her eyes open that she closed them.

  “You rest. I’ll come back with dinner later on,” he promised. She attempted to protest, but the words got trapped around another yawn and her eyelids became too heavy to lift.

  She thought she felt his lips brush her forehead. Then she stopped fighting and let sleep envelop her.

  JACKIE NEXT AWOKE TO the memory of the most erotic dream she had ever experienced. She’d been so close to something wonderful. J.D.’s face smiled at her. A warm, sexy, knowing smile that created tingles of pleasure everywhere.

  Then she opened her eyes.

  Pain lanced her leg as she shifted, bringing recent events blazing back.

  Muzzy from the medication, she reached for the glass of water J.D. had left sitting on the end table and gulped the tepid fluid gratefully. Her mouth tasted like the inside of a dirty sock.

  Overhead, a low rumble that could only be thunder spread across the heavens. She jerked, knocking over the pill container as she set the glass back down.

  Please, not another storm.

  Had she slept the afternoon away? Darkness covered the house like a shroud and the air had grown much cooler. She fumbled for the switch at the base of the lamp, feeling more at ease once she had some light.

  She debated the merits of getting up to go to the bathroom. The thought of what would happen when she tried to move her leg was offset only by the thought of what would happen if she didn’t.

  Struggling into a sitting position, she cautiously shifted. Movement hurt every bit as badly as she had thought it might. Breath hissed past her lips, but she reached for the crutches and maneuvered herself upward, trying to avoid the scattered pills that littered the carpeting.