Bachelor for Hire (Bachelor Auction #1)

by Charlene Sands

  “You’re crying, darlin’. What the hell’s wrong?”

  She lifted her hand and pointed a shaky finger toward her grandmother’s car. “The c-car?”

  He turned his head around and took in the scene. “Shit. Hang on,” he said. “Let me get a better look.”

  He was gone only moments. “Someone let the air out of the tires.”

  “They’re not slashed?”

  He shook his head. “No. Let me get you out of there.”

  He reached inside and helped her out of the car. Her legs felt like rubber and with Code so close, she simply let him hold her and keep her upright. “You’re shaking all over.” Code laid her head on his chest.

  She felt the rapid beats of his heart. “I c-can’t help it.” More tears fell. She was soaking Code’s shirt. She struggled to gain control. “W-when I saw Grandma’s car, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t go into the house. And then you pulled up behind me, but I couldn’t see who it was. I felt trapped. I thought—”

  “You thought I was someone out to get you.”

  Words wouldn’t come. Saying them aloud gave too much credence to her fears. She nodded, moving her head up and down against the soft flannel material of his shirt. It felt good having him hold her, knowing she was safe.

  “It was a good stunt, laying on the horn,” he said. “The neighbors are all peeking out of their doors. You got everyone’s attention.”

  One neighbor approached, an older man with graying hair, wearing a blue bathrobe. Hayley recognized him.

  He directed his gaze at Code. “Is she okay?”

  Code nodded, hugging her a little tighter. “Sorry for the disturbance. She got a little scared when she saw her grandmother’s car. Someone let the air out of the tires. Did you see anything unusual tonight?”

  The man shook his head. “Can’t say as I did. It’s a quiet neighborhood for the most part.”

  “The sheriff will probably come around tomorrow and question the neighbors. If you hear anything about this, we’d appreciate you contacting the sheriff’s office.”

  “I sure will. Hayley,” he said, giving her a solemn look. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  She nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Woodhouse. I’ll be fine.”

  After her neighbor walked away, her head began to clear. She gazed up at Code. “I’m glad that you came when you did, but what are you doing here? Did you come for your coat?”

  A chuckle rumbled in his chest and he began shaking his head. “The coat you can have, honey. It’s what’s inside that I need.”

  He stuck his hand into the deep pocket of the jacket she wore and came up with a wallet and cell phone. “Can’t get too far without these.”

  So, he wasn’t here because he’d had a change of heart about her. He’d come out of necessity.

  “Listen,” he said, dipping down to her level so she looked him square in the eye. “I have to check out the house. You can stay outside, if you’d like, or-”

  She gripped his arm, pulling at his sleeve. “No, I’ll go with you.”

  “You sure?”

  “I don’t want to be out here in the dark by myself.”

  “Is there somewhere you could go for the night? Maybe to a friend’s house?”

  She contemplated. Rowan was probably fast asleep right now. She was a working girl who probably rose at the crack of dawn. It was already after eleven o’clock and she didn’t want to disturb her. Hayley hadn’t been in town long enough to connect with anyone else.

  So far, her return to Marietta hadn’t gone as she’d hoped. She shook her head. “I don’t have anyone…”

  “Okay,” he said, taking her hand. “Stick with me. We’ll check out the house together and then notify the sheriff. I don’t expect we’ll find anything in there though. But someone is definitely trying to get your attention.”

  “They’ve succeeded.”

  His eyes softened on her. “Hayles. Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  He’d used her nickname. He’d never called her that before and it planted a seed into her heart. With just a little bit of encouragement, it would grow.

  They climbed the steps hand in hand and he turned to her. “You didn’t leave any lights on this time?”

  “I didn’t think I’d be out late. I’d only planned on dropping off the meal to your uncle…and you.”

  “Okay, then. Ready?”

  She nodded. He inserted her key into the lock and opened the door. Within seconds, he had the parlor lights on. Everything was in its place. Nothing looked disturbed. Code eyed the windows, all were sealed up tight. When he moved, she moved, to the kitchen, the downstairs bathroom, the small alcove by the back door where she did her laundry. They checked her grandmother’s old sewing room and then climbed the stairs.

  Everything seemed undisturbed up in those rooms, too.

  She should be relieved, but she was spooked times a thousand.

  “Nobody’s been in the house, Hayley,” Code said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Why don’t you make us some coffee and I’ll call the sheriff. Tell him what happened.”

  “I can do that.”

  Yet, when he finally released her hand, she felt a little lost. She made it to the kitchen door and turned to find him watching her.

  “I’m right here,” he said, standing in the middle of the parlor, the cell phone to his ear.

  “Okay.” She gave him a small smile and entered the kitchen.

  Was she being a big baby? Nothing that happened here so far was life threatening. Someone had gotten their jollies by leaving a note on her doorstep and letting air out of her car’s tires. They weren’t slashed. That should be a clue that it was more prank than danger. Yet, she was new in town basically and, granted, she was famous and more apt to be a target for pranksters, but why was this happening to her now? Did someone from Marietta have a vendetta against her? Sure, she might have burned some bridges when she was younger. She’d been wild and had given off a certain bad impression to those who didn’t really know her.

  She’d craved attention. But she didn’t want it like this.

  This, wasn’t funny. This wasn’t…

  “Someone from the sheriff’s office is on the way,” Code said, entering the kitchen. “He’ll take a good look around and write up a report.”

  “Thanks.”

  Code came up beside her by the counter where coffee was brewing. “Are you okay, Hayley?”

  She put her head down and stared at the countertop. “I had a friend, an actor, who was stalked. She was up and coming, not famous yet, but well known in certain acting circles. She was beautiful and sweet and talented. Her name was Josie Allen. You may remember seeing headlines about her from about five years ago. She and I were…good friends. In the beginning, Josie didn’t think much of getting kind of strange passages in some of her fan mail. Actually she was so new, she was thrilled anyone really bothered to send her letters, but other strange things began happening and then one day she vanished without a trace.”

  Hayley shivered, recalling the day the police had come to her door, looking for Josie. “Her body was found six months later. I’ll spare you the details, but it was awful. Not too long after that, I got a strange letter that was signed, ‘From your admirer and best friend.’ It spooked me so much, I took the letter to the police and it seemed to match the writing on Josie’s letters. By that time, the police had gathered enough evidence to make an arrest on Josie’s case. Thank God. It turned out the same lunatic who’d killed Josie, had begun stalking me. He was arrested and put in prison right away, but I’ll never forget those days. Poor Josie wasn’t as lucky as I was.” She gazed into Code’s eyes. “So, no. I’m not really okay with all this, Cody.”

  Code leaned in and touched her face, his fingers softly caressing her cheek. She squeezed her eyes closed, absorbing the feel of him. So strong. So protective.

  “I’m not leaving you tonight, darlin’.”


  “Thank you,” she said, her voice hitching in gratitude.

  He began shaking his head, as if he couldn’t help himself and then cupped her head in both hands and brought his lips down on hers. She instantly responded to the pleasant surprise of his mouth on hers by kissing him back, but he kept the kiss light, tender, and reassuring. She didn’t press but simply enjoyed the connection, her body humming as her arms went around his neck and she lifted up on tiptoes to breathe in his scent and nibble on the firm rough skin of his throat.

  “You’ll stay with me?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  He blew a breath out and then grabbed her wrists and set her slightly away. It was only inches really, but it was enough separation to put her in her place, to keep some distance between them. She wasn’t forgetting how he believed kissing her earlier was a mistake. This kiss was more a reassurance than anything else.

  “I’ll stay, but I’m sleeping on the couch, Hayley.”

  She nodded. She’d take it. Just having him here tonight was enough. “Of course,” she whispered. He’d never given her hope that it could be anything more.

  “If I’m here to make sure nothing happens to you, then I’ve got to have no distractions. Trust me on this.”

  “Am I a distraction?” She had to know. Maybe to make herself feel a little better.

  So far, Cody Matthews hadn’t been good for her ego. But he had been good for her safety. And though she’d never forgotten that night in the barn, maybe he had. He’d already told her tonight, he was over it. And her.

  “Damn right, you’re a distraction,” he said.

  Her lips twitched a bit. It was something she couldn’t control, something that brightened the darkness inside her tonight.

  His brows rose. “Oh, you like that, do you?”

  “You don’t make it easy on a girl, Code. So, yes, I like that you find me distracting. And you don’t have to sleep on the couch, there’s a bedroom upstairs with a perfectly good bed you can sleep on.”

  A grumble surfaced from his chest. “No can do. Down here is safer.”

  “For who?”

  “Me. And you.”

  Hayley sighed and gave in. She was glad he’d shown up here tonight, regardless of the reason and thankful he was willing to spend the night. Maybe later, when she lay down and closed her eyes, she might actually get some sleep.

  But she couldn’t help prodding, “Chicken.”

  “Sticks and stones, Hayles.”

  She smiled as she filled their coffee mugs and waited for the deputy sheriff to arrive.

  *

  Something crashed, waking Code from a sound sleep. He jolted from the sofa tossing off the covers Hayley had given him last night and immediately took in his surroundings. He was in Marie O’Malley’s house, trying to keep Hayley safe from either a prankster or a predator. Once his head cleared, he buckled up his jeans, slipped his arms into his shirt and went searching through the house.

  Dawn was just breaking. A glance at the parlor clock told him it was just after five in the morning. He moved cautiously through the downstairs rooms. Curtains billowing from the dining room window caught his eye. That was odd. He’d made sure all the windows were secured last night. And then he saw it. A rock. Lying on the dining room floor surrounded by a sea of broken glass. Someone had thrown a rock through the window.

  Code didn’t touch a thing. He’d leave that for the sheriff to see, but it was obvious there was no note this time. Nothing, but an odd-shaped piece of granite no bigger than a baseball.

  Someone was determined to scare Hayley.

  But who? And why?

  He ran outside and scanned the grounds, checking bushes and foliage near the window, walking around the rest of the property and down the street, keeping one eye on the house, just in case. He came up empty. The neighborhood was quiet. Whoever threw that rock retreated quickly on foot, knowing that Hayley would be inside sleeping and probably wouldn’t be able to rouse quick enough to find them.

  He went back to the house, his heart pounding as he climbed the stairs two at a time and headed for Hayley’s bedroom. If something had happened to her, he’d be at fault. He’d stayed up half the night, watching and waiting, and had finally fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

  He reached the end of the hallway and peered inside the doorway. A nightlight bathed Hayley in softness, the glow around her cinnamon tresses making mush of his resolve, but confirming that she was okay. She slept. But his heartbeats didn’t slow. No, that would be too easy, and Hayley, even in her sleep was determined to torment him. His pulse escalated as he watched her breathing softly, her silky nothing of a nightie barely containing her breasts. The spillage was enough to stir him up inside. His groin tightened. He was treading dangerous water.

  He turned to let her sleep a little longer while he made another call to the sheriff.

  “Code?” Her voice whispered over his shoulder. “Did you want something?”

  He ground his teeth together. Hell, yeah, he wanted something. And he knew he couldn’t leave her in the hands of the sheriff now. No way.

  He turned and went to her. God in heaven, when she sat up drowsy-eyed and dangled her feet off the edge of the bed, all that lush silk drifted up her legs. He kneeled down and set his hand on her bare thighs, securing her in place. The creamy skin under his palms made his mouth go dry. But she wasn’t slapping his hands away, which was a good thing. He needed to touch some part of her. “Tell me something, Hayley.”

  She swallowed. “What?”

  “Our date. What did you have in mind?”

  She pulled her wild red hair around to one side of her shoulder. “That’s what you came in here to ask me?”

  He nodded, his fingers itching to squeeze the creamy skin under his palms. But he kept his hands steady. “Partly. Just answer the question.”

  “I wanted you to teach me how to ride a horse. I know it’s silly, since I grew up in horse country and all. But I never learned. And I wanted you to teach me how to…to shoot a gun. I want to learn how to defend myself.”

  Keeping his lust tamped down, he stroked her legs now to calm her in the face of what he had to tell her.

  “Listen to me. Someone just threw a rock through your dining room window.”

  She gasped, her eyes blinking rapidly before stark fear took hold on a face that could bring any man to his knees. And hell if his own knees weren’t wobbling at the moment. Regardless of what had happened between them years ago, she didn’t deserve this.

  “I heard the window breaking and ran outside but couldn’t see anyone. There was no note. I’m going to do two things. First I’m going to call the sheriff again. And then, I’m getting you the hell out of this house.”

  Her green eyes touched on his. “You are?”

  “Yeah, we’re going to have that date you bought and paid for. We’re just going to do that outside of Marietta. I’m taking you to a cabin up in the hills of the Lucky B. No one knows about it but Uncle Brand and some trusted friends. You’ll be safe there.”

  “With you?”

  He gulped. He knew what he was getting himself into, being alone all weekend with Hayley, but drastic times and all that…

  “Yeah, with me. Your other alternative is to go back to Los Angeles. You can hop a plane this morning and get away from all this. You’d be protected by your team there. In fact, it’s the best option.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not ready to go back. I’ve got to see things through here, Cody. My assistant and agent know what’s going on here. They’re going through my fan letters now and checking out my house. But there’s no guarantee I’ll be safer there. Whoever is doing this won’t let distance get in their way if they’re determined. And I’d be in a much bigger city trying to weed out all potential loonies.”

  “I can’t argue with that. We simply don’t know what’s in this person’s head right now. And I’m not willing to gamble it’s nothing serious. Right now, each incide
nt could be considered a prank on its own, but put them all together and you have someone who might very well be dangerous.”

  “That’s why I can’t leave. I want to learn how to defend myself. And I’ll feel safer with you at that cabin, than going home. Besides,” she said, mustering a sweetly brave smile, “I paid a boatload for our date and you’re not getting off the hook that easily.”

  He shrugged and returned her smile. “It was worth a try.”

  She glanced at his hands laying claim to her thighs. And suddenly he was all too aware of how soft she felt, how incredibly sexy she looked in her barely there lingerie. What the fuck was he thinking, touching her like this?

  “You seem so eager to get rid of me. Wonder what you’d do, if I slid over and invited you into bed?”

  The notion sucker punched him in the gut. So what if he wanted to finish what they’d started that night in Uncle Brand’s barn. He couldn’t allow himself the luxury or the pleasure.

  He took a giant sized swallow and stared into her eyes. “It’s a good thing we don’t have to find out. I’m off now, to call the sheriff and make plans for getting us to the cabin.”

  “You’re leaving?” Panic rose in her throat.

  “No, I’m not leaving you for a second. I’ll be downstairs, making calls and arranging to have a security system installed in the house.” He stood, leaving the heat generating from her beautiful legs, behind. “If we go, we go together.”

  “Thank you, Code,” she whispered. “I was just kidding about the bed thing.”

  He nodded, backing away.

  They both knew, that was a big fat lie.

  *

  “I warned you it was rustic,” Cody said, pulling his car around the back of the cabin where it would be well hidden.

  The place didn’t look big enough for two bedrooms, yet Code assured her on the way in, she’d have some privacy. The A-frame design gave it a bit of character though and rustic was the perfect way to describe it. “I’ll manage, Code. I’m a small town girl at heart.”

  “Yeah, but there might be spiders and no heat and nothing much in the way of comfort.”