by B. J Daniels
“What do I want?” he repeated. “I want to know why you’re ruining my life.”
Some of her steel returned to her voice. “This isn’t the place to talk about this.”
He laughed. “Where would that place be, McKenzie? You’ve taken out a restraining order against me so I can’t go near the office or you.”
Some of the color came back into her face. “It should be obvious why I had to do that.”
“Because you think I’m some kind of psycho? Do you really think I attacked you in a grocery parking lot?”
“I don’t know. Were you at the conference yesterday?”
“Why? Were you attacked again?” He smirked. “Do you really think I can show my face at a real-estate conference right now?”
He could tell she didn’t believe him. “I thought I saw you there.”
“Well, you were wrong. The same way you were wrong to fire me.”
“I’m sure I wasn’t the first person you’ve stalked. You’ve been harassing my receptionist. I told you that if I had to warn you again...”
He looked at her in disbelief. “Maybe I was interested in you, did you ever consider that? I came by your house that day to ask you out, but about the time I finally got up my nerve, you saw me. Your expression... Well, let’s just say I knew my answer.”
The woman he’d known was back. Anger flared in her eyes. She moved away from the door, forcing him to take a step back. “It’s too bad you didn’t take no from Cynthia.”
He felt off-balance, something she’d made him feel way too many times. “I don’t expect you to believe this, but she led me on. She liked me flirting with her.”
“Up to a point, I’m sure that was true.”
“And yet you fired me.”
“It was a combination of things, Gus, not just a couple of incidents and you know it. You’ve always resented working for me.”
He nodded, finally seeing it. His own anger boiled to the surface. “You were just waiting for my mother to die so you could get rid of me. As long as she was alive, you wouldn’t dare.”
“That isn’t true.” McKenzie looked at her watch, dismissing him. The old McKenzie Sheldon, businesswoman, had come back. “You’re going to make me late for an open house and there really is no point to this discussion. I’m not changing my mind. If you promise to leave me alone in the future, I will write you a recommendation, not that you need one. You’re a great salesman. Just stop trying to sell yourself to women who aren’t in the market.”
“That’s it?”
“You brought this on yourself, Gus.” She slipped past him.
He had no choice but to let her go. As he watched her drive away, he felt as if she’d punched him in the gut. He knew the best thing he could do was leave her alone, take the recommendation and start looking for another job.
But this still felt unfinished to him.
* * *
HE STOOD OUTSIDE the open house for a moment, wondering who could afford such a home—and what the commission would net McKenzie Sheldon. Probably more money than he made in months. He would never admit that that alone made him want to hurt this woman. The woman was obviously very successful. It would seem small of him to want to destroy her simply out of jealousy.
But a part of him had to admit, he liked to target successful women. He liked bringing them down. He smiled to himself, thinking how many of them he had made beg for their lives. They weren’t so arrogant and sure of themselves then.
People were coming in and out of the open house. Beautiful June days probably brought more people out than stormy, wintery ones, he thought. He waited and fell behind a group of five. Being a salesman at heart himself, he quickly sized them up. The elderly married couple looked serious about home buying. The two women behind them were just gawkers. The lone man who’d led the way looked like another Realtor.
Once inside, he cut away from the others. The elderly couple made a beeline for McKenzie and the flyer she was handing out. He only got a glimpse of her. The last thing he wanted to do was get caught staring at her.
His plan had worked beautifully. He would wait until there were a lot of other people going through the house so he blended in. But at some point, he would have to get close enough to McKenzie Sheldon so he could look into her eyes and find out whether or not she recognized him.
Even a hint of recognition and he would get out of there. The best plan was to park a few blocks away and walk. Not that he expected her to chase him out to his car. Or even scream.
The house was no surprise. Every room was large and over the top with expensive features and furnishings. He wandered around, saw the older couple inspecting the fixtures and heard the two women oohing and ahhing over the kitchen.
As spacious as the house was, he felt claustrophobic and knew he couldn’t take much more of this. He was working up his nerve to return to the main entrance and get one of the brochures from Ms. Sheldon, when he came around a corner and almost collided with her.
She pretended the encounter hadn’t startled her, but he’d seen the terror flash in her eyes. Nice eyes, more green than blue today. Those eyes widened and for just a moment, he feared she’d recognized him. She was blocking the hallway and his way out. A fissure of panic raced along his nerve endings. Perspiration dampened his shirt and hairline.
He told himself that if she opened her mouth, he’d hit her. There wasn’t anyone else around. He’d punch her hard enough to knock her out and then he’d push her into one of the bedrooms and leave quickly. He balled up one fist and took a breath.
But she didn’t scream. The flash of terror had only lasted an instant then she’d looked relieved and relaxed a little.
“Sorry,” she said. “You startled me.”
Not as much as I did a few nights ago. He looked right into those aquamarine waters. Not even a hint of recognition. He almost laughed since just an instant before he’d been planning to knock her senseless and make his escape.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “We both must have been distracted.”
“How do you like the house?” she asked, covering her initial reaction to him.
“It’s beautiful.” Just like you. She blew him away. She was much more striking than her photo on the real-estate signs. There was a sweetness about her. Strength? Oh, he knew her strength and her determination only too well. Sweet, strong and successful—his perfect woman.
“You might want one of these.” She held out a flyer.
“Yes,” he said and smiled. “Thank you. Oh, and do you have a business card?”
She brightened. “Of course. I usually have one stapled to the flyers. I forgot this morning. I have one in my purse if you’d like to follow me.” She headed back toward the entrance. He followed her, admiring the part of her body he had some history with.
From under an entertainment counter, she pulled out her purse, removed a business card and handed it to him. The card was thick, nicely embossed. He rubbed it gently between his fingers. A business card told a lot about a person.
He carefully put it into his shirt pocket and folded the flyer she’d given him.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” she asked.
“No, I think I have everything.” He smiled. “But you’ll be hearing from me.”
* * *
MCKENZIE WAS JUST about to ask the man for his name when the front door opened and her attention was drawn away as she saw Hayes Cardwell come through the door.
A mixture of pleasure and relief filled her at the sight of the big cowboy. He wore jeans, a Western shirt and a gray Stetson over his longish dark hair. Unlike yesterday, he looked more relaxed.
Almost instinctively, she started to move toward him, but remembered the man who’d shown an interest in the house. She turned her attention back to him. “I look f
orward to hearing from you if you have any questions about the house or would like to see any others.”
“Next time, I’d like to bring my wife along. I’ll give you a call,” the man said, glancing at Hayes before he quickly moved off.
McKenzie turned to Hayes. She always felt she had to be “on” at open houses. Even though she loved her job, sometimes it wasn’t just her high-heeled shoes that made her hurt. Her face often ached from smiling so much.
“Decided you wanted a kitchen with all stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops?”
“Can’t imagine living without them.”
She chuckled at that. “You’re saying you don’t have them at your house in Houston?”
“I live in an unremodeled house in the older part of Houston.”
She cocked an eyebrow at that.
“I have...humble tastes.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” she said. “Excuse me a moment.” McKenzie saw a few more people she needed to talk to before they left. The elderly couple sounded interested. She gave them her business card. As she started to go look for Hayes, she saw the man she’d spoken to earlier before Hayes had come in.
The man was walking away when he suddenly stopped and turned to look back at her as if he’d known she’d be there framed in the front window, watching him. He gave a slow, vague kind of smile. She quickly stepped back out of sight, even though she feared he’d seen her. His smile had almost been mocking, as if he’d put one over on her.
She’d dealt with enough people at open houses that she had a pretty good sense of who was genuinely in the market for a house and who wasn’t. The man had seemed interested and yet he hadn’t asked any questions about the house—unlike the elderly couple. Maybe he had just been putting her on.
McKenzie went to find Hayes, annoyed with the man and herself. He might have fooled her once, but she would be watching for him at her next open house.
* * *
HAYES LOOKED AROUND the large residence, killing time until the open house was over. Several men came through. Any one of them could have been McKenzie’s attacker.
At four o’clock, he found McKenzie finishing up with a couple and waited as she packed up to leave.
“Dinner. You name the restaurant,” he said.
“I really should—”
“Work?” He saw her hesitate. “I figured since we both need to eat...”
She brushed a lock of hair back from her face. She’d dressed up for the open house, taking extra pains with her appearance. Probably to give herself more confidence. But under the surface, he would see that she was still running scared.
“Hayes, I appreciate what you’re trying to do....”
“Eat? I like to do it three times a day, if possible.”
“You know what I mean.” She sighed. “You can’t protect me forever, especially since you will be leaving soon.”
He nodded. “So that must mean I’m just hungry, don’t you think?”
She laughed. “Are you always so determined?”
“Always.” He led the way out of the house and waited while she locked up. “By the way, how long do we have on that restaurant space at Big Sky?”
“Changed your mind?” she asked as they walked toward their vehicles.
“Tag isn’t changing his mind.” They’d reached his rented SUV. “Why don’t you leave your car,” he suggested. “I’ll be happy to bring you back after dinner.”
“Okay. Just let me put my things away.”
He watched her put the flyers in the passenger seat and helped her place the Open House signs in the trunk. But as they finished, he noticed her look past him and frown. He turned but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Hmm,” she said distractedly. “Just someone I saw earlier at the open house. He must live in the neighborhood. It’s nothing.”
They ate a nice dinner, talked about everything but her attacker. Not that it kept the man from being present. Hayes doubted the attack was ever far from either of their minds.
He’d hoped McKenzie would be staying in the cabin at Cardwell Ranch, but she couldn’t hide out, given her career. Not that a woman like her would let herself hide out forever, anyway, and the man might never be caught. Still, he didn’t like the idea of McKenzie staying in her condo alone.
He’d told his brother he was staying until the wedding. It was only a few weeks away and if they were going ahead with the restaurant, he could help out. At least that was his excuse. In truth, he couldn’t leave McKenzie. Not yet, even though she was right. He couldn’t stay forever. Maybe it was best for her to start adjusting to living with never knowing when the man might reappear in her life.
“Dinner was wonderful,” she said as they left the restaurant. “And a great idea.”
“Thanks. I’m just full of great ideas,” he said with a chuckle. “Like this one. I wish you would come back up to the ranch tonight.”
She shook her head as he pulled up behind her car where they’d left it earlier for the open house. With the houses so far apart, the neighborhood was dark in the huge spaces between streetlamps. No lights burned in the house she’d shown earlier. With the houses bordered by tall, dense trees or high hedges, there were lots of places for a man to hide, he thought.
How many houses just like this did she show alone? He hated to think. In other places, he’d heard that real-estate agents now worked in twos to be safer. But this was Montana. People felt safe here.
“Thank you for the offer,” she said. “I appreciate it, but I have a lot to do tomorrow.”
He nodded, not surprised.
She opened her car door. “Have your brother give me a call about the restaurant space.”
So that was how it was going to be? Business as usual? The woman was stubborn as a mule. She refused to take some time off, leave the state or at least town for a while. There was no way he could keep her safe and he couldn’t just walk away.
He got out and caught up to her, catching her hand to turn her toward him. “I have a favor.” She raised a brow. “I need a date for the wedding.”
“Your brother’s wedding?”
“Yes.”
She shook her head. “I’m not your responsibility. I told you, you can’t keep me safe.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” he said as he touched her cheek. “From the moment I first looked in your eyes...” His words died off. She was staring at him. He shook his head. “Maybe I can’t get you out of my mind—”
“I know what you’re up to.”
“I doubt that,” he said, and leaned toward her, his hand looping around the back of her neck as he gently drew her to him. “Because if you could see what I was up to, then you’d know I was about to kiss you.”
He brushed his lips over hers, then pulled back to gaze into her eyes. He’d been captivated by those eyes two nights ago. That hadn’t changed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
“You don’t have to treat me as if I’m made out of glass and might break,” she said. “I’m a little battered right now, but I’m resilient and strong, a lot stronger than I look.”
“Is that right?” He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him right there in the street between their vehicles. He kissed her like he meant it this time. Her full lips parted in surprise. Her sweet, warm breath comingled with his own. She let out a soft moan as he tasted her. Drawing her even closer, he deepened the kiss, demanding more.
McKenzie came to him, fitting into his arms as she answered his kiss with passion. He felt desire race in a hot streak through his veins. He didn’t want to ever stop kissing her.
But when she pulled back, he let out a shaky breath. “Wow,” he said and laughed.
She sound
ed just as breathless. She met his gaze in the moonlight. “Hayes, what is this?”
“This? This is crazy. Worst possible timing ever.”
McKenzie nodded agreement.
“And yet, from the first moment I looked into your eyes...”
She shook her head. “I...I really can’t.... Hayes, I’m not sure of anything right now and quite frankly, I’m suspicious of your motives.”
“My motives for kissing you? It was just a kiss, right?”
She studied him openly in the dim light.
“Quite the kiss, though, wouldn’t you say?” he asked, grinning.
She smiled at that. “Quite the kiss.”
“Glad you agree. I’m still going to follow you home and make sure you’re all right.”
She looked as if she wanted to put up a fight, but no longer had the energy to. “Thank you,” she said as she turned and started for her car. He watched her. She seemed a little wobbly on her high heels, strange for a woman who lived in them. He hoped the kiss had smacked her silly the way it had him. He’d kissed his share of women, but none had lit a fire in him the way McKenzie’s kiss had.
As she reached the car, she hesitated. He saw her glance back at him, then reach for something on her windshield. His pulse leaped. Something was wrong. He was running toward her as she took what looked like a folded sheet of paper from under the wiper blade.
Chapter Eight
McKenzie had been shaken even before she found the note. The kiss had her whirling. It had been a while since a man had kissed her. She couldn’t recall anyone who’d made her surrender so completely to a kiss before, though. She’d felt...wanton, and that wasn’t a word she would have used about herself. She’d also felt out of control and that scared her.
Hayes had her blood running hot. He’d sparked something in her that made her ache for more. That alone was enough to turn her already crazy world upside down. She’d been content with her career, with her life, with an occasional date. Hayes had changed all that in just one kiss. Now she wanted...Hayes Cardwell. Bad timing or not.
But she questioned whether he was interested in her as a woman. Or if he was just hardwired to protect the woman whose life he’d saved because he was a Texas cowboy and a gentleman.