by Lynn Patrick
Heather broke the silence between them. “Look, Rick, I’m not going to ask you what happened to make you leave the army. You don’t ever have to tell me...unless you want to. Just know that I respect your choices and whatever you had to go through to defend our country.”
Her words touched him. Considering she’d lost her husband in battle, she, of all people, had reason to resent anyone connected to the military. And the way she was looking at him...
Evening surrounded them with a deepening dusk, yet Heather’s eyes seemed to glow as she looked up at him. An unfamiliar yearning claimed him when he gazed down into her sweet face. It was more than wanting to kiss her. And he did want to kiss her. It was wanting her. Wanting what she could give him. Her kindness and understanding. Her generosity and warmth.
Reaching out, he touched her cheek. She didn’t move away. He hesitated a second, then using both hands, he cupped her face. Touching her felt like the most natural thing in the world. Her expression sharpened as if she was expectant.
Rick couldn’t resist.
His heart was pounding as he dipped his head and claimed her mouth as his in the slowest...longest...sweetest kiss he’d ever known.
* * *
CORA COULD HARDLY breathe. It was nearly dark now and she stared out the library windows toward the lake, its waves washed with silver-blue by a full moon. She’d been standing here on watch for nearly a half hour now.
Where could David be?
Rick had set her imagination in motion when he’d asked about their frequent guest’s interest in the history of the estate. David probably knew more about Flanagan Manor than anyone other than Mr. Phillips. Or her. She’d shared everything she’d known and then some, giving him access to the library.
Her eyes suddenly stung, and she blinked rapidly and clenched her jaw.
Had she simply been foolish in thinking a man might find her company attractive enough to book multiple stays in the bed-and-breakfast over the past several years?
A man who was an antiques dealer.
Who undoubtedly could find a wealthy customer willing to buy a Tiffany candelabra, no matter the cost.
Moaning, Cora shook her head. How could she have been so foolish?
So absorbed was she in her own disappointment that she almost missed the furtive movement over on the terrace. Almost. The man—of that she was certain—was sneaking toward the house.
Her pulse thrummed.
Was it David? Had he been hiding out somewhere until he deemed it safe to come back to the house with no one the wiser?
Cora rushed outside and headed for the terrace, yelling at the man in black whose brimmed hat hid his face. “What are you up to now? Did you think I was so stupid I would never know?”
Suddenly, the dark figure rushed toward her, a deep, angry sound emanating from his throat, hands outstretched as if to harm her.
A wide-eyed Cora froze.
And then a second figure came out of nowhere...
“Hey, you, what are you up to?” David demanded.
The dark figure—surely the thief, surely she had been wrong!—turned and attacked David, punching him in the face. David grabbed onto him. The men were of a similar size and strength. Clasped close together, they moved across the patio like a macabre dance team from that television show Cora liked to watch.
Oh, dear, no! David might be hurt!
Unwilling to let that happen, Cora looked for a way to stop the fight before it got bloody. Needing a weapon of some sort, she picked up a small pot filled with purple pansies. Several feet from the men, Cora couldn’t get closer because they kept twisting and turning. The thief’s back was to her...now David’s...now the thief’s...
Catching her breath, Cora took aim, and when the thief turned toward her again, she pitched the pot at his head.
If the man hadn’t ducked, she likely would have knocked him out cold. Instead, the pot smacked David on the slope of his forehead. His head jerked, and he went down like a sack of potatoes.
Cora cried out in horror.
Free now, the thief ran toward the parking area behind the mansion.
And David lay collapsed on the deck, moaning.
Cora ran to his side and got down on her knees. “Oh, my goodness, I didn’t mean to hit you, David!”
Running footsteps made her think the thief was coming back, but when she looked up it was to see Rick racing from the coach house.
“What happened?”
“The thief was here and Mr. Guildfren tried to stop him.” She pointed toward the parking area. “He ran off that way.”
Rick took off after him, and Cora turned her attention back to the man who had tried to save her. The man who had her affections. The man she’d thought was guilty of theft.
Oh, dear!
Would he ever forgive her if he knew the truth?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“HE KISSED YOU!” Kristen repeated after Heather invited her over to the house the next evening.
Heather shushed her and nodded to the other room. She didn’t want the twins to hear. She’d told them to play in their room because she and Aunt Kristen had to talk about plans for the wedding. In truth, she wanted to talk to her sister about what had happened between her and Rick.
“Actually, that was the second time. He kissed me the night of Priscilla’s opening, too.”
Kristen went on in a lower voice. “And you didn’t think to stop him?”
“No. We had a moment, okay?”
“It sounds like more than a moment or you wouldn’t be telling me.” Kristen grinned at her. “It sounds as if you need approval. Is that why you asked me to come over here? Well, you have my approval. Heather, if you like the man, it’s okay.”
“Is it?” Heather had been in the moment the night before—she had even smiled all the way home—but after another day of reality working on the estate, she wasn’t so sure the kiss hadn’t been a mistake.
“Scott was everything to you,” Kristen said, “but he’s been gone for three years now. He would want you to be happy.”
“I know that. And when I’m with Rick, my past—and his—doesn’t seem to matter. It’s after, when I have time to think, that I’m just not sure.”
“Maybe you simply need to give whatever might happen from here a chance. Give him a chance.”
Heather had thought that, too. But after that kiss the night before—a kiss that could curl her toes—Rick had looked as stunned as she’d felt. And he hadn’t said anything about...well, about anything. He’d simply seen her into her vehicle and stood there, watching her drive off.
“If Rick wanted a chance with me, he certainly didn’t say so today. And he was around all day.” He’d come by multiple times to see if her team needed anything, but he hadn’t tried to get her alone other than to talk about the incident that happened after she’d left. “He did say that Cora—that’s the housekeeper—saw the thief last night. And one of the guests got into an altercation with him. But the man ran off before Rick arrived on the scene. Rick went after him, but the guy got away. Again.”
She’d told Kristen about the intruder before, but she hadn’t revealed Rick’s true purpose at the estate. Nor had she told her sister about the tunnels or their getting locked in that secret room. Rick had asked her to keep everything in confidence. Besides, she didn’t need any lectures from a sibling.
Still, Kristen asked, “Oh, Heather, are you sure you’re safe working there?”
“Yes. Please don’t worry about me. The intruder has been haunting the estate at night only.”
“What about the girls? The neighbor is still dropping them off at the estate after day camp so you can work a little later, right?”
“Right. My only other option would be to get Brian to go pick them up every da
y, and that’s not really fair to him. They’re only on the grounds for a short while—though, to tell the truth, I was a little concerned myself.” But mostly because Taylor had disappeared on them. “When I said something about it today, Rick came up with a great idea. He suggested I buy the girls those special cell phones that are made just for kids. They have all kinds of parental controls. It’s cheaper than if I had to pay for gas for Brian’s car if he drove into Kenosha to get them every day. My provider has refurbished models for practically nothing, and I can add the girls to my account for ten dollars a month.” Not a huge expense and certainly worthwhile for her peace of mind.
“We’re getting cell phones?” Addison asked excitedly.
“Yay!” Taylor yelled.
Heather hadn’t even realized the twins were standing in the doorway. They launched themselves into the living room, Kirby following at their heels. Wondering how much of the conversation they had overheard, Heather braced herself as the girls threw themselves at her.
“Cell phones!”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
The girls were yelling, Kirby was barking and Kristen was laughing.
Heather had to laugh, too. She hugged the girls back, then said, “Okay, okay, calm down already!”
“Can I get a purple phone?”
“I want green!”
“Can we text?”
“When do we get them?”
“Wait until we tell our friends!”
“They’ll be jealous ’cause most of ’em don’t have cell phones.”
“Then who are we gonna call?”
The girls were talking so fast, Heather was having a hard time keeping up with who was saying what.
“Calm down,” she said again. “The phones are for safety. They’ll be restricted. They have a button for emergencies—”
“But it had better be a real emergency if you use it,” Kristen warned them.
Heather forced back a grin as she remembered an incident from the year before. Unused to dealing with kids, Kristen had been babysitting and had used the wrong shampoo on Taylor, who’d started crying when she got some soap in her eyes. Thinking her sister was in trouble and needed help, Addison had called 9-1-1.
Heather said, “And you’ll be able to phone me.”
“No one else?” Addison asked in a squeaky voice.
“Not fair!” Taylor’s mouth turned down in a pouty frown.
“We’ll set up your phone so you will have limited minutes a month when you can call friends, as long as I know who they are.”
Both girls hugged her again and Kirby forced himself into the circle.
Heather kissed her daughters on the head and gave the dog a pat. “Isn’t it time for Kirby to go outside?”
The dog barked and then ran to get his leash from the container next to the door. He came trotting back with it hanging from his mouth.
“Just take him to the backyard. Don’t go wandering off anywhere else. It’s getting late.”
“’Kay!” Taylor clipped the leash to Kirby’s collar, then led the way back through the kitchen.
Sighing dramatically, Addison followed, dragging her feet. Heather felt sorry for her, the way Taylor had taken over ownership of Kirby. Heather didn’t want the girls fighting over the dog, but sometimes she thought Addison should be a little more assertive with her sister.
Waiting just until the girls disappeared, Kristen said, “So, let’s get back to Rick.”
“I don’t know what to do about him.”
“Go out with him and figure it out as you go.”
“He hasn’t even asked me.”
“Well, then you ask him.”
“I’m not comfortable doing that.” Heather was aware that women had been asking men out for a long time, but she’d never had any experience at it. Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable. “I mean...he already thought I asked him to the cheese shop opening as a date. If I asked him out now...what would he think?”
“That you like him?”
Heather did like Rick. Maybe too much. She’d anxiously looked forward to seeing him that morning, and when she had, she’d been able to feel her pulse race, something that seemed to happen a lot when she was around him. And when she’d tried talking to him, her mouth had gone dry. The only other man who’d ever done that to her was Scott. A thought that reminded her of how she’d lost her husband.
“Rick is army, Kristen.”
“What?”
“Was army. His dad was a lifer. Rick thought he was going to be a lifer.” Thinking about the way he’d shut down when he’d felt trapped, she was certain that had been the result of a mission gone bad. “Then something happened to make him want to try civilian life.” Something terrible that he apparently didn’t want to talk about.
“Then he’s not army anymore.”
“Who knows? He doesn’t. Maybe he’ll want to go back. I would respect that decision, Kristen, but the idea that it could happen scares me. Living with worry only to see my worst fears come true was enough to go through once.”
“Well, you don’t know what he’ll decide. Maybe he’s looking for something that will keep him here. That could be you and the girls.”
“The girls. That’s another thing. Taylor doesn’t like him.”
“That can change.” Kristen paused for a second. “You’re putting the horse before the cart. You’re worrying about possible reasons that a relationship won’t work out...and you don’t even have the relationship yet. I was kind of like that with Alex. I didn’t want to get involved because I was certain I wanted a job like my old one and would move back to Chicago. Look at us now.”
Heather grinned. “Only three more days, and you’ll be a married woman!”
“And my stubborn little sister is planning to come alone.”
“I don’t exactly have a choice.”
“Of course you do. You can ask Rick to be your date.”
Heather was instantly caught up in an image of Rick by her side, his arms around her on the dance floor. She flushed at the thought. But if he wanted to see her, why hadn’t he said so by now?
“Part of me would like to have Rick escort me to your wedding, Kristen, but I can’t ask him. I just can’t.”
Just then, she heard the outside door slam. Thinking the girls must have come in with the dog, Heather looked toward the kitchen and realized that Addison had been standing there in the hallway, maybe all along. Her expression was intent, and when she saw that her mother was staring at her, she whipped around as Kirby came bouncing down the hall.
Now what was that about? Heather wondered.
And again, how much had Addison heard?
* * *
“MR. GUILDFREN IS all right, then?” Rick asked Cora the next afternoon.
He’d found her in the music room arranging a vase of cut flowers on the fireplace mantel and thought it was a perfect place to discuss the flower pot incident away from prying ears.
“No concussion, thank heavens.” Finished with the vase, she joined him at the lakeside windows. “We went to the emergency room to make sure. David objected all the way, saying his head was much harder than a mere piece of pottery.” She laughed softly. “He likes to joke, even when he’s hurting.”
“Quite a trouper.” Rick noted the warm tone of her voice. Cora and Guildfren definitely liked each other.
“And here David was only trying to protect me and I was trying to help him. The bed-and-breakfast will pay for the emergency room, of course. Though I told Mr. Phillips it was my fault.”
Rick looked out over the portico, where two of the guests sat in lounge chairs enjoying the breeze off the lake. The day, now late afternoon, had been a warm one. “What about the other guests?” he asked.
“I’ve
told them about the intruder and the various incidents. I gave them the option of leaving, but no one decided to go.”
“Hopefully there won’t be any more incidents now that the guy almost got caught.” Rick didn’t have high hopes of that, though, considering the intruder had been hanging around for weeks. “Nothing else was stolen?”
“No, and I’ve gone over everything.”
Rick couldn’t help but think the thief was after something specific. He wished he had a clue as to what.
“If only I’d gotten a better look at him,” Cora said with a sigh. “He was medium height and not a large man...but he was wearing dark clothing, so I can’t be sure. I couldn’t make out his face.”
“At least now you know for sure that he’s not a ghost.”
“There’s that.” She looked thoughtful for a minute. “And then...well, for a moment, I wondered about David being involved.”
Rick had had suspicions about the antiques dealer himself, especially considering Guildfren had so much knowledge of the mansion. “I’m glad we can eliminate him from the list.”
“Do you really have a list?”
“Not exactly. Though I think it’s likely that someone who stays or works here has something to do with what’s been going on.”
Rick hadn’t eliminated the former handyman Sam Johnson yet, and he hadn’t been able to pinpoint the man’s current whereabouts. He had also learned that Gina left her last position under odd circumstances. Her employer, James Dodd, simply admitted that she’d been asked to leave but wouldn’t say why. And Dodd had sounded uncomfortable. Rick wanted to press the man for more information, but because he had to go into Milwaukee on Monday, he decided he’d make a surprise stop at the hotel Dodd owned. If he were there, it wouldn’t hurt to catch him off guard, so to speak. He didn’t intend to worry Cora about all these details, however.
Suddenly, a small figure dressed in green appeared on the other side of the window and waved. “Hi, Rick!” chirped Addison.