Angels Landing

by Rochelle Alers

  She was in the sunroom, shades drawn, television tuned in to a cable channel, piecing squares of cotton. “I’m going out, Gram.”

  Corrine peered at him over a pair of half glasses. “I thought you were staying in tonight because you have to work in the morning.”

  “I need to meet someone. Don’t wait up for me,” he teased.

  “I stopped that years ago. Be careful, Jeffrey.”

  Walking over, he kissed her cheek. “I’m always careful, Gram. Love you.”

  She smiled. “Love you more.”

  It was a game they’d played when he was a child. He would tell her he loved her, and she would always say she loved him more. They would go back and forth until they lost count of who loved the other more.

  He did love his grandmother unconditionally, and Jeff’s greatest fear was losing her like all of the other women in his life. Corrine was his only link with a woman who’d given up her life to give birth to him. He’d known kids who didn’t know or had never met their fathers, but he had been one of the rare cases where he hadn’t met either parent. His grandmother was his only link to his past, and he intended to hold onto her for as long as he could.

  David was his grandmother’s great-nephew. Corrine’s sister had left the island to attend college and never returned. She married a lawyer, and after graduating they put down roots in Charleston where David’s father set up a law firm with two of his fraternity brothers. After David graduated law school, he, too, joined the firm, becoming a junior partner. His cousin loved coming to the Cove to spend the summers. When people asked who David was to him, Jeff would say “my little brother” instead of his cousin.

  Right now, his little brother was in trouble, and Jeff wondered how or what had shaken the brilliant attorney so much that he was attempting to escape into a bottle of alcohol.

  He got into the low-slung sports car and started it, backing out of the driveway faster than he normally would. The no-speeding rule did not apply this night when Jeff pushed the racy car past sixty as he navigated the unlit narrow road. He sped past Angels Landing, slowing only when he reached the town limit for Haven Creek. The downtown business district was dark, quiet. Jeff drove another quarter of a mile before the neon lights of the Happy Hour came into view. Maneuvering into an empty space, he was out of the car as soon as he cut the engine. He opened the door and stepped inside. Track lights appeared like stars against the black ceiling.

  “What’s up, Jeff?” asked the man at the door with biceps as large as a child’s waist.

  “Not much, Dwayne,” he said, exchanging handshakes before they pounded each other’s back.

  “Yo, man, you still hard as a rock,” Dwayne remarked. “You workin’ out?”

  Jeff smiled. “I just do push-ups and run along the beach whenever I can.”

  “Keep doin’ what you’re doin’. I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here. There hasn’t been any trouble.”

  “I’m here to meet someone.”

  Jeff had only come to the club whenever there was a problem with a patron or when he stopped by to make certain they weren’t serving alcohol to minors. The owners strictly enforced the “we card everyone under twenty-five” rule because they didn’t want to risk being fined, have their liquor license suspended, or even worse, close down permanently.

  “Go on in.”

  Waiting until his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Jeff wended his way through tables, around throngs of people waiting at the bar, until he found David standing in a corner with two women. He recognized Morgan Dane immediately, then Kara as she struggled to keep David from falling.

  Moving quickly, he took over, holding David under his armpits. The smell of alcohol on his cousin’s breath was revolting. “What’s going on, Cuz?”

  David tried to focus his eyes. “She cheated on me, Jeff.”

  “Who?”

  “Petra. I was going to take her away and propose marriage, but she cheated on me.”

  Jeff managed to get David to sit without falling off the chair. His gaze swept over Kara in the body-hugging dress. It moved lower to her bare legs in a pair of sexy heels before reversing itself to her face. Seeing her dressed like that made him think that she’d come to the club to meet a man or men, and jealousy rocked him to the core. But he knew in order to feel jealous he had to care about her… a lot.

  “Kara, could you please order some black coffee for him.”

  She gave him a demure smile. “Of course.”

  His gaze was trained on the gentle sway of her hips as she walked away. He swallowed a groan when the flesh between his thighs stirred to life. Hunkering down in front of his cousin, he placed a hand on the attorney’s shoulder. “We’re going to sober you up before I take you home.”

  David’s chin touched his chest. “I want to hate her, Jeff, but I can’t. I still love her.”

  Jeff patted his cheek. “Love is overrated, David. What you should’ve done was let her love you more than you loved her.” He felt someone next to him, and when Jeff glanced up, he saw Kara staring at him as if she’d seen a ghost. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. Someone is bringing the coffee.”

  Morgan hunkered down next to Jeff. “How will you get him home?”

  “I’m going to call someone to follow me in David’s car; then I’ll drive them back.”

  “Why don’t you let him sleep it off at my house? I have two extra bedrooms,” Morgan said quickly when Jeff gave her a questioning look. “After he sobers up he can drive himself to Charleston.”

  “Are you sure he won’t put you out?” Jeff asked Morgan.

  She smiled, dimples winking at him. “Come on, Jeff. The worst he can do is throw up, and if he ruins anything in my house, then I’ll make him pay for it. Besides, he’s probably going to sleep all night.”

  He thought about her suggestion, deciding it was better than calling someone in the middle of the night to help him take his inebriated cousin home. And it was better David not be left alone. Plus, Jeff could always stop by in the morning to check on him.

  “You’re right, Mo. As soon as I get some coffee into him, I’ll drive him to your place in David’s car.” He turned to Kara, handing her the key fob to his car. “You’ll have to drive my car to Mo’s; then I’ll take you back to Angels Landing.”

  Now I know why’s he single, Kara thought as she watched Jeff force David to take furtive sips of the scalding-hot brew until he pushed the cup away. Is that how it’d been with Jeff and the women in his life? They loved him while he pretended to love them back?

  Why couldn’t he see that his cousin was hurting, that he’d truly loved a woman who’d deceived him by sleeping with another man? She blinked as if coming out of a trance. Maybe she’d found herself attracted to the wrong cousin. Despite his disheveled appearance, there was something about David that was refined, urbane while Jeff projected an aura of the bad boy athlete. Kara didn’t know why, but she’d always found them far more exciting, yet had been reluctant to take up with one.

  Jeff had made it known that he liked her, and he knew it was reciprocated when they’d shared the erotic moment in his grandmother’s bathroom. She knew if they’d been alone, there was no doubt she would’ve asked him to make love to her. It had been a long time since a man had aroused her sexually and even longer since she’d slept with one. Could she, Kara mused, sleep with Jeff and remain emotionally detached? Knowing how he felt about falling in love was certain to make it easier for her.

  Her heart turned over in compassion when David patted his shirt pocket, then those in his suit trousers. He extended a trembling hand to Jeff who shook his head. “I need my car keys.”

  “Not tonight, David. I’m going to drive you to Morgan’s house where you’re going to sleep it off. I’ll stop by in the morning to see you.”

  David clenched his jaw. “I want to go home.”

  “I can’t let you drive drunk. If you don’t hurt yourself, then you’ll probably hurt someone else.”r />
  David closed his eyes. “I’m not drunk. Now, give me my keys.”

  Jeff shook his head. “No.”

  “Give me my keys, Jeff,” David insisted between clenched teeth.

  Jeff caught his cousin in a savage grip under his shoulders. “Keep mouthing off and I’ll charge you with drunk and disorderly conduct. And even in your inebriated state you know that’s a minimum one day in lockup. What’s it going to be, counselor?”

  Closing his eyes, he nodded. “Let’s go.”

  “Are you sure you can walk, or should I carry you?”

  “Dammit! I… I can walk,” he slurred.

  Kara and Morgan shared a glance when David exhibited a display of belligerence for the first time. They left the club through a side door, David’s uneven gait indicating he was no doubt under the influence.

  Kara got into Jeff’s car, smiling when she felt the power of the engine after she’d pushed the Start Engine button. It was definitely a pedal to the metal vehicle. The lingering scent of the masculine cologne inside the car was a blatant reminder of the man who made her feel things she’d forgotten, a man whose kisses left her mouth burning and wanting more, a man who made her throw caution to the wind when she’d admitted to him that he’d turned her on. So turned on she’d been ready to beg him to have sex with her instead of making love to her because he’d professed to finding love overrated.

  Shifting into gear, she followed Jeff as he drove David’s Lexus along pitch-black roads. Occasionally lights from homes in the distance punctuated the night as Kara concentrated on following the taillights of the sedan. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget Jeff’s offhanded comment about falling in love. The lyrics to Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” came to mind: It’s physical, only logical. You must try to ignore that it means more than that. Was that how it would be between her and Jeff? Whatever they would share would be purely physical?

  Kara waited in the Miata as Morgan parked her SUV, got out, and opened the door to a one-story house with a front porch. She watched Jeff hoist the limp body of his cousin over his shoulder and carry him inside.

  The haunting hooting of an owl came through the open window, and Kara pressed a button on the armrest, raising the window. Morgan’s house had been built in a clearing surrounded by palmetto trees. Ten minutes seemed like an eternity when Jeff finally stepped out onto the porch with Morgan. He hugged her and then came over to the car.

  Kara lowered the window. “Get in. I’ll drive back.”

  He leaned into the window. “Are you sure you know how to get back?”

  “Very funny, Jeff. Please get in.”

  She waited until he folded his long frame into the passenger seat and fastened his seat belt, then executed a perfect U-turn and drove back the way they’d come. “How is David?”

  “Sleeping like a baby. I managed to get him out of his shirt and pants, but I didn’t want to strip him naked. I wanted him to retain a little of his dignity when he woke up in a strange woman’s bed. Thank you for calling me. I’m certain when he’s lucid he’ll also thank you for protecting his reputation as a straight arrow.”

  “Morgan’s not a stranger to David.” The admission had come out before Kara could censor herself.

  “How does he know her?”

  Kara knew she’d made a faux pas and had to think fast to cover it up. “Morgan went to Charleston with me when I had to take care of some legal business, and I introduced her to David.”

  “I didn’t know you and Morgan were friends. Slow down, baby,” Jeff warned. “There’s a blind curve coming up, and you won’t be able to tell if there’s another car coming at you until it’s too late.”

  She downshifted, slowing the car. “I hired Morgan to restore Angels Landing.” It would become common knowledge that Morgan was the architect on the restoration project once work began; the fact that they were business partners would remain their secret, known only to her, Morgan, and David.

  “So you’re the one who lured Morgan away from Lenny Rosen?”

  “I didn’t lure her away, Jeff. She resigned because she felt stymied, and despite holding degrees in architecture and historical architecture, she probably would never advance beyond an assistant if she’d continued to work for him.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “What do you mean we’ll see?”

  “Restoring Angels Landing will become her litmus test.”

  “Are you saying this because she’s a woman?”

  “Keep your eyes on the road,” Jeff ordered when Kara turned her head to look at him.

  “Why aren’t there any lights?”

  “It’s because we don’t want lighted roads. Once the sun sets you should either be home or on your way home. And to answer your question about Mo. It has nothing to do with her being a woman. The best commanding officer I ever had was a female lieutenant colonel. She truly was awesome, so please don’t presume that I’m a sexist.”

  There was only the sound of their measured breathing and the slip-slap of tires on the roadway as Kara turned off on the path leading to Angels Landing. “Will you accept my apology? I didn’t mean to imply you were sexist,” she said after a lengthy silence.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Don’t you know how to be gracious?”

  “I’ll think about it,” Jeff repeated.

  Kara slowed, the car coming to a complete stop, and then shifted into Park. “This stop is Angels Landing. All passengers getting off at Angels Landing please exit the vehicle,” she said in a teasing tone. Light from the porch lamps reflected off the pearlescent columns.

  “Turn off the car, Kara.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m not going to let you go into an empty house alone.”

  She shut off the engine. Unbuckling her seat belt, she shifted in her seat and stared directly at him. “Have you forgotten that I stay here every night by myself?”

  Stretching his left arm over her headrest, Jeff stared at her. “And I worry about you.”

  “Why?”

  His hand touched her hair. “Do I have to wear a sign around my neck that reads, ‘Jeffrey Hamilton Likes Kara Newell’?” He leaned closer. “I mean really, really likes her.”

  Kara stared at the strong masculine mouth. “Show her,” she whispered.

  Jeff slanted his mouth over Kara’s at the same time a sharp sound rent the stillness of the night. He went still, then sprang into action, reaching for the small holstered automatic at his ankle. He pushed open the car door.

  “Don’t move.”

  “Jeff!”

  He was there, then he wasn’t when he disappeared, running around to the back of the house. Kara disobeyed him when she did move. Grabbing her purse off the console, she got out of the car, raced up the porch steps, and unlocked the front door. It was then she heard the sound of breaking glass along with Oliver’s frantic barking.

  She dropped her bag on the table in the entryway, kicked off her heels, and ran to see about her pet. The terrier was howling and cowering in a corner of the crate. Going to her knees, she unlatched the door and scooped him up.

  “It’s all right, baby. Mama’s here.”

  “Didn’t I tell you not to move!”

  Kara spun around to see Jeff standing over her. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that!”

  He glared at her before his expression changed, softening. “I’m sorry, but you can’t disobey an order, Kara.”

  “This is not the corps, Jeff, and I’m not one of your subordinates.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then please don’t treat me like one.”

  Jeff took a step, resting his hands on Kara’s shoulders. “I saw some kids who were throwing rocks at the house running away. It may have been a childish prank, but pranks can turn deadly. What if you’d been standing in front of the window when they threw them?”

  She closed her eyes against his intense stare. “I don’t want to think abou
t that.”

  “Neither do I.” He kissed her forehead. “Take care of Oliver while I clean up the glass.”

  Kara opened her eyes. “You don’t have to.”

  “Yes, I do. And I’m going spend the night in case they decide to come back.”

  Twin emotions of anticipation and confusion twisted inside her. Jeff had appointed himself her protector. Though she appreciated all that he was doing, she wasn’t certain she was ready for the sexy lawman to stay under her roof. “There’s no need for you to spend the night because some kids decided to pitch rocks at the house.”

  “I’m staying.”

  Judging from his expression and his voice, Kara knew anything she said wouldn’t get Jeff to change his mind. “I’ll prepare one of the guest bedrooms for you.”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”

  “What aren’t you telling me, Jeff? Please,” she pleaded.

  “Two words were painted on the rocks.”

  Kara felt as if her breath had solidified in her throat. “What are they?”

  “Leave, bitch. I wish there was something I could do, but rocks can’t be dusted for prints.”

  Her mood shifted from uncertainty to anger. Working as a child protection advocate had given her the tools needed to face down enraged parents once she recommended removal of their children, and becoming a social worker had fortified her resolve to fight for and protect those who couldn’t defend themselves. Well, it was time for her to defend her own turf.

  “I’m not going to leave.”

  “And I don’t want you to leave,” Jeff said.

  Oliver squirmed to get out of her arms, and Kara placed him on the floor, watching his tiny black nose sniff her bare toes. “I’m going to have a security company install closed-circuit cameras in the house and around the property. Then I’m going to go through this house and try to find Taylor’s gun. If I don’t find it, then I’ll buy one of my own.”