by Leger, Lori
Drake nodded. “Annie hates feeling vulnerable and afraid. The one time I left her alone in the house, the bastard was watching and called her. He followed us to church this morning, then all the way to Lake Coburn where he dared to put his hands on her.” Drake shook his head in frustration. “I don’t care if it takes a flippin’ army, Nash. That shit can’t happen again.”
“He’s watching the house, then,” Nash stated.
“He is, and she can’t be left alone for a second.”
“She won’t be. Between you and me, I guarantee we can handle this. I heard you banged him up pretty good the night of the attack.”
“I gave him a hell of a beating, but apparently not good enough. Right about now, I’m wishing I’d left him dead instead of unconscious. Did you get the background on him?”
“I did, and he sounds like a sadistic S-O-B.”
Both men turned as Annie’s bedroom door opened and she walked over to meet them. Drake made the introductions.
Annie tried to wipe the traces of her nap from her eyes. “This is a mess, isn’t it?”
“It’s not so bad compared to some of the cases I’ve handled. That old boy from Arkansas only thought he got tore up from Drake, here. Won’t he be surprised when he has two big ole Texans opening up a can of whoop-ass on him the next time he shows his face?” Nash flipped his brown felt cowboy hat. “Miss McAllister, you can rest easy. Between Drake and me, J.B. Montgomery will never get his hands on you again.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Mr. Nash. I appreciate what both you and Drake have been doing. He and I are kind of in the same boat. We both have fairly new businesses that need our attention.”
“I understand,” he said. “I want you to sit right here and tell me what your schedule is like for the next week. Be sure to let me know if you have any functions to attend after work.”
Annie explained the schedule they had worked out the previous week. When she was done, she ran her hands through her hair then sat back in the chair. “I feel trapped. All of my choices have been taken away from me. When I don’t have choices I get nervous.” Her eyes darted around the room as though searching for something. “Where’s your luggage, Mr. Nash?”
“It’s in my car. I’ll get it if you tell me where you want me to sleep. I don’t want to do anything that makes you feel more uncomfortable, but please call me Liam, or better yet, Nash. After twenty years in the military, that’s what I’m used to.”
Annie smiled at him, liking him already. “I will if you call me Annie. Believe me, if I can get used to having Drake share my house with me, I can get used to anything. Go get your luggage—I’ll make sure the back bedroom is ready for you.” She turned and walked down the hallway toward the spare room number two.
Nash looked at Drake. “Well, she didn’t mention you leaving, so maybe she’s thinking there’s safety in numbers.”
“I can only hope. But, I know Annie. It’ll come up the next time I piss her off.”
“Has a bit of an Irish temper, does she?”
Drake walked over to the fridge. “I think it’s Scottish, and it’s more than a bit. You’ll have to butt heads with her on occasion, no doubt.” He removed two waters from the fridge, and offered one to Nash.
Nash accepted the bottle and thanked him. “She wouldn’t be the first client I’ve butted heads with, but you’re right about one thing. She is about the prettiest client I’ve had so far. You’re lucky I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
Drake waved him off. “I’m not worried about it. You weren’t around to see the sparks fly when Annie and I met for the first time.”
Nash cocked an eyebrow. “Was it that heated?”
Drake nodded. “Sizzling.”
Julia & Chad
Julia
Julia McAllister sat entranced and staring, without really seeing, out at the view of the park from her London office window. She held a highlighter in one hand and a mechanical pencil in the other. She tapped the latter nervously on the desk surface.
She sighed and shifted her gaze to the set of plans in front of her—a design for a very large, upscale shopping center, complete with an art gallery, a bevy of fine dining restaurants to choose from, shops bearing names of dozens of well-known designers, as well as a multi-screened theater complex. She was reconfiguring a section to include her recent brainstorm, a child care facility. She had just talked the owners into the idea, convinced them that it would bring those parents into the shops on days they would normally have stayed home with the children. Too bad there hadn’t been a place like that in the local mall when she’d had to drag her children shopping. She’d never had help with them because of Chad’s schedules, both as a CPA, then as a pilot, not to mention the years between the two careers, as he juggled both to get in his flight hours.
Throughout their marriage, she had kept up with her architectural drafting skills by designing private house plans from her home. Even managed to sneak in a leisure learning class or two to keep her computer skills sharp, but she’d always had an interest in designing something bigger. Every shopping center or mall she’d ever entered had drawn her interest. She’d find herself looking around, thinking how she could have made it better.
When a company wanted to hire her because of a design she’d entered in a competition, she’d jumped at the chance. Three short years later, her design for this mall had been chosen over several dozen others, and here she was in London, England.
Her mind drifted painfully back to the night she had told her husband about her fantastic chance to work hand-in-hand with the owners in the UK. Chad had turned what should have been a joyous occasion into a dismal disappointment. That terrible, awful night had extended into a week, then two until she finally decided to go without him or his approval, taking their son with her.
A knock on her door jarred Julia back to the present. Douglas Statham walked in, and she groaned inwardly at the bouquet of fresh flowers he carried. The man wouldn’t give up.
He placed the vase on her desk, raising his palms in self-defense. “Don’t get mad, Jules. I saw them and thought of you.”
“You know, Douglas, where I come from, no means no.”
He flashed his blue eyes at her and ran a hand through his sandy blond waves. “Well, where I come from, a real man doesn’t give up so easily on a beautiful woman.”
She turned to her computer and began drafting the changes she’d just marked up on the plans. “Eventually you’ll have to, you know. I’m busy. Did you have business you wanted to discuss?”
“Not particularly. Heard from your foolish husband lately?”
“My foolish husband is no concern of yours.”
“Ah, but does he remain a concern of yours?”
Right on schedule, an alert popped up on her computer. “I’ve got a meeting with my client in two hours and I’ve got to make these changes and get them plotted out.” She pointed at her door, thankful when he took the hint and left.
“Things would be perfect if he weren’t here,” Julia mumbled, trying to concentrate on her work. His question tugged at her. Was Chad still a concern? She was still livid at his selfishness, but she did love him. If she’d forgotten that during the past year, she’d been reminded during her recent trip. The last night in particular, vividly fresh in her mind as she recalled the joy of being in his arms. Oh hell, the satisfaction of having her husband inside her where he belonged. The year of sexual abstinence had caused a stand out, or rather stand-up performance she’d never forget; most unfortunately, considering the situation.
She let her head fall forward on the desk and groaned loudly, missing him, needing him …there, in the place only her husband had ever occupied. “Damn you, Chad.”
She rose from her chair, determined to put him out of her mind. She’d actually believed the selfish bastard had come around to her way of thinking and would agree to give her at the very least six months of his life. I should have known better.
Julia paced her office,
finally paused in front of the crystal vase full of her favorite fresh flowers. She fingered the delicate petal of a rose, then bent to smell a carnation and smiled. Douglas may be extremely annoying at times, but he was certainly persistent, and he admired her for her creative talent in cutting-edge-design. After living abroad for a year and having others cater to her for a change, she knew she couldn’t go back to living with a man who didn’t believe in her. She loved her husband, desperately, but also knew she couldn’t abide his current attitude toward her career. As heartbreaking as it would be for her, she’d have to give him up.
Julia set her brief case on the entry table and kicked off her heels at the door of the two bed room flat she shared with Jacob. Her phone dinged and she pulled it from her coat pocket to check the voice message her son had just left.
“Hey, Mom. It’s right at noon, and I’m calling to let you know my plans for tonight, just like you asked me to. Remember this when it’s time for my allowance, would you? Isabella and I are going to the movies tonight with Derek and his new girlfriend, Katarina. The feature is at eight o’clock, but we’re going to go shopping right after school. You said you were tired of seeing me in worn jeans and tee shirts, remember? We’ll grab somethin’ to eat and hang out until the movie starts. I’ll be home by midnight. Later.”
Julia sighed and dropped her head back. “Great, another Friday night at home, alone, with nothing to do.” She went into her bedroom and changed into her favorite pair of faded jeans and a sweater. She entered the kitchen in time to answer her ringing telephone.
“Have you eaten yet?”
Douglas. “No, as a matter of fact, I haven’t.”
“Why don’t you let me treat you to dinner? There’s this great little restaurant just around the corner from your flat.”
“I’m too tired to go out, Douglas. I think I’ll just order in some pizza.”
“Perfect! Open your door.”
Julia walked over to her door and pulled it open. Douglas stood there with pale yellow carnations in one hand, a box of pizza in the other, and a bottle of wine tucked under his arm. Gazing into eyes that sparkled with amusement, she couldn’t help but smile. “You can be a real pest when you want to be, you know that?”
“Ay well, I’ve always been a firm believer in the old squeaky wheel getting the grease analogy.” His clipped, British accent sounded sharp and crisp to Julia’s ears.
She took the carnations from his outstretched hand and buried her nose in them, letting her eyes drift closed. The smell of her favorite flowers always jogged memories of homecoming dances, wrist corsages, and huge pink and blue bouquets when her children were born. Not to mention dozens of birthday, anniversary, and apology bouquets over the years, always arriving in a vast assortment of vases. “I love carnations,” she mused.
Douglas responded with a smug “I knew that.”
“Well, you’re here, and I’m hungry, so you may as well come in.” Julia opened the door wide to allow him inside.
Douglas raised one brow cockily. “What a gracious and heartfelt invitation.”
She shoved the flowers back at him. “Or not, and you can go home.”
He stepped over the threshold. “A perfectly lovely invitation, Jules.”
She closed the door and chuckled. “As long as you know that I’m not interested in you for anything other than the flowers and the pizza. I’m starved.”
He pulled the bottle of wine out from under his arm. “Shall I drink this alone?”
Julia looked at the label and saw that it was a very fine brand of merlot. “No, I think I’d like a glass of that, if you don’t mind. It’s been a hectic end to a hectic week.”
“Do you have to meet with any contractors tomorrow?” Douglas asked.
She reached onto a shelf for two wine glasses. “We took care of everything today.”
“Excellent!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a corkscrew.
“Do you always carry one of those around with you?”
Douglas smiled wickedly. “A man never knows when he’ll get the chance to get a beautiful woman drunk and take advantage of her.”
Julia laughed. “Good luck with that. I can probably drink you under the table.”
Doug grinned devilishly down at her. “Would you like to wager on that?”
She shook her head. “No, thanks.” She set the glasses on the table, adding plates and napkins. Doug poured the wine while Julia placed a slice of pizza on each plate.
She dropped into her chair, reaching for her pizza, but stopped when Douglas began searching the area as though looking for something. “What else do you need?”
“Silverware would be nice.”
“No self-respecting person eats pizza with silverware.”
“Excuse me, but I have plenty of self-respect and I use silverware to eat my pizza.”
“Oh, come on, Doug. Pizza should be eaten with your hands, like this.” She demonstrated by picking up her slice and taking a bite out of it.
“You Yanks can be so barbaric at times.”
“You Brits are entirely too stuffy, and that’s how we Americans won our independence from you boys well over two hundred years ago.”
“By eating with your hands?” Douglas smirked.
“By our spirit of adventure, and by getting our hands dirty. By finding new and better ways to do things. Any man who is too fancy to eat pizza with his hands doesn’t deserve to control a country as fine as the United States of America.” She got up to get him a fork and knife.
Douglas accepted the utensils and thanked her. “That’s just as well—you’re all too high maintenance to be English citizens.”
“Says the man who needs a knife and fork to eat finger food,” Julia shot back at him. She gave him a hooded look. “Don’t even think of putting down my people or my country.”
Douglas met her gaze. “If you’re so bloody proud of your country and your people, why are you in England?”
“Because I owed it to myself and my career to be here, that’s why.”
“Despite what your wanker of a husband thought?”
She sent him a glare from over the rim of her wine glass. “Douglas, my husband is off limits to you, do you understand?”
He gave her a mischievous look. “I don’t have a problem with that. I have no desire to put my hands on your husband, anyway. You, however, are an entirely different matter. You are, without a doubt, one of the two most beautiful, and talented women I’ve ever known—even if you are slightly obnoxious.”
Julia smiled and took another sip of wine. “Why thank you, Douglas. You know, you can be quite charming when you want to be. Today must not be one of those days.”
Douglas threw back the rest of his wine and set the glass down. “You’re right, Jules, and I apologize. My daughter’s put me in a beast of a mood, I’m afraid. She’s started dating the one young man on this earth that I cannot abide, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Jules snorted and picked up another piece of pizza. “You’d be better off doing absolutely nothing. If you do something stupid like forbid her to see him, she won’t be able to get enough of him. Take it from me, I know.”
“Do you really think so? She’s always been such a sensible girl. This behavior is really out of character for her.”
“How old is she?”
“She only just turned seventeen, but she acts …” his voice trailed off.
“More like she’s 27?” Julia guessed.
“Exactly! I don’t mind telling you, Jules, I’m terrified. If Addie were here she’d know how to handle her. She was always so good in these situations.”
Julia searched the man’s countenance and truly felt sorry for him for the first time. “How long has Addie been gone, Douglas?” She refilled his wine glass.
The man put his fork down and raised his glass. “She died four years ago, on our sixteenth anniversary.”
Julia groaned. “How awful for you.”
He shr
ugged. “I didn’t think I’d be able to survive it. I was crazy about her. We grew up together, you know. We were friends all our lives, and then one day I saw her dancing with another chap, and got insanely jealous. I went to her and told her I didn’t want her to dance with anyone else but me.”
Julia chuckled. “I can imagine how well that went over. What did she say to that?”
Douglas sighed. “I believe the words “bugger off” came into play. It took me another year to convince her that we belonged together.”
“A year?” Julia asked, astonished.
He nodded. “That was just to convince her to date me, exclusively. We dated for two years and lived together another four before I finally got her to marry me.”
“Douglas, I never would have thought you had it in you to wait for someone that long.”
“Patience and perseverance, my dear Jules. Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
“A wise statement by St. Augustine,” Julia answered as he nodded. “I’ve got one for you. Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth.”
“Hmmm—Margaret Thatcher?” Douglas guessed.
“Not even close. Julie Andrews.”
“I was close. They’re both Brits and both women.”
“Oh please, one’s a politician and the other is a singer and actress,” Julia objected.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Douglas demanded. “Have you forgotten about Ronald Reagan?”
Julia dropped her head back. “How the hell did we get started on this, anyway?”
“I bloody well don’t know. How about if we call it a draw?”
Julia opened her white napkin and waved it over her head, laughing as Douglas joined in.
Two hours later, the bottle of wine was gone, along with another half bottle from Julia’s fridge. The pizza was all gone and Julia was feeling more relaxed than she had in over a year. They talked about everything from their work to what their children were like as babies. Julia finally got him to understand that there would be no future with her and he seemed to accept it. As a result, she’d let her guard down and was having fun with him.