Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past)

by Danielle Rose-West

  “Hey! Hold on, shrimp. What the heck is going on?”

  Jason hurried forward and charged into the house. He stopped short and his jaw dropped at the scene that met his eyes. Sandra stood over the still form of Callie, who lay in a heap on the floor. Sandra wrung her hands, her face pale.

  “What the hell happened here?” Jason surged forward and knelt beside Callie. The sight of her unconscious form twisted his guts into knots.

  “She fainted.” Sandra cast him a beseeching glance. “For goodness sake, do something!”

  Jason wracked his brains. What were usually used when someone fainted? An old film popped in his head and he snapped his fingers. “Do you have any smelling salts in the house?”

  “Fay, get the bottle from the medicine cupboard in the bathroom.” Sandra issued the order without once taking her eyes off her daughter’s face. Jason could hear Fay muttering under her breath, but she stomped up the stairs anyway.

  “Did she hit her head on anything?” He leaned forward and gently probed the back of Callie’s head for signs of a lump.

  “I don’t think so. It happened so fast.” Sandra bit her lip, but he’d already seen the trembling. Why did she insist on pretending that Callie meant nothing to her, when she so obviously did?

  Fay returned and shoved the bottle of smelling salts into his hand. Jason set it down on the floor and continued his examination of Callie’s skull. Her hair slipped through his fingers like the finest silk. He ignored the tantalising texture on his fingertips. Now was not the time to notice such things. He set her head back down carefully on the carpet and sagged with relief.

  “The good news is that she doesn’t appear to have a bump. I don’t think the fall was too bad.”

  He opened the smelling salts and shoved it under Callie’s nose. She coughed and tried to bat his hand away. Her head thrashed from side to side as she tried to avoid the bottle. Jason stubbornly followed her movements, keeping the noxious odour where she had to breathe it in.

  “Take it easy, Callie. Don’t try to move just yet.” Jason firmly held down her struggling body. She fought him with more strength than he’d given her credit for.

  Large golden eyes fluttered opened and stared up at him. “Jason? What are you doing here? What happened?” Callie raised a hand to her head, her gaze flicking to Sandra and then Fay. “Oh, where am I?”

  “You came to visit Sandra. Remember?” Fay leaned over, her small face filled with concern. “You fainted.”

  “Fainted? But I’ve never fainted in my life.” Callie cast a confused glance in his direction.

  “Well, there’s a first time for everything.” Jason slid his arm under her shoulders. “Let’s see if we can’t get you into a sitting position.”

  Jason propped her up against him and let her adjust to her new position for several moments. She raised her hand to her forehead with a groan. Jason climbed to his feet and held her tightly as he helped her up. She swayed against him and her head fell onto his shoulder. The soft, feminine scent of her hair filled his nostrils and her womanly curves fitted his body perfectly.

  Was there anything about this woman that wasn’t alluring? Surely she’d been sent to drive him out of his mind! Jason bit down a growl and glanced down at her delicate face. An unwanted surge of protectiveness washed over him. She seemed so vulnerable and innocent. Everything about her drew him to her and he hated it. She was a temptation he could well do without.

  Jason reluctantly lifted her into his embrace so he could easily transfer her to the chair just a few feet away. Callie’s arms slid around his neck and a small sigh escaped her lips. Her breath fanned across his jaw. Desire surged through him thick and fast, taking him by complete surprise. He almost dropped her into the chair in his horror.

  Sweat popped out all over his body. Heat suffused his entire being and the room closed in around him. He bit his lip and fought to control the erection that threatened to announce itself to the whole room. Jason breathed deeply. This was crazy. When had he started finding Callie attractive? Who was he kidding? He’d always found her attractive, just never allowed himself to notice before.

  Jason decided he needed a distraction and fast. If he kept his focus on something else, he would be able to drive out the smell and feel of Callie from his awareness. Sure, piece of cake!

  “So, what happened here?” Jason arched an inquisitive brow at Sandra and hoped she didn’t notice how husky his voice sounded.

  “Why are you looking at me? This isn’t my fault.” Sandra crossed her arms over her chest, instantly defensive. “She’s the one that came to our house uninvited.” She stabbed a finger in Callie’s direction. “Your blasted sister let her into the house and went through my stuff. She had no right to give my personal property to anyone without my permission. You need to take that girl in hand. She’s out of control.”

  “I showed her a family album. Big deal!” Fay rolled her eyes. Jason half expected her to stick her fingers up at Sandra, but for once his sister restrained herself.

  “It is a big deal.” Sandra’s yell reverberated through the house. “I didn’t want to show those photos to her. It should have been my decision, not yours.”

  “I am sitting here you know!” Callie’s weak voice piped up. “There is no need to talk about me as if I’m not in the room.”

  Jason glanced in her direction, concerned for her welfare. The colour still hadn’t come back into her face. He undid the smelling salts and stuck them back under her nose. Callie jerked away.

  “What did you do that for?” She coughed and sucked in a breath. She waved her hand around her face to clear the fumes.

  “You’re still a little pale. Here, take a few more breaths of this. It will bring you round.” He handed her the bottle. Callie grumbled, but did as he instructed.

  Jason turned to Sandra and his sister. “I don’t think arguing about this right now is a good idea. Callie is still feeling ill. Why don’t we leave this until tomorrow? I’ll take Callie home. She needs rest and time to recover.”

  “Sandra’s not going to just drop it,” Fay protested. She flung an arm in the woman’s direction. “The minute you step out the door, I’m going to get it with both barrels.”

  “Like you deserve!” Sandra snarled. Her hands flew to her hips and she actually bared her teeth at Fay.

  Jason sighed. “For crying out loud! Am I the only adult here?” He glared at Sandra. “You need to calm down. There is no point trying to deal with this when you’re angry. You’ll just make things ten times worse.”

  Sandra mashed her lips together, her eyes filled with fury. “Fine! I’ll leave it until tomorrow, but then Fay is getting punished for what she did. I insist on it.”

  Callie staggered to her feet and stepped up beside him. He could feel her body’s slight tremors from where it brushed close to his. He suppressed a shiver and hoped she hadn’t noticed anything.

  “You leave that girl alone!” Callie wagged a finger at her mother. “She didn’t deserve what you said to her earlier. You were mean and nasty, but then what’s new.”

  “What’s this? What are you talking about?” Jason demanded, wondering what had happened before his arrival.

  He glanced at his sister, concerned. Fay kept her gaze on the colossal fight taking shape right in front of them. If she thought avoiding eye contact would dissuade him, she was wrong. Jason would get to the bottom of things sooner or later. He glanced back at Callie. She ignored his question or perhaps she hadn’t even heard him. She clasped a hand to her chest and continued her tirade at Sandra.

  “Fay simply wanted to help me because she understands how I feel. I won’t have you lay into her for that. Heaven knows, you could take a leaf from her book. At least Fay knows how to care about someone other than herself!” Callie ran a derisive glare over her mother.

  Sandra paled, her face pinched and strained. “I have nothing further to say to anyone. I’m going to bed. What you all do, I couldn’t care less.”

 
; “Wait!” Callie grabbed Sandra’s arm. “Before you run away again, what about Sophie? I want to know what happened to her.” Callie’s voice grew thick as she spoke.

  “How dare you? What has it got to do with you? You didn’t even know her.” Sandra pried Callie’s fingers from her arm. “All you’ve seen is a picture in an album. It doesn’t give you the right to poke into my pain.”

  “Like I said, I felt a connection with her. Please, you have to tell me about her,” Callie cried brokenly. “How did she die?”

  Jason wondered who they were talking about. He’d never heard any of the Fuller’s mention a Sophie before. He made a mental note to ask Mitch about it. He glanced from one woman to the other. Callie’s face held a devastation he’d only ever seen in the expressions of his family after losing Adam. It seemed strange that she would feel so deeply for someone she’d only seen in a photograph. What the heck was going on?

  Sandra glared at Callie. “Don’t you get it? Sophie’s death is not something I can talk about. Not with my family, not with my friends, and most especially not with you.”

  She sailed past them and up the stairs. Seconds later, a door slammed shut. Callie’s head dropped and silent tears poured down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

  “You never know, she may change her mind.” Fay tentatively touched Callie’s arm. “Thanks for standing up for me, by the way. Nobody but Jason has ever done that for me before.”

  “Anytime.” Callie patted her hand, a small smile gracing her lips. “We abandoned girls have to stick together.”

  Fay grinned and nodded. Jason was surprised. He hadn’t seen his sister bond with anyone for a long time. What had Callie done to deserve his sister’s approval? From the looks of things, Callie had managed to wriggle past some of his sister’s defences. That in itself was a mini miracle.

  He still hadn’t found out what Callie had meant by Sandra being mean to Fay. He glanced at his sister’s pale face. He would tackle Callie about it as soon as he could. Jason would never allow someone to hurt Fay, not even someone that was seeing his father. Now, however, didn’t seem like the right time to bring it up.

  “Will you be okay, while I take Callie back to the Lazy Boy?” he asked Fay. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed tight. Fay needed all the love she could get, even if she refused to admit it.

  “Wow, leave me some room to breathe, will you?” Fay tried to squirm away from him. He laughed and pulled her tighter to him for several seconds before releasing her. “I’ll be fine. Dad will be back soon, so stop fussing.” She waved her hands at him. “Go. I’ll sit in my room and study. That will make everyone happy.”

  “Alright, shrimp. I’m on my phone if you need me.” He pointed a finger at her. “Day or night, remember that!”

  She rolled her eyes. “As if I could forget.”

  The small grin tugging at her lips told him how pleased she was with his concern. Fay stomped up the stairs, and seconds later the sound of her door shutting echoed through the cottage. Jason turned to Callie. She’d already retrieved her coat from the chair. She shrugged it on and picked up her bag. Jason caught her elbow as she swayed on her feet. She looked totally exhausted.

  “Come on. A bit of fresh air might help.” He swiftly pocketed the smelling salts, just in case, and helped her to the door.

  The cold air hit him like a wall of ice as soon as he opened the front door. He shivered and glanced up at the sky. Jason wondered if they were in for snow soon. Callie slipped her arm through his as they stepped outside. He shut the front door behind him and escorted her to the van. Their footsteps echoed around him. A cosy warmth settled over him like a soft blanket, which seemed odd after the craziness inside the house.

  “Are you feeling better?” he asked as they approached the van.

  Jason pulled out his keys from his pocket and glanced in her direction. The cold air had certainly put colour back into her cheeks. The rosy glow made her appear even more soft and feminine than usual.

  “I’m fine. I don’t know what came over me. I feel so foolish.” She smiled up at him sheepishly. She had the most beautiful smile. How come he hadn’t noticed that before?

  Jason unlocked the van and helped her into the passenger seat. He scooted round the vehicle and leapt in beside her.

  “This feels familiar.” She glanced over at him, her eyes shining in the street lights from outside. “It reminds me of when you rescued me from the roadside when we first met. Feels like another lifetime now.” She sighed, a wistful note in the sound.

  “We just need a storm and it’ll be total deja vu.” Jason grinned at her.

  She laughed and clipped her seatbelt into place. Her face turned serious. “It’s funny, but I actually thought of you as my rescuer that night. Little did I know how true that would turn out to be. It would appear that you’re always there for me when I need saving. I want you to know how much I appreciate it.” She touched his hand and shivers raced down his spine. He stared into her golden eyes, losing himself in their shimmering depths. “Thank you, Jason. I owe you a lot.”

  Her soft whisper skimmed over his skin like a caress. Jason almost groaned. “It was my pleasure,” he whispered back.

  Jason found himself held spellbound as he gazed at her beautiful face, so close to his own. He stared into her eyes and was amazed that she seemed as transfixed by him as he was by her. His heartbeat thudded against his ribcage. He could hear nothing but the sound of their breathing. The van closed in around him and nothing else existed in the world, save the two of them.

  He lowered his head at the same time as hers tipped upward to him. Their lips brushed against each other with the barest hint of physical contact. Her sigh inflamed his blood and sent a tidal wave of desire crashing through him. His hand slid to the back of her head. He cupped her skull in his large hands and his mouth took full possession of hers.

  Her lips parted under his passionate assault. She tasted so sweet, like wine and strawberries in summer. He groaned, sensations flooding through him so fast that his head spun. Callie’s arms slipped around his neck and her tongue darted out to touch his lips. He moaned and pulled that tempting morsel into his mouth.

  Their tongues duelled, fuelling his passion to greater heights. Callie sure knew how to kiss! His whole body burned for her. She cradled his face with her soft hands, her fingers running over his stubbled cheeks. The sensation made him shiver. Warmth flooded through his heart. Jason drew in a shuddering breath and pulled back, suddenly fearful of where this was heading. He didn’t want to feel this way again. Not yet.

  “I’m sorry, that shouldn’t have happened.” His voice sounded raspy and thick with desire.

  “There’s no need to apologise. I instigated that just as much as you did.” The forlorn note in her voice tugged at his heart.

  Callie trailed a finger over her damp, kiss swollen lips. She gazed at him with such longing that Jason almost groaned. His body quivered and ached for him to continue the kiss and so much more with her, but he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t ready to start something so soon after Lucinda. It wouldn’t be fair on Callie.

  “It’s too soon for me. Do you understand?” He glanced at her, afraid of what he would see in her expression.

  She stared back at him, a hint of sadness still reflected in her gaze. “I do understand. It won’t happen again, but I can’t pretend that it wasn’t great.” Did she have to say that? It was like a sucker punch to his gut. She held her hand out to him. “Friends only then? Heaven knows, I need all the support I can get right now.”

  He shook her hand and ignored the little electric shocks that ran up his arm from her touch. “Friends would be great.”

  Jason reached over his shoulder and pulled the seatbelt around his body. He clipped it into place and cleared his throat. “By the way, your car will be fixed by the weekend as promised. The engine will be arriving in a couple of days.”

  “It’s not so urgent now.” He glanced over at
her as he turned the key in the ignition.

  “Oh? I thought you were in a hurry to get back to London.”

  “I’m sorry. I forgot to let you know. Mr Cunningham wouldn’t let me work from London and if I break my contract, he’ll sue me. I can’t afford to walk away, so I’m stuck here for the time being.” Callie’s sigh filled the air.

  Jason shrugged. “I could be wrong, but maybe it’s a good thing that Cunningham said no. After all, you seem to want to know what happened to this Sophie person rather badly. Care to fill me in on what happened tonight. I want to know what Sandra said to Fay too.” Jason released the hand break and pulled out onto the road. “You can trust me. What are friends for, if not to help?”

  “Very true.” Silence filled the air for several moments. “Okay. I have to talk to someone, especially after tonight. But I have no idea if you’ll believe me. Just keep an open mind, okay?”

  Jason glanced at her, startled. “That sounds intriguing.”

  “It’s that and more. You drive, while I tell you a story. It all started with the letter from my mother, or rather from your father………”

  *****

  Lucinda seethed. Her hands twisted around a branch of the bush she was hiding behind. She glared at the van that swept past her and sped down the street. The tail lights glowed red in the darkness. Lucinda didn’t remove her gaze from the vehicle until it had turned the corner and disappeared.

  A sharp snap echoed through the night. She glanced down at the broken branch clutched in her hand. He’d lied to her! She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but Sue was right all along. Lucinda clenched her jaw. It was a good thing she’d taken to following Jason as Sue suggested, or she may never have found out that he was hooking up with that bitch. How could he forget about her, as though she’d never existed in his life?

  Lucinda removed her hand from the branch. She gazed at its twisted form. The sight gave her an idea and her lips stretched into a grin. She had to consult with Sue. Her friend would know how to implement Lucinda’s plan. Sue always did.