Pepper Ambrose
WindSwept Narrows
Book Seventeen
Karen A. Nichols
Copyright 2011 by Karen A. Nichols
Smashwords Edition
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Chapter One
Chase Montgomery was giving considerable thought to the clear definition of the word stalking.
And he wasn’t pleased that it fit.
Five in the afternoon and he wandered into the large employee lounge of the Windswept Narrows Resort and Casino, alert, cool brown eyes doing a master sweep of the room and landing immediately on the blonde in the window seat.
The window faced west and was flooded with late afternoon sunshine. She sat on the wide, cushioned ledge with her legs crossed beneath her, a book open on her legs and head bent. Now and then a palm rose and pushed thick, unruly long hair behind her ear.
He got his coffee and sat facing her, his laptop open and ignored. Inside environmental lights mingled with the natural and he saw colors in her hair that ranged from burnished gold to bronze to platinum to champagne. Center parted, the long hair fell well past her shoulders, tapered at the sides and ending in a waving curl in the center of her back.
He had to admit it was damn difficult to get a clear impression of the woman. Part of him wasn’t all that convinced she was very far past twenty, another point that grated. Her jeans were generally of the cargo variety and not exactly form hugging. She wore small black girl shoes with next to no heel and a thin strap.
He guessed she was about five foot ten and from the long arms and slender fingers turning pages on her book, she seemed almost delicate. Now and then she would look up from the book, sunlight glinting off the two inch lenses she wore and right onto the brilliant sapphire of her eyes.
Negotiations for the dock and pier area had been going on for two weeks, so he’d spent a lot of time at the resort. He had an executive pass and wandered the employee areas when he felt restless.
He’d first glimpsed her in the cafeteria, a large cloth tote over her shoulder, long hair drawn back in a worn and slightly frayed looking braid down the back of her head. He could see a pair of ear pods attached to a pink cord and guessed there was a music device in one of her pockets or her bag. Her body kind of swayed when she walked, her lips moving silently to the songs and her mouth lush and full, uncolored and tilting to a smile.
The next time he saw her was very late at night, right where she was sitting now, reading a hardback book and totally immersed in the story. The next time, he had wandered near the employee arcade on a Friday night. It was just short of eight o’clock and the games and amusements had been abandoned for Friday night activities that generally involved alcohol and plenty of loud music. Which is exactly what he heard a few minutes later coming from the back end of the arcade.
Chase wandered quietly through the dimly lit large expanse, keeping to the side as he headed toward the singing. He leaned against one of the game consoles and just stared.
Thirty-six must have been the insanity point, he decided as he watched the blonde wearing a headset sing and move over the karaoke stage. This was set up differently with the woman facing the back projection screen set to mimic either a video or an audience. He guessed it was the users choice.
He watched her for the next hour, dancing, adjusting the video behind her and singing with a voice that would have made too many professionals seriously nervous if they heard her belting out the lyrics with skill and emotion. It fascinated him how her voice, her tone and even her accent altered with each different style of song and music she brought into the room.
He remained in the shadows, watching her leave shortly after nine, the braid a little more frayed from sweating and dancing. But there was a bright smile in the large, blue eyes as she bopped down the corridor to the moving walkway without a backward glance.
****
Mac Lawson entered the cafeteria for a mid morning snack a couple days later and saw Chase sitting in the far corner of the room, laptop open. But distracted. He followed the man’s gaze and nodded slightly to himself.
“How goes the negotiations?” Mac asked, sinking into an empty chair.
“Morning, Mac…makes me recall why there were times I’d want to become violent when I was acquiring property in the past,” Chase said dryly, his head shaking. “Idiot property has set empty for a couple decades and they think they want to jerk around someone offering cash?”
“You’ve got a plan?” Mac said with an approving chuckle.
“Already instigated a nice rumor about me going to another location without looking back,” Chase admitted with a nod, one hand up and raking through the neatly trimmed dark blond hair, the unruly strands falling to the edge of his glasses and ignored. “It seems to have motivated a few people to become co-operative. I’m in the ignoring their calls phase at the moment.”
“Have you met her yet?” Mac asked after a healthy bite of his sandwich.
“Who?”
“The blonde you’re scoping out, Chase,” Mac laughed at the dull color sweeping the other mans’ face.
“I figured it was old age,” he murmured in response. “And that I was concealing it better.”
“Ehh…we all handle it different. Cade went right for the jugular, didn’t want anyone else beating his time. I took six months to meet up with Cassidy,” Mac shrugged. “I doubt anyone else noticed, if that helps, including Pepper.”
“Pepper?”
“Pepper Ambrose…the distracted blonde. Ear pods or a book, she’s caused a few crashes in the halls.”
Chase took another look over at the bent head that was quickly gathering things and stuffing them into her pack. Her skin was like an alabaster statue, clear and pale. Her features almost delicate. An alarm sounded in the back of his mind.
“Ambrose?” He repeated tonelessly. That name was too familiar on the fanatics wall of the newspapers.
“Yeah…that Ambrose,” Mac saw the recognition in his eyes. “Only trust me, Pepper isn’t a thing like her father.”
Chase knew he could have pulled her file. A little unprofessional, but he had executive access. “What do you know about her?”
“I know her hire went to the review board. And Abby went to ground for her, hard,” Mac shook his head. “The woman has guts. By the end of her lecture, she had the needed votes for the hire, though.”
“For what position?”
“Head of purchasing. Been there about six months now and from all reports, is beyond qualified.”
“She…runs purchasing?” Chase caught himself staring openly at
the woman bopping out of the cafeteria.
“Never judge by appearances,” Mac warned, watching the woman he married stride into the cafeteria, spot him and head straight for him. “I fell in love with an elf,” he said with a chuckle, standing up and taking her hand. “See you around, Chase. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Mac…morning, Cassidy,” he watched them leave and leaned back in the chair, trying to reconcile the woman he’d been watching to the position she held in the largest reclamation in ages. Somehow he could have seen her in the daycare or the computer center. He offered up a mental slap for his stereotyping.
****
He wasn’t sure how he managed to watch a few more of her concerts before wandering into the cafeteria several days later. He had been working at shoving the odd attraction to the furthest corners of his mind when he came to a swift and almost snapping halt.
And he wasn’t the only male aware of the woman in the fitted pinstriped tailored suit. The jacket came to her waist, English cut and the skirt hugged the expanse of long leg and curve of her hips. The long blond hair had been carefully and very neatly arranged and pulled taut against her scalp, ending in a tight coil at the nape of her neck.
“Must be in serious negotiations with a vendor,” Mac commented as he came up from the side, heading for something cold to drink. “Pepper takes saving the resort money very seriously.”
She wore a scarlet blouse beneath the jacket, her lips tinted the same color and open peeking toed shoes betraying a set of matching toes in deepest red. He watched her lean slightly to the side, fingers deftly opening a couple buttons on the side of her skirt, making it easier for the lengthy stride she seemed to prefer. The ear pods were still in place and watching the taut behind bop to the music was enough to make a sane man cry. He now had a much better idea what was hiding beneath baggy sweaters and cargo pants.
“And she’s single?”
“Completely. And I know a couple guys who have tried breaking through,” Mac shook his head, draining have the bottle of water in his hands. “She’s friendly and what I got from one of my guys…sisterly…made him cringe and sigh. She’s in the arcade a lot, got some killer scores on a couple FPS games.” Mac saw the look on Chase’s face. “First person shooter games,” he interpreted.
“I’ve been to the employee arcade…just never got into the game thing.” He looked at Mac with one brow arched. “She shoots things?”
“Come on by and I’ll give you a demo…I’m off…” Mac told him with a clap on the shoulder.
Shortly before noon, Chase followed the signs in the administration portion of the resort and entered the front office of purchasing. The desk was empty, glass doors to the left was posted for employees only and the door behind the desk was wide. He was about to enter the office when a movement behind the desk caught his attention. He looked down to see a pair of sapphire blue eyes peering through lenses up at him seconds before she bounced to her feet, dusting off the suit skirt.
“I am so sorry,” she glanced around the desk. “Are you here for an appointment? I can’t seem to locate my calendar…thought it might have slipped under the desk…” She thrust her palm out and brought out a bright smile. “Pepper Ambrose.”
“Chase Montgomery,” he returned, enveloping the smaller palm with his. “I don’t have an appointment, so it’s alright.” He watched relief flood through her seconds before she collapsed into the chair behind her, the chiming of the phone making her groan and hold up one finger.
Pepper tapped the speaker button, her head down on the desk. “Purchasing.”
“You sound like you’re in a tunnel,” came the soft feminine voice through the phone lines.
“Adriana…” Pepper’s head came up. “Please…please…” She begged dramatically.
“You scared the crap out of the last one, Pepper,” she scolded mildly.
“Oh…poor little girl…because I insisted she learn how to tell time? I was patient, Adriana. The first day…it was the traffic coming up from Stellacomb. Oh, and the next day it was all that pesky rain on the highway. My all-time favorite was being out celebrating having a job and missed the alarm going off,” she concluded in a low growl.
“Okay, so she’s not a day person…and definitely not…” Adriana Styles Blackhawk cleared her throat. “I’m sending you someone on Monday.”
“Really?”
“You’ve got a suspicious nature, Pepper. Yes…have something to write on?”
Blue eyes grabbed the memo cube and pulled drawers open, searching until she saw the hand come out with a slim gold pen offered to her.
“Thank you…ready, Adriana…”
“Louisa Hunt. She’s British, married to an Air Force guy at McChord. She worked in requisitions with the British Military and I’m shooting all the particulars to your email. I’ve talked to Abby and it’s cleared.”
“I promise to be patient…thank you.”
“My pleasure. The resort is one of my biggest clients,” she paused. “I honestly don’t think you’ll have a problem with this one, Pepper. She’s older and professional. Gina is a little new at placement and Trinity was not a good fit for you.”
“I’m sure you’ll have her trained in no time,” Pepper said warmly. “Thanks, Adriana, I’ll check my mail. Bye.” She printed out a date on the note and looked up with a bright smile. “Thank you.”
“That seems to have brightened your mood considerably.” Chase commented, sliding the pen back into his pocket.
“It’s the little things, you know…” she stood up and went into her office. “Please, come in…but if we didn’t have an appointment…are you selling something? Or…I’m sorry, are you looking for someone else? I can call to the back and let them know…”
“Actually, I’m here to speak with you. About lunch.” He told her simply, his gaze casually sweeping around the large uncluttered office. Nothing personal on her desk.
“Lunch?” Pepper frowned and leaned against her desk.
“A midday meal, sometimes shared between people,” he suggested quietly. He almost laughed at the full lips that shot into a pursed frown while her gaze met his.
“You came here to ask me to lunch?” Pale lashes blinked as if processing his words. She mentally did a quick inventory and found herself caught in the stream from a pair of darkly intense brown eyes. How had she managed to miss those? Or the tall, lean figure that held such a commanding presence.
“Boggles the mind,” he agreed, his wrist tipped up. “I put a reservation in for twelve-thirty.”
“You don’t work here,” she said thoughtfully, standing up and walking toward the door, locking her office after her. “But I’ve seen you…in the lounge, I think…and the cafeteria…” She slanted a glance over at him as they walked along the corridor.
Chapter Two
“I don’t work here and I’ve been in those places,” he admitted, stepping with her onto the moving walkway. It was interesting watching her think. She leaned against the railing and reached her hand to the top pocket of his suit. A slim badge lifted and dropped back.
“An executive pass…” She stared into his eyes, nice brown eyes that didn’t shy away or look uncomfortable. “I don’t know you.”
“Maybe lunch can remedy that, Pepper,” he answered, aware of the eyes on them as they left the walkway and headed for the stairs. His palm went to her waist at the top, guiding her to the Italian themed restaurant.
“Who do you know?” She asked, waiting until they’d been seated and handed menus. She browsed the list quickly and set it down. Behind the glasses he wore, his gaze was curious. “To get the pass. Who do you know?”
“Ahhh…Logan Sheffield and Cade Rollins,” he made a quick choice and laid his menu over hers. “We’ve been friends a long time.”
“I see,” she said quietly, slim hands clasping on the table. “Are they aware you asked me to lunch?”
“Seeing as it has nothing at all to do with them, I haven’t mentioned it,” he an
swered slowly, a flash of light sending him in the direction of her logic. Chase leaned comfortably back in the chair, head tilted slightly. “What do you see, Pepper?”
“Nothing…I’m good,” she sat up and smiled, glancing around.
“There is no connection,” he met the wariness in her gaze. “If you didn’t want to lunch, all you had to do was decline and I’d wander off, a lonely and dejected man.”
“Now why do I find that difficult to believe?” But she did smile. “I’ve never been in here before,” she stopped when the waiter appeared and took their order.
“No time?” Chase asked when they were alone again. “For the restaurant,” he clarified when she looked puzzled.
“Oh…no…I’ve been here a little over six months and there’s so much to see,” she shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll get around to seeing things eventually. Have you? Seen it all here?”
“I’ve been given a tour and explored on my own the last thirty days,” he said, lifting the coffee that was brought and taking a taste with a grateful sigh. “Have you always lived in this area?”
She’d listened to the slight inflection in his voice. The way he tried to appear casual and continued to watch him. “I was born in Philadelphia. Very different place than the Pacific Northwest. Have you asked Logan questions about me?”
“Have I…not a word. Why would I?” He was surprised and yet, not. “I’d hope it would be more entertaining finding out answers from the source.”
“Is your life lacking entertainment, Mr. Montgomery?”
“Of a type…” Mild surprise filled the gaze he kept on her. “Perhaps I should have made inquiries to determine if you were already involved, Miss Ambrose,” he let his gaze wander to the empty ring finger. “Of course, involvement isn’t always displayed in a ring.”
Pepper took a taste of the rich soup, sighing at the flavor and warmth. She looked at him, studying him and accepting a cheese stick from the basket he offered.
WindSwept Narrows: #17 Pepper Ambrose Page 1