by T. L. Haddix
Chapter Forty
Thursday afternoon, Sawyer was sitting in his office on a call, his feet on his desk. He was watching Sydney work, and he was giving serious contemplation to the thought of seducing her in the storage room despite her moratorium on any romantic activities at work. Even though she’d spent two nights this week at his house, his hunger for her was not diminished. Those thoughts were derailed, however, when the outer door opened.
“Is he in?” he heard Rachel ask.
“Yeah, but he’s on a call….” Sydney’s voice trailed off as Rachel stormed into his office and slammed the door.
“Let me call you back,” he told the man he was talking to. He hung up, lowering his feet to the floor without taking his eyes off Rachel. “Something I can help you with?”
She was seething, her cheeks flushed, breath coming between her teeth in a hiss. “You—you jackass! This is your fault!” She paced back and forth in front of his desk, hands on her hips.
Sure she was talking about Sydney, he tried to keep his poker face on. “It is?”
“Yes, it is! He’s your protégé! What the hell, Sawyer? He kissed me. Kissed! On the mouth! Impertinent asshole.”
Realization dawned. Lee.
Sawyer sat back, relieved, and grinned widely. “On the mouth, huh?”
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she warned even as his chuckles were building. “He kissed me in the driveway at my house where anyone, including my son, could have seen. How the hell would I explain that to Easton? Huh?”
He spread his hands. “If you mean to tell me you’ve not had that little birds and bees talk with him yet, I don’t know what to say. I would have thought that happened years ago.”
She put her hands on his desk with an exasperated growl. “He’s a cop. He’s young enough to be my child, damn it. This is not funny.”
If he hadn’t seen the real fear and dejection in her eyes, he would have teased her more. But Rachel was scared. And he could count on one hand the number of times through the years he’d seen her afraid. He leaned forward, matching her posture.
“He’s a good guy. He’s been crushing on you for weeks now. He isn’t like Bear, Rach. He doesn’t see women and the bedroom as a power play. I swear to you he doesn’t.”
She bowed her head. As far as he knew, she’d told him things about her relationship with her ex-husband that she’d never told anyone—about the abuse, both verbal and physical, that she’d endured at Bear’s hands when their marriage had gone south. It hadn’t been long-standing, that abuse, but it had caused Rachel to stop trusting in the good inside people. That, as well as Bear’s affair with a younger woman, a relationship that had resulted in a child.
“I don’t need a man in my life,” she told him quietly. “I’m perfectly content as I am.”
“Really? Content? That’s what you’re willing to settle for? You deserve to be happy.”
“And what about you, huh? What do you deserve?” She looked straight in his eyes, defiant. “Short-term affairs with good women who would make you blissfully happy if you weren’t so damned stubborn and would give them half a chance?”
She knew. Some of the anger in her eyes was directed at him because of Sydney.
Sawyer didn’t try to pretend not to know what she was talking about. “She told you?”
“Reluctantly. Swore me to secrecy. She’s willing to settle for what you have now. Her words, not mine. She’s convinced herself she doesn’t want a happily ever after, even though she deserves it more than just about anyone I know. She isn’t expecting one with you. And if you dare tell her about this part of our conversation? I’ll beat you to death.”
He smiled at the thought of her trying, even though he felt a little sick. As much as he’d been trying to ignore his guilt over being with Sydney, it was still there. He’d suppressed most of it by reminding himself she was an adult who knew their relationship had limitations.
“What do you want me to say?” The irony that he’d asked Lee that same question a couple of weeks ago wasn’t lost on him.
“That if you end up feeling more for her than you expect to, that if you find yourself falling in love, you won’t turn away. That you’ll fight for her.”
“I could say the same thing to you,” he told her quietly.
She blew out a long breath. “I know you could. I’m hoping you won’t. What the hell was he thinking, Sawyer? He can’t seriously be attracted to me.”
This time when he smiled, Sawyer meant it. “Rachel, he’s taken weeks to work up the courage to do more than say hi across the fence. I’ve not seen him so awkward, well, ever. He’s usually pretty straightforward. And he kissed you? I didn’t think you two had done much more than say hello.”
She shook her head and straightened up. “We haven’t. I mean, he and Easton have been hanging out, and after Eli was hurt… I may have cried on his shoulder a bit. Just a bit,” she insisted as he grinned. “And then today he just walked up to me and kissed me.”
“What were you doing before that?”
“I dropped a file with some papers and they went everywhere. He helped me pick them up. Damn it, Sawyer. I slapped him.”
That did it. He laughed. And once he started, he couldn’t stop. “You slapped him? How hard?”
She winced. “Not hard enough to bruise, thank God. I apologized as soon as it happened. He took me by surprise, and… I didn’t handle it well.”
“No kidding. What did he say?”
Poor Lee. Sawyer’d have to call him as soon as he had a chance.
“He apologized for kissing me. And he went home. I feel like I kicked a damned puppy.”
Sawyer stood. “I understand why you’re afraid, but Rachel… He’s a good guy. Now, he does like to hunt. The uh, the discussion came up Friday with Sydney that your entire family is very fond of deer. So I should probably warn you now that if you do apologize in a more personal way, there’s that.”
It was Rachel’s turn to stare at him, lost for words. “Discussion? What kind of discussion?”
He shrugged. “That I need to have a talk with your father. That… his books might be more biographical than I ever suspected they were.”
She swallowed audibly. “Oh. In that case, it’s probably a good idea that you two talk, I mean. And I knew Lee hunted—Easton warned me.”
“Easton likes him?”
He could tell it pained her to admit it, but she did finally nod. “He does. He’s full of ‘Lee said this’ and ‘Lee said that.’”
“I’ve always thought he was a smart kid. And he has a smart mom, too. I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll give your words strong consideration if you make an effort to make things right with Lee. Make him dinner or something. I happen to know he’s fond of lasagna.”
She crossed her arms as he came around the desk. “And you know I make a kick-ass lasagna. How strong of a consideration are we talking about?”
“Strong enough that I’m more than a little uncomfortable with the notion.”
After a minute, she nodded. “Deal.” She held out her hand.
Sawyer lifted an eyebrow. “Really? You’re going to make me shake on it?”
“Abso-freaking-lutely, buddy.” Her grin was saucy, even though her eyes were serious.
He felt a bit like he’d been played by a master. If he hadn’t been so certain Rachel was scared to death about Lee, he’d think the whole thing had been a setup. Regardless, he’d keep his word. He was already halfway there.
Chapter Forty-One
Sydney was on pins and needles in the reception area as she waited for Rachel and Sawyer to come out of his office. At first, she’d thought her aunt was going after him because of what she’d admitted Sunday, but then she’d heard Rachel’s proclamation about the kiss. Since there was no one
looking, Sydney’d done a dance in her chair.
“Finally!” she muttered. Vastly relieved not to be the one in the hot seat, she couldn’t help being amused at Rachel’s discomfort. “Someone’s needed to shake her up for a long time.”
When they finally came out, Sydney assessed them both. “Everything okay?”
Rachel’s face was red. “Fine. Sorry about that. I’ll see you soon, sweetie. I need some air right now. Sawyer, I’ll talk to Daddy for you, set you up. Maybe this weekend?”
“Sounds fine. Let me know what time.”
After she’d left, Sydney got to her feet. “Is everything really okay? Did I hear right—Lee kissed her?”
Sawyer crossed his arms, pensive. “Yeah. It didn’t go that well.”
“Oh.” She fiddled with her pen. “You told her about our deer talk?”
“It came up.” He sighed. “Do you think Owen will take the news well?”
She crossed to him and laid a hand on his arm, squeezing tightly. “I’m surprised he hasn’t told you already. If he didn’t trust you, you never would have been invited to the farm as much as you’ve been over the years.”
He unbent enough to capture her hand, lacing their fingers together. “No?”
“No.” Something else was bothering him, though, she could tell. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Maybe a bit concerned about Rachel and Lee. They’ll figure it out, though.”
“I hope so. He’d be good for her.” She tightened her hand a little, then let go and walked to the window beside her desk. “I hate to add to your concern, but I need to hire you.”
“Okay. That’s a bit disconcerting.” He walked over to stand behind her, not touching but close enough that she could feel his warmth. “Care to explain?”
Sydney hugged herself. “Danny’s worried about Neala. You know I mentioned she’d called me last week, right? Well, she called him, too. And he said she sounded… not herself. You know she has a baby now. Danny worries that she’s going to get into a mess and not be able to get out of it. We’d like to have you do a quick check on her.”
“Actually, I didn’t know she had a baby. Since when? It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen her.”
“He’s about six months old, I guess. She’s in Louisville. Danny drove up when she had the baby. He’s named after him,” she told him, throwing a tiny smile over her shoulder. “I guess the father’s not in the picture.”
Sawyer touched her, letting his hand rest on the small of her back. “I didn’t think the two of you were particularly close, not after what happened when you were nineteen.”
She shrugged and leaned into his touch. “We reconnected a couple of years ago online. Maybe three. Not long after the divorce. She’s grown up some, but like I said the other night, she still has a ways to go. And we’re not that close, more like casual acquaintances. Anyhow, we just want to make sure she’s not in trouble. No arrests, that sort of thing.”
“Okay. I’ll get started on it today or tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. Friday. His day off. “Sawyer, no. You don’t have to do that.”
“Hush.” He stepped closer and slid his arm around her hips for a brief hug, then let go. “Are you excited about this weekend?”
She smiled as she turned around. “Some. And I’m scared. I don’t want to fumble and hurt Eli. You know?”
He tapped her chin. “You’ll be fine. You’ll aggravate the snot out of him and make him smile just like you told me you’d planned.”
“I hope so.” She, Archer, Emma, and Molly were heading to Washington tomorrow to see Eli. They’d be taking her car, John and Zanny’s, and Molly’s. “I wish Grandma and Grandpa felt up to going.”
“It’s a long trip, and you all are dashing out and dashing back. Besides, aren’t they planning to go next week with Amelia and Logan when they can take their time?”
“Yes. That’s why our birthday dinner’s getting pushed back to the weekend after next. They won’t be back in time.” When he smiled, she tilted her head. “What?”
“It must be interesting, sharing a birthday with your mother and uncle.”
Sydney chuckled. “It created a few problems growing up, yes. I got jealous for a couple of years that I didn’t have my own day, so they started doing something special just for me. Mom and Ben never knew what it was like to have a birthday on their own, since they’re twins, but I guess they went through the same thing when they were teenagers. Grandma would have a party for Mom one weekend and one for Ben the next.”
“How’d they decide that?” he asked. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, causing a shiver of awareness to trace her spine.
“Coin toss.”
“So are you still planning to come out to the house tonight?” Instead of moving back, he’d stepped closer.
Sydney gently pushed on his chest, backing him up so that there was a safe distance between them. “If you still want me there.”
“I was thinking about taking the rest of the day off, actually.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
She laughed. “You were not. We have too much work to do.”
“Yeah, and I might not make it until tonight. You might have to revive me.”
“Uh-huh. I’m not unsympathetic to your plight, Boss, but that’s not happening here.” She went around her desk and sat down.
Sawyer let out a long-suffering sigh. “You are so cruel to me.”
“Mmm, that’s not what you said last night.”
If anyone had been looking at his face right then, they’d have known without having to ask what was going on between her and Sawyer. The most self-satisfied grin she thought she’d ever seen spread across his face.
“There is that. Get me Neala’s information and I’ll get started on a check.”
“Thank you. Take the cost out of my pay this week.”
Defiantly, he came around the desk and planted a kiss soundly on her mouth. “You’re cooking supper tonight. That’s payment enough. Maybe some biscuits?”
Sydney bit her lip and touched his cheek near the corner of his mouth. “Deal.”
It took her several minutes after he’d gone in his office before she could focus on her work. Instead of being less distracting now that they were sleeping together, he was more dangerous than ever. Now she knew what he was capable of, both as a lover and as a considerate beau of sorts, her mind tended to wander in that direction.
More than once since she’d imposed the ban on office intimacy, she cursed her levelheadedness. She knew she had to stick to her guns, but oh, she didn’t want to. No, she wanted to lock the door and go to his office, strip naked, and have her way with him. Over and over and over again.
“And that’s just not an option, girl. Get that out of your head.”
Keeping that line uncrossed, from the bedroom to the office, was vital. Once things were over between them, she didn’t know if she would be able to keep her job or not. But just in case she was, she had to do what was necessary to protect herself. No matter how much she wanted to give in and play.
Chapter Forty-Two
The call from Owen came Friday morning. Sawyer’d just come in from cutting the grass and barely managed to catch the phone before it went to voice mail.
“Hello?”
“I hear you have some questions about my books,” Owen said by way of greeting.
“A few, yeah.”
“Hmmm. Have plans for dinner this evening?”
Sawyer toed his shoes off and wiped his brow with his forearm. “No, sir.”
“Why don’t you come up to the farm, then. Say around four? That’ll give us time to talk before we sit down to eat.”
“I’ll be there. Want me to bring anything?”
Owen chuckled. “I think
we have it. See you then.”
After he got cleaned up, he grabbed a sandwich and went to his home office. He’d not gotten as far as he’d wanted to on his background check on Neala yesterday, and he had plenty time to finish it now. So far, he wasn’t seeing anything that was setting off alarm bells, and he’d run the usual, thorough report. Because Sydney had asked, he’d dig deeper than he typically went for clients.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about the meeting this afternoon with Owen. He didn’t know what to expect. Given what he knew about Noah’s abilities, the conversation could literally lead anywhere.
“What do you think he knows?” Sarah asked as Owen hung up.
“I don’t know. Rachel was a bit shaken when she called. All she knows is that part of the secret’s out of the bag, and apparently it came out through Sydney.” He traced a pattern on the arm of the couch as he studied her. “You think that was part of a regular conversation and he picked up on something, or…?”
Sarah, who was resting on the other end of the couch, stretched her legs out toward him. “I imagine it came out during their date Friday.” She gave a happy hum as he took one of her feet in his hands and started gently massaging.
“She admitted she was with him?”
“No. That’s me guessing.”
Owen scowled. “I don’t like that they’re hiding. It doesn’t bode well for the future.”
“I didn’t expect they’d bring it out in the open,” she countered. When he looked at her, surprised, she smiled. “Honey, he’s very careful about his romantic life. I’m counting on our granddaughter’s sweetness and Sawyer’s own innate goodness to do its magic. They’ve kindled the fire. Now we have to hope it takes hold and burns.”