Читать книгу Secret Protector - Ann Peterson Voss - Страница 9

“Here you go, dear.” Angela Kendall pushed a mug of tea into Natalie’s hands, plopped down on the kitchen chair next to her and studied her niece with concerned brown eyes. “It will calm you, make you feel better.”

Natalie wrapped both palms around the hot mug, grateful to have something to hold on to that would help to steady her shaking hands. The scent of chamomile wafted toward her. The tea her aunt pulled out to soothe any trauma Natalie faced, from her love life woes to the nightmares she’d had since she was six.

Natalie hated chamomile tea.

Aunt Angela leaned toward her, the kitchen light glinting off the few strands of gray that threaded her brown hair. “Is the tea all right, honey?”

“It’s great.” Natalie gave her aunt what she hoped was a grateful smile and dutifully lifted the tea to her lips. She took a sip of the dreadful brew and then returned the cup to the table. “Thank you.”

Angela gave her a smile and ran her hand over Natalie’s arm in a comforting caress. When Natalie had burst into the main house in a panic after finding the broken window and slashed paintings in her cottage, her aunt had been wearing her bright pink bathrobe and matching pajamas, ready for bed. Somewhere between soothing Natalie, alerting Uncle Craig and brewing tea, she’d changed into an orange sweater and jeans, combed her hair smooth and dashed on a bit of mascara and tinted lip balm.

The woman was nothing short of amazing.

Natalie was lucky to have her, back when she was six and her aunt and uncle had taken in orphaned Natalie and her three older brothers as their own and now. But as much as she appreciated her aunt’s nurturing, this much coddling made Natalie feel as if she was once again a weak, traumatized little girl.

Uncle Craig walked back into the kitchen before Aunt Angela had a chance to urge Natalie to take another sip. “Ash is bringing a couple of patrol officers with him.”

So now the whole St. Louis Police Department was going to get involved? Natalie supposed it made sense, but she still felt like hiding her face. “I’m sorry for all this.”

“Sorry? Why should you be sorry?” Uncle Craig’s eyes flashed blue fire. “You didn’t break into your own cottage and vandalize it. The person who did this, that’s who should be sorry.”

“That’s right, dear,” Aunt Angela chimed in. “How long before Ash gets here?”

“He was getting into the car when I hung up.”

The grandfather clock down the hall chimed loud and slow.

Natalie glanced around the kitchen. The room was immaculate, as usual. Beautiful cabinets, gleaming countertops, and just the right decorating touches. Yet nothing was stuffy or showy. She didn’t remember much about the house when her parents lived here, but since her aunt and uncle had moved in to take care of Natalie and her brothers, the house had felt like Angela. Warm, well cared for, welcoming.

She choked down another sip of tea for her aunt’s sake. She hated being so needy, so clingy. She wanted to feel strong for once in her life, confident that she could stand on her own feet. That she could love as an equal and have that love returned. She wanted to forget that night twenty years ago. That night that chewed at the back of her mind.

Before she knew it, Ash was striding into the kitchen. He wore jeans and a simple shirt. A leather jacket spanned his broad shoulders and muscular chest. With his light brown hair, glinting green eyes and confident swagger, it was no wonder he had been known as the Casanova of the St. Louis PD. That is, until he fell hard for Rachel and their unborn child and realized all he really wanted was to settle down.

He immediately crossed to Natalie. “You okay?”

The concern in his voice made her throat feel thick. She managed a nod.

“Uncle Craig said someone broke into the cottage?”

“That’s right,” Craig answered.

Natalie forced her voice to function and filled her brother in on how she’d sensed the draft and found her studio door open and the window shattered.

“Did you notice if anything was missing?” he asked when she’d finished.

“I don’t know. I ran out.” She had. Like a scared little girl.

“You did the right thing. There’s always a chance the intruder could have still been there. When the squad car gets here, I’ll go out and take a look around.”

Her throat closed. The paintings. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that her brother and his fellow officers would need to investigate. And when they did, they’d see the shreds of her canvases littering the floor.

Would Ash realize what the images were? Was she ready for him to see what she’d been painting?

“Is that okay?” He narrowed his green eyes.

She forced a nod.

“What’s wrong?”

The disadvantage of having a cop for a brother. He could sense when she wasn’t being totally up front. “Nothing. I’m just a little shaken.”

“You can stay here tonight, honey. In fact, you can move back in. We’d love to have you. You know that.”

She gave her aunt her best attempt at a smile. Her aunt and uncle were the only parents she’d ever really known. Sure she had images of her mother and father. But she’d only been six when they died. And the images she had of them were all mixed up with memories of the Christmas morning she’d awakened, excited about seeing what Santa brought her, and instead had discovered her parents’ murdered bodies.

“A squad car just pulled into the drive. Oh, here comes Devin, too.”

Natalie almost groaned. With her aunt and uncle, Ash and Devin all hovering over her, all she was missing was her third brother, Thad. Of course, she was sure he’d be here, too, if he wasn’t on assignment as a photojournalist in some remote locale. He probably hadn’t even heard about all that had happened in St. Louis the past couple of months. They’d tried to reach him to tell him their parents’ murderer had been exonerated, but hadn’t been able to find him. Devin had left a message with a woman at the news network, but they hadn’t heard a word since.

Another concern to add to the rest.

“We’ll handle this. You don’t worry.” Ash gave her a quick hug and headed for the door.

To her studio …

“Ash, wait. Can I talk to you?” She had to prepare him for what he would find.

He turned around and paused, as if he expected her to start talking right there in front of her aunt and uncle.

“In the study?” She tried not to notice the slightly hurt expression from her aunt.

Ash motioned for her to lead the way. Once he shut the door behind them, he turned to her with a spill-it-all look he’d mastered long before he’d become a cop.

Natalie’s throat felt dry as sawdust. “The paintings in my studio … I just wanted to warn you …” She tried to swallow.

“Your nightmares?”

She nodded.

“I should have known they’d come back after all that’s happened the past two months. You should have told me.”

“It’s not so bad. Not as long as I paint them, to get them out of my head.” She hadn’t told him to elicit his concern. God knew, she had plenty of that. “The paintings were slashed. I wasn’t in the house long, but I didn’t notice anything else damaged.”

“Just those paintings …”

“Do you think it means anything?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll take a look around.”

He hadn’t answered her question, but that was as good as an answer with Ash. If he could have told her this had nothing to do with their parents’ murders, he would have.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe now. Go upstairs. I’m sure Aunt Angela has your old room ready for you. Get some sleep and we’ll get to the bottom of this. It will be all over before you know it, and the situation will be back to normal.”

She pressed her lips together. Not a smile but as close as she could get. Even though she knew he was right, that she was safe, she couldn’t help feeling this mess wasn’t over.

No, she suspected it was just beginning.

“SO NEEDLESS TO SAY, I didn’t sleep much.”

Gray leaned his elbows on the too-small café table and tried his best to seem shocked by Natalie’s story. Of course, he’d followed her to the cottage from the bridal shop last night just as he followed her home every night. He’d been just about to go home himself and get some sleep when he’d seen her bolt from her cottage and dash to the main house where her aunt and uncle lived. It hadn’t taken long for Devin to call him on his cell and demand answers Gray didn’t have. Minutes after that, Natalie’s cop brother, Ash, had squealed into the drive, eventually followed by a squad car and Devin himself.

It had been a long night for all of them.

“I’m sorry for laying this on you.”

“What do you mean? I had to drag it out of you.” He had. And he felt bad about it. But since he knew the events of the night before, he was afraid he’d slip up unless he convinced her to tell him herself. This way, he didn’t have to keep as many details straight. And he had a seemingly legitimate reason to worry about her and insist he stay close.

The waitress swooped in on their table, deposited the check and two cups of coffee and removed the remnants of their lunch, panang chicken for her, pad see ew for him. It had been a stellar lunch, great Thai food and even better company. The time had gone far too fast. Gray could see making lunch with Natalie a daily ritual. The only thing that could make it better would be not having to worry about keeping his cover story intact. “Did you stay the night at your parents’ house?”

“Aunt and uncle. Although they raised us. Especially me.”

Of course, he already knew her family history, and he felt guilty at once for causing her pain, especially in service of his subterfuge. “That’s right. Your parents … they’ve been in the news lately. I’m sorry.”

She waved his apology away, but a sadness touched her eyes that suggested she couldn’t so easily dismiss the memories of her parents’ murders.

Not surprising. Who could?

She sipped her coffee, then leaned back in her chair, playing with a spoon still on the table. “You know, it’s funny.”

“Funny?”

She shrugged a shoulder as if trying to convince herself as well as him that what she was about to say was no big deal. “Funny that I’ve never felt comfortable talking about this.”

“I’m sorry.” Another dose of guilt. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We can talk about something else.”

“No, that’s the funny part.”

He shook his head. “I’m not following.”

“I don’t feel uncomfortable. Not when I’m talking to you. Is that weird?”

“I don’t know if it’s weird. I think it’s kind of nice.” He reached across the table and took her hand before he thought to stop himself.

She accepted his touch, curling her fingers around his. “Me, too. My family likes to hover. Sometimes they act as if I’m six years old all over again.”

Six was a young age to lose one’s parents. He gave her hand a squeeze he hoped she’d read as understanding and not hovering. “It probably helps that I didn’t know you when you were six. You don’t seem to need hovering now.”

A smile curved over her lips and sparkled into her eyes.

Suddenly hovering was at the bottom of his list. Tasting those lips, watching her eyes sparkle with passion when he kissed her … he took a sip of black coffee and focused on a colorful painting on the wall behind her. “Did the police find anything last night?”

“A mess.” She shook her head. “My brother Ash is a detective. He, Devin and a couple other officers were out there half the night, but …”

“Nothing?”

“I can’t figure it out. Why would someone want to destroy my paintings? I mean, these aren’t great works of art. I don’t show them or sell them or anything. It’s just my pastime, you know?”

He knew more than she could guess. And one of the things he knew was she was more than a hobby artist. She might head up Kendall’s PR department now, but she’d been a serious artist in college. When it came to looking for someone who would want to shred her paintings, maybe that was a place to start. “You’ve never had offers to show your work? Never had art lovers looking to buy?”

She tilted her head to the side. “A few. But that’s when I was doing more commercial stuff. These paintings were just for me.”

“Just for you, huh? So you don’t show them to anyone?”

“No. No one would be interested anyway.”

“I have trouble believing you haven’t had interest.”

“One dealer who liked some of my previous work has asked. But I told him no.”

Interesting. “Who was that?”

“It’s not important. I’m not going to show them to him, let alone sell them.”

He would have to find out who this dealer was, although he wasn’t sure how to go about that at the moment. He sensed if he badgered her about a name, she’d get suspicious. He didn’t want to ruin the easy rapport that had bloomed between them. But there was another thing he was curious about. “So I can talk you into letting me have a peek?”

She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. “What, are you a secret art collector?”

“No. But I have a certain interest in the artist. I’ve heard looking at an artist’s work is the best way to get to know her.” He knew it sounded like he was playing her, but he wasn’t. Not really. The truth was, he really was interested in seeing Natalie’s paintings. He was interested in learning everything about her. At least everything he hadn’t already seen by following her around for the past month or so.

Maybe that was his fascination. Nothing had happened in the past weeks. Natalie shopping. Natalie going to and from work. Maybe his thirst for a bit more adventure than this was fueling his need to get closer to her. Or maybe he’d spent so much time watching her, he was developing a bit of a crush. Either way, this was the most alive he’d allowed himself to feel in a long time. “What do you say? Will you show me?”

“That’s a pretty intimate request for a first date.”

“Did I cross a line?”

She gave him a little smile. “No harm in asking.”

“I could think of a more intimate request.” He didn’t even hope she would grant him what was in his imagination right now, but he didn’t try to hide the interest in his voice.

“Can you? And what would that be?” She looked at him straight on, a mischievous glint in her green eyes.

He almost shook his head. “Man, I love a woman who ups the ante.”

She arched her brows. “Well?”

He was tempted to tell her exactly where his thoughts were leading, but he sensed that might be pushing things too far. He couldn’t afford to come on too strong and risk scaring her off.

Or even worse, she might take him up on the offer. He could just imagine what her brother’s reaction to that would be. “No harm in asking.”

She laughed, the sound drawing him in as it had in the parking garage. If this was a real date, he’d lean over and kiss her. He could imagine how she’d taste. Sweet and light and spiced with Thai curry and a touch of coffee.

Instead of giving in to the urge, he grabbed the check folder off the table. “I would like you to let me buy.”

“That’s your intimate request?”

“Not intimate enough?”

She canted her head to the side. “I have an expense account here. And no, letting you buy lunch is not all that intimate.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” He slipped cash into the folder and handed it to a passing server. Then he looked into Natalie’s cool, green eyes. “Okay, if you want something more intimate, may I escort you home after work tonight?”

“To see my paintings?”

“To make sure you get there safe and no one is waiting inside.”

“Really?”

“After last night? Yeah, really. I’m worried about you.”

“You hardly know me.”

“True. But what I know, I really like. I want you to stay safe so I can get to know more.”

She picked up her coffee cup and gave him a smile over the rim, as if he’d said precisely the right thing.

THE ENTIRE WALK BACK to Kendall Communications, Natalie mentally pinched herself. Since the moment she’d opened her studio door and found the room in shambles, she’d felt so violated, so vulnerable, she didn’t think she’d ever feel strong and happy again. All night she’d been convinced someone was watching her from the darkness outside, even though the estate had been swarming with police. She could have sworn someone was trailing behind her on this morning’s commute to work. She’d even felt the hair on the back of her neck rise while she was waiting for the parking ramp’s garage door to open. So how was it possible that she felt so carefree and radiant after a simple chat over lunch?

Love was an incredible thing.

She turned away from Gray for a moment and smiled to herself. She wasn’t in love, of course. She knew she was getting ahead of herself. Way ahead. But it was nice just to entertain the fantasy for a moment. To have found someone who made her feel giddy and warm and safe and sexy all at once. To have a future before her filled with love and family and happiness like Devin and Ash did. To plan her own wedding and know her husband would be there to share coffee with her in the evening and hold her warm and safe all night.

An old dream. Maybe an impossible one. But a good one all the same.

Jolie’s warning flitted through her mind. She’d promised her friend she would call off today’s lunch with Gray. But when it came down to telling him she had to cancel, she’d changed her mind. She was glad she had, despite having now lied to her best friend. Sure, Jolie was probably right. Sure, Natalie didn’t really know Gray. Sure, her fantasies could come crashing down at any moment. But at least the dream would last over the lunch hour. After last night’s trauma, she needed to hold on to this great feeling as long as she could. “So, we’ve talked a lot about me during lunch. Tell me about yourself.”

Gray chuckled. “Believe me, you’re a lot more interesting.”

“I can’t help liking that you think so, but beyond the trauma of last night, I’m afraid my life is pretty dull.”

“There is nothing about you that’s dull.”

She let out a laugh. “You flatter,” she said dryly.

He shot her a smile.

They reached the end of the block, and Gray held out his hand, preventing her from stepping into the street without him checking it out first. Natalie had to admit that if one of her brothers had made that move, she probably would have felt he was hovering. From Gray, it made her feel nothing but special. “I have to admit, compared to having my cottage broken into, dull is looking pretty appealing.”

“I’m with you there. I’m just relieved you weren’t hurt.”

Footsteps shuffled behind them. Natalie resisted the urge to spin around and look. She shouldn’t have brought up last night’s break-in. Just a single mention and she was back to hearing things and feeling threats where none existed. She was walking down a public street, for crying out loud. Not only that, but anyone would be a fool to mess with the strapping man beside her, at least in a violent sort of way. Now, in a sexual way …

“What’s so funny?”

Oh, God, she’d been grinning at her own joke. “Nothing.”

“You sure about that? It looked a lot more interesting than nothing. And not dull at all.”

She let out a giggle despite herself. She sounded like a teen with a crush. Hell, she felt like one, too. And she had to admit, it was kind of divine.

“Beautiful,” Gray said under his breath.

Now it was her turn to be confused. She shot him a look. “What’s beautiful?”

“The sound of your laugh. I like it. I want to hear more of it.”

She laughed again. “You’re just being sweet.”

He gave her a playful wink. “On you? Maybe a little.”

She wanted to hold on to his words. To run them through her mind and focus on the warm feeling spreading through her chest.

Man, she wished she’d met Gray years ago. Or at least a couple of months ago, back when her life felt more normal. This lunch hour would be perfect if not for the anxiety humming along her nerves like the buzz of a mosquito she couldn’t swat.

She could still sense the person behind her, still there, still walking too close. Turning her head to the side, she caught a reflection in a store window. A powder-blue sweatshirt, large and slumpy enough to land whoever was wrapped in it a spot on What Not to Wear.

Natalie shook her head and directed her attention to the busy intersection ahead. The chrome exterior of the Kendall building rose over the surrounding cityscape, nearly blinding in the bright sun. Only one more block and her lunch with Gray would be over. There must be something wrong with her. A riveting man by her side dishing out compliments, and all she could focus on was paranoia and some woman’s bad fashion choices.

They reached the end of the block and stopped at the crosswalk.

“What is it?” Gray glanced around.

She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

He gave her a relaxed smile, scanning the cityscape. “You sure?”

His muscles were tense, alert, but Natalie sensed a strange calm coming from him that belied her jumpy nerves. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m just being paranoid.”

“In light of what happened to you last night, I don’t think you can call it paranoia.”

“That’s nice of you to say.”

“I mean it. You feel scared, whether you think it’s real or not, you just let me know. Okay? I’m here for you.”

A flutter lodged under her rib cage. He really was too good to be true. Something she’d have to keep in mind. She gave him a smile. “Thanks.”

“Being here for you is not a problem. Trust me.” He looked straight into her eyes.

A flush of heat started to pool in her cheeks. The mix of brown and green of his irises mesmerized her. The sincerity in his expression made her ache to step into his arms. She looked at the cars streaming past, not wanting him to see her melt. The curb under her toes felt like a cliff, one step and she’d be head over heels. And despite the fact that she didn’t know Gray well, despite Jolie’s warnings, despite all the disappointments she’d weathered in the past, Natalie was tempted to look back into his eyes and let herself fall.

Something hit her hard in the back and shoved her forward, into the street. She hit the pavement hard, the force jarring her knees and shuddering up through the heels of her hands.

All around her tires screeched and cars swerved.