Читать книгу Safe Haven - Evelyn Crowe A. - Страница 6

CHAPTER ONE

THE TEXAS SPRING MORNING was pristine and breathtakingly beautiful, the air intoxicating with its scents of freshly mowed grass and newly tilled earth. Butterflies flitted over the fields. Rolling green hills were splashed with the jewel-like hues of wildflowers.

The setting was picture-perfect—except for the blacktop highway, an ugly tear in the landscape. It was also a dangerous stretch of highway, a deadly couple of miles that twisted and dipped and rose.

The purity of the morning and the cathedral silence was suddenly shattered by sounds of an ancient truck, which emitted a rooster tail of blue smoke as it rolled to a stop. The grinding of the brakes startled nearby birds from their perch in the trees.

A young woman, tall and shapely, climbed out of the passenger side of the truck. As she closed the door, a soft breeze teased her black hair around her face and made the hem of her dress flutter. She hoisted a suitcase from the bed of the truck and waved her thanks to the old man she’d hitched a ride from.

Avery Jensen watched the truck until it disappeared around a bend in the highway. She took a steadying breath to bolster her courage and turned to face the ornate wrought-iron sign arched high over the lane entrance. Her exhausting trip was almost at an end.

Despite her eagerness to finish it, she hesitated, knowing that when she walked under that arch she would truly be cut off from her world as she’d known it. She’d be a new person. If she could have given herself a whole new identity, Avery admitted, she would have. But that was illegal, and she couldn’t afford any run-ins with the law. She’d had enough of those.

Her life had been torn apart and turned inside out. She was scarred and bruised. She’d survived, but the price had been high. Once, not too long ago, she’d had it all. A beautiful home. Family and friends. She’d had a career, a position in society. She’d had power, money and the respect of her peers. She’d even had a fiancé. Now all she had was herself.

For the first time it hit her: she was free. She was safe. Avery laughed. She’d found a safe haven—Ha- ven, Texas, that is—and it beat the hell out of the home she’d had for the past eight months.

She picked up her suitcase. Everything she owned was in it, none of it old. There was nothing to tie her to the past, nothing to remind her of what she’d endured. Nothing to openly declare she’d been a fool. The heaviness of the case was a pleasant reminder that she was carrying her life with her. It felt damn good to realize she was leaving everything else behind.

Her resolve firmly set, she straightened to her full five foot eight, lifted her chin and walked under the archway of the Circle M ranch. She’d been told the owner was Logan Monahan, who raised cattle and quarter horses.

Once she was through the gate and actually on the property, her steps faltered. She was so far from Seattle it felt like another world. But that was what she wanted. Avery adjusted the shoulder strap of her bulging purse, switched the suitcase to her other hand and started walking again.

It didn’t take long for the thicket of overhanging tree limbs to thin out enough for her to see how far she had to walk. She gasped in dismay. The lane snaked for several hundred yards over the rolling land toward a grove of cottonwood trees on the crest of a hill, where she knew, from the detailed directions she’d been given, the ranch house was.

She was stronger now. She could handle anything. Gripping the heavy bag firmly, she put one foot in front of the other. On both sides of the lane, barbed-wire fences sectioned off green rolling pastures. Cattle and horses munched on the lush grass, their tails swishing lackadaisically back and forth, batting flies.

By the time Avery reached the house, she was out of breath and perspiring heavily. Too exhausted to really admire the two-story Victorian house, she did get a quick impression of butter-yellow walls, huntergreen shutters at the windows and a front porch that extended the width of the structure. The thump and bump of her case against the steps and her heavy breathing were the only sounds until she collapsed on the top step with a loud groan. Her arms were twitching with strain and her leg muscles ached. She cursed whoever had messed up and neglected to collect her at the bus station, hoping it wasn’t an omen of things to come.

After taking a few minutes to regroup, Avery struggled to her feet. She straightened the sleeveless denim dress and tried to smooth out some of the wrinkles, then pressed the doorbell. As she waited, she attempted to put some order to her hair, then waited some more. On the fourth try of the bell, with still no answer, she glanced around, a little nonplussed.

“Dammit, someone was supposed to be here,” she grumbled, and made a decision to go looking. She left all her belongings on the porch and wandered around to the side of the house. She gazed about and noticed the neglect evident in the flower beds, lawn and house. Gingerly, she stepped over an extension ladder lying on its side, as well as various tools carelessly scattered on the ground. Upon closer inspection she discovered that the side of the house had been scraped down, as if being readied for a new coat of paint.

She rounded a corner to the back and shaded her eyes to see rail fences and several other buildings. One was a small, one-story version of the main house. Its porch was shaded by blooming wisteria vines desperately in need of pruning. From the location of a truck and other machinery, she figured that two of the buildings were garages of some sort.

Despite the warmth of the sun, she shivered. The whole place was eerily quiet, as if everyone had just disappeared. Still, it awarded her the luxury of looking around and studying everything.

The last building puzzled her. It was a huge, square, redbrick structure with a slate roof and few windows. She looked from the Victorian house to the buildings again and realized what it was that nagged at her. While everything else seemed run-down, the redbrick building was modern and well kept, expensive looking. Though she knew little about ranch life, she figured it was the barn. Maybe she’d find someone there.

She’d just skirted the big truck, which was halffilled with hay bales, when she heard the sound of running water. She checked her pace, and it was then she saw him. Maybe it had been too long since she’d been so close to so much testosterone, but the sight of him made her tingle with nervous energy.

He was solidly built and naked to the waist, his tight, sun-faded jeans riding low on his hips. Bent forward with the hose held above him, he let a stream of water wash over his dark head and upper body.

Avery felt her heart slam against her ribs as she watched the water slide over his muscular shoulders and roll across his broad back, then trickle to his narrow waist and soak the waistband of his jeans.

She was transfixed by the way his muscles rippled under the tanned skin. Then he dropped the hose, straightened to what appeared to be at least six-four, and ran his fingers through his hair. Lifting her eyes from the knotted stomach muscles to his face, she bit her lip. He was not a pretty man. His nose was hawkish, his cheekbones high and sharp. His jaw, while strong, looked unrelenting. His chin and cheeks were lightly scarred from what she assumed was adolescent acne. His eyes were large and light brown, the color of autumn leaves, yet distant somehow. The only remotely soft feature that hinted at any flexibility was his wide mouth with its well-defined lips. At the moment they were held in a stern line.

A breathy sigh trembled across her own lips. He wasn’t handsome, not by her standards. But there was an aura of strength and pride about him. He was, she thought, the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on.

“Are you going to stand there staring,” he snapped, “or are you going to throw me that towel?”

She jumped, every nerve in her body alive with embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, grabbing the towel from the truck bed she was standing beside and pitching it to him. He plucked it from the air and began drying his hair, chest and stomach, never once taking those eyes off her.

“You want to tell me what you’re doing here?”

His voice was deep and smoky soft. Her own voice was stuck somewhere in her throat. Suddenly he smiled, and the appearance of a dimple in his right cheek was enough to jolt her out of her trance. “I’m Avery Jensen,” she told him.

He waited. When she didn’t continue, he returned to his task of drying off, and gave his hair another rough rub before pitching the towel into the back of the truck. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

If she could have, she would have kicked herself for acting like a dimwit. “I guess not if you don’t recognize it. I’m looking for Logan Monahan.”

“You got him.”

“What?”

“I’m Logan Monahan.”

To cover her confusion, she stuck out her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Logan. I thought you were going to pick me up at the bus station this morning. When you didn’t show up, I tried to call, but no one answered.”

He was looking at her as if she was crazy. When he took a few steps toward her, she felt threatened. Reflex made her drop her hand and step back before she realized he was simply reaching for his shirt hanging on the corner of the tailgate.

She tried not to watch the way his muscles moved under the smooth skin as he slipped it on. She swallowed. “Mr. Wilson gave me a ride.”

Logan nodded. “He’s a neighbor. You say I was supposed to pick you up at the bus station today?”

“Three hours ago, actually,” she said, and barely managed to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“Me? Logan Monahan?”

She was becoming impatient with his questions. “That’s right. You did hire me, after all.”

“Did I?” Logan knew he was making her nervous, but he didn’t give a damn. His first impression was that she was a strikingly beautiful young woman, with her long, jet-black hair and clear gray eyes. Maybe eleven or twelve years his junior—twenty-eight, or younger. She carried herself proudly, shoulders straight and her full breasts thrust out.

A closer look made him scowl. Although her skin was a beautiful milky-white, there wasn’t a drop of color in her cheeks. She looked strained, exhausted. The kissable mouth seemed to tremble. She appeared too thin and a bit wired, as if she were running on air and sheer guts.

“Oh, hell,” he grumbled under his breath. She resembled a wounded animal. All his life he had tried to fix what was hurt. He hadn’t always managed, though.

“I hired you?” he asked again.

Avery felt light-headed, but there was no way she was going to end up a fainting female—not in front of this man. With a hand that shook, she reached for the truck’s tailgate and sat.

“I believe your specifications were very exact,” she said, “and I was the only one to fit the job description. You needed someone with computer savvy and bookkeeping skills, a no-frills cook, a general dogsbody to do light housekeeping, even-tempered and easy on the eye.”

“You mean I didn’t demand a strong back and good teeth, too?” Logan propped one worn boot on the side of the tailgate and gave her a long, amused look. She tried to hide her quick smile by ducking her head.

“Denise didn’t mention those.”

“But you fit the bill otherwise?”

She steeled herself. “Yes, indeed, and feel free to call Denise if you want to double-check my qualifications.” Oh, she was qualified, all right. She just couldn’t back up any of her qualifications. The only one willing to vouch for her was Denise Kirk, and they’d been best friends since they were ten. Denise would lie, cheat and steal for her. Fortunately, so far her friend had only had to lie.

Logan laughed. Then he said, “I think I see my father’s hand in this. He’s Logan Monahan, Senior. Mac to his friends and enemies. He has a few other names I won’t mention—they’re for when he sticks his nose where it doesn’t belong, which happens to be most of the time.”

A heavy sick feeling settled in her stomach like a brick. “You mean I came to the wrong place? Your father hired me?”

“No and yes. And no again. Oh, hell.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t need any help.”

She’d come so far, traveled by bus, of all things. She’d borrowed money from Denise for clothes and the ticket, and now it appeared she didn’t have a job. She didn’t even have the money to buy a return ticket. If she wasn’t so determined to keep from falling apart in front of this man, she would have thrown up all over his boots.

Anything she might have said fled from her mind when a vehicle suddenly appeared around the corner of the barn and skidded to a stop beside the truck. Avery scrambled off the tailgate and jumped back from the cloud of dust and sprayed gravel that pinged against the truck. Unfortunately she backed into Logan Monahan. He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her as they watched a young woman vault from the driver’s side.

“Dammit, Jessie,” Logan snapped. “You know better than to drive like that. Are you trying to kill yourself or me?”

Avery had the sudden sensation of being drilled clean through by a pair of knife-sharp, green eyes. Just as quickly, she was apparently dismissed as inconsequential, for the girl, Jessie, suddenly had eyes only for the man towering behind her. Avery figured her best bet was to keep quiet and let the little drama play itself out.

Jessie, she noted, couldn’t have been more than twenty. She reminded Avery of her own sister at that age, all brashness and swagger. The girl was beautiful, tall and slim, with an abundance of strawberry-blond hair, but it didn’t take much to see she was also spoiled and used to getting her way.

“I heard in town that Gus brought a woman out here, and Mac told. me you’d hired a housekeeper. You really didn’t need to do that, Logan.”

Logan’s hands were still on Avery’s shoulders, which she was all too aware of. She suddenly felt she was being used as a shield. Why, she wasn’t sure, though she sensed. Logan was in some distress. She stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Avery Jensen.”

“Oh, yeah. Hi,” Jessie said, rudely ignoring the extended hand. “Really, Logan, if you needed help, you should have asked me.” She glanced at Avery. “I’d be happy to drive you back to the bus station, and I’m sure Logan or Mac would compensate you for your time and inconvenience, but you see—”

“Shut up, Jessie. You don’t run things around here. The woman’s here and I’m going to give her a try.”

“But, Logan—”

“Drop it, Jess.” He waited as an older man climbed slowly from the truck. “Dad, I take it this is the young lady you stood up this morning.”

Mac Monahan dusted his hands on his thighs, pulled off his Stetson, then stuck out a hand to Avery. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I could have sworn that woman from the agency told me you’d be arriving tomorrow morning on the bus.”

“It’s okay,” Avery said. “Really it is. I managed.”

Mac laughed and turned a fierce scowl on his son. “You see, here’s a gal who thinks for herself. Took the bull by the horns and got out here on her own. Why don’t you let go of her, Logan? You’re holding on like she’s a fence post or something.”

Logan jerked his hand off her shoulders and took a step back. It was apparent to Avery that he was furious with his father.

“You old coot,” Logan grumbled. “You manipulated this little scene.”

“Logan, you don’t need a housekeeper.” The seductive tone in Jessie’s voice didn’t disguise the whine.

“Hush, gal,” Mac said. “This is Logan’s call.”

Logan gave a rough bark of laughter. “How kind of you, Dad,” he said, “for allowing me to run my life.”

Avery cringed inside. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize what was going on. At another time or place, she would have excused herself and been out of there in a second. Then again, if she’d been smart and less trusting, she’d never have gotten herself into this mess in the first place. Since walking away wasn’t an option, she had to endure being talked over, while the young woman shot dagger looks at her.

“I guess I’d better show Avery her living quarters,” Logan said wearily.

“No!” Jessie shouted, and looked ready to stomp her foot in a fit of temper.

With his son’s words, Mac perked up. “Great. Was that your gear I saw on the porch, Miss Avery? I’ll go fetch it.”

She didn’t know what had happened, but everything abruptly changed. Logan had hold of her arm now and she was being forcibly led away. “Just the one suitcase and my purse,” she said over her shoulder. “Thank you, Mr. Logan.”

“Everyone calls me Mac, honey.”

“Come along, Miss Avery,” Logan said. “My father is too damn pleased with himself as it is to have you batting your pretty eyes at him. Now, I’ve had a long night and hard morning. Maybe I’ll be able to hold a more intelligent conversation after some rest.”

She didn’t want to rock the boat of good fortune, so clamped her mouth against any notion of a tart comeback. She went with him silently and obediently, managing another quick glance over her shoulder to see that Jessie was following them at a discreet distance. From the look on the young woman’s face, Avery had made an enemy. It was easy to see that Jessie was besotted with Logan Monahan. Poor dear, Avery thought. She knew all too well that feeling. Look where it had gotten her.

When they arrived at the one-story Victorian, Avery couldn’t restrain a grin as Logan gave an irritable swat at the vines that tickled the side of his face. “I’d be willing to bet my father had the place cleaned out,” he grumbled.

“He does seem like the take-charge type.”

Logan laughed. “He’s a pest, and when he gets a burr under his seat, it’s best to let him have his way—for a while.” Logan placed his hand on the doorknob and looked at her. “Don’t get too comfortable. I’m a hard man to please.”

“From your father’s specific requirements, I figured that out for myself.” She decided he probably didn’t respond well to sass, and bit her lip.

Logan opened the door and pushed it wide. Avery squeezed past him, making sure she kept her gaze straight ahead and not focused on the exposed skin peeking from his unbuttoned shirt. “Oh, it’s wonderful!” she said and meant it. There was a small living room furnished with a comfortable chintz sofa and an overstuffed chair. The tiny kitchen was separated from it by a counter that would serve as a table. She walked around the room, then opened the only other door and found a furnished bedroom and bath. “This will do just fine.”

Logan, in fact, hadn’t been near the house in two years. The walls suddenly closed in around him and he had to will himself not to turn and run. Maybe the place was too small for his new housekeeper. He thought of the big house with its five spacious bedrooms and large modern bathrooms and felt like an ogre. “This was originally built as a mother-in-law house. You don’t have to—”

He broke off as Jessie let the screen door slam behind her. “Logan,” she whispered. “Please.”

He held up his hand for her to stop, then gazed past her. “Get the door for Mac, Jess.” His heart was racing like that of a cornered wild animal. He leaned against the wall, making it look as if he was just getting out of his father’s way, when all the time he was using the support to keep from falling over.

“Are you all right, Mr. Monahan?”

He’d lost track of time fighting the memories and hadn’t seen his father drag the suitcase into the bedroom, nor had he noticed that Avery had been watching him. “Logan,” he said. “We’re an informal bunch. I’m sure in a couple of days you’ll find other names for me.”

“You’re probably right,” Avery said seriously, but her lips twitched.

Logan didn’t actually smile, but the corners of his eyes crinkled. “By the way, who’s Denise?”

Logan’s question coming out of the blue took Avery off guard. She replied, “Denise Kirk. She runs an employment placement agency in Houston. She’s also a friend.” She’d called Denise from the bus station in Haven, but planned to call her again. Her old friend would enjoy her predicament and all the drama.

“Do you mean to tell me that my father had to advertise all the way to Houston before finding someone to fill the position?” Logan laughed with real pleasure.

Jessie watched them with a scowl. Mac elbowed her and winked, and she jumped and rushed forward. “Why don’t you go rest, Logan, and take Mac back to the house with you? I’ll help Avery unpack and get settled in, then I’ll bring her up to the house and show her around.” Her lips twisted in a false smile as the men agreed and disappeared. She turned to Avery. “He doesn’t really need any help, you know. It’s just that Mac likes to have things his way and he thinks Logan needs someone.”

“Sounds like a concerned father to me.” Avery knew the girl was just itching for a scene or an argument, and she wasn’t about to accommodate her. She walked into the kitchen and started opening the cabinets, familiarizing herself with her new surroundings. It was definitely a change from her former residence.

“Mac’s concerned, but Logan can take care of himself, and I’m always around to help. We’re very close.” She picked up a pillow from the sofa and fluffed it.

Followed by Jessie, Avery headed for the bedroom. She was entertained by the girl’s jealousy and childish attempts to warn her off, but she could have told Jessie a thing or two about men, and Logan Monahan in particular. She’d seen the way he looked at Jessie. There was nothing in his eyes but controlled amusement. Certainly, there was nothing remotely sexual.

She opened her suitcase and began putting away her belongings under the young woman’s watchful gaze. It was hard to miss the swift lack of interest; she realized her clothes weren’t up to Jessie’s standards. Some of them even brought a sneer. Still, she could feel those angry, cat-green eyes boring into her, following as she moved around the room.

“Logan’s not interested in women, you know.”

Avery bit her lip, finished hanging up one of her cotton dresses, then gave Jessie her full attention. “You mean he’s gay? That doesn’t bother me.”

“God, no. He’s not gay. I meant, he’s still mourning Becky.”

Avery decided she might as well ask and save Jessie the effort of finding another way to tell her. “Who’s Becky?”

The turbulent gaze directed at her was a shock. She saw torment, an emotion far too heavy for one so young. The struggle to keep the pain at bay was evident in the way Jessie held herself so straight and stiff.

“Rebecca Middleton Monahan, his wife. My sister.” She cleared her throat, then swallowed hard. “They were madly, passionately in love. She’s dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Avery said, pretending not to hear the anguish in the girl’s voice. She sensed that Jessie, under normal circumstances, would never talk to a stranger about her sister. But something other than her being hired to work for Logan had triggered Jessie’s highly charged state. All Avery could do was wait, seemingly not noticing, while the young woman composed herself.

“They were childhood sweethearts, you know,” Jessie finally added. My sister waited for Logan to finish college so they could get married.”

Avery had a sudden desire to put her arms around Jessie. Memories of a different time and place, of a younger girl, of heartbreak and misery, flooded back. She could have told Jessie that with time the pain would lessen.

Instead, Avery sat on the side of the bed, one hand squeezing the material of her dress. She was swamped by a wave of compassion and sorrow as it all came rushing back. She missed her friends, her job and her family. She missed laughing, and the secure feeling of being home. Texas was not Seattle. Logan was not her fiancé, and Jessie was not her sister, Emma. For her own sanity, Avery couldn’t afford to look back. She’d had to learn to be hard and unyielding for so long that any show of tenderness almost took her breath away.

The exacting lessons and self-preservation were powerful teachers. She’d made a promise to herself that no matter where she went or whom she met, she couldn’t afford to get involved. She would keep to herself, never ask questions unless they pertained to her job, and stay out of people’s personal lives. Most important of all, she would keep her mouth shut.

“What happened to Becky?” Avery asked. So much for promises, she thought wryly.

Jessie shrugged, got off the end of the bed and began to roam the small room, touching everything. “She and Jamie were killed in a car crash.” She tapped her fist to her chest as if she was having trouble getting the next words out. “It happened at the entrance to the ranch. She pulled out in front of an eighteen-wheeler.”

Jessie slid her fingers over the smooth wood of the bureau, then stopped in front of the mirror, where she straightened her bangs and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She checked the condition of her pink lipstick, then her eyes met Avery’s.

Her pose struck a too-familiar cord. Avery recognized the desperate actions of a person trying to disguise her feelings but still needing to talk. “Who’s Jamie?” she asked.

“Their son. My nephew. He was killed, too.”

Avery could think of nothing appropriate to say, nothing that would ease the hurt. She watched as Jessie angrily wiped away the tears from her cheeks with the back of a hand. Avery almost caved in and went to her, but suddenly their gazes clashed and she stopped in time. It didn’t take much to see that, for her own reasons, Jessie had made up her mind to hate her. She, Avery, was an outsider, an intruder in Logan’s life.

Jessie started to leave, then paused by the door to say, “I wouldn’t unpack everything if I were you. You won’t be here that long.” She gave the dress Avery was holding a contemptuous glance. “When you’re through, you’d better come up to the house.” The parting remark was said like the lady of the manor to a lowly servant. Avery gritted her teeth.

The girl’s lightning shift from heartbreak to arrogance puzzled her. With a shiver of foreboding, she thought maybe she should leave. There were too many dark currents under all that civilized surface, and too many raw emotions barely cloaked by strained smiles. But where would she go? With a sigh, she unhurriedly put away the rest of her belongings. As she did so, she realized something. She’d become a fighter, and she wasn’t going to be so easy to dismiss.

Before leaving the little house, she hesitated, taking the time to look around. This was her home now and the only one she was likely to have. All she had to do to stay was simply discover a way to get along with Logan Monahan.