Читать книгу Handsome As Sin - Kelsey Roberts - Страница 7

Ellie let out a yell that brought Josh and Beth racing from the kitchen. The next few minutes went by in a flurry of arms, legs, punches and grunts.

Upon seeing the melee, Rose shielded Chad’s face from the violence as the two men tumbled out from behind the bar. The struggle continued as chairs were toppled and tables were upended.

“Watch the tree!” Rose called as the men skittered across the floor, dangerously close.

“Watch his right!” Beth called too late.

They grimaced in unison when Jake’s fist landed solidly against the other man’s cheek.

“Stop it,” Ellie heard Jake exclaim as he dodged blows as effortlessly as a professional. “I can explain.”

“Thief,” Josh growled as he butted Jake with his head.

The two men went sailing backward. Ellie heard Rose exclaim, “Oh my God,” a fraction of a second before the Christmas tree came crashing down.

Glass shattered and several of the lights exploded in a series of multicolored pops.

“Do something,” Beth whined.

Ellie, thinking this was not an appropriate thing for her nephew to see, went into the fray and grabbed Josh by the back of his coat. “Stop this right now,” she insisted as she gave a hard jerk. It wasn’t her strength but probably the fact that her action caused his shirt to act like a noose. Whatever the reason, it earned her Josh’s cooperation. Instinctively she knew Jake wouldn’t continue the fight. With the exception of a few punches meant to deter the aggressor, Jake had gone out of his way to keep from hurting the bartender. Still, seeing his readied stance and balled fists, Ellie had no doubt that this man could pound Josh into a bloody pulp with little or no effort.

“What is going on here?” she demanded as she watched Josh struggle for breath.

Jake tested his jaw by opening and closing his mouth in an exaggerated action. “I was looking for something.”

“Money?” Rose accused, one brow arched toward the mass of lacquered hair.

“My money,” Jake corrected. “I had a special coin with me that he must have—”

“Yeah, right,” Josh grumbled. “And to think I didn’t even charge you for the cup of coffee.”

“Thanks,” Jake answered wryly. “But the point remains that I had this item with me when I came in—”

“And you think that gives you the right to break into my register?” Rose said with a sneer.

“I was out the door before I realized I didn’t have it,” Jake explained. “I thought you all had left so I simply went looking for it on my own.”

“Call the police,” Beth insisted. “He’s probably wanted.”

Jake didn’t even flinch at the suggestion. Instead, he took a moment to pull several strands of tinsel from the front of his jeans. “I can assure you, I am not a thief and I was only looking for something that belonged to me. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you check the amount of cash in the drawer. You’ll probably find that your cash drawer is exactly one cent over.”

“You mean to tell me you were trying to steal a penny?” Ellie asked, astonished.

Rose handed the wide-eyed little boy to Ellie as she went over to the register. After a few minutes she said, “He’s right. Nothing’s missing.”

Again Jake didn’t react in any visible way. His casual, relaxed features piqued her curiosity. Of course, the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous didn’t help, either.

Remember Mike, she silently admonished. Though New Year’s Day was still two weeks away, Ellie had already made a resolution—no more alpha males. And Jake was nothing if not an alpha. It was apparent from the hard set of his jaw. This man fairly screamed arrogance bred of too much testosterone, and she wasn’t about to let history repeat itself.

“So,” Beth began as she dabbed at Josh’s bloodied lip with a napkin. “Are we going to have him arrested?”

Josh shrugged away from Beth. Ellie guessed the action was the result of having so many people witness his thrashing.

“I should,” Rose huffed as she went over to survey the damage that was once her Christmas tree. She sank down to her knees. “Look at this!” she whined. “Do either of you two barbarians have any idea how long it’s taken me to collect these?”

Ellie offered a conciliatory smile. “Maybe we can glue them together.”

Rose grunted in response. “This one,” she said, holding up a fragment depicting part of a nostril, “was painted by a woman Elvis kissed in Germany. I have the certificate of authenticity at home.”

“I’ll be happy to share the cost of replacing what was broken,” Jake offered.

Rose glared at him. The hostility in her eyes reminded Ellie never to get on this woman’s bad side.

“They aren’t replaceable,” Rose said.

“Neither is my penny,” Jake said.

Rose got up slowly, still clutching the small piece of the King’s nose in her hand. “Do you really think an Elvis Presley collectible and a penny are in the same category, Devereaux? We’re talking Elvis here. Much more important than a dead president cast in copper.”

Jake moved then, drawing Ellie’s eyes to the definition of muscles where his well-worn jeans hugged powerful thighs. She shouldn’t be watching his legs, she admonished. Nor should she care that his sheepskin jacket hung from broad, even shoulders. It was as ridiculous as fixating on the fact that he didn’t just walk, no, this man swaggered with a pure male confidence that reminded her of an old movie hero. The kind that breezed into town, saved the day, then disappeared without a backward glance.

“Hot,” Chad said as he wiggled in her arms.

“Yes he is,” Ellie mumbled. “Rose, maybe your daughter-in-law can do something with the pieces. Isn’t she some sort of preservationist?”

“Yes,” Rose answered. “But I don’t think Tory can fix all these in time for the holidays.”

“So buy some new ones,” Josh suggested, a touch of annoyance in his voice.

“You have no appreciation for the King,” Rose said. “If you did, you wouldn’t make such a stupid suggestion.”

“Forgive me,” Josh said on a sigh. “I guess listening to his music hour after hour, night after night, has kinda turned me off the guy.”

Rose glared harder. “You can always find another job. Hey!” she called out, turning in the direction of the bar. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Ellie followed Rose’s angry gaze and found Jake on his hands and knees, crawling between the bar stools.

Jake looked over and Ellie was amazed at the mild annoyance she saw in his eyes. “I’m looking for my penny.”

“To hell with your penny,” Rose said as she stomped over to the man. “Is it worth a fortune? Is that it?”

Jake shrugged and said, “Not really.”

“Then get up off my floor and get out of my place.”

“As soon as I find my penny.”

Without taking her eyes off the man, Rose said, “I’ll give you exactly two seconds to get out of here, or I’m calling the cops and having you arrested for attempted robbery.”

“You don’t seem to understand,” Jake said in a calm but firm voice. “I need that penny.”

“And I needed my Christmas tree. Out.”

“It will just take—”

“Josh,” Rose called, “see this jerk out.” Rose stepped back to allow an eager Josh access to Jake. “Consider your penny—if there ever was one—partial payment for the damage you did.”

The two men squared off, and for a brief second Ellie was afraid another fight might break out. “Here,” Ellie said as she handed her nephew to Josh. “You hold Chad and I’ll see Mr. Devereaux out.”

There was a faintly amused light in his eyes as she took hold of his sleeve. “What about my penny?” he asked.

Guiding him toward the door, Ellie grabbed his hat off the table and thrust it against his stomach. It was a mistake. Brushing her fingers against the solid muscle at his waist caused a tiny tingle of awareness to spread from her hand to her arm, before shooting down her spine. “I’ll look for your penny tomorrow. The weather is getting worse and I have to get Josh home. I hardly think now is the appropriate time to argue over a penny. Besides, you just destroyed several of Rose’s most prized possessions. If you don’t get out of here, she’ll have you in jail so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

When they reached the door, Jake turned, and his eyes met and held hers. “Are you always the peacemaker?”

Ellie schooled herself not to react to the low, seductive quality of his voice. “I’m the middle child. I learned the fine art of mediation before I learned my alphabet.”

Shaking his head, he sighed. The action caused a wave of warm, mint-scented breath to wash across her uplifted face. “And here I was hoping you were trying to tell me you liked me.”

Ellie blinked. “I’d like you gone.”

“Here,” he said as he pulled a book of matches from the pocket of his jacket. “I’m staying at the Manor House. Call me tomorrow when you find my penny.”

Ellie accepted the matchbook, knowing full well she wasn’t going to call him. Every instinct in her body told her Jake Devereaux wasn’t the kind of man a sane woman called.

She locked the door and slipped the matchbook into her pocket. Rose still looked despondent, Josh was apparently still fuming and, for some unknown reason, Beth’s bottom lip was thrust out in a pout.

“Shall we?” Ellie suggested.

“Sled!” Chad yelled excitedly, throwing himself toward Rose. “Sled!”

“I know,” Rose said as she took the little boy from Josh. “We’ll go now.”

“Now,” Chad parroted.

Rose looked out the window and Ellie read the frown on her face. The reason for the deep lines became apparent as soon as she turned. Jake Devereaux was standing on the porch, just staring.

“I’m calling the cops,” Rose decided.

“Sled!” Chad argued, kicking his feet. “Go now!”

“I’ll be happy to take him home,” Ellie suggested.

“You’re taking me home,” Josh reminded her.

Beth stepped up and tried to loop her arm through his. “I can drop you off.”

“Forget it,” Rose said, sighing. “The alarm’s on. He can stand out there in the snow until his nose freezes off. Let’s just get out of here before we get snowed in for the night.”

The group shuffled out of the bar, leaving Jake with his nose pressed against the frosted glass. Ellie half expected him to appear at the back door and found herself oddly disappointed when he failed to appear.

After a quick round of good-byes, Ellie settled behind the wheel of her rented car. Josh slid in beside her, blowing air into his cupped hands.

“Gloves help,” she suggested with a wry smile.

“I usually manage to find someplace warm to stick my hands.”

“One more crack like that and I’ll be happy to tell you where to stick them.”

Josh raised his hands, palms out. “You can’t fault a guy for trying.”

“Yes,” she promised him. “I can.”

Ellie had just pulled onto the main street when Josh asked, “Is that what your little vacation is all about? You having difficulty with your love life?”

She shrugged. “Not trouble, exactly.”

“That’s not the impression I got when that gorilla showed up.”

“Mike is having a hard time dealing with rejection.”

“Not used to being the dumpee?”

She glanced over at him, smiling. “He’s probably no better at it than you are.”

“I’ve never been dumped.” Josh blew on his fingernails and buffed them theatrically.

“There’s a first time for everything,” she warned.

“Not for this kid,” he answered. “I let them know right up front that I’m not into ‘happily ever after.’”

“You know something,” Ellie said as she carefully slowed for a traffic light. “Susan was right, you are slime.”

Josh laughed. “I see our psychic waitress has already given you the word on me.”

“Susan, Rose, Beth, Shelby...”

“I get the picture,” he said.

“But at least you’re honest slime.”

“A regular Boy Scout. Not like that shady Devereaux character.”

Ellie felt her smile slip. “I wonder whether that bit about the penny was real.”

“You think he was really after a penny? Or just there to rip us off?”

“Who knows. But if I had a valuable coin, I sure wouldn’t be stupid enough to lose it in a bar.”

“He didn’t seem like the stupid type,” Josh stated after he told her to make a left turn at the next corner. “That’s why I think all that crap about the coin was a put-on.”

“You’re probably right. I just feel terrible for Rose. Those ornaments looked like they were completely destroyed.”

“Good.”

“Josh!” she admonished. “They meant a lot to her. You should feel terrible since it was partially your fault.”

“My fault? I was only trying to stop that guy from ripping her off.”

“You could have been more careful.”

“I’ll remember that the next time I’m tossing some ugly drunk out of the bar.”

“He wasn’t an ugly drunk.” Where did that come from? she wondered. “Anyway, I think you should try to replace some of the things that were broken.”

“Let him replace them,” Josh grumbled. “Or better still, maybe now we can have a normal Christmas tree.”

“I thought it was kind of unique,” Ellie admitted.

“Right. What about that one that played ‘Blue Christmas’ over and over again?”

“That one was a little hard to take.”

“It didn’t have an Off button,” Josh continued to rant. “What kind of manufacturer makes a musical ornament with no Off button.”

“An Elvis fan.”

“This is it,” Josh said, pointing to a modest apartment building on the left. “Want to come in and see my etchings?”

Ellie groaned. “Keep your etchings to yourself, thank you very much. But I will use your ladies’ room before I head back to Shelby’s.”

“Fine by me. But you enter at your own risk.”

“Lovely,” she mumbled as she cut the engine and got out of the car.

The snow had tapered to little more than flurries. Chad’s dream of sledding didn’t look too good as she followed Josh up the short walkway. She estimated there was less than an inch of total accumulation.

Josh unlocked the door to his ground-level apartment. Ellie immediately noticed two things. First, it was surprisingly neat, except for the clutter of holiday decorations waiting to be hung. Second, the whole place smelled of a rather sweet, almost feminine, floral air freshener.

“First door on the left,” he said as he tossed his coat over one of the boxes.

“I can’t believe you had the audacity to criticize Rose’s tree.”

Josh looked at her with surprise in his eyes. “What?”

“I assume these are for your tree?” She lifted the carefully wrapped strand of lights and allowed them to dangle in the air between them. “Chili-pepper lights?”

“I’ll have you know they are quite in vogue these days.”

“On a silver foil tree?” she asked, glancing at the partially assembled tree near a large window.

“I guess you’d rather have ode to Elvis?”

Ellie shook her head. “I’m a glass-ornament, colored-lights, strings-of-popcorn kind of girl.”

“How boring.”

“It’s better than silver foil,” she taunted as she headed toward the bathroom.

Foil was obviously a passion of Josh’s. The wallpaper in the small powder room was some sort of Grecian motif, a silver background with silhouettes of naked couples in black contrast. Ellie laughed softly. When she heard the thudding sound in the other room she instantly felt guilty. Obviously Josh had heard her snickering at his wallpaper and was letting her know it by banging around in the living room.

Ellie spent a few extra minutes fixing her hair, trying to think of something kind to say. After all, who was she to criticize this man’s decor. Even if it was a bit odd.

“Thanks,” she called as she walked down the hall. She was immediately struck by how cold it was in the apartment. Almost as cold as it was outside.

She walked toward Josh, who was seated on the sofa with his back to her, obviously pouting.

“I’m sorry I snickered at your tree and at your wallpaper,” she began as she continued to approach. She spoke louder to overcome the sound of an approaching emergency vehicle. “It really is a pretty tree and the chili peppers will—”

Ellie stopped in midsentence as she rounded the couch. Josh’s eyes were open wide, bulging. His face was a grotesque contortion, pasty white with blue, swollen lips. The strand of chili-pepper lights was wound tightly around his throat.