Читать книгу A Stranger In The Cove - Rachel Brimble - Страница 13
ОглавлениеKATE EMBRACED THE adrenaline flowing through her as she ducked into the marquee that had been erected at the back of the Coast. Although a little harassed, she thrived on the pressure of creating successful events. Despite the light snowfall, the lit space was warm and inviting. People had been wandering in for the last hour. As the time for the Moon Shadows to play neared, that trickle became a steady stream.
Couples and families milled around, some grouped by the heaters, laughing and enjoying their drinks amid the growing anticipation of the fun ahead. As the colored fairy lights along the top line of the marquee danced across the faces of the revelers, Kate scanned the room.
The fund-raiser needed to go off without a hitch. The money already collected was fantastic, and two of the four major donors who’d arrived looked to be enjoying themselves, seemingly impressed with the decorated marquee, stalls and family games scattered around. She glanced toward the makeshift stage at the far end of the marquee.
Now all she had to worry about was the Moon Shadows delivering three no-holds-barred, hour-long sets to take the crowd into the evening. Then Nick Carson would take over as the DJ for the late-night dance party.
Kate narrowed her eyes. As far as she could see, only four members of the band had arrived. Where was the replacement?
“Kate?”
She turned at the light touch to her shoulder. “Hi, Vanessa. Everything okay?”
“Sure.” Vanessa adjusted her hold on the crate of glasses she carried. “I’m just going to deliver these to the drinks table. Hopefully, with an extra bar set up, we can easily cater to the number of people we’re expecting.”
“I hope so.” Kate glanced around. “There are far too many young mums in the Cove. It’s imperative we do all we can to help them.”
Vanessa’s gaze softened. “Hey, you do all you can to help everyone. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everything’s going to be great.”
“Hmm, I hope so.” Kate cleared her throat. “So, have you seen anything of Mac today?”
Vanessa’s smile faltered before she lowered the crate to the floor. “No, have you?”
Concerned by the sudden unease in Vanessa’s eyes, Kate frowned. “He hasn’t done something to upset you, has he?”
“Not as such. No. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Kate touched her friend’s arm. “Hey, what’s going on?”
Vanessa sighed. “His attitude worries me, that’s all. Dave and I have done all we can to make Mac welcome, but he doesn’t seem to want what we have to offer.” She grimaced. “Maybe I’m too used to people enjoying themselves when they’re here.”
“He hasn’t been asking you personal questions, has he?”
“No. Why?”
Hating that Mac Orman held a secret that was pretty much guaranteed to affect someone she knew, Kate crossed her arms. “I’m just concerned he might be in the Cove for all the wrong reasons.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I for one, trust your judgment. If you think I need to give Mac some space—”
“I didn’t say that. In fact, I think we need to do all we can to keep him close.”
Vanessa smiled and wiggled her eyebrows. “There wouldn’t be an ulterior motive in there somewhere, would there?”
“No.” Kate feigned a glare. “So, you can stop looking at me like that. Considering I caught him in the bakery the other day looking as though he was taking notes on some of the people in there, you can say I entirely distrust the man.”
“Taking notes? What do you mean?”
“He had this book and he was scribbling in it as he studied people. The minute he spotted me, he snapped it shut clearly not wanting me to read anything.”
“Isn’t that understandable? The guy’s entitled to his privacy, right?”
“Hmm.”
Unease whispered through Kate as it had time and again since she’d left Mac at the bakery. Right along with memories of the way he’d spotted her vulnerability at the end of their conversation. “Something’s definitely up with him.”
“And you’re going to find out what.”
Kate nodded as determination rose inside her once more. “Yes, I am.”
“Good. I’ll see if I can find out anything, too. But in the meantime, let’s be nice to him. I’m sure he’ll turn out to be an okay guy, and this notebook is nothing to worry about. He’s probably plotting a book or something.”
“A book?” Kate huffed. “Plotting, period, more like it.”
Vanessa picked up the crate and shook her head. “I’ll see you later.”
As her friend walked away, Kate exhaled a shaky breath and headed toward the band as they warmed up their instruments and checked leads and microphones. She really needed to focus and forget Mac Orman. For now, at least. “Hey, guys.”
She recognized the lead singer from the band’s poster as he came toward her, his smile warm and his hand outstretched. “Kate Harrington, right? Joe Masters. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”
Kate shook his hand. “Same to you.” She looked over the stage. “It seems as though you have everything under control. Will you be ready to kick things off in fifteen minutes or so?”
“Absolutely.”
“Only, I was a little worried the replacement guitarist isn’t here.”
“He’s not.”
Her heart picked up speed. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“He’ll be here any second, I’m sure.”
“You’re sure? But you’re due on in minutes.”
Joe winked. “Relax. Everything will be fine.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he jumped onto the stage and proceeded to talk with the drummer. Kate took a deep breath. She had people to greet, donations to lock in the safe as well as a hundred and one other things to check on. If Joe Masters said his band would be ready, she’d have to trust him. But if a new musician didn’t show up in the next ten minutes, she’d be on the phone to every local band she could think of to ask if their guitarist would spare a night to play with an up-and-coming band for charity.
Stopping to chat and greet people as she went, Kate made slow progress toward the food stand. where Dave, the Coast’s landlord, was, happily cooking burgers in a closed, mobile oven.
Kate leaned on the counter beside him. “It’s going well, isn’t it?”
“Never had a doubt.” Dave pointed his tongs toward the main bar inside. “There’s plenty of people in there who will make their way out here once the Shadows start.” He frowned as his attention landed on something over Kate’s shoulder. “He’s a strange one, that Mac Orman. Not sure what to make of him, even though Vanessa, God love her, tries to convince me he’s all right.”
Kate turned and her heart kicked. Dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt beneath his ever-present leather jacket, Mac looked just as ridiculously hot as he had when she’d seen him in the bakery a couple of days before. She thought over Vanessa’s observations, interested to hear Dave’s take. “What do you mean by strange?”
“Well, the guy clearly isn’t lacking in the looks department, if the way Vanessa was watching him earlier is anything to go by. He seems pretty sure of himself, but...”
She faced Dave, pleased she wasn’t the only one impervious to Mac’s charms. “What?”
He turned back to the oven. “Something tells me that guy is here with an agenda. I don’t like strangers with agendas.”
Kate looked at Mac again. He stood near the band, wearing a stony expression and holding a bottle of beer. “No, me neither. Maybe I should try to uncover that agenda. What do you think?”
“By all means, if you think you can. Just do me a favor?”
“What?”
“If anyone asks, this little bit of digging was all your idea, not mine. Okay?”
Kate smiled. “You’re not actually scared of Vanessa, are you?”
“’Course not, but if she thinks I’m causing trouble, I’ll be sleeping on the couch. At my age that doesn’t do my back any good, if you understand what I’m saying.”
“Understood. I’ll keep my investigating to myself.”
He nodded and Kate took a deep breath before she headed toward Mac. He turned as she neared, almost as though he sensed her approach. He clearly struggled to change his expression into something less hostile as his slow study drifted over her body, seeming to assess every part of her.
Kate’s stomach knotted with attraction. But there was no way of knowing who Mac was, or what he was capable of. Her guard needed to be in place at all times.
She forced a smile as she stood in front of him. “Mac, nice to see you again.”
His gaze lingered on her mouth before he met her eyes. “I’m surprised to hear you say that, but thanks.”
Deciding she would make a better detective if she smoothed the tension between them, she laughed. “Just because I’m concerned why you’re here doesn’t mean I don’t like you. You seem pleasant enough. So, did you come in for a look around? Or do you plan on staying awhile?”
“I thought I’d check out the band. The Moon Shadows are pretty good.”
She glanced at the band, more than a little concerned that the guitarist hadn’t shown up. “I’m not much for country rock, but from what I’ve heard, they aren’t half bad.”
“What sort of music do you like?”
She shrugged. “Acoustic, Ed Sheeran, that sort of stuff.” She faced him. “And I’m partial to some ballads and smooth jazz on occasion.”
He nodded, his gaze intense on hers. “Good choices.”
Their eyes locked, and the noise around them faded. Kate struggled to look away, struggled to speak. “Any more luck finding the person you’re looking for?”
“Not yet, but it’s early days.”
“Early days?” She faced him. “You plan on staying longer than a week?”
He took another gulp of his beer. “If I have to.”
“But you can’t.”
His blue eyes brightened with amusement. “Why not? I thought it was Marian who was the boss around here. So far, no one named Marian has tried to push me out of town like you are.”
“I’m not trying to push...” She glared. “Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Tormenting me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I torment you?”
“No.” Her cheeks burned. “You infuriate me.”
“Then my aim has been met.”
She opened her mouth to respond when the leader singer from the band joined them. “Kate? Could I have a word?”
Grateful for the interruption, she faced the singer. “Sure. What can I do for you?”
He grimaced. “Bad news. I just called the replacement guitarist. He can’t make it.”
Her stomach dropped. “And he’s only told you now? Can you get by without him?”
“No can do, I’m afraid. Can’t play our songs without a lead guitarist.”
“Then what am I supposed to—”
“I’ll help you out.” Mac stepped forward and extended his hand to the lead singer. “Mac Orman. Guitarist.”
Joe shook Mac’s hand. “Joe Masters.”
Kate stared wide-eyed at Mac, her heart beating fast. “You? You’ll step in?”
He flashed her a smile. “Anything to help out a lady.” He turned to the singer. “I’ll just run upstairs and get my guitar.”
Joe frowned. “How well do you know our music?”
Mac nodded. “Really well. Big fan, in fact. Well, except for the times I’m looking for some ballads or smooth jazz.”
Kate’s mouth dropped open, but words failed her as Mac headed inside the bar. She stared at the empty doorway and snapped her mouth closed.
Joe patted her on the shoulder. “There you go. Panic over. Told you I had everything under control.”
He strolled away, leaving Kate standing alone and flailing in a sea of attraction, grateful to a man she really didn’t want to lean on. But apparently with Mac, she didn’t have a lot of choice.
* * *
MAC HUMMED A Moon Shadows tune as he let himself into his room, reliving the look of shock, then relief on Kate Harrington’s face. That had been worth a million pounds. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to be the one to ease a woman’s stress and worry. He wanted to do both for Kate, even if his reasons weren’t entirely honorable. He needed a way to lessen the woman’s distrust of him so he could get on with his mission.
The question was, why had she made his business her business?
He grabbed his guitar from where it lay on a chair and took his phone from his pocket to silence it. His mind wandered to Kate once more. She looked fantastic in a pair of tight blue jeans, black boots and a peach knit top. Decent, yet almost indecent. Just the right side of sexy.
He dropped his gaze to his phone, and his smile promptly disappeared.
The display showed three missed calls from his older sister. Immediate guilt warred with his need to keep what he was doing in Templeton to himself a while longer.
But if he avoided her, Dana would only keep calling. His sister was never one to be impeded by anyone, especially her younger brother. He pressed the button to return her call.
She answered on the second ring. “At last! I’ve been trying to reach you all day.”
Mac shouldered the phone and grabbed a pick out of his guitar case. “What’s up?”
“What’s up? Where are you? I can’t believe you’d take off like this. Not when we need you here.”
Culpability pressed down on him. “Why do you need me there? I know Mum’s upset about dad, divorced or not, but it’s you and her grandchildren she needs around her, not me. What can I do to ease her grief? You know what I’m like with that kind of thing.”
“You mean sympathetic? Empathetic? Caring? Don’t talk rubbish, Mac. You’re amazing with Mum, with me, with all of us. Your disappearing makes no sense.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I had a commitment for a gig. I couldn’t get out of it.” He left the room, closing the door behind him. “There’s nothing I can do but to see it through and then I’ll be back. Okay?”
“No. Not okay. We need you here. I can’t be with Mum 24/7 when I’ve got two kids and a husband away working. Please, will you just come home?”
“I can’t. Not yet.” He hurried down the stairs and through the bar, steadfastly ignoring the curious stares directed toward him and his guitar. “Dana, look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Where are you? It sounds kind of noisy.”
“That’s because there’s a crowd of people here waiting for me to get on stage. We’ll talk later. ’Bye.”
He ended the call, doing all he could to banish his sister’s words. Right now, he needed to concentrate on erasing the suspicion from Kate Harrington’s beautiful eyes and have her look at him with respect, maybe even a little wonder if he played well enough. His new, slightly worrying, reasons for wanting to do so were as dangerous as they were stupid, considering he’d recently acquired the troublesome desire to know if her lips were as hot as the rest of her.
He liked her spirit and the way she didn’t let anyone—including him—push her away or around. He had a feeling she’d make a much better friend than enemy. If his playing could allay her misconceptions about him, all the better.
She stood talking with an older couple, and as he walked by her, she turned and touched his arm. “Mac, just a second.” She smiled apologetically at the couple. “Will you excuse me?”
“Of course.” The man nodded. “Good luck with everything. You do the town proud.”
“Thank you. Enjoy yourselves.” She faced Mac, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure about this? I’m just about to introduce the band, and I don’t want you to think I’ve put you under unwanted obligation.”
He stared into her worried eyes, and an entirely unanticipated concern for her swept through his chest. Why did it suddenly feel preferable to have her angry at him, rather than looking so anxious? “I’m doing this because I want to help you out. Nothing more, nothing less. It looks amazing in here, and if people are having a good time, they’ll stay longer and spend more money. We both know the Moon Shadows are a big part of today’s attraction. Let me do something toward making today a success. Okay?”
Her cheeks flushed and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
He walked up the three steps to the stage.
Joe Masters came forward and slapped his hand to Mac’s shoulder. “You’re a lifesaver, man. Let me introduce you to the band.” He pointed as he spoke. “Over there, we have Josh on drums, Will on bass and Lola, who will be singing backup vocals.”
Mac raised his hand, acknowledging the band’s curious but welcoming study. “Mac Orman. Pleased to meet you all.”
The next few minutes passed quickly as Joe talked Mac through the proposed set. Once Mac had convinced the lead singer he knew each of the original and cover songs well enough to keep up, Joe left the stage in search of Kate.
Mac took up his position and released a slow breath as he looked out at the audience. Women smiled at him, while guys focused on his guitar or the rest of the band. Every face looked happy, comfortable. Potentially, a really good crowd. The familiar buzz pooled in his stomach as it did every time he played. His gaze fixed on Kate as she emerged through the throng and climbed the steps onto the stage.
She didn’t so much as glance in his direction as she walked to the microphone. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m thrilled to see so many of you here already. There are burgers and hot dogs near the rear of the tent, as well as drinks available at the temporary bar or inside. As you know, today is all about raising money for the hospital’s new mother and baby unit. Please, give what you can for this worthy cause.
“Okay, that’s enough from me. I’m thrilled to leave you in the capable hands of the Moon Shadows and special guest guitarist, Mac Orman.”
Mac stared at the back of her head as a jolt of unease pierced through him. Why hadn’t he considered that she might offer his name to the whole damn town? So much for melting into the background.
She clapped along with the rest of the audience as she made her way down the steps in her sexy, high-heeled boots. He struck up the first note, watching her progress through the tent. It wasn’t until she tossed a triumphant smile over her shoulder at him that Mac realized the public announcement of his name had been intentional.
Clearly not content with her own careful watch on him, she wanted the whole town on high alert.
Kate Harrington didn’t trust him, didn’t like him and wasn’t going to be happy until he left town for good. That much was obvious. He glared at her as she started chatting with a group of women in their twenties who enveloped her affectionately. Mac turned to the audience, purposefully catching the eye of another twentysomething female.
He tipped her a wink, and she returned the compliment with a bright smile and glittering eyes. But it didn’t calm his frustration that, no matter what he did or said, nothing seemed to lessen Kate’s curiosity about him.
Well, one way or another—he strummed the opening bars of the first song—he’d see through what he came to the Cove to do. Whether she watched him like a bloody hawk or not.
