Secrets Within By Amy Mistretta
Advance Review Copy
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 2932 Ross Clark Circle, #384 Dothan, AL 36301 Secrets Within Copyright © 2006 by Amy Mistretta Cover by Scott Carpenter ISBN: 1-59998-138-6 www.samhainpublishing.com All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: September 2006
Secrets Within by Amy Mistretta
Dedication To my husband, my best friend… Thank you for the love story of a lifetime. To my two beautiful children… You’ll never know how proud I am of you.
Acknowledgements I want to thank all of the ladies at Romancing the Heart for their never-ending support. And to Sara Reinke, my editor, my friend, your friendship and advice are priceless.
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Chapter One The one thing Reese hadn’t planned on when setting out to find the right person to help her restore the old Victorian-style mansion was coming face to face with a convicted rapist. As the sun was beginning to set, a man walked up the steps to the wraparound porch, holding a newspaper. Reese was sitting just inside the front door of the house, looking through the old bureau desk that rested against the foyer wall, when she heard his footsteps. The door was open, yet he didn’t come in. Instead, he rapped heavily on the outside casing, waiting for Reese to finally look up from the hidden treasures she was uncovering in the old desk. “Come on in,” she said, not bothering to get up as she finished sorting through the loose papers in the long front drawer. At that point, she figured he was going to be another inexperienced, unqualified applicant. Just like everyone else I’ve interviewed today. The man walked in, removed his baseball hat and stood next to the desk. “I’m here about the job,” he said, slightly lifting the newspaper from his side. Though she hadn’t made eye contact with him, it was as if his deep voice demanded her attention and she finally looked up. He didn’t seem to be much older than she, and there was something awfully familiar about him. Reese couldn’t put her finger on it. “Please, have a seat.” She got up from the chair, motioning for him to take her place.
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“Thank you,” he said, looking around the old house, interest clearly taking over his otherwise reserved look. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she commented after following his gaze to the grand staircase leading up to the open landing. “There’s something about these old homes,” he said. “I can’t seem to get enough of them. So many aged characteristics screaming to be revived.” That statement alone was enough to make Reese decide to hire him right there and then, but she didn’t want to appear too desperate. “I’m glad to hear you appreciate the construction of the house.” She walked in a little closer and put out her hand, ready to launch into the same questions she’d asked the other applicants. “Reese Abbot. And you are…?” Anyone watching the man’s facial expressions would have thought Reese had said something obnoxious. The look in his eyes immediately changed from pleasant to almost hateful. At that moment, without as much as a word, he stood up and walked back toward the door. “Excuse me? Did I say something to offend you?” Reese asked, following, more puzzled than anything. “Yeah, your last name says it all.” “Look, I don’t know what you have against my last name, but I assure you that I don’t know who you are.” “That’s hard to believe.” “I admit, you look familiar, but I can’t seem to―” “Evan.” He paused, turning for a brief moment, his gaze penetrating through her. “Evan Payne.” Reese instantly remembered the name as soon as the words left his mouth. However, she couldn’t believe that Evan Payne was standing in the house with her, only a few feet separating her from his grasp. And they were all alone. “I…I didn’t recognize you,” Reese said, trying not to act startled, or let this man see her sudden fear. 6
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“I kind of figured that much.” His eyes slowly traveled down the length of her body, then he turned and headed out the door. “Sorry to have wasted your time.” Reese ran out the door after him but stopped at the top of the porch steps. Evan was already halfway down the cobblestone sidewalk leading to the front gate. “Wait a minute!” she called, but to no avail. “Will you stop for one minute?” She wasn’t sure why she didn’t let him keep on walking. It was as if an uncontrollable force had taken over her, overriding her sense of restraint. “I thought you were interested in the job!” “I was until the name Abbot came out of your mouth,” he said, glancing back at her. “But this job has nothing to do with my family. Don’t you want to at least hear―?” “You can’t help who you are, and I’m not trying to be rude. All the same, we have nothing else to say. Have a nice day, Miss Abbot.” Evan turned his back on Reese. He walked through the gate and out onto the tree-lined street of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Wild Ridge without giving her a second glance.
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Chapter Two Reese sat on the front porch, staring out at the surroundings of her new home. She had been up half the night, trying to forget the look of bitterness that had come over Evan Payne’s face when he had learned she was an Abbot, the daughter of the richest family in Wild Ridge. It had been years, nine at least, since she’d last seen him, but she still couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized him. They’d attended high school together, and even though they had socialized in completely opposite circles, that had never stopped Reese from developing an enormous crush on him. It had been unrequited affection; they had seldom spoken, much less exchanged more than a few smiles, and his had always seemed to be filled with so many unspoken words. Being from two different ends of society, things between them could never have gone any further. Not that the thought hadn’t crossed Reese’s mind back then. Reese had left her job as a successful architect with one of the most prominent firms in Massachusetts to return to New York following the death of her great-aunt. The Victorian mansion and its surrounding twenty-three acres had belonged to her, and it had always been a place that Reese had loved as a child―much more than her own family’s home. It was stipulated in her great-aunt’s will that the house would go to a member of the Abbot family, where they were to reside until their own passing. If no such contenders were willing to make that sacrifice, or if the person failed to keep their promise and remain in the house for their lifetime, the property was to be sold to the highest bidder with the profits split amongst them all. 8
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A week after the funeral, her family had congregated at the old house. Reese had kept her silence while the rest of them whispered with greed about what they were going to do with their cut of the sale, their hunger for the money totally overpowering the fact that a loved one had just died. It was then, that very day, at the reading of the will, that Reese had stood up and made a life-altering statement. “This house isn’t going to be up for sale,” she had told her family, stopping the ravenous conversations in their tracks. “I’ll take it.” “You can’t be serious,” her older brother, Steve had exclaimed. “You can’t possibly want to live here!” Her mother had waved her arms, motioning around the aging structure. “Reese, sit down and stop this nonsense. You’re not being serious,” her father had said. But Reese had never been more serious in her life. She remembered looking around the room, meeting each stare, thinking if she did move back to Wild Ridge, things were sure to be worse than ever with her family. They had always underestimated her abilities and undermined her dreams. But she couldn’t forget that the house had always held a special place in her heart. Now she was home, back in Wild Ridge for good. Reese stood and put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, assessing the property around her. There was so much to do and Reese knew she couldn’t do it by herself. So did her father. He had taken it upon himself to contact many reputable companies that were interested in obtaining the restoration job. Wanting to have as much hands-on involvement as she could, Reese decided against hiring any of them, alienating her father further. Instead, she put a modest ad in the local paper, looking for the right person to help her with the project. A lot of people had responded, and Reese had interviewed them all. But none of the prospects had the knowledge she was looking for, until last night. The night Evan Payne had walked back onto the scene, back after years of being behind bars. 9
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Reese took a seat on an old wooden swing, suspended high from a hundred-year-old oak tree. She looked to the front gate, then all the way up the steps to the house, remembering back to the night before. Evan Payne. Reese had been in eleventh grade when all hell had broken loose in Wild Ridge, old enough to hear about and understand all the sordid details. Even now, despite the afternoon sunlight shining down upon her face, remembering the scandal caused chills to spread rapidly along her warm skin. She thought back to the girl who had made the accusations against Evan on that darkened night so long ago. Her name was Anne Mitchell, daughter of the family who owned the most expensive restaurant in town. Supposedly a local churchgoer had found her crying in the park, claiming she had been raped. Reese remembered reading that Evan told the police he had walked through the park, but that he had never seen Anne Mitchell that night. No matter how much he had maintained his innocence, claiming to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, the incident had still landed him a conviction of four to ten years in prison. Reese always thought that the proof had seemed too circumstantial. Though the alleged victim hadn’t actually seen the face of her attacker, she had remembered that he wore a navy-blue shirt. And when the cops had picked Evan up, that’s exactly what he had been wearing. Reese had never been totally convinced that Anne’s claims were true. While the most she had shared with Evan was a handful of stolen glances, for some reason, Reese had found it hard to accept that he raped Anne Mitchell―maybe because she hadn’t wanted to believe that she could have been attracted to a man who could do something like that. The truth of the matter remained―she had never truly known Evan Payne.
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Reese couldn’t be sure how much time he had spent in jail, or when he had gotten out, but what really overpowered her thoughts was the way he had acted toward her when he’d realized who she was. In school, Evan Payne had been nothing but kind to Reese. Never once had he made her feel uncomfortable in any way. Then again, she hadn’t really known him, hadn’t dared to give him the time of day, other than a passing hello or a shy smile, for fear of what her family would do. Oh, they would’ve had a lot to say about a guy like Evan, one who wasn’t near to being up to their caliber. But the demeanor of the boy she remembered so long ago was nothing like the bitter man who had treated her so rudely yesterday. Maybe he had gotten the wrong idea when she hadn’t recognized him. Or maybe, just maybe, he’d thought that she was treating him differently because of his past rape conviction. As you damn well should. Her underlying suspicions pierced through her sense of pity. She would be saving herself a lot of grief if she could forget that Evan Payne had ever entered her house on that cool spring evening. Along with all the disturbing memories had come the same sympathy she’d felt back in high school for what he must have gone through. But what if his punishment had been warranted? Now Reese found herself with a decision to either side with a town that had convicted him well before he’d had a fair trial or to give him this job. He had been the only person to respond to the ad who seemed to know his way around restoration work, and there was no way Reese was going to give in to her father’s demands of hiring a construction company to take over. She also realized that hiring Evan Payne would give her the opportunity to stand up to her parents for always expecting her to look down on people like him, to show them that this time while living in Wild Ridge, she would lead her own life without their constant interference. 11
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Again, her mind pointed an invisible finger her way, shouting, Trying to save the world could in turn cause you a world of grief! Nevertheless, she had to trust her instincts. Abbot or not, Reese was going to find Evan Payne and convince him to take the job, if only because she was nothing like the family he so obviously resented. Reese didn’t appreciate being branded as such. But she knew she would have to keep one eye open at all times. After all, this man had spent time in prison on a convicted rape charge. That was a reality that Reese could not deny.
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Chapter Three Evan took his time walking up the stairs to his one-bedroom apartment. When he’d left last night to head over to the property on Manchester Road, he’d had plans of making a decent buck restoring that old house, which would have led to him finding a better place to live. Now he was back at square one with nothing more than the small, drab apartment he’d been living in since the day he’d been released from prison. In any case, it was a roof over his head. In this town, Evan had to be thankful that someone had even given him that much. He hadn’t believed it when she’d looked up and he’d seen her face. He’d recognized her immediately—Steve Abbot’s little sister, Reese. She had been a pretty girl in high school, and she had matured into an exquisite woman, as beautiful as any he’d ever seen. Her hair flowed thickly past her shoulders. Her eyes looked almost as if they contained no pupils, they were such a dark shade of brown, full of determination, deep with suspicion. Evan had only shared the space in the front parlor with her for under five minutes, but it had been long enough…long enough to see that she still had that same pouty mouth that curved into more of a frown than a smile, even when she was smiling. That’s what had attracted him most to Reese Abbot back in high school, almost beyond self-restraint. Almost. It was her image that had kept him sane in that cell for five excruciating years, along with the hopes of coming face to face with her again someday. Evan hadn’t had many serious girlfriends growing up―none like Reese Abbot, 13
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anyway. She’d only been the tip of the iceberg in the things he had wished he could have had, a beautiful woman on his arm and a wonderful life to make the package complete. If only he had been a different man back then… However, Evan hadn’t given her proof that he’d changed last night. He had been downright rude after she’d introduced herself. Just knowing she was the daughter of one of the families who’d had a hand in his past conviction had triggered all of the pain and humiliation to come rushing back. The fact that her brother was Steve Abbot, the one person Evan despised most, had been enough of a reason for him to walk out on the biggest job opportunity to come his way in a long time. If he hadn’t gone to jail and served a prison term, one that every rich person in this town had pushed for, Evan would have been able to look at Reese the same way he once had, but not now. Too many bad things had happened to him because of the likes of people like her. And those same people had turned him into the man they hated and feared today. Taking the job would only have caused him grief, and he already received enough of that from the majority of the town. In the end, Evan’s desire to stay far away from Reese’s brother, who had been friends with Evan’s alleged rape victim, surpassed the want for the intriguing job Reese was offering him. Evan had been labeled a thug growing up amongst his peers. He wasn’t sure why, because he had never laid a finger on anyone, no matter how many times he had wanted to. Still, not many people had bothered him except that damn jock, Steve Abbot and his friends. Evan wasn’t an idiot. He knew it was the Abbot money that enabled Steve to think he could do and say whatever he wanted. All those kids acted the same way―just like their rich parents treated the underprivileged. But that was back then. There was no way in hell he would tolerate it today. If they knew what was good for them, all of them, they would steer clear of him. Because the man 14
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who had walked back into society through that ten-foot-tall, barbed-wire fence four years ago was full of more anger than any of them could ever imagine. That’s precisely why he couldn’t work for Reese Abbot. Not now, not ever. The only family waiting for Evan when he’d gotten out of jail had been his father. Not once had he come to visit Evan, but he always sent letters. When he was released, Evan found out why his dad had stayed away. During those five years, his father’s health had become increasingly poor. Evan had offered to move in with him, to lend a helping hand, but his dad had refused. He had told Evan to hold his head high, try to make a life for himself. “Just because you made one lousy decision when you were a kid doesn’t mean you’ll rape again,” his father had said. And at that moment, Evan had hated him, too. He had tried to move on, but it hadn’t been easy. If it hadn’t been for the guilt of his father’s poor health, Evan would’ve left Wild Ridge behind a long time ago and never looked back. He opened the door to his apartment and threw his keys on a table alongside the opened newspaper. It was close to lunchtime, yet he had no trace of an appetite. He needed to find a way to make a decent income. Living in the fleabag apartment was beginning to wear on his senses. It had been three months since his dad had passed away, and he was seriously
thinking
about
picking
up
and
starting
over
in
a
new
town―someplace where nobody knew him. Except that wouldn’t make a difference. The fact that Evan had spent time in prison would follow him everywhere, and his record would only haunt him in the search for a job, whether it was in Wild Ridge or elsewhere. Why would things be any different in the future? Looking at it now, he realized it could have been worse. He’d been sentenced to four to ten years. However, due to good behavior, he had been released in five. Still, no matter what the circumstance, it had been a long time to spend behind bars. 15
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Evan ran his fingers through his disheveled hair, sitting down on the partly torn chair in the corner of the small living room. What to do now? he contemplated. He could sit there, wallowing in his own misery, or he could get back up and go through the rest of the ads in yesterday’s paper. Any other day, that would’ve been possible, but not today. Evan couldn’t get the image of Reese Abbot out of his mind. She was a beautiful woman, but that wasn’t why he was so absorbed in the thought of her. Maybe it had been the way she handled herself when he so rudely threw his opinion of her family in her face. She acted as though she had been more embarrassed of her last name than offended. Whatever the case, he couldn’t get her out of his head. At first, he had been surprised that Reese hadn’t pushed him out the door and swiftly locked it shut behind her. Then when she chased after him, Evan hadn’t known what to make of the situation. Most women crossed the street in a panic to avoid him when they saw him coming. His stomach rumbled, having a mind of its own, pushing Evan toward the small 1960s-style refrigerator to remove the leftover meatloaf he had bought the other day from the deli down the block. It looked a little dried out, but was still edible. Grabbing a bottle of water to wash it down, he went back to the paper on the hunt for another suitable form of employment. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Evan said out loud after reading the remaining want ads. Pizza deliveryman wanted for night shift, must have your own vehicle… Telemarketers needed for up and coming company, great personality and people skills a must… Cosmetics distribution, great commission and free make-up. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that one,” Evan said, slamming the paper shut. There it was again, staring him in the face, on the last page of the newspaper. Looking for a dedicated individual to help restore a local Victorian to its original beauty. Must have knowledge of older homes, contracting experience and an all around love for restoration. 16
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Evan couldn’t help but grin. The way Reese’s ad stood out from the rest portrayed the kind of person he’d always thought her to be―different, caring. Then again, he didn’t know a damn thing about her. But by the way she’d worded the ad, he could tell that Reese was taking these renovations personally. That was one more reason why he would have loved to take the job. Evan, too, had always wanted to tackle a project such as this one. Yesterday morning, things had looked promising, but now he wasn’t getting anywhere fast. At that realization, a new thought became apparent. Evan needed the work that Reese Abbot was offering. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to suck up his pride for a shot at a good-paying job. But from an Abbot? They were in a whole other league of their own. Evan threw the uneaten meatloaf in the garbage, then headed back toward the door. When he opened it, on his way to undo the wrong he had made with Reese, Evan found that it wasn’t necessary to go any further. Staring back at him from the other side of his apartment door was Reese Abbot, hand raised, ready to knock. “You,” Evan said, surprised at the irony. “I was hoping we could start over again. But from your tone, I can see I made a mistake in coming here.” Reese turned as if to walk away, but then, for some reason, paused. “No. I’m not leaving. You apparently need a job, or you wouldn’t have come by my house last night. And I’m definitely in need of the help, so what do you say you put your hostilities toward my family aside and consider hearing me out?” Evan could’ve told Reese that he had been on his way to see her about the very same thing. Yet why should he let her think she had the upper hand in the whole deal? He wanted that leverage. This way, he could still get the job and keep his pride at the same time. He was rather enjoying this feisty side of Reese, a trait Evan never would’ve thought existed. What the hell, he thought. He had nothing to lose…except his willpower. 17
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“Come in.” Evan opened the door all the way, moving aside to let her pass. “Thank you,” Reese said, boldly entering the small apartment with her nose slightly in the air. “I’d offer you a seat on my couch, but it’s not the plush leather type I’m sure you’re used to.” “It’ll be just fine.” Reese shot Evan a challenging look. “If we’re going to talk business, I’d appreciate it if you kept your comments about my lifestyle to yourself. You know nothing about me.” “Already throwing the orders around, are you?” He smirked, provoking her further. “Look, if I was mistaken and you’re not really interested in this job, then tell me now.” Reese glared at him before taking a seat on the couch. “All right, I’m listening.” Evan sat down in his chair, knowing by her last statement, it wouldn’t be wise to push her any further. His attitude would only remind her of his already-marred reputation. Definitely not a good idea if he was going to be hired for the job. Not only was she gorgeous but aggressive, too, in a way so unlike her brother, who’d rode his daddy’s coattails all of his life. That assessment brought a thought to mind. Shortly after being released from prison, Evan had inquired about Reese, had been told that she’d moved away years ago. So why was she back now? “Are you familiar with the house?” “Is there a reason I should be?” he asked. “I suppose not. I just want you to be aware of what you’re getting yourself into.” She stopped for a moment, as if waiting for any further insulting remarks, then continued. “It’s quite spacious, about five-thousand square feet. I’d like to restore everything possible that I can salvage, but there’ll also be a lot of new facades added. I assume you have experience?” 18
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“What makes you assume that?” He raised an eyebrow, taunting her with the question. “I don’t think you would’ve applied if you didn’t,” she said. “You’re right, I do have experience. Although being an ex-con, I’ll probably have a hard time gathering up a reference sheet for you.” Evan tried to read her reaction but found it impossible. “Now I have a question for you.” He leaned in, elbows resting on his knees. “By all means.” Reese sank back in her seat, putting her arms out to her sides as if showing Evan she had nothing to hide. “I’m surprised that you’re even sitting here right now, alone in my apartment.” Evan peered at her thoughtfully. “What’s so different about you compared to the rest of this town?” “First of all, if I was afraid to be alone with you, I wouldn’t have come here. Secondly, I share none of the judgmental views of my family or this community as far as you’re concerned,” Reese said. “Judgmental views, huh?” Evan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “My situation is what it is.” “I want nothing to do with your situation. Now are you still interested in the job or not?” “Is this your way of telling me that you have a line of prospective workers waiting in case I’m not?” He smiled, trying to get her to do the same. “I don’t have time for this. I give up.” Reese shot up, attempting to walk away, but Evan reached out to stop her. Although Reese Abbot was putting on a tough front, Evan could feel her nervousness the moment his fingertips touched her skin. “Okay, I’ll be serious. It sounds very challenging.” Evan extended his hand to Reese’s. “And if there’s one thing I like, it’s a challenge.” Reese squinted her eyes, returned his handshake, then practically sprinted to the door.
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“Come by this afternoon, and I’ll show you around the property. Then you can let me know what your fee is.” Reese left the apartment with nothing more to say, as though she couldn’t get away from him quickly enough. Evan remained there with his hand on the door casing until he could no longer hear the clicking of her heels, echoing throughout the stairwell. He didn’t know what had taken over him the whole time she was there, but something deep inside, something he had thought had been contained, had stirred. Just that morning he had been at the end of his rope with his employment situation, and now he was about to embark on the dream job of a lifetime. But at what cost? Working for an Abbot was bound to get him into trouble one way or another. Evan wasn’t sure which way it would be, but one thing was clear. Reese Abbot was a woman who stood on her own, with or without that damn last name of hers. Still, that didn’t mean he trusted her. Or that she should trust him. *** Evan Payne hadn’t been too hard to find. Reese had gotten up early that morning, located a phonebook in the old bureau desk and, as luck would have it, his address had been listed. Reese had contemplated the whole night about going to see him. The way he had turned on her only proved what a bitter man he was, making the situation even more uncomfortable. Yet she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. As another day passed, Reese knew that things needed to be done around the house. She wanted to get started on them before her father took it upon himself to send over his assistance in the form of some high-priced building company. The truth still remained: the ad in the paper hadn’t brought her any prospects of a decent employee. Not until Evan Payne had wandered up her stairs. 20
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There was something about his demeanor that had immediately made him appealing to her as a potential worker. The resentment in his words had been undeniably there. That was understandable. However, it was how he had acted before realizing who she was―very polite from the way he knocked on the door to the way he had removed his hat before talking to her. All reservations of what he may or may not have done aside, Evan had impressed Reese. So she’d made the decision. If she could give him a job when he needed work, Reese wanted his ambition on her side. As far as his past and his attitude went, she would keep Evan busy enough so he wouldn’t have time to run his mouth at her, much less think about doing anything else. Reese pulled her car through the black-iron gate and up the long, winding driveway to the house. The last of the moving trucks had come and gone by early that morning, leaving her with a whole lot of unpacking to do. She was so excited to finally have enough room to display all of her various possessions, unlike the townhouse that she’d crammed them in for the past three years. In reality, the Victorian contained so much immense space that Reese was going to need to make a few more select purchases in order to fill all of the rooms. To her surprise, Reese’s parents had suggested she stay in her old bedroom at their house until the renovations were complete. But she had politely declined. Though this house was full of dust from the years of neglect, there was no way she would share the same space day after day and night after night in their home. Reese didn’t want to subject herself to more scrutiny. Having to hear about what they could have done with the money they would’ve made, if only she hadn’t volunteered to move into the house, would have driven her crazy. No, thank you. She didn’t need―or want―the hassles of it all. She walked through the door, expecting a huge mess to be waiting for her. To Reese’s surprise, it wasn’t all that bad. The boxes were neatly placed 21
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along the parlor wall. The furniture was set up in the spacious living room. Not exactly where she had envisioned everything, but it was efficient for now. To say the least, Reese was just thankful that the movers had left her with some sense of order. Every little bit of neatness was sure to help in a project like the one she was about to take on. Looking around the house, Reese shook her head at the thought of it all. “Where do I even begin?” she asked herself, knowing that one place wasn’t better than the next. She had been living out of a small suitcase for the past two days, and she planned on doing so until she finished the remodeling of her bedroom. She was determined not to move a stitch of anything in there until it was stripped, scrubbed and redone to her liking. One room at a time, Reese kept reminding herself. So off to her room she went. The night before, Reese had been able to remove the old wallpaper with a steamer she rented from the local hardware store. The paper must have been a hundred years old, and she had been grateful for the aid of the device. Otherwise, it would’ve taken her forever to peel it off by hand. She had then stayed up half the night painting the room white, and also hanging an exquisite floral border. At least that had kept her mind busy enough without fully being engulfed with thoughts of Evan Payne. If Reese got to work right away, she’d be able to get the ceiling painted before he showed up for his first afternoon on the job. Suddenly, at this thought, she became overwhelmed with feelings of uncertainty. In the two times she’d seen Evan, Reese had already felt tension brewing between them. They were from two different worlds, and she wasn’t sure if this arrangement could work. Then there was the issue of her family. They were going to hit the roof when they found out that Evan Payne, a convicted rapist, was working for her. That she believed in his innocence would be irrelevant to them. 22
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Nevertheless, she didn’t have time to worry about that now. She’d already hired him, and there was work to be done. With hands on her hips, Reese assessed the house. Again, she became flustered with the enormity of it all but tried focusing on her bedroom and its good points. The woodwork throughout was original. Besides the ceiling, the bedroom moldings were only in need of a coat of cleaning oil to bring them back to their previous luster. The windows, of course, needed washing, but it was a normal task that could be done in no time. Reese threw on a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt, then went to the cellar for the paint supplies, which had been delivered yesterday. She had instructed the deliveryman to place them on the shelves that ran along the wall at the top of the basement stairs. As she opened the cellar door, looking through the variety of paintbrushes and paints, Reese became blatantly aware of a dreadful smell coming from the rooms below. It wasn’t an odd scent, rather an unpleasant one, one she didn’t plan on further inspecting. The faster Reese got the supplies out of there, the better. She pressed the old pushbutton light switch only to find that the electricity didn’t work. For her sake, Reese hoped Evan knew his way around an electrical box, too. She grabbed two large brushes, a gallon of ultra-hiding white paint, then left the smelly stairwell with a slam of the door. After a little effort, she found a ladder in one of the other five bedrooms upstairs. Reese carried it into the biggest room, which would soon be hers. The space was gigantic, facing the back of the house, with a balcony that overlooked the pool below. Other than the fact that a large master bath was adjoined to this room, the view was what she would appreciate most at the end of every day. The night before, Reese couldn’t help but notice how breathtaking it was with the moonlight illuminating off the water of the pool in shades of pink and blue. She could picture herself spending many nights out on the balcony, curled up with a good book, a glass of her favorite wine in her hand. 23
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Reese blinked against the sunlight, knowing now was not the time for relaxing thoughts. She looked down at the container of paint, deciding to get to work. Using a brush on the ceiling rather than a roller, Reese meticulously painted at an even pace. Covering the dirt-faded white with the new coat of paint gave the room a sense that a light had just been turned on. She went from one edge to the next, grateful for the blue tape she had purchased to protect the moldings from overspill. Reese had never been known to be a particularly neat painter. Come to think of it, this was her first handson project to date. Her job back in Cape Cod had only required her to sketch on paper other people’s dreams of a finished project. However, no matter the lack of experience, Reese was doing just fine with the painting until she heard Evan’s voice. The raspy, deep sound scared her half to death, causing her to drop the brush from the ceiling, down the side of her face and inevitably onto the hardwood floor below. Feeling his stare penetrating her body, she slowly lifted her eyes from the paint-splattered floor to find Evan standing in the bedroom doorway. “I knocked, but you didn’t answer,” he said, quickly picking up the brush to clean the floor before any further damage was caused from the paint. “And that gives you the right to just walk in and sneak up on me?” Reese asked, a little perturbed at the thought of anyone being able to walk freely into her house. Although I guess that’s what I get for not locking the door. “I’d hardly call it sneaking up on you.” He smirked. “What would you call it, then?” Reese looked down at the smear of white on the floor, then back at Evan. “Oh, you find this funny?” “No, it’s you I find funny.” Evan walked up to Reese, removing a rag from the back pocket of his jeans. He tried wiping the side of her face. But the second he made the advance, she guardedly pulled back, snatching the rag out of his hand, storming into the bathroom to wash up. Or had it been to get away? She wasn’t sure which. 24
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When Reese reappeared, he was on his hands and knees, cleaning up the remaining paint from the hardwood floor. For a minute, she stood there watching him, wondering if she’d be able to make it past him and to the doorway if need be. “Are you going to object to me cleaning this, too, or would you feel more comfortable if I walked back out that door?” he asked. “There’s no need to clean it.” She nodded to the floor, feeling selfconscious that Evan had observed the nervousness consuming her for that brief moment. “The carpet guys are coming this afternoon.” “You’re covering these floors up?” Evan asked, a bit surprised, as he got up and brushed the dust from his knees. “What can I say, I’ve never really cared for them. The pine is pretty and all, but it’s a soft wood for floors. It gets scratched too easily. Besides, I like the warmth of a thick carpet underneath my feet.” “That sounds very princess-like. The people who originally built this house would think it was a disgrace.” “Well, they don’t live here now, do they?” He hadn’t been there more than five minutes, yet Evan was already starting in on her. Princess-like. What nerve he had. “Whatever you say. You’re the boss.” Evan leaned against the wall, waiting for further instruction. “Let’s go downstairs and get to business.” “You sure you don’t want me to leave?” he asked. “If you still want this job, I suggest we get all the legalities out of the way.” “Like I said, you’re the boss.” He smiled at her, winning and charming. Reese went first and Evan followed. She led him into the kitchen. She needed to be sure to lay everything out on the table for this man, to make him aware of the things that needed fixed, replaced and all the other odds and ends that were in desperate need of being taken care of. 25
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However, the most important thing that Reese was going to make clear to Evan Payne was that she was the boss, one who did not have time for his games.
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Chapter Four “Why don’t I tell you what needs to be done? Then you can take a look around the place and give me an estimate of what it’ll cost.” Reese took the chair at the end of the table opposite Evan. “Of course any materials you need to buy, I’ll supply. I basically want you to tell me what you think you should get paid.” “I see money is still no object for you people,” he said. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Reese asked. “Most employers wouldn’t give me the option of telling them what I’m going to get paid. No… You want me to name my price, make me look like I’m asking for it.” Oh, was he bitter. Bitter and very judgmental. If Evan wanted her to take charge, then Reese didn’t have a problem doing so. “If that’s how you want to play it, you got it,” she said. “You’ll be paid fifteen dollars an hour and expected to put in a full eight-hour day.” She began to tack a list of points on her fingers. “Let me see, I’m in need of a plumber, an electrician, a carpenter―basically a jack-of-all-trades. The question is, can you handle it?” Reese raised her eyebrows, challenging him. “Lady, you need to slow down.” “There’s a lot to be done around here, and I don’t want—or care―to take the time to slow down. Now, are you taking my offer, or not?” She was beginning to lose her patience with Evan’s attitude, ready to withdraw the offer altogether.
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“Where do you want me to start?” Evan looked aimlessly around the old house. “I don’t think you really know what you’re getting yourself into.” “I absolutely do know what I’m getting myself into.” Reese glared at Evan until he raised both hands in the air, shrugging his shoulders in agreement. “I was just in the basement and noticed the switch isn’t working. Can you take a look at that first? You do know how to do electrical, right?” “Lead the way.” They both simultaneously pushed their chairs back and stood up. Evan never took his eyes off hers while waiting for Reese to show him to the basement. She wanted to scream with annoyance at the way he handled their conversations, but she was not going to let him know that he was getting to her. Scaring her, making her nervous, making her want to know more. Reese walked ahead of him, her head slightly to the side, trying to keep him visible out of the corner of her gaze until they reached the basement door. When she turned around to face him, she practically ran right into Evan’s chest, which wasn’t more than two inches away from her body. She jumped, gasping for air. “What now?” he asked. “I’m surprised you didn’t walk right over me.” “Has anyone ever told you you’re melodramatic?” “Can we just get to the problem with the switch?” she asked. The sooner they did that, the sooner Reese would be able to get back to the painting of her bedroom. And away from Evan Payne. “I’m waiting,” he said. Reese opened the basement door, then stepped aside. She wasn’t sure where the electrical box for the house was, but assumed he could find it. If not, Reese would throw it in his face for once, seeing as though he claimed to be such a know-it-all. She smiled at the thought of being able to state to him, What kind of an electrician doesn’t know where to find an electrical box? 28
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No, Reese told herself. She was not going to stoop to his level with a bunch of verbal games. After pointing to the old switch, she stood, watching as he tested it for himself. Evan looked up, then down the stairs. She wasn’t sure what he was expecting to happen. Nevertheless, she stood back, waiting for his reaction. “You’re right,” Evan said, looking at Reese. “It doesn’t work.” “What? Did you think I was making it up?” All he acknowledged her with was a shake of his head. Not only was it going to be a challenge restoring and fixing the old house, it was going to be nearly impossible to work with this man. If she hadn’t known him before, hadn’t once been secretly infatuated with him, it may not have been doable. Regardless of what everyone thought, Reese’s personal impression of Evan had to count for something. “What’s that awful smell?” he asked, covering his nose with the collar of his shirt. “I smelled it, too, but there was no way I was going down there to look.” “I don’t imagine you would, princess.” “Will you quit calling me that!” Evan laughed, then left her at the top of the stairs with her mouth half open, not giving her a chance to speak further. Well, she wasn’t going to wait for the verdict. There was too much to be done, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep in her own room that night. With the front door locked. When she reached the bedroom again, Reese didn’t waste any time finishing up the ceiling. Surprisingly, one coat of the new paint was enough to cover the old. She was pleased to see that the swirl effect of the unique plaster job was still visible through her touchup. Reese took the paint supplies back down the stairs to clean the brushes in the metal laundry sink off the kitchen. When she entered the room, the look of hesitation on Evan’s face was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. 29
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“What’s wrong?” she asked, setting the paintbrush in the kitchen sink for the time being. “I found out why your basement smells so bad.” “What is it?” She looked down at a black plastic bag he held in his hands. “It’s not a pleasant sight. Is there a garbage can in the garage or something I can put this in?” “It’s that bad?” “Just show me out to the garage. Trust me, you don’t want to know.” Reese did as he asked. They walked out through the back door in the direction of the four-car garage. The smell alone was making her nauseous, and she was sure he was right in not wanting her to see the bag’s contents. The garage was one part of the property that she hadn’t taken the time to inspect. When they walked through the side entry door, she could see that it was a mess. Old tires and tools were strewn everywhere. It almost looked as if someone had picked through everything. Reese walked over to the tool bench where large black letters were written on an old cardboard box. It was a message from her brother Steve saying, I took some of the old tools out of here. I knew you wouldn’t miss them. “Typical,” Reese said. “What’s that?” Evan nodded toward the box. “Just my brother being an ass, which is nothing new.” Steve had enough money to buy anything he wanted, yet he still felt the need to take what was now hers. “That’s an understatement,” Evan said, turning his back on her. She watched as he walked toward a metal can rusting in the back corner of the garage. He lifted the lid, placing the bag inside. Reese didn’t question Evan about his snide comment for fear that he would retaliate by opening the can back up and shoving whatever was in the bag right in her face. “I’m going to go take care of that switch,” he said. “It may need to be replaced, but I’ll let you know if that’s the case.” 30
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“Thanks.” She didn’t leave the garage. Reese fixed her eyes on Evan as he walked back to the house. Even though he had a rough demeanor, she knew there was more to Evan’s manner than he was willing to show. Reese thought back to high school, remembering the sweet smile he had always given her when they passed in the halls. It had been so unlike the disturbing one he wore these days. All the same, Reese had to admit, Evan was having an effect on her. She could recall how, back then, that smile of his had caused something to flutter through her stomach every time she had caught sight of him. Now it was happening all over again, but present circumstances made it hard for her to accept. As far as everyone in this town would be concerned, she’d be crazy to keep such close quarters with the man. Let alone be distracted from the real truth at hand―his past. Suddenly, she found herself wondering if any woman had ever trusted him after what he’d been accused and convicted of doing. He was definitely a very sexy man, but Reese was smart enough to know that looks could be deceiving. She didn’t imagine that he would’ve had an easy time finding a girlfriend with everybody knowing of the rape charge on his record. Reese never set out to be anyone’s savior, but she did feel there were certain people in this world who deserved a fair shot at life. Was Evan Payne one of them? she still wondered. If he was, she would be willing to give him that shot no matter what crime they claimed he had committed. But how could she ever be sure? Could it really be that he had done time for someone else’s sin, like she had thought back then? Reese wasn’t sure why she felt so strongly about this, so confused. It was just one of those things she couldn’t explain. However, was putting her own well-being in jeopardy worth trying to figure it out? She went back into the house to finish polishing up the crown moldings in her room before the carpet installers arrived. As Reese completed the task, 31
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more odds and ends started to become apparent. Most noticeably, the teardrop chandelier, which was the focal point of the room, needed to be taken down, piece by piece, and thoroughly cleaned. Maybe she was kidding herself in thinking that she would only need the help of one person to assist her with the renovations. If she was going to complete everything she wanted to do with this house in a reasonable amount of time, Reese was going to need a whole contracting company to help her. But she hadn’t wanted that to begin with, people tearing through the house at all rates of speed, nicking and scratching walls and furniture along the way. In the end, she had nothing to do but spruce the old place up and all the time in the world to do it. So Evan Payne, you’d better be ready, Reese thought. Instead of removing the crystals individually, she climbed back up the ladder with a bottle of glass cleaner and a rag to save on time. The footsteps on the stairway alerted her to Evan’s approach. This time she wasn’t going to let him scare her practically off the ladder. When he stepped into the doorway, Reese was prepared. “I’m going to have to replace the switch, and I don’t think you’ll want to stay with the old-fashion type that’s there now,” he told her. “Whatever makes it easier for you,” she said without looking his way, setting the cleaner on the top rung of the ladder as she carefully descended. “It’s just a light switch.” Reese hadn’t had a chance to get together the funds to purchase some of the things the house would require. So she walked past him, went down the stairs and outside to the trunk of her car. Evan seemed to follow at a safe distance, waiting for her to get whatever she needed from the vehicle. Had he picked up on her uncertainties of him being so close? “I want you to buy anything you need for this job. Tools, supplies, whatever you think.” Reese fished her credit card out of her wallet and handed it to Evan. She had been guilty of trusting the wrong people a time or two before and hoped she wasn’t making the same mistake now. 32
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“You’re handing over the Abbot credit card?” He looked at her, feigning shock. “Are you sure you want to do that?” “It’s my credit card. Is there a reason why I shouldn’t trust you with it?” she calmly questioned. “I was kidding.” Evan put the card securely in his wallet. “If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m an honest man.” He stopped for a moment, his heavy stare accentuating his statement. “But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to turn over every receipt to the boss.” “I didn’t doubt that you’d have it any other way.” Reese grabbed her purse, which she’d forgotten earlier in the car, and turned to go back inside. Then she decided to leave Evan with one last reminder. “I’m serious. Buy whatever you think you’ll need.” “Wait a minute,” he called out before she walked through the door. “What kind of switch do you want? Something fancy, I’m sure.” “Evan, it’s for the basement, for God’s sake. I’m not that particular, no matter what my last name is.” With that said, Reese continued on her way, hoping to have clarified that fact once and for all. *** His eyes followed her until she was no longer in view. Evan had told himself that he would stop throwing her name in her face, but he couldn’t help it. Pushing Reese away with sarcastic words made it easier for him to hide his true feelings. Those feelings could never come out. Reese Abbot was turning out to be somewhat of a complication in his life. One he didn’t need. Yet there were things he couldn’t take away from her. She seemed to be nothing like her family, and she was offering him the chance to do a job he loved. Again, he asked himself: At what cost? Every time he was around Reese, Evan felt as if he was going to come unglued. The way she squinted her eyes at him when she was angry, the way 33
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she bit down on her lower lip when she was nervous. Every little action drove him out of his mind. So much so that Evan had to keep reminding himself that being around a woman like her could land him right back in prison. No way. He would never let that happen again. But he needed the money, needed to get out of that tiny apartment and get on with his life. He was here to do a job. That’s it. He would help Reese renovate the house, then he’d be gone. It was as simple as that. Evan started his pickup truck, backed out of the driveway and drove to the hardware store located in the center of town. However, he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of having Reese’s credit card and being told to buy whatever he needed. He was sure he would require quite a few things, tools included, to successfully get her house in the shape she wanted. But Evan still didn’t think he could buy anything more than the switch for the cellar stairway without feeling as though he was taking advantage. It had been a long time since he’d last entered the doors of the hardware store. Most of the work he’d done the past couple of years had been classic seasonal jobs―working for painting companies, sealing driveways, plowing snow in the winter, anything to pay the rent. From what he could remember, the old man behind the counter hadn’t cared much for him, but Evan was prepared to tolerate him while getting the supplies for Reese. It wasn’t as though he had a choice in the matter, as it was the only hardware store in town. Evan opened the door, annoyed by the clanking sound of the bell that was attached to the inside handle, hoping for no conflicts. The stares, the whispering, it all seemed to go hand in hand wherever he went, but he wasn’t up for an altercation right now. “It’ll be a couple of minutes yet, Mr. Payne,” the clerk said politely. Evan stopped and looked around. From what he could see, he was the only one in the store. Did I hear him right? Did he actually call me ‘Mr. Payne?’ 34
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Nobody had ever paid Evan that much respect. The clerk must have noticed Evan’s confusion and went further as to explain himself. “Miss Abbot just called, said you needed some supplies.” He handed Evan a piece of paper, a list of some sort. “I wrote a few things down. If you can think of anything else, might as well get them while you’re here.” Evan looked down at the list. It contained everything from sandpaper to power tools. He knew Reese couldn’t have ordered all this stuff. She must have left it up to the clerk’s discretion. Didn’t she think Evan was capable of getting everything? “Thanks,” Evan said, looking up from the sheet. “Was there anything else Miss Abbot said?” “Oh, yes, don’t worry about the charge. We have an account set up for the job. When you need something, just come on in. She took care of all the details.” “I’m sure she did,” Evan mumbled under his breath, certain now of the reason for the sudden change from the prior instructions she’d given him. “What was that?” the man asked with acute awareness. “I’ll be sure to do that,” Evan said, trying to cover up his real comment. That clerk hadn’t fooled him. He was trying to be polite, but Evan could see right through it. The same old questionable look in his eyes, underneath the sudden fake manners, was still there after all these years. Then there was Reese. She would probably ask for her credit card back when he returned to the house. To think that she would have actually trusted him with it had been a huge mistake on Evan’s part. For that reason precisely, he was not going to let his guard down where Reese was concerned. She was an Abbot after all. Off Evan went, looking through the many aisles of tools, cleaners and plumbing supplies. You name it, it was there. To get this job done, it was going to cost Reese one hefty bill. But that was her problem, not his. 35
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The house had so much potential, and Evan could understand why Reese wanted to make the most of it. He’d give her that much. Hell, if he had the money she did, he would do it, too. Funny thing was, Evan would do things exactly the same way as Reese was planning. With everything loaded in his truck, he walked out of the hardware store, sales slip in hand and, surprisingly, a bit of newfound respect gained from old Mr. Trenton. Whatever his motives were, it was nice, for once, to have a friendly conversation without the past coming back to haunt Evan during midsentence. He took it easy on the drive home. The brick roads tended to rattle his truck, even at a slow speed, and he didn’t want to risk any of the things in the back getting broken or marred. He hadn’t planned on buying all these supplies. But since Reese had made a point to call the store with the order, Evan was coming back with a truckload. He’d felt like a kid in a candy store back there. He would’ve never been able to buy things in such quantities without missing the money it cost, even if he’d had a full-time, good paying job. Families like Reese’s didn’t know how great they had it. Evan wasn’t from money, so he had learned at a young age to work for everything he owned―which wasn’t much but at least it was his. Furthermore, there wasn’t one person in this town who had made it easy for him. Not until Reese came along. One thing was for sure. He had never had a job like this before, doing what he truly loved. And getting paid fifteen dollars an hour for doing it wasn’t too shabby. It was going to take a lot of hours—more like months—to complete the work in and around that house. Some damn good money in his pocket. Things could have been worse, a lot worse. However, Evan had a feeling he was in for the ride of his life. Reese Abbot was feisty and beautiful, a dangerous combination, one that could bring him to the point of ecstasy or drop him right back into the depths of hell. 36
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Chapter Five While the carpet guys were upstairs, installing her new, plush, burgundy rug, Reese decided to again walk the grounds. There were so many gardens, but the years of neglect were more than apparent. She would probably be better off mowing them all down, but the thought of starting over was too much for her to deal with. She had so many plans for the place, plans that didn’t include her family. They wanted no part of it. They had made that clear enough. Frankly, Reese couldn’t have been happier. If they were around, they’d only ruin everything. For once in her life, this was all hers and no one could take it away. Not even the almighty Abbots. Reese’s visions were mainly of an idealistic place where she could spend her days in her office, creating architectural dreams for others, and her nights with the love of her life in these gardens, basking in the moonlight. Yet her soul mate still had a blank face in these fantasies. College for Reese had been nothing but one big party. The atmosphere she’d lived in hadn’t provided the opportunity to meet anyone who she could have a meaningful future with―not one that would totally fulfill her, anyway. Her family, on the other hand, would have approved of the men she’d dated, but Reese was sick of having to base her happiness on their approval. Dating had been a joke. When a man found out she was the daughter of the college’s biggest benefactor, all they saw were dollar signs. She had the same problem during the short time since coming back to this town, too. All
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the guys were interested in Reese’s money, or working for her father, rather than getting to know her. Reese had decided for the time being that she was going to keep to herself. She hadn’t been back for too long but quickly determined that being alone was better than associating with half the males in Wild Ridge. However, as she walked among the wildflowers, the needs came rushing back. Why now, after Reese had already decided she liked it this way, she didn’t know. Or did she know exactly why but was too scared to acknowledge it? She didn’t want to admit it, but something about Evan Payne stirred an unknown anxiety deep inside her. Maybe it was the uncertainties in his voice that made him alluring in her mind, or maybe the way his eyes always felt as though they were burning right through her. No matter how much she wanted to, Reese couldn’t ignore that for some strange reason she was being drawn to this potentially dangerous, mysterious man. Reese knew Evan was troubled. She’d be blind not to see that. And that fact alone caused a red light to flash wildly in her head. To dare visualize him as anything other than an employee would be asking for problems. Especially from someone who’d already had so many of his own. “You’ve got to be out of your mind for even thinking such things,” Reese said out loud, sitting on a limestone bench, closing her eyes, shaking her head at the craziness of it all. “So, you’re reading my mind now, are you?” At first, Reese was startled by the other voice coming from behind her when she had thought she was alone. Then realized she was more embarrassed than anything, hoping that he hadn’t comprehended what her outburst was pertaining to. Evan had a way of appearing stealthily and completely without her notice. She hated that about him. “I was just talking to myself. I didn’t see you there,” she said. “What were you saying? Is there something on your mind?” 38
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“As a matter of fact, there is.” “And?” Reese could tell by the expression on his face that he wasn’t very pleased. He reached into his shirt pocket and tossed her something―the credit card. “I don’t appreciate the fact that you hand me this, even after I questioned you about it, then turn around and set-up this account. Why didn’t you do that to begin with? Are you trying to get some point across to me?” Reese was a little taken back by Evan’s remark. “What are you talking about?” “Well, let’s see. I get to the store and the guy tells me that everything’s been taken care of. An open account to buy anything I want and a list of things to go with it. I suppose you gave him strict orders on how to act, too. That man has never given me more than an evil glare in his life.” Evan pulled a neatly folded slip of paper from his pocket. “I just find it funny that the minute I leave, you call the hardware store.” He took a step closer. “What’s the matter, Reese, not so trusting after all, are you?” “I just thought―” “Here. The first dent in your open tab. Feel free to do a checklist of the supplies in my truck.” As a reflex, Reese reached out, grabbing his arm as he tried to walk away. Feeling the strength beneath Evan’s skin almost made her run for cover, forgetting all about how angry he had made her. Almost. “Let me tell you something,” she said. “I did call after you left but only because I was afraid they’d give you a hard time about using my card. And you’re damn right I told him to treat you with respect.” She was furious and totally fed up with his accusations. “I’m a grown man, Reese. I think I can handle the little old guy down at the hardware store, and I don’t appreciate a woman arranging pleasantries for me.” 39
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“Is that what you think I did?” “That’s exactly what you did,” Evan hissed through clenched teeth. “It just proves a sickening point―when an Abbot speaks, people listen.” “I’ve never used my name to pull rank in this town. You’ve implied some pretty outlandish things to me, but I can’t believe you would accuse me of that.” Although why should she assume any differently? He hardly knew her at all. “I just figured it was time people around here stopped treating you like dirt. But if you’re okay with it, then it’s fine with me. Sorry to have bruised your ego. I’ll never make the mistake of trying to help you again.” “And how do you know that I don’t deserve to be treated like dirt?” “I don’t.” Reese stomped back along the stone path. As she headed up the front porch of the house, she almost crashed right into the two men carrying a roll of carpet. That was the last straw. If Reese thought she could save this man from his own past, she must have been out of her mind. Evan Payne was going to do more than help her with this house. He was going to downright drive her insane, and she was beginning to think that had been his plan all along.
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Chapter Six Reese appeared to have made the arrangements with his best interests in mind. Or so she had said. Evan knew he’d gone too far this time, but he wasn’t used to anyone doing or saying the things she had in his defense. Hell, he wasn’t sure how he felt about any woman acting this way for him, let alone Reese. He had always been his own man. Evan needed this job, but his mistrust of Reese was getting the best of him. If he wanted to survive the summer, Evan would have to make some changes, learn not to take everything she did and said so literally. He was a grown man, and it would be to his benefit to start acting like one. No more games, no more smart comments, just a clean working relationship. Evan needed to take that approach because an opportunity like this wouldn’t be coming his way any time soon. If ever again. The truck needed unloading, and Evan took it upon himself to clear a space in the garage for the things he’d bought. For the time being, he put all the cleaning supplies, along with the paint, wood putty and caulk, on the metal shelves alongside the back wall. The wooden cabinets were full of all sorts of things, including old tools―some rusty, some not. He was sure that many of them were still in good working order. Later, he would take the time to sort through the mess and see what could be salvaged, but right now the switch in the basement required Evan’s immediate attention. 41
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When he went back into the house, Reese was nowhere in sight, and Evan wasn’t about to go looking for her…or for trouble. He went straight to the cellar and shut off the power to the switch before installing it. The smell down there wasn’t as strong since he’d removed the three dead cats, but it was still apparent. Reese would have freaked out if she had found them. He was sure of that. If she thought the smell was bad, the sight had been even worse. Taking the old plate off the switch, Evan made sure the wiring wasn’t frayed before hooking up the new, modern control. He hated to think of rewiring a huge house like this. From what Evan could tell, inspecting the newer wires, it wouldn’t be necessary because someone else clearly had mastered the task a few years back, making it easy for him to complete the installation. However, his work wasn’t done yet. The true test would be making sure it worked. If it still didn’t, Evan’s job would become more difficult than he’d expected. He went down the stairs, turned the breaker on and headed back to the top. “All right, here goes.” He flipped the switch to the on position and smiled with relief as the light shined above and below the narrow stairwell. Evan pulled a rag from his tool belt, wiping away at the grease marks that his fingers had left on the white plate while screwing it into the wall. “One thing down, only a couple hundred more to go.” Reese had mentioned that her first priority was to complete the master bedroom. Earlier, he had watched her storm past the carpet guys, so Evan knew they were up in her room now. It looked as though he had no other choice but to locate Reese and find out what to do next. He promised himself that after today, he’d have her jot down everything that needed to be done. No more running to Reese after every chore like some schoolboy. He’d been hired to do this job, but Evan was going to have some say in how things were handled around there. 42
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Just as Evan was closing the basement door, he heard a low but clear sound coming from below. He flipped the light back on and listened. Sure enough, his ears hadn’t deceived him. He quietly descended the stairs, on the lookout for whatever was making the noise. When Evan reached the very last step, it became apparent where the sound was coming from. Earlier, he had found the decaying cats directly beneath the staircase. Although at the time, there hadn’t been proof of any having survived, he could see now that the dead cats weren’t the only ones who had once called this spot their home. Slowly kneeling down, reaching in with a gentle touch, he picked up the scared kitten, little more than a ball of fur. Evan couldn’t tell its gender for sure, but he could see that it wasn’t more than a couple of months old. It was the cutest thing. That was evident enough, even to a guy like Evan, who didn’t care much for cats. Lord knows how long it had been down there all by itself, without any sure means of nourishment. Walking back up the stairs, Evan went to the kitchen to get some water. Until he found Reese, that’s really all he could do. Once Evan spotted a plastic bowl on one of the pantry shelves, he put the kitten and the water in the backroom, shutting the door on his way out. He could hear a female voice coming from upstairs, so it was as good a place as any to look for Reese. Evan found her sitting in the doorway of the bedroom, talking to the two men who were finishing up the carpet job. She must have heard his heavy footsteps on the solid oak stairs because she turned as Evan reached the top. At the sight of him, Reese’s previous look of pleasantness was replaced with aversion. “Back so soon for more orders?” He knew that their argument in the garden was still fresh in her mind; the tone in her voice said as much. “That’s only part of it.” Even though she was mad, Evan didn’t appreciate Reese talking to him like that in front of the other workers. “I think you better come down to the kitchen before you start throwing your commands my way.” 43
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Evan could be as mocking―if not more―if need be. “Is there a problem?” She stood up, changing her manner at once. “Not really, but I think you should see for yourself,” he replied, not waiting for Reese to react as he turned his back on her. This time Evan led the way down the stairs and into the old country-style kitchen. He didn’t immediately show her what he had found, and Reese looked around with confusion. “What’s going on?” Reese’s arms went up in question. “Everything looks the same as it did this morning.” “If you were expecting that the ceiling had caved in, or something along those lines, sorry to disappoint you.” “You’re the one who told me there was a problem, so quit being so sarcastic and tell me what was so important for you to drag me down here.” “You act like you were busy or something. Flirting with the help doesn’t suit you, Reese.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Evan was furious with himself for implying such a thing. Apparently he wasn’t the only one. “Where do you get off?” she asked, frowning. Not responding to her statement, Evan opened the door to the washroom and waited for Reese to catch sight of the abandoned kitten. She looked at him in amazement and he leaned up against the wall. He felt angry and frustrated―about the credit card, the hardware account, Reese getting to him, reacting to her, the way he had felt seeing those two men gawking at her in the bedroom upstairs… The kitten was still rapidly lapping down the water he’d placed in front of it not five minutes ago. For a short time, Reese just looked from the cat to Evan, then back to the malnourished animal. “Where’d you find her?” Reese smiled, carefully picking up the kitten, inspecting it from head to toe. “If you think I bought it for you as some kind of peace offering, don’t flatter yourself.” 44
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“Can’t you be serious for once?” she asked with a glare. “I had just finished up with the switch when I heard this whining sound coming from the basement.” “She was all by herself down there?” “Not exactly,” Evan said, knowing he would have to tell Reese about the others. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She smoothed the fur on the kitten’s head. “Either she was or she wasn’t.” “For a time she wasn’t alone but has been for a while now,” Evan said, squinting his eyes and mouth. “Are you following what I’m trying to tell you?” “You mean…the bag you took out to the garage?” “Yeah. There was a full-grown cat and two other kittens, but they were much smaller than this one.” He took a step closer, scratching underneath its chin. “Did your aunt have cats?” “Not that I was aware of, but I’ve lived out of town for years.” Reese thought to herself for a moment. “If I remember correctly, my aunt didn’t like cats. The mother must’ve gotten in through the basement window and had her kittens down there.” “Well, it’s yours now,” Evan said, for the first time noticing a different, softer, nearly maternal side to Reese. “I guess so.” She looked down at the kitten, then back at Evan. “She’s lucky you found her.” “Yeah, I have to agree with you on that.” “And that’s a hard thing to do, agree with me?” Reese returned his conspicuous glare. Evan noticed her eyes falling briefly to his lips. When she looked back up, he locked Reese’s gaze with his. Evan couldn’t read her mind but knew there was something going on between them…something deeper than all the opposing conversations they’d had, something that neither of them wanted to admit had started back when they were kids, back before he’d been sent to prison for rape. 45
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And it scared the hell out of him. Evan couldn’t deal with this type of emotion. It would only cause him more misery. Somehow he was able to break the line of intensity between them, dropping his gaze and leaving Reese standing alone in the kitchen. Evan knew if he didn’t get out of there now―and fast―there was no telling what he might do. Damn her! The rest of the day was mostly spent on getting her master bedroom finished. When Reese left the house with the kitten, Evan assumed she was on her way to the veterinarian. He watched her leave through the bedroom window, where he was in the midst of setting up her furniture. The bed that had been delivered was a king-size with five-foot tall, engraved posts. The chest of drawers, dresser and nightstand had the same ivy leaves carved into them, as well. It was a very elegant outfit, but Evan hadn’t expected anything less from Reese Abbot. A classy woman like her, it was only appropriate that she slept in style, too. Earlier in the kitchen, Evan had wanted so badly to press Reese up against the wall and cover her mouth with his. The hunger was there in her eyes, too, but he couldn’t let himself cross that line. Kissing Reese Abbot would have put him on treacherous ground. And asking for trouble was so much worse than creating it on his own.
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Chapter Seven Reese looked down at the curled up kitten resting on her passenger’s side seat and sighed. She hadn’t planned on getting a pet but couldn’t very well abandon it. The poor thing had already been alone for who knew how long. It now made Reese sick to her stomach to think about the bag Evan had brought up from the lower depths of the house. At least he had found it and not her. The scene alone would have left images in her mind, ones she would just as soon not have. After dropping the kitten off at the vet’s, getting it the proper care it was desperately in need of, Reese drove over to the local department store. She wanted to shop for a set of curtains and a bedspread, matching if possible. Although her bedroom was only a small part of what needed to be remodeled in the house, she felt good knowing that it was almost complete. Reese thought back to the earlier confrontation with Evan out by the flower garden. His accusations had made her so angry. But after cooling off a bit, Reese realized that she really couldn’t blame him for jumping to such crazy conclusions. Living through the entire ordeal of being prosecuted, then branded as a rapist must’ve been unbearable for him, whether he had been guilty or not. It hadn’t been Reese’s intentions to make Evan feel as though she didn’t trust him, even if the distrust had entered her mind repeatedly since the first day he’d shown up at her door.
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She’d realized after he had left for the hardware store that Old Man Trenton would most likely accuse him of stealing her credit card. That’s why she had called to open an account, preventing a disaster from happening. Yet her good intentions had backfired, leaving Evan with the thought that she hadn’t trusted him. Didn’t it mean something to him that Reese had given him a job, totally disregarding his past and what the rest of the town had convicted him of? Reese could tell by the look in his eyes, before he had turned away, leaving her standing in the kitchen, that Evan was a man with feelings. Feelings that went way deeper than he was willing to show. While Evan’s annoying remarks nearly drove her to insanity, Reese longed to know what was beneath his rough exterior. Longed to know the truth. Reese wanted to ask Evan so many different questions, just to verify her feelings from the memories of the past, memories that had once convinced her of his innocence. Reese knew she needed to be very careful because approaching Evan Payne wasn’t an easy thing to do. More importantly, her curiosities could lead to putting herself in one hell of a dangerous situation. He would be apt to turn the whole thing into a huge mess. Evan would think that she doubted him for sure and storm away again. If that happened, she would never get the chance to tell him that wasn’t the case at all. No, Reese wasn’t prepared to risk it, not right now, not when she had to prove to her family that she could do this job on her own. The quick stop at the department store turned out to be a productive errand. She had found just the right curtains and a matching bedspread with an almost identical pattern to her wall border. Plus, the dark specks of burgundy would go great with the new rug. Driving back through the center of town, Reese could smell the delicious aroma of barbecue. She rolled the window all the way down as her stomach 48
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rumbled with hunger. She had skipped breakfast, as usual, and hadn’t thought about eating lunch. Until now. Expect now was almost suppertime, and Reese had to eat. Wait a minute, what about Evan? she thought. If she was this hungry, Evan, being a healthy man and all, was probably starving. She shook her head, scowling. Why in the hell did she even care about Evan Payne after how he had acted? Yet Reese did. She turned into the empty parking lot, which was being used as a temporary setup for a seasonal barbeque business. She got out of the car and went to get a couple of dinners to go. She looked at the menu above as she approached the makeshift counter, not paying any attention to anything but the convenient fast food options. “Reese, is that you?” a male voice asked. She looked down from the menu into a familiar face. “Jeff Rockwell,” she said with a smile, feeling stupid for having not noticed him right away as he stood there filling an empty holder with a stack of napkins. “I didn’t know you were back in town. How’ve you been?” “Pretty good. I moved back a little while ago. I’m living in the house on Manchester Road.” “Your aunt’s old place,” Jeff expressed with a sympathetic nod. “We were real sorry to hear about her death. At one time, she was our most loyal customer.” He nodded across the street at Tortelli’s, the town’s fanciest―and most expensive—restaurant. “You work there?” Reese asked. “Yep, you’re looking at the assistant chef. I’m just doing this on the side.” “How’s the restaurant business these days?” “Great. You should stop in for dinner sometime.” “I’ll do that.”
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Reese put in her order for two chicken dinners with all the trimmings and waited while Jeff went to the refrigerated delivery truck to get a fresh batch of potato salad. That’s when she remembered. The girl who had accused Evan Payne of assault had been Anne Mitchell, the daughter of the owner of Tortelli’s, the restaurant across the street. As if that recollection hadn’t been enough to startle Reese, causing all of the mental warnings and insecurities of putting herself in such close proximity with Evan to flood her mind, the sight of Anne herself walking back to the counter with Jeff really did. “Reese, you remember Anne, don’t you?” Jeff asked as he came back with a ten-pound tub of salad. “I’m sure she remembers, although Reese and I were never friends in high school,” Anne said with a dismissive tone as she continued to walk right past Reese. “She’s right, Anne was always in a league of her own,” Reese couldn’t help saying to Jeff after paying him for the meals. Letting out a laugh, he said, “It’s good to have you back in Wild Ridge.” The whole way home, Reese couldn’t get the horrific images out of her mind: Anne and Evan, Evan attacking Anne, Anne screaming for dear life for someone―anyone―to rescue her from the clutches of such a violent, degrading human being. It didn’t fit the character of the man who had so caringly rescued an ill-fated kitten from her basement that morning. The snide look on Anne’s face today merely reminded Reese that there had to be more to the story than the cops knew about―or had bothered to even find out. If Evan had attacked her, Reese still had a hard time viewing Anne Mitchell as a victim. Being that it had been an open-and-shut case, in the matter of weeks the investigation had lasted, the police couldn’t have looked into all the possibilities. Or could it be that Reese was being delusional? 50
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She really didn’t know any more about Evan than she did about Anne, other than Anne had earned quite the reputation back in high school when it came to sex. But it was only a feeling Reese had. One she couldn’t shake. If there was one time she wished she could ignore her curiosity it was now. The last thing she wanted was Evan thinking she was being nosy or worse. Reese began to worry about another inevitable problem she had on her hands: her parents. She was going to have to tell her family that Evan Payne was working for her. She couldn’t quite find the nerve to inform them of it now but knew they were bound to find out sooner or later. She hoped it would be later, hoped she could keep her new employee a secret. What are the chances of that happening in this town? When it came down to it, Reese filled herself with some much-needed encouragement. Her family would have to accept her decision. This was her house now and her life to live. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy with them interfering. However, one thing Reese wasn’t going to tolerate was any of them coming around the house making a scene in front of Evan, fueling his initial assessment of her last name. As she pulled up the driveway, he was emerging from the garage. The day had turned out to be extremely humid, the burning rays of the sun still beating down from the sky. She could see the sweat trickling down his brow, and watched as Evan wiped at it with the back of his hand. While he was still far enough away not to notice, Reese let her gaze drop down the rest of his body. He was a gorgeous man. That much was obvious. So much so that Reese found it hard to believe that Evan would need to force himself on any woman. But she knew rape wasn’t about sex and attraction. It was about dominance, about overpowering and degrading a person just to prove that one could, making him superior to everything around him. Her eyes traveled down Evan’s arms, following the contours of his muscles. Although not overbearing, they proved that, if need be, Evan could 51
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easily restrain a woman and control her thrashing body with the strength of his own. No, Reese thought. There was no way she would hire such a man. Evan Payne, hidden secrets and all, a smile that had sent Reese through the dreaded desires of adolescence, still had to be the guy she once remembered. The guy she had never known… “It’s been way too long,” she said under her breath before he walked into earshot, rubbing the chills from her bare arms as she walked around to the trunk of her car. After collecting the bag containing the comforter and curtains, Reese carried them to the front porch. She went back to get the Styrofoam food containers, wishing now that she hadn’t stopped at the barbecue stand, knowing that sharing something as simple as a meal with Evan wasn’t a position she needed to be putting herself in at that moment. “How’d you make out with your new pet?” Evan asked as he drew near. “She’s going to be just fine, thanks to you.” Reese used her hip to shut the door but found herself unable to move from under his penetrating stare. “I only did what anyone else would do.” “I guess.” “You guess?” Evan arched his brow as he took a step toward her, his eyes sparkling with sudden mischief. “Could it be that you’re surprised I didn’t leave it in the basement to die, maybe torture it a little before I brought it upstairs?” “Of course not!” Reese shoved a carton of food in his chest, playing right into Evan’s attempt at taunting her. He grinned. “You’re real cute when you get mad, you know that?” “And you have a real nice way with words.” Reese turned away from him, setting the carton on the hood of the car, replacing the dinner roll that was threatening to fall from the half opened container. 52
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Reese wasn’t sure which she noticed first…his arms as he drew them along either side of her, his own dinner being placed next to hers or the warmth of Evan’s breath suddenly grazing her neck. She stiffened at his closeness. “You looked flushed,” he whispered, taking a step back. Reese turned to face him, innocently yet dangerously close to Evan Payne. “Do I?” She patted her palm to her cheek. It was one thing for her to become nervous around Evan, but Reese wished she had done a better job of hiding it. “Must be the sun. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s a scorcher out here.” “Are you sure that’s all it is?” He watched Reese with intensity searing from his eyes, making her feel as though he could see right through her clothes. “Yes,” she said, hating that she had visibly let him get to her with cutting remarks. In order to regain control, not wanting this man to ever know of her insecurities where his past was concerned, Reese went on to challenge him. “But if it’s so off the wall, why don’t you tell me what you think it is, then? It’s not like you’re not sweating yourself.” Evan looked down at his chest, then back at Reese with another grin. “I’m glad you noticed.” He walked in closer, lightly stroking her cheek, brushing aside a wild strand of hair. “I think we really have our answer now, don’t we?” This time, his touch felt anything but intimidating. It almost felt normal. But Reese had to remind herself that there was nothing normal about this situation. She was the daughter of the richest man in town. And Evan was still an ex-con. Bottom line, she needed to back away, needed to regain her position as the professional. “Don’t flatter yourself.” Reese left it at that, turning to gather the food before the potato salad spoiled in the hot sun. 53
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“Need any help?” “Are you hungry?” She raised a brow, holding up the containers. “Famished.” Evan took the food from her arms and stood back, waiting to see in which direction she was headed. Reese grabbed the bags off the porch, then entered the house. After throwing them on the nearby loveseat, in the front sitting room, she led him to the kitchen. He must be really hungry, Reese thought, seeing as Evan had let the conversation about the effects of the weather drop, not arguing one bit when she offered him dinner. She decided it was a good step in the right direction, a step toward a good working relationship. Still, she wasn’t sure if it had been the heat or in fact the loneliness in her life that had caused her to react to Evan’s touch. If only… There were too many if onlys. “We’re going to have to eat right out of the containers. I haven’t even begun to unpack this kitchen.” Reese handed Evan a set of plastic silverware wrapped in a napkin. “Your bedroom’s done.” He took the seat across from her. “Really?” “Really.” “Well?” she asked, excitement overwhelming her. “How’s everything look?” “Very girly.” “Hmm… You don’t like my roses?” Reese grinned. “I didn’t say that. It’s just a little too feminine for my taste.” Evan tore a chunk of the tender white meat from the chicken. “But it suits you to a tee, princess.” “I’m going to take that as a compliment.” “Good.” Evan nodded. “Thanks for dinner. This hits the spot.” 54
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“You’re welcome.” Reese went to the fridge for two cold beers, suddenly relaxing for nearly the first time since being back in Wild Ridge. “I was thinking…” “Here we go.” “Since you’re the one who found the cat, maybe you should keep her,” Reese suggested, ignoring his last comment. “Oh, no, I don’t think so.” Evan shook his head, then took a swig of beer. “I found it in your house. So if anyone’s keeping it, it’s you.” “I see your point. Having a cat is more a girly thing, right?” Reese asked with a smile. “Exactly.” *** After sharing a more-than-civilized meal together—something he hadn’t experienced in a very, very long time—Evan suggested that Reese go upstairs to see her new sleeping quarters. He had been extra careful when putting together the bed and bringing in the rest of the furniture, knowing the solid wood must have cost her a good penny. Not waiting for an invitation, Evan followed Reese up the grand staircase, her only objection being a slight sideward glance in his direction. Still, she continued on and so did he. When they reached the top, Evan stood back, just outside the room, watching Reese’s face shine with approval. She walked every inch of the space, looking from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. When she turned back to him, Evan felt it again—the burning need to spin Reese around and press her body hard against his. It had been far too long, too long since the last time he’d indulged in the pleasure of a woman surrendering to the eagerness of his touch. Sure, he’d had his fair share of sex, but this…this was different. Evan had an aching desire for this woman, a desire so strong, stronger than he’d ever known, one that would prove hard to resist. Hard to control. 55
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Although Reese Abbot was only two feet from him, she was way out of Evan’s reach. She was from money and he wasn’t. She was the town homecoming queen and he was the ex-con. That didn’t stop Evan from thinking about being with her, with or without anyone else’s approval. Evan slightly shook his head from one side to the other, forcing the thoughts from his mind before moving into the room to stand alongside her. “So…what do you think?” “It looks like it never left the showroom floor.” Once again she glanced around the large room. “I don’t know how you managed to bring all this stuff up here by yourself.” “That’s what you wanted, right, a one-man crew?” “Yeah, but I don’t want you breaking your back in the process.” Reese walked over to the bed and ran her fingers up one of the tall posts. “This craftsmanship is beautiful.” “I wasn’t sure where you wanted the furniture. We can move it if you want.” After a quick look out the window, Reese glanced nervously at her watch. “It’s getting late, and you’ve been here all day.” “It’s not like it’ll take us all night. Come on, where do you want this?” Evan pointed to the large chest of drawers. “I don’t know, I think it looks pretty good right where it’s at. And the bed, it’s exactly where it should be.” She stood back with a nod, her eyes meeting his. “Good thing, because I don’t think we’d be able to move it again.” Evan walked over to the other side of the room. “How about the dresser?” “It would probably look better away from the window, don’t you think?” “Did you really think I meant for it to stay directly in front of this picture window?” Evan went back out into the hall to get the dolly he had purposely left upstairs. He figured Reese would want to rearrange the room, expecting as much from a woman. 56
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“Of course not,” she said. “How about over on the far wall? Here, I’ll help you.” Before he could tell her no, to stay away, Reese was right next to him, shaking out an old blanket and placing it over the dolly. Evan slid it under the dresser, then pulled back. Reese moved out of his way as he rolled the piece of furniture to the other side of the room. “Perfect,” she said, walking over to Evan’s side. As he grabbed the blanket, Reese did the same, his hand grasping hers in the process. For a moment, their eyes met. He could feel the uneasiness stirring from within her, yet she didn’t pull back. The softness of her hand, the way it trembled in his was almost too much to take. The longer Reese stood there not showing any signs of retreating, the more he could feel his self-control begin to chisel away. It was too soon, too soon to be crossing any lines. Evan finally released her hand, folded the blanket in half and placed it over the handle of the dolly. If he hadn’t moved away, there was no telling what he might have done, where things might have gone. Suddenly, Evan realized he was feeling that way a lot lately―twice in one day―and it really bothered him. He was stronger than this. Damn it, I need to get a grip. Breaking the silence, he asked, “Everything’s where you want it?” “Yes, it looks amazing.” He couldn’t help but notice as Reese moistened her lower lip, appearing to gently bite down before saying, “Thanks again.” “It’s my job.” He needed to get the hell out of there before his willpower went out the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early. Goodnight, Reese.”
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Chapter Eight It was half past midnight, but no matter what, she could not get to sleep. Resting her head into the pillow, Reese looked out her window at the night sky and tried to distract herself with thoughts of Evan. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking of what had passed between them, wanting more? Or was he only trying to lull her into a false sense of security before making her his next rape victim? No, no way. The Evan she remembered was hidden somewhere deep beneath all the animosity in his eyes. Reese had seen a glimpse of the old Evan that night. Hadn’t she? She got up out of bed, walked into the adjacent bathroom and leaned over the edge of the garden tub, turning on the water as hot as it would go. Steam filled the room, making the idea of a bath more inviting, relaxing enough to sooth her body and hopefully help her to get some sleep. After adding a generous splash of lavender oil to the water, she removed her silk camisole and panties, then slid down into the large tub, willing her body to accept that the extreme heat would do it good. Reese closed her eyes in an attempt to clear her senses. She inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a moment, then slowly exhaled. She did this over and over, but to no avail. The stress reduction technique had worked for her so many times in the past. Why wasn’t it working tonight? Who was she trying to fool?
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She still couldn’t get Evan out of her head. From the moment their hands had touched, she’d been beside herself with desire. And Evan hadn’t been able to hide the hunger in his eyes, either. His hunger… What was behind his hunger? If only she had been brave enough to reach out and explore him more… Test him. And his motives. At the thought, Reese again felt the surge of longing deep within her body, only to be suffocated with thoughts of the girl who claimed that Evan Payne had taken her against her will. Reese’s eyes snapped open, but her mind escaped back nine years. In high school she’d always wondered how it would feel to have Evan’s mouth on hers, to be with someone so totally opposite from herself. Her parents would have pulled her right out of public school and shipped her off to some private, uniformed academy for girls had she even dared to take company with a boy of Evan’s background. And that was before he had been convicted and sent to prison. “Wait ’til they hear the latest,” she whispered with a nervous laugh. Although Reese was now an adult, they still treated her like a child, patronizing her at every turn. While any parent would’ve disapproved of their daughter being in the company of a convicted felon, Reese’s family would have found an excuse even if Evan hadn’t been an ex-con. As much as she would take pleasure in voicing her independence, Reese knew having him as an employee was bound to cause the both of them a lot of grief. Yet still, she smiled, knowing there wasn’t a damn thing her parents could do about it now. If only she could concentrate on the job she had ahead of her instead of wanting so much more… the past, the truth and the security of feeling safe while Evan was near.
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It was all so crazy, she knew it, but that didn’t stop her from wanting the man. There. She admitted it, admitted that maybe it hadn’t been just some rebellious attraction that she’d had for Evan Payne all those long years ago. If she asked, would Evan let her in? “I need to get a life,” Reese said as she laid a warm washcloth over her eyes, resting her head on the edge of the tub. Surely the fact that it had been four months since she’d last been held in someone’s arms had to be the reason why Reese was feeling so neglected as a woman. It hadn’t been a serious relationship; more like a night of spontaneous sex in the company of a friend. Two consenting adults in need of comfort with no strings attached. Up until that point in her life, she figured that was the best kind. Except now she wanted more, the whole fantasy. She wanted to experience, deep inside her soul, what it felt like to be loved, totally and completely. She wanted to feel the touch of a man’s fingers tracing from her lips to her feet, to hear him whispering in her ear through shallow breaths, to know what he was saying without any words at all. That’s what Reese wanted most. Except sometimes life could be so frustrating, so unfair. Furthermore, certain situations could be dangerous, she reminded herself, and things―people―weren’t always what they appeared to be. Evan Payne definitely was no exception. Throwing the washcloth on the side of the tub, Reese started to get up. That was when she first heard the noise coming from down the hall. It wasn’t a loud sound, more like a creak. All the same, it was disconcerting, especially being alone in the gigantic house. She reached for her robe, her hands trembling as she fumbled to pull it around her dripping body. Reese stepped out of the tub but went no further than the white throw rug on the bathroom floor. As stiff as a statuette, she stood there, listening. Nothing, no more strange sounds, only the crickets beyond the old, single-paned window. 60
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“Get a grip, Reese,” she instructed herself. “This is a two-hundred year old house you’re living in.” The noises would take a lot of getting used to. In fact, one of the downsides of living in this house was that everything squeaked, boards and all. After tying her robe, Reese bent down to release the drain of the tub. She collected her discarded clothes and went through the door to her bedroom. Just as she went to the nightstand to switch off her light, she heard it again. This time it wasn’t a creak. Was it footsteps? No, more like a scraping sound. Yes, a scraping sound but from where? All she knew was that it was coming from somewhere outside her bedroom door. Looking around her room for something―anything―to grab for defense, Reese went to her purse. Never in a million years had she thought when purchasing a gun, would she ever have to use it. Or even be put in a position to for that matter. But having lived alone back in Massachusetts, in a strange town, she had taken the training course, gotten her permit and bought it all the same. Hands shaking, the noise still very much apparent, Reese reached in her purse, pulling out the gun with caution. It wasn’t loaded, but the thought of holding a gun in her hand was anything but comfortable. Slowly, she opened her bedroom door, peering down the long hallway. Not seeing any signs of an intruder, Reese stepped out of her room, the gun in both hands, the metal cool against sweaty palms. Abruptly, a painstaking sound like nails on a chalkboard erupted from behind her… Reese jumped in fright, whipping around to face the culprit. “Oh, my, God!” Reese exhaled, rubbing her forehead as she walked to the window at the end of the hallway. From what she could see, it turned out to be nothing more than a branch, blowing in the wind, scratching the windowpane in response. Reese loosened her hold on the gun and sighed. 61
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Look at me. I’m jumping at shadows. Not to mention tree branches, she thought as she turned back around and headed downstairs. Maybe this house is just too big for me. She let out a tense laugh. What had she been thinking, grabbing her gun, actually believing that someone had been in the house? She had always loved the thought of having a huge home, and now she had one, so she’d better get used to all the empty noises it would bring. If only she had a man to share it with, someone to protect her, ease her mind when foolish occurrences such as these came upon her in the dead of the night. It would be so nice to have someone there with her. Reese poured herself a glass of red wine, sipping it as she stared out the kitchen window. The carriage house stood on the other side of the pool. It wasn’t as old as the main house, but the peeling paint and weather-beaten clapboard proved it had been neglected for many, many years. She hadn’t taken the time to look inside, but Reese would bet its rooms also needed to be brought up-to-date. After the remodeling, maybe she would invite a few of her old friends from Cape Cod to come and stay with her for a long weekend. Or… She set her wine glass down and went out the back door, not going any further than the porch. Evan would definitely have more room at the carriage house and be closer to home if the workdays tended to go on longer than the originally planned eight hours. Oh, the advantages of having him there could be endless. But the disadvantages… Having him living there would really put her family in an upheaval, especially since she hadn’t given them the heads up that he was working for her to begin with. While Evan living right next door was a stimulating thought, it was also sure to come with plenty of unwanted hassles. 62
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Ultimately she decided it was best to sleep on the idea, see if it still looked as tempting in the morning. If it did, she would make Evan the offer. Reese would have to be careful to approach the subject without sounding too charitable. If she knew anything about him, it was that he didn’t take kindly to handouts. She went back inside, up the stairs to her room and closed her eyes, letting her body sink effortlessly into the warmth of the king-size bed. Just as her mind drifted off, she thought she heard the faint sound of her front door latching shut, and then, moments later, the soft grumble of an engine starting up, driving away. That sounds like Evan’s pick up, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the wine. I must be dreaming… *** When Evan arrived that morning, Reese was busy washing down the walls in the sitting room. The bucket of soapy water, once clear, was now nothing more than a pool of sludge. It appeared as though these walls hadn’t been touched, let alone cleaned, in the last twenty years. She debated about removing the velvet blue wallpaper because of its dark shade. However, after she finished washing it, Reese decided to keep it. The paper was so unique and decorative. There was no way she would be able to find anything similar to it in this day and age. “I see you don’t waste any time,” Evan said, walking through the double wooden doors with a bakery bag in his hand. “Not the image you had of me, did you?” Reese asked as she threw the dirtied rag into the bucket below, surprisingly unnerved by Evan’s sudden appearance. “I bet you thought I’d still be in bed with a silk blindfold over my eyes.” “Now who’s the smartass?” Evan walked over to the wall and ran his hand along the fabric. “Do you think it’s too much?” 63
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“It’s different, that’s for sure.” He handed the bag to Reese as she climbed down from the ladder. “It seems to clean up pretty good though.” “Yeah, the years of dust made it seem darker than it actually was.” She opened the warm bag, taking in the sweet aroma. “For me?” “I didn’t see the maid around yesterday.” He gave Reese a sideward glance, but she still caught a glimpse of mischief in his eyes. “I wouldn’t want you to starve to death.” “I think what you’re really implying is that I can’t cook.” “You said it, not me. But since you got dinner last night, I thought I’d return the gesture.” “You didn’t have to do that.” Reese went to the kitchen to dig out the paper plates she had bought at the store yesterday. “You’re going to join me, aren’t you?” “I already ate.” “At least have a cup of coffee.” “Since you’re twisting my arm…” Regardless of him claiming to have already eaten breakfast, Evan sat down with her, enjoying the flaky croissants and blueberry muffins. Reese poured them each a glass of fresh orange juice, along with a cup of strong coffee to wash down the food. The whole scene at the table was so domesticated, exactly what she wanted out of life. Reese had set her alarm to ensure that she had gotten up extra early that day. Her plan had been to check out the condition of the carriage house before Evan arrived for work. As she had presumed, it appeared to have been empty for quite some time. The dust was a good inch thicker than it had been in some of the closed-off rooms of the main house. Besides that, the paint was peeling, the floors were coming up in spots and the furniture was way out-ofdate. But it was livable. During her examination of the rooms, Reese had made her decision, putting aside all the facts about Evan’s past, trying to remember the boy she 64
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once knew. Or, more to the point, had longed to know. She was going to offer the carriage house to him. Reese wasn’t sure how long his employment with her would be but with the work that needed to be done, Evan was sure to be there well into the winter months. Maybe she would rent it to him after that, if they decided that living in such close quarters suited them. There’s no stopping a strong-minded woman, Reese thought with an uneasy twinge plucking from within. Before she could hit Evan with the proposal, Reese wanted to walk him through the place to get a feel for his thoughts. If he showed little interest in the house while looking at it together, she wouldn’t bother to ask. Stay calm, don’t let him see that you’re nervous and never, ever, give him the opportunity to have the upper hand at any point! Reese willed herself to stay strong and focused on everything she was setting out to do. “What’s on the agenda today?” Evan interrupted her personal pep talk, finishing up the last of his croissant. “I think it would be easier if you gave me a list of things to do. Then I won’t have to locate you every time I’m finished with a job.” “You act as though I’m so hard to locate.” “You know what I mean.” “You noticed the guesthouse out back, right?” Reese asked, purposely using the word guest instead of carriage, not wanting to sound like a spoiled rich girl. “Who could miss it? It’s bigger than most of the houses on the other side of town.” “I was in there this morning, and I want to get your take on some of the remodeling that needs to be done.” “I think you’re sidetracking your original intentions. Wouldn’t it be easier to focus on this house first?”
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“I thought you didn’t have a problem with working on the entire property?” Reese asked, making sure she wasn’t pushing the envelope with her expectations. “You’re the boss. And if you want to jump around from one project to the next, who am I to stop you?” With that said, Reese led the way out the back door toward the other house. She walked in front of Evan, not taking notice of loose cobblestones in the manmade path. There was little tread to speak of on her sneakers, and that’s precisely what caused her to lose her footing. If Evan hadn’t been there to catch her beneath the arms, steadying her on her feet, Reese would’ve fallen to the ground. “Don’t tell me that carrying you around this property is part of my job description, too?” Evan asked, amused, as she tried regaining her composure. It was a tempting thought, Reese considered, but damn him for patronizing her! “It’s a good thing I did slip or else I wouldn’t have come across this new project for you to work on,” she said, meaning the loose cobbles, waiting for Evan to release her when he held on a little longer than she expected. “That’s typical,” he said, abruptly letting her go. When they reached the house without further distraction, Reese opened the arched wooden door and stepped inside. To the naked eye, it was definitely rundown. But to someone like Evan, who saw the true potential of these old structures, Reese hoped it would be appealing. The layout was that of an ordinary home. As they walked through the door, the living room greeted them with its vast open space, a small kitchenette positioned in the back. The appliances were clearly as old as the ones in the main house but probably still in working order. There was a bathroom and one other room off to the side, which was more of a mudroom than anything else, containing shoes and such from previous years. 66
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Reese couldn’t remember anyone ever living there. She and her brother used to come there as kids, pretending it was their house. They’d bring a picnic lunch, then play detective all day. Some days it would be an ordinary house, yet others it would be a big exploration adventure. In later years, Reese had heard about the drinking jaunts her brother and his friends would hold there, but she hadn’t been included in any of those parties. As teenagers, things had begun to change drastically between the two of them. To say the least, Steve and Reese were total opposites, and their days of getting along had been long gone. Getting back to the here and now, Reese once again looked around the house. On the left side of the living room was an old spiral staircase, leading up to the only bedroom in the place. She had to admit the layout was rather appealing. It would be spacious enough for one yet cozy for two. Especially with a warm blaze burning in the fireplace during the winter months to come. Stop it, she told herself, not wanting thoughts of being that close to Evan to cloud her main reason for wanting him there—to provide her with a little extra sense of security. “What do you think?” Reese asked. “It still boggles my mind to think of having two houses on one property.” Evan took a few steps further into the room. “But I’ve always admired these old homes and every single one of them has a carriage house.” Reese laughed at Evan’s terminology. She just couldn’t help it. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “Nothing.” “Isn’t that what you people call these?” he commented, waving his arms about the place. “Yes.” She tried to contain her laughter. “Then why did you call it a guesthouse earlier?” “I didn’t want to get all technical with you so I simply put it as guesthouse.” 67
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“Nice try, Reese.” Evan eyed her. “Excuse me?” “You didn’t think I knew what a carriage house was, did you?” “I said no such thing.” She walked past him toward the spiral stairs. “So… You haven’t given me your thoughts on the place.” “It has potential. But if I were you, I wouldn’t put too much time into it right now…” he paused. “Unless you plan on entertaining guests soon or, maybe, a carriage or two.” Her laughter echoed throughout the messy house. It felt so good to be at ease, even for a moment. So, he does have a sense of humor, Reese reflected. Looking into Evan’s eyes, she wondered what else was hidden deep beneath all that hostility he carried around day in and day out. “I can’t say I have a carriage, or any horses to go with it, but what if I told you I was planning on having someone live here?” “You are?” Evan sounded taken aback, which made Reese wonder if the thought of someone else living on the property with her disappointed him. “It’s habitable, isn’t it?” she asked. “Any house can be lived in with a little work.” Evan ran a finger across the thick dust on the mantle of the stone fireplace. “How soon?” He didn’t have a clue, none whatsoever. Well, there was no sense in turning back now. “Today.” “Today! Who in their right mind would move into this house today?” “You,” she said calmly and with little persuasion. “Me? What the hell are you talking about?” He eyed her with clear suspicion. “I was thinking―” “Oh, here we go again,” Evan said, shaking his head. “I was thinking,” she said through gritted teeth. “Since you’re going to be here for so many hours a day―” “Eight hours, Reese, that’s what we agreed on.” “Will you at least let me finish?” 68
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Evan stood there with his arms folded across his chest. “It’s a shame to have this empty house sitting here unoccupied. You could move in―there’d be no rent. Just think of it as an extra perk that comes with the job.” “I already have a place to live.” “I know, but―” “But what?” Evan asked. However, Reese couldn’t respond. For the longest time, she was unable to read him. Between the shaking of his head and the tapping of his foot on the wooden floor, Reese wasn’t sure if he was genuinely mad or just irritated with her forwardness. He looked at her for a moment, then said, “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.” He wasn’t mad or irritated in the least, she realized. He appeared to be almost concerned. “Why not?” She tried not to sound too obvious. “Have you told your family that I’m working for you?” Evan asked, waiting for a reply that didn’t come. “I didn’t think so. That in itself is going to ruffle some feathers. Now imagine if I moved in here. It’d be like staring into the barrel of a loaded gun.” He took a step closer with a certain darkness looming in his eyes. “And let me tell you, that’s the last thing I need in my life right now.” “I haven’t talked to my family, much less discussed with them who I employ. Bottom line, it’s none of their business. In case you haven’t noticed, this is my house, my property and it’s my business who I hire or live with.” Reese took a moment to catch her breath, remembering the importance of standing her ground, not showing any fear. “It’s not like you’ll be sleeping in my bed or anything.” Why in the hell did I just say that? Reese wanted to crawl in a hole. From the sudden shifted expression on his face, she could tell Evan was wondering the very same thing. However, it wasn’t a horrified look. That had to 69
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stand for something, right? Possibilities, maybe? Or could it be satisfaction that she was making some sick plan of his easier to follow through with? I really need to get a grip, be positive, she reminded herself. She didn’t want to face the fact that Evan was getting under her skin―in more ways than one. “Look, I’m going back to the house. Stay here and look around, think about it.” Reese started for the front door but stopped. “I’m having lumber delivered soon. If you want to start on the front porch, you can. We talked about it yesterday, remember?”
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Chapter Nine Evan took a seat on the second step of the spiral stairway, speechless, with quite an offer to contemplate. He couldn’t stop thinking about the reference to Reese’s king-sized bed and the things he had imagined doing to her in it. Evan knew she had only meant it to be a comparison, yet the thought made him ache desperately for Reese. It scared the hell out of him, made him feel as though an inner weakness was resurfacing. He could only imagine what it would feel like to have a woman like Reese. Honestly, Evan had had a hard time doing much else since the day he laid eyes on her again, and he needed to stop before his whole life spun out of control. How could he prevent from acting out those thoughts if he moved into this place? Trying to concentrate on her offer, Evan followed the iron stairs to see what awaited him at the top. He found a large bedroom with a small balcony overlooking the forest behind Reese’s property. He’d never really taken notice of how far those woods went back until now. The room was fully furnished, as was the rest of the house. Although the mattress smelled of mold and the other furniture looked to have seen better days, it could all easily be replaced. Evan began to weigh the pros and cons of moving into the house. The biggest plus was that he would finally be able to get out of the suffocating place he was living in now. He didn’t like Reese’s suggestion that it would be rentfree. That he would never allow. But she had made a good point. His home 71
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would be right on the property if he was to get caught up in a time-consuming project. One thing Evan hated was leaving a job undone. He knew that most people in town had no respect for him whatsoever, that if they had their way, he’d be thrown right back in jail for good. And he’d bet they’d do anything to make that happen. “Why the hell did I take this job?” he mumbled. Evan walked back down the stairs, leaving the house, locking the door as he went. It was an admirable gesture but not very realistic. For him, it wouldn’t be smart to accept if he wanted his job with Reese to work out. As he walked along the side of the house, Evan could hear a delivery truck rolling up the front driveway. Reese had given him an idea of how she wanted the front porch to look. But to be on the safe side, he had drawn up a sketch the night before, making sure they were on the same page. The final project wasn’t going to be all that different from the look it held now. The remodeling would mainly change the way the stairs appeared. After Evan completed them, it would be possible to walk down either side or straight down the front, leaving the steps with rounded ends at three separate angles. He was amazed at the similarities in ideas the two of them shared. Whenever Reese would suggest a change, he totally agreed with the way it would fit the look of the house. One thing he couldn’t take away from Reese Abbot was that she didn’t throw her money all over town. Yes, he had thought differently when returning from the hardware store yesterday, but he had been wrong. Once again, he had been wrong. The deliveryman handed Evan a sales invoice, unloaded the lumber, then left him to do his job. Like a man on a mission, with a million and one pressuring thoughts going through his mind, Evan tore up the old steps. Most of them broke easily from years of being untreated and left to face the elements. Besides earning Evan a few minor scratches from rusted, old nails, 72
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the chore was relatively effortless and a great way to relieve some of his pentup energy. When Reese had first brought up the idea of making a change to the front porch, he’d suggested that she use new, modern plastic boards. “They’d never need to be replaced again,” Evan had told her. Not wanting to redo the whole porch, she had decided to stick with the treated lumber. Reese had been right. To take the wood away would be to change the style of the era in which the house had been built. Instead of dragging the planks to the garage to be cut to size, Evan carried the miter saw out front, setting it on the tailgate of his truck. Since the treads for the stairs had been delivered pre-made, it would save him the time and tedious trouble of making them. As Evan pounded in the last nail, he started to mull over what he was going to say to Reese. She had told him to think about it and he had. He didn’t want to leave her wondering for the rest of the day whether or not he had made a decision. He never wanted to give her the opportunity to wonder about anything regarding him. Frankly, the more time Evan took thinking about living behind her in the carriage house, the greater the risk would be of him changing his mind. “Unbelievable,” Reese said, walking out of the house with a glass of lemonade in her hand. Evan, grateful for the drink, took it and swallowed down half its contents. “Thanks,” he said stretching his back. “Is this what you had in mind?” “Exactly.” Reese squatted down, taking a closer look. “I can’t believe you’re done already.” “I still need to get the router and round the edges of each step, but other than that―and the railings―it’s done.” “I don’t know,” Reese said, examining all viewpoints. “Do you think you should even bother to round them off?” 73
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“They’ll look much better if I do.” “All right then…you know best.” Evan watched as Reese walked down the new steps. The way they were constructed, at three angles off the front, gave the grand Victorian a more inviting look. He was pleased to see the delight on Reese’s face, signifying a job well done. “I never asked,” he said. “How was your first night in the new room?” There again, Evan’s thoughts went back to her bedroom. The large bed, the sight of Reese alone, her angelic body sprawled out, unsuspecting in the darkness of the empty house. But then he noticed her expression, a momentary, troubled look, and those thoughts were gone. “It was definitely more comfortable than the old couch in the sitting room,” she said. “But I couldn’t get much sleep.” “Why?” Reese didn’t respond, but walked to the side of the house. Evan followed. “Is there any way you could trim some of those branches today?” She pointed to an overgrown lilac. He went to the back of the tree and looked up. The branches had caused damage to the wood shingles from the bottom of the house all the way to where the tree rose. “Yeah, I’d say it’s long overdo.” He pulled at a shingle, testing the extent of the rotting damage. “What’re you doing?” “If you want my opinion,” Evan said, showing Reese how easily his finger pushed through the wood. “I’d cut the whole damn thing down.” “I had no idea.” She was now at his side, looking over his shoulder. “Isn’t this why you wanted it trimmed?” “I was up all night, listening to those branches scrape the window. I didn’t realize that it had destroyed the side of the house, too.” He sensed a sudden change in Reese, as though there was more to what she was saying. What wasn’t she telling him? 74
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“Did something else happen?” “Why would you think that?” She turned to face him, immediately on the defensive. “I don’t suppose being in this huge house all alone is getting to you so soon?” “Of course not!” She stomped back to the front porch. “Do you mean to tell me that a tree branch had you up all night?” he asked, following her. “That’s all there was to it?” “Look, if I didn’t want to be in this huge house all alone, I never would have moved back here from Massachusetts in the first place!” she snapped, turning to face him. “The only reason I decided to come back to Wild Ridge was to move in here.” “Your folks must be happy to have you back.” “You’d be surprised,” Reese said with a sigh. “Why would you say something like that?” Evan always thought the Abbots to be a close-knit family. “If I hadn’t, my family would’ve sold the house,” Reese said, tapping the space of porch between them. “It would’ve meant more money in their pockets. And if I can’t make a go of this and stay here, they’ll still get to sell it. They don’t understand why I want to try and salvage it anyway.” “If you ask me, they should be happy to have such an ambitious daughter.” “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? At least proud.” “And they’re not?” Evan swished around his lemonade, causing halfmelted ice cubes to clink against the glass. “Put it this way. If I was working alongside my father, then they’d notice,” Reese said. “But hey, why should I care? They have Steve to carry out the family business, and he can have it―and all that goes with it.” Evan wondered if now was as good a time as any to let Reese know he would be declining her invitation. With all the recent talk of her family’s ways, 75
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maybe she would understand the logic from his point of view, making it easier for him to turn the whole idea down. “You’re better off,” Evan blurted out. Instead of offending her, Reese smiled. “You’re not telling me anything that I don’t already know.” She left the porch, wandering back to the side of the house, dismissing their conversation as over. But it wasn’t. Evan followed at a snail’s pace, finding that he didn’t want to contribute to the evident sadness in her eyes. Yet it had to be done. He wasn’t sure what she was off to do but whatever it was, it would have to wait. He held back for a moment, half-hidden behind an oak tree, observing as Reese approached one of the flower gardens. Evan watched her kneel down, pulling dandelions, grass and any other kind of weed she could find. She looked lost in her thoughts. Evan felt partly to blame for bringing up the subject of her family. He had pegged them all wrong. Never had he considered that they had treated her this way. That made him realize that, without a doubt, he was doing the right thing by passing up her generosity. Although it appeared that they didn’t give a damn about certain things in their daughter’s life, he’d bet the farm that the Abbots would come running to control it if they knew he was there. They would want to make damn sure a convicted felon wasn’t coming within ten feet of her―and in turn, doing whatever it took to conjure up a reason for Evan to be hauled down to the local precinct. Yet watching the sorrow shadow over her, he didn’t have it in him to disturb Reese now. Back at the house she hadn’t brought up the issue, so it could wait. A little while, anyway. However, when Evan turned to leave, she spoke. With her soft voice, Reese stopped him right where he stood. “Evan?” He turned to face her. Now was his chance, a chance to put a halt to these unexpected effects that Reese Abbot was having on him. 76
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“I didn’t get a chance to thank you for offering me the use of the carriage house this morning.” “You don’t have to thank me. It’s a shame to leave it empty when you could use it…” She paused as if overstepping. “Not that there’s anything wrong with your place, but I just thought―” “You don’t have to explain yourself.” Evan went to stand near her. “I know what you meant.” “Good, it’s settled,” she said, continuing to pull and tug at the overgrowth in the garden. “Hold on a minute.” Evan waited for Reese to look up. “Is there something else?” “Look, I appreciate the thought…” “I know and you’re welcome.” “I can’t move in here―on this property. I won’t.” Evan glanced about the area around them. “Why not?” Reese asked with noticeable disappointment in her voice, although he had no idea why. “I think it’s pretty obvious.” “Is this about last night?” she asked. “No.” Evan shook his head, now knowing by her comment that she, too, had sensed that something had passed between them in her bedroom. “If you’re worried about where you’ll go after you finish with the job here, well, don’t.” Reese stood up, wiping away the dirt from her jeans. “If you want, I’ll rent the place to you.” “It’s not that simple.” Reese wasn’t making this easy on him. “Then what is it?” she asked. “I think it would be best if we just left it at that. There’s no point in getting into some heavy conversation over this. It was a nice gesture, and I do appreciate it. Just know that.” 77
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Evan headed for the garage to get the router, leaving Reese alone. He planned on grinding his thoughts away, along with the sharp corners of the steps.
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Chapter Ten Could it be that Reese had been too forward with Evan? That must have been it. He had barely started working for her yesterday, and today she was encouraging him to move in. If that wasn’t presumptuous of her, Reese didn’t know what was. Plus, the fact that he was a convicted criminal made Reese wonder if she hadn’t lost her mind somewhere between Massachusetts and moving back to Wild Ridge. Even though she knew she should be inside working on the house, she still continued to pull madly at the weeds. Whether it was out of disappointment or frustration, it didn’t matter. Both feelings were boiling up inside. “If you didn’t insist on always having your hands into something, I could set you up in a nice, comfortable office.” Right away Reese stopped demolishing the garden. Her eyes shot toward the garage, startled by the sound of her brother’s voice. “Just think―you’d never have to endure any type of physical labor again.” Steve kicked at the dirt, causing dust to irritate her eyes. “Sucking up to our father has never been my cup of tea,” Reese replied, putting a hand to her head, using it as a visor against the sun’s bright rays, trying not to let Steve see that her eyes were burning from the dirt. “If I’m not mistaken, sounds like you’re resentful.” Steve unbuttoned the front of his suit. “Damn, it’s hot out here.” “What do you want?”
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It was the first time she’d seen Steve since their aunt’s funeral, but Reese was in no mood for a visit―friendly or otherwise. She had to get him out of there before Evan came back from the garage, which would be anytime now. Evan had been right. She hadn’t made a point of telling her family about him working for her, and if Reese could help it, she wasn’t going to let Steve find out now. So she got up and started walking over to Steve’s car, looking back at the garage on the way. Her plan was to make Steve follow and hopefully get him to leave before Evan returned. “I’ll ask you again, Steve,” she said. “What do you want?” “Would you believe me if I told you I missed my sister?” Steve asked, trailing closely behind as she’d hoped. “You and I both know that’s a crock of bull. I’m not in the mood for your games, so tell me what’s going on.” “Cranky today, are we?” “Damn it, Steve!” “All right, all right.” He offered his surrender. “Mom and Dad are having a party for this family who just relocated here―the guy’s taking over the marketing department. Anyway, it would be nice if you could make time for your family and be there.” “I don’t see why my presence would make a difference.” Reese rested her elbow on Steve’s car. “Why is it you’re here with the invitation? Dad could’ve called me himself if it’s so important to the family.” “Why should he come running to you?” Steve removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. “You haven’t exactly made yourself available since the reading of the will.” “You found me, didn’t you?” “Lucky me.” “And this is where I’ve been every day.” Reese raised her voice. “The truth is, Mom and Dad are still pissed off because I took over this house, aren’t they?” 80
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“Can you blame us?” Steve exhaled, blowing a large puff of smoke in Reese’s face. “The least you could’ve done was discuss it with us instead of making your big announcement in front of the lawyers!” “Us? Who the hell do you think you are?” “At least I’m smart enough not to slap our family in the face.” “Oh, that’s rich of you to say.” “See what I mean? No respect at all.” Steve looked at her for a long moment and shook his head. He smiled, a big, warm, completely false grin. “Reese, sweetheart,” he said. “I didn’t come out here to fight with you. Why are you so on edge? I think taking on the responsibility of this house has been a lot for you, a lot more than you’d anticipated.” He reached for her, touching her shoulder, his brows lifting sympathetically. “You don’t need this stress, Reese. And it’s not like you’re stuck with it. Just let it go. We can sell the house and split the profit. I bet Dad and Mom would be willing to give you a bit extra, even, just to make up for all of the work you’ve been―” “Go to hell, Steve,” Reese said, slapping his hand away from her. “You know, there was a time when I wouldn’t dare to say two words to you, but not anymore! I’m not leaving this house.” She opened his car door. “Now I’d appreciate it if you’d go.” But it was too late. “What’s going on?” Evan demanded more toward Steve than Reese as he walked out of the garage, quickly approaching the two of them in the driveway. This kind of conflict was the last thing she needed right now. “What in the hell is he doing here?” Steve looked from Evan to Reese, visibly startled, waiting for an explanation from his sister. “Answer me, Reese!” “He works for me,” she said, walking over to stand next to Evan. “Steve was just leaving.” “The hell I am!” “You are. Now!” Reese yelled back at her defiant brother. Steve’s eyes widened in shock. 81
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“This guy works for you? Don’t you know who he is? He’s a rapist, Reese!” Evan stood there as though what Steve said hadn’t affected him at all. “Let’s get one thing straight!” Reese moved forward until she was inches from her brother’s face. “Who I choose to share my time with is none of your business, and don’t ever come to my house again trying to make it yours! Now go on back to Daddy’s company and live off of him the rest of your life. That’s what you do best.” Steve pointed a stiff finger her way, his brows narrowed, his mouth turned down in a grim frown. “You’re going to regret this, Reese,” he said quietly. “More than you know.” “Go tell it to someone who gives a damn,” she snapped back in reply, then turned her back on him and went to the house. She was angry; it didn’t occur to her that it might be a bad idea to leave Evan alone with Steve. *** “This isn’t over, Payne. If you think my family’s going to stand for you being here alone with my sister, you’re delusional.” Steve jabbed his finger toward Evan’s face. “You better back off, Abbot,” Evan replied coolly. “I’m not going to take any crap from you or anyone else in this town.” Begrudgingly, Steve did as he was told, edging toward his vehicle. He opened his car door and climbed into the front seat. “You’re messing with the wrong people, Payne,” he said. “We’ll see about that,” Evan replied. He held his stance as Steve squealed the tires in reverse and left. *** Reese watched the two of them out the bay window of the front parlor. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but knew it wasn’t pleasant. She thanked God that they hadn’t let things get out of hand. 82
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After Steve’s car pulled out of the driveway―and not a second before―Evan walked up to the house. She watched him with curious eyes, wondering how he had stood there so calmly when Steve had said such horrendous things about him. It would have been so easy for Evan to lay a punch on Steve. And if he had, Reese would have denied seeing the whole thing. She detested her brother that much. “Are you okay?” Evan hadn’t bothered to knock before coming through the door. “Me? My brother insinuates that you’re a rapist, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” Reese went into the sitting room, appalled by Steve’s lack of couth. “I thought you knew.” “Knew what…?” The words slowly left Reese’s mouth, her body tensing up. Was this an admission of his guilt? “That I spent time in prison.” “Who in this town doesn’t know that?” She stared at the scenery beyond the window, afraid to look him in the eye. “Still, hearing it is very disturbing. Does it not bother you?” “I’m not going to let the likes of Steve Abbot get the better of me.” “Whether it’s Steve saying it, or anyone else, how the hell do you deal with something like that?” Her eyes were now fixated on Evan’s, searching for some truth. “As strange as it sounds, I’m used to it by now.” “How can you ever get used to being called that?” She couldn’t process it. “There’s so many things that don’t make sense to me.” Even though Reese had never considered herself a heavy drinker, she eyed the liquor cabinet, tempted to open a bottle of scotch and drink away the shame she felt for her family, for herself, for Evan Payne. “You know what doesn’t make sense?” Evan came to Reese, taking a seat next to her on the cream-colored sofa. “Why is it you’re so sure I didn’t rape that girl all those years ago?” 83
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“Who said I was sure?” “You hired me, didn’t you?” Evan was so close, close enough that she could feel the hairs on his arms grazing hers. “A beautiful woman like yourself. Aren’t you afraid to be alone with me?” “Are you admitting that you raped Anne Mitchell?” “I never said that,” Evan said with an adamant tone in his voice, equaling the intensity in his eyes. “Then why would you ask if I was afraid?” “I’m just a little surprised that you’re not.” “And that bothers you?” she asked. “That I’m not afraid of you?” If Evan did get off on hurting woman, it certainly would bother him that she was trying her damnedest not to be terrified. Seeing the fear in a woman’s eyes was what men like that thrived on. Could Evan really be that type of man? Reese rubbed her temples, feeling the pressure of a migraine coming on. “I remember you, Reese, always trying to see the best in people no matter who they were,” he said, avoiding her direct question. “I’m glad you haven’t changed.” When Evan leaned in, Reese didn’t know what to do, how to feel. “Did you really think I’d forgotten that beautiful smile of yours?” He lightly touched the corner of her mouth. “The one that used to light up your face back in school?” Reese felt herself blush at his words, her insides shiver at the thought of him overpowering her, at the acute awareness of Evan touching her. “Do you want to know what I remember?” she whispered, but he didn’t answer. “I remember watching you walk past our house when we were kids. I heard everything my brother use to say to you, all of the insults, the taunts.” Reese lightly exhaled, trying to calm away the tension inside. “I remember telepathically trying to will you to beat the hell out of him.” She looked at Evan and he smiled faintly. “That wouldn’t have gotten me too far,” he said. “But, believe me, I would’ve liked to.” 84
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She got up and walked over to the massive fireplace, standing with her back to him. Reese knew it was one thing to not show fear but entirely another to give Evan the impression that she trusted him. Yet she pushed forward. “To answer your initial question, I can’t explain it. When you came here the other night, I don’t know… Maybe I saw something other people, like Steve, don’t.” “What is it you really want to ask, Reese?” She turned, meeting his gaze directly. “I want you to tell me right now that you didn’t rape Anne Mitchell, that you’re not the monster everybody thinks you are.” He didn’t blink. “I’ve never forced myself on a woman in my life.” “Then why do they say that you did?” For a moment their eyes held each other’s. Evan got up from the couch and walked over to Reese. There, in that room, they found themselves alone…alone with many unspoken words distracting from the seriousness of their conversation. Evan slowly lifted his hand, running it alongside Reese’s face. She could feel her eyes uncontrollably dropping to his touch. What scared her most was if he was to take her in his arms right then, she wouldn’t be able to hold back. But he didn’t. Instead, Evan’s gaze traveled from her eyes to her lips. Reese could tell from the heat escaping his hand, which now rested on the side of her neck, that he wanted something from her. Her heart began to hammer within her chest, as she hoped—prayed—that he wouldn’t hurt her. Not in the way that he had been prosecuted for hurting Anne Mitchell. Not now, not there, not ever. She didn’t take her eyes off him. For a moment, he looked away, then quickly back, moving in a bit closer. Before she knew what was happening, Evan had covered her mouth with his, burning her lips with an impulsive, but gentle, progressing kiss. 85
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Reese couldn’t pull away. Something inside of her, maybe that young girl from years gone by, wouldn’t allow her to push Evan Payne away. She melted into his arms, letting her hands follow the muscles up his back, forgetting in that moment about his past. Evan’s mouth moved slowly over hers. All those times back in high school when she had wondered what it would feel like to be this close to him, never once had she imagined it would be that good. Then he stopped, halting the kiss―a kiss that hadn’t lasted long enough. Gripping her shoulders, Evan moved away, this time far enough to prevent any indecision from taking over again. “We can’t do this.” “It was only a kiss,” she said, although knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. “And I can think of a million reasons why it shouldn’t have happened.” Totally out of her head, Reese moved in closer. For what, she didn’t know, but Evan merely took two steps back. “Evan―” “Look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened with your brother,” he said. “Now that I know you are, I’m going to get back to work.” He shook his head when she attempted to speak, taking a step further back. “That’s it, Reese. I’m not going to talk about this anymore.” At that point, she didn’t feel the need to push the issue. There was no sense in making him angry. If he wanted to pull away, Reese would let him. “Why don’t you take off for the day?” she said. “If I know my brother, he’s ranting to my father as we speak, and I’m sure I’ll be getting another visitor soon. I’m going to leave the house, too, for a while.” “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t need any more problems. Maybe it’d be better if I didn’t work here at all.” “And leave me with all this mess?” Reese looked about the rundown room. “I really don’t want to hire a crew to do the renovations. It won’t mean a 86
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thing if I’m not a part of bringing this house back to life. I thought you needed a job?” He turned, heading for the door. “Evan…” “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Evan walked out the front door, but not out of her life, and now Reese knew that’s what she had been afraid of all along. Not the house, not the renovations, only the thoughts of a man, a man who had so many secrets, walking out on her just when he had awakened Reese’s hidden passions. Were these emotions so strong that they were clouding her judgment, causing her to forget the reality of who Evan Payne really was or what he was capable of? There was no way she could ever let something like that happen. Reese was smarter than that.
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Chapter Eleven She ran upstairs to her room for a quick shower and a change of clothes. She’d been serious in telling Evan that she was leaving the house, and she wanted to get out of there before anyone else in her family showed up to give her a hard time, convincing her that what she was subjecting herself to was sheer ignorance. Was it? She wanted to believe deep down inside that Evan was a changed man. She had given him the perfect opportunity to force himself on her. Instead he had broken the kiss and pushed her away. While she had felt as though she would fall from his release, Reese hadn’t wanted to throw herself at him with additional suggestions. Or was it that she was afraid to hear him tell her no? Whatever the case, she now felt the sting of his rejection. No matter how reserved he had become, Reese had seen it in his body language, felt it in his kiss, and she knew that Evan Payne wanted her as bad as she wanted him. Driving down the road out of town, Reese became irritated with herself. Here she was running away again, from her family, her feelings. Hadn’t she vowed to stand up to them no matter what the issue? Yet once more, she was avoiding it all and leaving everything that was complicated in Wild Ridge behind. The sound coming from the car radio fell into the background of her mind, along with the countryside surrounding her vehicle. All Reese could manage to think about was Evan. During those years, a kid in high school, 88
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Reese had wondered what it would feel like to be with a guy like him. The kind of guy her parents would totally disapprove of. It was no longer a mystery, but still the same, it left Reese wanting more. Wanting to know more. If only there weren’t so many mental obstacles blocking her way. She kept driving along the country road, making no apparent effort in steering the car back toward Wild Ridge. For reasons other than her own selfish desires, she knew enough not to press Evan. If Reese had any brains at all, she would get her priorities in check and concern herself with the renovations of the house, forgetting everything else that was obscuring her good sense. Reese pulled off the road into a convenience store parking lot. She had planned to do some shopping at the nearby mall, but was dying of thirst and couldn’t wait. She opened the door, briefly acknowledging the drooling smile on the old man’s face behind the counter, and went straight to the back cooler to retrieve a bottle of spring water. Then the unexpected happened. She heard it, the sound of her father’s voice. Reese was so stunned that she didn’t dare move. What in the heck is he doing out here on a weekday, a day when he was supposed to be tucked away in his big corporate office, making a living for his family…his wife? She peeked between two boxes of cereal, trying to get a better look at the situation. Her dad must have come in right after her. He wasn’t alone. What Reese saw beyond the stacks of food explained why he hadn’t noticed her going into the store before him. He had been way too preoccupied with the woman who was hanging on the arm of his expensive suit coat. She was very tall, almost taller than Reese’s dad, with blonde hair, blue eyes and an outrageous bra size. Reese didn’t recognize her, so she assumed the woman wasn’t from Wild Ridge. Clearly, from the smitten look on her father’s face, he had made sure of that from the beginning. But the beginning of what, an affair? Reese thought in confusion. 89
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Suddenly, the sight of her father and the other woman became blurry as her eyes clouded with tears. Reese had always looked to Gordon Abbot as a wholesome family man. Granted he hadn’t always been the perfect father, never speaking the words I love you growing up, but a cheater? If she hadn’t seen this with her own eyes, Reese would never have believed it. The obnoxious giggles coming from the blonde woman brought Reese out of the tearful trance she had fallen into. She watched as her father paid the cashier for their purchases, then walked out the door. Quickly Reese emerged from behind the cereal aisle, running to the glass window. “Is there something I can help you with?” the old man inquired. “That couple,” Reese gasped, pointing out the window. “Have they been in here before?” “Why do you ask?” The man disgustingly eyed Reese up and down. “Have you seen them here before?” she asked again, trying to ignore his perverseness. “Sure. They come in about once a week.” He smiled, then shook his head. “When they need a break, I imagine.” The man came from around the counter to stand next to Reese. “Need a break?” she asked. “Yeah.” He nodded toward a motel across the street. “A woman like that could keep a man busy for a long time.” The thought made Reese sick, but she forced her eyes to follow the man’s gaze to the motel in question. As the man had said, the couple walked back across the street to the outside door of a room her father had apparently rented. There they stood, the woman wrapping her arms around Gordon’s neck, her tongue all but stuffed in his ear, as he fumbled with the room key. Then in a split second they were gone, backing their way into the room to resume Lord knew what.
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Reese left the store with nothing more than what she’d come in with. The earlier need to quench her thirst was now replaced with the taste of stomach bile, threatening to heave from the depths of her abdomen. It was a reaction unlike any she’d ever experienced. Reese again thought of the cats Evan had found in her basement, and she was convinced that not even seeing that could have made her feel the way she felt now. Shocked, hurt, disgusted. She started the engine and drove across the street. Her first reaction was to bang on the motel door, demanding to know what her father was doing with that tramp. But when Reese put her fingers on the handle of the car door, she couldn’t bring herself to open it. Whether it was out of embarrassment for her father or the reality of what was really going on in there, she backed out of the parking lot, continuing on her way to the mall. She didn’t want to be at home before, and she surely wasn’t ready to go back now. Though her father wasn’t apt to be stopping by the house anytime soon, it didn’t mean that Steve wouldn’t be back, or worse, her mother. Her mother. Did she know that all of this was going on? No way. Reese couldn’t picture her mom putting up with her father’s infidelity. Then again, Reese had never seen her mother even dare to raise her voice to her father. In any case, there was no way Reese could look her in the eye after what she had witnessed. The big city, outside of her small town of Wild Ridge, came into view. Reese paused every so often at the many stoplights breaking up the busy street, then took a left when she spotted the strip mall. Shopping was the last thing on her mind, but if she didn’t do something to occupy herself for the next few hours, at least, Reese was very much afraid of what she might do. *** For a moment there, Evan thought his truck had a mind of its own. He’d left Reese’s house and spent part of the day at home, the other half of it driving aimlessly around, following the empty streets, attempting to clear his head. 91
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Then, the next thing he knew, he was there, right back where he’d started―a place he should’ve been far, far away from. When he pulled up to the end of Reese Abbot’s driveway, it had surprised the hell out of him. He’d left the house hours ago, at her suggestion, and now it was dark outside, well past midnight. However, the glowing from within told him that she was still awake. Awake. The taste of her mouth had brought everything back to the surface, everything he had worked so hard to bury. And now, how was he ever going to file it back again, lock it all away in that far off place in his mind? Was it too late? The tattered rug on his living room floor had a permanent line of wear from the hours he’d paced back and forth, not being able to get Reese out of his head. The game of solitaire he had started, trying to focus on anything other than the softness of her lips, was now nothing more than fifty-two cards scattered in all different spots on his floor. Evan had gotten in his truck, hoping to once and for all clear his head and make some sense out of the situation. He hadn’t gotten too far out of town before finding that he had turned around and driven back to Reese’s. She had been the only person who had given him the time of day, the only one who had dared to allow him to get so close. And to stand up to her brother in his defense―not even his own lawyer had shown as much effort all those years ago as Reese had when talking to her own flesh and blood. Steve Abbot. Evan had known it would only be a matter of time before he would find himself face to face with Steve again. Hadn’t that been one of his concerns from the beginning when Reese had offered him the job? He cursed himself, wishing he would have stuck to his guns and turned her down. It was only Evan’s second day on the job, yet things were already snowballing out of control, to a confrontation with Reese’s prick of a brother, then to Evan and Reese lip-locked in the sitting room of her house. 92
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How in the hell could I have let all of that happen? Yet here he was, coming back for more. What aggravated Evan the most was that Reese was having a troubling effect on him. After getting out of prison he’d taken control of his life, not letting anyone tell him what to do or how to do it, not giving any woman the chance to ever put him back there again. He played only by his rules. This time he was buried…buried in a mess that had Reese Abbot’s name written all over it and he needed to gain control. Evan looked to the house before him. He knew if he turned around and went back to his apartment, he wouldn’t be able to get a wink of sleep. If he chose to take the alternative route, who knew what he’d be subjecting himself―and Reese―to. “What the hell. I’m here now,” he whispered into the night, the corners of his mouth slightly curling upward. “Who says she has to see me?” He put his truck in gear, then parked inside the gate. Evan was pretty sure that Reese hadn’t heard him. Just the same, he waited another minute or so before stepping out of the truck. Reese was probably a mess. More than likely, she’d had to deal with her family at some point during the day after Steve had spread the news to them about Evan. He could hear it now, all the things they must’ve said to her, the warnings, the demands to remove herself from his presence. However, from what Evan had seen, Reese had proven to be a strong woman, and he had no doubt that she could handle herself if need be. A strong woman, he thought. That would be nice for a change. He walked up the winding driveway and went straight to the garage to see if her car was there. It was, so he knew she was home. It wasn’t until Evan followed the cobblestone path back to the house that he saw her. His entire body broke out in a sudden, clammy sweat. The music was loud, but not earsplitting, yet she seemed as peaceful as the moonlight which enveloped her. There she swam, arm over shoulder, from one end of the pool to the other. Evan wanted to go unnoticed, didn’t want Reese to catch him watching 93
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her. That alone would be enough to scare her half to death. That was the last thing he wanted to do at this point. As quietly as he had approached, he turned around and started back toward his truck. He would’ve made it if he hadn’t tripped over an old sprinkler system, causing the motion light on the side of the house to blaze abruptly in the night. “Who is it?” Reese called out, her voice sharp and frightened. He heard the water splash as she stopped swimming and stood in the pool’s shallow end. “Who’s there?” Evan regained his balance. “It’s just me, Reese,” he said, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Reese brought the blade of her hand up to shield against the glare of the security light. “Evan?” At first, she looked shocked to see him, and she had every right to be, considering the night was evaporating into the wee hours of the morning. Anyone in his right mind would have been home by now and not lurking around someone else’s property. After the initial surprise, amazingly, relief seemed to wash over her face as she waded to the pool steps. Again Evan’s inner voice screamed, What the hell are you getting yourself into?
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Chapter Twelve “When you said you’d see me in the morning, I didn’t expect you to mean it so literally.” Reese took a seat on the middle step of the pool without fully coming out of the water. “I was―” “In the neighborhood?” She raised her eyebrows, challenging his response. “That’s the oldest excuse in the book.” Was there anything he could get past this woman? “You’re right,” Evan admitted. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a drive and ended up here. Sorry if I scared you.” “I’m not afraid of you, remember?” She certainly knew how to make light of an uncomfortable situation. As for her not being afraid of him, Evan knew Reese was trying really hard to make him think that. Why? What was her motive? Whatever the reason, now was not the time for him to try to figure her out. Not when she was sitting there half-naked. “I’ll let you get back to your swim,” Evan put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, pondering a believable explanation as to why he’d been lurking around her property in the darkness. “I guess I wanted to make sure you were all right. And you look pretty okay to me, so I’m going to go back―” Before he could attempt to turn and calmly disappear, the sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks.
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“Stay.” Reese pulled her body up out of the water, walking the remaining steps to the patio surrounding the pool. “At least have a drink with me before you go.” Evan knew he shouldn’t. The sight of Reese in a black, string bikini affected him in more ways than he wanted to consider. He was glad he was standing out of the light, or Reese would have seen the hunger in his eyes. He knew he should walk away, go back to his apartment and repeat to himself over and over again that he had no business being around Reese Abbot. But there was an edge in her voice that told him she needed him. Could it be possible? It would surely be a change to have a woman need him. And if truth was told, Evan couldn’t deny that he didn’t want to leave. Not yet. “Here you go.” Reese handed him an ice-cold bottle of beer as he sat beside the water. “I can’t believe the fridge in that pool house still works.” “Lucky for you, it’s one less thing you have to fix.” “I know.” Reese gazed at the sky. “It was so nice to be able to come out here tonight and relax underneath the stars.” “Anymore problems after I left?” From the aversion in her eyes, Evan could tell there had been. Whether she would admit it to him or not was another story. “I didn’t wait around to find out. I drove over to the next town and did some shopping.” His eyes followed as Reese plucked the strap of her new bathing suit. “But when I got home, as you can imagine, my machine was full of messages from my family.” “I don’t have to ask what that was all about.” Evan tipped back the bottle of beer, staring at the reflections of stars glistening off the water’s surface. “If I knew you were coming, I would’ve told you to bring your suit,” she said. “It’s like bathwater tonight.” She was clearly trying to change the subject, to forget the world beyond her backyard. With having people like the Abbots for family, he couldn’t blame her. 96
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“You should go back in, then, enjoy your swim,” Evan said. Reese didn’t argue. He tried to keep his head facing forward as she stood up, straightening the material around her waist, but Evan couldn’t resist stealing a peek from the corner of his eye. As much as he had tried, he hadn’t done a good job at being discreet. The smile Reese bestowed to him, before taking her stance, gave as much away. She dove into the pool with the poise of an Olympic contender. Evan’s eyes didn’t leave Reese’s body until she broke the surface. With water streaming down her face, she opened her eyes, fixating them directly at him. “Sorry if I splashed you.” She grinned. “Somehow I don’t think you are.” He splashed her back, but Reese reacted by flicking her fingers along the water, spraying Evan lightly down the front of his shirt. Again, he gave it right back. However, she was already wet, so the water sprinkling her skin wasn’t doing much for his defense. “You’re asking for it,” he warned. “What’re you going to do, jump in after me in your clothes?” If Evan didn’t know any better, he could have sworn she was daring him. “You don’t think I will?” She laughed. “You wouldn’t.” Evan thought about it, but only for a moment. Reese was holding all the cards right now in this little game, and he wanted to regain his hand. Placing the beer bottle on the edge of the pool, Evan took off his shirt and jumped in after her, jeans, shoes and all. *** “You’re crazy.” Reese laughed, swimming away from Evan. “Don’t think you’re getting away that easy,” he told her, following, splashing the whole way over. Reese hadn’t given his playfulness a second thought, not until she felt his hand on her ankle, pulling her body to him. She jerked her leg back, pushing herself to the side of the pool. 97
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She knew she had been treading on dangerous ground. At the time, Reese hadn’t been able to resist challenging Evan to jump into the pool. I didn’t really think he would do it! However, now she found herself trembling in anxious anticipation, uncertain of what would happen next. Evan stopped, making no move to come any closer. There he stood, in four feet of water, staring at her in a way that memorized Reese beyond all judgment. He looked anything but aggressive, tiny drops of water on his chest shimmering in the moonlight. It was as if her muscles were frozen. Reese was unable to move from her safe haven against the wall of the pool. There were no words between them, only a mutual, unspoken longing. As dangerous as it may have been, God only knew that Reese had fantasized about a moment like this on more than a few occasions since the day Evan Payne had walked back into her life. Except Evan had pulled away from the kiss earlier that day. Reese prayed that he wouldn’t do that now, wouldn’t deny the craving that was locking them there within the stillness of the pool. As if hearing her inner pleas, Evan slowly moved closer, until he was within her touch. Although she wanted him there, and so much more, Reese was afraid to reach out to him, afraid that she would become lost in his arms. On an impulse, Reese moved to take his hand, to draw him near. And got her wish… Evan reacted, taking her hand, enclosing strong fingers around hers, his thumb slowly circling her palm. The surge of emotions going on inside of her was so overpowering that she found herself closing the gap between them, her legs taking the few short steps until she was pressed against Evan. Fearlessly, she put her hands on his chest, being careful not to pull her eyes from his burning gaze. Something within Reese warned her to stop. Don’t put yourself in this man’s arms. But the voice calling out to her from within her head was distant, fading away the second Evan released her hand, brushing her bottom lip with a bent 98
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finger. His touch was intimidating, yet intoxicating, and Reese’s willpower faded. Her eyes blinked to halfway shut, then closed completely as she reveled in the sensation. That’s when he pulled away, and she immediately felt regret charging throughout her entire being. “I should go,” Evan whispered, turning to wade toward the steps of the pool. “Is that what you really want?” Reese asked, confused, reaching out to take hold of Evan’s arm, stopping him. “You don’t want to know what I want.” But good or bad, dangerous or innocent, Reese did want to know. “Try me,” she said. For the longest time they stood, unmoving. Reese could read the tension on Evan’s face, see it in the way he clenched his fists at his sides. His mood had already started to shift, and she wanted to stop him, bring him back to the moment when nothing had mattered but what was going on between them. “What’s all this about?” he asked. “Is this some game for you, some secret fantasy of yours to rebel against your family? Because if it is, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” Reese moved in slowly until their bodies were mere inches from each other, hoping to stop Evan from hiding behind his sharp words. She wanted to once again feel his lips on hers more than she had wanted anything in her whole life. “Evan, if there’s one thing you should know, it’s that I don’t play games.” Standing behind her words, Reese reached out to him, leaning in until their lips finally touched. Evan responded to her kiss, and Reese savored every second of it, wanting to know how it felt to have the rest of him, close, closer, touching her. As if reading her thoughts, Evan moved to her ear, breathing heavily, traveling slowly down her neck. Reese pressed her fingertips into his shoulders, relaxing against his touch. 99
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“I need to go,” Evan whispered, his lips barely leaving her skin. “What if I don’t want you to?” Reese breathed in his ear, feeling the goose bumps beneath her fingertips as they raised along Evan’s skin. “I don’t think you know what you want,” he said, looking up at her. “It’s one thing for your family to know I’m working here, but if they knew I was in your bed… Why is it you’re so comfortable with the idea when anyone else would be―?” She touched his mouth, quieting him. “Haven’t you realized by now that I don’t give a damn what everyone else thinks, including my family? And besides…” She offered him an inviting smile, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “We don’t have to go up to my bed.” Evan tilted his head, his eyes narrowing, as if contemplating her words. Out of nowhere, for the very first time since she’d known him, he laughed. “You can’t be serious. That’s your big―” When she placed her hands again on his chest, all thoughts of concern dismissed themselves from their minds. Evan wrapped Reese in his arms, taking her mouth in his, capturing every breath that threatened to escape. The kiss was slow, yet urgent at the same time. Evan’s fingers went to the string behind her neck, then to the one down her back, pulling the knots free. All at once, in Reese’s mind, she remembered Anne Mitchell’s face as she had walked past her at the barbecue stand. She thought of Anne, younger and crying, her clothes torn, her face battered, on the night of her rape. Evan had been convicted of that rape. Everyone believed he had done it―everyone except for Reese, who had thought then, and still thought now, that he was innocent. Didn’t she? Something in Reese snapped at this, causing her to break from Evan’s hold and clench the material of her bikini top to her chest. At first he looked startled, but then his eyes began to question her. At that very moment, Evan had detected her doubt, her fear. “I thought this was what you wanted?” She nodded, trembling. “I do.” 100
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“Then why are you shaking?” “I’m not,” she lied, holding more tightly to her suit. Evan shook his head. There was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes. “I’m out of here,” he said, turning and wading for the pool’s edge. “Evan―” She reached for him, catching his arm. “Don’t go.” He turned to face her. There was no sense in trying to talk her way out of how she had reacted. Hell, Reese wasn’t even sure herself. However, there was one thing she was sure of. She wanted this man. She wanted him now. Reese waded toward him until their bodies touched. Slowly, she released the hold on her swimsuit, letting it float along the water’s surface. There was a time when Reese would have felt self-conscious, standing there topless in front of a man for the first time. But the way his gaze traveled over her breasts made Reese want him to explore her body further. And he did, wrapping her in his arms, letting go of any remaining suspicions he may have had. Evan eased down the bottom of her bikini, but made no movement to free himself from his own restricting clothes. Instead, he placed her fingers to the button of his pants, clearly his way of putting the whole situation in her hands, giving Reese the opportunity to back away before going any further. With her fingers touching the skin beneath his waistband, Reese undid the button, not wanting to wait any longer, not wanting to think. When there was nothing left between them, Evan took a step closer and Reese wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He ran his hands up both her legs before lifting Reese slowly to him, easing his way inside of her, never once looking away as her eyes closed. At that precise moment, coming from two different worlds with two very different pasts no longer mattered. They moved together beneath the water, wrapped against one another. He pressed her back against the wall of the pool and held her there, drawing 101
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her against him again and again, her legs locked around his middle, her fingers tangled in his hair. After the waves of pleasure exploded within their bodies, Reese clung to Evan like a life preserver, taking refuge in his arms. He held her tight, and when he was finished, he carried her out of the water, up to seclusion of her bedroom. *** The whole time before Reese had fallen asleep seemed like a dream. They had shared such an intimacy, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to turn back, let alone keep up her defenses when it came to Evan. Although her sexual desires had been put to rest, as she lay next to the man who had touched her so deeply, Reese slept through a disturbing sleep filled with haunting nightmares. The images weren’t of Evan melting into her as he had earlier but rather of the man as portrayed by this town. Except Reese couldn’t see his face. What she did see was a male body running away from Anne Mitchell, who was lying on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks. Next, images flooded her mind in a whirlwind―Evan’s arrest, the trial and then a one-way ticket to the state penitentiary. In that particular scene, Reese was able to see him: Evan being shoved into a police car, the case solved and finished. She could hear the police sirens screeching as they drove away. That sound was what brought Reese out of the nightmare and back to the sanctuary of her own room. Covered in a cold sweat, she rolled to her side, wanting to feel the security of being so close to Evan, to the man he was today. But he was gone. She sat up, rubbing away the visions from her mind and the sleepiness from her eyes, trying to focus on the darkness surrounding her. There was no apparent light coming from the bathroom across the room, but Reese still got up and went to take a look. 102
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Just as she had thought, it was empty. With an irrepressible panic taking over her, Reese went to the balcony, looking to the calm water of the pool below. Evan’s clothes were no longer strewn along the concrete patio, only the black top of her string bikini floated on the water’s surface. Reese went back into her bedroom, closing the French doors behind her, feeling vulnerable and alone. Taking the few short steps to the side window, she was almost afraid to look beyond the grids of the glass. When she mustered up the strength to face her fears, Evan’s presumed absence was clarified by the emptiness in the driveway. She couldn’t be sure why Evan had left, but the fact that he had should’ve told Reese something. But what? That he had used her for some meaningless roll in hay? It may have been the best sex she had ever encountered, but Reese was having a hard time believing that’s all it was. Last night, Evan could hardly tear his body away from hers. Now, without warning, he was gone, and Reese was left standing alone, with a cluster of contradicting thoughts racing through her mind as to why. All of a sudden, Reese realized that Evan hadn’t left her completely alone. Whether he knew it or not, he had left her with clarity, which could have only come from what had happened between them in the pool, in her bed, making sense of the nightmare she’d had. It now rang loud and clear through Reese’s mind. There was no way the man who had so tenderly caressed her skin, reaching every depth of her emotional being, could have hurt any woman. Not today, and not nine years ago. *** Evan sat in his chair, looking through the old metal windows as the sun came up that morning. He cursed himself for being so weak as to let Reese Abbot get to him. Spending five years in prison had made Evan a strong man, but even he had his limits. She was so beautiful and that beauty was bound to get them both into trouble sooner or later. Things had gone too far. He knew it, and so would she 103
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once the ramifications of it all sunk in. It was bad enough that he had taken the job. But to put himself that close to Reese Abbot―how could he have let that happen? Evan should’ve known that jumping in the pool with his clothes on would turn into more than some childish game. Once in, he had tried to leave, but had been powerless against Reese’s insistence that he stay. The way she had looked at him had filled Evan with hunger, a hunger that he had tried so hard to contain. He got up from the chair, looking at the clock on the VCR. Six o’clock in the morning. Soon he would have to leave for Reese’s with an excuse for his early departure the night before. But excuses weren’t his style. Evan needed to tell Reese that what happened last night could never happen again. It was for her protection. Entering the bathroom, Evan turned on the cold water and jumped in the shower. Reminiscing about last night with Reese made him want her all over again, more so than before, and the coldness from the shower wasn’t helping to bring him back to reality―a reality that wouldn’t let him have her, and a reality that simply made Evan aware that there was no way he could face her. Not today.
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Chapter Thirteen Reese had a hard time getting motivated and didn’t leave her room for two hours after waking up to an empty bed. The sun proved it was going to be a beautiful day, but she knew it would be anything but stress free. She should have returned her father’s calls. He would never let the fact that Evan was working for her slip by without a fight. Reese couldn’t imagine having to face him, and she sure as heck wasn’t ready to confront him about his secret rendezvous. If he started in on her, it would be a challenge keeping her mouth shut. That’s why she hadn’t gotten back to him yesterday. She had needed time to cool off. Although today, Reese still didn’t know how she was going to handle the situation, but she had to get to her father before he left for the office. If not, he would come by her house on the way to work. She couldn’t get into it with him there, not with Evan around. “That’s it!” she exclaimed in sudden realization. That must be why Evan left, she thought. Maybe he feared an early morning visit from one of her family members and hadn’t wanted to put Reese through another uncomfortable confrontation like the one that had taken place with Steve. Perhaps she was wrong, but Reese needed to believe that was the reason he had left her. Taking the shower that day felt different from any other in her life. When the water washed over her body, all Reese could remember was the water of the pool. When the soap caressed her skin, it was as if Evan’s hands were all over her again. 105
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When she finally wrapped herself in an oversized towel, all Reese could think about was being in his arms, the excitement, the comfort, even the small sense of unspoken fear. To say the least, the emotions had been unlike anything she had ever experienced. As she drove down the road in her new BMW toward her parents’ house, Reese dreaded having to see them and only hoped she wouldn’t run into her brother. It was going to be hard enough trying to explain hiring Evan without Steve putting in his two cents. Reese noticed the trees that lined her old street were already covered with leaves when not too long ago, they had only started to show the first signs of growth. The tulips were in full bloom along with yellow daffodils, all adorning many of the broad lawns in the neighborhood. Wild Ridge was certainly beautiful that time of year. Her childhood home stood off on its own in the back corner of a cul-desac. The white Colonial still maintained the berry-blue shutters that she had helped the handyman paint as a kid. The lawn was vast with meticulously manicured shrubs, which ran down the whole length of the paved driveway. When she pulled up, Reese was relieved to see that her dad’s car was still in the garage. He would be furious with her for not returning his calls last night, for purposely avoiding him, but little did he know how furious she was with him, too. Even so, Reese had never been any good at handling her father’s stern, intimidating manner. “Where in God’s name have you been, young lady?” Gordon Abbot demanded, as though she was a child, before Reese even managed to get out of the car. “Nice to see you, too,” she mumbled. “Your mother and I have been worried sick!” “I was out of town. By the time I got home last night, it was too late to call.” She walked up the front steps to stand before her father, trying to hold her head high. “I’m here now. What’s so urgent?” 106
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“Don’t act as if you aren’t aware of the disturbing news I received from your brother.” “Disturbing, huh?” The sickening image of her father and the other woman flashed before Reese’s eyes. “I don’t think you know what disturbing is.” She was tempted to call him on it but didn’t want her mother overhearing, so she decided to let her father rant and rave and get all of his disapproving thoughts off his chest. It was just like Steve to do this, running to Daddy, trying to make Reese look as if she was an incapable little girl. That had always been his way of striving for attention, both when they had been children, and even now, as an adult. “I regret ever paying for that schooling of yours,” Gordon said. “Being away from home has turned you into a disrespectful individual.” “Look Dad, I’m sorry I didn’t call, but I already told you I wasn’t home. Can’t we have a pleasant visit for once, without any talk of Steve or his gossip?” She peered through the front window. “Where’s Mom?” “Reese, we are extremely upset with the fact that you have that man working for you. Don’t you remember all the harm he―” “Caused?” she finished. “That was a long time ago. He’s a changed man.” “How can you say something like that? The man was convicted!” Her father pointed a finger demonstratively at his head. “I thought you were smarter than this. Any man who would take a woman against her will has to have more than a couple of screws loose, so don’t you stand here and tell me he’s changed!” “I’m not going to talk to you about this any further, but just so you know―I’m not blind or stupid. I know what I’m doing, and no matter what you say, Evan Payne’s going to continue working for me.” Reese left her father standing on the front porch with his mouth dropped. She found her mother cleaning up the breakfast table, placing dishes 107
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in the sink for the maid to wash. Reese was surprised to even see her doing that much. “Hi, Mom,” she said on her way to the coffee pot. “Reese.” Cheryl Abbot put a hand on her hip. “What were you thinking?” “Not you, too,” Reese groaned as she sat at the table, looking out the gleaming patio doors. “You had to have known that we wouldn’t consent to such craziness.” “I know what I’m doing,” she repeated. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” Her mother took a seat at the table. “That’s funny. Evan said the same thing,” Reese said, taking a sip of the coffee. “Although, I’m sure his concerns were very different from yours.” “Doesn’t that tell you something?” “It tells me that he’s apprehensive about what I’ll have to put up with from people like you.” “Reese!” her mother protested. “How can you say such a thing?” “Like I told Dad and Steve, this is none of your business.” “It is when it’s going to cause nothing but embarrassment for this family.” “So that’s what’s bothering you. It’s not my safety you’re worried about. It’s the damn Abbot name.” Her mother looked momentarily hurt. “You know darn well what I meant.” “Oh, I know exactly what you meant. None of you have ever trusted me to make my own decisions. Who am I to think that things would be any different now?” Reese pushed her chair back from the table, knowing what a waste of time it had been to come there. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m an adult. And I don’t need your approval.” Her father joined them in the kitchen, blocking the doorway and preventing Reese from making a quick exit. “I want you to go home right this 108
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instant and tell that sorry excuse for a man that he’s fired,” he ordered. “If you don’t, I will.” “I’ll do no such thing, and you all better find a way to deal with it!” Reese stormed out of the kitchen with both of them following close behind. “Reese Abbot, you stop right there!” her father snapped after her. “Did Steve mention the dinner we’re hosting for the Roberts family?” Even after all these years, Reese obediently stopped and turned. “Yes.” “It’s this Saturday night, and we both expect you to be here.” Gordon looked to his wife for agreement. “Is my attendance really necessary?” Reese asked with a frown. “Yes,” her mother spoke first. “We were thinking of inviting a very nice young man for you to meet.” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Reese clutched the strap of her purse. “Don’t even think of doing something like that!” “It’s about time you start getting out and meeting people,” her mother said, with a somewhat hopeful smile. “You two are unbelievable, you know that?” Reese shook her head, steam practically blowing out her ears. “I’ll be there―with a date of my choice.” *** When Reese got back to the house, she was surprised that Evan hadn’t arrived yet. It was well after nine, and in the previous days, he had shown up earlier. Instead of driving straight home, on an impulse, Reese had gone by Evan’s apartment. His truck hadn’t been parked out front, or in the side lot, so she assumed he was waiting for her at home. But he wasn’t. Reese began to wonder if he had any intentions of ever coming back after the way he had crawled out of her bed in the still of the night. So many possibilities swam through her mind, but she found it hard to believe that Evan would up and quit the job with no word at all. 109
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Again, Reese reminded herself, What do you really know about this man? Could last night have been just that, a one-time deal? Damn him! She went in the house to check the answering machine. Nothing. No hang-ups, no telemarketing calls, not even a follow-up from her parents―and more importantly, not one phone call from Evan. In fact, there was no blinking light to indicate that a message had been waiting for her at all. Nothing. Throwing her purse across the kitchen table in frustration, Reese had a mind to go pounding down his door, demanding to know why. Why had he left her during the early morning hours, why hadn’t he shown up for work, why hadn’t he called and why had he used her? Why was he acting like the man her parents and everyone else in the town still believed him to be? Up until that moment, Reese hadn’t thought about the possibility, not seriously anyway, but now it definitely crossed her mind. She thought about her dream of Anne Mitchell crying, her clothes torn as she huddled against the ground. She thought of the screech of police sirens, of Evan being driven off to prison. “It’s not possible,” she whispered, shaking her head. She knew Evan. She knew him. She had surrendered to his touch, melted at his caress, let him make love to her, for God’s sake! He wasn’t capable of rape. “He couldn’t be,” she said. The sound of her newly installed door chime echoed throughout the house. The twinge in Reese’s stomach told her that no matter her assertions, a part of her had come to doubt Evan Payne. Still, another part of her prayed it was him ringing the bell. Reese went to the front door, only briefly stopping to check her reflection in the brass-framed mirror, wanting to appear as calm as possible. The doorbell again chimed loudly, making Reese jump. 110
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“You get up and leave me naked in bed, and now you want to be persistent?” Reese spat to herself, certain that it was Evan behind all the noise. “Well, you can wait.” As she entered the front foyer, getting a clear view of the driveway, Reese could see that it wasn’t Evan after all who was annoying her with the ringing of the doorbell. Not unless he had gone out and bought a black Mercedes. She wasn’t sure if the realization made her angrier or more disappointed. At this point, it didn’t matter. Whoever was on the other side of the heavy wooden door continued to push the chime, displaying no signs of leaving. With irritation taking over her, Reese swung open the front door. “Damn if you don’t look beautiful.” Reese stopped short at the sight of Travis Clifton, her high school sweetheart, with whom she had totally lost touch somewhere along the line during the last seven years. “I can accept that college and that fancy job of yours has kept you busy―too busy to even pick up the phone, I might add―but when I heard you’d moved back here… Well, Reese, I would’ve thought I rated a phone call,” he said, eyeing her with one of his over-exaggerated looks. After all those years, he hadn’t changed one bit. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall you taking the time to drop me a line, either.” She smiled. “Looks like you have some explaining to do, too, if you came here intending to get one out of me.” “Okay, I think we can drop the technicalities.” He took a step closer. “How about a hug and we’ll call it a truce?” Before Reese could answer, Travis wrapped her in his arms. He squeezed her tightly, pulled back, then squeezed Reese again. The two had been inseparable through most of their high school years, first as best friends, then as young lovers. Her first… It had been hard to stay close after high school, living so far apart. To her parents’ dismay, their relationship had ultimately fizzled out, along with any 111
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type of communication. For all Reese knew, he probably had a family of his own by now. Yet if that was the case, why was he here and still holding her so close? “Reese, this house…it seems bigger than I remember.” He walked halfway up the staircase, gazing around the spacious rooms. “What’re you going to do with it all?” “There’s so much to be done before I can do anything. Sometimes I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.” “Speaking of which,” Travis said, walking down the stairs and taking Reese by the arm. “Tell me the rumors aren’t true?” “Rumors?” Reese knew darn well what he was getting at. “Evan Payne. He’s working here with you?” “Yes.” He moved from the living room to the dining room. “Is he here now?” “No, he’s not.” Knowing Travis would follow, Reese left him to his investigating as she headed for the kitchen. “Thank God you fired him.” “I didn’t fire him. Where would you get an idea like that?” she asked, wondering if he had been talking to her family. “I heard your father screaming from his office while Steve was in talking to him. I would’ve thought you’d come to your senses by now.” “Come to my senses?” Reese put up her defenses. “Wait a minute. What were you doing at the office?” “You haven’t heard?” “Heard what?” “I’ve worked there for a few years. Your brother hired me right out of college. I’m surprised your family never mentioned it to you.” “Don’t be. My family and I kept in touch about as much and you and I have over the years.” Reese shook her head. “I can’t believe you went to work for them. What happened to you wanting to make your mark in the―” “And I can’t believe you have a rapist working for you,” he said. 112
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“Let me tell you something.” Reese laid into him, her sharp tone accentuating each word. “I’m not going to listen to this from you, too. It’s bad enough I have my parents down my throat, I don’t need you―” “This isn’t about what your family’s saying…” Travis paused, waiting for Reese to calm down. “I remember how that guy used to eye you in high school.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Reese said, even though she knew he was right. Reese should have known that there had been more to Travis’s visit than simply a friendly hello. Her brother had probably put him up to it. Knowing how jealous Travis had always been, she’d bet that the idea of Evan Payne being there with her had irked him beyond control, even after all those years. “Let’s not talk about this anymore,” she said, trying to change tactics. She forced a bright smile. “What’ve you been up to? Surely you’re married with a couple of kids running you ragged by now.” “Don’t you dare change the subject on me. I want to know about Evan Payne,” Travis said. “There’s nothing to tell. I needed help renovating this house and he needed a job. And if you don’t stop harassing me, you can leave.” She gave him a stern look to let him know she meant every word, and he took the hint. “All right,” he said, raising his hands. “You’re off the hook…for now. Anyways, I’m late for work.” With a slight pull, Travis re-adjusted the sleeve of his suit coat after looking at his watch. “What’re you doing tonight?” She hadn’t given it much thought. One thing Reese knew she wouldn’t be doing was spending her evening feeling vulnerable in the swimming pool, giving Evan Payne the opportunity to use her again. “I don’t know, stripping some walls or something.” “No, you’re not.” Travis walked back through the house to the front door. “Have dinner with me.” “I have so much to do and―” “The house will keep. As for you, I haven’t seen you for years.” Unexpectedly, he touched his lips to hers with a soft kiss. “I’ll pick you up at seven.” 113
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Just like that, Travis was out the door and on his way to work, as if none of the years had passed between them. He had always been used to getting his own way. Nevertheless, he had seemed to be sincere. But that kiss… What the hell was with that kiss? she thought. The last thing Reese needed in her life was more conflict to analyze. *** If Evan could’ve stayed home that day, he would have. That had been his intention. He dreaded having to face Reese after bailing out on her in the early hours of the morning. Knowing her, she was probably furious, hurt and whatever else women felt after being left alone in bed without as much as a word. Evan had made a mistake. He should’ve played the whole situation differently, and now he had some major damage control to take care of. The sooner the better. What a mess I’ve gotten myself into. If only Evan had listened to the warnings going off in his head. But no, he had gone to Reese’s house, ravished her in the pool―then again in her bed―and left. If he had been trying to make a good impression, he was going about it the wrong way. As he pulled up the drive, Reese was walking down the porch, heading out front to her parked car. It was apparent that she had already been out that morning, and Evan had a good idea of where she had gone. Everyone in this town knew that an Abbot wasn’t to be ignored, and he figured she had visited with her father. God knows how that must have went. If knowing that wasn’t enough, Evan could tell by the terse squinting of her eyes that she wasn’t at all too happy with him, either. Maybe even a little surprised to see him. He got out of his truck and walked around the back to open the tailgate. He had brought some of his tools, particular ones that he would need. There was no sense in using Reese’s money to buy new when he already had them. “So nice of you to show up. I don’t suppose that’s your suitcase.” She nodded, eyeing the large metal box. “Moving in next door, after all?” 114
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“No, I’m not.” Evan started for the garage. “What? You have nothing to say to me today?” He stopped and turned. “About…?” He should have known that playing stupid wasn’t something that would benefit him when dealing with her. It would only dig him deeper in a hole. “I was a little surprised to find that you’d left this morning.” “I figured it would be better if I wasn’t here when you woke up,” he said. “Better for who? You?” Reese asked sharply. “I’d think by now you would agree that last night should’ve never happened.” Oh, if she only knew how difficult it had been for him, too difficult to even rehash without wanting her all over again. Evan knew their relationship could never go any further than the time they had spent together the night before. Her family, by no means, would ever let that happen. He couldn’t let that happen. Control… Evan needed control. Reese walked over to him, glaring at the toolbox until he placed it on the ground. She then ran her hands from his shoulders down his chest, leaning in, allowing Evan to feel her warm breath on his ear as she spoke. “You and I both know how good it really was.” She moved in even closer, pressing her body against his. “Now why don’t you do us both a favor and stop denying it?” She leaned forward until her lips grazed his. Forgetting all earlier plans to end this once and for all, Evan hungrily opened his mouth to hers, exploring the now familiar place. He could feel himself growing with want, felt the hunger rising from deep inside as her nails dug through the fabric of his shirt. A low whimper escaped her lips, making him aware that he was gripping the sides of her arms harder than he should have been. Evan loosened his hold. At this rate, there was no telling what he would do. Evan took Reese by the shoulders, pushing her away. 115
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“Yes, damn it!” he said, breathless, struggling to prevent himself from kissing her more. “So we had great sex. Is that what you wanted to hear?” Reese smiled. “It’s a start,” she said before leaving Evan standing in front of the house, having played him for a fool. Damn it! Reese Abbot had him by the balls, and she knew it! *** Reese was surprised when Evan had finally shown up. At the first sight of his truck pulling up the drive, she had wanted to run to him, to pound her fists on his chest, demanding to know how he could have treated her like some whore off the street. When she had sensed the uneasiness in his mood, Reese knew to play it that way wouldn’t serve her purpose. She had been determined―one way or another―to get Evan to admit that last night had been more than a night full of spontaneous sex, to get him to confide in her how a man with such a yielding touch could’ve committed such a horrendous crime like rape. He didn’t do it. He’s not that man―not the man who hurt Anne Mitchell. I know he’s not. So that’s why Reese had played along with his denial, hadn’t pushed him to expose his inner demons. No matter how hard Evan tried hiding them, she knew they existed. Instead of the casual flirting she had thrown his way, Reese had wanted more than anything to hold on to Evan, to tell him that he could trust her, to feel like she could trust him. But she didn’t. There was still so much more she was unsure of when it came to Evan Payne. But I’m going to find out, she thought. I’m going to learn the truth, and I’m going to prove he’s innocent―even if it’s only to myself.
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Chapter Fourteen Reese was gone that evening. She and Evan had done an admirable job of avoiding each other for the rest of the day, but she had at last come outside to find him. “I’m going to be taking off soon,” she had said. “And?” He hadn’t stopped working or even looked up at her. “I’m meeting an old friend from high school, Travis Clifton. Do you remember him?” “Vaguely,” Evan had grunted as he laid a blue tarp out over the junk piled high in the bed of his truck. “I probably won’t be here when you get back.” “Do you mind if I stay?” Evan had asked as he attached the last of the bungee cords to the inside metal latch. “I have a few more things to finish up.” “Be my guest,” she had replied. He could finally relax knowing she wouldn’t be back for a while. After the kiss she had graced him with that morning, Evan knew his willpower was slowly slipping away. He was irritated with himself for not resisting her like he promised he would, but Evan didn’t think there was a man out there who could’ve done it. After pulling his truck up to the garage, Evan went inside to see if he’d forgotten anything. To his liking, he hadn’t. All the junk had finally been cleared away, giving him the space he needed to start organizing the place. Remembering he had left his tool belt in the truck, Evan went back out to retrieve it and noticed a car coming up the driveway. He tried not to pay it any attention, as it was most likely Reese and that washed-up quarterback 117
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coming back after calling it an early night. When the car continued on toward the garage, Evan thought twice about that theory. Sure enough, he had been wrong. It wasn’t Reese or Travis Clifton, but rather an older man behind the wheel. For any given reason other than the obvious, Evan had a feeling this wasn’t going to be pleasant. It wasn’t until the man got out of the car that Evan realized who he was. Gordon Abbot. Collecting his tool belt, Evan shut the door and waited by the side of his truck for the inevitable confrontation. He watched as Gordon took each step. Evan wasn’t sure if it was his features that made him look so jagged or if it was the anger in his eyes that made them more profound. In any case, it was apparent that Gordon was not a happy man. “Mr. Abbot,” Evan said, walking over and extending his hand. “Evan Payne. I work for―” “I know who you are.” Gordon made no effort in reciprocating Evan’s attempt at being respectful. “Reese isn’t home.” “I didn’t come here to see my daughter.” “Look, I know what you’re going to say and―” “You have no idea the things I want to say to you, but I guarantee you’re going to listen to every word.” Evan threw the tool belt in the back of his truck, then crossed one arm over the other, leaning against his vehicle. “I’m going to make this real simple for you.” Gordon took two steps onward. “I want you to collect your belongings and leave. Consider yourself fired.” “Did Reese ask you to relay this message for her?” Evan asked, even though he knew damn well she hadn’t. “My daughter doesn’t seem to be thinking clearly these days. But I assure you, it’s for the best.” “I’ll take that as a no.” Evan turned, going back into the garage. 118
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“Did you hear what I said?” Gordon’s voice came from behind. “I heard you, but I’m not leaving.” “I beg to differ.” “You say this is for the best?” Evan brought both hands up, fingers forming imaginary quotation marks. “Best for who?” “Reese, of course. She doesn’t need a man like you around.” Oh, but if only you knew how badly your little princess wanted me around… Evan had to bite his tongue. Instead he replied, “Your daughter hired me to do a job. If Reese tells me to leave, I’ll leave. Until then, I assure you I won’t do anything to cause her harm.” Gordon spat against the ground. “Your word means nothing to me.” “Maybe not, but it’s the best you’re going to get.” Evan took a small box of loose nails and placed them in the drawer of the tool bench. “Now you listen to me.” Gordon came to stand at Evan’s side. “I don’t want you anywhere near my daughter. Finish what you’re doing and get out!” Evan didn’t see the point in replying. No matter what he said, it wouldn’t be enough to please a man like Gordon Abbot. He watched as Reese’s father left the garage and trudged back to his fancy Cadillac, convinced he had made his point. And he had. He’d made it perfectly clear, like the rest of Wild Ridge’s high society circle, that he did not like Evan. But if he thought Evan was going to bow out and leave because he told him to, well, Gordon Abbot had another thing coming. *** “So, let’s have it,” Travis said after the waitress left the table with their order in hand. “What is it you want to know?” “Why Evan Payne?” He placed his arms, elbows first, on the table before him. “You could’ve paid to have that house remodeled.” 119
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“I am paying to have it remodeled.” “Reese, even after all these years, I still care about you,” Travis said. “And your family…” “What about my family?” “You know how they feel.” The last thing Reese wanted to do was get into defending Evan again but she knew Travis wasn’t going to drop it until she gave him something to pacify his suspicions. “Yeah, they’re furious but who cares?” Reese scanned the bar, remembering that this particular place was one her brother use to frequent quite often. “You should’ve heard your father yesterday.” “Forget my father. What do you think of the whole thing?” Reese knew she would probably regret asking his opinion but what the hell. “It doesn’t really surprise me. I mean, your parents have always been pretty judgmental. I, for one, know how protective they can be when it comes to their little girl.” “We’re not kids anymore, for Christ’s sake, and that’s not what I was talking about.” Reese moved her purse as the waitress laid the pitcher of beer on the table, then waited until she left before going on. “I think there was more to that case years ago than anyone in this town is willing to admit.” “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Travis said. “Evan Payne was nothing but a loser. He still is and that case was cut and dry.” “Exactly.” Reese nodded. “Maybe too cut and dry. You remember the kind of girl Anne Mitchell was.” “She was the kind of girl all the guys wanted to―” Reese shot him a hard glare, irritated by his unfinished remark. “Sorry,” Travis said with a smirk. Great. That’s all she needed was Travis getting the impression that his comment had hit a nerve. Their relationship had ended long ago, and despite the kiss he’d surprised her with, Reese had no interest in sparking it up again. 120
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“That’s true. Anne was quite the tease.” Reese leaned in closer. “I can’t explain why, but something’s missing. I find it hard to believe that Evan raped her that night.” “Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish with all this, or why you even care, but he spent a lot of time in prison.” “Yeah and it shows. He’s a bitter, bitter man…” Reese drifted off into mental images of Evan touching her, kissing her, making love to her, then ultimately turning his back on her. “Sometimes I think he’s innocent.” “Sometimes? What the hell does that mean?” “Never mind.” “Oh, God.” Travis shook his head. “You’ve got a thing for Payne, don’t you?” “I never said that.” “Did he touch you? Because if he laid one finger on you, I’ll―” “It’s not like that.” She stood up, wondering why she had agreed to come out with Travis in the first place. “Sit down,” he said. “I’ve heard enough for one day. I’ll take a cab home.” “If you sit down and answer me one thing, I promise, I’ll drop the subject.” Reese reluctantly sat back in the chair. “What?” “When we were dating back in high school, you always had feelings for him, didn’t you?” he asked. “Come on, Reese, we’re not kids anymore, remember? You can be honest.” “I don’t see how this―” “I guess I got my answer.” He lifted his mug, taking down the rest of his beer, his male ego blasted to hell. “This guy has a past, one I don’t think you’d be too smart to try and rectify. If he knows you have feelings for him… Well, you’d better watch your back. He’ll only use it against you, to lure you in until he sucks the life right out of you.” 121
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After a remark like that, there could be no more talk of their high school days, no more reminiscing about a time when they had been so young, so naïve to everything within Wild Ridge. Reese snatched her purse and walked out the restaurant door, leaving behind a stranger who wore the face of a man who she had once trusted more than anyone in her life, a man who now left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was dark by the time Reese arrived back at home. She had ended up waiting a half hour before a cab had finally arrived. She paid the driver, then went inside, glancing down at her watch. It was late, almost eleven o’clock, and Evan’s truck was still in the driveway. Why was he still here? Suddenly Travis’s words preoccupied her mind, You’d better watch your back. She’d succeeded in giving Evan his space today. However, after being away from him for the evening, Reese couldn’t hold back another minute. She needed to feel safe in her own house. The last thing she was going to do was run to her front door and bolt the lock shut behind. But what if he was in the house? “Damn it, Reese, get a hold of yourself!” she muttered as she walked toward the front door. Just as she reached for the handle, she heard a racket coming from the garage. Realizing where Evan could be found, Reese knew she needed to get some things off her chest. She would give him no choice but to listen. There was no other way. Reese needed answers, once and for all, before she could feel comfortable in her own skin again without constantly looking over her shoulder, questioning her surroundings, always analyzing Evan Payne’s motives. As she turned to go down the steps, the phone rang. Reese hesitated for a moment, then turned and crossed the porch for the threshold again. To her surprise, as she fumbled in her purse for her keys, she reached for the door and found it unlocked. She hurried across the foyer, heading for the kitchen. 122
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“Hello?” “Miss Abbot?” an unfamiliar voice asked. “Yes, speaking.” “This is Jay Arnold. I own the pharmacy building downtown.” “Yes, what can I do for you?” “I’m sorry to be calling so late, but I was told I could reach Evan Payne at your residence. There’s been a bit of a problem. Is Evan still there?” “Is he in some sort of trouble?” Considering Evan’s reputation, it was the first thing to come to mind. “Um…no, ma’am.” “I’m sorry. Yes, he’s here. Would you like me to put him on the phone?” “If you could please tell Evan to meet me at his apartment, I’d appreciate it. I’ll be there for a while. A section of the roof collapsed, causing quite some damage in his place. We’re not sure yet why it happened, but that roof is as old as this town.” He chuckled, perhaps anticipating the hefty insurance check to come. “I think if Evan’s real careful, he’ll be able to get a few things out for now. At least until the roof’s repaired.” “How long will that take?” “Only a couple of days. Until then, I can’t have him coming and going on account of the danger. If he was to get hurt, I’d be sued to high heavens.” “I’ll give him the message right now.” Reese hung up the phone, dreading having to tell Evan his apartment was in shambles. Her earlier offer of the carriage house resurfaced. But Evan had been so adamant about turning her down. Would he accept now that he didn’t have a choice? Walking to the front porch, she looked out into the moonlight. The light in the garage was burning through the now sparkling windows. He had spent most of the day in the garage, and Reese was sure that he had given it a long overdue facelift. The sound of a radio guided her along the darkened path. If Reese wasn’t mistaken, she could have sworn she heard the deep humming of a tune. 123
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When she entered the garage, he stood with his back to her. Reese tried to be extra quiet. After feeling most of the day as though eyes had been watching her from afar, she wanted to be the one doing the watching. He was a lot more relaxed now than he’d been earlier in the day, probably because he thought he was alone, although she would’ve thought he’d heard the cab come up the driveway just minutes ago. The garage was immaculate. He had put a fresh coat of paint on the cement walls, and they shined brightly. The old kitchen cabinets that had been piled in the back corner now lined the walls, replacing the rusty metal shelves. Reese must’ve left the keys in her car when she’d left for her date with Travis, because he’d apparently moved it, parking it inside, where it glistening right along with the rest of the building. Her keys. The front door had been unlocked when she’d gone to answer the phone. Was that why? Had Evan been in the house? Reese had been sure that she’d locked the door before going to dinner with Travis. She took a deep breath and moved in closer. His shirt was off, dangling from the handle of a corroded old shovel. She hated the fact that she couldn’t command her eyes to turn away, hated that, no matter what she did, what she knew, or didn’t know, Evan Payne kept getting further under her skin. Desirable feelings overcrowded rational thoughts, eventually smothering them from her mind. “I was beginning to wonder how long it’d be before you said something?” His voice shook her back to reality. “Huh?” “If you were trying to be sneaky, I should probably tell you that I saw you coming a mile away.” Yet she hadn’t felt his eyes watching her while walking from the house to the garage. “You’ve really spruced up the place,” Reese remarked, wanting more than anything to avoid his comment. “It’s the best looking garage I’ve ever seen.” “Even if I had to waste the whole day doing it?” 124
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“You’ve been in here all this time?” The defensive tone came out like a reflex. “Did you think differently?” he asked, turning to her. “Where else do you think I’ve been, in your house? Why don’t you come out with it, Reese. What is it you really want to ask?” He was in the house! she thought. Why else would he have said that? She needed to recover quickly, not give him any indication that she was suspicious of his whereabouts. “I only meant to suggest that it’s probably been a long day for you.” Reese waited a moment, trying to feel him out. “I’m surprised you’re still here.” “I showed up late today, so it’s only right that I make up the time.” While trying her damnedest to remain strong, her eyes fell from his, followed a smear of grease down his neck to the jagged scar just below his left shoulder. Why hadn’t she noticed the scar last night? Had it been too dark in the pool or had she managed to totally block out the world after he had jumped in after her? It looked as though, at one time, the cut had been a deep one and poorly mended, too. Reese assumed that the scar was only one of many things Evan had taken away from his prison sentence. She recalled how it felt to have her cheek resting in that exact spot―so smooth and soft against her face. She never would have imagined such a horrible mark to be there. It wasn’t until Evan cleared his throat that Reese realized she had been staring. “Your father stopped by.” “Oh, no.” Reese rubbed the inner corners of her eyes, gently squeezing the bridge of her nose. “What’d he say?” “He fired me.” “What!” Reese went to Evan. “I hope you know that I didn’t have―” “I know you didn’t.” “I am so sorry. I can’t believe… Well, I can, but―” Reese rambled on until Evan cut her off. 125
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“It’s not worth worrying about. I’m still here, aren’t I?” “Yes, but I’m not sure why.” She admired his strength for dealing with her father. “Because I need the job.” He inched forward. “And I don’t let the people in this town run all over me.” Evan grabbed his shirt, pulling it over his head. “I’m taking off for the night.” “About that…” Reese paused, finally getting around to the main reason why she had come searching for him in the first place. “Your landlord called. Jay Arnold?” “What did he want?” Evan looked down at his watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” His head shot up. “Wait a minute, why would he being calling me here?” “He wants you to meet him at your apartment. The roof collapsed.” There was no sense in tiptoeing around the fact. “How in the hell did that happen?” Evan started past her for his truck. “He wasn’t sure―wait up.” Reese trailed after Evan, picking up her pace until she reached his side. “Do you need any help? Want me to go with you?” He quickly halted, turning to Reese, practically causing her to trip over her own two feet in the attempt to stop. “It’s late and I really don’t see how you can help. I don’t even know what the hell happened.” Again he was on the move, darting toward his truck, but Reese persisted to follow. “I have nothing else to do,” she said. “Let me lock up real quick. Where are my keys?” “On the rollaway desk.” Evan pointed to the house from over his shoulder. “If you insist on coming, let’s go.” So he had been in her house, she confirmed, running across the lawn, up the front steps. She snatched her keys from the desk just in side the door and scampered back out in no time flat. If she had had any good sense left, Reese would have slammed the door shut and locked it tightly behind her. Yet here she was, in Evan’s truck, her curiosity having gotten the best of her again. 126
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They drove in silence, down the road, over the railroad tracks and up to the curb in front of Evan’s building. Jay Arnold was standing outside talking to a man who, by the looks of the plywood leaning against the brick wall, planned to temporarily board up the ceiling in Evan’s apartment. She stayed in the truck while Evan jumped out to assess the damage. At first, he stood back on the curb, looking up at the fallen roof. However, it didn’t take him long to hustle up the stairs after talking to his landlord. Reese waited. After fifteen minutes went by, she couldn’t wait any longer. She jumped out of the truck and followed the narrow staircase up to the second floor. As Reese was dashing up, two steps at a time, Mr. Arnold was on his way down. “Watch your step up there. It’s a mess,” he warned, brushing past her. The place was in shambles. Most of the damage was in the living room, with wood planks and worn shingles covering the battered old couch where only a couple of days ago, she had sat. His TV was smashed and the stereo looked as though it had seen better days. The light in what Reese presumed to be Evan’s bedroom was on. She went to the doorway, watching as he filled a worn duffle bag with clothes, toiletries and the three books that rested on his nightstand. From the looks of things, he didn’t have much. She hoped for Evan’s sake, that the apartment had come furnished. Fewer of his own things would be ruined, fewer things he would have to replace. But that still didn’t lessen the reality that his home, rundown or not, was no longer his. “Can I help with anything?” Reese asked even though it was clear Evan had everything he needed in his hands. Besides the rumpled up comforter of the hastily made bed, the room was pretty much bare. Yet she still asked. “This is just my luck,” he said, walking past her, looking up through the opened roof to the dark sky above. “At least you weren’t in here when it collapsed.” 127
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“Damn it!” Evan kicked a deflated basketball sticking out from under a broken chair, causing Reese to jump. It was then that she noticed a different side to him, saw genuine hurt in his eyes, a hurt that he was trying to disguise with anger. It was like life had kicked him one too many times, and this time, he was thinking about staying down. She went to him, lightly placing a wary hand on his shoulder. When their eyes met, it seemed as if―for a fraction of a second―he was going to let her in, going to open that window of the past and let Reese see the man she had longed to know. Except during that same second, Evan turned away, reaching into the drawer of an end table, removing what appeared to be a bank envelope. “Could things get any worse?” he mumbled under his breath. “Things could definitely be worse.” Reese headed toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.” “And where do you propose I go, Miss Fix-it?” Evan was unmistakably irritated with her nonchalant attitude. She took a deep breath before saying, “My offer still stands.” Under the circumstances, Reese was prepared to again lay her suggestion before him. “The carriage house?” “Or the main house, whichever you feel more comfortable in.” Reese walked out the door, stopping in the hall to wait for Evan. “You can’t stay here tonight, so come on.” Reese was first to descend the stairs with Evan close behind. He hadn’t agreed to become a guest in her house, but he hadn’t turned her down either. For some unexplained reason, she was okay with her invitation. This isn’t a mistake. Evan Payne wouldn’t hurt me, she repeatedly chanted to herself. This isn’t a mistake. Evan Payne wouldn’t hurt me. I know it
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Chapter Fifteen Reese had just set a kettle of water on the stove when she heard a knock at her backdoor. After going upstairs to slip into a silk negligee, she’d decided a cup of herbal tea would help her unwind. She’d had a busy day and an eventful night, but now Evan was shutting her out, forcing her to go to bed alone. Although against her wishes, that was precisely what she was preparing to do. He had insisted on spending the night in the carriage house, even though it was filthy, and he hadn’t listened to any of her protests. She went to the door, then smiled. Through the nine-paneled window, Reese could see that it was Evan knocking, despite his earlier adamance about keeping his distance. Why was he acting that way? she wondered, her gaze locked by his mysterious eyes through the glass. What was he so afraid of? One thing Reese was certain of was her connection with this man. It was unexplainable yet evidently there. Until Evan Payne told her otherwise, or— God forbid―hurt her, she wasn’t willing to let it go. Because up until now, Reese hadn’t been very optimistic that she would ever feel this way. “Now, to find out what he’s really after,” she whispered on her way to unlock and open the door. “I see you’ve changed your mind?” “No.” Evan’s eyes flickered from her breasts back to her face as though trying to regain some sort of internal stability. “I locked myself out of the carriage house.” “How’d you manage that? You’ve only been over there for fifteen minutes.” 129
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Evan was clearly dejected that he had permitted Reese’s choice of clothing to distract him. “Yesterday when we were in there, I locked up when I left.” “I see.” Reese struggled not to laugh out loud in triumph. Way to go, Evan, now you have no choice. “Cut the games and get me the key.” “I can’t do that,” she said, walking back to the stove. “I thought I made it clear to you that―” “You might as well come in and get comfortable.” Reese poured water from the steaming kettle into two mugs. “I’d rather not. It’s late and I have to rearrange some things over there before I can think about getting any sleep.” “The rearranging will have to wait.” She handed Evan a warm cup of tea, then sat down at the table. “Looks like you’ll be staying here after all.” “No, I’m not.” “Yes, you are.” “Damn it, Reese, just hand over the key already and quit trying to be cute with me.” Evan put the cup back on the counter, removed the teabag from the water, then dropped it back in. “Tea’s for women.” “Oh, so sorry, I forgot. Not only do I have too many roses speckled throughout my bedroom, I’m a princess who drinks tea, too.” Aggravated, Reese went to the fridge to knock his chauvinistic attitude down a couple of pegs. “Is this more a manly drink?” “I don’t want a damn beer. I came over here to get the key to that house and that’s it!” “I have no idea where the key is. I assume it’s been unlocked all these years because that’s how I found it the other day.” Reese sat down and crossed her legs, waiting for Evan’s gaze to falter as he followed her movement. He was putting on a good show, but Reese could see, deep inside, the personal battle he was having. If only he would quit trying to be so adamant 130
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about pushing her away and let go like he had the night before. Reese knew exactly what he was looking at, craving for, and she felt his pain. Desperately. The second Evan realized that she had caught his mind indulging in the prospects of such pleasures, he ended her own desperate thoughts by turning his back on her, heading out into the night. “Where’re you going now?” “To jimmy the door open or to get a room at the local motel. Anywhere but here.” “Will you stop being so childish and admit that you’re afraid to be in the same room with me?” Reese called, following him outside. She wanted answers, and he was going to give them to her. Evan stopped. For a moment, he was frozen there, not making any attempt to turn around. From his body language, Reese knew she had made him furious. Whether Evan liked it or not, she knew that there was something going on with him. When he turned to face her, Reese wasn’t prepared for his next move. She expected him to either ignore her and keep walking toward the other house or give her one of his disgusted looks and end the conversation before continuing on his way. Instead Evan slowly turned, prowled back to within two inches of her face and glared down at Reese. First his eyes went from the top of her head all the way down to her bare feet, visible from beneath the silky garment that clung tightly to her body but gave her no sense of protection. Evan let his fingers trail under one of the spaghetti straps on her shoulder to a spot between her breasts. Reese wondered if he could feel her trembling beneath his touch. As if giving her a silent answer, the corners of his mouth turned upward, his eyes squinting to a penetrating stare. She had been stunned that he would take such a position, such a bold move. It was so unlike the man he had been portraying himself to be. 131
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Now Reese had to face the facts. She was getting what she had asked for, and there was no turning back now. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t want to be in the same room with you. I realized that the minute I first laid eyes on you.” “Why is that?” Reese asked, determined not to let him intimidate her. He leaned in close, breathing the words in her ear, his hot breath causing the hairs on her neck to stand on end. “Because every time I am, all I want to do is taste every inch of you.” Reese didn’t know what to say. There was no question that she had wanted Evan. To some extent, she had enjoyed the challenge of him trying so hard to ignore her. She had thought it meant he cared. But now…now she was becoming scared. His actions were only reminding her of who everyone said he was, of what he had been convicted of doing, and of her own suspicions and doubts. It was time for it all to stop. His body was stiff, his emotions very different from any she had sensed from him before. Reese took a small step back and looked away, only to have Evan creep in closer, placing a finger beneath her chin, giving her no choice but to look into his eyes. “Nothing to say?” he asked. “I…I just…” she began. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” Evan let the silk strap fall down her shoulder, taking her breast in his hand. “Not like this.” His thumb teased her nipple, which had become erect despite her fears welling up inside. “Like what? What’re you afraid of?” He continued touching her. “The truth, Reese. Are you afraid me?” Surprisingly, she found herself moving in closer, forcing Evan to put more pressure on her body. If she pretended not to be afraid, maybe she would have a chance of getting out of this unscathed. When he showed no inclination 132
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of pulling away, she held her stance, took a deep breath, then pressed her mouth to his. He accepted her kiss. Never in her life had she been as unsure of anything as she was at that moment, not knowing if he would turn into the monster the town had alleged him to be or into the man who had touched her with nothing but tenderness the night before. Reese silently pleaded, for her sake, that her instincts about him hadn’t been wrong. This was her chance, once and for all, to find out who Evan Payne really was. “Are you ready to admit that you want me?” Reese whispered as his mouth broke from hers, covering her neck with soft kisses. “What man in his right mind wouldn’t want you?” He searched her inquisitive features. “But do you still want me? And all that comes with who I am. If you don’t, tell me now, and I’ll never put my body this close to yours again.” She eased the other strap down her shoulder, causing the lace negligee to fall past her hips to the ground. “Does this answer your question?” Not waiting for him to answer, Reese let her eyes rest briefly on Evan’s lips, only bringing her gaze back to his when he didn’t resist. The night air changed from humid to cool as raindrops gradually started to fall upon her skin. She pulled the already-dampened shirt from his pants up and over his head. Not a word left his mouth, and there was no longer any tension taking over his body, or anymore fears filling her mind. Reese took it slowly, wanting Evan to know how much she wanted to believe in him, wanting to never let him go, to beg him not to ever let her go. As the flow of water coming from the sky became a full-blown shower, they searched each other’s eyes, watching as the raindrops formed miniature streams down their bodies. Evan put out his hands, and Reese let hers be held 133
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without giving it a moment’s thought. He brought her hands to his lips, taking time to kiss each palm. “You’re so beautiful.” Evan laced the length of her bangs behind one ear. “There’s so much more I wish I could say to you.” “You don’t have to.” Reese wrapped her arms around him, longing to feel his body close to hers. “The way you touch me tells me everything I need to know.” It was the truth. There was no way he was that same man who had physically hurt Anne Mitchell. The rain began to fall harder with a slight rumble of thunder threatening in the east. Evan had barely begun to touch her, yet Reese could already feel her body surrendering all her doubts. For once in her life, she was living in the moment. They sank together on the ground, giving into desire.
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Chapter Sixteen That night, Evan shared her bed. This time, he was there when Reese awoke the next morning. She could hardly remember them coming up the stairs after falling asleep together in the rain. Tip-toeing her fingers up his back, Reese hoped that whatever was going on between them was given a fair shot from Evan, her family and this town because she knew the negative comments of others would only make him pull away again. On so many levels, it was a new experience, being with a man like Evan. Sure, she’d had her share of men since the day she’d lost her virginity at age seventeen. But with Evan, it was so different. He possessed something that tore her emotions from the inside out. When he stared at her, she could feel him penetrating deep into the most isolated layers of her mind. When Evan touched her, he intoxicated her, pushing her toward the brink of insanity. Even his feeble attempt to drive her away, in the end, had only drawn her closer. When her fingers finally reached a spot on his neck, below his chin, yet above his right shoulder, Evan awoke, giving Reese a warm smile. She leaned in as he shifted his body to face her. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said, taking her breath away with a deep, sensuous kiss. Reese rested her head against the pillow as Evan’s lips dropped to her neck. With half-opened eyes, she looked over the top of his tousled hair in the
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direction of her bedroom window. She inhaled deeply, taking in not only the fresh morning air but also every detail beyond the room. The sight was so dazzling, almost as if the glass was a picture painted with blue skies, ashen clouds and a brilliant amber sun to make it perfect. Lying there with Evan took the normalcy out of everything around her and made it magical. “What’re you thinking about?” Evan asked, propping himself up on one elbow. “I’m surprised to see you here.” “Seeing as the roof’s caved in on my apartment and there’s no key to unlock the carriage house door, I don’t know where else I’d be.” “Maybe that motel you were heading to last night before we―” Evan quickly rolled Reese onto her back and situated his body atop hers, pinning her arms over her head. “Before we wallowed in sin on your back lawn?” He slowly placed a kiss on each side of Reese’s face. “It’s too bad you couldn’t handle more of the same right now.” “Evan Payne, you don’t know me at all.” “I say we fix that.” He edged his body in closer, making Reese fully aware of how badly he wanted her. *** The doorbell rang, just as they had finished making love and Reese had settled comfortably against Evan’s shoulder in the aftermath. “Are you expecting someone?” Evan asked, as Reese sat up. She climbed out of bed and went over to the window, looking down to the yard below. Oh, God, Reese thought, seeing her father’s Cadillac parked in the driveway. Oh, God, not now! She whirled, wide-eyed, snatching for her robe. “Wait here,” she told Evan, and without another word in explanation, she darted out of the room. She pulled her robe on as she ran down the stairs, lashing it around her waist. Barely opening the door, Reese joined Gordon on the front porch. 136
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“Dad, what’re you doing here?” She looked down at her watch. “Good morning to you, too, sweetheart.” Gordon peeked around her shoulder, waiting for Reese to invite him in. “Is that coffee I smell?” “Uh, yeah, but it just started. I have it on a timer, you know…the machine, I mean, and it…” “Just as well, I don’t have much time.” Gordon offered a strained smile. “You know how it is, meetings and all.” “Not really,” Reese whispered under her breath. “Umm, Dad, can I come by the office later? I’m right in the middle of something.” “Nonsense. I have a few minutes, and I’m sure you could spare a few of your own for your father.” Gordon pushed past Reese, inviting himself into the house. “This place has never looked so rejuvenated.” Gordon went to the heart of the home, the grand staircase, and ran a hand along the polished banister. He stood there for a moment admiring the renovations she’d seen underway. “Can’t we do this later?” Reese asked, nervously looking up the stairway. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked. “I know the last time we talked, you weren’t very happy with me. Is this because of what I said to Evan Payne last night?” “You had to know that I wouldn’t appreciate that.” “You’re not furious, so I guess my talk with Payne must’ve worked.” “I don’t want to discuss it right now, but I’ll come by your office in a while.” Reese took Gordon’s arm, edging him toward the door. “I told your mother I would make sure that the plans were set for Saturday night. You know how she gets. She’s worried that you won’t show. And, Reese, you know how important it is for us to maintain a strong front when welcoming a new member into the family business. By the way, Travis is looking forward to seeing you again. He mentioned that the two of you went out to dinner the other night.” “Did he tell you I left him at the restaurant?” 137
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“Your mother and I aren’t the only ones who’ve been worried about you. Isn’t it obvious that Travis still has feelings for you?” “Whatever,” Reese said as she walked through the front door, hoping Gordon would follow. “We can still count on you to be there, right?” He stopped midway in the room, giving Reese a stern look. “What has gotten into you this morning? I hope you don’t treat all your guests like this. You’re being very rude to say the least.” “I’m sorry, Dad,” she said. “It…it’s just…now is not a good time. I’ll be at your party. So can we please do this another―” But her plea came too late.
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Chapter Seventeen As Reese’s father proceeded to walk into the kitchen, Evan was descending the spiral staircase. If that hadn’t been bad enough, he was only wearing a towel, loosely fastened around his waist. For a moment, both men froze, unable to speak. Reese had never seen such an appalled look on her father’s face. For all he knew, he had scared Evan away the night before by his abrupt visit, so seeing him in Reese’s kitchen must have been a shock. As for Evan, obviously he was caught by surprise and didn’t know what to do. “You son of a bitch…!” Gordon lunged toward the staircase in a rage. “Dad!” Reese screamed, leaping in between them, struggling to keep Gordon away from Evan. “What is going on here, Reese? Are you out of your mind?” Gordon swatted Reese’s hand off his expensive suit jacket and staggered away from her, wide-eyed and stunned. He shoved an emphatic forefinger over Reese’s shoulder at Evan. “And you―I thought I made it clear last night that you were to get the hell out of my daughter’s life!” “Will you listen to me?” She took her father by the shoulders, looking him square in the face. “Evan’s here because I want him here. I know this is awkward―for all of us―but do I really have to spell this out for you?” Gordon looked from Evan to Reese. “Dear God, don’t tell me this son of a bitch sweet-talked you into bed with him,” he begged of her. “Reese, I’m talking to you!”
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“Yes!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, letting out all of the bottledup frustration she had felt toward him her entire life. “Yes, we’re sleeping together! And I won’t stand here another minute, in my own home, and listen to you talk about Evan like that!” Reese thought that her dad was going to have a stroke. She watched as he grabbed hold of the back of a chair, leaning his bodyweight against it, his face flushed with more color than a sunburn. “I knew this situation wasn’t good from the very first moment I heard about it,” he wheezed, more to himself than to Reese or Evan. “Mr. Abbot―” Evan began. “Don’t you ‘Mr. Abbot’ me. I should’ve physically thrown you out of here myself, but I’m not that type of man.” “Dad, will you please trust me?” Reese touched a hand to his arm. He shrugged her away. “I won’t stand here listening to this a minute longer.” Gordon left the kitchen, heading in the direction of the front door. He paused, turning to add, “Consider your trust fund closed. I’ve worked hard for my income. If you want to be this stupid, that’s fine. But I will not contribute to any of it or stand by and let this man snowball you out of your savings.” Reese blinked, startled, and then hurried after her father. “So that’s what this is about for you, the money?” she snapped. He shook his head, refusing to slow or turn to her. “I can’t talk about this anymore. There are some things a father doesn’t want to hear. Being that it’s with that man makes it ten times harder. It’s done. You want to be your own woman, then so be it.” A low sob shadowed his words. “What about you and your mistress!” Reese screamed, and her father whirled, shocked by the accusation. “Yes, Dad, I know your secret. How can you stand here and be so righteous when you’re out there fucking around on your wife? Can you justify that!” He couldn’t. He simply stood there in silence, his eyes round and ashamed and more than a little hurt, and then he turned and walked away 140
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again. Her dad had left the house with no further confrontation, no explanations, nothing. When Reese returned to the kitchen, Evan was fully clothed and sitting at the antique table. Even an outsider, one who hadn’t witnessed the altercation between the three of them, could have read the look on his face. It was of embarrassment but mostly consumed with I-told-you-so’s. “I cannot believe that happened,” he sighed, rubbing at the creases in his forehead. “I should’ve never come down those stairs.” “It’s not your fault.” “The hell it isn’t.” Evan slammed a closed fist against the solid oak table. “How were you supposed to know my father would be walking in here?” “It doesn’t matter.” Evan got up from the chair and started for the back door. “It shouldn’t have happened, and it’s not going to happen again.” “Where’re you going?” Reese rushed after him. “Damn it, Evan, answer me!” “To get my things.” Reese slowed her pace, heaving a sigh a relief. “Until I can find that key, or get into the carriage house some other way, I told you, you can stay with me.” Evan stopped, turning to face her. From his troublesome expression, she could see that their intentions weren’t at all the same. He was frightening her. More than any nightmare could, his eyes terrified her. “Reese… I’m leaving.” At first she stood there, staring at him, hoping to have misunderstood what he had said. When Evan continued across the lawn, Reese couldn’t help but follow. Her body was shaking at the thought of him leaving again, yet her legs kept moving forward. “Where’re you going?” she asked. “Anywhere but here.” When Evan reached the carriage house, he grabbed the duffle bag and turned to face Reese. “You’re kidding yourself if you think 141
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anything could come of us. Maybe in a different place, a different time, but not in this town.” “I know things look bad, but I can’t help the way I feel about you,” she said. “Sometimes it just isn’t enough,” he replied. “Don’t do this.” Her statement was anything but begging. The words had come from her heart. Little by little, Reese could feel it breaking. Even the shattering of glass from a rock thrown through the largest picture window couldn’t come close to comparing to how she felt. “I never meant to hurt you,” Evan said. “But one way or another, I knew it was only a matter of time before I did.” For a split second, he averted his gaze, then looked to Reese. “Someday you’ll realize that it’s for the best.” “The only thing I see is you letting my family get exactly what they wanted.” “Maybe.” Evan nodded. “But there’s nothing left for me here.” He turned, leaving Reese without further consideration. She watched as he walked to his truck, threw the bag in the back and drove down the long driveway to the road. Leaning up against the carriage house, she let her weary body slide down the outside wall until she sat with her knees to her chest. She rested her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs for comfort, and prayed for him to come back. A fateful circumstance had brought Reese back to this town, and she believed it had been destiny that brought Evan into her life. Now he was gone, just like that. She looked at her surroundings. It all seemed to be so meaningless now. The house, the land, everything about this place no longer had any appeal to her. Reese realized it had been Evan, more than her dream of owning the house, who had made it all come alive. Without him, nothing would ever look the same to her again. 142
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All she had wanted to do was give him a chance. In the beginning, a chance to have a normal life, but in the end, she had wanted to give Evan Payne a chance at so much more. It wasn’t until now that she had finally let go of her feelings and admitted to herself that she had fallen helplessly in love with the man. What really disturbed her, more than him leaving, was that there were still so many unanswered questions. Her family had judged Evan―the entire town had―and yet Reese had never understood why. She had never doubted his innocence because the case against him had been so shaky. Reese remembered her parents discussing it many times. They had said things like, “That was quick, I’ve never heard of a trial being concluded in that amount of time.” As far as Reese was concerned, a red light should’ve gone off in their heads. However, it was definitely going off in hers now. Reese thought back to the day she bought the chicken dinners, when she’d seen Anne Mitchell, the woman who had accused Evan of raping her. Growing up, Anne had always been known as somewhat of a tease. Could it be possible that she had made the whole thing up? Reese’s body stiffened at the thought. Or could it be that she had slept with Evan but regretted it so much afterwards that she had lied? It was no secret that Evan and Anne had been from two different kinds of families. Like Reese, Anne had grown up with more money, luxuries and benefits than imaginable. Then there was Evan. His father had needed to work two jobs in order to pay the bills after Evan’s mother had left town when he was a small child. Those had been the rumors, anyway. It would make sense if Anne hadn’t wanted anyone to find out that she had slept with Evan Payne. To say the least, her reputation would have been severely marred. And everyone knew that Anne Mitchell’s reputation was what she had treasured the most. “That’s it,” Reese whispered, lifting her head. 143
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Maybe someone had found out. Maybe they had caught a glimpse of Evan and Anne getting dressed afterwards. Whoever it was could have approached Anne after Evan had left, threatening to tell her parents. And that’s when she decided to claim someone had attacked her, Reese thought. She had asked Evan straight out: Did you do it? He had told her no, but Evan never actually said that he hadn’t slept with Anne. His exact words had been, “I’ve never forced myself on any woman.” Reese stood up with a new outlook on things. She had to find out whether the two of them had really slept together that night, consensually. If only someone had seen them, Reese would at least have something to go on, a small shred of hope to make all the hurt go away. If she could clear his name, she could prove to her parents and everyone in Wild Ridge that Evan Payne was indeed the man she believed him to be, and he would come back. Back in her life for good, in her house, her bed. Forever.
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Chapter Eighteen The last thing Evan had wanted to do was give up. Except at the time, it was the only thing he could do. Reese had stood up to her father, yet Evan had still left. Sorry to say, he knew that despite how many times she had voiced her independence, her family would never stand by and let him take up permanent residence in her life. What kind of a man would he be to allow Reese to go through all of that drama? Yet the hardest thing about it was that she wanted him. Not just in a physical way, but with her heart. She cared for him, and Evan knew that he’d come to care for her, too. He always had. Hell, I love her. Something stirred within him, and Evan realized that he would never forgive himself for the sadness in her eyes―sadness that he had caused. Putting all of his own selfish needs aside, Evan had to believe that he’d done the right thing. Soon Reese would forget about him and realize she was better off. Nevertheless, what the two of them had shared wasn’t something that could easily be forgotten. Not during this lifetime, anyway. He drove and drove, with no particular destination mapped out in his mind. Evan hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she had brought something to his life. And he must have brought something to hers. The feeling he was experiencing now wasn’t about their mutual adoration toward one another. It was a feeling of frustration, causing the anguish of what 145
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had happened to him all those years ago―the accusations, the arrest and trial, his time spent in prison―to come rushing back. But doing a U-Turn in order to race back to her wouldn’t fix a thing. Lately, every time he turned around, someone was bringing up Evan’s past. Reese’s brother, her father, everyone, it seemed, was starting to whisper again when he walked by. It was all because he was spending time with the daughter of society’s most respected family. Evan felt like a teenaged boy inside a man’s body, the same boy who had been convicted. Walking around this town day after day with the past looming over his head had taken its toll. He hated to think that he was allowing these people to do this to him again. If only everyone could see that Evan had turned and walked away the moment he had seen who had been offering him the job. And yes, he had come out to confront Steve Abbot that day but only because he had heard Reese yelling. If Evan had known it had been her brother, he would’ve stayed put. Furthermore, if anyone realized that he had told Reese time and time again that having him around would eventually cause her nothing but grief, maybe, just maybe, they would give him some credit? No, never. Because the one thing the people in Wild Ridge would always throw in his face was that when it had come down to it, he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of Reese Abbot. He’d have no grounds to argue because it had been the truth. Reese had become his weakness. From the first time she had touched him, she had affected Evan like a drug. Reese Abbot was turning out to be the hardest habit he would ever have to break. With his life being so intertwined with lies, there was no room for such a weakness. Not if he wanted to survive. Evan thought back to how he had given in to Reese over and over again with all sense of restraint lost. He hadn’t been able to help himself. She was so 146
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beautiful. The way her body had been bathed in the moonlight by the pool that first night had been breathtaking. When she had touched him, holding his gaze with her passion, Evan had surrendered against the warnings that had been screaming to him from within. That had been his mistake. All it had taken was one look, one touch, just one time experiencing what it was like to be that close to her after having fantasized about it for years. From that moment on, no matter how hard he had tried, Evan could think of nothing else but Reese. Being able to focus on her anytime had made the amount of money she was paying him a second benefit to the job. Yet here he was, driving away from the biggest chance at happiness in what had become a miserable life with nowhere to go. Seeing a convenience store to his right, Evan looked at the gas gauge, which read nearly empty. He pulled off the road and up to the self-service pump. After filling his tank to its limit, Evan went inside, grabbed a bottle of water, paid for his gas and was back on the road in no time flat. It wasn’t until he noticed the high fence topped with sharp, metal barbs that Evan realized he had been distracted with Reese and everything that surrounded her for more than an hour. The state penitentiary was at least that far out of town. I’m home, he thought. Right back where everyone thinks I should be. Without knowing why, he pulled into the rest stop across the street from the prison and shut off his engine. The instant he had walked out of that place, Evan had told himself it would take a cold day in hell before he would ever return. At least today, he was on the other side of the fence, the side where freedom existed. From where he sat, Evan could see into the prison yard. There weren’t many convicts out now, but after the lunch hour, there was sure to be more. He had hated going out there everyday. Sometimes he had wished they had put him in solitary confinement, so he wouldn’t have to share the same space with those criminals. 147
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It had been that prison and those criminals who had turned him into the man he was today. The worst thing about being in jail had been the constant looking over his shoulder, on alert for the daily fights that took place when one of the higher-ups had been feeling territorial. If you picked up a dumbbell, there would be another prisoner who owned that same exact weight. If you touched a basketball, you encountered the same thing. Yet if you left everyone and everything alone, you were harassed for being unsociable. And if you entered your term unable to defend yourself, you learned fast how much of a necessity it really was. It was a lose-lose situation in that place, he thought. On top of all that, the hardest thing he’d had to deal with in that cold, damp cell were the nights, the constant visualization of Anne Mitchell on the witness stand, professing her side of the story through breathless sobs, which had ultimately led to his conviction. It still blew him away. Those twelve people on the jury had taken away five years of his life—five long, painful, important years, without giving another thought to Evan Payne, the kid who’d never had a chance to tell his side of the story. Sitting at the rest stop, thinking about his life, and a time he’d just as soon forget, Evan asked himself: Why are you running? These people threw you in that place like an animal, without listening, without ever giving you a chance at a normal life again. Isn’t it time they got what was coming to them? Haven’t they done enough? Why are you running? Evan needed to get a new plan. He started his truck, looking one last time at the place that had taken away his innocence, and vowed never to come back. The money he had in his pocket would be more than enough to get him a room for the night. As for what happened after that…? He didn’t want to think that far ahead. Because if he did, all he would see is the face of the woman who had 148
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become his weakness, a weakness that could very well put him back behind bars for many years to come. Yet the fact still remained, Evan reminded himself, Reese Abbot had something that he didn’t think he could ever live without. *** Reese hadn’t visited the Wild Ridge Public Library since her senior year of high school, but it still looked the same. She looked around but couldn’t see the librarian, or anyone else for that matter. Reese spotted a computer situated on a long table by the historical section and decided to check if it was logged onto the Internet. As she walked over, a woman came out of the back room. “Why, Reese Abbot,” she said with a smile. “I heard you were back.” She wrapped her arms around Reese’s slim figure. “Still as pretty as ever, I see.” “And you’re still as sweet, Mrs. Olson.” Reese smiled. She should have known that Mrs. Olson would still be the librarian. Reese’s friends used to kid around, saying that she would never retire. They had apparently been right. She had to be nearing her eighties by now. “Would it be okay if I looked up some information on your computer?” she asked. “I was hoping to dig up some articles from the local paper.” “Would these be fairly recent?” Mrs. Olson slipped on her glasses, which dangled from a thin chain around her neck. “No, not at all.” Reese didn’t want to get into this with her. She knew she would have no problem finding them on her own, but Mrs. Olson didn’t seem to be showing any signs of leaving Reese’s side. “May I be candid?” Mrs. Olson asked. She nodded to the chair next to Reese’s. “Of course.” “I heard that the Payne boy is working for you.” Mrs. Olson placed a wrinkled hand on Reese’s. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with him, would it?” 149
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“Yes, but he’s not a boy anymore.” “True, but I can understand why you’d be leery about him being over there with you all alone. You’re a beautiful young woman.” “I’m not afraid to be alone with Evan Payne.” Reese tried to be polite, but she was sick and tired of hearing it. “I was hoping to go through the articles that covered his court case. Did I come to the right place?” “I’m sure they’re all in here.” Mrs. Olson tapped the top of the computer. “It was such a sad case. I, for one, was surprised that Evan could’ve done something so horrible.” The comment caused Reese to straighten up in her chair. “Why do you say that?” “He was always such a polite boy. I never had any problems with him. Not like some of the other boys―Travis Clifton for one.” Mrs. Olson stared off, shaking her head. “Sorry. I never understood what a smart girl like you saw in a troublemaker like the Clifton boy.” “Don’t be sorry,” Reese said. “Travis was my brother’s best friend. And, well, you remember Steve. I guess for the longest time, I thought that’s how boys their age acted.” Reese forced herself to laugh along with Mrs. Olson, then got back to the subject at hand. “Were Evan’s good manners the only reason why you were surprised about his conviction?” “Pretty much. I didn’t know him very well, but he was always a pleasure to be around. However, that Anne Mitchell, she was another story, always into one thing or another. And rape?” Mrs. Olson shook her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you these things. It’s none of my business and the last thing I want is to be caught up in that mess again.” Reese blinked, surprised once more. “What do you mean ‘again?’” “It’s really nothing, but the police stopped by that night asking if I’d seen Evan.” “Did you?” “No.” Mrs. Olson shook her head. “Why would they have asked then?” 150
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“At the time, I didn’t know.” The librarian got up from the chair, walking around the computer table until she stood across from Reese. “But after the police left, I found a book he had brought back in the return slot. I called the police and told them. After that, they took him into custody.” “I don’t understand. Why would it have mattered if he had been here that night?” “Because Anne Mitchell was here, too. She told the police that Evan must’ve followed her when she left the library.” Mrs. Olson sighed. “To this day I feel awful that my phone call is what got him brought in.” “You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Reese tried to reassure her. “Who else was here that night?” Mrs. Olson looked momentarily fretful. “I don’t recall. Oh, it was such a long time ago.” “What about Anne? Was she here alone?” “That, I can answer.” Mrs. Olson readjusted her glasses. “No. About ten of them were here with her―cheerleaders, football players. You remember the kids she used to hang around with.” “Do you know if any of them were questioned?” “If they were, I never heard about it. Like I said, I was in utter shock that something so awful had happened here in Wild Ridge to begin with. When I found out Evan was involved, it broke my heart. I can’t see how any of it matters now. You can’t change the past.” You’re right, but I need to fill in the blanks, Reese thought. There are too many things I don’t understand. “I wish Evan would’ve come in and talked to me,” Mrs. Olson said, her gaze distant, her voice almost forlorn. “You know, he used to do that quite often. Maybe if he hadn’t put that book in the slot outdoors, he would’ve stayed a while.” Mrs. Olson shuddered in pity, then left Reese alone with the computer. Now, more than ever, Reese knew she had to find the truth, had to know for 151
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sure if Evan had been guilty. Even if he never came back, Reese wouldn’t be able to let this case go, as everyone else had. Once online, she found the website of the local newspaper. Reese needed to go back almost nine years and prayed that the archives went that far. She typed the year 1997 into the site’s search. Next, she added the name Evan Payne, then a checkmark in the box next to Only search this year. Her query brought up an amazing amount of information. Local Youth Questioned in Assault of High School Cheerleader, the headlines screamed. Evan Payne Arrested for Sexual Assault; Trial for Town’s First Rape Case in Years Underway; Payne Convicted; Payne Sentenced Four to Ten Years for Rape. The articles went on and on. Anne Mitchell had been the prosecution’s star witness. There were descriptions of her holding a tissue to her face when she was on the stand and of her pointing in Evan’s direction as he had sat off to her right with his head bowed down. Reese found some photos, and scanned through them, looking for any type of clue, until one picture in particular stood out. It was one of Evan standing before the judge after the jury had returned with the guilty verdict. There it was, that deep, hurt, confused, resentful look in his eyes. The one that she had seen so many times during the last few days, in particular the very first day he had showed up to inquire about the job. Evan had clearly carried so much torment around with him all these years, it was no wonder he’d finally run away from it all. Reese had thought that doing this would make her feel better. In reality, though, looking through all these articles and pictures did nothing but make her feel ill. But she couldn’t give up. It wasn’t an option. If Reese was going to find something, whether a cover-up or Evan’s guilt, she needed to read through every single one of these articles. Except this wasn’t the place to do it. There were way too many. Reese grabbed her purse and went to the front desk. She had been lucky not to run into anyone up to this point, and she didn’t want to risk being 152
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caught looking at a screen full of Evan Payne’s past. It would stir up too many questions. With her wallet open, she asked Mrs. Olson, “Would it be possible to print all of my findings?” “Put your pocketbook away,” Mrs. Olson insisted. “If these high school students can come in here and print out some of the garbage that they find on the web, so can you.” “But there are so many articles.” “It’s not a problem.” She gave her a comforting smile. “And, Reese, I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. If there’s any way you can help him, or at least get some peace of mind, I wouldn’t want to interfere.” “Thank you so much,” Reese said with a sense of relief. She spent most of the day at that desk, printing page after page of what had been Evan Payne’s ruination. On the way home, Reese stopped at the drugstore for paperclips, red pens and a yellow highlighter. This project wouldn’t keep her mind off Evan, but it would stop her from believing his truck had gone down her driveway and off to who knows where forever. For the time being, anyway. Pulling up to her house, everything looked so peaceful. There was no sign that Reese had had any visitors. Lord knows she had hoped that Evan’s truck would be parked there, but the driveway was deserted. She went inside to check the answering machine, but the only messages she had were from her parents; one from her dad, hoping that she was okay and the other from her mother, reminding Reese to wear her very best dress to the party. That damned party. She fixed herself a sandwich and brought it with her, along with the thick folder full of news articles. Reese sat at the desk in her office and got to work. *** 153
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The sound of the telephone woke her. Reese had plummeted into a deep sleep at the desk, her head resting on her arms. She looked up at the brass clock on the wall. It was 8:45 p.m. The papers were strewn everywhere, forcing Reese to push them aside in order to get to the phone. “Evan?” she asked without thinking about it. “No, it’s your mother.” “Mom.” “You sound tired. Did I wake you?” “I guess I fell asleep.” Reese stretched her arms over her head, feeling the bones in her back crack. “Are you sick? It’s not like you to be napping at this hour.” “I’m fine. Why are you calling?” “Since when did I need a reason to call?” “There’s always one with you.” Reese yawned, wishing she was still lost in her dream. “Your father and I talked at dinner tonight. I know what’s been going on over there.” “Listen, I don’t want to hear this. I’m sorry about what Dad walked in on today. But like I told him, I won’t stand by and listen to you warn me about Evan anymore. I mean it!” “Why’d you say his name when you answered the phone?” “I thought it was him.” “Are you expecting him?” Her mother wasn’t very good at beating around the bush. “Because, Reese, I don’t think―” “He’s gone.” “What?” her mother asked. “You heard me. He’s gone. And it’s all because of you people.” “I know you’re hurting, but it’s for the best. He obviously used you. I just thank the dear Lord that that’s all he did.” “Damn it, don’t you get it? He didn’t do anything to me. He’s doing this for me,” Reese snapped. “He took off so I wouldn’t have to be under attack by 154
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all of you―my own family!” She slammed the phone down so hard that she cracked the earpiece. She hadn’t been accustomed to talking to her mother in such a nasty tone. Then again, Reese hadn’t felt the need to defend someone as much as she did Evan. What nerve her mother had to insinuate that he had used her. Please, don’t let that be true! she cried inside. Getting up from the desk, Reese walked through the downstairs of the house. The kitten Evan had found in the basement, now named Hope, was asleep on the chair in the sitting room. Reese gave the cat a quick caress. “You’re going to drive yourself nuts,” she scolded herself, receiving a meow from Hope in response. She went outside and sat on the front steps, the same steps Evan had made with his own two hands. After tracing a finger along one of the perfectly fashioned edges, she wrapped her arms around her chest, glancing about the property. Reese had so many early memories in this house, but not one of them mattered now. Everywhere she looked, she saw Evan, and what had developed between them in such a short amount of time easily surpassed any childhood memory. And all of them now caused her pain.
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Chapter Nineteen She had a dream that night that Evan came to her room and made love to her. Only it hadn’t seemed like a dream. Reese had taken some sleeping pills before going to bed, and they made her feel groggy, her memories of the encounter hazy and blurred. She dreamt that he lay beside her, and cautiously moved his mouth down to touch each breast. His tongue traced her nipple, her body responsive from his very first touch. Gently he sunk his teeth into her skin, causing Reese to softly cry out, “Evan…!” He didn’t respond. Instead he urged her head back down against the pillow, lifting her body against his. Again, she whispered into the night, “You came back.” He didn’t want to talk. Leaning down close, breathing in her ear, he silenced her. “Shh.” His hands frantically ripped at his shirt, his pants, until he was fully naked alongside Reese. His hands roamed the length of her body, his mouth on hers. She could feel the swell of his pleasure stirring, the darkness of the room enveloping their bodies, his face. With confidence, his mouth left hers, traveling to her neck, her chest as it rapidly moved up and down. Briefly, he rested there, taking in the sound of the heavy beating of her heart. Her fingertips pressed into his back, and a low groan fled her lungs, “Evan.”
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Slowly he explored further, the wetness between her legs. The way his hands felt against her skin was indescribable, as though she was experiencing him for the very first time. A small whimper escaped her mouth through intense, staggered breathing, and she knew she was lost in his touch. He was totally in control, his mouth all over hers again, taking in his name through her breath. There was no more holding back, no sense of restraint to speak of. Familiar forces surged through her body with every dip and twist of his tongue, his fingers deep inside her. At that moment, Reese felt out of control, only leaving her wanting Evan more. Easing his way between her legs, he plunged into Reese, bringing her to the brink and then delivering her to shuddering release. When it was over, she lay in his arms, her body flushed and her mind fading. “I love you, Evan,” she whispered, her eyes falling closed as she drifted off to sleep in his arms. “I love you.”
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Chapter Twenty When Reese awoke, her head throbbed in pain. The sleeping pills had really done a number on her. She had known better not to take more than the recommended dosage. But after hours of tossing and turning, Reese had wanted nothing more than to drift off to another world, to a place where nothing mattered, where she didn’t have to think. Midway through rubbing the lingering tiredness from her eyes, Reese abruptly looked to the other side of her bed. When it appeared to be empty, she got up and walked about her room. Evan… She recalled Evan being there last night, in this room, this bed, touching her. Evan had been there, had made love to her. I remember. Reese ran into the bathroom. Nothing. She grabbed her robe, raced out of the room, down the hall, down the stairs, through the entire house. Nothing. There was no sign of him anywhere. Not in the house, the driveway, not even across the pool at the carriage house. She went back up to her room, sitting down on her bed. How could this be? Reese wrapped her arms around herself. I remember him being here! But as far as Reese could tell, there was no evidence that he had been. Was I only dreaming? she thought, then shook her head. No. I know I wasn’t. It was real. He was here. She went to the bathroom and closed the door. Standing before the fulllength mirror, she let the robe drop to the floor. Reese scanned her body for 158
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redness, any marks, anything that would explain why she had felt as though Evan had visited her, made love to her, in the still of the night. But there was nothing there. Nothing evident that suggested she had engaged in anything other than an exhausted night’s sleep. It had felt so real. He had felt so real… Reese showered and dressed. She decided to pay her father a visit, to tell him there was no way in hell she’d be at the party that evening. Between the apparent dream of Evan and the lingering effects of the sleeping pills, she felt irritable and exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do was play the dutiful socialite. If she went to the office, her dad would be able to see that she wasn’t up for a party and maybe his guilt would play a hand in letting Reese off the hook. He had to be nervous that she would expose his affair. The drive downtown through the business district was effortless. It was a Saturday, so there wasn’t much traffic to speak of. Reese pulled into the parking lot next to her dad’s building. She jumped out of the car, locked her door, then headed up the cement steps. When she reached the outer room of her father’s office, Reese was surprised to see that his secretary wasn’t at her desk. Even with it being the weekend, that woman had been at his beck and call every minute of every day for the last twenty years. She started for the door but stopped when she heard the voices from inside. The door wasn’t latched shut but closed mere inches from its casing. Reese recognized the voices to be her father and Steve. At first, the nature of their conversation wasn’t apparent, but then she heard Evan’s name. Reese looked around to see if anyone was coming, but the waiting area was still empty. Not wanting to get caught eavesdropping on their discussion, she stood by the door to observe and listen. “…you need to calm down,” Steve was saying. “There’s nothing to worry about. Big deal, Reese’s sleeping with Evan Payne. I know what everyone’s 159
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thinking, but we know that he won’t hurt her. You’re making way too much out of this.” Steve put his hand on the doorknob, causing Reese to jerk back out of view. “Calm down?” Gordon exclaimed. “I’d think you more than anyone would be bothered by this whole mess.” “It’s not a big deal.” “Is that what you and your friends said to Anne Mitchell that night?” Reese peeked inside and saw her father pull a liquor bottle from his desk drawer. He downed a shot without bothering to get a glass. “Did you assure her that it wasn’t really a big deal?” “I told you back then, she asked for it. We never forced her to take her clothes off.” Steve walked back to his father’s desk. “Besides, she came on to me after taking the others on!” “Regardless, what the hell were you thinking?” Gordon snapped. “You don’t take a girl to the park, do what you did, then leave her there alone! I wish you would’ve never told me about that night!” “I’m not going to rehash all of this with you again,” Steve hissed through clenched teeth. “No one will ever find out. Anne didn’t tell anyone then, and she won’t now!” “How can you be so sure?” Gordon slammed his fists to the desk. “You must’ve been scared about it before or else you would’ve never came to me back then for help!” From Reese’s vantage, she could see the profile of Steve’s face, along with the disgusting smile adorning it. “Anne realized a long time ago that she wouldn’t have a prayer of getting people to believe her, seeing as I wasn’t the only one she’d been with that night.” “But she hadn’t wanted to be with you. You raped that girl and your friends watched! Sometimes I can’t believe I had a hand in raising you.” 160
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“Whatever makes you feel better.” Steve gathered some papers off his father’s desk and stuffed them carelessly into his attaché case. “I suggest you forget it ever happened.” *** Reese leaned against the trunk of her car and threw up. She could barely remember walking back down the corridor, out of the building and back to where she now positioned herself. Reese couldn’t get their words out of her head. She forced herself to get in the car and drive away from it all. Reese had always wanted to believe in Evan’s innocence and wished at some point to be able to prove it. That’s what had kept her going since he had left. However, what she’d overheard from inside her father’s office was more than Reese could handle. All along, it had been Steve who had been with Anne Mitchell that night. Yet, in his eyes, he hadn’t done anything wrong. Reese couldn’t be sure how much of what had happened to Anne was consensual or not, but why would she lie and blame everything on Evan? Knowing the truth still didn’t give Reese the ability to understand any of it. More than ever, she needed answers, and there was nothing that was going to stop Reese from getting them from the one person who could give them to her. Anne Mitchell.
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Chapter Twenty‐one Every party her family threw always began at six. Appear for cocktails at six, dinner at seven, then more cocktails and dancing after that. As far as Reese was concerned, it was all too repetitious. If she could deal with getting through tonight, with all that was going on in her life, she was convinced she could get through anything. She locked up the house and carefully walked down the cobblestone path. At times, her heels threatened to slip off the odd-shaped stones. Nevertheless, Reese managed to get to the garage without falling on her face. She pushed the new, white button on the wall of the garage. Evan had installed it―new lightswitches, new garage door opener, new fuses in the electrical box. He had taken care of everything. When the light came on, she looked to the far side where just the other night, he had stood. Now the space was empty, the only trace of him being in her thoughts. Closing her eyes, inhaling a deep breath, Reese swore not to let her emotions take over her tonight. “Don’t blow up, be calm. It’ll all come out… You’ll find a way,” Reese murmured, giving herself a pep talk as she smoothed the back of her dress, preparing to sit-down in the driver’s seat of her car. “Who’re you talking to?” The sound of the voice startled her. Reese hadn’t heard anyone come up from behind, hadn’t heard a car come up her driveway for that matter. She whirled in fright and then gasped in relief. “God, Jeff, what’re you doing here? You scared me to death!” 162
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Jeff Rockwell stood in the garage doorway. An acquaintance from high school, he now worked for Anne Mitchell’s family in the restaurant business. Reese had bought barbecue from him only days earlier, dinner for her and Evan, and she had called Jeff that very afternoon, looking for Anne. “I’m sorry,” he told Reese. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” “I didn’t hear you, that’s all.” Reese threw her purse on the passenger’s side seat. “What brings you by?” She’d hoped to swing by the barbecue stand, or the Mitchells’ restaurant that afternoon to confront Anne, but Jeff had told her on the phone that Anne wasn’t around. “I know she’s planning on going to that big shin-dig your parents are having tonight, though,” he had mentioned. That had been good enough for Reese. She could draw Anne aside at the party and demand some answers from her―the truth, once and for all. “I thought you’d like to know that the police have been at Anne Mitchell’s house all afternoon,” Jeff said, startling her again. “Apparently they got a call about a break-in.” He leaned against her car, peering at Reese. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” “What?” Reese asked, surprised. “Why would I?” “Well…” He walked up alongside her, mere inches from her face. “I, for one, happen to know that you sounded pretty adamant about finding Anne this afternoon when you called.” Reese frowned. “Are you accusing me of ransacking her place?” “Listen, Reese, when the police came by the restaurant, looking for Anne, I didn’t mention to them that you’d called looking for her hours before.” Her frown deepened. “If you’re implying that I had something to do with―” “I’m not implying anything. But I am going to give you a little piece of advice.” Jeff traced her bare arm from her wrist to the thin strap of her dress, sending chills up her spine, her heart slamming against her chest. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave things well enough alone.” 163
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Reese pulled away, putting distance between her and Jeff. He had always seemed harmless enough to her, both in high school and since her return, but she shied from him now, realizing she apparently didn’t know him at all. “Are you threatening me?” “No threats. Just a warning.” She watched as Jeff turned and walked away, leaving her property. *** When Reese reached her parents’ house, she could see that most of the guests had already arrived. Cars were parked in twos from the garage all the way around the circular driveway. Jeff Rockwell’s old Camaro was the very last in line. Jeff Rockwell. He had known. The look he’d had in his eyes, along with his warnings, told Reese that he had somehow found out what she’d been up to that day, and why she had wanted to speak with Anne. Had he been involved in what had happened to Anne Mitchell―and in framing Evan? She glanced at her watch. It was 6:20 pm. She wanted to turn and run back to her car, drive as far away from this house as possible. But that would make her no different than her brother. A coward. The kitchen was full of staff from the catering company her mother had hired to work the party. The chef was preparing prime rib and chicken parmesan at the wide, old-fashioned stove. Waiters in black tuxedos were placing full glasses of champagne on round serving trays and women in black skirts with starched, white blouses were refilling plates of half-eaten hors d'oeuvres. Reese took a deep breath. It’s now or never, she told herself as she left the kitchen. Although it was still before dinner, the party was in full swing. Across the room, she spotted her parents chatting with another couple, presumably the guests of honor, the Roberts. 164
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As she made her way toward them, Reese noticed many familiar faces. Some were from her father’s office, but friends of the family were there, too. Jeff Rockwell waved arrogantly in her direction. Although Jeff had put her mind spinning into a mental whirlwind not a half hour before, she waved back with a confidence that surprised him more than it did her. “Reese Abbot, you’re late,” her mother, Cheryl, said as she approached. “You’re lucky I’m even here,” Reese mumbled through nearly pursed lips. “What?” “Nothing, Mother,” Reese said with a forced smile, leaning over to kiss Cheryl’s cheek. She didn’t miss the way her mother’s eyes cut down the length of her figure, inspecting her choice of dress with obvious disapproval. She said nothing in criticism, however, and took her daughter’s arm, leading her to the cluster of people in the center of the room. “Reese darling, you’re here,” her father announced, placing his cheek to hers. Reese cringed at her father’s touch. All she could think was that he had known all along of Evan’s innocence in Anne Mitchell’s assault. He had known the truth―and still knew the truth―and yet he had let Evan go to prison for it. “John and Martha, this is our daughter, Reese. Reese, say hello to the Roberts,” her mother offered by way of introduction. “Reese, it’s our pleasure,” John Roberts said. “Your father has told us so much about you.” Did he tell you he found a half-naked man in my kitchen yesterday morning? Reese thought. A man he had sent to prison for five years while his bastard of a son has been getting away with the crime for almost twice as long? She smiled thinly. “It’s nice to meet you both. I hope you’ll be happy in Wild Ridge.” “It’s beautiful here. That’s for sure,” Martha Roberts commented. Reese reached for a glass of champagne as a waiter approached. Once more, her mother gave a judgmental glare. If she was going to loosen up and 165
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get through this night, however, Reese needed a drink. So she raised her glass and proposed a small toast to the group around them. “To the Roberts.” Reese lifted her flute slightly in the air. “May your time here be a happy one.” Echoes of Cheers came from around the couple. Gordon appeared startled that Reese was taking such a positive role in the dinner party. Before she turned to find a quiet corner to contemplate her next move, he reached out and took her arm. “That was very generous of you.” Reese didn’t say a word in response. She was afraid of what would come out if she opened her mouth. “Did you come alone?” he inquired. “If you mean did I bring Evan with me… No.” “Thank you,” he said. “I knew you wouldn’t dare bring that man to this house.” “Dare? I take it Mom didn’t tell you that Evan left?” Reese wanted to say so much more, but forced herself to bite back the words. “She told me, something about him protecting you?” “That’s right. But you can understand that, can’t you, Dad?” Reese took a long swallow of her drink. “If that’s true, I’m glad he’s putting you before his needs.” “You would say something like that!” Reese snapped, no longer concerned about respect, guilt or hurting her father’s feelings. “Just so you know, if Evan hadn’t left, he would’ve been right by my side tonight. And the night’s still young, so who knows what kinds of things will turn up. Maybe your mistress will even make an appearance.” He blinked at her, recoiling slightly, and again, she watched his face shift with abashed hurt. “Please try to have a good evening,” he said. “Tonight’s not the time to get back into this nonsense.” “That’s where you’re wrong. Tonight’s the perfect time to let it all out.” 166
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Reese left her father with no remorse. At that point, she didn’t care. No matter how upset she was, how scared Jeff Rockwell had made her, Reese needed to remain strong. She would not allow these people to control her. She hadn’t been there more than twenty minutes, yet Reese felt the walls closing in on her, the stuffiness within the house suffocating her. She needed fresh air. Before Reese could make her escape, she was stopped in mid-stride. “What’s going on with you and your dad?” Jeff Rockwell asked, nodding toward her parents. “You should try putting a smile on that beautiful face of yours. This tough-girl act doesn’t suit you.” Reese felt his hand on her arm, tightening ever so slowly. She felt as though she was lost in some horrible nightmare, desperately trying to wake up. What the hell was going on with these people? What was it that Jeff Rockwell knew? “Go to hell, Jeff,” she said, jerking loose of his grasp. “And get your hand off me.” “Yeah, Rockwell, you heard the lady.” It was Travis coming to her rescue, and for once Reese was happy to see him. “Is this jerk bothering you?” “He’s nothing I can’t handle,” she said bravely. “I see you still like your girls feisty, Travis,” Jeff said, holding up his hands in surrender as he backed away into the crowd. “She’s all yours.” She couldn’t believe he was the same man she had spoken to the other day at the barbecue stand. Things were changing fast around Wild Ridge, causing people to show their true colors. “I was headed to the bar,” Travis said, drawing her gaze. “You look like you could use a refill.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Reese said. “Right now, I need some air.” “I’ll go with you. Let me snag us a couple of drinks first.” Reese reached out, taking hold of Travis’s arm before he got away. “I need a few minutes alone. How about I find you when I come back in?” All she wanted to do was get him off her back. 167
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“I guess I can take a hint.” Travis leaned in close and placed his lips to her check. “By the way, you look beautiful tonight.” She watched as Travis left to join his co-workers at the bar. Reese felt her stomach turn as she wiped the back of her hand along her check. She had never felt so alone, not knowing whom she could and couldn’t trust. As she approached the screened-in porch off the living room, Reese noticed, to her disappointment, that it was speckled with guests. Some were sitting on the green-and-beige wicker furniture, sipping their drinks and smoking fine cigars, while others were content to stand, watching what was going on in the large room beyond them. Reese ducked through the kitchen and out the back door. Once outside, she inhaled the night air. Being trapped in that house had made her feel smothered beyond belief. She looked out at the secluded comfort of the white gazebo, which was located in the rear of the beautifully landscaped backyard. When she first eyed the doom-roofed building, Reese had thought it was empty. It wasn’t until she drew nearer that she realized it wasn’t. Sitting on one of the outlining wall benches was Anne Mitchell, with no evident trauma caused from the earlier break-in at her house. Why was that? Reese wondered. All at once, the hatred started to boil from within. She had wanted to confront Anne all day, but now Reese was afraid of what she would do to her. She had walked too far to turn back now and was sure Anne had seen her coming. Reese pushed confidently forward until she reached the gazebo’s two short steps, the prospect of the truth mere feet away.
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Chapter Twenty‐two “What do you want?” Anne said, hardly giving Reese a moment’s glance. “I’m a little surprised you’re here.” “And why’s that?” Anne’s tone was dismissive, the same as she’d used with Reese at the barbecue stand. “I heard your house was broken into this afternoon.” At first, Anne seemed surprised that Reese was aware, but she quickly recovered. “I don’t know where you got your information, but it was hardly a break-in,” she said dryly. “Still, I’d think it’d be uncomfortable being around so many people like this,” Reese remarked. “It must bring up a lot of memories, a lot of rumors, what with you being victimized again.” Anne frowned at her. “That was years ago. It has nothing to do with what happened today. I’ve learned to deal with it and go on with my life.” “Go on with your life? I don’t know how you could.” Reese glared at Anne. “Have you heard what people are whispering about tonight?” Reese had never been one to taunt people, but she was enjoying the uneasiness that was settling in Anne’s eyes. “If you’re talking about how embarrassed your family is that you’re sharing a bed with an ex-convict, then yeah, I’ve heard the talk.” “Are you jealous, Anne?” Reese asked. “I don’t have to listen to this.” She stood up, but Reese moved in, forcing Anne back down on the bench beneath her.
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“You’re not going anywhere.” Reese stood her ground. “I know what happened to you that night in the park. I know for a fact you weren’t raped by Evan Payne.” Anne blinked at her, visibly stunned. “You…you bitch,” she whispered. “You don’t know anything. I can’t believe you would bring up such a painful time in my life. How would you feel if it had been you who―” “No, Anne, how would you feel if you had spent five years in prison for something you didn’t do?” Reese snapped. “I can’t believe you would let an innocent man rot in a cell for something he had no part in. I’d say that makes you the bitch here, not me.” Reese could have stood there arguing with Anne all night, but she didn’t have that luxury. Someone could come out of the house at any minute, and she couldn’t afford the interruption. Anne was the last piece to the puzzle, and Reese was eager to discover what had really happened. Once and for all, she wanted everything to be put to rest. “You’re going to tell me right now why you pinned the crime on Evan that night. Why did you say that he attacked you?” “Because he did.” Anne moved away, but Reese wasn’t far behind. “I don’t have time for games.” “And I don’t have to defend myself to you.” “I know it was Steve and his friends.” Reese didn’t say another word until Anne stopped and turned around to face her. “You see, today I overheard the most revolting conversation of my life between my brother and my father. Shall I go on?” “Please, don’t do this.” “Rumor has it that you and a couple of guys on the football team were pretty hot and heavy. You had sex with one of them in front of God knows how many guys, and you didn’t think twice that maybe one of the others would want a little piece of the action, too―in this case my brother.” “Shut up!” But Reese was far from shutting up. 170
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“The two of you started to have sex, but for some reason, you wanted him to stop. But he didn’t, did he, Anne?” Reese was only two inches from her face. “He took you right there in front of everyone as they cheered him on.” “Stop it!” Anne cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You go right ahead and cry,” Reese said, snatching Anne firmly by the arm. “If my brother did rape you, you didn’t deserve it. No woman does. But Evan didn’t deserve to get the blame for it. He didn’t deserve to lose five years of his life for what my brother did to you.” “I’m sorry…” “You’re sorry? Is that all you have to say for yourself?” “I feel so…so…” “What, Anne? So ashamed?” Anne put her head down like a child, yet Reese felt no sympathy or remorse whatsoever toward her. She was unraveling fast. Reese needed to get what she set out for before doing something she might regret. “How did Evan get dragged into this mess?” Reese asked. “If Steve and his friends were with you, why did you point the finger at Evan?” She gave Anne a sharp shake, forcing her to look Reese in the eye. “After Jeff and I went in the woods―” “Jeff?” Reese asked. “Jeff Rockwell?” Anne nodded, her eyes swimming with new tears. “Yes. The others were getting wasted in the back of your brother’s truck. I didn’t think they were watching when I went with Jeff. We were in the woods, and it was dark.” “Go on,” Reese urged her. “He left me lying there naked while he walked back over to the truck, bragging to everyone that I had put out. I was crushed and embarrassed and…and…” Anne’s voice dissolved into miserable sniffles. “What happened next?” “I had gotten up to get dressed, but Steve was there to stop me. He was drunk and I couldn’t hold him off.” “Why didn’t you scream?” 171
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“I tried to,” Anne said. “But Steve threw me to the ground and held his hand over my mouth.” She shook her head from side to side, throwing her arms in the air. “I can’t do this.” Reese grabbed her again as she tried to brush past. “You’re going to do this!” “What do you want from me?” Anne cried tearfully. “I want every last detail, and you’re not leaving here until I get it! Now what happened after…” Reese felt sick at the admittance. “After my brother raped you?” “I started crying. That’s when Steve had said that I asked for it, that by sleeping with Jeff, right there for all of them to see, that I had wanted him, too. But I didn‘t, I swear. I don’t know what I was thinking! I remember him pulling his pants up, looking down at me with this awful smirk. He kept saying that I had loved it, that I had been the best fuck he’d ever had, told me that one day I would be crawling back for more.” She covered her face with her hands. “Then he whistled really loud, and that’s when I knew it was far from being over,” she whispered. “Travis Clifton came in right after Steve and took up where he left off.” Just when Reese didn’t think it was possible, she was speechless. Travis Clifton, her boyfriend at the time, had also raped Anne Mitchell. Thinking back on all the times she had let him touch her made Reese feel nauseous. Thinking back to earlier, right before she had come outside, she had felt a sense of unease when he had placed his lips to her cheek. “I wanted to forget that it ever happened,” Anne said, shaking her head. They left me in the park. For the longest time, after Travis…” Anne peered up at Reese as if trying to tiptoe over the facts. “Well, I just laid there, holding my clothes to my chest. A woman from our church was out walking her dog. It must’ve seen me because it began barking. Somehow it got loose and ran to me. When the woman found me like that, it was clear to her that something had happened. I was too embarrassed. I didn’t want to tell her about Steve or Jeff or… So I said I never saw the person who attacked me.” 172
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“What about the blue shirt?” “I made that up.” “And Evan just happened to be walking through the park wearing a blue shirt that night,” Reese whispered, beginning to feel ill again. “The next day the police brought me in to look at a lineup. Evan was there and I got scared, so I…I…” Anne started crying again. “Reese, you have to know how hard it’s been living with this. I am so―” “Shut up,” Reese said, stricken. “You shut your mouth right now. I can’t believe you people have kept this up for so long! How could you?” Tears of anger welled in her eyes, streamed down Reese’s cheeks. “You can’t tell anyone,” Anne stood up, shaking her head desperately, catching Reese by the arm. “Jeff already knows you’ve been snooping around.” “How do you know that?” “Because he paid me a visit this afternoon―he came to my apartment and gave me a taste of what would happen if I told anyone after all these years.” Slowly, Anne pulled her hair away from her face to reveal a bruise on her upper cheekbone. “You can’t tell a soul!” The revelation that there hadn’t been a break-in at all sent a shiver throughout Reese. Reese said nothing. She pulled her arm away from Anne’s grasp and left the other woman alone underneath the stars to wallow in her misery. *** “You haven’t touched your food,” her mother said, as if she cared whether Reese ate or not. Reese looked down at her untouched plate of prime rib. She’d downed glass after glass of champagne and red wine, but hadn’t taken a single bite of her dinner. “I’m not hungry.” She tried to concentrate on what was going on in the large room, but her attention kept going back to Anne Mitchell’s table. She couldn’t deny that Anne had gone through something very traumatic, yet she still held her responsible. 173
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How could Anne go on in this town like she had? Whatever the case, none of it mattered now. Nine years of damage had already been done. Suddenly, Reese’s attention was directed to two chairs to her left. While the waiters were collecting the plates, one of them bent down to whisper something in her father’s ear. Reese couldn’t hear what was said, but her dad excused himself from the table, disappearing into his study. He wasn’t gone very long, just under five minutes, before returning to his seat and back to the sickening normalcy of the party. She sat there, watching for any recognizable reaction from her dad, but he didn’t seem to offer an explanation for his brief departure. At one point, Reese heard him tell her mother that it was nothing to worry about. “It’s all taken care of,” he said with a reassuring pat to her diamondencrusted hand. Reese didn’t have reason to think anymore about it. For all she knew, her father might be planning a big, showy surprise for the man who was now taking over a top position in his company. The routine was the same at these events. After dinner, all the furniture was taken away and stored in one of the house’s many large sitting areas. Once the room was cleared, it became a huge ballroom for socializing and dancing. Reese was in no mood for either. “Excuse me, miss,” one of the waiters asked, reaching for her plate. Reese had fallen deep into thought and lost track of both time and her surroundings. She noticed she was the only one still seated. “Shall I leave this or take it away with the rest?” “Sorry, go ahead.” She got up and went to stand by the window. It was a beautiful night, and the stars were out in clusters. They reminded Reese of the night with Evan in her pool and how beautiful it had been. If only he had cared enough to stay, to fight against everything that had turned him into such a troubled man. 174
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Reese wanted to go home. She wanted to forget the last week of her life. But that wasn’t possible. Although Evan had left her yesterday, she wasn’t capable of shutting off her feelings. Lord knows, she wished it was possible because the burning fear she felt inside, for what was to come, was anything but bearable. Once the lights were dimmed for dancing, the champagne glasses were once again passed to anyone who wanted them and right now the liquor was her only means of comfort. As Reese was signaling a waiter, Travis Clifton approached. “For you.” He handed Reese a flute of the bubbly. She took the glass, her outstretched hand shaking uncontrollably. The last thing she wanted to do was show fear, but Reese found it extremely difficult to be around Travis after finding out what he had done. She chanced a look at him without fully turning her head and followed the direction of his gaze. There stood Jeff Rockwell, across the room, a hard look in his eyes. “Nothing’s changed, has it?” Travis asked. “What?” “These parties. They’re the same every year. Practically the whole town shows up, and your parents continue to pull out all the stops.” “Yeah, they’ve really outdone themselves this time,” she murmured as she took a long swallow of champagne. “You all have.” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink like this.” Travis put a searing hand on her bare shoulder. “You should’ve left things well enough alone.” Reese felt her heart nearly stop. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Travis put an arm around her, leaning in, his voice nothing more than a whisper against her ear. “Obviously you didn’t listen to Jeff, but I have a feeling you’ll listen to me.” His hand slid down her side, deliberately grazing her breast on its way to resting on her hip. “What do you say we get you some coffee, clear your head? Then we can talk.” With his other hand, Travis tried taking the glass from Reese, but she pulled away. 175
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“Get your damn hands off of me.” Reese slurred as she stumbled against the wall. She’d downed a lot of wine that night and could feel the effects of the alcohol upon her. “Hmm… How easily you forget.” Travis moved in closer yet, his body pressed against Reese’s as if they were engaged in a very private conversation. “Feeling you against me last night… You don’t know how long I’ve waited for that.” “What the hell are you talking about?” Reese’s voice cracked. “You can try to deny it all you want, but I was there. In your bed.” She forced her gaze back to his. “I felt you explode around me.” Oh, dear God. Reese felt her insides jerk, tasted stomach bile in her mouth. She tried to turn out of his hold, fighting back the urgent need to vomit. Last night hadn’t been a dream, a figment of her imagination. Rather, it had been a nightmare, one that didn’t include Evan Payne at all. Travis had come into her house, had taken advantage of Reese in her very own bed. And she had let him. How could she not have known? How could she have taken this sickening individual before her for a man who had touched her so deeply? “Oh, dear, God,” Reese repeated, this time aloud. “I gotta tell you, it hurt hearing you call out Payne’s name while we were making love, but I knew it must’ve been the sleeping pills talking.” His hand came up her back, his finger teasing at the zipper of her dress. The pills… How long had Travis been watching her every move? “How could you do this to me?” Reese tried to move, but his grip was too strong. “What happened last night, well, it was no different than what happened with Anne. She wanted it and so did you.” Travis looked over her shoulder. “Get a hold of yourself. People are watching us.” “Don’t you dare tell me what to do! You’re going to pay… All of you are going to pay.” 176
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Abruptly, he let go of Reese. “Before you go opening your mouth, just remember…” He nodded toward a group of men to the far right of the room. “If I go down for any of this, so does your brother and your father. Is Evan Payne worth destroying your family over? Think about it.” With that said, Travis left her side. Reese glanced around the room, stricken and humiliated. Outside at the gazebo, she’d been harsh to Anne―cruel, even―and now she knew what it felt like to have been taken advantage of, to have been violated. Oh, God. What have I done? She glimpsed another waiter speaking privately in her father’s ear. This time, instead of going into his study, Gordon went to the front door. And he wasn’t gone for five minutes, as he had been when the apparent phone call had come at dinner. In fact, not thirty seconds after going to the door, he was back in the guest-filled room with all eyes directed at him. But it wasn’t her father they were looking at. It was the man behind him, fast on Gordon’s heels. It was the man Reese had been dying inside for since the moment he had disappeared down her driveway. It was Evan Payne. And she needed to get to him now more than ever.
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Chapter Twenty‐three Out of sheer bewilderment, Reese almost dropped the crystal champagne flute from her hand. There Evan stood, two feet behind her father, scanning the room before him. Everyone in the place stopped what he or she was doing. Conversations were halted, new handshakes were frozen, some listened carefully to their host—who was squabbling with this unwanted guest―and others looked to Reese for answers. In the end, everyone wondered the same thing. What was Evan Payne doing at this party? Reese placed her glass on the windowsill, then pushed through the crowd. Travis tried stopping her halfway, but she ripped her arm back from his grasp and pushed forward, closer to Evan. Gordon’s hand clenched a fistful of Evan’s suit coat while her brother, Steve, suddenly appeared at his side. Reese knew things were not going to be pleasant, but she decided right there and then that this scene was not going to be caused purely at Evan’s expense. “Payne, if you know what’s good for you, you better turn around and walk out that door,” Steve warned, standing face to face with Evan. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking I won’t throw you out.” “You heard my son. You’re not welcome in this home.” It was evident that Gordon was trying his hardest to remove Evan with discreet words before Reese realized he was there. “Please leave before things get out of hand.”
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“With due respect, sir, I’m not leaving until I speak with Reese.” Evan looked down at Gordon’s hand, which was still tightened on his coat. “That’s not necessary.” “This is my home and my daughter has nothing to say to―” “Dad, you let go of him right now.” Reese looked into Evan’s eyes with more admiration than she had ever felt for another human being. “I’m warning you, Dad. Believe me, you do not want me to cause a scene.” “Get him out of here, Gordon!” Anne Mitchell’s father shouted from across the dining room. “I have a hard time being in the same town with this monster, and I will not subject my daughter to sharing the same room with him!” Reese ached so bad to yell out the truth to Mr. Mitchell and the rest of the hypocrites in the room. But knowing what it must have taken for Evan to come there tonight, when he could have waited for her back at the house, how could Reese blurt out the truth to him in front of all these people? The tables had turned, and now she was the one who was scared. Scared of how Evan would look at her knowing what her family had done to his life—a life consisting of a prison sentence, shame and, most importantly, lacking the simplest respect that every man deserved. Would she have the strength to come up with the words? “For the last time, Payne, I want you to leave this house. And Reese,” Gordon said, placing firm hands on her shoulders. “I’ve put up with this long enough. No daughter of mine will be permitted to take company with a criminal.” “You heard my father, Payne. Go back to the gutters where you came from.” That was it. Her father, her brother, the words that had spewed from their selfrighteous mouths…that was it. Reese could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, felt Evan’s arm brushing hers as he turned to leave. Something in her snapped. 179
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She caught Evan by the arm to stop him from going through the front door. Whether she told him the truth in front of half the town or privately, she realized it wouldn’t matter. “I’m not leaving and neither is Evan,” she said. “But each of you…” Reese pointed to the people involved in the cover-up, “…is going to wish that I had walked out that door and never came back.” She took two steps closer to her father and brother. “You talk about me humiliating you? I’ve never been so embarrassed to have the same last name as this so-called family.” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve asked. “Think about it…” Reese stopped, looked at Evan, then back to her brother, her father, to Anne, Jeff and Travis. “You all know exactly what I’m talking about.” “Reese, what is going on?” her mother asked. It was now or never and there was no room in Reese’s heart for any type of forgiveness. “I used to admire you.” Reese stared at her father. “I used to hope that someday I would become as successful as you. But I’m nothing like you.” “This is a joke. I’m out of here.” Steve went for the door. “I heard you talking in Dad’s office about what happened all those years ago. I know the truth now, Steve.” Reese’s words stopped her brother in his tracks. She looked around the room at the many faces of the townspeople. When she meet Travis’s eyes, they narrowed at her ever so slightly, but her need to make this right overpowered any threats he could throw her way. Finally she directed the attention to her father. “I want you to justify to me how you could let an innocent man go to prison just to save that over-sexed son of yours, along with Jeff Rockwell and Travis Clifton?” The room went dead silent. 180
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You could have heard a pin drop. Those involved were speechless. The truth was finally out, but Reese wasn’t done with any of them yet. She wasn’t leaving until they admitted it. Slowly she looked to Evan, who was facing straight forward, his eyes searing into Steve Abbot. “I don’t know what you think you heard, but I―” her father began, but Reese cut him abruptly short. “Don’t you dare try to deny it! I heard everything you and Steve said. They raped Anne Mitchell and let Evan Payne take the rap!” She glared around the room, but felt her heart drop. Suddenly, Travis Clifton and Jeff Rockwell were nowhere to be found. Where did they go? “Reese, honey, I didn’t want your brother to go to jail,” Gordon said quietly through a tight smile, as if he somehow still hoped to escape this situation with his dignity intact. “I wasn’t even sure it had really happened.” “Anne Mitchell says it did.” Reese glared at her brother, daring him to deny it. “She told me all about what you and your friends did, and I believe her.” Reese reached for Evan, but he ripped away from her. It was already starting, the anger. Never had she seen such pain in a person’s eyes, such utter confusion. He turned around and walked away without uttering a word. “Evan!” Reese darted after him, but paused when her father caught her arm. “I hope you can live with yourself,” he said. “You’ve destroyed your own family.” “You did that all by yourselves,” Reese replied hotly, jerking away from him. Reese followed Evan to the front porch, leaving the others inside, the flames from the candles dancing in the shadows of the dimly lit room. “Evan, please wait!” she cried. “I know you must hate me after what my family―” 181
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Evan turned to her. “Hate you?” he asked. He shook his head slowly. “No, Reese. I don’t hate you.” She looked up at him and watched the hardness, the anger in his face soften. “Nobody has ever done for me what you did tonight. It took a lot of courage,” he said softly, his voice suddenly choked. He touched her face. “How could I hate you? I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Reese. You’re nothing like the family who gave you the name. I tried running away from you, but I couldn’t… I just couldn’t do it.” Reese was afraid to move from his touch, afraid she would never again feel Evan this close. She was still in shock. “Come on,” he whispered, and he leaned over and kissed her. “Let’s go home, Reese.” *** “I’ll follow you,” he had promised, as they had parted on the lawn, with Evan walking toward his truck and Reese toward her car. She knew she shouldn’t be driving after all of the wine she’d had, but she didn’t want to leave her car at her parents’ house. She didn’t want to have anything to do with them ever again. Everything had happened so fast. One minute she had been standing at the window, getting ready to make her family confess to the conspiracy in front of all of their guests. Then in the next, Evan had been in the house, pushing forward despite the strong holds attempting to keep him back. She wanted to get home to be with him, to sort out the mess that had become her life. She wanted to believe that something good could come from all that had happened, that fate had brought him to her house that day. Reese hoped, in time, Evan would realize he had so much to live for. Just as she unlocked the front driver’s side door, a blur of sudden movement startled her. Travis Clifton emerged from the backseat, pushing the back door open and knocking roughly into her. He tackled Reese, forcing her to the ground, a gun stabbing at her ribs. She heard Evan screaming at Travis to let her go, and saw him running across the lawn. 182
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“Evan!” she cried, her hands straining toward him, desperate for rescue. Then the deafening sound of the gun going off near her ear tore through her head. Abruptly Evan stopped, and Reese watched in horror as a sudden, dark spot appeared on his shirt. Blood, she thought, shocked. Oh, God, that’s blood. Travis shot him! Evan fell to his knees, crumpling forward, then flat on his face to the ground. “No!” Reese shrieked, fighting wildly beneath Travis, wrestling away from him. She ran to Evan, kneeling down, clutching his lifeless body to her chest. “Oh, God, no!” she cried. Rocking back and forth, trying to hold on to Evan for dear life, Reese wept. “Please, God, please don’t let this be happening. This isn’t real. This isn’t happening. Oh, God, help me―” She felt a sudden, searing pain as Travis smashed the heavy butt of the pistol against the side of her head, splintering her skull. In the flash of an eye, Reese’s Abbot’s life, her very existence, came crashing down upon her, changing forever, fading away like a dream. She pitched sideways, her eyelids fluttering closed, her mind suddenly swallowed in darkness, as though she had never even existed…
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Chapter Twenty‐four One year later… Reese sat on the limestone bench, staring at the beautiful Victorian house and feeling somewhat bewildered. Birds were singing, the sun was out in full and a breeze blew lightly through the warm spring air. Yet even after two weeks of moving back to her home, none of it was familiar. The house, the woman watering the plants on the side porch, the surrounding estate, Reese had no memory of it. She had no recollection of any detail of her life prior to waking up from a coma six months ago. Her name was Reese Abbot, or so they had said. She remembered waking up, her eyes having had a difficult time adjusting to the bright hospital room. The woman who had taken care of her since the day she had been released, had been the first face she had seen. She remembered the woman breathing the name Reese, tears pouring down her tired face, taking Reese’s hand in hers, holding it to her heart. Yet she’d had no memory of who the woman was or why she’d been at her bedside crying. She’d had no idea of her own identity. The woman had pushed the call button on the hospital bed and seconds later, doctors and nurses had come rushing through the door. They’d probed and prodded, taking vital signs, adjusting medical equipment, ordering new medications to be administered.
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She remembered fully opening her eyes and looking to the woman who had held her hand, her throat dry, her voice cracking as she had asked, “Who are you?” She’d looked around the unfamiliar room. “Why am I here?” And back to the woman. “Who am I?” She had gone through months of therapy, both mental and physical, and under the doctor’s advisement, she had never been given the details of what had happened to her on the night her life had slipped away beyond her mental reach. The woman at her bedside was her mother, Cheryl, and Cheryl had brought her to this place, the house that Reese had called her home to recover. Cheryl and Reese’s father, a man named Gordon, had divorced shortly after Reese’s accident. Reese suspected it had something to do with what had happened to her, but Cheryl had never told her, and Reese had never asked. Cheryl had shown Reese pictures of family and friends, cooked her favorite meals, told her about her life, but her attempts hadn’t jarred any memories. After months of feeling as though her mother and the doctors had been keeping some very important details from her, Reese had questioned them. But no one would be straight with her. The doctor had said that in due time she would get all her memories back and to fill her mind too soon with all the details of the accident would only cause her further mental harm. What more harm could be caused to a woman who knows nothing about herself? she remembered asking him. And this woman who said she was her mother… Reese could see the pain in her eyes every time she asked about the events leading up to the accident. However, Cheryl had refused to shine any light toward Reese’s recovery, stating only that this was a new beginning for her, for both of them. Since no one had been willing to give her a glimpse into her past, Reese had insisted on being reintroduced back into her own house. Her mother had consulted with the doctor, and he had assured her that the move would do Reese a world of good. So her mother had agreed to bring her home. 185
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From the first moment Reese had laid eyes on the house, she knew that this was where she needed to be. Although Reese had insisted on living alone, her mother still arrived bright and early each day to watch over her. Cheryl had told Reese that she had been an architect, and that her greataunt had willed the old Victorian mansion to her. This very house was apparently what had brought Reese back to Wild Ridge for good…to fulfill her dreams of bringing the old place back to life. “I did all of this?” she had asked. “You started it. But after the accident…well…after months of you not waking up, I thought it was time to put your dreams back to work,” her mother had said. “I hired some crews to finish what you started. Don’t rush things, honey. Soon you’ll remember.” Now, here she sat, overlooking the fountains outside in the gardens, overflowing into pools of water, glistening in the sunlight. Reese stared off at the house, trying to remember why it had apparently been so important to her. Just then, she caught a glimpse of her mother. She was no longer on the side porch watering the hanging ferns. Cheryl was now standing at the front of the house talking to a man. Reese made no attempt to get up to join them. The last thing she wanted was to meet another unfamiliar face and hear how that person had known her all her life. Reese knew no one, and felt as though she was a lost soul walking around in someone else’s body. Her eyes went back to the porch. She watched as the man turned, looked Reese’s way and then moved along the cobblestone path in her direction. As he drew closer, Reese stood up. When he reached the bench, his presence mesmerized her beyond any control. It was the strangest feeling, one she hadn’t experienced since waking up from the coma. He didn’t speak. Neither did she. Not at first. 186
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For what seemed like a lifetime, they merely stood there, examining each other. Reese could feel the wheels turning in her head, yet the identity of this man remained a mystery. She found it odd that her mother was still standing on the front porch, intently observing the two of them. Reese took a deep breath, one step forward, an unexplained teardrop trickling down her cheek. “Do I know you?” she whispered. The man gradually lifted a finger to the scar just above Reese’s right eyebrow, tracing it ever so lightly. “Hello, Reese,” he said with a gentle smile, wiping away the lone tear. “Evan Payne… My name’s Evan Payne.”
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Amy Mistretta Amy Mistretta is a multi-published author whose passion is creating characters for her readers to fall in love with again and again. To learn more about Amy, please visit www.AmyMistretta.com. Send an email to Amy at
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If you liked SECRETS WITHIN, you’re sure to enjoy this excerpt from SECRETS AND SHADOWS, romantic suspense by Meg Allison available in ebook NOW from www.samhainpublishing.com. She stared out the window of the low, black Mercedes as countless trees rushed by in the outer beam of the headlights. Everything…everything…everything… The word echoed through her mind like a mantra. What could one person do with so much wealth? “Sabrina?” Jason’s quiet voice stole through the fog in her brain. She turned her head to look at him. His long, lean hands smoothly turned the steering wheel, guiding the thousand-pound piece of luxurious steel along the winding mountain road. There were no streetlights to guide them, only the soft white beams of the car, the red aura of taillights glowing behind as they curved ever higher up the sloping road. “You still with me?” His gaze remained intent on their destination. Sabrina nodded. “Yes, I think so. It’s just that I didn’t expect this.” Her voice trailed off as he swung the car around a sharp bend. She knew if she could see far beyond her window, the view of the downhill side of the mountain might make her sick. Sabrina had always had an unreasonable fear of falling. In her mind she could see, almost feel, the ground give way as she tumbled into blackness. The knowledge that this was how her father had died―his car plunging down the placid, tree-covered mountain―had given her very vivid nightmares. “You mean the money?” “Yes.” Sabrina turned her body toward him, the seatbelt biting into her neck. “When I told him that I was getting married, he said I wouldn’t get a dime from him. You know my father―he never made a threat he didn’t intend to keep. Now here I am, his sole heir, and I haven’t a clue why. Why did he do that, Jason? Did he ever say anything to you about me or the will or…?” She
reached out, laying her hand on Jason’s arm. His muscle jumped beneath her fingertips as if her touch shocked him. Sabrina lost all train of thought. It happened every time she touched him…electric, sizzling heat and awareness. Ten years hadn’t dimmed the flame. Did he feel it as well? She dropped her hand, clasping it with the other in her lap as she gazed at his profile in the green-tinted light from the dash. Jason cleared his throat. “I wasn’t privy to his financial decisions and he sure didn’t confide in me where his estate was concerned. After all, I am just the chauffeur.” Sabrina frowned. “Why are you still working for my dad? And what was that business earlier about a deer scaling a ten-foot wall and that it wasn’t safe for me to drive alone? You want to tell me what’s going on?” He glanced at her. The tightening of his jaw spoke volumes. Jason was trying to figure out how much to tell her. “What are you hiding?” she asked. Then, like a light clicking on, it all came together―Vivian’s comments, Jason’s reticence. “It wasn’t an accident.” She thought Jason’s shoulders tensed beneath the dark fabric of his suit. “No.” The word was spoken so softly that for a moment Sabrina thought she’d imagined it. “What happened?” “He hadn’t been drinking, even though they did find an empty scotch bottle in his car, and I know the difference between brake-lines that have been cut versus the damage that can be done in a wreck. There was also some internal damage in the steering column that seemed very unusual.” “How do you know all that?” “You remember Bill Wright? He’s been the Chief of Police here for a little over six years. We’ve been friends forever and I talked him into letting me look at the car. What was left of it.” She stared at him a moment as his last words sunk in. Her stomach rolled at the image that came to mind―twisted, smoldering metal. “What does
the chief think about all of this?” Jason sighed. “He’s investigating, but thinks I’m overreacting. Besides, he’s got the town council breathing down his neck, stressing how much the upcoming Spring Carnival needs good public relations. They don’t want it getting out that we might have a murder on our hands.” “Why is the carnival so much more important than my father’s life?” “It’s not that…it’s because this is a major source of income for Castle’s Grove,” he told her. Sabrina clutched the door handle as they gunned through a rather sharp curve. “Besides, on the surface it does look like an accident. They’d much rather accept the facts at face value―a rich man drank too much and took his ’Vette for a spin off the mountain.” She swallowed hard, trying to keep her mind on their conversation and away from thoughts of cars falling off the mountainside. “My father had a lot of enemies. His personality alone would account for that. But I have a hard time believing some well-heeled antiques collector got mad enough to have him murdered. Are you sure about all this?” Sabrina watched him, waiting for an answer. Then she realized he hadn’t been listening. Jason’s gaze darted back and forth between the area illuminated by the headlights to the rearview mirror. He frowned, his jaw tense. “Jason?” “Quiet!” He glanced in the mirror again as they rounded a bend, then turned his head to the side mirror at his left. “What’s wrong?” Sabrina asked as she looked over her shoulder. They came upon a straight stretch of road. She noticed a car about two hundred yards behind them and closing in fast. Sabrina glanced at the narrow road ahead. There was little leeway for passing. Another idiot tourist trying to get someone killed? Or something worse? Her heart pounded as her mouth went dry. “Maybe you should pull over and let them by.” Jason shook his head. “I don’t think passing is what they have in mind.” All the while he spoke, Jason’s gaze switched between the road and the
rearview mirror. Sabrina turned to watch, a cold lump of fear settling in her stomach. The other vehicle was three car lengths away. Jason pressed down on the gas, giving the powerful engine its head as he smoothly maneuvered down the two-lane road, straddling the centerline around the curves. “Jason…?” His name left her on a whisper of fear, her fingers digging into the seat and door handle. “Hold on,” he murmured. She heard a loud popping sound and the Mercedes’ rear window splintered. The other car’s headlights illuminated the glass and Sabrina blinked at it in shock. The design created looked like a bluish, crystalline spider web. “What was―?” “Get down!” He took a hand off the wheel and pushed her head down into the seat. Sabrina lay there for a moment as icy terror wrapped around her like a serpent. She could feel the pressure of his hip against the top of her head. The rich aroma of leather mingled with the scent of Jason’s spicy cologne. Someone was shooting at them. It couldn’t be real. That kind of thing happened on TV or the movies, not in the Poconos. People skied the mountain slopes. They honeymooned and bathed in heart-shaped tubs. They came to drink and listen to comedians. They did not shoot at the residents. Another shot, and more glass shattered. She felt Jason’s body jerk, heard a series of sharp cracks and then Jason’s deep voice cursing above her. “Are you hurt?” She tried to raise her head but another shot zinged by, fracturing the windshield. She heard a scream, realizing a moment later that it was she who’d made the sound. “I’m fine―stay down,” he said in clipped tones. “I’ve got an idea.” Her body slid into him as the Mercedes glided around another curve. The squeal of tires―theirs or the other car’s, she wasn’t sure―made her stomach lurch. “When I count to three, hold on to something and don’t let go. You got that?” Sabrina nodded, then realizing he couldn’t see her added, “Yes.” For what seemed an eternity, she listened to the powerful roar of the engine and the squawl of rubber on asphalt. Sabrina felt the road curve under
her as the car moved, then they seemed to be on a straightaway. Her body tensed. Her fingers dug into the creamy leather. “Here we go,” Jason said. “One… two…” Sabrina filled her lungs, wondering if it would be the last breath she ever took. Don’t fall off the mountain…don’t fall off the mountain… “Three!” The world tilted and spun. Her scream mingled with the sound of shrieking tires. The spin pushed her back against the seat as she clung to the leather for dear life. A grinding forward lurch and the car jerked to a bonejarring stop.
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