She Can Run (9 page)

She realized with a pang of regret that they should go. Find somewhere else to hide. Somewhere she wasn’t tempted to let her defenses down again.

“He’s not mean.” Katie’s answer pulled Beth out of her thoughts.

“No, he isn’t.” Beth’s heart squeezed at the surprise in her daughter’s voice.

Katie continued, “He’s kinda like Uncle James.”

It had taken James a while to relate to the kids. Like Jack, the older man had never had any children of his own. After her aunt’s death, James had closed himself off. But he’d cared, and eventually Ben and Katie softened his hardened heart. James and the kids had grown close.

“So you’re OK staying here with Jack for a while?” Emerging into the sunlit warmth of the barnyard, Beth stopped and turned to face Katie. Her daughter blinked up at her.

“It’s nice here.” Katie draped one arm around Henry’s neck. The dog turned and licked her face. “And I don’t want to leave Henry. We don’t have to go away, do we?”

Beth closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat.

They really should go. Things here weren’t turning out quite the way she’d planned. With a sigh, she raised her eyelids. Katie’s lower lip trembled. Beth’s resolve crumbled.

Jack might be curious, but she didn’t think he posed any danger to them. Not the life-or-death kind she was worried about right now anyway. Still, she should keep her distance.

“No, sweetheart.” Beth smiled. “We can stay, for a while anyway.”

Katie’s grin made Beth’s heart ache. “Good. It’s pretty here.”

A hoof banged against wood.

“We’d better get the horses their breakfast.”

Katie turned and skipped toward the barn door.

Eventually she’d have to take her little girl away from here. This wouldn’t last forever. Nothing good ever did.

Just as her daughter passed into the barn’s shadow, Beth paused, her gaze inexplicably drawn to the thick woods on the far side of the pasture. A naked and vulnerable feeling settled over her, as if she were being watched. The hair on the nape of her neck rose in primitive warning. She pivoted to scan the rest of her surroundings. The only sign of life were thumbnail-sized white butterflies hovering over dandelions in the weedy pasture. She inhaled deeply through her nose and blew the breath out through her mouth.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Her daughter’s voice drew Beth’s attention back to the barn entrance, where the little girl waited, eyes opened wide as she read her mother’s anxious expression.

Beth smoothed the alarm from her face. “Nothing, honey. Nothing at all.”

But as she joined her daughter, goose bumps rose on her arms, and her gaze was pulled back to the dark fringe of forest.

He lowered the binoculars and sank deeper into the underbrush. The woman couldn’t have seen him. Not only was he too far away to be visible to the naked eye, he was completely concealed behind thick foliage like a hunter in a deer blind.

Yet she’d seemed to look right at him.

He raised the binoculars again and watched her turn her attention back to the little girl. After a moment of conversation, they both vanished into the barn.

Sure looked like her, but that wasn’t his call.

He had his orders. Follow up on all promising inquiries. Make visual contact. Obtain photos. Report.

On to step three. He had two more possibilities that still needed to be checked out.

He pulled the high-powered digital camera from its case, screwed the super telephoto lens into place, and attached the tripod. Even though the image would be small, with twenty-one megapixels of resolution, the photo could be cropped and enlarged. By the time he was done editing the shots, he’d be able to count the crows’ feet around the woman’s eyes.

He aimed the camera at the barn door and adjusted the settings. He settled in and waited for her to reappear.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The saddle creaked as Beth trotted Lucy down the forest trail. A thick layer of pine needles blanketed the path, cushioning the horse’s footfalls. Settling into a steady two-beat rhythm, a sense of peace washed over her. A half hour on horseback was the best possible therapy. Guilt nagged at her for slipping out alone, but she pushed it away. The kids were content baking cookies with Mrs. Harris. Besides, she needed to recharge. And she
really
needed to think.

There was no question that she had to get her shit together after this morning’s back-to-back debacles with Jack. The next time she woke up before dawn, she’d stay the hell in bed and stare at the ceiling.

He’d scared the shit out of her and—worse—he’d known it. Then she’d gone and spilled the beans about Brian. Strike two. Then there’d been Katie’s freak-out in the kitchen. Strike three. Beth’s chest still hurt when she thought of how Jack had calmed her terrified daughter. For a bachelor, he was surprisingly good with children. He hadn’t pressed Beth for answers, but he’d wanted to. She’d seen the questions in his eyes, cop eyes that saw so much more than she wanted him to know. For instance, he probably noticed she hadn’t exactly recoiled at his touch. No, she’d barely resisted the urge to wrap her body around his. From now on she’d keep her distance. She couldn’t afford to have any personal attachment beyond her children.

Jack wasn’t the type of man to let something go. On a positive note, she was fairly sure he wasn’t the kind of man to take orders from a dirty politician either. She also couldn’t picture Jack raising his hand to a woman—although she no longer trusted her own character assessments. After all, she’d picked Richard. No, Jack would have to be kept at arms’ length. If he was developing any personal interest in her, she needed to put a damper on that immediately. Although she doubted flying under his radar was possible at this point, she could at least keep their relationship professional and appropriately formal.

She was sure of only one thing right now. One more screw-up and they’d have to leave. She couldn’t afford to have Jack discover her true identity. Richard had too many connections in the police and FBI. If anyone started asking questions, even with the best of intentions, Richard would be sure to get wind of it. He couldn’t afford to let her live, not now that she knew his secret.

Breaking Katie’s heart—again—would be better than getting them all killed.

A tug on the reins and the sound of rushing water brought Beth back the moment. Anticipating a good splash, Lucy snorted and picked up the pace as they approached a shallow stream. As the mare pranced, Beth’s body flowed with the movement. She stretched her legs farther down Lucy’s sides, heels down, seat snug in the small English saddle.

At the water’s edge, Beth loosened the reins so the mare could paw the water and gave her elegant neck a pat. She allowed the horse a few minutes to play before turning back. Quiet time was almost up. A hay delivery was scheduled for this morning.

Beth let out some rein, and Lucy lengthened her stride. When they broke free of the woods into the meadow that sat below the barn, she let Lucy have her head. The horse responded with a surge of speed, galloping up the hill. Beth savored the feel of the muscles smoothly shifting beneath her, the mare’s long strides eating up the ground. The wind pushed against her face, and her eyes teared. When Lucy headed for the fallen tree, Beth let her go. Together they sailed through the air and landed lightly on the ground on the other side.

Halfway up the slope, the barnyard came into view, and Beth pulled Lucy back down to a trot. A large white truck labeled “Martin’s Feed” was backed up to the double doors. She eased Lucy into a walk to cool her down. The mare stretched out her neck as they climbed the slight incline to the barn.

The driver leaned against the fence. His forearms sat on the top rail, and one booted foot rested on the lowest plank. As Beth watched, Jack’s golf cart emerged from the trees and stopped next to the barn. Jack got out, using his cane to hobble over to the deliveryman. They shook hands.

Lucy eyeballed the truck and danced sideways as they entered the barnyard. Beth took up the slack in the reins as she steered the horse toward the two men. The visitor was in his late twenties and a few inches shorter than Jack, maybe six-foot, but instead of Jack’s tall, rangy body, this man was built like a gorilla, with oversized biceps and no neck. Dark steely tufts of body hair poked out from the V-shaped neck opening of his tight T-shirt. He wore dark sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled over his short black hair.

“Good morning,” Gorilla-man called out. His voice was too smooth, his posture too arrogant.

“Morning,” Beth responded but steered Lucy away from him. Instinctively, she wanted as little contact with this slimy guy as possible.

“Hey, Beth.” Jack’s cell phone rang as he greeted her. He excused himself and took a few steps toward the barn to answer the call.

Gorilla-man glanced at Jack and lowered his voice. “You have a great seat.”

Beth paused. Had that comment been laced with sexual innuendo? Or was her imagination getting the best of her?

Dismounting, she loosened the saddle’s girth before leading the horse toward the men. Perspiration dripped into her eyes, and she wiped a hand across her brow. Though it had been cool when she’d set out on her ride, the humidity had risen with the sun. She glanced down at her soaked T-shirt, which had molded to her breasts. Thank God she’d worn a padded bra. Although the way this man stared at her, she might as well be topless.

Gorilla-man held out a thick hand. “Will Martin from Martin’s Feed Store. Nice to meet you.”

Beth gritted her teeth and extended her hand. Just as their palms touched, Lucy snaked her head over Beth’s shoulder and pulled her away, cutting the handshake off abruptly.

Beth made a mental note to bring the mare some extra carrots that evening.

“Lucy was Danny’s favorite. He didn’t ride, but he liked her because she’s feisty,” Martin commented as he walked around the horse, his eyes traveling over the animal’s body, then back to Beth. He gave the mare’s shoulder a hard pat. Lucy stomped her foot and swished her tail, pinning her ears back in warning when Martin slapped her rump.

“Nothing like a sassy female.” Martin stepped back with a laugh. “Nice lines. Looks like fun to ride.” With his face turned away from Jack, Martin leered at Beth.

Her skin crawled.

“If you ever want to sell her, I’ve got a stud that’d love to service this girl.”

Beth’s empty stomach rolled. She tied the animal to the fence and took a deep breath. She straightened her shoulders. The sooner she got this over with the better.

“Let’s get that stuff unloaded. I’m sure you have other deliveries today.” Not waiting for Martin, she strode toward the barn. His stare burned her ass as she climbed up the ladder into the loft. She could hear the murmur of Jack’s voice from where he stood near the barn door.

Walking to the edge, she looked down into the aisle. Martin had backed the truck into the barn. He climbed into the back and began tossing hay up into the loft.

Beth dragged the bales to the rear of the space and stacked them neatly against the wall. Martin finished unloading the truck bed and moved up the ladder to help her stack the remaining bales.

“You’re pretty strong for such a little thing.” His voice was low enough that Jack wouldn’t hear him down below. Martin’s smile was a sly, teeth-baring smirk.

All the better to eat you with, my dear.

A chill slithered up Beth’s spine, and she kept several feet of empty space between her and Gorilla-man. With his help, the remaining hay was stacked in minutes.

“I’m sure you want to finish your deliveries before it gets any hotter.” Beth stepped toward the ladder, but Martin maneuvered himself between her body and the exit. She moved to the side, intending to go around him, but he mirrored her steps, blocking the way.

“You’re the one that’s looking hot.” His eyes roamed her body from head to toe. She felt exposed and threatened, like he was mentally stripping her right there in the loft. All the moisture evaporated from her throat.

“Excuse me.” She ignored his comment and smoothed her shaky voice. Jack was just outside the door. Surely Martin wouldn’t try anything with someone else so close.

“Anytime, sugar.” He stepped closely around her, rubbing his hips against hers as he passed. Beth froze at the forced contact with his thick body. Her stomach turned over as his hardened groin brushed her belly, but she refused to back down.

Cowering gave bullies a rush and fueled their cruelty. This she knew from personal experience.

He smelled of sweat and testosterone. Lightheaded, Beth inhaled through her mouth. The hot, stale air in the loft was stifling, suffocating. Exhaling slowly, she willed her heart to slow its frantic beating. As she held her ground, she concentrated on the dust motes floating in the sunbeams streaming through the window.

“I’ll get back to you. Thanks.” Jack’s voice, followed by the sound of his cell snapping shut, floated up to the loft.

Martin nodded. “After you. Ladies first.” He stepped aside, but his eyes traveled over her body again, lingering on her breasts. He licked his lips and bared his teeth in another feral grin. Beth broke from her trance and covered the distance to the ladder in a few long strides. She descended rapidly, missing the last rung and landing hard on her heels in the aisle. Her teeth snapped together. Pain ricocheted through her jaw. She felt a hand on her back, steadying her. She glanced over her shoulder at Jack standing behind her. Heat spread from his hand all the way up her spine.