Beauty and the Chief (10 page)

“I promise, not alone. I’ll be careful.”

“Good. I’ll be back later this afternoon and we can go find a chime for the front door. Also, it would be good to put one on the back door, though you should leave it locked at all times.”

“Nan and I already do.”

“You’re not going to argue with me about the chime out front?”

“As easy as you walked in here and I didn’t hear you, I concede that it’s needed.”

“Good, though I happen to be glad there wasn’t one then, or I never would’ve heard you say you loved me. At least for a while yet, and we both would have been driving ourselves nuts wondering what the other thought or felt. Now, that we have it out in the open, we can just enjoy and get to know each other better without all the anxiety.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“Something tells me it will be. This was meant to be. Now, I better let you get to work and get back myself. What time is good to install the chime?”

“My last appointment should end at three-thirty.”

“Okay, I ought to be able to be here at four.” He came in to give her one last swift, hard kiss. Stood, walked a couple steps and looked back. “I really like doing that.” He grinned at her stunned expression. “You’re real nice to kiss. Bye, Nan,” he said the last loud enough to be heard in the back and strode out.

Jillian sat too stunned to move. Her finger came up to touch her lips, still tingly from Mark’s. He loved her. Everything else they talked about faded away. Mark loved her. She didn’t doubt him on it. She felt the truth of it, just as she felt the truth of her love for him. She sank back in the cushion of the loveseat and savored the feeling coursing through her.

Several minutes passed before Nan appeared in front of her. The woman looked bemused. “Well, I’d ask you how you are, but it’s pretty obvious. Isn’t that something, and when you pick them, oh, boy!”

“You’re not going to warn me?”

“Oh, no, Blue Bell. I saw the look on that man’s face. You’ve got him, and there’d be no standing in his way. I’d say you seem to be in accord so I’ll just sit back and watch the show. Though, I think I’ll pull out the wedding planning guide. I wondered why I kept it after Emily got married. I’ll just call the caterer and see how busy they are. They were very good.”

“Nan.” Jillian laughed at her outrageousness. “I’ve known him less than a week.”

“Yes. Who thought you’d fall so fast? Won’t your family be surprised? Course, your mom said when you finally fell it would be hard and fast. She told me she was the same way. You’d better give them a call and give them a heads up.”

“You don’t think it’s a little soon?”

“I don’t think there is a too soon on this. I know you won’t sleep with him until you’re married, and with a son that age around, I don’t think he’d push for that either. I also think that, now he’s found you, he’ll be wanting to marry soon. That man is hot when he looks at you. Well, he’s hot anyway, but when he looks at you, it’s amazing the air between you doesn’t burst into flames.”

Jillian laughed but couldn’t help dream it was true. With a sigh, she sat up. “I’ve got to get to work.”

***

Mark appeared right at four. It didn’t take them long to get the chime because Jillian already had an idea of what she wanted and where to get it. Nan left when they returned and at quarter after five, Mark stepped down from the ladder finished with the installation.

“How’s that?” He opened the door letting her hear the tone.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, for my fee. You owe me a dinner date.”

Jillian’s lips twitched. “We already have a date planned. Or did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget. That was before the fact. I’m saying you owe me another.”

“Oh, and am I supposed to cook for you on this one or what?”

He got a thoughtful look. “Cooking would be okay, but you don’t have to. You’ve already made me a meal. You just have to plan what we do. Something that you like to do that we can do together.” He looked around the room and frowned, “Something that doesn’t involve looking at color swatches or materials.”

She laughed. “I think I can come up with something. When is this to happen?”

“Well, we already have a date for Thursday. Tonight is out because I have a scout meeting to attend with Jordan, then I’m afraid I’ll have to go back into work after he’s in bed. Tomorrow I have city council. So let’s say Friday night after your soccer practice, since I’ll be seeing you Saturday already.”

“You will?” She knew she sounded coy, but he just smiled going along with her.

“Yeah, you know − soccer game. Then, I figure the boys might want to hang out together again. We can do hamburgers this time. That is, if you’ll have Sam?”

“I will, until two. Debbie’s still trying to get it worked out so she can have the day off at least every other week.”

“So, it shouldn’t be hard to get the boys to want to spend time together. I can always bribe them with a video game rental.”

She laughed lightly. “That should do it for sure, but I don’t have a player.”

“I do. We’ll just have to go to my house.” He arched his brow wickedly, adding to her laughter. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll walk you out and follow you home.”

“You don’t need to.” Jillian cut short what she was saying and called Abby. “Come on, girl.” The dog immediately stood from where she was dozing on her pillow by the desk. Jillian picked up the leash, clipped it on, reached for her purse and noticed the rose. “Can you take Abby so I can get my rose? I never thanked you for it.”

“Rose?” He eyed the flower, his brows pulled together as if it disturbed him. “Jillian, I didn’t give you the rose.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry, I should have brought you flowers, but things have been going so fast. I honestly didn’t think of it yet. I guess I’m really out of practice with the courting thing.”

“No, it’s okay. I just, well, I thought it was from you because I don’t know anyone else who would give me a flower,” she added hurriedly.

Mark looked back at the flower. Unease settled into him. “When did you get it?”

“Nan said it was leaning against the back door when she got here this morning. That’s how we got talking. She asked if I had an admirer − then you walked in.” She blushed at the memory of what happened. “I just thought …”

Mark couldn’t hold himself back. He stepped forward and caught her hand, bringing it up to his lips. “When I give you flowers, I will give them directly to you. There will be no doubt they’re from me. And I’m thinking something bright. You know like those great big daisy things, about the size of a plate, because you have become a bright spot in my life. That is unless you prefer roses.”

“No, the others are perfect. I like all flowers.” A tender smile creased her lips as she gazed up at him. “I think you’re pretty good at the romance thing,” she whispered.

“Good.” He gave her fingers a squeeze. “Let’s go.” He walked her out holding her hand, the flower left behind. He held her car door, catching one quick kiss before she settled in. Once in his car, he waited for her to start then followed her to her condo before turning his car toward home.

***

Jillian pushed herself in the last lap of the pool. Her muscles burned, but she felt good as she walked out of the water. Abby caught sight of her from the patio and whimpered. Unfortunately, dogs weren’t allowed in the pool area.

They both missed their jogs in the park. Not that Abby was ready to jog yet, and she had promised Mark she wouldn’t go there or any other place where she might be alone. Luckily, the pool always seemed to have at least a few people there in the evening making use of the hot tubs. She needed to work off some of the nervous energy building up in her.

Grabbing her towel, she wrapped it around her as she moved through the gate toward her condo. What she really longed to do was call Mark, but he might be at his meeting still, and if he was home, she didn’t want to intrude on his time with Jordan. She wondered how Jordan would feel about having her around. He seemed to like her. She liked him. He was a wonderful boy. He looked so much like his father and just as adorable.

“Ready to go in?” she said Abby who danced at the end of her leash and whimpered excitedly.

“I know you want to go to the park but not tonight. Come on, I need a shower and then it’s to bed.”

Jillian paused at her door as a self-moving truck pulled to a stop at the end of her building. “It looks like tomorrow’s the moving day for the Greens.” She waved to the man as he got out of the truck. He wasn’t much older than her and had two kids, a little boy and a girl. They were such a cute family. They were able to find a small house, so the kids no longer had to share a bedroom.

Inside, Jillian locked the door and set the alarm. Turning off the lights, she headed upstairs to the shower, with Abby on her heels. Twenty minutes later, she was wrapped in a thick, soft, terry robe brushing out her hair when she heard Abby growl. The peace left her body at the sound.

“What is it, girl?” She stepped to the doorway of the bedroom. Abby stood alert at the side of the bed, her fur bristled in alarm. Instead of her attention focused at the hall or the sliding glass door, she looked up at the ceiling. “What is it?” Jillian stepped over, running her hand down the dog to ease her.

“Are you still jumpy? I’ve been a little that way. I’m sure glad to have you home.” She stroked the Lab’s head. “You’re such a good girl.” With a final pet, she returned to the bathroom. She just reached for her hair dryer when Abby growled again, this time from the doorway. Her attention again focused up. Jillian followed Abby’s point straight up at the skylight to the face peering down at her.

The scream ripped from her.

Mark knew it was foolishness to swing by to see Jillian. She would probably think he was the obsessive type. He should go home and try to get some sleep. But Jordan was already in bed, and he just couldn’t get Jillian out of his mind. He figured it was something he’d better get used to because she was never going to be far from his thoughts for the rest of his life.

He’d just stopped at the security gate to ring her condo so she could buzz him in, when someone pulled up, activating the gate. Only one parking place was occupied in front of the clubhouse, so he pulled into the closest spot to her condo and cut the engine.

The only lights on in Jillian’s condo were the upstairs ones. He wavered a minute, then tugged on the door handle. He really did want to see her, and he’d only stay a minute. Okay, maybe he was becoming obsessive.

It was a nice, peaceful night. The air was warm. Maybe they could sit on the patio and talk for a few minutes. He stopped and looked again at the darkened downstairs. Maybe he should just go home and call her tomorrow. With a sigh, he started to turn.

The scream, muffled by walls and closed windows, boomed in his heart. “Jillian!” He ran the last few steps to her condo. “Jillian!” He pounded on the door. Inside, he could hear Abby barking. “Jillian, it’s Mark!” He threw his shoulder against the door in frustration, though he knew it wouldn’t budge. He heard footsteps on the stairs inside. There was a fumbling at the door, and it flew open. He was through the threshold just in time to catch her as she dove for him.

He locked his arms around her, holding her tight while searching the dark room for signs of trouble. Abby appeared beside him. Mark used his foot to kick the door closed and the dog growled at it. Finding nothing amiss, he moved his hands to her cheeks, forcing her head back to look at him.

“Jillian, what happened?” He saw her fighting for control.

She managed a deep breath before she could get out the words, “A man.”

“Where?” Mark’s attention went to the stairs. The shrill sound of the alarm rent the air before she could answer. He released her so she could deactivate the alarm. She reached for him as she finished. “Tell me what happened.”

“He was watching me.” She faltered as shivers raked through her. Taking another breath, she continued. “Through the skylight.”

“Skylight?”

She nodded. “My bathroom, a face staring down. Watching me. He was on the roof.”

“All right, stay here. Lock the door behind me.” Mark forced himself to release her. He pulled out his cell phone and hit dial while waiting to hear the lock click, before stepping out to study the building. The sight of the moving truck drew him before the voice answered. “This is Chief Richards. I need a couple of units to search for a suspected intruder.” He gave the address, clicking off the phone. Scanning the area, he moved forward cautiously, aware his gun was in its lock box in his car. A faint scraping sound was all the warning he got before the figure plowed into him.

Mark’s body flew back into the bushes at the corner of the condo, softening his fall, but his head snapped back catching the side of the building. Lights flashed in his mind, blending with the sound of receding footfalls.

It was a struggle to extricate himself from the branches. He swayed slightly making it to his feet, but his police training had him turning toward the figure. For a minute, the man was illuminated in a street lamp, but dressed in black, he was still a shadow.

Mark forced himself to sprint, weaving around buildings, shrubs, and the playground equipment. Fighting to keep the figure in view, he followed mainly on instinct. Losing sight of him completely, Mark slowed. The faint squeak of a gate, followed by a click, had him shifting his direction. The small side gate led out onto the street directly across from the park. Not a soul was in sight up and down the road.

He activated the phone again, while crossing the road. “This is Richards. Relay the suspect entered the park on the north side of the complex. Don’t have a visual. Suspect is a male. Approximately six feet, dark clothes.” Mark kept going, meeting up with the officers searching the park from a different side.

“Nothing,” one of the officers said approaching him. “I think we’ve lost him.”

Mark nodded, knowing it was true but hating to give up on it. “Kent, why don’t you have the other car keep patrolling just in case he hasn’t slipped yet? You can come back with me and write up the report.”

Mark started to follow the officer back to his car, then stopped and looked back over the park where a week ago a woman was almost murdered. For a beautiful place, it held a lot of ugliness lately. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like Jillian involved in both cases. Coincidences bothered him. Dragging his eyes away from the deep shadows, he followed the officer, anxious to get back to Jillian.

The door was thrown open before he could even ring the bell. Jillian again reached for him, though she was calmer now. He wrapped her into his arms. “It’s okay,” he said as he drew her close. She was soft and cuddly in a thick, white robe. It pulled at his protective instincts.

“Did you get him?” She leaned back to look up at him.

“I’m sorry,” he shook his head and grimaced at the ache that settled there with a dull throb. “He got away, but they’re still looking. I need you to tell us what happened.”

She nodded and started to step back, her hand sliding along his collar. She froze and then shifted to his side. “You’re hurt,” she gasped out.

He raised his hand to the back of his head, but she caught it, pulling it away. “No. Let me see.” She said, carefully moving the hair.

Mark felt a sting but said nothing.

“It doesn’t look bad, but we need to clean it up. Wait here.” She disappeared upstairs.

“You okay, Chief?” Kent, still standing in the doorway, asked.

“Yeah, just a bump. We’ll let her take care of it while we talk.”

“You know the lady?”

“Yeah, we’re dating.” The word seemed foreign and too plain for what was happening, but he guessed it covered it. “Why don’t we get settled at the kitchen table?”

A minute later, Jillian returned and set to work tending his head while she told about Abby growling and looking up, seeing the man. “I don’t know how long he’d been there. Abby only started growling about a minute or two before. I couldn’t make out the face. It was all distorted. It was just the eyes looking down at me, and I screamed.” Her hand trembled.

Mark reached up and caught it. “It’s okay.”

She nodded. “The bleeding’s stopped. Do you need something for a headache?”

“I’m fine.” He drew her around and down into his lap, ignoring how it would look to Kent. He needed to hold her as much for himself as for her. Almost immediately, she settled back against him, and he told his part of the story while Kent took notes. When they’d gone over it completely, the officer radioed to the other car. They had found no signs of the man.

“Jillian, I want to go out with the officer and look over the area. Just stay here and I’ll be right back.”

There was reluctance in her leaving his lap, but she stood, tightening her belt around her in a nervous gesture.

“I’ll be just out the door.” He brushed his knuckles across her cheek and placed a kiss on her forehead.

It didn’t take long to figure out how the man got to her roof. It just took climbing onto the moving van to catch her balcony. Standing on her railing, the guy would just have to pull himself up on the roof, and the rain gutter happened to run down right by Jillian’s balcony to make it easy.

“So, what do you think Chief? Was it planned directly at your lady, or is our guy an opportunist?”

Mark looked over where he could see Jillian standing on her patio. A fuchsia loaded with blossoms hung by her head. He wished he knew the answer. He didn’t like the thought of a man right outside her bedroom window, especially while she was in the shower.

The placement of the van would have been convenient for an ambitious peeping tom. He liked that scenario a lot better than some guy out after Jillian specificity, but again, he had a lot of trouble getting past coincidences.

“I don’t know,” he admitted finally. “Let’s treat it from both sides for now. Check if we have any other reported similar activities around here.”

The man nodded.

“Could you leave a copy of everything on my desk?”

“Sure thing.”

“I’ll get whoever rented the truck to move it. We don’t want any repeat performances.” After a quick good-bye, Mark headed back to where Jillian waited. Abby was on her leash, hugging Jillian’s side. He couldn’t chastise her for being outside. He understood she needed to get past her fear.

“Do you know who has the moving truck?” he asked her as he approached her.

“Adam Green, two doors down.” She motioned in the direction. “They’re moving tomorrow.”

“Okay, be right back.” He disappeared for a few minutes.

Adam Green walked with him as he came back. “Are you all right, Jillian?” the man asked when he saw her.

She nodded and managed a smile. “Yes, it just scared me. I’m fine now.”

“Come on, let’s go in.” Mark slid his arm around her, turning her to the door. Inside, he left her to get her a glass of water.

Jillian paced the room with nervous energy, Abby beside her, both golden and beautiful.

They made quite a pair, Mark thought watching them. “Here.” He stepped in front of her. “Drink this.”

She accepted the glass, took a drink and returned a grateful smile. “Thank you for being here.”

“You’re welcome.” When he opened an arm, she stepped to him, laying her head on his shoulder. A shiver of pent up nerves being released shook her, and he tightened his hold.

“I’m okay now.” She took a deep breath and raised her head. “I bet you didn’t expect this when you stopped by tonight.”

“No, but I’m glad I did.” Her face showed worry, automatically he raised a hand to wipe it away and the expression morphed to a weak smile.

“Did you need something? Is there any more information?”

“No, I was just hoping to see you for a minute.” It was his turn to shift under tension. “I found myself thinking of you the whole evening. It seems that you haven’t been out of my thoughts from the minute I met you.”

“The minute?” She challenged, beginning to relax.

“Yes.”

“Friday, you were irritated with me.”

“I think I was looking for excuses to break what I was feeling. So you’d be less appealing.”

“And now?”

“I like you appealing. I like the thought of you in my life.”

“Mark.” This time when she stepped to him, her head tilted up offering him her mouth. He took the kiss and savored it along with the feel of her in his arms. When the kiss ended, he brushed his lips against her temple.

“Why don’t you go pack a bag and I’ll take you to my house?”

It was Jillian’s turn to pull back. “I …” Her look was one of pain and disappointment.

His brain clicked on what he said and how it must have sounded. “No, I didn’t mean to my bed. You’d have your own room. I just don’t want you to be here alone tonight. I have Jordan there and Mrs. Morris. You’d be safe.”

Her smile was back. “I know. Sorry, I don’t have a lot of experience with men. You know – tomboy − one of the guys.”

“I still have a problem with that one.” He grinned.

“I can use a hammer or nail gun, and do most anything any of my contractors can do.” She tilted her head in a bit of a challenge.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. It’s just ‘one of the guys’ I have problems with. I would never mistake you as one of the guys. No guy I know has legs like yours. Have I mentioned you have great legs? I’m finding out I’m a leg man. And your hair, it’s glorious. I want to run my fingers through in it. Then your eyes, they are what put me under. You have incredible eyes. I could get lost in them forever.”

Those beautiful blue pools softened as they gazed up at him, and he sank into them as he lowered his mouth to hers. It was several minutes before he managed to break away from her lips to catch his breath. “You’re not one of the guys, believe me. I’ve never wanted to kiss one of the guys like I do you. You’re addicting. Why don’t you run upstairs and get what you need?”

She was already shaking her head before he finished the sentence. “No, I’m not going to be chased out of my home. Please understand this. I have to stay. I can’t run.”

Mark started to object but before he could get it out, her hand settled on his cheek.

“It’s not time yet, for me to come to you. It’s too soon. Please.”

He wanted to argue, but he respected what she was saying. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and take her where he could keep her safe from the darker side of life. He wanted to be her protector. “Are you certain?”

Relief was in her smile and something more that made his heart soar. “Yes.”

“Any problem, even if you just get nervous, you call me. Abby barks, you call me.”

“Yes. Thank you for understanding that I have to handle this.” She came up on her toes to brush her mouth over his.