Full Bloom (17 page)

Annie, Theenie, and Lovelle just stared back at her, looks of astonishment on their faces. Finally, Theenie spoke. “I’m not surprised. I suspected her elevator was one floor short.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Lovelle said.

“It’s all my fault,” Jamie said. “I knew what she was planning to do, and I didn’t stop her.”

“I’m equally responsible,” Max said. “I should have tried to talk her out of it.”

Annie finally found her voice. “What did she do?”

Jamie sighed. “She took the spirit to see a psychologist, hoping he could help her overcome her fears of what happened that traumatized her. I don’t know the whole story, because Destiny and I only spoke briefly. She’s pretty upset, says she’s surrounded by crazy people.”

“Jeez Louise,” Annie muttered. “They’re going to throw away the key. What else can go wrong?”

“Don’t ask,” Theenie and Lovelle said in unison.

“What should we do?” Annie asked.

“Nunamaker is going to take her case,” Max said. “He can’t do anything tonight, but he promised to check on it first thing in the morning. I personally want to know how it all came down. You can’t just lock someone up without going through the proper channels.” He looked at Jamie. “We need to get going.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay for dinner?” Annie asked.

“We’re dining tonight with Max’s family,” Jamie said. “We wanted to tell you about Destiny because we knew you’d worry when she didn’t come home tonight.”

Wes came through the back door soon after Max and Jamie left. He glanced about the kitchen. “Uh-oh. How come every time I walk into this house I sense another catastrophe? A new drama?” he added.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Annie said. “Everything is fine.”

“Couldn’t be better,” Theenie said, obviously following Jamie’s lead.

Lovelle nodded. “Life is good.”

“Not only that,” Annie said brightly. “Dinner is ready.”

“Isn’t Erdle eating with us?” Theenie asked once everyone was seated at the table.

“He’s probably embarrassed,” Annie told her. “I lowered the boom on him after the stunt he pulled.”

“Maybe it wasn’t a stunt after all,” Wes cut in.

All three women just looked at him.

Wes shrugged. “It’s a thought. He could have had his buddy lie for him.”

“I don’t think Erdle could stay sober enough to get away with murder,” Theenie said. She looked at Annie. “We really should get him some help.”

Annie nodded. “I worry about him, too. I’ll take a plate over after dinner.”

“He’s probably out cold and won’t hear you,” Lovelle said. “You’ll have to climb through his kitchen window like before. Maybe this time he won’t have his underwear soaking in the sink. Maybe he got rid of that mouse and you won’t sprain your ankle again running from it.”

“It won’t be easy climbing in a window with a plate of food in your hand,” Theenie said. “I would help you if I wasn’t afraid that mouse was still in his house.” She shuddered.

Something hit the cabinet door and everyone jumped. Peaches sat there looking at Annie. “You’ve already eaten,” she said. Peaches began batting the door with her paw, never taking her eyes off Annie.

“We should drop that cat through Erdle’s kitchen window,” Lovelle said. “She’d sober him up right quick.”

“That’s mean,” Annie said, although she grinned at the thought.

The garbage can toppled to its side and dumped trash to the floor. Peaches stuck her head inside searching for food. Annie pretended not to notice.

“I’ll clean it up,” Wes said, shoving his chair from the table.

“It can wait,” Annie said. “Go ahead and finish your dinner.”

“She’s making a big mess,” he said.

“Trust me. It’s best to ignore her when she gets into a mood.”

The garbage can rocked back and forth. Inside, Peaches kept digging, and before long all the litter was on the floor. The garbage can began to roll. It rolled through the open swinging doors and into the dining room and kept going. Something shattered in one of the rooms. The women didn’t look up from their meals.

“Is there ever a peaceful moment in this house?” Wes asked.

Annie looked at him, remembering he once had referred to it as a crazy house. “All the time.”

Lovelle nodded. “It’s usually real quiet around here.”

“Boring, you might say,” Theenie added.

Wes went back to eating. “By the way, where’s Destiny?”

“Locked up in a mental hospital,” Annie replied, concentrating on her food once more.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was after 10:00 PM by the time Annie showered and climbed into bed. Theenie and Lovelle had turned in early, and Wes, who’d selected a Ludlum book from a stack in the sunroom, had gone up shortly afterward. Annie set her alarm clock, turned off the light, and snuggled deep beneath the covers, not because she was cold but because she needed to feel the heaviness of the blankets on her, the sense of security their weightiness evoked.

Moonlight peeked through her window and cast a soft glow in the room. Annie had slept in this room the very first time she remembered visiting her grandmother, and it had become her own when she moved in. She’d felt safe and loved, knowing the woman was just next door. Annie had remained in her small room even after her grandmother had died. She’d closed off the grand master suite with its ornate furnishings and mirrored ceiling, slipping inside from time to time for a nap on the tall rice bed, covering herself with the woman’s favorite shawl.

Shortly before Annie was to be married to Charles, she had packed her grandmother’s clothes and personal items and moved them to the attic, and eventually the woman’s scent had faded, replaced with Charles’s Aramis cologne and Annie’s simple White Linen perfume. Their lovemaking was squeezed in between
Larry King Live
and
David Letterman
. When their marriage began to sour, Charles channel-surfed during the hour-long gap and Annie spent her evenings reading magazines on “How to heat up your sex life,” “How to drive your man crazy in bed,” and “Satisfying him every time.”

She obviously hadn’t gotten it right, or so she thought at the time, because one day Charles was there and the next day he was gone. Annie moved back into her old room and read magazines on “How to survive the split,” “Life after divorce,” and being “Happily single.”

Annie jumped when something hit her door, and she heard Peaches mewing on the other side. She thought of putting a pillow over her head to drown out the sound, but she was afraid the cat would wake the others. Annie dragged herself from her bed and opened the door, but the cat started down the hall toward the steps leading to the kitchen. Darn cat, she thought. It would be easier if she just stuffed a feeding tube down her throat.

“Peaches,” Annie called out softly as she tiptoed down the hall. “Come here, Peaches.” The cat made a sound low in her throat and dashed away.

Annie saw it before she felt it, something light and wispy hovering several yards away, coming toward her slowly. She froze as she caught sight of a woman’s face and long swirling hair, barely visible but there nevertheless. Then, a brush of cool air against her cheek, the smell of flowers, and the feeling that something was swirling around her. The air shifted and became icy cold.

“Holy crap!” Annie staggered forward, trying to escape whatever it was, but she fell to one side, hitting her elbow on the wall. She tripped on her own feet, grasped an armchair to break her fall, and stubbed her sore toe. A multitude of four-letter words came to mind, but she was too scared to speak. She had to get back to her room. She turned and hit something solid. The ghost was bigger than she’d thought.

She was screwed.

“Annie?”

“Outta my way, Wes. Can’t you see I’m running for my life?” Annie bypassed him and raced to her room, closing the door behind her. She made a mad dive under her covers.

Wes poked his head inside. “Problem?”

Annie mumbled from beneath the covers.

“What’s a gust?” he asked.

Annie peered out. She could barely see him in the shaft of light from her bedroom window. “Not gust. Ghost.” It was hard to talk with her teeth chattering.

Wes closed the door, walked to the bed, and pulled the covers aside. “Good thing I’m here to protect you.” He slid beneath the sheets. “The things a guy has to do.” He slipped one arm beneath her head. “Come closer.”

Annie snuggled against him.

“You’re shivering. What did you see?”

“A woman’s face and hair. She just came at me, and everything got cold.”

“Did she appear menacing?”

“No, but it still scared the hell out of me.” Annie was quiet for a moment. “You know, I think I’ve seen her before. Maybe when I was a little girl,” she added. “Or maybe I just dreamed of her.” When Wes didn’t say anything, Annie lifted her head and looked at him. “Do you believe me?”

“I think you were just trying to get me in your bed.” There was a smile in his voice. “I may start hiring people to scare you so I can sleep here every night.”

Annie grinned. “Sorry about the flannel gown,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

Wes ran his finger across the material. “Feels nice.”

“It’s been known to send ice water through a man’s loins.”

“Trust me, my loins are feeling just fine. If they start feeling any better one of us is going to have to leave.”

Annie liked the timbre of his voice against her ear. She had to admit snuggling against Wes’s warm body was a lot more fun than lying beneath a pile of blankets. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said after a moment. “I was feeling sort of lonely.”

“I would have been here a lot sooner if I hadn’t been afraid you’d kick me out.”

“It’s been a long time since I shared a bed with a man,” Annie confessed.

“After one night it’ll be old hat.”

“You’re assuming I’ll invite you back.”

“I’m assuming you won’t let me leave.”

She punched him lightly. After a moment she grew serious. “Wes, I’m scared. About being convicted of a crime I didn’t commit.”

“I know.”

“I’m not afraid for myself, but if something happened to me, if a jury actually found me guilty and I had to go to prison, I don’t know what would happen to Theenie and Lovelle. Or Erdle, for that matter,” she added. She remembered how bad the man had looked when she’d delivered his dinner and a short sermon on his drinking.

“Do you trust me, Annie?” Wes asked.

Oddly enough, she did. “Yes.”

“Then take my word for it: I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you out of jail.”

“You don’t really think Erdle killed Charles, do you?”

“I have a friend running checks on several people. So why don’t you try not to worry, and let me handle it?”

Annie lay there quietly, wondering who else Wes thought might have killed her husband, but she was tired of thinking about it. All she did these days was worry; now she simply wanted to enjoy being held. Her mind drifted; the real world with its problems soon felt very far away. The only thing she was conscious of was the man beside her, his chest beneath her cheek, his steady heartbeat, and the way his long legs felt against hers.

Annie placed one hand flat against his chest, enjoying the sturdy feel of him. She ran her hand slowly across Wes’s stomach, found it hard and flat. His muscles tensed beneath her fingertips. He pressed his lips against one temple. She raised her head, and he kissed her chin, the tip of her nose. He pulled back slightly, and for several seconds neither of them moved, even though Annie knew his mouth was only a breath away. Somehow she knew that Wes was waiting on her to make the next move. If she played it safe, closed her eyes and went to sleep, he would simply lie there for as long as she needed him.

But she had played it safe all her life, and look where it had gotten her.

Exactly nowhere.

Besides, who was she fooling? There was no way in hell she was going to fall asleep with Wes Bridges lying beside her.

She shifted on the bed and very tentatively touched her lips against his. They bumped noses, laughed softly. Wes’s lips parted, and she tasted him.

Wes rolled to his side, and Annie found herself on her back. The kiss deepened, and Wes slipped his tongue inside, found hers, and their tongues mingled. How long they kissed, Annie couldn’t have said, but it felt as if their lips had somehow fused together and she no longer knew where hers began and his left off. What had started out as tender and sort of dreamy, a kiss that she had wanted to sink deeply into and rest her tired soul in, had turned hot and urgent.

Wes pulled off her nightgown and smiled at the sight of her breasts in the moonlight. “Pretty,” he whispered. He explored lower with gentle fingers. He covered her with his mouth and tasted her. Annie was almost certain her eyes crossed when he slid inside.

Afterward, he held her. Annie closed her eyes and slipped into a mindless sleep. When she opened them again, the room had lightened and Wes was nuzzling her throat. Their lovemaking was unhurried as they touched and explored and shared heated sighs until they finally shuddered in each other’s arms.

The next time Annie opened her eyes, the sun shone through her bedroom window and the birds, which had mistaken the warm winter for spring, chirped and sang. Downstairs she heard someone, most likely Theenie, searching through the pan cabinet, probably in the early stages of preparing breakfast. Annie could not remember when she’d slept so soundly, and it almost didn’t matter that she had awakened late. She smiled and stretched.

And froze when her leg brushed against another leg.

Her eyes popped open. Holy cow! She turned and found Wes beside her, a satisfied grin on his face.

“’Morning, Red.”

“Omigod! You’re still here.”

He cocked one brow. “Am I not supposed to be?”

“No! The others might find out.”

“Afraid they’ll get jealous?”

“That’s not funny. I mean, what will people think? And believe me, news spreads fast in this town. Everyone already thinks I’m a murderer; they’ll think I’m loose as well.”

“You are loose, but that’s a good thing.”

She blushed. She was no longer Wild Woman; she was Annie Fortenberry who ran a respectable bed-and-breakfast. She heard footsteps on the stairs and bolted upright on the bed. “You have to get out of here. Now!”

“Only if you’ll let me come back tonight.”

Annie tried not to stare, but it was damn difficult.

He grinned. “Like what you see?” He dropped a kiss on her forehead and started for the door.

“Wait!” she said. “You can’t go out that way. Somebody might see you.”

He paused and looked at her. “What do you suggest?”

Annie frantically searched for the gown and panties that Wes had removed the night before. She found them crumpled at the foot of the bed. She dressed quickly, feeling a bit self-conscious under his watchful eyes.

“Sexy,” he said.

She didn’t feel sexy; she felt desperate. She pointed to the pair of French doors that led to her balcony. “You’ll have to go out that way.”

“In my underwear?”

“Yes!”

Wes sighed and shook his head as he pulled the doors open and looked out. “Did you forget there aren’t any stairs leading down?”

“You can climb from my balcony to yours,” she said.

He shot her a look of utter disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

“They’re only about three or four feet apart. You can easily make it.”

“This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and I’ve seen some pretty dumb things in my life. It’s downright crazy, Annie. Are you sure all that hot sex didn’t jiggle your brain?”

Annie joined him on the balcony. “Piece of cake,” she said.

He stood there for a moment, studying the situation as though gauging the distance. “If I don’t make it, I want to be buried with my Harley.”

Annie heard voices downstairs. “Hurry!” she whispered. She held her breath as he climbed over the wrought-iron railing and planted his feet on the narrow ledge on the other side of the pickets. Taking great care, Wes held on to the wrought-iron banister and had started to step across the three-foot gap to his own balcony when a section of iron leaned toward him, yanking bolts from the stone base and taking Wes by surprise.

Annie watched in horror as the iron gave way completely. Wes twisted around and reached for the railing on his balcony, missing it by several inches. Annie screamed as he fell, landing in the thick holly hedges below.

She darted inside, raced from her room and down the stairs, almost slamming into Theenie and Lovelle, who’d obviously heard her scream and were on their way up.

“What happened?” Theenie asked.

“Wes just fell from my balcony.”

The three did a little dance on the steps, trying to get out of one another’s way. Annie managed to get past them. Her hands trembled as she turned the lock in the door and flung it open. She took off in a dead run.

Theenie and Lovelle looked at each other.

“What do you suppose the man was doing on Annie’s balcony?” Theenie asked.

“Oh, wise up, Theenie,” Lovelle said.

Annie found Wes struggling to get out of the hedges, cursing each time the spiky leaves jabbed him. Finally, he rolled out and hit the ground, giving a loud grunt.

Annie knelt beside him. The fact that his eyes were open had to be a good sign. “Are you hurt? Should I call nine-one-one?”

Wes pushed himself into a sitting position, glanced at all the pricks on his arms, and shook his head. “I think I’d like to take a hot shower.”

Annie winced at the sight of his face and arms where the tiny pricks were already beginning to bleed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know about the balcony.”

Doc suddenly appeared in his bathrobe, a newspaper tucked beneath one arm. “What’s all the racket?” he demanded in a cranky tone. His eyes widened at the sight of Wes. “Uh-oh.” He looked at Annie. “You didn’t clobber him again, did you?”

In response, she pointed to the balcony outside her room.

Rounding the corner of the house, Theenie and Lovelle came to a halt. “Is he okay?” Lovelle asked.

Annie nodded.

Doc gazed down at Wes. “You need to find another place to live, son.
I
need to find another place to live. It was so much quieter at my daughter’s house, even with four kids.”

“What are you doing back so soon?” Theenie asked Doc. “I thought you were going to stay with your daughter while she recuperates.”

“I was just in the way,” he said.

“And how come you always get your newspaper and we don’t?” Theenie asked.

Doc didn’t answer. “You sure you’re going to be okay?” he asked Wes.