Reckless Hours: a Romantic Suspense novel (Heroes of Providence Book 3) (18 page)

“You mean, there’s more?’ Tammie asked.

Aurore eyed him suspiciously. “How come you never said anything? How come you didn’t turn over what you found?”

“What happened to the rest, Sam?” Dylan pressed.

Sam sighed and shook his head. “They’re gone. I’m sorry, Aurore.”

“What do you mean, gone? If you’ve found more of Mrs. Davco’s jewelry, you need to give them back. They belong to Serena. She needs to have them.”

“I can’t,” Sam said. “You don’t know how sorry I am.”

“Let me guess,” Dylan said. “You’ve got a friend down at the auction site who fenced them for you. It’s been a sweet little deal for you all these years, so you haven’t felt the need to say anything. What was it you said to me in the garden when I mentioned the state of the yard work? Oh, right—they’re on a limited budget. Was this your way of getting a raise for yourself without anyone knowing?”

A small gasp escaped Aurore’s lips. “Sam, how could you? And after Mr. Davco has been so good to you? I can’t believe it. We kept you on after Mr. Davco went away. I should think you’d have been grateful.”

“I didn’t think anyone would mind a few pieces. Everyone thought they were gone, anyway. I didn’t think anyone would miss them.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Tammie said.

Aurore straightened her back. “I won’t press charges, Sam. That’d only upset Serena. And I won’t tell her about this. It’d only break her heart. But I do expect you to get your things and leave this house this instant. We don’t require your services any longer.”

“I’m real sorry about this, Aurore. You have no idea.”

“I am, too.”

Sam left, and Aurore continued to look at the jewelry in her hand. “Serena will want these,” she said.

Then she turned to Tammie. “Unless you thought you’re entitled to them to?”

Tammie’s eyes widened, the hurt in them unmistakable. “You said that pendant was a gift when Serena was born. I think it’s only right she get it, and the rest of the jewelry.”

Aurore nodded and sighed. “Forgive me. It’s no excuse, but I’m a little tired. And this is...upsetting.”

“Apology accepted.”

“I’ll see to cleaning these pieces tomorrow morning. I suggest we turn in, and... Mr. Montgomery...what were you doing out there this late at night, anyway?”

“I was checking on Tammie.”

Aurore nodded, and to Dylan’s surprise, she didn’t challenge him. “Good night.”

She was halfway up the stairs when Aurore turned and said, “Make sure you lock your bedroom door.”

“I will. Good night.”

* * *

Tammie waited until Aurore was upstairs before she spoke to Dylan. “Do you believe Sam’s story?”

Dylan made a face. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Fatigue was pulling at him. Dark, puffy shadows were under his eyes, and his shoulders had a slight droop, as if he could barely keep himself standing.

“You should go back to the campground and get some rest.”

“I know, but...” He stared at her as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.

“I’ll be fine here.” She crossed her arms across her chest. “Now that I know there won’t be any other strange men lurking outside tonight.”

“Are you sure?”

“About what? Strange men, or that I’ll be okay?”

He gave her a half smile that made him look completely...adorable. Why, she didn’t know. He was wearing army fatigues and a black T-shirt that hung loosely around his frame. His hair was a mess, most probably from him rubbing his hand over his head to try to stay awake while he’d been outside. There was nothing movie-starish about Dylan Montgomery, and yet...

“I’m fine,” she said.

But she wasn’t. Sam Watson’s midnight rounds in the garden had put her on edge. She wondered if he would come back tonight. What would keep him from digging up more valuables in the garden when everyone was asleep? It wasn’t that she cared so much about him stealing. It was the creepy feeling that someone was always watching.

But she wouldn’t tell Dylan that. Just because she was uncomfortable, that didn’t mean Dylan should stay and risk falling asleep at the wheel because he’d stayed up all night watching the house. And she had a feeling he would, if she voiced her concerns.

She followed him to the door.

“Are you really okay?”

She answered honestly. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s just a scraped knee, but...”

“But what?”

She closed her eyes, felt his fingertips on her chin, lifting it ever so slightly. When she opened her eyes again, he was staring directly into her eyes.

“Talk to me.”

“After today, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to handle what I find out. That accident today—in part, it was my own fault.”

His brow furrowed.

“No, really,” she insisted. “I’ve been so preoccupied with finding out information about my parents. I kept thinking I had to talk to everyone, and I was so eager to talk to people that I wasn’t paying attention. Not to people or where I was going. Maybe that man was right, and I just shouldn’t have been there.”

He nodded, but didn’t appear convinced. “Do you really think that accident wasn’t staged?”

“You really believe it was?”

He shrugged. “Did you see the name on the truck? Aztec Corporation?”

“What about it?”

“I’ve seen that name before. I figured out where earlier. But something about it doesn’t fit.”

She lowered her head, feeling the weight of the day crashing around her. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, about it not being an accident. But it doesn’t make sense. No one knew we were going to be there,” she said.

“But they knew we were in town. Being at the auction grounds was a logical next step. And when they saw us there, I don’t know. It was easy to stage something. Trudie said the vendors are given times different than the surrounding vendors to prevent that very thing from happening. Yet, they were there and they’d ignored it.” He frowned as he looked at her. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay?”

She gave Dylan a weak smile. “I don’t know. I thought I was strong enough to handle all this. Now I’m not so sure.”

He looked at her, seemed to read the uncertainty she felt. Then he said, “You don’t give yourself enough credit, lady. You’re a lot stronger than you think.”

“How can you tell?”

“Because the woman who came all the way across the country and made her way into this house after I tried for a month to do the same is incredibly smart...and brave. You may be feeling alone right now, Tammie, but you have to know that you’re not. I’m here, too.”

Tears pressed against Tammie’s eyes. Dylan had touched upon the exact sense of insecurity she’d been feeling. She’d struggled to stay strong, but everything she learned seemed to be pulling her farther away from her parents, instead of bringing her the closeness she sought.

“You can’t stay here forever.”

“You just try to run me out of town. It won’t work. I’ll be here as long as it takes to find out what happened to Cash and to help you find out about your parents. I promise you that.”

“Thank you.”

His voice was low when he spoke again. “You’re welcome.”

Dylan bent his head and inched closer to her. She felt the heat of his body increase the closer he came. Her heartbeat quickened and her breath caught in her throat when his face was only inches from hers. He was going to kiss her, she knew. But what surprised her was how much she wanted him to. She wanted it as much as she wanted her next breath.

Cupping her cheek, he pressed his lips tenderly to her mouth.
He wasn’t in any hurry to break the connection, and neither was Tammie. She leaned into the kiss, reaching her arms up to his shoulders and pressing her body closer to his. Her head was swimming and her mind seemed to shut down as she breathed in the scent of him and tasted his lips.

Dylan’s arm dropped to her waist and then he moved his hand to the small of her back and pulled her to him. Her insides exploded as he enveloped her in his embrace in a way that made Tammie feel cherished and desired, not possessed.

The feeling was like a drug, making her float deeper and deeper into the swirl of desire consuming her. The kiss ended sooner than Tammie would have liked, leaving her dazed and unsteady on her feet.

Dylan’s face registered shock, and he drew in a deep breath. “I’m s—”

“Don’t. Don’t say it,” she said softly, placing her fingers gently against his lips. “I’m not.”

His gaze lingered on her face as he placed his hand on her cheek again, rubbing it with the pad of his thumb. She leaned into the warmth of his touch. It felt good to be this close, to feel this connection to someone. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this way with a man before.

“I knew you’d taste sweet,” he whispered. Bending forward again, he kissed her head and said, “Good night, Tammie.”

“Good night.”

He was leaving. And she didn’t want him to. She wanted Dylan to come back and kiss her the way he’d just done. She wanted to be in his arms and feel his strength. He’d made her feel small and protected. And desired. She still felt it.
She still wanted it.

* * *

Tammie closed the door behind Dylan as he stepped out onto the porch. The cool night air slapped him in the face as he stepped off the porch steps and onto the walkway.

Guilt crept into his mind. “You’re a shit, buddy. The last thing this woman needs is a man coming on to her now.”

He shook his head. His timing was beyond bad. But he wasn’t sorry.

As he walked up the path, he thought of how nice Tammie had felt in his arms, the feeling that had enveloped him and still hung on.

“This isn’t what I came here for,” he muttered, looking at the bright stars up in the sky as he walked the short distance to his Jeep with unsteady legs. He hadn’t expected this or the way he was feeling.

When he’d made it to the place where he’d parked his Jeep, he climbed in and gunned the engine. With the top off, it was going to be a cold ride back to the campground, but it would keep him awake and alert.

Tomorrow he’d go to the library. Maybe Sonny will have emailed him the information he’d asked for by then. If she hadn’t, then he’d call Jake or Kevin in Providence. This small town’s resources were limited. He needed a big-city computer and a few people who were good at sniffing out facts. Sonny was more than capable, but he needed someone with access she didn’t legally have. And she was right. She wouldn’t do anything illegal and he wasn’t about to ask his kid sister to put herself or her reputation in jeopardy. Even for their brother.

But all that could wait until tomorrow morning. He needed to shake off this feeling that had him reeling. For so many years, he’d been alone. Oh, he had a loving family with Sonny, Cash, and their parents. He had more cousins than he knew the names of. He was rich with family.

Sonny hadn’t had to push that hard to get him to leave the Marines, he realized. He’d been ready. All he’d really needed was a reason to go in another direction. He just wished he’d timed it better, and come home before Cash had gotten into whatever trouble caused him to disappear. If he had, maybe he would have confided in him. He could have helped him.

Family had always been important to Dylan. But he’d never concentrated on having a family of his own. After that kiss with Tammie tonight, thoughts of what he’d been missing drifted in and out of his mind. He didn’t have room in his life for where his mind was taking him. He needed Tammie’s help to find Cash. And he didn’t need to have anything cloud his thinking.

And yet, as he pulled onto the road that led to the campground, he wondered if a little clouding might just do him good.

# # #

• Chapter Ten
  

Tammie gazed at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth in her private bathroom. She looked like she’d been run over by a truck. Her eyes were puffy and the lines around them looked deeper, making her look much older than she was. Or maybe she just felt that way. But she’d somehow managed to get showered, fully dressed, and put together while she was still half asleep.

After Dylan left last night—or rather early morning—sleep had been impossible, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the way Dylan had held her in his arms. The way he’d kissed her. Long after he’d left, she could still feel him around her. It was an odd and comforting feeling.

Serena had been quiet last night, but every once in a while, Tammie had heard sounds from the other side of the bedroom wall. Tammie had struggled to hear, but couldn’t make out a word of what Serena was saying.

She’d go to her this morning and talk to her. She was determined to find out the truth about what was going on in this family. In this house.

“Will you be having breakfast this morning?” Susan asked as Tammie walked out her bedroom into the hallway. Susan held a tray of food. She walked past Tammie and stopped at Serena’s bedroom door.

Tammie wasn’t hungry, but she decided it would get Susan out of Serena’s room if she had to go back downstairs to fix breakfast for her.