Starfish Island (4 page)

The sound of snapping leaves and breaking branches caught her attention. Her throat tightened and fear filled her limbs. If something were to happen, who would hear her cries for help?

As if on cue, a loud screeching noise tore through the night. After a few seconds that seemed like forever, she regained control of her senses. She ran inside and threw the doors shut with a resounding bang.

Just then, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap tightly around her. “Don’t let that noise get to you,” said a laughing voice in her ear. “It’s only an owl.”

Chapter Three

MICHAEL HAD TRADED his work clothes for a pair of black linen pants and a short-sleeved silk shirt, the cut emphasizing his broad shoulders. Looking at his thighs outlined in the dark material, Nicole brushed away a sharp pang of desire. She had no intention of entertaining any sexual feelings for this man. No matter how sexy he was.

She answered his friendliness with a curt reply. “Oh, it’s you.”

He leaned in to kiss her cheek again, but she took a few steps back, escaping any possibility of an embrace. “I thought you had plans for the evening,” she said, immediately regretting her choice of words. The last thing she wanted him to think was that she was interested—or worse, jealous.

He pulled her back to stand in front of him, resting his hands on either side of her face as if he was going to kiss her. “I came back to see if you remembered anything about who might have been following you before you almost ran us down. It’s important.”

“What makes you think I was being followed?” Nicole said, anger forgotten in surprise. She stepped away, intent on maneuvering around him and out the door.

He put his arm up to block her exit. “Well?” He never broke eye contact as he ran his fingers down her arm, lifted her hand, and placed a lingering kiss on her palm.

She stared at his lips, wondering how they would feel against hers. “Since you’re here, you might as well sit down.”
Watch yourself, or your plan to tease and flirt isn’t going to work
. She already wanted more but had no intention of getting her heart broken.

“Don’t mind if I do.” He winked. “I love this house almost as much as I do my own. I spent all my boyhood summers here on the island. My siblings and I always liked to come over to see if your grandmother had baked any cookies and how much trouble we could get into.”

“Tell me more about my grandmother and this brother of yours,” Nicole said. This time, she remembered to smile as she sank down on the middle cushion of the loveseat, not leaving him room to sit next to her.

“Mind if I pour myself a glass of wine?” He uncorked the bottle sitting on the table and offered her a refill, which she declined. He ignored the seat that Ellis Sadler had occupied and squeezed into the space next to her, forcing her to move over. They sat face to face, legs touching.

She shook her head, embarrassed that she hadn’t bothered to offer him any refreshment.
He looks very much at ease; too much at home.
They looked like a couple who’d enjoyed sitting before many fires over the years. She wanted to push herself farther back, but forced herself to sit still.

“Instead of me rambling on about the history of the house and the Alexander family, why don’t you just ask me questions and I’ll do my best to answer?”

Nicole really looked at him for the first time since he entered the room and met a pair of intense blue eyes that watched her every move. The slight curve of his controlled mouth hinted at an invitation.

He wrapped his fingers in her hair and inclined his head toward her. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you ever since my near-death experience this afternoon.”

Her heart jumped.
Remember, he’s a playboy
. She stiffened, sitting back against the couch. “What exactly happened to my cousin, Kirkland?” she deflected.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious about someone I never knew. If he were still alive, all of this would be his.”

“He wouldn’t have inherited,” Michael told her. “Caroline would’ve never made him her heir. After much thought, she willed this house and the rest of her estate, real and personal, to you.”

“What about Uncle Robert? Were he and Grandmother close?”

He answered slowly. “In a way.”

“I just wondered. I never knew them.” She wasn’t about to tell him the story of her life or the fact that her family was not all that friendly, which would be an understatement. The mere mention of extended family members had earned her a cold stare, and she’d learned early on not to ask.

“Caroline was a practical person,” Michael explained. “She had a strong sense of the responsibility that she thought should go with ownership. Your Uncle Robert was a dreamer who’d already squandered the estate left to him by his father. Had he lived to inherit, he probably would have lost everything in time. He and Kirkland shared many of the same extravagant tendencies—none of which endeared them to your grandmother. She was an incredible woman: interesting, intelligent, and with a great sense of humor. I admired her tremendously.” He frowned at the fire, as though the answer to his thoughts lay beneath the smoldering embers.

After a pause that held no awkwardness, but was rather an easy and companionable silence during which they each pursued their own thoughts, Michael went on. “Kirkland lived in his own world. He was a published author, though I doubt Caroline ever opened the books he gave her. Her mind was always wrapped up in business; she loved to keep up on the latest in the financial world, and she had the business channel on all day. Nothing else ever really held her interest.”

“Did you read Kirkland’s books?”

“He completed a trilogy right before his death, and I enjoyed every one: adventures based on his travels through Asia, Europe, and a variety of countries he’d visited. The main character was sharp and cunning, and always got the beautiful women.”

“So did you come by to see if, perchance, I’m an imposter?” She wondered if her sarcasm would push him out the front door so she could stop thinking about his lips.

“I knew who you were when you came racing around the curve, ignoring the speed limit sign.” He shook his finger. “I had a horrible vision that there would be a crash and we’d both end up dead.” He cleared the huskiness out of his voice. Grasping her chin and tilting her head up to force her to look at him, he said, “Don’t let me catch you driving over the speed limit again.”

Her breathing quickened, and she inhaled a shivered breath. She wanted his kiss. The flash of fear in his darkened eyes melted her heart. She whispered, “I promise to slow down.”

“Back to one of the reasons I came back tonight. Do you remember, when you got out of the car, you said, ‘I thought I was being…’ and you never finished the sentence? Didn’t you mean to say you thought you were being followed?”

She hesitated. “Yes.”

“You had me frightened,” he answered irritably. “Why was it so hard to admit that was why you were driving too fast? You were right, you know.”

“Right?” she blurted, shocked.

“Someone in a dark-colored SUV with heavily tinted windows drove onto the island right after you and parked at the curve. The Russells spotted them from their window. The SUV sat there a while before it turned around and left.”

Nicole didn’t immediately answer, but she felt her body go cold. Although the room was warm, she shivered.

“I don’t like the way things look.” His hand shot out, clamping around her wrist like a steel vice. She caught the angry glint of his eyes. His mouth straightened into a firm, hard line. “You’re new here on the island, the beneficiary of an old woman who didn’t hesitate to speak her mind or tell people exactly what she thought of them. She had enemies. They might become your enemies.”

His grip was hurting her arm, and she wanted to yank herself free and run. She didn’t know why; she only knew she had to get away from him, but her dignity and training wouldn’t let her struggle. Her mind flashed back to her stepfather, but she quickly quashed the memories.

“For your safety’s sake, you must report the slightest threat or disturbance. If you don’t care about yourself, think of the Russells. They’re old, and you wouldn’t want to involve them in any danger.”

Danger?
All at once, the house seemed frightening, far away from her familiar world in Santa Fe. Panic engulfed her. She tugged at her wrist to release herself from his grasp, but he had other ideas. He gently rubbed where he’d grabbed her wrist and kissed the slight redness.

“Do you speak for all my neighbors?” she asked, forcing a mocking tone into her voice.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He brushed a red curl behind her ear and added sharply, “Did you tell Ellis Sadler you suspected you were being followed?”

“Why would I?”

“How long had you been followed?”

She thought back. “I first noticed the black Escalade when I turned off the interstate. If they were tailing me, they did a lousy job, constantly showing up in my rearview mirror. One exit before Starfish, the SUV turned off. The only stops I made were for gas.”

“When you stopped, did you say who you were?”

“I never talk to strangers—” Nicole smiled. “—except you.”

“Did you see that SUV at any of your stops? Who told you how to get here?”

“Black SUVs are everywhere. I can’t be certain I saw that particular Escalade again. Ellis emailed me directions, but I use my GPS everywhere I go anyway. I do remember one man in particular who checked me out as he walked out of a convenience store, but only because he stared so openly: appraising, but not friendly. It made me uncomfortable. He had dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and a pockmarked face. He eventually got into the back seat of an SUV parked at the pump.”

“Did you get a look at the person driving?”

“He had on a baseball cap; couldn’t get a better look with the dark tint of the windows. Usually, I don’t pay attention to such things, but he appeared to be staring, and it was hard not to notice.”

Michael took his phone out of his pocket and made some notes. “Anything else?”

“The man on the passenger side got out. He was tall, with a pale complexion and white hair. He looked me over in detail.”

“You’ve given me an excellent description,” Michael said, smiling. “The white-haired one could be Franklin Henderson, a good friend of your grandmother.  Henderson and two of his associates serve on the board of directors for our bank. Since her voting stock devolves to you, you’ll meet them all. They and Caroline respected one another but had a frosty relationship.”

He stared into the dying embers. “You’ve come to what I believe is one of the most beautiful parts of Florida, the Gold Coast. This section has mostly been left unspoiled by big developers. You’ll meet a lot of different people here who have the good of the island at heart. The majority of them, that is,” he qualified.

Nicole wondered if he was thinking of Ellis Sandler.

“Do you remember anyone else?” he asked.

“The white-haired man came back to the SUV with a blond girl, all wide-eyed and innocent-looking, big dimples in her cheeks. I noticed her because she had an uncontrollable giggling fit. The tone of her laughter sounded intimate.” Nicole sighed. “After the Escalade turned off, I didn’t notice another car until I almost ran into you. All the other cars on the causeway whizzed by me, even though I drove a little over the speed limit.” She smiled at him.

Michael rose and moved to the French doors, dragging her with him. “I realize we’ve only just met, but you can trust me.” His eyes flickered lazily over her body. “We’re obviously attracted to one another, which I hope you’d like to explore.”

She tried to maintain an innocent, unaffected look, but her lashes dropped when her eyes met his.
Damn, he was handsome.
Then she remembered Ellis’s story of her grandmother offering her in marriage to the man who was looking down at her. “Have I failed to show the proper enthusiasm over our meeting?”

He had a great laugh. There was understanding in it, tenderness, and beneath it all, the strength of a man to be reckoned with. “And if you have?” he challenged. The smile vanished from his face. He studied her for a moment, tracing her cheek lightly with his finger before tilting her face to meet his stare. “You will let me know if you suspect you’re being followed again, won’t you?”

She stepped back and hit the wall, trapped in place. “Why should you take on the responsibility for my safety when we’ve only just met?” she demanded.

“I should’ve confessed earlier that I’ve seen you a great many times over the past two years. Caroline kept close track of you. She admired your paintings. In fact, you’ll find several pieces around the house in addition to those in the dining room. She wanted to know everything about you, your likes and dislikes. I’ve seen you at gallery exhibits, your wine appreciation class, and—”

“What? Why?”

“Investigating,” he said.

An unfair advantage was what it was. Anger swept through her. So he had seen her, absorbed all the details of her life, and was still adamant about not marrying her.

“To find out what you’re like,” he continued. “Whether you were the right person to inherit Caroline’s estate. She couldn’t do it herself; she’d stopped traveling in the last years of her life. In fact, in making me the trustee of the estate, right or wrong, she relied on my judgment of your character.”

“Did she also employ Ellis as a scout?” Why hadn’t Caroline just called her up and invited her for iced tea or something? She felt sad that her grandmother had wasted all that time when they could have gotten to know one another.

“He knew nothing of her plan. Caroline employed many people, but I don’t think she ever fully trusted any one person. You and I are the only ones who know that she had me investigate you. I hope you understand that this is confidential. Caroline didn’t want Ellis or anyone else to know that she had you investigated.”

Nicole nodded. “I suppose, if you’d given a thumbs down on Nicole Alexander, I’d still be in New Mexico.”