Ever After (Love to the Rescue Book 3) (8 page)

“Oh, my God.” She clutched her robe and stared. The entire side of the house had been spray-painted. Beneath the ominous words, a row of chickens had been painted.

“Your neighbor thought it might be blood,” he said.

“Blood,” she repeated. Holy shit. No wonder Pete had looked so spooked when he banged on her front door. She was feeling a bit woozy herself.

“Let’s go inside.” Pete put his hand on her elbow and guided her back through the front door.

She sank onto the couch and stared at him. “I just woke up. I had no idea.”

“Did you hear anything last night?” He stood in the middle of the room, watching her.

“No. Oh!” She lurched upright. “I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up around three, and the dogs were at the front window, barking like crazy. I took them upstairs to bed. I thought it was a raccoon or something.”

“Did you hear anything outside at that time?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Only the dogs.”

“Have you had any interaction with anyone from Halverson Foods since the last time we spoke?”

A shiver ran down her spine. “No. Do you think they were here last night?”

“Stands to reason.” Pete shoved his hands in his pockets and looked out the front window, a different kind of tension on his face.

She glanced down and saw that the robe had gaped open to reveal the lacy, low-cut front of her gown. She yanked it closed. “Um, do you mind if I get dressed before we finish this conversation?”

“Not at all.” He glanced at her, his professional demeanor betrayed by a flash of hunger in those dark eyes.

She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the message spray-painted on the front of her house. “Be right back.”

Pete stood in Olivia’s living room, hands in his pockets, willing himself to think of anything other than how sexy she’d looked all rumpled and fresh out of bed. He was here on business today, and he couldn’t let himself be distracted, not by the fear in her eyes when she’d seen the message painted on her house or her breasts spilling out of her nightgown.

The barking at the back door had grown louder since she went upstairs. He heard paws scraping against its wooden surface. Curious since he’d never actually seen her dogs, he strolled over and peeked out the window. Two brown boxers sat at the top of the steps. As soon as they saw him, they reared up on their back legs, barking even louder, tail stumps wagging madly.

“They want their breakfast,” Olivia said from behind him.

He turned. “I don’t mind if you let them in.”

She’d changed into a purple top and khaki shorts and added something pink and glossy to her lips. “Are you sure? They can get pretty rowdy.”

“I can handle rowdy.” He couldn’t keep the slight double entendre out of his voice.

Olivia’s cheeks heated to match her lips. “Okay then.”

She opened the back door, and the two dogs bounded inside. They both went straight for him, barking and jumping on him, crazed with excitement. Olivia grabbed each dog by the collar and hauled them into the kitchen, where they quickly became distracted by the promise of food.

“What are their names?” he asked.

“Bailey.” She pointed at the female dog. “And Scooby.” She pointed at the male.

“Do you have somewhere else you could stay for a few days?”

She pressed her hands against the counter and faced him. “Jesus. Really?”

“This is twice now they’ve been at your home during the night, and that’s worrisome. You need to make yourself less accessible until the whole thing blows over.”

She glanced toward the front of the house, her expression sober. “I fell asleep downstairs last night. They could have been looking in the windows, watching me. It’s a little freaky.”

“I’d feel much better if I knew you were staying somewhere else.”

She sighed. “It’s complicated. I’ve got these dogs, who aren’t even mine or all that well behaved, and a kitten still living in my bathroom.”

“What about the friends who ditched you the night you were arrested? I’d say they owe you a favor.”

Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “They—um. For the record, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He grunted. “One of them is named Terence. I’m guessing, if I searched the Citizens Against Halverson Foods website, I could probably find out his last name and maybe your other friend too. Is it Merry Atwater?”

Her eyes rounded. “Shit! No. Merry has nothing to do with any of this.”

“Then who?”

She stared at the counter in front of her, her pretty lips pressed in a thin line. “You must think I’m an idiot for not turning them in. But they both could lose their jobs if they got arrested.”

Yep, he did think she was an idiot on this particular subject. “And you? Your job isn’t in jeopardy?”

She blew out a breath and glared at him. “It is. But I’m the one who was up on the ladder with a can of spray paint. It was my stupid idea, so I can handle the consequences.”

“You’re too smart to be so foolish.”

Hurt flashed in her eyes. “Yeah, well, screwing things up is my specialty.”

And now he felt like an ass. “Olivia—”

“But you’re right, they do owe me a favor. Merry’s already got a house full of dogs, but maybe I could have my other friends keep Bailey and Scooby for me so that I could crash at her place for a few nights.”

“All right then. I just have a few more things to go over with you to finish up my report. The Halverson Foods factory is closed today because it’s Sunday, but I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to ask some questions, see if I can shake loose who might be behind this.”

O
livia was halfway between homeless and a third wheel, and she was pissed about it. Merry had demanded she stay at the farm with her and T.J. until the graffiti incident had been sorted out, which she’d reluctantly agreed to. Kristi was keeping Scooby and Bailey for a few days, and Hallie the kitten had moved with Olivia into Merry and T.J.’s guest room.

But today was Tuesday, and Merry worked seven to seven at the hospital. Olivia was off at four, and there was no way she was going to the farm until her friend was home. T.J. was a great guy, but he was unlikely to appreciate having his girlfriend’s troublemaking friend underfoot all afternoon.

So Olivia had spent an hour at the library doing some research for her next blog post. Now she was hungry and irritable, with two hours until she could go home. A plate of vegetarian sushi from Mikoto’s might just take care of both of her problems.

It was only a few blocks from the library so she decided to walk. As she passed the rec center, the front door opened, and the man who came storming down the steps brought her heart right into her throat.

Pete was breathing hard, looking deliciously handsome in black athletic shorts and a red Wolfpack T-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. Head down, he hustled onto the sidewalk. She put her hands out before he slammed right into her.

“Hi.” She tried for a casual smile, but her hands were on his pecs, and holy hell, his muscles…

“Olivia?” His dark eyes flicked up to hers.

“Believe it or not, I was just walking by, and you…um, are you okay?” Because even for Pete, he looked intense right now. His brows were pinched, and his muscles were so tight her hands practically bounced right off him.

“I’m fine.”

She lifted her hands free of his chest. “What were you doing in there, running a marathon?”

“Coaching soccer.”

“Really? Because you look—” Actually, he looked angry. Or upset. Sometimes with a man it was hard to tell one from the other. Cautiously, she placed her hand back over his heart. It thumped hard and fast against her palm.

“Olivia—” His voice was rough, like he wanted to shake free of her and go stew alone.

But she couldn’t let him do that, because she knew she could help. “Someone got under your skin today.”

“There’s this kid—” he said, then stopped and shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll call you tomorrow to catch up about your case.”

“Wait.” She stepped in front of him again. “I need to show you something.”

“Not now. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“It’s not about that. Come with me.” She took his hand and tugged him in the direction of her car.

“Whatever it is can wait. “ He pulled his hand free.

“No, it can’t. Come.” She took his hand again and half-dragged him down the block to her Prius, still parked at the library.

He gave her a long look, then folded himself into the front passenger seat.

“Trust me,” she said. Then she put the car in drive and pointed them toward the outskirts of town. MacArthur Park would be closing within the hour so she’d settle for her second favorite meditation spot—a quiet overlook on Jordan Lake. It was too far above the water to be popular with fishermen, and this late in the day, unlikely to be occupied by any sightseers.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Someplace quiet.” She glanced over at him.

His posture was tense, his hands braced against his thighs. “We can’t. Even when I’m off duty, Olivia.”

She snorted. “I’m not going to jump your bones. I just want to show you some meditation techniques. You look like you could use a little stress relief—or something.”

“I shouldn’t be seen with you outside of work.”

“Then we won’t be seen.” She got it, she really did. So the tug of annoyance she felt must be directed at herself, because if she hadn’t been stupid enough to break the law and get arrested, Pete wouldn’t be afraid to be seen with her, wouldn’t be compromising his professional integrity to be with her.

That just sucked. And it hurt a little bit too.

“Olivia—” His tone punched her right below her ribs.

Tears pricked behind her eyes. “I don’t want to get you in trouble, Pete, with your boss or your conscience. Just let me do this for you tonight, and I promise I’ll never contact you outside of work again.”

Pete felt like a pressure cooker about to burst. He shouldn’t have let Zach get under his skin like this. And Olivia…Olivia was driving him God-knew-where to do God-knew-what with him.

He was too angry to think properly or he never would have gotten in the car with her. Trapped inside the Prius, her flowery scent teased his nostrils. The sun was setting ahead of them, casting the interior of the car in its golden blaze. It created a halo effect around her when he looked over. “You’re a little bit crazy, you know that right?”

She shrugged. “I like to live outside the box.”

He rubbed his brow. This was ridiculous. He was a grown man, and he had totally lost it over a petty argument with a thirteen-year-old.

Zach Hill. The kid had started a fight, scuffling with one of the other boys over something he’d said. When Pete broke it up, Zach had told him to leave him alone.

“
You’re not my father
,” he’d shouted.

And that knocked the wind right out of him.

“Here we are,” Olivia said, interrupting his thoughts. She pulled the car into a gravel pull-off along the banks of Jordan Lake. “Follow me.”

She set off at a brisk pace down a dirt trail to the right. He followed, trying to roll some of the stiffness out of his shoulders. He failed. But a new kind of tension was growing inside him now, one that had everything to do with the sexy woman leading him down this path.

“Here,” she said.

They were standing at an overlook about ten feet above the lake, with a stunning view of the sunset beyond. She spread a blanket over the ground, then took off her shoes and stepped onto it.

“Olivia—” He stood in the dirt facing her. “I can’t do this. I really just need to get out of here and go home.”

She smiled, and goddamn she was gorgeous with the lake and the sunset behind her. She wore a blue top and a long black skirt that hugged all of her curves. All he really wanted to do right now was kiss her, lose himself in her until everything else faded away.

“Oh, come on now. You’ve come this far.” She took his hand and tugged him toward her.

Reluctantly, he kicked off his shoes and joined her on the blanket.

“Good. I usually start with some stretches, but I think you might be too tense right now for that, so let’s sit and focus on breathing first. Here…” She pushed on his shoulders until he sat, then she sat beside him. “Now close your eyes.”

He did, but the blackness behind his lids brought him right back to the rec center.

You’re not my father. My father’s dead.

“Now I want you to concentrate on your breathing. Slow and steady. Deep breaths from your diaphragm. Feel the way your stomach moves in and out as you breathe. Focus on that.”

He listened to the singsong tone of her voice, and he tried to do what she said. He drew in a breath and held it, then exhaled slowly.

“That’s great,” she said. “Keep doing that until you’re comfortable with your breathing.”

They sat in silence for a minute, and while he wanted to protest that this was silly, he did feel some of the pressure in his chest ease as his breathing slowed.

“You’re doing great,” Olivia said from beside him. “Now keep breathing slow and steady, but I want you to focus on your toes. Think about relaxing them. Wiggle them if you need to.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my toes.”

“It’s part of the process. You’re going to work your way up, one body part at a time, until we’ve gotten all the tension out.”

He wiggled his toes and silently cursed himself for coming here with her. But fifteen minutes later, when they finally worked their way up to his chest, he was feeling pretty damn relaxed. Listening to her soft voice, he let the bands of tension around his ribcage slip away.

She spent a long time on his neck and shoulders, talking him through the relaxation process without ever touching him. Then they moved on to his jaw, his cheeks, his eyes and forehead. Even his scalp.

“You’re rocking this,” she said. “I can feel the change in your energy. Can you feel it?”

“Yeah,” he said. It was true too.

“Okay, so don’t laugh, but since this is probably my only chance to give you a meditation lesson, I need to get it all in. We need to find you a ‘happy place.’”

He did laugh, just a little. “If you say so.”

“Think of someplace peaceful and calm. Someplace that makes you feel happy. The beach. The mountains. Where do you usually go when you need to blow off some steam?”

“The shooting range,” he answered.

Olivia snorted. “Well that won’t work. Start with this right here. Open your eyes and look out at the lake. Remember how it looked when we first sat down, with the sunset over the water? That was pretty breathtaking.”

He opened his eyes. The sun was gone now, the sky a muted purple. Birds swooped over the lake’s surface, fishing for their dinner. In the distance, he heard the rumble of a truck passing by on the road. And he felt Olivia’s presence at his side, overshadowing everything else.

Olivia closed her eyes and soaked in the moment. Pete sat at her side. Calm. Peaceful. And she’d helped him get there.

“Do I have to call it my happy place?” he asked.

She bit her lip to keep from grinning. “You can call it whatever you want. And while you’re at it, keep focusing on your breathing. Keep it slow and steady. Feel your belly move with each breath. Keep your muscles loose and relaxed.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“There’s so much more I could teach you, but this is probably enough for today. Just remember the steps to relax yourself. If you don’t have time to come out here and meditate like we are now, just take a minute in your car to concentrate on your breathing and relaxing your muscles. Visualize your manly happy place. You can train yourself to work the effects of meditation into your day whenever you need them if you practice.”

He was quiet, staring out at the lake.

She slid closer and rested a hand on his shoulder. He still felt tense, but nothing like the way he’d been earlier. “You might be sore tomorrow.”

He grunted.

Slowly, she massaged the last of the tension from his shoulders. She pressed her fingers deep into his muscles, releasing the lactic acid that had built up in them.

Pete sucked in a breath.

“Better?” she asked.

“Yeah, but not entirely relaxing.” There was a new tension in his voice, one that had nothing to do with stress or anger.

She looked down. In his gym shorts, there was no hiding the effect she’d had on him. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry about that.” An answering tug of desire began to pulse inside her. She’d really love to slide into his lap and feel the bulge in his shorts up close and personal. Even more, she wanted to free him from his shorts and feel his bare skin on hers.

“Somehow I don’t think you are.” His voice was low, gruff, thick with arousal.

She squirmed. No, she wasn’t. Well, she should be since there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about the need throbbing inside her. She couldn’t touch him, couldn’t do anything but sit here, burning for him and wishing things were different.

“I’m not sorry either.” He gripped her hand and pulled it lower, so that she felt his heart pounding in his chest. “I didn’t want to come out here with you tonight. I never would have done anything like this on my own. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The last light of the sun was fading now, leaving them in near darkness. The night pressed in around them, heavy with insect song and the crackling of desire in the air between them.

“I wish…” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Her skin tingled beneath his lips, and the fire deep in her belly raged.

“Don’t. Don’t wish. I’m the one who screwed up and got arrested.” She pulled her hand back and stood.

“Don’t sell yourself short.” He stood and faced her. “You made a mistake. We all make them. Most of us just don’t get arrested for them. But I have to say, from what I’ve seen, you’re pretty damn honorable, Olivia. If things were timed differently…”

He trailed his fingers over her cheek, and she felt it all the way to the depths of her heart. “But they’re not.”

Feet heavy with regret, she took his hand and led the way back to the car.