Every Vow She Breaks (23 page)

“I did. You’ll have to keep a close eye on your sandwich.”
Instead of on me.
“He’s pretty sneaky.”

“Good to know.” He patted the spot beside him. “Have a seat. I hope turkey on wheat with all the trimmings is okay.”

“Perfect.”

Claire dropped onto the picnic table’s bench while Scoop wandered off, nose to the ground. Sitting next to Bart instead of across from him was probably smarter. If the doubt and suspicion she was trying so hard to hold at bay showed in her eyes, he wouldn’t see it.

“How’s the painting coming along?”

She unwrapped the sandwich he handed her. “We’re nearly finished with the upstairs. Painting isn’t my favorite thing to do, but the results are tangible and rewarding. How about you? Did you camp in the woods with Ian last night?”

“You’ve got to be kidding. The fog was like a wet blanket. At this point, he’s on his own in his martyrdom to capture a Sasquatch on film. We’ve dismantled all the stations, so it was just Ian with his trusty handheld camera out in the dripping trees. He didn’t even take a pup tent with him, said he was afraid it’d scare off any foraging Bigfoot. I left camp before he got back.”

Claire shook her head when he offered her a bag of chips. “Why didn’t you leave with Lee and Margaret?”

“I had some notes to finish writing up, and I’ll be swamped at work the second I return. I figured I might as well wrap everything up here before going back.”

Did I expect him to admit he stayed because of me?

“Did you finish your reports?”

“I ran out of battery on my laptop. The girl at the sandwich shop let me plug in my computer to recharge. I’ll have the final drafts finished by this evening. Actually, I thought about getting a motel room then decided to give our Bigfoot hunt one last shot tonight. If the fog clears, I may even sleep in the ferns with Ian. Tomorrow, I’m out of here.”

“Oh.” Claire chewed slowly and swallowed then wiped her fingers on a napkin. “I guess I won’t see you again then.”

His teeth flashed in his still tanned face. “Never say never. I’m not giving up on Bigfoot. I may come back up this way again. Our research wasn’t faulty. This is a prime area for a sighting, but we were unlucky. Maybe the Sasquatch in the region have temporarily migrated. The unusually dry summer could have affected their behavior patterns. If I do make another trip north, you can be sure I’ll look you up.”

She pasted on a bright smile and turned to face him. “It’s strange. From the minute I first met you, I felt a…connection. You seemed familiar somehow. I don’t suppose we ran into each other sometime in the past. I moved around a lot when I was growing up and later travelled all over for work.”

Little laugh lines appeared at the corners his eyes. “A man wouldn’t forget meeting you, Claire. There’s something about you…” He smiled. “Let’s just say you’re memorable. You have a likable quality along with an upbeat humor and a truly fine uh…derriere that I would never forget.” He wadded up the paper wrapper from his sandwich and dropped it in the bag. “Good to know you’re so comfortable with me, though.”

She
was
comfortable. Bart exuded laid-back charm. Imagining this man sneaking around her motor home to leave wedding trinkets was about as likely as Scoop turning into a show dog. When her mongrel flopped at her feet then turned on his back to roll with paws waving in the air, she smiled and let herself relax. Her detective skills sucked. She’d quit trying to trip up her lunch companion—who surely wasn’t guilty of anything other than admiring her ass—and finish her lunch without giving herself indigestion.

“Since you’re so comfortable and all, I don’t suppose you’d ditch Jed to give me a proper send off this evening. I could be persuaded to rent that motel room instead of sleeping in the woods with very little effort on your part.”

Her grin broadened. “Thanks for the glamorous offer of a night out at a no-tell motel, but I’ll have to pass.”

He shook his head and sighed, yet the smile remained. “I figured it was worth making the suggestion. Maybe next time.” Bart reached in his back pocket to pull out a bulging wallet then searched through the compartments to withdraw a business card. “Call me once you’ve ditched Jed.”

Her hand closed around the piece of cardboard. “You’re so sure I will?”

“You’re a smart woman. I’m certain you’ll come to your senses sooner rather than later. The guy isn’t good enough for you.”

She reared back. “Why would you say that?”

“No drive and ambition. You have both.”

She pressed her lips together. “Jed has more going for him than you think.”

“I hope so for your sake,
if
you keep him around.”

She dropped the last of her sandwich in the bag, her appetite gone. “You don’t think he’ll be the one to dump me?”

His eyes widened. “Now why would he do that? No way. From what I’ve seen, the guy might be all about having fun, but he isn’t stupid.”

“Uh, thanks, I think.” She scooted a few inches away and reached down to scratch Scoop’s belly.

Bart stood. “I get the impression our lunch date is over.”

“I think so.” She rose to her feet. “You’re a great guy. Under different circumstances I might have taken you up on your offer, but as it is, I think I should go.”

He stepped closer then bent to brush a kiss across her cheek. “So be it. You have my number.”

“Yes, I do.”

Scoop scrambled to his feet and followed her as she walked away. Pausing, Claire turned and smiled. The fog had lifted while they ate, promising a clear evening ahead. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you tonight. With any luck, you’ll end up bunking with a Bigfoot.”

He gave a shout of laughter at her joking comment. “Gorgeous blonde or big, stinky Neanderthal. What a choice.”

“I know which one Ian would pick.”

“Your old pal has a screw loose. I don’t. Take care, Claire.”

Waves rolled onto the shore as Jed and Claire walked along the beach. Sunshine sparkled on the water, and overhead seagulls squawked and circled. Scoop raced ahead then stopped to sniff a pile of seaweed. The afternoon was perfect—except for Claire’s mood. She seemed ready to jump out of her skin.

Jed touched her arm. “You wanted to walk, so we’re walking. Are you going to tell me what happened this morning?”

She pushed her hair out of her face and squinted toward the horizon. “Apparently, we’ve been all wrong about my stalker. Dallas isn’t the one harassing me, either.”

Stopping, he turned to face her. “Are you certain about that? It’s pretty obvious the man still has feelings for you.”

“Maybe, but they aren’t deep seated and all consuming. I actually think he and Theresa might start something once they’ve both worked through the old pain over her husband’s death and his wife’s abandonment. Any emotion he’s harboring for me is more of a lingering memory than an active pursuit.”

“Sounds to me like you’ve put some time into that analysis.”

“I did. After my lunch with Bart, I just sat in the car and thought about whether or not I was letting myself be fooled. Was I missing something? I came to the conclusion Dallas was right. The man pursuing me isn’t someone I know. He’s just a whack job who fixated on me for whatever reason and is living in a fantasy world of his own making.”

Anger heated his blood. Everything after
lunch with Bart
was a jumble of words he’d have to decipher after he cooled off. “You had lunch with Bart? You were out on a
date
while I was painting your dammed guest bedroom?”

Emotions flashed in her eyes. Dismay followed by uncertainty that turned into irritation. “No one held a gun to your head and made you paint. If you’ll recall, I suggested you go do something fun for a change.”

“Why, to assuage your guilt?”

Her hands fisted on her hips. “Why should I feel guilty? It was lunch in the park, not some clandestine meeting in a sleazy motel, although he did suggest one later.”

Jed turned away and started counting. He was up to twenty-eight when she interrupted.

“Last time I checked, our relationship was based on friendship and sex. No promises for the future, and I sure as hell haven’t heard any declaration of love.” Her voice cracked.

He heard the break, the pain she couldn’t hide, but the words were out of his mouth before his brain shifted into gear. “Is this your attempt to force me into a commitment?”

She turned and ran, her tennis shoes pounding the sand. He sprinted after her. When he caught up, he wrapped both arms around her and hauled her back against his chest. She struggled and kicked, connecting with his shin. Pain ricocheted up his leg.

“Let go of me!”

“No. Damn it, stop kicking. I’ll be lucky if I can still walk.”

Her struggles ceased, and she bent over his arm. A sob escaped before she clamped one hand over her mouth.

Hurt far deeper than the ache in his leg filled his chest and stole his breath. He dragged air into burning lungs. “I’m sorry. Really, really sorry.”

“You should be!” When he eased his grip, she spun around and dashed tears off her cheeks. “You think I don’t know what we have is temporary? You think I haven’t been
waiting
for you to walk away? I’m not stupid, Jed. I know the score, and trying to change you when you aren’t ready for any kind of life adjustment would just make us both miserable.”

“God, you make me sound like a total asshole. Is that what you believe, that I’m using you and intend to leave with no thought to your feelings?”

He closed his eyes and fought to hold his anger in check. When he opened them, Scoop leaned against her leg, eyeing him with a look that doubled his pain.

“Christ, even the dog thinks I intend to hurt you. I have feelings, too, you know.”

She nodded. “I think you care—a lot.” The indignation in her voice had disappeared, and her shoulders slumped. “But not enough to want to change.”

“Why should I have to?”

“You shouldn’t. Which is why, although walking away might not be easy for you, you’ll still do it.”

He opened his mouth then shut it. He couldn’t argue. Despite the fact he was pretty certain he loved her, he wasn’t ready to turn into his dad, working his life away to support a family. Placing fun way, way down the list of priorities and somehow never getting around to it until retirement. He was thirty-five years old. Being forced into that kind of mold for the next three decades scared the shit out of him.

Claire stood before him, eyes bleak, her hands clenched in the dog’s fur. The ache in his chest twisted deeper.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I think it’s time for you to go. I kept telling myself it’d be okay. We’d have a good time and build some great memories together, that it couldn’t possibly hurt any more to end things later rather than sooner. Turns out I was wrong.”

“Can we talk about this? I don’t want to lose you.” Taking her arm, he led her over to a big piece of driftwood. “Sit. I have a few concerns, not the least of which is your safety.”

Leaning back, she crossed her ankles in front of her and pressed her lips together. “I’m not sure I’m capable of having a rational conversation right now. It’s been a hell of a day.”

“Let’s start with that before we get stuck in another emotional quagmire. You said something about Dallas being right before I went all righteous caveman on you. Care to explain?”

She sighed. “We talked. I told him I didn’t blame him for leaving the notes and gifts. His confusion couldn’t have been faked. So we hashed it out, and he made a good point.”

Jed wanted to pick up the hand clenched on her thigh but was pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate the gesture. Reaching down, he grabbed a stick and hurled it toward the ocean. Scoop took off in hot pursuit, sand spraying up behind him.

“What was his point?”

“This man alludes to a promise I made. Obviously, he’s a little disturbed or he wouldn’t be leaving nighties and candles in my RV. Maybe he’s actually a lot disturbed and completely imagined my vow to marry him. Maybe he hears little voices in his head, and one of them happened to sound like me. This guy could be anyone from a complete stranger I passed on the street to the man who delivered my mail to a blind date I foolishly let my old roommate set me up with back in college.”

When Scoop dropped the stick at his feet, Jed threw it again. “I guess that makes some kind of weird sense. We’ve been assuming there’s logic behind his actions.”

“Exactly. I’ll admit I freaked out a little and started wondering if it was Bart. He’s certainly shown he’s interested in me.”

Jed turned to stare. “Then why did you go to lunch with him?”

Her gaze remained firmly fixed on the sand. “He caught me off guard yesterday. Then I thought maybe I could elicit some kind of confession over sandwiches.”

“Did you?”

She shook her head. “He’s not a loon. Actually, he’s a lot like you but with more focus.”

Jed let the insult pass. He deserved more than that feeble jab. “We’d better contact the police. If this man’s crazy, he’s also dangerous.”

“What’re they going to do? I’m pretty sure the local law enforcement’s budget doesn’t stretch to babysitting me.”

After wrestling the stick out of Scoop’s jaws, Jed hurled it down the beach. “Well, we have to do something.”

“I
am
going to do something. I’m going to take a little trip up to Crescent City to photograph the first lighthouse on my list. Maybe I’ll stick around for a few days to take marine life photos, too. He—whoever he is—won’t have a clue I went up there. I’ll make sure no one follows me out of Shady Bend.”

His heart ached. “Sounds like you intend to go alone.”

“I hadn’t initially, but it’s probably best.”

“What about after you come home?”

“Maybe he’ll get bored and quit.”

“Maybe he won’t.”

Scoop’s sides heaved as he ran up and dropped the stick on his foot. Jed winced and swore beneath his breath.

Claire finally looked him in the eye. “If you keep taking your frustrations out on that piece of driftwood, you’re going to give my dog a heart attack.”

“The dog will survive. I’m worried about you. I don’t want to leave you alone.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to leave you, period.”