Experiment in Terror (Koehler Brothers Book 1) (12 page)

After introductions were made, Michelle said, “Get in, you two, we have a real treat for you.”

Not asking what it might be, Amanda promptly climbed over the side of the sailboat and sat down on the one empty seat.

“Shove us off,” Dave ordered Matt. “And then, jump in.”

Matt gave a push and jumped in quickly before the boat moved too far out in the water and sat down on the seat beside Amanda.

“So what’s the treat?” Amanda was curious.

“Dave had some fresh lobster flown in from the East Coast. We cooked it up this morning and brought it along. We’ll let the boat drift and we can eat lobster, dipped in butter, and have a glass of wine with it.”

“How incredible is that!” Amanda exclaimed. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had lobster?”

Michelle smiled and reached under the seat she and Dave were sitting on and slid out a picnic basket containing a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, and four glasses.

Dave jerked on a rope, dropping the single sail in order to allow the boat to gently bob on the water. Picking up the bottle of wine, he used the corkscrew to open it and poured the liquid into the glasses that Michelle held up one at a time.

“This is the life,” Matt said as Michelle handed him a container of lobster in melted butter.

“Amanda tells us you were instrumental in catching the Boulder Creek Killer,” Dave said.

Matt nodded, his mouth too full of lobster to answer. After he swallowed, he said, “I have a consulting business and often do undercover work for various police departments throughout the state. There are the small towns where a murder is committed and they just don’t have the kind of manpower they need to handle the case, and I’ll be called in to consult.”

Dave asked a few more questions, then volunteered the information he worked for IBM, but his job wasn’t nearly as exciting as Matt’s.

“Mine can get pretty boring at times,” Matt assured him. “For almost three weeks I did nothing in the daytime, but hang out with homeless men and listen to their stories. At night I camped out under one of the bridges in a sleeping bag, waiting for something to happen.”

“You should have seen him,” Amanda said. “You would never have recognized him. He had shaggy dishwater blond hair and a dreadful beard.”

“Didn’t the homeless men realize it was a disguise?”

“No, they never caught on. My cousin who lives in Evergreen is a makeup artist for the movies and he did it for me. Fortunately, he was home at the time, so I really lucked out.”

“I wish I could have seen you,” Michelle said.

“The only things recognizable were his eyes and his walk,” Amanda said. “Even his clothes were dirty and ragged.”

They went on to talk about some of his other cases while finishing up the lobster and the wine.

“This has been so much fun, I hate to bring it to an end,” Michelle said. “But we have tickets to see
Les Miserables
in Denver tonight and we are having dinner with friends before hand, so we should think about getting ready.”

“This has been a wonderful afternoon,” Amanda said, and Matt agreed. “Thanks for sharing your lobster with us.”

Dave put the sail up and with the slight breeze in the air, he maneuvered the boat back to the sandy beach. Matt jumped out and dragged the bow of the boat onto the sand. Holding out his hand to Amanda, he helped her out and then gave the boat a shove back into the water.

“What’s next?” Matt asked Amanda as they watched the sail boat’s progress across the lake.

Chapter 12

“Guess you won’t be interested in my ham and cheese sandwiches after that,” Amanda said.

“Give me time.” Matt smiled. “Maybe we can think of something to do to work up an appetite.”

Amanda glanced at her watch. “I know. We can leave our stuff here and walk around the lake. It’s a circle drive.”

“Do we need to worry about our bikes and the backpack?”

“I don’t think anyone will bother them but let’s take my security chain and hook the bikes together and run it through the straps on the backpack. Then they should be fine.”

He agreed and after fastening everything together, they headed for the paved road. Matt took her hand. Amanda loved the feel of his long fingers intertwined with her own and smiled up at Matt as she gave a sigh of contentment. She loved being with him.

They discussed Dave and Michelle and how great it had been to spend time with them in the sailboat, eating the lobster and drinking the wine.

“Great people,” Matt said.

They came to a small creek running along a portion of the road, which fed into the lake and Amanda suggested they wade in it to cool off their feet.

Laughing, Matt agreed, and they found a boulder to sit on in order to remove their shoes and socks. Tying the shoelaces together in a bowknot, Matt slung both pairs around his neck and stepped down into the water, holding out his hand to help her.

The creek was wide enough to wade side by side. They hadn’t gone far when Amanda slipped on a rock and if Matt hadn’t caught her, she would have taken a tumble.

“That was a close call.” She laughed, as she clutched at his arm.

He moved one hand to place it behind her neck. Holding her firmly, he bent his head. She put a hand on his chest to stop what she knew was coming.

“Hey, it’s not payback time yet. You have to carry the backpack home.”

“This one is for carrying it to the lake. I’ll collect another one when we reach your house.”

“Matt, please. Someone will see us,” she said.

“I don’t think so.” He nodded toward the large bushes on either side of the creek.

“You’re right,” she said and lifted her face.

His warm lips covered hers and pleasure spread throughout her body. She couldn’t help but feel sorry when he finally released her. Holding hands, they waded along in the water, until the creek turned away from the road and down toward the lake.

When they returned to the beach an hour later, they found several teenagers playing in the water. Their bikes and backpack appeared to be untouched.

“In the mood for lunch?” Amanda asked as she unfastened the security chain and lifted the backpack to the picnic table.

“I think I can handle it now.” Matt smiled.

As they munched on their sandwiches and drank their Cokes, which were surprisingly cold, Amanda asked Matt, “So you were never married?”

“No. Actually I never fell hard enough for any girl to pop the question and I made up my mind a long time ago I would never ask a girl to marry me unless we could make a lifetime commitment to each other. My brother, Mitch, felt the same way. But I think things may be changing in that respect.”

“For you or him?”

“For both of us,” he said.

The tenderness of his gaze made her face grow warm, and she knew she must be blushing. Biting her lip, she stared out at the lake, becoming increasingly uncomfortable under his scrutiny, knowing he was watching her intently.

“Does that bother you?”

Before she could answer, her cell phone rang and when she took it out of her pocket, she saw it was her mother.

“Hi, Mom. I’m sorry I forgot to call you about tonight.”

“Do you still want to eat leftovers with us?” her mother asked.

“By the time we ride back to town, we’ll be ready for those leftovers,” she assured her mother. “I’m sure Matt is looking forward to meeting you,” she added, smiling at Matt, who smiled back.

“Well, your dad and I are looking forward to meeting him,” her mother replied. “What time shall we look for you?”

Amanda glanced at her watch. “How about six?”

“Perfect. See you then.”

Amanda punched off her phone and said to Matt, “My mother is dying to meet you. You are the first man I’ve dated since my divorce five years ago.”

“I’m flattered.”

“I realized my marriage was a mistake almost as soon as it happened. My parents were totally against it. For the first time in my life, I went against their wishes, and believe me, I lived to regret it.”

Matt gave her a sympathetic look but didn’t inquire into the meaning of her statement. She was glad. She didn’t want to ruin a perfectly wonderful day by talking about her marriage and divorce from Eric.

“Do you think we could have a future together?” Matt asked.

Amanda became thoughtful. “I don’t know. After my divorce, I told myself I would never marry again, but now . . .” Her voice trailed off.

“Now, what?” he prompted.

There was a pensive look in her eyes. “I’ll have to give it some thought.” She wondered if his attraction to her might prove risky. She didn’t know him all that well, and she certainly didn’t want to get into a relationship that would end the way the one with Eric had.

She could tell by the look on Matt’s face that her answer was not what he wanted to hear. But she felt they should give themselves more time to get to know one another.

“Time to head home,” she said, jumping up to gather what was left of their lunch and put it into the backpack. “It’s really warmed up, so we’ll probably need the water on the way back.”

Matt couldn’t remember when he had had such an enjoyable day, in spite of his disappointment at Amanda’s response to his question about having a future together. He was glad it wasn’t over yet. He was looking forward to meeting Amanda’s parents. If they were anything like her, he knew he was going to like them. Wait until he e-mailed his brother about today. He hoped Mitch would also have some good news to pass on.

As they rode side-by-side back into town, Matt said, “Hoping I could take you out to dinner tonight, I brought along a fresh set of clothes. Do you mind if I borrow your shower?”

“Not at all. There’s a spare bedroom with a bathroom which has a shower you can use.”

They reached Amanda’s house, and Matt lifted his bike back up on the rack on his SUV. Amanda put hers in the garage and waited for Matt as he got his clothes out of his car.

“I’m thirsty,” she said. “How about you?”

“A cold drink of water does sound good.”

Taking two bottles of water out of the refrigerator, she handed him one.

“I’ll show you the bedroom you can use,” she said.

Matt followed her down a hallway and into the guest bedroom where Amanda showed him where there were fresh towels and washcloths.

“Soap and shampoo are in the shower,” she said, and left the room.

Amanda came out of her bedroom later after her own shower dressed in a flowered sundress and sandals. Matt was standing in the kitchen drinking another bottle of water. He was wearing a fresh white knitted short-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants.

“You got some sun today,” she observed. “You are darker than you were this morning.”

“My skin tans easily. You must have been wearing sunscreen. You look just the same.”

She smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Come here,” he said, setting down his empty water bottle and leaning back against the counter.

“What?”

“Come here and find out,” he said, his gray eyes twinkling.

She studied his handsome face for a moment and saw a smoldering flame in his eyes. She knew what he wanted. She had been waiting all afternoon. Ever since they had kissed in the creek. Slowly, she moved toward him, never taking her eyes off his.

Matt drew her into his arms. “Payback number two,” he whispered as he bent his head.

Amanda tipped her head back and closed her eyes, waiting to feel his lips on hers.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured.

His warm mouth covered hers as he tightened his arms around her body. His touch aroused feelings in her she had thought were long dead. As a thrill of excitement ran through her, she raised her hands around his neck.

She wished the kiss could go on forever, but after a few moments, he released her, giving her a smile as he did so.

Making an attempt at being nonchalant, she said, “I think it’s time to be heading up to my parents’.”

“Maybe we can continue this when we come back,” he said and his meaning was obvious.

“Maybe.”

“I’ll drive,” Matt said.

She nodded in agreement and went to get her handbag. They walked out to his car together and he swung the passenger door open for her. They drove the short distance to her parents’ house and parked on the street in front of the Barton’s. As they stepped out of the car, the front door swung open and her father stood there with a smile of welcome on his face.

“You must be Matt,” he said, as they climbed the front steps.

Matt nodded and shook Mr. Barton’s outstretched hand.

“Come on in. Dinner’s almost on the table. I hope Amanda warned you it would be leftovers.”

“She did,” Matt said.

Before her father could start Matt’s inquisition, Mrs. Barton came into the living room wanting to be introduced. After introductions were made, she went back to the kitchen, but not before instructing Amanda to get the two men’s drink preference.

“What are you offering?” her dad asked.

“The usual, wine, Coke, milk, water.”

“I believe I’ll have a glass of red wine,” her dad said.

“Make mine water,” Matt said. “I’m still thirsty from that bike ride.”

Amanda went into the kitchen to report to her mother and when drinks were at everyone’s place, Mrs. Barton called her husband and Matt to the table.

“Tell us more about your bike ride to Lake of the Pines,” Mrs. Barton said.

“That ended up being a real treat,” Amanda replied. “Dave and Michelle showed up at the beach in their sailboat and told us to get in. Then Dave took us out to the middle of the lake, let down the sail, and we had lobster dipped in butter, along with a glass of wine.”

“My goodness, that
would
be something special,” Mrs. Barton said.

“Amanda didn’t mention the lobster was fresh and had been overnighted from the East Coast,” Matt said.

Both the Barton’s were impressed.

“Matt, what kind of career are you involved in?” Mrs. Barton asked.

“Matt was the one who caught the Boulder Creek Killer,” Amanda said, proudly.

“You didn’t tell me that, Matt,” Mr. Barton said. “How were you able to pull that off?”

Matt proceeded to relate how he had gone undercover as a homeless man and used a policewoman from Denver as a decoy, hoping to avert the possibility of another college girl being raped and killed.

Amanda could tell her parents were fascinated by Matt and the work he did. He appeared totally at ease as he answered their questions. She was happy she had brought him to dinner.

“Where did you two meet?” was her mother’s next question. “You’re in totally unrelated fields.”

Matt looked at Amanda and smiled. She was sure he hated to lie to her parents, but he said, “In her store. I was attracted to your daughter, so I asked her out.”

“She
is
pretty special,” Mr. Barton said, giving his daughter a loving look.

“Tell us about your family,” Mrs. Barton said.

“Oh, Mom, haven’t you quizzed him enough?” Amanda asked.

Matt smiled at her and turning to her mother, he told her about his father and his brother being in police work.

“You and your brother are certainly in an interesting line of work,” her mother said. “Do your parents still live in Los Angeles?”

“My father was killed in the line of duty when my brother and I were teenagers and my mother passed away a couple of years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Mrs. Barton said, and Amanda was relieved when instead of asking more questions, her mother began to clear off the table in preparation for dessert.

Amanda jumped up to help and when Matt would have done the same, Mrs. Barton told him to stay seated, she and Amanda would take care of it.

After dessert of chocolate cake and ice cream, while her father and Matt went into the living room, Amanda rinsed off the dishes while her mother put them into the dishwasher.

“You picked a good one this time,” Mrs. Barton told her. “I can tell your father really likes him and I know I do.”

Amanda was pleased at her mother’s words. She knew from day one, neither one of her parents had cared for her ex-husband, Eric. The dishes finished, Amanda and her mother went into the living room to join Matt and Mr. Barton. The four of them visited a while longer and then Amanda and Matt prepared to leave when Matt told them he had an early morning appointment.

“My parents really liked you,” she said, as Matt helped her into the SUV.