Finding Kate Huntley (11 page)

Chapter 15

Kate awoke the next morning to quiet. No voices, no birds, nothing. Back in Haiti, she woke early to the sounds of a mother calling her children, the smell of smoke and burning tortillas, the shouting of vendors selling their wares as they moved from hut to hut, or kids making music on anything made of tin. Those sharp sounds and pungent smells had become an integral part of her life.

But quiet. She didn’t know what to do with quiet.

She lifted her head. The dog followed suit. She smiled at Barney as he licked her hand and then rolled over so she would rub his pink smooth belly.

“Not now, Barney.” She slid off the couch and picked him up, holding him in the crook of her arm. Her gaze traveled from the pillow to the blanket to the leather chair. The cushioned seat had an indent as if somebody had been there recently.

Apparently, Jack had been watching over her last night while she slept. The idea of him watching over her warmed her insides. She headed past the kitchen and down the hall. He wasn’t in any of the rooms. Desire swept over her at the thought of seeing him last night in jeans and black T-shirt a size too small. The shirt had emphasized broad shoulders and well-defined biceps. But a girl could only take so much rejection, so she’d kept her distance.

Barney wriggled in her arms, letting her know he needed to make a trip to the backyard. Making her way back to the family room, she opened the sliding glass door, figuring she’d run into Jack sooner rather than later.

The morning air felt cool against her face, the fresh woodsy scent inviting. The lake sparkled in the morning sun. She looked around, taking it all in, soaking in the beauty and breathing in the pine-scented air. No neighbors as far as she could see. Only trees and a large expanse of water dotted with sailboats.

Barney wriggled again and added a whimper for good measure.

“Okay, okay,” she said as she placed him on the ground. Barney trotted off across the lawn and beyond, heading toward the lake and disappearing within a copse of pine trees. When Barney failed to reappear after a few moments, she followed the same path. “Come on, Barney,” she called, clapping her hands.

Within moments of stepping into the shadows of the tall trees, she heard someone shouting from the house where she and Jack were staying. She glanced over her shoulder, peering through the maze of pine trees. Jack ran by in a blur. He ran down the middle of the narrow dock and peered into the water. He looked frantic, raking his hands through his hair and cursing, of all things.

Kate followed his gaze. Nothing. No boats. No people. Her heart beat a little faster. What was going on?

She headed his way, watching as he yanked off his boots, pulled his shirt over his head, and dove into the water. The hairs at the back of her neck stirred.
Was he crazy?
That water had to be freezing. What was he doing?

Seconds became minutes. Kate ran to the edge of the lake and tried not to panic as she gazed into dark, unmoving water.

It seemed like forever before Jack came up for air.

Thank God.

He shook wet hair from his face and looked ready to take another dive.

“What are you doing? What are you looking for?”

He whipped about so fast he startled her. She jumped back.

He spotted her and his expression changed from frantic horror to annoyance. God, he looked like he’d been to hell and back. Suddenly it struck her, and she put a hand to her chest. “You didn’t think—” she gestured toward the water “—that I was in there, did you?”

He didn’t answer; he didn’t have to. She could see the answer in his scowl as water dripped between his eyes and dribbled down his nose. It took some effort not to laugh.

“You left the door open,” he ground out as he swam toward her. “The dog was gone, you were gone, and when I looked into the water I saw bubbles.”

“Bubbles?”

His deepening scowl stopped her from pressing him. He was doing it again...worrying.

Plunking down on the grassy shore, she shook her head and took a calming breath. “I can’t figure you out.”

He swam toward her, the water becoming shallower and shallower until she could see tiny droplets glistening within the golden hairs fanning across his chest.

“What can’t you figure out?” he asked, irritation lining his voice, as if she had deliberately set out to make a fool of him. She plucked a blade of grass from the ground and brushed it across her chin. “I can’t figure out why you would worry about me, especially after you made it clear in Las Vegas that you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

“If that’s the message you got, I guess I wasn’t clear at all.” He pulled himself out of the water. “I like you just fine.”

His jeans were wet, snug around the thighs. He needed only to take a few steps before he towered over her. Water dripped from his shoulders and down his lean hard stomach. Her fingers itched to touch him. A droplet splattered across her arm.

She had to crook her neck to meet his gaze. “Like you said, you hardly know me.”

“I know plenty. You like animals,” he said with a gesture toward Barney as the dog ran toward her and plopped onto her lap. “You’re strong, physically and mentally, but despite the hell you’ve been through you’re still soft around the edges.”

She lifted a brow.

“You don’t like wearing bras,” he added smugly, “because they’re way too confining for a woman who doesn’t like to be tied down.”

She laughed.

“You’re a woman who likes to be in control. And lastly,” he said, “I like you because I know you like me, too.”

She snorted and threw a wad of grass at him. “You’re all wet.”

He plopped down beside her. “Do me a favor and don’t run off like that again. I’ve had a rough night.”

She was about to argue with him. She didn’t have to report to him every time she set foot outside. Ridiculous. But the fear she’d seen on his face before he jumped into the water, prompted her lips to stay sealed...at least about the part about not running off again. “Did you go somewhere?”

“Didn’t you see the note I left you?”

She shook her head. “I just woke up. And Barney needed to take care of business, so I came outside. The next thing I knew, you were jumping into the lake. What happened? Where did you go?”

Barney jumped out of her lap, went to Jack instead, and licked droplets of water from his arm. Lucky dog.

“I met with A.J. and we went to see an old friend, see if he knew anything about who might have set me up.”

“Any luck?”

“Nope.” He leaned back on his elbows.

She’d never seen him look so tired. Kate wondered about Jack’s obsession with keeping her safe. Then she remembered A.J. mentioning that Jack had a sister who disappeared about the same time she had. “Tell me about your sister,” she said. “What happened to her?”

Jack’s gaze remained fixed on the lake as he spoke. “Her name was Annie. She was an amazing person...sensitive and kind, with a loving heart.” His mouth curved into a pain-filled smile. “Sounds sort of crazy coming from a big brother who was annoyed with his little sister more often than not. She liked to follow me around, all day long if she could get away with it. If I played baseball, she played baseball. If I was tired, she was tired. If I told her my favorite color was blue then that would become her new favorite color, too.”

Kate smiled. “Sounds nice.”

“Yeah, it was. Too bad I didn’t appreciate her until it was too late.”

Jack looked into Kate’s eyes and said, “You never realize how much you’re going to miss someone until they’re gone. I learned that lesson the hard way.”

Goose bumps trailed up Kate’s arms.

“Annie was lured from the house by a man on the Internet.”

“That’s horrible. Did they find the person responsible?”

“Yeah, but they couldn’t find Annie. With no proof to hold the suspect in custody, they were forced to let him go.”

“Is this why you went to work for the FBI?”

He nodded. After a long pause he said, “She was just shy of her fourteenth birthday when she was taken. She’ll be twenty-four next month.”

A chill crawled up Kate’s spine. He thought his sister was still alive. His sister’s disappearance explained Jack’s obsession with finding her, maybe with finding all missing persons. From the first moment she laid eyes on him, he’d seemed overly concerned about her welfare, sticking to her side like glue. His sister’s disappearance explained why he was so adamant about her not going off on her own. He was transferring his concern for his sister onto Kate. “I’m not your sister, Jack.”

When he didn’t respond she added, “Protecting me isn’t going to make things right again or change what happened to Annie.”

“Maybe not.” He moved the dog aside and stood.

Kate reached up, and he didn’t hesitate to take her hands in his and pull her to her feet. Once she had her balance, he cupped her face in his palms. “Promise me you won’t do anything you might regret.”

“I can’t promise you anything.” But Kate found herself wanting to promise him that...and more. A rapidly beating heart alerted her to the fact that she was falling for Jack Coffey. The notion made her head spin. She was weakening and all because Jack Coffey wanted to keep her safe. She needed to stay strong, stay focused. She couldn’t let him get to her. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“Revenge isn’t the answer,” he said, reading the wrong message from her frown. His mouth quirked. He leaned forward and kissed her with the confidence of a man who knew she would let him. The palm of his hand cupped the back of her head and pulled her mouth closer. The rejection she’d received the other morning breezed through her mind, along with the thought of pushing him away, and a zillion other things. But she didn’t do anything...not really...not unless kissing him back counted for something. His lips felt warm and inviting, intoxicating.

“Yoohoo! Hello!”

Kate pulled away, jerking her head in the direction the high-pitched perky voice had come from. Damn. A woman was headed their way, more than likely a neighbor. “What are we going to do?”

“Relax,” Jack said. “I’ll do the talking.” He released his hold on Kate and turned toward the woman as she approached.

“Hello,” the woman said again, out of breath. Her light brown hair was pulled back, her eyes half hidden beneath a straw hat. “Barbara Matthews,” she offered, extending her hand.

After Jack shook her hand, the woman gestured toward the house in the distance, past rows of tall pines. “My husband, Rob, and I have rented the house next door for the summer. My daughter and I saw you jump in the lake. We thought maybe you needed help, but from the looks of things,” she said, her cheeks blushing, “everything’s fine.” She sighed. “Sorry if I caught you at a bad time.”

“No worries,” Jack said. “We’re renting, too. And everything’s fine.”

“Mom!” a young girl shouted.

“I’m down here,” Barbara Matthews shouted, “with the—”

“Samantha and Fred Reed,” Jack blurted.

“With the Reeds,” the woman finished. “Tell Dad that everything’s fine.”

The woman looked toward the dog whining at Kate’s ankles. “Oh, what a sweet little dog. What’s its name?”

Jack looked at Kate.

“Barney,” Kate said.

Barbara picked the dog up, laughing when Barney licked her face. After a moment she set the dog loose again. “Well, I should be going. Glad everything is okay. If you need anything, feel free to—”

“Mom, you better hurry,” the approaching teenager warned. “They’re at it again.”

Everybody turned toward the young girl coming their way. The girl wore a baggy red and white striped shirt, a black and white long layered skirt and mauve fluffy slippers.

“Brooklynn, honey, I’d like you to meet Fred and Samantha.”

Brooklynn stayed where she was and lifted her chin in acknowledgement. Two eyebrow piercings and a gold ring clamped to her nostril added to Brooklynn’s hardened look. Her eyes were lined with black liner and a chain-link tattoo encircled her upper left arm. Her fingernails were painted black, contrasting with her white spiky hair.

Kate stepped forward and shook Brooklynn’s hand. The young girl didn’t back off, but neither did she appear receptive to shaking a stranger’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Brooklynn.”

“Yeah, okay. Is that your dog?”

“Sure is,” Jack cut in. “His name is Barney.”

Brooklynn bent forward and picked up the ball of fluff. “Fred and Barney,” she said. “Cool.”

Jack smiled. “I tried to get Sam here to change her name to Wilma, but she wouldn’t go for it.”

Brooklynn smiled.

A loud crash sounded. A shouting match quickly ensued from the house Barbara Matthews had said she was renting...two male voices from the sounds of it.

Barbara tensed. “We better get going. It sounds like there’s trouble brewing at the Matthews’ home.”

Brooklynn rolled her eyes and set the dog on the ground. “There’s always trouble brewing at the Matthews’ home.”

Kate didn’t know how to respond to that, so she kept quiet and watched Barbara and Brooklynn head back up the trail through the tall pines separating the two houses.

“Fred and Samantha?” Kate asked Jack under her breath after they were out of earshot.

“It’s the best I could do. If we came off as stiff and unapproachable, we would trigger suspicion.”

“I don’t think they recognized us, but what if they did?”

“If they had, I would have seen fear or recognition in those big blue eyes of hers.”

“How could you see anything under her floppy straw hat? You don’t miss a thing, do you?” Kate asked.

“Photographic memory, remember?”

Kate raised a skeptical brow. “You remember every detail of everybody you meet?”

“Almost always. If it’s someone I find interesting, definitely.”

She crossed her arms. “What was I wearing the first time we met?”

“Hiking boots, cargo pants, white shirt, and a brown vest with mesh lining. Long red hair in a single braid, no jewelry, mesmerizing green eyes, small chin, upturned nose, five-foot four, 32 B.”

“Close enough,” she said before she went down on bended knee. “Come on, Barney. It’s time to go inside.”