Guardian Angel (11 page)

“I didn't want anyone to recognize me.” When she saw his frown of confusion, she set her coffee aside and explained. “I wasn't supposed to be riding my bike at night. I wasn't supposed to be riding through town, either, but since I was late for my curfew, I took a shortcut from the lake.”

“I remember your hair was wet.”

She nodded. “I stayed at the lake too long. It was the only place I really felt free back then. I was hoping I could get out of being grounded. My mother took one look at my knees and silently cleaned them up. She was so quiet, I wished she'd yell.” Her mouth quirked into a half smile. “I got my wish a minute later. Half of it was in Italian, so I didn't understand a lot. But she converted to English long enough to tell me I was grounded for a month.”

Trace squeezed her shoulder. “I didn't get grounded. I just got a lecture from my mother about how intelligent people use their brains and not their fists. Then she looked at my swollen eye, burst into tears, gave me a steak and turned me over to my father.” Trace chuckled. “He wanted a blow-by-blow description. Then he said he agreed with my mother, but that there are times when a man has to fight. He said he was proud of me and warned me that the eye was going to hurt like hell.” He looked at Talia. “He was right.”

She laughed. “Kevin very generously offered to ride my bike for me while my knees were recovering. He said he wouldn't want the bike to get rusty from lack of use.”

Trace grinned. “The next morning at breakfast, Valerie said I looked like I belonged in a horror movie. She offered to take my picture and send it to Hollywood.”

They both laughed. Talia thought of the shy blonde teenage girl she'd met only a few times. “What is she doing now?”

“She lives in England,” Trace said. “She went to a finishing school about—”

“Six years ago,” Talia said.

He hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Valerie lived with our aunt Patrice until Patrice died. We all thought she would move back then, but she didn't. She's only been home two or three times in the last six years.” And she had treated the whole family distantly, he thought, frowning.

“I'd chase Kevin down and visit him myself if he pulled something like that. We're too close.”

“I tried,” Trace said. “But every time I called her, she said she was busy. I thought she needed some space.”

It was on the tip of Talia's tongue to say that something monumental must have happened for Valerie to leave, but she kept her mouth shut.

The truth will out, she told herself. But she wondered what would happen when it did. Trace loved his family too much to take this kind of thing lightly. And even though she understood family loyalty, it grated on her that he was still confident there'd been a terrible misunderstanding.

The ticking of the clock made her think of how soon Kevin would come home. Things could blow up in her face then. Apprehension and a touch of panic raced through her. She wasn't ready to let Trace go. Even for Kevin. But she wouldn't want to hurt Kevin.

She slammed the door on her unwelcome thoughts, and remembered how delighted she'd been with the gift she'd received from Trace the day before. “You know, I never thanked you.”

His face lost the hard edge of concentration. He looked at her and smiled. “For what?”

She could tell by his eyes that he knew what. And he looked entirely too self-satisfied for her taste. “For the dozen red roses you sent me,” she said with wide-eyed innocence. “There was no card, but I knew they were from you.”

She reached over and placed a kiss on his suddenly tight jaw. “It was so thoughtful, Trace,” she gushed, “even if it wasn't very imaginative.”

“Imaginative! I didn't send you roses. I sent you—” He broke off when he saw the gleam in her eye. “You witch. I was sitting here trying to figure out who was moving in on you.”

He hauled her onto his lap. “That wasn't very nice, Talia,” he said in a low, threatening voice.

A chill ran down her spine, but she laughed anyway. “Oh no. This doesn't mean I'm going to have trouble getting you to pay your bill, does it?”

“Bill?” he asked, trying desperately to keep up with her.

“I messed up twenty-six dollars and fourteen cents' worth of subs yesterday because of you.”

He gave her that devastating smile that always took her breath. “Twenty-six fourteen,” he said, playing with the hoop earring in her ear. “How do you want your payment?”

Heat rushed through her at the possessive expression in his gaze. She said the only thing that came to her mind and felt a little shocked at her brazenness. “Any way you want to give it.”

His eyes turned dark emerald, and he brought her face closer with commanding hands. She instinctively clung to his shoulders, needing the anchor. She knew without a doubt who was in control of this situation, because it sure wasn't her. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and the cloudiness in her mind increased with each idle stroke of his finger against her ear.

He brought her lips to his and turned her head to the side. When he lightly flicked his tongue against her lips, she sighed. He caught the puff of breath and slid his tongue inside her mouth, along the edge of her teeth. His hands remained curled around her head, caressing and stroking her hair.

She fell against him and moaned at the sensation of her aching breasts against his solid chest. His scent wove its way around her, drawing her deeper, deeper…

“Does this mean you're getting married?” a young voice asked.

Talia ripped her mouth from Trace's and looked around with dazed eyes. One of Trace's hands was still in her hair, and when she turned her head, he accidentally pulled her hair.

“Ouch!” The unexpected pain brought tears to her eyes.

“Just a minute,” he muttered, and concentrated on the task of untangling her hair from his fingers.

Under Robby's watchful gaze, she felt like a teenager caught necking. Without forethought, she shifted.

Trace ground his teeth and said under his breath, “If you have one ounce of mercy, you'll be still.”

When she realized what he was referring to, her face flamed. She knew it, because Robby said with childish candor, “Your face is red.”

Trace chuckled.

Talia scrambled off his lap. Her hair could grow back, she told herself, and took a deep breath. “Tell me about the cartoon you watched, Robby.”

Robby looked puzzled, then shrugged as if he was accustomed to adults acting strangely. “It was about a dog,” he began.

Dodging meaningful glances from Trace, Talia listened and asked a few questions, then said it was time for her to go. Robby gave her a hug and kiss.

Trace followed her out to her car and took her hand. She felt sheepish. “Sorry I overreacted.”

He smiled and shook his head. “That's okay. For a moment there, I forgot where I was too.” He kissed her and squeezed her hand. “See you tomorrow?”

She felt soothed by the fondness in his eyes and the touch of his hand. The fire was always there, but he could control it. The knowledge made her feel secure. “Tomorrow,” she promised, and got into her car.

But Kevin arrived the next day with Professor David Shelton in tow. Talia concealed her disappointment, though not her surprise. Then she felt so guilty over feeling disappointed, she agreed to attend Lung Awareness Night with David and Kevin at Gus's Bar the next night.

Trace called just as the three of them were finishing dinner. “Do you want me to come over to your house,” he asked, “or do you want to come over here?”

“Umm,” she began, looking at Kevin and David.

Trace's low laugh brought a flutter to her stomach. “After last night, I thought it might be a good idea if we had some time alone.”

“I—I don't think I'm going to be able to make it tonight. You see, Kevin came home.”

“Oh.” Trace quickly rearranged his plans. “I've been wanting to meet him. I could come over and leave early.”

“Well,” she said, and he heard the nervousness in her voice, “Kevin kind of brought someone with him for the weekend.”

Trace frowned. He knew Talia was uneasy about him meeting Kevin, but she sounded downright panicky now. “You don't want me to meet him,” he said.

“It's not that. At least not totally.” She breathed a sigh of relief as her brother and David headed for the den.

The silence drew out for Trace. He could practically see her twisting the telephone cord. “Talia,” he prompted.

“They left for a minute. Kevin did this one other time a couple of years ago. He's got this crazy idea that he needs to provide me with…men.” Her words came out in a jerky rush. “I don't know why. Anyway, he brought home this calculus professor—his name's David—for the weekend, and they want me to take them to Gus's tomorrow night.”

Trace was trying to absorb it with a cool, logical mind. But he got hung up about halfway through on the word
men.
“Men?” he repeated, his voice tight. “Exactly what does Kevin want this David—” he said the name with distaste “—man to do with you?”

“Well, Kevin doesn't think small. He's probably hoping for a marriage proposal within three months.” Her choked laugh didn't help Trace one bit. “I think my little brother fantasizes about me selling the sub shop and leaving Barringer for good. Then he wouldn't ever have to come back.”

Trace could have sworn his heart stopped. “Talia—”

“Listen, I gotta go,” she said quickly, and he heard male voices in the background. “I'll talk to you in a few days, Trace. Sorry,” she whispered, and hung up.

He hesitated for a second, then replaced the receiver. Trace prided himself on being a rational, intelligent man, not given to displays of nerves.

So why were his hands sweating?

 

The next evening as Talia was getting ready for their outing, Kevin came into her bedroom and leaned against the doorjamb. She glanced at him in the mirror and felt her heart swell with pride. He'd turned out well, resembling their big Irish father. With his dark hair, vivid blue eyes and broad shoulders, he turned many female heads. But Kevin's interest wasn't easily captured. And his heart… Well, his heart might never trust again. She despaired over that and sighed.

“Heavy thoughts?” he asked.

“Not really,” she said. “I was just thinking how much you look like Daddy.”

Kevin shrugged. It was a common enough comment, but he barely remembered his father. “What do you think of David?”

She hesitated. “He's very nice, very…intelligent.” Talia enjoyed a challenging intellectual discussion as much as the next person. But she felt as if she'd been caught in a calculus time warp since David had arrived.

Kevin sighed in understanding. “He really likes calculus.”

“I guess that's why he teaches it,” she said tactfully.

“And teaches it,” Kevin added, smiling.

“And teaches it,” she said, and they both laughed.

“How'd you lure him down here, anyway?” Talia asked as she gave Kevin a hug.

“I showed him your picture.”

“And he was so impressed, he had to come down here?” she asked with heavy irony.

“Well, he's never been south of the Mason-Dixon Line.”

She nodded in understanding.

“I also promised to help him out with tutoring freshmen next year.”

She pushed him aside in mock affront. “You had to bribe him? Give it up, Kevin. I'll pick my own man.”

“How are you gonna pick one if you never go out? I think you missed a crucial stage in your development. It's preventing you from forming a relationship with a man.”

She averted her eyes. If Kevin only knew. She was sinking like a stone in deep water when it came to Trace. “I go out,” she argued, then switched the subject. “Crucial stage in my development? Did you take Psychology this semester?”

He grinned.

Shaking her head, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door. “C'mon, let's show David a genuine redneck bar.”

 

A party atmosphere filled the small bar. The patrons wore denim and leather and swilled beer. A live band played songs about cheating hearts and love gone wrong. The only thing missing was smoke. A sign posted at the door threatened anyone who dared to light a cigarette that they would be shot on sight.

So far there'd been three casualties.

Gus, the owner, had drawn his water pistol on the now-damp souls who'd forgotten the night's special rule. He'd then sympathetically offered bubble gum cigars. Gus had his own wad of bubble gum taking the place of his usual cigarette.

Talia noticed Kevin's gaze hovering on a blonde who kept walking past their table. “See anyone you want to dance with?”

Kevin took a drink of his beer and gave his sister a “mind your own business” look.

“I think her name is Audrey,” Talia continued.

“Thank you,” he said gravely, then turned to David, who'd given up on his discussion of statistics due to the loud noise.

“David, I think Talia wants to dance. She's just too shy to say so.”

“Would you care to dance, Talia?” David asked immediately, then paused to listen. “I believe this number is done in three-quarter time.”

Talia blinked. Mathematics in music. She couldn't think of a thing to say, so she took the hand David offered and stood. She looked back at Kevin and mouthed the word
Shy!

Kevin laughed.

David led her in a surprisingly smooth shuffle. She asked him about his family and had to shout in his ear. By the end of the song they were both laughing. She was about to suggest they return to their table, when the band jumped into a lively tune.

David cut loose and bopped her around the dance floor with spins and even a few dips.

“You look surprised,” he yelled in her ear.