Secrets and Seductions (27 page)

“Hello,” Catherine greeted her. “I hope if you recognize anyone, you’ll encourage them to call home.”

The girl shrugged and slid her hands into her hip pockets. “I don’t see anyone I know.”

Like so many of the teens Catherine had seen on Friday, the girl looked painfully young. Catherine doubted she would have approached her if she hadn’t wanted to talk, but uncertain how best to initiate a conversation, she adjusted the angle of a bright pink flyer and kept quiet.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” the girl asked without glancing Catherine’s way.

“Yes, I am.” Catherine offered her name as she posted another flyer, but she had a lengthy wait before the girl responded.

“My name’s Violet. I just come here sometimes to look at the books, but I didn’t find anything good today.”

Catherine had noticed the sagging shelves which contained the center’s paperback library. “I’ve got quite a collection of paperbacks at home,” she said. “What sort of books do you like?”

Violet shrugged again. “The ones with pretty covers.” She reached out to finger the rolled corner on a faded orange flyer that had been on display for several months. “You know, the ones where there’s a couple dancing or just staring into each other’s eyes?”

“Yes. Those are romances. I love to read them too. I’ll bring in some of mine on my next visit. Do you come here often?”

Violet began to inch away. “No. Like I said, I just come by to check out the books.”

Catherine hadn’t meant to frighten Violet away, but as she turned to smile, the girl bolted for the door. When she found Luke blocking the way, she simply turned sideways and slipped by him with a hasty wave.

Luke didn’t look pleased, but as he walked toward Catherine, she couldn’t imagine what she’d done wrong this time. She inhaled deeply and vowed to hang on to her temper, regardless of how easily Luke Starns lost his. Choosing to ignore him, she admired her neat arrangement of new flyers, which was a vast improvement over the last volunteer’s haphazard posting.

Luke stopped so close to Catherine their shoulders were nearly touching. “Thanks for putting up the flyers,” he offered in a hushed whisper. “I hope Violet didn’t give you any trouble.”

It hadn’t even occurred to Catherine that Luke could have been annoyed with Violet rather than her. Feeling very foolish, she forced a smile. “Why no. We merely exchanged a few words about books, and I offered to bring in some of mine.”

“Oh, great. Come on. I’ll walk you back to the office.” Luke grabbed the stapler off the adjacent table and gestured for Catherine to precede him.

Catherine moved toward the door with a purposeful stride, but even then she felt as though Luke were rushing her. “Is there something wrong?” she asked as they moved out into the courtyard.

Luke caught her arm and with a gentle tug pulled her to a halt while they were still out in the open. “I’m positive that during the orientation I stressed that we never make promises we can’t keep. That goes for something as simple as a few used books.”

His chambray shirt had been faded by a hundred washings, but there was nothing soft in his manner, and Catherine found it difficult to look at him. Fortunately, the stone courtyard possessed the tranquility of a cloister, leading her to believe the dull gray granite probably possessed greater warmth than Luke ever did.

“If I tell someone I’ll bring in a few used books, or a bucket of dirt, for that matter, I’ll follow through,” she insisted. “It’s a shame you’ve apparently been disappointed in your other volunteers, but I always keep my word.”

Catherine took pride in how positive she sounded, but in truth, she was deeply offended. “Violet is little more than a lovely child. Do you honestly believe that I’d disappoint her?”

Luke swore under his breath. “You mustn’t allow yourself to become attached to any of the kids, and that goes double for Violet Simms.”

He paused to make certain he had Catherine’s full attention. “Violet’s father abused her sexually while her mother pretended not to know about it. Violet left home as soon as other men began to notice her. Now she’s living with a mechanic who calls himself Ford Dolan. That son of a bitch is as bad as her father, and she comes in here more often than not with a black eye.”

“Can’t you have him arrested?” Catherine asked.

“There’s no point in it when Violet won’t swear out a complaint against him. Don’t encourage her to depend on you for books or anything else, Catherine, because she’ll surely break your heart.”

Catherine’s heart was already broken, but despite the lack of risk, she couldn’t agree. “I’m sorry to argue with you again, but I truly believe it’s imperative for these kids to know someone cares about them.”

Luke kept his voice low, but it failed to disguise his irritation. “I didn’t say I didn’t care. If I didn’t give a damn, I wouldn’t be here, but there’s an enormous difference between a professional offering effective guidance and a misguided volunteer creating more harm than good.”

Catherine didn’t understand how the man could be so incredibly dense. “I’m not trying to challenge your authority here, Dr. Starns. Do you have an objection to volunteers donating paperback books for your library?”

“No,” Luke snorted. “Of course, not.”

Catherine waited for him to realize how senseless their latest argument truly was. With his only child dead and his wife gone, she could easily understand why he’d walled up his heart, but she had no desire to emulate his chilling example.

“Are you seeing a therapist yourself?” she asked.

“That’s none of your damn business, Mrs. Brooks.”

Luke left Catherine standing in the middle of the courtyard and entered the office alone, but she wasn’t ashamed to have asked the question. He might have the professional credentials to run Lost Angel, but she considered him pathetically lacking in empathy.

The cloudless sky was the same vivid blue as Violet’s eyes, and she stood there a long moment simply to enjoy it. The frantic flight of a hummingbird drew her attention to the honeysuckle growing up the side of the granite church. Since Sam’s death, she’d learned to treasure such sweet distractions, and she took it as an omen that any kindness she showed Violet, or anyone else at Lost Angel, would bring only good results.

It wasn’t until that evening when she’d sunk down into a hot bubble bath that she recalled the slight break in Luke’s voice as he’d spoken her first name. There’d been a whisper of hurt in that instant, but if she wasn’t mistaken, there’d also been a husky hint of desire.

Secrets and Seduction

Jane Beckenham

He wants to hate her, but a little lust wouldn’t hurt…

The only emotion Leah Grainger can muster when thinking of her dead husband is relief. Until she learns his gambling debt threatens her beloved farm and the child she wanted to protect from the rootless existence she grew up with.

The last straw? Her husband’s brother demands a meeting. When she charges into his office to tell him she won’t let another Grainger screw up her life, the startlingly handsome, former oil rig wildcatter goes for the jugular. He’s claimed legal guardianship of her daughter, bought her mortgage…and he’s moving in.
 

The final email Mac received from his suicidal brother blamed Leah for everything. If it’s the last thing he does, he plans to protect his niece. Even if it means using his millions to gain the upper hand. And hardening his heart against the beautiful Leah’s protests of innocence.
 

Yet something seems off. Leah is nothing like the uncaring woman his brother described. She’s warm, loving…and when a new threat to her child surfaces and she reaches out to him in need, his body won’t let him say no. Even when her last secret forces him to make a decision that exposes his most closely guarded possession. His heart.

Warning: Contains tug-your-heart love, raise-the-roof lust, a marriage of convenience and hot sex that will give a whole new meaning to the word “wildcatter”.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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Secrets and Seduction

Copyright © 2011 by Jane Beckenham

ISBN: 978-1-60928-489-3

Edited by Linda Ingmanson

Cover by Scott Carpenter

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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: June 2011

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