Finding the Magic (4 page)

He shoved his hands in his pockets and regarded her warily. “You owe us two weeks’ notice.”

Jayne’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “True, and you owe me four weeks’ holiday pay…but hey, you know I’m not afraid to work. I’ll finish the two weeks before you pay me the four weeks you owe me. It’ll give me a chance to chat with the rest of the girls. Explain the situation to them…”

Jayne watched as her implied threat registered. He might be able to sweep one lawsuit for sexual harassment under the rug but not half a dozen.

“I see. Well, perhaps, under the circumstances, it would be agreeable if we were to count your holiday time as your notice. It would mean of course that you would need to leave now.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he danced around the issue. “That works for me. Of course, if one of the girls was unhappy in the future, the situation might change.”

He glared at her and gave a sharp nod before turning and heading for the door. “I’ll expect your keys on my desk within the hour, Miss Davis.”

Jayne flipped the bird at his retreating back and when the door clicked shut behind him she threw victorious fists in the air. “Yes! I am back!”

The sound of a lone pair of hands clapping made her whirl toward the shadows at the back of the room. Cameron. His expression held the remnants of anger and a grudging respect as he walked slowly toward her. He dropped his hands to his sides and nodded toward the door. “Nicely done.”

She shrugged uncomfortably. “It was past time. How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know that if he’d touched you again,
Ah’d
have broken his fingers.” He made the statement so matter-of-factly that she knew he was utterly serious. It reminded her again that this man could be very dangerous if crossed. But not to her, she was certain of it.

“Well, thanks, but I was doing just fine on my own.” Reality was finally sinking in. She had just become one of the unemployed masses, a first for her.
God
,
Jayne
,
when you decide to change your life you don
’
t wait around
.
What now
? She studied the man in front of her. His large, silent presence was strangely comforting.
Why not
? She ignored the little voice in her head that urged her to retreat back to her flat and the escapism offered by her library. It was time to take the kind of risk she had been hiding from. The kind of risk she had urged her best friend to take a very few months ago.

“I think I’ve just been hit head on by destiny,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. Well, I seem to have some time on my hands.” He didn’t comment, just watched her with his an almost predatory stillness and anticipation in his golden-brown eyes. As though his prey was in sight and it was only a matter of time before it —
she
—was in his grasp.
Come on
,
Jayne
,
take the plunge
. It should have been frightening but instead, it made her body flush with the heat of arousal. Seven years ago she wouldn’t have hesitated, but that was before she let grief and fear take over her life. He wanted her to go with him and whether she believed she was in some kind of danger or not, wasn’t it better to be safe rather than sorry?
You
’
re rationalizing
,
Jayne
,
but so what
.
She looked at this big, enigmatic stranger and the old Jayne saw adventure there. He had secrets and the anticipation of finding out what they were made her feel…alive.

“So, what are the Highlands like at this time of the year?”

Cameron released the breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, unsure whether he had won the battle or not. He had felt her indecision, heard it in the few thoughts he had picked up. She had agreed to come home with him but he wasn’t sure anymore that it was a good idea. The pull between them was becoming stronger the more time they spent together and it didn’t seem as if Jayne had any intention of resisting it. Yes, she would be safer under his roof. But would he?

She ignored the curious glances of her colleagues as they walked through the store, stopping only to explain to the dark-haired girl who had replaced her at the checkout. Cam doubted anyone but he could tell she was anything other than calm and relaxed. But he had seen her hesitate before leaving the storeroom, straightening her shoulders and pulling a cloak of serenity around her. It had been difficult not to go to her and wrap his arms around her but he didn’t trust himself. Instead, he only followed as closely behind her as he dared. Offering what support he could while she picked up her coat and bag and dropped the keys on the desk in the deserted manager’s office.

She had said very little to him as they walked back to her apartment, other than to ask how long a trip to pack for. An answer he had been unable to provide. But instead of fuming at him, Jayne had merely shook her head and smiled wryly and he had felt her resigned amusement. Now he leaned against the wall in the hallway and watched her put clothes into the suitcase on the bed. She had changed into a cream-colored sweater and boot-cut jeans that clung to her ass the way he’d like to. Her low-heeled boots put her at just the right height for him to easily reach that curvy backside if he were to wrap his arms around her. He wondered again what he had gotten himself into. The hair on his arms was standing on end from the energy zinging between them and he doubted he could ever get used to it. Would Murray House, as large as it was, be big enough to escape her? He dragged his gaze away from temptation and focused it on the floor instead.

Eager for a distraction, he caught a glimpse of something peeking out from under the bed. Jayne breezed past him to the living room, her scent wrapped around him, light and floral. He heard her rustling around in the kitchen and glanced back to the bed, curiosity drawing him. Kneeling, he grasped the corner and drew the object out from its hiding place. It was a painting, an unframed canvas. He blew the light layer of dust from the surface, making his sensitive nose twitch, and studied the picture. A high-quality
watercolor
of the coastline of the town. It looked as though it might have been painted from the cliff road he had driven along coming here. A sense of light radiated from it, making the scene glow. He knew it would have caught his eye hanging in any gallery. He looked to the bottom corner and was stunned to see the signature J Davis.
Jayne painted this
? Why would it be hidden under a bed instead of displayed? The only artwork he had seen on the walls of her apartment were modern prints.

Confused he bent to check under the bed again but there were no more paintings just a large, flat, dusty wooden box. When opened it revealed an array of sealed paint and brushes and other painting and drawing necessities. It had never entered his head that she might be an artist. What would it be like to see all her passion and energy directed at her art? Would she paint for him? Impulsively he closed the box, brushed the dust off and opened Jayne’s suitcase. He slid the box into the bottom under the neatly folded clothes just as he heard her footsteps approach. By the time Jayne entered the room he was standing by the window and the suitcase was closed again.

“Ready to go?”

She looked at him, brows lowered in suspicion. “Sure.” He avoided her eyes, picked up the suitcase and followed her out of the apartment. He should just ask her about the painting but something told him she wouldn’t welcome it. There had to be a very good reason why someone so talented had abandoned her work. With that in mind, how was she going to react when she discovered his addition to her suitcase? Cameron winced internally and resolved to be far, far away when she unpacked.

Chapter Four

Jayne shifted in the seat of the hunter-green, four-wheel drive and studied the man beside her. Those magnificent amber-
colored
eyes of his were hidden behind the sunglasses he had donned as soon as they had gotten into the car, shielding his eyes from the winter sun which sat low in the sky and glittered off the wet road surface with eye-watering intensity. He had told her only that it would take about three hours to get to Murray House. Then he had clammed up and had remained stubbornly silent, refusing to be drawn into conversation. Jayne had been left to study the passing scenery. It was a while before she had noticed that the man beside her was paying just as much attention to their surroundings. The realization that he was checking to see if they were being followed had once again reinforced how serious he was about the threat to her.

They had left the motorway behind about forty minutes ago and joined a narrow country road that wound its way into the hills. Patchy snow and slush had given way to a layer of white crystals over the fields surrounding them. The road was wet and slippery in places, forcing Cam to slow down or risk skidding off the road. Her whole body tensed every time they rounded one of the sharp bends in the road. After the deaths of Megan’s and her own parents, she had never really been comfortable in cars. He handled the large vehicle with a confidence that she admired, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

Cameron looked relaxed but a sudden tension in his shoulders caused her to glance at the road ahead of them. A temporary sign stood just by the road side and a bit farther on, a policeman stood at the entrance to a small parking place. A vehicle checkpoint. The police often set them up on these small roads where it was easier to control the traffic. They were looking for cars without the right documents and checking that they were roadworthy. Jayne sighed, this car was brand new and there was no way this man would be trying to dodge paying his road tax. Why should he? He could afford it. It still meant at least a twenty-minute delay while they checked it out though.

They were directed into a space behind a white transit van and he opened the window to talk to the officer who had waved them off the road. There was another uniformed officer kneeling by the front tire of the van. In front, there were a couple of cars and a white mobile office with police markings. A set of metal steps led up to a door in the back and Jayne could see a corkboard with papers pinned on it through the grille window. Her attention was drawn back to the man who was now looking at the van’s rear tire. Something about him bothered her but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Vaguely she was aware of Cameron gathering the vehicle documents from the glove compartment and opening the door. He had just gotten out of the car when it clicked.

Trainers.

He was wearing black sneakers.

What policeman wore sneakers when in uniform?

She turned to tell Cameron and saw him scuffling with the policeman. The man was leaning against the door, trapping him and restricting his ability to fight back. She scrambled over the gearshift to help as Cam gave a guttural grunt and cursed viciously. The man with the trainers was coming to his feet and she suspected it was only a matter of time before others followed him. The door flew open as she threw her weight against it. Caught off guard the man stumbled backwards and fell onto the gravel surface. Only her grasp of the steering wheel prevented Jayne from falling out after him. Hastily, she climbed back to her seat as Cameron jumped in behind her.

The well-tuned engine roared to life and he floored the accelerator. The car bounded forward, throwing her off balance, her head hit the door with a resounding thump and she bit her tongue. She found herself sprawling on the floor in front of the passenger seat, the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth. Tires squealed on concrete as Cameron drove them recklessly around corners. She braced herself, suddenly glad she couldn’t see where they were going.

“Are they following us?” she asked. He had lost his sunglasses in the struggle and the expression in his amber eyes was fierce. He glanced in the
rearview
mirror and the car slowed a little.

“
Disnae
look like it.” He reached out and grasped her hand, hauling her back into her seat. Jayne groaned and rubbed the lump that was forming on her head as a number of other sore places began to make themselves known. She pushed them out of her mind and snapped her seat belt into place. “What the hell just happened? That wasn’t a real checkpoint, was it?”

He scowled at the road and growled, “No. It
wasnae
.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

She let the implications of that sink in. She was no fool, it didn’t take long. “They were waiting for us. You know what that tells me? They knew
you
. Not me. I would have had no reason to be on this road. Maybe I wouldn’t have been in any danger if you hadn’t brought me to it.”

He didn’t seem to hear her. Frowning, he shook his head abruptly like a dog shaking off water then said abruptly, “Can you drive, lass?”

“What? No.” She had failed her driving test when she took it a couple of years ago and never got around to taking it again. Okay that wasn’t entirely true, actually she had been too much of a coward to take it again. It had been a miracle that Megan had been able to talk her into it the first time.

He shook his head again. “Shit.” This time when he looked at her she noticed that his pupils were dilated, the irises just a ring of gold around them. “Bastard stuck a syringe into my side. Must have been a tranquilizer.” The car swerved over the white line and he snapped his attention back to the road. But instead of pulling over, he accelerated.

“What the hell are you doing? Didn’t you just say they drugged you!? Slow down!”

“No. They could be right behind us. We have to get back to the estate. It’s not far, it’ll be safe there.” His shoulders had begun to droop and he straightened again. “Open the windows, lass.”