Larkspur Road (13 page)

Panic chilled her blood. She jumped off the sofa so fast she almost knocked her Coke can off the coffee table. But she didn’t follow the dog. Not yet. Her heart was lodged in her throat. As much as she wanted to know who was there, outside, she could only stand frozen, fear knotting in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

It isn’t him. He doesn’t know you’re here. No one from home knows, except Laura. And she’d never tell….

She’d emailed Laura just that morning from Aunt Mia’s
laptop and asked her if she’d told him anything. Laura had written back two words.

No way.

Britt swallowed and fought the fear.
It’s probably just Aunt Mia. It must be. Her meeting must be over by now.

But Samson never barked when Aunt Mia arrived home. He somehow knew the sound of her Jeep or sensed it was her. He was definitely barking now, frantic, high-pitched barking that blared in her ears like alarm bells.

Slowly Brittany forced herself to tiptoe down the hall, into the living room. She edged to the window and ever so slowly inched the curtain back to peek out.

The car parked behind her convertible was definitely not Aunt Mia’s Jeep. It was bigger, an SUV, a dark bulky blur in the night.

It isn’t him. He doesn’t drive an SUV,
she thought with a burst of relief. But her heart was still racing. The memory of Wade’s expression the last time she’d seen him swamped her with fear.

Wade was as smart as he was short-tempered. He could have borrowed a car. He could have
stolen
a car. She wouldn’t put anything past him.

She ducked back, then stood perfectly still as she tried to tune out Samson’s barking and prayed the doorbell wouldn’t ring. No way was she opening that door. Not to anyone she didn’t know. Not unless she was sure it wasn’t Wade, or someone he might have sent to scare her.

What if whoever’s out there saw me peeking through the curtain?
Panic rushed back. Samson was barking so loudly—maybe he’d scare whoever it was.

Fat chance,
a voice inside her yelled. Samson was a pipsqueak. An adorable pipsqueak, but still a pip—

Someone knocked on the door.

Don’t open it. Don’t open that door
.

“Everything okay in there?” A man’s voice. But it was older, deeper than Wade’s. A strong voice, even and calm.

Don’t answer,
she told herself even as a measure of relief flooded over her.

Still, she stood motionless as Samson finally turned and stared at her expectantly, then gave another bark as if to make sure she knew someone was out there.

“You must be Mia’s niece, Brittany. My sister-in-law, Sophie Tanner, mentioned you were here for the summer.”

So he
had
spotted her when she peeked out. But he knew her name, and he knew Sophie. If Sophie was his sister-in-law…

It suddenly dawned on her that this must be the guy Erma was talking about. Aunt Mia’s old boyfriend.

She was panicking over nothing. This was Lonesome Way, where everyone knew each other, not some big city full of strangers.

She was letting Wade turn her into a paranoid coward.

“Who are you?” she called, just to be sure. Her voice almost sounded normal. “What’s your name?”

“Travis Tanner. I’m a friend of your aunt’s.”

She let out a sigh of relief. Travis Tanner. All right then. She wanted a look at the guy. Erma had talked like Aunt Mia was still in love with him. But Aunt Mia seemed like she couldn’t care less.

Cautiously, Brittany opened the door on the chain, which only slid back two inches.

“Are you okay?” Travis Tanner asked as Samson barked again like a maniac and ran in circles around her.

Brittany gaped at the man on the other side of the screen door. He was tall and handsome, wearing a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans, and boots—ordinary clothes. But there was nothing ordinary about him. He was definitely the hottest guy she’d ever seen. She couldn’t speak for a moment as she stared into his strong, tanned face. He had muscles like a football player and silver-blue eyes. Of course, he was way too old for her, probably in his thirties, but he had what Laura would call the whole package.

Aunt Mia didn’t want to get back together with
him
?

“Sorry, I—I was just watching a scary movie. It freaked me out and then the doorbell rang.” Her fingers a bit unsteady, she unhooked the chain, eased open the door. “Aunt Mia went to her quilting meeting, and she isn’t home yet but she should be back any minute. You can come inside and wait for her, if you want.”

“Thanks. I really need to speak to her tonight.”

Travis studied the girl who stepped aside so he could enter the house. She definitely looked shaken. Her skin was pale, and he saw uneasiness still hovering in the depths of her eyes.

Must have been some scary movie,
he thought.

“Good move, being careful about opening the door to a stranger. Even here in Lonesome Way. Though you do have this fierce watchdog here to protect you.”

She managed to laugh as he stepped into the hallway. He knelt down to scratch Samson behind the ears. The dog jumped up, placing his paws on Travis’s knee, his tail wagging furiously.

“Tough guy, huh? You protecting this place?”

“His name’s Samson. Aunt Mia found him in the road. Someone threw him away. Can you believe that?”

“Ah, unfortunately I can. She should have named him Lucky.” Travis stood and closed the door behind him. It had been a long time since he’d been in this house, and Mia had obviously made some changes over the years, but it still felt incredibly familiar. The cherrywood chest in the corner, the cozy L-shaped living room with its matching plump chintz sofas, and the tall windows looking onto the street all brought back memories of another time. A time when he and Mia meant everything to each other. A time of first love and boundless hope and a feeling of complete happiness.

Up until the day he’d come here, stood on her porch, and told her in the coldest way possible that they were done.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked the teenager, reminding
himself he was here for Grady’s sake, not for a stroll down memory lane.

Mia’s niece still looked nervous. In his line of work, Travis had seen a lot of people who were afraid—and not of something that was happening in a movie. This girl looked nearly as on edge as half the crime victims he’d seen.

“I’m fine. I…I guess I have an overactive imagination. Can I get you something to drink? We have some cookies—”

“Thanks, but you don’t need to entertain me. I’ll just wait here. If you want to go back to your movie, that’s fine with me—”

The words were barely out of his mouth when they both heard another car in the driveway. The teenager spun toward the door, her eyes wide.

“That’s most likely your aunt, isn’t it?”

Brittany visibly relaxed, but before Travis could ask her exactly what scary movie she’d been watching, Mia came through the door fast and the little dog flung himself at her as though she’d been gone for a year.

“What are
you
doing here?” she demanded, staring at Travis.

The dog jumped on her, his tiny paws flailing at her white capris, begging her to notice him, but she just stroked his head, keeping her gaze firmly trained on Travis’s face.

“Sorry to come by without calling first,” he said evenly, “but I need to discuss something with you. It’s important. I came to ask for your help.”

“I can’t imagine how I could possibly help you with anything.”

“Only because you haven’t heard what I have to say yet.”

Mia started to snap a reply, but she clamped her lips shut as she noticed Brittany watching her and Travis—a wide grin spreading across her face as her fascinated gaze flitted back and forth between both of them.

Oh, no, not you, too
.

She frowned at her niece.

“Um, going now,” Britt said lightly. “I really need to get some sleep. Have to be at work early tomorrow.” Her slender figure edged slowly toward the hall. “It was nice meeting you, Mr. Tanner.”

“Call me Travis,” he said, his gaze still glued to Mia’s face.

“G’night, Aunt Mia.”

“Don’t forget to set your alarm, Britt.”

Mia heard the fading sound of Britt’s flip-flops on the wood floor as she padded toward the guest room, heard the click of her door closing. Samson had given up trying to get Mia to notice him and was lying down on the rug, looking dejected, his chin on his paws.

She felt the tension in her shoulders and tried to relax. Okay, so she’d acted like a shrew, but it had thrown her, seeing Travis standing in her living room like that.

She’d been thinking about Aunt Winny destroying Gram’s wedding quilt all during the drive back from town. She’d heard a great deal about that quilt—and had even seen an old photo of it once. It was hand pieced and hand quilted, with a double wedding ring pattern and exquisite scalloped edges. According to family lore, the quilt had been passed down through the women in her family for at least four generations and was originally believed to bring all the brides it was gifted to good luck. But that luck had certainly run out after it was burned to ashes only weeks before Gram’s wedding.

She’d been trying to figure out why no one had ever told her Winny was responsible for that. And even as she’d turned onto Larkspur Road, she’d been struggling still to wrap her head around the idea that Gram’s own sister could have done something so terrible.

The last thing she’d expected when she reached home was to find Travis’s car taking up half her driveway, and Travis in her living room talking to Britt. Even more disconcerting was that he looked just as good with his clothes on as with half of them off.

How was she supposed to act cool and indifferent when he stood there all gorgeous, relaxed, and at ease while her heart was skittering all over the place? She didn’t want to look at hard, rugged features that were embedded in her heart, or at his tall, buff frame. And she certainly didn’t want to gaze into blue eyes that still held the power to unsettle her.

“Fine, since you’re here, you may as well sit down,” she said with what she hoped was an indifferent shrug. She knew she sounded rude. But seeing Travis here in her house, after all these years, was throwing her off her game.

“After you.”

“Always the gentleman,” Mia muttered under her breath, but he heard her. One dark eyebrow shot up.

Travis had always had impeccable manners. He’d even come to her door and broken up with her politely all those years ago the night after his prom. Short and sweet.

I can’t do this anymore. Good-bye and good luck
. Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am.

Her jaw set, she sank down on the sofa. Immediately, Samson leaped up, landed in her lap, and began licking her cheek. Gently, she stroked the soft fur under his chin as Travis took the armchair, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

He looked big and powerful in this small, cozy house. If she was a bad guy, she definitely wouldn’t want to tangle with him in a dark alley. But she suddenly noticed the tension in his neck and the worried look in his eyes. Concern immediately edged out the shock she’d felt at seeing him in her home.

“What’s this all about?” she asked quickly.

“A favor. It’s not for me,” he added grimly. “It’s for Grady.”

“What sort of favor?”

Travis kept his gaze trained on her face, wondering why she always had to look so damned adorable. Her hair was
swept up into a ponytail. Her mint green scoop-necked tee hugged her breasts. With her shapely legs encased in white capris and her toenails glistening shell pink in those delicate white sandals, Mia looked good enough to devour in one slow, delicious bite.

Or, he thought, in a thousand tiny nibbles. He tried to concentrate solely on her heart-shaped face, but it was equally distracting. Even without a touch of makeup except for a trace of lip gloss, her skin glowed creamy and he had to be careful not to let himself get drawn in by those dark-lashed amber eyes watching him so seriously.

“I need you to tutor Grady in English and earth science.”

She looked startled. And the instant she opened her mouth to reply, Travis knew she was going to refuse.

“This is a kid who used to love to read,” he continued before she could get the words out. “And now he’s flunking fifth grade. His school in California wants to hold him back and force him to repeat the entire year. The only way to prevent that is for him to pass a proficiency test. A tough one.”

He hurried on, keeping his tone firm, professional, as it was when he laid a case out before an FBI supervisor or a federal prosecutor.

“I’ve already been in touch with his school district in Los Angeles and they’ve agreed to email me the curriculum requirements and textbook information. Lissie tells me you’re the best teacher in Lonesome Way. Hands down. So here I am.” His gaze held hers. “I’m desperate, Mia. And I’m throwing myself on your mercy.”

“Travis, I’m sorry about Grady.” She bit her lip. “You seem to have been very busy trying to help him.”

“Not busy enough.” Travis’s eyes were grim. “Some of this is my fault. And I need to fix it.”

Regret as well as worry flickered in his face. She searched his eyes, thinking how once, long ago, she’d been able to look at Travis and understand everything he was thinking and feeling. But not anymore.

“I know you’re worried about him, but I’m afraid I can’t help. I’m not a tutor. The good news is, I know several people who are.”

Rising, she started toward the kitchen where she kept a notepad and pen. “I’ll give you some numbers. You should start with Mary Carnes. She’s a wonderful tutor. She—”

“I don’t want Mary Carnes.” Travis sprang out of the chair and reached her in two swift strides. His fingers closed around her arm, gently but firmly turning her back toward him.

“I want
you.
”

For one awful moment, the double meaning of those words seemed to hang in the air between them. Mia felt her cheeks burning.

“You know what I mean,” Travis said quickly.

“I know exactly what you mean. But I’m not available.”
For tutoring or anything else.