Sin With Cuffs (4 page)

“Oh, Holly, dear. I’d like you to meet James. He’s your new father.”

Holly squinted. At thirty, she was too old for a father figure, especially one that could second as a brother.

James was the first to make a move. “It’s very nice to meet you.” He strutted across the wood floor in his shiny loafers. His plastic smile showed off perfectly lined white teeth against tan complexion.

Holly shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.” She thought that was pushing the truth a hair.

“So, what happened here?” James nodded toward the window.

 “It’s only a broken window. I taped plastic on it this morning. I’ll call a repair service and have it fixed.” She hoped they’d let it rest. Holly didn’t want to revive the incident. There wasn’t anything they could do for her anyway.

“Yes, you need to get that taken care of right away,” Vicki said.

“I will. I’m glad you made the drive safely. Let’s get you settled in. Where are your bags?” Holly glanced around and didn’t spot any luggage or overnight bags.

Vicki patted her hair sprayed tresses. Her red lips curved into a poorly formed smile. “James and I thought we’d stay at the bed and breakfast on the edge of town, dear. You know the one I’m talking about. The charming blue house with the white pillars.”

“Sandy’s Bed and Breakfast? Yes, it’s a lovely place but there’s plenty of room here for all of us.”

“We don’t want to put you out,” James said. His shoes clicked on the hardwood as he went to stand next to Vicki. “We know how young people like their privacy.”

Obviously, the decision to stay elsewhere was more James’s idea and less her mother’s. “I’m sure you two will be comfortable there,” Holly said. In the end, it was for the best.

“We wanted to stop here first and get the itinerary for the next couple of days,” Vicki sat back down.

Holly did the same, trying to avoid the dull ache of her wounded foot. “Grandma had taken care of all the details. The funeral is tomorrow at ten and the reading of the will is at noon.”

Vicki’s heavily eye shadowed gaze narrowed. “Mother had planned her own funeral? Isn’t that morose?”

Holly shrugged. “I believe she didn’t want to bother anyone.”

Vicki waved a slender hand. The large diamond on her fourth finger beamed in the sunlight filtering through the window. The woman never failed to have shiny trinkets. “It was all about control. She wanted everything her way,” Vicki said in frustration. “Oh well. I’ll be glad to leave this town.”

“You’re not staying long?”

Vicki tugged at the hem of her angora sweater. “I’m sorry, Holly. We’re meeting friends in Colorado for the weekend. We’ll be here long enough to speak to a realtor about putting this old place up for sale.” Her plotting gaze scanned the room. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Up for sale?” Holly wasn’t surprised.

Vicki brought her attention back to Holly. “Yes. What else would we do with it?”

Holly laid her palms on the arms of the chair. She breathed in her grandma’s floral scent that lingered in the material. Without the buffer of her presence, Holly was alone against her mother. “Grandma wouldn’t want this place sold. It’s been in the family for generations. She was born and raised here.”

“Oh, hun,” Vicki huffed. “You’re still sentimental. Mother is dead and gone. She couldn’t possibly think, or expect, for anyone to live here.”

“I thought I’d stay for a while,” Holly said. She regretted the words, knowing she probably should have weighed the consequences before putting voice to them.

Vicki’s lips thinned and her crow’s feet deepened. Holly always thought her mother should have spent less money and time on her looks and more on therapy. “Why on earth would you want to stay here?”

Thinking over her words carefully this time, Holly finally said, “I grew up here. I’d like to reconnect with my roots.”

James’s scoff irked Holly. “Maybe if you’d grown up in a city with style, like Chicago or Las Vegas, you’d have reason to stay. What’s there to reconnect with here?” he said.

Holly didn’t even act like she’d heard him.

Her mother sighed. “You’re upset over your grandma’s death. That’s understandable. After the funeral you’ll be ready to move on and put this place behind you,” Vicki said with a bitter chuckle. “You’ll see what I mean.”

Holly’s blood heated. “What will I see? She was your
mother
. Is it that easy to talk with such…such…disrespect? Aren’t you sad?” She knew her mother hated fighting, especially when it targeted her, and for the most part, Holly avoided conflict, but on occasion, she couldn’t dodge the bullet.

Vicki pursed her lips. “Of course I’m sad.” She reached into her purse and removed an unused tissue. With the grace of a professional manipulator, she daintily dabbed at the corners of each eye. “How could you even ask such a ridiculous question? I’m sorry if I don’t like Raven as much as you do,” she glanced around the room, nose wrinkled, “or old smelly houses.”

Like an ideal husband, James wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Holly realized she’d become the bad guy in this picture as they both brought cool, accusing gazes on her. She also knew defending the honor of Raven and the house wouldn’t change her mother’s opinion.

Holly’s cell rang. She grabbed it from her pocket, glad for the lifeline. Her heart fluttered when she saw that it was Liam. A complete awareness spread through her. “I have to take this,” she said to her mother and left the room to go into the kitchen. When she was a safe distance from prying ears, she clicked the button. “Hello?”

“Liam here. I wanted to call and let you know there were no prints on the rock. I figured as much.”

“Thank you for calling with news,” she said.

“I’m guessing nothing else happened I need to be aware of?” he asked.

She had a feeling he already knew her mother was in town and started to ask, but she stopped herself. If he asked how she felt, she’d have to tell him and he wasn’t her confidant any longer, or her supporter. This was the present and she couldn’t rely on him. “No, nothing at all.”

There was a short hesitation before he said, “I hear your mother is back.”

Figured. “Yup, the gang’s all here.” She tightened her grip on the phone. “How is it that you know everything that goes on around here?”

“I’m chief of a small town, Holly. There’s nothing I don’t know.”

“Sounds pretty exhausting to me,” she stated.

“Do I need to concern myself with bloodshed?” he asked.

“If there is, it won’t be mine.” She was joking, but she couldn’t manage laughter. He didn’t either.

“You two are a dangerous combination. I’d like to keep this town peaceful and I don’t have time to break up domestic arguments.”

“Come on, lighten up. I remember a Lem who wasn’t so uptight. In fact, you used to think my mother’s snootiness was funny.”

 “Lem no longer exists. There’s a time when everyone has to grow up,” he said.

There was a lot of meaning to his words. “How long are you going to hold me liable for what I did when I was twenty? Are we going to rehash old times every time we speak? I’d suggest we play the old disappearing act when we see one another coming, but in a town this size, that’s impossible. And honestly, I don’t want animosity between us. We can forget the resentment and move on.”

His sigh rattled the phone. She could almost see his narrowed gaze and tight jaw line. “I like the sound of your words, but I’ve heard them before. Take care of yourself, Holly.” The phone went dead.

Clicking off her phone, she concentrated on breathing in and out. Certain people could stick it where it doesn’t shine.

“Who was that on the phone?”

Her mother’s voice made Holly jump and in the process, she knocked over a glass sitting on the counter. She faced her mother with a forced smile. “No one,” Holly answered.

“You seem nervous. It was that Liam boy, wasn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t call him a boy. He’s thirty-two, which probably classifies him as a man.” Holly wanted to nip this conversation in the bud because she knew the lecture was about to ensue. Her mother always got a look of annoyance in her eye when she was ready to unleash.

“Won’t you ever learn your lesson? That
man
is a bad influence on you.” Vicki tossed her blonde mane over one shoulder.

Holly walked past her mother and into the living room. “Some would disagree. I’d heard I was the bad influence,” Holly said with a chuckle.

Vicki’s snort bounced off the walls. “You two were always in trouble. I hope he isn’t the one talking you into staying in this good-for-nothing town.”

Holly turned. “No one is talking me into anything. I’m an adult. And right now, I’m a busy adult.” She hoped that put an end to any more discussion about Liam. It was bad enough she had to deal with him and his moments of acrimony.

“If you’re busy, James and I will leave.” Vicki had her purse before her last word left her mouth.

“If you plan on selling this place, are you going to help go through things? Grandma has a lot I think we should keep.”

An expression of absurdity swept over Vicki’s face. “I thought you might like to do that. After all, you did say you wished to reconnect with your roots.” Each word Vicki said felt like a smack to Holly’s face. “I’m sure there’s nothing here for me.”

 Holly smirked. Vicki had never been one to step out of the comfort zone and do anything that could help others. At least when the advantage wasn’t hers.

* * * *

Holly climbed into bed and a cool draft swept up her arm. She snuggled deeper into the warmth of the covers and hopefully into a sexy dream. Cold air blew over her face, making rest impossible. The house had always been nippy, even in the summer. She pulled the pillow over her head and was finally on the brink of sleep when she heard a thump. After last night’s episode with a broken window and a brick, she didn’t hesitate in responding. She jumped out of bed, leaving the frilly comforter behind.

The dull knocking sound came again. She swallowed the tightness in her throat. Visitors at two in the morning were never good.

 Grabbing the baseball bat from next to the bed, and her phone from the nightstand, Holly headed into the hallway. A sense of déjà vu came over her. She pushed aside the feeling and moved into the shadows. Her bare feet made no noise on the wood floor, yet her pacing heart seemed to echo off the walls in a warning for whoever dared disturb her a second night.

A snapping sound made her stop midstride and she held her breath. As a kid she knew every creak and pop, and its origin. She couldn’t remember where every soft spot in the house was now, but she did know the sound came from her grandma’s bedroom.

Slowly and carefully, she made her way to the room at the end of the hall. She’d been in here only once in the last two days. It was dark, but she could find her way. The strong scent of her grandmother’s lavender perfume soothed her nerves. The full moon’s glow streamed through the window, offering a pale light on her surroundings. She examined the area, saw nothing, so she took a step forward. An icy breeze swept over her, causing goose bumps on her skin and her teeth to clatter.

The clock on the bedside table chimed, followed by a scraping on the wall behind her. She spun and caught a shadow as it darted toward the closet. Her breath caught in her lungs. Blinking several times, it disappeared. “Hello? Is someone there?” Intuition warned her she wasn’t alone.

 
Running to the nightstand, she flicked on the light. She made two quick turns, scanning the area. The only movement came from the billowing curtains. At the open window, she looked out onto the street. The security light on the corner lit the sidewalk. A loud clang sounded below and she inspected the area from her viewpoint. A cat jumped from the metal trash can in front of her house, causing her to jump and she dropped the bat.