Tin Angel (10 page)

“Enjoying the view?”

“I can’t help it. I’m male, and you do fill out those jeans very nicely.” She shot him a curt look, but he sensed she was glad he found her so attractive.

She unfolded the blanket, laid it across the sheet, then plumped up the pillows. “Ready?” she asked, lending him her arm.

“You bet.” With the cane and Ally’s help, he hobbled to the makeshift bed.

“Is there anything else you need before I call it a night?”

Just you.
“I’m fine. Good night, Ally.”

“Good night, Jack.” She disappeared down the hall, turning out the lights as she went until only the glow from the Christmas tree remained.

He lay there in the near dark until his lids grew heavy. He’d known Ally only a short while, yet at times he felt as if he’d know her much longer, and for some reason it gave him comfort knowing she slept just down the hall.

* * *

Something sharp scratched at Jack’s arm. He forced his tired eyes open and found Jasper sitting beside him on the sofa. The grandfather clock ticking in the parlor’s shadowed corner showed 7:00 a.m.—way too early to rise during Christmas vacation. Jack turned on his side and closed his eyes. But Jasper prowled onto his pillow and let out a series of loud meows.

“Go away, cat,” Jack moaned, although he knew that was highly unlikely. Food was a priority for Jasper, and there was no doubt he wanted it now. Still groggy from a less than restful night, Jack grappled for the cane propped against the sofa.

Wearing only his boxers, he hobbled toward the kitchen, but a goddess in a pink bathrobe cut him off in the foyer.

“Going somewhere?” Ally’s gaze devoured him, widening as it lingered on his naked chest.

He returned her gaze with equal interest. Chestnut hair with glints of gold fell about her shoulders in a wild tumble. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips—rosy and full as if she’d just been kissed. He kept his gaze on her face, trying hard not to lower it to the skin peeking out from her robe, all dewy and soft. Even in a bathrobe, with no makeup on and her hair mussed from sleep, she was one of the most striking women he’d ever seen.

“Looks like you’re an early riser too,” he said.

“Yup. As a matter of fact, I’m usually up even earlier than this.”

Maybe he’d misjudged her. Maybe she wasn’t as high maintenance as he’d thought. Most of the women he’d known, when given the opportunity, would sleep the morning away, using their need for beauty sleep as an excuse. But Ally sure didn’t seem to care about that. And she didn’t seem to mind that he saw her with no makeup and mussed hair. And that pink bathrobe! While she looked adorable, the high-maintenance type wouldn’t be caught dead in it. Could he be wrong about Ally? He gave himself a mental shake. Ridiculous! So what if she didn’t care what she looked like in the morning, she could still be a criminal…a grifter. The thought disturbed him, not only because that could mean she was lying about Alice, but because he genuinely liked her. The vision of her behind bars didn’t sit well with him.

Jasper let out a long wail, then sat in front of Jack, staring up at him with large golden eyes. “Well, I guess I better feed the beast.”

Ally planted her hands firmly on her hips. “My ca—my aunt’s cat is not a beast.”

He quirked a brow at her. She’d almost called Jasper her cat. She looked away but not before he caught a glimpse of the heated flush that stole up her face. Why would she think of the cat as hers? She sure was a mystery.

Jack skirted around her, following the cat into the kitchen. “Care for some breakfast? I make a mean omelet,” he called over his shoulder.

“No thanks. I don’t usually eat first thing in the morning. But you go ahead. I’m going to take a shower.”

He studied her back as she padded down the hall. He wasn’t so sure of her reason for not wanting breakfast. More likely she wanted some time away from him so he wouldn’t question her about the cat slip-up. Though little did she know, he wasn’t about to forget. Oh no, he’d simply put it on his list of things that didn’t add up.

* * *

Alice let the hot water pummel the back of her neck, hoping the shower’s pulsating spray would loosen her stress-tightened muscles. Jack had to be wondering why she’d almost called Jasper her cat. Even though he didn’t acknowledge her mistake, his expression told her what she needed to know. He still didn’t trust her. And this flub only confirmed that he had good reason not to. She had to be more careful. She couldn’t afford any more slips of the tongue. Jack was no dummy. For all she knew, he could be pretending to be interested in her just to gather information to use against her. What she didn’t need was for him to contact the police because he suspected she was some sort of criminal. That thought made her shudder.

She wanted so badly to tell Jack the truth, but she couldn’t until she was sure he had real feelings for her. Lord knew she was falling for him. Only then did she have a small chance that he might believe her story. But if she kept messing up… She slathered her body with soap, trying to wash away her anger and stupidity. She’d best hurry and join Jack, lest he think she was avoiding him.

When Alice entered the parlor, Jack was standing by the window staring out at the snow-covered lawn, seemingly deep in thought. He’d gotten dressed, had even managed to get his boots on.

She crossed the room to stand beside him. “How’s your ankle?”

He shifted his weight onto his injury and gritted his teeth. “It’ll be fine.”

“You really should have Doc Brooks check it out,” Alice advised.

“A couple more days and I’ll be good as new.” But he leaned against the cane for support. “I suppose I should get going. Don’t want to outstay my welcome.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re not.” Her mind scrambled for a reason to keep him from leaving. When would she see him again? “The stairs… I don’t think you’re ready to climb—”

“Nonsense,” he interrupted. “You’re acting like a nervous mother hen. I’ll be fine, but do you mind if I use the cane for a bit longer?”

She shook her head. “Of course not. Use it as long as you need.” Her palms started to sweat. This wasn’t working. He was leaving. What to do now?
Think…think of something…don’t let him leave without plans to see him again.

“Jack,” Alice tried to keep the desperation out of her voice, “remember that offer you made…the one about spending the holiday—”

“With me,” he said, finishing her sentence. A little grin curved his lips. “Yes, I remember, but I was beginning to think you’d forgotten.”

A tingle of excitement ran through her. “If the offer’s still open, I’d love to.”

There was no mistaking the delight that swept over his face. “I’ll come get you around seven. We’ll go see the Christmas lights on the green.”

“Sounds wonderful.” She hadn’t viewed the lights in years. Her arthritis had kept her from doing so many things.

It wasn’t until after Jack left that she remembered her snow boots didn’t fit. Looked like she’d have to go shopping again.

* * *

Daryn sat across from Cassie at a table by the front window of the Ginger House, the hotel restaurant, and watched her spread butter on her bagel with precision. He was itching for them to be on their way. They’d spent way too long in Silvercreek. Not that he’d minded spending a day and a half in bed with her. “After breakfast, we should check out,” he said. “It finally stopped snowing. The roads should be clear.”

She leaned back in her chair and leveled her gaze at him. “I need to do a little shopping first.”

A muscle flicked angrily at his jaw. “Do what? Why? What could you possibly need?”

She narrowed her eyes to slits. “Don’t talk to me like that, as if I’m some kind of shallow, empty-headed nitwit.”

He took a long sip of coffee. Cassie was many things, but a shallow, empty-headed nitwit wasn’t one of them. She was sharp-tongued, sly as a fox, and an expert at falsifying documents. Why, if she hadn’t forged Marie Brenner’s will, they wouldn’t have been able to steal money from her estate. They were partners. Equal partners. Well, almost. He needed her. Couldn’t do what he did without her. When his mother died, he’d thought his days of grifting were over. He’d been a month away from his thirtieth birthday and had nothing to show for his age but a wallet full of hundred-dollar bills. He’d been in some bar in a city somewhere drowning his sorrows in vodka and grapefruit juice when Cassie entered his life by trying to pick his pocket. The memory of that day made him smile as he looked over at her. “You have no idea how much I adore you.”

She smiled back at him and reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

“If you need to go shopping, fine, but only if you can keep it to one store and be done by noon. I don’t want to miss the hotel’s checkout,” he said.

“Absolutely. I promise. There’s the cutest boutique across the street. See?” She pointed to a brick-front building with a pine-green awning with the name Tres Belle written in gold script across the front. It looked expensive. No doubt Cassie’s shopping spree would wind up costing him a pretty penny. “It shouldn’t take me long at all,” she went on.

He took the last sip of his coffee, then signaled the waitress for the bill. As he waited for her to bring it, he stared out the window. A strikingly beautiful brunette crossed the street. Her gleaming chestnut hair swung in rhythm to her stride. And what a stride! Her faded jeans accentuated the soft curve of her hips and the slender outline of her long legs. Just because he was in a relationship with Cass didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate a hot woman. And boy, was she hot. He watched her enter Miller’s, a department store next to Tres Belle. He’d love to see her up close and maybe partake in a little harmless flirting.

The waitress plopped down the bill, and he quickly pulled out a fifty from his wallet, but before he could hand it to her, she walked away.

“Whoa, miss” he said, waving the money in the air, but he might as well have saved his breath. The waitress had slipped inside the kitchen.

Cassie looked at him with raised brows. “What’s the big hurry?” She checked her watch for the time. “We’ve got more than two hours before the noon checkout.”

“I know. I know.” He dropped the fifty on top of the bill, then pushed out his chair and stood. “But knowing you as I do, that’s probably not near enough time to shop.” He couldn’t tell Cassie the real reason for the rush was so he could check out another woman.

He shoved his wallet into his pocket. “Ready?” He took hold of her hand and helped her to her feet.

“What about the change?” She glanced down at the bill. “The total’s only twenty-seven dollars.”

“Do you think the waitress will complain about such a large tip? It’ll make her day.”

Cassie stared at him, her lovely eyes searching his face as if seeing him for the first time. “You never cease to amaze me. I hadn’t known you to be generous to strangers.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Just one more reason to love you, I guess.”

Daryn should have felt some guilt at deceiving her, but he didn’t. His lies were a means to an end—attaining whatever he desired. “I love you too, babe.”

He draped his arm across her shoulders, then gently led her out of the restaurant and across the street. When they reached Tres Belle, he went back into his wallet and pulled out four hundred dollars. “Here, go buy yourself something nice.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?” she asked, her brow furrowing into a ridge.

“Don’t scowl; you’ll make a wrinkle,” he joked.

She didn’t laugh. Instead, she persisted with her questions. “Where are you going, and why aren’t you coming with me?”

He had to come up with what she’d consider an adequate response, or she’d never let up. “Hon, do I really need to?” He pointed next door to Miller’s. “I thought I’d wander around the men’s section. Maybe find some sexy cologne you’ll find irresistible on me.”