Tidal Falls (Wounded Hearts Book 1) (4 page)

CHAPTER
FOUR

Sara stood at the kitchen window, hands in dishwater, eyelids closed in simple pleasure, her face lifted toward the warmth of the sun’s rays. She’d always loved the promise of spring with all the fresh scents. Shiny new leaves on the trees. Birds singing as they go about the business of nest building and caring for their young. It felt like anything was possible.

Voices coming through the screen
had her opening her eyes to see Nick at work restoring the garden from Jake, who had managed to dig up all her tulip bulbs. Darn mutt. Jessica and the dog followed behind him pretty much step for step. It’d been almost a week and she still couldn’t fathom what she’d been thinking of to let him kiss her like that.

It’
s not the end of the world, get over it.

He
didn’t seem to be suffering from any such anxiety—not showing by the slightest hint, his tongue had been halfway down her throat. It was almost like it hadn’t happened, except it had.

Her pulse leapt
remembering the hot look in his eyes, and those full lips lowering to hers. Jessica had been right down the hall, but for one, all too brief, exciting moment, she’d forgotten the disillusioned woman staring at her now.

Fiona, t
he only person Sara trusted with her whereabouts had called just yesterday with an all too grim reminder.

“Hi
, babe, how are you and that gorgeous God-daughter of mine making out?” Her effervescent personality bubbling through the airwaves warmed Sara’s heart.

“Fiona.
We miss you so much.” She wasn’t sure what she would have done without her friend’s help and encouragement. And now, through her gallery, Sara was able to provide a living for Jessica by selling her paintings under a pseudonym.

“
And I miss you. Life’s boring around here without you two.”

There was a slight pause and Sara could feel the tension flowing down
the line. “What’s wrong, Fiona? Tell me.”

“
It’s nothing, your dickhead husband showed up here a couple of days ago.”

Sara sucked in a sharp
lungful of air, her hands clenching the dishcloth. “Tom didn't bother you, did he?”

“The air h
e breathes bothers me, my dear, but that’s not the reason I called. I just wanted to give you a heads-up, that’s all. Don't worry about me, just take care of yourselves and I'll be happy.”

“He’s not going to give t
his up, is he? I'm so worried.” Tears clogged her throat, turning her voice husky. “When he catches up to us—”

“
That’s not going to happen.” Fiona swore, her voice full of venom. “Sooner or later he’s going to screw up and then we’ll have him. I spoke to a friend of mine in the DEA—don’t worry, she’s solid—anyway, she’s looking into it, Sara. You’re not alone in this. He’s going to jail. And then you guys can come back home.”

After a bit more conversation, they’d hung up
, promising to stay in touch. Sara wished she felt half as confident as her friend. She’d read the file she’d taken when they ran and been shocked by the contents. She’d known it contained valuable information, but hadn’t realized how the same man who dealt in million dollar drug deals and weapons exchanges, could be the respected one she’d married.

The sun warmed her chilled skin as h
er daughter’s contagious laughter floated through the partially open window. Deciding to take a trip down to the Craft Shack for a dose of Annie’s cheerful optimism she phoned over to Tess, who was more than happy to watch Jessica.

Opening the kitchen window a
little wider, she called, “Jess, I'm running out to do a couple of errands. You can stay with Aunty Tess, okay?”

“Mom, can’t I stay with N
ick? I'll be good,” she yelled, shyly grasping Nick’s large hand, and gazing up at him with a severe case of hero worship.

Nick’s gaze speared Sara’s through the glass, some complicated expression chasing across his face before he dropped down to Jessica’s height. His deep tones easily carried across the small ya
rd. “Actually squirt, I’ve gotta run and pick up a couple of things myself, maybe you should go to Tess’s for now.”

“Aw
, Nick, I wanted to stay with you,” Jessica whined.

“
Well, maybe if you behave yourself I might bring you back a little something, how’s that sound?”

“Okay
, I guess.” Her bottom lip just about dragged in the dust as she moped while gathering up a couple of toys. It soon turned to delighted shrieks however when Nick lifted her into the air and helicoptered her a couple of times before setting her lightly over the fence into Tess’s backyard who’d come to the door to see what the fuss was about. Waving, she ushered Jessica into the house, no doubt for another baking marathon, and round of afternoon soaps.

Nick’s
lower abs, exposed in the lift, had stopped Sara’s breath. Then he turned and caught her staring. Blushing hotly, she backed away from the window and grabbed up her purse and keys.

Idiot.

She was acting like a teenager with her first crush for crying out loud. She’d known he had a muscular build—but—Wow.

Embarrassment had her h
urrying out the front door, intent on getting to her car before Nick decided maybe they should ride together. She’d just gotten the key in the ignition when he came striding around the corner of the house.

Opening the
passenger door, he asked, “Hey, can I catch a lift?” and slid into the seat, slamming the door shut behind him before she could reply.

“Cripes, you call this thing a car? There's more
room in a tin can,” he grumbled, jamming the seat back as far as it would go and his head still brushed the roof. With shoulders jammed against the window and his knees bent at an awkward angle, he looked like a pretzel. “How safe is this contraption anyway?”

Sara
couldn’t help it, she snickered at his predicament. “Beggars can’t be choosers, and besides…you shouldn't cast stones on poor Mirabelle. You'll hurt her feelings.”

“You named your
car? Why am I not surprised?” he grunted, trying without much success to shift to a more comfortable position. “Look, my truck’s in the shop and I figured since you were going anyway?”

D
eciding to let him off the hook—the poor man looked like he was in enough pain—she relented. “Okay, you can come, but no more nit-picking remarks about my girl here, she’s sensitive.” Patting the cracked vinyl dash, she peeked at him as he fought to reach his seatbelt, when had her car become so small?

H
is big body crammed in this close had her nerves springing around like Mexican jumping beans. There were laws about distractions while driving, weren’t there? The thought of him among all the sewing do-dads in Annie’s store was enough to threaten the eruption of a mile-wide smile. “Are you sure you want to come with me? I’m going to be a while. I need to stop at the post office to check on a parcel first, and then I’m meeting my friend over at the Craft Shack, you won’t like it.”

***

A light, summery fragrance filled her little car, teasing him with the scent of her. She wore some kind of summer dress that left way too much skin showing for his peace of mind. He itched to touch her right where it ended, halfway up her mouth-watering thighs. Thin straps showed off creamy shoulders, and the front crossed and tied in a neat little bow on the side—begging him to pull the strings. This wasn’t one of his brighter ideas. He’d started out with the notion of getting to know her a little better, maybe finding out what their story was. But now, sitting beside her in the too small car, his thoughts were definitely not of the ‘let’s be friends’ sort.

“
There’s no rush. But on the way home could you drop by the hardware store?” Listen to him, sounding all domesticated.

“You really want t
o trail behind me all day? What are you, a masochist?”

Yep, I’m starting
to think so
.

The smile she sent his way
showed a hint of teeth, proving he got to her at least half as much as she bothered him. Good.

The geriatric car groaned to life, spitting and gurgling, happier to be spending its days sunning on the warm asphalt drive than lumbering across town. Nick was
just relieved when they pulled up in front of the post office without him having to push. An obvious landmark in the little community, its rosy brick facade cast a benevolent shadow over the main street.

He followed Sara out of the rattletrap,
startled to hear a voice calling out to her from across the road.

“Good morning Sara, beautif
ul day isn't it?” A buxom blonde was sweeping the sidewalk in front of a hair salon, aptly named Hair Affair.

Shading her eyes from the morning light
, Sara waved and called back, “Hi Jenny, it is a lovely day. I'll have to come see you soon for a trim, before it gets too warm out.”

“Sure thing, anytime
, honey. And you’re more than welcome to bring
him
with you.” She cast admiring eyes up and down Nick’s body, and practically purred. “I’m great with men.”

After another short
wave, Sara sent him a look, and brushed by to climb the stairs entering the post office.

Nick gave the woman across the street a smiling shrug before turning to stare at Sara’s ass as it twitched back and forth
like an angry cats until it was out of sight. He trailed her into the building, not sure why her panties were in a knot. But then, he’d be the first to say he didn’t understand women. He’d always enjoyed them. How they looked, how they smelled, and even how they cried at the drop of a hat, but he’d never understood their way of thinking.

He could have been crossing the street right now to cozy up to that cute little
blonde, instead here he was, trailing after Sara like a sad-eyed puppy dog.

Pathetic
, Kelley.

Entering the lobby of the old building, he found her standing near a guy wearing a ba
seball jersey for the Yankee's.

Seriously.
Everyone knows the Red Sox rule, dude.

His annoying chuckle irritated Nick
all the way across the room. When she smiled at something the chump said, his hackles rose in tempo with his pace. Nearing them, Nick could hear him asking her, “Does that guy know you, Sara? He looks like he’s about ready to rip my head off.”

Good call
, buddy.

Forcing
a polite smile as he joined them, one hand moved possessively to the small of her back.

She edged
sideways, golden eyes still sparking with annoyance as she shifted, trying to dislodge his hand—unsuccessfully. “This is my neighbor, Nick. Don’t worry, he always has the brooding thing going on. Smiling would crack his jaw, I’m sure.”

With
a knowing smirk towards where Nick had placed his hand, the guy held his gaze in a contest of wills. “Ty Garrett, if you live in the neighborhood you must know my aunt, Tess. She rents a lot of the houses around there.”

What was he doing? If she wanted to date every single person in this town, it shouldn’t
matter to him. He was only here temporarily, long enough to finish his therapy and maybe try to get his shit together. She had friends here, good people who seemed to care for her and her little girl. He had no place in that.

“Yeah, she’s a nice lady; I’m actually staying in one of her houses.” Cursing himself for an idiot, Nick looked down into her rosy face. “Listen, I'm going to walk over to the hardware store. I’ll meet you at the diner in about half an hour, okay?”

***

Sara watched his smooth stride away from her side, glad
Nick's warm hand had dropped away from her back. Really, she was.

“Are you two—?”

Rattled because she’d forgotten Ty standing beside her, Sara turned away, determined to get a certain dark-haired devil off her mind. “No. Nick is helping your aunt with a few repairs around my house, that’s all. We’re friends.”

And they were.
He’d proven himself to be a good man. Always patient with Jessica. Fixing things around the house, like her rickety stairs. Or the day he’d stopped into the kitchen for a glass of water, seen her dripping tap, and fixed that too. All things Tom would never have dreamed of handling himself. And there was nothing wrong with the view either as Nick worked his magic with her yard, his muscled arms and legs bunching and flexing at his every command. On warm days, his shirt would stick damply to his chest, highlighting his abs and muscled back.

The man was seriously H O T.

In another time and place, she might even have been tempted, but after all the trauma of her life with Tom, she wasn’t that girl anymore. Except, she couldn’t seem to forget about that darn kiss.

“All right,
so how about going out with me Friday night for dinner and a little dancing then? Come out and play, Sara, you won't regret it.” Ty’s warm voice broke through her meandering thoughts.