Secretly Yours (The Wild McBrides 2) - Page 38

He laid a hand on her shoulder, searching her face. “You’re all right?”

“Yes. Just shaken. I’m sorry I disturbed you, Trent. I shouldn’t have called, but when I heard the police were on the other side of town—and your house is so close and I—”

“Be quiet,” he said, pulling her roughly into his arms. “If you hadn’t called me, I’d have been furious.”

She burrowed into his chest. “I really can take care of myself, you know,” she mumbled.

“You did the right thing,” he assured her gruffly. “You kept your head, called the cops and called me. That’s taking care of yourself.”

A Jeep with a flashing blue light on the dash parked in front of the house and a man jumped out and moved toward the porch where they stood. Trent looked over Annie’s head. “Hey, Wade. Thanks for coming.”

Wade Davenport, the solidly built, tough-faced police chief stopped beside them. “Ms. Stewart, are you all right?”

She pulled out of Trent’s arms, shoved a hand through her tousled hair and then tightened the belt of the short plaid robe she wore over blue pajamas. “I’m fine, thank you. You’re Chief Davenport, I assume?”

“Yes, ma’am. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Two of your men are searching my property, but they haven’t found anything yet, as far as I know.”

“Did you ever see anyone lurking around?”

“No. I kept hearing someone—or something, I suppose—moving around the back of the house, but I didn’t see anyone when I looked out the windows. When I heard scratching on the back door, I called the police, and then I called Trent.”

“I’ll go check around and see if I can find my men. Trent, maybe you should take Ms. Stewart inside.”

Sounded like a good plan to

Trent. “Let us know what you find.”

He ushered Annie inside and led her to the couch. “Sit down. If there’s anything out there, Wade will find it.”

“I’ve heard there have been some burglaries around town lately, but they’ve been taking big things. Boats, ATVs, motorcycles—I hardly have anything to steal.”

Trent settled beside her and took her hands in his. Her fingers were like ice; he tightened his around them to warm her. “Annie, is there something you haven’t told me? Are you sure you don’t know who could be following you around, spying on you? It seems too coincidental that this happened the same night you told me you thought someone had been watching you.”

She stared down at their linked hands, her face revealing little. “I really don’t know who it could be.”

“You’ve never told me exactly why you moved here. You said that you needed a fresh start. Why? What were you running away from? Why are you estranged from your parents?”

“I moved here because Uncle Carney left me his house. My father wanted me to sell it, but I decided to make it my home, instead. My father was furious with me for my decision and we haven’t spoken since.”

“And your mother?”

She shrugged, her eyes suddenly so bleak that Trent automatically tightened his hands around hers. “My mother follows my father’s lead. Always. I’ve talked to her by telephone a couple of times, but all she does is try to convince me to ‘be reasonable’ and listen to my father.”

“So there’s no reason at all for anyone to be watching you?”

“Not unless…”

“Unless?” he prodded when she fell silent.

“My father is a very…determined and controlling man,” Annie said, seeming to choose her words carefully. “It wouldn’t be entirely inconceivable that he would hire someone to keep tabs on me—but I think it’s doubtful that he did.”

“You think your father could have hired someone to spy on you?” he asked, wondering how her family had gotten so far off track.

“I said it wasn’t likely. He’d probably assume I’d get tired of living here, or that I’d run out of money and come begging for his forgiveness.”

“Just who is your father, anyway?”

Tags: Gina Wilkins The Wild McBrides Romance
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