With the stall finished, Sarah turned to leave and found Debbie standing in the way.
“You did a good job today,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“I’m heading back to the house to make a list for the store. Come up to get the truck keys and some money.”
“Oh?”
“Make sure you pick up whatever you need for breakfast tomorrow. Last thing I want to see at six in the morning is Greg crying on my doorstep.”
“Tomorrow? I’m hired?” Relief flooded her body, turning her knees to rubber. Thank God she had a place to sleep and a job.
“Yeah. Trial’s over.” Debbie nodded and strode past her.
For whatever reason, Bruce must have told Debbie not to fire her. Maybe he realized how hard Sarah had worked after all. She glanced around the stables. Nothing but horses and hidden spiders. Just as well, because it would probably kill Bruce to accept her thanks.
She put the rake away and went to the tack room to get her backpack. After slinging her arms into the straps, she took a step and froze. The creepy new boarder blocked the exit. He didn’t even attempt to hide his head-to-toe perusal of her. Her belly twisted at the lewd look in his almost-black eyes.
“Do you work here?” The man’s gaze stalled at Sarah’s breasts.
“Yes.” She should have kept her gun in the backpack, not the purse in her room. With all the people around, she hadn’t expected any danger in the stables. Now she appeared to be alone.
Up close, the man skeeved her out even more. His dark eyes contrasted with his pale face and light brown hair. Maybe in his mid to late thirties, he stood a good ten inches over her.
“I thought so. I saw you sweeping earlier.”
Sweat trickled down her neck. “Is there something I can help you with? I’m on my way out.”
“I’m waiting to sign some papers. Going to be boarding here. Maybe you can fill me in a little more about the farm.” He stepped into the room.
She glanced behind him at the empty barn. “This is my first day, so you might want to ask Debbie.”
“First day, huh? That’s a coincidence, me showing up as you start. Might be a lucky sign. I just moved here yesterday.” A predatory grin turned up the corners of his mouth.
She couldn’t tell if he was flirting or playing cat and mouse. A wave of nausea rolled around in her belly.
“I was watching you earlier. You move so gracefully. Are you a gymnast or maybe a dancer?”
“No. Look, I really need to get going, so—”
“Have you ridden a long time?” He took another step closer, blocking her way out.
“No. I actually don’t ride. I—”
“You work here, but you don’t ride? How odd.” He rubbed his chin. “I bought a horse this week but haven’t ridden long myself. We seem to have a lot in common.” He held out a hand. “By the way, I’m Todd.”
God, she didn’t want to touch him, but he blocked her path. Short of knocking him over, she couldn’t get around him. She shook his hand, glad he wore gloves. “Sarah.”
He didn’t let go. “I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I wasn’t sure if this place would be up to my standards, but it’s close to my new home. I’m convinced now I’ve chosen the right farm.”
Sarah tugged her hand out of his grasp, her ears hot. “I work here. That’s it. I’m going to be late, so if you don’t mind…” She tried to push past him, but he didn’t budge. The overpowering scent of his thick cologne gagged her. The odor clung to him like skunk spray on a Bearded Collie.
He looked down his nose at her. “No need to be rude.” He stepped aside and waved a hand in a mock bow. “I’m boarding my horse next week. I’ll keep an eye out for you, Sarah.”
The way he said her name sent chills up her spine. She hurried past him and headed back to the house, sure if she turned around she’d find his gaze on her ass.
She could only pray it was a coincidence he’d shown up at the same time she did. Her heart pounded as she took long strides across the field. She stopped for a second and glanced back at the barn. His car remained in the lot, but no sign of him. She hoped the man was only a womanizer, a strange thought under normal circumstances, which hers weren’t. Still, she couldn’t run from everyone. For now, she’d keep an eye on him and see if he did anything suspicious aside from ogle her.
When she reached the house, she squinted at the shiny gold lock on the in-law suite door. Someone had installed a deadbolt. A huge weight dropped from her shoulders. She entered the studio to find a new set of keys on the coffee table. Perfect.
She needed time to stop at the library to check her email. She’d set up another account only Anne and Maddie knew, given them her password to the old one, and asked them to copy and paste any new email message the stalker sent.
Grabbing her purse, she headed to the bedroom. She dug inside for her wallet, fingered her fake license, and slid the real one out from behind. The original was her only link to her old life and proof of her identity, but she shouldn’t keep it on her. She pulled open the top drawer and tucked the license in the back beneath her underwear. No one would snoop around in there.
After taking a deep breath, she climbed the stairs and entered the main kitchen. Debbie sat at the table writing on a notepad.
“Thanks for the new lock,” Sarah said.
Debbie looked up, a blank expression on her face.
“On my door?”
She snorted. “So that’s what he’s been up to.”
“Who?”
Debbie waved a hand and went back to writing. “Joe. I didn’t know anything about it, and he’s been MIA since early this morning.” She stood and handed Sarah some keys, the list, and an envelope. “There’s plenty of money to buy groceries for the week.”
Sarah would have to come up with some meal plans. At best, she could do basic dinners. She glanced at the large corner cabinet. Cookbooks lined the shelves. Maybe she’d find some simple recipes. “I’ll be up early and have breakfast ready by six.”
“This should be interesting.” Debbie’s lips curved with the hint of a smile.
“I’ll cook in my suite and bring it up when I’m done.” That way she wouldn’t be an easy target, lit-up in the bright kitchen.
“Suit yourself. That’s not part of the job, but if you want to, I’m sure as hell not gonna stop ya. I’ll tell Joe, since he usually shows up around then.”
If Joe didn’t live with Debbie, maybe they weren’t a couple. Sarah would have to ferret out all the relationships.
Debbie told her the truck should be down by the arena. As Sarah trekked across the yard, she planned the rest of the week. She’d have no problem making breakfasts. Dinners would be simple until she had a chance to find new recipes. As a dancer, she hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen.
Her chest squeezed. Both of her parents had to be worried sick. They lived in Florida, and she’d told them little about the stalker. With her father’s heart issues, she didn’t want to upset him. She’d saddled Anne with the task of keeping them posted. Poor Anne. She worked hard and didn’t need the extra stress. A heaviness pushed against her breastbone. It could be a long time before she saw any of them again.
She reached the stables and glanced at the parking area. No truck in sight, but Todd’s car was gone.
Bruce came around the corner and stopped short. “Hey.”
She blinked a few times to clear her tear-filled eyes.
“What’s wrong?” He frowned.
For someone so detached from her, he sure homed in on her emotions fast enough. “Nothing. I’m looking for the pickup.”
He didn’t say anything right away, studying her face. At last, he blew out a breath. “I think it’s behind the barn. Let’s check.”
“I can find it. I know you’re busy.”
“I’m between patients.”
They walked around the side of the stables and found the truck.
“Joe leaves it here sometimes,” Bruce said.
The sun shined down from the bright, blue sky that matched his eyes.
Her face heated, but not from the rays. She twisted a lock of hair around a finger. He seemed to be in a half-decent mood. Maybe they could start fresh. “Hey, I, umm…wanted to thank you for whatever you said to Debbie to keep me on.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How do you know what—”
“It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to let you know I appreciated it.”
“You earned the job.”
At last, some validation from him.
The edges of his mouth twitched. “And you proved you had the killer instinct to do whatever it took to stay.”
Her shoulders tensed. “The spider? Are you still making fun of me?”
His smile widened. Mischief sparkled in his eyes, and something fluttered under her rib cage.
Now that she’d seen the softer side of him, his size and rough-around-the-edges direct approach didn’t intimidate her as much. She’d never been scared of him, but the alpha energy he exuded took some getting used to.
“You know how to drive a stick?”
“Umm…” She peered into the truck window, pressing her forehead against the glass. A manual four-speed. She could handle that.
Bruce’s breath warmed the back of her neck when he spoke. “What are you looking at?”
The deep timbre of his voice close to her ear vibrated against her skin, causing goose bumps to pop up. He placed a hand on the side of the truck window and glanced inside as well, bringing his head down next to hers. Her stomach fluttered.
When she turned around, he inched back but kept his hand on the window. She stared at his five-o’clock shadow. Trapped with her back against the truck, she dug her nails into her palms, fighting the urge to run a hand along the sexy stubble. She moistened her lips and raised her gaze.
His eyes darkened, and he leaned a hair closer.
Her breath caught. He’d be sure to see her erratic pulse thudding in her neck if his gaze wasn’t fixed on her mouth.
“There you are,” Joe said as he rounded the corner of the barn.
Bruce yanked his hand away from the window and took a big step back.
She pushed off the truck and smoothed her hands down the bottom of her shirt. Holy hell. So the attraction went both ways.
Joe chewed on a toothpick and looked long at Bruce before addressing Sarah. “Debbie said you needed the truck. I was coming to get it for you.”
“We found it.” More heat rose to her face.
Joe nodded.
Awkward silence filled the space.
“Thank you for the new lock,” Sarah said.
Bruce’s gaze shot to Joe. A slow, smug smile formed. “No wonder you weren’t around this morning.”
Joe shrugged and waved a hand. “Been on my list for a while. Finally got around to it.” He took the toothpick out and gestured to the house. “Didn’t do the windows yet. Let me know when a good time is for that, Sarah.”
“Well, I’ll be gone for a couple of hours, but whatever works for you.”
He cleared his throat. “Okay. I didn’t want to invade your privacy.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“I didn’t know if she could drive a four-speed,” Bruce said.
“So that’s what you were doing?” Joe faced him. “Making sure she could drive a stick?” He raised an eyebrow.
Bruce crossed his arms. “Yeah. While you were installing new locks.”
The two men stared each other down.
Sarah hid a smile as their testosterone levels spiked off the charts. “It’s been a while, but yes, I can.”
Both men turned to her.
“What?” Bruce asked.
“Drive a stick. And I better get going, or there won’t be any dinner.” She hit the Unlock button. “Do you two eat here?”
“Sometimes.” They answered in unison, grimaced, and shot a disgusted look at each other.
Guys hated when that happened. Sarah bit her cheek to stifle a laugh. “Well then, I guess I’ll make enough for a crowd each night, and leftovers can be for lunch.”
She opened the door and hopped into the truck. The engine ground to life and she put it in first gear and waved. She managed to pull out like a pro without bucking or stalling. Mental high five.
When she glanced in the rearview mirror, Bruce and Joe each had a hand on a hip, heads cocked, facing the truck. This time she did laugh. That would have pissed them off, too, if they could see themselves. Twins.
Bruce worked hard at it, but his armor chipped away the more she discovered about him. And apparently, the crazy attraction between them wasn’t one-sided, but no matter. Her situation didn’t allow for relationships.
Mark had taught her that hard lesson.
She’d wasted two years of her life dating Mark, the big stage producer who had to be seen in the right social circles. He couldn’t handle when she didn’t want to go out anymore, preferring to stay home out of sight. At first, he didn’t even believe the stalker existed until the notes appeared, and then he blamed her and said she must have encouraged the man.
Mark had dumped her when things got personal. The stalker threatened to hack into his production company’s accounts and deplete the funds. The next day, Sarah had gone to Mark’s apartment to talk to him about moving. She arrived to find everything she’d had at his place boxed up on the porch. He hadn’t even let her inside. Told her he wouldn’t leave his job and couldn’t risk being with her anymore.
She hadn’t been enough. Not worth the effort. She never would be for anyone. Even before Mark, the people she’d dated couldn’t put up with her demanding schedule. They bailed as well. Her throat constricted. Destined to be alone, always looking over her shoulder and planning where to hide next. Some life. No one would ever come along with her on this ride.
Hell, she didn’t want it for herself.
She shook her head to clear the memories. What mattered now was survival. A tendril of worry wrapped around her lungs. In a few short minutes, she’d find out if her escape plan had worked.