Forever Hers (2 page)

Tears filled her eyes. Because of Nolan, she had completely severed ties with everyone in Virginia, including her parents. Not that there was any chance of her and her parents seeing eye-to-eye about anything. They had disowned her the day she’d decided to divorce Nolan. They hadn’t believed that he was an insecure, controlling psychopath who felt he had to compete with Raelynn for Amy’s love. Even when she’d shown them the bruises around their granddaughter’s wrists, they hadn’t believed her. Nolan had already convinced them and his cop buddies that it was Amy hurting Raelynn. As if she could hurt a child, let alone her own. It still hurt that her parents had believed him not her.

Amy turned and punched the pillows again, but sleep eluded her and the past refused to leave her alone. It took a while before she dozed off.

***

Eddie Fitzgerald squinted at the winding road hugging Lake Pend Oreille. The marina’s lights blinked ahead to his left. According to his cousin, the cottage was about three miles from the marina, the side road leading to it easy to miss. His gaze went to the clock on the dashboard. It was almost one in the morning, a lot later than he’d like. He had miscalculated the distance between Flathead Ranch, his cousin Chase’s place in Montana, and Sandpoint, Idaho.

No, it was more than that.

Seeing the sprawling horse-breeding ranch Chase purchased had reminded Eddie that he was the only one in his entire family with no interest in settling down. Chase, with whom he’d made a pact to never take the plunge, was now talking about finding someone special. Not wanting to be affected by the same marriage fever sweeping his large family, he’d needed space, distance between him and the latest casualty.

He slowed down after passing the marina, not wanting to miss the exit. The highway wasn’t busy at this time of the night, which helped. Eddie narrowed his eyes as he focused on finding the side road.

He blamed Chase’s change of attitude on his other cousins. One by one, they were getting hitched. Baron was blissfully married, his wife Kara expecting their first child. Lex was considering biting the bullet with his girlfriend. Eddie had no idea what the woman did, but she seemed nice and a perfect fit for his high-powered older cousin. The girls—Faith, Jade and Ashley—were all happily married, their husbands so doting it was nauseating to watch them during Sunday brunch.

He didn’t begrudge his cousins their happiness. To each his own. He had no interest in marriage or staying devoted to one woman for the rest of his life. His parents’ crazy marriage followed by his mother deserting them for her career taught him that marriage wasn’t worth the headache. It was messy. Chaotic. And it didn’t last. He came from a large family, and some of his uncles and aunts would agree with him. That was why he only dated women dedicated to their careers, just like him.

Eddie was first and foremost a cop, and a damn good one. He liked knowing that he made a difference by getting scumbags off the street. It was something he had control over, something tangible, and he did it well. Or at least he had done it well until a week ago when his captain had ripped him a new one then suspended him. And over what? An overambitious D.A. and a decorated officer with a chip on his shoulder.

Scumbags were supposed to stay behind bars, not get off on technicalities because it was an election year. Eddie had clenched his teeth and let that slide. He’d been around long enough to know politics were dirty. But the last straw had been overhearing the D.A and his lackey blame the whole mess on his mentor and former partner, a man who’d watched his back for a good solid ten years, selflessly volunteered his time to keeping less fortunate kids off the street and ran charity events to feed the hungry. His partner couldn’t be on the take.

Slugging the D.A. and a decorated officer wasn’t exactly the crowning moment of his career, but both acts had felt good. Scumbags came in many forms, even in uniform, and someone had to stand up to them.

A grin touched Eddie’s lips when he spotted the road. Home away from home, he couldn’t wait to crash. He signaled and exited the highway.

Most of the summer homes in East Hope were occupied this time of the year, so he wasn’t surprised to see cars in the driveways he passed. Outside the cottage, if anyone would call the hulking stone house a cottage, there was an old station wagon. Unlike the expensive sports cars he’d just passed, it looked out of place.

Baron and his wife Kara had bought the house several years ago and often flew out for some alone-time. They mentioned a housekeeper, an older woman who took care of things around the house whenever they visited. Maybe he would give the woman time off. He could take care of himself. He’d been doing it since he was fourteen when his mother decided she didn’t want to be a wife and a mother, packed up her computer and printer, and left. Eddie’s grip tightened on the steering wheel then relaxed.

No point rehashing the past. He was here to relax, help the local cops nab the burglars terrorizing the town as a favor to Baron, not think about things that no longer mattered. Determined to focus on the present, he pulled up outside the house and switched off the engine.

Hoping not to wake up the housekeeper, Eddie tried to be quiet as he entered the house. Kara had informed the housekeeper to expect him. He’d leave her note on the kitchen table that he’d arrived late, so she wouldn’t freak out in the morning.

Closing the door and softly turning the lock, he froze at the tell-tale sound of a gun cocking. Then a glaring light filled the foyer. Not the overhead light. The intensity indicated it was a flashlight.

“Drop the bag, open the door and get the hell out of my house before I start shooting,” a female ordered.

Eddie hands shot up. “Ma’am—”

“Don’t ma’am me, you son of a bitch. Open the goddamn door and get moving.”

The voice was smoky and low with an eastern lilt. It stroked his senses, the effect on him unexpected. He bit off a curse. Hadn’t his cousin said the woman was about sixty years old? Either he now had a thing for cougars or he liked being subjugated by a gun-wielding woman, which was unlikely. He wasn’t into bondage.

“My name is Eddie Fitzgerald. Baron, the owner of this house, is my cousin.”

She scoffed. “If you think dropping the Fitzgerald name is going to convince me of anything, think again.”

“I used a key to get inside the house,” Eddie ground out through clenched teeth, letting the keys dangle on his forefinger. “Where could I have gotten it unless they were given to me by the owners of this house?”

“Show me an ID or I’m shooting.”

Eddie relaxed. People who threatened to shoot most often weren’t shooters.

“Fine. I’m going to reach inside my back pocket for my wallet.” He shifted slowly so he could see her but the glare from the flashlight made that impossible.

“Don’t turn around. Get out of the house first
then
show it to me from across the threshold.”

Eddie opened the door.

“Leave the stolen goodies behind,” she ordered.

He lowered his left arm and the straps slipped off his shoulder. The bag landed with a thud. As he stepped outside, he caught her reflection on the glass window bordering the rotunda foyer. He couldn’t see her face, but he noticed something that gave him a pause. Her hands were crossed at the wrists, the bottom hand gripping the flash light at a right angle and supporting the one holding the gun. Only cops held guns and flashlights like that when confronting a criminal. She also kept a safe distance from him, making it hard to rush her and disarm her, another precautionary move he learned at the Academy.

“Are you a—?”

The door slammed shut behind him and the locks clicked. The patio light came on at the same time as the ones inside the house, then muffled sounds followed as though she was running away.

Eddie frowned. He might not appreciate being ordered around but he understood the woman’s vigilance. It couldn’t be easy living alone when a burglar was on the loose in your neighborhood. It also took guts to pull a gun on him. Many thugs had tried and lived to regret it.

Maybe he should drive into Sandpoint and find a hotel for the night. He rapped on the door. “Uh, Mrs…uh, I’m leaving now. I’ll come back tomorrow morning and clear up this misunderstanding.”

Footsteps resounded and came closer, and then an eye peered at him through the peep hole. “Just show me your ID.”

Eddie sighed. “Listen. It’s late and I need to crash. We’ll clear everything in the morning. Sorry for waking you up.”

She made an exasperated sound. “I’ve already woken up Lauren, the realtor in charge of this house. She just admitted she forgot to tell me someone would be coming to stay here for a few weeks. All I need is proof that you are who you claim to be then I’ll let you in. She also wants to talk to you.”

This night couldn’t get any crazier. Eddie retrieved his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out his ID and held it up for her to read it. The bolts clicked and the door opened.

Eddie didn’t know what he’d expected. It definitely wasn’t a woman in a T-shirt with the words
This Is My Zombie Killing Shirt
splattered in red across her chest. Skimpy shorts showed off firm and tanned legs, and mussed black hair cut short with bangs gave her an untamable look. Deep blue eyes, startling in their lack of hesitation, stared straight at him without guile and high cheekbones set off a lush mouth with a natural pout. Hot male fantasies could easily be weaved around those lips and some flashed in his head, blindsiding him. She wasn’t classically beautiful. Her unusual face combined with a short hairstyle made her look…interesting. Young.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked.

“Amy Kincaid.” She offered him the cell phone. “Lauren hired me to housesit for your cousin, but I’m also the housekeeper, gardener and cook. Whatever you need, I provide it.”

“A bed would be nice,” he said.

“After you speak with Lauren.” She shook the phone impatiently. “And please, lower your voice?”

Eddie didn’t take the phone or dignify her request to keep his voice low. The thought of spending the next several weeks with this woman was unsettling. “What happened to the other housekeeper?”

“I never met her, but I was told she moved to Florida to live closer to her daughter and her new grandchild. I’m just as efficient as she was.” She raised the phone again and smiled, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Lauren is still waiting and so is your bed.”

Eddie took the cell phone then slowly brought it to his ear, his eyes not leaving hers.

“Yeah,” he barked on the phone.

“Mr. Fitzgerald, please accept my apology. My name is Lauren Holliday with Waterfront Resort Rentals. I got a call from Kara that you’d be arriving later this week, but I hadn’t gotten around to forwarding that message to Amy. I hope we haven’t inconvenienced you.”

“It’s my fault I arrived a few days early.”

“Oh, okay. Well, Amy is an amazing cook and she’s very efficient. She comes with glowing credentials and will take good care of you,” the faceless Lauren continued.

“I don’t need a cook or to be taken care of, Ms. Holliday,” Eddie said, noticing how Amy Kincaid stiffened and a flash of panic zipped through her eyes. Or maybe he’d imagined it; he decided when her eyes narrowed and her chin thrust forward. “What I
need
is a bed.”

“What do you mean you don’t need her, Mr. Fitzgerald? Amy has a contract with us. Your cousin and his wife were very specific about what they wanted in a housesitter, and that is a live-in housekeeper and cook.”

“I’m not my cousin, Ms. Holliday. Ms. Kincaid can take the time off or visit relatives. I don’t need a maid.”

Blue fire flashed in Amy Kincaid’s eyes.

“Mr. Fitzgerald—”

“I’m sure Ms. Kincaid and I can sort this out in the morning. Goodnight, Ms. Holliday.” He passed the phone back to Amy.

“Thanks, Lauren,” Amy said when she brought the cell phone to her ear. “Yeah, I’ll take care of this. Promise.” She closed the phone and gave Eddie a stiff smile. “Don’t worry, Mr. Fitzgerald. I’ll be ready to discuss our arrangement first thing in the morning. Goodnight.” She turned and walked away.

Eddie hurried to catch up, turned left when she did. He opened his mouth to ask her where his bedroom was, but she placed a finger on her lips and shushed him then opened a door and disappeared inside. The door closed with a soft click.

He waited for her to come out again. Seconds passed. Damn it, she wasn’t coming out and he had no idea where his bedroom was. There was only one other door at the end of the hallway, but when he opened it, it led to the garage. Pivoting on his feet, Eddie went in the other direction, opening door after door.

Great way to start his vacation—pissing off the housekeeper.

Raelynn was still asleep when Amy slipped out of the bedroom. In the kitchen, Amy set about preparing one hell of a breakfast to woo Eddie Fitzgerald. He’d beg her to stay once he was done eating.

Leaving here wasn’t an option. They had nowhere to go, no money to rent a place or check into a hotel. A chunk of what she had saved before leaving Virginia had gone into furnishing Raelynn’s bedroom. The money from her books, the money the Fitzgeralds paid her and the rest of her savings was barely enough to feed them and clothe her daughter. Her daughter was growing like a bean pole. Every month she shot up a few inches. Amy needed to publish more books, which meant more time spent writing. Unfortunately, her writing had taken a back seat as she focused on her daughter’s well-being.