Keeping Guard (16 page)

She splashed some water on her face and found a rubber band to pull her hair back with. She padded downstairs, where John and Nate were drinking coffee at a breakfast table in the kitchen. Beyond them, she caught a glimpse of the York River, sparkling and blue and beautiful.

“Good morning.” Nate stood. “Can I get you some coffee?”

“That sounds great.” She plopped at the table, more muscles and joints and bones aching. Even her eyes ached. “How are you guys?”

“Better than you, I'd say.” John raised his coffee mug to ward her.

Nate placed coffee in front of her and she greedily took a sip, hoping the caffeine would help the pounding in her head. The drink's warmth washed over her, and she welcomed the feeling like an old friend.

She closed her eyes and circled her hands around the cup. Today was the operation her brother had set up to catch her stalker. Her eyes searched the room for a clock. Eight-twenty. The sting would take place in less than four hours.

She closed her eyes and lifted a prayer that everything would go smoothly, that the man behind the threats on her life would be captured, arrested, thrown in jail. Before she said amen, a hand covered hers.

She looked up and saw Nate's warm, reassuring eyes on her. “It will all be over soon.”

If only Kylie felt so sure. “We hope.” Her gaze connected with Nate's. Thank God He had sent Nate to her. She would have been lost without him over the past several days.

John cleared his throat and slid his chair back. He pointed toward the back door. “I have a few things to do outside. I'm keeping the doors locked and taking my keys with me. No one knows you're here, but just to be safe I want to keep everything around here secure.”

Kylie got the message—both of the men still feared for her safety. She nodded and took another sip of her coffee as John slipped outside.

Kylie's gaze went back to Nate. She took in the bruises and the stitches—all the injuries he'd gotten because of her. The fact that he'd put his life in danger for her only solidified her feelings for the man. If only she felt confident that he felt the same way. “Thanks for being there for me over the past couple of days, Nate. I really appreciate everything you've done. I don't feel like I can tell you that enough.”

“I'm just glad you're okay.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You gave me a good scare.”

Her cheeks warmed again.
You're acting like a schoolgirl around your crush, Kylie.
She cleared her throat, pushing her feelings down. “Any updates on who pushed me?”

Nate shook his head. “I called the detective before you woke up. All he could say was that they were checking out a few leads.”

Kylie sighed and rolled her eyes. “That phrase is becoming old.”

“The sheriff's department is competent. I know it may not feel like it sometimes, but they are. And they're doing everything they can to figure out what's going on.”

“What about Suzy? Has anyone come forward with any leads?” Kylie gripped the mug tighter.

“Not yet. But there's still hope. There's always hope.”

Kylie smiled. “Listen to you. Suddenly the optimist. I like it.”

Nate reached for her hand and stroked her fingers. “That's thanks in part to you. You've shown me some of that hope.”

The same heat rose again to her cheeks. “I don't know how much I had to do with that.”

Nate's gaze remained on hers. “Everything.”

 

Kylie was doing her best to relax—doctor's orders—and to keep her mind off the sting that was supposed to have taken place thirty minutes ago. She flipped stations on the TV and lay back on the couch while Nate prepared lunch. Based on the smells drifting from the kitchen, Kylie guessed he was making steak, baked potatoes and garlic bread.

When the phone rang, Kylie sat up straight, her muscles tense. She listened as Nate answered but couldn't make out any more of the conversation. Was it her brother? If so, what was he telling Nate?

She stood and, as she walked toward the kitchen, Nate appeared with a huge smile. He dangled the phone toward her. “They caught him.”

Kylie half squealed, half moaned in delight and disbelief. Could it really be true? Could her nightmare be over?

Nate opened his arms and Kylie flew into them. He swirled her in a small circle and planted a light kiss on her temple. When he placed her back on the ground, she held on to him to steady herself and looked at the phone. She needed to hear the news directly from her brother. She took the handset from Nate and placed it to her ear.

“Bruce. Nate told me the news.” She rubbed her free hand on her jeans, realizing that she'd started to sweat. “Who was he?”

“He was a fan. FAN756 to be exact, just as we suspected. But we finally caught him.”

She closed her eyes, but relief wouldn't quite come. “Are you sure you got the right guy?”

“Kylie, this guy had a little shrine set up at his house dedicated to you. His phone records show he's called you numerous times.”

The man did sound like a slam-dunk match to her stalker. It would take a while for her to believe that her nightmare was over, though. “How'd you catch him? How did you know it was him?”

People mumbled in the background, and Kylie suspected her brother was still at the kitchen store where the demonstration took place. She imagined cops milling around and a crowd of onlookers wondering what was going on.

“He was in the crowd, standing at the back. He was sweating, as if he was nervous. He tried to sneak away early, but we caught him, said we wanted to ask him a few questions. He confessed to everything.”

Kylie raised her eyebrows. “To everything? Really?”

“He said he's been following you for months, doing whatever he could to get close to you.”

Kylie nodded. He'd confessed. That settled it…right? “Was he wearing the black hooded sweatshirt?”

“Black? No, I think it was more of a camouflage T-shirt. Why?”

Kylie's muscles tensed and her mind raced with a million thoughts, questions, denials. “Because my stalker always wore a black hooded sweatshirt.”

Nate squeezed her arm, still at her side.

“Kylie, there's nothing to worry about. We got him.” Bruce's voice left no room for question or doubt. That was her brother. Always sure of himself. “We'll still have to go to court, but he's owned up to everything, Kylie. You can finally relax. You can finally come home.”

Why did hearing that she could come home make her heart
throb with sadness? She hung up and saw Nate watching her curiously.

“You don't look happy,” he said.

Kylie crossed her arms over her chest. “Something just doesn't feel right. The man who was stalking me always wore a black hooded sweatshirt. Why would he show up at the demonstration showing his face?”

“Maybe he knew he was a sure target if he wore the sweatshirt.”

She nodded halfheartedly. “Maybe.”

The phone jingled again. Was her brother calling back again so quickly? Had he forgotten to tell her something?

Nate answered, and Kylie saw his face darken. As soon as he hung up, she asked, “What's wrong?”

“Someone just threw a brick through the front window at the Grill.”

K
ylie, freshly showered and in clean clothes now, walked into the dining area at the Revolutionary Grill and spotted Nate sitting at a table with his back to her. Beyond him, the front window of the restaurant was covered with two pieces of plywood. The glass on the floor, as well as the broken ceramic from a vase and some splintered wood, had been cleaned up. The police had left and all was quiet.

Questions still nagged at Kylie, though. Was this vandalism connected with her stalker? The right man was behind bars, wasn't he? FAN756 had confessed. Kylie shook her head, unsure what to think. The only other conclusion she could muster was that he tied in with Suzy's disappearance somehow.

As she approached Nate, Kylie sensed his frustration. She placed her hands lightly on his shoulders. She rubbed the tense muscles at his neck for a moment before sliding her hand down his arm as she made her way to the seat across from him. As she sat down, she grasped his hand. She'd bring up Suzy later. For now, she wanted to talk about his restaurant.

“You can get past this, Nate,” she told him softly.

“Maybe I don't want to get past it, Kylie.” He looked up and met her gaze. “Maybe this should just be the end of the road for me. I should just put this restaurant out of its misery.”

“Even if the sale doesn't go through and you close the
restaurant, I think you should end it on a positive note. Fix the place up and let it go out as a success.”

He pulled back his lip in doubt. “You're always an optimist, aren't you?” He leaned forward and kissed her gently.

“I thought some of that was rubbing off on you.” Her lips curled in a half smile. “Nate, I just think if you close the place down like this, you're always going to remember your time here as being a failure, which is the furthest thing from the truth. If you close, close strong.”

He tugged at her hand until she stood and met him in an embrace.

“You're one of the best things that ever happened to this place,” he mumbled into her hair. “Do you know that? It won't be the same without you. I won't be the same.”

Kylie's heart lurched. She wasn't sure she'd be the same when she went back to Kentucky either. Her heart seemed to be making itself home here in Yorktown, with Nate.

The front door opened, indicated by the tingling of the bell. Nate pulled back slightly and turned his head toward the sound. “I'm sorry, we're closed—” He stopped mid-sentence.

Kylie's gaze cut to the woman in the doorway, who stood with wide eyes and pouty lips. With her bobbed light-brown hair, cut to her jawline, and tall lanky figure, she wasn't necessarily beautiful but instead striking.

“Deanna.” Nate dropped his arms from around Kylie. He stepped toward the woman. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm interrupting something.” Her soft, delicate voice indicated she could break at any moment. Kylie thought for sure she saw tears in the woman's eyes when she pointed behind her to the front door. “I should leave.”

Nate shook his head, appearing to have all but forgotten about Kylie. “No, stay. What are you doing here, Deanna?”

Deanna? Kylie didn't have to ask. She could tell by Nate's
expression that this was the woman who'd broken Nate's heart.

Deanna glanced at Kylie before her gaze fluttered back to Nate. “I was hoping we could talk.” This time her gaze firmly met Kylie's. “In private.”

Kylie refrained from frowning and instead nodded, taking a step back. “I'll be upstairs packing my things.”

Before Nate could refuse—not that he was going to—Kylie hurried away. Maybe everything was working out for the best. She was going back to Kentucky and Nate's old girlfriend had showed up. Life would resume as normal for both of them.

But could Kylie's life ever really feel normal without Nate by her side?

 

“I didn't expect to see you again.” Nate stared at Deanna. What had brought her back here to Yorktown? Caution caused his spine to straighten, put him on his guard. Deanna wasn't here to simply say hello. He knew her better than that.

“I had to see you again.” Her hand flipped through her hair, moving the strands away from her eyes. Her pleading gaze connected with his in a look he'd fallen for too many times before. She nodded toward the window. “What happened?”

“Vandals.”

Her gaze softened. “I'm sorry. I know that's a setback for you.”

Nate had fallen too many times for those looks. Though she'd said generally the same thing as Kylie, somehow the words sounded more genuine coming from Kylie.

“We'll get past it. It's life.” He glanced behind him, hoping Kylie was still nearby. She'd already disappeared up the stairs, though. He should have pleaded with her to stay, insisted even. But the conversation he needed to have with Deanna, he needed to do alone, as much as it pained him to let Kylie go. “So, tell me exactly why you had to see me again. You
certainly didn't seem too concerned when you up and left without an explanation.”

She looked to the ground, as if guilty, but Nate could see through her masquerade. “That was a mistake. I knew it the moment I got into my car.”

“Then why didn't you turn back around?”

She bit her lower lip. “It's not that easy.” She stepped toward him and put her hand on his chest. “Nate, you've always been the one. I just didn't see it. I was a fool.”

“No, I was the fool.” He shook his head.

Deanna's eyes brightened and she raised her gaze to meet his.

Nate met her gaze firmly. “I let you use me for far too long, and then you left when a better opportunity came along.”

Her face pulled downward in a pout. “It wasn't like that. I was confused. I didn't know what I wanted. But now I do.” She reached down and grabbed his hands. “It's you. I want you. Now. Forever.”

Nate looked at her, remembering the times they'd had together. He recalled his dad's words about being committed to the ones you loved, putting up with their positive traits and the negatives ones. His dad was the one who'd taught him about doing the honorable thing and not always listening to your heart.

He stepped back, but grasped one of Deanna's hands still and pulled her toward a table. Though he'd like nothing more than to show her to the door, he would respect her enough to hear her out. Then he'd explain to her that he was already in love with another woman.

“Let's talk, Deanna.”

 

As Kylie packed her clothes, she wondered about the conversation going on downstairs. The connection she felt with Nate had seemed so real. He wouldn't consider going back to
Deanna…would he? She paused, holding one of her sweatshirts in midair.

A nudge of doubt lingered in her mind. No matter how well you thought you knew someone, everyone had their own minds to make up. She'd be foolish to be overly certain…wouldn't she? She shook her head and placed the last of her clothing into the suitcase.

Moving across the room, she picked up the ceramic mug that she'd purchased with Nate that day he'd played tour guide with her. That was one of the first times she'd seen a new side of Nate, and she'd liked the person she'd spent that day with. Remembering brought a tear to her eyes.

She pulled herself upright and shook her head. She was stronger than this. She'd overcome a lot in her life, and she wasn't going to let insecurity about her relationship with Nate cause her to crumble now.

As she placed the mug into a duffel bag, her mind still lingered on Nate. If she were honest with herself, she'd have to admit that they'd never really spoken about their relationship. They'd acted like a couple but had yet to define what they were. Based on what Suzy and Darlene had told Kylie, she knew that Deanna had deeply hurt Nate. Kylie knew that Nate liked to stay true to his word—it was why he'd given up his dream career to take over his father's restaurant. He wouldn't consider another relationship with Deanna while trying to do the noble thing, would he? Of course not. But still, doubt lingered in Kylie's mind. The heart was a strange thing. Maybe Nate had never gotten over Deanna. Maybe this was the moment he'd been waiting for and Kylie had just been someone he'd been interested in on the rebound.

Grabbing her toiletries from the bathroom, she put the last of her things into her suitcase. The truth slammed into her heart—she wasn't ready to leave. There wasn't much about
her life in Kentucky that she missed. She wasn't ready to leave Yorktown, and Nate, behind.

Just as she zipped up her suitcase, a knock sounded from downstairs. Probably from the back door. As she opened her apartment door, she heard a familiar voice mingle with Nate's downstairs. She stepped onto the landing and looked down.

“Larry?”

Her producer stood at the bottom of the staircase, dressed in his business suit with his hair perfectly combed as always. He stepped toward her when she came into view, but Nate grabbed his arm before he got any closer.

“Kylie! Do you know how worried I've been about you? No phone calls, no emails. You're well past the vacation time you asked for. Some woman even impersonated you at a cooking demonstration at the mall today—at least that's what four people have called to tell me. I've been worried sick.”

She slowly walked down the stairs, noting that Deanna stood close to Nate—too close for comfort—as all eyes were on Kylie.

She cleared her throat and remained where she was. “I emailed you to let you know that I needed to extend my time away. Didn't you receive it?”

Larry put his hands on his hips, his always frantic appearance looking even more frantic and high-strung now. “You think I bought that? Something's going on, Kylie. I thought maybe you'd gone into witness protection or something. Meanwhile, the boss is breathing down my neck about getting some new episodes taped. I told him we haven't even come up with any new recipes lately!”

She sighed and lumbered down the stairs until she stood face-to-face with her producer. “Calm down, Larry. Everything will be fine.” Kylie glanced at Nate. “In fact, I was just packing my things so I could return to Kentucky. You can
tell the boss not to worry anymore. I just needed some time away.”

He grabbed her arm. “Well, your time away is over. I'm taking you back to Kentucky today.”

Nate stepped forward. “Wait a minute, buddy. You can take your hand off her.” Nate stared Larry down until he released his grip on Kylie's arm and held up his hands in surrender.

“I'm not trying to cause any trouble. I'm just trying to save my job and hers.” Larry's gaze shot nervously from Nate to Kylie until curiosity replaced the anxiousness. “And just who are you, by the way?”

Nate looked at Kylie. Was he searching her gaze for a response, or was Kylie simply seeing what she wanted to see? “I'm her friend.”

Kylie's heart crashed. That was all he was to her. How could she ever have thought there was more to their relationship? They were two people who'd simply let their emotions get the best of them. They'd gotten carried away with the moment and the situation at hand. But at the heart of each of them, their relationship was simply a temporary one.

Kylie cleared her throat, trying to push down her emotions as she turned to Larry. “How'd you know I was here?”

“The producer from Cuisine TV called and asked if I could talk you into taping a special from Yorktown. He said he ran into you at this restaurant where you were working as a waitress. A waitress, Kylie? Of all things I might I have expected, a waitress was not one of them. You're a rising star. If anything, you should have a restaurant with your name on it.”

Nate stepped toward them. Kylie could feel his eyes on her, but refused to look up. “Listen, why don't we all sit down for some coffee and talk for a minute. A lot has been going on over the past few days and I don't want anyone making any rash decisions.” He paused. “Kylie?”

Against her better judgment, she glanced at him. Nate's
eyes implored her…but what he was imploring from her, she wasn't sure.

Deanna stepped forward and looped her arm through Nate's. “That sounds like a good idea. Why don't we all talk?”

Kylie had to look away, afraid her resolve would crumble and her emotions would surface all too clearly if Nate saw her eyes again. Instead, she looked at Larry. “Maybe I should just go. Let everyone get on with their normal lives and I can get on with mine.”

“Kylie, you can't go yet. We have things to talk about first.” Nate's voice sounded gravelly, strained.

“I've heard you have some great new recipes for this place,” Deanna said, still touching Nate in a way that made Kylie jealous.

Recipes. Of course that was what Nate wanted to talk about. He probably didn't want to talk about his relationship with Kylie at all. Why would he? He didn't have to explain himself. He'd never made any promises.

“Besides, you need to eat before you get on the road,” Deanna said. “It's dinnertime. I know I'm starving. Nate, do you have any of that Brunswick stew you make that I go crazy for?”

Kylie really wished Deanna would simply stop talking, especially since everything she said and did showed some kind of ownership of Nate and this restaurant. Kylie had never considered herself territorial until this moment. Would it be rude to ask Deanna when she was planning to leave?

“Brunswick stew? That could be a good recipe for your show, Kylie.” Larry nodded, as if all for staying a few minutes longer. Kylie knew he probably just wanted a glimpse of the life she'd lived during her absence from the show.

If she refused the meeting too adamantly, she would only look weak. Instead, she nodded. “Fine, let's have dinner.” They
never had eaten the steak Nate had prepared over at John's place.

They all made their way down the hallway and into the kitchen. Awkwardness fluttered between them, and a knot formed in Kylie's throat. She should have said no and simply gone home. This was not the way she wanted to remember her time here in Yorktown.