The Bodyguard and Ms. Jones (21 page)

“Sure, but it wasn't camping with Mike.” He turned to the man. “How was it? Were the girls all real dumb?”

Mike pulled camping gear out of the rear of the minivan. “We had fun.”

“I want to go on a camping trip, too,” Jonathan said. “Mike, will you take me?”

Mike straightened, a sleeping bag under each arm. He drew his eyebrows together, obviously surprised. “You want to go camping with me?”

“Sure. It would be great. Just us guys. You know, roughing it.”

“We'll talk about this later,” Cindy said, rescuing Mike. The poor man didn't know what to say. “Go inside and see if your sister has gotten hold of her father. You can talk to him, too.”

When Jonathan slammed the back door shut behind him, she turned to Mike. “Sorry about that. I didn't know he was going to put you on the spot. There's really no time between now and when school starts, and it's unlikely you'll be coming back later in the fall. I'll explain it to him.”

“I wouldn't mind going. Maybe around Thanksgiving.”

That sounded suspiciously like a long-term commitment. “Why would you want to?”

“I like Jonathan.”

“I know, but—” She didn't know how to explain it without sounding like a fool. “Thanks.”

She grabbed a cooler and headed for the house. Inside her stomach she felt a flicker of hope. She doused it with a large dose of reality. Agreeing to go camping with a nine-year-old boy wasn't the same as making an emotional commitment to her. This was all temporary. When he was healed and the time was up, Mike would be moving on. Occasional visits wouldn't be enough for her.

She was still looking for a sure thing.

Chapter Twelve

C
indy closed the door to Jonathan's room and sighed. It had taken the better part of an hour to get them both calm enough to sleep. Allison had to be exhausted from the camping trip and, according to Brett's mother, Jonathan and Brett had been staying up late playing video games, so getting them to bed shouldn't have been a problem. But nothing was as it was supposed to be with children. There were always surprises.

Like Jonathan wanting to go camping with Mike. She probably shouldn't be all that shocked. Her son liked and respected Mike. It made sense he would want to spend time with the man. It wasn't as if Nelson ever did anything with the children aside from taking them every other weekend.

She walked along the hallway, then down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“They're finally asleep,” she said. “I know they were exhausted, but they kept fighting it.” Mike had already started the dishwasher and was finishing up with the pots. “You didn't have to do that,” she said.

“You didn't have to invite me to stay for dinner,” he answered easily. “I get tired of frozen meals.”

“You could cook something yourself.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder and grinned. “It's easier to wash your dishes.”

She'd thought Mike would have had enough of her and children for one weekend, but when she'd invited him to stay and eat with them, he'd accepted. Jonathan had wanted to hear every detail of the camping trip and Allison had been in heaven, at last having something to hold over her older brother. Mike had kept both children entertained, reenacting the events of the campout.

She'd taken the opportunity to wash away the dust and grime. There had been showers at the campsite, but none she wanted to use. It was wonderful to finally have clean hair again. Mike had also showered and shaved, although if she were honest with herself, she would have to admit that she missed the stubble. It gave him a dark and dangerous look. As if he were a renegade, or an outlaw of some kind. As if his career wasn't romantic enough already.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked, picking up a dishcloth and drying the largest pot.

“Nothing. I'm just happy to be home with running water and electricity.”

“That campground is hardly roughing it.”

“It's wild enough for the likes of me. I've never seen the appeal of living with creepy-crawly things or sleeping in the dirt.”

“It's getting back to nature.”

“This from a man who lives in the city.”

He winked. “Can't make a living from a tent.”

“Probably not.”

The sun had barely set in the western sky. There were still hints of pink in the clouds. Outside, fireflies danced through the greenbelt. Other invisible creatures had taken up their nightly chorus. She and Mike were standing in her kitchen. He was drying pots, for heaven's sake, and her kids were sleeping upstairs. It wasn't a magical moment. And yet she felt very strange inside. Her stomach was filled with nervous fluttering. Her arms and legs felt both heavy and light. Her skin tingled.

Maybe it was because Mike's dark gaze never left hers. Maybe it was because they'd just spent four days together and neither of them seemed to want the time to be over. Maybe it was because she could remember what it felt like to be in his arms and right now there was nothing she wanted more.

She was barefoot. After her shower, she hadn't bothered putting on makeup. Her hair was straight, her clothing a simple T-shirt and shorts. Yet the way Mike was looking at her, she could have been dressed in black silk and pearls. She was drawn to him, drawn to the man who had taken the time to make her children feel special and herself feel desired. Except that he would leave her, he was everything she'd ever wanted.

Before she could step closer to him and perhaps make an incredible fool of herself, a car turned into the driveway. She glanced out the kitchen window and frowned. The red convertible looked familiar.

“That's Nelson's car. What's he doing here?”

Mike shrugged and went back to drying the pots. She started toward the back door, but before she got there, it flew open. Her ex-husband stomped inside.

He glanced from her to Mike, then frowned. “What the hell is going on here?”

His rudeness annoyed her almost as much as his question. “That's what I'd like to know,” she said, marching past him and closing the door. She glared at him. “This is my house, Nelson. I bought you out. The deed is in
my
name. You no longer have the right to do as you please here. If you want to come inside, you knock.”

“I told you to keep the door locked,” Mike said.

“I should have listened.”

Nelson stared at Mike. His gaze narrowed. “So you're the bodyguard.”

Mike put down the pot he'd been drying and smiled. “You're the ex-husband.”

The men were about the same height, with the same coloring. But there the similarity ended. Mike was lean and dangerous, trained to kill. Nelson sold insurance and had never done anything about the extra twenty pounds he'd gained.

Nelson turned back to her. “You had no right to take this paramilitary type camping with my daughter. Don't do it again.”

“Are you crazy? You're telling me who can and can't see Allison? Is that right?”

“Yes. She's my daughter.”

“Only when it's convenient for you. Mike did me a favor by coming with me. Allison was crushed when you backed out of the camping trip. She was in tears. Mike stepped in and made her feel better. He did your job for you.”

She moved closer and stuck out her index finger. “While we're on the subject, don't you ever tell me who I can and can't see.”

“I'll do what I damn well please,” her ex-husband said, his brown eyes bright with anger. “You're their mother. You have to set an example.”

His temper didn't frighten her. She was just as furious. “And you don't?” She didn't give him a chance to answer. “You're the one who dumped me, then lived with a woman before marrying her. Now you've dumped wife number two for Hilari. Yet you come in here and want to judge me? I'm a damn good mother to those children. It doesn't have anything to do with whom I do or don't see, it's about something else. Something you can't understand. It's about caring for them. It's about being with them when they need me. They count on me, Nelson. They know you only care when it's your weekend. But I'm
always
there for them.”

“You've turned my children against me.”

“No. You did that yourself.”

“I won't let you live with this guy.”

She didn't bother reminding him that Mike didn't live with her. That wasn't the point. “You don't have any say here. I'll do what I want.”

Nelson flushed with anger. “You'd better listen to me.”

“Or you'll what? Sue me for custody?” She smiled. “I don't think so. You couldn't be bothered.”

Nelson took a step toward her. Cindy was startled by the physical threat, but she didn't budge. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Nelson was trying to act macho because Mike was here. That made her dislike her ex-husband even more.

“I wouldn't try that if I were you,” Mike said softly.

Sometime while she and Nelson had been arguing, he'd put the dish towel and pot down and had approached. He stood balanced on the balls of his feet. Like a wildcat ready to pounce, he was pure coiled strength.

“On second thought, do it,” Mike said, his voice still quiet. “Raise your hand to her, buddy, but make it good the first time because when I'm done with you, you'll never threaten a woman again.”

Nelson drew himself up to his full height. “I've never hit a woman in my life. Is this what you've been doing, Cindy? Telling lies about me?”

“You've never hit any of us,” she said. “I didn't tell anyone you had. That's not your style, Nelson. You prefer to walk out on your family.”

The muscles in his jaw tightened. “Call off your trained attack dog so we can talk about this civilly.”

“There's nothing to talk about,” Mike said. “You're not married to Cindy anymore. You have no rights here.”

“And you do?” Nelson asked.

“No. Cindy's in charge.” Mike turned his gaze on her. “You want me to beat him up for you?”

Cindy held Mike's gaze. He wasn't angry. His offer came from a desire to protect her. There was a part of her that wanted to see Nelson broken and whimpering. He'd been pretty cruel when he'd left, making her feel as if the failure of the marriage was all her fault. For a long time, she'd thought she was too old and too unattractive to be of interest to any man. Mike had helped change that.

But punishing Nelson wouldn't accomplish anything. Still, she waited until a bead of sweat formed on her ex-husband's upper lip before slowly shaking her head no.

“No matter what I think of him personally, he's still the father of my children. It's better if we all behave like adults.”

Nelson exhaled audibly, then reached for the door handle. “I'm outta here,” he muttered. “You guys are crazy.”

“You have the children next weekend,” Cindy reminded him as he ran for his car. “Be sure to be nice to them.”

She closed the door and leaned against it.

Mike came up behind her. “You mad at me?”

She smiled. “No one has ever defended my honor before. I'm not mad. I'm a little ashamed of myself, though. I kept picturing Nelson beat up and writhing on the floor. It was a lovely image.”

“Guys like him need a little humbling every now and then.” He returned to the kitchen and continued drying the pots.

She straightened and walked to the counter separating the kitchen from the family room. “He seemed so stable once. So normal. What a mistake to have married him,” she mused aloud.

“Obviously. The guy's a fool.”

“And a jerk.”

“A wimp.” He tossed her the towel. “Finish drying. It's my turn to pick the video we're watching.” With that, he walked to the built-in bookcases on both sides of the TV and began scanning the titles.

Cindy stared at him. She'd already made one big mistake in her life by marrying Nelson. She didn't want to make another. Which, of course, meant her not getting involved with Mike.

Or was the mistake letting him go?

* * *

Mike had strung a hammock between the two pecan trees in Grace's backyard. He lay stretched out in the shade provided by the leafy trees. A paperback spy thriller was open on his chest, but he didn't feel like reading. It was enough just to relax, sip his beer and think about nothing. He could get used to this kind of life.

The neighborhood was quiet. Cindy's kids had left for their swim-team practice a couple of hours ago. He didn't know where the other neighborhood children were. It seemed like the perfect time to take a nap.

He closed his eyes. Immediately, he pictured Cindy. Her long curvy legs. The thrust of her breasts. The way she'd tasted and felt next to him. Her mouth had been—

The ringing of the phone cut through his thoughts. He reached for the cordless and pushed the on button.

“Yeah,” he said into the receiver.

“Mr. Blackburne, this is Alicia from your answering service. You've had a call.”

He took the information, then punched the off button. A call. The world was knocking on his door again. He flexed his leg. It had been two months. It was already August. He was about as close to fit as he was going to be. In another couple of weeks, he would be at a hundred percent. There was no reason not to return to work.

But it was several minutes before he picked up the phone again and punched in the numbers. Even as it rang somewhere in Washington, he thought about hanging up. But he didn't.

“Hello?”

“This is Mike Blackburne. Mr. Anthony called me about a job.”

“Ah, yes, you're the bodyguard. Thank you for calling so promptly, Mr. Blackburne. You come very highly recommended. Let me tell you a little about our problem.”

Fifteen minutes later, Mike stretched out on the hammock and wondered if he'd made the right decision. The fact that he was even bothering to question it told him how far gone he was. He should be itching to get back to work. Usually, two weeks away from the game was all he could stand. It had been two months.