Three Weeks Last Spring (6 page)

"Hey, what are friends for, but to support each other?
I really have to go now.
I have a conference call coming in on my other line.
You have a good afternoon and think on what I've sa
id, okay?
I'll call you soon."

Skye lis
tened to the static on the line
as Debbie disconnected their call.
Their conversation had reassured her, but it also made her
realize
she was behaving like a school kid.
She was a grown woman, so why did she feel intimidated by Walker?
Could it be that there was an element of attraction between them?
The sparks ce
rtainly flew whenever they met.

But that was ridiculous, wasn't it?
They'd only met twice and on each occasion the conversation
wasn’
t exactly cordial.
Perhaps it would be best to do as Debbie suggested and keep away from the woods
and the shore for a day or two.

***

Walker
had
returned to the island early
that morning.
He left
his jeep in a
pullout
and walked down through the woods to the shore.
He
wasn’t
in a particularly good
mood
and his temper was sorely tested when he found himself confronted by his tenant once more.
The auburn-haired beauty certainly knew how to rub him the wrong way.
By the time he
returned
to the lodge, he too was soaked to the skin.
With the mood he was in, he was relieved to see that the builders had given up for the day.
He had no desire to discuss the finer points of th
e restoration with them.

While he dried off, he placed a call to the realtor.
Not because he wanted to see if his tenant had made her threatened call, but because he was curious about her.
If he were honest, he was more than a little uneasy about her su
dden appearance.

The tourist season didn’t start until the end of May when the weather improved.
Although the realty company only provided him with the dates for the lettings and names of the tenants, he rarely, if ever concerned himself with the finer details.
But there was something different about this particular tenant and so he demanded to know more.

He was surprised to learn the booking had been made only
ten days
before.
Odd, he thought, most people planning a trip to the San Juan
island
s did so months in advance, especially if they were coming from overseas.
Yet Ms Dunbar, he was told, hadn't.
Was it just a coincidence that she rented the cabin at the same time fish around the islands were dying?
Or was there a link?
Normally,
he
didn’t pass
judgment
on anyone h
e met until he got to know them
.
But the current situation was anything but normal.
Maybe Ms Dunbar was more than just a tourist?
Innocent until proven guilty, wasn't that what everyone believed in?
Under the circumstances he wasn't taking any chances.
It was about time he and Ms Dunbar became better acquainted.
All he needed now was a reason to act
neighbo
u
rly
.

He turned on the radio and listened to the weather forecast for the next few days.
It wasn't good—storms, heavy rain and high winds, which in turn would bring abnormally high tides and rough seas.
Positive that no one would
dump anything
in those conditions, it gave him ample time to catch up on some long overdue sleep.
No doubt Joe would call if there were any new developments.
All he could do was sit back, wait for the reports to come in from the lab and hope that his enquiries about Dr
.
Ridge bore fruit.

The early spring storm came in fast from the northwest.
By early evening,
the rising wind whistl
ed
through the trees.
Every now and again there was a loud ‘crack’ like a rifle being fired as a branch snapped and fell heavily to the ground.
Walker
wasn't particularly worried.
He had ridden out worse storms than this and often at sea.
Both the lodge and cabin were a safe distance from the nearest pine, so there was no danger of damage to either property from falling timber.
A slow smile crossed his face.
He hoped his tenant liked storms, because this one was going to get a hell of a lot w
orse before the night was over.

He also knew there was a strong possibility
there would be power outages
,
and
quickly checked his e-mail.
But there
was
no response to his enquires regarding Dr
.
Ridge.
His mailbox was full of the usual unsolicited junk, and a couple of requests for his company to give advice on certain matters.
Those he forwarded, with his comments and estimation of cost, to his secretary, instructing her t
o send out a standard contract.

He shrugged on the heavy waterproof he kept
in
the kitchen and took a torch off the shelf
,
then
stepped outside
.
First
,
he checked on the small boat he kept moored at the end of the dock.
Then he walked round the lodge, checking all the windows, closing the shutters on all but a few.
Once back inside,
he
poured a large measure of whisky into a tumbler, and then stretched his weary body ou
t on the sofa to watch some TV.

Around nine-thirty the power lines gave up their valiant struggle against the wind and went down.
Walker knew it would be morning before the electricity company got around to restoring
the
service
to this part of the island.
There was nothing for it, he mused
,
and
swallow
ed
the last dregs from his glass,
before going to bed
.

Thanks to the whisky, he slept soundly.
There was nothing like a good twelve hours sleep to restore man's equilibrium.
Last night's storm was the perfect excuse for him to drop in on his tenant
,
in a
neighbo
u
rly
fashion
,
of course. He stretched,
and sauntered into the bathroom. He looked
in the mirror
.

If he hadn't been run ragged by whoever was out to ruin him, he wouldn't
be
running around looking like he'd just crawled out after twenty days in the wilderness.
Perhaps, if he looked less intimidating, he might not antagonize the lady quite so much.
Picking up his razor for the first time in two weeks,
he set about scraping the half-
grown beard from his chin.
Showered and smartly dressed in cord trousers and green shirt, he lifted his jacket off the stand and headed out to his jeep.

Skye woke to hammering in her head.
It took her a full two minutes to
realize
that it wasn't in her head, but someone at the door.
Groggily she
threw
the quilt
off
her legs, and levered her stiff
and aching limbs off the sofa.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming, quit why don't you?" she shouted
,
as she slid the bolt back from the door.
The aroma of coffee assaulted her
senses.

"Good morning.
Boy, that was some storm wasn't it," said Walker.
"I thought you might appreciate some coffee as the power is still out."
He held up two steaming
beakers and a small paper bag.

Skye
recognized
the man
instantly even without the beard.
Too stunned to say anything
coherent, she just stood there
mumbling, her v
oice soft and husky with sleep.

"
Why?
How?"

"How did I get coffee when the electricity is out?
I've been to town.
Power Company always restores
electricity
to Friday Harbor first.
Outlaying property takes longer.
I've also got fresh rolls, so why don't you go and get dressed while I get things sorted?"

Walker
stepped inside and closed the door.
Skye could only stare.
Her stomach did a slow back flip.
The man standing in her
hall
way was smartly dressed and smelled faintly of some expensive cologne.
Besides, the short beard
and casual clothes, the hiker's boots had gone too.
My, but didn’t he scrub up well.
T
he harsh lines of his face had eased, and the haunted look in his eyes had vanished, to be replaced with the most devast
ating smile Skye had ever seen.

Without
realising
, she let out a long sigh
and
instantly revised her previous assessment of
him
.
Walker
wasn't just handsome; he oozed sex appeal from every pore.
She watched him through half closed lids, and wondered why he was being so
neighbo
u
rly
.
Her befuddled brain decided to
analyze
that thought later
,
after the coffee.
Conscious of the fact that she was half naked, for once in her adult life Skye did as she was told and
stumbled toward the bedroom
, quickly snatching up the
quilt off the sofa on her way.

Walker took a deep breath.
Skye’s
hair was mussed, and the T-shirt she wore barely covered her thighs, very shapely thighs at that.
She looked so darned sexy that desire flooded his veins and heat pooled in his groin as his eyes
trac
ed the outline of her full breasts through
the thin fabric of her T-shirt.

Fortunately, she’d been too sleepy to notice his slow appraisal of her body otherwise the coffee might have ended up in his face.
He wondered if she
knew
how attractive she was.
He shook his head.
If he continu
ed
to think like this, he would be in trouble, big trouble.
Great, a hard-on
wa
s just what he needed right now.

He shoved all thoughts of her sensuous body out of his mind, and set the beakers and rolls down on the counter.
The shower came on, and he knew it was his opportunity to have a quick look around.
The fact that Skye had slept on the sofa, hadn't escaped his notice.
S
he looked tired
,
the unfamiliar surroundings and the noise of the storm
,
had obviously kept her awake.

Silently he crossed the
room
.
A
copy of the latest
P.D.James
thriller
lay
on the floor next to
the sofa
, but apart from a few CDs on a nearby table, the room was pretty much as it had been before his tenant had arrived—tidy.
All her personal belongings were in the bedroom and there was no way she was going to let him in there.
Walker hoped to find something to incriminate her and give him a clue as to who was out to ruin him, but his
mysterious tenant was cautious.

The shower stopped.
He swore heartily, retraced his steps to the kitchen and busied himself putting the rolls on plates and finding the necessary
flat
ware.

Skye showered and dressed in record time.
Her suspicious mind didn't want to leave Walker alone any longer than necessary.
She t
wist
ed
her damp
hair into a knot and deftly pinned it up
.
Questions began to form in her mind, albeit slowly.
She never did function well on less than seven hours sleep.
What her system needed was a kick-start and nothing provided that
better than hot strong coffee.

She stood quietly in the doorway watching Walker as he laid out the coffee and rolls.
He looked perfectly at ease in the kitchen
,
too at ease, she noted.
It seemed as if he kne
w where everything was stored.

Walker felt her presence, before he saw her.
He'd been right about her figure.
He didn't like his women too thin, and dressed as she was in figure hugging jeans and T-shirt, she had curves in all the right places.
Her thick hair was twisted up, revealing a long expanse of creamy neck.
His gaze lowered to the pulse at the base of her throat and idly he wondered if she would shiver with passion if he
were to kiss her there.

Mildly annoyed for allowing his crotch to rule his mind yet again, he took another steadying breath.
If he kept this up, he'd be taking cold showers for the rest of the month—no, amend that—the rest of the year.
He wondered whether his libido would stand the strain of being so close to this desirable woman for any longer than purpose dictated, but it would be interesting to find out.

He saw the puzzlement
on her face, and thought fast.

"This place is fantastic, isn't it?
I was lucky enough to stay here last year.
When I enquired about renting a few weeks ago, I was told that it was booked.
I had to take another property close by."
He hated lying, but somehow he thought the truth wouldn't be as palatable.
Besides, if he didn't
keep
his aces in his sleeve, she
woul
d
n’t
tell him anything about herself or the reason for her prolonged lease of the cabin.
She didn't strike him as being y
our average vacationer. A
fter all, why would such an attractive woman hide herself away on a small island?
The cabin didn't come cheap even out of season, so she had to have a healthy ban
k balance to afford the rental.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot
,
"
he continued
.
"
I was out of line in the way I spoke to you.
I'd had a bad
day
at work
.
I'm sure you know how that goes, and
had no right
to unleash my temper on you.
Could we put that behind us and try to be more
neighbo
u
rly
?"
He held out a beaker of coffee and gave her his most disarming smile.
"I'm Walker."

Careful not to let her fingers touch his, Skye took the cup of steaming amber liquid from him.
The rich aroma of the coffee hit her senses.
It tasted wonderful and was a much-needed j
olt to her sleep-deprived mind.

"Skye, Skye Dunbar.
And thanks for this."
She raised her cup to his.
At least she could try to be polite since he was going to all this troubl
e in an attempt to be friendly.

Walker kept the conversation neutral.
"Skye.
That's an unusual name.
And Dunbar
, that's Scottish isn't it?"

"I’m from London.
That is, I work in London.
I was born in Cumbria, but the family originated from Scotland, or so I’m told.
My parents loved the Isle of Skye, almost as much as they loved each other, so it seemed natural to them to name me after the place
where they first fell in love."

The strong coffee began to lift the fog from her brain.
Skye’s razor sharp mind was back in gear, formulating questions of its own.

"Do you come
here
often,
Mr
.
Walker?
"
She took a bite of the roll.

"
I
ts
just Walker.
I come when other commitments allow which isn't as often as I'd like.
How about you?
Is this y
our first time on the islands?"

His voice was velvet edged and strong and under different circumstances, Skye knew would be very seductive.
She watched Walker over the rim of her coffee cup,
and
carefully considered her reply.
Why was he taking an interest in her?
She certainly hadn't given him any encouragement, quite the opposite.
If the truth were told, she'd been just as rude to him as he
’
d been to her.
And, while there was no doubt in her mind he was a very attractive man,
she
wasn't interested.
Even if Walker was offering, she wasn't buying.
She bruised far too easily and took too long to heal to become involved with another
man.
Michael had seen to that.

"This is my first visit, although
I have been to Seattle before.
Is the
re much damage from the storm?"
She deftly changed the subject to something less personal and penetrating.

Walker's eyes held hers as he studied her carefully.
He could almost see the questions forming in her mind.
Whatever game she
was playing, he would play too.

"Yeah,
a
few trees are down.
None around the cabin, but if you go into town be careful on the roads
,
it will take the authorities a day or so to get things cleared up.
I hope the storm didn't bother you too much.
They can take a bit of getting used to, especially if they come down f
rom the north as this one did."

He placed his empty beaker on the counter, deciding he'd outstayed his welcome.

"I'd best be on my way, and let you get on with your day.
The w
eather forecast for the next few days is for rain, but at least the main storm front has passed through.
It's fixed to clear by the end of the week."
He gave
Skye his most devastating grin
and
opened the door.
"I'll see you around.
Have a good
vacation
, Ms Dunbar."
And with th
at he climbed into to his jeep
and promptly drove off.

Skye
shut
the door
and sat down on the sofa
.
She was totally confounded by the complete
turnaround
in Walker's
behavior
and the effect he had on her.
Perhaps Debbie was right after all.
Maybe he was just another visitor to the islands, here to relax, fish, and generally enjoy the scenery.
But, something tugg
ed
at the back of her mind,
but
she couldn't quite put the pieces toge
ther.