Tide Will Tell (Islands of Intrigue: San Juans) (13 page)

“Fine.” She started to wring her hands. “But I need you to protect me.”

“Protect you?” He swirled his glass. “From what?”

“From…everything.” A little girl quality had crept into her voice. “You know…like the press.”

Josh tilted his head. Something struck him as odd about this exchange. How could she be naïve enough to believe that this man, whose previous wife had vanished, would be a reasonable candidate for the role of protector?

“Yes, of course.” Eyes brightening, Mr. Cole turned to Josh. “Joshua can have the job.”

Josh snapped to attention. “Excuse me, sir?”

“Kate needs security and you need a job. You can start immediately.” With a nod of finality, he turned and took a stride toward his office.

“But…” Kate tossed Josh a look of desperation as she attempted to limp after Mr. Cole. “You can’t leave.”

“Kate…” He faced her with the expression of a stern but loving father. “Don’t ever interfere with my
business
.” Taking his eyes off Kate, he exchanged a look with Sam before heading back down the hall.

Blowing out air through her teeth, Sam looked after him, then turned a conciliatory smile on Kate. “He’s under a lot of stress. This new drug has run into some snags, and the press has started bothering him again.”

A door shut somewhere down the hall, and Kate looked like she’d been kicked in the stomach. “I understand.”

Eyes brimming with sympathy, Sam took a couple of steps toward her. “Besides, this will give us girls a little time together. Chase and I are business partners, but he’s always been like a brother to me. I feel like I’m gaining a sister, and I’d like a chance to get to know you.”

“Oh…okay.” Kate seemed to be mentally reconciling this turn of events to whatever picture of her future here she had previously held. “I’d like that.”

“Good.” She reached out to give Kate’s hands a squeeze, then scrutinized her disheveled appearance in a way that came across as more caring than critical. “Besides, I have a feeling that being the wife of a successful business man is going to be a big change for you. I’m here to guide you in any way you need. Think of me as a mentor.” With a parting smile to them both, Sam turned to follow in Mr. Cole’s wake.

With renewed hope that Kate might now reconsider her plans, Josh treaded lightly. “Are you okay?”

“Well…it’s a relief to have another woman in my corner.” She gave up a little smile. “Look, I understand if you don’t want to accept Chase’s job offer.”

“I just don’t think it would be a good idea.” He looked at his watch. “But I’m staying one more night at any rate. I just missed the last ferry.”

“Oh.” She made a cute wincing face. “I’m really sorry.”

“Not your fault.” He wanted to smooth her hair, partly to help her, but mostly to see if it was as soft as it looked. Instead, he hooked his thumb in his pocket and tipped his head toward the door. “Come on. I’ll walk you to the guesthouse.”

She shrank back.

“Is something wrong?”

“No…it’s just that…” She shrugged it off. “It’s nothing. The rain, that’s all.”

Josh peered out the front window. “It looks like the rain has let up.”

She nodded, picking up the knife. “I guess I’d rather fall in the mud again than risk another run-in with Stuart.”

“That’s the spirit.” He opened the door for her. “Besides, Stu’s a jerk. Just ignore everything he says when he’s had too much to drink.”

“Which is…” She stepped out onto the porch and drew her arms to her torso for warmth. “…what percentage of the time?”

Following her out the door, Josh huffed an ironic laugh. “Unfortunately, I’d have to say he’s batting a thousand in my experience.” He helped her down the steps, watching as she gingerly braced herself on the railing. “But then I’ve only seen him when he’s come on campus to party with Jessica and her friends.”

“Isn’t he a little old to be hanging out with the college crowd?”

“I guess we have to show him some grace.” Josh shrugged his brows as they started down the path toward the guesthouse. “He was only five when he lost his mom.”

“Five?” She let out a confused half chuckle. “But that just happened a year ago.”

He glanced over at her, squinting in puzzlement. “You really
haven’t
read about this family in the news, have you?”

“What do you mean?”

He paused, assessing her earnestness. “Stuart and Jessica didn’t have the same mother. Stuart’s mom was Mr. Cole’s first wife.”

She stopped so suddenly, he reflexively grabbed her by the arm to keep her upright.

She looked up at him, her face stricken. “His
first
wife?”

Josh hesitated. So she didn’t know about what had happened to Emily Cole. Maybe that was why she thought this marriage was a good idea. She didn’t know the whole story.

Thank You, God.

Good thing he hadn’t left right after dinner, because it looked like he’d just been granted one more shot at preventing this woman from ruining her life.

Chapter 14

Kate had slid to an abrupt halt that would have sent her pummeling into the mud again if Josh hadn’t caught her by the arm.
Mr. Cole’s first wife.
The words seeped from Kate’s ears to her stomach like poison. Chase had been married
twice
before. Why hadn’t he told her?

Her entire body started to shake.

“Kate …” Josh firmed his grip on her arm. “You really didn’t know?”

She shook her head, biting back tears as raindrops started to hit her face.

“I’m sorry.” Josh encouraged her to continue down the path. “It really wasn’t my place to tell you.”

“It’s all right.” She treaded carefully down the incline, fighting that peculiar dazed feeling from the sudden shot of adrenaline. A sharp pain stabbed her knee and her fingers dug into Josh’s arm in response.

Before she realized what was happening, he had scooped her up in his arms. Ignoring her feeble shriek of protest, he moved briskly toward the guesthouse.

“If you’re not careful,” he said with just the barest hint of admonishment, “you’ll be in a cast by Saturday.”

She gave in to the feeling of security she felt in his arms. Moments later, he set her down on the front step and reached out his hand. She stared blankly, then jarred back to harsh reality. Where was her key?

Horrified, she realized that in her haste she hadn’t even thought about locking the door. “I think it’s open.” Her heart pounded at the implication. Thank goodness Josh was there with her.

He opened the door and helped her inside. She desperately needed him to stay until she could assure herself that there was no one in the house. How was she going to manage that without letting on the reason for her terror?

“You’ve had a rough day.” He scanned the space, then lowered the dimmer switch that brought down the living room light to a more soothing level. “Do you want me to stick around for a while? I could make you some tea or something.”

She blew out a sigh. It was as if he’d read her mind. “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” How many places in this house could a person hide? She had to somehow manage to check them all before Josh left. “I’m going to put on my sweats, then I want you to tell me everything you know about Chase’s first wife.”

He winced. “It’s not really my place to—”

“Please. I mean…” She cast a wary glance around the living room then, taking what she hoped was a subtle side-step, did the same to the dining room and kitchen. “If you don’t tell me, who’s going to?”

Brow furrowing, he eyed her movements. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem really skittish.”

“You’re right.” Unsure if she found his concern comforting or overbearing, she grabbed her elbows and went for a more relaxed stance. “I guess I was more shaken up today than I realized. And now with the storm, and the dark woods…” And the sound she’d heard earlier, but she hesitated to mention that.

“If it would make you feel better, I can double check all the windows and doors.”

She smiled her agreement. Maybe he really
could
read her mind.

He met her smile with one of his own, reaching over to twist the lock on the front doorknob. She turned to go down the hall, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following her with his eyes. She then did a quick investigation of the bathroom and the guest room before moving into the master bedroom. Her heart pounded as she cast her gaze around the room. After making a thorough sweep of the master bath, she gingerly knelt down to check under the bed. Next, she surveyed the walk-in closet and, satisfied that all was as she’d left it, changed to gray velvet sweats and the same sweatshirt Josh had already seen her in.

When she limped back out to the living area, Josh was standing at the kitchen island pouring water from the kettle into a couple of mugs. He looked up when she walked in, then crossed to the living room. He set the mugs down on the coffee table and moved to help her to the sofa.

“Here.” He scooted the ottoman in front of her and lifted her leg to help her rest it.

The feel of his hands on her calf sent a bolt of lightning straight to her heart. His touch was unassuming—not possessive or self-serving in any way. He was helping her, plain and simple.

As she settled in, he sat next to her on the sofa, then picked up both mugs and handed one to her. “I was worried about you when you didn’t show up at the house earlier.” He nodded toward the bag of fruit she’d left on the coffee table. “I hope that wasn’t dinner.”

Her head eased against the sofa back. “I just couldn’t face Jessica and her friends.” Breathing in the soothing scent of chamomile, she took a careful sip of tea. “So, tell me about the first Mrs. Cole.”

He slowly tasted his own tea, as if deciding how to start. “Stuart’s mom was named Emily. I guess she and Mr. Cole met in high school and got married right after.”

Kicking off her ballet flats, she allowed this new information to seep in. “And they had Stuart.”

“Right. He was an only child, and his mom died when he was five.”

That detail sat like a rock in her stomach. “Poor Stuart.” Her heart went out to him. Missing her own mother was painful, but at least she was pretty sure she was still alive. This story was almost more than she could take, but the need to know prevailed. “How did she die?”

He pulled in a breath. “Chase found her body in the pool at their house in Seattle.”

Despair and disbelief gurgled from her throat. “He…he
found
her?” A dull pain formed in her temples as she tried to keep the image from storming the walls of her heart. “How horrible.”

“Yeah. It was strange though, because she was a really good swimmer. She was a member of some kind of club that did things like swim across Lake Washington and race in the Puget Sound.”

Her eyes narrowed as she clung to the solace of the hot mug. “Yet she drowned in her own pool? That just doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s exactly what the public thought, given that the Coles didn’t exactly have a peaceful, quiet home life.”

That comment hit like a blow to her solar plexus. “What do you mean?”

He sighed. “This is just what I read in the paper after Jess’s mom went missing, but apparently Emily Cole had called the police to their house quite a few times over the years. Domestic disturbance calls.”

“Domestic disturbance?” Her stomach buckled at the too-familiar phrase. “You mean she claimed he hit her?”

“I don’t know exactly.” His eyes pooled as if it pained him to have to say these awful things. “It’s just what I read.”

“But…” Kate’s head swam with images from her early teen years. Her mother huddled in a corner crying. Her stepdad cursing at the top of his lungs as the police officers hauled him out of the house, only to release him a few hours later. The neighbors peeking out from behind closed curtains. “He wasn’t ever arrested was he?”

“No. The papers quoted friends of Emily saying that the police would take him outside and Emily would hear them all laughing together, like it was a big joke. Then he’d go back in the house and that would be that.” He took a sip of tea, probably to give her time to assimilate. “So when she died, it’s no surprise that Mr. Cole was under suspicion.”

“They always suspect the spouse.” Her voice sounded muted, like she was speaking underwater. She folded forward, anguish getting a chokehold on her throat.

“Kate?” Taking the mug from her, Josh placed a supportive hand between her shoulder blades. “Are you okay?”

A chill traveled through her. What was she going to do? Chase was supposed to keep her safe, but how could she expect that from a man who had been suspected in the death of one wife and the disappearance of another? This was too much for her to even think about.

Lifting her chin, she blinked against the grit in her eyes. Her gaze flitted from the front door to the large living room windows, which had offered a magnificent and welcome view of the water in the daylight but now only served to add to her feelings of vulnerability. Why were there no window coverings in this room? A person could be standing just a few feet away from the glass, staring at her, and she would have no way of knowing.

“Hey.” Josh leaned in to catch her gaze. “Is something wrong? You keep looking around like you think someone might be hiding in a dark corner.”

She shut her eyes tight. It had become pretty clear that her thoughts were totally transparent around this guy. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “It’s just that earlier, I heard a noise outside.” She nodded toward the kitchen window. “And when I looked out…I saw something.”

“Something?” He frowned. “Like what?”

“An arm.”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “
Just
an arm?”

He must think she was crazy. “If it was an arm, I’m pretty sure it was attached to a whole person.” She blinked and looked away. What had she been thinking admitting this to him? It would only open up the door to more unanswerable questions. “But now that I think about it, I’m sure it was something else.”

Looking more curious than fearful, he set down the mug and shifted forward to stand. “Would you feel better if I had a look around out there?”