Tin Angel (13 page)

“I enjoyed it too.” She pushed her chair back and stood. A second later, he was at her side. He pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and stuck the corner under his cup; then he placed his hand on the small of her back and walked her across the restaurant. When they were outside, he hailed her a cab.

“Thank you,” she said.

“My pleasure.” He helped her into the taxi, and she gave the driver her address as Ross closed the door.

What a nice man, Alice thought. It really was too bad she couldn’t have spent more time with him.

* * *

As Daryn watched the cab speed away, he put the address Ally had given the driver into his BlackBerry; then he sent a text message to Cassie, telling her to meet him in the hotel lobby right away and to bring the car keys. Ally had played right into his lap. He couldn’t have wished for a better scenario—an elderly aunt away for the holidays, leaving her young, naïve niece alone in her house. This was going to be the perfect scam. Just perfect.

Cassie arrived a few minutes later, and, before she could bombard him with a million questions, he took the car keys from her hand and ushered her toward the parking garage.

“How did it go?” she asked as they walked.

“Much better than I’d hoped.” When they reached the car, he opened the passenger door for her, then walked around to the driver’s side. He sank into the Beemer’s soft leather seat and thought how much he loved his profession. There wasn’t another job on earth he could do that would yield the returns of this one. And with so little effort. Yes, he was a lucky man indeed.

He said a silent prayer of thanks to his mom for her excellent schooling, then, with a grin, he turned to Cassie and said, “We’re in the money. The girl, Ally, has an elderly aunt who’s in upstate New York, and Ally’s staying at her place. Alone. Mostly. There’s some tenant who rents an upstairs apartment. The good thing is, she’s going out with him tonight, so while she’s away, we move in. Couldn’t get easier than that.”

“Sounds simple enough,” she said.

“Yeah, piece of cake.” He plugged Ally’s address into his phone’s GPS and headed toward Main Street.

He spotted the house right away—a big, old Victorian in need of repairs. It must have been quite a place in its day, however. He parked across the street, far enough away so as not to be seen scoping out the place, yet close enough to have a clear view of the front door.

* * *

Jack studied his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He’d always been confident of his appearance, not cocky, mind you, but self-assured. Women had always been attracted to him, even from a very young age. It started in elementary school. Must have been fourth grade when Anna Hughs passed him that love note. She’d been a giggly bundle of nerves waiting for him to read her poetry. With her long dark ringlets and rosy cheeks, she was a nine-year-old boy’s vision of beauty. Was it any wonder he’d always been attracted to brunettes after that?

Once he saw beyond Ally’s makeup and fancy clothes, she fit his image of female perfection to a tee. Watch it, he warned himself. Remember the plan. Charm some information out of her tonight, but whatever you do, make sure your head rules and not your heart.

He glanced over at the bed where the little red foil box glistened in the lamplight. That sales clerk at Miller’s had been an angel suggesting he get Ally a gold charm for Christmas. If that didn’t get her to open up to him, he didn’t know what would. An image of it dangling delicately from a chain around her lovely, statuesque neck sent a heat rising up through him. He’d better control it or else he’d wind up back in the shower…only this time he’d be taking a cold one.

There was something so irresistible about her, if he wasn’t careful, he could get hurt. No matter how wonderful she appeared, she could very well be the grifter Pastor Riley had warned him about. He tried to envision her taking advantage of the elderly but couldn’t do it. She was so like Alice that she had to be the sweet, charming girl she appeared.

No matter what this night might bring, a touch of romance or not, he was going to find out whether she was what she seemed and whether he could believe her when she said Alice was spending the holiday in upstate New York.

The ringing of the telephone turned his thoughts away from Ally, and he reached for the phone on his bedside table. But his hand froze in midair. Bethany Snow appeared on his caller ID. “Not now,” he groaned. There was no doubt she was calling because she wanted to spend New Year’s with him. He was going to have to squash that plan and get her to leave him alone, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was argue with Bethany. He was already running late for his date with Ally.

Letting the answering machine pick up Bethany’s call, Jack grabbed the teal-blue sweater he’d laid out across his bed and slipped it over his head. With a quick rake of his fingers through his hair, he was ready to go.

Alice paced the foyer floor. She glanced in the parlor to check the time on the grandfather clock. 7:05 p.m. Jack had said seven o’clock. He was never late. Panic chilled her as her thoughts jumped on. What if he’d changed his mind? What if he wasn’t coming? Maybe he’d tried to call earlier to cancel, when she’d been out with Ross. She didn’t have an answering machine, so there was no way for him to leave a message. Maybe he was trying to get up the nerve to call her now and cancel. Maybe she should call him and do it for him.

“Oh, stop it!” she yelled, clamping her hands over her ears in an attempt to block the doubts clouding her mind.

Her raised voice startled Jasper from his lookout perch on the windowsill. He jumped down and came to rub against her ankles as if to tell her to calm down. She stroked his back with trembling hands.

If this is what Jack does to you, you’re really in trouble.
She looked at the clock again. Only two minutes had gone by since the last time she’d checked. If he didn’t get here soon, she wouldn’t have to worry about the date. She’d have died from a heart attack before then.

The loud rap on the door took her by surprise. She glanced nervously at her reflection in the wall mirror. The low-rise black denim pants were a perfect fit, and her yellow sweater was snug but not so tight as to be vulgar. She’d lightened up on the makeup, using only a hint of peach-toned blush, a whisk of mascara and a clear gloss over her lips. She hoped Jack liked her new image.

She wasn’t chic as she’d been the night he’d taken her out to dinner, when she’d worn that lovely black lace outfit she’d gotten at Lorelle. But there was no sense trying to be something she wasn’t. Inside this young body, she was still the old Alice.

If Jack preferred the glamorous type, then he’d have to look elsewhere to find it. She’d decided to be herself—the natural girl-next-door type.

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, drew a deep breath, and opened the door. How come every time she saw Jack he looked better than the last? In faded jeans that hugged his muscular thighs, a worn leather jacket, and a wool scarf wrapped around his neck, he looked rugged and handsome.

“Sorry I’m late. Hope you haven’t been waiting long.” He smiled at her, exposing his even white teeth.

“No, not at all. I’m only just ready to go myself.” She wasn’t about to tell him she’d been watching the clock. She slipped on her coat and joined him out on the porch.

He studied her a moment, and she held her breath. His gaze lingered on her face. “You’ve done something different. Is it your hair?”

“Nope. Hair’s the same.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I know what it is. You’re not all done up, that’s it. You look like you. Like you did this morning when you first woke up.”

She bit her bottom lip and frowned. “I’m not sure I should take that as a compliment.”

He cupped her chin in his hand and turned her face toward the porch light. “Hmmm, nice bone structure, gorgeous eyes, and those lips…”

“Oh, stop it, Jack,” she said, slapping his hand away.

He laughed. It was the same laugh she heard when he was winning at gin rummy. It came from deep inside. There was nothing artificial about it. It was the laugh he reserved for friends, and her heart swelled with joy that he was beginning to relax around her.

“All joking aside, Ally, I like you better this way. You’re a gorgeous woman. You should let your beauty shine through, not cover it up.”

Her eyes widened with surprise. “Do you really think so?” She’d been trying so hard to copy the makeup artist’s techniques, thinking Jack would like her better that way.

He caressed her cheek with his fingertip. “I do.”

Her skin warmed under his touch, her veiled desire for him dangerously close to the surface. “We should probably get going.”

He ran his finger over her bottom lip, then down her chin. “We can take my car or walk, whichever you prefer.”

She looked up at the starlit sky and decided in an instant. “I choose the scenic route.” To stroll through town on Jack’s arm would be heaven on earth.

He smiled at her. “My choice too.”

As they stepped off the porch, she noticed his limp. “Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be selfish. I’d forgotten about your ankle.” Her feet crunched through the snow as she headed toward the carriage house, where Jack housed his car. “Let’s drive.”

“No, no,” he said, bringing her to a halt. “I want to walk too.”

“But you might slip…and you don’t have your cane,” she cried, just now realizing he stood without support.

“I left it home purposely. I was hoping you’d let me lean on you,” he said, tucking her arm in his.

Didn’t he know he didn’t need a reason to hold her? But she appreciated his attempt at being coy just the same.

As they walked, she found herself glancing through the windows of the elegant old homes they passed. Families were gathered around Christmas trees, sipping eggnog, doing all the things families do together on Christmas Eve, and for the first time, Alice wasn’t envious. There was no place she’d rather be than right here…right now…with Jack. She wasn’t alone falling asleep in her big overstuffed chair, wishing her life had turned out differently. Her wish had come true, thanks to the tin angel.

She glanced up toward heaven. “Thank you.” The words she hadn’t meant to speak aloud came out in a soft puff of white. She glanced at Jack from the corner of her eye to see if he’d heard her.

“For what?” he asked, answering her question.

“For spending this evening with me,” she said quickly, before nerves kept her from uttering what she felt inside.

“It’s my pleasure.” His pace slowed to a stop, and he leaned over to bring his mouth down on hers. It was a quick, soft kiss, yet it made her toes tingle.

“I’ve been waiting all day to do that,” he said, draping his arm over her shoulders.

She blinked nervously in stunned silence.

Jack chuckled. “We can walk now,” he said, taking a step forward.

Alice fell in stride beside him. Moonlight cast a silvery glow upon his raven hair. She felt the urge to reach up and run her fingers through it. She wanted to run her hands down the back of his neck, over his powerful shoulders, and down his thickly muscled arms. Unnerved at the direction of her thoughts, she shifted her gaze forward.

Up ahead, the lights from the green twinkled, making it look like they were about to enter a winter wonderland. Rows of miniature pear trees were strung with thousands of tiny white lights. As they approached, a choir of carolers sang “Silent Night.”

In the center of the spectacle sat a magnificent horse-drawn carriage. The driver, looking like a character straight out of a fairy tale with his top hat and tails, steadied the stomping horses while a couple settled in for a ride. A few minutes later, the carriage rolled past them, then disappeared down the street.