The senselessness of all this didn’t ease his mind any. Someone had a hell of a grudge, and while it wouldn’t change Albright’s situation at all, this could only be a very angry man. Angry beyond any common sense.

  He had set out on a scouting mission, looking for anything that didn’t seem right, looking for someone out of place. Someone too interested in him. Checking all the remote byways in the town, including alleys.

  All the while he felt a tingling between his shoulder blades, a sense that something might strike him at any moment. He knew the feeling well. It had saved him more than once.

  But it also didn’t necessarily mean a thing. It would sure help if he didn’t keep getting sideways looks from people he hardly knew, if ever he had. What the hell was bringing this kind of attention to him? Not that it was a lot, but it was enough to set his teeth on edge.

  Unfortunately, after hours of pacing the streets, alert and scanning all the time, he concluded that he wasn’t going to find a thing today. Not one damn thing.

  This was a problem he wanted to take by the horns. Not let it ride as it seemed determined to do, despite making himself one big target today.

  Unsatisfied, but unable to do any more unless something changed, he headed back to Lynn’s house in snow flurries that were beginning to feel like the inside of a snow globe.

  He was cold. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle it or wasn’t accustomed to it after the temperate climate of Afghanistan, but a couple of hot cups of coffee sounded really good. A luxury, one he was consistently grateful for. Like a hot shower.

  Inside, the house was warm, and he shed his jacket, hanging it on one of a row of hooks near the front door. The aroma of wonderful food reached him. Since he didn’t see Lynn working in the dining or living rooms, he headed for the kitchen.

  She was sitting at the table, looking thoughtful and a little lost.

  When she saw him, she smiled faintly. “How is it possible to feel alone in a house that’s so full of nice people?”

  Her words tugged his heart, but he didn’t know how to answer her. He wished he had some wise or comforting words to offer.

  “The coffee’s getting old,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Make more if you want.”

  He wanted and set about stacking the drip coffee maker for a fresh pot. “How are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m moody for no good reason.”

  He imagined she had any number of reasons, but didn’t want to share them. He looked up as he heard a thud from upstairs.

  “The boys are home,” she said. “As if you can’t tell. By the way, I’m making beef stew and everyone is invited.”

  “Sounds good, especially on a day like this.” He rubbed his earlobes, warming them. “Thanks for the invite. You’re sure I’m not imposing?”

  “Of course I’m sure. I’m running a rooming house, not a hotel. If I didn’t want the company for dinner, I’d have only cooked enough for Mom and me.”

  The coffee had finished and he asked Lynn if she wanted some.

  “No thanks. I drank so much today that I ought to be jangling.”

  He sat across from her, studying her, seeing a very different side of the bright, driven, usually cheerful woman he’d come to know. “Where’s Nancy?”

  “Off to a shopping expedition in Casper. Man, how that woman shops.”

  “Must make her feel good.”

  Lynn rested her chin in her hand. “I guess. How was your day?”

  “Wasted.” But he didn’t tell her why. “I’m used to being physically active. Walking around is relaxing.” Not today, however, although his legs felt pleasantly stretched. “You’re not working today?”

  “I guess I need a break. Even the usual planning that’s always rolling around in my head has fallen silent. But that’s okay. I enjoyed making the stew. It’s the kind of thing you wouldn’t make for just yourself.”

  “If you did, you’d have to eat it for a week.” He was glad to see Lynn perk up a bit as she smiled.

  “I like stew, but not that much. I should probably put some in the freezer out in the mudroom and start cooking in advance to avoid the daily attempt to come up with something just for myself. Seems like too much trouble, though.”

  “The winter could do all the work for you.”

  She finally laughed, easing his concern for her. “I’ve used the porch that way a couple of times.”

  He drank his coffee, swallowing the heat gratefully. In no time at all, he was up for a second cup. Then he asked baldly, “Did something happen, Lynn?”

  She looked up immediately. “No. Why?”

  “Because while I’ve known you only a short time, you seem to be pretty upbeat. You don’t look like it now.”

  She shook her head. “This happens from time to time. It’ll pass. Probably at dinner tonight with everyone all around talking and, of course, praising my wonderful stew.”

  He chuckled. “I’m sure it’s wonderful. I can smell it.”

  “There’s no old shoe leather in it, that’s for sure.”

  But then the faintly forlorn expression returned, and he thought he heard a faint sigh.

  Damn, she was tugging at his heartstrings. He ached for her, a sensation he didn’t often experience.

  Helpless in a way he didn’t like, he rose and rounded the table so he could sit beside her.

  Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, offering the only comfort he could.

  He was astonished when she turned toward him and leaned into him. His heart skipped a beat, then he wrapped his other arm around her, holding her snugly as if he could keep her troubles at bay.

  He knew he couldn’t offer her much beyond this, but his mind rambled over his idea of not being able to provide security. No, he couldn’t. But if anyone knew life didn’t offer any security, it was Lynn. The person she had most loved had been torn from her. It must feel so senseless.

  With one hand, he rubbed her back gently, hoping it helped to remind her she wasn’t alone. At least not right now.

  Then she tilted her head back, looking straight at him.

  That did it.

  * * *

  Lynn wasn’t certain what she was doing, and she was past caring. When she tilted her head back to gaze at this remarkable man, one who was so gentle despite his calling in life, she knew she needed much more than a hug, much more than his hand stroking her back. Her entire body cried out for more. For the gift he could give her.

  His head lowered. She knew what was coming and she didn’t try to evade him. He hesitated just a moment, then she felt his warm mouth settle over hers, questing softly for her response.

  God, he tasted and smelled good. Fresh air. Coffee.

  Needy, she raised her arms and hugged him back, pressing into him as well as she could, given their awkward position on the bench. It didn’t matter. The closeness mattered. The heat mattered. The man mattered.

  Parting her lips, she invited him in. He accepted the invitation, and their tongues danced together, stoking the fire even more. A kiss, a wonderful kiss from a man who knew how to do it. The world spun away, no longer part of this private universe they were creating.

  Just as she felt she needed to breathe, he raised his head, then began to trail butterfly kisses over her cheeks, to her earlobe, his heated breath sending a delighted shiver through her.

  Now she wasn’t hugging him, she was clinging to him, feeling his every hard muscle, loving his strength. Wanting to drag him upstairs to her attic and keep him there for hours on end.

  Delightful fantasies skimmed through her mind, images of the two of them by firelight, away from everyone and everything. The scent of lovemaking commingling with the blaze in their bodies in the slightly chilly air that would keep them beneath the blankets. Laughter coming later. Private laughter, laughter to be shared only by the two of them.

  The pulsing between her thighs, faint before, grew as strong as a bass drumbeat. Yes, they needed to go upstairs. Now.

  Now.

  Just as she made the decision, just as his lips started trailing along her neck, she heard the front door open and the rapid tattoo of feet on the stairs.

  She jumped back like a startled deer. Jax still gave her a sleepy smile, but turned away, reaching across the table for his mug.

  Lynn started to feel like a deflated balloon.

  “Lynn?” her mother’s voice called from the hallway.

  “Lynn,” called Barry from the stairs.

  She saw Jax grin. “Oh, Lynn?”

  And she started to laugh. A laugh that felt so good, reaching to every dusty part of her soul.

  Nancy entered the kitchen, carrying several shopping bags. “I found the greatest outfit for you.”

  “Oh, God,” Lynn groaned.

  Barry peeked in. “You said dinner tonight, right? What time? I need to run to Freitag’s. I found a hole in the sole of my running shoes.”

  “Six,” she answered promptly.

  “Thanks. Man, that smells good!” Then he was gone.

  That left Nancy and her bags, which she placed on the end of the table. “You don’t have to groan until you see it!” she announced sternly. “I think I’m getting the measure of your tastes. Or should I call them non-tastes.”

  “Oh, Mom...”

  Nancy looked at Jax. “She’d be beautiful in anything, including those work clothes.”

  “She absolutely would,” Jax agreed. A smile danced around his dark eyes.

  “What is this?” Lynn asked. “A gang-up?”

  “Well, you know,” Nancy replied, “sometimes you have to go somewhere besides the lumberyard and hardware store. That stew smells good, by the way.”

  “Thanks,” Lynn answered, dreading the moment the bags opened.

  “I know you like denim,” Nancy said with an exaggerated sigh. “But it does come in different shapes than jeans.”

  Nancy reached into the bags and pulled out a neatly folded set of denim. “See?” she asked triumphantly.

  She shook out the fabric and displayed a denim pencil skirt with a cute embroidered jacket. “Now, you can’t possibly object to this.”

  Nor did Lynn. She felt her mouth open in amazement.

  “I knew she’d like it,” Nancy told Jax. “There they were, on a rack, practically labeled with her name. In fact, they shouted at me. So did a couple of shells to go beneath the jacket.”

  Then Nancy began to refold the items into the bags. “You can try them on in your hermitage, but I want you to do that at the very least.”

  Lynn nodded, still astonished. “Mom...”

  “Don’t thank me.” Nancy smiled. “Just try them on. If you don’t like them, I can donate them to someone who will. I’ll put these bags near the foot of the stairs. I mean it about trying these on.”

  “Wow,” said Lynn, watching her mother take the bags out. “Wow.”

  “I guess she tried really hard,” Jax remarked.

  “Evidently so.” Lynn smiled then, feeling a whole lot better than she had earlier. She felt wrapped in love.

  But she didn’t dare glance at Jax. They had come so close. Now the moment was broken, possibly never to return.

  * * *

  Dinner was as boisterous an affair as Lynn had hoped. Once again the young men cleaned up, leaving the kitchen spotless.

  It would have been a good time to retire to a living room with coffee, except there was no living room. Not down here, and she was damned if she was going to head up to her attic with Jax, not with Nancy here. Boy, wouldn’t Nancy make a field day of that.

  Thus the three of them sat at the refectory table over cocoa. But of course, Nancy couldn’t leave well enough alone.

  “You really need to get this remodeling done, Lynn. Or hire someone so it will go faster. It’s ridiculous to sit around this table all the time. We ought to be able to go into the living room.”

  At last, Lynn glanced at Jax. A smile danced around his eyes, creasing the corners, but he didn’t let it reach his mouth. She was glad he was so amused by Nancy.

  “I like doing the work,” Lynn said for the umpteenth time. “And I’m sorry your room isn’t comfortable enough.”

  Nancy raised her brows. “I didn’t say that. Regardless, three people can’t gather in my bedroom.”

  “And you can’t climb the stairs to the attic where we could all gather. So here we are, like it or not. I need the dining room for a work space or I’d spend a bunch of time in an unheated garage that needs repairing as much as any other place. The living room has to be done for obvious reasons, and that’s first on my current agenda.”

  Nancy sighed. “I know, I really do know. It’s just that I worry about you. You can’t even entertain, the way this house is now.”

  “My friends are familiar with the kitchen. Which is on my list after the upstairs bath. You won’t have to endure this ugly avocado green forever.”

  Nancy tutted. “It is ugly and so out of fashion. But it does work after all. You made a wonderful stew for dinner in this room. And we seated six for dinner. Back to the old days, I guess.”

  Lynn was surprised. “Old days?”

  “You couldn’t possibly remember, but once upon a time, families ate in the kitchen along with hired help if there was any. Living rooms were reserved for Sundays and guests. Dining rooms? Well, if people had one, they were reserved, too, for holidays and perhaps Sunday dinners. The front-facing parts of the house, I guess you could say. And all the furniture was well protected. Meant to last more than a lifetime.” Nancy shook her head. “Try to find that quality of furniture anymore.”

  “It would be hard,” Jax agreed. “At least at a reasonable price.”

  Nancy tilted her head in acknowledgment. “Well,” she said, rising to carry her cup to the sink, “I guess I’m worn-out from all that shopping. I’ll go to bed now if you don’t mind.”

  “Sleep well, Mom,” Lynn said.

  “Oh, I will. A couple of ibuprofens for these knees and I’ll be out like a light. Good night, Jax.”

  “Good night, Nancy.”

  Which left the two of them alone once more in the kitchen.

  Right back to where they’d been before Nancy had come home. Sort of.

  Then Jax rose and reached for cups. “Why don’t you head on up and relax? Maybe try on those clothes,” he suggested. “I’ll take care of these mugs and the saucepan.”

  “Thank you,” she answered, but her feet felt leaden as she left the room.

  Frankly, she didn’t want to go alone. She wanted to feel his arms around her. His lips lightly tracing her face and neck. She wanted to feel that rush of desire again.

  But it was not to be.

  Instead, she steeled herself to try on the outfit her mother had given her. When at last she stood trying to see as best she could in her bathroom mirror, she decided she liked it. But where would she ever wear it?

  * * *

  Still in the kitchen, Jax stood looking over the top of the café curtain at the night. He considered going out into the darkness to do another recon, then dismissed the idea. Not tonight, because he might have been obvious during his walk today. But at night the world provided a different view of dangers, of hiding places, of the shadows that could deceive.

  Tomorrow night, he decided.

  He just wished he’d been able to walk up those stairs with Lynn. Desire clamped his loins like a vise, aching and throbbing.

  But it didn’t take long for him to remind himself of all the reasons to avoid a deeper involvement.

  There were sure as hell plenty of them.

  * * *

  Outside during the wee hours, in the cold night, Terri Albright watched the rooming house, puzzling whether she could somehow take advantage of the situation as it stood. So far, no idea had occurred to her. How long was she going to have to wait, damn it? She had a limited amount of time because she was on leave and would have to return to duty, giving her no further chance to get at the guy.

  Sure as hell Stone didn’t appear to be in any hurry to head on to Denver. He’d have to leave soon, she promised herself, but the promise did nothing to ease her impatience.

  God, this situation sucked!

  Then she saw a dark figure approach the house slowly, looking around, mainly at the house.

  What was he up to? His own game of vengeance? Against who? The woman who owned the place? At last he walked away.

  For once her impatience eased. Maybe she needed to take some time to watch this guy, especially at night. Most especially at night. He might turn out to be a useful tool.

  Nodding to herself, she slipped deeper into the darkness, making up her mind to use that purple hair spray. A dog barked behind a fence, then fell silent after she passed. No one even looked out a window.

  Terri loved dogs and wondered what kind of owner would leave that pooch out in this cold. None of her business, she reminded herself, as if she could do anything about it. She had more important matters to engage her.

  Chapter 13

  Two days later, a phone call at 6:00 a.m. startled Barry Hutchins from sleep. Nobody called at this hour and he was annoyed.

  “What?” he nearly snapped into his cell phone.

  “Edith Jasper, young man.”

  At once Barry sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  Edith continued. “I realize that at your age anything before 9:00 a.m. is uncivilized, but for someone my age sleeping until six is a major achievement. When are you done with classes today?”

  “Three,” he answered groggily.

  “Then get yourself over here for tea directly after. I’ll expect you by three-thirty. I want you to meet some of my friends.”