FOR THE CHILDREN Page 8

  Abby settled in one of the rickety chairs and stared out over the lake. She didn't seem to notice him when he walked out of the house and took the chair next to her. After a few minutes he allowed himself to relax and follow her gaze out over the lake.

  The rosy sky reflected off the glass-smooth surface of the lake in front of them. Streaks of lighter pink smeared across the sky, turning the spires of the mountains into a dark ocher. It was a beautiful, peaceful scene, and for a moment he allowed himself to believe it was his only reason for sitting on this porch with this woman.

  "Did you sleep well last night?" Abby's low voice pierced his bubble of fantasy, and he reminded himself fiercely about why he was here.

  "I slept fine." His voice was terse. "How about you?"

  "Great. It's much cooler up here than in Las Vegas, and the sound of the lake is very relaxing."

  Now, why did he think she was lying? Was it because of the delicate pink color that washed her cheeks? Rather than call her on it, he turned his attention back to the lake. And froze in his chair.

  A thin stream of smoke curled up into the brightening sky. It was so faint that it was almost invisible against the sky. In a few more minutes it would have been impossible to see it.

  "What do you see?" Her low voice held a trace of fear, but be didn't turn and look at her. He concentrated on finding the source of the smoke.

  "I see what looks like campfire smoke."

  "Wouldn't it be from whoever was around the cabin last night?"

  "Probably." He stood up and leaned over the railing, scanning the area. "Would you get me the binoculars from my duffel bag?" he asked.

  She walked into his room, returning in a few moments with the black pouch that held the binoculars. He aimed them at the wisp of smoke and tried to focus in on it.

  The silence hummed with tension as he scanned the area for signs of a human presence. After a few moments Abby said, "Can you see anything?"

  "There are too many trees and rocks." Without taking his eyes off the area he was trying to focus on, he moved to the side to avoid the trees. He felt his leg skim Abby's as she scrambled to avoid him, and the touch of her skin against his sent a familiar shock thrumming across his nerves. It was the same sensation he'd felt the night before in the bathroom, when she'd brushed against him reaching for the medicine cabinet.

  Slowly he lowered the binoculars to his side and turned to face Abby. She was backing away from him, her cheeks flushed and her chest fluttering from her rapid breathing. "I'm sorry," she said, her words tripping over themselves. "I didn't realize you were going to move over. I hope you didn't lose your focus on the smoke because you bumped into me."

  He'd lost his focus, all right, and it had everything to do with touching her. The smoke in the distance and its possible implications faded from his consciousness, and all he could think about was Abby. The first rays of the sun rising over the lake bathed her in a golden glow, surrounding her with a halo of light. She shimmered in front of him, close enough that he could feel the heat from her red face, close enough to watch the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed too rapidly.

  "Abby," he muttered, and took another step closer. She took a tentative step toward him and stumbled over the chair between them, pushing it into him.

  He reached out to help her steady the chair and brushed against her hand. It shook beneath his as she stepped away, out of his reach. "I'm sorry," she said in a low voice. "I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

  "Don't worry about it." He watched her for a moment before he turned away and raised the binoculars to his eyes again, disturbed to find his hand not as steady as it was earlier. Damn Abby Markham and the effect she had on him, and damn his own lack of self-control,

  The smoke rose lazily into the air, tantalizing him just like the clean scent of Abby drifting around him. He tried to force himself to notice nothing bat the smoke, to concentrate on the location so he could check on it later, but Abby was standing too close to him.

  He seemed to have developed an internal radar as far as Abby was concerned. Even without looking, he knew where she stood, knew that she was looking out over the lake rather than at him. His hands tightened around the binoculars, and he finally lowered them and looked over at her.

  "Why don't you go check on your nieces, make sure that I didn't wake them up?"

  It was a flimsy excuse, but she seemed just as eager to go back into the cabin as he was to have her gone. "That's probably a good idea," she said, avoiding his gaze. She sounded subdued, and he had to force himself to turn back to the scenery in front of him rather than watch her leave. He waited until the door closed softly behind her, then he raised the binoculars again.

  The smoke curled slowly into the air for another minute, and he tried to memorize the landmarks around it. Then a final puff of smoke rose and disappeared. Someone had just put out the campfire.

  Hearing Abby step back onto the porch, he lowered the binoculars. "Are they still asleep?" he asked.

  "Maggie and Casey are fine," she answered. Her slight emphasis on the girls' names might have been unintentional, but Damien shifted uncomfortably as he turned away. Abby had made it plain more than once that she knew he avoided calling the twins by name. He was going to have to be more careful.

  "Have you seen anything besides the smoke?" she continued, staring out at the horizon.

  "They just put out the campfire. Take a look."

  Abby took the binoculars from him, being careful to avoid his hand. For what seemed like a long time, she stared at the area where the smoke had been, then finally lowered the glasses and looked at him. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

  "Wouldn't Shea have told us if there was someone else up here?" she asked.

  "Probably." He glanced away, the stricken look on her face stirring something hidden deep in his heart. He didn't want to destroy her fragile illusion of safety here in the mountains. He didn't want her to worry. But he wanted her to be aware that they could take nothing for granted.

  "You were probably right last night. Someone from the area got caught up in the mountains after dark and remembered this cabin. When they found out it was occupied, they probably went off and camped somewhere. The smoke will turn out to be nothing more serious than some cold cowboy who needed to warm up."

  He should be giving her the worst possible interpretation, reminding her they weren't safe until the murderer had been arrested, pressuring her to get her nieces to tell him what they knew. But all he could see was the fear on her face and the worry in her eyes. All he could feel was the need to ease that fear and worry. "It's probably nothing, Abby."

  Remembering the noise outside the cabin during the night, he felt the hair on his neck rising. He'd never believed in coincidence. And having someone anxious to use the cabin on the same night they arrived was too coincidental for his liking.

  "You don't believe that." Abby's low voice pierced his concentration, and he looked over at her with a start.

  "It's my job to be suspicious. I can't afford to take anything at face value."

  "I don't want you sugarcoating the truth for me, Damien," she said fiercely. "I want to know what's going on. Maggie and Casey are my responsibility, and I need to know all the facts so I can make responsible decisions. I don't want bland reassurances from you. I want the truth."

  So much for chivalrous impulses. "All right, I think anything's possible. I can't tell you absolutely that no one knows we're here. I don't think it's likely, but I'm not making any promises." His voice was fiat and hard. "If you want to do what's best for your nieces, get them to talk to me."

  Abby looked away, toward the mountains. Her hands clenched the material of her shorts, crushing it in her palms. "I'll talk to them this morning, after breakfast." Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear her. "I'll try to get them to tell you about that day at the construction site with their mother."

  Damien let his gaze linger on her for a moment, then he looked back at the la
ke. He should be relieved. With any luck they would all be leaving this cabin later today. He would have the information he needed, and the protection of Abby and her nieces could be left to someone else. Someone who didn't cringe inside every time he got near a child. Someone who hadn't fallen under the spell of Abby Markham.

  Someone who wouldn't protect them half as well as he could.

  Lowering the binoculars; he gripped them tightly then turned and walked back into the house. He cursed fate for giving him the Stefanetto case in the first place, and cursed Abby for being involved in it.

  He wished he hadn't insisted on finding Joey's murderer. If he had, he wouldn't be fantasizing about a woman who scared him to death; he was afraid to stay with her and afraid to leave her protection to anyone else. He wouldn't feel like he was being torn in two every time one of those little girls smiled at him.

  Placing the binoculars on the counter, he walked into his room, gently closing the door behind him. He needed to be alone for a while, to try and regain some of his detachment. He needed to stop thinking about Abby and start worrying about what to do with this case. Curling his hands into fists, he stared out the window, battling to smother painfully awakening emotions, to crush them beneath the weight of his responsibilities.

  * * *

  Abby heard every footstep Damien took as he walked away from her. She heard the quiet click as his door shut, and she was sure she could hear him walking around in his room. She listened for a few moments, then slowly turned back and looked out at the lake and the surrounding mountains.

  The scenery was so beautiful, so peaceful. So ready to lull her into a false sense of security. If they hadn't seen the smoke, they would still think they were alone in this wilderness. She stared at the red cliffs until she heard a noise from Maggie and Casey's room, telling her that the twins were awake.

  Taking a deep breath, she went to greet her nieces. They came running out of their room wearing their bathing suits and their beach shoes.

  "Aunt Abby," they shouted, beaming wide, expectant smiles at her, "can we go swimming in the lake?"

  Casey had her bathing suit on backward, and Maggie had her shoes on the wrong feet. Tears gathered in Abby's eyes as she thought about the men stalking these innocent children. Pulling the two girls into her arms for a fierce hug, Abby buried her face in their hair, savoring the sweet child-smell of them.

  "We need to eat breakfast first," she said, swallowing hard to hide the tears in her voice. "Then we'll see."

  Would Damien let them go down to the lake? Would he want them in the open? She had no idea.

  She tried to pay attention to Casey's innocuous chatter and Maggie's questions as she fixed muffins and cereal for them, but her gaze kept drifting toward Damien's closed bedroom door. What was he doing in there? And what would he say to the girls if they agreed to talk to him? More importantly, what was she going to say to them?

  Almost as if he'd read her mind, Damien emerged from his room and walked into the tiny kitchen. Stopping at the table where the girls sat eating, he squatted down so his face was at their level and said gravely, as if speaking to another adult, "Good morning, Casey. Good morning, Maggie."

  The girls both giggled and chorused, "Good morning, Damien.

  Abby's heart twisted as she saw the pain shadow his eyes at their response. His hand clenched the back of the chair, his knuckles turning white, as he asked, "Did you hear any bears during the night?"

  "There aren't any bears here, Damien," Maggie said in a lecturing tone of voice. "Bears are afraid of Angus." She reached down to pet the black cat, who was sitting next to her chair.

  Abby smiled at the sight of Maggie, the more quiet of the two twins, correcting Damien. "Damien doesn't know that Angus scares away all the bears, Mags," she said.

  "We couldn't hear no bears 'cause there aren't any," the girl explained, watching Damien earnestly.

  Abby saw the effort it took for Damien to collect himself and smile back at Maggie. "Well, that's good to know. I thought I heard one last night, and I was afraid I was going to have to set a bear trap today."

  "What's a bear trap?" Maggie asked.

  At the same time Casey said, "Can I help?"

  Damien rocked back on his heels and stood up. Abby saw the tension ease from his face as be stepped away from Maggie and Casey.

  "A bear trap is something that you set in the woods to scare away the bears. You don't actually want to catch one, of course. You just want to scare them away."

  "Why don't you want to catch one?" Maggie asked.

  Damien looked at her, and Abby wondered if he realized that his eyes softened a fraction at the same time as his hands tensed. "What would you do with a bear if you caught one, Maggie?"

  "I'd keep it for a pet," she answered immediately. "They're fuzzy and cuddly."

  "They're also big and smelly," Damien said. "And they'd eat all of your aunt Abby's food. That's why we don't want them around."

  Abby looked at her nieces' faces. Both of them were enthralled by Damien's words, and she suddenly realized what he was doing, If they were busy building a bear trap together, they wouldn't be on the beach, exposed to anyone watching for them.

  Her heart softened as she watched the man standing only inches away from her. It was obvious that Damien was uncomfortable around children, and that he wanted to avoid them at all cost. But he was going out of his way to get Maggie and Casey interested in helping him build a "bear trap" in the woods so they wouldn't go near the lake today.

  What kind of pain was he inviting for himself by deliberately spending time with Maggie and Casey? And why was he doing it?

  The answer to that question was obvious, at least. He was doing it to protect them. She could tell by the way Damien's eyes drifted to the window behind her, his eyes scanning the mountains as he talked to the twins.

  Abby's attention was jerked back to her nieces as each finished her breakfast and jumped up. "We're ready to go," Casey mumbled over a bite of muffin. "Can we help you build the bear trap?"

  Damien leaned forward. "I think you would be a big help," he said.

  "Go change your clothes, honey," Abby told her. "You'll need to wear shorts and a shirt and your gym shoes if you're going to work in the woods."

  "Okay." The two girls raced into their room and closed the door behind them. Abby could hear their faint giggles and the sound of drawers being pulled out as she turned to Damien.

  "Thank you," she said quietly. "I wasn't sure how to keep them off the beach."

  He shrugged. "No one will be able to see them if they're in the woods. And it'll give me a chance to rig up some sort of warning system around the cabin so no one can surprise us."

  Abby licked her lips. "I didn't get a chance to talk to them about what happened when they went to work with Janna. Do you want me to do that now?"

  Damien considered for a moment, then he shook his head. "No. Let them get more comfortable with me first. Then maybe they won't be so scared to talk to me."

  "How hard is this going to be for you?" she asked softly.

  "I've set up systems like this more times than I can count." He scanned the kitchen instead of looking at her. "I'm going to need to borrow some things for our bear trap, though."

  "That's not what I meant," Abby said more sharply than she'd intended.

  Slowly he turned to face her. "This is my job, Abby. To protect those girls, and you. It's not a matter of hard. It's a matter of doing it correctly. I figure this morning I'm killing two birds with one stone. I'm keeping them away from the lake and I'm protecting us from any surprises."

  "I know that you're uncomfortable around children. I've seen it every time you look at Maggie and Casey."

  "That's irrelevant." His voice was hard and cold. "My personal feelings don't enter into my job at all. I don't allow them to."

  Abby watched him leave the cabin, quietly closing the screen door behind him. She reached blindly for the cup of coffee that she'd left sitting on the counter
and took a gulp of the cold liquid. She may have been foolish enough to be moved by the kiss they'd shared, to hope that Damien was as affected by her as she was by him, but obviously Damien didn't allow any such human failings. He'd just told her so in no uncertain terms.

  * * *

  Chapter 6

  «^»

  Abby's hands were immersed in soapy water when Maggie and Casey emerged from their bedroom, dressed in wildly clashing shorts and T-shirts. "We're ready to build a bear trap," Casey shouted, running for the door.

  Maggie stopped and looked around the cabin. "Where's Damien?" she asked, her tiny eyebrows puckering into a frown.

  "He went outside to check on something," Abby answered, improvising quickly. "He's probably making sure it's safe to go into the woods."

  "I'm going to go find him," Casey said, heading for the door. "Wait!" Abby's voice was too sharp, and she bit her lip as Casey turned to her, startled. "I don't think that Damien would want you to go outside until he was very sure all the bears were gone," she said in what she hoped was a calmer tone. "Why don't you watch for him at the window?"

  "We want to go outside, Aunt Abby," came Maggie's voice, and Abby looked at the two children watching her with pleading eyes.

  "All right," she said, sighing. "But I want you to wait near the truck for Damien. Don't go into the woods, and don't go down to the lake."

  Abby stood by the door and watched them for a moment, her mouth curving into a tender smile as they played. They were careful not to stray from the truck, dancing around it as they peered into the woods and watched for Damien. Abby knew immediately when he emerged from the brush. Both twins jumped up and down, squealing his name.

  Damien paused in front of them and said something, then headed for the house. Abby hurriedly stepped away from the door and turned beck to the sink. By the time Damien entered the house, she was busily wringing out the dishrag and wiping down the counter.

  He stopped right behind her, close enough that a ripple of awareness shivered down her spine. Clutching the dishrag more tightly, she tried to step away from him, to ignore the flare of heat his presence ignited, but it was impossible.