Page 71 of Pure Vengeance

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Natasha

Keeping space between us, I followed Lachlan to his house. Sadly, he didn’t seem to be afraid of me, but he was definitely wary. I supposed that was good enough.

“I sent all the staff home,” he said as I followed him to a ground-floor guest room. “This is yours. I’m afraid we’re on our own for cooking and cleaning.”

“It’s okay. I’ll make sure I stay away from the vet.”

“You’re not going to hurt the person who can make your dog better,” he replied as if he truly believed it.

Before I could respond, he added, “There’s clothes in the dresser to tide you over until you can get back to your place.”

“Okay. I’m going to clean up.”

I walked into the room and shut the door in his face, then turned the lock set into the knob. It wouldn’t keep Lachlan out if he really wanted in, but I’d have plenty of warning if he decided to invade my space.

The guest suite overlooking the woods to the south wasn’t as large as Lachlan’s room, but it was comfortable and decorated in soothing shades of pale green and gray with oak furnishings.The dresser was full of unisex clothing in assorted sizes and colors, socks, and both men’s and women’s underwear still in their packages. There were even several pairs of new slippers in the closet.

After grabbing fresh clothes, I went into the bathroom and locked that door too. Wrapped toothbrushes, toothpaste, and bathing products were in a large basket on the sink vanity, along with a small first aid kit containing a few basics.

“Amateurs,” I muttered. There wasn’t even a suture kit. After growing up with Steve Ashland, I was probably as well-trained as a military field medic, so the one I had at home was in a rolling tackle box.

I showered as quickly as I could, and after drying off, I dressed and gave my short curls a quick scrunch with my fingers.

God, I loved my new hair. It was probably stupid to look for silver linings in my unwanted marriage to Lachlan, but my therapist encouraged it. Surprisingly, it even helped sometimes.

She wanted me to think about what my life would look like if I forgave him for what he’d done to me. Sometimes, when I thought about Dante, I could almost picture it.

Without Lachlan, I wouldn’t have met Dante, and my father wouldn’t know I was the one who killed him.

Big, sparkly silver lining right there!

My stomach rumbled, and I snapped my fingers for Dante before I remembered he wasn’t around to have lunch with me. Tears burned and I wiped them hurriedly before finding a pair of slippers in my size. I couldn’t think about losing my baby dog.

Steeling my spine, I left my room. Oddly enough, I remembered the way to the kitchen.

Before I reached it, I heard the blare of a smoke alarm and broke into a run. I stopped cold when I found Lachlan spraying the stove with a fire extinguisher.

“Shit!” He set the extinguisher on the counter and sighed as he opened a window to allow the smoke to escape. “Goddamnit. What a mess.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing.” Using a potholder, he grabbed a blackened skillet dripping with foam and tossed it into the sink.

“Um…” I moved closer and peered at the stove. The cooktop didn’t appear to be damaged, but it was crusted with burnt food. “This doesn’t look like nothing.”

“Fine.” Still glaring at the skillet, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I was trying to make French toast, but the fruit stuff boiled over, and then the sausages decided to catch on fire.”

My mouth fell open, but I couldn’t think of a single thing to say when I realized he’d tried to recreate the first and only meal I’d ever cooked for him.

“French toast.” Some odd sort of sound bubbled in my chest, and I coughed to dislodge it. “French toast?”

“And that fruit stuff you made, plus sausages.” Scowling at the stove, he added, “Guess we’re having sandwiches instead.”

“French toast.” I coughed again, but the sound escaped and turned into hysterical laughter before I could stop it.

“That’s all you have to say?” His cheeks reddened and he turned his glare on me, but a faint smile blossomed on his lips. “You forgot the sausages and fruit stuff.”

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