Page 5 of Dangerous Secrets
Where once they’d been able to talkabout anything under the sun, suddenly she was sharp tongued whilehe treated her like a pain in the ass.
Even with that, during her senior yearwhen he’d been attending the local community college, he’d alwaysmade sure he was there to pick her up from school.He’d alsomanaged to be around if any boy who liked her showed up at thefarm.
She’d come home for summer break afterher sophomore year of college and had decided to take the bull bythe horns and ask him out.She still remembered him giving her thatlong look, his dark hair tousled and green eyes glittering.Thenhe’d lifted her to her toes and kissed her and there’d been nogoing back.For that one glorious summer he’d broken through hisself-imposed restraints and they’d been together.
Until their world hadimploded.
Shaking off the memories, she zippedup the front of her jacket and wandered down the driveway, pullingher grief around her like a shroud.Callie ignored the rabbitdarting under the fence as if the dog sensed Delaney needed herclose.
Instinctively she followed the loop inthe driveway to the dirt road curving up the slope, skirting theorchards behind the big house.She didn’t want to think about thework that needed doing on the farm, or preparations for thefuneral, or how she was going to avoid Walker.
Weighing more heavily was figuring outhow she would live her life without James McGrath in it.
The road went through the northorchards planted with Gravensteins before it split, the right forkleading to the tidy cabin where James had lived for as long as shecould remember, where he’d brought his grandsons after theirparents had died.Where Walker would stay if staying was hisplan.
She chose the left path that wouldtake her to the workshop.Years ago, and over James’s protests,Clara had deeded him the cabin and workshop and the entire northorchard.Delaney had never been prouder of her grandmother, becausein that act Clara had righted a century-old wrong that had to dowith disputed land claims.She’d moved James from being an employeeto part owner of Cider Mill Farm.
Delaney was so caught up in herthoughts she was almost at the door of the workshop before sherealized light shone through the windows.An irrational burst ofhope had her grabbing the wood railing for balance, a hope thatsomehow the past eight months had been a dream, that she would onceagain walk through the door to find James running the saw, hissilver hair shining under the overhead lights, and he’d flash herthat lightning grin that both his grandsons hadinherited.
But James was gone and no one shouldbe in the shop at nearly midnight.She hadn’t noticed a vehicle,but it could’ve been parked in the back where she wouldn’t’ve seenit.
She had her hand on the door, ready toinvestigate, then she paused.
The thought occurred that maybe sheshould show some caution.Crime was pretty much nonexistent intheir corner of Payback Valley, but that didn’t mean she should befoolish.
She put her other hand on Callie’shead, ready to back away and reconsider, when the knob was jerkedfrom her grasp and the door swung open.
CHAPTER THREE
There he stood, Walker James McGrath.Seeing him now was as much a shock as it had been hours earlier.Her heartbeat kicked up and her breath came in gulps and she prayedto dear god he wouldn’t notice.She’d hoped time and disinterest onhis part was the formula needed to destroy any remnants of what hadbeen her juvenile first love.Apparently, that hope was futile.Having a physical reaction to Walker irritated the hell out of herand had her scowling, though she assured herself her response wasdue to surprise rather than any echo of lingeringfeelings.
She studied him more thoroughly thanshe’d done earlier.He’d lost the lankiness of his early twenties.Now thirty-three, the muscular build he’d developed warned oflatent power barely held in check.He’d pushed goggles to the topof his head, pulling back the thick dark hair that’d always fallenover his forehead when he’d been a boy.
His hair was long, well past thecollar of his shirt.Coupled with the raw strength of his build, itgave him a wild, untamed look.He’d inherited his dark hair fromhis grandmother, who’d been partly of Mexican heritage, while eyesof deep forest green came straight from James.
Delaney thought her appearance must’vecaught Walker by surprise too.For a fraction of a second his gazehad flared over her, bringing heat wherever it touched.
Then the shutters slammed down overhis eyes, erasing any trace of emotion.
“Take a wrong turn,sweetheart?Or were you looking for me?”The goading tone annoyedher, but it was countered by the effect it had on her.His voicehad grown deeper with time and washed over her like rippling watersmoothing over a sandy beach.She suppressed a shiver and decidedhis questions didn’t deserve a response.
“Hello to you too,Walker.”
He bent to stroke Callie’s head andscoop up the brown and white dog at his feet.“A little late forpleasantries, but at least you remember my name.”
She reached out a hand and the littledog sniffed with an energetically twitching nose.“I’m not the onewith the memory problem who conveniently forgets the past.”She bither lip.As always, words escaped before she could think themthrough.The dog gave her fingers a swipe with a pink tongue andshe latched on to the distraction.
“Hey, you’re a sweetie,”she crooned.“What’s his name?”She glanced up to find Walker’sgaze fixed firmly on her.
“Bud.”
“That’s not veryimaginative.”
“Says the woman who namedher pet rabbit Princess Dandelion.Imaginative is overrated.”Hepaused.“See.I do remember.”
“You remember stupidstuff.Besides, I was nine, and you called her PD for Plenty Dumb,which was just mean.”
He cradled the little dog to his chestand leaned against the door frame.His gaze seemed glued to herface.Despite the cold temperature, he wore only the flannel shirthe’d arrived in.
