Riding Tall: Fencing You In Part 9

For a moment she wondered if she should tell Gage then decided not to. She didn't need to introduce negativity into their new relations.h.i.+p. Nothing had happened and everything had turned out okay, thanks to Jo showing up.

Tess let out a rush of breath and drove the rest of the way home.

Chapter 13.

It was still early in the day on Friday and Nectars was empty of patrons. Tess heard the door open and the sound of footsteps coming across the floor as she studied the paperwork she'd been attending to. She made another note before she looked up just as a large vase of colorful flowers in different shades of pink was set on the bar top. From where she was sitting, the brilliant bouquet was so big she couldn't see who had set it down.

She got to her feet as a short man with a florid face moved around the flowers, the man wearing a green jumpsuit with Angel's Flower Shop embroidered on the pocket. He held an electronic device in his big hand and extended it to her.

"Flowers for Tess Grady." The man handed her a stylus as she took the device from him.

"I'm Tess." She scribbled her name on the LCD screen, her curiosity piqued as she breathed in the fresh scent of the carnations, lilies, and roses. "Who are these from?"

"A card is right there." With a thick finger he pointed to a plastic holder with an envelope that had Tess scrawled across it in decidedly masculine handwriting.

She handed the man the electronic device before he turned and hurried out of the bar, probably on his way to his next delivery.

Intrigued, Tess plucked the card from the plastic cardholder, slid the card out of the envelope, and read it.

To a special woman, who's on my mind every day.

Tess smiled. The flowers had to be from Gage. She hadn't seen him since they'd spent the day putting the new pump in the well, but he'd called every evening after he'd sent her a text message to make sure it wasn't too late to call. He'd been slammed by work all week, one emergency after another, and he'd had to work late hours. She'd had to work late, too.

They'd had so little time to talk that she hadn't even had a chance to tell him that she'd decided to take him up on his job offer. It occurred to her that maybe he'd made the offer and had since thought better of it, but she didn't think so. From what she knew about Gage, he didn't do or say anything lightly. When he said something, he meant it.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was Gage.

"Hi there," she said, smiling as she looked at the beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"Sorry, honey," he said to Tess. "It's going to be another h.e.l.l of a day."

"I understand. That comes with the territory of owning your own business." Tess adjusted the cell phone at her ear. "We deal with one crisis after another at the Hummingbird and Nectars."

"I doubt I'll make it to the bar tonight so likely I won't be able to see you." Frustration was in his voice. "This time I've got to go up to Flagstaff for a problem that's going to take some time to take care of. It will probably be late by the time I get back."

A rush of disappointment seemed to come out of nowhere. "You must be pretty worn out."

"We have had some long days over here." He sounded tired. "I've missed seeing you this week," he added more softly. "Have you missed me?"

"Maybe a little," she said in a teasing tone.

"This weekend I'll be free," he said. "I've cleared my calendar and I have enough men to cover anything that might come up. How about dinner out tomorrow night?"

"That will work great. Jenny will be at Katie Sue's birthday sleepover." Tess bit her lower lip, wondering if she should just jump in with both feet. She braced her free hand on the bar beside the vase as if to help bolster her courage. "You've had a long week and probably want to relax. Why don't we have dinner at my house?"

"A relaxing night in would be great." A smile was in his voice and she imagined how s.e.xy he must look right then. "It's a date."

"I'll be dropping Jenny off at Katie Sue's at six." Tess ran her finger over a soft petal of a deep pink rose bloom. "How about seven?"

"Perfect."

She looked at the bouquet and smiled as she spoke. "Thank you for the flowers."

"Flowers?" he sounded puzzled.

Tess looked at the flowers with confusion. "Someone from the florist just delivered a bouquet of flowers. They're not from you?"

"No," he said, "they aren't from me."

"Oh." Tess frowned at the bouquet and then a slow chill rolled over her skin.

Harvey Norton. They were no doubt from Harvey.

The thought gave a sick twist to her belly. After what he'd done, she couldn't believe he'd sent her flowers.

"Any idea who they're from?" he asked. She couldn't tell if there was any jealousy in Gage's tone, but she didn't think so.

"There's one man in the cafe who won't leave me alone." She didn't want to bring up Harvey's name, not after the way he'd behaved. "But it's no big deal."

"Can I help?" Gage didn't sound jealous, he sounded concerned "No worries," she said. "I can handle him."

"If he bothers you anymore, let me know, okay?" Gage had a hard edge to his voice, as if he meant business.

Tess thought about it a moment. "I will."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I've got to get on the road," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," she said softly.

When she disconnected the call, she stared at the flowers for a long moment. The nerve Harvey had, sending her flowers.

To a special woman, who's on my mind every day, the card had read.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she said with narrowed eyes.

She picked up the vase, walked to the garbage barrel. A crash echoed in the bar as she dropped the whole thing inside.

Chapter 14.

Early Friday afternoon, Harvey walked around Tess's home, looking for a window that wasn't latched, or a door that wasn't locked. He tried each window he came to, but they were all secured.

He fished the lock pick kit out of his jeans pocket. Chess had showed him how to pick a lock, and Harvey thought he'd gotten the hang of it. He just hoped her back door didn't have a bolt lock.

He made his way up the back porch steps to the door, which didn't appear to have a bolt lock, just a lock in the k.n.o.b. He set to work on it but couldn't get it to open. It was an old house, an old lock, and it shouldn't be this difficult.

Frustration nearly made him just ram the door open with his shoulder, but he forced himself to be a little more patient. Finally he heard a click and the k.n.o.b opened when he turned it.

He smiled as he eased into the house. It was silent, empty of the life that he knew Tess gave it when she was home.

A thrill went through him as he touched her things. She had collectible figurines that he ran his fingers over, imagining her careful placement of each one. He ran his hand along the back of her leather couch, thinking of what it would be like to take her right there.

No doubt she'd loved the flowers and she'd forgiven him. He shouldn't have been so rough with her the other night. He'd just wanted her so badly and the thought of Gage having her had made him a little crazy.

He made his way into her bedroom and felt a tightening in his groin. This was where she slept. Where he planned to take her when the time was right.

Had she slept with Gage yet? Harvey frowned. He'd only seen them kissing. Harvey hadn't followed her enough times to know whether or not she'd brought anyone to her home. Maybe he needed to follow her home more often.

He moved around her bedroom. He picked up one of her perfume bottles from the dresser. It looked antique and was tinted in shades of rose. He set the bottle back down then continued to go around her room. He ran his hand over the pillows and skimmed his fingers over the bedcovers. Here was where she slept. He touched as many of her things as he could. He wanted to feel all of her. For now that meant contact with her belongings. Soon it would mean having her body all to himself.

He went to her bureau and opened the top drawer. He smiled when he found her panties and bras, and started to touch them when he heard a noise.

Someone was unlocking the front door.

s.h.i.+t.

He looked around the bedroom for someplace to hide. He considered beneath the bed but the frame was too low. His only choice was the closet. He slipped inside it and pressed against one corner, kicking a couple of pairs of shoes out of his way. One of them made a thump and he held his breath, hoping whoever it was hadn't heard.

A phone rang and then he heard Tess's sweet voice. "Hi, Jo."

Harvey slowed his breathing as he listened.

"I came home early," Tess was saying. "I've worked so many hours this week that I'm dead on my feet."

A moment of silence as she listened.

"Uh-huh," Tess said, responding to a question he couldn't hear. "Isn't that the truth?"

Another pause. "No," she said. She sounded closer now and he peered through the closet slats but couldn't see her. "I haven't seen him since he accosted me in the parking lot."

Harvey narrowed his gaze. Accosted?

"But," Tess continued, "he sent me flowers. At least I'm pretty sure he did it. There was a card but it wasn't signed."

Harvey smiled. So she'd guessed they were from him.

A pause as Tess must have been listening to Jo. Tess gave a humorless laugh. "I threw them in the garbage when I realized who they were from."

Heat crept up Harvey's neck as he clenched his hands into fists. He had to fight for control. He wanted to burst from the closet, smash the phone, and have Tess now.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He needed to think this through.

"All right." Tess was just feet from the closet now and he could partly see her form through the slats. "Thanks for checking in on me. I'll see you next week, Jo."

Harvey s.h.i.+fted, trying to see Tess. He caught a glimpse of her face. She was frowning, her head tilted to the side. He saw her slender form move away and she went to the dresser where she picked up the perfume bottle that he had touched.

Then she shook her head and started to strip out of her clothing. "You must have moved it by accident, Tess," she said out loud.

He smirked. He could scare the s.h.i.+t out of her and make her his right now. But he wanted her willing. Somehow he had to get through to her.

If Gage McBride wasn't in the picture, Harvey would have her now. He just knew he would.

She started unb.u.t.toning her blouse and then to his disappointment she disappeared from sight. A few moments later he heard the shower start, then the sliding gla.s.s door open and close.

He slipped out of the closet and silently moved past the master bathroom and back into the living room. He went out the back door and locked it behind himself.

Chapter 15.

Friday night, after Tess returned from dropping Jenny off at Katie Sue's, she still had half an hour to get ready for her date with Gage. She slid a pan of stuffed chicken b.r.e.a.s.t.s into the oven, which should be finished by the time he arrived. She set the timer and headed to her bedroom.

The broccoli was ready to steam and she'd prepared the corn to be heated. The fresh baked homemade rolls had just come out of the oven and were in a basket with a cloth tucked around it to keep in the heat.

She'd taken a shower earlier in the day, before Jenny came home from kindergarten. She'd managed to get off early so that she could have some time to herself, some time with Jenny, and time to prepare for Gage.

As she started toward her bedroom to change into what she planned to wear tonight, she paused. Earlier today, after she'd gotten off the phone with Jo, she'd had the strangest sensation that someone was watching her.

Not only that, but one of her perfume bottles had been moved. She hadn't dusted for at least a week and there'd been a dustless place on the dresser where the bottle had been. For the life of her, she couldn't remember moving it.

She shook her head and continued into her bedroom, then s.h.i.+mmied out of her jeans and T-s.h.i.+rt as well as her panties and bra. Naked, she stood at her dresser and pulled out some s.e.xy lingerie that included black satin and lace panties and a matching camisole, and slipped into them.

Despite the fact that she'd said she wanted to go slow with Gage, she felt like she knew him well... And she had to admit that she desired more from him than just a kiss.

She picked out a short black skirt and a silky top that draped smoothly over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, the hem barely reaching the waist of her skirt. The blouse was short so that when she moved certain ways, an enticing flash of skin played peekaboo at her waist.

When she went to the closet to get a pair of shoes, her stomach swooped. The shoes in one corner of her closet were out of place, like they'd been kicked aside. She held her hand to her pounding heart.