A Promise to Protect (Logan Point Book #2): A Novel (25 page)

Even with the surveillance tools, Ben didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all.

Wednesday was only a half day at the Helping Hands clinic, and Leigh wasn’t altogether sorry. Monday and Tuesday had been a whirlwind of activity, and she could use a breather. She turned as Emily called her name.

“Is that your last patient?” her boss asked.

“Yes. Strep throat. Probably see the rest of the family by Friday,” she replied with a grimace.

Emily tilted her head. “So, how do you like working here so far?”

“I love it. I’m looking forward to getting to know my patients and treating the whole family. You really don’t want that to happen in the ER.”

Emily laughed. “You’re doing great. Everyone who’s been in here has commented when they checked out that they hoped you stayed on.”

Guilt pinged her conscience. She hadn’t mentioned Johns Hopkins to her boss, and evidently neither had Ben. “I, ah, we might need to talk. Last week I received an offer to work at one of Johns Hopkins’s free clinics, and I accepted. I wanted you to know up front.”

“Johns Hopkins? I can understand. We—”

Leigh’s cell phone rang.

“Go ahead and take that,” Emily said. “We can finish talking later.”

Leigh glanced at the caller ID. Ian. She hadn’t seen him since Friday although he’d called almost every day, usually with a dinner offer. “Hello,” she said.

“Dr. Somerall, I have this problem, and I really need to see a doctor.” Ian’s rich voice teased.

“And what seems to be your ailment?” she asked.

He sighed. “I have pains around my heart from lack of seeing a certain doctor. Do you think you can help me? I know the clinic isn’t open on Wednesday afternoon, but I thought perhaps you could prescribe a luncheon date to cure me?”

She stared down the hallway. He never gave up. And it wasn’t like her dance card was filled with admiring beaus. She hadn’t even heard from a certain sheriff, not even to escort her to and from the clinic. He’d sent Andre or Wade. She looked out the front window. Andre’s cruiser waited in the parking lot.

But why this campaign of Ian’s to court her? Did he view her as another notch on his belt? Was that his motivation for letting her have the house?

“Are you still there?”

“I’m here, and I’ll go on one condition.”

“And that is?”

“That you won’t try to push our relationship beyond that of friendship.”

“Friendship is a good beginning.”

“Ian.” She drew his name out.

“Okay,” he grumbled. “Strictly friendship, nothing more.”

“Then, yes, I’ll go with you, but let me go home and change and check on TJ.”

“Wear something casual.” He sounded mysterious.

At home, Leigh found a note from Sarah saying she had taken TJ to the pool. Her stomach twisted. She needed to spend more time with her son. Quickly she scribbled a note telling TJ they would watch a movie later, then she hurried upstairs to change.

The front doorbell rang just as she pulled a white V-neck T-shirt over her head, and she quickly pulled on a pair of blue jean capris. When she opened the door, she gaped at Ian. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in shorts.”

“First jeans, now shorts.” He grinned at her. “You must be a good influence on me.”

He escorted her to his black Escalade and opened the passenger door. Ian Maxwell knew how to make a girl feel special. As she slid into the seat, she noticed a picnic basket in the backseat. “We’re going on a picnic?”

“You’ve never seen my cabin at the lake. I thought I’d give you the grand tour. Of course, if I’d planned ahead, we could have boated across the lake instead of driving the long way around.”

Ninety minutes later, Leigh felt like Cinderella when she stepped into the ballroom. Her grandmother’s house that had burned would have taken up no more space than the living room of Ian’s cabin. She’d only ever read about spreads like this. Rooms that could be in
House & Garden
. Or
Architectural Digest
. So this was how 10 percent of the world lived. She moistened her lips. “Did you do the decorating?”

He laughed. “Hardly. No, a decorator out of Memphis pulled all of this together.”

She’d hate to even try to put a figure on how much he’d spent.

“Could you imagine yourself here? In this house?”

She laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

“Depends on what your answer is.”

“Have you already forgotten the condition of this lunch?”

“Well, you can’t fault me for trying. Just remember, more than one couple started out as friends.”

She’d have to give him credit for not giving up, and in spite of her resolve, the question of what life would be like with Ian Maxwell darted through her mind. Never worry about money. Jetting to Paris . . .

Reality cooled her face. She didn’t love Ian, not the way a wife should love a husband, and she’d been there, done that before with the man everyone thought was TJ’s father. Not that she hadn’t been grateful to Matthew or that she hadn’t loved him in her own way. She shook off the dark thoughts. “I thought you brought me here for a picnic.”

He tilted his head and said nothing, his blue eyes holding hers. Finally he sighed. “So I did. Follow me.”

Ian led her out of the house to a stone walkway that wound around the grounds to a gazebo that overlooked Logan Lake. He flipped a switch, and a bamboo fan whirred softly, sending a soft breeze against her cheek. She took the rattan chair Ian offered and sat back as he spread an enormous amount of food on the table.

The throbbing hum of cicadas competed with the fan. Cicadas always made her think of hot summer days. To her left was the lake, and she knew there had to be several other cabins around, but she didn’t see a one. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a granite building that matched the house. It was too large to be a garage.

“It’s where I keep my Beechcraft. There’s a grass runway on the other side of the trees.” He used a pair of silver tongs to transfer ice from a bucket to their goblets, and then he filled their glasses with tea.

“You have an airplane here?”

He nodded. “See what you’re giving up,” he said, his lips curving into a teasing smile. “I’m not quitting, you know. In fact, I’d like to do something special for you. Like fly you to Baltimore for a weekend. Doesn’t your son like baseball? We’ll stay at the Hilton and watch an Orioles game from your balcony.”

Just when she didn’t think Ian could surprise her again, he did. A trip to Baltimore . . . an opportunity to talk face-to-face with Dr. Meriwether and see where she’d be working. And if TJ could see a professional baseball game, it might change his mind about moving. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Yes will do. How about this weekend?”

Ian was moving too fast for her. “Are you a pilot?”

He bowed slightly. “Yes, ma’am, as is Danny and our new chief accountant, Geoffrey Franks.”

Tony’s replacement. For a second she faltered then caught herself. A company like Maxwell Industries couldn’t leave the job hanging.

“He will never take Tony’s place,” Ian said softly.

“I know.” His tenderness touched her heart.

“So, can we fly to Baltimore this weekend?” he asked.

“Not this one. TJ reminds me every day at least ten times that he has a play-off game with his team. If they win, they’ll go to State. Maybe the next weekend?”

“It’s a date. I’ll make all the arrangements.” He offered her a white-chocolate-chip cookie.

Leigh took the cookie and nibbled around the edges. She was too excited to eat. Baltimore.

He refilled her goblet with tea. “I didn’t see your bodyguard when I picked you up.”

She frowned. “Oh, you mean Ben? He’s too busy . . . he just sends one of his deputies to escort me back and forth to the clinic.”

“How’s that going?”

“Busy. Wonderful. I love engaging in an actual relationship with my patients.”

“Imagine how much better it’ll be at Johns Hopkins.”

Maybe so. She thought about the twenty-year-old college student who came in earlier in the day to get information on abortion but who left with a changed mind and a follow-up prenatal appointment. That was one case she’d like to be around for at delivery time. She’d miss some things about Logan Point. The thought startled her.

“Oh, by the way, what was the fire marshal’s conclusion on the fire at Tony’s house?”

Tony again. And the question reminded her of one of the reasons she wanted to leave Logan Point behind. “Arson.”

“You’re kidding. What led to this conclusion?”

“A steel-tipped arrowhead similar to the one found in the jail fire. And traces of kerosene.”

“Does Ben have any leads?”

She shrugged. “If he does, he hasn’t told me.”

Ian offered her another cookie. “Did he ever discover who ransacked your house? Or found the missing flash drive?”

She stared out at the lake. A sailboat tacked into the wind, its white sails fluttering. “I’m not sure the drive ever existed. And I have yet to figure out why Tony was meeting with Ben. Why didn’t my brother tell me what it was about?” She turned her gaze to Ian. “Do you have any idea why Tony wanted to talk to Ben?”

“No, although it did seem that he was bothered by something lately.”

“I know. He wouldn’t talk about it, but one night he had a nightmare. Woke me up yelling something about a dog.”

Ian’s pupils widened slightly. “A dog? Did he explain?”

“No. And a week later, he was dead.”

Ian’s expression softened. “This has been a sad chapter in your life.”

Leigh’s breath stilled, and she closed her eyes against the pain. Ian leaned forward and squeezed her hand. His kindness unleashed the tears she held back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“I rarely get to choose the time or place.” She blinked back more tears that threatened.

“I know this isn’t the time, but . . .” Ian sighed. “Leigh, I care very much for you.”

She pulled back. “I . . . I—”

“I’m not asking for a declaration of love from you.”

She pressed her fingertips to her lips.”Oh, Ian. I don’t know what to say. I enjoy being with you, but I’m not in love with you.”

“That could change.”

“I don’t see how. I’m leaving soon. Can’t we just be friends?”

He lifted his eyebrows. “I can settle for friendship right now, but be warned. I will wear you down.”

“You’re not used to hearing no, are you?” She was beginning to understand that was part of his attraction to her.

“My experience with no is that it usually ends up meaning not yet.”

According to his phone and the GPS chip on Wade’s key ring, Lester Cummings’s old rattletrap was a good mile ahead of Ben. He’d put his cell phone on speaker so he could listen to the conversation between Wade and Lester, and so far, the old farmer didn’t seem suspicious. But then, Wade had only been making small talk. It would’ve been much easier if Ben were the one riding with Lester instead of his chief deputy.

“Where is this dog?” Wade asked.

That’s what Ben would like to know. According to the GPS, they were on Sloan Road, a narrow, twisting, and sometimes one-lane sand road at the edge of Bradford County. Much farther and they’d be in Tennessee.

“Almost there,” said Cummings, his two-pack-a-day voice low.

“Why don’t you just sell me one of your dogs?”

“Don’t fight my dogs.”

“Who said I wanted to fight this dog we’re going to look at?”

A long silence followed, and Ben wished for the hundredth time he’d vetoed this idea.

“You telling me you don’t?” When Wade didn’t answer, the older man chuckled. “That’s what I thought. We’re almost there. The road’s gonna be a little rough from here on out. And when we get there, leave that Glock in the truck unless you want your head blowed off. This fellow tends to shoot first and ask questions later.
And he don’t know who you are, just that you’re a friend of mine, so don’t make me regret bringing you out here.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t, but I don’t like leaving my gun behind.”

“You’re with me—he won’t shoot you.”

At least Wade still had his ankle gun. Ben backed into an old logging road. There was just no way to get any closer without being seen.