Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) (29 page)
Read Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past) Online
Authors: Danielle Rose-West
I hope you enjoyed reading Callie and Jason’s story. It was a
complete joy and pleasure to write. As you may have already guessed, Jade has
her own mystery to solve that will be told in a future book. Keep your eyes on
my blog and Facebook page for news about this story.
My next book will be the third instalment of The Fairy Tale
Match, called Phoenix Rising. Rhys has waited long enough to tell his story!
Again, keep your eyes on my blog and Facebook. I will be posting news and
teaser excerpts as the book is written.
Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it, I would
really appreciate a review on Amazon. As any author will tell you, we really
need your reviews.
You can read below for excerpts from my previous books. Happy
Reading!
You can
contact me in the following ways:
Email:
[email protected]
My blog:
http://daniellerosewest.blogspot.co.uk/
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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danielle-Rose-West/451370021626958
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Stumbling along the coast road, she
slumped down on a bench that overlooked the sea. Her gaze failed to register
the waves as they tossed themselves onto shore. Kyle had wanted to buy her
house, not once but twice. He’d lost out to the previous owners and then to
her. She remembered Tiffany telling her how the Perkins had left terrified. Had
Kyle been responsible for driving them away? Was he doing the same to her?
She thought of all the things that
had happened, her lips thinning as her fury rose. It had to be. Kyle was trying
to drive her away so he could buy the house when she put it back up for sale.
Well, not in this lifetime! Shooting up from the bench, Jenna marched home. The
pounding of her feet sounded like the beat of a drum preceding an army into
battle.
She flew into the house, dropping her
bag and the paint thinner to the floor before she stomped into the study. She
barely registered the huge man working in the room with Kyle. Her whole
attention riveted upon her tormentor.
“Why did you say nothing about having
wanted to buy my house?” she demanded, her hands curled into fists.
Kyle spun around from the wall he’d
been stripping. His shocked expression would have been comical in any other
situation. Jenna didn’t find anything funny about it now.
“Who told you that?” he finally got
out.
“Does it matter? It’s true isn’t it?”
Jenna demanded, anger nearly choking her.
“Yes, it’s true. I didn’t tell you
simply because it wasn’t important.” He clutched the scraper in his hand
tighter, his knuckles turning white.
“Not important?” Her brow rose in
question. He frowned at her deadly tone, his eyes full of confusion. “I would
say it was more likely you didn’t want me to know so I wouldn’t guess what you
were up to!”
“What the hell are you talking
about?” He planted his hands on his hips, staring at her as if she’d lost her
mind.
“Don’t deny it!” Her voice rose with
increasing tempo. She waved her finger in his face, one hand firmly planted on
her own hip. “Don’t you dare deny what you’ve been doing to me! I know your
game. You did it to the Perkins too, didn’t you?” She stalked forward,
practically shoving her face into Kyle’s increasingly confused and angry one.
“Look here, I haven’t the foggiest
notion what you’re talking about!” He stabbed a finger towards her chest. “You
need to sort out your facts before you go accusing people of things.”
“Really?” she snarled. She began
ticking points off on her fingers. “Fact One, you wanted to buy this house, but
was beat to it by the Perkins. Fact Two, they were driven from their home in
terror, forcing them to sell. Fact Three, you wanted to buy this house again,
but I beat you to it. Fact Four, odd things are happening here and I would bet
money on it you’re behind them.” She glared at him triumphantly.
He stared at her hand, then at her
face. “Who the hell are you?” he snapped. “And why are you talking to me like
we’re best friends? Guests don’t book in here, they book in at the customer
care cabin over by the guest cabins. Kerry can direct you. In future, I’ll
thank you not to intrude on our family home again. We always make it clear that
main house is off limits to guests. We do need a private life you know!”
Her smile faltered. “But I’m Laura
Hamilton,” she stammered out, puzzled. She could understand he thought she was
arriving the next day, but she’d already explained she was early. What was
wrong with him? He’d seemed so nice in his emails. “You told me to come
straight to the main house. I’m supposed to be staying here in your home with
you for three weeks! You said you were looking forward to it” She tried not to
get upset, but could feel herself on the verge of tears. She was tired, the
drive and jet lag were beginning to creep up on her and now Jake Carter was
acting like he’d never heard of her. It was all too much!
“I beg your pardon? What the hell are
you talking about?” he snarled at her, losing his patience. Without even
waiting for an answer, he turned to his sister. “Who the hell is this lunatic
and why did you let her in the house instead of directing her to the guest
customer service cabin? Although, on second thought, I’m not sure we want this
crazy woman staying on the premises. Perhaps it’s best to refund her and send
her home. She probably escaped from some nut house anyway!”
“How dare you!” Laura huffed, angry
now. If he’d changed his mind upon seeing her, he could at least have the good
grace to just admit it instead of making out he had no idea who she was and
that SHE was crazy. “You asked me here for three weeks. I have the emails on my
phone to prove it.” She began fumbling in her bag for her phone. “I would never
have come had I known what a rude, grumpy man you are, instead of the sweet guy
you pretended to be! Really, you could just say you’ve changed your mind,
instead of this ridiculous charade. Honestly, why join a dating agency if you
weren’t happy to meet someone. It’s not my fault that agency won’t work with
photos. You must have known it was a risk, being sight unseen!”
Jake held his hand up to stop her
tirade, refusing to take the phone she was trying to thrust in his face. “Hold
up there. You have the wrong place. I have not, nor would I ever join a dating
agency. You must have driven to the wrong address.” He shook his head in
relief.
“But, this is the Twisted Tree Ranch
and you are Jake Carter, are you not?” Laura asked, wondering why he was
insisting on this pretence of not knowing her. A strangled sound from behind
her drew her attention.
Laura turned to look at Kerry, who
was still standing frozen by the front door. Her face held a look of horror and
guilt, as she looked from Jake to Laura. A sinking feeling came over Laura.
Something was seriously wrong with this picture.
Getting up from the bed, her legs
shaking, Erica slipped her arms into her robe and headed barefoot to her
bedroom door. She listened at the door, trying to hear if anyone else was up,
but everything was silent. Turning the handle, she slowly opened the door and
crept to the stairs. Carefully, she tiptoed down them and into the main living
room, ignoring the cold seeping into her feet.
“What are you doing out of bed at
this time of night?” The sound of a voice coming out of the dark at her made
Erica cry out in fear, as she tried to dive for cover. She landed up hitting
her back against the wall and banging her head on the stair rail. Slumped over,
she rubbed her head and tried to still her shaking body. It wasn’t Pete, she
told herself, but she still found it hard to calm her nerves.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle
you.” Strong hands gripped her arms and helped her to her feet. She found
herself staring through the shadows and into the handsome face of Darius. For a
moment, he took her breath away. The closeness of his body to hers made her
tremble. She was all too aware she wore only her thin nightie and robe; not
much of a barrier between her body and his. Her heart hammered in her chest,
desire beginning to uncurl from its long forgotten hiding place inside her.
Horrified, Erica pulled out of his grip and put some distance between them.
“What did you expect when you’re
sitting in the dark? I had no idea you were there!” she hissed angrily, put on
the attack by her unwanted feelings. She hadn’t seen him since he’d left to
answer his phone call earlier. She’d been horribly disappointed when he hadn’t
come back, which she insisted was because she hadn’t been able to question him
on what this plan was that involved her. It had nothing to do with actually missing
his presence, she assured herself.
“I just wanted some quiet time to sit
and think,” he told her, heading back to the sofa he’d vacated to come to her
assistance.
“And you couldn’t do that in your own
room?” she snapped, folding her arms over her chest. She still felt far too
vulnerable and knew she was becoming haughty again, but she simply couldn’t
help it. She always got behind her defences when she was especially frightened
or vulnerable. And this man made her feel vulnerable, only in a different way
to any other. He made her scared of her own feelings.
“This is my home Princess, I can
pretty much do what I want in it without your permission.” He sounded cross
again. “I should be asking you what you’re doing skulking around my home at
this hour.”
No way could she tell him what she
was really doing! “I wasn’t skulking. I came for a glass of water,” she
improvised quickly. “I was thirsty and couldn’t sleep.”
He snapped on a side light, making
her jump again. She blinked a few times, trying to get used to the sudden
light. He swept his arm towards the kitchen. “Be my guest,” he smirked, anger
still glinting in his amazing eyes.
Sticking her nose in the air, Erica
walked on jelly legs to the kitchen to fetch her water. As she headed back into
the living room, she saw him still sitting on the sofa, deep in thought. She
wondered if it was anything to do with the plan she’d heard his grandmother
mention. He seemed distracted and unhappy. Not that she cared if he was happy,
but she did have the right to know if he was playing her in some way.
“Actually, I’m glad I’ve caught you,”
she said with steely determination. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about
something, but you disappeared right after dinner and I didn’t get the chance.”
