The Survivor (14 page)

The police pulled in then, lights flashing, sirens blaring, and took control of the situation. Seemingly satisfied that everything was under control, Lex hurried over to Bess and gathered Honey into his arms.

“She jumped up,” he said, his voice breaking. “She jumped right in front of me. I told her to stay down, but she just—”

Bess inspected the wound, which was bleeding profusely. “It's her ear, Lex,” she said. “That's all. Yeager barely nicked her, but—”

“There's so much blood. How can there be so much blood?”

She took his face in her hands. “Lex, it's just the nature of the wound. They bleed a lot. Trust me, she's going to be fine. Truly.”

Her words seemed to sink in and he breathed a deep sigh of relief. The terror on his face when he thought he'd lost his dog was almost more than she could bear.

“What did you think she'd do if she figured you were in danger?” she asked him, petting the dog gently. “Stand by and watch you get hurt?” She grinned. “You know that's not Honey's style.”

He managed a weak chuckle.

“And what about you? You jumped in front of me. I didn't get to be anyone's hero today.” She knew that it was his job, that protecting her was something he was supposed to do, but she didn't think she'd ever been more touched by anything. He'd been willing to die for her, willing to give his life to keep her safe.

And the fool was afraid he was a coward.

A blinking look of comprehension slowly settled on his face. “I did, didn't I?”

Tears leaking from her eyes, Bess nodded. “You did.”

Hours later, after Mrs. Yeager had been hauled away to jail, Judith had been inspected by a paramedic—she'd fallen trying to run out of the shop—and deemed fine, and Honey's ear had been stitched up by the local vet, Lex pulled into her driveway and turned to face her.

She knew without asking that he wasn't going to stay, that he was going to take his dog home and finish his report on his first assignment.

She knew…and yet she wasn't prepared.

A lump filled in her throat and she twisted her fingers in her hands. “Thank you,” she said, though it seemed horribly inadequate. “You don't know how much I've appreciated—and enjoyed—the past couple of days with you.”

He studied her for a minute, his eyes rife with
hidden meaning. Regret? Yes. But there was something more, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

“Listen, Bess—”

She didn't know what he was going to say, but couldn't let him finish. She'd rather believe that he was going to tell her that things didn't have to end this way, that they could give it a go and see where this took them. She'd rather convince herself of that than let him say the exact opposite.

Was she in love with him? Was this what love felt like? She honestly didn't know. But she knew when he pulled out of her driveway, when he and his sweet dog ultimately drove away, he'd be taking a little piece of her with him, a little bit of hope that she'd managed to latch on to.

“I'd better get inside,” she said. She opened the car door and slipped out. Hesitated before closing it.

“Bess,” he said, regret making his voice deeper, more compelling.

“Bess!” Elsie called, and for once Bess was grateful for her interference.

Lex sighed and nodded, then slowly drove away.

Elsie took one look at her face and wrapped her in a warm hug. She tsked against her hair. “I told you that you were in danger,” the older woman said.

“Yes, but you didn't say which part,” Bess sniffled.

L
EX HAD TOLD HIMSELF
that distance was the cure for what ailed him. That if he simply busied himself with enough work, enough effort, he'd eventually come to see that his whirlwind romance with Bess hadn't been as spectacular as he imagined. That he'd been too long without a woman, that the attraction between them was a hyped-up figment of his imagination.

He kept telling himself this, but could never quite bring himself to believe it.

When he looked around his apartment now, it felt cold and unlived in. In fact, the only parts that didn't feel that way were the things he was certain Payne had bought from Bess. There was an old photo of a lone wolf above his mantel, the animal trudging through the snow, looking longingly over his shoulder. For what? the picture made one wonder. Had the
wolf heard something and turned around? Or was he leaving something behind, but wished he wasn't?

A big antique jug with a cork top sat in the foyer and a quick look on eBay confirmed it was early Georgian pottery. An old colander rested a top of his kitchen cabinets along with various bottles of unknown origin, but they were pretty and had character all the same.

Lex was certain those, too, had come from Bess.

On a brighter note, Payne had been very complimentary about how he'd handled the case, and though he was certain Bess hadn't said a word, when he looked at Payne he knew his boss was aware that something had happened between them. He didn't ask, though, and as of yet, Lex hadn't been able to summon the nerve to tell him.

As soon as he found time, Lex had gone to the local animal shelter and his local VA and made arrangements to try and place dogs with veterans—both young and old. In only a week he'd successfully found two animals a home. Though he knew there were good dogs in the no-kill shelters as well, right now he was only working with the county animal control because those dogs were the ones at risk.

For the first time in his life he felt like he was truly making the kind of difference that spoke to his soul, and he wished that he could share the experience with Bess, wished that he could tell her how wonderful
saving both the animals and their new owners felt. It was beyond fabulous to see the joy, the instant devotion on both sides.

When he'd said that Honey had saved him, he hadn't realized how true that was until now.

A knock sounded at his door and he shot Honey a look—she ordinarily barked—then went to answer it. Bess? he wondered. Was she regretting their no-strings arrangement as much as he was?

Lex opened the door and blinked in shock. “Elsie?”

Elsie lifted her chin. “May I come in or are you going to leave me standing out in the hall like a fool?”

He blinked. “No, of course not,” he said. “Come on in. Can I get you something to drink? A soda, tea, beer?”

She nodded to the Scotch on the counter, the bottle he'd yet to open. “I'll have some of that,” she said. “Two fingers and don't be stingy with it. It's rude.”

He fond it especially ironic that she was the one lecturing him on what was rude. Baffled, he did as she asked and handed her the glass.

Dressed like a geriatric call girl in black leggings and a leopard-print shirt, she plopped herself down in his recliner and took a grateful sip.

“So,” she said. “What's the problem?”

He frowned, not following. “I'm sorry?”

She chuckled. “Oh, you're going to be if you don't fix this.”

“Fix what?”

“My girl's heart,” she said. “What are you doing toying with her affections like that, then taking off for parts unknown?”

In the first place he hadn't realized he'd toyed with Bess's affections—he thought he was doing what she wanted. And in the second place, she could hardly accuse him of taking off to parts unknown when she'd managed to show up at his apartment. “I'm sorry, Elsie,” he said. “But I really don't think this is any of your business.”

“You think I don't know that, fool! I don't care if it's my business or not. You are
ruining
my reputation.”

“What?”

“As a psychic,” she went on, as though he were the slow one. “I've told everyone—with the exception of Bess, of course—that I saw the love of her life walk in the door and that she was going to be blissfully happy.” She glared at him. “You were supposed to do that. You were supposed to make her blissfully happy, and instead, you've made her miserable.” She looked down at his feet. “Now get your shoes on and go fix it.”

Lex was so confused he didn't even know where to start. If he was understanding this incomprehen
sible mess correctly, Elsie had had a vision of him and Bess being “blissfully happy” together, and now, because he'd made Bess miserable, Elsie was losing face with her friends.

Ultimately none of that mattered except for the “Bess was miserable” part.

That was intolerable.

But why was she miserable? She was the one who'd said that she didn't have any expectations. She'd even indicated that she'd be happier without them.

After a moment, he said as much to Elsie. “Look, Elsie, Bess didn't want this relationship to go any further than it did. She said—”

“I don't give a damn what she said. She's scared. She doesn't want to get hurt. She's always afraid that she's going to love someone and they're going to leave her, either willingly like her mother, or accidentally like her father and grandfather. But I've known her since she was a little girl, and I'm telling you, she's never felt this way about a man before. She's never pined the way she's pining for you.”

“But—”

“Do you want her?” Elsie asked.

More than his next breath. He nodded. “I think she's the most amazing woman in the entire world,” he said simply.

“Then go to her, Lex.” She smiled sadly. “If
anyone ever deserved a happily ever after, it's my Bess. And what about you? What about appreciating life now that you've got a second chance? Or was that just hogwash?”

He stilled and slid her a look. He'd never said anything like that to her. He hadn't been around her enough. And he hadn't said it to Bess, either.

Elsie merely smiled. “I keep my telepathic talents to myself,” she said. “Freaks people out when they discover you can read their minds.”

And with that enigmatic comment, she stood.

“And for the record, this is not a leopard-print shirt—it's a tiger—and I do
not
look like a geriatric call girl.”

She harrumphed and made her way to the door. “Go to her. Now. She's at the shop, working in the back, trying to find something in all that mess that can plug the hole in her heart. And you're the only thing that's going to do it.”

Lex stilled, absorbing everything that Elsie had just told him, then leaped into action. He freshened up, put on his shoes, then clipped the leash onto Honey's collar and made his way downstairs.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Flanagan asked.

“To see Bess.”

“'Bout time,” Flanagan muttered with a grin.

Lex shot him a questioning look over his shoulder.

“Elsie's good friends with Payne,” he explained. “Forget having any secrets around here.”

Lex laughed and shook his head, then pushed his way outside.

The only secret he had right now was the one he'd kept from Bess…and he was about to share it with her.

 

“D
AMMIT
,” B
ESS MUTTERED
as she heard the bell tinkle above the door. She heaved herself up from the floor and dusted her bottom off. Elsie had said something about needing a few hours off, so Bess was minding the store instead of working on the elaborate inventory of the back room that she'd started a week ago.

And what had brought about this sudden, manic urge to catalog every item in her store?

The absence of a really tall, really special, wicked-mouthed man.

She was a mess, Bess thought. A miserable, wretched, stupid mess.

“Be right there,” she called. She checked her reflection to make sure that she didn't have any dirt on her face, then made her way to the front of the store. She saw the back of his head first, then his profile—his woefully familiar profile. Her heart gave a lurch and her step faltered.

“Lex?” What was he doing here? she wondered. How in the hell was she supposed to get over him if
he was going to arbitrarily show up here anytime he wanted?

His beautiful blue gaze slammed into hers and she felt the earth move, the ground shake, her very foundation crumble. He smiled at her with that wicked mouth and lust pure and unadulterated speared through her, making her mouth go dry and her eyes dampen.

Shit.
She didn't want to cry.

“Bess,” he said, coming forward. His gaze raked over her frame, stealing along her curves, resting briefly on her breasts, then fastened on her eyes. The heat and longing in his were unmistakable, and for a moment she wondered if he'd been as acutely miserable as she had. If he'd known half the agony she'd been in.

Agony of her own making—it had been her rules after all—but misery all the same.

She just wanted him. Desperately. With every fiber of her being, down to her very core. And if this wasn't love, then it would be soon enough, and she wanted that, too, wanted to feel every bit of emotion, savor all the ups and downs. She wanted to go to sleep with him at night and wake up with him in the morning. She wanted to bathe with him on her back porch and roast marshmallows in her chiminea. She wanted to take care of him when he was sick,
and work puzzles with him and walk on the beach and explore the mountains and…everything.

She couldn't think of a single thing that wouldn't be made better by his presence in her life.

She just wanted him. And hoped that his being here meant he wanted her, too.

“What are you doing here?” she asked faintly. “Is something wrong?”

“The only thing that's wrong with me is that I haven't seen you,” he said. “Look, Bess, I know that you said you didn't have any expectations, but…I do.”

Her heart gave a squeeze and pleasure bloomed in her chest. “You do?”

“Yes,” he said. “I expected you to give us a chance. I expected you to call me. I expected you to tell me that you'd made a mistake, that you wanted to give this a go and see where it would lead. I expected you to tell me that you didn't know what might happen between us, but that you were intrigued enough and cared enough about me to want to try. I expected—”

“I'm sorry, Lex,” she said, swallowing tightly. “I was scared. I was so afraid of something going wrong, of getting hurt, that I couldn't bring myself to take a chance.” She paused. “
I
was a coward.”

He took a step forward and his eyes were kind and soft with affection. She soaked it in, wanted to bathe in it. “That's not being a coward, Bess—that's called
self-preservation,” he corrected, throwing her words back at her. “But I can promise you this. I would never, ever intentionally hurt you. I don't think I could.”

She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she kissed his neck, his face, his eyelids and then his mouth—oh, his mouth, how she'd missed it. She savored the feel of him against her lips, his taste on her tongue.

“I have a secret,” he said, pulling back so that he could wipe away her tears.

“You do?”

“Yep. Wanna know what it is?”

She nodded.

He leaned forward and his fine mouth brushed the shell of her ear, sending hot shivers down her spine. “I want to tear off all your clothes and do bad things with you,” he whispered, his voice wicked and low.

She chuckled and drew back. “For how long?”

He kissed her again, deeply. “For as long as you will let me, Bess.”

“That could be a long time,” she said, letting him know how she felt, how much she needed him, how much she wanted this to work.

He smiled down at her. “Good,” he said. “Let's stop wasting time then, shall we?”

Starting now, Bess thought. He walked her over
to the door and she locked it, then flipped the sign to Closed. Sometimes being your own boss had distinct advantages…and this was one of them.