Tin Angel (7 page)

This was one of those times.

* * *

Cassandra tucked the sheet around her naked body and studied the man asleep beside her. Daryn was Hollywood handsome and knew it. But that arrogance was one of the things she loved about him. When he entered a room, every woman took notice. She was the lucky one, though. He belonged to her. The others could look and drool all they wanted, as long as they didn’t touch.

She was fully aware of her own sex appeal—attracting men had never been a problem. They made a smoldering couple…in every way. To call their relationship tumultuous was an understatement. They were like oil and vinegar, yet, when shaken, a delicious mix.

She listened to the quiet rhythm of his breathing. He was the only man she’d ever known who didn’t snore. Daryn was damn near perfect. She didn’t even mind the fact that he always fell asleep right after they made love. So much for ordering room service. As if on cue, her stomach let out a loud rumble.

She needed to eat something. Now. Cassandra pushed back the sheet and climbed out of bed. Before she walked over to her suitcase to get her clothes, she scrutinized her flawless body. Her breasts were large and firm, exactly as Daryn liked. Her stomach flat. Her hips generously rounded. She was the image of womanly perfection, and she needed to be sure to retain that so Daryn never got the urge to trade her in for a younger model.

Cassandra dressed quickly, took a twenty-dollar bill from Daryn’s wallet, and slipped quietly from the room. A minute later, she perused the hotel gift shop. She found a fashion magazine, a can of herbal iced tea, and a bag of SunChips. As she strolled toward the checkout line, she passed an aisle with a large display of cereal bars. She ran her hand across the wrappers, and her fingers curled around an oatmeal-raisin cluster. Without hesitation, she dropped it into her handbag. The rush that followed was exhilarating. It happened every time. And this was no exception.

* * *

Jack flipped through the Christmas cards he’d received from his students, then tossed them in a pile on his desk. He leaned back in the swivel chair, glad he didn’t have to return to school until after the New Year. He stared out the bedroom window at the falling snow. The flakes coming down were the big, fluffy kind that stuck easily. The oak tree at the side of the house was covered in white. Its branches sagged. A few thin ones blew back and forth in the wind, scraping along the windowsill.

His thoughts drifted to Ally, as they’d done most of the day. He’d worked on his strategy—to make her fall for him so she’d open up—like a general planning for war, but last night had failed miserably. He went over the evening again in his mind. Dinner went well. He chuckled while he thought of that little episode where she almost wound up headfirst in the plants. She acted a little peculiar after that, making the ride home a bit uncomfortable, but his kiss seemed to put things back on track, until she took off like a scared rabbit. He didn’t doubt in the least she’d enjoyed his kiss. He could tell right off when a woman was into him and, boy, was she ever. So what had happened? She’d said something about how she couldn’t do this. Do what? Kiss him? It wasn’t as if he was about to seduce her in the front seat of his car. So what was it that terrified her?

Jack stood up and strolled over to the window, resting his palms on the sill. If he wasn’t careful, she might not be the only one falling. No matter how many times he told himself women like her were nothing but trouble, he was still drawn to her. Keeping to his plan might take all his willpower.

He watched the snow pile up on the ground. At the base of the oak tree, Jasper rubbed his back against the rough silvery bark. Off to the right, a yellow streak tore down the driveway, heading toward the cat. In a flash, Jasper raced up the tree and clung to a branch outside his window. The cat stared through the glass at him with wide, fearful ochre eyes, then let out a wail as if crying,
Save me
.

Down below, the yellow streak—a rambunctious Labrador retriever—barked and clawed at the tree. Jasper inched farther down the branch.

“Don’t try it,” Jack warned, fearful the cat would attempt to leap onto the slippery windowsill. Two floors up was a long way to fall, even for a cat. “Stay put. I’ll see what I can do.” It had been years since he’d climbed a tree, but how hard could it be? While putting on his leather jacket, he headed out the door and down the back stairs.

Outside, the walkway was slick from the snow, and Jack stepped carefully. By the time he reached the base of the tree, the yellow lab was gone. Ally stood in its place. Wearing only a sweater and tight-fitting jeans that hugged every curve, she shivered as she looked up at Jasper.

“He’s too afraid to come down,” she said.

“Give him time. When he’s cold enough, he’ll find a way.”

Ally glared at him. “Animals can get frostbite, you know.”

“Relax,” he said, placing his foot in the crook of the tree and hoisting himself up. “I came out here to rescue the cat, if I don’t break my neck first.”

With relative ease, Jack shimmied up the tree. When he reached the branch where Jasper perched, the cat eyed him suspiciously.

“It’s okay,” he said, “I don’t want to be up here any more than you, so don’t give me trouble.”

As if realizing this was his only option, the cat inched his way along the branch, coming close enough so that Jack could reach out and grab him. He tucked Jasper inside his jacket and started the climb down.

“Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you,” Ally called up.

“If you really want to thank me, how about offering me something to drink?”

“Hot chocolate, with or without marshmallows?”

“I’m an old-fashioned guy; I always take mine with.”

“Somehow I knew that,” she said with a laugh.

Jack slid down the trunk until he came to the crook. He swung his leg over, trying to find a footing, but his boot slipped on the ice and snow, throwing him off balance. As he grappled for a branch, Jasper leapt out of his jacket and crawled up the back of his neck, clinging to the top of his head. The cat’s sharp claws dug into his scalp.

“This is the thanks I get for saving you?” he muttered, holding back a painful groan. Scalped by a cat. So much for his knight-in-shining-armor act. He grabbed for Jasper, then landed spread-eagle in the snow.

“Oh no! Are you all right?” Ally knelt beside him, her warm breath brushing his cheek.

For a moment, he considered playing up the situation, but he wasn’t that cruel. Besides his wounded pride, he didn’t think he suffered from anything more than a few bruises. “I’ve survived a lot worse than this,” he said, sitting up and brushing the snow from his clothes. “If that cat hadn’t stuck its claws in my head…”

“You did a fine job rescuing Jasper.” The corners of her mouth trembled slightly, and he knew she was trying hard to contain her laughter.

He followed her gaze to the front porch. The cat sat on the top step, cleaning snow from his paws. “You think this is funny, don’t you?”

“How could you say that? Laugh at you?” She stared at him with wide innocent gray eyes, but her lips still quivered.

“How about that hot chocolate?”

“Of course. Here, let me help you up,” she said, holding out her hand.

He wrapped his fingers securely around hers, then attempted to stand. A stabbing pain shot through his ankle, and he tumbled back in the snow, dragging Ally down with him.

“Very funny,” she quipped, but his pained expression must have told her it was no act. Her brow quickly wrinkled, and a worried expression lined her beautiful face. “Oh Lord. You’re hurt. Is it your foot, your leg, what?”

Jack bit back a groan. “My ankle. I must’ve sprained it.”

“Well, I’ve got to get you inside where it’s warm; then I can have a look at it. Wait here, I’ll be right back.” She raced up the porch stairs.

“I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere.” He knew she’d missed his sarcasm, being too preoccupied with whatever it was she was doing. He watched her enter the house with Jasper on her heels. Less than a minute later, she returned carrying a cane. Alice’s cane! What kind of monster lay beneath Ally’s perfect facade? Alice couldn’t go anywhere without her cane. He kept a tight lid on his simmering anger. This wasn’t the time to question her, but once they were inside, she’d better have a good explanation or else…

“Here,” she said, handing him the cane. “Put your weight on this while I pull you up.”

With Alice’s cane wedged in the snow and Ally’s hand in his, Jack was able to stand without too much difficulty. He hobbled into the house and collapsed on the sofa in the parlor.

Ally grabbed a throw and tucked it around him. “Let me get those boots off you,” she said, leaning over him to untie his laces.

Her hair swept across his legs, and the fresh aroma of cucumber mint wafted up. He leaned back against the cushions, his eyes closed, and waited for the spasm of pain that was sure to come when she pulled off his boot, but her touch was so gentle he barely felt any discomfort. With nimble fingers, she rolled down his sock, then slid it carefully from his foot.

“Oh my,” she said softly. “You have quite a bit of swelling already. I think you should see a doctor.”

Jack opened his eyes and looked down at his injury. His ankle was nearly twice its normal size, and the top of his foot was a purplish color. He glanced at the clock on the wall. 5:15 p.m. Charlie Brooks would’ve already left his office for the day. “I hate hospitals,” he said flatly. “I’ll ice it, and if I don’t feel better in the morning, I’ll call the doctor.”

Ally sprang to her feet. “I can call Doc Brooks right now. He doesn’t mind making house calls.”

“How do you know that?” He grabbed hold of her arm before she could reach for the phone.

She hesitated a moment before answering. “Just an assumption. He must have come to the house when he had to treat Aunt Alice. Unless, of course, you drove her to the office?” One shapely brow rose, and he knew she’d tried to turn the tables on him.

“Doc Brooks, as Alice…and now you…call him, came to the house weekly.” He tried to keep his tone light, while his mind scrambled for an explanation of what this girl could possibly be up to. “I don’t want to bother him tonight. There’s probably nothing more he could do other than ice it anyway.”

“Okay, then let me go get you an ice pack.”

He sensed her relief at not having to make that call after all. When he released his grip on her arm, she hurried from the room as if her shoes were on fire. What the heck was her story? She sure was an odd one. He didn’t doubt she was related to Alice, but the more time he spent with her, the more he distrusted her. He glanced at the cane propped up against the sofa. How could Alice go anywhere without it? He’d get some answers from Ally if he had to grill her like the criminal she might very well be. It surprised him when his stomach turned at the thought. She seemed like a genuinely nice person…

A few minutes later, her footsteps warned of her return. He pasted a smile on his face and prepared to act again as the curtain went up for another scene in a play he wasn’t sure would have a happy ending.

“How’s my patient?” she asked, toting a tray with two cups of hot chocolate, a bag of mini-marshmallows, and a large ice pack. Her face was still flushed from the cold, and a lock of chestnut hair fell haphazardly across her brow. She smiled at him with an innocent charm that made her look about twelve.

After setting the tray on the coffee table, she gently placed the ice pack on his ankle. A shock wave raced up the back of his spine, not only from the cold but also from the touch of her warm fingers against his skin. “Thank you. I’m feeling better now that you’re here.”

She bit her lip, and he knew she was wondering if he was flirting with her. She reached for one of the delicate china cups, then handed him a hot chocolate. “How many would you like?” she asked, opening the bag of marshmallows.

“Surprise me.”

Using silver tongs, something he would have expected Alice to do, she dropped five mini-marshmallows into his cup, then filled her own till cocoa nearly spilled over the side. She never ceased to amaze him. He’d thought for sure she’d use her fingers.