Unforgivable (Romantic Suspense) Read online

  “A beautiful nymph materializes out of the forest as if by magic, and you think I’d mind?”

  “I’m not beautiful.” The words rushed out before she could even think to stop them.

  He crossed his arms in front of him, framing a square of tan, flat stomach between his arms and the waistband of his faded jeans. “You really don’t think you’re beautiful, do you? What would you rate yourself on a scale of one to ten?”

  Her fingers tightened on the worn edge of the chair arms. “That’s silly. I don’t rate myself.” He waited, sending a shiver through her as he studied her. “Okay, a five.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Who cares about scales?”

  “Nine.”

  “What?” Her throat tightened all over again, despite the recent wash of water.

  “I’d say you’re a nine. Definitely. Ten with makeup, I bet.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but he was serious. She should never have worn this outfit over here. “It’s just the clothes,” she said at last.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “I bet you look just as good without them.”

  Did he mean naked? She didn’t allow herself to even think about it. “I’d better get back, in case Ben returns…”

  She pushed out of the chair, only to find herself face to face with him. He touched her, running his thumb down her chin as he held her face. She heard herself inhale, but couldn’t make herself move away.

  To her horror, her chin trembled. His eyes were amazing up close like this as they looked into hers. Smoky blue, full of secrets and shadows. His thumb slid over her lower lip, making the trembling worse.

  “You’re not a five, Katie,” he said, his voice as smoky as his eyes. “Whoever’s been telling you that is lying.”

  She wanted to say that no one had told her that, it’s just what she’d assumed given all indications, but she couldn’t say anything at the moment. Her heart was hammering so loud it felt like an earthquake. How could he do this to her with just a simple, innocent touch that didn’t make her feel innocent at all?

  “I didn’t come here to interfere with your marriage,” he said.

  Then, in total contradiction of that, he slid his hand up her cheek and pulled her close. When his mouth touched hers, it felt as though her heart exploded. Like Silas had plugged her in and sent a surge of electricity to places long dormant. His mouth moved against hers for a few moments, and his nose brushed against hers.

  He moved back, leaving her straining for more. Then embarrassment and shame washed over her just as desire had moments ago. She covered her mouth.

  He turned his cheek to her. “Go ahead and slap me.”

  Slap him? Heck, she wanted him to kiss her again! She stumbled back, nearly tripping on the rocking chair. “Why’d you come back here, Silas? Tell me.”

  “I’m not ready to tell you yet, Katie. But I will.”

  She didn’t like the grim look on his face. “Don’t do that. Don’t kiss me again.”

  She grabbed up her container; the chocolate rose dropped to the steps. She left it there and tried not to run. What worried her most was that Silas hadn’t responded. Something else worried her more: the feeling that she was the reason for his return.

  CHAPTER 7

  Katie ran through the woods, using the exertion to clear her head. Kissing Silas…well, that wasn’t supposed to have happened. She had to take responsibility for putting herself in the position. Maybe that’s what she wanted.

  But she couldn’t have it.

  Silas was an unknown quantity, and he made no effort to change that. He didn’t settle down. That’s all she knew about him. And what about the weird way he could tell what she was thinking?

  Birds scattered at the sound of her pounding footsteps. The dying sunlight filtered through the trees once she exited the deep forest of evergreens. Now her shirt had pulls all over it. It was just as well. She wasn’t going to wear it again.

  That’s what it was; the clothes made her do it!

  A sheen of sweat covered her, and sticks tangled in her hair. She hoped Ben wasn’t there. She needed some time to gather herself.

  Though she didn’t deserve the luck, it came in the form of the empty driveway. She tossed her clothes in the back of the closet and jumped into the cold shower. She was wrapped in a robe by the time Ben returned home.

  She was sure guilt was splashed all over her face, but Ben pulled her into his arms.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad at you. You can’t blame a guy for wanting his wife to himself, can you?”

  He pulled back and waited for her answer. She could only shake her head, thinking she’d never kissed anyone other than Ben until tonight.

  “I’m sorry too, Ben.” She couldn’t tell him how sorry.

  “I want you to volunteer at the fair.”

  “Really? Are you going to volunteer, too?”

  “No, but don’t worry about me. You do whatever it is you’re going to do. You’re right. Even if I’m not with you, I’ll be among friends.”

  Her smile faded, but she plastered it back on. Maybe they’d accept her, and she could say that, too.

  When the doorbell rang, she had the terrifying feeling it was Silas coming to apologize for kissing her. When Ben answered the door, she wasn’t sure which was worse: Silas or Gary Savino.

  She could see his official vehicle parked outside, the Explorer painted in the county colors. He was in full uniform, looking arrogant enough to rule the world. She’d done her best to avoid him in the last six months. She couldn’t help remembering the time he’d cornered her outside the grocery store right after she’d married Ben. He’d wanted to talk to her about Boots. He’d pinned her against the wall, but she’d slipped out and ran inside.

  Gary’s dark hair was slicked away from his face. He was muscular and wore shirts small enough to show off the muscles he obviously worked so hard for. His presence in the security of her home unnerved her.

  “Mr. Ferguson,” he said with a nod, then slid his dark-eyed gaze to her. “Katie.” Just the way he said her name in that drawn-out way slithered down her spine. “Sheriff said you mentioned someone being out at the old Koole place, and he asked me to check up on it. I wanted to get some details.” He flipped open his small notepad. Instead of looking at Ben, like most people did, he looked at Katie. “You think someone’s at the house?”

  She looked at Ben, totally lost. Had he known she’d been over there?

  Ben said, “I saw a car in the driveway. Or at least the reflection of the sun against a bumper.”

  Is that all he’d seen? Her chest felt paralyzed. She pushed out, “It was probably the sun reflecting off the windows.”

  Gary hadn’t taken his brown eyes off her, even while Ben spoke. “There ain’t no glass in the windows. They’re all boarded up.”

  “I’d appreciate you checking it out,” Ben said. “Katie insists on wandering around in the woods, and with that girl disappearing up near Haddock, it worries me to death.”

  “Carrie Druthers was a troublemaker. Probably deserved what she got.” Gary finally shifted his gaze from her to the house. No telling what he thought about the interior. He strolled around at his leisure. “Interesting place you got here. Kinda like a girl’s dollhouse.” His gaze alighted on the dollhouse itself.

  Ben beamed at the compliment, if that’s what it was. “I wanted to give Katie the kind of place she’d never had as a girl. Secure and cozy.”

  She just wanted Gary to leave, and she wanted him to leave Silas alone. “If we see anything suspicious over there, we’ll call you.”

  Gary didn’t seem to hear her. He finished his scan of the living area with her candy-pink robe and slippers with the bunny faces Ben had bought her last Christmas. “Nice shoes.”

  Was he being sarcastic? She automatically tucked them within the folds of her robe. “I really don’t think you need to check out the Koole place.”


  Ben asked, “Any reason he shouldn’t check it out, Katie?”

  Guilt bloomed on her face. If he knew and she lied… “Silas is there.”

  Silence fell like a leaden sunset. Both men looked as though she’d admitted she’d kissed the man. She shrugged. “When I went for a walk earlier, I discovered him there.” Not a lie, technically. “I haven’t seen him in years, didn’t know he’d returned to town. Anyway, I didn’t figure it was a big deal, him being there. He wasn’t doing anything illegal and he did live there once.”

  Gary’s expression hardened. “Doesn’t mean he has any business being there. It’s owned by that snobby corporation, and even if they are jerks, Silas don’t have any right to be there.”

  “But—”

  Ben squeezed her shoulder. “Katie, let him check it out.” Each word carried the weight of a stone.

  Gary watched their exchange with interest. His hand rested comfortably on his baton handle. She shifted her gaze to Ben. He was telling her to let it go. After they’d just made up, after he’d acceded to let her volunteer at the fair, she didn’t want to go against him.

  What happened to you, Katie?

  A memory slipped into her mind, that feisty little girl who insisted on reporting Gary. Who feared nothing. Who did everything with passion.

  “He’ll probably be gone in a few days,” Katie said, moving out of Ben’s grasp. “He’s not doing anything wrong. Leave him be.”

  Ben’s voice sounded hard. “He has no right to be here.” He looked at Katie with cold eyes. “I don’t trust him.”

  The leather holster on Gary’s waist squeaked as he moved to the door. “Don’t worry, Dr. Ferguson. The low-life has no business being there. I’ll see to it that he’s gone by morning.”

  Ben nodded. “I knew you’d handle things.”

  Gary didn’t warm to the compliment the way others did. He looked at Katie once more before walking out onto the porch. Once the door closed, Ben said, “Is that what this is all about?”

  “What?”

  “Your mood, your wandering around…”

  “No!” She crossed her arms over her chest and walked into the kitchen. “I just want…”

  “What?” He followed her.

  She looked at her gazebo in the waning light. Her space. Her garden. She wanted too damn much. “I just want you.” She moved into Ben’s arms, wishing it was true.

  He breathed out in relief, she suspected. “Good. That’s all I want, too.”

  Gary remained outside the door, trying to listen to their conversation. Ben was pissed, that much he could tell. Katie was up to something. There was guilt written all over that pretty face. Surely she wasn’t messing with Silas Koole.

  He walked quietly down the steps to his truck. He’d gotten the old Explorer when he’d joined the county sheriff’s office, which entitled him to all the rural calls in the far reaches of the county. He’d been to every corner, every piece of crap house and doublewide and places nobody even knew existed.

  He glanced at the house one more time before climbing into the truck. Just in case Katie was watching. Seems like his life had gotten screwed up since tangling with her and her stupid cat. His father may have taken his side to the town, but he’d beaten the piss out of him privately. Sam only hit him where it wouldn’t show. He’d learned that with Gary’s mother. And who would believe such an upstanding citizen like Sam Savino was a brute? Who would dare go up against him? Well, Katie had tried.

  Sam had called Gary trash and trouble and every foul word in the English language. Even a few in Italian. He’d shipped him off to a military school in Atlanta, and that’s where he’d stayed upon graduating. After one semester at college, he’d walked out and never looked back. He was tired of being the one who listened and obeyed. He wanted to be the one someone else obeyed. Becoming a cop had been the answer. Women dug the uniform, and people respected and listened to him. Everyone except his father, who spit on him when he’d learned that instead of becoming an attorney he’d become a cop.

  Everything had gone well in Atlanta until a few sissy suspects had complained that Gary had hit them. His girlfriend filed assault charges against him, even though she’d hit him first. A woman accused him of using intimidation inappropriately. His superiors had been intimidated by Gary’s ambition and determination. They made him take an anger management course and when he hadn’t cooperated with the instructor, he’d been asked to resign nice and quiet-like. That stupid course had changed everything, though, when he’d discovered the real reason for his anger. So he’d returned to Flatlands to confront his father.

  Katie was part of the reason he’d come back. Her accusing eyes had haunted him over the years. He’d thought about her a lot, about what he’d done to her cat. About why he’d done it. Anger. Rage. Resentment that no one could understand. He had a confession to make, but only to Katie and only when the time was right. One of these days he’d get her alone.

  He pulled down the leaf-covered drive that disappeared into the murky forest. He’d always hated this place, but he’d hated Silas more. Spooky Silas the kids had called him. Gary couldn’t even remember why. Maybe because he hadn’t been intimidated by Gary back in school. He was the one kid who’d just stare at him, ignore his threats with a blank, cold look on his face. Then he’d stood by Katie when she’d accused him of throwing her kitten. The jerk hadn’t even been there.

  He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. A fine line ran from the corner of his right eye to his hairline. Katie had done that when she’d attacked him. Because he’d picked at it, it had scarred. She’d put her mark on him. He was willing to forgive her for that if she forgave him.

  The house loomed out of the woods, as creepy as he remembered it. He’d come out here a few months back, just to see if the old building was still around. As a deputy, he needed to know where everything was. The creepy part was that it wasn’t as derelict as he’d expected. Like someone used it occasionally, kept it up.

  This time, though, a car twice as nice as his own was parked in front of the house. Lights were on, and the first floor had windows. Silas was standing in the doorway looking the same insolent way he always did, like a wild animal protecting his territory. A big brown dog stood on the porch in front of him.

  Gary waited in his truck for a minute or two, just to make Silas wonder. Then he took his time getting out, making sure his gun and baton were within sight. No way was this punk going to forget who had the power here.

  Silas was already walking toward him, still not looking the least concerned. His hair was months overdue for a cut. Damned non-conformist. “What’s the problem…officer?”

  Now he knew where he’d seen Silas before—in the diner. Now that he thought about it, the guy hadn’t changed much since high school. Still tall and rangy, still taller than Gary, though less bulked up. Gary could take him, if it came to that.

  “What are you doing on this property? It’s private.”

  “I thought it was private until now.”

  Gary straightened his shoulders and rested the palm of his hand on the baton. “I’m gonna ask you again, what are you doing here?”

  Silas didn’t look intimidated, but he did answer. “I’m staying here for a few days.”

  “You’re going to have to vacate the premises. You’re trespassing.”

  “Why don’t you contact the owner and see if he minds?”

  “You some kind of smart-ass? It’s a company in Atlanta, and unless you have their permission, you’re trespassing. Period. I’ll give you an hour to pack up and get the hell out of here.”

  Silas turned away right in the middle of his threat. He sauntered to the steps. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Rage burned red in Gary’s head. He was about to find out if he could take Silas. “Then I’m arresting you for trespassing.” He pulled out his baton and his cuffs. It was going to be sweet joy to cuff the son-of-a-bitch and shove him in his vehicle. And if he resisted, eve
n sweeter.

  Silas turned around with an annoyed look on his face. “You can’t throw me off my own land.”

  “You don’t own this land. You never did.”

  Silas sounded impatient as he said, “My dad bought it when we moved here with some insurance money. And I kept paying the taxes on it. When I formed my company, Celine Inc., I made it a company asset. So get off my land.”

  Anger and humiliation raged in Gary. “Celine is your company? You’re the one who hasn’t been returning the town council’s calls about buying the land?”

  “You catch on fast.”

  Not a smack of shame in his face. It didn’t matter to Gary one way or the other if the town bought the property. What did matter was this jerk ignoring authority, both the town council’s and his. “What are you doing back in town after all this time?”

  “I believe that falls into the none-of-your-damned-business category.”

  He felt his shoulders stiffen. “I’ve had reports of suspicious activity around your house.” He glanced up at the structure. Silas had been doing some work on it. “If you tell me why you’re here, that’ll probably clear things up.”

  “I don’t owe you or anyone an explanation of why I’m on my own property.”

  Blood pulsed in Gary’s temple. Silas couldn’t win. He pulled out his gun. “I’m going to have to see for myself.”

  Silas stood in his way and didn’t flinch at all when the gun’s barrel pressed against his ribs. “Not without a warrant.”

  Gary lifted the gun. “Meet my warrant.” He shoved Silas out of the way and stalked up the steps. The big dog just stood there too, like his master. Except the dog was old, too old to do anything.

  “This is an illegal search, and you know it. You’re out of bounds, Savino.”

  “Yeah, well, I never did much care for boundaries.” He started with the folders on the porch. “What the hell?” Where had he gotten these pictures? He took those into the house. Silas watched him, but did nothing further to try to stop him. Good thing. Attacking an officer wasn’t looked upon lightly.

  The gun made him swallow thickly. It was hidden in a box of papers. He hadn’t thought about Silas having firepower. It was a good thing he’d done the search.