CHAPTER TEN

 

GARRETT DROVE THE VEHICLE OVER THE SNOW PACKED STREETS; his hands hidden behind soft leather gloves tightly gripped the wheel. Bella stared at him, taking the set of his face, his clamped mouth and fixed eyes. Fear and anger knotted inside her. Who could have done this to Gladys?

Bella saw Twin Pine, sitting on top of a hill, lit up through the falling snow. They were diffused like glowing orbs on the snowy night. Huge, fat flakes filled the sky like feathers. The temperature was nearing zero, at least the wind was not blowing which would have created a deadly wind chill factor. A frigid rush of cold danced through her bones, more from the thought of Mrs. Fortney suffering out in the frigid atrium than from the actual temperature.

The heater blew warmed air into the interior of the vehicle and dried the delicate membranes around her eyes, stinging them. She shuddered with the chill as fatigue slowed her body. She pulled her coat around her, and looked away from Garrett. She felt the muscles in her jaw pulsating. How could someone have done this to Gladys? She refused to believe the resident would have gone out into the atrium in this foul weather. The woman was not confused. Bella knew there was more to this situation than anyone realized at this moment. Damn it all! What was going on?

Settling into the seat, she tried to analyze the problems at the center. They'd begun only few months ago. Before that, the staff members pulled together for the good of the residents living there. What had changed?

As Garrett drove around the corner leading to the emergency room entrance, the rear tires of the vehicle slipped on the slick, snow-covered street, bringing her out of her trance. With a quick maneuver of the steering wheel in the same direction as the skid, Garrett muscled the Blazer out of the spin.

"Good going, Brooks," she said, a flash of humor crossed her face. "You did that like you've lived in the mountains all your life."

He glanced over at her; a small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "Thanks."

That was the only word he'd spoken on the short ride to the hospital. Bella shrugged her shoulders. She hoped his speechlessness was a reaction to worry….he couldn't be any more worried than she could. After all, she worked with Gladys on a personal level. All the residents were only names on a piece of paper to Garrett. But it wasn't his fault. That was just the drawback of working in administration. No relationships developed between the residents and people accustomed to the daily grind of paperwork

Her job was becoming more restrictive in that way, as well. The documentation required so much time. Laughingly, she'd told the staff members she had to record in the resident chart one hour for each five-minute conversation. At least she had Nikki to help her. Just the thought of Nikki's evaluation locked safely away in her file cabinet made Bella cringe. Oh, Nikki, what am I going to do about you? She'd started locking the file drawers after her previous assistant, elderly Margaret McCullough, retired. Bella was spoiled. Having a great employee took very little work. Supervising a marginal worker required development, and that took a great deal of time. It certainly took more than the three short months Nikki had worked for her. Bella worried that she was being unrealistic about Nikki's progress. It was only fair to give Nikki another chance. Just making this decision caused her to relax a little bit.

Pulling-up into the hospital parking lot, she saw the expression on Garrett's face in the floodlight illuminating the entrance to the emergency room. The lines between his eyes folded together and the small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes appeared deeper, making him look older than his years. His concern etched itself across his face.

Garrett tossed open the door and raced out of the vehicle; he paid her no heed He shot through the double doors and burst into the bustle of the emergency room and with Bella right behind him.

The waiting room was empty. This old-fashioned emergency waiting room was not like the fast-paced, modern treatment centers portrayed on television shows, but it was extremely efficient. Many lives had been saved in this rural town, in this very room.

Garrett stopped and inhaled a deep breath. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

Bella gave and impatient shrug. "I have no idea. You'd think there'd be a lot of excitement around here considering what went on." It appeared unusually quiet. "Gladys' condition must be critical if everyone was in the treatment room with her."

"I'm going to find the charge nurse, she'll be able to tell me exactly what happened and apprise me of Gladys' condition." Garrett looked around the empty area.

"I hope someone has informed Mrs. Fortney's daughter. And Judd." Her mouth took an unpleasant twist. "He'll probably try and say I did this!"

"Go look at Gladys' chart. See if her family knows about this. We don't want to give the family any more reason to bring a suit against the center."

"I'm afraid it's probably too late to do anything about that, but I'll add notes to my section of the cart regarding this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cold dignity created a stony mask on his face.

She shrugged out of her coat and flopped it across her arm. "You'd have to know Stella, Mrs. Fortney's daughter. She's..."

"Like Judd?"

"There is no comparison. And remember, Judd's the county attorney." She felt ice spread through her stomach.

"Where's my mother?" A short, plump woman of an undetermined age screeched as she flew through the front door. "If anything happens to her I'll have this hospital's butt in court so fast...!"

"That's what I mean," Bella mumbled glumly. Where Judd tried to convince everyone he came from a refined background, his mother, Stella Fortney destroyed that myth. Never married, the woman, built like a fireplug, dressed in dowdy sweats and run-down athletic shoes. Bella liked her much better than she liked her son. At least Stella was honest.

Amanda Howard rounded the corner, rushing toward Stella. The nurse flitted her hands about nervously as she told her, "The doctor is with her right now. We should know something shortly."

Stella leaned toward Amanda, shaking her finger right in the nurse's face. Her fuzzy black, harshly dyed hair shook with her words. "Get someone out here, now!"

Amanda took a deep breath to calm herself, but Bella could see the veins at either side of her neck bulge as she forced herself to remain calm. Stella was one person with whom Bella didn't want to tangle, but she bit down hard on her lips that began to twitch with amusement. She couldn't think of anyone better to receive the wrath of Stella. Amanda's restraint was impressive, though; she stood her ground.

Amanda clasped and unclasped her hands behind her back to relieve her growing anger. Slowly she said, "I do not think that would be in your mother's best interest, Stella. When the doctor finishes, he will see you."

"Mrs. Howard?" Garrett questioned as he walked up to the women. "Would it be possible for me to go into the emergency room and check on Mrs. Fortney?"

"I suppose--although, its not correct protocol."

He took that for an affirmative answer and rushed toward the exam room.

Bella drew in a deep breath and straightened herself with dignity. She needed to calm Miss Fortney. She'd worked with Stella since Gladys admitted herself to Twin Pines, much to her families shock.

She placed her hand reassuringly on Stella's arm giving it a fortifying squeeze. They'd built a good report. If Stella had questions, she always found Bella. "Is there anything I can do?"

Amanda snapped her head in Bella's direction. Her eyes virtually crackled with anger as she glared at her. Bella's heart flew to her mouth and along with it the bitter taste of fear. She couldn't imagine why Amanda was looking at her this way. They could never become friends, but surely, they could have a pleasant working relationship.

Bella sent Amanda a questioning look, but she didn't respond. She continued to follow Bella, her expression seething. She'd always heard the expression 'If looks could kill', well; she was seeing where the phrase had originated--in Amanda's eyes!

"Oh, Mrs. Mann. I'm so glad you're here," Stella shrieked. "Please, tell me what happened to mama." She burst into tears.

Bella put her arm around the distraught woman, drawing her into a hug. "It was an accident, a senseless accident. I'm sure the doctor will do everything for her. Try not to worry until we hear what they have to say about her condition. Don't borrow trouble."

The soothing words seemed to calm Stella. She looked up and smiled at Bella through her tears. Black mascara mixed with her tears, leaving black tacks on her finely crinkled skin. "Thanks for being here. You've been a good friend to us."

Amanda interrupted discourteously, "Stella, have a seat in the waiting room and I'll be with you in a moment. I need to talk to Mrs. Mann."

Stella gave Bella a questioning look.

Bella led Stella to the waiting room as a sliver of panic twisted at her midsection causing a wave of nausea to swamp her. "It's all right, Stella. I'll come back and wait with you as soon as I've talked to Mrs. Howard, okay?"

Stella nodded, seated herself and grabbed a box of tissues from the low table in front of the sofa.

Amanda reached out, grabbing Bella's arm with a strong hand. "I want to talk to you. Come with me." Amanda ordered sharply, whirling Bella in the opposite direction.

At that moment, Garrett walked out of the emergency room. Bella caught his puzzled look. What had happened in the emergency room? She wanted to know, but thought better of delaying the conversation with Amanda. She was treating Bella like a naughty child instead of the professional that she was.

As Amanda painfully squeezed her arm, Bella was grateful the woman kept her fingernails trimmed for efficiency or they would have cut into her skin. She tried to shrug away from Amanda's grasp, but she held on tight, pulling Bella into her glass office.

"What are you doing to me?" Bella cried, her stomach was still clenching tight. She'd never seen Amanda so upset.

"Don't try that innocent look on me."

"What are you talking about?" She tossed her hair in a gesture of defiance and ripped her arm from Amanda's grasp.

Amanda kicked-out a blue plastic chair from beside her desk with a quick movement of her foot. The grating noise from metal against waxed tile sounded as unpleasant as Amanda's tone.

"Sit down." Amanda forced the words through her clenched teeth.

Bella did as she was told. Humiliation flooded her as she caught a glimpse of Garrett standing outside the door, watching them. The thick glass prevented him from hearing anything.

"You aren't going to fool me like you're hoodwinking that new administrator." Amanda vociferated as she tilted her head in Garrett's direction. "I had a report that you were angry with Mrs. Fortney. Engaged in a heated conversation, they said. And you two were standing by the door that leads to the atrium. When Gladys didn't come down to supper, we searched for her. They found her unconscious, huddled against the locked atrium door. She was only wearing a light sweater."

Hot tears puddled along Bella's lower lashes. She swallowed hard to keep them from spilling. Yes, the evidence sounded damning, but she wasn't guilty. How could Amanda think that she would harm that sweet, old woman? "You are wrong, Amanda, I haven't even spoken to Gladys today. I didn't do that to her."

The nurse pushed a lock of light brown hair out of her eyes and leaned back against a counter that was covered with flow sheets and medical charts and crossed her arms over her nearly flat chest. The only sound in the small room was the persistent sound of a patient call light beep, beep, beeping.

Amanda bit at her lip, looking undecided, as if she was thinking through her next words. Finally, she began, her voice a mere whisper, "There have been a lot complaints filed against you, Bella. They range from reports of you listening at patient doors, hiding in bathrooms to overhear conversations, and now, the abuse of a resident! What more can I say?"

"W-who..."

"It doesn't matter. Don't you understand? We're on to you. I'm going to request your suspension while the authorities investigate this latest incident." She dramatized her feeling with a jerking movement of her hand.

Suddenly, Garrett was at Bella's side. He touched her shoulders from behind. When that didn't calm the sobs wracking her body, he moved in front of her, squatting to meet her pleading eyes. "Amanda needs to know everything you know. If it helps any, I don't think you're guilty. "

"Mr. Brooks!" The director of nursing cried, a look of dismay pulled at her pretty features.

"That's enough, Amanda. We want to find out the truth. You're not giving Bella a chance to tell her side of this!"

The relief that flooded through Bella's body didn't last long when the nurse retorted, "Just because you are sleeping with this woman doesn't give you the right to try to protect her. And as far as I'm concerned she's guilty as hell. My staff..."

"Mrs. Howard," Garrett spat with distaste as he stood facing Amanda. Stretching his full height, he towered over the woman. He definitely was pulling-rank on her and he seemed to fill with authority and repulsion. "You and your staff are a grave concern to me. You, for this insubordination, and your staff for false documentation. I won't allow Bella to sit here alone, subjected to your ire. This fish bowl of a room is a disgrace." He looked around, noting the shades drawn to the top of the windows. He frowned with cold fury. "Miss Howard...I expect the shades drawn over these windows by eight o'clock tomorrow morning. No excuses!"

He turned, looking out into the hallway. "Why...your wonderful employees have been parading past this area just to watch this degrading display. They're taking delight in Mrs. Mann's predicament." Bella could tell he was trying hard to control his body language as he admonished the woman. The facility didn't need the nursing staff losing respect for her.

The longer Garrett harangued the woman, the more he seemed to enjoy it. Suddenly, he ran out of steam. "Let's get out of here and go to my office, shall we?"

Bella longed to know who was contriving this deadly evidence against her, but she had no clue. Maybe everything had to get bad before it got better. Just knowing Garrett was on her side helped a lot. For the sake of the residents, they had to find the answers.

As they stepped through the doorway, the telephone on Amanda's desk rang. She rushed back to answer it. Gladys' doctor called Amanda into the emergency room.

When they were alone, walking toward Garrett's office, he whispered, "Don't worry, Gladys is much better. When I walked into the emergency room earlier, her doctor was talking to Stella about admitting her mother to the hospital for observation. I told them that I thought it wise to send her down to Casper. I just don't feel she will be safe here."

A lump of emotion tightened in Bella's throat. Her words, an octave higher than usual mingled with her tears as she said, "Garrett, I'm so happy she's going to be all right!"

Amanda walked up from behind them, hearing Bella's exclamation. "You really are charmed, you know? I don't know how you're getting by with this!"

Bella didn't miss the satanic smile that pulled Amanda's mouth into a thin line. The woman was livid.

* * * *

Bella and Amanda sat side-by-side in matching chairs facing Garrett's desk, but they didn't look at one another.

Garrett stared at his hands, his fingertips touching to form a bridge. His vivid eyes showed the tortured dullness of disbelief as he pressed and released the pressure on his fingers. He didn't say a word for the longest time. Then he asked, "Amanda, could you go to your office and get all the incident reports that pertain to this matter? I don't care how far back you have to go. Just bring them. I want to see if we can piece together this mess. And bring all your department time cards. I want nurse's aides, RN's, and LPN's cards, also."

Amanda's eyes narrowed, but she didn't protest and quickly left the room.

Garrett caught Bella in his gaze and she returned the look without wavering. Finally, she asked, "You don't think I'm guilty of all these things, do you?"

"No," he replied with a shake of his head. "The problem is that I don't know who is."

"Garrett, thank you for that. It means a lot to have your trust."

"For what it's worth, I really don't know what I can do if Amanda decides to push this."

She felt confused. What did Garrett mean? Could Amanda demand her suspension? The thought of being without a job and the blot to her reputation was more that she could handle. She shook her head and tried to push the thought aside, but she had to know.

"What's your gut instinct? Is Amanda going to demand my job?" Moisture glistened in her eyes.

Amanda walked into the room. "Yes I am, and there's nothing he can do about this." She pointed toward Garrett. "I'm going to contact the authorities."

Bella's heart sank. She was in all this trouble because of her concern about her elderly friends. No wonder people had a tendency to hide their heads in the sand. That type of attitude saved them from grief; they were smart enough to know what could happen to them.

Garrett took the file folder from Amanda, his expression a mask of stone. "I would suggest you watch the way you talk to me or I'll fire you! I am your supervisor, after all. Why is it so difficult for you to give Bella a chance?"

Amanda didn't answer his question and continued to glare at him.

He spread the contents of the file across his desk moving various reports to different stacks then relocated them to another stack. Bella couldn't tell what he was doing. And from the looks of it, neither could he.

Finally, he looked up from the desk. "Okay, ladies, I have an idea where to begin to sort out this muddled mess. Bella, if you would get your work schedules and time cards it would help considerably--both yours and Nikki's, please. I want to make a data base of information."

"That's going to take too much time! I want Bella out of here tonight!" Amanda's mouth took an unpleasant twist.

"Now you wait just a minute!" Bella jumped to her feet. "I've had about all I can take from you, Amanda. Why are you trying to push me out of my job? You seem awfully quick to take anyone's word over mine." Her expression was tight and derisive.

A cold, serpentine gleam edged Amanda's eyes. "Too bad. It's not my fault."

"Now ladies," Garrett chided. His gaze met Bella's and locked. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, but he reigned in his amusement and faced Amanda. "Wasn't your shift over hours ago?"

She nodded.

He pushed himself into a standing position. "Go home and get some rest. You can decide your course of action tomorrow." Garrett turned and faced Bella. "You too. Go on--get the time cards and go home." The smile he gave her softened his face. She could tell this mess was getting to him. The usually thin lines at the corners of his eyes were etched deeply into his skin. He looked tired and beaten-down.

"If it's all the same to you, I'm staying." Amanda said.

Garrett shrugged. "Whatever."

"It she's staying, so am I. It'll only take a few minutes to get the cards." With that, she walked proudly from the room. She was not letting Amanda know how fearful she really felt, but the door slammed just a little harder than she'd attended as she pushed it closed.

* * * *

Sitting in front of her fireplace, Bella watched as fire consumed a cedar log. She felt like that piece of wood. It seemed the people all around her wanted to hurt and destroy her. They were using her to make themselves look...innocent, but Bella knew better. Someone was guilty and it wasn't she.

Bella should have just gone home when Garrett requested, but no, she had to stay in his office. She'd felt so confident that he would find the criminal. She'd thought Garrett was on her side, believing in her innocence, but after he'd spent over and hour keying information into his computer and sorting the database, he appeared to change. He'd looked at her for a longest time before speaking.

Garrett's dark eyes narrowed, his expression glum-faced. "Bella. I've uncovered something here. I think it would be in your best interest to accept a suspension with pay until these accusations can be investigated."

Amanda had snorted as she attempted to conceal a snicker. "This would only be better if it were without pay," she muttered under her breath, but Bella heard the cutting words.

The clock in the dining room bonged out the hour, bringing Bella out of her reverie. She'd walked home from the hospital. The night air had been filled with heavy wet snowflakes and now, she sat huddled near the fireplace in an attempt to chase the chill from her bones. The fire helped, but the blanket thrown over the back of the sofa would help even more, but she felt too devastated to move. The tears she'd been holding back for months spilled across her cheeks, and a sob tore at the chest. She'd tried so hard to resist the temptation to breakdown. She felt crying was a selfish indulgence, but she couldn't help herself. She angrily swiped the moisture from her face, but a single tear escaped from the puddle against her black lashes and made its way slowly over the curve of her cheek.

What was she going to do now? Brandy snuggled against her, sensing her distress. The dog looked at her with sad eyes, and as Bella leaned forward to cuddle her canine friend, Brandy lapped the tear from her face, bringing a new rush of hot tears. If Bella couldn't be at work, there was no way for her to continue her probe. No way to prove her innocence.

A sudden knock at her door caused both she and Brandy to jump. She didn't want company right now. How would she explain her tear stained face? The hammering continued, but she didn't get up.

"Bella, open the door. I need to talk to you...explain." Garrett hollered and begun pounding at the door once again.

Brandy began to whine, and that noise, combined with Garrett's pummeling destroyed her resolve. She trod slowly across the room, dragging her feet in the carpet, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands before opening the door.

After turning the handle on the dead bolt and unlatching the door, she turned on her heel to head back toward the living room.

She heard her former employer enter the room and the door swing back into the frame with a soft thud. "What do you want, Garrett?" she said in a choked voice as she flopped onto the couch.

In the reflection of the window, she watched him shuck his coat, dropping it onto the chair beside the door, and follow her path across the room. The sofa cushions sagged as he dropped beside her on the couch. "You look a mess."

That was exactly what every female wanted to hear from a devastatingly handsome male. "Humm. That's encouraging. First, you ruin my life and now, you're here to what--finish me off? That's really great, Garrett." Her words ran together in a monotone.

Garrett touched her shoulder, turning her to face him. She seemed unable to look at him. "Please don't feel that way. That's not why I'm here. I know you have every reason to feel dejected. I'm sorry for the way I dismissed you, but you see...I had no other choice."

"No other choice?" She raised her eyes to study his grim face. "What happened to the man who said he thought I was innocent?" Bella whispered through the taught muscles in her throat causing them to sound raspy, filled with emotion. An emotion so strong it filled her eyes and threatened to spill out across her lashes.

"I still believe you." His tone velvety, but edged with steel.

Bella swallowed hard, the lump in her throat felt as large as an ostrich egg. "Then how could you fire me? And in front of Amanda! That was the ultimate humiliation."

Garrett stood. He paced silently in front of her for a few moments, and then he zigzagged around behind the sofa. "I had to for your sake." He grasped her tight, spasming muscles that ran across the top of her shoulders.

She pulled from his grasp. Standing, she stared at him incredulously, her hands on her rounded hips. "Okay, I'm ready to listen. But you're not making any sense. How is my losing my job going to help me?"

"Sit down, sit down. This is complicated." Garrett tugged her back to the sofa. Facing each other, he reached for her hand, trailing his fingers absently over her satiny palms as he searched for the right words to explain his findings.

Bella didn't pull from his touch. The faint movement generated a sweet electricity that pulsed through her body. She wanted to hear what he had to say, prayed that his words would heal the gaping wound he'd sliced through her heart, but she feared there was nothing he could offer to change the disappointment and grief that tormented her.

"I found a pattern to the incident reports before I sent you for your schedule."

Bella's eyes grew wide. "You did? What did you find?"

His voice faded to a hushed stillness. "The reports definitely rule you out as a suspect."

She took a quick, sharp breath. "Then why did you fire me?"

Garrett hesitated answering. "Bella...I-I only suspended you…I want you out of the building. I hope by releasing you, my actions will give the guilty parties a-a false sense of security and a lot more freedom to be caught. Your proximity to the situation will complicate everything."

She managed a tremulous smile. "In other words, you aren't going to tell me who you suspect." She peered down at the floor and muttered, "You're just like your grandmother."

"What?"

"Oh…I'm happy you're getting this mess sorted out."

Garrett nodded. "I hope you understand."

"How long do you think this will take? I really don't want to miss work. Oh...who's going to fill in for me?" That was the first moment she realized she wouldn't be returning to her job. This recognition ripped through her with a sadness as deep as anything she'd felt when Scott died. This was the death of her professional life.

Garrett sighed. "Nikki is filling in for you."

"Nikki!" she cried in disbelief. Now she wished she'd fired the girl. The department would be a mess under her leadership…or lack of leadership. "Well, that's an impossible situation. I was going to let her go because she was so useless, absolutely terrible to work with. I'll hate to see what she acts like after this advance."

Her reaction seemed to amuse him; his mouth twitched. "Now, Bella. I know she's not your ideal employee, but she is better than taking someone off the street for a couple of weeks. At least she knows what she should do."

"I don't know…" Feeling foolish and embarrassed at her outburst, Bella kept her gaze to the floor. "Okay, you're right. But her rotten attitude still galls me, Garrett. I don't know why she acts so haughty and arrogant!"

"Who knows what makes a person act the way they do, but please, don't worry about your job. I've made sure you'll continue to receive your full pay."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me, but the most hurtful part of this is the fact that I won't be working with the residents. I love them."

"Not many of your co-workers know about your cabin, do they?" Garrett said, changing the subject.

She shrugged. "Most everyone knows that Scott and I lived in the mountains in a cabin, but I think everyone suspects I sold it when I moved to town."

"I want you to stay there for a while. You're being set-up, and if you're gone they'll have a hard time blaming you."

Bella put her face in her hands. Her thick hair covered her face and her shoulders rocked with sobs. "W-why me? I didn't do anything to make them hate me."

Garrett took her in his arms and stroked her hair. "Shhh...now. This will be over before you know it. Tomorrow is Saturday. I'm not going into work until Monday. I want to make sure those thieves think they're safe so I'm taking you to the cabin in the morning."

She pulled from his embrace. "But I'm not prepared for that. I don't have food and bedding for this time of the year. Once I get up there, I could be snowed in for days."

"That's what grocery stores are for." He laughed.

Bella's lips wrinkled with annoyance and she felt her face flush.

"You look beautiful when you're angry."

"Yeah, right."

"Look at me." He touched her chin, gently raising it and with it, her eyes. Their gazes met. "Do you know how much I care about you?"

Trying to swallow around the lump that persisted in her throat, she nodded, unable, for the moment to utter a word. She suspected that he lusted for her, but there was something that glittered in his blue eyes that told her that he had stronger emotions raging through his body. Could he be falling in love with her? Her face clouded with uneasiness. He aroused all of her old fears and anxieties.

Sheltered in his arms, it would be so easy to let go--give up, let him take over--but she couldn't. She admired Garrett. His strength and determination to vindicate her caused her heart to swell. Was this feeling love? She knew she'd loved Scott, but this new tenderness nagged at the back of her mind continually, and it refused to be stilled. No matter how upset she felt with the unfair situation at her job, her heart skipped a beat each time she caught sight of Garrett. Oh, she was so confused. She had to fight back the desire to kiss him full on the lips. Just the smell of his woodsy, male aroma caused her head to swim. But then the thoughts of Scott chipped away at the corner of her mind. Why couldn't she let go of him? What was it that made this seem such an impossible feat?

The thought had no more than passed through her mind when Garrett lowered his head and captured her lips with his. The touch brought her to life; a delicious thrill of excitement skittered up her spine, and at the base of her throat, her pulse beat and swelled as if she wore her heart there. Garrett's kiss drove her desire to magnificent heights in only seconds.

The other times he'd kissed her had been wonderful, but his soul stirring kisses tonight felt more demanding--hungry. Parting her lips, she accepted his ardor and fell back against the cushions with him. At any other time, she would have been shocked at her eager response, but tonight, she felt a throbbing in her center that demanded his primal stroke. She grew moist at the anticipation.

His hands lightly traced a path across her sweater lingering at each of the indentations between her ribs. The exquisite sensation caused her to shiver in spite of the warmth of the fire and the heat in her simmering body. When he reached the bottom of the coarse material, his fingers slid under the band and worked their way back up her body rubbing the bare skin of her stomach. This time, the accentuated feeling caused her to arch her body sharply against his. She felt the rigid definition of his gender stamp its image against the most intimate part of her.

Garrett dragged his lips from hers, rising on his elbows above her. His eyes clouded with desire and small beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. "If you don't want this, you'd better tell me now. You're making me crazy, woman." His words melted her even more. An aura of intimacy enveloped them making her ache even worse. Her voice thick and unsteady, she answered, "I want you Garrett, but I'm afraid."

"Of what? You know I won't hurt you, right?"

She nodded slightly and brushed a wild strand of hair from her eyes. "It's…it's being there at the cabin. I haven't told you everything, I'm afraid."

"You are keeping secrets from me? Well, I'm shocked." He grinned at her. "Spit it out girl."

Bella took a deep breath and launched into her story. "I thought Scott and I had a really good marriage. I didn't know until right after he died, that it was a farce."

"What makes you think that way?"

"The bank account was empty and I had no idea where the money was. And then I couldn't find the insurance papers so I had to pay for everything, even his funeral on credit."

"That's awful, but you did it, right?" He asked.

"Sure, but I have so many questions that I fear will never be answered. I don't know how to get on with my life. I feel out of control, and now, here we are like this." She looked down their bodies, and then raising her eyes, caught his gaze. "I have feelings for you, but right now I'm at a great disadvantage, because they're more the 'heals over head' variety!"

Her attempt at humor caught him off-guard. He stared at her, and then a huge bellow of laughter ripped through him. Garrett rolled off her body and onto the floor. His infectious laughter made her giggle. Before she knew it, she joined him on the floor gasping for air and gripping her laughter squeezed sides.