Awareness prickled over his skin and tightened the hairs at his nape. He rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to dispel the momentary discomfort. His reaction irritated and intrigued him all at the same time.
He offered a friendly wave and continued on his way, though he found it hard to drag his gaze away from her. He didn’t want her to feel threatened by him, because he planned to see a lot more of her.
CHAPTER 5
SARAH watched from between the slats of her wooden blinds as the man jogged down the beach. Every so often he’d stop, drop down and do a series of push-ups. Sweat gleamed in the sunlight and she could see the strain on his face as he pushed himself harder.
Ever since she’d freaked out two days ago when she’d realized he was following her, she paid careful attention to her new neighbor. Granted, her imagination had run wild, but she didn’t get down on herself for being careful.
He was a big man. Beautiful. She chided herself for her fanciful thoughts, but the man was beautiful. He was solidly built, lean and muscled with no amount of spare flesh anywhere that she could see. His black hair was mussed on top, as if he’d outgrown a more severe military cut. Judging by the amount of time he spent working out and the way he’d roll his shoulder with a grimace, she figured he’d been injured. Maybe he was on leave or maybe he’d been discharged after his injury.
Or maybe she was just trying to convince herself that her new neighbor wasn’t a threat to her.
She closed her eyes and let the slat fall. Not everyone was the enemy. The problem was figuring out who wasn’t, and she didn’t have the luxury of differentiating.
It relieved her that she felt the stirrings of interest—feminine interest—in this man. That she could look and appreciate and even wonder about him made her want to do a fist pump in the air. Up yours, Allen Cross. You haven’t won. You didn’t destroy me.
A plaintive meow broke her from her thoughts and she turned to see the cat sitting on the countertop, eyeing her expectantly. Sarah smiled and walked over to rub her hand over the cat’s head.
“I suppose I need to name you. I can’t continue calling you Cat, can I?”
The cat blinked and let out a purr, then walked over to the cabinet where Sarah kept the cat food. She reared up on her hind legs and pawed at the door. Sarah chuckled and went to oblige the hungry animal.
Her new neighbor had already established a routine. She felt like some stalker watching his every movement. Part of it was her wariness, but the other part was curiosity. There wasn’t much else to do out here but watch the water. There wasn’t a lot of traffic down this way because of the smaller number of houses, most of which were rentals. He was the only other person she saw on her end of the beach with any regularity, and she found herself fascinated by him.
He was up early in the mornings, jogging, sometimes running. Then he’d disappear into his cottage only to reappear later with his fishing gear. He’d set up, wade out into the surf to cast his line and then wade back and position his pole in the holder. Then he’d kick back in a rickety-looking lawn chair, ice chest on the ground next to him and wait.
She had to admire his patience. He’d sit for long periods of time until the rod tip bent, when he’d leap up to set the hook and begin reeling in. Most of the fish were smaller, but she’d stood in her window watching for a solid half hour watching him wrestle a huge catch to the shores.
He’d unhook it, admire it, hold it up in the sun and then wade out to free it again. Then he’d begin the process all over again.
She envied his freedom. The complete lack of care. He didn’t look as though he had a worry in the world other than enjoying his quiet day in the sun. She poured the cat food into the bowl and set it on the floor, then stood back as the kitty began devouring it like it was a piece of prime steak.
“Patches,” she decided. “Not terribly original. I’m sure there are thousands of other calicos out there with the same exact name, but I bet you’re the only one on this island.”
Patches didn’t look up from her food.
Sarah went back to the window to see if she could catch another glimpse of her neighbor. To her surprise, he’d changed into a pair of swim trunks and was now standing at the water’s edge. The waves foamed and covered his feet as he stared over the horizon.
He raised his arms and then began a series of motions that looked to her like a martial arts workout. Maybe Tai Chi? She watched, absorbed by the sensuality of his movements. She might have expected a man of his size to be clumsy, but he moved with a grace that surprised her.
Lyrical. He moved in harmony with the water, as though he blocked out everything but the beauty immediately surrounding him. She was, in that moment, insanely jealous of the peace that surrounded him like an aura.
She stared unabashedly as he went through the motions. At one point he turned, and she could swear he saw her watching him, but she shook off the notion. She was staring through an opening no bigger than an inch and he was at least fifty yards away. Maybe farther.
Still, it was enough to pull her away from the window. She needed something else to focus on. The isolation was driving her insane. Her gaze snagged on her laptop bag.
The waiting was making her crazy. Maybe she could check out the little bookstore in the town square. She’d even seen a section in the market where they rented DVDs. She hadn’t even turned on the television to see if it or the DVD player worked but movies would be a welcome distraction.
And she totally needed to get out of this cottage before she lost her mind.
She grabbed her bag, made sure the cat was nowhere near the door and let herself out. As she descended the steps to the beach, she looked to her right to see her neighbor swimming at a fast stroke away from shore. She stood and watched for a moment until he got so far away she could no longer see him and then she headed down the beach in the opposite direction.
Her first stop was at the coffee shack, where she set up in her usual corner, accepted a cup of the local brew from Marie and then she went through the steps to check her email. As suspected, she had no new messages. It was tempting to search the local news in Boston but she was too paranoid. The last thing she wanted was to tip off anyone as to her location. And who knew what could be accomplished on the Internet?
Yes, she was paranoid, but she could live with that. It might just save her life. It didn’t help that she was a complete idiot about technology.
Her instinct was to hurry through her coffee, go to the bookshop and rush back to her cottage. But she tempered that urge and remained to sip at her coffee and watch the goings on in the little café, such as they were. She hated the idea of going back to the cottage, where she’d once again be alone. She hated being alone. She was a people person. She liked being around people even if she didn’t interact with them much, loved the big city with all the flashes of color and culture.
She glanced out the front window to watch the passersby and speculate on their circumstances, where they came from, where they were going. When the waitress came to offer her a refill, she smiled and accepted, determined to stay and enjoy her break from isolation.
After the second cup, she was jittery from the double jolt of caffeine and anxious to be off. She slid out of her chair, careful to tuck her laptop into her bag and then exited the front of the shop to cross the street to the bookstore. It was two doors down from the market with only a fishing supply shop to separate them.
When she entered, she was instantly assailed by the smell of old books. She sniffed appreciatively and went to the shelves to browse the selection. An older lady with a warm smile waved from her chair behind the register and Sarah offered a brief acknowledgment before turning back to the shelf in front of her.
It was easy to get lost in books. It was more than an hour later when she realized how long she’d been there picking over the titles. She looked ruefully at the dozen or so books she’d stacked to the side and decided it was enough for now. It would give her a good excuse to return when she’d finished them.
She hauled her loot to the register and plunked them down in front of the woman.
“Hi there, you like to read, I see,” the woman said cheerfully. “Most folks who come through here just pick up one or two. Beach reads they call them. If you ask me, any book is good for the beach.”
Sarah smiled. “I do enjoy books. I don’t think these will last me long, but they’re all I can carry with me right now.”
“I’m Martine,” the woman said, extending her hand.
“I’m ... Sarah.”
“Well, Sarah, it’s very nice to meet another book lover. When you’re done with these, you can bring them back in. I’ll give you credit toward more book purchases.”
“Thank you, I will.”
Martine rang up the books and Sarah paid her in cash. Then Martine placed the books in a plastic grocery store bag and handed it over to Sarah. Sarah juggled her laptop bag, hauling it farther over her shoulder, and took the sack from the shop owner. With a wave, she headed back outside.
Just the little bit of human interaction warmed Sarah on the inside. She needed this. Needed to connect to other people, even in a superficial way. Head down, she turned the corner of the bookshop into the small alley that separated the store from its neighbor. The DVD rental place was behind the market. She’d make a quick stop, pick up a few movies and then she’d be set for entertainment for the next several days. Between the times she spent watching her neighbor, that is.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t see the person in front of her until she ran smack into the man. She bounced off as adrenaline spiked in her veins. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Before she could react, the dull gleam of a knife flashed in her face and the strap from her bag carrying her laptop nearly wrenched her shoulder from its socket. She dropped the bag of books and grabbed the strap before her assailant could wrest it free.
She pulled and stumbled back, and came face to face with a grubby-looking man who looked to be in his early twenties. He was unwashed and unshaven and her nostrils flared at the overwhelming smell of body odor.
“Give me the bag,” he ordered in clipped English.
He gripped her hair and yanked, pulling her closer to him—and to the knife he held barely an inch in front of her nose.
She couldn’t lose her laptop. Her whole life was in that laptop. Panic and hysteria rose and slammed through her veins with the force of a cement truck.
“No!”
The exclamation rose in her throat and was forced out before she could think better of it.
The hand tightened in her hair and then she was slammed against the outside wall of the shop with enough force to knock the breath from her and make her eyes water. The man grabbed clumsily for her bag, and the knife wavered in her vision. Taking advantage of his lapse, she grabbed his wrist and knocked the knife from his hand.
And suddenly she was free. She stood against the wall, shaking violently, not comprehending what had just happened. She watched in disbelief as her neighbor, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, let out a snarl of rage as he smashed his fist into the face of her attacker.
The noise attracted onlookers. Several gathered at the end of the alley and a moment later, the constable ran down to intervene. It was over almost as soon as it began. Her attacker lay bleeding on the ground, begging pitifully for mercy. Her neighbor hauled him up and shoved him in the direction of the approaching constable. Then he turned to Sarah, concern etched on his brow.
“Hey, are you okay?”
He moved closer and gripped her shoulders. She flinched and tried to move away, but he held tight as he stared into her eyes.
“I-I’m fine.”
“Did he hurt you?” he demanded.
She shook her head and to her consternation, her teeth started to clink together like ice tumbling into a glass.
He touched her cheek, then pushed back the hair that had fallen over her eyes. She glanced away to see the constable putting her attacker in handcuffs. “He had a knife.” She pointed to the ground, where it had fallen.
Her neighbor bent and retrieved the knife, holding it up as he inspected it in the sunlight. Then he frowned and handed it over to the constable.
“You’ve gone too far this time, Didier,” the constable snapped at her attacker.
Sarah frowned and pushed herself around her neighbor. “What do you mean? Do you know this man?”
The constable sighed. “He’s a troublemaker. I’ve picked him up a few times, but he’s never resorted to violence. He’s a petty thief.”
Heat suffused her cheeks. “He threatened me! I hope you’ll keep him locked up this time so he doesn’t terrorize others.”
The constable’s brows drew together as if he had no liking for her telling him how to perform his duties.
“He pulled a knife on the lady,” her neighbor said in a dangerous voice. “If you won’t deal with the matter, I’ll report this matter to your superiors.”
“Of course the matter will be dealt with,” the constable huffed. “He’s going to jail. He’ll be summoned to appear before the judge.” He looked to both Sarah and her neighbor. “I’ll need the both of you to come with me and give a proper report.”