Chapter 3
When Kean Cavanagh had gotten into his truck on a chilly, rainy, early February morning, one week before his brother’s wedding, he’d planned to enjoy a quiet ride on the scenic route along the coast that would take him to Gold Beach, enjoy a coffee with his buddy who owned the wholesaler shop where Kean shopped for his construction company, and then drive back in time for lunch with his friend Scott at Spring Delights, Kean’s mother’s bakery and café.
But he’d learned that life had a way of messing up even the best thought-out plans, so when he’d noticed the silver car stranded on the side of the road, he hadn’t been able to drive by and stick to his schedule. No, he’d had to stop and offer assistance—assistance that wasn’t needed, apparently.
Five minutes later, as he drove away from the crazy woman with the gun, he couldn’t shake the sense of guilt burning in his stomach. His parents had been adamant he and his two younger brothers knew how to behave, to help people in need, and to always treat ladies right. Hard to do that with a Glock aimed at your face, though.
He hated thinking that the woman, who’d looked totally out of place on top of obviously being stranded, could still be there waiting for someone to help, while he’d driven away. She said she’d called the police, but as he’d taken a step back, away from the car and the gun, he’d been pretty sure she was lying, judging by the distressed expression she’d had on her face when he knocked on her window.
The thought gnawed at him all the way to Gold Beach, but he focused on the slippery road and pushed it back. He’d offered help and she’d nearly shot him. Since she turned away his help, she was no longer his problem.
Guillermo had Kean’s order already by the door when he stopped in front of the shop, and he helped him load it onto the truck and cover it with the silver-gray tarp.
“You have time for a coffee? My wife made a plum cake, since she knew you’d be coming today.”
Kean grinned. “You know, if she weren’t your wife and I wouldn’t risk losing my best supplier, I’d ask her to marry me.”
Guillermo chuckled, shaking his head at the old joke Kean liked to make whenever Guillermo’s wife prepared some treats especially for him. Sonja was nearly as old as Kean’s own mother, and she liked to spoil him as if he were her son. She and her husband had three daughters, and she used to tell him she would’ve loved him as a son-in-law. A few months back she’d eventually managed to make him go to dinner with their youngest daughter, Claudia. She was a nice girl, funny even, but she wasn’t interested in him and he hadn’t felt a spark either. After that night, Sonja stopped trying to turn him into a member of her family, and had resigned herself to baking cakes for him whenever she knew he’d be in town. Having the sweet tooth that he did, he never said no.
They had a cup of freshly brewed coffee in Guillermo’s back office and a slice of cake, and when Kean mentioned his encounter with the crazy woman in the Beetle, Guillermo cried with laughter.
When Kean finally left the shop, thanking him for the coffee and the cake, Guillermo told him to make sure he took another way into town, just in case the crazy woman with the gun was still there, waiting to ambush him.
Kean laughed, but he couldn’t shake the ugly feeling he’d pushed back when he reached Guillermo’s store. As he drove back in the direction of Spring, he wished someone had rescued the crazy woman, so he wouldn’t have to stop and risk his life again, just because he was an old-fashioned gentleman who couldn’t help coming to the rescue of a lady in trouble.
As he approached the silver VW Beetle, a groan escaped his lips when he noticed the woman was still inside the car. If she’d really called the cops like she claimed she had, Adam’s patrol car would be parked next to hers right now or she would be in Spring already. Even though his brother no longer worked as a city cop in Seattle, he still took his job as a deputy sheriff very seriously, and would have no doubt jumped into his Spring Harbor Sheriff car and come to the rescue. Why the woman had lied was beyond him.
He slowed down and, this time, he parked right behind the Beetle, thinking he’d be closer in case he needed to run for cover—if the crazy woman decided to shoot him. He got out of his truck and cautiously approached the car, glad the rain had finally let up and he didn’t have to get soaked. As he stood by the driver’s side, he peeked inside. The woman was hugging the steering wheel, her long dark hair covering her face, so he wasn’t quite sure whether she was asleep, crying, or even dead. Well, at least she wasn’t holding a gun in her hand this time. He raised his fist and knocked on the window, ready to duck.
* * *
Charli had been stuck on that road for close to an hour, or maybe even longer, and not a single vehicle had passed by since she’d sent the Good Samaritan away. At the sound of a knock on the glass, she bolted up straight, and her hand automatically reached for the gun on the seat.
“Don’t shoot me. I just want to help.”
She looked outside and winced at the sight of the Good Samaritan, who maybe was just a stalker who’d come back to finish what he hadn’t been able to even start before.
“How do I know you’re not some kind of crazy killer?” She shouted to be heard through the closed window, waving the gun in front of her.
“Hey, I’m not the one with a gun here,” he said, quirking a dark eyebrow over amused chocolate-brown eyes. “And how do I know you’re not some kind of crazy killer?”
Well, when he put it like that, he had a point. She lowered the gun but didn’t put it back in her purse—just in case.
“Pop the hood open, so I can take a look and see if there’s something I can do.”
She still wasn’t sure whether she could trust him, but he couldn’t really make things worse than they already were, could he? She did as he asked, and he disappeared around the front of her car for a couple of minutes. When he slammed the hood closed and stood at the side of the car shaking his head, she knew for sure she was in trouble.
“I can’t tell what the problem is. It could be the engine. I think it needs to be towed,” he said, rubbing his hands together to clean off the grease. “I can give you a ride into town and we can have our mechanic come get it.”
Her instincts went on high alert. Accepting rides from strangers was high on the list of reckless things people on Criminal Minds did just before ending up in chunks inside a plastic bag. Or with a slashed throat. Or buried somewhere in the woods where nobody would ever find them. She shivered.
“Hey.” The stranger knocked on her window, jolting her from her morbid thoughts. “Are you going to spend all night in the car or do you want that ride? ’Cause I haven’t got all day, you know.”
“Um… I… I think I’ll just wait here for the emergency service.” Her voice trembled just a little. She could only hope that Ellie would wonder why she hadn’t shown up yet and why she wasn’t answering her phone, and come looking for her. Her groom-to-be was a deputy sheriff after all, and he’d been a cop in Seattle before that. He had to know ways to trace her phone and come rescue her, right? That was what the Behavioral Analysis Unit on Criminal Minds did to save people, it couldn’t all just be TV fluff.
In her haste to leave the city behind, Charli hadn’t bothered texting Ellie to let her know when she’d be arriving, though. She’d only told her she’d be there by evening. She’d gotten behind the wheel and only stopped for gas and a restroom break once. Now she wished she’d taken the necessary precautions. And that she’d bought a new phone after she’d thrown hers at Donnie.
“You haven’t called the cops, have you?” The deep voice coming from outside the car brought her back to the present. There, she’d been busted and now she was the perfect prey. She had to keep up the lie, though, and try to make it sound like she was confident and didn’t feel as helpless as she actually did.
“Of course I did. They’re on their way.” She kept her chin up in a defiant stance but he just shook his head.
“This might be a small town but our cops are efficient. If you’d called, they’d have been here five minutes after your call. My brother works for the sheriff department, so I would know.”
“Your brother’s a cop?” She tried and, judging by the way he lifted his eyebrow, failed to keep skepticism out of her voice. If he really was related to a cop he wouldn’t try to kill her, would he?
“Yep. Want me to call him so he can vouch for me?”
A light bulb went off in her head. If she could get hold of his phone, she could call Ellie, tell her where she was, and ask her to come rescue her.
“Yeah, uh… why don’t you give me your phone and I’ll look him up in your contacts? That way I’ll know you’re not tricking me.”
He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated huff, but reached into the back pocket of his jeans anyway. She rolled down the window just enough so she could snatch the phone out of his hand, and while he was saying something about his brother being the first name on his list, she rolled up the window, frantically dialing Ellie’s number. Thank God for her elephant memory and OCD obsession about memorizing all the numbers in case she got stranded in the middle of nowhere and could only access a public phone. How fitting.
She threw a surreptitious glance outside. The man stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a very broad chest now that she took a better look, and a scowl mixed with incredulity on his face.
When a familiar, “Hey,” came over the line, she felt like crying with relief.
“Ellie, it’s me. Charli,” she added, realizing her friend might not recognize her, considering her voice sounded a little desperate.
“Charli?” Ellie sounded more surprised than she should. “Why are you calling me from Kean’s phone?”
Wait, what?
“You know this guy?” She couldn’t keep the bewilderment from her tone.
Ellie chuckled. “He’s Adam’s brother.”
Oh. My. God. Somebody shoot her now!
She rolled down the window and stared up at him. “Are you really Adam’s brother?” It was silly, but for all she knew he could’ve stolen this Kean guy’s phone and pretended he was Ellie’s soon-to-be brother-in-law just to get Charli to lower her guard. Maybe he’d even murdered him and stolen his phone afterward.
Ooh-kay, maybe you should cut down on crime shows for a while, and watch Hallmark Channel instead.
“You know Adam?” He tilted his head to the side, staring at her as if trying to put a name to the face.
“Don’t answer my question with another question!” She didn’t bother hiding her annoyance as she all but growled, “What’s his girlfriend’s name?”
His eyebrows shot up to the sky, but when she glowered at him, he just shrugged. “Ellie. Or actually, Elise, but she goes by Ellie. And she’s his fiancée.”
Charli let out the breath she’d been holding and put the phone back to her ear. “Listen, it’s a long story but the short version is I’m stranded, and this guy—”
“Kean,” Ellie reminded her with a smile in her tone.
“Yes, Kean, offered me a lift into town, but I didn’t know if I could trust him and—”
“I’ll vouch for him.” Ellie didn’t hesitate, and let out a chuckle. “He’ll bring you here all in one piece, I promise.”
Oh, thank God! The words were like music to her ears. She just wanted to get to Ellie’s house, kick off her high-heeled boots that were killing her, and take a long, hot shower to wash away this painfully disastrous day.
She told Ellie she’d see her soon, and hung up. Afraid to look at Kean, she handed the phone back while keeping her eyes on the steering wheel.
“Are you ever going to get out of that car now that you know I’m not a psycho killer?” He knocked on her window and she looked up. “’Cause, believe it or not, I’ve got things to do and I’m already running late.”
His tone was calm but bordering on frustrated, and Charli felt like a schoolgirl being reprimanded by the teacher. Sure, he had the right to be annoyed because of her stupid behavior, but he could try and be just a bit sympathetic, after all. If he were a woman stranded on a solitary road, would he have jumped into the first car that stopped? These days you could barely trust your spouse, let alone a stranger who popped out of nowhere. She should be grateful for his help, of course, but his patronizing attitude annoyed her quite a lot.
Even so, she nodded and rolled up the window before getting out. When she stood next to him, she felt a little intimidated by his height. With her being five foot eight she couldn’t be considered petite, especially not today when she was wearing four-inch heels. But she felt tiny next to him. He had to be over six feet tall, and the fabric of his gray sweatshirt strained across his chest beneath a burgundy down jacket.
“So, how do you know Adam?” His inquisitive chocolate-brown eyes held a hint of amusement but she could see a bit of curiosity, too. He probably thought she was some old flame of his brother’s who’d come to stop the wedding for whatever reason.
And no more rom-coms for you, either.
“I don’t know him. I know Ellie. She was my roommate and best friend. Still is, actually. My best friend, I mean.”
“Wait, so you’re Charli?”
His smile was cute, if she had to be honest with herself. And not at all killer-like, but then again you never knew until they stabbed you, right?
“The one and only.” She shrugged and looked away as heat crept up her neck. Gee, of all the people she could act like a weirdo with, it had to be a member of her best friend’s family. No doubt he thought she was crazy, paranoid, or possibly both—and he’d probably tell everyone as soon as they reached civilization.
“Got any luggage in the trunk?”
She nodded and pressed the button on the key fob. The trunk opened with a click, and when he went to retrieve her luggage she reached inside the car for her purse, her traitorous phone and a cabin bag on the back seat. She closed the door, locking it out of habit even though she doubted anyone would be able to steal it unless they pushed it. When she turned, she nearly choked on her tongue as her eyes settled on Kean pulling her two huge suitcases and her canvas travel bag out of the trunk as if they weighed nothing.
Yeah, the man definitely has muscles.
She resisted the urge to fan her face. She really didn’t need to make a fool of herself any more than she already had, thank you very much. And she was done with men for a long, long time. Maybe even forever.
“Guess you don’t like traveling light, huh?”
If he only knew why she’d stowed her whole life into the trunk of her VW, he wouldn’t be wearing that smirk. That quite annoying smirk, to be precise. No need to pull out her attitude just yet, though. She needed his help, and once she was at Ellie’s she could leave him, and this whole day, behind.
“I’m supposed to stay until after the wedding, and I’m a woman. I need stuff.” She lifted her chin, showing him she wasn’t afraid of what he thought. “But what would you know? You’re a man.”
“A man who’s just saved you from spending your night in your car and freezing to death,” he muttered under his breath but purposely loud enough for her to hear.
“Yeah, thanks for that.” She’d had an awful day but it hadn’t been his fault, after all. Her parents had taught her manners, and she considered herself a reasonable, level-headed person—despite the recent events.
He lifted his chin, motioning for her to go ahead, toward his pickup. “Get in. We’ll be in Spring in less than twenty minutes.”
* * *
Ellie came running out the door as soon as Kean stopped his truck in front of his brother’s house. Charli got out and met her halfway, hugging her back as soon as Ellie’s arms went around her.
“Oh my God, are you okay? Were you in an accident? Did you get hurt?” Ellie pulled back and gave her a once-over, then wrapped her arms around her friend again and let out an audible sigh. “I was so worried. What happened?”
“A branch fell off a tree and I stomped on the brake. Then my car refused to start again. Oh, and my cell died.” Charli pulled back and shrugged. “Not one of my best days. I probably should’ve checked the horoscope before getting in the car.”
Kean gave an inward eye-roll. Great, she was also one of those horoscope freaks on top of being annoying as hell.
“You’re lucky Kean was passing by. Who knows when we would’ve found you otherwise.” Ellie squeezed her arm around Charli’s shoulder.
Charli narrowed her hazel brown eyes as she stared at him over Ellie’s shoulder. She couldn’t still think he was a serial killer, could she? He’d saved her, tolerated her crazy behavior and even managed to entertain a polite conversation during the twenty-minute ride in his truck, even though her replies mainly consisted of monosyllables and even a couple of grunts.
“I would’ve made it through, somehow.”
“Bet you would,” he mumbled under his breath. She whipped her head up and glared at him.
Infuriating. That was the first word that came to mind. She was absolutely the most infuriating person he’d met in a long time—if ever. If he hadn’t stopped to help her, she’d still be there, waiting for someone to rescue her. Not many people took that road in and out of town, unless they weren’t in a hurry and wanted to enjoy the scenic route. She could’ve spent the night there, freezing to death in her car. That was what he got for playing gentleman. He should’ve just driven by and let her be.
“Excuse me? What’s your problem?” She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head to the side, in an intimidating stance. Ellie frowned as she looked from her friend to him.
“What’s my problem? Ha. That’s rich.” He mimicked her stance, just to show her she wasn’t the least bit intimidating. Her glare turned deadly as her eyes narrowed to slits. “If I hadn’t stopped the second time, you’d still be there, freezing to death in your fancy car.”
“Someone else would’ve stopped, or I could have walked. I didn’t ask you to stop the first time, and definitely not the second time.”
“Wait. What do you mean, the second time?” Ellie looked at Charli, her frown deepening as she no doubt tried to make sense of the dynamics.
“The first time I stopped, she chased me away, so I left. But when I came back from my errands, she was still there, so I went to check if she wanted my help this time.”
“You left her there, stranded and alone?” Ellie’s eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped.
Kean raised his hands in exasperation. “She had a .45 caliber aimed at my face and threatened to shoot me!”
“Actually, it’s a .38, and I never would’ve shot you.” Her tone sounded like the one an adult would use with a kid. She pulled the handgun out of her purse and Ellie let out a gasp.
“You have a gun?” Ellie’s eyes widened.
“Who’s got a gun?” Adam’s voice carried from the inside of the house before he appeared at the door. “No guns allowed in my house. I don’t care if she’s your friend, Ellie—the gun’s got to go.”
Charli rolled her eyes. “It’s a toy,” she said, waving it in front of their faces. When she pulled the trigger, a low click was all that came out of the dark gray weapon she had threatened Kean with. He felt like an idiot now, as humiliation burned his guts. This woman meant trouble—he’d been right from the start.
“You threatened to kill me with a toy gun? What would’ve happened if I were really a serial killer like you thought I was?”
Charli shrugged. “I don’t like weapons, but my boyfriend was adamant I keep a gun in my purse for self-defense, so I bought this in a toy shop and told him it was real. He was never the wiser.”
Adam let out a chuckle that he promptly turned into a cough when Kean scowled at him. No doubt this would be the joke of the day for the next week or so. He knew Adam was only waiting for his chance to get back at Kean for all the silly pranks he’d played on his little brother over the years—and most recently, after Adam had fallen for his pretty neighbor. He’d never waste an opportunity like this.
“Although, with hindsight, I wish I’d bought a real one so I could’ve shot him in the bal—” She stopped mid-word when Adam winced. Her eyes widened as she brought a hand to her mouth. “Oh. Ooh, I didn’t… I didn’t mean your brother. I meant my boyfriend. I would’ve shot my boyfriend.”
“You know I’m a cop, right?” Adam tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest, a smile playing on his lips. “I shouldn’t be hearing talk about shooting people, don’t you think?”
“Oops. Yeah, um… absolutely. I was kidding, of course. I wouldn’t shoot anyone.”
Adam smiled. “Okay, well, in that case, you can keep the gun locked in your suitcase. But don’t let Sophie play with it. I don’t want her to think firearms are toys.”
“Sure. I’ll keep my very fake, very harmless gun inside my suitcase.” She put the gun back into her purse and patted it, glancing at Kean with a smug smile as he scowled at her. He’d been played all right and, apparently, she’d enjoyed it very much—most of all now that his family knew it, too.
“Well, I’d better get going now,” he said, forcing himself to keep the annoyance out of his tone. “I’ve got stuff I need to do before dinner, and I’m already behind schedule.”
“Aww, I’m so sorry I’ve delayed you. Please accept my most sincere apologies.”
Charli’s tone dripped sarcasm with every syllable, as she brought a hand to her heart. He ground his teeth and held back the words that wanted out. She was the best friend of his future sister-in-law, as well as her wedding planner. If he did anything to spoil the wedding, Adam would cut his head off—and probably some other parts too.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” she added, then gave him an ear-to-ear smile that was as fake as her tone, mischief sparkling in her eyes.
He gave her a fake smile in return, and bowed his head in an old-fashioned way, tipping the brim of his baseball cap. “Always happy to rescue a damsel in distress, ma’am.”
He caught her eye-roll before he turned away and went back into his truck. He had a feeling this woman was going to be a pain in his ass, but he knew she’d be leaving after the wedding. He only had to hold on for the sake of his brother’s happiness. He sighed as he pulled away and headed back toward town. The wedding couldn’t come fast enough.