back. “Because yours is nothing but a damned pity party and a lot of hot, bitter looks. You’re going to get yourself killed, Sam. Dead. The bastard will kill you, and he’ll kill your family with your death. Is that what you really want?”
He stilled, the muscles in his jaw working furiously as he stared back at her.
“Keeping you safe is not a damned pity party,” he growled. Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
42
“What about your family?” she snapped back. “You ran out of here the other night and refused to tell anyone you were even leaving, and walked right into a murder. That’s not a man whose only thought is protecting his family.”
Something flashed in his eyes. There, then gone. A knowledge of something he was clearly keeping hidden. Over the past year Heather had come to know Sam better than he was aware. She knew when he was hiding something, when he was fighting his own desires, and when he was lying. He was hiding something, something important.
“What happened, Sam?” she asked suspiciously. “What did Tate say when he called?”
His look was brooding, intent, as he watched her.
“Sam?”
“He just asked me to meet him.” He crossed his arms over his chest, challenging her to prove otherwise.
“You’re lying to me, Sam.” It tore at her heart, because she had seen him hide from others, but never her. Not until now. “What happened?”
“Heather.” The gentleness in his voice had her breath catching in need, in fear. She watched him silently as he came to her. Tall and broad and so sexy he nearly mesmerized her. And sad. So very sad it tore at her soul. He stopped in front of her, his fingers reaching out to touch her cheek and she watched the small flush of arousal that heated his face.
“Sam, what happened?” He was frightening her, terrifying her with his recklessness.
“Nothing that can hurt you or me, baby. Not anymore,” he promised her. “He can’t hurt anyone now. And I can’t say I’m not glad to see his ass gone. But you’re right, it was stupid to run out like that. It won’t happen again.”
She started to question him further, her suspicions sitting tight and hard in her stomach, when a sharp rap sounded at the door.
“Sam, we need you out here,” Tara called impatiently. “And if Heather’s with you, tell her she’s supposed to be on duty, not entertaining the resident stud.”
Sam frowned toward the door. “One day,” he sighed. “I’m going to give that woman something to bitch about.” He looked down at her again and shook his head.
“Well hell, babe, your babysitter just found you. We may as well go.”
Heather followed him from the room, but nothing could still the cold chill of premonition. The feeling that whatever he was hiding was more important than even he knew.
Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
43
Chapter Ten
Several hours later, the house went on alert with the arrival of Rick’s helicopter on the August landing pad. The family gathered around the large dining table where the women sat in tense silence, and the men with a brooding anger that set everyone’s nerves on edge.
Heather stood propped against the wall across from where Sam sat, watching him closely. His expression was closed, that edge of barely contained violence glittering in his eyes once again.
The investigation into the family of the man who had tortured the three brothers didn’t set well with them. Cade especially was furious over it. The bastard was dead, he had informed them all. There was no sense in trying to resurrect a damned ghost. But Rick, like Tara and Heather, believed it was all connected. The letter Marly had received after the second failed attempt on Sarah’s life proved that, even if the brothers didn’t want to face it. The poetry style letter worried and concerned her. Her friend Greg had often left her letters written in such a style.
Marly was insistent that Greg would have never tried to hurt her. That he wouldn’t have been able to
He stilled, the muscles in his jaw working furiously as he stared back at her.
“Keeping you safe is not a damned pity party,” he growled. Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
42
“What about your family?” she snapped back. “You ran out of here the other night and refused to tell anyone you were even leaving, and walked right into a murder. That’s not a man whose only thought is protecting his family.”
Something flashed in his eyes. There, then gone. A knowledge of something he was clearly keeping hidden. Over the past year Heather had come to know Sam better than he was aware. She knew when he was hiding something, when he was fighting his own desires, and when he was lying. He was hiding something, something important.
“What happened, Sam?” she asked suspiciously. “What did Tate say when he called?”
His look was brooding, intent, as he watched her.
“Sam?”
“He just asked me to meet him.” He crossed his arms over his chest, challenging her to prove otherwise.
“You’re lying to me, Sam.” It tore at her heart, because she had seen him hide from others, but never her. Not until now. “What happened?”
“Heather.” The gentleness in his voice had her breath catching in need, in fear. She watched him silently as he came to her. Tall and broad and so sexy he nearly mesmerized her. And sad. So very sad it tore at her soul. He stopped in front of her, his fingers reaching out to touch her cheek and she watched the small flush of arousal that heated his face.
“Sam, what happened?” He was frightening her, terrifying her with his recklessness.
“Nothing that can hurt you or me, baby. Not anymore,” he promised her. “He can’t hurt anyone now. And I can’t say I’m not glad to see his ass gone. But you’re right, it was stupid to run out like that. It won’t happen again.”
She started to question him further, her suspicions sitting tight and hard in her stomach, when a sharp rap sounded at the door.
“Sam, we need you out here,” Tara called impatiently. “And if Heather’s with you, tell her she’s supposed to be on duty, not entertaining the resident stud.”
Sam frowned toward the door. “One day,” he sighed. “I’m going to give that woman something to bitch about.” He looked down at her again and shook his head.
“Well hell, babe, your babysitter just found you. We may as well go.”
Heather followed him from the room, but nothing could still the cold chill of premonition. The feeling that whatever he was hiding was more important than even he knew.
Lora Leigh
Heather’s Gift
43
Chapter Ten
Several hours later, the house went on alert with the arrival of Rick’s helicopter on the August landing pad. The family gathered around the large dining table where the women sat in tense silence, and the men with a brooding anger that set everyone’s nerves on edge.
Heather stood propped against the wall across from where Sam sat, watching him closely. His expression was closed, that edge of barely contained violence glittering in his eyes once again.
The investigation into the family of the man who had tortured the three brothers didn’t set well with them. Cade especially was furious over it. The bastard was dead, he had informed them all. There was no sense in trying to resurrect a damned ghost. But Rick, like Tara and Heather, believed it was all connected. The letter Marly had received after the second failed attempt on Sarah’s life proved that, even if the brothers didn’t want to face it. The poetry style letter worried and concerned her. Her friend Greg had often left her letters written in such a style.
Marly was insistent that Greg would have never tried to hurt her. That he wouldn’t have been able to
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