five of them.” Of course he wouldn’t remember the name of the dog, but he’d never forget his Lady Diana specially kept in the city. After all, he constantly talked about how fast and smooth she was. Men like Gabe had their cars, while she and Mima had their dogs.
She took another deep pull of her coffee, watching his demeanor. He appeared calm but the puffed out vein in his forehead didn’t go unnoticed. “Come out with it. I know you didn’t come here to check up on me.”
Gabe rumbled with laughter. “You got me all figured out.” He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a deep breath. Once he set his cup back down, he eyed her more seriously. “Actually, I have a business proposition for you.”
The mere mention of that word made her tense up. “What does your business have to do with me?”
“I have a friend who needs a place to unwind. Nothing gets more private than this.”
She tried not to react physically to those words, but her heart pounded and every nerve jumped to life when she knew who he was talking about. “No.” There was only one man who’d want to come here, and he made everything in her body come to life without her consent.
Gabe’s comical look grated her nerves. “What if I told you it was Terry?”
A strike of fear and unwanted excitement ripped through her, but she tried her best to appear passive. Why did he have to say his name and confirm her wicked suspicion? “Terry?” She shrugged, but her stomach fluttered with anxiety and it became harder to sit still on the damned chair.
“Got your attention now, don’t I?”
Despite the chaos they’d created in her life, she couldn’t help thinking about the man with eyes like a glacier that made her stomach flip, and a sexy smile that made her want to let him do things with his hot mouth. The same man she lost her control with and kissed on a lonely night after one too many beers, one month after Tom’s death.
Her cheeks burned at the thought, not only from the shame of kissing a man this soon after her husband’s death, but also from the heated memory of that night. Despite her inhibitions from drinking, she remembered how his sensual, exploring kiss made her feel bold, brash. If he hadn’t pulled away, she would have given him much more.
And the dreams . . . .
She squared her shoulders, forcing herself to think smart. By all means, a group of gangsters could come charging in and flip her world over just when she was getting back on her feet again. Having Terry here would end in disaster and possible death, and the kind of heartbreak a woman couldn’t get over. She already had enough heartbreak to last a lifetime.
Gabe at her kitchen table was bad enough. As much as she appreciated his help, having a criminal swinging by to visit didn’t seem natural. She couldn’t imagine regular folks hanging out with drug smugglers and murderers over coffee and deer sausage.
Gabe’s sharp gaze settled on hers and it cut right through her. “Seriously. Terry needs a vacation. He looks like shit.”
She eyeballed him right back. “So?”
He lifted his steaming mug and took another sip before answering. He was taking too long to explain himself. “You don’t want him to come here?”
She rubbed her sweaty palms over the robe covering her thighs. “Not really. And since when does Terry McCoy need a vacation? Did something happen and he needs to hide out with a convenient little widow like me who lives in the middle of nowhere?”
“Of course not.”
“Bullshit.” Mary glared at him, regretting opening the door this morning when she could’ve enjoyed an earth-shattering dream.
Gabe shrugged. “Look, all I know is, he wants a break and he wants it to be here with you.”
Her back stiffened. She looked around the room, anywhere but directly at Gabe. He seemed pushy about this apparent vacation, and it scared her. When she had the nerve to finally look back at him, something strange lingered in his calculating eyes that made her think this visit was a cover-up to something else. She had her dumb moments like everyone else, but she wasn’t an idiot. The McCoy’s probably owned several vacation homes across the world. It made no sense to Mary he’d want to come here to her quaint little cabin in the woods, where nothing but hard work was the highlight of the day.
“Why didn’t he just call me if he wanted to see me?” She didn’t bother to mention she’d left messages on Terry’s voicemail, and his lack of a response hurt her feelings. Now she was frustrated and angry.
Right now all men were the same in Mary’s eyes. They couldn’t be relied upon or trusted.
Gabe’s smile faded slightly. Perhaps he sensed she wasn’t comfortable with the conversation. “He’s been busy, Mary, and to be honest, he’s been out of sorts lately.”
“When you two flew into my life my husband wound up dead.” She took another long drink from the mug, needing a rush of caffeine. Maybe something stronger would be more appropriate during this strange conversation.
Gabe cleared his throat and looked down at his cup. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He tapped his hand against the cup, the silver ring on his baby finger ticking the seconds away.
She blew out a shaky breath. “Don’t mention it. The asshole treated me like garbage anyway. Now I finally get to do what I want.” She hoped to God he couldn’t tell how hard it was for her to say that. How much it hurt to be alone, even when the pain didn’t physically hurt anymore. She didn’t want him thinking she was still the same terrified woman he’d first met a few months back. All this back talk and toughness was only a front. Deep down, she was a lot like her father.
Gabe’s brow arched but he made no further comment.
“Why doesn’t Terry stay with you and Mima?” Mary picked up her coffee cup, pushed her chair back and strolled over to the kitchen window, which faced a thick stand of pines. Maybe Gabe wouldn’t notice how upset this conversation made her.
All alone with Terry. The criminal who kissed me then left me hanging.
Even when he’d come to say hello and checked up on her, he always had some kind of bodyguard with him, which in itself made her uneasy. Even if she agreed, there’d be men with guns behind the trees. She didn’t want to live in fear again, even if it was for a short while.
“Mima’s cabin has one bedroom. We’d be packed like sardines.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m sure he has other friends in your business that could show him a good time.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s looking for a good time. More like a good rest, with someone he trusts.”
Mary sighed. It seemed as if everything she said was going in one ear and out the other. “I’m sure there are many other private locations, resorts, small towns, hookers, to keep him busy.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He wants to be here with you. It’s really that simple.”
Nothing is simple these days. She closed her eyes tight, wishing she could be somewhere else, and rubbed the sudden ache in her forehead. “We barely know each other.” A part of her wanted to run and hide, but the other wanted to hear more.
She opened her eyes and stared out the window, feeling hopeless and alone, picturing that night. He’d told his man to wait in the chopper. Then he closed the back door before he pressed her against the hallway wall and made her mind blank with lust. It happened so quickly after a few drinks that, like a common floozy, she’d held him tight and taken everything he’d given. Those criminal lips still held an imprint on her soul.
To say that she felt ashamed of her actions was an understatement.
Pushing aside her wayward thoughts, Mary sought out the picture of her and