Forever Eva [Sequel to When Kat's Away] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (11 page)

“There’s all kinds of ways.” He pulled her closer and pointed to a row of booths. “There’s a ring toss, and a dart game to break balloons.”

“What’s a ring toss?”

With his hand at the small of her back, he propelled her over to a bright-colored booth and picked up a stack of three smooth plastic rings. “The idea is to take one of these rings and toss them over toward those bottles.”

She glanced over to where about twenty soda bottles were lined up on a shelf. “Okay, you toss them toward the bottles.”

The burly, unshaven man inside the booth smiled at Eva. “Then, if you get one of the rings to fall over and settle around one of the bottles, you can have your pick of any of my prizes.” He indicated several stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling of the booth. He glanced at Zach. “Three rings for three dollars, or six for five, young man.”

Zach laid three ones on the counter, moved in close, and lined up his shot. Taking a deep breath, he let the ring fly, groaning when it tapped the edge of one of the bottles and went sailing off toward the ground.

“Come on, Zach, you can do it!”

Again, he moved to the edge of the counter, aimed carefully, and sailed the ring toward the target. Once again, he missed the mark. This time, Eva said nothing, giving him a beautiful smile. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, his shoulders slumping when the ring bounced over the side of one of the bottles.

The man slapped three more rings down. “Three more bucks, young man.”

Zach jumped when Eva grabbed his arm. “No, that’s okay. We’ve got to go.” She dragged him further down the fairway. “I think that man was trying to trick you. I don’t think anybody could win that game.”

He chuckled and hugged her close to his side.

“What about that, Zach?”

He looked to where she pointed and stifled a groan when he spotted the shooting gallery. He didn’t like showing off his marksmanship outside the department’s practice range.

“I’m gonna win you something.”

Zach raised his brows. “You’re gonna shoot targets and win me something?”

Screams and laughter competed with chugging machinery, balloons popping and the jingle of change as Eva nodded, the excitement making her bounce from foot to foot. “Please, can I try it?”

Grinning, Zach guided her toward the booth. This time, a pale, skinny boy greeted them. The smell of sweat mingled with cinnamon from candy apples and cotton candy. “Five bucks, five shots. You gotta get at least three targets to win.”

Zach slapped a five on the counter and held out his arm to Eva. “After you, my lady.”

Eva giggled and stepped forward to one of the guns mounted on a stand at the counter. “What do I do?”

Zach leaned close and pointed toward the back of the booth. “See those rolling targets?” A series of ducks that looked to be cut from cardboard ran on a conveyor across the platform, constantly in motion.

“Yes, I see them.”

“You just have to shoot them and knock them down, at least three of them.” He looked over when a man walked up and paid his money. Zach leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “Watch him, honey.”

Eva’s eyebrows rose, but she turned and watched the older man carefully take aim and then shoot five times. “He got one!” she squealed when one of the ducks feel over on its side. “Okay, I know what to do now.” She leaned over, grasping the stock of the gun under her arm, cradling it against the side of her breast. Zach swallowed hard as he watched her ass move back and forth as she moved the gun around, apparently lining up her shot. Suddenly, he heard five popping noises and looked up. His mouth dropped open as five ducks fell over on their sides.

His arms came up, closing around Eva’s petite frame as she jumped up, hugging him tightly around his neck.

“I did it, Zach. I did it.”

Laughing, he hugged her back. “You sure did, little darlin’. Tell the man what you want for a prize.”

The young boy pointed toward the row with the largest prizes. “Pick which one you want, lady.” Eva looked everything over and then pointed to a large brown bear with a huge yellow bow around its neck. The kid pulled it down and handed it over then narrowed his eyes. “Only one major prize to a person.”

Zach smothered a laugh. It was obvious he wanted her to take her business to another booth.

“Come on, Zach. Let’s see what other rides this place has. Maybe we can get something to drink.”

“Yeah, a cold drink would be great. Come on.” He took her hand and led her toward the food stands. The crowds were thick, brushing against him, making him want to feel his back pocket to make sure his wallet was still intact. The cotton candy vendor also sold soft drinks, so Zach got in line with Eva following behind him. When he reached the front of the line, he ordered a large lemonade and a cotton candy. He paid for the items and picked them up. “Eva, are you ready to…” His voice drifted off, staring at the empty patch of asphalt where Eva had stood only a moment before. He spun around, searching the crowd. “Eva?” Bodies surged past. Laughing parents pushing strollers, teenagers locked at the hip, combined to block his view. “Eva?” he called out again, beginning to feel a tiny speck of fear.

His gaze flicked to the nearby ring toss, then over to the corndog stand with its impossibly long line. Everywhere he looked there were a thousand distractions. Bright balloons, hot-dog carts, juggling clowns. So many things that could catch the attention from someone as innocent as Eva. His frantic gaze caught on a flash of familiar pink, and a soft whimper escaped his lips. Beyond the press of bodies, a small, familiar form wearing a pink blouse was kneeling, wiping the tears from the face of a small child. Zach hurried over and knelt beside her.

“Zach, this is Penny. She can’t find her mama anywhere.” She brushed her hand gently over the child’s blonde curls. “Penny, my friend Zack is a park ranger, and he can help find your mama for you.”

The little girl raised watery eyes to look at Zach, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “You can find my mommy?”

Sighing, Zach handed the food to Eva and picked up the little girl, cuddling her tight against his chest. “Absolutely, little princess. We’ll find your mommy, and that’s a promise.” He glanced at Eva. “We need to take her to the school office and let them use the intercom to call for her parents.”

Eva nodded. “Okay, lead on.”

Zach made his way through the crowd to the school with little Penny. Ten minutes later she was happily reunited with her frantic mother.

Eva slipped her arm through Zach’s. “Would you be terribly disappointed if we went home now?”

“No, of course not. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. I’d just like to get out of this crowd.”

Zach nodded and tossed the remainder of the cotton candy into the trash. “Let’s go.” Pulling her close, they made their way to the parking lot.

* * * *

Laura stood beside Tony’s desk, sighing at the sight of his empty chair. She’d not been able to corner him in a couple of days. She’d run Eva Bennington through the system but didn’t get any hits on the name. That really didn’t mean much because it could be an alias. She needed something more definitive, like her fingerprints.
There’s got to be a way to get the little bitch out of Tony’s life.
She started when a hand grabbed her upper arm.

“What are you doing here?”

She turned and grinned at Tony. “In case you’ve forgotten, I work here, handsome.”

He gently pushed her back from his desk. “Maybe so, but you’ve no reason that I’m aware of to be at my desk.”

She stuck her lip out, feigning a pout, and lowered her lashes. “I was about to leave you a note.”

He pulled out his chair. “No need, since I’m here. What is it you want?”

She moved closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I wanted to see if you’d like to have lunch with me today. I’m buying.”

Tony rolled his chair back, easily dislodging her grip on his shoulder. “No thanks, Laura. I think it would be best for us to keep our relationship strictly on a professional level.”

She narrowed her eyes, straining to control her temper. “Do you still have houseguests?”

Tony glanced up and frowned. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. Zach and Eva are still staying with me. Why do you ask?”

Laura shrugged. “No reason in particular. They’ve been there over a week, haven’t they?”

“So?”

“I just don’t want anybody taking advantage of you.”

Tony barked out a laugh. “You think a state park ranger is gonna do harm to me?”

She smiled, gritting her teeth. “I wasn’t worried about Zach. How much do you know about this woman staying at your place? She isn’t local. I checked.”

“What do you mean, you checked?”

“I ran her name through the system and couldn’t come up with anything. She doesn’t have a Nevada license, so she can’t be local.”

Tony stood and glared down at her. “Where she’s from is none of your business. You don’t have to worry about me at all. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and my houseguests are not your concern.” He looked down when the phone on his desk rang. “Now, I’ve got to get back to work. I’m sure you’ll excuse me.” He turned his back and answered the phone.

Cursing under her breath, Laura stalked back to her desk and sat down. One way or another she had to find out more about Ms. Eva Bennington. Everybody had something in their life they’d rather nobody else knew.
Maybe it’s time I paid her a friendly visit.

Zach watched as Eva giggled, hurrying up onto the porch, clutching the huge, stuffed brown bear like a newborn baby. “It’ll be a couple of hours before Tony gets home. What would you like to do?”

She took a deep breath and smiled. “Can we go out back and sit in the swing for a while?”

Zach smiled and held the door open. Once Tony showed her the swing on his back patio, she never wanted to be anywhere else. He could practically see the tension fall away from her shoulders as she lightly swung back and forth, the breeze ruffling her long hair.

“Okay, girl. You leave Mr. Bear in the living room, and I’ll grab us a couple of sodas and meet you out back.”

“I love that cola in a can. Mama would be in heaven being able to have one whenever she wanted.”

Zach snickered and walked into the kitchen. He glanced briefly at the answering machine to see if it flashed any messages and then grabbed two cans from the fridge. He hurried out the back door, frowning when he didn’t see Eva on the swing. He walked over and sat the cans down on the table and looked around. He spotted her out in the yard, standing near the tree line, gazing up at the top of the trees. He tried to see what held her attention, but could only see the leave-covered branches swaying in the gentle breeze. He walked out to join her, trying to be quiet so he didn’t startle her.

She looked up as he drew near. “Can you hear it?”

He stopped and stood still, listening, and then frowned. “Hear what?”

She walked over and took his hand. “Close your eyes.”

He hesitated for only a moment and then closed his eyes, letting his fingers thread with hers.

“Listen carefully. You can hear the branches groaning and the leaves rustling.” She moved closer and laid her other hand on his arm. Her voice lowered. “Can you hear the chittering of the squirrels? They’re racing back and forth between the trees. Just a minute ago, a huge rabbit came scurrying out of the brush.” She paused for a moment. “This is what it’s like where I come from. Except, it’s like this all the time. You can hear the horses neighing, but there are no car sounds, or machines that make loud noises when they cut grass. We can hear everything that’s going on in our world without distractions.”

Zach opened his eyes and looked down at her. His fingers tightened around her hand. “Do you miss your home? Are you wishing you could find a way to go back?”

She released his hand and walked toward the swing. “I miss my family, especially my mother, terribly.” She stopped and gazed up at Zach’s face. “But I think I would miss you and Tony more if I went back. Does that make any sense?”

Gently, he pulled her close and rested his hands on each side of her waist. “Eva, I think it would break my heart if you left us now.”

She placed her hands on his chest and lowered her gaze. “You’ve only known me a few days, and you’re not really sure if I’m for real or not.”

He used one hand to raise her face so he could look into her eyes. “I don’t have any doubts about where you came from. I’ve believed you from the beginning, Eva. I also don’t have any doubts about my feelings for you.”

She bit her lip. “Then why are you trying so hard to find proof at that courthouse you talked about?”

“Because Tony needs a little more proof before he’s gonna believe.”

Eva tilted her head and studied him for a moment. “You feel it, too, don’t you?”

“Feel what?”

“You feel that Tony is supposed to be with us. That it’s supposed to be the three of us, together.”

Zach sighed and pulled her into a hug, laying his chin on the top of her head. “Yeah, I feel it, too, but it’s gonna take a lot more to make Tony accept that.” He leaned back and gazed into her eyes. “Are you willing to give me time to convince him?”