QR Code Killer (10 page)

“Maddie, I’m…” before he could apologize, she
put her fingers on his lips, effectively silencing him.

“Don’t, Erik.” Maddie couldn’t believe what
had just happened. Depths of emotion she’d never felt were washing
over her in waves that threatened to pull her off balance. “Please,
don’t.”

He took her hand in his, kissed her palm then
smiled at her. “I wouldn’t mind if you brought me a treat like that
every day,” he said, making her release a choppy laugh.

“Right,” Maddie said, regaining her emotional
footing. “If I did that, these windrows would look like a drunken
idiot had been out here working. Nope, Farmer Man, you’ve got to
keep your focus.”

“Focus. Uh, huh,” Erik said, taking a long
drink of tea. Maddie watched him tip back the jug and swallow, his
Adam’s apple moving up and down. Sweat trickled along his neck and
muscles tightened in his arm holding up the jug.

The virility of his mannerisms was making
heat pool in her middle and her toes tingle.

Holding the jug of tea in one hand, Erik put
his other hand on Maddie’s waist and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Before he could lose all nerve, he decided to voice what was on his
mind. “Would you be interested in having dinner with me in town
Friday? Just the two of us? We could go somewhere nice.”

Maddie nodded her head, surprised Erik would
ask but happy that he did. “I’d like that very much.”

“Great,” Erik said, not sure his feet were
touching the ground. He had avoided his attraction for Maddie for
weeks and was tired of pretending there wasn’t something going on
between them. After her shooting lesson the other day, he hadn’t
been able to get Maddie off his mind. Even if it only lasted for
the summer, he wanted to see where this relationship could go.

“I’ll be ready by six,” Maddie said

Rather than take a step forward into Erik and
see if he would kiss her again, Maddie took a step back. “I better
get back to the house or Lena will send out the troops.”

“I thought the troops were at a farm sale,”
Erik said, setting the empty jug back on the four-wheeler.

“Danny’s working in the shop,” Maddie said,
strapping the jug down and climbing back on the four-wheeler.

“Are you safe driving around in the open like
this?”

“No, but then again, Zeus could pick off any
one of us any time he chooses. I can’t hide in the house and wait
to see what happens, Erik. We all just have to keep right on doing
what needs done around here. You sure you don’t want to get out of
here while you still can?”

“As crazy as it may sound, I’m staying,
Maddie. Let me help you.”

Maddie nodded through the tears that filled
her eyes and gave Erik a watery smile. “Thank you for being such a
good man.”

“I don’t know about that, but I think I’d
like to be your man,” Erik said with a boldness that shocked him.
Where those words came from, he had no idea, and right now he’d
like to snatch them back.

Maddie felt something inside her melt, a dam
break in her heart, and emotions she’d never felt before well up
until she thought she might burst. She had thought herself in love
with Devin, but she realized she had confused infatuation with
love.

This all-consuming feeling for Erik, Maddie
realized, was the beginnings of real love.

“I think I might like that too,” Maddie
whispered, raising her hand to his cheek and letting it linger
there for a moment.

Erik turned his head and kissed her palm
rubbing his hands gently across her back while staring into her
warm blue eyes.

Standing on tiptoe, Maddie pulled his head
down for a quick kiss. Starting the four-wheeler she turned and
left Erik standing in a cloud of dust, watching her go.

By the time five-thirty rolled around Friday
evening, Maddie had tried on every piece of clothing in her closet,
fussed with her hair which was now a frizzed mess, and was ready to
call off her date with Erik.

In her undercover work, she had dressed in
everything from seductive evening gowns to the rags of a homeless
man, but tonight nothing she put on seemed right. She wasn’t big on
wearing a lot of makeup, but she wanted to look nice. She wanted
this evening to go well and so far she was a nervous wreck,
complete with wild hair and mismatched clothes.

Lena finally came into the room, surveyed the
disaster and gave Maddie an intense look. “Well, kiddo, seems
you’re wires are strung a bit tight this evening. Anything I can
help with?”

Biting her lip to keep from shooting her aunt
a sarcastic response, Maddie finally nodded her head. “I can’t find
a thing to wear, my hair is completely unmanageable and Erik is
picking me up at six for a nice dinner. I can’t go looking like
this.”

Lena had the audacity to laugh, setting
Maddie’s teeth on edge. “Nope. You certainly can’t go looking like
that.”

Maddie was in the midst of changing from one
outfit to another and wore a sparkly blouse with holey jeans, a
cowboy boot and one high heel.

Huffing a sigh of irritation, Maddie
collapsed on the bed. “I think I better just stay home. I’m
starting to feel sick.”

“Sure you are,” Lena agreed caustically.
“Isn’t your nickname Mad Dog? I’d assume that means you’re tough
and take charge. So get tough and take charge of this mess you’ve
made. You don’t want to keep a fine man like Erik waiting. Although
I was convinced it was Danny who had you all twitterpated.”

Maddie glared at her aunt. She knew she
shouldn’t be going out on a date with Erik when Zeus was no doubt
lingering around, waiting for his opportunity to strike. But it had
been weeks and nothing had happened. She hadn’t received any more
messages from him, so she decided to take a chance and actually
enjoy the evening. After all, she felt like she had spent the last
several years with her life on hold, completely focused on catching
him.

She wanted just one night of normalcy. One
night to remember what it was like to be admired by a handsome man
and made to feel special.

Sucking in a sigh, she turned to Lena. “Help
me figure this out, Aunt Lena. Please?”

Lena smiled and looked around the room.
Stepping over a pile of discarded clothes, she pulled up a simple
black dress. Sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline and fitted
bodice, Lena held it out to Maddie.

“Put this on,” Lena commanded. While Maddie
was changing, Lena dug around in her own jewelry box and returned
with a sparkly black onyx necklace. Fastening it around Maddie’s
neck, she pushed her down onto a chair in front of her dresser and
combed her hair back into an upswept style, securing Maddie’s short
waves with bobby pins until it was all contained.

Maddie sat admiring her aunt’s handiwork in
the mirror. “It looks great, Aunt Lena. What would I do without
you?”

“Greet that poor boy looking like a fashion
train wreck, that’s what,” Lena said, digging in the closet for
shoes. She pulled out a pair of black heels. “Put these on and you
are ready to go.”

Maddie stepped into the shoes that added four
inches to her petite height and smoothed down her dress. Spritzing
on her favorite perfume, she gave her cheeks a light dusting of
blush and picked up a black evening bag.

“I guess I’m as ready as I can be,” Maddie
said, noticing the clock said it was six. Taking one more glance in
the mirror, Maddie made sure her scar wasn’t visible around the
edges of the dress. Pleased that it was covered, she released a
relieved sigh and walked out the bedroom door.

Lena went downstairs ahead of Maddie and had
just set her foot on the landing when the front doorbell rang.

Looking back up the stairs at Maddie, Lena
smiled. “Your prince has arrived.”

“Lena, behave,” Maddie warned her aunt,
carefully descending the stairs. She rarely wore heels, unless she
was undercover, and found it challenging to walk in them. It was
going to take a lot of concentration to stay upright and not trip.
“I hope I don’t turn into a pumpkin before he gets me back
home.”

Lena laughed and opened the door. “Come right
on in, Erik. Maddie’s ready to go.”

Erik stepped into the foyer and watched
Maddie walk down the stairs, looking movie-star glamorous. He hoped
she wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with him in his pressed blue
jeans, white button down shirt and light gray sports jacket with
gray cowboy boots. This farmer was used to T-shirts, work boots and
comfortable jeans, so his current attire was about as dressed up as
he planned to get. He had forgotten he even had the sports jacket
with him when he franticly searched through his limited wardrobe
earlier in the day.

Maddie nearly stumbled on the last step when
she spied Erik waiting by the door. He looked so handsome in his
jeans, crisp shirt and jacket. She reached out and accepted the
hand he held to her, tingling from the warmth of his fingers
wrapped around hers.

Erik leaned down and kissed her cheek,
inhaling her sweet scent. “You look gorgeous, Madelyn.”

She smiled at him, thrilled at the way her
name sounded on his lips – feminine and lovely.

“Shall we go?” she asked, walking to the
door. Calling to Lena, she said, “We won’t be late, see you
later.”

“Take your time, kiddo, and have fun.”

Erik had washed his pickup and pulled it up
to the end of the sidewalk. He held open the passenger side door
and helped Maddie climb in before closing the door and running
around to the driver’s side.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I made a
reservation for us in town,” Erik said, casting Maddie a sideways
glance, barely able to focus on anything except how beautiful she
looked. With her golden hair, big blue eyes, rosy cheeks and that
amazing dress, Erik wasn’t sure how he would be able to keep his
eyes on the road. Why she agreed to go out with him was beyond his
ability to comprehend.

She was definitely way out of his league -
even if he had a clue as to what exactly his league was these days.
It had been a while since he had asked anyone on a date. More than
a dozen years, in fact. Once he married Sheila he thought all the
nervous drama and sweaty palms of dating would be behind him. Now,
here he was, a man in his thirties starting all over again.

The fact that he was ready to start over was
not lost on him. It had been way too long since he’d even
cared.

Maddie looked at him with a soft light in her
eyes and smiled. “So where are you taking me for dinner, Farmer
Man? A burger joint? Maybe to get a sandwich?”

“Nope?”

“Don’t tell me. You’re taking me to one of
the taco wagons.”

Erik laughed. “Wrong again.”

“Well, are you going to keep me in suspense
or tell me?” Maddie said, tugging at the hem of her skirt. She was
uncomfortable and uncertain in the outfit. Jeans and shirts that
allowed her to have a wide range of motion were more here style.
You couldn’t chase anybody down in four-inch heels and she wasn’t
sure she liked being encased in the little black dress her aunt had
chosen.

“I’m going to let you keep guessing.” Erik
sent a smile her direction that made her stomach flutter.

Maddie looked out the window and realized
they were getting close to town. Erik took the Second Avenue exit
and pulled into the parking lot at the famed Marcus Whitman
Hotel.

Known by locals as the place to go for a nice
dinner, Maddie was surprised Erik chose The Marc Restaurant for
their first date.

“Wow, Erik, this is impressive,” Maddie said
as he opened her door and helped her out of the pickup. “Have you
been in here before?”

“No, I haven’t. But I’ve heard it is
something to see and the food is supposed to be good, too,” Erik
said, waiting as Maddie tugged at her dress before taking her hand
in his. “Zach mentioned they have a new chef that is really
talented. Do you mind eating here?”

“No, not at all. I’ve never eaten here
before, so this should be fun.”

They walked down the sidewalk glancing at the
patio lamps and outdoor seating before going in the door to the
hotel’s grand lobby.

“This is amazing,” Erik said, studying the
building’s 1920s architecture. Gleaming wood, polished floors and
rich décor created a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Maddie and Erik admired the lobby as they
walked toward the door to the restaurant. Greeted by a smiling
hostess, Erik gave her his name and reservation time. They were
shown to a booth and Erik waited for Maddie to be seated before
sitting down across from her.

“I had no idea there was a place like this in
town,” Erik said. He loved anything old including buildings, farm
equipment, photographs, and antiques. It was something he missed
from his farm where his own family’s history surrounded him.

“It is quite lovely, isn’t it?” Maddie said,
looking through the menu.

The waitress brought them water, gave them
the verbal list of specials and left them alone to decide on what
to order.

Maddie finally selected a pasta entrée while
Erik went right for the beef.

“I bet you always order steak or something
that at one time mooed,” Maddie teased.

“Maybe. I bet you always order something that
I couldn’t pronounce and most likely wouldn’t want to eat.”

“Not always,” Maddie said, taking a sip of
her water and looking around. The décor of the restaurant echoed
the rest of the hotel with rich wine country colors, gleaming wood
and soft lighting. It definitely provided a romantic atmosphere.
She liked that the booths made their seating area seem private and
cozy.

A gentleman approached their table and
introduced himself as the restaurant manager. He offered to bring
them a wine list, which they declined. Although she and Erik
weren’t interested in the wine, the manager did visit with them
briefly and wished them a pleasant evening.