Ruin (6 page)

"Wow." She bit her lower lip, but not before I saw it quiver.

"I could have done it for you," Dad said. "Or Frank, or anyone else. You only had to ask."

"Thank you, Mr. Bell."

I put my arm around her and hugged her. She and I both knew that Dad's offer, while genuine, would never have been accepted. Mrs. M wouldn't hear of it. She loathed being the recipient of charity, whereas Ben was as good as hired help. He was getting something in return.

"Mind if I see some ID, Mr. Parker?" Dad asked.

Ben stood slowly, screwdriver in one hand, broken tile in the other. He glanced at me then Dad, a small frown line joining his straight eyebrows. "Sure," he said.

I let out my breath, relaxed my stance. Of course he would agree. Why wouldn't he? Any sensible person would and Ben was sensible. Normal. I was sure of it. My instincts were good too, damn it.

He pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to Dad. "This your last address?" Dad asked, flicking the card with his fingertips. Could he sound any more like a cop?

"That's what it says," Ben said.

Dad's gaze lifted to Ben's face then lowered again to the card. He handed it back. "Thanks. I appreciate it. Just fatherly concern, you understand. I don't mean anything by it."

Ha! Dad eating humble pie. I threw a smug smile Jane's way. She winked back.

"Mr. Bell, I'm not going to hurt Kate or Jane, or Mrs. Merriweather," Ben said. "I know my word won't mean much, but I'll give it anyway. You can trust me."

Dad held his hand out. "I appreciate it, Mr. Parker."

"Call me Ben." He shook Dad's hand.

"Give your Gran my regards, Jane," Dad said. "Katie." He kissed my forehead and headed down the steps to his car.

I followed him and leaned on his door after he got in. "Thanks, Dad. I know it's tough for you to leave me here with a complete stranger."

"I'm getting used to it. Your Mom and I have been leaving you with strangers for three years now."

I tilted my head to the side. "Was it really that hard letting me go off to college on my own?"

He barked a short, harsh laugh and started the car. "This is a piece of cake by comparison."

I waved him off and turned back round. Both Ben and Jane were watching me.

I frowned at them. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Jane asked as Ben suddenly took an interest in the pile of broken tiles.

"You two were watching me and Dad with weird expressions."

Jane shrugged. "I was just thinking what a good man he is to come up here and check on you."

"Yeah," I muttered. "He's god-damned perfect."

"Hey, don't talk about him like that. He's got a big heart. Your Mom too. It's not their fault they worry about you."

"No, but it is their fault they smother me."

"He left, didn't he?"

I sighed. "I suppose. It's just that, being back here is so stifling. I feel like Dad's watching everything I do, and Mom just wants me home with her in the kitchen. I can't do anything without a great big bag of guilt landing on my shoulders." Just like the last few years of school before I went to college. Every time I'd tried to spread my wings, they'd swoop in and clip them.

I'd get mad, they'd apologize and tell me they were only doing what they thought best, and I'd wind up feeling like a total bitch.

"That'll do," Ben announced. "I don't want to lift any more broken tiles in case there's not enough spare ones to replace them."

Jane and I surveyed his handiwork. "You've done a great job," she said.

"Mind if I check around inside the house?" he asked. "I noticed some cracks earlier. Maybe I can patch them up before we lose the light."

"Do you need anything special for that?" I asked.

"A sealant should do it for now. It won't have a great finish, but you can do that later. My main priority is to close them."

"To stop the spiders getting in?" I shivered.

He grinned. "I can't have them spinning their webs on my watch."

"I'll run into town and get some sealant before the hardware store closes," Jane said, heading back inside to fetch her keys. "Kate, will you show Ben around?"

"Gladly." Maybe that came out a bit too eager. He gave me a crooked smile that had my insides flipping.

Ben replaced the screwdrivers back in the toolbox and picked it up. "Lead the way, Miss Bell."

We passed Jane in the corridor. "If Gran asks, just tell her I'll be back soon."

"You haven't told her you're leaving?" I said. "Shouldn't you do that first?"

"I won't be long." She walked out and the door swung shut behind her. I heard her car start up and pull away.

Ben chuckled in my ear. "Spiders and old ladies scare you, huh?"

"No!" But I sighed. Who was I kidding? "Yes."

He stepped aside so I could walk ahead of him. "Why's Mrs. M so bad?"

"She's a dragon. That's what I used to think when I was a kid anyway. I hated coming up here. Still do, I guess. Most of the time I meet Jane in town for coffee or lunch, or she comes to my place. Mrs. M has always been a bit intimidating. She has a loud voice and strong opinions, mostly negative ones. Call me a coward, but I don't really like being the object of them."

"Coward."

I turned around and he grinned at me. He was in a mighty good mood considering he'd just been subjected to a grilling from my dad.

"Just wait until you meet her. I'd love to see what she thinks of Ben Parker from somewhere in Minneapolis who's dropped into Winter for no reason that he's willing to share."

His smile vanished. "I gave your dad my ID. It had my last address on there."

I bit my lip and winced. "Sorry. That didn't come out right."

"It's okay, Kate. I just don't want you thinking I'm hiding anything from you for wicked reasons."

There were other reasons than wicked ones, I wanted to tell him, but didn't. The look on his face when he thought I didn't trust him clawed at my heart. Silly really, when I hardly knew him.

I was completely overreacting.

"You do believe I won't hurt you, don't you?" He stopped beneath a crack in the cornice and stood there watching me. His eyes were dark in the poorly lit hallway, and it made his gaze seem more intense. He leaned forward a little, as if my answer were the most important thing to him. "If you don't," he went on softly, "I'll go right now. I'll walk out of Winter and not come back."

My throat tightened. Heat flared through my body, warming me all over and deep within.

My good opinion really meant that much to him? He seemed so earnest and sincere. Desperate almost, and I truly believed he would have left if I'd said I didn't trust him. That was the most heady, powerful feeling in the world.

"You can't," I whispered. "It takes hours to walk from Winter to Riverside."

He simply shrugged.

I finally swallowed past the lump in my throat. "Why do you care what I think?"

He looked up at the crack and heaved a sigh. "You've accepted me into your home. Or Jane has, but you're supporting her. It's important to me that you completely trust me, that you can sleep easy tonight knowing I'm not going to do anything you don't want."

Anything you don't want
. Was it my imagination, or did his breath hitch just before he said those words, and did his hot gaze fleetingly settle on my mouth? It definitely wasn't my imagination the way my skin prickled in anticipation of his kisses skimming over me and his hands delving between my thighs.

I tried to think of something to say, something that would dispel his concerns but also encourage him to reveal whether he really did want me or if I was imagining it. All I managed was a gurgling noise in the back of my throat.

A door banged upstairs. We both looked at the ceiling in the direction from which it had come. "Jane!" Mrs. M called out. "Jane, where are you?"

"I'd better go," I said. I started walking back down the hall toward the large entrance and the staircase, when she called out again. I increased my pace, taking two steps at a time. "Jane's not here right now, Mrs. M," I shouted up to her. "But I am. It's Kate Bell."

I stopped at the top of the stairs and swallowed. Mrs. Merriweather glared back at me. She hadn't changed since last summer. She was still the small, plump figure who leaned heavily on her cane. Her wiry gray hair was piled up into a bun at the top of her head, and all her wrinkles seemed to run into one another, they were so numerous. She surveyed me with gray eyes so sharp I felt like I was being sliced open and inspected.

"Kathryn Bell."

I bristled at hearing my full name. She was the only one who ever called me that. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Merriweather." For fuck's sake, I sounded like I was addressing one of my teachers.

"Well." Her lips pressed together in a tight little O, making the lines around her mouth constrict. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying the night. Jane already told you that," I couldn't help adding.

"Hmmm." She tapped her cane on the floorboards. "Where is she?"

"She's gone to the hardware store."

One eyebrow arched so high it almost joined her hairline. "Why?"

"She needs to buy sealant to patch up some cracks."

"Is
she
going to patch them up? Or are you, Kathryn Bell?"

I heard Ben's footsteps up the stairs, and I swallowed hard. Damn. I couldn't believe Jane hadn't explained about Ben and what he was doing here. Unless Mrs. M was playing dumb just to make my life hell. I wouldn't put it past her. She could be sneaky like that.

"I'm going to do it," he said from behind me. He was so close I could feel the warmth of his body, his breath in my hair. He had my back and I no longer felt afraid of Mrs. M.

The old dragon squinted hard at him. "Who are you?" she snapped in clipped tones. "And what are you doing in my house?"

Chapter 4

Ben stepped around me. He stood for a long time without moving, taking in the formidable form of Mrs. M. She stiffened a little and scrutinized him in return. I don't think she liked what she saw because her facial muscles twitched into a sneer.

He offered his hand for her to shake, but lowered it again when she merely glared at it. He cleared his throat and flexed his fingers.

"This is Ben," I said.

"Hmmm, yes. Jane told me she hired a man named Ben to do some odd jobs around the house." Her voice shook a little with age, but was still strong, commanding. I could imagine her directing entire armies of staff with that voice.

"Not exactly hired," Ben said.

"He's just here for today and part of tomorrow," I added quickly. If Mrs. M preferred to believe that Ben was the hired help, then it was best to leave it at that. Easier.

"Do you have a last name, Ben, or am I supposed to guess it?"

I smiled, but Ben did not. "It's Parker," he said.

Mrs. M's nostrils flared. "Parker," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered closed, and I thought she was going to faint on me. I caught her arm and felt a tremble ripple through her.

It lasted only a moment. She shook me off and settled her shrewd gaze on Ben's face. "Well then, Ben Parker," she said after what felt like an eternity.

"You have a nice place, Mrs. Merriweather. It's a pleasure to work on it. The views are amazing."

She grunted. "You've already been hired, young man, there's no need to flatter me now."

Trust her to take it the wrong way. It was good to see her usual biting sense of humor had returned though. I'd thought she was going to topple over for a second there.

"It may be flattery, Mrs. Merriweather, but it's the truth," he said. "I have an interest in historical architecture. I appreciate houses built to a high standard, and I have a soft spot for the more aesthetically pleasing ones."

Her lips pressed together and her eyes narrowed. I expected her to scold him again, but she must have decided he was being sincere. "It's a little old and tired now," she said. "Like me. But we're both still standing, despite everything."

It wasn't a 'thank you,' but it was probably all he'd get for his compliments.

"Jane'll be back soon," I said. "Is there anything you need?"

"If I need your service, I'll be sure to let you know."

I wasn't looking at Ben, but I was tuned into him enough that I knew he was trying to smother a smile. It made me see the humor in the exchange, and I abandoned my knee-jerk snippy reply about not being her servant.

"Sure thing, Mrs. M. Just call out."

She pulled a face. "
Call
out? Why would I do that when there is a bell pull?" She walked toward us, her cane making a solid
clomp
on the floorboards with every step. Ben and I parted before she plowed right through us. She descended the stairs slowly. Ben joined her on the fourth step and offered her his arm. She hesitated then took it.

Handy with tools
and
a gentleman. Well, well. Mrs. M seemed impressed too. I'm sure she almost smiled at him.

I didn't follow them straight away. I headed to the spare room nearest Jane's to see if she'd prepared it. It was a bare room, but large like most of the bedrooms in the house. The ceiling was high, the fireplace clean, and the window had been thrown open to let out the musty, unused smell.

I was about to leave again when his bag caught my eye. It sat on the made bed. I had a strong urge to open it and look for clues to the secrets Ben Parker was hiding.

But I held back. I couldn't do it, and I felt sick to my stomach just suspecting him of hiding something for all the wrong reasons. Problem was, I couldn't think of any
right
reasons to hide anything.

It's important to me that you completely trust me.
That's what he'd said. I did trust him. I trusted that he wouldn't hurt me or Jane or Mrs. M. But I knew he wasn't telling us everything.

Knew it as deeply as I knew I wanted him.

Yet I couldn't rummage through his bag. The curiosity might kill me, but I just couldn't do it. I turned to leave.

And looked straight into the hard blue eyes of Ben. I couldn't move, could only stare back at him. It felt like I was bound up tight in that spider's web. Trapped.