The Village of Gerard's Cliff (6 page)

"It's taking a little
longer to get this going than I anticipated." He eyed the fire
ruefully.

"It looks wonderful."
Allie smiled back, "I'll be out in a minute with our sandwiches and
coffee."

She busied herself in the
kitchen, first starting a pot of coffee in the smaller of the two
coffeepots that sat side by side on the counter. She took two large
brown rustic plates and matching mugs down from one of the white
cupboards that lined the walls. After setting the mugs down by the
coffeepot and the plates on the island, she gathered the makings
for the sandwiches, and got to work at the island. Allie softly
hummed one of her favorite opera arias, as she built the sandwiches
and arranged them on the plates. She fetched the inn's large, white
rectangular serving tray, upon which she placed two white linen
napkins, the two plates, and the two cups, now filled with steaming
black coffee. As an afterthought, she filled a carafe with the rest
of the coffee. She grabbed the handles of the heavy tray, and
headed out through the door.

Allie noticed, as she
entered the parlor, that Connor was now sitting in the over-stuffed
chair to the left of the fireplace, his back to her. He sat with an
elbow propped on one of the padded armrests, his jaw resting on his
fist, apparently lost in thought as he stared at the fire. She
walked slowly over to the fireplace, and set the tray down on a
wide, brown leather ottoman, which sat between the two plump
chairs.

"I didn't realize I was so
hungry." Connor leaned forward and appreciatively eyed the
sandwiches. "This looks great. Thank you."

"Thank you for the ride
into town." She smiled. "It was quite an adventure!"

They each took a napkin,
plate, and mug of coffee, and settled into their chairs. Allie, her
legs curled beneath her, balanced her plate on her lap, as she set
the coffee down on the side table. She noticed that Connor was
already starting in on the second half of his sandwich. She chewed
a bite of her sandwich, and stared into the dancing
flames.

She took a sip of the hot coffee. "Connor, what do
you
do for a living?"
She was genuinely interested. She watched him swallow the last bit
of his sandwich.

Connor blinked
thoughtfully a couple of times as he swallowed, then wiped his
mouth slowly with the napkin. He carefully placed it and the plate
back on the tray, and retrieved his mug from the side table.
Leaning back in the chair, he crossed his legs, and took a long sip
of his steaming coffee.

"I work for the government
in D.C." His expression was matter of fact. "But, I live outside
the district...in Maryland."

"That sounds interesting,"
she offered.

"No, not really." Connor
laughed, and leaned his cheek against his thumb and forefinger, his
elbow on the armrest. He watched her and seemed to choose his words
carefully. "Most of the time it's a boring desk job...you
know,...meetings, case studies....paperwork....more meetings...that
sort of thing."

"And the rest of the
time?" She tilted her head as she held the steaming mug up to her
lips.

"And the rest of the time,
I travel and research information that comes into our
office."

"Is that what you're doing
here in Gerard's Cliff...when you go into the village...you're
researching something for the government?"

"Yes...well.....Actually,
I'm on a working vacation..." Connor trailed off, re-adjusting
himself in the chair, seeming uncomfortable with her line of
questioning. He scratched his temple.

"I didn't think you were
really just on vacation." Allie smiled at him. "Sarah, our maid,
called you "the mystery man' after you gave her instructions not to
enter your room." She laughed.

"Hmm..m, well - I'm glad I
could help out with Sarah's suspicions." He smiled again, and set
down his mug on the side table. "It's only fair you know what I do,
Allie, since it's obvious I know your line of work." They looked at
each other for a moment, and Allie realized he hadn't really
answered her question. She thought he looked upset with himself.
They both turned and stared at the fire.

Feeling slightly disappointed, Allie got up from her chair,
and put her plate and cup on the tray. As she leaned over to pick
up the tray, Connor reached forward and grasped her wrist lightly.
Startled, she looked down at his warm, strong hand, his long
fingers wrapped around her thin wrist, then looked over at him, her
ponytail falling forward over her shoulder, their faces level. She
searched his eyes, feeling her throat tighten. She blinked, trying
to keep her breathing normal. She couldn't speak.

"Allie..." Connor's voice
seemed strained.

Allie watched him,
transfixed, as he slowly studied her face, his blue eyes lingering
over her eyes and lips, and she felt her pulse begin to race.
Feeling confused, she turned her eyes downward, and started to
stand up, still holding the tray. Connor released his hand from her
wrist and stood up as well, looking as if he were going to
apologize. Allie felt herself unable to move. She looked up into
the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She set down the
tray, and moved closer to him, slipping her hand into his, looking
up at him. He put his other arm around her waist and drew her to
him.

Allie watched, as if in a
daze, as Connor's handsome face descended to hers. Her eyelids
fluttered as he lightly touched her lips with his, and she closed
her eyes. Her hands traveled up his muscled arms to grasp his
strong shoulders, as he put both hands around her waist, and
gripped her even more tightly. Wondering why he wasn't kissing her
again, Allie slowly opened her eyes, and saw him staring at her,
with a smile that made her heart race. This time, when he kissed
her, she felt her knees weaken, and he held her to him, supporting
her.

"Allie..." Connor held
her, and breathed her name into her hair. They stood, holding each
other, and then, to Allie's surprise, Connor released her. Grasping
both of her arms, he held her a little away from himself, so he
could see her face. "I didn't mean for this to happen." He seemed
stricken. Still weak, Allie felt confused. This is where she wanted
to be.... What was he saying...

"What do you mean?" She demanded, blinking at him in
disbelief. She didn't understand. A minute ago, he was looking at
her as if she were the most desirable woman on the planet...now he
was telling her he was
sorry
?

"Allie...it's too
soon."

"I know what you're
referring to." Allie stood back from him with her hands clinched at
her sides, finding her voice. "I think that's for me to decide, not
you." More from hurt than anger, she glared at him. "Connor, I'm a
grown woman...."

"I know that.."

"Then why are you doing
this?"

"It's...complicated."

Allie raised her eyebrows
at this. "You're married?" she asked, incredulously. What else
would "complicated" mean?

"No...No...." he almost
laughed. "No...I've never been married....well, to my work maybe."
He scanned her face with a pained look in his blue eyes, which to
Allie now seemed distant... "Allie, you just...have to trust me."
He was groping for the right words now. "I wouldn't do anything to
hurt you."

Well, you've already
failed on that account." Allie's words dripped with sarcasm as she
walked past him to get the tray. Picking it up, she straightened
her spine, lifted her chin, and turning, looked him straight in the
eye. "But I'm fine. Don't give it another thought. Excuse me, I
have a lot to do." she said to him in the most dismissive voice she
could muster, as she swept past him, her eyes fixed on the dining
room.

Despite herself, Allie
glanced back at him as she went through the dining room door. He
stood in the same spot, his head bent....one hand was on his hip,
the other was rubbing his brow. She turned back, and walked quickly
to the kitchen. As she began the task of cleaning up from their
lunch, she decided, that, tomorrow, when she had regained her
composure, she would suggest that he leave. She would find him
another place to stay. She didn't need this aggravation, she
thought, fuming, fighting back stinging tears. She re-played in her
head their conversation in the parlor.

Never again, Allie vowed, never again
.

Connor lay in his bed, his
arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. What had he done, he
thought as he went over the uncomfortable memories of the last
hour. He rubbed his forehead again, then his aching eyes. He was an
idiot, pure and simple. He had reached for her hand without even
realizing he was doing it.....had known from the moment she
answered the front door, that first night, that he was attracted to
her. There was just something about her that was eons apart from
any other woman he had known. But how could he foul it up so badly?
He rubbed his brows again, more than frustrated with his own
stupidity.

He was starting to get a headache. He suspected that she
was going to ask him to leave at some point, probably in the not
too distant future. Why
would
she want him here, alone with her, now? He
imagined how strained his staying here would be....for both of
them.

Getting up from the bed, Connor went to the closet, and
pulled out his suitcase
.
Might as well be prepared
,
he reasoned grimly. He laid it on the foot of the
bed, and started pulling items of clothing from the dresser. He
cursed under his breath, as he remembered that he was supposed to
go back to Max's Bar that night. It would have to be tomorrow,
then, he thought, cursing himself again. He threw a couple of pairs
of socks and some underwear into the suitcase.

Feeling exhausted from the
drive into town, the unrelenting cold, the miserable rain, and
especially, the unfortunate events with Allie, made him pause and
rethink his actions. The splitting headache on top of it all sealed
his decision. Connor laid back down on the bed, and, despite his
headache, promptly fell into a deep sleep.

"Connor..." He faintly
heard his name and a light tapping on his door. "Connor...!" There
it was again. He rolled over on his side, and propped up on an
elbow, drowsily opening his eyes and peering at his door, still
aware of a massive headache. Hell, What time was it? He rubbed his
forehead. He heard a different whispered plea this time "Please,
Connor, open the door, it's urgent." He rushed to the door, opened
it, and saw Allie standing there, her hair loose, and flowing down
her shoulders and back. She was wearing rose colored pajamas, and
was slightly huddled at his door, her hands clasped in front of her
chest, her feet bare, looking chilled.

"What happened?" Connor
noticed the worried look on her face.

"There's someone trying to
break in, right outside my bedroom window." She whispered. "I
stopped at the desk to call the police, but I don't know how long
it will take them to get here, we're so remote. I didn't want to
stay downstairs." She looked down the hall toward the stairs, then
fixed her eyes back on him. "Can we stay together until the police
arrive?" Still whispering, "We've never had this happen here
before."

By way of answer, he put
his hand on her back and steered her into his room, staying at the
door to peer down the hall. As he quietly closed the door, he
noticed her eyeing his suitcase, still lying open at the foot of
his bed. They both knew, he was sure, that this was the least of
their problems, at this point. He was still fully dressed from the
night before, too exhausted to even remove his tennis shoes before
he fell asleep.

"See if you can spot
anything from my window," he suggested.

She walked to the
shuttered window, and peered out between the slats into the inn's
backyard. While her head was turned, he took the opportunity to
pull his Beretta from the side table drawer. He checked the
magazine, shoved it into the grip, then slid the gun down into the
waist of his jeans. He walked over to the closet and pulled out a
short brown jacket, and put it on, hoping she hadn't noticed
anything unusual.

"I don't see anyone."
Allie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she continued to
peer out the window. "What I heard was muffled...kind of a thunking
sound. I've never heard it before."

"Okay... well....I would
think the police should be here soon." He tried to sound
reassuring. "I'm going to check outside again." he turned before
leaving, "The inn has a basement, right?"

"Yes, with half
windows."

"Where are the entrances?"
he asked her quickly.

"....inside there's a
narrow door in the hallway at the back of the kitchen, and outside
there's a walk-down a little ways from the porch door."

He opened the bedroom door
carefully, and went out into the hallway. Pressing his shoulder to
the wall, he walked slowly and softly down towards the stairs,
keeping his feet as close to the floor moulding as he could. He
glanced back and saw Allie looking out into the hallway, tightly
holding a tan blanket around her shoulders. Connor reached the top
of the stairs, leaning down to try to hear any sounds inside the
house. He started to slowly descend the stairs.