Unearthed Read online

“You had a fist fight over this?” A surge of pride filled her because he’d taken her side against his friend. Well, not actually taken her side, but he’d stood up for her in a lopsided way by acting against something that was wrong.

  “That incident was not the first time we duked it out because he acted like an ass. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s done stupid things that have gotten him more than one black eye. The dumb ass went and married more trouble than he’d ever had in his life.” Again, he kicked the ground with his boot. “His wife makes him crazier than he’d be otherwise.”

  Against her better judgment, she put a hand on Beck’s arm.

  He smiled. “No real harm was done. And I’d really like to do something for all you’ve been through. Say you’ll change your mind about dinner.”

  She wanted very much to go out with him. But she couldn’t go tonight. She was about to drop from fatigue and, of course, she wasn’t dressed for the dinner crowd. She stopped herself short. What was she thinking? He wouldn’t be expecting her to go right this minute, or even tonight. She was just plain dizzy from lack of food and sleep. “I’m going home tonight, but I’ll be back tomorrow. I don’t remember mentioning it before, but the university owns a cabin about ten miles from here. I’ll be living there during the week while I’m working at the site.”

  “Is that a yes then, for dinner tomorrow?”

  She smiled. “I suppose so.”

  He smiled back.

  She had to get on her way. The sandwich and bag of chips that she’d brought for lunch were still in her car. She’d eat on the way home. “I’d like to stay and chat, but I really need to get going. I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m very tired. I also need to finish packing.”

  “Can I…?”

  The rest of his question was cut off by the sight and sound of Kent running toward them, yelling at Beck.

  “You’d better not leave before we call the police.”

  When Kent reached them, he doubled over, hands on his knees, looked up at Beck, and then over at Alex, his face twisted in a grimace. “This son of a bitch slashed your tires.”

  Chapter Five

  Beck would have lunged at Kent and taken the little bastard’s skinny neck between his hands if Alex hadn’t interfered.

  Stepping between the two men, she halted any further verbal threats, or threatening moves, with a light touch to the chest of each. She waited only long enough for Kent to suck in another lung full of air before she demanded, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean,” Kent said, catching his breath, “every tire on your car is slashed to ribbons. He did it.” He wagged his finger close to Beck’s face.

  Beck was just about ready to ignore Alex’s attempt to circumvent an outright fight and go for the little bastard’s neck anyway. He’d controlled his anger at the thought of this low-life troublemaker even thinking about putting his hands on any part of her body. And he’d finally convinced himself, at an early hour of the morning, that this little bastard had a damn good reason to be at her condo last night. But this accusation was going much too far. “Just what the hell are you talking about, sonny?” That should get him. He was probably close to thirty. With more than ten years on him, Beck took satisfaction in reducing him to the level of a child in Alex’s eyes…and he deserved it. Accusing him of such an outrageous act.

  The bony bastard took a step forward. “You know what I’m talking about. You do have balls, mister, I’ll grant you that.”

  Kent’s breathing had leveled off, but the flush on his face grew brighter, and the puckered, scarred skin looked ready to gush blood.

  “Stop it right now, both of you.” Alex turned to Beck. “Let me talk to him, please.” When he gave her a quick nod, she trained her gaze on Kent. “All the tires on my car are slashed?”

  “Every last one.”

  Beck grabbed Alex’s hand. He had to see for himself. He started running, taking Alex along.

  When they reached her car, they were both gasping for air. They leaned against the car’s hood until they caught their breath.

  Recovered, Alex stepped back to survey the damage. “Oh my God, who would do such a thing? And why?” She looked at Beck then turned her attention to the group of students who had followed them with Kent in the lead. “Get back to the site and begin packing up the gear.”

  When Kent didn’t leave with the others, Alex addressed him directly. “I’d like you to join the others, please.”

  As soon as Kent was out of earshot, and before she could utter a word, Beck spoke up. “I swear I was certain this thing had ended. The other things were jokes—sick, I know—but still jokes. This act is way beyond a joke, way beyond what I would have expected from….” He lifted his chest and exhaled when he realized he’d pulled in too much oxygen. “I’m sorry. I’ll make certain this situation is made right.”

  Alex pressed two fingers to her forehead and shook her head. “I just don’t understand how anyone could blame me for their misfortune. This destruction is like something from television. It’s unreal.” She looked at the nearest tire with a piece of rubber sticking out like a black tongue and shook her head again.

  “I’ll take you home myself,” he offered. “And we’ll stop on the way for a tow truck. I’ll pay for everything.”

  “Such a long trip for you isn’t necessary. I can go home with Kent. He drove his own car because he had to work a few hours this morning before coming here. Between his car, and another belonging to one of the other students, we have enough room for the entire group.”

  “Why didn’t you use the university van today?”

  “It’s in the shop for maintenance. We’ll all be using our own cars while we’re at the cabin.”

  “We? You mean all of you will be staying at the cabin?”

  She nodded. “During the week, yes. Why?”

  Why? If he told her why, she’d probably laugh in his face. Or tell him to mind his own damn business. “I don’t like the idea of you being under the same roof with that….” He couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t be so offensive she’d turn him away for sure.

  She laughed. “His bark is really much worse than his bite, as the old saying goes.”

  “I don’t like him.” That statement was putting it mildly.

  “Well, the feeling is mutual, I’m sure. But, I can’t do anything about it except keep the two of you as far apart as possible until these outrageous actions stop.” She took a walk around the entire car and came back to stand next to Beck.

  She’d put on a good front, but he believed down deep she was shaken. He put a hand on her shoulder. He wanted to do more. Now was another of those times when he wanted to just fold her up in his arms and hold her close. “Let me take you home. Please.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I have to report this incident to the police.” She took her cell phone from her pocket.

  “I know you do. And I know we’ll have to wait to call a tow truck until the police see the damage. If you won’t let me drive you, will you at least let me pay for the new tires?”

  “I have insurance.”

  Of course. Why hadn’t that occurred to him? Why? Because all he was thinking of was making things better for her. Of finding ways to see her again.

  “You’ll need your car to get back here tomorrow. You won’t be home for a couple of hours. Do you think you’ll find a place to get new tires so late in the evening?” The question was a logical one. And one he thought would stump her.

  “The dealership where I bought my car is less than a mile from my house. Their service department is open until nine.”

  He threw up his hands in defeat. “Okay, you win.” What else could he say?

  The students returned and stood in silence. Skinny kept his distance, but the scowl never left his face. And he never looked away from Beck. Not for one minute.

  Not that being stared at bothered Beck. What galled him was that Alex would be riding home in the car with him. Probably alone. A
nagging thought ate at him, and he had to know if he was off-base or not. He motioned for her to move to the back of the car so they could talk in private. When they were a comfortable distance away from the students, he positioned himself so his back was between her and the troublemaker. “It’s none of my business, but I have to know.” Jesus, how could he just come out and ask her such a thing? Yet, if he didn’t… “Nothing is between you and”—he tilted back his head and looked upward at the sky—“between you and him, is there?” Alex’s face registered so many different emotions so quickly, he couldn’t keep up with them.

  Then she covered her mouth with her hand and laughed noiselessly into her palm. “You’ve got to be joking. He’s my student. He’s too young for me. And, he’s not my type.” She turned away her head.

  He suspected she did so because she didn’t want to laugh in his face. He felt like a jackass. A friggin’ jackass. She was making fun of him in a not-so-obvious way.

  Alex turned back. “What would make you think such a thing?”

  Jackass was still all he could think to call himself. “Just the way he acts like a damned centurion guard around you.” Jealous jackass is how he was coming off and for no good reason. Jeez, they’d only shared a couple of kisses.

  “I’m just one of a few people who’ve gone out of their way to make him feel like he belongs,” Alex said. “He’s still struggling with issues from his time in Iraq and…”

  Sirens cut off the rest of her explanation, and they spent the next half-hour giving information to the police and waiting for the tow truck.

  When everything had been taken care of with the police, he walked Alex to the little weasel’s car and reluctantly got her settled in the passenger seat. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow.” He pushed his luck and gave her chin a lift with his knuckle, forcing their gazes to meet. “I promise I’ll take care of the other matter. You can make book on it.” You bet you can make book on it, he promised her again silently, while he watched the cars take off for the highway.

  On the road, his head pounded and his bruised knuckles throbbed from his death grip on the steering wheel. He didn’t want to fight with Ned again. They’d duked it out in the parking lot last night and patched things up between them before heading home.

  Last night, he’d believed Ned’s story—that he’d gotten drunk after a fight with Merilee and wound up at one of his favorite drinking holes. That the same guys who’d been with him to set up the skeleton were at the bar, and they decided on their own to have a little more fun with some packing material retrieved from the bar’s dumpster. That he’d gone along but had been too drunk to do anything but sleep through the whole thing. And that he wasn’t holding a grudge.

  Ned had lied.

  Beck knew he would have to eat crow for a while with Alex. But first, he would find Ned and beat the crap out of him for sure this time.

  ****

  Wednesday night, Alex secured her hair at the nape with a gold barrette and leaned close to the mirror. She gave her nose and cheeks an extra dusting of powder to conceal the spray of freckles that never failed to make her feel like a teenager when she wanted most to feel like a woman. Suddenly, she realized the amount of attention she had put into dressing for dinner with Beck St. Romaine was out of proportion to the occasion.

  Still, as she fastened the two top buttons of her blue linen dress, she was thankful she’d brought a decent set of clothes to the cabin. No woman should feel guilty for looking her best, regardless of the occasion, or the company she’d be keeping.

  Beck hadn’t told her the name of the restaurant where they’d be dining, but after going into detail about the extent of its wine list, she decided it must be one of the better area restaurants. Her anxiety rose when she looked at the clock on the bedside table. Ten minutes to seven. He’d be arriving any moment now.

  When he’d come to the site at noon to remind her of their date—his words, not hers—he’d politely asked what time she preferred to dine. She’d quite honestly told him she wasn’t a late diner. After which he promised he’d be on time. He’d pick her up at seven for their date.

  There, he’d said date again. But she didn’t consider this to be a date. He probably had his reasons for taking her out—maybe to stay on her good side. Although she couldn’t understand why he felt the need to do that, anymore than she could understand his friend taking out his vengeance on her.

  Beck really did appear to feel guilty about what had happened at the site. Dinner was probably his way of making up for all the trouble he’d first caused, as well as the trouble his friend had caused later. She found a clean handkerchief tucked between her lingerie, put it in the navy leather clutch, then flopped down on the bed and sighed, wondering whether she should feel some of the guilt.

  She couldn’t remember a time during the past four years when the month of May had brought her anything but a resurgence of the profound grief she had come to expect—and to accept—at this time of year. Until this man called Beck burst into her life like angry lightning and upset her natural world. Something she should never have allowed. Because after tonight, after he’d done his proper penance for whatever transgressions he imagined were his responsibility, she’d likely never see him again. Then what? Once he’d gotten a new project off the ground and his business partners off his back, he’d no doubt forget Alexandra Kingsley and her anthropological dig ever existed.

  But they’d kissed. Twice. And the kisses were not just ordinary, casual lip synching, but well-placed, well-executed kisses. Didn’t that count for something?

  A knock sounded at the door, and she had to keep from running to open it. And when she did, she almost said wow.

  Beck gave her a wide smile. “Wow.”

  “Wow, yourself.” She stood there, her pulse racing like a teenager. The feeling had absolutely nothing to do with her freckles. She invited him inside “You really do look great.” He absolutely did. His ivory silk shirt opened at the neck just enough to form a backdrop for curly, dark chest hairs, as dark as the hair on his head.

  Jeans had been replaced by dark gray trousers, and his work boots with the snakeskin boots he’d worn the second time she’d seen him. He wore his unbuttoned navy blazer as casually as he might have worn a denim work jacket.

  “I left the tie in the truck. I hoped I wouldn’t have to wear it, but now that I’ve gotten a look at you—”

  “You look fine without the tie,” she assured him, wondering if he could read her mind and know she trembled inside at the thought he might kiss her again. Or not.

  He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thanks. So, do you.”

  They both laughed and after an awkward second, she told him they could leave anytime.

  At the restaurant, the waiter handed Beck the menu.

  Beck read for a few seconds, then looked up. “I recommend the Pinot Noir.”

  “No alcohol for me, please.”

  He drew back his shoulders. “None?”

  “None,” she affirmed. “I don’t drink.”

  His brows creased. “Never?”

  “Never.”

  “Well, in that case….” He set aside the wine list.

  But she quickly laid a hand on his. “Have a drink if you want one. Water will be fine for me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” She turned to the waiter. “I’ll have mineral water if it’s available.”

  The waiter assured her it was, and after taking their order, left to attend to other diners.

  “I’m happy to see you look much more rested than you have for the past few days.” Beck took her hand in his.

  “I feel better, thank you.” Only marginally better, but he didn’t need to know that. Nor did he need to know he was at least partially responsible for the rise in both her spirit and her general well-being.

  “The deal I’m striking over the land adjacent to the state-owned property is progressing. Changing the bound
ary of the land sale to avoid interfering with the excavation might be possible,” he told her. “What about your research on the young Indian couple?”

  She swelled with pride that he remembered. “I brought tons of research material with me so I can work on the project in the evenings.”

  “Promise to tell me the story one day?”

  “Yes. I promise.”

  They were lingering over coffee when he asked, “Would you think me terribly nosy if I asked what had you so upset the other night even before you got the telephone call?”

  A surge of emotion filled her chest and felt as though it would crush her from the inside out. Her eyes filled with tears, and she blinked a couple of times to hold them back. She had almost forgotten the pain, until now.

  “This week is a bad time of year for me. It’s a reminder of a very painful part of my life.”

  “The end of your marriage?”

  “No.” Her lips trembled, and the first tear fell. “No.” Why did he have to ask? Why did she feel she had to tell him?

  She didn’t have to. She just did.

  “The death of my child.”

  ****

  Aw, shit. With a single question, he’d put that woebegone look back in her eyes. A kid? One that died? How could he have known? As soon as she’d answered his question she’d fled to the ladies’ room and stayed a very long time. He was about to ask the hostess to check on her when she returned to the table. He’d already settled the bill, figuring she’d be in a hurry to leave, and he was right.

  They drove to the cabin in a heavy silence broken only by Alex’s intermittent sniffles and an occasional sob, all of which she tried valiantly to hide. When he pulled up to the cabin, it was dark, except for the porch light and a low light inside shining like a faint candle through the front window. Hers was the only car parked in front of the cabin. She would be here alone tonight.

  Alex let him take her hand and help her down from the truck. He walked with her to the front of the cabin. At the door, she turned with a “thank you” already forming on her lips, but he wasn’t about to let her turn him away so easily. “I’ll see you inside.”