Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(63)
Heat washed up her face. What must he think of her? She wanted to groan. He was probably used to way more sophisticated women. Her leg was asleep, and she struggled to get up and stand on it. It felt like a wooden table leg, and she bent over to massage it. From the corner of her eye, she saw a large white envelope lying beside the blanket. Someone had probably left it.
She reached for it, then froze when she saw her name typed onto a sticky label on the front. Her hand shook as she picked it up and looked around. The last of the stragglers were hurrying to their cars, and she felt very alone in the open grassy field even though there were figures aboard the boats bobbing in the bay. She could easily call for help if she needed it.
Who had left this? It felt sinister after everything that had happened, and she feared opening it would change things even more. She couldn’t see it anyway until she got into the Land Rover, so she stuck it in the basket with the empty food containers, then turned to watch for Drake.
The big Land Rover rolled to a stop at the curb, and he got out with a smile that faded when he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
She lifted Phoebe and carried her to the SUV, then buckled her into the backseat. Jackson hopped in behind her. The little girl’s head lolled to the side as she slumped and fell into a deeper sleep. Emma barely stirred when Drake put her in the other side of the Land Rover. He buckled her in and shot a questioning glance at Kate before sliding under the steering wheel.
Kate stowed the basket in the back, pausing long enough to grab the envelope, then climbed into the passenger seat. “This was on the ground by our blanket. Did you see anyone put it there?”
He flipped on the overhead light and stared at her name. “No, but it would have been easy enough to miss it with the people leaving. What’s in it?”
She buckled her seat belt. “I didn’t open it. Go ahead.”
Frowning, he tore the flap open and reached inside. “Feels like pictures.” He pulled out a handful of glossy snapshots, then turned them over to look at them.
She leaned closer to study them with him. The top picture was of the two of them at dinner the other night. It was during the time when he’d taken her hand. The expression on his face quickened her pulse. But there was also a big black X over Drake’s face.
Drake laid it aside to reveal the next picture: one of her standing in the backyard with the girls. The next picture showed them walking toward the police station in Ellsworth. The last one was taken through Claire’s kitchen window. It showed the two of them sitting at the table with coffee cups. “I think these were taken with a drone. See the angle from up high?”
She picked up the stack of pictures and flipped them over. There was writing on the one that had the X over Drake’s face. In bold block letters it read YOU’RE MINE.
*
Drake shut the hotel door and threw the security bar. After talking to the sheriff, he’d decided to move the girls to a suite at the Hotel Tourmaline. He didn’t like the fact they’d been in one of the pictures. The deeper he got into Heath’s files, the more he worried that Heath’s and Melissa’s deaths had been revenge. Who knew what moved a man like Wang.
Bundled in a fluffy throw, Kate was on the sofa in the living room with Jackson at her feet. She was pale, and her eyes looked enormous. “Wow, this suite is fabulous.” She offered him a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Leather furniture and that carpet is so thick you sink into it. We didn’t have to stay here. There’s a less expensive motel in Summer Harbor.”
“Don’t try to make small talk.” He crouched beside her. “This isn’t your fault.”
She rose and tossed the throw aside. “I should go home. Maybe if I face him, this will end.”
He caught her arm as she neared. “You’re not going anywhere. I’m not about to let you confront this guy. He is a total unknown, Kate.” His gaze roved over her beautiful face. Her skin would feel as soft as down if he touched it, and he could smell the scent of her hair again. All he wanted to do was kiss her until they were both breathless.
She must have seen his intention because she pulled away and shook her head. “I-I should apologize for the way I acted at the movie. I was half asleep and didn’t realize what I was doing.”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “You’re not seriously going to try to pretend you didn’t want to kiss me.”
Her cheeks colored and she looked down. “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that . . .”
“Not another word.” He grinned and cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. He’d kissed his share of women, but none of them made him feel the way Kate did. She tasted like passion and commitment. Like forever. He’d never imagined forever with a woman before, but he was in love with her and it felt great. Her lips were soft and responsive under his, and a protest rose in his throat when she finally pulled away. He could feel her heart beating as fast as a bird’s against his chest.
He pulled her more tightly against his heart and rested his chin on her head. “We are right together, Kate. I think you feel it too.”
“I’m afraid to read too much into it.” Her voice was soft. “I don’t have much experience with men. For all I know you’ll break my heart, Drake Newham. I’m afraid that kind of heartbreak would leave me like Humpty Dumpty.”