my arrogant, former roommate. Six years ago, she talked me into letting her come stay at The Downs by telling me she could prove it had some hidden, rum-running past and had been used as a speakeasy during Prohibition. But she was probably just using me to get a break from her abusive, controlling ex-boyfriend. He was some nasty piece of work.”
“Nasty enough to threaten to kill you in order to find her six years later?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” Piper shrugged. “I never met him. She called him Alpha—like the head of an animal pack. He called her constantly, expected her to drop everything and run to him, and sometimes sent really creepy presents like dead flowers. But he was also really financially generous when he wanted to be. Rich and twisted. Even if this Kodiak guy isn’t Alpha, he could be a sign her taste in men hasn’t changed.” She crossed the barn toward him. “But either way, any sympathy I had for her disappeared the moment she repaid our kindness by robbing The Downs, smashing years’ worth of handmade Christmas decorations into tiny pieces and knocking our tree through the front window—”
The door slammed shut so hard the whole barn shook.
The lights went out.
* * *
Her heart was beating so hard she was almost afraid Benjamin could hear it. He’d thrown his arms around her and now the warmth of his chest was pressed up against hers, the strength of his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Right then she needed it. She could barely keep her knees from buckling.
“Hey, it’s okay.” She forced herself to step back out of his arms. “It’s probably just the wind coupled with some ice on the power lines.”
“Maybe it’s nothing. But maybe it’s something.” Benjamin’s hand slid down her arm and squeezed hers. “Either way, get behind me and stay close.”
Tempting. But no. She’d spent way too long trying to rid herself of the dizzying butterflies that soared through her veins whenever Benjamin was near. She wasn’t about to lose her head now. Sure, back on the island last summer she’d thought their relationship was heading somewhere romantic. Right up until he’d taken her out to dinner her last night on the island only to blindside her with the news that he was determined to remain a commitment-free bachelor for the rest of his life.
“Power goes out around here all the time in the winter.” She pulled her fingers out of his grip. “It usually comes right back within minutes. But even if it is someone dangerous, I’m going to meet it head-on.”
Benjamin didn’t step back. “Look, Piper. I know you’re plenty strong—”
“Yes, I am. Just because one thug managed to get the jump on me doesn’t suddenly mean I’m helpless.” She sounded more defensive than she meant to. But the fact that Benjamin was probably pretty used to taking charge in bad situations didn’t mean she was some damsel in distress, counting on a handsome man to save her. Especially not the kind of a man who was in a hurry to leave. “Don’t forget, I was a pretty fierce hockey player and not half-bad at mixed martial arts, too. Both times I took out guys every bit as big as Kodiak.”
The only reason she didn’t compete nationally was the cost of the training and the time she’d be away from The Downs, where she was needed to help run the place.
“I remember.” His voice dropped. “But I nearly lost my sister, Meg, to the Raincoat Killer last year. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Not when there was a chance that I could’ve stepped up and done something to protect you.”
The lights flickered on again. There was the furious yip of barking and the scramble of paws. Piper flung the barn door open, then dropped to one knee as Harry bolted through. She buried her face in the husky’s soft fur. “Hey there, guard dog. Welcome to The Downs.”
Benjamin looked out. “Well, if there was anyone there, Harry frightened them off.”
“Thanks for bringing him down. I think he’s exactly what I need around this place.” She gripped the dog’s collar and stood. Time for her to call the police and for Benjamin to get back on the road.
“I’m going to miss him like crazy.” Benjamin followed her out of the barn. “But sadly, once I’m on my boat, I’ve got no room for Harry.”
Or a relationship. Or a family. Or emotional complications of any kind.
He’d told her so that last night on the island. It didn’t matter what kind of fireworks that man set off inside her chest, Benjamin couldn’t even commit to a dog.
They rounded the corner and Piper gasped—his truck was a mess of scrunched metal and broken glass. “I thought you said everything was okay.”
The chimney had a huge chunk missing from one side. Bricks dented the hood of his large black pickup. Yes, she’d heard the sound of a collision. But he’d been so reassuring she’d just trusted him when he told her everything was okay.
“The truck will be fine,” he said. “A new side panel and a fresh windshield and it’ll be good to go. I’m really sorry about the chimney. Hopefully it’s nothing a good masonry job won’t fix. I’d offer to do it myself if it wasn’t knee-deep in snow and I didn’t have places to be. I just hope it won’t be a problem for your Christmas Eve shindig.”
“It’s more than a shindig.” She took a deep breath and reminded herself that none of this was Benjamin’s fault, and that he was even more inconvenienced than she was. “It’s called Christmas Eve at The Downs. The purpose is to provide a really awesome potluck dinner and carol singing for people in the community who have nowhere else to go. Aunt Cass started it twenty-five years ago. This is the first year I’m managing it on my own. The barn’s really old and I really should have gotten a new roof put on it this year. But the priority has been saving up to renovate the bed-and-breakfast.”
The sooner she could get Uncle Des and Aunt Cass out of that awful seniors’ residence the better.
“Torchlight News did a big article on your renovation plans, right?” Benjamin asked. “Because your house was declared a heritage site of historical value, you needed to apply to get special permission?” He brushed the glass off the driver’s seat and climbed in.
“Yup. The Downs is over a hundred years old. We’re pretty isolated, so there are rumors that during American Prohibition, people used to sneak across the lake and fill their boats up with bottles of illegal rum out of this very barn. Some even say there was a full-fledged speakeasy lounge with drinks and music running in The Downs. All these people would supposedly boat across the lake and sneak up through our woods in their finest evening wear. But no one’s ever found any evidence. Not even so much as an empty rum bottle or lost earring in the trees. Trust me, I looked.”
As a little girl she’d combed The Downs for some hidden stash of jewelry or money. As an adult, she’d be happy to just see The Downs increase in value enough they could get a loan to cover renovations.
Benjamin pulled the truck back. The corner of the hood was crumpled and the whole right side was dented. But still the engine ran smoothly and the air bag hadn’t deployed.
“We’ve got a really good mechanic here in town,” she said. “He’ll be able to get you fixed up in no time.”
He ran one hand through his dark mop of hair. “There’s a wedding rehearsal tomorrow afternoon and I’m also
