cell number he gave her.
“We should be back by dinnertime,” he said as she walked with him to the door. His gaze held hers for a long moment. “Don’t hesitate to call if you need me...us.”
As she watched him head to the car where the other two agents awaited him, she decided that maybe Gabriel Blankenship wasn’t so bad after all.
She locked the door behind him. Despite what had happened the night before, she felt no real danger directed specifically at her. Still, better to be safe than sorry.
She was back in the kitchen when Cory knocked on the door, eyeing her quizzically through the glass pane. She hurried over and unlocked it to allow him and John to enter.
“Why the locked door?” Cory asked as he sat at the table in the kitchen. John sat next to him. Most mornings the two of them showed up for breakfast, but it was usually Daniella who did the cooking and serving.
“I had a little unexpected encounter with the pond last night.” She explained what had happened, and both men looked at her in stunned surprise.
“Thank God one of those agents managed to get to you,” Cory exclaimed.
“I didn’t know you couldn’t swim,” John added. “Do you have any idea who might have pushed you?”
“Not a clue,” she replied, not wanting to think about how close she’d come to death. “I imagine you two are looking for something to eat. Why don’t I whip up a quick batch of pancakes?”
“Sounds good to me,” John replied.
As she got out the ingredients to make the pancakes, the three of them talked about the pizza place where the guys had gone the night before, the weeding that needed to be done and the continuing mystery of the Connellys’ disappearance.
Marlena liked John. The dark-haired man had an easygoing temperament and had bonded instantly with the younger Cory and kept him busy working by his side on the grounds.
After the two had finished their breakfast, they left by the back door, and Marlena relocked it after them. For the remainder of the morning, she busied herself upstairs, making beds and freshening the rooms where the agents were sleeping.
She immediately knew that Gabriel had slept in the lavender room. As she plumped his pillows and straightened the spread, she smelled his cologne and was surprised by the tiny ray of heat that fired up inside her.
There was no question that she was physically drawn to him, and there was also no question that she had no intention of following through on that attraction. The most important thing right now was that he stay focused on finding Sam, Daniella and Macy.
When she’d finished upstairs, she returned to the kitchen to start a large roast cooking for dinner that evening. An hour or so before mealtime, she’d add in potatoes and carrots.
During the slow months of July and August, Pamela was scheduled to clean two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays. Since it was Saturday, Marlena would take care of the daily duties to keep the place in shape. Even though Daniella was gone and there were no guests, Daniella would want the routine of maintaining the bed-and-breakfast to continue.
Marlena sank down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, her heart crying out for answers. Where were the Connellys? Nobody would ever make her believe that they’d just walked away without a word to anyone.
Daniella was living her dream, loving a man she’d never expected to find, working in this business that had been her desire since she’d been in high school and raising her daughter in the cocoon of family love. No way would Daniella willingly leave her life behind.
Marlena nearly jumped out of her chair as a loud rap sounded on the front door. Her nerves were on edge. Even though there were no guests scheduled, that didn’t mean someone couldn’t show up.
She relaxed as she approached the front door and saw Thomas Brady on the other side, his pleasant features radiating concern for her. She unlocked the door, and he instantly pulled her into his big arms.
“I just heard about the Connellys,” he said as he continued to hold her. “I was working out of town for the past couple of days and got back home only an hour ago.”
She was grateful when he finally released her and sat on the sofa in the great room. “How are you doing? Is there something I can do to help? I heard you’ve got a couple of FBI agents staying here. Do they have a theory on what happened?”
Marlena waited until he’d run out of breath to begin to answer his questions. “I’m doing as well as I can, although I’m terribly afraid for the family. There are three FBI agents staying here, and, no, they don’t have a clue yet as to what happened and who might be responsible.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being here by yourself, especially with nobody knowing what happened to Sam, Daniella and Macy,” Thomas said. He leaned forward, his brown eyes earnest. “You should move in with me. You would be safe under my roof.”
“You know I’m not going to do that,” she said softly. “Besides, I just told you there were FBI agents staying here. I also have Cory, so I’m definitely not by myself. Now tell me about the job you just finished.”
Thomas was a local carpenter who not only did renovation work but also specialized in spectacular decks and patios. His skills often got him work in the larger cities in the state.
As he told her about his latest job in New Orleans, she listened absently. She had known for some time that Thomas had a thing for her. They’d even gone out on a couple of casual dates.
Sam and Daniella hadn’t thought the carpenter was good enough for Marlena, but they didn’t have to worry because Marlena knew her future wasn’t with Thomas. She just couldn’t seem to make Thomas understand that.
She enjoyed his company as a friend and thought he was a nice man, but she had no romantic feelings toward him at all. She’d told him that a hundred different ways over the past month or so, but he was still a frequent visitor and a man who obviously didn’t take no easily. He seemed to think that, if she just spent enough time with him, he could change her mind about their relationship.
He couldn’t. She’d rather be alone than be in a relationship without real passion, without true mutual love. Been there, done that, and the results had nearly destroyed her.
As he rambled on, Marlena realized it was the first time that he sat in the house with her. Normally Sam made it uncomfortable for the man to be anywhere but on the porch when he came to visit Marlena.
Thomas was a big man, with wide shoulders and thighs the size of tree trunks. Physical labor had given him the muscles of a bodybuilder, but he had always been gentle and soft-spoken when around her.
He had to have known that Sam and Daniella didn’t approve of him. They hadn’t hidden the fact that they thought he was all wrong for her.
Her heart began a slightly faster unsteady beat as she stared at the man on the sofa. Was he so obsessed with her that he had removed the people who disapproved of him? Left her alone in the house and frightened, hoping he could step in and be her support, the man she turned to in her need?
Ridiculous, a tiny voice whispered inside her. You’re looking for a bad guy in a friend who has never shown any violent
