Here my life comes to an end

Bella was surprised at first. "She didn't know where I am"

“Maybe it isn’t anyone from Wolf River.” He stared at her thoughtfully. “Didn’t you tell me it was your job to uncover who the boss of Agatha is? You said you were good at it. I have to assume you have an inventory of unhappy victims.”

She did, of course, though the people she’d exposed didn’t know who she was. But if someone found out—she felt her pulse skip at the thought—well, they wouldn’t exactly be inviting her over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Still, it was just too far out-there.

“It doesn’t make sense.” She blew out a breath and dragged a hand through her hair. “Why would someone go to the extra expense and trouble to follow me all the way up here? Why wouldn’t they just go after me in Liverpool? And besides my stepmother could only want me to fail not for me to die”

“Maybe because there’d be less of a connection,” Miguel suggested. “Especially if you lost control of your car and ended up at the bottom of a canyon. It would just look like an accident.”

“Breaking into my room wouldn’t look like an accident,” she insisted. “The authorities would know it was intentional.”

“You’re leaving in two days. Maybe they’re getting desperate and don’t care. There’d be no witnesses, and if there were no clues, there’d be nothing to trace back. Remember there's no CCTV in the hotel"

She couldn’t believe she was standing here, analyzing how and why someone might kill her. When a twig broke in the brush behind them, she flew into Miguel’s arms. A squirrel ran out of the brush, sat up and twitched its tail at them before darting off again. She let out a long, slow breath.

Embarrassed at her skittishness, Bella forced a soft laugh and placed her palms on Miguel’s chest to push away.

He tugged her back.

She could feel the heat of his body through his clothes, it poured into her, seeped into her blood. Her knees felt weak, her skin felt hot and tight.

How could this be happening? One minute they were discussing someone’s plot to murder her, and in the blink of an eye, she was melting in his arms.

“Bella,” he said her name softly.

“Hmm?” She stared at her hands on his chest. His flannel shirt felt soft under her fingers.

“I was out of line last night. I shouldn’t have said what I said.” He drew in a deep breath. “Maybe you were right, just a little. Maybe I don’t like the idea of having the responsibility of a family.”

Surprised not only at his apology, but at his admission she might be right, she looked up at him.

“Come to Liverpool with me, Miguel,” she said quietly. “Just help me get rid of that Agatha, my dad may not be the only victim meet dad and discuss, that’s all. No strings attached, no guilt if you decide not to see me again.”

He shook his head slowly. “I can’t go to Liverpool with you I can't do anything against Agatha.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Both.” He reached up and snagged a leaf from her hair, then softly stroked it over her jaw. She cursed the involuntary shudder that vibrated through her body.

“In the meantime,” he said, “why don’t I take you into town to talk to the sheriff?”

“Talk to the sheriff about what? That maybe someone tampered with my car and maybe someone tried to break into my room? What can they do?” She thought about all the paperwork, the wasted time. “I’m only here two more days, I can be careful. I’ll go to the police when I get back home.”

“If you live that long.” He sighed heavily. “All right, then, get your bag packed.”

“Didn’t you hear me, Shawnessy? I’m not going anywhere. I refuse to be scared off, and I’m not giving up on you, either.”

He hesitated at her words, then raised a brow. “But you are going somewhere, Blondie. You’re moving in with me.”

She’d argued, of course, but he won. She might be stubborn as a mule, Miguel mused, but she wasn’t stupid. If someone was after her, she’d be a sitting duck up in the mountains alone. Reluctantly, she’d finally given in and moved her things over to his place.

He still couldn’t believe he had even considered moving her in with him, let alone insisted on it. What he should have done was to tie her up again, good and tight this time, and mail her back to Liverpool. He smiled at the image, thinking that he wouldn’t want to be the person who opened up that box.

But he had insisted she stay, just as he’d insisted she come to dinner with him tonight at Drake and Julianna’s. She argued heatedly over that, too, insisted she’d be intruding on a private get-together. But in the end, he’d won that round, too, and now, deep in a conversation with Maggie, she sat beside him at the dinner table.

He had to admit she looked pretty tonight. She’d worn a rose-pink silk blouse and tucked it into the narrow waist of her tailored white slacks. She’d done something different with her hair, brushed the sides away from her face and clipped them together in the back. The style emphasized her high cheekbones, and the touch of cosmetics she’d applied to her eyes made them look wider, softer. If a man wasn’t being careful, it would be easy to drown in those eyes. But of course, he was being careful. Very careful.

He just felt some strange, twisted sense of obligation toward her. That was the only reason he’d insisted she move into his cabin and come to dinner with him, he reasoned. She was here in Wolf River because of him, and he simply wanted to see her get back home in one piece.

He’d made inquiries into the occupants of the other cabins, but so far, no one was suspect. The honeymoon couple had checked into their cabin before Bella had even arrived, the father and son appeared legitimate, and the other two cabins rented were locals. Whoever was following her was hiding well.

But whoever was after her, wouldn’t stop here. Miguel knew they’d follow her back to Liverpool, and once she left Wolf River, there was nothing he could do to protect her.

But someone else could. He’d already made a phone call that would ensure she’d be taken care of once she returned home. But she didn’t need to know about that right now.

She’d find out soon enough, and she wasn’t going to like it one little bit.

In the meantime, he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. He almost laughed at the irony of it all.

“Hello. Earth to Miguel. Would you like some carrots?”

“Huh?” He blinked, then realized that Julianna was speaking to him from the other side of the Blackhawk dining room table. “Oh, sure. Thanks.”

“You look like you got a bone stuck in your craw, Shawnessy. Hey, Bella,” Drake said from his place at the head of the table, “maybe you should slap him hard on the cheek, just in case.”

“I think you’re supposed to punch him in the stomach,” Victor offered. “Makes that bone shoot out like a missile.”

“Really?” Drew, Victor’s five-year-old son asked excitedly. “Can I watch?”