Chapter One #2
Purposefully she had returned to her duties that afternoon, forcing herself to concentrate on her work.
Lesley had been unaware of how long, if at all, Daniels had waited for Ben Fullbright.
“I’m here because . . .” She searched frantically for a plausible excuse.
There had been some horrible, dreadful mistake.
God wouldn’t send someone like Daniels to be her neighbor.
“Yes?” He sounded bored and irritable.
“I’m your neighbor,” she managed finally.
He started to laugh then—not a friendly, amused laugh, but one filled with irony, brittle with sarcasm.
Lesley could feel the hairs at the back of her neck bristle. Never had she felt such intense dislike for anyone. One demeaning
glance from him assured her that the feeling was mutual. It took more restraint than she wanted to admit not to dump the bowl
of salad greens over his head.
“What did you want?” he demanded, his gaze cutting into her.
“Want?” She stared at him blankly.
“You rang my doorbell.”
He made it sound as if she’d tossed eggs at his windows.
“Yes, I did,” she returned awkwardly. “I brought you dinner as a . . .” The word “welcome” wouldn’t make it past the tight
knot in her throat.
If possible, the dark eyes hardened all the more. “Let’s get one thing straight right now. I don’t want to be neighborly.
You leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone. You stay on your half and I’ll stay on mine. Understood?”
“Oh, I understand all right—and concur. I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with you if I were stuck in quicksand and couldn’t
reach a branch.” Immediately Lesley recognized how silly she sounded. Under any other circumstances she would have burst out
laughing, but there was nothing amusing about Daniels. Nothing!
She stalked across the yard and slammed her front door. Furious, she paced the small enclosure like a trapped panther. Not
in twenty-three years had she met anyone she disliked more. He was awful, the epitome of everything she loathed.
Rands hugging her stomach, she paused in the middle of the living room floor, her foot tapping irritably against the worn carpet.
A mistake had been made. Something wasn’t right.
God wouldn’t present that bitter, hard, unreasonable man next door on purpose.
All she had to do was stay calm and wait for him to leave.
And that was exactly what she would do until God rectified the error.
Daniels’ fancy sports car was gone the next morning when Lesley left for the bank. With him living so close, she decided her things were in imminent danger and locked the front door.
By the time she pulled into her usual parking space on the side street opposite the bank, she was feeling ridiculous. Daniels
wasn’t going to rob her. True, he was an unpleasant fellow, but they could learn to live in harmony. All she had to do was
pretend the apartment was still vacant. That would be easy enough. He would probably be gone by the end of the month, anyway.
Lesley had been at her desk only a matter of minutes when Daniels strolled in. Instinctively she stiffened. Without being
obvious, she followed his movements. First he went to a teller who smiled provocatively, obviously taken in by his charm.
What charm, Lesley’s mind tossed back instantly. The young teller pointed to Ben Fullbright’s desk.
With even-paced strides, Daniels walked up to the bank manager’s desk and introduced himself. Ben rose and they shook hands.
“Lesley, call on line one.” Charlotte Lewis said from the desk beside hers. “Lesley,” she repeated.
Lesley jerked upright. “Oh, sorry, what did you say?”
Charlotte repeated the information and Lesley reached automatically for the phone. It was a local resident requesting loan
information, and Lesley was tied up for several minutes answering questions.
When she replaced the receiver, Lesley noted that Ben Fullbright was standing behind the counter for new accounts and was completing the necessary information for Daniels.
The two men shook hands, then Daniels strode toward her desk. Lesley pretended an inordinate interest in the blank form. Although
he stood directly in front of her, Lesley didn’t glance up, hoping that Daniels would take the hint and leave.
“Miss Brown.”
With exaggerated care, Lesley lifted her gaze. “Yes?” Her voice was barely civil.
“I thought you’d like to see these.” He laid twenty-five freshly issued blank checks on her desk and riffled them with his
thumb.
Closing her eyes and inhaling a deep breath enabled Lesley to hold her temper. “Statewide Savings does its best to keep every
customer satisfied. I’m pleased we could be of service,” she managed in a starched tone.
“Except that it took a true manager to listen to reason. I suggest you leave the decision making where it belongs.”
“And I suggest you leave me alone before I throw this cup of coffee in your face,” she informed him with a wide smile that
conveyed the fact she wasn’t kidding.
Challenge, mockery, and amusement all glittered from his dark eyes as he dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Good day, Miss
Brown.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Good day.” Purposely she lowered her eyes to her desk. Her heart hammered wildly and her breath came in uneven gulps. Never
had she disliked anyone so intensely. Lesley fumed with anger until she heard him turn and walk away.
During her lunch hour, Lesley had a date with Dale Wylie, a new-car salesman, at a local café for lunch.
“Hi, honey, how are things going?” He kissed her lightly on the cheek and slid into the booth, opposite Lesley.
Lesley’s gaze followed Dale. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
Dale looked up from the menu with that innocent look she detested. “Do what?”
“Come in here and act like we’re an old married couple,” she told him forcefully. “We’re friends, nothing more. I don’t like
you giving people the impression there’s something more between us.”
Dale laid the menu aside. Ralf the single women in Coeur d’Alene would give anything to have the urbane and good-looking Dale
interested in them. Why he’d picked her, Lesley didn’t know. They weren’t the least alike, didn’t share the same interests
and often disagreed, especially about Lesley’s strong religious convictions. Maybe he thought of her as a challenge. She’d
given up trying to guess.
“My, my, you must have had a difficult morning.” His blue eyes shone with sympathy. “Want to tell me about it?”
“I had a wonderful morning, thank you.” She hid her expressive eyes behind the menu. She wasn’t going to fool Dale, but talking
about Daniels wouldn’t do any good, either.
Gratefully, he didn’t pursue the subject. Lesley doubted that he would: Dale’s interest revolved around Dale.
“You’ll be pleased to know I made a sale this morning.”
“Congratulations. Anyone I know?” She laid the menu aside, genuinely interested.
“I don’t think so. New fellow in town, Cole Daniels.”
Cole Daniels! Lesley’s hand tightened around the water glass.
“Interesting fellow, seemed to know a lot about cars. Paid cash.”
She nodded, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way she’d stiffened when he rolled off the name. So Daniels’ first name was Cole.
It should have been Cold.
“I know him,” she said lightly, twisting the spoon with her fingers in nervous reaction. “Did he trade in that fancy sports
car of his?”
“Sports car? No, he didn’t, he walked into the showroom. He didn’t have any wheels.” Dale’s mouth quirked briefly. “How do you know him?”
“He moved into the other half of the duplex.”
Dale’s look narrowed and he regarded her seriously. “I’m not sure I approve of the two of you living next to each other like
that.”
“What?” Lesley swallowed a gasp of resentment.
“Separated from the rest of the town like that,” he hurried to explain.
“I’ll tell you what,” she began, deliberately setting the spoon aside and raising her eyes to his, “if you can figure a way
to get him out of there, I wouldn’t object.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Not in the least. I find the man to be opinionated and irksome. Terry and I were such good friends, but I can’t imagine Cole
Daniels and me ever getting along.”
“Well, in that case, I can’t see much of a problem.”
Men! Lesley felt like screaming. All they ever cared about was themselves. How could her sister be married and so happy?
“I’m not very hungry, Dale. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll skip lunch today.” She started to slide out of the booth.
“I knew there was something wrong.” Dale sounded pleased with himself for such keen insight. “You’re not feeling well, are
you? Headache?”
Her confirming nod wasn’t a lie. Every minute she spent in Dale’s company only made her head pound worse.
“Before you go.” A hand on her forearm stopped her. “We’d better decide what we’re wearing to Larry’s party.”
Could the day get any worse? “Larry’s party?” she echoed. Maybe if she played dumb they could avoid another confrontation.
“The Halloween bash next weekend. I already told him we were coming.”
“You did what?” she asked, her eyes spitting fire.
“Now, hold on, there’s no need to get all upset.” He patted her arm soothingly as if she were a recalcitrant child.
“I told you,” she said in measured tones, “I have no intention of attending that party. I’m going to the one at the church.
I thought I made that extremely clear.”
“Let me explain before you become unreasonable,” Dale returned calmly. “I’m not insensitive, I know this thing at your church
is important to you. I want you to go, but there’s no reason you can’t attend both. You can give me a call and I’ll swing
by the church to pick you up. As I see it, you won’t even need to change costumes.”
“Everyone’s dressing up as Bible characters. Can’t you see how ludicrous it would be to go from church to Larry’s?”
“Not necessarily,” Dale inserted. “Who are you going as?”
“Lot’s wife.”
“Lot’s wife? But she—”
“I know,” Lesley interrupted. “I’m dressing up as a pillar of salt.”