Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
“I ’m so sorry about last night.”
Sky glanced across the washroom at Kristina. “Sorry about what?”
“I totally ditched you.”
Sky shook her head, her attention returning to drying Bella. “I just wanted you to have a good night out in Amber Ridge. And it looks like you did.”
Stallion, the large Bulldog, shook his wet coat. Kristina laughed before looking back at Sky, a slow smile stretching her face. “I definitely did. Teddy asked for my number and has already texted three times today.”
“Wow. You must have really made an impression.” She threw the towel into the wash basket, and this time Bella shook her coat. Luckily, she was pretty dry.
“Seems that way.” Kristina tilted her head. “So…Becket was kind of cute…”
Cute? She could use a lot of words to describe Becket, but cute wasn’t one of them. Annoying. Arrogant. Tall and too sexy for his own good. Yeah, they all fit better.
Sky cleared her throat. “It’s new. I don’t even know how long we’ll last.”
“Ha. The way he was looking at you makes me think he won’t let you go anytime soon.”
How was he looking at her?
She shook her head. She shouldn’t care. There was nothing going on between them. Well, nothing more than a fake relationship.
Besides, she was still mad at him because of the whole Tony incident that morning. “We’ll see. I’m going to take Bella out front to wait for Rosemary. Enjoy washing Stallion.”
Kristina laughed. “The names some people come up with for their pets never cease to amaze me.”
“Ha. I’ve got some names that would knock your socks off.”
She wasn’t joking. Bark Twain was probably up there as the most memorable, but Chewbacca and Droolius Caesar weren’t far behind.
She headed to the front. She was done for the day, and she could not wait to get home, put on her comfy, oversized pajamas and binge an entire season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine . Anything and everything to avoid Becket. And whatever happened, she was not going to think about how good his body had felt around hers on the couch this morning.
“Hey, Rosemary’s not here yet?” Sky asked once she reached the front desk.
“Not yet.” Dolly grinned at her. It was an I-know-something-you-probably-don’t-want-me-to-know grin.
“What?”
“I heard a little rumor.”
Oh, God. “Well, lucky it’s just a rumor.”
Dolly spun on her. “Sky Williams. Are you in bed with your sexy fire chief neighbor and didn’t tell me?”
She rolled her eyes.
Thanks, Kristina.
Would it break Dolly’s heart to hear that Becket was still the same six-plus feet of annoyance he was last week? “You don’t need to get too excited. It’s new and will probably be short-lived.” About as short as Tony’s stay in Amber Ridge.
“I knew it was just a matter of time. Love and hate often come hand in hand.”
And where did overbearing and frustrating enter the mix?
The door opened and Rosemary came in. Her graying hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she wore an oversized purple knitted sweater.
The older woman beamed down at Bella. “Hello, my darling.”
Sky let go of the lead and the Chinese Crested ran into her owner’s arms.
Rosemary picked her up before looking at Sky. “How was her day?”
“Great. She played. She ate. She pooped. We had a nice big wash.”
“Wonderful. Thank you. I’m so grateful for your daycare. Bella just loves it here.” Rosemary was retired, so she just brought Bella here half days while she shopped and ran errands.
“We love having her,” Sky said. And it was true. She truly loved Bella.
“Well, I’ll see you ladies later,” Rosemary said as she left, squishing her face into Bella’s neck.
Once the door closed behind them, Sky grabbed her bag from the storeroom. “I’m heading out now.”
“Got some romantic plans with your sexy-as-sin firefighter?”
This is why she shouldn’t have let Becket spread the word last night. Dolly wouldn’t let her live it down. “Actually, I’ve got a pajama date with Brooklyn Nine-Nine .”
Dolly’s face turned into a frown.
Sky chuckled. “See you later.”
As she walked toward her car, she pulled out her phone and saw a barrage of messages.
Mom: Darling, what happened between Becket and Tony? Tony came home saying Becket put his hands on him.
Oh, man. Bet that weasel hadn’t said what had come before that.
She opened the next one.
Tony: I think your boyfriend dislocated my shoulder. Is that really the type of person you want to date? I could press charges for his violence.
She snorted. Becket could have done far worse.
She opened the last text.
Becket: Call me when you’ve cooled off and we can talk about dinner at Mom’s.
When she’d “cooled off”? God, the man was so infuriating, she wanted to kick him in the shins.
Her fingers flew over the screen.
Sky: How about you call me when you’re ready to apologize for telling me I couldn’t handle my own business this morning.
Becket: Come on, Peaches, don’t pretend you’re not grateful I’m in your life.
Jesus, he was crazy.
Sky: Let’s all hope I never fall from the height of your ego to your IQ, because that would really hurt.
With a huff, she slid into her car. Her response was petty and immature, but dammit, he just brought that side out of her.
Her phone vibrated with more texts as she drove, but she didn’t touch it. Her fingers just tightened around the wheel.
What had he written back? More stuff about how lucky she was to have him? About how lost she’d be without him?
God, she really needed more acupuncture. And maybe some meditation. She’d been so angry since returning to Amber Ridge. After Eloise’s death, all the accidents, then losing Charlie, everything in her life had just felt infinitely unfair.
She pulled into her driveway but didn’t immediately get out. Instead, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, an image of Charlie flashing into her mind.
She’d never forgive herself for his death. Not if she ran a thousand fundraisers and helped a million animals.
It took a few deep breaths before she was ready to get out of the car, and she still ignored her phone until she got inside the house.
Becket: Don’t worry, I’ll catch you, honey. I’m in the business of saving people. Kind of like God.
And he finished the text with a wink emoji.
Infuriating .
She dropped her bag to the couch and angry texted as she marched upstairs.
Sky: I have never met anyone who has such a superiority complex.
Becket: Sexy, right?
She snorted. No. Not sexy. It wasn’t even remotely sexy.
She reached the top of the stairs and was about to respond but stopped at a small rustling noise coming from…her bedroom?
Was it a breeze? Had she left a window open? No. She never left anything open. She was almost obsessive about closing everything up before leaving.
She took three more quiet steps toward the bedroom when something hit the floor with a clatter.
Her heart stopped.
Her phone vibrated again, and she absently looked down, the words blurring before her eyes.
Becket: Come on, you can admit I’m sexy. I won’t tell anyone.
Her fingers moved quickly over the screen, the slight shake making it hard to get the words out.
Sky: I think someone’s in my house.
The reply was instant.
Becket: Get out.
She turned and ran but had only made it down a couple of stairs when her foot caught the edge of a tread. She cried out and fell forward, trying to grab the railing but missing, and tumbled down the stairs.
* * *
Becket grinned as he hit send. He could just picture her eye roll at his self-declaration about being sexy.
He only played into this arrogant thing because it riled her up so much. All he wanted to do was unravel her. Peel back the layers and see who Sky truly was.
When she didn’t immediately respond, his smile widened. Was he actually going to get the final word for once?
“What’s put that smile on your face?” Irene asked as she entered the kitchen.
“Nothing.” He sipped his coffee. For once he got to drink it hot. Too often he got interrupted and the damn stuff went cold.
Irene frowned at him before understanding crossed her features. “You’re texting your neighbor slash girlfriend.”
“How’d you know that?”
She snorted. “Teddy knew, which means everyone at the station knew five minutes later. I would like to know how it happened though. Last I heard, she hated you.”
“She just realized that she’d rather kiss me than fight with me.” His lips twitched at the memory of their kiss.
Damn, he needed to find out if a second kiss would be just as good.
“Hm.” She looked like she didn’t believe him.
Which was fair enough. Irene had heard all the stories.
He turned back to his phone and sent Sky another text.
Becket: Come on, you can admit I’m sexy. I won’t tell anyone.
He was about to set his phone onto the table when Sky’s response came through.
Sky: I think someone’s in my house.
The mug almost slipped from his fingers as every fucking muscle in his body locked.
Becket: Get out.
“What’s wrong?” Irene asked, straightening.
“I need to go. Can you call Moose in to replace me?”
“Sure. But is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure.”
Becket tried Sky’s number as he ran to his car. When it rang out, acid churned in his gut. He pulled out of the parking lot and called his brother.
“Becket, I’m just in the middle of something, can I—”
“Someone’s in Sky’s house and now she’s not answering.”
“ What ?”
“I need you to get to her now.”
Wind rushed over the line, like his brother was moving. “I’ll be there in three minutes.”
Becket hung up and pressed his foot to the floor, dialing Sky again.
Still nothing.
Fuck . Was this the asshole breaking into houses?
It took him too fucking long to get to her house, then he raced to the front door.
Locked. He could pick a lock, but it would take too long.
His gaze zeroed in on the group of potted plants near the front door. One by one, he quickly lifted them. A spare key was under the fifth pot. He grabbed it.
The door was barely open when he saw her—Sky lay on her back at the bottom of the stairs, completely still.
His heart shot into his throat, and he raced forward and dropped beside her. When he touched her pulse, a light thud beat beneath his fingertips. Good. He lowered his ear to her mouth. A whisper of air moved between her lips.
Thank God.
Gently, he cupped her cheek. “Sky? Can you hear me?”
A small feminine groan slipped from her throat. Her eyes scrunched as she tried to roll to her side.
“Whoa, easy.” He set a hand on her hip to still her.
She frowned as her eyes slowly opened. “Becket?”
“Yeah, honey, it’s me. Can you tell me if anything hurts?”
Her frown deepened. “My head…”
He inspected the back of her head, and sure enough, blood soaked through her hair. Because someone had hit her? Or because she’d hit her skull on the stairs?
Fury heated his blood but he ignored it, focusing on her. Her pupils were wide and slightly unfocused. A concussion.
“Any nausea or pressure in your head?” he asked.
“No. Just an ache at the back.”
Only pain from the site of the wound was good. “What about your back?”
“I think my back’s okay. I’d like to sit up.”
He gripped her upper arms and helped her, making sure she moved slowly.
“What happened?” He tried not to growl the words, but fuck he was angry. “Did they push you down the stairs?”
She cringed. “No. After you texted me to get out, I was in such a rush, I just ran and I fell down the stairs.”
His gaze shot around the house. So there was a chance the asshole could still be here.
Shit .
Cars sounded from the road, and a few seconds later, his brother came in, deputies behind him.
Jesse held his pistol but lowered it when he saw them. “Are you okay?”
Sky nodded, only to cringe.
Becket grazed his thumb over her arm before looking back to Jesse. “Your deputies need to check the house. The guy might still be here.”
His brother nodded toward his deputies, and they separated, some moving into the kitchen, others upstairs.
Sky started to push to her feet, and Becket gripped her arms again to take her weight before leading her over to the couch. “We need to get the bump checked out at the hospital.”
“I’d prefer to wait and see how I feel.”
“Sky—”
“I called an ambulance on my way here, in case one was needed,” Jesse interrupted.
Good.
Jesse crouched in front of her. “Tell me what happened.”
“There’s not much to tell. I got home and was texting Becket. When I reached the top of the stairs, I heard a rustling in my bedroom and stopped. Then there was a crash, like something dropped to the floor. I texted Becket that I thought someone was here, and he told me to get out, but when I ran down the stairs, I was rushing and fell.”
The idea of Sky unconscious on the floor, vulnerable , while an intruder was inside her house, made him feel fucking sick.
“And then you lost consciousness?” Jesse asked.
Sky nodded and looked at Becket. “Your cameras might have caught them.”
His cameras only covered part of the front, and it was unlikely any thief would come in through the front, but he pulled out his phone and opened the app. “It didn’t catch anyone.”
“Jesse?”
They all looked up at the female deputy entering the room.
“Did you find something?” Jesse asked.
“The lock on the back door’s broken, and the neighbor just got home and is saying someone broke into her place too. It looks like the person went to the neighbor first, then Sky’s through the fence.”
A visible shudder ran down Sky’s spine, and Becket inched closer, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
He should have fixed that damn fence. He hadn’t. So in his mind, this was as good as his fault.