Every Waking Moment Read online

  Polly had seemed to take it all in stride and promised to keep their secret. Registering Heather at the local kindergarten under her pet name “Annie,” Gail had also located a reliable baby-sitter, Darcie Reynolds, who came highly recommended by Polly.

  Her life was now secure for the first time in a good many years. Gail had no reason to worry about a stranger, even if he did disturb her. She and Heather were safe, and she intended to see they stayed that way.

  In spite of her resolution to put the customer out of her mind, however, his image seemed to haunt her for the rest of the morning. She found herself wondering why such a dynamic man would choose this lonely place to vacation alone.

  Tourists were not that uncommon in Mellow Springs, even in winter, although they were more likely to be retired couples touring the great Northwest, or campers, hikers and mountain climbers—outdoor types.

  Not that the stranger didn’t seem capable. With his powerful build and aura of hidden strength, he looked energetic enough to tackle the toughest mountain trail. But somehow, he just didn’t appear the sort to enjoy scrambling over rocks in the frigid air. He looked as if he would be more at home on a busy street, in a noisy, crowded bar somewhere, or maybe cheering a football team from the stands of a city stadium.

  Yet, in spite of his intimidating manner, she hadn’t been able to ignore that undercurrent of potent masculinity. Her body’s response to his touch had been unmistakable.

  Gail threw down the pile of bookmarks she’d been sorting in disgust. She didn’t want to think about him anymore. Who he was and what he was doing in Mellow Springs was entirely his own business and none of hers. She could only hope that she wouldn’t be in the shop if and when he chose to come back and look for something else to read.

  Polly arrived promptly at noon, and Gail felt a sense of release as she left the store and drove over to the kindergarten to pick up her daughter.

  She no longer panicked every time she left Heather somewhere. Even so, she still had moments of uneasiness, and Gail was always relieved to see the little girl happy and smiling when she arrived to collect her.

  Heather chatted happily all the way to the baby-sitter’s, telling her mother about school. Gail gave her only half her attention. Her thoughts were still grappling with the memory of a sharp-eyed man who had succeeded in disrupting her entire morning.

  Darcie Reynolds was a cheerful, industrious young woman who managed to take care of five young children as well as her own two with remarkable serenity. Nothing seemed to upset her, and Gail envied Darcie her calm composure.

  Heather always looked forward to playing with the rest of the kids, and she adored the baby-sitter. Gail felt extremely fortunate to have found her.

  After chatting with Darcie for a minute or two, Gail stooped to say goodbye to Heather. “You be a good girl, Annie,” she said, smoothing back Heather’s feathery blond hair from her eyes, “and I’ll be back for you later, okay?”

  “Okay.” Heather gave her a wet kiss on the cheek, then turned back to a little girl who sat on the carpet, hugging a worn teddy bear. “I’m going to paint my dolly’s face when I get home,” she announced with pride. “You want me to paint your teddy’s face?”

  Gail sighed and gave Darcie a rueful look. “You’d better lock up your makeup if you don’t want it smeared all over the toys.”

  “Don’t worry.” Darcie walked with Gail to the door. “I learned a long time ago to keep stuff like that way out of reach.”

  “I’m beginning to learn,” Gail said ruefully.

  “You okay? You do look a bit strained. Things aren’t getting you down, are they?”

  Gail shook her head. “Didn’t get much sleep last night, that’s all.”

  “Well, okay. Just let me know if you need a break. You know I’ll keep Annie overnight anytime you want. She’s a good kid and no trouble. In fact, she keeps my two in line.”

  “She’s bossy, you mean.” Gail sighed. “I hope she grows out of that.”

  Darcie laughed. “You worry too much.”

  “Yes, I’m afraid I do.” Gail opened the door and stepped outside into the cold wind. “Thanks again, Darcie.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. You pay me.”

  “I mean, thanks for being a friend.”

  “Sure, pal. Anytime.”

  Warmed by Darcie’s grin, Gail tried to put her morbid thoughts out of her mind as she parked in her usual spot and then walked back to the Corner Café.

  Gina, the frazzled-looking blond waitress, greeted her eagerly as she stepped inside the moist warmth of the diner.

  “Got my book? Great! I’ve been looking forward to this one.”

  “It came in this morning,” Gail assured her as she followed the waitress to a table at the window. “You’ll be the first in town to read it.”

  “Well, don’t tell anyone, or they’ll all want to borrow it. Let them buy their own, that’s what I say.” Gina handed her the plastic menu. “You want the usual, or do you want to try the special?”

  Gail skimmed down the familiar list of food selections. “I think I’ll stick with the grilled chicken sandwich.”

  “So would I.” Gina took the menu from her. “I’ll bring your coffee.” She strutted across the room to the kitchen, tossing a remark at one of the customers that made the man laugh out loud.

  Gail smiled and looked out the window. Thick gray clouds coasted across the sky, blotting out the sun. She wondered if it was going to snow again. If so, what would the mysterious tourist do then?

  Annoyed with herself for thinking about him again, Gail looked around the diner. All the tables were full. She’d been lucky to get one by the window.

  The door opened, letting in a blast of cold air that stung her legs. She wished now that she’d worn pants instead of a skirt and sweater.

  Suddenly her heart skipped a couple of beats. Standing just a few yards away, the stranger from earlier stood looking around him for an empty table.

  Gail edged back, hoping he wouldn’t see her. It was a futile hope, of course. Seated in the window, she was as prominent as Gina, who at that moment was tripping back across the floor with her coffee.

  The man’s gaze followed the waitress all the way to Gail’s table. She barely noticed as Gina put down the steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

  “Here, drink this,” the waitress ordered. “You look cold.”

  Gail gave her a vague smile. “Thanks.”

  “Sure. I’ll be back with your sandwich in a few minutes. Harry’s going crazy in there. You know how he is when we get busy.”

  Gina turned away, almost bumping into the stranger who stood right behind her. Muttering, “Excuse me,” she stepped around him and pranced back to the kitchen.

  “Hope you don’t mind, but this is the only seat left,” he said to Gail, dragging the other chair out from her table. Before she could think of an answer, he’d draped his jacket over the back of the chair and sat down.

  Yes, she thought irritably, she did mind. The fact that she preferred to eat alone had apparently not even occurred to him.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him so, but then she reminded herself that he was, after all, one of Polly’s customers. She could hardly be rude to him. Reluctantly, she resigned herself to sharing the table with him. She would just have to do her best to ignore him.

  “This gives me the chance to thank you for helping me this morning,” he said, giving her one of his restrained smiles. “The guide is extremely helpful.”

  “We sell a lot of them in the summertime,” she murmured, pretending an interest in the dessert menu propped up between the salt and pepper shakers. “That’s when we get most of our tourists.”

  “I imagine this is not the best time to explore the mountains.”

  “Unless you have a fondness for snow.”

  To her surprise he chuckled—a low, pleasant sound that melted some of the reserve she’d built up against him. She looked up, disturbed to find him
watching her.

  The cold light from the window slanted across his face, accentuating the tiny crevices at the corners of his eyes. She could see a sprinkling of gray in his dark hair at the temples, and faint frown lines between his brows.

  “I don’t mind snow,” he said. “My main priority is peace and quiet.”

  She felt her shoulders begin to relax. “Well, you’ll get plenty of that here. There’s not a lot of excitement in Mellow Springs.”

  She looked up with a start as Gina placed her chicken sandwich in front of her. She hadn’t noticed the waitress approach. Gina looked at her companion and bestowed her wide grin on him. “I guess you found the bookstore okay, then.”

  “Yes, I did. Thank you.” He gave the waitress a cursory glance. “I’ll have a steak sandwich, medium rare, and coffee.”

  Gina shrugged, obviously put out by his indifference, then sauntered off in search of more appreciative company.

  “I was in here this morning for breakfast,” he said, in answer to Gail’s questioning look. “I asked where I could find a travel guide and she recommended your store.”

  “Gina spends a lot of time in The Book Nook.”

  “She also told me your name. Kate Morris, isn’t it?”

  Gail nodded, wondering what else the gossipy waitress had told him.

  “I’m Blake Foster, and I’m happy to meet you.”

  He held out his hand, and she tentatively put hers into it. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Foster.”

  His warm, firm grasp tightened around her fingers. “Blake. You don’t mind if I call you Kate?”

  She gave a slight shake of her head. What did it matter, anyway? He was just passing through, and names would be easily forgotten. Judging from the vibrations strumming through her fingers, it was just as well.

  “This town must seem very small compared to Seattle,” she said, after an awkward pause. She would have liked to eat her sandwich and make her escape, but it seemed rude to start without him.

  “Quite a contrast, I must admit.” Once more his astute gaze roamed the room.

  Again she was struck by the undercurrent of tension beneath his cool image. He reminded her of some wild, predatory animal, concentrating on his prey, his violence held at bay by a thin thread.

  She felt a quiver in the region of her stomach and wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or something more provocative. In spite of all her misgivings, he fascinated her. He was unlike any man she had met before.

  She had known more than one predatory man in her life—cruel, insensitive men who were completely without any sense of decency or honor. Somehow she couldn’t equate Blake Foster with any of those monsters.

  Gina returned with his steak sandwich and coffee, and Gail could finally eat her lunch. After a while, he asked her if she had always lived in Mellow Springs.

  Her nerves tightening again, she shook her head. “I moved here from Newberg, Oregon, a few months ago. My husband was killed in a car wreck, and I wanted to get away from the memories. I came upon this town by accident, and decided it would be a good place to start a new life with my daughter.”

  The lies had come easily enough. After all, she’d been telling the same story ever since she’d arrived in Mellow Springs. Even so, her pulse jumped nervously when she met his intense gaze.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “That must have been a tough thing to do.”

  She shrugged. “It gets easier.”

  “How old is your daughter?”

  “She’s five, going on nineteen.”

  He smiled at that. “Where is she now?”

  “With a baby-sitter. She goes to kindergarten in the mornings, then Darcie keeps her the rest of the time I have to work.”

  “You don’t have any family? It must be pretty lonely here on your own.”

  This time she could tell him the truth. “No family. I grew up in foster homes. I never knew my parents. From the little I know, I guess they weren’t married, and my mother was too young to take care of herself, let alone a baby.”

  He nodded, his gray eyes intent on her face as if afraid to miss a word. “What about your husband’s family?”

  She shrugged. “I have no contact with them.” His questions were getting a little too personal, and she deliberately changed the subject. “So what do you do in Seattle?”

  He seemed surprised by the abrupt question, but answered her readily enough. “I’m in real estate. Though I have no idea why they call it that. Any business based less on reality I have yet to meet.”

  “You sell houses?”

  Her voice had risen in astonishment and his face registered amusement. “You seem surprised by that.”

  “I don’t know why....I just thought—I mean...” Aware she was floundering, she let her voice trail off.

  “What did you think I did for a living?”

  A lion tamer or a soldier of fortune jumped immediately to mind, but she could hardly admit that. She shrugged, saying nonchalantly, “Oh, I don’t know. Something a little less—”

  “Mundane?”

  She laughed. “I really don’t know enough about selling real estate to make a judgment.”

  “It’s a very exacting science,” he said solemnly. “For instance, you must be able to judge instantly if furniture you’ve never seen will fit into a living room you haven’t measured, as well as identify every species of green shoot in the yard while they are barely an inch tall.”

  Grinning, she said, “I can imagine you get some pretty dumb questions. I’ve had a few of those myself at the bookstore.”

  For the next few minutes they traded anecdotes, until Gail gave a guilty start and looked at her watch. “Oh, Lord, I’m going to be late getting back. Polly will wonder where I am.”

  Blake looked concerned. “I hope she won’t be too upset with you.”

  Gail shook her head and reached for her bill. “Polly never gets upset.” She stood and slipped her arms into her coat.

  Blake got to his feet, and lifted his jacket from the chair. “Thank you for sharing your table with me,” he said, as she led the way to the front counter. “I can’t remember passing a more enjoyable hour.”

  She sent him a quick glance. “I enjoyed it, too.”

  “Perhaps we can do it again before I leave town.”

  “Perhaps.” She paid for her meal, then turned to leave.

  “Goodbye, Mr. Foster. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.”

  “So do I. And it’s Blake, remember?” Once more his gray eyes invaded her face. “So long...for now, Kate.”

  She managed a smile, then slipped through the door. Her cheeks felt hot, in spite of the bite of the cold wind. In fact, her entire body felt invigorated, more alive than she had felt in a very long time. Blake Foster had been great company, with his wry humor and quick, intelligent mind. She had found it so easy to talk to him.

  A little too easy, she reflected, as she walked briskly to the bookstore. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down like that, particularly with a total stranger. She should know better. She must never forget why she’d run away, and the possible danger that lay in every new acquaintance. No matter how much she had enjoyed his company, she would make a point of avoiding Blake Foster.

  She opened the door of the shop and stepped inside, unable to escape the uneasy thought that avoiding a man in a town this size would be practically impossible. Particularly if he was persistent. And something told her that Blake Foster was the persistent type.

  That afternoon she found it difficult to concentrate on anything. Twice she missed a question from Polly and had to ask her to repeat it, and then she gave a customer the wrong order and couldn’t find the right one. Every time she heard the doorbell she jumped, half expecting the powerful figure of Blake Foster to be standing in the doorway.

  Finally Polly demanded to know what was the matter with her. “You’ve been as twitchy as a cricket all afternoon,” she said, her blue eyes full of concern. “What’s biting at you, for heaven�
��s sake? Did someone upset you?”

  “Not exactly,” Gail said, rubbing at a stubborn spot on the front of the glass case she was polishing.

  Polly reached out and took the dust cloth from her hand. “You’re going to rub a hole in the dang thing if you keep that up. You might as well tell me what’s got you all fired up, missy, because I’m not letting you out of here until I know what it is.”

  Gail sighed. Polly meant well, but there were times when she used her advanced years of experience as an excuse to get downright nosy. In the next instant, she was ashamed of her petty criticism. Polly had been good to her. She’d trusted her, in spite of her less-than-perfect background. Polly was simply being protective.

  “I guess it was the tourist who came in this morning,” she said lightly. “You know how I get about strangers in town.”

  “We get a lot of strangers in town,” Polly said, giving her a shrewd look. “I don’t see any of them giving you the heebie-jeebies the way this guy did.” She dropped her voice, even though they were alone. “You don’t think he’s one of those private detectives, do you? You know, working for your in-laws?”

  Gail shook her head, ignoring the quiver of apprehension. “No, I don’t think so. He was just...a little intimidating, that’s all.”

  Polly narrowed her eyes. “Good-looking?”

  Gail shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Ah, so that’s it.” Polly gave her a hefty slap on the shoulder. “Well, it’s about time you started hunting for another man. Go for it, gal, that’s what I say.”

  Gail could feel her face growing warm. “He’s just a tourist passing through, Polly. I’m not likely to see him again, even if I were interested, which I’m not. So you can forget your matchmaking.”

  Polly lifted a finger and wagged it at her. “You’re much too young to give up on love, Kate Morris. And that daughter of yours could use a father. Little girls need a daddy in their lives. I know your ex was a jerk, but that doesn’t mean every man on this good earth is the same way.”