A Kept Woman. Sheri WhiteFeather

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СКАЧАТЬ more confident than her pounding heart allowed. Natalie kept telling herself that she wasn’t a fraud, but suddenly the idea of going to college seemed a bit too ambitious for a girl who’d barely gotten through high school. “Yes, I’m ready.”

      He lit a cigarette, drawing hard and deep. “Then let’s go.”

      She led the way to his car. David had been a smoker, too. “That’s a nasty habit.”

      “What? This?” He exaggerated his next drag. “It keeps me sane.”

      “It’ll probably kill you someday.”

      “Beats being crazy.”

      By the time they arrived at the Workforce Training Center and picked up a catalog, Natalie decided that having a lawman as an escort wasn’t so bad. He wasn’t the nicest guy in the world, but at least he was armed. Somewhere on his body, he carried a concealed weapon. Was it under his jacket? Holstered to his belt? She’d heard deputy marshals were taught to shoot from the hip. David used to enjoy discussing firearms. Guns were his passion.

      “Do you want to see NIC’s main campus?” he asked.

      “Sure.” She was curious about North Idaho College, even if the classes she attended would be at the Workforce Training Center.

      On the drive to NIC, Zack smoked another cigarette. Natalie spotted the Factory Outlets Mall, but wasn’t about to bring it up. She didn’t want to spar with him again about her clothes. Already the notion of shopping with him weighed heavily on her mind. She would prefer to visit the mall on her own. Of course that meant giving up the comfort of his gun, but she would have to get used to that sooner or later. Zack wasn’t her bodyguard. He wouldn’t be living on her doorstep.

      “When are you going to help me find a car?”

      He stopped at a red light. “Getting antsy to get back on the road?”

      “Who wouldn’t be?”

      Before the light changed, he snuffed out his cigarette. “What did you drive in your former life?”

      “A Mercedes.”

      “Let me guess.” He turned to study her, then removed the dark glasses. “An SL500 convertible.” He glanced at the fancy buttons that adorned her blouse. “Silver, with a set of chrome twenties.” When she crossed her arms, his lips tilted in a barely there smile. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”

      Natalie shifted in her seat. The fact that he’d just described her last car, right down to the custom, twenty-inch wheels, set her on edge. What else had he figured out about her? “David didn’t buy it for me. It was leased.”

      “Meaning what? That you got a new convertible every couple years?” He chuckled and crossed the intersection. “I think I’ll outfit you in a rusty old Pinto.”

      She refused to laugh, to appreciate his sardonic sense of humor. “And I think I’ll outfit you with my fist up your nose.”

      He had the gall to grin. “Now that I’d like to see.”

      Me, too, she thought, as they arrived at the college.

      Five minutes later, Natalie walked beside him, impressed by the spectacular view. NIC’s main campus was located on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River. “This is nice.”

      “The tuition is affordable, too.” He glanced her way. “Do you want to find a shady spot and look through that catalog?”

      She agreed, even though she hadn’t realized that she’d brought the class schedule with her. Silent, they headed toward the nearest shore. The weather was warm, the breeze light and clean. The water stretched for what seemed like an eternity.

      He chose a patch of grass beneath a tree. Overall, the campus was quiet, but she assumed summer sessions drew less students. She sat on the ground next to Zack, wondering if he ever picnicked by the lake. The last outdoor activity Natalie had planned had been on the day of the murder, the day David had destroyed her.

      Zack moved closer. “Let’s take a look.”

      Caught off guard, she opened the catalog. Suddenly she could smell his cologne, a musky scent mingling with the elements.

      “How about this?” He pointed to a workshop geared for writing a business plan. “And this?” A financial strategies course.

      Natalie turned the next page. “All of these classes seem important,” she said, hoping and praying she could pull this off. In her mind’s eye, she could see the boutique she intended to open. She’d dreamed up every detail, yet deep down she was afraid of failing, of discovering that she’d gotten in over her head. “Did you go to college?”

      He nodded. “I have a degree in criminal justice.”

      “Oh.” Did she think a WITSEC inspector would be uneducated? Someone she could relate to? “How old are you?”

      “Forty.”

      She studied his profile. He was the same age as David, but David covered the gray in his hair and worried about the crow’s-feet that had begun to form at the corners of his eyes.

      Zack leaned into her, his shoulder brushing hers. “They must have a training program of some sort. A group of classes—” He flipped through the catalog. “And here it is. Check this out. Twelve three-hour sessions on Wednesday nights, with just about every course you’ll need.”

      She read the program outline. It did look promising. “The first class starts next month.”

      “That’s perfect, don’t you think? You’ll have some time to settle in before you start school.”

      Touched by his enthusiasm, her heart made a girlish leap. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had supported her endeavors. He lifted his head to look at her, and she realized how close their faces were.

      Close enough to kiss.

      When she lowered her gaze to his mouth, he scooted back, and a blast of shame nailed her straight in the chest. He handed her the catalog, and she summoned the courage to ask the dreaded question. “Are you married, Zack?”

      “What? No.” He flinched, then frowned at her, an expression that made him seem tougher than he already was. “I’m divorced.”

      “Recently?”

      “It’s been four years.”

      “Was it a bitter separation?” she asked, a bit too curious for her own good.

      “Bitter?” His frown deepened. “Are you kidding? It was friendly as hell. Especially after I threatened to shoot her lover’s balls off.”

      Natalie nearly swallowed her tongue. “She cheated on you?”

      His gaze locked on to hers. “It happens.”

      The way it had happened between her and David? Was Zack comparing his situation to hers? Blaming her for being the other woman? Did he empathize with Ellen Halloway?

      Natalie СКАЧАТЬ