Expecting His Secret Heir(2)

"I'm just taking some pictures," she said quietly, lifting the camera still in her hand.

If anything, his dark eyes hardened more. "On private property."

She glanced around, uncomfortable under the stares of the other men.  "This is...was a business, right? There aren't any signs posted about  private property or trespassing."                       
       
           



       

"That's because they were all blown down by the bomb."

Really? She wanted to challenge him, push past that stony facade to find  out if he was simply making that up. Was he trying to punish her for  walking away? Or did he really not recognize her? Had she been that  unmemorable? The thought made her slightly ill.

She settled for a simple, "Sorry, I didn't realize."

Zach stared her down. What would he do next? She had a feeling this  wasn't going to end as a friendly little chat. Her cheeks started to  burn. Inwardly cursing her fair skin, she tilted her chin up to  counteract the feeling of inadequacy. So what if he didn't remember  her...she'd still find a way to get what she needed.

But she couldn't force her gaze back up to his.

"As you can see, this is still an active fire zone, and we've got a great deal to investigate before we know how safe it is."

She smirked at the lame excuse. "I wasn't anywhere near the fire. I was in the parking lot with a bunch of other people."

The crowd around her shifted, as if uncomfortable with her spark of  courage. But Zach didn't back down. "Do you have a press pass?"

"What?"

"A press pass," he said, enunciating each word with careful control. "Do you have permission to be taking photos of the scene?"

She seriously wanted to roll her eyes at his show of dominance but held herself in check. "No."

"Steve, please escort this lady back to her car."

Startled, she snapped her gaze up to meet his eyes once more. Surely he wasn't throwing her off the property?

He stepped closer, close enough for her to catch the scent she'd missed  all too often, mixed with perspiration from his work despite the cool  October air. His fingers-the same ones that had explored her body that  long-ago night-caught her chin, tilting it up just a touch more until it  was uncomfortable. Then she had no choice but to meet his gaze, despite  their height difference. Her heart thumped hard, though she didn't know  if it was from his nearness or fear.

"I suggest you stay away from where you don't belong."

As the guard escorted her back to her car, she had only one thought.

Guess he does remember me after all...

* * *

Zach Gatlin stood behind his desk, lost in thought as he stared at the  large monitor. Where had she come from? Did he really want to know?

Unfortunately, he did.

As much as he wished he could forget the red-haired beauty he'd taken to  bed five years ago, the memory of her eager passion had resurfaced all  too often. As had the memory of her love of sunsets and people and  nature-her artistic eye had taught him to see the gentler world he'd  forgotten in the midst of war.

Then, with no warning, she was gone. He'd consoled himself with the  thought that if she hadn't been willing to say goodbye, she wouldn't  have stayed in the long run anyway. Probably for the better, since  Zach's responsibilities were a heavy load.

Sometimes he wondered if that inner voice lied.

Shaking off the memories, Zach focused on the present. The question was:  Did he look into her or not? Running a background check would be all  too easy, especially now that he ran his very own security business. The  tools were within close reach. Close enough to make his fingers twitch.  He could know all he wanted within minutes, every small detail of her  life within days.

But was it the right thing to do?

Maybe he should have asked himself that before he threw her off mill  property yesterday. He'd had a gut reaction to seeing her there, so  close but seemingly oblivious to him. He wished he had controlled  himself, but what was done was done. He couldn't go back.

With his life, he knew that all too well.

Turning away from the computer, he decided to confront this problem  head-on rather than hide behind snooping. Security might be his  business, but it didn't have to be his life.

Thirty minutes later, he wondered if he should have taken the easy way  out. Figuring out where Sadie was staying had been easy-this was, after  all, a small town. Getting past the nosy owner of the B and B? Well,  that was an altogether different problem.

"Gladys, I know she's here, I just need to know what room she's in."

"Is she expecting you?"

"Probably." At least that much was the truth. If Sadie remembered  anything at all about him, it should be that he was a man of action.

Gladys leaned against the high desk in the foyer. "Now, why would Black  Hills's newest hero want to see some strange woman who just came into  town?"

Lord, this woman wanted a pound of flesh, didn't she? "I haven't always lived here, Gladys."                       
       
           



       

"So you met her somewhere else?" Was that a gleam of excitement in her  eyes? How sad that his life had gone from daily drudgery to full-on  gossip mill fodder.

He'd met Sadie right here in Black Hills, but it had seemed like another time and place. "The room number?"

Probably recognizing the obstinate look on his face and realizing she  wasn't getting any gossip from him-outside of his very presence  here-Gladys relented. "Room three."

Back straight, he refused to look over his shoulder to see her watching  him as he climbed the stairs. He hesitated before knocking, but luckily  there was no one to see it.

The door opened, revealing Sadie. She was just as he remembered her,  with smooth, translucent skin, an abundance of fiery red hair and green  eyes that appeared guileless. A trap he wasn't falling for this time.

"Zachary," she said.

He stalked through the doorway. The suite was more spacious than the  tiny hotel room she'd occupied the last time she'd been here. This was  open and airy, with a lightly feminine touch. His gaze bounced away from  the bed in an alcove and came to rest on the laptop in a low sitting  area in front of a fireplace. He made his way forward with measured  steps.

"It's been a while, Sadie," he finally said.

"Five years," she murmured.

He paused, giving away the fact that he'd heard her when he would have  preferred not to show any reaction at all. He was ashamed to admit, even  to himself, that he'd often thought about what he would say if he ever  saw her again. He'd pictured himself as calm, slightly condescending as  he asked her why she'd left without a word, without any explanation.

Nothing in that scenario came close to the amped-up emotions he was experiencing at the moment.

Eager for a distraction, he paused in front of the open laptop. Several  pictures shared space on the screen, showcasing the smoldering mill from  different angles. He'd never had much time for art, but to his  inexperienced eyes, these looked pretty good.

Which for some reason made him even angrier.

"You weren't authorized to take pictures there."

"Did you tell that to every bystander in that parking lot with their cell phones in their hands? Or just me?"

He glanced in her direction, mildly surprised by her return salvo. He  hadn't known her to be very confrontational. Not that they'd spent much  time arguing, but they had talked-a lot. He wouldn't have called her a  doormat, exactly, but she'd shown a lot more spirit in the last  twenty-four hours than he'd seen in the week he'd known her five years  ago. A week that had ended in a night he couldn't forget.

She raised one fine brow. "There were no signs posted. No one said I couldn't be there...at first."

He studied the images a bit longer. Damn if she didn't have him stumped.  What exactly had he wanted to accomplish by coming here? To go over the  same territory as at the mill? To find out why she had returned? To get  information without having to ask any direct questions?

To put himself out there to be hurt again?

Gesturing toward the screen, he asked, "So you came back just for pictures?"

It was as close as he'd let himself get to addressing the elephant in  the room. He really wanted to know why she hadn't come back for him. She  was the one woman he'd ever felt he could actually let into his life,  have a real relationship with. And she'd walked away without looking  back.

"I was in the area and heard about the explosion. I wanted to check it out."

She looked too calm, acted too casual. And she just happened to be in  the area? He shook his head. When had he gotten so suspicious?

"What about you?" she surprised him by asking. "What were you doing there?"

That's when he realized she wasn't the only one who had changed in five years. "I'm head of security for the Blackstones-"