Expecting His Secret Heir(9)

Under his breath, so only she could hear, he said, "Didn't sound like it."

Her cheeks flushed hot, but she didn't tuck her chin down the way she  wanted to. Don't show weakness. Always her first line of defense against  the world.

"Gentlemen," he said, glancing over her shoulder. "Glad to see you here.  Thanks for supporting us." Then he clasped her elbow. "If you'll excuse  us."

He pulled her away, quickly enough that she had to double her short  steps to keep up. Looking back, she noticed the men talking and  laughing. Goodness only knew what they thought he wanted with her, but  whatever their assumption, they thought it was amusing.

Not breaking stride, Zach marched her around the side of the parking  area to a more isolated spot before turning to face her. "What was that  about?"

"What do you mean?" She had a feeling her innocent look wasn't going to work here.

She was right.

"What right do you have to talk about me, about my life, with the people of this town?"

"Well, technically the conversation didn't start out that way-"

"I don't care how it started." His voice rose enough to sting her ears. "Just that it stops. Now."

Unbidden, Sadie could feel her backbone stiffening and her expression  becoming a blank mask. A lifetime in service had taught her how to deal  with difficult people, usually men, and their expressions of  displeasure. She instinctively took steps to protect herself, even if  walking away from the situation wasn't an option. Which it usually  wasn't.

Her voice was awfully formal when she spoke. "I'm sorry you feel that  way, but I was simply asking about the mill and they offered  information. I didn't dig into anything."

"I heard you asking questions."

She narrowed her eyes at him. If he thought she would just take this, he  was mistaken. He didn't know her as well as he thought. "A question.  You heard me ask a question about you, and that's after Earl brought you  up." She cocked her head to the side. "But I do have another question."

"I'm not telling you anything about myself." His snarl said she didn't deserve it.

Which she didn't. "And thus my question. Why do you care if I ask?"

* * *

Zachary Gatlin hated being caught off guard. He'd spent his military  career planning for the unexpected, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Luckily, Sadie didn't wait for an answer.

"Look," she said, "I have to ask questions. How else am I gonna know  what to take pictures of? Who to take pictures of? Talking to people is  part of that."

She cocked her jeans-clad hip, the hand she propped there drawing his  eye more than he liked. "If that's a problem, I can do it on my own.  After all, you are only supposed to escort me through the mill."

"No," he said through clenched teeth. Not just from his anger, either.  Being only a foot away from her seemed to be causing his entire body to  go haywire. "That's not what Jacob meant, and you know it."

"I know nothing of the sort." Her brows rose. He didn't remember her  being so sassy before. This time she was pushing all his buttons. "I  only know that the mill is dangerous right now and they want you with me  when I go inside. That's the only sure thing."                       
       
           



       

"It's my job to make sure everything you go over is safe." They both  knew what his emphasis meant, even if she wanted to pretend otherwise.

"Then I guess you'd better stick a little closer, don't you think?"

For a split second, that sassy pink mouth and raised brow made Zach drop  his protective barriers. Without thought, he stepped in. Her back hit  the wall behind her. His hand planted right above her shoulder. There  was barely a hand's breadth between their chests. Their lips were even  closer.

Zach's heart moved into double time. Remain impassive. But he couldn't  when his entire body was straining to press in close and make contact in  the most primitive way he knew how. Touch.

Their breath mingled. He allowed one point of contact. Only one, when he  wanted so many more. He reached out with his other hand and curled it  around her waist, soaking in the warmth of her body beneath the T-shirt  she wore.

"Oh, I'm gonna stick pretty damn close, sweetheart," he said, relishing  her eyes going wide with something akin to nerves. "I'll be keeping an  eye on every move you make. Every word you speak. Every picture you  take." No matter how creepy that might be.

He could be dedicated to his job, couldn't he? "No more snooping behind my back."

"Roger that," she whispered.

It was the barest brush of her lip against his that broke the hold she  had over his body. That accidental contact shook him to his core-which  was the last thing he wanted her to know. So he stepped back. Removed  his hand. Controlled his breathing.

And met her gaze. He could have sworn she'd just gotten exactly what she wanted.

Which filled his mind with images of other times she'd gotten what she  wanted, only they were much more intimate things, things he didn't want  to remember when he was standing this close to her.

Then she threw him off guard again. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Zach blinked, not switching gears fast enough. "What?"

"I'm sorry that you're angry with me."

He met her eyes, studying their green depths, not sure if he wanted to  go back to the time when he'd known her before. But his body spoke  before his mind could catch up. "But you're not sorry you left?"

Her expression flattened, her pale skin going almost white. The spare  sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks stood out in contrast. "I didn't have  a choice," she finally said.

"Zach?" someone called before he could push for more. He forced himself  to pull back, to let his arm fall to his side, to clench his teeth  together so he wouldn't ask why. Then he deliberately turned his head to  the side, blocking her out.

Because he didn't need to know why. Knowing that she had walked away was more than enough.





Six

"Zach, are you ready?"

Sadie tore her gaze from Zach to look at Jacob Blackstone, who stood  about five feet from them. To her embarrassment, she had to blink a  moment before her gaze would focus on him. Instead she wanted nothing  more than to turn back to Zach and press her lips to his. No matter who  was looking.

So close.

But Zach wouldn't be there waiting. He strode toward his future brother-in-law, not looking back. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" she asked.

"They've cleared us to take a preliminary tour inside before the workers  go into the parts of the building that were damaged to start cleanup."

She glanced at Zach's retreating back. For someone who said he wasn't  letting her out of his sight, he sure was moving away at a fast clip.

"Are you coming?" Jacob asked. Sadie found herself on the receiving end of his inquisitive look.

"Yes, if I may," she said. Apparently, Zach wasn't so far away he hadn't  heard that, because his shoulders had straightened, hard.

Jacob led her back to the trailer and got some boots and coveralls in  her size. Once she was dressed and had collected her camera, she  approached the men again where they stood with two soot-covered figures  with clipboards. She steeled herself as Zach turned toward her, but he  held out a bright yellow hard hat. "This, too," he said simply.

Jacob introduced her to the fire inspectors, then they headed for the  building entrance. To her surprise, a large group of workmen formed a  crowded semicircle near the door. Jacob paused to shake a few hands and  speak, but the still, respectful patience of the hundred or so people  brought out an emotional response in Sadie.

She wasn't used to this. She had more experience with the spoiled  variety of the human species. But the simple look on their faces told  her this place meant something to them. When Jacob gave the word that it  was time, they'd put their backs into rebuilding it-paycheck or no.                       
       
           



       

Stepping back, she got some wide-angle shots of the crowd, then the  entrance. As she took her turn stepping through, her chest tightened. To  be the first to see the destruction of this place felt significant. And  this wasn't even the worst part of the damage. Her hold on her camera  got a little tighter. Hopefully she'd be able to do her subject some  justice.

The smell of smoke lingered in the air outside the building, but it  hadn't prepared her for the thickness of it inside. It seemed to  immediately dry out her throat and threaten to choke her. She found  herself panting, trying to limit the air's access to her lungs.

The outer rooms were relatively intact except for their blackened walls,  but as they traveled deeper, more damage began to appear. Bubbled  paint, peeled portions of Sheetrock, black marks following trails that  she assumed were electrical wires in the walls.