Winter Heat Read online

  Liam sat down next to me with an open can of tuna fish and a bowl of water. “He’s probably pretty hungry if he’s been out there all night.” Judging by his excited sniffs, the cat was starving. It struggled to get free of the towel, finally releasing himself and darting towards the can. We sat in rapt silence as we both watched the cat devour the tuna.

  “No tags. This cat might be a stray,” Liam said. “When the snow clears, we’ll take him to the vet in town and see if he’s micro-chipped.”

  “In the meantime, we can call him Snowflake,” I said, stroking his soft fur.

  “Don't name him, we can't keep him," Liam said. "And this cat is yellow. Snowflake isn't a great name for a yellow cat. Yellow Snow is more fitting."

  “I’m not calling him Yellow Snow.”

  “I am," Liam said. "At least it's not a name we can get attached to." He watched Snowflake lick every remnant of tuna from the sides of the can, then picked the tin up. "You know, I'm more of a dog person, but this cat isn't as awful as cats usually are."

  “Cats aren’t awful,” I protested.

  “Oh man. Are you a cat lady? What have I gotten myself into?” Liam teased. Snowflake meowed loudly, rubbing his body against Liam as if to prove to Liam that cats were friendly.

  “I’m an everything lady,” I said. “I don’t discriminate between cats and dogs. Look, he’s grateful to you.”

  “I guess,” Liam said, giving Snowflake a grudging pat on the side.

  “I'm going to bring some blankets and pillows out here so we can stay in the warmest part of the house and keep each other from freezing." I stood up, and Snowflake meowed in protest. He followed me down the hallway into the linen closet, where I grabbed the biggest blanket I could find and a couple of pillows. I carried them back with me into the living room with Snowflake weaving between my ankles. I dumped everything in front of Liam, who pushed the coffee table to the side and spread the blankets on top of the rug. He patted the space next to him, and I laid out. Snowflake laid down between us with a loud meow and fell asleep promptly.

  “What are we going to do about cat litter?” Liam asked with a frown.

  “I’m sure there’s a bag around here somewhere for de-icing the sidewalk. I’ll look later. Let’s just lay here for now.”

  Liam shifted closer to me so that we were face-to-face. He kissed my nose. "We're not keeping the cat."

  “Ssh," I said, closing my eyes. When Liam started grumbling, I put my finger to his lips. "We'll talk about it later."

  “Kelsey, we’re not keeping the cat.”

  “Well, we have him at least until the snow is gone." "And as soon as that snow has melted, he's going straight to the shelter."

  I covered Snowflake’s ears. “Hush! We can’t give him to a shelter, do you know what happens to shelter cats?”

  “We’ll find a no-kill shelter.” I opened my mouth to argue with Liam, but he placed his finger on my lips this time. “We’ll figure it out later.”

  Beat at my own game. I kept quiet, though, and resolved to find a way to keep Snowflake.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  We spent much of the next day snuggled up in a million blankets in the living room, playing with Snowflake and laughing at his cat antics. It was still freezing in any room that wasn't the living room, so we didn't dare venture anywhere else for very long. It was a good time, but honestly, I was ready for the heat to come back on so I didn't have to be wrapped up like a burrito constantly.

  A loud beep came from the kitchen, followed by a buzzing hum as the refrigerator came back to life. "What was that noise?" I asked.

  "Must be the power turning back on," Liam shrugged. Speak of the devil. I smiled widely at him, then threw the blankets off me and jumped out of our makeshift bed, yelping when my feet made contact with the cold tile floor. Liam wrapped the blanket back around me, and I smiled appreciatively as I gripped it around my shoulders and shuffled into the kitchen.

  Sure enough, the digital clock on the microwave was blinking. I opened the fridge to inspect its contents. Fridge light turned on, and everything looked and smelled fine. All in all, we’d fared pretty well during this power outage, besides minor inconveniences.

  First things first- I plugged in the coffeemaker and started up a pot of coffee. Liam wasn't in the living room anymore, so I went into the bedroom. Liam was sitting on the edge of the bed, plugging our phones into their chargers. "As soon as my phone has charged enough, I'll have to make a call to the office to check in," Liam said. I nodded.

  “I wonder how we'll pass the time until then," I said, climbing up to straddle his hips. His lips upturned in a smile, and he seized my hips. I leaned down, capturing his lips with my own and grinding my hips into his. His grip on me tightened, and he flipped me onto my back so that he was hovering over me. Liam quirked his eyebrow and dipped his head down to my collarbone, nibbling lightly at the sensitive skin there. I was reaching down to pull off my tank top when the phone rang. I let out a sigh of disappointment and flung my arms out when Liam climbed off of me with an apologetic look on his face.

  “I have to answer,” Liam said regretfully, reaching for the phone and answering the call.

  “I know. Put it on speaker,” I whispered. Liam nodded, clicked the speakerphone button, and dropped the phone in between us. I winked at Liam and pulled my shirt off. Liam narrowed his eyes at me and looked away, mouthing, “Not fair...” before turning his full attention to the phone call.

  “...the latest whereabouts of Jack Nelson," McIntyre was saying. "We have it on good authority that he's somewhere in upstate New York, and we have full confidence that he will be apprehended any day now. Just continue to hang tight and be vigilant until we instruct otherwise. Anything noteworthy on your end? Are you keeping your dick in your pants?"

  Liam glanced over at where I was lounging topless on the bed on which we'd performed countless sex acts. I shook my shoulders so that my breasts swing lasciviously in Liam's face. He cleared his throat. "Yes, sir. Pure professionalism here." I grinned at this and blew him a kiss. He shot me a look and swatted away my hand as I reached for his crotch. "In fact, we barely interact."

  “Good. Keep it that way. It’s best to keep a cool head in situations like this. By all means, see her after the mission, but for now, keep it work-related. That picture fiasco made me worry about your judgment.” See her after the mission?

  “As I said, we barely interact. There's nothing to report here." Liam winked at me and smiled. I returned his smile somewhat uneasily. Liam and I hadn't discussed seeing each other when this was all over. We'd been too busy doing- um- other things. I crossed my fingers that Liam wouldn't start any uncomfortable conversations about defining us. Of course, I liked Liam- who wouldn't? He was smart, sexy, funny, and he could do things with his mouth I'd only dreamed of before. But seeing each other? Like dating? If I'm honest with myself, the idea of getting into a relationship with someone I liked made me freak a little.

  Liam was calmly oblivious to my internal freakout, and I realized that I was being irrational, so I excused myself silently to halt my spin out. I went back into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, then I stood in front of the large living room window and stared out into the snow. It was so quiet and peaceful out there in the drifts of undisturbed snow. I inhaled the steam from my coffee, feeling myself relax with every sip I took.

  I looked out that window for what seemed like forever at the tranquil landscape, lost in a reverie. My quiet contemplation was broken when I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye. I put a hand on my forehead to cut out the glare and squinted to the source of movement. It was a massive black truck, which was getting closer and closer to our cabin. As it approached, I realized it was plowing the snow on our driveway. Who would be plowing us out right now? "Liam?" I called, not taking my eyes off the truck.

  “Yes?" he called back from the bedroom. He appeared next to me and snaked a hand around my waist to join me in staring out the window. I pointed a
t the truck and Liam frowned. He walked to the front door where his holster was hanging and pulled the gun from the strap.

  “Liam, really. You can’t just pull a gun on everyone who knocks on our door. It’s probably just a friendly neighbor coming to plow our driveway for us.”

  “It doesn't hurt to be vigilant, Kelsey," he said, pushing the drape to the side. The truck was currently plowing the little cul de sac in front of the porch, making a clear and accessible path for us to leave. If these were intruders, they certainly were helpful ones.

  We watched as the truck parked and one of the occupants jumped down from the passenger side. It was Daisy, shielding her eyes from the bright sun as she gazed up at our cabin. When she saw me standing in the window, she waved and gestured for us to come outside. “See?” I said, turning to Liam. “It is just a friendly neighbor.”

  “This time,” he replied darkly.

  I frowned at him as I opened the front door. "Lighten up. Daisy, hey!" I called. I pulled on my boots and parka, holding the two sides tight against me as I made my way down the steps to where Daisy was standing. I peered into the driver’s seat, where Dolores was looking back at me and waving cheerfully. “Thanks for doing this, guys, this is amazing.” I hugged Daisy, who squeezed me back, then shoved two casserole dishes into my arms.

  “I baked you guys some more lasagna. I didn’t want you to starve in the middle of a blizzard. So how’d you guys fare? Any power outages? These cabins on the outskirts of town tend to be hit the hardest by bad weather,” Daisy said, the words tumbling out of her mouth as if she’d been dying to chat and needed to say everything all at once.

  “Yeah, we were out for a day or so. We just got power back this morning. We kept warm with the fireplace,” I said.

  Dolores cut the engine of the truck and got out, coming around the front of the vehicle to embrace me. "I'm sure the fireplace wasn't the only thing keeping you warm," she said, winking at me.

  “Okay, come on, ladies, it’s too cold to stand around out here,” I said loudly, ignoring Dolores’ chuckles. I led the way into the living room, hoping Liam wasn’t standing there like the Queen’s Guard. Thankfully, Liam had put his gun away and was now sitting on the couch with Snowflake on his chest.

  “You guys got a cat?" Daisy asked, reaching out to him. "That's awesome! I've never adopted an animal while I was on vacation!"

  Liam handed the cat over. "No, we didn't adopt a cat. We're just looking after him for now. Yellow Snow is a stray that Agnes took in from the cold. We're going to the vet to check for a microchip. If there isn't any, we're leaving the cat at a shelter."

  I sat next to Liam on the couch and placed my hand over his. “If we can bear to part with Snowflake, that is.”

  Liam rolled his eyes. “We’ll manage. We can’t take a cat back with us to Florida.”

  Daisy sat on the love seat next to Dolores, who was nibbling on a hard candy she’d pulled from her pocket. Dolores took Snowflake from Daisy’s arms. “If you guys can’t keep him and can’t find the owner, I’ll keep him. He’s adorable.” Snowflake meowed loudly in agreement and plopped down in Dolores’ lap, to her delight. She stroked his fur as he purred contentedly. “In fact, I can take him off your hands right now.”

  My spirits sank a little at this, but it was probably the best thing for Snowflake. "That'd be great," I said halfheartedly. Liam squeezed my hand, reassuring me.

  Dolores pulled the hard candy from her mouth and offered it to Snowflake, who gave it a lick and rejected it. Dolores shrugged and popped it back into her mouth. Liam and I looked on in disgust but chose to ignore that. I had nothing on Dolores in the crazy cat lady department.

  I cleared my throat. "So, ladies, what have you been up to?" Daisy and Dolores exchanged dark looks, and I looked between the two of them with interest. "What's up?"

  “It’s not that big of a deal,” Daisy said.

  “Yes, it is," Dolores retorted.

  “What?” I repeated.

  Daisy let out a great sigh. "Well, things could be better. Someone burgled my apartment, and I'm pretty sure it was Anthony."

  “Your drunk ex-husband Anthony?” Liam growled, straightening up. “The one who put his hands on you and Agnes at the grocery store?” I felt Liam tensing up, and I squeezed his hand in an attempt to calm him down. No luck.

  “Yeah," Daisy said. "Anyway, I can't contact him, and no one has seen him since. All that's missing is some cheap jewelry and about five hundred dollars. It's a small price to pay to have that toxic person out of my life."

  “No, it’s not. Do you want me to help track him down?” Liam asked.

  Daisy shook her head quickly. "It's not that big of a deal. Besides, what could you do to find him? Lots of P.I. work in the construction business?"

  “I did a stint as a P.I., actually," Liam lied easily. "What's his last name?" he pressed.

  Daisy looked unsure. “Jackson. But like I said, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m glad to be rid of him. Just drop it, okay? I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Liam nodded slowly. "Sure. In the end, it's up to you. If you don't want me tracking him down and holding him responsible for being a dirtbag, that's your choice." Liam was being suspiciously agreeable with Daisy's refusal. I didn't trust it.

  “Thank you," Daisy said. "I just want to get back to living a normal, stress-free life. Let's drop the subject." Everyone nodded. "Let's heat up one of those lasagnas. Dolores, want to help me?" Daisy stood up and held a hand out to Dolores. She nodded and handed Snowflake back to me, then followed Daisy into the kitchen.

  I turned to Liam and hissed, "Are you insane? And you criticize me for being lackadaisical about our cover!"

  “Relax, she thinks I used to be a P.I.," Liam said.

  “Oh yes, I forgot about the very natural and nonsuspicious progression of going from private investigator to construction worker. You’re a jack of all trades,” I whispered.

  “Don’t forget model,” Liam said with a winning smile.

  I rolled my eyes. "Ignoring that. Are you just going to drop this?"

  “Of course not. There’s just no point in stressing Daisy out any more than she already is. As soon as they leave, I’m calling McIntyre to see if we can locate this asshole using the GPS on his cell phone. We just have to be careful not to be too obvious, considering the obvious risks involved,” Liam whispered back.

  “Anthony attacking one of us?” I asked.

  Liam scoffed. "No, I can take that drunk any day. I'm talking about being too far out in the open, where Nelson could find us. We will have to do this very carefully." Excitement bloomed as my initial caution faded. Were we going on a mission together? I unsuccessfully tried to hide my giddy smile, and Liam looked at me as though I were crazy. "Try not to be too obvious, Kels. You're going to tip off Daisy about what we're up to if you keep smiling like that."

  I nodded and tamped down my smile. I managed to keep my cool when Daisy and Dolores reappeared in the living room, carrying plates heaped with vegetable lasagna. They handed us our plates, then sat down and dug in. I ate in silence, afraid that if I spoke, I would give away our plans to hunt down Daisy’s ex. It was a quiet and quick meal, after which Daisy and Dolores stood up and announced that they had other houses to plow.

  I stood up to embrace them individually, then kissed Snowflake on the nose. He purred and nuzzled his face against my cheek. “I’m going to miss this guy,” I said sadly. “Take care of him for us.”

  Dolores nodded. "Of course. I hope he isn't microchipped so that I can keep him."

  I smiled at this. "I know how you feel. Snowflake usually eats only cat food, by the way."

  “Huh?” Dolores asked as they went out the front door.

  "Never mind," I said. I stood in the doorway and watched as Daisy gave one final wave before hopping up in the truck. I shut the door and turned to Liam. "So where do we begin?"

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  We watched through the window as Daisy and Dolores
drove away. As soon as they were out of sight, Liam picked his cell phone back up. “I’m going to get this authorized by McIntyre before we make any other calls,” Liam said, dialing the phone.

  I nodded. Liam walked in circles as he waited for someone to pick up. "Sir! Yes, I know it's only been an hour since we last talked. No, nothing is wrong here. No, there's no threat to the witness. Sorry to worry you, sir. I do have a person of interest that I'd like to track down though. He doesn't have any connection to Jack Nelson, but I have reason to believe that he would harm Kelsey if given a chance. I'd like permission to track this guy down using the GPS on his phone and hand him over to the police. I would stay completely down low on this mission and ensure the silence of the police. This person recently fled the village, which makes this a time sensitive matter." Liam stopped his rambling, listening intently to whatever McIntyre was saying. "No sir, I'm not going off half-cocked anywhere. I'm fully objective and have this situation completely under control. My witness is my top priority, and I believe this will help to keep her safe.” I cocked my head. That was fudging it a little, wasn't it? Liam shook his head at me and listened more. “I'll update you on my progress during every step of the way. Thank you, sir.”

  I looked at Liam with anticipation as he hung up the phone and turned back to me. “Well? Are we doing this or what?”

  Liam nodded. "We are doing this. But we need to lay down a couple of ground rules first. One- you stay either glued to my side or locked in the truck at all times." Reasonable. I nodded. "Two- you must do precisely what I say, how I say it, when I say it. No arguments. I need to focus on catching Anthony, and I can't do that if I'm worried that you're going to be off doing your own thing. All that sound good to you?" I nodded, though I was a little offended at the implication that I would jeopardize our mission. When had I ever gone off on my own against Liam's advice? “Anthony Jackson is unstable and therefore unpredictable. I don't like taking you into a situation like this- I would leave you here if I didn’t think you were safest by my side. But I can’t just stand by and do nothing while a dirtbag gets away with ripping off an innocent woman.”