Keeping Guard Read online

  Still, Kylie couldn’t waltz in, criticize Nate’s work and then be on her merry way. So she’d stay quiet, no matter how miserable it made her. She didn’t like to be told what to do, so she certainly didn’t want to offer unsolicited advice to others.

  Their first order came in, and both Nate and Kylie got busy. And quiet. Neither of them said anything, except for Kylie to occasionally ask questions about an order, or for Nate to state how to prepare a dish properly.

  Kylie felt at home in the kitchen. She always had. She loved coming up with new recipes or new takes on old recipes. But the food she prepared today was mindless. Sandwiches, soups, salads. Nothing exciting. Nothing revolutionary.

  It didn’t matter. This wasn’t her restaurant, she reminded herself again.

  After the lunch crowd left, Nate moseyed out front to talk with someone who appeared to be a regular customer. One of the waitresses came back to introduce herself to Kylie.

  “I’m Suzy.” The woman was probably in her mid-twenties with a sharp wedge hairdo that was black on the bottom and bright red on top. She had multiple earrings in both her ears and tattoos instead of jewelry around her fingers and wrists. “Good to have you here.”

  Kylie wiped her hands on a white dish towel and reached for Suzy’s hand. “I’m Kylie. I’m just filling in here for a few days, trying to get some restaurant experience.” Her words weren’t a lie. She did want experience. She didn’t want anyone else to know the real life-or-death reasons behind her being here. Only Nate. Her brother had said she could trust Nate, and she was going to have to take him at his word.

  Suzy set her tray on the counter, as if prepared to stay awhile and talk. “Well, I know Nate could use the help.”

  Kylie prepared a glass of water for herself and decided to take a break. She took a sip and stood across from Suzy. “You guys have a small staff.”

  “Things have been tight, so Nate tries to watch every dime. I tried to tell him there are some things you just shouldn’t cut back on. He doesn’t listen.”

  Kylie nodded. “He seems pretty…”

  “Gruff?” Suzy laughed, obviously not shy about sharing her opinion. “You don’t have to beat around the bush with me. Yeah, he comes across as a little grumpy sometimes. Deep inside, he’s not. I think the stress of owning this restaurant has just taken its toll on him.”

  Kylie leaned against the counter, intrigued to find out more about her temporary boss. “You make it sound like he doesn’t want to own this place.”

  “The restaurant was handed down to him from his father. Nate never wanted to own it, but I’ll give him credit, he’s tried to make the best of it. There’s rumor that the place might go up for sale soon, though. If Nate has his way, he won’t own this place very much longer.”

  Kylie pulled her chin back in surprise. “Up for sale? I had no idea.”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t tell many people about it. I think he’s afraid of disappointing some of his father’s old friends.”

  “Darlene and Harvey, by chance?”

  “Yes. You’ve met them?”

  Kylie nodded. “A couple of times already.”

  “Yeah, so all of that combined with the bad relationship he just got out of a few months ago—”

  “Kylie.” Both women snapped their heads toward Nate, who’d appeared in the doorway dangling a telephone. How much of the conversation had he heard? “You have a phone call. Your brother.”

  Suzy scurried away, no doubt before she heard an earful from her boss. Kylie had no choice but to approach Nate, though. She couldn’t read his expression as she took the phone and placed it at her ear. His gaze remained on her another moment before he turned and stomped back into the dining room.

  Once he was out of earshot, she finally spoke into the receiver. “I thought I already called you and told you I was here and doing okay. Are you doing the overprotective thing on me again?” She tried to sound lighthearted and erase all the worry that always seemed to be present in her brother’s voice.

  “Kylie.” His voice sounded serious, much more serious than she’d expected. “Your house was ransacked last night.”

  “Ransacked? What do you mean? I thought the police were watching it.” That ice-cold feeling chilled her spine again. She backed away from the dining area, out of earshot.

  “A cruiser was going past every ten minutes. We have no idea how the break-in happened. It almost seems like someone was watching, like they knew we were monitoring the house and waited until just the right moment to strike.”

  “Was anything taken?”

  “It’s hard to say. Nothing valuable. Your TV, computer, jewelry, all of those things are still there.”

  “So…” Kylie couldn’t finish her thought. Her mind raced with possibilities.

  Her brother’s voice softened. “No, this doesn’t appear to be a random break-in. This was mostly likely your stalker, and he’s most likely trying to figure out where you went.” Her brother paused. “Did you leave anything in your house that might give away your location, Kylie?”

  Had she? Her mind replayed the events of the past few days. The only place she’d written down her destination was in her notebook. She’d jotted Nate’s address and phone number, plus some quick directions her brother had given her. But then she’d torn that page out and had brought it with her. That paper had sat in the car seat beside her on the drive here. She was sure of it.

  “No, I didn’t leave anything there.”

  “Good. You should still be safe there in Yorktown. Did you let Nate know what’s going on?”

  “We talked last night.”

  “If anything at all suspicious happens, let him know. Promise me?”

  “I promise.” Before they hung up, Kylie told him about the note she’d found scribbled in her book.

  Her brother’s voice sounded stern. “Kylie, be careful. I don’t like this.”

  She nodded. “Neither do I.”

  SIX

  Nate looked away from a conversation with one of his regulars and glanced at Kylie, whose face looked whiter than flour. She slowly placed the phone on the hook, and from the way her body sagged, it looked like she hung on to the wall mount to keep from sinking to the floor. He had the urge to go and help steady her, but he didn’t. She seemed to like her privacy, and Nate wanted to respect that, even if he had to grip the chair to keep himself from rising.

  But when Kylie looked over at Nate with strained eyes, he decided she was inviting him to help. He apologized to his customer as he hastily rose and walked into the kitchen. Kylie appeared dazed as he approached.

  “Everything okay?” He slapped the dish towel over his shoulder, trying not to appear too concerned. Still, he reached out and gripped her elbow so she wouldn’t stumble.

  Her eyes flickered around as if her brain was processing a large amount of information. “Someone broke into my apartment back in Kentucky last night.”

  He bristled at the news. “The same man?”

  “Most likely. Nothing was stolen.”

  “Your brother is a good police officer, Kylie. I know he’s making sure that the people assigned to your case are doing their job. They’ll figure out whoever is doing this to you. And when they do, that person will pay.”

  Kylie nodded. “You’re right. It’s just so hard being here when all of that is happening back home. I feel like I need to be there, to go through my things, help pick up the pieces.”

  He squeezed her elbow, trying to reassure her. “You’ll have plenty of time for that later, Kylie. Right now you just have to focus on your safety. That’s the most important thing.”

  She let out a little laugh, the action ruffling her bangs. “You sound like my brother, you know.”

  Nate smiled and released his grip on her some. “Your brother is a good man.”

  She sighed and leaned against the counter, some of the lines disappearing from her face. “He said you served together in the Coast Guard.”

  “That’s right. Bruce helped keep me sane.” He did more than that. Bruce had saved Nate’s life. After a devastating rescue gone wrong, Nate had picked up some bad habits to ease his pain. Bruce had been the only one brave enough to gently, yet firmly, correct Nate. He couldn’t imagine what life might be like today if Bruce hadn’t intervened.

  “When did you guys work together?”

  “When we were stationed at Elizabeth City, North Carolina. We were both rescue swimmers. The first day we met we discovered we both rooted for the same pro football team. We were inseparable after that.”

  Kylie pulled her arms across her chest. “I used to pray for Bruce every day when he did that job.” She closed her eyes. “Jumping out of helicopters, battling the seas, the temperatures and storms and all those other elements that came with being out in the middle of the ocean…I don’t know how you guys did it.”

  Those were the moments that Nate missed. Those rushes of adrenaline. Knowing he could save someone’s life. Using every ounce of strength to do his job.

  But there had been tough moments also, moments when he hadn’t been able to save everyone. Moments where he had to tell one family member that another hadn’t made it. He pushed the memories away.

  Saving people—whether it had been at sea or just in life itself—had been his passion. He’d failed. And as further proof and a daily reminder of that failure, he now ran this restaurant.

  “Nate?”

  Kylie’s voice pulled him out of the memory. He decided to put the focus on Bruce and hoped Kylie wouldn’t ask too many questions of him. He wasn’t ready to go there. The emotions of leaving the Coast Guard two years ago still felt raw at times. The last thing he needed was for Kylie to feel sorry for him. “Your brother was a great rescue swimmer. I was surprised when he decided
to get out of the Coast Guard.”

  Kylie nodded. “I guess he decided he’d had enough excitement in his life. So he came back to Kentucky and became a police officer instead.”

  Nate thought of what his second career choice had been, before the restaurant had been given to him. He’d been offered a position as instructor at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown. Every day, he questioned whether or not he should have taken that position there. But his father’s wishes had been for him to take over this place after he died. How could he say no to the man who’d sacrificed so much for him? Besides, that last mission always seemed to haunt him.

  His gaze focused on Kylie for a moment, and he could see her studying him, probably trying to figure him out. Few people had ever accomplished that task. She shifted her weight, and Nate waited to hear what she’d say next.

  “I think Bruce misses the Coast Guard. I know he really loved it.”

  “We had some good times. That’s for sure.”

  When he saw Kylie’s earnest expression, Nate thought about telling her that he missed it also. But then he might have to tell her about that last rescue he’d attempted. About the failure that still haunted him and drove him to be the person he was today.

  When Kylie got back to her room, her back ached, her feet hurt and her head pounded. She wasn’t used to being on her feet all day, bending over a chopping board for hours at a time, or trying to remember a list of new recipes. She worked hard on her local cooking show and for her catering business, but it was nothing like this.

  She lay back in bed and kicked her feet up. What she wouldn’t do for a TV to distract her thoughts right now. Or a good book. Well, she had a good book, but she wouldn’t be reading it. Not with that reminder written in the front of it.

  Instead, her mind wandered to her conversation with Bruce today. The Man in Black was getting brave, breaking into her apartment like that. He’d broken in once before to leave her a note. That hand-jotted letter had been one of the first clues that whoever followed her wasn’t merely a harmless fan. After that, the pictures began coming. The photos proved that wherever she went, this man followed her.

  She pulled her arms around her chest. The man had never touched her but still she’d felt so violated. She prayed he would be caught soon. Then she could get out of this tiny apartment and away from Nate Richardson.

  His image—as handsome as it might be—flashed in her head and she frowned.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t like Nate. She couldn’t help but feel she was in his way, that he didn’t really want her here.

  She sighed. She’d done enough thinking. Thinking always got her in trouble.

  She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her cell phone. She’d laid out the pieces this morning, hoping the electronics would dry out. She snapped the battery back in and pressed the “on” button. A moment later, her screen lit up.

  “Yes, it works.” She didn’t plan on leaving the phone on during her stay here, but it was nice to have, just in case she needed to get in touch with someone in an emergency.

  The phone buzzed and a message popped up on the screen informing her that she had four new voice mail messages. Probably all from Nate or Bruce last night. She anticipated hearing their anxious voices, asking her where she was and why she wasn’t answering.

  The first two messages, as she expected, were from Bruce and the third from Nate. She anticipated the fourth being from Bruce as well. Instead, a gravelly voice filled her ears.

  “Where are you, Kylie? You think you can run from me, but you can’t. I’ll find you, wherever you go. Remember that. I’m always watching.”

  Kylie scavenged the cupboards the next morning only to discover she had no food in her little kitchenette. Her stomach rumbling with hunger, she got dressed and headed downstairs. Certainly Nate wouldn’t mind if she hunted around the restaurant for something to eat.

  When she found some free time, she’d buy some groceries. But if Nate worked her as hard today as he’d done yesterday, she’d never have the chance to go shopping. If what Suzy had told her was true, it was no wonder the man couldn’t keep any employees around.

  As she padded downstairs, she shivered, remembering the voice mail she’d listened to last night. How far away would she have to be from her life in Kentucky before she felt safe? Would she ever feel safe?

  She pushed through the doors into the kitchen, and the scent of bacon and eggs drifted out. Nate stood at the griddle wearing a white apron and what was perhaps a warm smile. Could it be?

  “Morning.” He turned over an omelet and turned toward her.

  Yep, that was the start of a small smile. It looked nice on him.

  Kylie had to turn her approving gaze away from her temporary boss. She always found something very attractive about a man in the kitchen. Instead of dwelling on the image, she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “Smells good.”

  Using tongs, he picked up a piece of bacon from the griddle and placed it on a plate with an omelet. He handed the dish to her. “I thought you might be hungry and I realized I didn’t leave you any food.”

  “This more than makes up for it.” She placed the food on the counter while going to grab two ceramic mugs. “Want me to grab you a cup of coffee? You will be joining me for breakfast, won’t you?”

  “I usually just share the breakfast nook with a newspaper. I suppose a change in company could be good.” A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  She poured the hot liquid into the cups and carried them to a table at the front. As she waited for Nate, she took the opportunity to soak in the dining area. Nate had created a nice atmosphere—one that fit in with his Revolutionary theme by keeping a post-and-beam design, low ceilings, chandeliers with electric candles and simple, mission-style tables and chairs. The floors were wooden and rustic-looking, and a few antiques were scattered along the walls. Now all he needed were waitresses dressed in period attire.

  A moment later, Nate joined her with two steaming plates of food. A moment of awkward silence followed as they both began eating. What exactly did they have to talk about? It seemed all they had in common were her brother and cooking, the latter of which Nate apparently couldn’t stand.

  “Good omelet,” she finally said. She told the truth. The eggs were delicious and cooked perfectly.

  “Thanks. Breakfast is my meal of choice any day of the week.” He took another bite and eyed her a moment. After swallowing he said, “So tell me more about your show and your catering business. You seem to enjoy cooking.”

  She wiped her mouth and nodded. “I do enjoy cooking. Always have. I like taking everyday, ordinary foods and making them…extraordinary. All it usually takes is some fresh herbs or an unexpected ingredient and—voilà!—the whole dish can come alive.”

  “Maybe you’ll show me one of those dishes sometime.”

  She nodded again, contemplating whether or not she should offer her ideas about his restaurant. No, she decided, she wouldn’t overstep her boundaries. “I’ve always loved food, ever since I was little. I always wanted to help my mom in the kitchen or make meals for my friends. I did go to culinary school, but only for a year. At that point, my friend and I began getting offered catering jobs—first for our friends’ weddings or church functions. But business really began picking up, and we started doing a lot for some high-end clients and companies.”

  “How did you get your own cooking show?”

  “One of my clients opened a kitchen shop—you know, one of those stores that sell every imaginable tool for the kitchen? She started asking me to come in and do demonstrations. I did, and I discovered I loved it. While I was doing a demonstration, a producer from a local network saw me. He asked me to come in and do a screen test. I really fumbled the first few times in front of the camera, but for some reason, the producer saw potential in me.”

  Kylie paused to take a sip of coffee.

  “I tried to do both the catering business and the show for a while, but it finally got to be too much. I’m still a partner in the catering business, but I ended up going full-time with the show, which is now syndicated on a few different stations in Kentucky. I’m by no means famous, but it does feel good to have your hard work recognized.” She put down her coffee, relishing the feeling of accomplishment, followed by the disappointment caused by this derailment in her plans. “And now, here I am. What more is there to say?”