Murder at Sunrise Lake - Christine Feehan Page 0,64
his mouth. “What was that for?” Because she was going to do it again. Often. She liked that he “read” Zahra and recognized she was loyal.
“You have such a nasty little temper. Cracks me up sometimes.”
“My temper cracks you up?” Her eyebrows drew together in the darkest scowl she could summon. “I don’t have a temper. If I do, it’s a very tiny one.”
“Turn around and let me massage your shoulders. You get very upset when anyone is threatening your friends. Even a perceived threat.”
“There was a but in there when you were giving Zahra a compliment. I could hear it in your voice. What was that?” She turned around because she wanted the massage. Who would turn that down?
He took the water bottle out of her hands and put it on the nightstand before settling both hands on her shoulders. He had big hands and strong fingers. “When she drinks, she’s totally uninhibited. She has no idea what is coming out of her mouth.”
“You can say that of anyone, Sam.”
He leaned close, his mouth next to her ear so that his lips brushed against her lobe. “That’s not so. You might blurt out how hot you think I am, but you would never talk about your real identity.”
Her entire body turned red, she was certain of it. She tried not to choke. She had said it to the others right where he could hear it. She knew she had.
“She wouldn’t have any reason to tell anyone.”
“Not even Bruce?”
“She wouldn’t tell Bruce,” Stella told him with absolute confidence.
He was silent, continuing to massage the tension from her while she sat in his lap, Bailey resting his large, heavy head on her leg. She petted the Airedale, her fingers in the curly fur, listening to the sounds of the night, realizing Sam had managed to distance the nightmare from her with his presence, letting her talk and then distracting her with their discussion.
“No, she wouldn’t tell Bruce,” he agreed eventually, and easily lifted her by putting his hands around her waist, to set her on the mattress. “I’m going to make you hot chocolate. You can sketch what you saw and write out the details in the journal you keep. When I come back, if you’re ready, you can tell me about it.”
He hadn’t even asked her to tell him about the nightmare. She waited until he was out of her bedroom before snapping on the small lamp beside the bed and unlocking and then reaching into the drawer where she kept her journal and sketchpad. She visualized everything she saw in her nightmare. There were no faces, but she saw the woman’s blonde hair and athletic clothing. She’d been stylish, as if she’d chosen her clothing more for looks than because they were the best for hiking the trails. A newbie? She wasn’t his normal partner then, that was why he fussed over her, making certain her backpack sat just right. He looked comfortable; she didn’t, but was willing. This was something she wanted to do with him.
There was so little she could get from the first glimpse. She pushed herself to see as much as she could. Concentrate, Stella. The woman’s backpack. His. Their hiking shoes. He had a watch on his wrist— she didn’t. They both wore puffy jackets. His was expensive, a good outdoor brand. Her jacket wasn’t a brand she recognized. Maybe one of her friends might know. Someone might recognize her, or him.
She sketched the two people in relation to their height and weight, trying to guess as accurately as possible given their bulky clothing and surroundings. Then she sketched the very little she could make out of the campsite, her impression of water in the distance behind them, the trees and colors, the leaves on the uneven ground. There wasn’t much. When she finally lifted her head, she realized that Sam was back in the room with her, looking at the drawing over her shoulder, and the hot chocolate was in her favorite to-go mug sitting on her nightstand.
He studied the sketches in silence for a while. “I don’t recognize that campsite, but I’m not a backpacker. You and Raine tend to backpack more than anyone else of our group.”
She’d never heard him include himself in their group. It was true. Raine tended to be the one to backpack with her, especially if the hike was a long one. The two of them liked to go on one-or two-week hikes into the mountains and