Not now, though. Now I am afraid of her. I mean that literally. I can’t tell you how relieved I was when Myra asked me to come out to the farm so I would be safe. They were on the same page as I was, so I knew I had to pay attention. Sara whatever her name is means me harm. I am certain of that.”
All Paul could do was stare at Bella. He wished he had a magic wand to wipe the misery from her beautiful face. He had to find a way to help her. Andy would expect him to step in and protect her. “Now that I know all that, I am not leaving here until all of this is resolved. I’ll ask those ladies if I can pitch a tent out there near where you are staying. I won’t let you out of my sight. Remember,” he chuckled, “I’ve had combat training.”
“Deal,” Bella said, stretching out her hand. She was aware instantly of how hard and calloused Paul’s hand was. What she wasn’t prepared for was the jolt of electricity that raced through her whole body. Whoa, Nellie.
Paul Montrose felt his eyes glaze over when he clasped Bella’s hand. Something he had never in his life felt wrapped itself around him as he struggled to take a deep breath.
Bella withdrew her hand and stared up into Paul Montrose’s glazed eyes. “I . . . ah . . . um . . .”
Paul shook his head, and said, “Uh . . . ah . . .”
“I need some exercise. I’ll race you to the door!”
“Now that’s a hell of an idea,” Paul said, in a voice that was so strangled that he barely recognized it as his own.
Chapter 18
Paul unlocked the door of the town house and stood back for Bella to enter. He quickly disarmed the security system, then walked around to open all the windows and rid the house of the musty, closed-up smell. “I covered everything with dust sheets the way the previous owner told me to. I have only come back East once since I bought this place, and that was to pay the bills ahead for a year in case I forgot or something went awry. It’s comfortable, as you can see, perfect for a bachelor like me. What do you think needs to be done? Where should we start?” he asked, a hopeless expression on his face.
Bella looked around, relieved that they were on a friendly footing again and not . . . Don’t go there, she warned herself. “I guess we should start by washing all these dust sheets. I can do that while you search out Andy’s paperwork. You do have a washer and dryer, don’t you?”
“I do, it’s outside the guest bathroom on the second floor. Soap and stuff is in the closet where the unit is. It’s a stackable, one on top of the other to save space. Margaret, that was the owner’s name, said for one person like herself, and now me, it was perfect. I’m going to turn on the A/C even though it’s nippy with all the windows open. It might help to get rid of the musty smell more quickly.”
Bella took off her denim jacket, rolled up the sleeves of her button-down shirt, and went at it. She worked quickly and efficiently, Paul noticed. Almost like she was in the military and knew all about precision. Once or twice, she called out a question while Paul rummaged through boxes in what had been Margaret’s master bedroom. The small dressing room was Margaret’s mini office and was around the corner from the kitchen on the first floor. He wished now he had marked the boxes with the contents, but he’d been in such a hurry back then. Now he might have to go through each and every one of them until he found what he wanted.
“Do you want me to plug in the refrigerator? Are you really going to stay here on the East Coast? If so, I will clean it out. In case you don’t know this, it takes twenty-four hours for a refrigerator and freezer to reach the right temperature.”
“Yes, plug it in. I told you I’m staying on until I’m satisfied you’re completely safe. I’ll go shopping later for what I need, so wipe it down and plug it in. Please,” he added as an afterthought.
Bella smiled to herself. He was staying. The thought made her happy for some reason. Some