be a way to repay the debt. Applying for the job felt like the right thing to do. Just like when Ben and I were in the tree house; giving the photo to him felt like the right thing to do. But I’m not sure I could explain those things even if I tried.”
“You gave Ben the photo to keep him safe,” Elizabeth repeated.
“As crazy as it sounds? Yes.”
She digested this in silence. Then: “Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?”
“I should have,” he said. “The only thing I can think is that I carried the photo with me for five years, and I didn’t want to give it up until I understood its purpose.”
“Do you think you understand it now?”
He leaned over to pet Zeus before answering. He looked directly at her. “I’m not sure. What I can say is that what happened between us, everything that happened, didn’t start when I found the photo. It started when I walked into the kennel. That was when you first became real to me, and the more I got to know you, the more real I felt. Happier and alive in a way I hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Like you and I were meant to be.”
“Your destiny?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“No . . . not like that. It has nothing to do with the photo, or the journey here, or anything Victor said. It’s just that I’ve never met anyone like you before, and I’m certain I never will again. I love you, Elizabeth . . . and more than that, I like you. I enjoy spending time with you.”
She scrutinized him, her expression unreadable. When she spoke, her voice was matter-of-fact. “You realize that it’s still a crazy story that makes you sound like an obsessive nut job.”
“I know,” Thibault agreed. “Believe me, I feel like a freak even to myself.”
“What if I told you to leave Hampton and never contact me again?” Elizabeth probed.
“Then I’d leave, and you’d never hear from me again.”
The comment hung in the air, pregnant with meaning. She shifted on the couch, turning away in apparent disgust before swiveling her face back toward him.
“You wouldn’t even call? After all we’ve been through?” she sniffed. “I can’t believe that.”
Relief swept through him when he realized she was teasing. He exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath, and grinned.
“If that’s what it took for you to believe I’m not a psycho.”
“I think that’s pathetic. A guy should at least call.”
He scooted imperceptibly closer on the couch. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do realize that you’re not going to be able to tell this story if you intend to live around here.”
He slid even closer, noticeably this time. “I can live with that.”
“And if you expect a raise just because you’re dating the boss’s granddaughter, you can forget that, too.”
“I’ll make do.”
“I don’t know how. You don’t even have a car.”
By then he had sidled up next to her, and she’d turned back to him, her hair just brushing his shoulder. He leaned in and kissed her neck. “I’ll figure something out,” he whispered, before pressing his lips to hers.
They kissed on the couch for a long time. When he finally carried her to the bedroom, they made love, their bodies together as one. Their exchange was passionate and angry and forgiving, as raw and tender as their emotions. Afterward, Thibault lay on his side, gazing at Elizabeth. He brushed her cheek with his finger, and she kissed it.
“I guess you can stay,” she whispered.
34
Clayton
Clayton stared at the house in disbelief, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. He blinked repeatedly to clear his vision, but he still saw the same things: Beth’s car in the driveway, the couple kissing on the couch, Thigh-bolt leading her to the bedroom.
Beth and Thigh-bolt together. With every passing minute, he felt stronger waves of anger cresting and crashing inside him. His perfect plans, all of them, up in smoke. And Thigh-bolt would forever have him over a barrel.
He pressed his lips together in a tight line. He was tempted to storm in on them, but then there was the damn dog. Again. It had been hard enough already, following them through his binoculars from his car without being noticed.
Thigh-bolt. The dog. Beth . . .
He banged the steering wheel. How could this have happened? Hadn’t Beth heard what he’d said? Didn’t she understand how much danger she was in? Didn’t she care about Ben?