You Don't Want To Know - By Lisa Jackson Page 0,46
the Bloody Mary. She saw no one. Oh, please, she thought desperately. Wyatt, please . . . Her throat clogged as another strong, freezing wave pushed her farther inland.
She closed her mind and held her breath, tried not to think that her brother, cousin, and husband could be lost. That she alone could have survived. If she made it.
“Hey!”
A hand suddenly touched her arm, snapping her out of her reverie.
Ava gasped in shock, her feet slipping a little as she left the memory and slammed into the present.
Austin Dern was glaring at her. He had a death grip on her upper arm.
And he looked pissed as hell.
CHAPTER 12
“What’re you doing here?” she demanded, yanking her arm away and stepping backward.
“Watch out!” He grabbed her again, his strong fingers curling over her upper arm and yanking her forward. For the first time, she noticed that she was less than a foot from the precipice, even closer to the dilapidated stairs.
A fresh spurt of adrenaline fired through her blood while a hundred feet below, the surf surged and sprayed, suddenly roaring in her ears. Caught in her reflection, she hadn’t noticed how near the precipice she’d edged. Only a few more steps and . . .
Heart suddenly racing, she whispered, “Oh, Lord. I didn’t . . .” Her heart thudded in her ears. What if he hadn’t come along? What if she’d taken two steps backward and fallen? Letting out a pent-up breath, she finally shook off Dern’s hand, stepping away from the cliff and toward the horses. Now there were two, Jasper and Cayenne, a sorrel mare, Dern’s mount. They were grazing on the sparse grass, their bridles jangling, their tails moving in the breeze.
“What the hell are you doing up here?” he demanded.
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
Thick eyebrows pulled over his intense eyes, he was glaring at her with a don’t-give-me-any-crap look. “Can’t you think somewhere a little safer?”
She lifted a shoulder and cleared her throat. “I was just out riding, getting some fresh air and . . .” Why do you feel compelled to bare your soul to him? It’s none of his damned business.
“This is a helluva spot for a daydream. Looked like you were about to go over.”
“No.” She glared right back at him. “So why are you here?” she demanded.
“I was missing one of my horses. And the dog”—he hooked his thumb toward the shepherd nosing around the brush near a stand of hemlock—“led me here.” His gaze held hers. “Seems like it was a good idea.”
“I’m fine.”
“Really?” One of those dark eyebrows cocked skeptically.
So alpha male. “Yeah, really.” Maybe she’d been only a step or two from the edge, but she didn’t much like this guy’s attitude. “You don’t have to make it a habit of saving me.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” Then, as another unpleasant thought occurred to her, “Don’t tell me my husband hired you to be . . . what? Some kind of babysitter or . . . bodyguard?”
“I just came looking for the horse. Didn’t mean to step into this mess, whatever the hell it is.”
She felt her temper simmer. “No matter what you may think because of the other night and here, just now”—she motioned vaguely to the edge of the cliff face—“I really don’t need a keeper.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
He shrugged, seemingly unconvinced, his eyes still narrowed suspiciously, but he stepped away, palms raised. “No harm, no foul.” He grabbed the reins of Cayenne’s bridle. “Just bring the horse back, and next time maybe you could leave me a note or something.”
“I looked for you when I took Jasper. You weren’t around. And I really didn’t think I needed permission to take my horse out.”
He let a beat pass and she knew what he was thinking, that she did need someone’s okay to go riding on her own, that she wasn’t in control. That she was a damned lunatic.
“You’ve got a big place here. I might not always be in the stable or barn, but I’ve got a cell. If you give me a heads-up, I could get the horse ready for you.”
“Seriously?” she said. “No matter what you’ve heard, I am able to saddle a horse. With my eyes closed. I might be the only one who holds this opinion, but trust me, I can do it.” Before he could answer, she added, “The way I see it, this is my house, my land, and my friggin’ gelding.”
“I was just saying—”
“I know what you were saying, Dern!” She grabbed Jasper’s reins, swung