Chapter 6

It was dark by the time Ellie got home. She grabbed an armload of bags from the truck and made for the front door of the house. She fumbled with her key to unlock the door and balance the bags.

After putting away the food, she headed straight for the shower. Twenty minutes later, she returned to the kitchen to start the dinner preparation. She washed some new potatoes, chopped some onion and carrots. She piled all the vegetables, along with a pot-roast into a disposable roasting pan.

Fresh green beans went in a pot to cook. She put on a pot of water to boil for tea. As soon as it came to a boil, she plunked in a couple of family sized tea bags and turned off the burner. She’d fix some biscuits when it got closer to dinnertime but for now, everything was done. There was nothing left to do but wait.

Ellie wandered to the spare bedroom, turned on the overhead light and stood in the middle of the room, slowing turning to look at the paintings that lined all four walls. The light from the rickety ceiling fixture cast a yellowed harsh and uneven light. She let her eyes move from one image to the next.

Suddenly her eyes spotted something—something she had not noticed before. There was a discolored line running through almost every image, barely discernable. She moved closer. Had it not been for the light she would not have noticed. But it was there. Not in the same place or the same shape, but every painting had a line that moved and curved through it.

Why had he done that?

The more she looked the more she realized that if she changed the order of the paintings, some of the lines would meet. Eager to see what the result would be, she started moving paintings around like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. She was so caught up in it that she jumped at the sound of her phone ringing.

Ellie ran to the kitchen and snatched up her phone from the counter. It was Cam. “Hello?”

“Hey there. You ‘bout ready for that dinner company?”

“I sure am.”

“Then open the door sugar cause I’m standing on your doorstep.”

Ellie hurried to the door and pulled it open. Cam stood there with a six-pack in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other.

“For you,” he handed her the flowers.

“Really? Thank you. That was so sweet. Oh, I’m sorry. Come on in. I’ll see if I have something to put these in and you can put the beer in the fridge. Dinner should be ready any…oh shit, I forgot to make the biscuits!”

She hurried into the kitchen and started opening cabinets, looking for something to put the flowers in. The only thing she found was an old-style kettle with no top. She ran water into it, added the flowers, and set it in the center of the small table.

“Okay, biscuits,” she said over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind but they’re store-bought. Frozen. I’ve eaten them before and they’re pretty good.”

“Fine by me.”

She gave him a smile, plopped the frozen circles of dough on a disposable baking pan and slid them in the oven on the rack beneath the pot-roast.

“Want a beer?” Cam asked. “Damn, I forgot, sorry.

“It’s okay. I made some tea.”

“I thought you hated the water.”

“They had Carolina Mountain Water at the store.”

“Seriously. You bought water from the Carolinas?”

“Well duh,” she said and pulled out the plastic water jug she’d used to store the tea. “The stuff y’all call water here is nasty.”

“That’s why we have an R/O system on the water for the house.”

“Yeah, well apparently my father saw no need for such luxuries, as you can tell.”

“You have a point. So did you finish going through all his things?”

“Oh! While the bread cooks let me show you something.”

He followed her to the spare bedroom and winced when she turned on the overhead light in the room. “I know,” she said. “It’s horrible but it shows something I didn’t see before. Just look.”

Cam looked at the wall on the opposite end of the room. His eyes moved from left to right, then down and back to the left. As they started another trek to the right, he suddenly jerked his head back to the left. “Hey, wait! Is that…it looks like a line,” He moved to one of the paintings. “See, right here. You can barely see it, but it starts here in the upper left corner and moves down at a forty-five-degree angle then out horizontal to almost three quarters of the painting and then it heads straight down.”

He turned and she smiled at him. “Yes. It’s on all of them. It didn’t show up in natural light but does in this light.”

“So, what is it?” He looked back at the paintings. “Hey, there’s another. And wait, there’s one there, too.”

“It’s on all of them,” she said.

“But why?”

Ellie gnawed her bottom lip for a moment. She didn’t want to sound crazy.

“Ellie?”

“I think…I don’t know. It’s like a puzzle.

“A puzzle? Of what?”

“I don’t know. But I need to figure it out.”

They spent the next fifteen minutes rearranging paintings. The timer on her phone sounded. “Oh, the bread is ready. Come on, let’s eat.”

After serving plates and taking seats at the table, they continued the conversation. “So, if it is a puzzle what’s the answer? A white horse and connected lines.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a clue to….”

“A puzzle with clues to who knows what? That doesn’t make sense.”

“You’re probably right. But something else happened.”

“What?”

She told him about the phone call, the flat tire, and the note on her truck.

“Show me.”

Ellie fetched the note and handed it to him. Cam read it and she could see the anger on his face. “This is a threat, Ellie. A direct threat. You’re not safe here.”

“What could be so important here that someone would threaten me, Cam? His paintings?”

“Or the puzzle they form.”

Shock rippled through her. “But how could anyone know about it?”

“I don’t know, but until we find out you’re not staying here. I want you to get your things. You’re coming to the ranch.”

“I can’t just leave.”

“Yes, you can.”

“But the paintings. The puzzle. I have to figure out—”

“And we will. But not here. We’ll take them to the ranch. They’ll be safe there. And so will you.”

“You’re scaring me, Cam.”

“You should be scared. Now, do me a favor and pack whatever you need. I’ll back my truck up to the front door and we’ll load all of the paintings in it.”

She didn’t know what to say and the look on his face said he wasn’t going to take any argument. She stood and took her plate to the counter, scraped it off in the trashcan then placed it in the sink.

“We can’t go,” she said as she looked through the window over the sink.

“Why not?”

“It’s raining. I can’t let the paintings get ruined.”

“Then I’ll stay here. I have my handgun in the truck and a shotgun. I’ll go get them.”

“Cam, wait!” She rounded the table as he headed for the front door. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I know I don’t but I’m doing it.”

“Why?”

His answer was to take her into his arms and hold her tight. Ellie never thought that an embrace could be more meaningful than a kiss but this one was. She felt safe in his arms, safe in a way she hadn’t know she craved. It was like the feeling you have as a child when you have a nightmare, and your parent comes to hold you close and keep the demons at bay. It was like…like coming home.

In that instant, it hit her. She was falling for Cam Marsh. Again. Hard.

“I’m going to protect you from the snakes, Ellie.”

She nodded, keeping her face pressed against his chest. At length he released her. “I’m going to get my guns. Make sure all of the windows are locked and drapes are pulled, okay?”

“Okay.”

She hurried around the house, pulling the drapes closed over the windows that had them and making sure everything was locked. Cam came in, a shotgun in one hand and his handgun in a holster clipped to his belt.

“Cam…”

“It’s okay. Come here.”

Ellie ran to him, wrapping her arms around him as he pulled her close. “It’ll be okay, honey. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. Chances are no one will try anything with me here but in the morning, we’re taking the note to the department.”

She nodded.

“It will be okay. I promise.”

Ellie pulled back far enough to look up at him. “Why would someone want this place bad enough to try and scare me away? Look around. It’s…it’s just an old house. The only thing of value is…well, maybe the land and I guess the paintings, but is that worth—”

“The paintings!” Cam pulled her along as he headed for the room where the paintings were stored.

“What?” She asked as he turned on the light.

“It’s the paintings. Look, you’ve already started connecting it, Ellie. These lines, they connect all the paintings. Just like a puzzle. So, we need to finish the puzzle.

“There’s not enough room. There are still, what, 25 paintings I didn’t have room to hang.

“Then we move them to the living room. It’s bigger.”

“I’ll get the hammer and nails. You start taking them down.”

Ellie ran for the kitchen where she stored her toolbox. Cam walked through with an armload of paintings a moment after she took the box from the cabinet beneath the sink.

It took them an hour to get all of the paintings hung on the wall. Ellie turned on the overhead light. “The lines don’t show.”

“They have to. They did in the other room.”

“Maybe it’s the bulb.”

They raced to the bedroom where Cam removed the shade from the fixture. The bulb was one of those people buy as a so-called “bug” light. Cam removed it and switched the bulb in the fixture in the living area with the bug light.

The lines once again showed up. They started rearranging the paintings. Hours passed. Finally, Ellie sat down on the floor. “There are pieces missing. There…” She pointed to the wall with the front door. “Between those two on the third row down. And there…” She pointed toward the opposite wall. “Near the floor.”

“You gave one to Lily. We can get it in the morning. Did you give away any others?”

She shook her head. “No. That’s all there were.”

“Okay, but we have the most of it and the bigger question is what does it mean?”

He took a seat on the floor beside her. Ellie looked around the room. “I wish I knew. God, I’m tired. I don’t want to think about this anymore. I just want to…to…”

She turned toward Cam. “I want to go to bed.”

“You want to-to—”

God did she ever, but she wasn’t about to initiate that. She wanted to have sex with Cam Marsh in the worst way, but not when she was scared and upset.

“Sleep. I want to sleep. I want to feel safe for one night and sleep…”

“Then let’s go.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. I told you, honey. I’ll protect you.”

“From the snakes, I know.” She smiled at him.

“And anything else that scares or threatens you.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s get some sleep.”

She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet and together they made their way down the hall to the bedroom. Cam sat down on the bed, pulled off his boots and socks then stood, removed his handgun, and placed it on the nightstand. He then reached for the buckle of his belt but stopped.

Ellie was in the process of turning back the covers on the bed. “I don’t expect you to sleep in your clothes Cam.”

He smiled and undressed down to boxer briefs. Ellie busied herself getting a long t-shirt out of the rickety bureau, trying not to stare. But that was impossible. Cam was fine with a capital F. More than fine. He was gorgeous.

And he was sitting on the bed, in his boxers, watching her. Ellie felt a stab of insecurity. How in the hell was she going to change clothes with him sitting there watching? It wasn’t as she’d never been naked in front of a man, but she hadn’t had a man in her life in a while, so she was a little rusty.

“Problem?” he asked.

She stood there, clutching her t-shirt, and feeling like a total fool. “I…uh…I have to use the bathroom.”

With that, she fled to the bathroom, closed the door behind her, and leaned back against it. She’d imagined Cam without his clothes too many times to count and could honestly say that this was one of those rare cases in which the fantasy did not live up to the reality.

She was quite certain she didn’t want him to see her naked and underneath her shirt and shorts there was nothing since she had not yet done laundry. Ellie quickly stripped out of her clothes and pulled on the oversized t-shirt. She wished she had clean underwear but that’s what she got for letting the laundry go.

Get over it. It’s not like he’s trying to get in your pants anyway. You’re just going to sleep. That’s it. Just sleep.

She reentered the bedroom to find him in the bed, covered to the waist, leaning back against the headboard. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” She climbed in the bed beside him.

Cam smiled at her and scooted down. “Good, then turn out the light.”

She did and then felt his hand, taking hold of her to pull her to him. Ellie snuggled up to his side, her head on his shoulder. He placed her hand on the center of his chest with his on top of it. “Go to sleep, Ellie. I’ll keep you safe tonight.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, wondering how in the world she would ever be able to sleep, feeling his body against hers. Amazingly, within a few minutes her eyes started to feel heavy.

The last thing she remembered was the feel of his heartbeat, steady and strong beneath her hand. And feeling safe.

*****

Simon Dansforth gripped the cocktail glass so hard the knuckles of his hand turned white. He was not accustomed to anyone saying no to him “What do you mean she said no?”

“Just that, sir. Goodwin called and she turned him down flat.”

“Even after the incident with her vehicle tire and the note?”

“Yes. And Marsh is with her.”

Simon considered it for a few moments. Elana Whitehorse was proving to be a bit more stubborn than he anticipated. Obviously having Detective Marsh with her was giving her more courage than if she was alone. That was a wrinkle in the plan. He’d not anticipated that she would make friends with Marsh.

Still, he could not be with her twenty-four hours a day, and with the right incentive, she could be made to see the practicality and profitability of capitulation.

“Double the offer.”

“Double?”

“Is that not what I said? Double the offer. In person. Take Bookman and Dalton with you. Make sure she understands the consequences of refusing.”

“How much persuasion do you want them to use?”

“Enough to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation.”

“Make sure they leave nothing behind that will provide law enforcement with clues to their identities. This much be clean.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And it goes without saying that I may not be linked to any of this in any manner.”

Simon smiled at the pause on the line. His underling understood the implication of his words. The shell corporation making the offer on the land could not be linked back to him without months or even years of investigation. He’d always made sure to insulate himself from any business transaction that veered from a legal path.

“Yes, sir. We have eyes on her. The moment she’s alone we’ll make our move.”

“I will await your report.”

He ended the call and leaned back in his leather chair. Soon he’d have the property in his hands, and then he’d discover the secret Whitehorse had taken to his grave.

Simon got up to freshen his drink. Michael Whitehorse could have avoided an early grave if he’d just cooperated. Stubbornness had cost him his life. Hopefully his daughter would not tread the same path.

*****

Ellie’s eyes flew open. Her hand was on Cam, and he had an erection. Oh hell, what had she done? Well duh, Captain Obvious. Somehow the dream she’d been having had prompted her body into motion.

Had she been stroking him like in the dream?

“You don’t have to stop on my account.” His voice gave her a start. Now what? Admit that she’d been dreaming about it or apologize and pretend it was an accident.

Or be honest?

She considered it for a few seconds then threw back the covers, snatched her t-shirt up over her head, and tossed it aside. Ellie climbed on top of Cam, straddling his body, and then lowering down on him.

His arms went around her, and his lips parted beneath hers. His skin was hot to her touch as her hands drifted over the strong muscles of his arms.

His lips abandoned her and moved down the curve of her neck to the hollow of her throat. Ellie felt perspiration spring to the surface of her skin as his hands traced down her back and cupped her rear. Cam captured her lips for another kiss and expertly rolled them over so that she was beneath him.

He pushed up on his hands to look down at her. “Do you want to make love to me, Ellie?”

Make love? The question shocked her. Have sex, fuck, or get it on she would have understood, but making love implied an emotional connection. She mentally cursed herself for the way her heart raced with a sudden swell of hope.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Cam smiled and kissed her slowly and gently. Ellie breathed in his scent. The very smell of him evoked a basic primal need.

She’d never dreamed that a kiss could produce such a profound reaction. Heat flowed from her mouth to her breasts then down through her belly to pool between her legs like liquid fire.

“I want to make love to you,” Cam whispered against her mouth.

Ellie didn’t trust her voice, she merely nodded, her thoughts fragmented between the desire that threatened to overwhelm and the hope that beat at her heart that there was more than just physical need between them.

Cam took his time, arousing her with hands and mouth. Her nipples grew sensitive as he suckled her then laved the tight flesh into plumpness before gathering it again into his mouth.

Ellie was starting to feel that she would go mad with need when he started working his way down her body, his tongue leaving a trail of heat in its wake.

When his mouth reached her sex, she nearly came off the bed. God almighty was he good with his mouth. Two minutes and she had her head thrown back, her hands fisting the sheets and her body quaking in climax.

In fact, she was not fully through the throes when he moved between her legs and slid inside her. That sent her careening back into a void of pure pleasure.

“Oh my god,” she whispered as the climax started to fade. “That was—”

“Just the start,” he whispered.

Something in his look unlocked a part of her she didn’t know she possessed. A need to be taken, to be loved until she could not take anymore. She wound her legs around his waist, pumping against him.

Their movements became less gentle, their lovemaking more demanding and primitive. Nothing else existed but their need.

Ellie cried out his name as he once more took her over the edge and felt him take the fall with her.

Afterwards, they were both quiet for a long time. Ellie wondered what he was thinking. Did he know that this wasn’t just sex for her? Could he sense her feelings for him? And if he did, would that send him running at first light?

He pulled her close, spooning against her and despite her worries, she felt herself succumbing to sleep.

Cam had just drifted off when Ellie sat straight up in bed. “A map!”

“Wh-what?”

“It’s a map. A map.”

“What’s a map?” His brain was still in a fog.

“The paintings.” Her voice cut into his thoughts. “The lines. It’s not a puzzle. It’s a map”

“Of what?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out.”

“Now? It’s…” he picked up his phone from the nightstand. “Three-thirty.”

“I have to do this now. You go back to sleep.”

“No, I’ll get up.”

“No, really. Go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when I’m done.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Photograph everything and import the pictures into Photoshop and put everything together.”

“Oh, well…okay.”

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek then bounded out of the bed. He heard her in the closet and a minute later, she left the room, closing the door behind him. Cam lay in the dark thinking about it. What if she was right? Why would someone hide a map in a bunch of paintings? And a map to what?

It was for sure that he wasn’t going to figure it out right now, so he did the best thing he could do. Closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.