Dune Road (4 page)

Ashleigh froze.

****

Ashleigh stiffened, but Cole didn’t release her. He looked into her eyes as she stared back like a deer caught in headlights. He loosened his hold. “Is something wrong?” Was he moving too fast? She seemed comfortable enough, at first anyway. Had she changed her mind about him?

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

A single tear trickled down her cheek. Cole leaned to catch it with his lips. Ashleigh gasped and lowered her head to his shoulder. Pulling her closer, he held her tight against him, wanting desperately to shelter her from anything that caused her pain.

“It’s all right. Are you okay?”

She nodded, not moving her head from his shoulder. Dampness from her tears soaked through the light cotton of his shirt. Realization suddenly slammed him with a thought. She worked so hard. Something about her past must be responsible for the sadness he sensed in her. His heart shattered. His protective instincts rose, threatening to override his common sense. He clamped his teeth together and turned his head to keep from letting his true emotions spill out.

“I have to go, Cole. I think it would be better if we didn’t see each other again.” She pushed away and squeezed out from between him and the bar. He watched as she began to gather her belongings, her head down and tears still flowing down her face.

“Ashleigh, talk to me. I’m sorry if I came on too strong. I guess I’m tired too. It’s late, please don’t make any decisions tonight. Go out with me tomorrow and we’ll talk then.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Cole.” She brushed her hand over her wet cheeks and pulled her keys from the bag.

“Why not?” Ashleigh wasn’t the type of girl he usually dated so he didn’t really understand her or know how to proceed.

“Look, Cole, I don’t have the energy to do this right now. Can’t you just let it go?” She pulled the tie from her hair and massaged her temples as the fall of blond hair cascaded down her back. Cole was once again lost. “I have a headache, and I’m going home, Cole.”

“Will you at least see me tomorrow?”

She sighed, as if frustrated. “I can’t keep seeing you. I’m not the kind of girl you usually date, am I?”

“No, but what does that have to do with anything?” This woman was going to confuse him to death. Maybe that was the attraction. She was definitely a challenging puzzle.

“You’re not the type of guy I usually date, either. I…” Her cheeks turned red as her voice trailed off. She lowered her head.

“What is it, Ashleigh?” Surely they could work out whatever the problem was, but he couldn’t help if he didn’t know what was wrong.

“I don’t sleep around, Cole. I know you probably won’t understand this, but I’m waiting until I get married. I’m not interested in a one night stand, or a summer fling. When I decide to be with someone, I want it to be special…with the man I love and want to stay with the rest of my life.”

At first, he didn’t say anything. How did he feel about her declaration? He respected the fact she wanted to wait until she was married, but was insulted she would assume he wouldn’t understand or respect her values. She walked toward the door.

“Ashleigh, wait.” He grabbed her arm before she opened the door. Turning her to face him, he stared into her eyes. “It’s okay, Ashleigh. You’re right, I have casual flings and move on. I like to have fun. But I would never hurt anyone. I’m always honest about my opinion on relationships.” He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s different with you. I feel something for you that I’ve never experienced with another woman. I
want
to get to know you.” Her eyebrows lifted, and he could see his own surprise mirrored in her eyes. “We could go slow. I would really like that.” He held his breath, waiting for her to walk out.

“I would really like that, too.” Her smile was radiant, and relief rushed over him.

“Come on, can you spare a few more minutes? There’s something I want to show you.”

“Sure.”

He took her hand and led her out of the cabana. They walked hand in hand to the back deck, to where he had first laid eyes on her. They leaned on the rail and gazed out to the broad expanse of ocean. Cole put his arm around Ashleigh and pulled her close just as the sun first peeked over the horizon to color the sky with early morning light.

Chapter Six

She slowly opened the back door, careful not to rattle the keys. She should have known tip-toeing in the house wouldn’t matter, her mother was always up at the crack of dawn, no matter how poorly she’d slept the night before.

“Hi, Mom. How was your night?”

“Good, Savannah only woke once and she went right back to sleep.”

Ashleigh sat on the nearest chair, exhaustion taking over.

“Can I get you something to eat?”

“No, thanks, Mom. I’m going straight to bed. I want to get at least a few hours of sleep.”

“Don’t worry about Savannah. I’ll get her up and give her breakfast.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Her mother put two slices of bread in the toaster, and then turned to Ashleigh. “Are you all right? It looks like you were crying.”

Ashleigh could see worry in her mother’s eyes, and was sorry for having put it there. “I’m okay.” She smiled in an attempt to lighten her mother’s mood. “I have a date tonight.”

“It’s about time,” her mother said.

“Everyone says I should go out more often, but how am I supposed to do that? They don’t understand how often I work. I don’t have time to date.” Frustration was evident in her tone, but she was too tired to try and hide it.

Her mother placed a glass of orange juice and a couple of slices of toast with jelly on the table in front of Ashleigh. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. You do the best you can. You’ve taken on so much these past few years, you deserve a bit of time for yourself. Now, tell me about your date. Is he anyone I know?” Her mom’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Stop that.” Ashleigh laughed. “No, I just met him today. He was cleaning the pool at the Bronson house.”

“I’m sure he’s a nice guy.”

She shrugged.
Nice guy
didn’t really describe Cole adequately. “He’s not like the men I usually date.”

“Ashleigh, let’s be honest, you don’t date. You go out with men you’ve known since you were a kid. You have a casual dinner and come home. Then you wait until the next time everyone starts bugging you to go out and you do the same thing again.”

Ashleigh couldn’t argue, but the truth stung.

“I don’t have much free time so why should I go out with strangers when I can go out with friends?”

“Honey, it’s okay to date. I understand your desire to wait until you’re married to have sex, and I agree with you. I also understand how hard you work, and I’m proud of you.” Her mother reached across the table to pat Ashleigh’s hand. “I don’t tell you often enough, but I am very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” It meant a lot to that her mother recognized how hard Ashleigh worked. Her mother’s opinion was appreciated and truly mattered.

“Mom, what if I end up like Melissa?” Her mother inhaled deeply and held her breath, then slowly exhaled. Ashleigh was immediately sorry she’d brought up her sister.

“Babe, you are nothing like Melissa. The two of you are about as different as two people could be. Melissa liked to have fun. It didn’t make her bad, Ashleigh. She dated a lot of men, but didn’t sleep with most of them.”

“How do you know that? How can you be so sure?”

“Come on, Ashleigh. We’ve talked about this before. Melissa and I were very close, as you and I are. She talked to me about everything. Just because I didn’t agree with her partying, doesn’t mean I didn’t love her. Everyone has to follow their own path, honey, and sometimes that means making your own mistakes. Otherwise, how do you learn?”

“I have to go to bed, Mom.” Ashleigh put her plate in the sink and stopped as she passed her mother’s chair. Reaching around her mom’s shoulders, Ashleigh hugged her. “Thanks. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Don’t worry, everything will work out. Things usually do.”

****

Bob was yelling at him again, causing Cole more grief.

“I’m almost thirty years old, Bob, give it a rest. I’m not a child and you can’t tell me what to do.” Of course, now he did sound like a child.

“I absolutely
can
tell you what to do. I’m being paid a tremendous amount of money to keep you from getting your stupid ass killed, and the only way I can do my job is if you listen to me.” Bob shot his hand through his hair.

Guilt bit at Cole. “I’m sorry if I’m being difficult, I don’t mean to be.” He shook his head, confused by how badly he wanted to be with Ashleigh, how much he was willing to risk for her. “Ashleigh is different. I’ve never met anyone like her before. It’s refreshing and I don’t want to risk losing my chance with her.”

The admission sounded foolish and, if he were talking to anyone but Bob, he wouldn’t have voiced it out loud.

Bob shook his head. “We’ll work it out. Good luck, man. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“That’s just the thing. I wasn’t looking for anything…or anyone. I came here to remove myself from a dangerous situation, not to meet someone and fall head over heels in love the instant I saw her.”

What was he talking about? Love? He only met Ashleigh yesterday—hadn’t even spent much time with her. How could he be talking about love?

Bob didn’t respond, he just closed the door quietly behind him as he left. Cole sank down onto the deep cushions on the couch. He was too tired to go upstairs, choosing instead to grab the afghan from the back of the couch and crash right where he was.

His eyes shut the minute his head hit the pillow. Thoughts of Ashleigh drifted through his mind. Was he ready for a serious relationship? He was beginning to think he was. Of course, he would have to get the company’s mess straightened out before he could pursue a relationship. It wouldn’t be fair to Ashleigh to have her stuck in the middle of the dangerous situation he was facing at the moment.

The ringing phone startled him awake. He reached over his head to grab his cell from the end table. “Yeah?”

“Yeah? Is that any way to answer the phone? What’s the matter with you, boy?”

Cole laughed. The gruff reprimand was not without humor.

“Hey, Dad.”

“Do you know what time it is? It sounds like you were sleeping?”

“I was up most of the night.”

“So I heard.” His father’s voice turned serious, all signs of the playfulness of only moments before disappearing instantly. “What’s going on out there, Cole? You’re supposed to be keeping a low profile, not running around the Hamptons like some sort of playboy.”

“Is that what Bob said?” He’d give Bob a piece of his mind when he got off the phone.

“Not exactly. He actually didn’t say much, which bothered me.”

Bob was usually very open and forthcoming with both father and son. He’d been working for them for the better part of ten years, sharing an easy camaraderie with his employers.

Cole sighed in frustration. “I met a woman.” His father’s laughter in his ear aggravated Cole more than it should have.

“What else is new, Cole? You always meet a woman. It’s like a hobby for you.”

“It’s different this time. I think I want something long term with her. I wouldn’t risk being found just to play, Dad…and if you weren’t so trusting, I wouldn’t even be in this position. But, that’s beside the point.”

“I’m sorry.” His father’s tone went low. “No, it is my fault, and when you return we’re going to restructure the company with you in charge of hiring.”

Cole held his breath for a moment in shock. It wasn’t like his father to give up any kind of control. The old man must be tired. He’ll probably reconsider that decision numerous times before committing.

“We’ll talk about it when I get back, Dad. Don’t worry about anything right now.”

“Let’s just make sure you do return, okay?”

“Everything will be fine. No one knows where I am, and the house can’t be traced to the family. I was very careful.”

“Then stop giving Bob a hard time. You’re going to give the man a heart attack.” His father’s humor was restored.

“Yes, Daddy, I’ll behave for the babysitter.” Cole laughed as his father muttered something about being a smart ass before he disconnected the call.

Chapter Seven

“Come on, Savannah. Grab the bag out of the trunk and let’s get going.”

Savannah was dragging this morning, which was unusual for the energetic three year old. Ashleigh was concerned about Savannah’s nightmares. Even though last night had been good, the accumulating lack of sleep appeared to be taking its toll on the child.

“Coming, Mom. Sorry.” A grin lit Savannah’s whole face. Ashleigh breathed a sigh of relief. There was her beautiful little girl.

“The twins should be here already, so we have to hurry.” There was no reason to rush, but Savannah was a curious child. If Ashleigh didn’t move her along she’d want to examine everything she saw along the way. At that rate, it would be time to leave before they ever reached the beach.

She took Savannah’s hand and listened to her daughter’s excited rambling as they crossed the parking lot and walked toward the bay side of the island. Ashleigh relished in the moment, enjoying the little hand enveloped in hers, the warmth of the sun on her back, and the hot sand between her toes. The tension in her muscles eased. The slight breeze lifted her hair, bringing with it the scent of the sea and memories of summers past.

Ashleigh and her sister had spent as much time as possible at the beach. When they were little, they built sandcastles, rode the waves, and chased after each other from morning ’til night, never tiring of the carefree joy of being on the beach. As they grew, things changed. While they still went to the beach occasionally, whenever weather and schedules allowed, they spent less and less time together.

Ashleigh was content to lay in the sun, read, and swim. Melissa needed more. Somewhere in her late teens, she had developed an obsessive attraction to boys. She craved attention only they could satisfy…and they sure did pay an interest in her. Why wouldn’t they? She was beautiful with a mane of golden curls and enormous emerald green eyes. Melissa broke more than one heart every summer.