“Why is he guarding the house? Is something wrong? Is Shay in trouble?” Nina asked.
“Oh no,” Shay said. “This is my friend, Jamie Waters.”
“Jamie? This is
“Look at him, Nina. He’s a dish. Much better looking than the one we—Holy Mother of—you stepped on my bunion.”
Nina made some gestures with her eyebrows.
Matilda frowned, trying to interpret, and then settled into a look of dawning comprehension. “Oh… Cody’s a dish too. In fact, they look like they could be brothers. Cody has a nice job. He’s a PI. What do you do, Jeremy?”
“His name is Jamie,” Nina said. “Shay, you’re pale. Is it your head?”
“Just tired.” Shay looked at the two men standing side by side, both well over six feet, longish dark hair, both handsome. Until that moment, she hadn’t noticed how much Jamie resembled Cody, in fact how much all the men she dated resembled Cody.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Jamie,” Nina said. “We wanted to before, but we were traveling. You’ll excuse us if we get back to bed. I think this has been too much excitement for Matilda. Shay, you should get some rest.”
“Too much excitement? It’s just getting good,” Matilda huffed, still peering at Jamie and Cody as if inspecting turkeys for Thanksgiving.
“Matilda, we have things to
Matilda’s eyes widened. “Of course, well good night, everyone. Nice meeting you, Jeremy.” They left in a flurry of whispers, much louder to everyone else, since both had terrible hearing. Shay caught the word
Lach appeared from the hallway. “What happened?”
Where had he come from? Shay hadn’t even heard the front door open.
“Your brother can’t tell the difference between a prowler and a guard,” Jamie said, scowling.
“What was I supposed to think? Matilda said she saw someone looking in her window,” Cody said.
“I asked him to guard the house,” Lachlan said, rubbing his eyes. “I’m going home. I’d just fallen asleep when Matilda called and said a rapist was coming in the window. Marcas is right behind me. He can take the next guard. You coming, Jamie?”
Jamie looked from Cody to Shay. “I’m staying here, if that’s okay,” he said to Shay.
“There’s a bedroom across the hall,” she said, which didn’t make Cody happy. She shrugged at him. “You did say I needed protection.”
Lachlan started back down the hall.
“Lach.”
“Yeah?”
Cody nodded toward the back door.
“Ah.” Lachlan gave Shay a kiss on the cheek and went out the back. “Don’t let them kill each other.”
Shay settled Jamie in the bedroom near the sitting room. He helped her put fresh sheets on the bed. “I miss you,” he whispered, catching her fingers as she brushed by. He pulled her into a hug, lips brushing the soft hair at her forehead.
Standing close to him brought back a flood of intimate memories. She’d spent almost a year with Jamie, even considered marrying him. Turning him down might be the biggest mistake of her life, but it was clear she had too many unresolved feelings for Cody. Jamie deserved a woman who loved him for himself, not because he subconsciously reminded her of someone else. She needed to settle things between Jamie and Cody before someone got distracted and died.
“We have to talk, Jamie,” she said, pulling out of his hug. He left one arm around her shoulder, keeping contact.
“Talk?” he said, the question hopeful, until he saw her face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I’m a warrior, but I couldn’t.”
Why did everyone keep saying that? They could have told her, but that wasn’t the point.
He dropped his hand, capturing hers. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, if that makes any difference. By the time I realized it, it was too late. You were in my blood. I would have told you before we married, but I kept it a secret so long I wasn’t sure how to say it. I was trying to work up the nerve when you broke things off.”
“There’s more to it than you not telling me you’re a warrior. You’re one of the best men I know, and I thought coming back here might help me see things more clearly, but… it’s no good… I love you, Jamie, I do.” She touched his face. “But not… not like that. Not like you should be loved.”
His eyes looked flat. He glanced over her shoulder. “It’s him isn’t it? It’s always been him.”
Shay turned and saw Cody in the hallway, body stiff, face shadowed. His gaze met hers before looking away. He disappeared toward the stairs. She wanted to run to him and apologize.
“I… it’s not that… I don’t know—” her voice broke. She couldn’t deny it. “I’m sorry.” She had betrayed him every bit as much as he betrayed her. At least he did it because he loved her, wanted to protect her. She had used Jamie to replace a ghost.
“I know, babe. I know,” he said, pulling her close again. They stayed that way for several moments, grieving over the hopelessness of love.
