Cottage by the Sea Read online

  Keaton hadn’t forgotten, even though he’d painted it years earlier. “Yes.”

  “But that was already painted before I moved here. I asked about it and was told it’s been there four or five years.”

  “Yes.”

  She stared at him, not knowing what to say.

  “I met you on the beach when you were fourteen or so,” he explained.

  Her forehead wrinkled. “So that was how you knew I had a brother. Keaton, I feel dreadful, I don’t remember meeting you.”

  “I know.”

  “Tell me about it. When did we meet? Where?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not important.”

  “It is to me,” she argued. “You must have taken my picture to get my features so perfect. When I first saw the mural, it looked so much like me I was shocked.”

  He was uncomfortable explaining what he’d done. “I sketched you that summer.”

  This news seemed to fluster her. “I wish I could remember meeting you.”

  He grinned. “It was just the one time, and only briefly. Don’t worry. I remembered you.”

  Using both hands, she pushed the hair away from her face. “You recognized me when I came into the real estate office after thirteen years?”

  “Before. Earlier, on the beach with Lennon, before you moved here.”

  “After all those years?”

  He nodded, watching her closely. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the scene. Like several of his others, it was a scene from the beach with the waves heaving toward the sand. Seashells littered the beach and kites were flying overhead against the backdrop of a bright summer day, with lazy clouds dotting the horizon.

  “Keaton, this is…amazing.” She couldn’t seem to find the words to adequately express herself. Keaton watched as she opened and closed her mouth several times and then shook her head. “You’re so talented.”

  “Thank you.”

  She stared up at him, seeing him through fresh eyes. “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t need to say anything.” He enjoyed surprising her, and because he found her adorable, he leaned down and kissed her. When they broke apart, Annie looked at him, ready to melt into a puddle at his feet. He saw the look of wonder in her eyes, and it demanded all the restraint he could muster not to spend what remained of the evening making love to her.

  “You are far and away the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Annie whispered.

  Keaton basked in her praise. He so rarely received approval that he didn’t know how to react to it. Once again, he struggled with the need to pull her back into his arms and kiss her senseless.

  With what could be described only as sheer force of will, he moved away from her and led her back to where he’d parked his truck.

  “You make me look beautiful,” she said as they strolled along, the wind buffeting them. The sun was going down, casting a warm glow reflecting off the water.

  “That’s how I see you.”

  She looked up, and he noticed she had tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Keaton.”

  Little did she understand that he should be the one thanking her. For the first time in his life, he felt accepted and loved.

  CHAPTER 21

  Mellie called Saturday morning just as Annie was watering her garden. She’d planted lettuce and already had cuttings enough to share.

  “I finished those books you brought over,” Mellie announced.

  “Already?” The woman had apparently spent every spare moment reading through the thirty paperback novels.

  “I don’t suppose you have a few more,” her friend asked, ignoring Annie’s comment. “But only if you’re looking for someone to take them off your hands,” she added, acting like she was doing Annie a favor.

  “Sure,” she said, mentally going through her bookshelf. She’d already given the majority of what she had to Mellie. However, this would be a great time to approach her about hiring Teresa as her housekeeper.

  Annie turned her back to the house on the off-chance Mellie was watching her out the window. She didn’t want the other woman to see her struggling to hold back a smile.

  “I was getting ready to cut you some fresh lettuce from the garden. Would you like some of that, too?” Annie asked, remembering that her mother let the lettuce set in saltwater, to clean it of any bugs. She’d do that, too, before passing it on to Mellie.

  “You can bring that to me with those books.”

  “Of course. Glad to do it.”

  “What time are you coming?” Mellie wanted to know.

  My, my, she was eager. “What time are you receiving guests?”

  “Ha, ha. Very funny. Just bring me those books and some of that lettuce.”

  “Deal. Besides, I have something I want to ask you.”

  “About?” Mellie demanded.

  “I’ll let you know later.”

  “Tell me now. I’m not very patient.”

  Annie grinned. “Really. I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Don’t keep me waiting.”

  It was hard not to laugh out loud. “I’ll be over in a few and then you’ll know all.”

  Mellie continued to grumble as Annie disconnected.

  Their relationship was developing nicely. On the nights that Annie had been out with Keaton, they’d stopped off to check in with Mellie at the end of their searches. Annie could tell that Mellie was becoming more accustomed to having her around. At one point, Mellie had gone so far as to tell Annie that she was good for Keaton.

  With a sense of purpose, Annie washed the lettuce and gathered it in a plastic bag along with a few novels she believed Mellie would enjoy, and headed across the yard. To be polite, she knocked once, and then let herself in the door off the kitchen, unlocking the various devices.

  “Mellie,” she called out, although she suspected the woman was keenly aware Annie was already in the house. The cat sat on the windowsill, soaking up the sunshine. Trying to be helpful, she set the crisp lettuce inside the refrigerator. When she turned around, she found Mellie standing in the doorway that led to the hall, watching.

  “What are you doing snooping in my refrigerator?” she demanded.

  “Just putting the lettuce away,” Annie returned, holding up her hands as if Mellie had a gun pointed at her.

  “I’m not feeding you, if that’s what you think.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of imposing.”

  “Did you bring the books?”

  “I did.” She pointed at the stack on the kitchen table. It was little wonder that Mellie had missed seeing them, with all the other junk that was accumulated there. “Some great stories, too.”

  “You have something on your mind.” Mellie remained on the other side of the room, like she was afraid of what Annie had to say.

  Annie ignored the question. “So, you enjoyed the others?”

  Mellie shrugged, unwilling to admit it. “They were okay. Noticed a couple mysteries, too. Not bad. Kept me entertained.” Stepping forward, she walked over to the table and placed her hands against the back of one of the kitchen chairs and frowned.

  “You going to tell me what’s on your mind or are you going to beat around the bush all day?”

  Annie made a point of looking around the kitchen. “Have you ever thought about hiring a housekeeper?” she asked.

  “No.” Her response was flat and sharp.

  “Organizing everything here must feel overwhelming.”

  “Never said I wanted anything organized. I don’t like strangers in my house, and that includes you.”

  Annie reached for the chair directly across from Mellie, her fingers curving over the back of it. She had to approach this carefully. “I met Teresa Hoffert. Do you know her?”

  “No, and I don’t care to.”

 
; Annie bit into her lower lip. “She’s the sole support for her family and cleans houses for a living.”

  “I’m not running a charity out of here. Hire her yourself if you want to do her a favor.” Mellie didn’t appear the least bit moved.

  “I can’t. I made her husband angry and he forbade her to work for me.”

  “Her husband?” Mellie frowned. “This have anything to do with your slashed tires?”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure it was him.”

  Mellie’s eyes sparked with anger.

  Annie exhaled. This next part was tricky. “He’s abusing her. I don’t have positive proof, but I’ve seen the evidence.”

  Crossing her arms, Mellie grew thoughtful. “She ever reported him to the sheriff?”

  “No.” Her hands tightened around the back of the chair until her fingers were white. “I doubt she will. Okay, the truth is, I thought if Teresa started working for you as a housekeeper, that I’d have the chance to talk to her about her options. She doesn’t need to stay in this marriage, but Carl has her emotionally beaten down to the point where she’s terrified to do anything to defy him.”

  Mellie said nothing, but Annie could see that she was considering what Annie had said.

  “It’s a win-win for you both,” Annie said quickly, before Mellie could refuse. “You’d get the help you need, and what she earns with you would help Teresa support her family.”

  “How are you planning to talk to her?”

  “I’ll find an excuse to be outside while she’s at the house. We can both subtly talk to her, help her build up confidence.”

  Annie waited, but Mellie didn’t appear to have anything to say.

  “Will you consider it?” she asked, her heart racing.

  “Maybe. But don’t count on it.”

  Annie couldn’t ask for anything more than that. She reached for a slip of paper and set it down on top of one of the boxes. “This is Teresa’s phone number, in case you decide to hire her.”

  Having had her say, Annie rubbed her palms together and was ready to leave.

  “You should know, Keaton mentioned Teresa yesterday.”

  “He did?” He hadn’t said one word since their conversation a week earlier.

  “Never had him recommend anyone before. Not like him. Seems you put him up to it.”

  Annie grinned. “I might have mentioned it to him.”

  “Time for you to leave.”

  “Okay. I appreciate you hearing me out.” All she could do now was pray the arrangement between the two worked the way she hoped.

  * * *

  —

  After spending time in her garden, Annie showered, changed clothes, and decided to take a walk along the beach. She enjoyed these walks, but she had an ulterior motive. She wanted to see Keaton, so she sent him a text.

  Meet me at the beach.

  Give me twenty.

  Perfect.

  Annie walked barefoot along the shore, and she saw Lennon racing toward her before Keaton came into view. Lennon raced past her, chasing a flock of seagulls that flew off.

  Walking straight to Keaton, Annie hugged him close.

  “What’s that for?” he asked, his arms circling her shoulders as he smiled down on her.

  “Mellie said you recommended Teresa.”

  He reached for her hand and they slowly started walking down the sandy shoreline.

  “I might have said something. Nothing much. I figured with Mellie, the less said, the better.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It was…”

  The rest of what he intended to say was lost when three teenage boys raced toward them on motor scooters, their wheels spitting up sand and scattering seagulls. The noise cut off any chance of conversation.

  As they approached, the teenagers reduced their speed. Annie noticed that Keaton held her protectively by his side, placing his arm around her. She didn’t recognize any of the youths, although they were older, probably close to Britt’s age.

  “Hey,” the blond-haired one shouted out, and waved as they roared past, kicking up sand in their wake.

  Seeing that they were friendly, Annie waved back.

  “Hey,” Keaton called back and chuckled.

  It took her a moment to realize the boys knew Keaton. “You know these boys?” she asked.

  Keaton nodded and didn’t explain further. She narrowed her eyes at him, waiting. He grinned. “They’re part of the school wrestling team. I help the coach out from time to time.”

  “You wrestle?”

  “I did years ago. No longer.”

  “But you coach.”

  “Some,” he said again, without elaborating.

  There was more to this man than Annie ever suspected. He wasn’t one to brag about himself, and he went out of his way to downplay his skills.

  “You are a man of many talents, Seth Keaton,” she said, and her heart melted a little as she leaned in to him, playfully bouncing her shoulder against his side.

  They continued walking with Lennon racing ahead. Annie enjoyed tossing a stick for him to fetch. She noticed Keaton watching her and smiling. She didn’t remember ever seeing him smile that much, and it did her heart good.

  She was busy with Lennon when she noticed that Keaton had stopped. When she straightened, she saw that Carl Hoffert stood no more than a few feet away. Carl looked past Keaton and focused his gaze on her. Unafraid, Annie straightened and squared her shoulders.

  Keaton stood like a wall between them. Only a fool would threaten her with Keaton by her side.

  “Hello, Carl,” she said.

  Britt’s stepfather pointed his finger at her. “Keep him away from me.”

  She looked at Keaton, whose eyes had narrowed menacingly.

  “I think Keaton is the least of your worries, Carl.”

  “Just keep him away from me. Understand?”

  “Is that all you want to say?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Carl said, backing away and nearly stumbling in the process. “Tell him to stay the hell away from me.”

  Annie looked from one man to the other. Apparently, far more was going on than she knew.

  Far, far more.

  CHAPTER 22

  Keaton knew Annie was upset after the confrontation on the beach with Carl Hoffert. No way was Keaton going to let Carl walk away scot-free after he’d slashed Annie’s tires. He was determined that nothing even close to that would happen again. There was only one way for Carl to get the message, which meant Keaton openly confronting him, as he’d done. Then and only then would Carl understand Annie and Carl’s wife and family were off-limits.

  Of course, Keaton could have sat back and waited for the sheriff to act, but Sheriff Terrance, being a good man, was bound by law. The sheriff figured Carl was responsible for the damage to Annie’s car. Carl had as much as admitted it with his earlier threat. Unfortunately, without proof, no legal action could be taken.

  Getting the desired results had been a matter of simply paying Carl a visit, which Keaton had done a few days earlier. His confrontation with Carl had been classic. Keaton had waited until Britt and Logan had left for school and Teresa had gone to work. Carl was home alone.

  Keaton let himself into the house without knocking or ringing the doorbell. He wasn’t surprised to find Carl had started drinking when it was barely nine-thirty in the morning. With an open bottle of whiskey, Carl had sat at the kitchen table with a shot glass in his hand. For as big as Keaton was, he hadn’t made a sound. He’d surprised Carl and held him by the scruff of his neck, lifting him out of the chair. Carl’s feet dangled above the linoleum floor.

  Being a man of few words, he’d looked Carl in the eye, their faces so close their noses nearly touched. Carl stared at him in wide-eyed horror and seemed unable to find his voice.
r />   “Don’t go near Annie again,” Keaton said.

  Carl had nodded.

  But Keaton wasn’t finished. “You hurt Logan and I will do to you double what you do to him.” This wasn’t an idle threat.

  Carl started to kick his feet and argue before Keaton increased the strength of his hold, tightening the grip on his neck. That shut him up in quick order.

  “If you lay a finger on Teresa, Britt, or Annie, the same, but far worse, will happen to you.” Much worse. Keaton wasn’t a violent man, except when it came to a man who abused women, children, or animals.

  Carl’s eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head.

  “You understand me?”

  Carl tried to nod but was unable to until Keaton loosened his grip.

  When he set the man back on his feet, Carl’s hands immediately went to his throat, and he made a coughing sound.

  Keaton turned to leave but caught a reflection in the window. Carl had reached for the bottle of whiskey to use it as a weapon. With a single shove, Keaton wrestled the bottle out of his hand and knocked the other man to the floor. He emptied the contents down the sink. From Carl’s position on the cracked linoleum, he cried out in protest.

  Before he left, Keaton stood over him again, glaring down on the weakling.

  * * *

  —

  To be certain Carl wasn’t tempted to try anything else against Annie or his family, Keaton occasionally followed the man, letting his presence be threat enough. He wanted to let Carl know he was being closely watched and if he dared to even think about retaliation toward Annie there would be a price to pay.

  What Keaton hadn’t anticipated was Carl coming to Annie, looking for protection. The coward had no trouble hitting his wife and then running to another woman for help. Keaton had no intention of letting him anywhere close to Annie.

  A few shell-shocked moments followed the confrontation. Annie remained strangely quiet. Sneaking looks at her while waiting for her to say something, anything, Keaton grew edgy, worried what she must be thinking.