What's in a Name? Read Free

beeped and Kelli took out
something that smelled like a Chinese restaurant. His mouth
watered.
    “ Why don’t you eat by
the fire and get warm?” He tried the smile that usually attracted
women like a magnet.
    Kelli found a fork, poured herself a
glass of wine and walked toward him. And kept on walking.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Kelli sat at her desk and poked at the
reheated stir-fry. After a bite, she pushed the container aside.
She needed to work, not think about the punk who held up
convenience stores, killing people. People she loved. A place like
Camp Getaway might have turned him around. She wondered if being
left alive was some kind of punishment for her sins.
    She shook off the thought, grabbed a
pad of paper and started making a list of everything she needed to
do. With Thornton’s new start date, she was way behind schedule.
And the sooner she finished, the sooner she could get out of here
and away from Blake Windsor.
    She tried to assure herself the man who
was sleeping in a room exactly twenty-eight paces from her door
couldn’t possibly know anything about Robert. Windsor was a
handyman, sent to work on the project. Jack had vouched for him.
Checked his references. He’d never send anyone who couldn’t be
trusted. Still, the less contact she had with Windsor the better.
No way was she going to risk spending the rest of her life in a
Mexican prison.
    The phone interrupted. Jack again?
    “ Hey Kelli, it’s
Ranger Peterson. Doug. I wanted to make sure you were all
right.”
    The hairs on her neck prickled. “Is
something wrong?”
    “ Nothing major. It’s
the annual end-of-summer biker retreat, but a couple of
fraternities are here, too. There was a fraternity versus biker
difference of opinion. Probably escalated by alcohol.”
    “ I’ve heard the bikes
all day. Nobody ever comes onto this property. I’m
fine.”
    “ Okay. There were some
campsites messed up. Petty vandalism. Law enforcement’s on it. You
want me to come by? Just in case, you know?”
    “ No, but thanks. Good
night, Doug.”
    Hanging up the phone, Kelli shook her
head. Even though he was a naturalist, not a park cop, Doug
Peterson protected the park like it was his own backyard. Shortly
after she’d arrived, he’d made some overtures. They’d reached an
understanding that she wasn’t interested in anything other than her
job, but every now and again he’d test the waters.
    She stood, arched her back, and went to
the window. The bike noises seemed to be getting closer. She
waited, listening, and they faded away.
    She sighed and turned to the paperwork
for the Environmental Impact Statement. What seemed like hours
later, only halfway through the mounds of paperwork, she gave up
trying to fill out the requisite forms. Too restless to sleep, she
clicked the computer mouse and opened her games folder. After
setting the difficulty level to “evil,” she blasted Snoods,
imagining Robert’s face as she wiped the colored icons off the
screen. Robert was gone now, too, like the Snoods.
    The smell of congealed Chinese food on
her desk turned her stomach. She picked up the container and headed
for the kitchen, remembering at the last minute to put on her
glasses. She reminded herself to keep her guard up.
    Seconds later, she was glad she had.
Instead of being asleep, Windsor stood at the stove, his back to
her. Her heart thumped against her rib cage. She froze. Before she
could retreat, he faced her.
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Two
     
    Blake adjusted the burner under the
teakettle. Kelli stood there, clutching the remains of her dinner,
like she wanted the floor to swallow her. He tried his smile again.
“I’m making chamomile tea. Want some?”
    Kelli lowered her head. “No, thanks. I
need to wash my dishes.”
    He watched her, obviously struggling
with the dilemma of joining him in the confined space of the
kitchen. Without giving ground, he reached out his hand. “I’ll do
them.”
    Her chin lifted and her eyes,
red-rimmed behind