Deathwatch by Dana Marton Read Free Book Online

was acting like a woman scared, and he didn’t think she was scared of him in particular. At first, yes, but not now.
    When she wasn’t putting on the happy-peppy show for him, her sparkling blue eyes turned into sad angel eyes the color of the winter sky. Her shirt hid most of her scars on her chest and upper arms, but he hadn’t forgotten them from last night.
    Her forced smile widened. “Are you sure there’s no way I could stay? Doug promised four months. I still have almost three left. I was really counting on this. Mr. Dolan-”
    “ Call me Murph.” He noted the air of desperation about her. “I can help you find another place. Bing owns a couple of rentals. He’s a friend of mine. I can call him for you.”  
    “ No!” She nearly dropped the fork she was using to beat the eggs into oblivion. “No,” she repeated a shade calmer, caught herself and set down the fork. “Thanks.”  
    Scared of the police? He watched her, his curiosity piqued. Was she running from the law? Or was she running from someone else? That dark sedan from last night popped into his mind.
    He finished his coffee and set the empty mug in the stainless steel sink next to her. “What did you say, where did you move here from?”
    She turned the bacon in the skillet. “How many pancakes do you think you’ll eat?”
    “ No pancakes. Bacon and eggs will be fine.”  
    She avoided personal questions—a scared woman with secrets. He was willing to bet there was a man in the picture somewhere. He had to be a real gem.
    Murph rolled his shoulders. He had a special contempt for men who would beat up a woman. He hoped that wasn't her story.
    But then what? As much as he was looking forward to getting her out of his house, he wouldn’t have minded having time to figure out the beautiful puzzle that was Kate Concord.
    He could see no sense, however, in being drawn to her. As willing as his body would be, an affair with a mysterious stranger wasn’t in his immediate plans. He needed to focus on getting his life back together, and quit wondering about where she’d come from and what made her tick.
    “ I’ll go take a shower while you get breakfast ready.” He walked away from her and could swear he could sense her deflate behind him as the tension left her body.  
    He walked down the hallway that cut the three-bedroom fixer upper in half. The run-down Victorian was the best he could afford on his cop salary. He’d planned on renovating it little by little, had finished the most important parts, but then he’d gotten called up to active duty.
    Right now the only working shower in the semi-renovated house was in the master bath, which was only accessible through the master bedroom. The house was only half livable.
    Nobody in their right mind would rent a place like this. Nobody, unless they were desperate.  
    He opened his closet and stared at Kate’s skimpy selection of women’s clothing before he remembered where his clothes were now. He plodded back down the hallway to the basement door. He was going to have to have a talk with his little brother and soon.
    The key was, predictably, on the top of the door frame. He shook his head as he turned on the light and drummed down the steps, then took in the haphazard pile of his belongings. The boxes had seen better days. Looked like Doug had rescued them from the liquor store dumpster.
    Murph grabbed the nearest box, the side advertising cheap whiskey, and found a jumble of underwear. Okay, that could come in handy. He set the box on the bottom stair, then kept looking until he found his T-shirts, and finally his jeans. Enough for now. He carried the boxes up with him.
    He took a quick shower, with soap that smelled like roses, and found one of his own gray towels in the back of the linen closet so he didn’t have to borrow any of hers. She didn't have that many either, only three.
    The glass shelf under the mirror wasn’t filled with tubs of creams. She had a small bottle of body