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Culpability pressed down on him. “Why do you need me there? I know Mum’s upset about dad, divorced or not, but it’s you and her grandchildren she needs around her, not me. What can I do to ease her grief? You know what I’m like with that kind of thing.”
“You mean sympathetic? Empathetic? Caring? Don’t talk rubbish, Mac. You’re amazing with Mum, with me, with all of us. Your disappearing makes no sense.”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “I had a commitment for a gig. I couldn’t get out of it.” He left the room, closing the door behind him. “There’s nothing I can do but to see it through and then I’ll be back. Okay?”
“No. Not okay. We need you here. I can’t be with Mum 24/7 when I’ve got two kids and a husband away working. Please, will you just come home?”
“I can’t. Not yet.” He hurried down the stairs and through the bar, steadfastly ignoring the curious stares directed toward him and his guitar. “Dana, look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Where are you? It sounds kind of noisy.”
“That’s because there’s a crowd of people here waiting for me to get on stage. We’ll talk later. ’Bye.”
He ended the call, doing all he could to banish his sister’s words. Right now, he needed to concentrate on erasing the suspicion from Kate Harrington’s beautiful eyes and have her look at him with respect, maybe even a little wonder if he played well enough. His new, slightly worrying, reasons for wanting to do so were as dangerous as they were stupid, considering he’d recently acquired the troublesome desire to know if her lips were as hot as the rest of her.
He liked her spirit and the way she didn’t let anyone—including him—push her away or around. He had a feeling she’d make a much better friend than enemy. If his playing could allay her misconceptions about him, all the better.
She stood talking with an older couple, and as he walked by her, she turned and touched his arm. “Mac, just a second.” She smiled apologetically at the couple. “Will you excuse me?”
“Of course.” The man nodded. “Good luck with everything. You do the town proud.”
“Thank you. Enjoy yourselves.” She faced Mac, her brow furrowed. “Are you sure about this? I’m just about to introduce the band, and I don’t want you to think I’ve put you under unwanted obligation.”
He stared into her worried eyes, and an entirely unanticipated concern for her swept through his chest. Why did it suddenly feel preferable to have her angry at him, rather than looking so anxious? “I’m doing this because I want to help you out. Nothing more, nothing less. It looks amazing in here, and if people are having a good time, they’ll stay longer and spend more money. We both know the Moon Shadows are a big part of today’s attraction. Let me do something toward making today a success. Okay?”
Her cheeks flushed and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
He walked up the three steps to the stage.
Joe Masters came forward and slapped his hand to Mac’s shoulder. “You’re a lifesaver, man. Let me introduce you to the band.” He pointed as he spoke. “Over there, we have Josh on drums, Will on bass and Lola, who will be singing backup vocals.”
Mac raised his hand, acknowledging the band’s curious but welcoming study. “Mac Orman. Pleased to meet you all.”
The next few minutes passed quickly as Joe talked Mac through the proposed set. Once Mac had convinced the lead singer he knew each of the original and cover songs well enough to keep up, Joe left the stage in search of Kate.
Mac took up his position and released a slow breath as he looked out at the audience. Women smiled at him, while guys focused on his guitar or the rest of the band. Every face looked happy, comfortable. Potentially, a really good crowd. The familiar buzz pooled in his stomach as it did every time he played. His gaze fixed on Kate as she emerged through the throng and climbed the steps onto the stage.
She didn’t so much as glance in his direction as she walked to the microphone. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m thrilled to see so many of you here already. There are burgers and hot dogs near the rear of the tent, as well as drinks available at the temporary bar or inside. As you know, today is all about raising money for the hospital’s new mother and baby unit. Please, give what you can for this worthy cause.
“Okay, that’s enough from me. I’m thrilled to leave you in the capable hands of the Moon Shadows and special guest guitarist, Mac Orman.”
Mac stared at the back of her head as a jolt of unease pierced through him. Why hadn’t he considered that she might offer his name to the whole damn town? So much for melting into the background.
She clapped along with the rest of the audience as she made her way down the steps in her sexy, high-heeled boots. He struck up the first note, watching her progress through the tent. It wasn’t until she tossed a triumphant smile over her shoulder at him that Mac realized the public announcement of his name had been intentional.
Clearly not content with her own careful watch on him, she wanted the whole town on high alert.
Kate Harrington didn’t trust him, didn’t like him and wasn’t going to be happy until he left town for good. That much was obvious. He glared at her as she started chatting with a group of women in their twenties who enveloped her affectionately. Mac turned to the audience, purposefully catching the eye of another twentysomething female.
He tipped her a wink, and she returned the compliment with a bright smile and glittering eyes. But it didn’t calm his frustration that, no matter what he did or said, nothing seemed to lessen Kate’s curiosity about him.
Well, one way or another—he strummed the opening bars of the first song—he’d see through what he came to the Cove to do. Whether she watched him like a bloody hawk or not.
Chapter Five
KATE STOOD AT the temporary bar and rejoiced in her ingenuity. Mac thought he was so cool, so full of bravado and smugness as he continued to keep his mission secret from her. Well, he might have the new knack of freezing her tongue while simultaneously inflaming her body, but flooring her by stepping onstage to save her from certain disaster had backfired on him big-time.
Now she’d publicly introduced him. The well-known busybodies in the Cove would be all over him.
Her triumph faltered. So, why didn’t that sentiment feel as good as it should?
She swallowed. Could it be because he hadn’t given her enough reason to be outed that way? He might enjoy tormenting her, but he’d not actually done anything to anyone—yet. What he had done was help her out of what could have been carnage, considering the number of Moon Shadows fans present.
Shame warmed her cheeks as she watched him onstage. His skillful playing easily held rhythm with the rest of the band, his furrowed brow and concentrated gaze reflecting his determination to do a good job.
What was wrong with her? Why did she keep hounding him, just because he seemed determined to keep her, Vanessa, and everyone else, at arm’s length? All she had to justify her suspicions was his refusal to share with her. She might be able to talk with teenagers who came into the center, but that didn’t make her someone people were willing to divulge their intimate and personal stories to.
She had no idea what Mac was dealing with by coming here. No idea of what it meant for him to find this person. Yet, something about him gave her reason enough to want to know. Her sense of foreboding had not abated since the night she’d met him. That had to mean something, surely?
Her mind drifted back to his questions about Marian, and Kate’s apprehension escalated. What if it was Marian he was searching for? What if he was after the woman she owed so much to...possibly her life?
Kate’s eyes burned as images of the night she’d miscarried her baby in Marian’s home reared up. Poor George, Marian’s devoted husband, had rushed to call the ambulance while Marian rocked Kate in her arms on their bathroom floor. Her hidden pregnancy had been revealed to at least two people in the most horrendous way.
Yet Marian hadn’t only respected Kate’s wishes for silence about the baby, she’d stayed by Kate’s side for two nights in the hospital and then offered her a bed in her own home until Kate felt strong enough to walk about town as though nothing had happened...her heart silently breaking.
She pulled back her shoulders and glanced in Mac’s direction.
One way or another, she’d get him to admit Marian wasn’t who he was looking for. The anger, resentment or whatever it was that made the man so damn hostile would not be directed on her beloved friend.
Turning away, she lifted her hand to Vanessa. “Can I get a glass of white wine?”
“Sure.” Vanessa frowned as she reached for a wine bottle in an ice bucket. “How you doing?”
“Good.”
Vanessa glanced toward the stage. “Are you sure about that? I know I said I’ll see what I can find out about Mac, but maybe both of us are plain out of order.”
Kate took her glass of wine. “I’ve just been thinking the same thing, but I don’t trust him. I’m overprotective of certain people, and I don’t like the idea of someone coming into town and causing them grief.”
“But is he, though?”
She put down her glass and lifted her hand, counting off her fingers. “He’s snarky. Rude. Arrogant. And, as you’ve said, practically unapproachable.”
Vanessa nodded toward the stage. “I wouldn’t exactly call him unapproachable. Would you?”
She walked away to serve some people at the bar, and Kate looked at the crowd around the stage. People were clapping, smiling and cheering as Mac played a solo bridge. She narrowed her eyes. So, people liked his music. Big deal. It was still his fault that her deepest, darkest secret had reared its ugly head now that she thought Marian was the one in Mac’s firing line.
Kate had hidden her pregnancy and miscarriage from everyone, including her family. And she’d failed to keep her baby safe. So she punished herself by staying single and keeping her tragedy to herself. If she ever became intimate enough with someone that she trusted him, she’d undoubtedly want to share her burden.
But for now, she didn’t want anyone, apart from Marian and George, knowing what happened that day.
She’d already lost friends with her snappishness and bouts of withdrawing. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. Kate blinked against the burning in her eyes...she’d desperately wanted to keep her baby.
Vanessa sidled up to the bar, her gaze shrewd. “I know what’s going on with you. I’ve figured it out.”
Kate’s stomach somersaulted, her heart thumping. “What?”
“Maybe you have a thing for him.”
Releasing her held breath, Kate laughed. “I do not.”
“No? Then I’d say he might have a thing for you.”
“Don’t even go there.” Did he? She sipped her wine as pleasure twisted inside her. “Why would you say that?”
Vanessa smiled. “Because I noticed the atmosphere between the pair of you the moment you met. Electric.”
Kate huffed a laugh, heat warming her cheeks. “We couldn’t be more different. He’s as secretive as they come...which is incredibly infuriating. Plus, I get the impression he’s used to living out of a suitcase, whereas I love having the Cove to call home.”
“So?”
“So, Mac Orman and I couldn’t be less suited.”
“So?”
Kate glared. “Will you please think of something else to say?”
“If he doesn’t want to share his business, maybe that’s his prerogative. Maybe it would be better for him and us if you find a way to get along with him while he’s here.” Vanessa turned to another customer who had come up to the bar. “What can I get you?”
Rolling her eyes, Kate turned toward the stage. What did Vanessa know? So something about Mac had gotten under her skin. The intensity in his eyes, the coldness of his attitude was exasperating, yet he’d stepped up to help her and was even smiling at the audience. A little. The guy was a contradiction, and it bugged the hell out of her; she wasn’t ready to trust him.
She’d let her guard down with Dean and look how that had ended up. She hadn’t spoken to her sister in two years. And she missed Ali so much more than she ever missed her ex.
Mac left his spot farther back on the platform and strolled up to the microphone. Kate’s melancholy about her sister vanished as her heart stumbled. Mac’s stride was confident as that soft smile played at his lips. What was he doing?
He nodded his thanks to Joe Masters and gripped the microphone with one hand, casually pushing his too-mussed, too-sexy hair from his forehead with the other. He flashed a smile. “Afternoon, ladies and gents. Joe asked if I wanted to do an acoustic version of one of my own songs as a way of introducing myself and my music. Would anyone mind?”
Kate’s heart beat a little faster. Had Joe actually offered Mac this solo time or had he asked Joe if he could sing in order to torment her again? A part of her longed to hear him sing...longed to know how bad he might be, despite today being about people getting their money’s worth. The thing was, some incompetence on his part might at least go some way to crushing her emerging attraction to the man.
The crowd whooped and clapped their approval as Kate took a generous mouthful of wine, her gaze on Mac.
As soon as he struck up the first note, Kate’s stomach knotted with a horrible, traitorous thrill.
Then he sang.
Every hair on her body rose.
She closed her eyes and let the music...let Mac...wash through her senses. She couldn’t stop her smile, and she couldn’t halt the tingling infusing her skin. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
He looked straight at her, and, even from a distance, she could see the no doubt intentional temptation in his gaze. She should’ve walked away. Instead, her feet remained rooted to the floor, her eyes on his.
The realization of just how much trouble she could find herself in mixed with the physical effects of his rich, melodic, utterly beautiful voice. How was she supposed to stop herself from acting on the sudden desire pulsing through her? It had been months since she’d even looked at a man, let alone felt this incredible pull toward one.
She wasn’t naïve. She knew this was pure lust that hung between her and Mac. Old-fashioned, come-to-mama attraction crackling across the space that separated them.
Kate quickly turned away and picked up her glass of wine, steadfastly ignoring the way it trembled as she drank.
“Hmm.” Vanessa leaned her forearms on the bar and whispered in Kate’s ear. “Like I said, electric.”
Accepting defeat, she put down her glass and covered her face with her hands. “Why now? Why when I’m so far away from trusting a man again does one have to turn up who looks like that?”
Vanessa straightened. “We don’t get to choose the timing of these things. Surely you, of all people, know that after all the heartbreak you’ve seen in your work.”
She walked away, leaving Kate feeling both afraid and shamefully enthralled. Turning toward the stage again, she studied Mac; thankfully, he was concentrating on his guitar strings. Maybe she needed to act cool about his being in the Cove and looking for someone. Act as though it was no big deal.
A bit less animosity, might help them both. If she adopted a no-nonsense business approach to him, surely that would douse the fire and fuse the electric. One thing was for certain—now that Mac had stepped in to help her fund-raiser, she had to speak to him, had to show her gratitude. Avoiding him was out of the question.
* * *
MAC BOWED TO the rapturous applause that reverberated throughout the space and tried his hardest not to search the crowd for Kate. The occasional sadness he saw in her eyes was slowly increasing the burden of his subterfuge, making him want to get to know her better...to prove to her he was a good guy. Mostly.
Straightening, he raised his hand in thanks and slipped his guitar strap over his head as he exited the stage. Accepting the back claps and nods from the people he passed, Mac headed to the bar. A cold bottle of beer would quell the strange blend of euphoria and self-doubt rippling through him.
There was no denying the warmth that emanated from the people around him, no denying his relief at their congratulations and easy acceptance of him considering the less than favorable welcome he’d received from certain individuals. He didn’t like small towns. Never had, never would. He lifted his finger to Vanessa at the far end of the bar. Why he didn’t like them escaped him, though. Was the dislike his own or something he’d been taught by his family? As far as he knew, they’d never even lived in a town the size of Templeton.
His father had known for a while Marian Ball lived here. Had he inferred something to Mac in the past that made his son overly cautious about communities he knew nothing about? Most likely. Kate was problem enough, but he had to keep everyone else at an enforced distance, too, or risk divulging something about why he was in town. He had to ensure Marian was the first to know, nobody else. He might want closure to his father’s search, but Mac also wanted the woman to hear what he knew from him and only him.
“Hey, Mac.” Vanessa opened the fridge behind her and pulled out a bottle of his preferred beer. “You did good out there.” She flipped off the top and slid it across the temporary bar. “That one’s on the house.”
“Thanks, but as the proceeds are going to charity...” He tossed a few coins into the bucket on the bar and took a lengthy slug. “All in the name of helping out those less fortunate, and all that.”
“Hmm, not sure Kate sees your helping out that way.”
His defenses immediately slammed up. “Why? What’s she been saying?”
“Whoa.” Vanessa raised her hands, her brow creased and her gaze irritated.
Mac briefly closed his eyes. “Sorry.”
“So you should be. I’m just the messenger, after all.”
“The messenger?” Mac stilled. “Of what?”
Vanessa shrugged. “I just think the pair of you could get along quite nicely if you gave each other a chance.”
Matchmaking. Another reason he didn’t like small towns. He sipped his beer. “You’re way off the mark there. Kate and I are...” He scowled. “Working each other out.”
“Oh, that’s what you’re doing, is it?”
Vanessa’s eyes turned infinitely softer as he hovered his beer at his mouth.
She glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Hi, Kate. I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got some thirsty customers who need serving.”
Slowly, Mac turned. Kate held her chin high, her chocolate-brown eyes burning with annoyance, her cheeks flushed and her hands firmly perched on her slender hips. “I came over here to thank you for playing, only I didn’t expect you to be chatting so offhandedly about me to Vanessa. Do you know she’s one of the worst gossips in town?”
Despite, or maybe because of, her clear irritation, amusement rolled through him. “Then it’s just as well I didn’t give her anything to gossip about.”
She rolled her eyes and, slid up to the bar beside him. “If you’re not careful, you’ll constantly be walking into a whole lot of trouble.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, that’s so.” A sly smile curved her lips. “Which leads me to the conclusion it might be to your benefit to enlist some local help.”
“Help? With what?” Then realization dawned and he laughed. “No thanks. I’ve got it covered.”
Her smile vanished and her cheeks reddened. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“Why are you so nosy?”
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m not nosy, I’m concerned. You’ll be chewed up and spat out if you go nonchalantly poking around in people’s lives. You’ve told me you’re looking for someone but won’t tell me who or why. Why don’t you let me in a little? I know Templeton and its people well. I’m betting I can help you find who you’re looking for in a matter of hours.”
“Hours?”
“Fine. Days.”
He raised his eyebrows, unable to resist provoking her temper. “Because if you can find them quicker than I can, I’ll be out of your hair all the sooner, right?”
“Right.”
“Is there an unwritten rule somewhere that a person can only stay in the Cove so long before they’re ejected by the locals? Why I’m here is my business, Kate. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
She held his stare as indecision flitted through her eyes. The noise around them faded as his heart beat a little too fast, indicating just how much he liked her. He shouldn’t like her. Her argumentative nature, her stubbornness and self-assumed right to get up in his business seriously irked him. Still, it was hard to ignore her thick, dark, curly hair that tumbled past her shoulders, leaving him itching to know if it was as soft as it looked. It was even harder not to want to fall headlong into her deep, dark eyes.
Blinking, he turned to the stage. “I don’t need your concern, okay? I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.”
“Who said my concern was about you?”
He shook his head, took another sip of his beer. “Touché.”
“Here’s the thing. I’m concerned for who you’re looking for.”
“You’ve made that pretty clear.”
“So convince me I’ve nothing to worry about.”
“You haven’t.”
“Not good enough.”
Frustration pulsed through him as his defenses against her weakened once more. That damn worry glinted in her eyes again. He blew out a breath. “I just want to speak to this person. Get some things laid to rest. There won’t be any bloodshed if that’s what’s worrying you.”
Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t worried about that until now.”
He shook his head. “Look, this person is connected to my family. Okay? I just want to talk to her.”
Triumph flashed in her eyes. “Aha. A her.” Then, like a switch had been flicked, the triumph dissolved into apprehension once more. “Let me help you. I work with families all the time. I could at least act as a mediator or something.”
“No.”
“But—”
“I won’t need a damn mediator, Kate.” He clenched his jaw. “Just leave things alone.”
“No.”
He swiped his slightly trembling hand over his face. “Why does my being here bother you so much? Are you sure your nervousness is about someone else? Or more about you?”
She swallowed. “Someone else.”
Care for this woman and the inexplicable way she’d reacted to his presence since meeting him wound through him. There was something disconcerting in her eyes...the odd flicker of deep sadness, or shame, that made him want to hold her. Tell her everything would be okay.
“Hey.” He gently placed his hand on her arm. “I can tell something’s happened to you. What, I don’t know. But believe me when I say I’m not here to cause you more pain. Everything will work out as it’s supposed to. End of story.”
She snorted and turned, tears glinting in her eyes. “Nothing ever works out how it’s supposed to, and why should I trust that you don’t mean to hurt this woman? People hurt each other all the time.” She eased her arm from under his hand. “More often than not, the things people want, the things they hope for, never happen. If you don’t know that, you must have lived a more privileged life than most.”
The tear that rolled over her cheek made him catch his breath, and he battled against his weakening defenses. God, if only she knew how acutely he’d experienced the brutal destruction of hopes and dreams. Of heartbreak so bad, he’d never be the same again.
He leaned against the bar, felt the warmth of her arm alongside his. “My life has been far from privileged, believe me.”
She stepped in front of him, her dark gaze burning with frustration. “Fine. But by going up on that stage, you saved me from having a lot of disappointed people demanding God knows what from the center. I’m in no doubt that because of you, the fund-raiser will be the success my team and I hoped it would be. I owe you. Let me help you, Mac. Please.”
“I don’t need your damn help.” Yet inexplicable want edged far too close to his heart. He didn’t want her help, he wanted her in his bed; wanted her to look at him with lust, not pity. He tightened his jaw. “If that changes, you’ll be the first to know. So, please, just leave it be.”