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“Why are you crying?” He directed his question at Cameron, but he focused on Ian.
Oh no. She should’ve explained her past with Ian before today. But Ian should already be gone. He wasn’t supposed to still be here, trying to make her fall back in love with him.
Ian turned, so the two men stood facing each other. Their presence and their anger crowded the small cottage.
Ian stared down at her, then raised a brow. He seemed to ask, “are you going to tell him, or am I?”
Neither. She rose from the couch, positioning herself between the men. “Someone’s been in the house,” she told Keso.
“What?” “Huh?” The men asked simultaneously.
“Someone’s been in the house,” she repeated. “They moved the fire box and took some pictures.”
“They took pictures? Of you?” Seeming to have forgotten Ian, Keso rushed to her.
“No. They stole pictures from the shelf.” She pointed to the now vacant spot on the wall.
Keso’s eyes narrowed as he studied the remaining picture. The moment he realized which photos were missing, his eyes rounded, and his gaze swung back to her. She nodded at his unspoken question.
Now, he looked at Ian. Suspicion danced in the sea green of his eyes. “Why is he here?”
Oh, where to begin?
Ian stepped forward, but she hurried to answer. “Ara is coming home today. He came to tell me.”
Lies. But, in this case, lies were better than the truth.
Behind her, Ian let out a huff. She threw him a glare over her shoulder but didn’t address him otherwise. If she had to tell Kelso about Ian, and it appeared she would, Ian would not be present. Both men were already bowing up like cocks in a henhouse, and Keso didn’t even know about her relationship with Ian yet. Things would only grow more tense when she revealed the truth.
Turning back to Keso, she said, “Ian was just leaving.”
Ian’s hand landed on her shoulder, warm and heavy. Tingles of awareness shot across her neck and down her arm. Silently, she prayed neither man would notice her nipples puckered beneath her thin tank top.
“If someone’s been in your house and is taking your things, you shouldn’t be alone,” Ian told her.
Keso’s gaze focused on the spot where Ian touched her. “She isn’t alone. I’ll be here. She’s safe in our home.”
Her stomach dropped at the way he stressed our. Sure, the house belonged to Keso, but they hadn’t shared a home in over two years. If not for Arabella, Cameron would no longer be welcome. In fact, she probably would have returned—she slammed the door on that train of thought. No matter what her original plans had been when she left home, this was her fate now.
The muscle in the side of Ian’s jaw bulged as his eyes narrowed. Oh crap. She recognized that look. She did not have the patience for what came after. Sidling closer to him, she patted his chest. His hard pectoral muscle flexed under her palm. Memories of his warm chest pressed against her naked breasts swept through her mind. Now that she’d slept with him again, would she be able to think of anything but sex when she touched him?
Get a grip, Cameron.
“Why don’t you head back to the clinic and give Ara a last once over? Keso and I need to work out who will stay with her while I’m at the clinic with Brodie and Esme.”
Keso stiffened. “What happened to Esme? I thought you checked her out and said everything—”
“I did. She’s fine,” she assured him. “The baby just decided to come a little early. We delivered him late last night.”
“We?” Keso’s gaze swung between her and Ian.
“Mostly Cam.” Pride filled Ian’s voice, punctuated by the tight squeeze he gave her arm.
“Cam?” No one on the island called her by her abbreviated name, not even Keso.
“Ian, Keso and I need to talk. Privately. Could you please?” She motioned for the door.
Ian pursed his lips. The gesture was his classic move to keep from saying something he’d later regret. Often it didn’t work.
“Wes is back,” he finally told her. “He and I can handle the clinic tonight. You stay with your daughter.”
Tension eased from her shoulders. She’d been worried about asking too much of Keso tonight. Maybe Ian and Wes sticking around was for the best after all.
“Thank you.” She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be in soon. We can discuss everything then.”
Though who the hell knew what all everything entailed. Sure, the care of their patients was of utmost importance, but she knew better than to hope he’d skip revisiting the conversation Keso had interrupted.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” His whiskey brown gaze met hers. “Really?”
“I’ll be fine. Keso’s here. I won’t be alone.” Though they both knew he hadn’t meant her safety from the intruder.
Ian nodded. “I’ll see you at the clinic.” Turning to Keso, he lifted his chin. “See you around, Keso.”
Keso made a noise that sounded like a grunt. Undeterred, Ian strode to the door. With one hand on the knob, he turned to look at her over his shoulder. Keso’s gaze burned into the side of her face, causing heat to climb up her neck. But she couldn’t look away from the man who held her heart.
“Love you,” Ian mouthed.
Tears stung her eyes when she’d been sure she had none left. She nodded. What else could she do with Keso standing so close and her thoughts running wild?
Shoulders sagging, Ian pulled the door open, then disappeared. The faint click of the door closing seemed too final. The urge to run after him gripped her.
“I don’t think he’s only interested in Ara’s well-being.” Keso stood on the other side of the room now, inspecting the mostly vacant shelf.
Ignoring his remark, Cameron turned with her hands on her hips. “Have you been here when I was out over the past few days?”
“You think I took the pictures?”
“No. I just want there to be a normal explanation. I want you to be the one in the house. That wouldn’t bother me at all.” Because she trusted him. Despite the borderline Neanderthal display around Ian, she could count on Keso.
“When did you first notice something wrong?” He wandered around the room, searching for anything out of place.
She told him about coming home and finding the box tampered with.
His eyebrows shot up. “Yesterday? After Victor Roberts visited the clinic?”
She didn’t like where this was headed. “I guess so. I mean, I was gone all day, so I don’t know—”
Keso glared at her, not in anger but in determination. “You know.”
Fear slithered through her veins, causing chill bumps to dot her skin. Maybe she did know, but she didn’t want to know.
“In thirty-plus years, no one has ever broken into this cottage,” he explained. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence it happens for the first time on the day that bastard steps foot on our island.”
Her hands began to shake, so she gripped them together against her chest.
Keso’s face softened. “You’re going to be okay.” He scrubbed his hands over her arms, chasing away the chill. “I’ll stay the night. We’ll figure this out. Once he realizes you can’t hurt him or his plans, he’ll move on.”
From the way he refused to look her in the eyes as he spoke, he didn’t even believe his own words. She’d always known Roberts could be a problem. She’d just prayed it wouldn’t ever come to that.
So far, that had been enough. Maybe now, time was up.
* * *
