Page 22 of Moonshine and Magnolias (Just Add Peaches #1)

Rob turned off his flashlight and froze in the antique chair when a slammed door from the lobby echoed down the hallway to the office.

Hal did the same, standing balanced on a short filing cabinet next to the fireplace, holding a clear but dusty bottle of whiskey in one hand and a brick in the other.

Not moving. Barely breathing. Rob’s accelerated heart rate didn’t count.

This is when those nights of studying household movement paid off. Eulalee was upstairs. If Wendy or Brandi came home, they wouldn’t come into the office at this hour. Rob and his brother needed to be patient and wait it out, not scramble and try to hide. That would make noise.

And they would get caught.

After an agonizing five minutes, the door slammed a second time.

Hal turned on his light and pointed it at his face so Rob could see his nod to their exit, then turned it off.

Rob carefully rose from the chair and crept around the desk, avoiding the creaks he had noted on the floor.

Finally he reached the threshold. He took a deep breath, inhaling a baby-powder scent and a trace of cinnamon.

Inch by inch, he cracked the door open until he could poke his head into the hallway. Nothing stirred. He closed the door.

“It’s clear.” His whispered voice was harsh in the silence of the room .

His brother replaced the brick in the wall and climbed down from the cabinet with the alcohol still clutched in his hand, aided only by the light sifting through the cherry patterned curtains. “We’re taking this. Payment for the treasure that Uncle Louis lost.”

Hal would steal a crouton if it wasn’t speared by a fork. “No,” Rob said. “We don’t know who put it there. Someone might come looking for it.”

“Are you kidding? This thing’s got to be worth a fortune.” Hal blew on the bottle, sending a cloud of dust drifting to the floor. “It’s been in that cubby for years. Completely abandoned. No one knows or remembers it’s there.”

“It’s the time in the barrel, not time in the bottle, that determines the worth. Doesn’t matter anyway. Put it back.” Rob worked his way through the boxes to the storage closet. “I’ll get some paper towels to clean up the mess you made.”

“You’re getting soft. When I figure out the Claytons know nothing about this hiding space, I’m coming back for the whiskey.” Hal climbed back on the filing cabinet and wiggled the brick out of the wall. “What did you find in the desk?”

Rob kept his flashlight well below window-level and swept up the dust from the bottle. “One drawer had a false bottom, but it only contained some old letters wrapped in leather. Based on what I saw of Caroline Clayton’s handwriting in her journals, I think they were hers.”

“Letters she wrote but never sent?”

“Looks like.”

“Where did you stash them?”

He gave a casual shrug to hide the discord in his body.

“Back in the drawer. I’ll find a way to lead Wendy to the idea that the desk might have some secrets.

Let her discover them herself.” He took some papers out of the trash bin and dumped the dust in it, then replaced the papers and shoved the wadded up towel in his pocket.

“And then let the history expert give his opinion on them. Smooth.” Hal joined him at the desk and swept his light across the room. “Are we done here, do you think? ”

“Yeah. Let’s head back upstairs.”

This time Hal did the hallway check, and soon they were padding their way up the grand staircase to their room.

Once they got there, Rob washed the grime off his hands and changed into a t-shirt.

He’d been avoiding Wendy since she had inadvertently told him tonight the Hall would be mostly deserted.

He wanted to see her. Needed to see her.

To assure himself he was doing the right thing.

“There’s an alien invasion in the orchard,” Hal said from the window.

“Somehow, I don’t think so.” Rob joined his brother. The tree tops were shrouded in darkness, but an unnatural glow lit up the underside. “What do you think it is?”

“I don’t care.” Hal looked at his dust-covered clothes. “I’m going to shower.”

“Okay.” Rob stayed at the window as his brother crossed the room. “I might go check it out.”

“I never knew you were into anal probes.” Hal’s muffled voice came from behind the closed bathroom door.

The light didn’t shift at the orchard while Rob made up his mind. If Wendy was down there, Rob wanted to see her free from the confines of Fountenoy Hall. If it was Brandi or that other guy, he’d come back inside.

He opened the front door in time to see security lights illuminate the back of a sleek black limo.

Car headlights explained the glow. Once he left the landing, he picked his way down the hill, hoping the groundskeeper had removed any roots or toe-stubbing rocks.

By the time he reached the orchard, a light sheen of sweat covered his face.

Wendy stood on the outside of the orchard in a short denim skirt and low-cut red halter. One hand held a bat and the other was on her hip. After a moment, she grabbed something off the ground, threw it in the air, and positioned the bat.

Rob never had any reason to be fascinated by a woman’s shoulders, but the sight of hers in the soft moonlight left him mesmerized.

Her professional polo shirt had hid the dips and curves, the play of muscle when she moved.

It was all on display now. He wanted to inhale the scent in the hollow of her neck, trace his fingers over that smooth skin.

Her hair swung over her shoulder, grazing the neckline of her top, as she swung with a viciousness that hadn’t been there the other day.

An dull splat sound carried over to him.

She reached for the ground again and repeated the action.

This time, her aim was wildly off and the fruit thumped to the ground.

Rob cleared his throat. “So, this isn’t an alien invasion?”

Wendy spun to him and nearly toppled over. She used the bat for balance. “Wouldn’t that be the highlight of my evening. But no. Just me. Alone. With the peaches. And now you. Hi.”

“Hi to you, too.” Rob glanced around the orchard. “I wanted to assure Hal with authority that if there was an attack in Georgia, it wouldn’t be in Claremont.”

“This town is too dull for aliens. They’d head to Savannah.”

He nodded as if it was the most natural answer in the world. “I thought you went out tonight.”

“I got bored. Sebastien’s guy drove me home. He wanted me to stay inside, but I didn’t want to. So here I am.” Wendy held the bat like a golf club and swung at the ground. The bat sailed behind her when she raised it to swing. “Oops. I mean, fore!”

If that hadn’t given Rob the hint that she had at least one too many drinks, the sloppy, overexaggerated strut when she approached him was a dead giveaway.

She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear and pinched her cheeks, giving herself a lopsided flush, evident even in the dim moonlight. “Do you think I’m pretty?” she asked.

“Yes.” He answered without hesitation, though it was too vague a word. Pretty didn’t describe her eyes that hid so much or her tantalizing summery scent. Pretty didn’t cover her hidden sense of humor. Pretty didn’t begin to touch on her soul.

“Hmmmm.” She squinted up at him, her nose almost touching his, enveloping him in a cloud of beer and stale cigarettes. Less than an inch separated their lips. “Smart doesn’t matter if there’s pretty.”

She shrugged, then grabbed him to steady herself, her capable hands pressing into his shoulders. Rob could wrap his arm around her waist and pull her against him, feel the slide of her body over his if he wanted. Which he did. Very, very badly.

“The real question is.” Wendy swallowed and a frown marred her face.

“Am I prettier than Brandi. Everyone thinks Brandi is prettier and funner to be with. That’s why they ask me for an introduction to her and Jordan.

But I can be fun, too. See? Wheeee!” She whirled in a circle, hands in the air.

“If I’m fun and pretty, then you should want to kiss me.

” She pointed a finger at Rob. “You already tried. Or would have if I didn’t stop you.

I shouldn’t have stopped you. Men want to kiss Brandi.

I know because they tell me. They hope I’ll help them.

I never do. You should kiss me.” She stopped in front of him, her breath coming in short bursts.

She lifted her chin and puckered her lips.

The thought of kissing her had crossed Rob’s mind more than a few times since the library.

The one thing that stopped him from trying was knowing how much she was going to hate him when she found out the truth.

And he would have to tell her, if he wanted to put his thoughts of them in tangled sheets into reality.

God, he wanted to kiss her. But he couldn’t tell her now. Not when she was seventeen sheets to the wind and needed an escort to walk in a straight line. “Wendy…”

“I like when you say my name, Rob. All low and sexy and hot. Pucker up.” The words came out garbled between her pursed lips. “This offer might be a once in a lifetime occurrence.”

He inched closer. Gently he laid a quick kiss on her cheek, and then took a step away.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s it? You suck at this.”

“That’s it for tonight.” Her skin had been smooth and soft beneath his lips and he wanted to taste her again. “Let’s go inside.” And see if Ms. Eulalee was around.

“I can take care of myself.” She jerked out of his grip and jogged backward about ten feet before stumbling and landing on her jean-skirted butt. “Oops. I fell.”

He went to her side and helped her up. She tucked her nose into the crook of his neck and inhaled a deep breath. “You smell good. Like a crackling fire and marshmallows.”

Marshmallows? “It’s not a matter of taking care of yourself. You shouldn’t be wandering out here while you’re...” He trailed off when she glared at him. “Dark sky is getting darker.”