Dead Silence (Stillwater Trilogy #1)(39)
Author: Brenda Novak

“Does that mean you won’t forgive me?” he asked.

Several lines creased her forehead as she stared past him. “Will you give back what you took last night?” she asked, focusing on him again.

What did he say now? If she was involved in the reverend’s death and he returned that Bible to her, he’d be aiding in the cover-up. If he took it to the police, he could be consigning her to who knew what kind of hell. Yet he couldn’t keep it. He didn’t want anything to do with it. If anyone ever found it, he’d have to explain where it came from.

Could he trust her? He couldn’t say, not without knowing her better. “Will you go camping with me and the boys this weekend?” he asked instead of responding.

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Teddy’s really counting on it.” Kennedy wanted her to go, too. But he doubted she’d believe him even if he admitted it.

“No, of course not,” she said. “I mean…unless…” She stopped, lowered her voice. “Are you offering me a trade?”

“For the Bible?” He hated to use it as leverage. He generally didn’t have to bribe women. But he needed to understand Grace better in order to decide how to handle what he knew.

“Will you give it to me if I go with you this weekend?”

He could always bring it along and give it back to her there, where they had plenty of privacy—if, ultimately, that was the decision he made. But he couldn’t promise anything. “That’ll depend.”

“On what?”

“On how things go.”

Her lip curled in disgust. “God, you’re even more like Joe than I thought.”

“I’m nothing like Joe!” he snapped.

“Oh, yeah? Well, I can already tell you how things will ‘go.’ I won’t sleep with you, Kennedy. Not for anything.”

“I wasn’t implying—” He stretched his neck as the full impact of her words sank in. “Wow, you really know how to hurt a guy’s ego, you know that? Sleeping with me would be that distasteful to you?”

“I won’t leave myself vulnerable to you. I don’t care if you’re going to be the next president of the United States. Those days are over.”

“I wasn’t trying to—” He paused. “I’m not asking for anything physical. It’s just a camping trip, okay? It’ll last three days and two nights. The boys will be there. You’ll have your own tent.”

Her expression softened slightly. “So this really is for Teddy?”

“More or less.”

“You won’t touch me?”

He let his gaze linger on her face. “Not if you don’t want me to.”

“And you’ll give me the Bible?”

He’d consider it—for the price of an explanation. But he didn’t add that. “Maybe.”

Maybe was better than nothing. It could be her only chance to recover it. When she answered, he knew she recognized that. “Okay. I’ll go.”

“Good.” He walked away but turned back when he reached his SUV. “I’ll pick you up at eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”

“Should I bring some food or—”

“I’ll take care of everything,” he said and left.

Grace watched through the window as Kennedy Archer pulled out of her drive. A camping trip. He wanted her to go into the woods with him and his boys. But she wasn’t completely convinced it was wise to accompany him anywhere. She didn’t like the strange emotions he evoked—the simmering attraction of old, the searing disappointment and embarrassment for her actions in high school, the burning resentment, anger, even humiliation she still felt. But she was fairly confident he wouldn’t touch her if he said he wouldn’t. And she had to get hold of that Bible.

Besides, she felt terrible about how she’d treated Teddy. He was too young to understand the complexity of her feelings toward his father and had taken her reaction to the news that he was an Archer as a personal rejection.

Her cell phone rang. Turning away from the window, she rushed to answer, hoping it was George. He hadn’t called her since they’d spoken this morning.

“Any word on what went missing last night?” Clay asked.

Grace reeled in her disappointment. “Kennedy Archer has it.”

“He told you so?”

“Basically.”

There was a long silence. “Has he taken it to the police?”

“Not yet. I think he might give it back to me.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No.”

Grace heard Clay turn down the TV, which had been blaring in the background. “Why would he do that?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll be able to tell you more on Monday.”

“What’s happening this weekend?”

“I’m going camping with him.”

This information met with another prolonged silence, then her brother repeated, “You’re going camping with Kennedy Archer.”

“Crazy, I know.”

“What about George?”

Grace lowered the blind against the sweltering heat. “Mom tell you about him?”

“Molly did, too. They said you were hoping to marry him. You think I don’t know anything about your life?”

George had been acting so strange lately, she wasn’t sure they were still together.

“I think we’ve broken up,” she said.

“You’re not sure?”

“No. Anyway, camping with Kennedy isn’t a date.”

“What would you call it?”

“An…outing with the kids.”

“I can’t imagine Kennedy Archer taking you camping with his boys unless he’s interested in you.”

“His youngest has been hanging out over here. It’s Teddy who wants me to go.”

Clay gave a disbelieving chuckle. “Yeah, right. Call me as soon as you get back. I can’t wait to hear you eat your words.”

“Just don’t tell anyone where I’m going,” she said. “We don’t need to connect my name with Kennedy’s and start a big fuss. It’ll be easier to get that Bible back if he can continue on as he’s always been.”

“What are you going to say to Madeline, and Mom?”

“I’ll tell them I have to go to Jackson to see George.”

“Then that’s my story, too. I’ll talk to you later.”