LITMIR.BIZ

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clean, quiet and private. We’re on the edge of town, so there’s a long walk to downtown shopping. You could use one of my vehicles whenever necessary. If you get the job, that is.”

      “Perfect,” she breathed.

      “And I need to explain…” He hesitated, with Sarah in the room. “Honey, could you go get your favorite dolly, so you can show it to Mandy?”

      When the child obediently raced off to her room, he lowered his voice. “Sarah is my niece. Her mother went missing in January, so she’s been having a hard time with that.”

      “Nonnie mentioned that.” Mandy’s voice trailed off, the hint of worry unmistakable. “Is she…?”

      “I believe my sister Leah was taken against her will, but that she’s still alive.” He hesitated over just how much to say. “Her husband was murdered two days before she disappeared, so Sarah is dealing with the loss of both parents.”

      “The poor child.”

      “Earl wasn’t a very loving father, but the double loss has been devastating for her. She doesn’t talk as much now, and has lost a lot of the happy exuberance you’d expect in a child her age. Her grief is an issue you would be dealing with.”

      “I…I’m so sorry about your loss. And hers.”

      A woman traveling alone might hesitate to stay in Loomis if she knew the full story, but it was only fair to tell her the truth. “This is a peaceful, quiet town, usually. But there were two other murders in January.”

      “That’s what Nonnie said. She…” Mandy hesitated. “She said the killer hasn’t been found.”

      Clint sighed heavily. “Some folks think my sister Leah was responsible, but she’s a wonderful, caring mother, and she has strong faith in the Lord. There’s no way she could’ve killed her husband or anyone else.”

      “O-of course.”

      “And something else…” He cleared his throat. “There was a kidnapping attempt on Sarah in January as well, but that man is in jail. The woman who hired him was Angelina Loring, one of the murder victims. Neither of them poses a threat to Sarah any longer, but I’m very careful about watching her. There’s still a killer on the loose who might think she knows too much.”

      Mandy blinked.

      “I’m not trying to scare you off, but you’d hear all of this around town anyway.” He felt his sudden tension ease when she didn’t race out the door. “If you’re still game, we could have a one-week trial.”

      “I’d like that,” Mandy said, noticing for the first time how ruggedly handsome—but definitely burdened—her new employer was.

      “Sarah’s safety and care will be your priority, but the job also entails some cooking and light housework. If it doesn’t work out for some reason, either of us can end the arrangement with no questions asked.”

      “Understood.” A faint glimmer of a smile tilted the corners of Mandy’s mouth.

      Doubtful as he’d been at first, now he hoped everything in her background would check out. Sarah apparently accepted her. And if he didn’t get back to his construction business full-time, it would go belly-up. Then where would he be? With a little girl to take care of, plus his efforts to find Leah, he needed childcare help more than ever.

      But though his heart told him Mandy was a decent, well-bred young woman, his gut instinct told him that she was in trouble—or had caused some—and that she hadn’t been entirely truthful. There was no way he’d take chances with his sister’s only child.

      Back in his home office, he looked her up on a Web site offering background checks for nineteen-ninety-five.

      Oddly enough, there was absolutely nothing on her—just the name, but no past phone numbers, no previous street address. It was as if she simply appeared out of the blue. So he called his cousin, a deputy with the county sheriff’s department, and asked him to run a quick background check to see if she’d ever been in the legal system. Again, nothing turned up—not even a parking ticket. Her two references were highly enthused, though they were probably close friends of hers.

      So far, so good. But he’d definitely keep a close eye on the attractive Mandy Erick.

      Nonnie had said Clint was a cautious, intelligent man who took his responsibilities seriously and never let anyone down. She’d added that Mandy should take care to mind her heart, because he was the town’s answer to Pierce Brosnan—a man whose quiet humor and tanned, movie-star face had been drawing young gals since he was a teenager, though he had yet to settle down.

      Meeting him had only confirmed Nonnie’s words.

      Tall, muscular and definitely masculine, he looked like he could take on anything that came his way, though he also seemed like a man who would use his intellect and reason before muscle…and that drew her more than any handsome face.

      Mandy had seen him carefully analyze her, his soulful, dark eyes watching her intently as he asked questions and measured her answers. The strong, sculpted lines of his face and that firm jaw suggested that he wouldn’t hesitate to challenge her on anything she said.

      While completing her interview and awaiting his decision, Mandy had been a bundle of anxiety. The miracle was that she seemed to have passed muster—at least for now—and when he offered her the job, her knees had almost gone weak with relief.

      She could already sense that he’d be a good man to have in her corner, if anything from her past happened to catch up with her.

      Not that she’d dare depend on him.

      Images of her ex-boyfriend flashed through Mandy’s thoughts. Dean had been so very helpful. So very supportive after the death of her father. It had been all too easy to fall for his blond, muscular good looks and calculated charm. She’d failed to see his dark side until it was almost too late.

      The too-tight grip on her arm.

      The faint hint of leashed menace in his voice.

      The descent into obsession and control.

      He’d once laughed it off in front of his buddies, saying he was “protecting” her. That she was still distraught and confused over the loss of her father, that he was only taking good care of her, but Mandy knew differently.

      The day she came home late after a flat tire on an isolated road, he’d flown into rage. She was never, ever to fail to let him know where she was at all times, he’d snarled. And when she retorted that she was leaving him, he’d slammed her into the wall and threatened to do worse, saying he would never let her go.

      The next day, she found her beloved cat dead on the front porch…and Mandy began planning her escape.

      She’d learned her lesson well. Trust was a risky proposition, and she wouldn’t be placing much of it in Clint or anyone else while she was in Loomis.

      She turned slowly as she took in the small apartment. Clean, warm and dry, it appeared to have a decent bed that would feel good after long nights in bus stations, all-night coffee shops and buses. It would be a safe refuge after far too many days on the run.

      After studying a book on how a person could disappear, she’d set up a new identity, changing her name from Katherine Amanda Willis to Mandy Erick, taking her late mother’s maiden name. She had asked two trusted friends to vouch for her as personal references if she applied for jobs under that new name.

      Another acquaintance, who apparently had some shady connections, had procured a new driver’s license and a Social Security card for her to use as identification if need be. She kept her real ones hidden in her suitcase, hoping Dean would eventually figure she wasn’t worth the bother and that she could leave her lies behind once she was far away.

      Then she’d crisscrossed several states by bus, using only cash, and had changed her appearance twice, so now her blond hair was an ordinary

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