Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

immediately and assessed him that quickly.
    “Hannah, Jonas, you both know Rikki. This is a good friend of hers, Levi Hammond,” Blythe performed the introductions. “Levi, Jonas Harrington is the local sheriff and Hannah, his wife, is my cousin.”
    Rikki actually backed away, toward Lev, her face stark white. She bumped into him and he laid his hands on her trembling shoulders. It was difficult when he was always conscious of keeping his hands free, but she needed his touch. I’m here , lubov moya, you’re safe . He stroked caresses in her mind even as he reassured her.
    Reaching around her, he shook the sheriff’s offered hand. Jonas had a strong grip, but didn’t try any male games, just gave his hand a firm shake and let him go. But he was taking in the way Lev held Rikki as well as noticing Rikki’s obvious agitation.
    Hannah smiled gently. “Rikki, how good to see you again. We met a couple of years ago in Judith’s store, remember?”
    Rikki nodded and waved her toward a chair. “Thanks for coming over.”
    Her voice was strained, pitched very low, but she managed to sound hospitable.
    “Jonas told me you’d called and I thought it would give me an opportunity to see you, even though it’s a business call,” Hannah said.
    It was difficult for her. Lev could hear it in her voice. She had come for Rikki, to make this visit easier on her. Had it been her idea or the sheriff’s?
    He thought it had been the sheriff. Without warning, Jonas looked straight at him, his shrewd eyes studying him. There was danger there. Recognition.
    Lev had never seen Jonas before, but he seemed to recognize Lev. An impossibility. There were no pictures of him. No trace of the man who had died on the yacht. He knew with absolute certainty that they had never met, yet there was recognition on Jonas’s face. He moved away from the sheriff, his hand sliding down Rikki’s arm, tugging her over to a chair away from the light, where he could stand behind her, back in the shadows.
    “Have we met, Mr. Hammond?” Jonas asked, taking a seat on the couch beside his wife.
    The opening of the game had just begun. Lev shrugged casually. “I would think I’d remember, but I’ve been around on and off for years, so it’s possible.”
    259

    Blythe placed a cup of tea on the table beside her cousin and handed the sheriff his. She settled comfortably into a chair facing them. “Thank you for coming. I’ve wanted to talk to you about this matter for some time, Jonas, but we had no proof until tonight.” She told him about Rikki’s parents, the foster homes and finally her fiancé’s death.
    Hannah looked close to tears. “Rikki, I’m so sorry. How terrible for you. I had no idea.”
    Her reaction was genuine. Lev kept his eyes on the sheriff. Jonas had to know Rikki’s story, yet he hadn’t shared it with anyone, not even his trusted wife. And he did trust her. The love between them was tangible. Jonas Harrington played his cards close to his chest.
    Jonas leaned toward Rikki. “He came tonight?”
    “It wasn’t the first time,” Lev answered for her. Rikki seemed incapable of speech, a low, strangled sound emerging from her throat. He found her weighted blanket and tucked it around her. She managed a small grateful smile. “He was up on the ridge watching the house about a week ago. I found where he’d been playing with fire. And then the other day, we came in using the back road and found he’d been studying the layout of the farm. I think he contacted the Realtor selling the property next to this one.”
    “You didn’t think to call me then?” Jonas asked. His tone was mild, but he gave Blythe a look that was definitely a reprimand.
    Lev shrugged. “Rikki needed to be able to come to a decision herself.”
    He kept his face in the shadows as he spoke, and he kept his face slightly averted from Jonas, presenting few defining features. His fingers settled around the nape of Rikki’s neck, easing the tension out of her. She was trying, he had to hand her that. He could tell she was following the conversation instead of retreating into her head, but it took a great deal of effort. She kept her hands under the weighted blanket and he knew her fingers were twirling, a compulsion she couldn’t stop when agitated.
    “And tonight?” Jonas prompted.
    Blythe took up the story. “Rikki always keeps the doors of the house open when anyone she loves is with her. As you can see, when we designed the house, we made