* * *
MAC BOWED TO the rapturous applause that reverberated throughout the space and tried his hardest not to search the crowd for Kate. The occasional sadness he saw in her eyes was slowly increasing the burden of his subterfuge, making him want to get to know her better...to prove to her he was a good guy. Mostly.
Straightening, he raised his hand in thanks and slipped his guitar strap over his head as he exited the stage. Accepting the back claps and nods from the people he passed, Mac headed to the bar. A cold bottle of beer would quell the strange blend of euphoria and self-doubt rippling through him.
There was no denying the warmth that emanated from the people around him, no denying his relief at their congratulations and easy acceptance of him considering the less than favorable welcome he’d received from certain individuals. He didn’t like small towns. Never had, never would. He lifted his finger to Vanessa at the far end of the bar. Why he didn’t like them escaped him, though. Was the dislike his own or something he’d been taught by his family? As far as he knew, they’d never even lived in a town the size of Templeton.
His father had known for a while Marian Ball lived here. Had he inferred something to Mac in the past that made his son overly cautious about communities he knew nothing about? Most likely. Kate was problem enough, but he had to keep everyone else at an enforced distance, too, or risk divulging something about why he was in town. He had to ensure Marian was the first to know, nobody else. He might want closure to his father’s search, but Mac also wanted the woman to hear what he knew from him and only him.
“Hey, Mac.” Vanessa opened the fridge behind her and pulled out a bottle of his preferred beer. “You did good out there.” She flipped off the top and slid it across the temporary bar. “That one’s on the house.”
“Thanks, but as the proceeds are going to charity...” He tossed a few coins into the bucket on the bar and took a lengthy slug. “All in the name of helping out those less fortunate, and all that.”
“Hmm, not sure Kate sees your helping out that way.”
His defenses immediately slammed up. “Why? What’s she been saying?”
“Whoa.” Vanessa raised her hands, her brow creased and her gaze irritated.
Mac briefly closed his eyes. “Sorry.”
“So you should be. I’m just the messenger, after all.”
“The messenger?” Mac stilled. “Of what?”
Vanessa shrugged. “I just think the pair of you could get along quite nicely if you gave each other a chance.”
Matchmaking. Another reason he didn’t like small towns. He sipped his beer. “You’re way off the mark there. Kate and I are...” He scowled. “Working each other out.”
“Oh, that’s what you’re doing, is it?”
Vanessa’s eyes turned infinitely softer as he hovered his beer at his mouth.
She glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Hi, Kate. I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got some thirsty customers who need serving.”
Slowly, Mac turned. Kate held her chin high, her chocolate-brown eyes burning with annoyance, her cheeks flushed and her hands firmly perched on her slender hips. “I came over here to thank you for playing, only I didn’t expect you to be chatting so offhandedly about me to Vanessa. Do you know she’s one of the worst gossips in town?”
Despite, or maybe because of, her clear irritation, amusement rolled through him. “Then it’s just as well I didn’t give her anything to gossip about.”
She rolled her eyes and, slid up to the bar beside him. “If you’re not careful, you’ll constantly be walking into a whole lot of trouble.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, that’s so.” A sly smile curved her lips. “Which leads me to the conclusion it might be to your benefit to enlist some local help.”
“Help? With what?” Then realization dawned and he laughed. “No thanks. I’ve got it covered.”
Her smile vanished and her cheeks reddened. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“Why are you so nosy?”
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m not nosy, I’m concerned. You’ll be chewed up and spat out if you go nonchalantly poking around in people’s lives. You’ve told me you’re looking for someone but won’t tell me who or why. Why don’t you let me in a little? I know Templeton and its people well. I’m betting I can help you find who you’re looking for in a matter of hours.”
“Hours?”
“Fine. Days.”
He raised his eyebrows, unable to resist provoking her temper. “Because if you can find them quicker than I can, I’ll be out of your hair all the sooner, right?”
“Right.”
“Is there an unwritten rule somewhere that a person can only stay in the Cove so long before they’re ejected by the locals? Why I’m here is my business, Kate. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
She held his stare as indecision flitted through her eyes. The noise around them faded as his heart beat a little too fast, indicating just how much he liked her. He shouldn’t like her. Her argumentative nature, her stubbornness and self-assumed right to get up in his business seriously irked him. Still, it was hard to ignore her thick, dark, curly hair that tumbled past her shoulders, leaving him itching to know if it was as soft as it looked. It was even harder not to want to fall headlong into her deep, dark eyes.
Blinking, he turned to the stage. “I don’t need your concern, okay? I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.”
“Who said my concern was about you?”
He shook his head, took another sip of his beer. “Touché.”
“Here’s the thing. I’m concerned for who you’re looking for.”
“You’ve made that pretty clear.”
“So convince me I’ve nothing to worry about.”
“You haven’t.”
“Not good enough.”
Frustration pulsed through him as his defenses against her weakened once more. That damn worry glinted in her eyes again. He blew out a breath. “I just want to speak to this person. Get some things laid to rest. There won’t be any bloodshed if that’s what’s worrying you.”
Her eyes widened. “I wasn’t worried about that until now.”
He shook his head. “Look, this person is connected to my family. Okay? I just want to talk to her.”
Triumph flashed in her eyes. “Aha. A her.” Then, like a switch had been flicked, the triumph dissolved into apprehension once more. “Let me help you. I work with families all the time. I could at least act as a mediator or something.”
“No.”
“But—”
“I won’t need a damn mediator, Kate.” He clenched his jaw. “Just leave things alone.”
“No.”
He swiped his slightly trembling hand over his face. “Why does my being here bother you so much? Are you sure your nervousness is about someone else? Or more about you?”
She swallowed. “Someone else.”
Care for this woman and the inexplicable way she’d reacted to his presence since meeting him wound through him. There was something disconcerting in her eyes...the odd flicker of deep sadness, or shame, that made him want to hold her. Tell her everything would be okay.
“Hey.” He gently placed his hand on her arm. “I can tell something’s