Trust Me (Sanctuary Lake Book 1)

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Trust Me by Lori Whyte

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  EPILOGUE

  THANK YOU!

  Copyright

  Trust Me (Sanctuary Lake #1)

  by Lori Whyte

  Copyright © 2016 by S. Paton. All rights reserved.

  Digital Edition

  Cover by: S. Paton

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

  License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to an e-book retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  LORI WHYTE

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  Trust Me by Lori Whyte

  Sanctuary Lake Series #1 ~ A Contemporary Romantic Suspense

  Everyone told him to think of her as a sister,

  but his heart and body didn't agree…

  When Mason Randall returns to Sanctuary Lake, where his family's past is infamous and deadly, he expects to attend his sister's funeral and get the hell out of there. He can't avoid seeing Anna Brooks, though, and just like always she tempts him beyond all reason. Except damned near everyone he knows makes him promise to steer clear of her. She is too good for the likes of him. But when Anna asks him for help, suggesting his sister may have been murdered, he can't turn away. When things get dicey and Anna's life is threatened, Mason promises to keep her safe. She's supposed to be like a sister to him, right? And family always comes first.

  Except when he looks at her, his feelings aren't of the familial kind and, if he's reading her right, it looks like he isn't the only one fighting temptation…

  ~~~

  Sanctuary Lake haunts their pasts and promises their futures.

  ~~~

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  ONE

  Anna Brooks checked the contents of her purse one more time. The handwritten pages were still there, wedged between her wallet and her compact, just like they had been the last ten times she'd looked. She snapped her purse shut and clutched it tightly to her side.

  A cool wind whirled over her and through the crowd of mourners clustered around the gravesite. Half these people, the women in particular, weren't even paying attention to Viv's funeral… they were gawking at her brothers instead. God, Viv would have hated this. But funerals weren't meant to be enjoyed, were they?

  In fact, death was the antithesis of Sanctuary Lake. The sign at the entrance to town promised “Fun in the Sun." People were not supposed to die here.

  If only.

  But there wasn't much fun in the sun at the moment. It was still too early in the season. Though from this vantage point, overlooking the town and the lake it was named after, she could see a few eager souls unloading their boat at the dock. Didn't they know it was too soon? A shiver snaked over her.

  Life was going on… without Viv.

  Anna's heels sank into the muddy earth as she waited for Father Larson to quit droning on. Her heart pounded as the end neared. She needed to act fast to grab Mason Randall before he jumped in his fancy rental SUV and sped away with the rest of his brothers. It was no secret that every Randall except Aiden and Viv would be happy to leave Sanctuary Lake far behind them. Jake hadn't even come today.

  The four brothers who had attended stood in a line by the freshly dug hole in the ground and watched their sister's casket being lowered.

  Resolute. Somber. Handsome as all hell.

  No. Handsome was too mundane of a word to hang on those four… She frowned. She shouldn't be thinking about them. Not like that. Not today. Today was about Viv. But she couldn't help it. Not when they were right in front of her. They may not be brothers by blood but they had each been blessed with good genes nonetheless. And they'd grown and matured in the years since high school when they had hung out with her brother Ryan… into men that women fantasized about.

  Viv would be shaking her head at the spectacle they caused in their expensive dark suits. Half the women in town would be at Hearts, the local pub where they were bound to end up, trying to console them tonight.

  But not Anna.

  Viv had long ago warned her off her brothers—wise advice given how many hearts they'd shattered over the years—so Anna had tried her hardest to think of them as brothers too. Truly she had. And, for the most part, it worked. Except at night… in her dreams… when Mason Randall would unexpectedly put in an appearance. A very sexy and very erotic appearance.

  Anna swallowed.

  Don't think about that now.

  Then everyone started to move. Shit, she'd missed hearing Father Larson's final words. She tightened her fingers around her purse and walked toward Mason. He and his brothers were standing close to Father Larson, thanking him. She would never have interrupted a grieving family under normal circumstances…

  She swallowed and stepped closer.

  Mason's gaze snapped to her. He nodded slightly, acknowledging that she was waiting to speak with him. When he moved to step away from the group and join her, she waved for him to stay. She could wait a few more minutes. Now that she knew he would talk to her, the churning in her stomach eased a little. He narrowed his eyes, assessing her. She tried to smile, to let him know it was okay. He studied her a moment longer, then he turned back to the priest.

  It seemed to take an eternity for the conversation to wrap up, but in truth only a few minutes passed. Then Mason exchanged a few words with his brothers. They all glanced in her direction. She waved awkwardly.

  Aiden approached her first. "Where were you?" He leaned in for a hug. "You were supposed to sit up front with us." He squeezed her tightly before loosening his hold and peering into her eyes. "How are you doing?"

  She shook her head. The tears that she'd managed to stave off for the last few days sprang to her eyes and blurred her vision. "Viv would have been so happy to see all of you here."

  Aiden frowned. The soft silver flecks in his hair glittered in the sunlight as he scanned the dissipating crowd. Was that sawdust? She narrowed her eyes. No. He was turning gray, just a bit. Mostly at his temples. Viv would have teased him mercilessly about being a silver fox if she'd seen that. "I'd thought Jake would come, but…"

  "Ryan wanted to be here too, but he got called away on an emergency…" She wiped her tears on her sleeve as Drew stepped toward her, elbowing Aiden out of his way. When he put his arms around her, they seemed all awkward angles and bends. He patted her back, then moved away.

  "I'm sorry for your loss," he said, stealing the words before she could say them. Didn't he know she was s
upposed to say that to him? Not the other way around? But this was Drew, so maybe he didn't. He was always uncomfortable with hugs and sentiment. It didn't matter the event… Christmas, birthdays and now his sister's funeral. He always was happiest when he could keep his head down and his fingers flying over some kind of electronic device.

  She took his hand in hers. "Thank you, but I was just a friend… you are family… Are you doing okay?"

  Just a friend. It seemed such an inadequate way to define what she and Viv had shared. At the surface, they were roommates and business partners, although Anna never had a share in the inn. Sure, it was a friendship, but one that had started with Viv being more like a mother figure for her, when her own had been too busy working three jobs to feed and clothe them, and ended with them bonded in some kind of weird sisterhood. Should she have sat at the front with the brothers? Viv would have insisted on it if she'd still been alive, but she wasn't here anymore…

  Drew nodded awkwardly and shifted aside as Grady approached. He moved with an athletic grace. He always had. She'd marveled at the power in his body. He grinned at her.

  "Hey, Anna," he said. "It's good to see you." Then he hugged her too. And she felt the strength in his arms. If only she were as strong as they were…

  "You too," she managed to say as he broke away.

  "Come by Hearts later. We're all going to end up there."

  She nodded, but the last thing she wanted was to go to the local pub. Theoretically she understood the idea of getting together to celebrate Viv's life, but she wasn't emotionally ready for that yet. And she wouldn't be until she got this—whatever this was—resolved. She just needed to know if she was overreacting… being unreasonably paranoid…

  Then the object of her midnight fantasies joined the group, standing on the periphery.

  "Um… Can I talk to Mason for a minute?"

  Aiden shot his brother a dark look. Grady shook his head. Drew, even sweet unemotional Drew, frowned. What was that all about?

  Sure, her crush on him all those years ago had been a poorly kept secret. But they didn't think she pined for their brother, did they? And even if she did still find her thoughts straying from time to time, Mason wasn't interested. Never had been. He'd always been so damned proper around her, despite sleeping with almost every other woman she knew.

  Mason and she had a friendly kind of… friendship. Yep, definitely friend zone. Friend, friend, friend…

  And if she said it enough she might forget about her wayward and unfortunate interest in him. Luckily, he seemed oblivious.

  Finally Aiden, Drew and Grady, with obvious reluctance, walked toward the vehicle, leaving her alone with Mason. His dark brown eyes locked on hers and her pulse caught. His eyes softened in sympathy, and the thin control she'd managed to keep on her emotions all afternoon threatened to disintegrate. If he reached for her, tried to hug her as his brothers had, she would lose it and become a blubbering, sobbing mess.

  Before either of them could speak, a sound by the grave caught her attention. Three men, cemetery staff, eyed them. Two had shovels in their hands and the other was leaning against a small loader parked a few metres away. They were waiting… waiting to cover Viv… bury her.

  "Go ahead," he said, giving them permission to begin their work.

  The men nodded. The first shovelful of mud hit the casket with the dull thud. Anna swallowed and turned away.

  He stepped up beside her and put his hand on her elbow to steady her. She jolted at the touch, but didn't pull away.

  "Let's get you out of here."

  "I need to talk to you… I need…" Her voice wavered with the swell of emotion. She stared into his dark eyes.

  "We don't have to do anything here," he said "We'll chat back at Hearts. Let's leave these guys to their… task…"

  "But…" She dug in her heels and begged him to just listen for a minute.

  He brushed the hair from her forehead. His fingers were warm and gentle against her skin. His gaze traveled up and down her face slowly. "What's going on?"

  "I found this…" With trembling hands, she opened her purse and pulled out the pages she'd discovered on Viv's dresser. She hadn't meant to snoop, but Aiden had asked her to find an outfit and some jewelry to dress Viv in. And there these papers were, tucked into the top of her jewelry box. "I showed these to the police, but they are so sure Viv's death was an accident, they didn't—"

  "Wasn't it an accident?" Mason interrupted her. His fingers tightened on her arm.

  She thrust the pages toward him. "I think she was being stalked… I think her stalker killed her…"

  TWO

  Mason rubbed the back of his neck, aware that someone was watching. He just didn't know who. He growled and scanned the trees that lined the road.

  He wasn't in the mood for intrigue and people spying on him.

  He had pulled off the road and onto the turnoff to the old inn twenty minutes ago, which was precisely the time Anna had suggested they meet. She still wasn't here.

  His brothers didn't know about this meeting. He could only imagine their reaction if they did know. Hell, based on the lecture he'd received last night from them, and Anna's brother Ryan too, they would have insisted on joining him, just to chaperone.

  Did they think he'd debauch her the minute they were alone? He doubted anyone could do anything to Anna she didn't want. Didn't they realize she wasn't a fourteen-year-old girl anymore?

  Mason had noticed.

  He rolled his head from side to side to stretch his neck and dislodge the wicked thoughts that were now circling through his mind.

  The darkening clouds overhead and the wind churning off the lake warned of an impending storm. With each gust, the inn's old sign swayed and creaked menacingly. Any minute the sky would open and rain would pour down, but no deluge would be enough to cleanse this place.

  Where the hell was she?

  Just as he checked his watch again, a battered old truck crawled down the pitted gravel road. He expected Anna to jump out as soon as she parked in front of his SUV, but no. She appeared to finish a conversation she was having on her Bluetooth. He watched her through her side mirror as she talked. She was every bit as beautiful today as she was yesterday. When she quit speaking, he assumed the call had ended. Still she made him wait as she turned her attention to something on her passenger seat… her purse maybe. When she finally opened the door, she stretched out one long leg, then the other. Her small feet were enclosed by obscenely shiny and polished black heels. Her skirt wasn't visible from this angle—just that long curvy leg—which sent a new series of sinful thoughts exploding across his mind.

  Mason raised his eyebrow in appreciation. Despite his annoyance at being kept waiting, he acknowledged that Anna Brooks knew how to make an entrance.

  Think of her as a sister.

  How was he supposed to remember that when she looked like this? She was his every fantasy personified. Smart. Sexy. With a curvy body he was dying to explore.

  Sister. Like a fucking sister.

  When she had both feet on the ground, he was disappointed to see her skirt drop so its hem fell just above her knee. Her tailored jacket covered a prim button-up white shirt that stretched over her breasts. Little gaps peeked at him between the buttons where the cotton was pulled too tightly over the ample mounds. He'd dreamed of those tits more times than he could count and that shirt was teasing him, reminding him of everything he couldn't have. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and eyed him.

  "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Mason," she said. Her lips curved as she eyed him, but the smile was false. It didn't reach those pretty blue-gray eyes. The worry she'd expressed at the cemetery was still there, but it looked like she was trying to hide it until she knew what he thought about it all.

  The wind whipped her long blonde hair around her face but she didn't seem to notice.

  She was beautiful. He'd always thought so.

  He supposed that was one of the reasons he'd stayed awa
y. A woman like Anna was too much temptation. Why hadn't she stayed the awkward and clumsy teenager she had been when she'd followed him and his brothers around the inn?

  She'd even told him she loved him once. He'd laughed because the idea of it had been so absurd. People like her didn't fall for people like him. He was a Randall. She knew that. Randalls were okay to flirt with… to kiss maybe when a girl wanted to feel naughty… and then, as he'd gotten older… for fucking. But not for loving. Never that.

  She probably didn't even remember that misguided declaration.

  "I believe you said two o'clock."

  "Indeed I did." Her smile didn't falter. "Did you have a chance to read the pages?"

  The anxiety in her question was evident, but this wasn't the place to talk about what she'd found.

  "I have some questions," he said. "Let's go inside."

  "There is one other thing," she said. She took a deep breath. "I closed the inn after… well… you know. And I know Viv left everything to you and your brothers… and I know you aren't interested in the place… and…"

  "You seem to know a lot of things," Mason teased when she paused. She always seemed so nervous around him. Too nervous. For some reason, that bothered him.

  It didn't surprise him, though.

  People were often uncomfortable around him. His brothers blamed it on his ugly mug. Of course, that's what happened when you had your nose broken repeatedly. Damn George to hell. The bastard who'd adopted him had been a mean SOB who'd taken a twisted pleasure in seeing blood gushing down Mason's face. Still, Mason had learned to live with the result of all that special attention and now he used it to his advantage when he could. But that was during business dealings, not with Anna. She shouldn't be intimidated by him. She was like a sister, right?

  Sister.

  He couldn't wrap his head around that idea, but if he said it enough he might someday. Yeah, right. Anna would never be a sister to him, because brothers weren't supposed to look at their sisters the way he was looking at her right now.