Head Start (Cedar Tree #7) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Head Start (A Cedar Tree Novel, #7)

  DEDICATION

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO BY THIS AUTHOR

  COMING SOON

  SEE ALSO

  HEAD START, a Cedar Tree Novel

  Copyright © 2016 Margreet Asselbergs as Freya Barker

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or by other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in used critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses as permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, mentioning in the subject line:

  "Reproduction Request” at the address below:

  [email protected]

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, any event, occurrence, or incident is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created and thought up from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  ISBN: 978-0-9949514-5-8

  Cover Design:

  RE&D - Margreet Asselbergs

  Editing:

  PREMA - Vanessa Leret-Bridges

  DEDICATION

  To my son, Stijn, who has not (and likely never will) read one single book I’ve written, but is nevertheless one of my biggest supporters.

  He is the perfect example of an empathetic, sensitive Alpha. A man’s man, a hunter, a fisherman, who knows what he wants and works with his hands, but who is at the same time a nurturer. A man, able to whip up a gourmet meal as easily as he can build a beautiful barn wood table from scratch. Who despises too much attention but can’t help smile when his fiancé basks in the centre of it with her cute antics. A man who doesn’t like talking, but has no problem letting his girl (and his mom!) know how much he loves her. Both in word and in action.

  I’m so proud of the adult my son has become. Not because of fancy degrees, economic accomplishments or material things, but because he is an amazing man and a fantastic human being.

  Head Start:

  Nowadays Kendra Schmitt puts most of her time into the new clinic in Cedar Tree. Always the responsible one in her family, she has avoided any kind of entanglement. In particular with a persistent young investigator. With her schedule a bit more predictable, she is ready to explore a personal life and concedes to what turns out to be a disastrous blind date.

  Junior member of the GFI team, Neil James, has seen and experienced more than most at his age. When his team becomes part of a task force investigating a series of murders in the area, his protective instincts kick into high gear. The victims' profiles closely match that of a certain physical therapist.

  Neil has been trying unsuccessfully for over a year to get closer to Kendra. Now that she might be in danger, he’s determined to break through her resistance and goes all out to win her trust.

  Especially now that the killer’s focus appears to have zeroed in on Kendra.

  PROLOGUE

  “Later!” she calls out as she leaves the locker room.

  “Have fun, and be careful.” This from Jeanne, her supervisor, who is lingering by the nurse’s station.

  “Stop worrying. He was great when we met for coffee. Tonight is just gonna be dinner. I’ll take it slow, I promise.” She smiles at the older woman, who only has her best interests at heart. She knows that.

  Jeanne’s face softens at her words. “Okay, honey. Enjoy yourself and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With a last wave, she almost skips to her car in the staff parking lot of Mercy Regional Medical Center, where she’s just entered her tenth year. She’d started working there straight out of nursing school. Eager to escape the oppressive, small Nebraska town she grew up in, she had jumped at the chance when she saw the job postings for the brand new hospital. The first time she’d flown into Durango, Colorado, for her interview, she’d been immediately sold. Everything she’d dreamed of, right there at her fingertips. The only thing missing was the right man to start a family with. Thirty-three years old, and aside from a few attempts at something more serious, she’d never come close. Until now.

  Starting up her aging clunker, a smile steals over her face as she recalls the first e-mail she received from him. So polite, almost shy in his approach, just like he’d been when they finally met for coffee last week. He had blushed when he asked her out for another date, and seemed almost embarrassed to suggest a picnic.

  -

  His car was already waiting when she pulled into the parking lot at Smelter Mountain. He’d told her to wear hiking gear for the short, but steep trek up the trail to the lookout point, from where they’d be able to see the lights come on in Durango below. So romantic.

  “Hey.” He smiles sheepishly and she notices again how very handsome he is when he does that. Perfect white teeth and a strong chin. She can’t stop the little shiver of anxious anticipation rolling down her back.

  “Hi. I brought the blanket.” She holds up the quilt she remembered to grab this morning before leaving for work.

  “And I brought dinner,” he says, holding up a sizable backpack before slipping the straps over his shoulders. He turns to her and holds out his hand. “You ready?”

  Tentatively, she grabs his hand, the blanket tucked under her arm, and follows behind him up the trail. They encounter a few fellow hikers, who are on their way down to the parking lot. Each time she slips behind him to allow them to pass, she can’t help but notice that his grip on her hand tightens more. She does find the way he seems to duck his head a little bizarre, but she blames that on his timid nature. Not everyone is comfortable looking strangers in the eye.

  A little winded from the ascent, she’s glad when they finally reach the ridge. In the mountains, the sun often appears to set earlier, and already the light is getting more diffused. The view is beautiful. Looking down, she notices some of the lights along Main Street are coming on and the picturesque town seems cozy, nestled in between the mountains.

  A sharp tug at her hand has her turn her head. He is looking at her instead of the view, and suddenly she feels a little unsettled. At some point he has taken off his glasses, and what had appeared to be warm, dark brown eyes now look hard and cold. She instinctively tries to pull her hand free, but he holds on. With a twist, she manages to free her hand, immediately rubbing it with the other to restore blood flow.

  “I’m sorry, was I squeezing to hard? I was worried you were getting too close to the edge,” he says, the now familiar shy smile on his face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

  “No...I�
��m... It’s okay. I’m not feeling too well,” she mutters, not entirely lying. “Maybe I should head back.”

  The next moment, he has her face pressed to his chest and an arm holding her tight against his body. She’s shocked to feel his prominent arousal pressing into her stomach and tries to pull back, but his unforgiving hold prevents that from being at all possible.

  “Don’t worry, lamb. I’ll take care of you.” His lips brush her hair as he whispers to her.

  The small sting to her neck is barely noticeable. If not for the rapidly spreading heat that seems to sap the strength right out of her, she might have simply dismissed it.

  This was a mistake, is the last thought she has.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kendra

  “No, Karly, I’m not going on a singles’ cruise with you.”

  I roll my eyes at Naomi who is chuckling as she walks by the front desk. Naomi is Doc Waters, technically Dr. Morris since she married Joe Morris last year, but everyone still knows her as Doc Waters. We opened this clinic in Cedar Tree over a year ago. Already Naomi is near capacity with her patient load, and I’m at a point where I’m here on an almost full-time basis. Just two shifts a week left for me at Southwest Memorial in Cortez. Most of my regular physical therapy patients have already followed me here to Cedar Tree.

  Two weeks from now, I’ll be moving out of my beloved apartment in Cortez and into a cute rental here in town. Actually, the house belongs to a friend, who prefers renting it out over selling. The rent is actually slightly less than what I pay for my apartment so it wasn’t a particularly difficult decision. Not to mention, I will have a backyard, a great L-shaped living/dining room, two good-sized bedrooms and a bath. The place even has a swing on the porch. I’m looking forward to drinking my morning coffee there. And the best part about it? I can walk to work every day. I love walking.

  The grating high-pitched sound of my sister’s lament drags me back to the conversation.

  “Why not? It’s half-price, one of those short notice deals.” My sister resorts to the pre-adolescent whine that gets our mom to cave every single time. Unfortunately, Karly hasn’t yet figured out that it does the opposite for me.

  “Because those things are like floating sausage fests.”

  “You’re such a stick-in-the-mud. Mom said she’d come too.”

  Oh my God. Like that is any sort of enticement. I have to swallow hard to shove the contents of my stomach back down where they belong. I automatically turn my back to the waiting room when I hear the tell-tale ding of the door opening. “Not helping your case, Karly. Just sayin’... I’m not into quick, convenient fucks. Especially when most of the guys on those trips are looking to score as much and with as many as they can manage in the shortest possible time frame. Not keen on being the dessert buffet for a bunch of young idiots, hopped up on Viagra. Besides, as I told you a month ago, I’ll be moving house in two weeks, so I can’t come. End of story. You and Mom have fun, but count me out.”

  By the time I get my nympho sister off the phone, my eyes have rolled heavenward a few more times. I should have spared one eye-roll to confirm it actually was my next patient coming in. It wasn’t. A familiar face with a toothy grin is leaning on the damn counter, right behind me. Instantly, my German ancestry betrays me with the robust blush I feel burning on my cheeks. Fabulous.

  “What can I do for you, Neil?” I say none too kindly. One of his heavy eyebrows lifts all the way up, and the grin slips into a smirk.

  “That, is a loaded question,” he teases, “especially given the tantalizing conversation I just overheard.” The heat on my face has now reached my hairline while I curse myself six ways to Sunday. “By the way, I like that color on you,” he mumbles, tapping me on the cheek.

  “Neil—that was fast. I just called like twenty minutes ago.” Naomi smiles as she walks in and leans in for a peck on his cheek. I release a sigh of relief at her timely interruption.

  “I much prefer that kind of greeting,” he rumbles in that raspy dark voice of his, giving me a pointed look. A sound inconsistent with his youthful surfer boy looks and bright blue eyes, yet unfortunately has me steady myself on the edge of the counter.

  “Maybe I should introduce you to my sister then, she’s about your age,” I snap back and grab the file for my next patient, but not before I see the flash of anger in his baby blues. Deciding to ignore it, I make my way around the desk only to be held up by Naomi.

  “Have you been on your computer yet? I had problems this morning logging on,” she asks.

  “Haven’t had a chance. Why?”

  “Well, if Neil is here anyway to fix whatever’s wrong with mine, he might as well have a look at yours; make sure all the upgrades are up to date and stuff.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “Be my guest, here is my next patient,” I say with a chin nod toward the reception area. “I’ll be busy for the next hour anyway.” With that I motion to Mrs. Winkler, who I’ve been treating for a frozen shoulder. “Come on in. The needles are waiting for you.” With a small smile for Naomi and Neil, she follows me into my treatment room.

  “How have you been?” I ask her once I’ve closed the door behind us. “Are you noticing any improvement?” I have treated her with acupuncture twice a week for the past three weeks and I’m hoping to see some loosening in the joint. She was so seized up by the time she came to see me, there was no movement whatsoever in that arm.

  “I’m still having trouble with the kitchen cupboards and getting dressed in the morning isn’t much fun, but I do believe I have a bit more movement,” she says as she sheds her blouse and lays on the bed in just her undershirt.

  “That’s great. Let’s have a look.”

  For the next twenty minutes, I manipulate her shoulder joint. Finding her mobility is indeed a bit improved, I start preparing the needles. With the TENS machine hooked up to the needles and doing its work, I slip out of the room to quickly grab some coffee. Just as I pass by my office, Neil sticks his head out the door, causing me to almost drop my mug. “Holy shit.”

  “Sorry,” he mumbles a bit sheepishly. “I just wanted to have a quick word if you have a minute.”

  “I do if you follow me to the kitchen. I need more caffeine.”

  I can barely hear him behind me. For a large man, he is surprisingly light on his feet. I pull my one indulgence, hazelnut-flavored creamer, from the fridge and wave it in his face. “You want one?” The look of disgust on his face is comical, and I can’t stop the snicker. “Guessing that’s a no?”

  “I’ll have my coffee plain, thanks,” he says, opening a cupboard for a mug.

  I’m still smiling as I pour our coffees and almost burst out laughing again when I see him watch me pour enough creamer in my mug to turn my coffee a delicious beige. “So what’s up?” I ask, closing my eyes automatically as the taste of hazelnut with a hint of coffee hits my taste buds.

  “Two things actually,” he clarifies. “First, do you need any help moving? I have my old truck which can haul a shitload of stuff.”

  I look at his youthful face with his far-too-serious eyes that seem ancient. Sure, most of the time, they shine with a teasing glint, but there’s a darkness hiding behind them too. “Sure,” I accept, because really—when a young guy built like a tank offers to help you move, especially after your family ditched you for an aquatic meat market, you don’t pass it up.

  “Great. Just let me know when and where, and I’ll make sure my schedule’s clear.” His smile is genuine, and I’m struck once again by how tempting it can be to get lost to his charms. Even though I know he’d get bored with me soon enough in favor of something "fresher.”

  “Sounds good,” I say quietly.

  “Oh, and secondly, I was cleaning your drive when I noticed your cache file is pretty full,” he says, receiving a blank look from me, since I have no clue what he’s talking about. I can work a computer, but I don’t understand it. “Are you getting a lot of pop ups when you’re online? Those little screens w
ith shit you don’t wanna see that suddenly cover your monitor?” he clarifies, thankfully, and I now understand exactly what he’s talking about. I shiver thinking about the vile, sadistic porn sites that have started popping up on my screen.

  “Actually, I do. Disgusting. How did they get there?” I half expect Neil to make fun of me, but he instead looks concerned.

  “One of the sites you’ve visited has left something behind on your computer. An imprint that generates these links popping up. I want to have a look to see where it comes from.”

  “Go right ahead. I’ve gotta get back to Mrs. Winkler.” I wave my hand in his general direction, not even half understanding what he just told me.

  It isn’t until much later, when I’m lost in thought with my hands working the tension from my patient’s shoulder, that I realize Neil is going through my history with a fine-tooth comb.

  Holy schnikes.

  Neil

  Oh, I’m pissed.

  No sooner had my hopes flared when Kendra agreed to let me help her move, that they deflated instantly upon finding the links to the MatureDatingOnly website in her Internet history. She’d been busy. Fuck me. Here I am thinking I might finally be making some headway with her, convincing her that the age difference between us means fuck-all, when reality hits me in the face. I know I’m crossing a line when I check her e-mails for evidence of some douche nozzle trying to hook up with her, but I figure the end justifies the means. Nothing. Not a damn thing. Which probably means she didn’t sign up with her clinic e-mail, because as beautiful, and fucking funny as she is, there’s no way she wouldn’t have had any interest. Christ.

  I just finished clearing all the crap from her history, as well as cleaning up her drive, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see Gus’s number, and swear softly at the sight of my boss’s name on the screen. I was about to go talk to Kendra about accessing questionable websites. Frustrated, I slide my thumb across the screen.

  “Yeah?”

  “Neil, you almost done? Meeting in my office in twenty.”