Her Delta Force Protector, page 9
“And this is where Skye and I stop listening,” his brother said. “Oh, one other thing, Harper. We couldn’t identify the one man you got a photo of. It was too dark to see his features. All we could tell was that he was heavyset and medium height.”
“So nothing I got helps? I don’t even know if I can identify the man who showed up the day I was moving back home and then came to Florida and broke into my dad’s house. I can tell you he had blue eyes so cold that he gave me chills. That’s it. He wore a knit cap the first time, and I couldn’t tell you what color his hair was. He scared me so much that I don’t remember his face. The night he came into my bedroom, it was too dark to see him, but I recognized his voice.”
All of that was said with fear in her voice, and when he found the man who’d hurt her and had her afraid now, it wasn’t going to be pretty. He slid his hand into his pocket and hooked a finger around the hair tie she’d lost in the stable, intending to give it to her. But he didn’t. Letting go of the tie, he left it where it was. He refused to examine why he was keeping it.
Skylar stepped in front of Harper and touched her arm. “You aren’t alone. You have some pretty awesome people vowing to keep you safe.” She glanced at Kade and smiled. “Tristan and I are the law watching your back, but the man at your side is a scary devil. Whoever decides to get his dander up is a fool. He’ll protect you with his life.”
Kade didn’t think he’d ever loved his future sister-in-law more than he did right this minute.
“I don’t want him risking his life for me,” Harper whispered. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
Kade looked at his brother and lifted his chin toward the door. Go away.
Tristan gave him a slight nod. “Let’s go, Skye. I’ll treat you to breakfast.”
Once they were gone, Kade put his hands on Harper’s shoulders and turned her to face him. “Hey, none of that, okay? You’re right where you need to be.”
“Just promise you won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Who, me? Haven’t you heard? I’m the baddest badass there is. Villains quiver when they see me coming.”
The hint of a smile appeared. “Quiver, huh?”
“Fucking A.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “Everything’s gonna be fine. We’ll figure this out. That’s why you came to me, because you knew you could count on me. Right?”
“Yeah.”
She rested her head on his chest, and he liked her in his arms. She smelled like coconuts, which made him think of the beach on a lazy summer day, and her in a bikini. Don’t go there, Ace.
He’d planned for them to get down to business this morning, but they could take today and have a little fun. Give her a day to relax and recharge after what she’d been through and her trip to get here.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll have a play day? There’s someplace I want to show you.”
She leaned back and studied him. “Am I interrupting your plans? I mean, you didn’t know I’d—”
He put a finger over her lips. “Hush. I was just hanging out, bugging my brothers until I have to go back and finalize my separation.” His missed job interview wasn’t something she needed to feel guilty over, so he didn’t mention it.
“You’re really going through with it? I guess I thought you’d stay in the Army until you couldn’t pass the physicals anymore.”
“Nope. It’s time. Go. I’ll meet you back down here when you’re ready.”
“Give me thirty minutes.”
While she was changing, he walked outside and called Talon Security. When he got Chase on the phone, he gave a brief summary of Harper’s problem and explained what Skylar had discovered with the license plates and their theory.
“That is disturbing,” Chase said.
“I didn’t know if you’d be willing to dig into it, or if you had someone who could.”
“My brother. Send those numbers my way, and I’ll see what he can find out.”
“Appreciate it. We need names, and right now we’re shooting in the dark. I’ll text them to you in a few.”
“It’s to our benefit to get your woman’s problem taken care of so you can get your ass to work.”
“Copy that.” After disconnecting, he went up to the second floor.
Harper came out of the bedroom before he could call out to her. “Oh, hey. I thought I was supposed to meet you downstairs.”
He momentarily forgot why he’d come up. Her hair was down around her shoulders, and she had on a red sweater that looked thin and soft and hugged her curves, snug hip-hugging black jeans, and red Chuck Taylor high-tops. And damn if she didn’t look both cute and sexy.
She glanced down at herself and frowned. “Is this not okay? Do I need to change?”
His brain had derailed, and he shook his head to get it back on track. “No, you look...” He searched for a word. “Adorable.” Huh? He’d just used the word adorable? Who was he?
She tilted her head and peered at him. “Are you okay?”
No, he was not. He was not supposed to be seeing her as cute and adorable, and especially not as sexy. She was the girl he palled around with, his movie-watching buddy. He should have never kissed her, that was for damn sure. How was he supposed to put that genie back in the bottle now that it had escaped?
“Fine. I’m fine. Your sweater’s pretty. You get that at Fanny’s?”
“I got everything I have on at Fanny’s.”
He should have told Fanny to load her up with old lady clothes. “I need to send those photos with the license plate numbers to my contact at Talon Security. They’re going to see if they can learn anything.”
“That’s great. Hang on a minute, and I’ll get them.” She disappeared into the bedroom and returned a minute later with her computer. “It’ll take a few seconds to boot up. Do you think they can find out the deal on the plates?”
“Let’s hope so.”
“Who’s Talon Security?”
“How about we shelve that question for now and we’ll talk about everything later?”
“Okay.”
After the photo files were sent to Talon, she shut her laptop down, and they headed downstairs. When they walked outside, Duke lifted his head from where he was taking a nap in the sun. He yawned as he got to his feet.
“Are we going somewhere that he can come with us?” she asked.
“Depends. Bike or truck?”
Her eyes lit up. “Bike!”
“Was hoping you’d say that, so no, obviously he can’t.”
She leaned over and kissed the top of Duke’s head. “You can come with us next time.” She glanced at him. “Do we need to put him inside?”
“No, he’s got a doggie door, so he can come and go as he pleases. He won’t leave the yard.”
As they walked to the garage, she said, “Where are we going?”
“What’s your opinion on UFOs?”
Chapter Sixteen
Harper knew exactly where they were going, and she was giddy with excitement. He’d told her some months ago about the Marsville UFO Museum, how it had been closed for years and was reopening, which he thought was nuts.
It was another beautiful fall day, and she was relaxed and safe, not to mention spending time with a man she really liked, and she planned to have fun...something that had been missing in her life recently.
“Put this on.” He handed her his leather jacket.
“This is yours. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s going to be chilly once we get going. We’ll stop at Fanny’s and get you a jacket, then you can give it back. Deal?”
“Okay.” She slipped his jacket on, and of course, it was huge on her, but there was something intimate about wearing it. It was something couples would do. Then he stepped in front of her and zipped it up for her.
As he raised the zipper, she lifted her eyes to his, and that heated look in his...no, not heated. That wasn’t a strong enough word. Hot. Scorching hot. Like there was a fire raging inside those orbs. He leaned toward her as if he was going to kiss her, then, inches from her mouth, he blinked and stepped back. Her breath swooshed out of her, and disappointment settled in her chest.
Why was he fighting this new attraction between them? She wasn’t imagining that heat in his eyes or the almost kiss. Maybe he was afraid she was looking for a permanent place in his life? She’d known him for a year, knew he didn’t do relationships, so she had no intention of trying to change him. Besides, she wouldn’t be around after they resolved this mess she’d found herself in. She would probably end up back in Florida, so why shouldn’t they have a fling while she was here?
She almost wished he’d never kissed her in the first place. Then she wouldn’t know how good it felt to have his mouth on hers, and she wouldn’t be dying to kiss him again. The operative word, though, was almost. She wasn’t giving those kisses back.
“Let’s roll.” He threw a leg over the bike, then held it upright while she got on.
When she was settled behind him, she put her hands on the sides of his waist, and like he had the night he picked her up in Myrtle Beach, he pulled her hands around him. Once he was satisfied that she was holding on, he pushed the ignition button and the Harley roared to life.
Marsville was such a pretty place, a great place to have a bike. Since it was in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the landscape was...well, hilly. Then, the blue-hazed mountains rising in the distance were breathtaking, and she could just sit and look at them all day. Even the air was different. It was fresh, crisp, and a little piney smelling versus the heavy salty scent of the air back home.
The fall leaves on the trees were spectacular, and for a girl born and raised in Florida, the red, gold, yellow, and orange leaves were a sight she’d never take for granted. She wondered if people who grew up in places that had four seasons forgot to see the beauty surrounding them. Shame on them if so.
As they rode down a curvy two-lane country road toward town, Harper decided she wanted to live somewhere that didn’t have basically the same temperature year-round, that she wanted seasons in her life, wanted to feel this breathtaking joy at seeing fall leaf colors. And snow. She wanted to live where it snowed. It rarely did at Fort Bragg, and even when it did, it was never more than an inch or two. Even that had thrilled her. A white Christmas was on her bucket list.
She thought she’d like living in Marsville, but that was out. She’d never make things awkward between her and Kade and moving here would be so awkward. He’d think she was stalking him, and on her part, she wouldn’t want to see him around town with some other woman on his arm. So, something to look into—where to live when this was over.
The bike slowed, then stopped. She glanced around to see why they were at a standstill in the middle of the road. Kade squeezed her leg, then pointed up. “Oh,” she breathed. A black bear and her cub were in a tree. The mama was sitting on a lower branch watching her baby climb to the top. The mama bear looked over at them, then dismissed them and went back to observing her cub.
It was one of the most awesome things she’d ever seen. How had Kade even seen them up there? She supposed it was proof of how honed his observations skills were from his years in Special Forces. The kind of talent those guys needed in order to return from their missions alive.
She leaned around his shoulder. “That’s so cool. The baby won’t fall?”
“No. Mama wouldn’t let it go up there if she thought it would. This is probably the cub’s first tree-climbing lesson.”
There were no cars on the road, and they watched the bears for a few more minutes, then he throttled up, and they were on their way again. As they passed the tree, Harper waved to the mama bear, then laughed at herself for doing so.
Some minutes later, they were riding down Main Street, and she again smiled at all the different-colored awnings. Everything was so festive. She wondered if there was another small mountain town somewhere with colorful awnings. If so, she’d go live there.
A parking space was available in front of Fanny’s shop, and Kade pulled into it, stopping next to an old turquoise Cadillac. She hopped off the bike and removed her helmet, which he set over one of the rearview mirrors and his helmet on the other. She slipped off his jacket and gave it to him.
“That’s Miss Mabel’s car, so she’s around here somewhere,” he said. “If we come across her, don’t take anything she might say personal.”
“Who is Miss Mabel anyway? Tristan said if I saw her coming to run in the opposite direction, and Skye said to stay out of reach of her cane.”
“Mabel Mackle and her nephew own half the town. Luther’s the mayor, and he’s as scared of his aunt as we are.”
Harper thought there probably wasn’t a female around who didn’t like the brothers. All three were that hot, although in her opinion Kade was the best looking of the three. Skylar would disagree with her, but Skylar would be wrong.
In Fanny’s shop several women were looking through the clothing racks. Fanny was at the register talking to an older woman, or more like just listening and nodding her head.
“Speak of the devil,” Kade said.
As they approached, Harper noticed the older woman’s cane. So that was Miss Mabel. She was a thin, tiny little thing.
Relief flashed in Fanny’s eyes. “Good morning, Kade and Petunia,” she said. “Petunia, dear, did you need some more clothes?” She came around the counter. “Come, I’ll help you find whatever you’re looking for.”
She was going to kill Kade for “Petunia,” and she was going to do it right here in front of witnesses if he didn’t wipe that smirk off his face. “I’m looking for—”
Miss Mabel swung her cane up in front of Fanny, stopping her. She then turned curious eyes on Harper. “And who are you?”
“This is my friend Petunia. Petunia, this is the lovely Miss Mabel.”
Harper smiled. “It’s a pleasure to—”
“Since when do you have a girlfriend, Kade?”
Rude much? From the disapproval in Miss Mabel’s voice, Harper decided to heed Skylar’s advice and stay out of reach of the woman’s cane. She stepped back.
“Aw, you know you’re my best girl, Miss Mabel.”
The woman actually fluffed her blue tinted hair, which Harper found amusing. She decided to remove herself from the conversation and the allegedly lethal cane, and as she wandered off to see if she could find a jacket Fanny slipped up next to her.
“Miss Mabel loves the Church brothers, so we’ll leave Kade to her. Were you looking for anything in particular?”
“A jacket. Do you have any leather ones?”
Fanny leaned away and skimmed her gaze over Harper, then snapped her fingers. “I have a perfect one for you.”
Harper followed her to a rack of coats. Before she could look through them, Fanny pulled one out.
“A medium, right?”
“Usually.” The jacket was a zip-up red leather with two pockets that zipped. It was simple and classy, and Harper loved it.
“Try it on.” Fanny slipped it off the hanger.
It was a perfect fit. She’d gotten a glimpse of the price tag as Fanny held it up, and it was more than she wanted to spend out of the cash her dad had given her. But she did need a coat, and she did love this one.
“This comes with the family and friends’ discount. Twenty percent off,” Fanny said.
Harper grinned. “I think you just made that up on the spot, but I’ll take it.” If she ran out of money, her father would send her more, so that really wasn’t a big issue. Still, she didn’t want to irresponsibly blow through the cash she had. She’d be more careful with how she spent what was left.
She kept it on but pulled off the tags and handed them to Fanny. “I love your store. I could spend a fortune in here.”
“That works for me,” Fanny said, smiling. “Let’s get you checked out so you can get on with your day with that sexy man of yours.”
“Oh, he’s not my man. We’re just friends.” As much as she wished otherwise.
“The way he watches you, hon, could’ve fooled me.”
Harper snuck a glance at Kade, and sure enough his eyes were on her. He winked, then turned his attention back to Miss Mabel. When he winked at her like that, it felt as if they were sharing an intimate moment. The man was sending her mixed signals, and it was confusing. She didn’t know whether to ignore this attraction between them, or to go for what she wanted.
As she was taking her wallet out, Kade reached past her and handed Fanny a credit card. “That jacket looks awesome on you, P.”
She’d forgotten how he shortened her name to letters. She’d been both H and LT to him during their year of being friends. Now she was P, and she’d take that over Petunia. She tried to bush his arm away. “Thank you, but you’re not paying for it.”
“Am, too. Happy Birthday.” He turned mischievous eyes on Fanny. “You take her money, and I’ll sneak Earl’s goat in here. You know how much he loves to eat dresses.”
“But it’s not my birthday,” Harper said.
“Don’t care,” Fanny said. “Earl’s dress-eating goat tops all. Been there, not letting it happen again.” She slid Kade’s card through the machine, then handed it back to him. “You might want to go rescue your motorcycle. Miss Mabel’s backing out.”
He glanced out the window. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” Harper said as Kade ran out of the store.
“The woman’s a menace behind the wheel of that boat she drives.”
“Whoa! She almost hit Kade.” Was he out of his mind? He’d put himself between his bike and Miss Mabel’s car, and her front bumper had come awfully close to his legs. He hadn’t moved an inch. The man had nerves of steel.
