The Pursued Patriot: Georgia Patriots Romance

by Cami Checketts

  Lily offered a prayer before they all started eating. There were soft moans of approval, but besides that, silence.

  Shar was chafing to know what was going on, what Sutton had said. “Can you please share the news?” she said to Gunner.

  “Please, can we wait until after breakfast?” Mike asked Gunner. He swung his gaze to Shar. “This is so delicious, and I want to give each bite my full attention.”

  Lily held up a hand. “Yes, Shar, let me just savor this delicacy for a minute. We’ve got all day to focus on the dum-dum stalker.”

  Shar laughed. She appreciated the compliments, and she’d heard Gunner and Preston’s little sister, Lottie, call them a dum-dum if they teased her.

  Gunner nodded his agreement, but his mouth was full. Shar had always loved to cook, and it was even better if someone appreciated what she cooked. She took a bite and enjoyed the savory eggs, spicy meats, and flavorful vegetables. They were just simple omelets, but she was happy they enjoyed them. It was also nice to sit and eat. She rarely had a chance to do that, often scarfing down a rejected meal or throwing something easy together to eat while she worked. The omelets were good, and the view was incredible, with the sun shining through the forest outside the windows, and Mike Kohler inside the windows.

  He caught her staring at him, and smiled. She blushed and looked away. What was a girl to do when the most incredible man ever was sitting feet away?

  Mike and Gunner finished their omelets, and Mike caught her eye. “That was amazing. Thank you for cooking for me … I mean for us.”

  She smiled. Him loving her food felt intimate and like he truly understood her.

  Gunner picked at the fruit as she and Mike exchanged glances.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Shar said.

  “It was more than enjoy. It was heaven.”

  Shar smiled and looked down, pleased. She was only about halfway through, and her stomach felt distended. She noticed Lily slide the last third of her omelet onto Gunner’s plate. His eyes lit up, and he gave her a quick kiss before diving in.

  “That was so delicious,” Lily said to Shar, “But my gut was going to bust wide open if I ate all of that.”

  “Thank you,” Shar said, “I’m with you.” She turned to Mike. “Do you want the rest of mine?” It felt so intimate to be offering him half of her breakfast like they were a couple, probably because Lily had just done the same thing with her husband.

  Mike leaned closer. “You would do that for me?”

  “Definitely.” She wanted to say something cheesy like she’d do anything for him. Instead, she said, “I can’t eat anymore.”

  “Thank you.” He pushed his plate next to hers.

  Shar smiled and scooped the rest of her breakfast onto his plate. She ate a slice of ripe mango, one of her favorite tropical fruits with its sweet yet spicy flavor. It was fun watching Gunner obviously enjoy the breakfast, but it was much more intriguing to her how Mike savored her food. He caught her gaze and gave her a wink.

  When Gunner finished, he patted his flat stomach. “Thank you for getting stranded in this cabin with us, Shar.”

  “It wasn’t by choice,” she shot back at him, “But you’re welcome.”

  He nodded. “I know.” Then he got right down to business. “So, the report. First of all, they were able to use the hotel’s cameras to trace down the teenager who delivered the note. He said a beautiful blonde lady had paid him twenty bucks to take the envelope to the front desk. So that makes us think …”

  “Meredith,” Lily filled in.

  “Yeah. And the email threat was traced back to some computer geeks going to school at the University of Alabama in Birmingham where …” He shook his head, seeming very annoyed with all of this.

  “Meredith works.” Mike sat up straighter.

  “Who also claimed a gorgeous blonde paid them to set up the accounts.”

  “So, the police question this Meredith.” Shar didn’t see the problem, and it seemed they had found their person. They’d be back home by tonight. She snuck another glance at Mike. Leaving him so soon didn’t sound good, but she really wanted his stalker caught, and if she was honest, she wanted to be at her restaurant.

  “They already have, caught up with her before she left for church this morning,” Gunner said. “Apparently, she claims she goes to your dad’s church and would never harm your family.” Gunner gave Mike a significant look.

  Shar thought that was very interesting. So this Meredith had been at school with them at Auburn, but now she lived in Birmingham and had infiltrated her way into Mike’s family?

  “Of course, she denies that she would ever hurt you either. She even let the police search her computers and her condo. She invited them right in without a search warrant, and she has an alibi for last night. Apparently, she and the guy we saw her with had dinner then took a late flight back to Birmingham. She had proof of the flight. There’s no way she started the dumpster fire.”

  Shar’s eyes widened. Meredith inviting the police into her condo without a warrant definitely didn’t sound like a guilty person.

  “The police found nothing at her condo. The more disturbing thing is when the teenager at Hilton Head and the computer guys from the university saw a picture of Meredith, they all said the lady looked a lot like her, but it wasn’t her.”

  Shar’s too-full stomach tumbled. “So somebody’s setting her up?”

  “It looks that way.” Gunner leaned back against his chair and blew out a breath. “I mean, she just fits too perfectly. She’s known you since college, and you broke her heart and told her you left her for your career. Everything points to her, but my gut is saying it’s a setup.”

  “So basically we’ve got … nothing?” Mike held up his large hands, frustration in his face.

  Gunner shrugged. His jaw was tight, and his dark eyes troubled.

  “Why would someone want to set Meredith up?” Lily stood and started pacing by the table.

  “To throw us off the trail of the real culprit,” Gunner said.

  Lily nodded. “Mike, can you think of anyone you’ve known since college, or before, who might have it out for you? Other women you dated and ditched, a man, or fellow teammate who might have been jealous of your success, or even some guy you stole a girl from. Anything?”

  Mike pursed his lips, and they all waited as he thought. “I went out with other girls besides Meredith, and there were a few guys on the football team who might’ve felt I took their playing time.”

  “Okay, write them all down while we clean up breakfast.” Lily stood and started stacking dishes. Shar helped her.

  Gunner found Mike a piece of paper and a pen, and she heard Mike say, “It’d be a lot easier to just text it to you.”

  “Sorry, man, I shut down your phone.”

  Mike looked pretty frustrated, and Shar knew how he felt as Gunner had made her leave her phone at home. Also, the woman they thought was the stalker might be a dead end. She was a fan of more time with Mike, but not of sitting around doing nothing and waiting. How long were they going to be shut up in this cabin?

  Mike searched his brain and came up with six different men and women who might possibly have a reason to come after him and threaten the women he dated like the stalker did, but they were all a stretch in his mind. One name kept coming to him, and he kept dismissing it, but then he finally wrote at the bottom, Brett White. He felt like such a jerk even naming his friend, but once he thought of it, he couldn’t put it from his mind. Brett had always seemed so positive and cool, but there were times Mike had caught him giving him a look that was full of envy. Hopefully, he was just imagining it, because he really liked the guy, and Mike felt bad that he’d taken Brett’s spot on the Patriots.

  He handed the list off to Gunner, then asked him, “Shar and I would love to go on a hike. What do you think?”

  Gunner nodded. “We can all go. Just let Lily and I get some weapons on.”

  “Okay. Shar and I will get our shoes on
.” Mike tried to inject a funny note in his voice. Who just puts weapons on? Gunner and Lily. Gunner gave him a very minuscule courtesy smile.

  He turned to Shar as she walked out of the kitchen. “Gunner says we can go on a hike after he and Lily strap their weapons to their bodies.”

  Shar laughed. “I left all my weapons home. What should I bring?”

  “Just your pretty face.”

  She blushed even prettier. Mike didn’t love the situation they were in, but more time with Shar was not something he’d complain about. They’d lost the intimacy of last night when he’d been able to kiss her on her couch, but maybe over the next few days or weeks, they could regain it. Although, he really hoped they could find the stalker a lot faster than that. Somehow, he was going to play on Sunday. One week from today. He’d never missed a game, and he wasn’t about to let some idiot stalker make him miss one this week.

  Shar walked next to Mike’s side along a trail through the beautiful forest. It was thick with aspens, poplars, and pine trees. The freshness of the air and yummy scent of pine reminded her of Mike’s clean scent. It was all delicious.

  Gunner was in front of them about twenty feet, and Lily was behind the group about thirty feet. Shar thought it was so interesting the way those two worked together. Interesting and impressive. They were obviously crazy about each other, but they put their work or assignment first. That had ticked Ally off when Gunner had put his suspicions before family. Shar thought any woman but Lily would probably have a hard time with their work, and the way it affected their relationship. Lily seemed to thrive on it.

  “Do you think there are other cabins close by?” she asked Mike.

  “I haven’t seen any, but you’d think there would be. With power and water to this one, they probably did a whole development at the same time, but who knows? The trees are thick enough that it’s hard to see too far.”

  She nodded. She liked doing something simple, like just walking next to him. “I wonder who broke this trail?”

  “It’s probably a deer trail or some other animal.”

  Shar liked deer, but what if it was another kind of animal? “What other kind of animal?” she asked, her eyes darting around the thick foliage but not seeing anything but trees and undergrowth.

  “Maybe a bear or mountain lion.”

  Shar swallowed and instinctively stepped closer to Mike, bumping his arm with hers.

  Mike glanced down at her with a concerned smile. “You okay?”

  “I don’t like bears.”

  “You’re fine with alligators snapping at you, but a bear in the same forest is too much?”

  “Yes! Alligators will usually leave you alone unless you dive in their pool, but bears will hunt you down and rip you apart.”

  Mike chuckled. “Don’t worry. I don’t think any animal or human is getting past those two.” He pointed in front and then behind him.

  Gunner looked over his shoulder at them and gave them a cocky smile. Lily really had softened him up. From the stories Preston told, Gunner wasn’t the smiling type. Well, that answered the question if Gunner could hear their conversation.

  Shar kept walking, realizing Mike was right. There wasn’t much to be afraid of with Gunner and Lily, and all their weapons and training. Still, it was unnerving to be in the middle of a dense forest with bears, mountain lions, and maybe a vicious stalker tracking them. She leaned toward Mike again. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked. Shar liked the feel of his strong body close to hers.

  She smiled up at him. “You’re probably used to sprinting and working out hard every day, not just going on a mellow hike through the woods. Are you going to be okay?” Their hike was mostly level, and their pace was pretty slow, set by Gunner up front, who was scanning the area as they went.

  “Yeah, I’m not used to taking any time but specific rest days off from training or playing. We’ll have to set up a circuit back at the cabin. I can use the stairs for pullups, use you to bench press, and do box jumps on and off the landing.”

  “Whoa, whoa.” Shar laughed. “Use me for bench press?”

  Mike gave her a mischievous grin. “It’d be a light bench press, but I could do extra reps.”

  Shar pushed at him. “You don’t even know what I weigh.”

  “One-twenty soaking wet.”

  Shar laughed. “You wish. I’m almost one-thirty.”

  “Ooh, that’ll make the bench press quite a challenge.” He rolled his eyes. Obviously, one-thirty was nothing compared to a tough NFL players’ weight. She wondered how much he did weigh. Probably double her with all that height and muscle.

  She smiled. She liked to tease with him. “We’ll see how this bench press goes. I doubt you can even lift me five times.”

  “Oh! Don’t insult me like that.” His mouth twisted, and his eyes sparkled at her. “How about a bet? If I can press you more than twenty times, you have to … kiss me. One minute of kissing for every rep I can do over twenty.”

  Shar pressed her lips together. That sounded like a win for her either way. “What do I win if you can’t make it to twenty?”

  Mike focused in on her with those deep brown eyes as they ambled along the path. “What do you want?”

  You. She bit at her lip, unable to be that aggressive no matter how true it was. She’d wanted for him for a long, long time. She wished she could say a kiss, but that would be lame since he’d already said it. “Hmm. How about we snuggle on the couch on the landing outside our bedrooms, and I get to choose the movie we watch?”

  “Sounds good.” His voice dropped low and husky, and he bent down to her ear. “So it’s a win either way because I bet I can talk you into a kiss while we’re snuggling.”

  Shar stared up at his handsome face and almost kissed him right then and there. “We’ll see how smooth of a talker you are.”

  Mike chuckled and pulled her in tighter to his side. “For you, I can be pretty smooth.”

  Shar sighed. Yes, he could. Crazily enough, the stalker and the fact that she’d deserted her restaurant didn’t bother her much at all right now.

  Chapter Ten

  When they got back to the cabin, Gunner and Lily spent some time securing the cabin and the property, checking security cameras, and checking in with Sutton. But then they were both excited to set up a circuit workout for all of them to use and see how Mike did on his bench press challenge.

  “Let’s do the workout first,” Gunner said after they moved furniture out of the way in the living area and set up the best workout they could without any weights. “Try to wear him out, so you win. What did you two bet anyway?”

  Shar blushed, and Mike arched an eyebrow at her. “Who gets to choose the movie tonight,” she said.

  Gunner kind of smirked at her and said in a low voice to Lily, “I can think of much better bets than that.”

  She winked at him. “Yes, you can, lover.”

  Mike came up close to her, leaned in, and whispered, “I did come up with a better bet than that, and I’m going to win many, many minutes of kissing.”

  Shar inhaled the yummy scent of his fresh cologne and the promise in his voice that he was going to win. He was a professional athlete, of course he was competitive. She’d read an article on him once that shared his off-season workout, and she remembered something about how often he did bench press, but couldn’t recall any specific numbers on how much he could press. She should’ve asked him for that number before she’d made this bet, but she was going to win either way, so it didn’t worry her too much.

  They had eight stations, so each of them took a spot, and Gunner started a timer and called, “Go.”

  Shar started with pushups then moved on to pullups, squat jumps, burpees, box jumps, jumping jacks, and v-ups. They did each exercise for one minute with twenty seconds of rest in between, which basically just meant getting to the next station. They went through five rounds, and she was barely moving by the end. It was an awesome workout for her, though she su
spected it wasn’t quite as hard for the other three, and she noticed how many burpees and pullups they were all able to crank out where she was lucky to keep moving at times.

  When Gunner finally called, “Time,” Shar leaned forward and put her hands on her knees, gasping for air. Sweat rolled down her back, and all she wanted was a drink of cold water.

  “Nice!” Lily called out. She went around the room, slapping everybody’s hands. When she got to Gunner, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in close. “No sweaty hugs,” Lily protested, pushing at his chest, but she was giggling.

  Gunner gave her a quick kiss, and Shar heard him murmur, “Your sweat smells like the dews from heaven to me.”

  “You crazy, crazy man.”

  “Only about you.”

  Shar loved watching the two of them together. Gunner was so tough and military, almost unapproachable, but he was soft and sweet with his wife.

  Lily laughed and kissed him again, then she wriggled free and went to the fridge. She pulled out water bottles, tossing each of them a bottle.

  “Thanks.” Shar twisted off the lid and fully appreciated the cold liquid sliding down her throat. She got distracted watching Mike drink from the water bottle, the smooth muscle of his bicep flexing, and his beautiful lips around the small opening. Ooh, she loved those lips.

  “It’s time,” Lily said, pushing her hip against Shar’s, distracting her from ogling Mike.

  The interruption didn’t work as he turned to her, and all she could do was stare. He simply looked too good in a tank top and shorts. Of course, a professional athlete would be unreal fit, but to her, Mike’s smooth brown skin and lean muscular body were irresistible. Add to that his sculpted, manly face, those sparkling deep brown eyes, and full lips that were so soft and appealing, and she was a goner.