“Not really. I asked him to come over to Great Grandma Reed’s house so we could talk. She was in the kitchen in case I needed back up.”
Riley erupted in laughter.
“I am not ashamed of that.” Wyatt rubbed his tummy, which started to rumble. “That man scares the daylights out of me.”
“Let’s get some food into that nervous belly of yours. Ladies, dinner is ready,” Riley called out.
A minute later, the ladies filed in.
“Awesome, I’m starved. Did you get black olives and mushrooms?” Parker rubbed her tummy.
“Yes.”
“What about pineapple and bacon?” Bridgette asked.
“That too.”
“Thanks, Riley.” Bridgette gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“And I got pepperoni and cheese for Little Bruiser.” He held out the seat for Mackenzie so she could sit down. He affectionately called her Little Bruiser because she was one tough cookie just like the rest of the women in the family. “And spinach and onions for Avery.”
“You have such a good memory.”
Wyatt went into the fridge and pulled out beverages. “Sparkling sodas for Bridgette and Kenzie. Beers for everyone else.”
“Don’t forget the ice cream for dessert.” Mackenzie flashed a toothy smile.
“Are you kidding me? Kenzie is my drinking buddy?” Bridgette rolled her eyes. “Things are definitely not fair in this house.”
Parker shot her look. “Unless you have a time machine in your bedroom, you’re still not of the legal drinking age.”
“Serves you right for thinking that because you opted to stay with us instead of at the ranch, we were going to take it easy on you.” Avery grinned as she put her napkin on her lap.
As the chatter continued around the table, Riley put his arm around the back of Parker’s chair. Parker nestled against him. It was amazing how warm and affectionate she was when she didn’t realize she was doing it.
There was so much going on in the family, it was hard to keep track of all the events. But Avery and Wyatt were able to give Parker a date for the engagement party she’d been planning. After everyone retired into the living room to watch television before they ate ice cream, he figured it was a good time to catch up with her.
“How was your day?”
“A lot of this bickering but fun overall. We shopped and caught that G-rated animated movie Kenzie wanted to see.” Parker put the silverware in the dishwasher. “How was your lunch with Seth and the magazine shoot?”
“Good and good. I got to model some pretty nice clothes.”
“Bet they took a few shots of you half naked.” She mused.
“I kept my shirt on,” he said proudly.
“Did someone say naked?” Bridgette asked as she came into the kitchen.
“Down girl. Riley was interviewed today, and they took some photos.”
“I bet you looked good.”
“I don’t like to brag.” Riley grinned. “But there was a danger of the sprinklers coming on in the studio during my photo shoot.”
“I’m pretty sure you do like the brag,” Parker replied.
“If you got it, why not? Riley is ripped.” Bridgette grinned too. “Hey Riley, how’s the new cornerback on the team? Tristan, right? He seemed nice at the party.”
“Tristan’s doing fine after I threatened him with bodily harm if he flirted with you again.”
“What did you do that for?”
“He’s too old for you, and he’s a dog,” Riley said.
“He’s not that much older than me, and it’s not like I wanted a commitment. He looked like fun.”
“What’s the hold up with the ice cream, Bridgette?” Mackenzie asked as she marched into the kitchen.
“Give me a moment. I’m having an adult conversation.” Bridgette stuck her tongue out at Mackenzie. “Something you wouldn’t understand.”
“Nobody likes a free cow,” Mackenzie replied.
“What are you talking about?” Bridgette sniped.
Riley intervened. “I think the saying is ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’”
“And who taught you that?” Bridgette asked.
“Mom.” Mackenzie retrieved a water bottle and closed the fridge door.
“Thank you, Mackenzie.” Parker smiled. “Can you tell Wyatt and Avery that Bridgette will be out with the ice cream in a few minutes?”
“No problem.” Mackenzie skipped out of the room.
Bridgette watched her as she left. “Figures Aunt Morgan would say something like that. Isn’t Mackenzie a little young to be clutching her pearls and giving speeches about virtue? She spends too much time with her mother.”
“No, the moral fortitude is pretty high with those Reed ladies. But it seems to have skipped you somehow. I did his background check for the team,” Parker said. “Mr. Fun has two kids.”
Bridgette frowned. “Forget it. I don’t need the drama. What about Uncle Tate’s brother, Chance? Is he single? He’s hot.”
“First of all, you’re not old enough for that ride,” Parker replied. “Second, ew. He’s family. And third, as handsome as he may be, he’s the kind of guy you bring home when you want to piss off your parents but not for anything long-term. Chance leaves nothing but a trail of smoke when he leaves a woman.”
Riley and Bridgette stared at her.
Parker looked up. “Leigh told me that.”
Riley raised an eyebrow. “You’ve put a lot of thought into it. How much time do you spend thinking about Chance McGill?”
“I don’t have time to fantasize about Chance. I have a wayward quarterback that requires my fullest attention.” Parker smiled.
Bridgette rolled her eyes. “Yet, you and Avery have someone, while I’m supposed to be this boyfriend-less spinster all through college. Unfair. No offense, but I can’t wait until I’m in my thirties to have fun.”
Riley bit back a smile. Parker’s eyes were glazing over. Bridgette seemed to think anyone over nineteen was middle-aged.
“I’m not in my thirties.” Parker shot her a look. “Did you need something, Bridgette?”
“I was sent to get the ice cream and the toppings. Remember?” Bridgette opened a cupboard and pulled out a big serving tray and bowls.
“Uh hum.” Parker opened the fridge and put the ice cream on the tray.
“Did Parker tell you about her audition? She was great.” Bridgette pulled her phone out of her back pocket.
Riley glanced at Parker. “What audition?”
“I was getting around to it.” Parker sighed. “Ultimate Champion was holding auditions at the mall, and I went through the obstacle course.”
“Jeremy said she was the fastest contestant of the day and did it in record time.” Bridgette tapped on her phone screen. “Take a look.”
Riley looked at Bridgette’s screen. Parker was killing it. She maneuvered the courses with ease. By the time she’d reached the final obstacle, she’d barely broken a sweat.
“You were awesome, babe.”
Parker shrugged. “It was one of the courses from season one. Way before they started making intricate designs.”
“If she wins, she gets the title of Ultimate Champion, prize money and maybe television endorsements,” Bridgette continued.
“Cameras in my face, that’s just what I want,” Parker huffed.
“She qualified to be on the show, but she refused.”
“Why?” Riley wrinkled his brow. He knew she loved the show. They watched it together faithfully.
“Bridgette, can you give us a moment?” Parker said.
“Sure.” Bridgette turned to walk out slowly.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“The ice cream.” Riley smiled as reached into the drawer and handed her an ice cream scoop and dessert spoons. He also put the box of brownies on the tray too.
“Oh.” She snagged the tray off the counter. “Right.”
“Why do you have
so much ice cream?” Parker asked.
“To soften the blow when—” He trailed off. This was more difficult than he thought.
“Soften the blow for what?” Parker squinted.
“I talked to Rusty today.” Riley sighed. “Blue Steel has to be totaled.”
“Oh.” Parker’s face fell.
“I’ll just get this set up in the dining room.” Bridgette sprinted out of the kitchen while trying to keep the tray balanced.
“Beyond repair?” Parker asked in a quiet voice.
“Yeah. You know Rusty’s good. If he could salvage it, he would.”
“I can’t believe my car is dead.”
“Let’s talk about something positive.” He caressed her arms. “Back to Ultimate Champion. I think you should give it a shot.”
Parker shook her head. “Doing something off the cuff at the mall is one thing. But next time I’ll be in front of a big crowd, and there will be cameras. Do you know what that’s like?”
“Yes.” He pulled her into his arms. “I do.”
“Duh. Of course you do.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to do it?”
“I’d feel silly. Besides, I have the Regency recertification coming up, and now I’m planning the engagement party.”
“Since when has a busy schedule stopped you from taking on something new? I could help you study for the recertification and the party.”
“There’s no guarantee I’d do well on this show.”
“Are you fishing for compliments right now? Because you kick my ass every day in our morning runs. Your strength training is insane, even by my standards. Should I go on?”
“You’ve done an excellent job outlining my abilities.” She smiled. “Good boyfriend.”
“Another part of being a good boyfriend is encouragement.” He took her hands in his. “I think you should do it. If you don’t enjoy it after the first show, you could always opt not to return. But at least you gave it a shot.”
“OK. I’ll do it. They gave me a number to call in case I changed my mind. I will give them a call tomorrow. But tonight I want a huge bowl of ice cream to drown my car sorrows. Starting tomorrow, I’ll officially be in training.” She sauntered off into the living room.
He hadn’t seen her so excited about something in a long time. He had faith in her. She could do anything she set her mind to. If she was going to give this a shot, he couldn’t distract her with the serious talk he wanted to have with her. And he wanted to have that talk.
Chapter Two
Parker did her best not to squirm in her seat and to focus as the instructor, Hunter Collier, droned on about bomb safety. The power suit she’d decided to wear today was terribly uncomfortable. She didn’t know how Sam did it every day. She guessed it helped that her big sister looked fabulous in anything she wore. Tennis shoes or four-inch heels, Sam effortlessly glided around like a runway model and could be in a bar fight dressed to the nines. But Parker found the clothing constricting and impractical for running after a perp. She wanted to have free range of motion, that’s why she preferred a pair of jeans, a shirt, and comfortable boots or sneakers. But Regency had a strict dress code policy unless the agent was involved in an undercover assignment. She counted herself lucky Rafe didn’t complain when she did occasional work for them.
She’d tried to keep focused on bomb evacuation protocols, but her thoughts kept drifting to her car dilemma. She’d have to get one soon. When she had the time, she’d go car shopping, hoping to find something reasonable. She’d surfed the Internet looking at cars, but none of them caught her eye. Blue Steel had character. She liked the nostalgic feel it had. Although, Riley did have a hard time fitting comfortably into it. Maybe it was time for a change. At least she didn’t have to argue with Riley about buying her a car. He was giving her some space to get a new vehicle of her own accord. But he did enjoy looking at them online with her. It was sweet of him to hold a memorial for Blue Steel. He’d even had Rusty put a few pieces of the car in a box as souvenirs. She had to keep telling herself that just because the car was gone, that didn’t mean her memories of her dad was going to fade. Keeping busy kept her mind off her car troubles. So she put all her energy into the cases she was working on for Cassie, and also into Wyatt and Avery’s engagement party. She’d sent out the invitations. The party would be taking place at Seth and Morgan’s house on the ranch. Now all she had to do was worry about the party supplies.
She tuned back in to the instructor. Now he was reviewing protocol for suspicious packages. Assess, report, clear the area, and wait for the police and the bomb squad. Blah, blah blah. Yes, it was safe and the right thing to do to ensure the safety of innocent bystanders, but there was more of a rush trying to defuse a bomb, assuming you didn’t blow yourself up trying to deactivate it. When Collier reiterated in a raised voice not to open a package without the benefit of an X-ray and an all clear from a qualified bomb tech, she couldn’t help but notice he was looking at her. Someone must have told him about the time she ran out of that radio station with the bomb when Riley was giving his interview. Her gut instincts had kicked in that day because Riley was in danger. She didn’t regret her actions, even though she’d had to suffer through a long talk with both Rafe and Sam.
Speaking of, where were her guardians? She’d planned on visiting them both today and was shocked they weren’t standing in the doorway peering in on her like— She glanced at the door. Rafe was looking into the room. She waved at him, and he waved back and smiled. Figured he’d be lurking about. Although ever since he’d gotten involved with Leigh, he wasn’t as nearly as surly and tightly wound. She never thought she’d see the day when Rafe wore his heart on his sleeve like some big softie. It was a joy to see.
It also helped that now Riley had gotten in on the act of trying to curb what they called her reckless tendencies. For the most part, he was very accepting of the nature of her private investigator work, but there were the occasional times he’d blow up and chastise her for doing something risky. She knew he cared about her. They loved each other. They’d said the words. They were reaching a turning point in their relationship. She could feel it.
“We’ll take a break for lunch. Be back by one-thirty, and we’ll move into identifying an actual uncovered bomb.” Collier raised an eyebrow.
Parker got her things together as the rest of the class filed out.
Rafe entered the room. “How’s she doing, Hunter?”
“I think I’m boring, Ms. Carson. Everything I’m teaching is counterintuitive to her working style,” Hunter mused. “Would you be interested in helping me with a demonstration this afternoon?”
“Sure, as long as it doesn’t turn into one of those ‘what not to do’ videos,” she replied.
“I’ll do my best.” Hunter laughed and exited the room.
“I was afraid you’d be bored,” Rafe said.
“Who’s bored? I’m learning the correct way to do things, which will help me work with Regency in a more cohesive way and keep Carmichael’s incident percentages down. This agency’s reputation is the best in the world, and I wouldn’t want to do anything intentionally to tarnish that.” She slung her handbag over her shoulder.
“I know you’re putting forth an effort. Look at the get-up you’re wearing.” He held out his arm for her to take. “You must be in hell in those clothes.”
“You have no idea.” She playfully rotated her ankle. The heels were killing her.
“Listen, I’m sorry to hear about Blue Steel. I know how much that car meant to you.”
“Nothing lasts forever.” She shrugged. But that’s not how she felt. “It was my own fault it got wrecked.”
“Listen.” Rafe rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t condone your tactics, but Blue Steel didn’t die in vain. You caught the guys who stole from Riley and the team. It’s a good thing. Your car went out in a blaze of glory.”
“Thanks for saying that.” She gave him a smile. “Are you joining Sam and me for lunch?�
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“No, I have lunch plans with Leigh, but I’ll walk you to Sam’s office.”
“I hear the album is close to completion. Is Leigh still getting butterflies?”
“Some days she’s happy that she’s finally making her dreams come true. Some days she’s terrified her life is going to change drastically if the world likes her music. I don’t know, she used to be so gung-ho about it. Now she’s putting on the brakes.”
She walked in step with him. “I think Leigh found out that she’s already got what makes her happy. A great supportive family and the love of a good man. Before she was looking for a validation to fill in those empty gaps. But she’s grown so much as a person. Being a famous country western singer is now just icing on the cake. Like Tate always says, when those bright stage lights go down and the band stops playing, the key to happiness is what’s waiting for you when you walk off stage.”
“You think so?” He stopped at the elevator, scanned his ID card, and stabbed at the call button.
“Leigh and I have gotten closer hanging out at the Bright Star. It helps that she has someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her happy. You’re on board for the fame train. You’re also on board for a quiet, solid private life. It helps that someone is in your corner. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world.”
The doors opened, and they stepped into the elevator. Rafe scanned his card again then hit the button for the executive floor. Rafe gave her a goofy smile.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s nice to see you’re so in touch with your feelings. Thank you for welcoming Leigh into the family. You and Sam really made a big effort—the whole family did—to make her feel at home.”
“That’s what we do. Once you’re in our hemisphere, we suck you in, smother you with love and support and never let go.” She smiled. “Are you coming to the Carson family get-together? My mom wants you to bring your homemade barbecue sauce.”
“I RSVP’d. Leigh and I will be there with bells on.” He guided her down the carpeted hallway. “The sauce is already at five flamethrowers on the flavor scale. Another flame and I might get arrested.”
“My mom’s a nut. She likened Bo Sr.’s moonshine to fruit punch.”
Hot Pursuit Page 4
