by Elle James
Lana couldn’t believe she was about to meet the screen legend, Sadie McClain, Hank Patterson’s wife.
Trevor helped her down from the truck, took her hand and walked with her to the steps leading up to the wide, covered porch.
Sadie smiled as she balanced a pretty, blond-haired, blue-eyed baby on her hip. “You must be Lana.” She gave Lana a hug. The baby took the opportunity to grab a handful of Lana’s hair and hold on.
When Sadie leaned back, the baby kept hold of the hair, pulling Lana with her.
“Emma, darling, you can’t have Lana’s hair. Let go.” Sadie worked at opening the baby’s fist, so Lana could free her hair.
Lana laughed and stepped back. “Not only is she adorable, she knows what she wants and goes after it.” Lana held out her hands. “May I hold her?”
Sadie’s pretty brow twisted., “Are you sure you want to risk getting your hair pulled again?”
“She’s not going to hurt me.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Sadie warned. “I still have a bruise beneath my chin where she headbutted me.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
Sadie sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” And she handed Emma to Lana.
Emma stared at Lana, her brow forming a V over the bridge of her nose.
Lana held her breath and cringed, waiting for Emma to erupt into an ear-splitting scream.
When the child didn’t go ape-shit crazy, Lana let go of the breath she’d held and smiled at Emma. “Hey, little girl. Who’s holding you now?”
The baby stared at her and waved her hand. That little hand made contact with Lana’s ear and held on.
Lana laughed.
Sadie reached for Emma’s hand. “Here, let me get her to let go.”
“Don’t. She’s not hurting me, and maybe she just wants a handle to hold onto. After all, she’s quite a few feet off the ground. I’d want something to hold on to as well.”
Holding the baby brought back all the yearnings Lana had harbored before she’d married Mason. If everything had gone according to plans, she would have been holding her own baby in her arms at that moment.
The smell of baby shampoo and baby powder filled Lana’s senses, hitting her square in her womb. She wanted a child of her own. More than that, she wanted a man who loved her and would do anything for her. Was it too much to ask?
“Please, come inside.” Sadie opened the screen door at the front of the house and held it for Lana to enter with Emma. “The mosquitos come out at night in droves, and it’s starting to get dark.”
She sighed and held baby Emma close as she passed through the door into the spacious ranch house. Maybe it would be enough if she just borrowed Sadie’s baby any time she felt that maternal instinct rear its demanding head.
With a killer out to get her, she had no business bringing a child into the world.
Emma grinned and made a grab for Lana’s hair again.
She didn’t mind when the baby curled her little fingers around a long, thick strand.
Holding Emma made her realize two things. She had to resolve the killer situation, and she wanted what Sadie had.
Not the fame and fortune, but the husband and family Lana craved so much.
Chapter 9
All through dinner with the Pattersons, Trevor couldn’t tear his gaze off Lana. She held baby Emma throughout the meal, playing with her and talking to her as if she were one of the adults at the table.
Lana was a natural with babies. She needed to have some of her own.
That thought led to the next.
What would Lana’s babies look like? Would she have little girls with long, straight, sandy-blond hair like their mother’s, or would she have little boys with dark brown hair and brown eyes? Boys who looked like him.
Holy shit! What was he thinking? He couldn’t give Lana babies. She was Mason’s widow. Since Mason was like a brother to Trevor, making love to his widow would be like making love to his sister, wouldn’t it?
But he wanted to be the father of Lana’s children as much as he wanted to be the one and only love of her life.
For years, he’d told himself he never wanted to marry. Marriage was hard. But when you were a Navy SEAL, deployed more than you were home, it was doubly difficult. He’d seen so many of his buddies’ relationships end in divorce.
“You’re staying with us tonight, aren’t you?” Sadie asked out of the blue, pulling Trevor back to the table and the conversation going on around him.
Trevor shook his head automatically. “We’re staying at the bed and breakfast where I’ve rented a room for the month.”
Lana shot a glance his way but didn’t refute what he’d said.
She would probably be safer at the White Oak Ranch surrounded by Hank’s security system.
“Remind me to engage a local realtor in finding you a more permanent home in Eagle Rock.” Hank touched a hand to Trevor’s arm. “I’m worried about the two of you. Do you think you’ll be safe in the B&B?”
Trevor caught Lana’s gaze and held it. “If you feel safer here at Hank’s place, you should stay.” It would be the right thing to do. But Trevor wanted to be with her. She was his responsibility. He’d promised Mason. More than that, he wanted to be the one looking out for Lana.
Lana shook her head slowly and then turned to Hank and Sadie. “Thank you…but I think I’ll stay with Trevor. He’s gotten me this far. I feel safe with him.”
Hank smiled. “You’re both welcome to stay here, if you want Trevor to provide for your safety.”
Lana gave Sadie a smile that reminded Trevor of why he loved this woman so much. “I’d rather go to the B&B where Trevor lives. I’ve imposed enough on your hospitality.”
Sadie waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, Lana. You haven’t imposed on anything. And Emma loves you already.”
Halfway through the meal, the baby had fallen asleep in Lana’s arms.
Lana laughed. “Seems I have a knack with babies. My friends back in San Diego all ask me to hold their little ones. They must think I’m comfortable, because they all fall asleep while I’m holding them.”
Sadie smiled. “You need babies of your own, Lana.”
Lana shook her head. “Not until I’m out of danger. I couldn’t bear to put a child in harm’s way.”
Sadie’s lips twisted. “Do you hear that Hank? You need to make sure our Lana is safe, and that the danger she’s facing now is contained.”
Hank grinned at his wife. “Yes, ma’am. I think the FBI is on the case.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t check into things to assist the FBI in wrapping it up as soon as possible.” Sadie gave her husband a raised eyebrow. “Lana can’t live in fear for too long. She has a life to live.”
Trevor liked how Sadie believed her husband could accomplish anything. He’d had the idea that once they turned the files over to the FBI, they could retire to Montana and let the Feds do their magic in solving the case.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized the FBI might not resolve the issues quickly enough.
The Feds could take days, weeks or even months to track down all the leads Lana had provided.
“Hank, you have a computer guy on the team, don’t you?” Trevor asked.
His boss nodded. “That would be Axel Svenson or Swede, as we like to call him. He’s got a talent for hacking into systems.”
Trevor turned to Lana. “We’ll set up a time tomorrow to meet with Swede. Maybe he can come at the data from a different angle and pinpoint the guys who are up to their eyeballs in treason.”
“He usually comes in around nine in the morning. You’re welcome to bring what you have and work with him in my offices.”
“Thanks. We will.” Trevor pushed back from the table. “I can help clean up, but afterward, we need to get to town. I know I’m beat, and I’m sure Lana is, too.”
Lana nodded and rose from the table with Emma in her arms. “Where should I lay her down?”
&
nbsp; Sadie rose from her seat. “If you want, I can take her.”
“No need. Just point me in the right direction.”
After Sadie gave her directions to Emma’s room, Lana disappeared.
Trevor carried his plate into the kitchen and rinsed it off in the sink.
Sadie and Hank carried more dishes in.
“You don’t have to worry about the dishes. Hank and I have a system,” Sadie gave her husband a sweet smile. “He washes. I dry.”
Hank kissed his wife and pulled her into his arms. “Or we rinse and put them in the dishwasher, and take advantage of the fact Emma is asleep...”
Sadie laughed. “I like your idea.” She gave Trevor a quick glance. “We’ve got the dishes covered if you and Lana want to escape.”
Hank dug into his pocket and then held out a hand, without releasing his wife.
Trevor reached for the hand, intending to shake it, but Hank dropped a set of keys into his palm. “Take my truck. Use it as long as you need it.”
“Thanks,” Trevor said. “We’ll be back in the morning to work with Swede. I can drop it off then.”
“I’ll let Swede know to expect you.” Hank returned his attention to his beautiful wife.
Trevor backed out of the kitchen. “We’ll let ourselves out.”
Hank nuzzled his wife’s neck. “Umm. Great.”
Trevor turned away, not wanting to intrude on the couple’s intimacy. His heart tugged hard in his chest. He found himself wishing he could have the open, unfettered relationship Hank and Sadie enjoyed.
He wished he could have it with Lana.
All those years as a young Navy SEAL, he thought he didn’t want to get married. He hadn’t wanted to get married because he hadn’t found the right woman. Until Lana.
Following the directions Sadie had given Lana, Trevor found her leaning over a baby crib, singing softly to Emma. Her voice was soft, melodic and so beautiful it made Trevor’s eyes sting and knot form in his throat. He loved this woman.
Surely, Mason would understand if Trevor wooed and married his widow. She deserved to be happy, to have a family with babies to raise. She’d make an incredible mother.
Trevor decided at that moment to do everything in his power to woo and marry this woman. He’d missed his chance once. He wouldn’t miss it again.
But he’d have to take it slowly. Mason’s death and the subsequent investigation had consumed Lana for over a year. His challenge was to help her to see past her loss to a potential future with him.
With that goal in mind, Trevor cleared his throat softly.
Lana’s head jerked up, and she pressed a finger to her lips. Still in her sing-song voice, she said, “She’s not quite asleep, but soon, little baby. Soon you’ll float in the clouds and close your little eyes.” She crooned to Emma until the child’s eyes fluttered closed, and she slept.
Lana tiptoed to the door and paused, glancing back at the crib to make certain Emma was truly asleep. Then she took Trevor’s hand and walked out into the living room.
She started for the kitchen when Trevor brought her up short. Lana gave him a puzzled look. “I want to thank the Pattersons for dinner.”
“They were busy.”
“Well, I can help with the dishes.” She started for the kitchen again.
Again, Trevor held her back. “They’re busy- busy.”
“What do you mean, busy-busy?”
He winked. “They want to be alone.”
Lana’s eyes rounded. “Oh. Okay.”
“I told them we’d show ourselves out.” He headed for the foyer and the front door of the ranch house, eager to get Lana alone in his room, away from everyone else. Not that he’d seduce her. But he wanted to show her how much he cared and that they were good together. How he’d do that, he wasn’t sure, but having her to himself was a start.
With her hand held firmly in Trevor’s, Lana walked out onto the porch and stared up at the huge Montana sky full of sparkling stars. “Oh, my. Look at all the stars.” She hugged his arm. “I can see why you love it here.”
“That’s one thing I didn’t care for in San Diego. You have to get way out of the city to see the stars. The city lights shine too bright to enjoy stargazing there.”
“True. I’m glad you brought me here.” She kept pace with him as he descended the porch steps and crossed to the truck Hank had loaned him. “I wouldn’t have felt secure staying in my house in San Diego.”
“You’re with me, now. I’ll do my best to keep you safe.”
Again, she hugged his arm. “Thanks, Trevor. You’ve always had a special place in my heart.”
“I might not have shown you often enough, but you’ve always had top billing in mine.”
Lana’s pulse thundered through her veins. What did that mean? Did Trevor love her? And if so, was it like a sister, or a lover?
Lana forced herself to be calm. His comment was that of a true friend. She couldn’t read more into it than that. Not yet. Mason was gone. She hadn’t died with him. It was time she moved on with the rest of her life. And she wanted Trevor in it. Of that, she was absolutely certain.
She sat in the front seat of the truck, hands in her lap, eyes looking forward through the entire drive into Eagle Rock.
When they arrived at the B&B, she didn’t wait for Trevor to open her door, but got down by herself and met him in on the sidewalk in front of an old single-family mansion that had been converted into lodging for many.
What she could see from the light burning on the porch was a gingerbread design with blue-gray paint and white trim. The windows had flowerboxes full of bright pink petunias, drooping over the edges. The garden was filled with bushes and colorful annuals. Someone took pride in the place. It had a warm, welcoming atmosphere that made Lana glad she came.
Trevor opened the front door for her and ushered her into a common area strewn with comfortable chairs and sofas. At one end was a dining room with small tables and a coffeemaker in the corner.
He led her up a sweeping staircase to a hallway with many doors.
At the second one on the right, he inserted a key in the lock, twisted and pushed the door open.
Inside was a room straight out of the nineteenth century, with a white iron bed covered in an old quilt and layered with fluffy pillows.
An antique dresser took up one wall and a small floral sofa rested against the other.
Lana’s heart beat faster. “Do they have another room? Or are we both sleeping in this one?”
“I’m pretty sure they don’t have any more rooms available and definitely not one adjoining this one with a door between.” He kicked the door closed behind him and locked it. “After what happened in San Diego, I don’t want you too far out of my sight.”
She nodded. “Agreed.” Still her heart hammered against her ribs at the possibilities of sharing such a small room with Trevor.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the couch. You can have the bed.”
“Oh. Okay,” she said, her pulse skidding to a halt and resuming to a more sedate beat. Why had she thought he’d share his bed with her? They were friends, not lovers. That one kiss they’d shared so long ago hadn’t meant nearly as much to him as it had to her. She closed her eyes. Perhaps, for him, that kiss had cemented the fact they should remain friends. He might not have felt the same spark of electricity as she had.
“The bathroom is small, but it does have a shower and extra sample bottles of shampoo.”
Lana sighed. “I had all of that in the suitcase we left in the back of the rental car. I hope the police or FBI keep my bag for me.” She patted her purse. “At least I carry my brush with me. But I have no clothing to change into.”
Trevor dug in a drawer and pulled out a soft gray T-shirt. “Will this work for something to sleep in?”
She nodded. “And I can rinse the clothes I have on and hang them up to dry. But tomorrow, I need to do some shopping.”
“Deal.” Trevor handed her the shirt, a
nd their knuckles brushed.
Lana felt that charge of awareness like a shock from an electric fence. She glanced up to see if Trevor had the same experience.
If he had, he wasn’t showing it. His face was a mask with no emotions reflected.
“You can have the shower first,” he offered. “I’ll go see if I can scrounge some tea. You still like hot tea at night, don’t you?”
She nodded, pleased that he’d remembered. “Thank you.”
With the T-shirt in hand, she let herself into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Then she stripped out of her clothing, turned on the water and started to draw the curtain around the antique claw-foot tub, but stopped.
How often did she get to take a bath in a claw-foot tub? It appeared too inviting to pass up. Beside the tub was an array of shampoos and homemade soaps and bath salts.
Lana shoved the plug into the drain and filled the tub with warm water. Then she slid into the water, going under long enough to wet her hair. She used one of the scented shampoos to thoroughly clean her hair. Ducking beneath the surface of the water again, she rinsed the soap out and came up for air.
She squeezed the moisture out of her hair and piled it up on top of her head. Then she sprinkled bath salts into the water and let the oils and scents surround her. This was heaven. Pure heaven.
She lay back against the porcelain rim and closed her eyes. After all she’d been through, this made up for much of it.
The only thing that could make it better was if Trevor joined her.
At the mere thought, her body heated, her core coiled into a deliciously tight knot and her sex ached.
By now, he’d be back with that cup of tea, waiting only steps away on the other side of the door.
All she had to do was ask him to come in.
Lana opened her mouth to do just that, but clamped her lips shut before she got up the courage.
She told herself that if he were interested, he’d have made a move by now.
On the other hand, he might be acting chivalrous and consider the widow of his dead buddy off-limits. In which case, she could kiss goodbye any chance of making love with Trevor Anderson.
