Truth Is Found

by Morgan Kelley

  “Yeah, until you ditch my ass because of my estranged mother.”

  “That’s never going to happen, honey. You’re my wife, and I didn't marry you because I thought it was going to be easy. I said ‘I do’ because you owned my heart. Shelby is a bump in the road, and nothing more. Don’t let it get to you.”

  “It’s hard.”

  He imagined it had to be.

  “You and I are fine. No one in my family blames you or Beau. We know that crazy is born, not inherited. We can’t catch it.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, your family is totally sane. Case in point, your mother keeps a refrigerator full of cakes.”

  “Hey, in her defense, there’s always a knocked up babe running around. They like cake.”

  Tori stared at him.

  “Or cookies.”

  “Better,” she said, laughing.

  “We need a break, and this is it. Hopefully, the crazy will stay away, and you and I will be golden. Just try and relax. Your body has been through a lot since that accident.”

  Just saying the word ‘accident’ scared him shitless. When he thought about her side of the SUV, he wanted to puke.

  “How about you do it for me?” he added.

  She could do that.

  It was a rough couple of weeks, and Tori wouldn’t mind getting some alone time with her husband. That would be a pretty awesome thing.

  “Plus, I’ll be all over you. If someone even tried to shove you down a hill, I’ll kill them.”

  She didn't doubt it. “Mmmmm, Jules, I love when you get all territorial.”

  He winked at her as they pulled into a parking spot. “We’re here, honey. Are you ready to play with clients that we got from a psychic we never met, all the while staying away from booze?”

  “You make it sound like so much fun.”

  Julian snorted. “I do try.”

  Tori hopped out of their SUV. Heading toward the back, she went to grab her bag only to have her hand slapped away.

  “Hey!”

  “My pregnant woman isn’t carrying her bag. It’s not happening. The same rules apply here as they do at home. I’m doing the lifting.”

  Tori grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him toward her. The second he was close enough, she kissed him.

  Julian dropped both bags as his arms went around her body. The kiss was warm, sensual, and perfect. It filled all the cold places in his body that this case had created. While he kissed his wife, he let that moment take over. Their mouths locked together were a big enough distraction so he wasn’t forced to think about the shit on the horizon.

  In that moment, it was all about them, and that was a damn good place to be.

  It centered Julian for what was coming.

  Tori held onto her husband as his mouth devoured hers. Yes, they were in the middle of a parking lot, but she needed this.

  She was worried--not about being pushed, or someone sneaking into their room--but about Julian, Justin, and their business. All the worries were bouncing around in her head.

  She needed this interlude in the worst way.

  When he slowly broke away, she stared into his sexily, gold flecked eyes. “Shall we begin this adventure, Jules?” she whispered softly.

  His eyes filled with love, and his heart overflowed.

  Here was his world.

  Every time she kissed him, he was reminded how lucky he was. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his feisty redhead.

  Nothing at all.

  “Yes, honey. Let’s get this started. Stick close, okay? Do it for me.”

  Tori palmed his cheek with nothing but love and adoration. “Absolutely, babe. Absolutely.”

  With that, they headed in.

  Julian was nervous.

  Who the hell knew what they were going to encounter?

  They had horrible luck.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Winery

  Beau was on the inside, and he loved every second of it.

  Even though he was going to be employed as a waiter, serving wine to guests, he didn't mind. There was nothing more exciting than working with his sister and brother-in-law.

  While Tori didn't have to welcome him into her family, she had, and that was a miracle in itself. When he first found out about her, Beau didn't believe there would be a happy ever after for him and his sister.

  How could there be?

  The woman they called mother had made damn sure of that. When she chose him, over her other two kids, it should have caused a rift.

  Only, it didn't.

  Tori still loved him, even after only knowing him a couple of days.

  Now the tiger was showing her stripes.

  Over the last two weeks, he’d seen a different side to his mother, Shelby Christensen. She’d been conniving, sneaky, and hurtful. While he wanted to find Tori to have a sister, his mother had only seen dollar signs.

  She wanted a piece of the Littlemoon dynasty, and wasn’t afraid to hurt people, including her children, to get it.

  It crushed him to know she was dying, and this was the path she’d chosen to take. Tori Littlemoon was more than a way to make a quick buck for Beau.

  She was his family.

  They had the same mother and father, and that mattered to him.

  He’d been a soldier, and he’d fought hard for his country. Beau had seen things that no one should ever have to be privy to, and that made him appreciate being home that much more. He also loved that his sister saw the same things.

  She knew.

  Tori understood.

  Now he was lucky enough to have her back. There was no way he was going to risk that. The day he found his mother in the hotel room with some rag tabloid reporter, he knew there was a choice to be made.

  It always came down to a choice in life, and he couldn’t take the wrong path on this one. There was too much on the line.

  Yes, he still loved her, but he couldn’t, and wouldn’t, let Shelby hurt Tori.

  After all, she’d been through enough.

  She’d lost her big brother, and that had to have been devastating. Sitting at his grave, all alone…there couldn’t be a greater pain. Tori had been left alone in life, and Beau refused to do that to her again.

  Instead, Beau was trying to fill that empty void.

  It wasn’t easy.

  Trey Christensen was a God among men. The more research he did on the man, the more he realized he truly couldn’t compete. Trey was a hero.

  He’d saved his men countless times.

  And on that fateful day of his death, he’d gone down fighting, even as the IED went off.

  That was only in the warzone. Before he’d died a soldier, he’d made sure Tori was safe. He’d mentored his little sister, teaching her to protect herself as he instilled his amazing values in her.

  Beau only hoped he was living up to the standard.

  It was for his brother’s legacy, and Tori’s love.

  That’s why his mother continually texting and calling him was wearing on his nerves. He knew what she wanted.

  He WOULDN’T give her that.

  There’d be no betrayal from him. He was Trey and Tori’s brother, and he wasn’t turning on them. There was nothing that could make him do it.

  NOTHING.

  For his sister, he would stand his ground. So now he was stuck in the middle, and honestly, that was fine by him. In life, things were seldom black or white. He’d learned that in the military.

  He lived in a gray world.

  There was right.

  There was wrong.

  Then there was his life.

  At least he was given a second chance with the family who took him in. The Littlemoons were good people. He could see it whenever they were together.

  He was part of that.

  The boy who had no family, but his mother growing up, was now a man who had a circle to call his own.

  He was thrilled.

  Even better yet was that he wa
s working undercover for them, and he wouldn’t let his sister or Julian down. He admired them, and that meant he was going to give it his all.

  Only, something was plaguing his mind.

  He couldn’t shake it.

  The woman on the screen in the office was haunting him. Beau knew how crazy that was, but it was true. The second he saw her and those wild aqua eyes, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

  He didn't know why, but the mystery woman was running through his mind.

  Beau considered himself a man of control. In the Army, you had to have plenty or you wouldn’t make it the first day. As someone screamed in your face, called you names, and tried to break you down, you couldn’t snap.

  It wasn’t an option.

  When you were responsible for your fellow soldiers, or you had to take a life, it couldn’t be done on a whim.

  Control was the most important thing in the sandbox.

  So, Beau knew he had plenty to spare. Yet, the second he saw the picture of that woman, something in him tripped up.

  It was those aqua pools.

  He was sure of it.

  As he thought about her, she made his heart skip. Few things in life did that. To be clear, women NEVER did it. Beau loved the opposite sex, but he didn't have time for them.

  Not in a sexual way.

  He’d been all about working hard, earning his rank, and staying alive. Then, when he came home, he’d heard about his sister, and that became paramount.

  Now something was awake in him. The stranger started it up, and he was confused.

  Why now?

  Why her?

  He didn't have a clue, but he wanted to investigate. Maybe he was a PI at heart, and this was just a piece of the job. For some unknown reason, he hoped it wasn’t about his new career.

  For the first time, in a long time, he was able to feel.

  Emotions he kept locked up were being set free, and he enjoyed it. The wave of need was pleasurable as it reminded him of one thing.

  He’d made it back.

  Beau Christensen was alive.

  It was a gift.

  Beau wanted to hold onto this amazing feeling for as long as he possibly could. This was his year to come alive, and he knew it. There was his sister, a new family, and a career he loved.

  Now there was that woman’s face, burned into his mind.

  Suddenly, there was a tap to his arm.

  “What?” he asked, looking around.

  The woman standing there was laughing. “Are you okay? I was talking to you,” she stated.

  Beau focused on her. She was petite, blonde, and dressed way too provocatively for his tastes. In fact, she was practically falling out of her shirt.

  Yeah, she screamed trouble.

  The military also taught him to run for it when he saw an approaching landmine.

  If this wasn’t one, he wasn’t sure what was.

  He’d rather walk blindly though a minefield than tangle with her. Not only was she the boss’s daughter, but she was checking him out.

  Sex and the job screamed danger. With her, he could smell it a mile away.

  “Sorry, I was just taking it all in, Ms. Nelms. I heard everything you said. It’s gorgeous here. You must love it.”

  The woman batted her eyelashes. “Oh, I enjoy the scenery just fine, and I don’t mind living here. My daddy and Sheila renovated it. I have a really big bed.”

  Yep, avoid…avoid…avoid.

  The bombs were going off.

  Beau ignored her comment. Instead, he focused on her parents. Maybe she’d get the idea. “Well, they did a terrific job, Ms. Nelms. The place is great.”

  “You can call me Pearlie. Everyone does,” she practically purred, running her hand down his arms. “You have tattoos,” she stated, touching one of them.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Why did you get them?”

  “I like ink, and I was in the military.”

  Her eyes lit up.

  SHIT!

  SHIT!

  SHIT!

  That was a tactical error.

  “Were you? Maybe you can show me them and tell me all about them.”

  Immediately, Beau pulled his arm away.

  This woman was supposed to be showing him his job, not his way to her bedroom. He wished he could tell her that she was offering up something that he wasn’t interested in.

  In fact, he was pretty sure everyone there had taken Pearlie up on her offer, and that confirmed his gut feeling. The military didn't inoculate him for what she was handing out.

  “How about we talk about the job?” he suggested.

  “I’d rather discuss you and the military. Soldiers are really sexy,” she admitted, moving closer to his body.

  Beau stepped back.

  Yeah, there was nothing sexy about being a soldier. It was hard, dirty, sweaty work, and he wasn’t going to egg this woman on. His job was to be a waiter, watch, and offer Julian and Tori backup.

  He didn't want on the syphilis train.

  Uh…no way.

  “Maybe we can grab a movie sometime?” she offered, leading him into the showing room. It was lined with tons of bottles, and elegant tasting tables.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ms. Nelms. You’re the boss. I’m just looking to keep a job.”

  She winked at him. “I know how you can keep it.”

  Jesus!

  Beau wanted to roll his eyes in the worst way. When someone walked into the room, he wanted to kiss them, despite it being a man. Now he wasn’t alone with the woman--make that piranha.

  “Pearlie! Leave him alone,” the person entering ordered.

  Immediately, he crossed the room, his hand out. “Hey! I’m Cordell Burdett. I’m the headwaiter. Are you Beau Christensen by any chance?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I was just getting a tour, and I’m so glad to see you.”

  He grinned. “Pearlie, I’ll take it from here. Why don’t you run along?”

  “I can stay,” she offered, winking at Beau.

  “Great. We have a shitload of wine glasses that need to be washed, dried, and set up for tonight. You can help with that.”

  Apparently, that changed her mind. She looked around as if looking for a door to make her escape.

  “Uh, no thank you. I’m not the help.”

  With that, she wandered away.

  Cordell patted him on the back. “You get used to it, believe it or not. Don’t worry. Her bark is worse than her bite. She likes to hit on everything with a dick. Think of it as hazing. As soon as another guy shows up, she’ll move along.”

  “I hope someone shows up now.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, Pearlie is a handful, or so the gossip says. How about I finish up the tour for you?” he offered.

  “That would be amazing,” he stated. “Is there a party tonight?” he asked.

  “Yeah, there is. Are you up for it? Your job can be done on the fly. You’ll hand out wine, help the guests get refills, and then there’s the set up and clean up. It’s relatively simple.”

  Beau ran his fingers through his red hair. “I can do that. It sounds easy enough.”

  “It is,” he stated. “Follow me. We’ll get you started.”

  He followed him through a door and took the apron he was handed.

  “We wear all black while we serve, and right now you’re on washing duty so I can get the linens set up.” Cordell led him over to the sink and told him how to do it. “Any questions?” he asked.

  Beau knew he needed to blend in. “What can you tell me about this place? It looks fancy.”

  Cordell leaned against the dishwasher as they spoke. “It is. Mr. Nelms dropped big bucks into the place. It’s a shame though, because there are issues that keep popping up.”

  “What issues?”

  Cordell leaned in and lowered his voice. “You know…issues.”

  Beau wasn’t sure what he was saying. He couldn’t infer. He needed the man to open up and spill the beans.


  “Like?”

  “We have a few things going on here. Glasses move, chairs topple over, and every now and again, you hear them.”

  He was curious.

  This piqued his interest.

  “Are you telling me this place is haunted?” he asked, dropping his voice low too.

  If that were the case, Julian was absolutely going to lose his mind. There was no doubt there. If he was worried about the ghost haunting Tori, this was going to magnify it by about a million. From what he’d learned about his sister, she was like a beacon.

  When she stepped into a room, the dead thought there was a party going on around them.

  He wanted to laugh.

  It was funny since Julian was worked up about a psychic, but when he heard that this was a haunted winery, the shit was definitely going to hit the fan.

  There was no doubt in his mind.

  “Yeah, it’s crawling with spooks,” Cordell stated.

  As if timed, the glass sitting on the countertop toppled, shattering into a plethora of shards.

  They both jumped.

  “Did you touch that?” Cordell asked.

  Beau shook his head.

  Well, shit!

  This was going to be interesting. Beau had never dealt with spooks before….

  CHAPTER three

  When they walked into the winery, they were immediately assaulted with the scent of baked goods and other tasty morsels. For a pregnant woman, this was like dying and going to heaven.

  Tori was smiling and ready to start snacking her way through the room.

  Sue her.

  Apparently, this was her eating phase of the pregnancy.

  As they walked in, there were little pastries sitting on the welcome table, and she couldn’t help herself. As she popped one into her mouth, Julian grinned. He was glad to see that she was eating. He was tired of shoving food down her throat at regular intervals.

  Her feeding their baby took the pressure off him.

  “Well, this is a really pleasant surprise,” he stated.

  “Huh?” Tori asked.

  “I meant you eating of your own free will. It’s a miracle. Now what will I do with all my free time?” he teased.

  Tori grinned, playing along. “Don’t talk to me. Talk to your child. She’s taking over my body. She picked up the delicious scent of carbs and wanted one.”