“You’re so whipped,” Steve teased, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes. It’s … so cute.”
I scowled as I warmed my hands around the mug. “I knew having this conference here was a bad idea,” I grumbled.
“Oh, you need to act all proper in front of your boss, but it’s fine to be schmaltzy and romantic in front of me,” Chief Terry complained. “Why is that?”
“Because I enjoy bugging you,” I shot back.
“So cute.” Steve’s grin was wide enough it almost swallowed his face. “So, ladies, what did you think of Michaels when you first met him? Did you fall in love with that hair and smile at first sight like almost every woman who comes in contact with him?”
“Excuse me?” Chris Wilson picked that moment to join the conversation, settling on the other side of Chief Terry. His gaze was pointed when it landed on Steve. “I’m the office heartthrob. Everyone knows it.”
“Only in your own mind,” Steve shot back, smiling at Bay when she returned with a doughnut. “I was just asking your mother and aunt what they thought of Landon when they first met him. What did you think? Did you swoon right away?”
“I thought he was a jerk,” Bay replied, causing Chris to laugh. The sound was beyond irritating.
“I was undercover,” I reminded Steve. “She was supposed to think I was a jerk.”
“You’re very good at being undercover,” Bay teased, breaking the doughnut in half and giving me a share of it.
“Where’s my doughnut?” Chris asked, winking. “I’d love to share a doughnut with you.”
“Is there something wrong with your eye?” Aunt Tillie asked, appearing on the other side of the table. “You keep opening and closing it … like you have a twitch or something. You might want to have that checked.”
Chris’ smarmy smile turned upside down as Aunt Tillie sat at the end of the table – the opposite end from where she usually sat – and stared at him. She didn’t bother to blink – which was creepy on its own – but she also steepled her fingers and lowered her neck so she could be really overt as she stared. I couldn’t help but enjoy the way she made Chris shift in his chair.
“I only share my doughnuts with Landon,” Bay said, pursing her lips when she saw Chief Terry’s pout. She broke off another chunk and handed it to him. “And Chief Terry.”
Winnie smiled at the interaction, amused. “I don’t know what Bay thought of Landon when she first saw him, but I know what I thought. He saved us that night. He was on the ground and took a bullet to save my family. I loved him from the start.”
I widened my eyes, surprised. “You did?”
“I knew you’d be with us forever after that, even though I was a little worried you might break Bay’s heart,” Winnie said, her eyes taking on a far-off look. “When you kept showing up and making Bay smile each and every time, never once going out of your way to hurt her feelings, I wanted to keep you forever.”
“Oh.” Steve made a cooing sound as Chris rolled his eyes. “You’re a real prince, aren’t you, Michaels? Like from a fairy tale.”
I’d once spent an entire night locked in a fairy tale with Bay and her cousins – and it hadn’t gone well – so I couldn’t stop myself from making a face. “I’d rather be an agent than a prince.”
“You’re both,” Bay said, sucking the frosting off her thumb and making me grin.
“Here comes the schmaltzfest,” Chief Terry muttered when I leaned closer to Bay.
I remembered that my boss and a guy I truly disliked were present before my lips touched hers, and regained control of my emotions. I focused my attention on Steve. “How are the demonstrations going?”
“Well, everyone seems to like the new scanner,” Steve replied, his expression thoughtful as he darted a look in the direction of the foyer. “Twila keeps demanding that everyone not disturb the scene of the murder as they’re scanning, so that’s been a bit of a thing.”
Bay snickered as she grabbed her coffee. “That sounds like her. If you get lucky, maybe she’ll fall asleep and you can train your men on how to approach a snoring dead person.”
“Bay,” Winnie chided, shaking her head. “That’s your aunt.”
“That doesn’t mean I can ignore the snoring,” Bay pointed out.
“Isn’t that the truth,” Aunt Tillie grumbled, narrowing her eyes at Chris as he did his best to pretend she wasn’t staring at him. “Whenever I pictured ‘The Man’ coming into my house with an army of soldiers, this isn’t what I saw in my nightmares.”
Chris ran his tongue over his teeth as I bit the inside my cheek to keep from laughing. “And what did you see?” he asked.
“Death at the end of a sword,” Aunt Tillie replied, her tone ominous. “Your death. My sword.”
“Aunt Tillie.” Winnie extended a warning finger – which Aunt Tillie promptly ignored – and wagged it in her elderly aunt’s face. “Stop trying to scare the guests.”
“He’s an FBI agent,” Aunt Tillie said. “He says he’s the best FBI agent in the Traverse City office. If that’s true, he shouldn’t be afraid of me, right?”
Winnie looked caught, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Chris. “Are you really the best agent in the office?”
“No.” Steve and I answered in unison, even mustering twin snorts of derision. Chris answered in the affirmative at the same time.
“I am the best agent,” Chris barked. “I’ve solved every case that landed on my desk.”
“So has Michaels,” Steve pointed out. “He’s also solved twice as many as you. And he’s not a pain when he’s at the office.”
“That’s because he’s barely at the office,” Chris argued. “He’s always in Hemlock Cove with his … girlfriend.”
I didn’t like the way he said “girlfriend.” It was the same tone I used when I said “murderer.”
“I think you’re just jealous,” Aunt Tillie mused, resting her chin on her palm as she continued to stare at Chris. She’s a master when she wants to unhinge someone, and she was homing in on Chris. I couldn’t muster much sympathy because … well … it was darned funny.
“Why would I be jealous?” Chris sputtered, his annoyance obvious.
“Because Landon has found balance,” Aunt Tillie replied, refusing to back down. “He’s found a happy medium where he’s not all about the job. He loves his job – and he’s good at it, don’t get me wrong – but the job is not everything to him.
“Landon is happiest when he has his feet on the table, one hand on Bay’s thigh and the other hand full of bacon,” she continued. “He likes to solve cases and help people, but he wants to be more than that.”
I hated to admit it, but she just described my ideal Friday night. “That sounds like a plan for this weekend,” I teased, poking Bay’s side. “Make sure you stock up on bacon.”
“Will I get more loving than the bacon?” Bay challenged.
I nodded. “Always.”
“Oh, geez,” Chris muttered. “This is such crap. Everyone knows I’m the best field agent in this region. You’re just yanking my chain.”
Noah Glenn, the junior agent determined to catch the Winchesters doing something nefarious so he could arrest them, picked that moment to burst into the dining room. Instead of entering through the foyer, he came from the kitchen. That was a big no-no in the Winchester house. Only family was allowed past the dining room door.
“Speaking of someone who’s definitely not the best agent in the office,” Aunt Tillie grumbled.
“There you are,” Noah hissed, his eyes landing on Aunt Tillie. “You thought you could fool me, didn’t you?”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Aunt Tillie replied, blasé. “I’m pretty sure I could fool you ninety-nine out of every hundred times. Still, you might get lucky once or twice. Even fools are right during a blue moon.”
“What were you doing in the family living quarters?” I asked, my temper getting the better of me.
Noah at least had
the grace to look abashed when he shifted his attention to me. “I … got lost.”
“You got lost?” I had my doubts. “It’s an inn, not a maze. The family living quarters are off limits to guests.”
“What’s your deal, Michaels?” Chris challenged. “What are you hiding back there?”
“I’m not hiding anything,” I answered. “It’s a sign of respect. That’s Winnie, Twila, Marnie and Aunt Tillie’s private space. You shouldn’t be back there.”
“But … .” Noah’s eyes were wild. “I was following her.” He extended a finger in Aunt Tillie’s direction. “She was outside running around and acting crazy. She wanted me to follow her.”
I shifted my eyes to Aunt Tillie, conflicted. “I thought you were inside bothering Chris.”
“Oh, she’s been bothering me,” Chris muttered.
“I’m a multi-tasker,” Aunt Tillie supplied. “I can outsmart two Feds at the same time without missing an episode of Jeopardy or my stories in the process. I’m just that good.”
Steve barked out a laugh. “And what was she doing outside?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Is she running an evil drug cartel under everyone’s noses?”
While I would hardly consider Aunt Tillie’s pot field big enough to fund a cartel, the question hit a little too close to home. As if sensing my discomfort, Bay squeezed my knee under the table to offer reassurance.
“She’s doing something weird out there,” Noah replied. “I’m serious. She had a big stick and a whistle.”
Steve snorted. “I see. Well, we should probably convene a task force to make sure she doesn’t get out of control with that whistle.”
I exchanged a quick look with Chief Terry. He laughed easily at the joke but appeared mildly worried.
“It wasn’t a stick,” Aunt Tillie argued. “It was a broom.”
“A broom?” Steve asked, confused.
“Yes. I’m a witch.”
I felt Bay tense, so I slipped my arm around her waist. I had no idea what Aunt Tillie’s master plan consisted of, but she was clearly in the mood to mess with Chris and Noah. On a normal day I’d applaud her efforts. This felt like a slippery slope, though.
“That’s right,” Steve said, nodding. “Everyone in Hemlock Cove is a witch, right?”
“Kind of,” Winnie replied, her eyes dark as they landed on Aunt Tillie. “It’s part of the tourist draw.”
“I’m the wickedest witch in the Midwest,” Aunt Tillie said, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper as she leaned closer to Steve. “Everyone should live in fear of me.”
“I know I certainly do.” Steve clearly thought it was a joke, his easy smile telling me that he thought he was playing along with an act. Chris and Noah were different stories. They looked legitimately suspicious.
Thankfully for everyone, Twila picked that moment to rise from the dead and stomp toward the table.
“What’s wrong with you?” Marnie asked, focusing on her sister. “Is acting harder than you thought?”
“The acting is fine,” Twila replied. “I’m good at it. The lack of respect is another thing.”
“Who isn’t respecting you?” Steve asked, sobering.
“All of them.” Twila planted her hands on her hips. “They’re over there talking about a potential missing woman when they have a fake dead body right here. Do you know how rude that is?”
Steve opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off with a shake of my head. I was used to the chaos in the Winchester house.
“I’ll talk to them,” I offered. “I’m sure it will be okay.”
“We’ll see about that,” Twila huffed. “I’m off to fix my makeup. I’ll be back for scene two in twenty minutes.”
Everyone watched her go, silence wafting over the table for a few moments. Steve was the first to speak.
“What the heck is scene two?” he asked, confused. “I didn’t even know there was a scene one.”
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out in twenty minutes.”
Six
After coffee and a kiss – one she laid on me in front of my boss and co-workers – Bay took off for town, leaving me to enjoy my conference without disruption. Here’s the thing: She’s definitely a distraction, but I prefer being distracted. I never realized exactly how boring a room full of law enforcement officials could be until I heard eight different guys try to tell the same monotonous joke.
I really couldn’t wait for Bay to get back. Then I could come up with an excuse to get out of the rest of the demonstration and slip away with her to the guesthouse for some alone time. That was the plan anyway.
“You miss her, don’t you?”
Steve’s voice jolted me as I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed as I watched Twila gag and flail about. It was her fifth death performance of the day – as far as I could tell, at least – and they were becoming progressively more theatrical.
“Who? Twila? She’s right there.” I pointed for emphasis. I knew he meant Bay, but I had no intention of opening the door for potential teasing.
“She’s a trip,” Steve said, smiling. “I like all of them. I can see why you’re always so eager to get over here every weekend.”
Something about his tone set my teeth on edge. “I always complete my work before I leave for the weekend.”
“You do,” Steve agreed, bobbing his head. “In fact, you work twice as hard while you’re at the office. It’s so you can enjoy this place without having the job vie for your attention. That’s not always possible, but you manage it as often as you can. I get it.”
“I love this place,” I admitted, glancing around. Sometimes the big inn felt as much like home as the small guesthouse. “I love every woman in this house.”
“Even Aunt Tillie?”
I smirked. “Even Aunt Tillie,” I replied. “She’s not as bad as she seems.”
Steve cocked a dubious eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
“Sometimes she’s even worse,” I conceded. “But sometimes she’s ten times better. She’s a mystery, that woman. She’s a complete and total pain in the butt most of the time, but she’s also loyal and loves her girls more than anything.”
“I see that about her.” Steve matched my stance as he leaned against the wall. “She has a different relationship with everyone, though. I’ve been watching her. I like to take those dormant profiling skills of mine out for a walk every now and then.”
“Oh, yeah? And what have you surmised?”
“That Winnie is the bossy one,” Steve answered. “She’s the oldest sibling, and she likes to tell her sisters what to do. She also carries more weight on her shoulders than the rest.”
“I’d say that’s fairly accurate.”
“Marnie is the middle sister and likes egging everyone on,” Steve supplied. “She loves her family, but she’s got attitude sometimes. Twila is the youngest sister, her head in the clouds. She’s allowed to be that way because everyone spoiled her, and they continue to do it even though she’s an adult.”
“She’s a bit flighty, but lovable,” I said, grinning as Twila flopped to the floor.
“As for the younger girls, Bay is the oldest and the most grounded,” Steve continued. “She brightens up a room when she walks in. She certainly brightens you up. She’s also extremely thoughtful.”
“She’s an angel.” I didn’t bother hiding my smile.
“I don’t have a good read on Clove because she’s not around as much,” Steve said. “She’s busy with her boyfriend, but she likes being with her family, so she’s never gone long. She’s the buffer between Bay and Thistle’s more … prickly … personality.”
“Thistle is more than prickly,” I confirmed. “She’s the future Aunt Tillie, although if you say that to her she’ll murder you in your sleep.”
Steve snorted. “Yes, they’re a lot alike and enjoy fighting. I’ve noticed that, too.”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” I said after a pause.
“I’m merely
stating that you found yourself a wonderful family,” Steve said. “Chris doesn’t want to believe it because no one could ever put up with him long enough to build a family. But you’re doing the right thing. You’re not focusing on the job to the detriment of your relationship. You're putting your relationship first while still doing the job. That’s why you won’t burn out.”
For some reason, his words caused me to puff out my chest a bit. “Thank you.”
“Now, speaking of your relationship, I believe that’s your blonde coming this way. She looks happy to see you, and I know you’re happy to see her. Try not to be too obvious when you sneak out with her in front of the other agents.” Steve patted my arm and smiled before walking away.
I greeted Bay with a quick hug and kiss, ignoring the stares of my fellow agents and remaining focused on her face. “I missed you.”
“I was gone for three hours,” Bay pointed out. “I told you I’d be back in plenty of time for us to have dinner together.”
“You did indeed.” I grabbed her elbow and tugged her toward the library. “I was thinking we could have a drink while this thing breaks up. How does that sound?”
“Nice, but … don’t you have to stay?”
“I’m the best FBI agent in the land,” I reminded her. “I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.”
Bay appeared intrigued by the suggestion. “A drink sounds good,” she said after a moment. “Something light, though. I don’t want to risk getting drunk when there’s so much potential for arrest around every corner.”
Her smile was mischievous as I directed her toward the library, ignoring everyone who glanced in our direction and pretending I didn’t notice the way they looked at us when we paused next to Twila’s limp body.
I didn’t care about the stares. At first I merely told myself that was true, ignoring the unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. However, it only took a few moments to realize I meant it. “You’re cute. If you pick up your feet and walk into that room so we can have a little privacy, I’ll show you how cute.”
Bay effortlessly stepped over Twila. “Dinner will be ready in a half hour, and Mom says there’s no fake blood at the table,” she called out to her aunt. “Give yourself time to get cleaned up. You don’t want to miss the prime rib.”
Landon Calling Page 5
