Cross Falls Saga - Southern Suspense Box Set

by Mallory Crowe

  "He's my father too." Jack set the magazine down and leaned back in the chair. His movement implied he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

  For the first time, Gabrie glanced over to the frail man in the bed, surrounded by tubes and monitors. It was a nice sized private room, with a large TV across from the bed and a few good places to sit.

  Philip lay still on the bed, eyes closed. Gabrie wished she could've seen him before his sickness. He seemed so frail in his sleep: thinning, white hair and sunken-in cheeks. Darren had said he only had a few weeks at most; by the looks of him, she'd be surprised if he survived the next few days. Not that Gabrie knew anything about cancer. But even in his sleep, something about him seemed defeated. Resigned to his fate.

  "We can come back later." She took a step back.

  Philip's eyes opened and his head tilted a fraction to look in her direction. "You," he breathed.

  She took a deep swallow and struggled to find her voice. "Hello, Mr. Cross. I'm Gabriella Moss. I'm friends with your son, Darren." She could feel Jack's intense gaze on her but refused to look in his direction.

  "You're friends with Darren?" His tone was steadier now, not bogged down by sleep.

  "We met in the city. He helped my old boss with his taxes."

  "You're not in the city now." Philip stared so intently at her, and Gabrie couldn't figure out whether she had somehow offended him.

  "Um, no. Hampton Falls is a beautiful town. I hear it was named for your family?"

  The corner of his mouth twitched, and Gabrie let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she didn't feel as if he were about to tell the hospital to kick her out. A little more at ease, she shot Darren a "help me out" look over her shoulder.

  "Gabrie is an aspiring interior decorator. I thought it might be nice to have her fix up the house."

  Philip pushed himself up, and Jack rushed to his side and helped steady him. Darren muttered a curse from behind her before he ran around Gabrie to assist his father. She had to wonder whether either of the brothers actually wanted to help him, or whether they were in a little pissing contest to see who was the better son.

  "I don't want you messing with the house." Philip's voice was stronger than his body appeared.

  Gabrie tightened her lips, trying not to let her disappointment show. "But sir—"

  "I'm not dead yet and I don't want strangers wandering around my property!"

  Darren set a hand on his father's shoulder. "Philip, she's going to be respectful and take your wishes into cons—"

  "If she's respectful of my wishes, she'll stay the hell away." He pointed a finger in her direction.

  Her mouth went dry at his overwhelming objection. Of course he wouldn't want some stranger running around buying new curtains while he was dying. What was she thinking, moving out here after one phone call from a guy she'd dumped for almost no reason? This whole thing was a mistake, and she needed to get the hell out of Hampton Falls before she managed to embarrass herself any further.

  "Don't worry, Dad," said Jack in a calming voice. "No one is doing anything to the house. I'm going to be staying out there, so you don't have to worry about anyone destroying the place."

  Philip straightened as he turned to Jack. "You're at the house?"

  "Yep. As long as you need me to be." Jack gently pushed Philip back down.

  Darren brought a glass of water to his father's lips. "Take a drink. I didn't want you getting worked up over this. I promise to keep a close eye on her. She's good at what she does, I promise."

  Gabrie tried to keep defeat from setting in as she watched the brothers care for Philip. This was all her fault, and Darren was lying out of his ass when he said she was good. He had no idea what type of skills she had. "I should go." She took a step back.

  Darren looked over his shoulder at her. "Give me a minute and I'll get the car, okay?"

  "She doesn't have to go." Philip let himself fall back onto the hospital bed.

  She blinked a few times. "What?"

  "Jack will watch over you. Watch the house."

  Jack met her gaze from the other side of the bed, and her heart hammered in her chest. Share the house with him? What would Darren say? Goodness, if Darren knew what happened earlier today and thought she and Jack were going to be sleeping under the same roof, there would never be any chance to rekindle a damn thing.

  "She doesn't need Jack to keep an eye on anything. I'll watch her, Philip," said Darren with a sharp edge.

  "You're busy with work. Jack can stick around for once and do something for me. Isn't that right, boy?"

  A muscle ticked in Jack's jaw, but he didn't argue. "I'll stay if you want me to."

  She opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Damn it. She didn't have the money to find a hotel or apartment while she oversaw the renovations. Her student loans had deterred any attempt at a savings account in the three years since she'd gotten the business degree she now regretted. This wasn't an opportunity she could pass up. A chance to build a portfolio for her interior decorating business. A way to get her foot in the door.

  And even if this didn't work out, it wouldn't be a huge loss. All she had to pay for was food and her auto insurance. Her severance would be more than enough to cover that while the plantation was being worked on. So, maybe her little mix-up that afternoon had cost her any chance with Darren, but at least she could salvage a career out of this mess.

  "It'll be fine," she blurted out. "Jack was a perfect gentleman when I ran into him earlier today, and I'm sure he can even help out with a few things around the house."

  "See? It's settled. I'd be happy to help Gabriella out around the house." Jack flashed her a smile and a little wink.

  She went stiff as she studied Darren. He seemed tense, but she didn't think he noticed the wink. She covered her eyes with her palm and rubbed at her temples. "Great! It's settled. Jack will stay at the house and help me out."

  She ran her hand up and through her hair, giving Darren the most calming smile she could manage. He might not be happy about the arrangement, but she'd convince him it was fine. Convince him she was indifferent towards his brother and the presence of a strong man would help when it came to the construction projects. Actually, if they did a few odd jobs together, she could save both the brothers money. Well, whichever one inherited the estate.

  "You two go get settled in, and Gabriella can visit me tomorrow with all of her plans of how to make my home splendid again," said Philip.

  "Um, sure," she said. "That sounds great." Actually, it sounded as if Philip had changed his tune way too quickly, but he was letting her work on Cross Falls, so she wouldn't complain. "I'm going to wait out here in the hall," she said as she finally had a chance to get out of the stifling room. It wasn't overheated, but she could feel the years of history swirl between the Cross men. Darren had seemed so normal back in the city.

  She leaned against the cool wall and took a few deep breaths. Sure, it had been a crazy day, but it would calm down. Now that Philip had accepted her and she knew there were two Darrens, she could straighten all this out. Just put her head down and work her ass off to make the family plantation fabulous.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Jack set his hand on Philip's shoulder. "We're going to get Gabriella settled in and we'll be back tomorrow, okay?" He had no idea whether Darren planned to stay in town, but he wasn't about to tell Philip that.

  "You watch that girl," warned Philip. "I don't want her digging in things she shouldn't be digging in."

  Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He'd never met a man as resistant to change as his father. What was he worried Gabriella would find? Philip Cross had probably never broken a law in his life. "I'll make sure she doesn't get into anything," he promised.

  "She'll be fine," Darren bit out from the other side of the bed.

  With a sigh, Jack moved his hand from Philip's shoulder and crossed around the bed to the exit. He knew he should be there for his father in his time of need, but he hated it th
ere. The smell. The feel. Everything around him just made him all too aware of the pending loss.

  Philip wasn't supposed to go out like this. He was a fighter. One of the strongest men Jack had ever known. Sure, they'd fought like crazy when Jack still lived there, but that almost made it worse. He'd come back to town and expected to look dispassionately down on Philip during his last days. But as soon as he saw the frail man who appeared two decades older than he should look surrounded by white hospital sheets, he knew he couldn't hold onto that anger anymore.

  And that pissed him off in a whole different way. He'd wanted to win. To find a good girl and settle down. Show up in a few years with a kid on one arm and a smoking hot bride on the other. A way to show Philip that he could succeed without any help.

  But there was no winning in this. No respect in cancer.

  "Call me if you need anything." Darren moved towards the exit too.

  Jack walked into the hall before Darren got too close and came face to face with Gabriella.

  His breath caught in his throat at her wide-eyed surprise at almost running into him. She had that same shocked look on her face every time she looked at him. At least since she found out who he really was.

  He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or scream at that. A walking wet dream knocked on his door, gave him some of the best sex of his life, only to tell him she had the wrong brother. Just his fucking luck.

  "Excuse me." He moved out of her way. Maybe he should cut the formality shit considering they were going to be roomies for the next few weeks, but he felt as though he should put as much distance between them as possible.

  It was too easy to slink back to the memories of what her breasts looked like when freed from the confines of her shirt. What her naked body felt like pressed up against him. What she sounded like when she came.

  Distance. This called for as much distance as possible. "You two have a nice...whatever the hell you're doing. I'll see you back at the house." He strode down the hallway and out of sight before he could hear their replies.

  As soon as he was free from the stifling grip of the hospital, he took in a deep gulp of air. He hadn't imagined this would be so hard. He hadn't seen Philip in ten years. Why was the thought of losing him forever suddenly so suffocating?

  Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having Gabriella in the house. She might be a bit too sexy for her own good, but he could use a distraction. Besides, Darren liked her, and that was all the more reason to ruffle her feathers a bit.

  He smiled to himself as he slid behind the wheel of the old Crown Victoria and started the engine. Even on his worst days, thoughts of messing with the perfect twin gave him a twinge of joy.

  But at the moment, the grumble in his stomach was more pressing than the petty games he liked to play with Darren. He glanced at the clock on his dash. At three, it was too early for dinner and too late for lunch.

  He thought about grabbing some fast food, but then remembered that he didn't have anywhere to be but at the house, and that was where Gabriella and Darren would be. As much as he liked to imagine fucking with Darren's head, he didn't have the mental stamina for those mind games at the moment. Instead, he turned the opposite direction and into town. He could sit down at Jim's Tavern, nurse a few beers, maybe meet some girls who had no idea who he or Darren were, and then he could head back home.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Gabrie looked out at Darren as he pulled his bag out of the trunk. "Is it really that serious?" she asked.

  "I'm so sorry about this." He shut the trunk.

  She climbed out of the passenger seat, hyperaware of the busy airport drop-off. "If it's an emergency, it's an emergency. I know people take their taxes seriously." She kind of wanted to laugh at the idea of someone being so worried about their impending bill that they paid their CPA to fly back on the drop of a hat, but she kept her amusement to herself. Darren probably wouldn't find the idea quite so entertaining.

  He set his suitcase on the curb. "This sucks," he muttered.

  "I can't believe they're making you fly back today. Are you sure you don't want to drive back?"

  "In the time it will take to drive, my plane would've landed and I can be neck deep in old tax returns. Besides, I can sleep on the plane and pull an all nighter. Hopefully I'll be back within two days."

  Gabrie tried to keep her smile supportive. At least the client was paying the travel costs, but it was horrible that Darren was being pulled away when his father needed him.

  Darren set his hands on her arms. "But I'm just a phone call away, okay? If you have any questions about Cross Falls at all, or if Jack does even the smallest annoying thing, you call me, and I'll get him out of there."

  She shook her head. "Really, Darren. I'll be fine. Jack might be annoying, but I've handled annoying before. I'm going to keep busy and stick to the opposite side of the house. Lord knows it's big enough for two people."

  He ran his hands down her arms. The touch sent a bolt of warmth through her. It was such a gentle and calming touch. A small sign that he wanted to comfort her. It was a shame he was leaving, but she would appreciate a few days to herself. Well, mostly to herself.

  Maybe in three days she would be ready to forget about her humiliating encounter with Jack and think about moving on with Darren, like she'd planned.

  "I hope you like it here," he said softly. "It's a great town."

  He inched closer and Gabrie held her breath. The sun hit him just right; the flecks of gold in his dark eyes seemed to glow and drew her deeper into his spell. "I already like it here," she whispered.

  "I really hate to leave you."

  Gabrie intertwined her fingers in his. "You'll be back," she said. "I'm living in your house, remember?"

  He smiled down at her. "You'd better be." With that, he closed the distance between them and covered her mouth with his.

  She leaned into the kiss, not caring who stared. His hand held hers tighter while her free arm wrapped around him to hold him against her. For a brief moment, his tongue brushed against hers, but just like that, it was over. He pulled away; his chest rose and fell as he took in deep breaths.

  "Fuck," he muttered.

  She let out a laugh. "Yeah." Darren leaving really was for the best. A few more kisses like that and she'd be stripping him naked in the nearest bedroom they could find. As much fun as it sounded, she drew the line at sleeping with two men on the same day. A rule she'd firmly established as of thirty seconds ago.

  "Go," she said. "Save your clients lots of money and come back, okay?"

  He nodded and took a few steps back. "Yeah. Remember, call me if he does anything. If he burps too loud, I want to know about it, okay?"

  "Don't worry about me!" she shouted as he moved farther and farther away.

  In a few seconds, he'd disappeared into Charleston International Airport. Gabrie fiddled with the keys as she turned to look at the unfamiliar BMW. Darren did like to ride in luxury. She wasn't even sure she was capable of driving an automatic. It had been so long since she'd driven anything besides her fifteen-year-old truck. But Darren insisted she drive it. He said he'd rather have it with her than getting dinged up in an airport parking lot. Apparently he had more faith in Gabrie's driving skills than she did.

  After a few minutes of fiddling with the mirrors and seats, she was back on the road and headed towards Hampton Falls. The forty-five minute drive was strange in the high-end car. It almost felt as though she wasn't driving, especially once she set the cruise control. She didn't like it. When she was going seventy miles an hour down a road, she wanted it to feel like she was going seventy miles an hour.

  Not like she'd just sat down to watch her favorite sitcom.

  Maybe it was the jealousy speaking, though. She'd never been able to afford a vehicle like this and probably never would. Well, she could marry Darren and get it that way.

  She shuddered at the thought. Marrying a man for money. Knowing she was one divorce away from being on the streets. No. Hell would freez
e over before she ever put herself in that position.

  Now, if she just happened to fall in love with a rich CPA...that was another story.

  Once she was back in town, she studied the line of restaurant options. It looked as though her choices were fast food or...more fast food. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mom-and-pop restaurant, but the closer she got, the more crowded the parking lot appeared. She didn't want to be the only one eating alone in a family place.

  By this point, she was close to the end of Main Street. She sighed and pulled into the next lot to turn around, but the Open sign on the nondescript building caught her attention. She glanced at the sign. Jim's Tavern. Probably wouldn't have amazing food, but it wouldn't be crowded with townsfolk who wanted to know who the stranger was. By the looks of the empty parking lot, there wouldn't be more than one or two patrons. Satisfied with her restaurant choice, Gabrie pulled into a parking spot and hopped out of the car.

  She pushed open the door and got her first good look at the bar. It was rather depressing at the moment, but that was mainly due to the quiet daytime music playing and lack of customers. The glossed, wooden tables were in good condition, and the floor was worn enough to show that the bar had seen plenty of crowded Saturday nights.

  However, the Tuesday early dinner crowd wasn't exactly hopping. The bartender nodded a greeting to her as he continued to rearrange the bottles, but the other three guests she saw ignored her.

  Gabrie headed towards a booth in the back. Hopefully she could eat in peace before trying to get into the plantation as discreetly as possible.

  As she waited for the waitress to come over, she pulled out the e-reader she carried everywhere in her purse. It had always been hard to make friends with all the moving she'd done as a child, so she and her book collection had an extra special connection. The ability to store all her books online, and never have to leave any behind ever again, was a luxury she didn't take lightly.

  Just as she pulled her book up, the waitress walked over. The woman wore tight jeans and a low-cut black t-shirt. As she walked, she fished out a pen and pad of paper from the black apron wrapped around her waist.