The Marshal's Prize (Harlequin American Romance)

by Winters, Rebecca

  * * *

  “ZACK? BREAKFAST IS READY.” Heidi had made scrambled eggs and toast.

  Her son came in the kitchen dragging his backpack. “I don’t want to go to Aunt Sharon’s.”

  She finished pouring his orange juice. “How come?”

  “Cuz I want to be with you.”

  “You can’t, honey. I’m training a pri—a new employee this morning.” She’d almost let it slip. Zack knew about private investigators after watching all the super-sleuth shows on the cartoon network. If her boy caught wind of who Mitch really was, he’d tell his cousin, and soon Sharon and Rich would know about it. Then the questions would start and word could leak out to the company, destroying Bruno’s plan to catch whoever was stealing unawares.

  “But I don’t want them to drive me to school.”

  Heidi sat down to eat with him, but so far he hadn’t touched his food. “Why not?”

  “Because Uncle Rich is going to take us. He wants to talk to Jenny’s teacher.”

  Something was wrong here. “Why do you care?”

  “He’s not my dad.”

  “He loves you, Zack.”

  His blue eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to go to school with them.” He took off for his bedroom. Heidi raced after him and nearly collided with the door he was trying to shut.

  “Honey…” She picked him up and held him close while he cried. “I’ve never seen you act like this before. Did your uncle hurt your feelings?”

  “No.”

  “Did Tim?”

  “No.”

  “Then help me understand.” She lowered him to the floor, then sat on the end of his twin bed so they could talk.

  He refused to look at her. “The other kids know he’s not my dad.”

  She was trying hard to figure this out. “Why does that matter?”

  More tears rolled down his flushed cheeks. “They’ll ask me where my dad is.”

  A pain stabbed her heart. “Oh. I see.” She did see and this situation wasn’t going to be resolved with one conversation. Heidi wondered how long Zack had been actively dealing with this burden. Weeks? Months? The problem was, she’d run out of time. Mitch was probably at the shop right now waiting to be let in. The conversation they needed would have to wait.

  “Tell you what, honey. Come to work with me, and I’ll drive you to school at eight, but you’ll have to sit at one of the tables and read while I’m training this person.”

  His face brightened. “Okay.”

  “Come on. Let’s hurry out to the car. Grab the toast I made for you.”

  While he did her bidding, she reached for his backpack and they dashed through the connecting door to the garage. En route to the shop, Heidi phoned her brother. She thanked him and Sharon for being willing to help out, then told him there’d been a change in plans.

  Sure enough, Mitch’s Audi sat in the empty parking lot. When she pulled up next to him, he levered himself from the driver’s seat, looking incredibly attractive in a yellow polo shirt and jeans that molded to his powerful thighs.

  After Zack got out of the backseat, he was all eyes.

  She reached for the backpack on the front seat. “Zack, I’d like you to meet Mitch Garrett, who’s in training for our company. Mitch, this is my son, Zack.”

  “Hi, Zack.” Mitch got down on his haunches in front of him, giving him his full attention.

  “Hi.” Zack spoke right up.

  “I like your haircut. When I was in the Marines, we all had to wear one like yours. It feels good on a hot day.”

  “Yeah.” Her boy grinned. “How long were you in the Marines?”

  “Ten years.”

  “Wow.” Zack paused for a moment, then said, “Did you have to do a lot of…well, you know…scary stuff?”

  Mitch nodded.

  “Do you ever get nightmares?” Zack’s question astonished Heidi.

  “Sometimes. How about you?”

  “Sometimes after I’ve played a zombie video game at my cousin’s house. My aunt doesn’t know Tim traded one of his Indiana Jones Lego games for it.” Heidi didn’t know that. No wonder he sometimes cried out in the night and got into her bed.

  “I’ve played that game before, but those zombies are harmless.”

  “I know,” Zack said, “but they’re different in my dreams.”

  Mitch smiled. “Next time they’re in your dreams, knock them over with one of those golf carts or the lawn mower.”

  “Yeah.”

  “The thing is, they’re not real. That’s why they’re pathetic. Do you notice how they walk slow and wobble?”

  “Especially that old man,” Zack pointed out.

  “Yeah. The one with the hat pulled over one eye.”

  While both of them were laughing about the game, relating perfectly, Heidi stood there in mild shock. Zack was normally a boy of few words except with family. Hearing him now, she saw a different child from the one she’d been raising for six years. Mitch was wonderful with him, trying to help him not be afraid.

  “Do you live around here?” Zack asked him.

  “Let me ask you a question. Do you ever go to the Hogle Zoo?”

  “Yeah. I go with my mom a lot.”

  “Well, I live in an apartment near the street that takes you up there.”

  She could hear her son’s mind working. “Hey, Mom—”

  “Zack—” she broke in, having a hunch where this conversation could be headed “—Mitch and I have work to do making donuts.” Heidi opened the door of the shop and they filed in. “I want you to find a table and get out your homework. You’re falling behind on your summer reading program.”

  “Okay. Can I come and watch in a few minutes?”

  “Yes, but you’ll have to be quiet. Mitch has to concentrate.”

  “Yeah,” the P.I. agreed, regarding Heidi with a devilish gleam in his eye. “It’s a lot harder than peeling potatoes.”

  He would have been good at that, she thought. She realized he was good at everything, including talking to children.

  “Hey, Mitch,” Zack said, “did you know our donuts are made from potatoes?”

  “That’s what your mother told me. You know what I think?”

  “What?” Her son was mesmerized by this man.

  “There ought to be a cartoon like SpongeBob called SweetSpud.”

  “Yeah!” Zack exclaimed. “That would be so cool!”

  “Okay, Zack, no more talking.” Heidi undid his backpack and pulled out two of the books he was supposed to read. “I’ll come and check on you in a little while.”

  “I want some of Mitch’s donuts when they’re done.”

  “I’ll bring one home for you after school. No donuts without a good lunch first.”

  Chapter Four

  Mitch washed his hands and got into his garb before he started mixing the dough. “That’s quite a little guy you’ve got there. Smart and funny.”

  “I’ve never seen him that open with a stranger before.”

  “Video games are the universal language with kids, young or old.”

  She laughed. “Being a Marine didn’t hurt, either.”

  “It’s a credit to you that he’s an all-American boy. Now that I’ve met him, I have to tell you again you’re a lucky mom.” Mitch warmed up the oil and started cooking while she watched his movements. He was a fast learner. She didn’t have to remind him of anything.

  “You’re right. I love him to death, but I need to apologize for bringing him to work with me this morning. He wanted to be with me and wouldn’t let my brother drive him to school. I’ll have to leave here at eight to take him. But I won’t be gone more than ten minutes.
You can enjoy a break.”

  “If I’d had a mom, I would have wanted to be with her, too.”

  Halfway through the second batch of eight hundred her son walked in the kitchen. He moved over by Heidi and watched Mitch making donuts.

  “Hi, sport.”

  Zack beamed. “Hi! Is that fun?”

  Those midnight-brown eyes glanced at him with affection. “It sure is. When you’re a little older, you’ll be able to make them, too.”

  “I know.”

  “Have you finished your homework?”

  “No.” He sighed. “I needed a break.”

  Laughter rumbled out of Mitch. “What are you reading for school?”

  “Dumb stories.”

  “That’s no fun. What do you like to read?”

  “Spy stories.”

  “So do I. What are your favorites?”

  “The Black Paw and Spectacular Spy Capers.”

  Heidi heard the surprise in Mitch’s voice as he said, “You’re talking the Spy Mice?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Now those are fun!”

  “Mom—” Zack looked up at Heidi “—Mitch likes them, too.”

  “Isn’t that amazing?” She exchanged amused glances with Mitch before the last of the dough dropped from the nozzles into the oil. The donuts cooked for the exact amount of time before he put them through the glaze. “Your performance was excellent, Mr. Garrett. You get A plus.”

  “That’s a gross exaggeration, but I’m glad it met with your approval.”

  “You’re on track to be moved to the plant.”

  While she tried without success to tear her gaze from his, Zack said, “I’m going to be a spy when I grow up.”

  Mitch’s warm smile settled on her son. “Guess what? I have a friend who owns a spy shop with all kinds of stuff.”

  His blue eyes rounded. “Could I see it?”

  “I guess that depends on your mom. Maybe both of you would like to come.”

  “Mom!” This time Zack’s cry of delight reverberated off the kitchen walls. “Can we go after school? Please?”

  Mitch’s invitation was perfectly natural, considering the direction of the conversation with Zack. But if she accepted, it put their relationship on a different footing. She’d be crossing that line from the professional to the personal. After her disastrous marriage, she’d been guarding herself against making another bad decision where a man was concerned. Besides, Mitch would be going back to Florida after he’d discovered who was stealing their donut mix.

  “Honey, we don’t even know if Mitch will be available this afternoon.”

  Mitch had removed his apron. “I’ll be free to meet you there, but you might have other plans. Why don’t you two talk about it on the way to school and let me know?”

  School— That’s right. It was eight o’clock. Heidi was supposed to be driving him right now. Instead, her head had been somewhere else…concentrating on someone else.

  She quickly took off her apron and gloves. “Come on, Zack. We’ll be late if we don’t leave now.”

  “Okay,” he said in a grumpy voice. “But I wish I didn’t have to go to school. See you later, Mitch.”

  “See you, sport.”

  Heidi hustled him out of the kitchen. He pulled his backpack off the table. They met the shop manager coming in the front door.

  “Hi, Phyllis,” said Heidi. “Mr. Garrett’s in back starting to clean up. I won’t be long. I’ve got to run Zack to school.”

  As Zack headed for the car, Phyllis said, “I caught a glimpse of Mr. Gorgeous yesterday. What a hunk!” Phyllis was happily married with three older children, but she still had eyes to see.

  “He didn’t make a mistake with the donuts, either. Will Jim be here tomorrow?”

  “That’s what his wife told me last night.”

  “Let me know if there’s a problem.”

  “Will do.”

  Heidi hurried out to the car. During the drive, all Zack talked about was Mitch. By the time they reached the school, where the children were lined up to go inside, she couldn’t take any more of his pleading.

  “If it’s still all right with Mitch, we’ll stop by his friend’s shop for a few minutes after school, but you have to remember he’s a busy man.”

  “I will.” To her shock, he undid the strap of his car seat and leaned forward to give her a kiss on the cheek before climbing out of the car. He was so excited, he forgot to act like a big guy.

  When she got back to the shop and helped with the rest of the cleanup, she told Mitch he’d made her son’s day.

  “Do you want to know something?” He’d just pulled the items out of the dryer to fold and put away. His gaze darted to hers. “You’ve just made mine by telling me you’ll bring him to the office after school.”

  The way he was looking at her produced a fluttery sensation in her chest. “Just keep in mind he’s at a very impressionable age and will drive you crazy with questions.”

  “He’s wonderful. What time do you think you’ll be there?”

  “Around twenty to four.”

  “I’m headed there now to keep working on background checks. That’s going to take hours. I’ll meet you in the parking lot and we’ll go into the shop directly. He’ll never know the attached office is my place of business.”

  She nodded. “I’m interested in seeing it myself.”

  “Roman’s brother manufactures spy equipment back east and ships it to him. When Zack gets in there, he’s never going to want to leave, so be warned.” The warning bells were already going off for Heidi, but already she’d ignored them by agreeing to meet him over something that had nothing to do with the case.

  A minute later they walked through to the front of the donut shop. As they went out the door to the parking lot, Phyllis winked at Heidi. This was how gossip got started. Thankfully today was Mitch’s last day making donuts.

  Before they parted company she said, “I’m going to run by Bruno’s house and tell him what’s going on. Now that you’ve had your crash course, it’s time to move you to the warehouse where the bags are loaded onto the trucks. He’ll arrange it with Randy, who’s responsible for working out the shifts.”

  “I’d like to start work there on Friday because I have other plans for tomorrow. What’s the schedule for the employees at the plant in terms of lunch?”

  “Everyone takes the same one-hour break at twelve.”

  “Is there a lunchroom?”

  “Yes. Some bring their food and eat in there. Others leave and go out for a bite.”

  “Ask your great-uncle to arrange for the fire department to have an evacuation of the building during the lunch hour tomorrow. That way the employees will be prepared. An evacuation means everyone out—no exceptions—while the fire department does a safety inspection to see if everything is in compliance since the last inspection. It’ll give me time to plant some surveillance cameras and listening devices.”

  How incredibly clever.

  “While I’m in there, I’ll get a good look at the interior layout, including the offices for Jonas and Lucas. I want to see what they have on file and on the computer.”

  “What if they have a password Bruno doesn’t know?”

  “No problem. If it becomes necessary, our firm has the technology to get into the hard drive.”

  Obviously nothing was impossible for Mitch. She’d heard the FBI had the means to crack millions of passwords per second.

  “Today while we’re in Roman’s shop, I’ll pick out the equipment I need. Zack can help me without knowing what I’m doing.”

  Mitch’s brilliant mind never stopped working. “He’ll be in heaven.”

  “What do yo
u say we go for a pizza afterward? We should all be hungry by then. The Pizza Oven is practically next door. We can walk to it.”

  Her toe was already in the water. Why not go all the way and plunge in, just this once? “We’d love it. Now I don’t have to worry about what to fix for dinner.”

  “And it saves me from having to eat frozen fish sticks.”

  She smiled before they parted company. Heidi took off for Bruno’s two-story Cape Cod house on upper Yalecrest, not that far from the apartment where Mitch lived. To think he’d been in Salt Lake for the past year, but she’d had no knowledge of him until Monday afternoon….

  Bruno’s eyes gleamed when she told him Mitch’s plan. He got right on his part of it and gave her the go-ahead for the P.I. to do whatever he wanted. Heidi drove back to her house and did some laundry before it was time to pick up Zack.

  He came flying out of the school to her car. It didn’t take long to reach the Lufka firm.

  “There’s Mitch!”

  Heidi had already spotted the hard-muscled man in the yellow polo and her heart began to thud without mercy. He was so handsome, she could croak. That’s what her sister, Evy, would say if she ever saw him.

  Zack scrambled out of the car. Mitch seemed to look at her with male pleasure before he greeted her son and walked them around the back of the private shop not open to the public. He unlocked the door and ushered them inside.

  When he turned on the lights, she found herself looking at a treasure trove of gadgets and equipment. Zack walked around inspecting everything, his eyes big as saucers. “Oh, man!” he blurted several times, obviously having picked up the expression from some kids at school. She heard Mitch’s deep chuckle in the background.

  “Oh, man” was right.

  * * *

  MITCH SAT IN THE BOOTH across from Heidi and Zack, enjoying the view. “More pizza anyone?”

  Her blue eyes widened. “You’re joking.”

  He chuckled. “I was just making sure.”

  “Zack never eats two whole pieces. I don’t think he could find room for another bite.”

  “This pizza’s good,” Zack declared. “What’s that meat called?”