by Ava Miles
“You really think Daddy would spook,” Susannah said. “Even after all this time?”
The waitress interrupted them by bringing over their drinks, giving Vander an extra-helping of sunshine, which he returned.
After squeezing lemon into his tea and taking a sip, he said, “Like I told you, it’s just a hunch. A man doesn’t pull up roots this often for over three decades without a reason. It tells me he doesn’t want to be found.”
“Vander’s spot on here,” Jake said, tapping the table absently. “We learned some profiling in the Army. Your daddy has a pattern going, and I’d say he’s running.”
“Do you think that means he did something illegal?” Susannah asked, leaning closer to her husband.
“Charlie and I couldn’t find any evidence he’d been convicted of a crime, but that’s not to say nothing happened,” Vander told them, making a point to look to the right and left of the table from his position in the middle of the group. “Honestly, I know it’s hard not to want to think up different scenarios, but I’ve found it’s a waste of energy. There are a hundred reasons why someone might move from one town to the next. I’d rather focus on pulling more threads to get the truth.”
“Well put,” J.P. said, patting Sadie on the arm since she looked like she was coming undone.
Shelby couldn’t blame her. She just hoped her sister could keep it together until they got back to the hotel.
“I want to call Charlie and talk things through,” Vander said. “I’m tempted to take a ride back to Lenore’s by myself to get a photo with her. Something I could show your father if and when I find him. It might make him more amenable to listening to me. I think she’ll be open to something like that after today. The timing and mood didn’t feel right.”
“I could go with you,” J.P. said, and they shared a look. “She warmed up to me, and it might help if one of her kin joined you. Perhaps since I favor Daddy so, having a picture of me with y’all would help some.”
“Good idea,” Vander said. “You did a great job back there, especially asking for a recent photo of your father. Beat me to it. In fact, you all did an incredible job. From where I’m standing—or sitting—you’re a pretty brave group.”
“I didn’t expect her to be so obese,” Sadie whispered, speaking so softly Shelby had to strain to hear her. “It broke my heart.”
“It broke all of us,” J.P. said, heaving a sigh. “When I first entered her trailer, I…I wasn’t sure I was going to measure up to the situation.”
“We all felt that way, honey,” Shelby said, reaching for his hand. “I’ve never seen anyone live like that. I…about came out of my skin.”
“I thought about giving her all the cash I had in my wallet,” Jake said, “but I didn’t think it would be the right move.”
“No,” J.P. said, shaking his head. “She was ashamed enough as it was. But maybe when Vander and I go back, we can do something for her. Tell Me-Mother we took up an offering.”
Everyone else was nodding in agreement, and Shelby’s heart thumped double-time in her chest as she imagined Vander and J.P. going back to Me-Mother’s and giving her some money. Would she even take it? Would it offend her? She didn’t want anything to mar their meeting today, even though the thought of going back there scared the bejesus out of her.
She heard herself blurt out, “That’s a great idea! I’d like to go along too.” Besides, didn’t she look like Daddy as well? Wouldn’t he want to see his likeness in her if and when Vander showed him the photo? Shelby found she wanted that more than anything.
Before Vander could say a word, the waitress appeared with a tray of their food, and everyone waited to be served before turning their eyes toward Vander.
“Let me talk things through with Charlie,” Vander said, not looking in Shelby’s direction. “But I think it would be best if just the two of us go this time. It’ll be a quick trip anyway.”
It felt like a purposeful slight. Still, making an issue of it in front of everyone wasn’t the way. She’d sound like a whiny baby if she asked why J.P. could go and not her.
But she certainly planned to ask him about it when they returned to the hotel.
There was no way she was staying behind.
Chapter 14
Vander had a knack for knowing when trouble was brewing. He’d grown skilled at it after his father’s murder, almost as if he could see inside his mother as the swirl of air started to whirl into a possible tornado.
He’d grown skilled at diffusing those dangerous storms, using everything from kindness to pacification to keep the peace.
Shelby’s insides were swirling, and even though she’d gone off with the rest of her family after they’d all checked into their respective rooms at the hotel, he knew she wasn’t finished with him. She hadn’t liked it when he’d batted aside her request to accompany him to Lenore’s, especially after he’d agreed to let J.P. go along.
They’d agreed to meet in Jake and Susannah’s celebrity suite at eight a.m. for breakfast to discuss next steps, but Vander would be shocked if she waited that long. He’d given everyone his room number and cell phone so they could contact him if they needed anything—and so Shelby could tear into him in private.
What she didn’t realize was that he was reluctant to bring one of the McGuiness women back to that trailer park. Those Neo-Nazis were up to something, and he’d bet the farm they were cooking up meth. Given what they were packing, he wasn’t eager to put anyone in danger.
Least of all women.
Yes, he was being protective, but in this case, he also considered it smart. He respected a woman’s ability to handle herself. Heck, Charlie was trained for it, but that was the operative word. Trained. None of the McGuiness women were.
He’d called Charlie from his hotel room, and she’d agreed with him—both about leaving Shelby behind and the next steps for their search. He had her checking for a Preston McGuiness online in both Alamo and Haines. They didn’t expect to find anything, but sometimes they got surprised, which was why they pulled every thread.
When someone knocked on his door just shy of ten o’clock—it had to be her, and he felt a sense of anticipation despite himself—Vander rose from the desk in his room and walked over to it. He’d taken a shower, so his hair was slightly damp. He’d needed to rinse off the filth of the day, but he’d dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a black T-shirt Charlie had bought him as a white elephant gift for Christmas. He damn well knew how important it was to be fully dressed for this encounter, even if the logo across the front said in white block letters: Private Eyes. They’re Watching You. Sue him, but he liked the Daryl Hall & John Oates classic.
He opened the door and leaned against the frame. “I can’t believe you waited this long to chew me out, Shelby.”
She’d changed into a fetching—way too fetching if he were being honest—pink dress made of cotton and silk that managed to look both sexy and comfortable. Had she chosen it to drive him wild or give this encounter a more professional veneer? He found he didn’t care.
“We just broke up to go back to our rooms,” she said, putting her hands on her waist.
“Of course,” he said. He’d known they would need some time without him to process the day’s events and talk about it as a family. That was why he’d left them alone when they’d finally arrived at the hotel.
“Can I come in?” she asked, looking down the hall floor. “I feel weird standing out here.”
His brow rose. “Well, since you’re a client, I would feel weird about you coming into my room. How about we go downstairs to the bar?”
Her whiskey-colored eyes seemed to shoot sparks as she pushed past him into his room. “I’m tired, and you’re being ridiculous. What I have to say won’t take long. Besides, you’re flattering yourself.”
Even though he knew he shouldn’t poke at her, he said, “Am I?” Without moving away from the door he was holding open, he turned to face her.
“I don’t jump into bed
with every man I find attractive,” she said, almost in a huff, a bright splash of color in the beige-heavy décor of the room. “Besides, I might find you attractive and sometimes even kind, but after the way you brushed aside my interest in going back to my grandma’s house, I’m fixing to come undone.”
He couldn’t help it. His mouth twitched. “Fixing to come undone, huh? That is a problem.”
“Vander, shut the damn door,” she ordered, locking her arms at her waist.
He did her bidding after discarding the idea of propping it open with a chair so no one could assume they were up to no good. Who was he kidding? This woman threw his professionalism right out the window. She was cute when she got ticked off.
“Pink is your favorite color, right?” he asked her, strolling further into the room to the bar station. He was happy he’d opted for a suite at the Peabody. His bedroom was off the small parlor, out of reach. “And just so you know, I’m personally paying extra for the upgrade on my room. I’m always working, and I hate to do it in my bedroom.”
“Thanks for clearing that up,” she said, shaking her head like he’d thrown her off a little. “I can add honesty and fiscal responsibility to a list of your glowing traits.”
“But you aren’t here to talk about that, Shelby,” he said, pulling two waters from the mini-bar. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Why won’t you let me go with you and J.P. tomorrow?” she asked, taking the bottle he handed her. “Is it because I froze up in the kitchen for a moment with the roaches? I know I didn’t handle meeting Me-Mother as well as J.P. did, but I still…I still have compassion for her.”
He sat in the armchair and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch to his right. Shelby wasn’t just mad at him, he realized, she was feeling guilty about how she’d handled the meeting. “Are you beating yourself up? Anyone would have been poleaxed, seeing Lenore and the conditions she lives in. I was, and I’ve seen a lot more of this kind of thing than you have. That’s not even taking into account how mean she acted at first. Give yourself a break.”
“It’s just J.P. is so much more easygoing and nicer than the rest of us,” she said, setting her water on the coffee table. “I mean, Sadie and Susannah are nice too, but they’re not easygoing.”
“Shelby, you’re nice too. Don’t get down on yourself.”
She looked at her lap. “I was afraid you…”
When she broke off, he leaned forward in his chair, sensing a real vulnerability in her. “You what?”
“I was afraid you didn’t think I was as nice as J.P. or as…capable,” she said, “and for some reason that really bothered me. Oh poo, I’m acting like such a baby. I should go.”
She shot off the couch, and he got up just as quickly. Putting his hand to her arm was as much instinct as compassion, and she immediately stilled. When she looked up into his eyes, he felt his heart beat in deep, slow pounds. His fingers itched to trace the high cheekbones of her face, but he held back.
“Sit down, Shelby,” he said, his voice octaves lower than usual.
“Why?” she asked in a soft tone, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
They were moving into dangerous territory. He was tempted to answer her with a kiss.
“Because that’s not why I don’t want you to accompany J.P. and me. Will you listen to what I have to say?”
She heaved out a breath, nodding, and resumed her seat. He did the same.
“There’s some bad shit going down in that trailer park,” he told her, not wanting to delve any deeper into his suspicions. “I don’t want to bring any of you women back there. I would have had reservations about Charlie going, even though she’s trained to protect herself.”
“That’s sexist!” she cried out. “I can’t believe Charlie lets you get away with that.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” he said, drinking his water to cool his hot throat. “But we’ve both learned that sometimes equal opportunity doesn’t get the job done. A redneck and a good ol’ boy aren’t likely to tell a woman jack shit. Excuse my French. And the reverse is true for me. Sometimes, we send her to get information from a man sitting at a bar because he wouldn’t give me the time of day.”
She unscrewed her water and drank a few sips, acting as though she was considering what he’d said. “Thank you for laying that out. I…hadn’t thought of it that way.”
He waggled his brows at her. “It’s why you could talk your way out of a speeding ticket with most male officers, but you just got written up by a female one.”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. “You looked me up?”
Admitting that probably hadn’t been the best move, but for some reason, he wasn’t bothered by it. “Charlie did. She likes to know what we’re dealing with. Plus, it’s public record. Nothing illegal. Some small-town newspapers even print information like that.”
“Hmmm…” was all she said.
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked, aware that he was carrying some tightness in his diaphragm at the thought. It wasn’t normal for him.
“I’m working on getting over it,” she said, resting back against the sofa cushions. “It’s been an emotional day. I’m…sorry if I overreacted.”
He made himself stand. “No hard feelings. You should head on up. It’s been a long day. Some rest will help.”
That is, if anyone in her family managed to get some shut-eye. He knew how hard that could be in situations like this.
“I expect you’re right,” she said, pushing off the couch and setting her water back down on the table. “I’m so tangled up after learning Daddy is alive that I mostly wanted to go with you and J.P. to be in a picture with Me-Mother.”
Oh shit.
“I wanted my daddy to see my resemblance to him—not just J.P.’s.” She shook herself. “Don’t mind me.”
He was minding her way too much at this point, and delving into her daddy issues would open up an even greater connection between them. His control was slipping, he realized, because he wanted to reassure her. But she was a freaking client, and he’d made that rule for a reason.
They walked to the door together, but instead of putting her hand on the knob to open it, she turned around and leaned against the frame, studying him in the soft light. His balls seized up, more than aware of how alluring her pale skin was against the pink of her dress. He didn’t think she’d done it to be alluring. She was just naturally that way. Still, her rose-and-musk perfume reached his nose, and he ground his teeth to keep from reaching for her.
“Shelby, you should go.”
She looked down and fiddled with her manicure, suddenly shy. When she looked up, there was a rosy blush on her cheeks. It only made her more beautiful.
“I know,” she whispered, “but I just can’t get over one thing.”
He wanted to know what it was.
He didn’t want to know what it was.
Either way, whatever she said was going to change things. He was smart enough to realize that, so he asked, “What?” just as softly.
She laid a tentative hand on his chest, making everything inside him tighten up. “I was incredibly bothered you didn’t think I was a nice person.”
She wanted him to think she was nice? Well, he pretty much wanted to kiss her senseless against the door and hike her dress up so he could run his hands over her thighs.
“I think you’re nice,” Vander told her, immediately chastising himself for the idiotic response. He wanted to show her what else he thought of her, standing as she was with a gentle hand pressed to his chest, but he couldn’t…
“I think you’re nice too,” she whispered.
And then she stepped forward until she was flush against his body, rose up on her tiptoes, and pressed her mouth to his. Her lips were a shock, not only because they were so soft, but also because they were so very warm. He closed his eyes, fighting for control, wanting to kiss her back but knowing he’d regret it if he did.
She put an
other hand to his chest, this one more certain, and he felt the electricity course down to his toes.
“Shelby,” he said in a harsh voice against her mouth. “You’re a client.”
The siren in pink detoured to his jaw, running her fingers against the stubble there. “Technically, Gail is your client since she’s the one footing the bill. Isn’t that enough of a loophole for you?”
“No,” he said, putting his hands on her waist and caressing her hips. “Shelby, I can’t have sex with you. I have a code.”
She snapped out of his arms in an instant. “Who was asking you to?” Her outrage was unmistakable.
“You were the one who kissed me,” he pointed out.
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Kissing isn’t an invitation to sex.”
His mouth dropped open before he could stop it. “Are you kidding me?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t just jump into bed with anyone. You are so full of yourself!”
“Well, excuse me! You’re the one who just kissed me in my hotel room after telling me how nice you think I am. I can’t imagine why any man would get the wrong idea.” Shit, had he just said that? She was clearly making him crazy. He never said things like that.
“Oh,” she said, opening the door. “I can’t believe I kissed you. You’re impossible! You make me fit to be tied.”
“Ditto,” he told her, his lips finally twitching.
“Forget this ever happened,” she said, turning with enough force to whip her hair around. “Good night!”
He watched her walk to the elevator and punch the up button. She ignored him while she waited, picking at her manicure. When the elevator arrived, she entered it like she had forgotten all about him—just like she’d said she would.
But he knew better.
Neither one of them was going to be able to forget what happened.
Chapter 15
Shelby returned to Nashville with a new hope in her heart that they were one step closer to finding Daddy. He was alive, and that was something.
