Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2)

by Liza O'Connor

  Tess cleared her throat as she returned to her chair. “I only run when lunatics yell at me. Dr. Castile merely lectured me on being a better limo driver, which in all honesty, I did very badly.” She then told her great grandmother how he had to chase her through the airport because she wouldn’t stop searching for him.

  He laughed along with Helen at her telling of the fiasco. He appreciated Tess could see the situation from his side, and he was gobsmacked she could laugh about it. Lots of people would claim they wished to start over but would still cling to their resentments. To all appearances, Tess had truly meant it.

  Helen placed a long slab of salmon on her grill. “Well, thank God you took the time to create a sign. Otherwise, Steel might still be in the airport waiting for you.”

  “True,” Tess agreed. “I tried to Google a picture of him, but the only one I found showed a bunch of people wearing army gear with peace signs painted on their jackets.”

  Her words caused his heart to race and sweat to bead on his forehead and lip. Seconds after that picture had been taken, a helicopter had approached. He’d thought it was their ride out…but it wasn’t. The events of the day were seared into his memories. Their guide and translator had yelled at them to run, but until the dust inexplicably kicked up around them and the car made odd thunking noises, he hadn’t understood what was happening.

  Once he grasped the copter was shooting at them, he had ordered everyone to scatter. Some did, but two jumped into the car. A bullet hit him in the chest and knocked him down. The translator pulled him behind a wall and buried him in sand.

  Later, when the thumping faded, Steel found the translator dead beside him. The two students who had jumped in the car had been burned alive when a bullet ignited the gas tank. The two who made it to the house were injured, but not fatally, the three that reached the hills were unharmed, unless mental health counted, in which case, they returned home wounded as well.

  A hand touched his forehead. “Dr. Castile, are you sick?”

  He gripped the hand and pulled it from his forehead. Tess’s dark, worried eyes flickered about, as she tried to discover what was wrong.

  “Sorry…not a good memory,” he whispered.

  Thankfully, Helen decided a new topic was in order. “Tess, where do you plan to take Steel tomorrow?”

  “First, I thought I’d show him how we remove white oak trees that die. The one that’s been leaning came down today.”

  “Damn it.” Grams cursed. “That tree still had life in her.”

  “We’ll determine what happened tomorrow,” Tess promised. “Once Sam and his helper arrives for the tree, we’ll continue down to the wetlands, and then I thought I’d surprise Dr. Castile with a special place for lunch.”

  Helen chuckled. “So I suppose I shouldn’t be sharing my thoughts about that just yet.”

  “I’d rather he discover it on his own.”

  “Testing his competency, are you?”

  “It would only be a test if I thought there was any chance he’d fail. But I am a hundred percent confident in his ability to see…well, make that ninety-nine percent. He did fail to see Grumpy.”

  Steel chuckled. “That’s true. I thought the stress of driving had caused her to go barmy.”

  His admission caused them all to laugh. God, how did Tess do that? It normally took him days to recover from his memories of the Middle East.

  After a delicious meal of salmon, asparagus, broccoli, and brown rice, Helen ordered them to bed.

  “First, I need to ring Tom,” Steel protested.

  The old woman shook her head. “No, he said he’d talk to you tomorrow. He was exhausted from his day of terrorism and planned to go to bed after he spoke to me. I assured him I’d send Rescue out to save you two.”

  “Thanks ever so much for doing so,” Steel said. “And for the delicious healthy food and delightful company.”

  Tess bumped his arm. “Might as well thank her for a lovely room, too.”

  “Much obliged for the lovely room as well.”

  Helen waved him off. “You are more than welcome. Now off to bed.”

  Tess eyed his luggage near the door. “Shall I carry your bags for you, Dr. Castile?”

  He pulled on her long, dark, single braid. He hadn’t thought her pretty when they had first met, but her playful nature caused her large dark eyes to sparkle with delight, and her lips, even without lipstick, were full and just begging to be kissed. Then there was her muscular, tight bum…

  He recalled Tom’s warning about no fraternization with Tess and chilled his desires. Women had been the bane of his career. Tom was spot-on with his advice. If he ever wanted to return to anthropology, he couldn’t afford to get involved with Tess.

  “I’ve got it.” He retrieved his luggage and followed her down a hall. She opened the first door and entered. He stopped at the door frame. The room appeared to be the master bedroom, rather than a guest room. She sat on the bed smiling at him with provocative eyes. And as much as he would enjoy shagging her, he had two very good reasons not to go there. First, if he screwed this job up, he’d never work again. Secondly, he’d read up on her mafia family on the plane flight over. Her grandfather had been one of the worst Mafia Dons in the States.

  Still, when she gave him such a come-hither smile… No! He couldn’t go there!

  “Aren’t you going to show me which room is mine?” he asked.

  She laughed. “So now you’re going to lecture me on how to be a bellhop?”

  He held up his hand. “I’ll find it myself.”

  He continued down the hall and opened the next door. It had a woodsy vibe that he liked. Stepping inside, he noticed it also had a lived-in feeling.

  A clearing of a female throat made him turn around. Tess leaned against the door, now wearing a red cap on her head. “If you’ll follow me, sir, I’ll show you to your room.”

  God, she was adorable.

  He exited the room. To his surprise, she led him back the way he’d just come. When he failed to follow, she returned, got behind him and gently pushed him down the hall. She was considerably stronger than he’d thought. She opened the door to the room she’d gone into before. This time, she guided him inside like he was a porter’s rolling luggage rack.

  She walked to the bed. “Shall I turn down the bed for you?”

  He struggled not to laugh. “You do realize that’s not a bellhop’s job?”

  She snatched the cap off her head and threw it onto a chair. Then she curtseyed. “Shall I turn down your bed, sir?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer, but happily pulled down the bedding on one side, then crawled over and fixed the other. With her job done, she sat in the middle and plumped the pillows. Once satisfied, she rolled off the bed and held her hand out for a tip.

  He had an overwhelming desire to reward her with a kiss. Given he would be her boss come tomorrow, he couldn’t go there, so he reached in his pocket and handed her a coin.

  She scowled at it for a long minute, then smiled. “Thank you, sir, that’s infinitely better than what your driver or bellhop got.”

  “You are…”

  “Not very good at these jobs, I know. But tomorrow, I hope to impress you.” She then pointed to a door. “Private bath.” Then to another door. “Closet…a real one. Don’t try to walk through it.”

  “Funny.”

  “Dresser is empty so feel free to unpack all the luggage you brought. The poor bellhop is exhausted from pushing it.” She wiped her brow playfully. “And if you need anything washed, the laundry room is at the far end of the hall. Don’t be afraid to wander down and use it.”

  She started to leave, but stopped and studied the coin. “Hold on! This isn’t a quarter!”

  Steel grinned. “No, it’s a five pence.”

  “A nickel? You’re a terrible tipper.” She bit the coin to ensure it was real and left the room.

  When she wasn’t being yelled at, Tess was the cutest, most likable woman he’d ever met.
Too likable. How the hell was he going to stay professional when all he wanted to do was gather her up in his arms and kiss her senseless?

  He readied himself for bed and sighed with pleasure when he slipped between the high-count sheets. Now this was a bed!

  Sleep came easy, but his dreams quickly turned to nightmares featuring Benito Campinelli, the head of a dangerous mafia family. Father dearest would object to an Englishman eyeing his daughter.

  Soon the horrors from the book he had read came to life, with him as the victim. When Benito’s “doctor” began flaying the skin off Steel’s genitals in what they called a second circumcision, he woke up screaming. Realizing it had only been a dream, he shut up, hoping he hadn’t woken Tess and Helen.

  The door burst open, and Helen entered, holding a gun. She looked about his room and then tilted her head at him.

  “Helen, I apologize. I had a dream…more like a nightmare.”

  She entered, placed the gun on the dresser, and sat down in the rocker.

  “I’m guessing you had some bad times in the Middle East.”

  He nodded.

  Just then Tess entered, carrying a large cup of tea, which she handed him.

  “I told you it wasn’t Uncle Jeffrey,” she whispered to Helen.

  Helen smiled at Tess, who now sat on the edge of his bed.

  Tess turned to him, her face full of compassion. “Do you have nightmares often?”

  “Fortunately, no.”

  She eyed the bed as if blaming it for this predawn awakening. “Would you rather have my room?”

  “No!” he yelped, thinking about what would happen if Benito discovered he slept in Tess’s room.

  His response seemed to have hurt her feelings. She rose with a decided pout on those pretty lips. “All right, nothing else I can do.” She headed to the door.

  He couldn’t let her leave with her feelings hurt. “Tess.”

  She turned and eyed him warily.

  “Thank you for the tea.”

  She smiled faintly and left.

  Helen rocked in the chair and studied him. “You like my granddaughter.”

  His heart fluttered in panic. “She’s a charming young woman. I imagine everyone likes her. But since I’m to be her boss, let me assure you, our relationship will be entirely professional.”

  Instead of comforting the old woman, his assurance seemed to disappoint her. “You’re afraid of her father.”

  If she wanted the truth, he could deal with that. “Who wouldn’t be?”

  Helen nodded once. “Fair enough. But just so you know, Benito lost his grab for four billion dollars. The FBI is all over him, and the Rigetti family just got a major influx of cash dedicated to his destruction. So whatever you’ve read about the dangerous Campinelli family—it’s in the past. Nothing remains now but some spoiled brats who’ll probably be going to prison before the year is out.”

  Her steely eyes nailed him. “And you’ve no right to brand Tess with any of their nonsense.”

  “I’m not branding her, but even if Benito is only a tenth of what your husband was, I don’t want him coming after me.”

  “You’ve probably faced a hundred times more danger in the Middle East. My husband was a coward, and so are his sons and grandsons. They get their strength from corrupting good men into becoming part of their ‘family’.”

  She rose and walked to the door. “If any of the family should discover your presence and wish to talk to you, just blow their heads off.” She nodded to the gun still resting on the dresser. “It’s loaded.”

  She left the room, closing the door behind her.

  God, this was almost worse than my nightmare.

  Chapter 3

  Unable to get back to sleep, Steel dressed for hiking and carried his cup to the kitchen, hoping to locate the tea bags Tess had used for his tea. The blend had soothed him. Just what he needed while he waited for the day to begin.

  The moment he accidently kicked a counter stool, a light from the living room came on. He turned and smiled sheepishly at the two ladies.

  “I hoped to find your tea mix… It’s very good.”

  Tess rose and passed him, entering the kitchen. “Give me your cup. I’ll make it.”

  “Or you could let me,” he suggested.

  “Family secret. Now go sit, or you’ll miss the sunrise,” she snapped.

  Had he said something to upset her before? Honestly, he couldn’t remember.

  “Thank you, Tess. Your tea is exquisite. I cannot fault you for protecting its ingredients.”

  He made his way carefully to the couch since Helen had turned off the light again.

  He sat down and stared at the blackness. He could hear quiet fussing from the kitchen. He slowly breathed in and out, enjoying the peace, the soft noises, and the nothingness.

  A moment later, the scent of tea returned his focus onto Tess, who stood before him.

  She held onto the cup until his fingers slipped beneath hers and gripped the warm ceramic. It seemed both an intimate yet impersonal moment, that delivery of tea.

  He sipped the hot, sweet nectar. It reminded him of the charming, yet perplexing, young woman who made it.

  His attention returned to the skyline. The stars were gone, and a faint blue appeared on the horizon. The black shapes of massive trees became more defined as the sky lightened. Hues of orange and red filled the clouds as a small glow of white and yellow peeked out from the distant horizon.

  Soon streaks of white fire traveled across the waters of the Mississippi and tributaries. The trees farther down the river turned a hazy blue.

  Steel had seen hundreds of breathtaking sunrises in the deserts, but none compared to the vivaciousness of this one. As the sun continued to rise, the trees closer gave up their blackness, and an infinitely rich palate of green and silver came to life.

  He continued to be mesmerized even as Helen rose. “I’ll fix us breakfast, and we’ll be on our way.”

  We’ll? Was Helen planning to join them? He liked the old gal, but he’d hoped to see a good deal of the forest today. That was hardly going to happen if they had to keep their pace to an old woman’s.

  “Are you coming with us,” Tess asked, sounding very pleased to have a chaperone.

  What the hell had he said to her?

  “Just to the downed tree. I want to see what caused it and make sure Sam and his helper are careful taking it out.”

  “I plan to take soil samples,” Tess said.

  “Good girl. Dr. Castile, how do you prefer your eggs?” Helen asked.

  “Steel, please. And however you are making them is fine.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be too familiar and weaken your professionalism.”

  He moved to the counter stool and sat next to Tess. “Helen…”

  “Call me Mrs. Campbell,” Helen said.

  “I’ll call you Grumpy if you like, but I’m not calling you Mrs. Campbell,” he replied.

  Tess snorted into her tea cup, earning her a glare from Helen.

  “Think that’s funny, do you?”

  “A little,” Tess replied.

  He smiled at Tess for laughing at his attempt to lighten the mood.

  Helen brought the skillet to the counter and divvied up the scrambled eggs. She pulled whole wheat toast from the toaster and tossed two on each plate. Tess yelped when the bread tossed toward her knocked the egg off her fork.

  Instead of complaining to her grandmother, Tess looked to him. “Dr. Castile, will you please apologize for whatever you said to Grams that has her in a bad mood?”

  “Helen, I abjectly apologize for whatever I said that upset you. I certainly never wished to do so. I think you and Tess are two of the finest women I’ve ever met.”

  “Grams…” Tess pleaded.

  Helen turned around, stared at him, then the ceiling, and then back at him. “Would you like healthy butter substitute or honey on your toast?”

  He smiled, glad whatever mistake he’d made was set aside
. “Honey would be good.”

  As he ate his breakfast, he realized most the women in his life would not have given up their resentment so easily. His last lover had held to hurt feelings forever. He would think they had gotten beyond something when a day later she was bringing it up again.

  And not as a tease as Tess had done with his lectures. He smiled remembering how cute she’d been when claiming her tip as the maid was better than the driver and bellhop had received.

  He turned to smile at her and discovered she was gone. She’d been sitting right beside him. How could he have not noticed when she left?

  “She’s just getting her gear. Do you need any?” Helen asked.

  “We’re just going on a tour, aren’t we?”

  Helen shook her head. “This forest doesn’t allow for days off. You can sit and watch her work, if you want, or I can fit you out with gear.”

  “Fit me out with gear,” he replied, amazed this woman’s bossiness didn’t offend him. He didn’t do well with bosses in general and female bosses in particular. Yet Helen’s comments seemed to come from a different place…a place of good intent.

  He honestly had no idea what gear Helen was going to provide, but when she carried in a full backpack and a hip belt draped with a large assortment of tools, he laughed. “Looks like I’ll be ready for anything.”

  “Better that than left watching someone else work. That’s the worse. And Tess will not share her tools.”

  Tess entered, loaded down with similar gear plus carrying a five-foot-long gas powered chainsaw that had to weigh sixty pounds.

  “Tess, let me carry that,” he said.

  She grinned. “Tell you what. I’ll let you carry it to the tree, then I’ll bring it home. Now let’s get going.”

  ***

  By the speed Grams moved, Tess guessed she didn’t want them catching up with her, so she slowed down. Otherwise, Dr. Castile would be wiped out before they even reached the downed tree.

  The slower pace also allowed her to point out things of interest. “See that large white oak. Its diameter is eight-foot-two-and-a-quarter-inches. It’s the largest tree we’ve found in the forest. It’s possibly pushing four hundred years.”

  Intrigued, he headed off trail, directly to the tree.