by Lena Gregory
Fair enough. She didn’t have to put all her trust in him, not like they were dating or anything, but she would cooperate as best she could. Problem was, she didn’t know anything, and no one seemed to believe that, the good guys or the bad guys.
Jim’s words played over in her head again. Gia might not know anything, but it certainly seemed Jim Harte knew more than he was letting on.
“I made a phone call this morning,” she blurted before she could change her mind.
He needed to back up, but he didn’t budge.
“I called Bradley’s best friend. His name is Jim Harte. He told me now that Bradley was dead, someone would probably contact me for whatever he left with me. He said if I didn’t hand it over, I’d probably end up dead in a dumpster too.” She stopped short of accusing him of threatening her. She couldn’t be sure he’d meant it to intimidate, though she was sure it wasn’t meant as friendly advice.
“What did he leave with you?”
“That’s just it, as far as I know, nothing.”
“All right. I’ll look into it. In the meantime…” He leaned closer, crowding her against the car, scorching heat radiating from him. Or maybe the heat came from the hot Florida sun. Hard to tell. “Leave the investigating to me. No more phone calls. I mean it, Gia. Okay?”
She nodded. She wouldn’t initiate any more phone calls—probably—but she couldn’t help it if the lawyer called her back.
“Good. Now, get in my car.”
Oh, no. His order flinging days were about to come to an end.
His smile deepened the dimple in his cheek. “And another thing, I thought I told you to call me Hunt.”
Her mounting anger dwindled. When had she become so high strung that she couldn’t even take a little teasing? She narrowed her eyes. “You’re not the boss of me.”
His grin widened. “That’s what you think.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. Immature, maybe, but then again, so was her last comment, but it was the best she could come up with at the moment.
He laughed and tucked her hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger just a moment longer than necessary. Then he pressed his hand against the small of her back and led her and Thor toward his jeep. “Now, let’s go get this little guy what he needs.”
Chapter 9
Hunt hefted another box from the garage onto the growing pile in Gia’s living room. “There has to be something in his paperwork that might give us a clue about what’s going on.”
They’d been at it for hours. After getting everything she needed from the pet supply store, Hunt had carried it all into the house and even put together Thor’s crate. Then he’d gotten down to business. Somewhere in the mess of papers she’d shipped down from New York, there had to be a clue as to what was going on, so Hunt had started digging through the garage, opening boxes, and piling everything that contained so much as one sheet of paper in the middle of her living room.
“Yeah, well, it would help if I knew what half of this was.” She tossed a stack of papers aside, stood, and stretched her arms over her head. “I need a break, and Thor has to eat dinner and go out.”
Hunt studied the boxes as if something would jump out and give him answers.
Nothing did.
“You’re right. We need a break. Speaking of dinner, are you hungry?”
She pressed a hand against her empty stomach. It had been rumbling for the past hour, but she hadn’t wanted to give up looking for answers to go get something to eat. “I’m starved. Unfortunately, I haven’t gone to the supermarket yet, so our options are limited to a few boxes of trail mix I picked up at the airport on my way down. Unless you want to share Thor’s dinner.”
He laughed. “That’s okay. I’m hungry, but not that hungry. Why don’t you take care of Thor, and I’ll see what I can do about dinner.”
“Good luck with that.” Being that she lived in such a rural area, finding someplace that delivered wasn’t likely. Weird. In New York, she could have called any number of places and gotten delivery, or at worst, she could have walked a couple of blocks in either direction and hit ten places to grab a quick bite. She was going to have to get used to keeping her kitchen stocked.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll work something out.”
Thor pounced on the stack of papers Gia had set aside and started chewing one corner.
“No,” she corrected gently.
He glanced at her, then continued chewing.
“No.” She scooped him up and headed toward the kitchen, leaving Hunt to figure out what to do about dinner. She petted the spot behind his ears that made his eyes roll back in ecstasy. “You can’t eat the papers until I know what’s in them, silly.”
But if it belonged to her loser ex, and didn’t offer any explanation about what was going on, all bets were off. Thor could munch on the stack of papers until the living room was covered in confetti.
The memory of Bradley’s arm hanging out of the dumpster came unbidden, and a pang of guilt shot through her. She’d never wanted to see Bradley dead. Not really, anyway. Despite what she’d yelled at him when the prosecutor had paraded his long line of mistresses through the courtroom. Gia had found out what an unfaithful creep he was along with the rest of the world. Until then, she’d stood by his side, had at least tried to believe his claims of innocence. Yeah right. Bradley had played her for a fool, had taken advantage of her love for him.
She shook off thoughts of Bradley and plopped the pudgy puppy on the kitchen floor. She was supposed to start over, not get sucked back into the past.
Thor trotted along beside her as she set out a bowl of water and one of food. “Here you go, boy.”
She could get used to having him with her all the time. In the few hours he’d been with her, he’d never left her side, lying against her leg on the living room floor while she’d searched through boxes, chewing one of the numerous toys she’d bought. She’d caught herself talking out loud to him more than once and wondered if that was normal. Maybe she’d finally lost it. She didn’t care, though. Normal or not, Thor seemed to enjoy the sound of her voice, and she enjoyed having him to talk to.
Thor finished eating, sniffed around the side of the bowl to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, then squatted by the back door.
“No.” She sprinted for the door and ripped it open just as a puddle started to form beneath him. “Ugh…too slow. No, Thor. That goes outside.”
As soon as he was done, he bolted out the back door.
Keeping an eye on him as he frolicked on the back deck, she grabbed a handful of paper towels and bleach and quickly cleaned up the mess.
As soon as she walked out the door, Thor pounced.
“Come on, boy. Want to go for a walk?” She hooked the leash to his collar and led him down the deck stairs onto the patches of grass and dirt that served as her back lawn.
He scooted backward, trying to slip out of the collar, but as soon as she started walking, he trotted at her side.
“Good boy.” She inhaled deeply, sucking in hot, thick air and the scent of the forest.
Her property sat at the far edge of the development, backing up to the Ocala National Forest. Primitive looking woods surrounded her land on three sides, with about half an acre in the center cleared for her house and yard. After spending her entire life living in an apartment, the enormity of the surrounding forest overwhelmed her.
She walked along the edges of the clearing. She’d have to find out from the Homeowner’s Association if she was allowed to have a fence installed. Since she hadn’t expected to get a dog, she hadn’t noticed what the contract stated. Truth be told, she had no clue what was in the contract. She recalled a long set of dos and don’ts, but she had only skimmed through them in her rush to sign on the dotted line. She couldn’t let Thor out, though, and risk him running off into the forest.
She turned and walked along the back of the property. A giant oak tree, it’s thick, gnarled branches draped with Spanish moss, blocked her view of the house. It would be a beautiful spot for a nice wicker set, maybe a love seat and a few chairs right there in the shade of the tree. She started a mental to-do list. She’d write everything down when she went inside. At least, that’s what she told herself. Of course, she was probably lying.
A sudden movement beneath the tree startled her.
She squinted against the setting sun, searching the shifting shadows for whatever had caught her attention.
A black animal about as big as a medium-sized dog rolled from behind the trunk and lurched to his feet, then sauntered toward the tree line. Before he made it halfway there, a second animal dropped from a low branch and pounced on him. The two rolled across the lawn, twined together in a chubby black mass of fur.
It took a moment to register that she was watching two bear cubs playing in the middle of her yard. When it finally did, she couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.
Thor barked and lunged toward them.
The sudden move caught Gia off-guard. Thankfully, the leash tightened and brought him to a halt. With a whine, he glanced up at her. It seemed Thor was looking to make friends.
“Gia.” The alarm in Hunt’s voice pulled her attention from the animals. He pressed a finger to his lips and waved her toward the far edge of the property, away from the bears.
She responded immediately. Picking Thor up, she skirted the edge of the tree line, keeping the bears in sight.
They’d stopped playing and stood close together, eyeing her as she moved, but making no attempt to follow.
Hunt held something in his hand as he descended the two steps from the deck to the yard, then edged toward her, his attention split between keeping an eye on the bears and scanning the yard. He breathed a sigh of relief when he reached her but guided her quickly back onto the deck.
Once they entered the kitchen, he closed the French doors and rounded on her. “Have you had any experience with bears before?”
“Seriously? I lived my whole life smack in the middle of Manhattan. Unless you count a trip to the Bronx Zoo when I was in third grade, then no.” Gia petted Thor, then put him on the floor and watched out the doors as the bears bounded off into the forest. “They are adorable, though.”
He stared at her as if she had ten heads. “Yes, they are, but you have to be careful. Where there are cubs, there’s a mama. And you do not want to piss her off.”
“Oh.” Her heart hammered hard against her ribs. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“This is a beautiful place to live, but there’s wildlife here, and if you’re not careful, you can get hurt.”
Gia’s experience with animals was limited to the stray cats that made their home in the alley beside the deli where she’d worked, her friend’s Chihuahua, which barked incessantly but hadn’t ever actually hurt anyone, even with an occasional nip, and the rats she sometimes came across in the subway. “Define wildlife.”
“Bears, alligators, snakes, some poisonous—”
“Poisonous?” Her chest tightened. Her breathing turned ragged, her lungs straining for air. She gripped the counter to keep from passing out. What had she gotten herself into?
“Gia?” Hunt wrapped an arm around her and led her toward the table. He pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit, then opened the refrigerator and closed it again without taking anything out. Probably because there was nothing in there. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, not yet able to form words.
“This house sat empty for a long time. That’s why you got such a good deal on it. For the most part, bears avoid humans. You probably caught them as off-guard as they caught you.” The humor in his eyes softened the reprimand.
She nodded again, beginning to regain some of her composure. “Thanks.”
“Sure. You okay now?” He lifted her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his.
“I think so. I’m just a little out of my element is all. I’ll get used to it.” Maybe.
“It’s not like you’re going to run into something every time you walk out the door. You just have to be aware of your surroundings.”
“You mean like watching for muggers?”
His deep laughter touched something in her. He had that same carefree attitude Savannah always had. An easy-going way that was as foreign to Gia as the bear cubs frolicking in her yard. “Yes. Like watching for muggers.”
She offered a weak smile. “That I can do.”
“Good. And always carry this with you.” He held out the small canister he’d been holding when he’d come outside to rescue her.
“What is it?”
“Bear spray.”
“Bear…”
“Spray. Like pepper spray, but designed to stop bears.”
She extended a hand tentatively toward the can.
“It’s not going to bite you.” He seemed to be getting a bit too much enjoyment from her discomfort…sheer terror…whatever.
“Fine.” She took the can and propped it on the table. “Will it hurt the bears?”
“No. Only spray a short burst at a time, and only if you are in danger. It’ll make the bear uncomfortable, but it won’t do any lasting damage, and it should deter him long enough for you to get away.”
She sighed. So far, living in Florida hadn’t turned out to be the paradise she’d envisioned. Long, hot afternoons by the pool or at the beach, book in hand, piña colada at her side, seemed to be as much a fantasy in Florida as it would have been in New York in the dead of winter.
Hunt lifted a box from the table and put it on the floor in the corner of the kitchen. “On a brighter note…”
Thor immediately sniffed around the box, then settled down to chew on one corner.
“Thor, no.” She tossed him one of the abundance of chew toys scattered around the house.
“Xavier’s Barbecue is right down the road, and they deliver.”
“What’s Xavier’s Barbecue?”
He stopped, holding the second box in his hands, and stared at her. “You mean to tell me, all the times you’ve been down here, Savannah’s never taken you to Xavier’s?”
“I haven’t really been down that many times, and when I was, I didn’t have a minute of spare time.”
“Well, I hope you’re hungry, because I am, and I didn’t know what you liked, so I ordered some of everything.” He continued clearing the table, while she grabbed dishes from a stack on the counter, then searched for silverware.
“Don’t worry about that. They send paper plates and plastic utensils with the order. I ordered sweet tea too.”
“Mmm… I’m definitely parched. I have to get to the supermarket and pick up some food. I never had to worry about that back home.” She paused a minute. Would she ever come to think of Florida as home? Or was she doomed to a permanent vacation and a state of perpetual homesickness.
A knock on the door saved her from considering that any further.
Hunt went to answer with Thor weaving wildly between his feet.
She hadn’t even been there a week, and so far it had been too eventful for her to get any sense of how she felt about Florida. Besides, even if it turned out Florida wasn’t for her, she didn’t have to go back to New York. She could always move on to somewhere new. Somewhere she and Thor could make a home. Because Thor was the one thing she was sure of.
The big puppy bounded back into the kitchen, followed by Hunt juggling three bags and a cup holder with two super-sized drinks.
“Oh, sorry.” She ran and took the cup holder from him and set it on the table. “I didn’t realize you were actually serious about ordering everything.”
He set the bags down on the table.
If the scent wafting from the bags was any indication, bar
becue was her new favorite food.
“There’s chicken, ribs, crushed potatoes with herbs, coleslaw, corn bread…” He unpacked the bags as he rattled off everything he’d ordered.
Once she’d filled her plate, she bit into a piece of chicken. The savory barbecue flavor melted in her mouth. Florida life was looking up.
Hunt waited for her to swallow. “Well?”
“Amazing.”
“Told you so.” He bit into a rib.
The fact that she was enjoying Hunt’s company surprised her. He was different from any of the men she knew back home. More…rugged. Down to earth. Easy-going. He took his time with everything he did, never seemed to rush. She couldn’t help but wonder if that held true in every aspect of his life. Heat crept up her cheeks. She could get used to Hunt hanging around.
Hunt’s cellphone rang, interrupting him midbite.
“Sorry, I have to take this.” He wiped his hands on a napkin and answered. “Yeah.”
She knew right away he wouldn’t be finishing dinner.
“When?” He threw a couple of ribs onto a napkin and wrapped them up, then grabbed his tea. “I’m on my way.”
“Everything okay?”
“Better put Thor in the crate and grab your plate if you want to eat on the way.” He started closing containers of food and tossing them in the fridge.
She hurried to crate Thor. “What happened?”
“That was dispatch. Someone broke into the café.”
Chapter 10
Gia sifted through the papers scattered across her office floor. As far as she could tell, the intruder had gone through her office and the area behind the register where she kept some paperwork, but nothing important.
“Can you tell if anything’s missing?” Hunt stood with his hands on his hips and looked around at the scattered papers littering her office.
