“Cy Davies is back in town.” She had done it. She had beaten John and had gotten the news out first.
The door burst open once again as John entered. “And he’s a stuntman in Hollywood,” John gasped as the restaurant groaned in response.
“As a cover for being a spy with the CIA,” Miss Lily hurriedly yelled out to make sure she beat John.
“YES! Yes, yes, yes.” Pam Gilbert leaped up from her chair and did a dance in the middle of the café in her soccer mom attire of khaki capris and a polo shirt. “I won, I can’t believe I won.” The restaurant groaned again. “I can take the kids to Disney for vacation,” Pam squealed as she jumped around some more.
“I thought for sure he was an mixed martial arts fighter,” old man Tabby mumbled before digging into his sandwich.
“I thought he was a professional skier,” Trey Everett said as he slid into a booth next to some of his friends.
Miss Lily smiled at the dear boy . . . well, man now. Trey was back for the summer after his first year in college. He’d grown two inches and packed on thirty pounds of muscle during his first season playing college football. In fact, he’d done so well, he was transferring to Vanderbilt to play.
Pierce Davies had hired him to work on the farms and Trey jumped at the chance to be back home and train with Will Ashton. Not every kid got to train with an NFL player. But Will and Cade were so proud of him for making it into the Southeastern Conference that they agreed to work with him every day. She didn’t even have to guilt Will into it—he’d come up with the idea all on his own.
“Why is he coming home now? Is he injured again?” Miss Daisy asked as she finally gave Judge Cooper his catfish.
“He’s in trouble and we need to help him,” Miss Lily said with a thump of her broom.
Gemma had been quiet for the last couple hours as the debate raged on. Cy had filled them in on what was happening, and she had answered some questions here and there. Quite honestly, she was still in a state of shock. Cy had a tendency to understate things. Such as, “My brothers were in the Army” turned out to be “My brothers were Special Forces with high-level security clearances.”
“Hey.” Cy had broken away from his family and had come over to where she was sitting. “How are you doing?”
“I’m a little in shock, but I’m ready to get to work.”
“Good. Then let’s get going.” Cy nodded toward the door and held out his hand to help her up.
“Go where?”
“To get some lunch and find us a place to stay.”
“Us?” Gemma asked as she stood up.
“Yep. Mom’s converted the old room I shared with Cade and Pierce into the grandsons’ room and Paige’s old room into the granddaughters’ room. Then she turned Miles and Marshall’s room into a scrapbooking room.”
“I thought you lived in Keeneston.”
“I do. I have two hundred acres of land here, but no house. I plan on building. It’s one of my projects for my retirement.”
“Retirement? You’re what, 33-ish? How can you talk about retiring?”
“Between the CIA and my job in Hollywood, I have enough to live a very comfortable life. But, I wasn’t going to just sit at home. Pierce has been taking care of my land for over six years. It’s time I take it over.”
“So, where are we going to stay then?” Gemma asked. This family was loud, sarcastic, and a little scary, but they were genuine and she felt safe. She didn’t really want to leave the comfortable couch and venture back into the real world.
“I have just the place. Come on.”
“Maybe he was burned. Is that what it’s called?” Daisy Mae asked Judge Cooper as she cleared his dishes.
“Just because I’m a judge doesn’t mean I know about spies,” Judge Cooper quipped.
“Oh, don’t be a sore loser. Your guess of professional bull rider was a good one.” Daisy patted him on the shoulder before making her way to the kitchen.
“Well, whatever it is, I want to know about this woman with him,” Henry Rooney, the local defense attorney, asked with a smirk.
“You do, do you? And why is that?” Neely Grace asked from her tableful of Keeneston Belles.
Lily cringed. If anyone could keep Henry in line, it was Neely Grace. Not only was she an attorney in Lexington, she’d whipped those snobby Belles into shape faster than a rabbit’s nose can twitch. They were now planning a charity event to benefit the arts program at the elementary school.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to be negligent for not checking her out,” Henry said casually as he took a bite of his pecan pie.
Neely Grace rolled her eyes. “Miranda didn’t warn me about you.”
“Res ipsa loquitur, sweetheart. Your hot body speaks for itself. No need to be worried about some new woman in town.”
“For the love of the legal system . . . cut that out, you two.” Judge Cooper rapped his cup on the table as if it were a gavel and shook his head. “That’s just wrong. I’m going back to my chambers.”
Henry’s mouth opened and Miss Lily thwacked him with her broom. “Bless your heart, don’t go there. For all our sakes.”
Henry looked up at her and gave her a little wink before blowing Neely Grace a kiss. Oh, he was a cutie, all right, but there was only one man she was worried about fixin’ and it wasn’t Henry Rooney.
“Henry makes a good point. I haven’t heard a thing from the sheriff. I wonder if this has to do with the woman. Maybe she’s an international criminal,” Deputy Dinky said as he took a sip of iced tea.
“Or maybe it’s as simple as a girlfriend,” Noodle, Dinky’s partner, said.
“I like Dinky’s idea. I have twenty on international criminal,” Miss Daisy said as she pulled out her ever-present notebook and marked the newest bet.
“I’ll put ten on her being a spy from another country that he’s turned,” Pam said.
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Miss Daisy murmured as she took the bet.
Cy pulled the truck to a stop a block away from the café. The street was lined with cars. It was lunchtime, and since this was the only place to eat in the town, he knew it was going to be packed. “It’s right down there,” he told Gemma, pointing to the umbrellas providing shade to the bistro tables on the sidewalk.
“It’s a cute town. This is nothing like L.A.,” Gemma said as she took in the old façades of Main Street painted in the historic colors of tan, white, dark red, and grayish-blue. Flowers were blooming in the baskets hanging from the old-style lampposts where American flags fluttered in the warm breeze.
“It is. I remember being a teenager and thinking it was horrible. Everyone knew all my business. I couldn’t get into too much trouble because someone would tell my mom. And then, of course, everyone had an opinion about who I was dating, what sports I should be playing, or what I should do with my life.
“I left and never thought I’d want to come back. Funny thing happened. About one year after leaving, I started missing the place. By three years out, I missed the place so much I started buying up property just to keep my connection to the town. I knew then my goal was to work hard enough to make it back here,” Cy told her as he pushed open the door to the café. He had never told anyone so much about this town. It was part of his secret life he hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about and it felt good to tell her about his life, goals, and desires.
Cy walked into the café and stood grinning like a fool. The place had gone silent in a heartbeat. Everyone turned and stared at them with guilty looks all over their faces. Strange how he had actually grown to miss this.
“Were you all talking about us?” He laughed.
“Cy, welcome home, sweetheart.” Miss Lily wrapped him up in a tight hug as her sisters hurried over. He gave each Rose sister a kiss on the cheek and shook hands with everyone else from the town. His good friend, Coach Parks, gave him a tight hug as everyone peppered Cy with questions.
Gemma stood slightly behind Cy and watched the scene unfold around he
r. They had already known he was back in town and needed help. They had already known she was there and, one after another, shook her hand, gave Fred a pat, and introduced themselves to her.
“Cy,” she whispered, getting his attention, “how did these people know we were here?”
“I told you they had an information system better than the government’s,” Cy said with a grin. “Miss Lily, we need a place to stay. Mom’s turned my room into a baby’s room and Paige rented her apartment out to Bridget.”
“Oh, I know, dear. Are you adding to that?” she asked with a quick look to Gemma’s belly. Gemma blushed and then for a second time got self-conscious. Why was everyone thinking she was pregnant? Did she look fat or something?
“Nope, sorry,” Cy said easily.
“Dang,” Miss Lily said under her breath. “Why don’t you introduce us to your friend?”
“As many of you have met her already, I’ll keep it short. This is Gemma Perry. The same people behind Pierce and Tammy’s attempted murder and the dog-fighting ring murdered her sister. We need to keep her safe until we can capture them.” Cy paused as he saw the people nod their heads and whisper to each other. "Unfortunately, they’re after me, too, because of my time in the CIA.”
“So, is she a witness you’re trying to protect?” Trey asked from his seat next to his friends.
“Yes, exactly like that,” Cy nodded. Gemma looked around in confusion as the café groaned and Trey pumped his fist into the air. “So, Miss Lily, do you have room for us at the bed-and-breakfast?”
“How many rooms?”
“One” Cy said at the same time Gemma said, “Two.”
Gemma jumped back as the broom was raised and smashed onto Cy’s head. “You rascal. There is no hanky-panky going on at my place. Now, if you promise to behave yourself, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cy sounded humbled, but Gemma worried that the spark in his eye said he took it more as a challenge. She flushed with excitement or fear; she couldn’t tell which one she was more worried about.
Cy thanked Miss Lily as he put his bags down in his room across the hall from Gemma’s. A large sitting room stood between her door and his, but Cy wasn’t concerned. It couldn’t be that hard getting past Miss Lily. After all, Kenna and Will are now married and so are Dani and Mo. The ladies both stayed at Miss Lily’s bed-and-breakfast when they first arrived.
Cy started to unpack when his phone rang. “Hey, Miles. What’s up?”
“Come on out to my farm. The brothers are getting together for a ride around the property and we thought you’d want to see yours. Also, it’ll give us a chance to talk without Ma listening.”
“Sounds good. See you in twenty.” Cy hung up and dug out his cowboy boots from the bottom of his bag. His worn brown cowboy hat was in the back of his truck. Amazing how giving him those two things and a horse made him truly feel back at home.
Cy slipped on his boots and headed across the sitting room to knock on Gemma’s door. He waited as he heard her stumble in her room and curse under her breath.
The door was wrenched open and Gemma stood in nothing but a towel, her hair hanging in waves around her shoulders and her green eyes flashing with annoyance. “Yes?”
Cy was momentarily stunned by the sight of the swell of her breasts and shapely legs under the fluffy white towel. “Brothers.”
“What?”
Cy cleared his throat and tried again. “My brothers are getting ready to ride the property lines. They want to show me what they’ve done to my farm. I’m going to head out there. There’s going to be a deputy outside if you need anything. His name is Noodle. Are you okay with me heading out for a bit?”
Gemma took a deep breath and smiled. “Thanks for letting me know. I have a date with that amazing claw-footed tub and then I thought I'd open Gia’s box she left with the notebooks. Have a good time.”
“Here.” Cy handed a piece of paper to her and was rewarded when the towel slipped a little. “It’s my number. Call me if you need anything at all. I’ll be back by dinner.”
CHAPTER NINE
Cy leaned forward in the saddle and rubbed his horse’s sweaty neck as he looked at the massive fields. All of this was his and he was proud of it. His brothers raced to a stop next to him and stared him down.
“Do you always have to race?” Marshall asked. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve run a horse that fast?”
“Sorry, old man. I’ll make sure we go at a nice canter on the way home for you. Married with a kid on the way and look what happens to you. And you all wonder why I’m still single,” Cy teased.
“Ha-ha. You’ll see. Don’t knock it until you try it. I held out longer than any of you and now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long,” Miles told them as he gazed out over the rolling fields dotted with cattle.
“If you got married sooner, you would've ended up with a Belle,” Cade said with a mock shudder. “It’s just a good thing Morgan came back to town to save you from the summer picnics and charity galas.”
“True. And now I’m going to be a father. I still have trouble believing it,” Miles said in a wistful way that left Cy feeling slightly jealous.
“I guess I’m the last one standing. You all will have kids and I’ll be the strange bachelor uncle wanting their dads to come play poker,” Cy laughed as he teased his brothers.
“Yeah, right. You just moved into the number-one marriage spot on the list. I'm sure Marianne will have a write-up in the paper this week. You’ll be off the market in no time,” Pierce predicted.
“I’m not going to feel too sorry for you when all the single women of Keeneston descend upon you either. Not when you’re getting text messages from naked supermodels and America’s Sweetheart. I still can’t believe you were in that movie with her,” Cade said as he took off his cowboy hat and wiped his brow.
“Yeah, I guess I can’t complain about that,” Cy said with a grin.
“Yep, but payback’s a bitch and her name is Kandi,” Marshall laughed as he slapped Cy on the shoulder.
“Kandi? She’s married with like a couple of kids, right?”
“It’s never stopped her before,” Cade warned.
“What about Gemma?” Miles asked. “She was a little distant, but after what she’s gone through in the past twenty-four hours, I can’t really blame her for that. And boy, she’s a knockout. Curves in all the right places for me.”
Cy narrowed his eyes at Miles.
“That she is. And the women all liked her. Tammy thinks she’s really nice and has ordered me to have her over to our apartment for dinner,” Pierce told him.
“Yep. Katelyn, too.”
“And Annie.”
“Morgan sent me armed with an invitation for Gemma. You know, you all could've stayed with us. We have plenty of room.”
“I know. But y’all have wives and babies on the way. I don’t know how much danger I’m going to be in, but I thought I'd be safer in town where someone looking for me would have to get through the Rose sisters, John Wolfe, the PTA, the Belles, and every farmer in the area before finding us,” Cy explained.
“Well, you know we’re all here if you need us. We have a certain skill set that could come in handy. Well, except Pierce there. All he can do is invent robots,” Marshall joked.
“Ha-ha. My robot can kick your ass,” Pierce shot back.
“We’re just teasing. We couldn’t be prouder of you, and you too, Cy. What you’ve done is very dangerous and I’m sure has saved many lives,” Marshall said seriously.
Cy just nodded his head in response. He had saved lives. He’d stopped the bombing of an airplane bound for L.A. He’d broken up the sale of chemical weapons. He’d helped the Swiss secure their banking system to avoid increased hacking activity. Cy had never felt as if he had saved people, though. He was just doing his job. Miles, Marshall, and Cade had been the real heroes and he was just trying to make them proud.
“I’m proud of you, too
, bro. Now, what do you think of your land?” Pierce asked.
“It’s great. Thanks for buying it for me, Pierce. You picked a great area,” Cy said sincerely. Pierce had called him and told him this farm was for sale years ago. Marshall’s farm sat on one side and Cade’s on the other. It was filled with a mixture of rolling hills, woods, and a small creek.
“I think I want to build the house right over there.” Cy pointed to a clearing close to the boundary line with Cade’s property. “I can continue running the cattle in this pasture and maybe plant some crops in the fifty acres on the east side of the property.”
“Well, welcome home, brother. It’s great to have you back. We’ve missed you,” Cade said as he reached over to shake Cy’s hand.
* * *
Gemma pushed the swing with her big toe as she sat with one leg resting on the large porch swing. The bath had been restorative and she had gotten out with a renewed sense of justice. She slipped on a wispy white skirt and a green peasant top before heading downstairs with the notebooks and the box her sister had made.
Not wanting to feel closed in, Gemma had decided the large porch overlooking the street was the perfect place to see what secrets her sister held. With a quick wave to the sheriff’s cruiser keeping watch, Gemma looked around the porch for a place to work. The swing had called to her and with a deep breath, she set the box on her lap and opened the lid.
It was filled with pictures—some taken with a telescopic lens, others with a phone or a concealed camera, and a few seemed to be from the police department or other government offices. Gemma flipped through each one as her frustration grew. She didn’t know a single person in these pictures.
She fought off a feeling of despair as she dug deeper into the box. Her fingers paused as they came to an old, worn photograph. Gemma stood smiling at the camera with her left front tooth missing. She had a side ponytail sticking out the left side of her head while Gia smiled with a missing right front tooth and a side ponytail on the right side of her head. On the back, Gia had written the word Twins and decorated it with hearts. Her feeling of despair fled as she looked under the picture and found a stack of notes they wrote to each other in their twin language.
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