“Grandma Kate, there you are!” Tall with longish brown hair, the man’s smile lit up his entire face. Blue eyes twinkling, he bent down and placed a kiss on Kate’s cheek.
“Hello, Ethan, dear. I’ve come to see my sweet Grace. Here.” She handed him the box. “My daughter-in-law Bernice baked a couple of loaves of fresh bread, and I didn’t forget to include some of Tracy’s wonderful pastries, either.”
“You didn’t have to do that, but I have a feeling we’re all going to be very grateful you did, later. Come in! Hello, Emily Anne, it’s nice to see you again.” He stepped aside, and then his smiling gaze landed on Nancy.
“This is my granddaughter, Nancy Jessop. Nancy, this is Ethan Grant, one of Grace’s husbands.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ethan.” She held her hand out, completely relieved there was no zing when he shook it.
“Nice to meet you, too, Nancy.”
“We’re planning on going shopping over at Discretion, but nothing would do until we stopped in for a bit first.” Kate’s face showed her concern. “How is my sweet girl?”
“Hey there, Kate. I’m in here.”
Nancy didn’t know the woman at all so she didn’t know if that was irritation she heard in her voice, or not.
Ethan winked at her grandmother. “I think she’d rather answer that question for herself, Grandma Kate. Come on in and get comfortable. I’ll get some coffee for us.”
“Oh, Grace, just look at you!” Grandma Kate wasted no time going to the woman who sat in a huge recliner, with pillows tucked around her.
“Kate, I’m so happy to see you!” She made to get up but Kate placed a hand on her.
“No, you don’t. You just keep on sitting there and let me give you a hug.”
The look on Grace’s face definitely underscored her words, and Nancy found herself completely liking the woman just that fast. Clearly, Grace loved Kate. She knew the feeling was entirely mutual.
“My poor girl! But thank goodness you’re all right. And the little one?”
“He’s okay, Kate,” Grace laid her hand on her abdomen in what Nancy realized was a maternal, protective gesture. “We’re all taking a lot of care to see that he stays that way, too. Even to the extent that I’ve been banned from my laptop.” Her gaze shifted to the left, toward where Ethan had gone.
Grandma Kate sat on the corner of the sofa, close to Grace. She patted her hand. “Now, sweetheart, you know and I know that if Jack, Ethan, and Adam won’t let you use your laptop there must be a very good reason for it.” She looked at Emily Anne, and then turned her gaze on Nancy for a moment before putting her attention on her friend. “Nature made men physically stronger that we women, but emotionally, not so much. Nothing frightens a man more than when something happens to those he’s sworn by vow and nature to protect. I wasn’t there, but I bet that they all three felt helpless and frantic when they got the call that you’d been in an accident. A broken collarbone, wasn’t it? And a bruised sternum from the seat belt. Are you wearing a brace, sweetheart?”
“I am. It’s got a side benefit I didn’t expect. It’s taking some of the pressure off my lower back that I’d begun feeling with this pregnancy.”
“Well, no wonder that your men said no laptop! I’ve seen you at work, sweet girl. You tend to hunch forward. That can’t be helping you to heal.”
“I know you’re right, Kate.” Grace sighed. “I’m just not used to doing nothing.” Then she smiled at Nancy.
“Oh, you haven’t met my Nancy. She’s Anna, Craig, and Jack’s daughter, just come back from working in Washington, DC!”
“Hello, Nancy. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Thank you. I’ll say the same. I hope you’re better soon.”
“Oh, I will be. I’m just a bit impatient, is all.”
“A bit?” Ethan came into the room carrying a tray with coffeepot, cups, cream, and sugar.
Grace gave him a kind of lopsided grin. He set the tray on the coffee table and bent to give her a kiss. Her hand went up to caress the side of his face.
For all that the kiss could be rated G, Nancy thought it was the most loving and tender kiss she’d seen in a long, long time.
“Kate brought some of Tracy’s cream puffs,” Ethan said. “I’ll go put some on a plate and bring them out.”
“Thank you, Kate, although I don’t know if I can afford the calories. It’s not as if I’m working anything off.”
Kate waved her hand. “One or two won’t hurt you. Besides, as a former nurse, I can tell you that when the body’s healing, it burns more calories than normal. Looking at it that way, a couple of good, fresh cream puffs will speed the healing process.”
Grace laughed, and Nancy was captivated by the way the woman sparkled.
“I don’t know if that’s true or not.” Grace smiled. “But it sounds darn good to me.”
It appeared to Nancy, as she listened to the two women talk, that they were indeed good friends. Grace seemed to perk right up with the news that she and Emily Anne were heading out shortly to Discretion.
“You two take yourselves off and shop,” Kate said. “I’ve decided I want to stay and visit with Grace a bit longer. You can pick me up on the way back, and then we’ll check in.” She looked over at Grace. “We’re staying the night at the Hourglass Inn. Later this afternoon we’ll go visit Veronica and her men.” She sent Nancy a grin that looked full of the devil. “If I stay here and visit, then you can feel free to buy anything you want at Summer’s wonderful boutique—anything at all.”
When Kate winked at her, Nancy felt her cheeks heat. Grace sent her a coy-looking smile.
“Are you shopping for yourself, or for someone else—or a couple of them?” Grace asked.
“Nancy came home from DC, and these two hot and handsome G-men came to Lusty right after her,” Kate said.
Grace chuckled, but mostly, Nancy thought, because her grandmother had teased her. “I can assure you that you’ll find all that you need or want at Discretion. I’m going to give Summer a call and let her know y’all are on your way.” She sighed. “I would love to go with you, Nancy. You’re so pretty. It would be a lot of fun picking out some special things for you to wear for your men.”
“Thank you. I’m not a great shopper. Maybe we’ll make a day of it another time? I’d appreciate the help.” Even sitting in her own home, convalescing, Grace Warner exuded a confident and very classy style. Nancy wasn’t ashamed to admit that she really had no solid sense of style. It simply wasn’t one of her talents. She would love to take advantage of Grace Warner’s obvious ability in that area.
Kate patted Grace’s hand. “Soon, dear girl, you’ll be back to normal activities. I can tell you from experience that the most trying of times, when you look back on them, seem like not much at all, in the grand scheme of things.”
“My mother might have said something just like that,” Grace said. “Thank you for reminding me.”
Three quarters of an hour later, Nancy had to admit that Kate had been right to point her toward the pretty refurbished Victorian building in the city of Morehead that housed Discretion.
White lace curtains let in the bright sunshine, and it seemed to Nancy the entire store sparkled.
As soon as she stepped into the boutique her eye was caught by a shiny statue to the right. Stepping closer, she saw that the nude—minus head, hands, and feet—had been entirely crafted of stainless steel eating utensils. A little plaque at the base read, “Justin Connors, Metal Artist.”
She’d never seen anything so compelling. She could envision a metal statue in her bookstore. She wondered if he created anything mythical. Nancy made a mental note to look him up later.
From the statue, she looked around at the rest of the shop. Her hungry gaze took in not only lingerie and apparel but jewelry and shoes. There were books and various sex toys on display, too.
I’ve definitely come to the right place.
Summer Webster greeted Emily Anne like an old fri
end—which, Nancy mused, she was. Then the shop owner turned her smiling eyes on her and Nancy knew she was being looked at in a friendly and assessing way.
Emily Anne performed the introductions. Summer shook her hand. “Our coloring is similar, but I think your skin tone is a bit lighter. I have some new arrivals that I think you’ll like. Let me get a few measurements, first.” Summer grabbed a tape and began to do just that as she spoke. “There’s this really nice light plum lingerie set that I think would look fabulous on you.” Then she met Nancy’s gaze. “Will you trust me to pick a few things out for you?”
Nancy would be the first to admit she didn’t know elegant from egad. She often relied on the assistance of clerks she didn’t even know, sales personnel whose loyalty was to their commissions and not her best interests.
Summer already felt like a friend—and Emily Anne, standing behind Summer, was vigorously nodding her head yes.
Nancy laughed. “Okay, I’ll trust you, Summer. Lead on.”
While Summer picked out several eye-pleasing sets of lingerie—and one very daring-looking merry widow—another shopping party entered the store, waved to Summer, and began looking around on their own.
Nancy let herself absorb the sounds of female chatter, even as she immersed herself in the textures, colors, and ultimately the fit of the lovely garments Summer Webster chose for her.
Everything she tried on looked like it was made for her. It had been too many years since she’d gone shopping for anything sexy, and she’d never done it to please a man, let alone two.
Her selections made an impressive pile on the sales counter—which was actually an antique lingerie display cabinet. Nancy took a moment to appreciate the piece of furniture. The top looked to be solid oak and felt warm to the touch. The front featured glass-faced drawers that afforded tantalizing glimpses of the intriguing items within.
As Nancy continued to look around the boutique, she spied a belted wrap she had to have. Then she let her gaze stray to the toys inside another old-fashioned display case. You’re next.
“What’s the matter, Mary?”
Nancy cast a brief glance at one of the newly arrived shoppers who was digging frantically through her purse. Lost something, she thought. Nancy turned her attention back to the wrap.
“I can’t find my cell phone. It’s always in my purse, except for…well, hell.”
“Where’d you leave it?” Her friend sounded amused.
“On my night table. It’s always in my purse, except for when I go to bed at night. Then it’s on my nightstand.”
Just like me. And the unknown woman’s words hit Nancy with the force of a tsunami.
“Is there something wrong?” Summer’s concerned gaze brought her back to the moment. Nancy shook her head. “No, I’m fine. But I think I did just solve a little mystery.” She couldn’t wait to get back to her men the next day to share her certain knowledge.
Chapter 18
“I forgot just how hot the spring gets here in the South.”
“That’s what always tells me I’m in Texas.” Jeremiah stood back a moment and wiped the sweat from his brow. He ached in muscles he’d forgotten he had. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He scanned the area and spotted Eli. His friend was perched high, straddling a beam, using a nail gun as if he’d been born with it, instead of the proverbial silver spoon. Working with him, Jordan Kendall, who had been born with both nail gun and silver spoon, held the roofing sheet while Eli tacked it in place.
Both men were wearing safety harnesses—something the women who happened to be on site had insisted upon, first thing.
Jackson Benedict came over with three bottles of water in his hands. He gave one to Duncan Moore, one of Chase and Brian’s ranch hands, and one to Jeremiah and then his gaze, too, took in the men and the progress. Jeremiah and Eli had both been floored that the “newly arrived” Benedicts they were going to help today turned out to be the famous pro football players known as The Wonder Twins, late of the Billings Badgers.
Duncan drank deeply, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “I’m going to go see how Alan’s making out.”
“We’re going to work from the ground, next,” Jackson said. “So if they need to put you elsewhere, just go on ahead. And take your time, man. I don’t think you’ve taken a break all morning.”
“No, but I’ll sleep damn good tonight.” Moore grinned, then made a beeline for his best friend—the site lead hand and temporarily wounded Alan Wilson.
“He’s a hard worker,” Jeremiah said. “Everyone is, and it shows. We’ve made good progress so far.”
“We’ve made incredible progress so far.” Jackson shook his head. “All that was here this morning was a cured concrete slab. Now look. There’ll be four walls and a roof by sunset. We’ll just have the inside to finish—and I bet the guys get a good start on that before calling it a day, too.”
“It has to help when you have a contractor heading the team,” Jeremiah said.
“It does. Jordan built the house as well as the other barn—and I didn’t find out until later that he drew up the blueprints himself. The man has got major chops as a builder.”
Jeremiah had counted, earlier, because he was anal like that. There were more than thirty men here, lending their backs and their hands to help build this barn.
“Oh, watch this.” Jackson, grinning, pointed to where an older man—Caleb Benedict, Texas Ranger, retired—had put a ladder up against a side of the building where there was nothing yet but frame. He looked as if he was about to climb up to the top and give Jordan and Eli a hand. He no sooner got the ladder positioned when two younger men—Jeremiah was pretty certain they were Benedicts, too—approached. One distracted Caleb, and the other took the ladder. “They’ve been doing that all day. You’d think by now, Caleb and Jonathan would get the message.” Jackson shook his head.
“What makes you think they haven’t?” Jeremiah, too, had seen this play out a few times already that day. He’d made a few subtle inquiries. “Keep looking.” Jeremiah grinned, knowing what was coming next. The younger man who’d distracted him got Caleb to follow him—and as he and Jackson watched, Caleb flashed a nod and a thumbs-up to his brother, Jonathan.
“Well, son of a…”
“The others referred to those younger two as geeks. Apparently they aren’t very ‘handy’ when it comes to power tools or building things. Usually the others work around them, but with so many here today, they were put on ‘uncle duty,’ meaning, they were to keep those two, who are uncles to most everyone else but fathers to them, from climbing or doing other things men in their later years ought not to do.” Jeremiah grinned. “Keeps all four of them safe without making anyone feel useless, is my guess.”
“Well dayum. Who’s the egghead who thought of that one?”
“If I had to guess, I would say Adam Kendall,” Jeremiah said. “The man takes his responsibility to serve and protect very seriously.”
“He does that,” Jackson said. “And thank God for it.”
Jeremiah knew when a man wanted to tell a story. He accompanied Jackson to the back of the structure, and helped him begin installing some of the siding. The barn, when finished, would be ringed at the bottom by a three-foot-high stonework facade. That was the only part of the process for which professional builders—friends of Jordan’s—would be used. The rest of the outside would be wood planking that had been especially pressure treated and weather proofed.
“We could have gone with steel buildings for both barns,” Jackson said. “But we liked the look of the wood and stone together. And this has a more permanent feel to it.”
Jeremiah had to agree. He looked over at the first barn, fully completed and functional, and with tenants already—twelve magnificent-looking horses. He didn’t know much about ranching, or animals, but he could tell that Jackson and Cord did—as did several of the Kendalls, Benedicts, and Jessops gathered here today.
“This barn is, what, half again the size of the fi
rst?”
“You’ve a good eye. It is exactly that.”
They worked together in silence for a time. Finally, Jackson said, “Word gets around—especially in Lusty. You have any more trouble with someone coming after your woman?”
Jeremiah liked that people freely referred to Nancy as his woman—his and Eli’s. “No one seems to have followed her, so far, except us. At least, not that we’re aware of.” That was the only thing. With each day, if someone was indeed targeting their woman, the chance that he—or she—would strike became greater and greater.
“You know that everyone’s got their eyes open for anyone who doesn’t belong, right?” Jackson said.
Jeremiah had been prepared to lend an ear and counsel to the retired quarterback. But that, apparently, wasn’t the sort of “talk” Jackson Benedict had in mind—it was the reverse. “They do?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t that long ago that Cord and I were new in town, and on a similar path—trying to win over the woman meant to be ours. I recognize not just the signs, but the fact that the two of you are on alert.”
“The cop part of us comes through,” Jeremiah said. “It is what it is.”
Jackson nodded. “Fair enough. But tell me something, did you wonder how it was Grandma Kate walked right up—the night you first arrived and came in to Lusty Appetites—and greeted the two of you as if she’d been expecting you?” Jackson waited for Jeremiah to get the piece of siding in exactly the right spot. Then he put in the first few screws, to hold it in place.
Jeremiah stepped back to check the fit, and nodded. Then they both finished securing the piece of siding. He shot a look at Jackson. “No, I never thought about it. She’s such a warm and welcoming woman, I thought she was just being friendly.”
“Five will get you ten she knew who you were the moment you stepped into Kelsey’s restaurant, and she’d very likely even read your security file.”
Jeremiah must have made a real sour-looking face. Jackson laughed, and slapped him on the back.
“Don’t worry. No one hacked into a government computer.” Jackson shrugged. “Kate Benedict looks like a meek little granny but trust me when I tell you she is nobody’s little old lady. She has contacts you would not believe—and wields a power that very few people in life can equal.”
Love Under Two Undercover Cops [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 17
