With her father’s death, her life had fallen apart like a house of cards. She no longer could afford tuition or new clothes or even the car her dad had bought her. She’d settled his bills by selling everything they had. Then she’d bought a cheap car and moved her and her mother into an apartment.
She still lived there.
But now she had her friendship with Vanessa back, and Will and Vivian in her life. And for the past year since she’d gotten involved in finding Vanessa’s siblings, she had Jim. The fantasy Jim anyway. From the moment she’d seen his picture, his face had spoken to her. She felt like she knew him—intimately.
She was definitely attracted to him.
But that was the fantasy Jim, she reminded herself. The fantasy Jim opened himself up to her, allowed her to love him. But the real Jim…? So far he remained the stoic soldier returning from war.
Carrie laid out her clothes for the morning and finally went to bed, in the arms of a strong-jawed fantasy man.
JIM AWOKE LATER than he’d expected. He attributed it to the airline travel yesterday, and meeting his family for the first time.
When he emerged from the shower, the phone in his room was ringing.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Jim, it’s Will Greenfield. Have you had breakfast yet?”
“No. I’m running late this morning.”
“How about you join Carrie and me downstairs in the coffee shop? I want to buy you breakfast.”
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“I know I don’t, but I want to discuss the job I mentioned yesterday. I figure breakfast is the least I owe you if you’ll listen to me.”
Jim realized this man was determined. Until he heard his pitch, Will wouldn’t leave him alone. He looked at his watch. “I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
“Fine. We’ll have coffee waiting for you,” Will promised.
It was the “we” that bothered Jim. He liked Will Greenfield. But Carrie… There was something there when he looked at her. Something that made him want to run in the other direction. He should run in the other direction he told himself. He didn’t want to hurt her. And that was all he’d bring Carrie. Or any woman.
He dressed in black slacks and a royal-blue dress shirt. After all, he was no longer a soldier. When he looked in the mirror, it was strange to see himself in anything but khaki-green. Hoping he hadn’t made a mistake in leaving the service, he picked up his billfold and his room key and headed for the coffee shop to face Will and Carrie.
When he entered the coffee shop, he looked around for Will Greenfield. But all he saw was Carrie Rand in a bright red suit, sitting in a booth. He frowned. He hadn’t planned on a breakfast alone with Carrie. The less time he spent with her the better everything would be.
He considered returning to his room, but he’d agreed to breakfast. Reluctantly he walked over to the booth.
Carrie glanced up and gasped. “Jim! You’re not wearing your uniform.”
“No. I’m a civilian now,” he said.
“But yesterday—” Carrie began.
“Was my last day in the military. I was traveling and it was easier to do so in uniform. Where’s Will?”
“Um, he had an emergency call he had to take. Please sit down, Jim. He should be back shortly.” Carrie signaled the waitress, who came to the table with a pot of coffee.
“Here’s a hungry man,” Carrie said with a smile. “Please pour him some coffee and maybe he’ll be ready to order in a minute.”
“I can order now, if you’re ready,” Jim said quietly.
“We’ve already ordered. I asked our waitress to hold our order until you got here. Will said for us to go ahead and not wait for him.”
“I’ll take two eggs over easy, bacon, wheat toast and a short stack of pancakes.”
“You certainly seem to know your mind, Jim. Will likes that.”
“It’s a habit the marines encourage,” Jim said with a nod.
“I bet you were a fast learner, too,” Carrie said, hoping to see Jim smile. She was sure a smile would increase his handsome quotient tremendously. Which was pretty incredible since she’d thought his stern appearance would be hard to beat.
Jim said, “Yeah.”
He took a sip of his coffee. Then he noticed Carrie was drinking some kind of cola. “You don’t drink coffee?” he asked.
“No. Diet Coke has caffeine, too. I drink it in the morning.”
“I can see that in the summer, but in winter? Don’t you want something hot?”
“If I feel cold, I drink hot tea,” Carrie admitted. “I’ve got all the stuff for hot tea at the office. Sometimes I drink it there.”
Jim looked at Carrie, puzzling over her relationship with Will. If Will hadn’t shown how much he loved his wife and son, Jim might’ve thought they were having an affair. But Will seemed to act like a father to Carrie.
“So you like working for Will?”
“Yes, of course,” Carrie said at once.
The waitress delivered their breakfasts and silence reigned as they ate. Then, with a second cup of coffee in front of him, Jim looked at Carrie. “I’m still not sure if Will really has a job open or he’s simply doing what Vivian wants him to do.”
“Surely you don’t believe—”
“Why else would he offer a job to a stranger?” Jim challenged her.
“You’re not a stranger, Jim.” Carrie nodded as Jim’s gaze narrowed. “When Vivian first asked Will to find Vanessa’s siblings, he warned her that they might not be the kind of people she would want Vanessa to know.” She grinned. “Even he will admit he had low expectations of the rich. He figured Vivian thought Vanessa’s siblings would be wealthy, like her.”
“And they weren’t?”
“We found Rebecca first, in Arkansas. She was a single mother with no help from her adoptive parents. They wouldn’t even speak to her. She was providing for her son and continuing her college classes at night.”
“So he invited her to Texas for a visit?” Jim asked.
“Not on your life. He wouldn’t do that until he had figured out what was going on in her life. He went to Arkansas so he could interview her in person.”
“That sounds safe.”
“It was—until Vivian insisted on going with him. He told her she could go on the condition that she didn’t reveal her identity. He told Rebecca she was his assistant.”
“And she bought that?”
“She did until Vivian told her differently. Once Vivian met her, she insisted she come back to Dallas to meet her sister.” Carrie smiled. “You see, Vivian sees with her heart, not her head. She’s different from most rich people, and that’s how she raised Vanessa, too.”
“Is that when Will fell for her?” Jim asked, doubt in his voice.
“I don’t think it was that fast. Will had been married before to a lady who wanted money, however she could get it. She divorced Will to marry a man almost twenty years older than her because he was wealthy.”
“It makes it seem unlikely that he’d fall for Vivian, then.”
Carrie chuckled. “He was a goner when he saw Vivian’s generosity to Rebecca, offering her a home, helping her return to school full-time, becoming Joey’s grandma. That’s how she convinced Will without even trying. He realized she was different from the rich women he’d met in the past.” Carrie paused, then gauging Jim’s expression, said, “All of which is a long explanation so you’ll understand that we know a great deal about you.”
He looked confused. “I don’t see how Will’s love life explains why you already know a lot about me.”
“It explains how Will wouldn’t invite you to come meet your family unless he believed you wouldn’t disappoint Vivian and your sisters. We’ve talked to many of your superior officers. We know about your returning to college to get a degree and moving up in the officer ranks. We’ve talked to men who served under you.” Carrie stopped talking because of the frown on Jim’s face.
“And wha
t did you find that made you think I’d be a good P.I.?” he demanded.
“You’re smart, decisive, caring, honest,” Carrie said. “You can handle yourself in a fight, you majored in computer science and you’re a good friend.”
“You already knew about my degree when Will asked about my computer skills?” Jim asked, one eyebrow raised.
Carrie had the grace to look a little embarrassed. “Yes. We weren’t sure how you’d feel about having been investigated.”
“I don’t like it one damn bit!”
Carrie kept her gaze fixed on her plate, pretending to ignore Jim’s glare.
“If someone you loved wanted to find a stranger, wouldn’t you investigate the person before you introduced them?” Carrie asked gently.
After a moment of silence, Jim said, “Yeah, I would. But that doesn’t mean I want to work as a P.I.”
“Never said it did,” Will agreed, suddenly appearing at the table. “But I hope Carrie explained everything to you. We need some help. If you don’t agree to work for me, I’ll have to find someone else.” Will sat at the table and waved for the waitress to bring his breakfast.
“Tell me about the work.”
Will began to tell him about cases they had pending, between bites, pointing out that most of their cases involved investigating people trying to trick the insurance companies. “Occasionally, we take cases that the police have given up on. Or cases like Vivian’s.”
“No divorce cases? No tailing cheating husbands?”
“I try to avoid them.”
Jim looked at Carrie. “What do you do?”
“The same work as Will.”
“You actually tail people?”
“Of course.”
“You carry a gun?”
“Yes.”
Jim raised his cup and took a long drink of coffee. Then he looked at Will. “How about a trial run? I’ll work for you for a week, no pay. If I like the work, we’ll talk.”
“That’s more than fair. Let’s shake on it,” Will said, extending his hand to Jim.
After shaking Will’s hand, Jim extended his hand to Carrie.
Reluctantly, slowly, she gave him her hand, hoping he wouldn’t realize she was shaking more than his hand. She had a thing about shaking hands. It told her a lot about a person. But she already knew about Jim. Shaking his hand only confirmed her attraction to him. To the real Jim.
“Well,” Will said, “shall we go to the office? If you can catch on to what we do on the computer, Carrie has some fieldwork to do. You can use her desk.”
Jim again looked at Carrie.
All she could manage was a nod agreeing with Will’s statement.
“Are you going to stay here for the week? That will be kind of expensive.” Will paused and then said, “Since you’re working for free, you could stay with us. We really do have plenty of room.”
“I don’t think—”
“Then I’ll have to pay you a salary for the first week.”
“No, I—”
“Vivian will ask. She’d be horrified at my taking advantage of you.”
“Fine. You can pay me minimum wage for the week. Until I catch on, that’s all I’ll be worth anyway.”
Will blinked several times. Then he said, “It’s a deal. But we’d still like to have you move in with us.”
“That’s very kind, but no thank you.”
Carrie smiled. Jim had just proven her right. She’d told Will this morning she didn’t think Jim would go along with his offer.
“So you’re going to stay here?” Will asked.
“I’m going to look for an apartment, but I’ll stay here until I find something.” Jim stood. “I need to go get my jacket. I’ll be right back.”
Once Jim had left the table, Carrie grinned at Will. “I won that bet,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, you did. I’d hoped I could persuade him.”
“I know, for Vivian. But they’ll get to see him often and he’ll get used to a big family after a while.”
“I guess it has been kind of sudden.” He stood. “We’d better head for the office.” He waved the waitress over for their bill.
“Can you show him what we need done on the computer?” Will asked as he paid.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. It’s not that difficult.”
“Then what will you do?”
“Fieldwork, like you said.”
“Nothing dangerous, right?”
Carrie shrugged her shoulders. “I have a couple of specific cases in mind.”
“Which ones?” Will asked.
“The Moore case…and maybe the Riley case.”
“No! I’ll do that one, Carrie. I told you that one is dangerous. That man is amoral. He won’t hesitate to kill anyone who’s trying to stop him from getting his money.”
“And that’s why I have to do it. He would suspect you, but he won’t suspect me.”
“No. I won’t allow you to go alone.”
“Trouble in paradise?” Jim asked, coming up alongside them.
“Carrie wants to do something dangerous, and I won’t let her,” Will said firmly.
“It’s obvious you just want to protect her,” Jim said, raising one eyebrow.
“I am. But she thinks she has to protect me.”
“Vivian made me promise,” Carrie said with a light chuckle that defused the situation.
“Uh, I’m ready to go,” Jim said, garnering Will’s attention.
“Fine. Do you want to turn in your rental car? We could follow you and pick you up.”
“No, thanks,” Jim said, “I’ll keep it until I buy a car.”
“I’m just trying to save you some money,” Will explained.
“I never said I was penniless,” Jim protested.
Carrie stepped closer to the two men. “I think Jim can handle his personal life. Shall we go to the office?”
“Yeah,” Will said. “Sorry, Jim. I’m used to— I try to take care of the family.”
“I appreciate that, Will, but I’m pretty independent.”
“Well, we’ll see you at the office. You can follow us if you want. Or better yet, Carrie can ride with you and show you how to find the office.”
“I managed to find it yesterday, Will,” Jim pointed out.
“Ride with him, Carrie,” Will said, and walked off.
Chapter Four
“I’m sorry,” Carrie said softly as they watched Will walk away.
“For what?”
“For Will forcing you to take me in your car. It was obvious you didn’t want to.”
Jim stared straight ahead, his jaw squared. “I never said that.”
Carrie shrugged her shoulders. “You said it, just not in words. I know enough about people to read their body language.”
“Is that so?”
He didn’t sound impressed with her claim.
“Yes, but I won’t bother to apologize again.”
They got in his car and drove in silence.
Finally Jim spoke. “So, you like working for Will?”
“I work with Will,” she said, leaving him in no doubt that she considered the partnership a reality.
“So you bought in?”
She stared at him. “Why did you ask that like you didn’t believe my buying in was a possibility?”
“I didn’t mean to. I asked that question because I was wondering how much money I’d need if I wanted to buy in, assuming the week goes well.”
“Oh.” Carrie turned to stare out the window.
“So you’re not going to tell me?”
“I’m a junior partner, not a full partner. You’d have to discuss that with Will.” She kept her face averted. She didn’t want him to see the hope in her eyes. It might scare him away.
“Okay. I’ll wait until the week is up before I talk to Will.”
“Yes. That’s a good idea.”
“Okay. Why did Will try to get me to move in with him and Vivian?”
“Beca
use Vivian really does think all Vanessa’s siblings should have been part of their family. She wants the best for all of you.”
“I’m an adult, not an orphan,” Will protested. “That’s not necessary.”
Carrie shrugged again. “There’s a spirit in Vivian that draws you to her. And she never sees the flaws. She acts like a mother to everyone. I appreciate her even more now since my mother is gone. I don’t have any real family. But I have Will, Vivian and Vanessa and everyone that comes in contact with them.”
“I don’t need to be mothered,” Jim said tightly.
“Don’t hurt Vivian’s feelings. That’s the best advice I can give you.”
“I don’t look for ways to hurt people, Carrie. But I’m not used to being…involved in a family.”
“I think you’re not used to being loved,” she replied.
His jaw clenched again. “It doesn’t pay to love me! Ask Wally! Ask my parents! Ask my sisters! Ask Lani!”
“Who is Lani?” Carrie asked at once.
“Never mind.” He wheeled the car into a parking space beside the office building where Greenfield and Associates was located. He threw the gearshift into Park and stepped out of the car as soon as Will pulled up next to them.
Clearly Jim was through talking.
“IS THAT IT?” Jim asked, frowning as he looked over Carrie’s shoulder. After he’d met with Will, she’d taken a couple of hours to teach him how to use the computer to track down information.
“Yes,” she explained, “but we redo many of our cases to determine activity. For example, if a man with back injuries that require him to be in a wheelchair buys a boat, we might want to revisit the subject.”
“Are people that dumb?”
“They have to spend their ill-gotten gains somehow. And frequently, we’ll find they collected on other insurance policies earlier. Repeat criminals.”
“I gather they’re not happy to be discovered.”
“Right, but it’s not our job to try the case. Just to provide evidence.” She stood, forcing Jim to take a step back.
“This digital camera is as important a tool as the computer. We get photos that prove the subject isn’t injured, and we send them over the Internet to the insurance company.”
A Soldier's Return Page 4
