by Nan Dixon
Nigel. The name rang a bell. Was that the old guy who worked for the B and B?
“Complaining he wants to go home.”
“Oh, dear.” Cheryl bit her lip. “He can’t. He needs physical therapy, right?”
Kaden nodded.
Courtney wished she’d worn one of the sundresses still packed in her bags, but her white top and coral capri pants were dressier than any other woman’s outfit in the room. She moved toward the cluster of people standing near the table, swaying her hips a little.
“Hi, Courtney.” Dolley nodded in her direction, no smile on her face.
“Courtney,” Bess said. “I didn’t know you were here.”
The two Fitzgerald sisters looked at her, waiting for an explanation. Courtney wouldn’t let her teeth grind. “I surprised Gray.”
“Oh.” Bess shoved her long red ponytail over her shoulder. Didn’t the Fitzgeralds realize men preferred women’s hair to be cascading around their breasts? It fueled their imaginations.
Liam wrapped his arm around Dolley’s waist. One of the twin brothers set a hand on Bess’s shoulder.
“Daniel, you remember Gray’s sister?” Bess asked.
He nodded, drinking his beer.
“Good to see you again, Daniel,” Courtney lied. Twin One identified.
Everyone stared at her. Were they waiting for her to speak? Or was it her clothes? Could she help it if she was beautiful? Sure, the Fitzgerald women had their...charm. But she’d been taught to highlight her assets.
“People, meet Kaden.” Abby introduced him to everyone, even Cheryl—an employee—and Nathan, Twin Two, who was apparently engaged to Cheryl and father of Issy.
When Abby introduced her, Courtney set her hand in Kaden’s, letting her fingers linger. “Lovely to meet you.”
His eyebrows arched a fraction. “Nice to meet you.”
Oh, my. Her belly did a lovely slow roll. He was a good-looking man.
Kaden turned and said something to Daniel.
She let her hand slip to her side. Her breath hitched on a bubble of panic. Men didn’t turn away from her.
Everyone talked in groups, excluding her. They talked in shorthand. She couldn’t keep up. Courtney rolled her shoulders. Who cared? These people weren’t part of her world.
“Let’s eat,” Abby said.
Cheryl and Abby laughed and talked as they brought platters and bowls to the table. Everyone was part of a conversation. Everyone but her. Even Kaden slipped into the flow.
She waited until someone told her where to sit, then glided into the chair next to Josh. Since she sat directly across from Kaden, maybe she could figure out why he hadn’t flirted with her.
She waited through grace, then passed dishes, asking Josh, “Can I serve you?”
He nodded and pointed to a large piece of fish on the platter. “I caught a big fish on the Fourth of July.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. A red fish. My mom cooked it.” He added quinoa salad to his plate and passed the bowl to her. “It was the biggest fish of the day.”
“That must have been fun,” she said. “I’ve never fished before.”
His brown eyes went big and his mouth dropped open. “Mr. Gray, why hasn’t your sister ever fished?”
Gray glanced over. “My sister doesn’t fish.”
“That’s just wrong,” Josh insisted.
Gray winked at him. “She might mess up her hair or clothes.”
Everyone laughed. At her.
Heat spread across Courtney’s face. “Father never took me fishing,” she explained.
There’d been so many boundaries in her life. Fishing was something only Gray and dear old Dad had done. It was not one of the restrictions she’d wanted to breach.
“I can teach you.” The kid looked from under his long blond eyelashes up at Daniel. “If we can take Uncle Daniel’s boat out.”
“Josh,” Cheryl admonished.
“I guess we could fish from shore somewhere.” The boy shot an innocent look at Courtney. “Do you wanna go tomorrow?”
This time she laughed with everyone. “I don’t think so.”
She joked with Josh and ate a fabulous dinner because, of course, her brother had married someone who was not only a businesswoman, but also an incredible chef. What sister wouldn’t be miffed that her sister-in-law overshadowed her in everything? Except beauty.
She glanced across the table. Kaden wasn’t even trying to attract her attention. Her stomach churned around the small bites of food she’d been able to swallow. She couldn’t take his indifference any longer. “Did you grow up in Savannah?”
Kaden looked up from his plate. “What?”
“Did you grow up here?”
“I spent most of my childhood down on Tybee.”
Josh leaned over the table. “I bet you fished down there.”
“My grandfather and I fished.” A smile broke across Kaden’s face, a dimple appearing on his cheek. My, my. He was handsome. “We’d take his boat into the intercoastal waters.”
“I don’t know what that is, but can you take me fishing?” Josh asked Kaden.
“As much fun as that sounds, I’m here to take care of my grandfather.”
“What happened to Nigel?” Courtney could almost pull up an image of a dapper older man with thick white hair.
Kaden’s smile slipped away. “He broke his hip.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound good. “Is he okay?”
“He came through surgery well.” Kaden shook his head. “Now he needs physical therapy and time to heal.”
She nodded, not really understanding what healing from a broken hip entailed. “How is he handling being hospitalized?”
“He’s not in the hospital anymore. He’s in a rehabilitation center.”
“Oh.” She was so out of her depth.
“I like Nigel.” Josh bounced a little in his chair. “He let me help paint the walls.”
“Yeah. He’s a good guy.” Kaden’s face softened.
“I know Nigel told us you live in Atlanta, but what do you do there?” Gray asked.
Kaden blinked. “I followed his example.”
“Construction?” Gray waved his hand around the table. “We’ll have to talk.”
“So how long are you staying?” Dolley called down the table.
Courtney waited for Kaden to answer.
“Courtney?” Dolley asked.
“Oh, me?” She shook her head. “I’m not sure. A couple of weeks?”
“You’re not sure? Oh, right. You don’t have a job to go back to,” Dolley said snippily.
“No, I don’t. I miss my brother. I saw him a lot more when he lived in Boston.” Courtney hoped she sounded convincing. “If the mountain won’t come to Mohammad...”
The three Fitzgerald sisters’ reddish-blond eyebrows went up at the same time. Dolley said under her breath, “Well, bless your heart.”
“We’re glad you’re here,” Abby choked out, glancing at Dolley.
“Thank you.” She knew what Dolley meant. The bitch. They didn’t want her here. Well, news flash, she didn’t want to be here, either.
Everyone returned to their conversations, excluding her again. She didn’t care about remodeling or houses or Abby’s restaurant. Even Josh focused on Kaden and fishing.
Would dinner never end? Please, Mother; I want to come home. Convince Father to let me out of purgatory.
CHAPTER THREE
COURTNEY’S FLASHING BLUE eyes haunted Kaden as he headed up the Carleton House stairs to his room. She was a beautiful woman, but she knew it. Her moves were choreographed down to each flip of her hair. Was there anything interesting behind her stunning jewel-like eyes?
; Kaden tugged off his shirt and threw it into the closet, then patted his full stomach. He couldn’t remember eating a better meal. No wonder his granddad raved about Abby’s cooking and hospitality. The Fitzgeralds were great. They’d invited him, a stranger, to a family dinner.
The sisters and their partners had all visited his granddad. Every day someone brought him food, flowers or company.
How did Courtney fit in? It was obvious she and Gray were related, but she had that uppity Boston accent he’d heard only when training at Quantico.
He slid open his phone and called Roger, updating him on his conversation with Nathan.
“So Forester hasn’t seen Bole since she left her kid two months ago?” Roger asked. “That’s hard to believe.”
“I believe it. The woman let her daughter come to a gun battle.”
“But two months without seeing her kid.” Roger rattled the ice in his glass, probably bourbon at this time of night.
“We never thought she was a devoted mother.” Kaden pulled a water bottle from the fridge in his suite.
“What if you stayed near the B and B? Heather has to come back sometime. If you’re there, you could grab her.”
“I’m here for my granddad.”
“I thought he was doing well,” Roger said.
“He is, but broken hips are dangerous.”
“I’ve met your grandfather. He doesn’t act like a seventy-five-year-old.”
“He stills needs to heal.” Kaden opened the French doors and stood on the balcony, staring down at the courtyard. The scent of flowers and growing plants filled the humid night. If he could smell the ocean, he’d be home.
“You have plenty of vacation available, but both you and Heather’s kid are staying at the B and B.” Roger exhaled. “Maybe you can do both.”
“What about Margaret?” Kaden asked.
“This is our case. My ex doesn’t need to know you’re there until we make an arrest.”
Kaden took a deep breath. It was their case. He wanted to keep Issy safe. Not by being her bodyguard, but by locking up her mother. “You know I don’t...work well with kids.”
Silence filled the line. “Losing the Malcolm twins wasn’t your fault. It was a kidnapping.”
Kaden closed his eyes, but it didn’t stop the bloody crime scene photos of the little boys from filling his head. If he’d made the money drop sooner, linked the gardener faster, maybe the twins would still be alive. “I don’t want to be responsible for a child’s life.”
“Then think about this assignment as finding the mother. It’s Bole we want.”
Bole. Did his need to get her off the street outweigh his fear that children got hurt under his watch?
“This keeps you on the team,” Roger said.
He gripped the railing. “Is that a threat?”
“I need all the man power I can muster to clear drugs off the street.” Roger didn’t expand on his threat.
Kaden punched the pillar. He was not getting booted from the task force. No way.
“I’ll talk to my grandfather.”
* * *
COURTNEY TOOK ANOTHER SIP, but her prosecco had gone flat. “Mother, you have to get Father to relent.”
“Courtney, he just discovered your car was repaired before you left for Savannah.”
“It’s those stupid gates.” She headed deeper into the garden. “Can’t you suggest he have them moved farther apart?”
“No one else has trouble with the gates.” Her mother’s voice was more stern than normal.
Courtney scuffed her toes along the stone walk. “That doesn’t mean they’re not a problem. But this time I swerved for an animal.”
“Courtney.” There was a scolding tone in her mother’s voice.
“It’s the truth. An animal jumped out and I swerved.”
“Of course.” Her mother sighed. “I think you should stick with your plan and work for your brother. Your father isn’t budging.”
“Tell Daddy I’m sorry about the car. I’ll watch for animals and be more careful turning the corner.” But she wasn’t going to commit to working for her brother. By escaping to Savannah, she was buying herself time. That was it. “I’ll call tomorrow. Please work on Daddy.”
“It’s best if I let the issue rest. Besides, he’s traveling for the next few days.”
“A few days? But I want to come home.” What was she supposed to do in the meantime? “He’s not coming to Savannah, is he?”
“He’s heading to Toronto and then Montreal.”
“Good.” She didn’t want Father and Gray comparing notes. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Think about the direction of your life. Think about what makes you happy,” Mother said, before saying goodbye.
Happy? The direction of her life? Ever since Father had practically ignored her getting on the high-school honor roll, her life had been circular. She’d worked so hard to make straight As. Dear old Dad had dismissed her accomplishments. Even when she’d set out to prove she was as smart as her brother, he’d scoffed at her dean’s list accomplishment and then crowed about Gray’s summa cum laude.
She tugged on her curls. The only praise he’d ever given her had been for her looks. Right after college she’d tried modeling, but the agency had suggested she lose ten pounds. Not going to happen.
She sank onto a bench. Laughter floated from a Fitzgerald House balcony. The fountain splashed. A cricket chirped near Carleton House and something scurried through the bushes.
Shouldn’t these sounds be soothing? Instead, they highlighted how alone she was. Mother wanted her to find direction? She didn’t want to think that deeply. She just wanted to go home.
What made her happy? Coloring with the kids had made her happy. Chatting with Josh at dinner had made her happy. Did that mean she wanted to be a mother?
She shook her head. At twenty-six she was too young to think about having children. And the idea of marriage... She rolled her shoulders, but couldn’t get rid of the itch at the base of her neck.
There wasn’t a man she’d dated longer than a month or two. No one held her attention. Most groveled too much, or were more interested in getting close to her father or Gray. Some only wanted her as arm candy.
She tapped her nail against the bench. But not Kaden Farrell. He’d barely glanced at her all through dinner. That never happened.
Kaden’s dimple had only appeared when he’d talked about fishing and his grandfather. She shuddered at the thought of slimy fish making someone happy.
Mother wanted her to find her direction? If she had to hide in Savannah, she would get Mr. Kaden Farrell to look in her direction and ask her out. That shouldn’t be so hard.
* * *
KADEN HANDED HIS granddad a towel.
“Thanks.” Granddad wiped his upper lip. “Wouldn’t want the ladies to see me sweat from my physical therapy.”
“You already have a fan club?”
“There are some lovely ladies here.” His grandfather settled into the wheelchair. “But I told you, you don’t have to spend all day with me. Head back to Atlanta. I don’t want to pull you away from your work.”
“I want to be here.” Kaden had so much to live up to. Granddad always put other people’s needs first. He pushed the wheelchair into the sunroom. “Want something to drink?”
“Water, please. My therapist might be lovely, but she’s a dictator.”
Kaden laughed and headed to the coffeepot. He poured a mug for himself and then a glass of water.
“Thanks.” His grandfather took a long drink. “What’s on your mind?”
“How do you do that?” Kaden asked.
Granddad pointed between Kaden’s eyebrows. “Whenever you want to discuss something, or something’s weighing on you, y
ou get this crease between your eyebrows. I wouldn’t suggest you ever try gambling. It’s a big tell.”
“I’ll remember not to play poker with you.” He pulled up a chair so they sat facing each other.
“What’s bothering you?”
“You know Issy from the B and B?” Kaden asked.
“Sweet thing. Nathan’s daughter. Little girl doesn’t say much. Mother just up and dropped her off.” Nigel shook his head. “Never told Nathan about her.”
“She’s...connected with one of my cases.”
“Issy?”
“No. The mother.”
Understanding broke across his granddad’s face. “The mother’s in the drug world?”
Kaden nodded. “We’re pretty sure Issy witnessed a murder right before the mother dropped her off with Forester.”
“Poor kid.” Granddad closed his eyes. “Thank goodness Nathan has her now.”
Kaden took a deep breath. “My boss thinks the mother will come back for Issy.”
“You can’t let that happen. You know what her life must have been like.” Granddad’s fingers squeezed around his wrist. “Will the Bureau protect her?”
“They asked me to do that.”
“Perfect.” Granddad clapped his hands. “That’s better than watching my PT.”
“I’m supporting you.”
“And I appreciate that, but you can’t watch me 24/7.” Granddad snapped his fingers. “You know what you could do?”
Kaden frowned. “What?”
“Take over my B and B duties. You’ve got the skills. You could help the sisters and stay close to Issy.”
Take over Granddad’s work? “But I’m here for you.”
“Haven’t you been telling me I’m right where I belong? You’re twiddling your thumbs when you could be working to make sure that little girl is safe.” Nigel slapped the arm of the wheelchair. “Put that mother away and get those drugs off the street.”
Kaden swallowed. “You’re the only family I have left.”
“I know and I’m so sorry.” Granddad caught his hand and held on. “I should have worked harder to find you and your brother. I will always regret that. I was so mad at your mother for being weak.”
Kaden was still mad at his parents for being drug addicts. After his grandfather had taken him in, they’d both died of overdoses.
