by Rebecca Deel
“Come on.” Trent held out his hand. “Let’s sit in the living room. More comfortable for both of us while we research the law firm and hotels in Dumas.”
“Why do we need a hotel room? Dumas is only a few hours from here.”
“Got a feeling your business in Dumas won’t be easily resolved.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
When the doorbell rang, Trent rose, palmed his Sig, and checked the peephole. He froze. Nicole’s resemblance to Grace was uncanny. After a glance over his shoulder at his girlfriend, he disarmed the alarm and undid the locks. “Welcome to Otter Creek, Nicole.” After making sure no one was lurking nearby, Trent stepped back and allowed Nicole Copeland to enter the house. He shut and locked the door behind her, then reset the alarm.
“Nic!” Grace hurried to her friend and swept her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I like your town, Grace. It’s charming.”
Trent blinked. Charming? Not how he’d describe the place. It was…nice. Guess no one could accuse him of talking too much. Went along with the rapid-fire reports operatives gave their commanders whether in black ops work or in the military.
“It is, isn’t it? I love living here. Nic, this is Trent St. Claire.”
“Nice to meet you, Nicole.” He took the handle of her rolling suitcase from her hand. “Did you have any problems?”
“No. You were right about me coming here unannounced.” She flashed him a smile that reminded him of Grace. Did she and Grace not see the resemblance? Maybe he was seeing things. “I’m still not convinced I’m a target, though.”
“Come sit down.” Grace led her friend to the couch. “Tell me what you did after I left Pigeon Forge.”
She laughed. “Nothing exciting. I found a hotel with an available room and went to sleep. I’ve been putting in too many hours at work for months.”
Trent left them to take Nicole’s suitcase to the room beside Grace. He figured they would like being close to each other. When he returned to the living room, he stopped at the archway and watched the two women sitting side by side.
If the lighting was low, someone might not be able to tell them apart. Same build, same hair and eye color. Their voices were different. Nicole’s voice was more husky than Grace’s. Was it possible they were related?
Trent’s lips curved. That would make both of them happy, he suspected. Grace glanced over and smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat. Grace Rutledge had one potent smile, one he saw in his dreams every night. “Are you hungry, Nicole?” he asked.
“Starving. It was too early for me to eat when I talked to Grace. We can go out for breakfast. My treat for putting everybody out this way.”
“Having you here is not a bother. My sister left a breakfast wrap in the refrigerator for you. If you prefer something else, we have a great diner in town.” And listen to him claiming Otter Creek as his town when he lived in Nashville. The only reason he spent so much time in town was because of Grace.
“You’ll love the wrap,” Grace said. “Come on. I’ll heat it up for you. Want some coffee?”
“That sounds great. I’d kill for a cup right now.”
“I’ll brew a fresh pot,” Trent said. Once Nicole was seated at the breakfast bar with the heated wrap and a steaming mug of coffee, he leaned back against the counter by the sink, arms folded across his chest, studying the newcomer. “Know anything about the law firm?”
Nicole’s blond hair brushed across her shoulders as she shook her head. “I haven’t had time to do any research.” She tilted her head, speculation in her gaze. “I take it you’ve looked into the firm.”
“They handle family law.”
She exchanged a glance with Grace before turning back to him. “What would they want with me? The people I consider my family adopted me when I was a baby.”
“Grace told me.” He looked at his girlfriend, considered whether or not to say anything. “Look, I don’t know if it means anything, but have you two noticed that you look an awful lot alike? Same hair color, eyes, build, smile.”
Nicole frowned. “Funny you should say that. People in college asked if we were related. You think there’s a chance we’re from the same family?”
He shrugged. “It’s an interesting question. I suppose there’s no way for us to know until Monday.” Maybe Zane could look into things for him. Wouldn’t be the first time the Fortress tech guru had skirted the law to dig up necessary information.
“I wish I knew what the lawyers wanted,” Grace said. “This waiting is going to drive me crazy, especially now.”
“Me, too.” Nicole took her first bite of the wrap, froze. She closed her eyes and sighed as she consumed that bite. “Oh, man. This is amazing. Your sister should sell these, Trent. She’d make a bundle.”
Trent chuckled. “She does sell them. Darcy owns That’s A Wrap.” Her deli was so busy she’d had to hire another worker to help with the sheer volume of orders. “After you finish eating, we’ll take you to town and introduce you to Otter Creek’s bustling town square.”
“Deal. I’m looking forward to it.”
Minutes later, Nicole had polished off the wrap and coffee, and they were on their way to the square. Trent lucked out and found a parking space in front of Darcy’s deli, a rare event in the daytime. On the sidewalk, he said, “Come on. I’ll introduce you to my sister.”
Inside the deli, the tables were full and the room buzzing with conversation. Several people called out to Grace and Trent as they approached the counter.
Darcy glanced up, grinned. “Hi, guys. Glad you stopped by.” Her gaze shifted to Grace’s friend. “You must be Nicole. I’m Darcy, Trent’s sister. I’m so glad you’ll be staying with me for a couple days.”
“Thanks for extending the invitation. Your home is gorgeous.”
Darcy laughed. “It’s a work in progress. With a home that old, something is always breaking down. Makes me glad my brother-in-law is in the construction business.”
“Got a minute?” Trent asked.
“We just hit the lull between breakfast and lunch. Come on back to my office.” She met them at the hall. “Mason is fixing my wall in there. We can go somewhere else if that’s a problem.”
“It’s fine, Darce. What happened to your wall?”
His sister grimaced. “The pipe under the bathroom sink burst overnight. Apparently, I need some major repairs. This building is starting to show its age, too. It seems I invested in two old buildings.”
“Ouch. Sounds expensive,” Grace said.
“I’m hoping Mason will give me a family discount. I’m certainly keeping Elliott Construction busy these days.”
They walked into the office, Trent’s hand on Grace’s lower back. “How is it going, Mase?”
Rio’s cousin glanced over his shoulder. “Slower than I’d like. I’ll need to replace some of the flooring in the bathroom. How do you feel today, Grace?”
“Better. Mason, this is my best friend from college, Nicole Copeland. Nic, Mason Kincaid, fix-it man extraordinaire.”
To Trent’s amusement, Mason’s attention shifted to Nicole and stayed there. Looked as though Rio’s cousin was thunderstruck and from Nicole’s expression, she seemed as fascinated with him. This could be fun to watch. If Trent was around long enough to see if anything developed from the obvious attraction between the two. Then again, Nicole was from out of town and leaving in 36 hours. Unlike Trent, Mason wasn’t as free to travel which made a long-distance relationship difficult if not impossible.
“Nice to meet you, Mason.” Nicole crossed the room and set aside her handbag. “What are you doing?” She knelt on the floor by his side as he gave her an explanation in a soft tone.
A small smile curved Darcy’s mouth as she watched the two converse. “Where does she live?” she whispered to Grace.
“About an hour from Nashville.”
“Too bad. Maybe you can convince her to relocate. That’s the most animated I’ve seen him in weeks.” Darcy turned to Trent.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I’m leaving town for a few days.”
“You just got here,” his sister protested. “Can’t you take a few days off work?”
“It’s my fault this time,” Grace said. “He’s driving me and Nicole to Dumas.”
“What’s in Dumas?”
“The offices of Washington, Randall, and Satterfield. We have an appointment Monday at ten o’clock to see one of the partners, but we don’t know why. The letter didn’t give any details.”
“Hmm. I’ll be very curious to hear about your meeting. I’m glad Trent is home to go with you, especially after your accident.”
So was Trent. He felt a lot better about taking her that distance in a reinforced vehicle. He also needed to call Bear and get the process started on replacing Grace’s wheels. Hopefully, his friend had something currently available. Bear always had loaners and was constantly retrofitting vehicles for Fortress.
He wanted his girlfriend safe no matter how much it cost him. Maddox paid all his employees well. Trent would gladly part with some of his savings to protect Grace. A few lessons in combat driving techniques might be in order as well. Couldn’t hurt.
Would she be willing to learn to handle a weapon? Something he needed to find out. If not, he’d use some of his time off to teach her self-defense tricks guaranteed to work.
Again, he thought about his crazy work schedule and was grateful Maddox had insisted he take a vacation. Pure luck that he’d been in the country when Grace was injured. He could have called on Durango to watch over her, confident they would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe. As much as he trusted those men, though, Trent wanted to be the one to protect his girlfriend.
“Thank you for breakfast, Darcy,” Grace said. “The wraps were wonderful.”
“Happy to do it. Trent, since you’re off work, are you interested in grilling hamburgers for dinner? I’m sure Rio would help.”
“Sure. We’ll stop by the grocery store on the way home. Rio and I will take care of everything.”
“Fantastic. Hey, Mason.”
The construction worker paused in his conversation and glanced over. “Yes?”
“Trent is grilling hamburgers for dinner. Want to join us?”
His face flushed. “I’d like that. Thanks for the invitation.”
Darcy glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to get back. The lunch rush will start soon.” She kissed Trent’s cheek. “Thanks for taking care of dinner.”
“Yep.” He tapped her nose. “See you later, kiddo.”
They filed out behind Darcy, with Nicole glancing one last time over her shoulder at Mason. Oh, yeah. This would be fun if Nicole lived in Otter Creek.
They spent the next few hours touring the town’s stores. Trent breathed a sigh of relief when they walked into Otter Creek Books, the store Del Cahill owned. The wife of Durango’s leader greeted them with a smile.
“Trent, you’re back!” She came around the counter and walked into his open arms. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“I’m glad to be here.” He released her and moved her back a few steps. “You’re looking great, Del.”
A rosy color flooded her cheeks. Her hand dropped to her slightly distended stomach. “Thanks.”
“I guess Cahill is keeping a close eye on you these days.”
“No more than Alex does with Ivy. Honestly, you’d think we were experiencing high risk pregnancies or something the way they treat us.”
“Josh and Alex adore you and Ivy. I don’t blame them for being protective.” He felt exactly the same way about Grace, not something he was comfortable discussing with Del or anyone else aside from Grace. His lips twitched. If he ever had the chance. He hadn’t been able to spend much time alone with her since he’d been here.
“We aren’t telling them it’s okay, so don’t spill our secret. Josh and Alex will become overbearing if they learn we don’t mind as much as we claim.”
He chuckled. “Nice. Don’t worry. I won’t tell on you.”
Del turned to Grace, gave her a quick hug. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt too much in that accident.”
“Thanks. This is Nicole Copeland, a friend from college. Nic, Del Cahill. Her husband is a teammate of Rio’s.”
“What can I show you?” Del asked. “We had some new books arrive today.”
Grace glanced at him.
“Go take a look,” he said. “I’m going to sit here with Annie and make a couple calls.” A red-haired grandmother of four rambunctious boys, Del’s part-time sales associate smiled and poured a cup of coffee for him.
“We won’t be long,” Grace said.
“Take your time, baby.” He waited until she followed Del and Nicole down an aisle, then turned to Annie. “Thanks, sweet thing.”
The lady laughed. “You save that charm for your lady, Trent St. Claire. My heart belongs to my grandsons.”
“My loss.”
Another laugh from the lady as a customer entered the store. She greeted the man and walked with him up the stairs to the bookstore’s second level.
Trent pulled out his phone and called Bear. “It’s Trent.”
“What do you need, St. Claire?”
“A ride.”
“What did you do to my work?”
“Nothing. It’s not for me,” he assured the other man. “My girlfriend was forced off the road. The accident totaled her car.”
“Hold.” Keys clicked in the background. “Got an SUV that will be ready the first of next week.”
“I’ll take it. Thanks, Bear.”
“Your lady all right?”
“She’ll recover.”
“Good. Catch the clown who caused the wreck?”
“Not yet. Vehicle was stolen.”
“Sounds like the wreck wasn’t an accident.”
“You’re right, Bear. Someone deliberately targeted my girlfriend.” No matter what it took, he was going to find out who and why, and make them pay.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Monday morning, the alarm went off way too early for Grace. She groaned, felt around on the nightstand until she found her cell phone and turned off the infernal alarm that woke her from an awesome dream featuring a heated kiss from Trent.
She rolled out of bed, pleased to note much of the soreness was gone. Thank goodness. In a few days, the stitches would be gone, and she’d be left with an unpleasant memory and a couple small scars to show for her experience on Highway 18.
After a quick shower, she dressed and packed her belongings. Trent had taken her home for a few minutes the day before, giving her a chance to pack more clothes. The length of their stay in Dumas depended on what the lawyer told them later this morning. Hopefully, they would return to Otter Creek in a day or two. Grace didn’t want to waste whatever time she had with Trent before he was deployed again.
She still couldn’t figure out what the lawyer wanted with her and Nicole. Besides, she was scheduled to return to work on Wednesday. She couldn’t stay more than a couple days.
A light tap sounded on the door. She smiled at Trent. “Hi.”
“Good morning, baby.” He leaned down, kissed her long and deep.
Oh, man. She could so get used to having this every day, though now wasn’t the time to tell him as much. She wouldn’t ask him to change his life for her. Trent loved his work and was at the top of his field. The Navy SEAL saved lives. If she wanted to be a part of his world, Grace would have to adjust to him being gone so often. Military wives dealt with it all the time. So could she.
Grace wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezed. “Have I thanked you for going with me today?”
“Last night.” A quick grin curved his mouth. “You gave me a blistering-hot kiss I won’t soon forget.” His expression sobered. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Grace. I’m really glad I was home to do this with you.”
She caught the undertone in his voice. “You’re worried.”
“I will be unti
l we figure out what’s going on and stop the danger dogging your steps.”
“Maybe it will be good to get away from Otter Creek. Stella might figure this out while we’re gone and we can enjoy being together before you have to leave again.”
“I won’t be leaving for a while, sweetheart. Even if I wanted to go back to work, Maddox won’t let me.”
Grace frowned, considering his words and the emphasis he’d given them. “Why won’t he deploy you?” Was Trent’s boss worried about him? Did her boyfriend not want to go on more missions?
He was silent a moment. “When operatives work nonstop missions, they don’t have time to decompress and process everything they saw and did in completing their job. Sometimes it leads to repercussions.”
“PTSD?”
“It’s a fact of life in my profession.” He stared intently at her. “Is that going to be a problem for you?”
His soft words kicked up her heart rate. Did he realize what he’d insinuated? “Trent, anyone can have PTSD. I care about you.” A lot more than she could tell him standing in the hallway where any number of people might interrupt them. “On our first date, you were up front with me about your job. I knew then what kind of repercussions might come with the Trent St. Claire package. I told you a year ago I was willing to take the risk. I haven’t changed my mind.”
If anything, she was even more convinced he was the right man for her. Now if the man in question thought the same about her, they might have a chance at a lifetime of happiness.
His expression softened. “I’m glad. The last thing I want to do is cause you pain, sweetheart.”
“Are you having second thoughts about us?” Please say no, she begged silently. It would kill her to lose him. Her heart would mend, but it would take a very long time.
“No. The opposite, in fact.”
What did that mean? Before she could ask, Nicole’s door opened and she stumbled into the hallway, bleary-eyed and pulling her rolling suitcase behind her. “Morning,” she muttered. “Please tell me there’s coffee in my near future.”
Trent chuckled. “There’s a pot already made in the kitchen.”
