Special Ops Bodyguard

by Beth Cornelison

  Gage shot a glance to Kate who sat silently, watching the exchange with polite patience. Clearing his throat, Gage flashed Kate a grateful smile and directed Donald’s attention to his dinner companion. “And this beautiful lady is Kate Rogers, the best pastry chef in the northwest.”

  Donald greeted Kate, shaking her hand and giving her a nod of welcome. “A pastry chef, eh? Do you work anywhere around here?”

  Kate nodded. “Ira’s Diner in Maple Cove.”

  Donald blinked surprise. “Ira’s Diner? Wait…so you’re that pastry chef? Good gracious, gal, I’ve heard nothing but raves about your baking. In fact…” He glanced about the crowded room until his gaze latched on his target, and he waved a hand. “Bonnie Gene! Come ’ere. I have someone you have to meet!”

  An average-height woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a gracious smile bustled over. As she approached the table, she divided a warm look between Gage and Kate. “Hello, I’m Bonnie Gene Kelley, Donald’s wife. Welcome to Kelley’s Cookhouse.” Without breaking eye contact with Kate, Bonnie Gene reached up to snatch the cigar from Donald’s mouth and tossed it in the bin of dirty dishes a busboy carried past them.

  Donald grumbled something under his breath while Gage and Kate introduced themselves, then he announced, “Kate is the pastry chef you were raving about at Ira’s Diner over in Maple Cove.”

  Bonnie Gene’s eyes widened, and she pulled out a chair to sit down with them. “Oh my stars! I had your chocolate eclair when I was over visiting our nephew this summer. Perfection, my dear. Simply perfection.”

  “Thank you,” Kate returned, blushing.

  “And I bought several cinnamon buns to bring home for our breakfast the next morning, and even a day old, they were simply divine! How do you do it? Where did you learn to cook like that?” Bonnie Gene leaned closer as if expecting to learn a juicy secret.

  A blush rose in Kate’s cheeks. “I had a friend, a neighbor, who taught me to cook growing up.”

  “You mean you’re not formally trained?” Bonnie Gene glanced at her husband. “Did you hear that, Donald?”

  “I’m standing right here, aren’t I?” Donald said under his breath.

  Ignoring her husband’s glib reply, Bonnie Gene caught Kate’s hand in hers as if they were old, dear friends and huddled closer. “Who was this neighbor? Does she live around here? You really have the most amazing talent!”

  Donald pulled out a chair and nodded toward it. “Mind if I sit?”

  Gage really preferred that the couple not stay and chitchat. He’d brought Kate to Honey Creek in order to give them privacy for their conversation, away from the eyes of her friends and family in Maple Cove. Yet her reputation had followed them, as had Hank’s. He gave a grudging nod to the chair. “Go ahead.”

  Donald sent him a dark look. “I’d like to know why my nephew thought his father needed a bodyguard. If there was a real problem, why didn’t he contact the secret service? Can’t they offer a senator protection?”

  “I think Dylan wanted something more…personalized. More private.”

  Bonnie Gene turned to her husband, her face filled with animation and excitement. “Donald, give me your wallet. I want to show Kate a picture of our sweet Patience.”

  Donald dug in his back pants pocket. “Do Sarah or any of the kids have bodyguards?” he asked Gage.

  Gage sighed. “Again, if you have questions, you should talk to Senator Kelley about it. I’m not free to discuss the matter.”

  “Senator Kelley?” Bonnie Gene piped in, hearing the snatch of his conversation with Donald. “You know Hank?”

  “He’s Hank’s bodyguard,” Donald said, handing his wife the wallet.

  Bonnie Gene’s mouth formed an O. Furrowing her brow in concern, she leaned toward Gage. “What’s happened? Why does Hank need a bodyguard?”

  Gage opened his mouth to give his pat non-reply, when Donald said, “He won’t say. He wants me to call Hank for answers.”

  “Well, I agree. You’re brothers, for Pete’s sake! If there’s trouble enough that he needs a bodyguard…well, I think the time has come to make up with Hank. This squabble between you has gone on long enough.”

  “He’s known where to find me for years if he wanted to patch things up.” Donald glanced away, his jaw set.

  Bonnie Gene punched his shoulder lightly. “So you be the bigger person and call him! You’re just being stubborn. With the kids grown and marrying off, babies being born—” She waved the wallet she had yet to open. “—there’s no time like the present to put an end to the feud that’s kept you apart. This is a time for family. Have you ever thought that Hank could use a big brother right now?”

  “What he needs is a good lawyer, if the news reports are any indication.” Donald folded his arms over his chest.

  Gage sat back and watched the exchange with open curiosity. He’d seen the overtures Hank had made toward Cole, clearly trying to repair the damage he’d done to that relationship. He’d also asked Cole about Donald. Maybe there was more hope of reconciling the two brothers than Donald thought.

  “He’s made mistakes, sure,” Bonnie Gene said. “But haven’t we all? I think you should stand behind him, give him some support and guidance.”

  “I think he might be open to a call from you.” Gage surprised himself with his comment. His client’s family business was not his concern. He needed to stay focused on his job, not get personally involved in a family drama.

  But Bonnie Gene latched onto Gage’s remark and smiled. “See? I told you!” Then to Gage, “What did he say about Donald? Did he send you here to ask for a reconciliation?”

  Gage raised a hand. “Nothing like that. I’m not even sure he knows I’m here. Cole recommended we come here…for our date.” He added the last hoping Bonnie Gene would take a hint.

  Donald did. He pushed back the chair he’d just taken and tugged his wife’s arm. “Honey, let’s let these two get back to their dinner.”

  The older woman wiggled free of her husband’s grip. “In a minute. I haven’t shown Kate our sweet baby yet.” Bonnie Gene opened her husband’s wallet, and an accordion-folded photo holder flopped out. “This,” she said grandly, her smile beaming, “is our first grandbaby, Patience. Isn’t she the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen?”

  Gage leaned closer to Kate for a peek at the pictures and glimpsed a red-haired cherub with blue eyes and slobbery grin. The kid was cute enough as babies went, he supposed. When he glanced up at Kate, the expression on his date’s face stole his breath.

  Kate stared at the baby pictures with a teary, lovestruck gaze. The longing that filled her expression tore at Gage’s heart, and a sinking reality settled over him as cold and heavy as stone. He’d known he was a bad fit for Kate all along, but seeing the hope and bittersweet emotion that flooded Kate’s face when she gazed at the baby pictures brought the harsh truth into focus. What Kate needed, dreamed of and deserved were things that left him in a cold sweat. Marriage, children, a home brimming with love and laughter.

  How could he offer her stability and family when his life was a nightmarish mess? The darkness that clouded his life would eventually eclipse her light and smother the sweetness that made her the woman he’d come to love.

  “Oh,” Kate said on a sigh. “She is precious. You have every reason to be proud.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and Gage would swear she was fighting not to cry.

  Gage glanced at Donald, who wore an expression similar to his wife’s. For all his stubborn refusal to reconnect with his half-brother, Donald Kelley was clearly a proud grandpa.

  “Kate, honey,” Bonnie Gene said, again clasping his date’s hand as if they were long-lost family, “what would I have to do to steal you away from Ira’s Diner?”

  Kate raised a startled expression from the baby pictures. “Steal me?”

  “For our restaurants.” Bonnie Gene sent her husband a look that asked, “Isn’t this a good idea?” Donald raised his eyebrows and nodded subtly.
“You could either work here or at one of the others in the chain. Although I’ll admit,” Bonnie Gene added, “I’d love to have you here rather than another location so I’ll benefit from your delicious baking!”

  Kate smiled politely. “Thank you, but I’m not looking to change jobs. I’m really quite happy where I am.”

  “We’ll match whatever salary you’re making at Ira’s and add ten thousand to it. Plus benefits,” Donald said.

  Kate goggled at the couple. “That’s…very generous, but I…I don’t…”

  “Please think about it at least, Kate.” Bonnie Gene squeezed Kate’s hand and gave her a beseeching smile. “You’re the best pastry chef in the area, hands down, and we want the best for our restaurants. We could even let you develop your own special dessert menu with your private recipes.”

  “A tempting offer, to be sure.” Kate took one last longing look at the baby photos before handing them to Bonnie Gene with a trembling hand. “I—I’ll think about it.”

  Gage eyed his date with concern. She looked completely overwhelmed…because of the employment offer or because of the baby pictures?

  As Bonnie Gene and Donald excused themselves and moved on to greet other diners, Gage gave Kate a moment to gather her composure. Knowing how emotional Kate still was, he hated to raise the topic that needed to be broached. Rusty’s warning echoed in his head, and Gage acknowledged that by confronting Kate about her family issues, he could be ruining any chance of a future with her. But then, in the past several days, the wide gulf of differences between them had become abundantly clear.

  He choked back the swell of despondency that swamped him when he acknowledged how wrong he was for Kate. Building a relationship with Kate had been a pipe dream. He’d been drawn to her because she exuded all the qualities his life needed, and he’d greedily sucked in her goodness and joy like a dry sponge. But soon he would become a drain on her, much the way Janet was now.

  “Wow. A job offer. That was…unexpected.” Kate lifted a shaky smile.

  “Shouldn’t be unexpected. You’re a great cook, and thanks to your work at the diner, people know it. I wouldn’t be surprised if this weren’t the first of many offers.”

  She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand and stuck her nose in the menu again.

  “It’s a great opportunity. You should take it.”

  “Can’t,” she said from behind the menu.

  He pulled the menu down to meet her gaze. “Why not?”

  Her shoulders drooped. “Because…I came to Montana for Janet. I took the job at Ira’s so I could be near her, keep an eye on her, help her out. That hasn’t changed.”

  Which brought them to the topic he needed to discuss with her. He took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t like what he had to say. “Maybe it’s time it did change. Maybe Janet won’t leave Larry because you’re coddling her.”

  Her eyebrows snapped together. “What?”

  A waitress stepped up to their table to take their orders, so he stifled his answer for the time being. But as soon as they’d each ordered, he tackled the subject again.

  “With you, Janet has a safety net in place, someone to pick up her slack and make it easy for her to ignore the truth. You’re like the enabler who keeps coming to the rescue for the alcoholic. As long as she can manipulate you and use you, she has less incentive to stand on her own two feet.”

  Kate lifted her chin, and the usual sparkle in her eyes became a gleam of anger. “Janet is nothing like an alcoholic. Her situation is completely different. And…how exactly do you think I’m enabling her?”

  “Giving her a place to run when Larry gets violent. Working extra shifts so she can cater to her husband’s jealousy and unreasonable demands.” Kate started shaking her head, but Gage persisted. “Giving up close friends and a life you loved to move across the country to ‘look out’ for her. Passing up golden opportunities to further your career so you can take care of her.”

  She huffed impatiently. “I’m supposed to turn away my own sister, my only family, when she comes to me saying her husband has hit her?”

  “Look at it this way. If she had nowhere to go to escape when things got ugly, if she had to stay and face the painful truth of her marriage each time Larry got violent, how long would she put up with him then? Maybe you have to let her hit rock bottom and stop giving her a temporary escape hatch before she’ll face the truth.”

  “Tough love? That’s your idea of how to help an abused wife? She’s not some teenager who’s acting out. Her husband’s abuse is not her fault!”

  “But her response to it is her choice. You’re making it easier for her to live in denial.”

  Kate sighed in disgust and jerked the menu up again.

  “At the very least, you’re letting your sister dictate your life. She knows you’ll do anything for her, even if it inconveniences you, and she uses that to her full advantage. Maybe because she feels she has no control over her own life, so she manipulates your life, where she does have the control.”

  “Janet doesn’t manipulate or control me.”

  “Really? Prove it. Take the Kelleys’ job offer.”

  “I told you I can’t. I—” She stopped abruptly, her expression shocked, as if she finally heard herself, finally realized what she was doing. Tears puddled in her eyes.

  Gage reached for her hand and pitched his voice low. “Kate, I saw your face when you were looking at those baby pictures. That’s what you want for yourself, isn’t it? A husband, babies, a family like the Zooks?”

  She didn’t answer right away. Instead she held his gaze, tears slipping free of her eyelashes and trickling down her cheeks. Each tear was a sucker punch to his gut, because they confirmed what he’d known all along. Kate wanted things he couldn’t give her. How could a tormented ex-soldier, who’d seen and done things that still gave him nightmares, ever give a woman with a pure heart like Kate’s any kind of stability or happiness?

  “What’s wrong with wanting those things?” she asked in a hoarse whisper.

  “Nothing. You deserve that life, Kate. But how can you find that happiness while you’re tied to Janet?”

  “So I’m supposed to turn my back on my abused sister so I can be happy?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not that selfish.”

  “Janet is. Has she once put your needs in front of her own? Or does she demand more and more of your time and energy to help her with Larry? She wouldn’t even cover for you tonight, so you could have a well-deserved night out.”

  Kate gripped the edge of the table and leaned toward him, her expression defensive and angry. “Why do you care anyway? What business is it of yours what I do or how I deal with my family’s problems? What makes you think you can waltz into town and tell me how to live my life when you’ve only known me for two weeks?”

  He released a slow breath of frustration. “I know what I’m saying sounds harsh, but I don’t believe in whitewashing the truth.”

  “Did I ask for your opinion? Your job is to protect Senator Kelley, not micro-manage my life.”

  Gage tensed. She was right, of course. He’d sworn not to get involved, needed to stay focused on the job he’d been hired to do. So why was he interfering?

  One look in her sky-blue eyes, now flashing angrily at him, and he knew why. “I only said what I did because…” He paused and swallowed hard, facing a difficult truth himself. “I’ve grown to care about you, Kate. More than I should care, since I have nothing to offer you except heartache. But the fact is…I’m falling in love with you.”

  Gage’s confession took the steam out of Kate. She rocked back in her chair and stared at him with her heart in her throat. She’d felt the connection, the chemistry between them growing every time they were together but…love? Did she love him? Could she love him?

  In the last two weeks, she’d told him a great deal about herself, her history, her dreams, her issues with Janet. But what did she really know about him? He seemed to shut down when she qu
estioned him about his life. What answers she did get were terse and generic. She sensed a gentle and caring soul buried beneath his gruff, tough-guy exterior. Why else would he be so concerned about her relationship with Janet—even if she didn’t like his take on the matter?

  And what about his earlier comment that he had nothing to offer her but heartache? What did he know that he’d not told her?

  Their food arrived, buying her a little time to formulate a response to his bombshell. I’m falling in love with you. If he was falling for her, what did he plan to do about it? He was only in town temporarily on assignment. What kind of future did he have in mind for them?

  While her head buzzed with questions, a plate of ribs she no longer had an appetite for was slid in front of her. The tangy scent of her dinner teased her nose, but she pushed the plate away. More than food, right now she needed answers.

  Gage had yet to tuck into his steak, and as he met her gaze, his words still hung between them. His eyes darkened and burrowed into her. “Can we forget I said that?”

  “Not if you meant it.” She unfolded her napkin and slipped it on her lap, merely to busy her trembling hands. “Gage, I have feelings for you, too. I’d think that was obvious, but…I really don’t know what to do with those feelings.”

  “That makes two of us,” he said quietly. He picked up his knife and fork and cut his steak. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

  She plucked a French fry from her plate then dropped it again when it burnt her fingers. “What makes you think you’d hurt me?”

  He sighed but wouldn’t look at her. “Because I’m totally unprepared for the kind of relationship you deserve. My life is not in a place where I can…” Rather than finish his sentence, he scowled down at his plate. When he finally met her gaze, his eyes were stormy. “I’m still dealing with a lot of baggage from my last tour in Afghanistan.”

  She knitted her brow in concern and reached for his hand. “What kind of things? What happened to you over there, Gage?”

  He didn’t answer, nor did he pull his hand away. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. Tension radiated from him like waves of heat off of pavement.