by N Kuhn
“It’s ok, I’ll go check. You stay put and be ready to run to my house if need be.” Beau rushed back to the room, grabbing his gun. He slid it into the waistband of his pants and stalked quietly to the door. Mara didn’t even blink, her gaze penetrating him and full of fear. She dropped the spatula on the counter and inched towards the kitchen door as Beau wrapped his fingers around the handle.
“Jennie,” he said, opening the door cautiously, sounding astonished.
“Beau,” she laughed. “You’re up early. And shirtless. And not at your own house. Sure do move fast, don’t you, boy? What would your momma say?” She slapped his chest, pretending to be shocked, but pushed past him. “Mara cancelled yesterday, so today I figured I wouldn’t give her the chance. I know what it was like when I first moved. She has all the signs of a scared little kitten. I didn’t want to let her hide here alone. But I see that isn’t the case.” The woman found her way to the kitchen, taking in the sight before her.
“Jennie,” Mara said breathlessly. Her hand pressed to her chest as she went to make sure her breakfast wasn’t burning. Bear ran towards the new person, starved for attention. Jennie bent down to pet him. Mara was upset with herself. There was no reason she should still be doubting Beau. If Agent Parker trusted him, so should she. Especially after last night. He would keep her safe, just like he promised. But Jimmy had made her a lot of promises too. She shook her head. New start. New start, she repeated in her head.
“Now that everyone knows who I am,” Jennie grinned, looking up at Mara. “Nice shirt, but you’re going to want something cooler to garden in,” Jennie winked at her. Mara immediately felt uncomfortable. She tugged at the hem of Beau’s shirt, as if it would cover her up. She wished for the floor to swallow her whole. She didn’t need her new small town to think of her as a hussy, jumping into bed with her neighbor just days after moving in.
“Girl, you look like you seen a ghost. Don’t you worry none. I ain’t one for gossiping.” Jennie smiled again at Mara as Beau moved over to snake some bacon from the pan. He handed Bear a piece and shoved the other into his mouth as he tried to not laugh.
“I’m sorry, I’m just, new to this neighborly thing. I never really had friends and my neighbors weren’t the friendly, stop by type. That seems to happen in the big city.” Jennie rose, helping herself to coffee.
“So, we working on that garden today or not? I see you made some progress. Hope your website got figured out.” She looked out the window at what Mara had achieved the day before. “I see you ended up getting it done yesterday huh?” She raised an eyebrow at Mara.
“Most of it. I’m sorry Jennie. I’m really trying to get used to this small town thing.”
“Darling, I get it. I don’t know what or who you’re running from, but I ain’t stupid. Been there done that before in my life. I see a lot of me in you. We can take it slow.” Mara didn’t know what to say to that. Was she so transparent? She looked to Beau for help. He shrugged.
“Jennie’s a smart woman. I told you she was a great friend to make.” Jennie patted his bare shoulder as she wandered by, shifting about the kitchen.
“I just, there’s a lot going on right now. I really do want your help. I just, had some personal things to handle yesterday.” Jennie smiled at her new friend. “I was going to call you today though,” she assured Jennie.
“It’s ok Mara, seriously. I get it. You don’t have to make excuses.” Her glance shifted to Beau. “Besides, if I had a shirtless helper, I’d want to be alone too.” The older lady sipped on the coffee she had poured herself and moved back towards the counter. “But, now that I’m here, I’ll go see what you have going on out there. Beau, go get your shirt back from Mara and grab some of that mulch I saw by the driveway. Mara, get changed and we’ll get to work.”
“But,” Beau started. The look Jennie leveled at him gave him pause.
“But what boy?” She asked.
“Breakfast,” was his only reply as he gave her the puppy dog eyes and glanced over at the bacon on the stove.
“Seems to me that you got your fill already.” She laughed over her shoulder while walking through the kitchen door to the back garden. Mara laughed at Beau as he pouted. She switched the stove off, handing Bear another piece of bacon and shoving another into her mouth.
“I better go change,” said joked, trying to walk by Beau. He reached out, grabbing her by the waist.
“Don’t think you’re getting off that easy,” he whispered against her ear. Beau picked her up by her hips, planting her seated on the counter. He wedged himself between her legs, which she quickly wrapped around his waist. He pressed his body against her, arms planted on each side of her body, bracing himself on the counter. Leaning in, his forehead pressed against hers as they stared at each other.
“You ok?” he asked quietly.
“Not really, but I’m getting there. It’s hard for me to trust someone fully. It’s hard to change years of habits. I think Jennie will be good for me.”
“I get it. Agent Parker filled me in on everything. I need you to understand that I would never do anything to hurt you. Okay? I’m going to do anything necessary to keep you safe, to protect you. I’d die before I let these men get to you. And maybe we should think about letting Jennie know what’s up.”
“I can’t let you do that Beau. It’s enough that we’re already in danger and you know. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her. It’s not fair to you either, but you made your choice. Her knowing, would take away her choice. You should not have to worry about getting hurt or losing your life over me. I made my choices and had to live with them. But I’m moving on now. Getting better. Making better choices. If I have to run, I have to run. Please, promise me, you won’t put yourself in danger because of me. Jennie, she doesn’t need to know anything.”
“Too late darling. Too late,” he murmured before kissing her passionately. It was the sort of kiss that threw her belly into a loop, full of butterflies. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Beau placed a kiss on her forehead and hugged her tightly.
“From the moment I saw you, I think I fell in love. For me, that’s huge. I never wanted to love anyone in this world. Just me and my dog. After last night, I can’t picture not waking up next to you.” Mara remained silent, her eyes closed as Beau held her.
“Well ain’t this cute, but you still ain’t changed.” Jennie stood in the door way, hands on her hips. The couple laughed, looking over at her.
“Jennie,” Mara said, sliding off the counter. “Do you like living in that rented house by yourself?”
“Why’s that sweet girl?”
“How would you like to live here so there’s someone with customers over night, and I’ll be here during the day to run things?”
“So you can play hanky panky with the neighbor?” Jennie raised an eyebrow, grinning at the two who were obviously into each other.
“No, yes, maybe.” She laughed and the sound meant a lot to Beau. He wanted to make sure she laughed every day. After a lifetime of disappointment, she deserved it. Beau looked at Mara in shock as she moved to stand in front of him. “That is, if the offer is still there,” she asked him. “I also think I should hit up the salon today. Do something with my hair,” she winked. Beau just nodded, a stupid grin flashing across his face. Jennie glanced between the two.
“Happened that way with my husband. We met and fell in love right away. We were married for almost forty years.” Her genuine smile made Mara’s heart break. She wouldn’t give in and marry him, but changing her hair would help. She could spend a few nights a week with Beau and some here. There was no hurry to their relationship. But having an extra pair of hands here at the B and B would help.
“I can’t pay yet, but you’d live rent free, free meals, your new best friend there with you all day.” Jennie looked at her thoughtfully.
“I’ll sleep on it. Let’s get going, change your clothes,” s
he shooed Mara. “By the way, you think of a name for this place?” Over her shoulder, Mara called out.
“Lone Star Escape.”
“I like it,” Jennie murmured to Beau as Mara left them alone. “You keep her safe, no matter what she’s running from, you hear?” He nodded, watching the woman exit back out the porch. Nothing would happen to Mara. He would die first, no matter what she wanted.
Chapter 6
Mara and Jennie spent the day in the garden with Bear standing guard. Beau took himself home to shower and change. He puttered around his green house a bit, checking on his plants. His phone rang and he answered it without looking at the caller id.
“Belmont,” he said.
“Mr. Belmont. Have you found anything out since you met my guy yesterday?” The voice on his phone had a thick Italian accent and he wondered if this was Mr. Ciminelli. He rushed into the house to get his laptop.
“I contacted a hacker friend of mine about getting into the FBI files. I won’t hear back for a few days though.” He quickly typed a message to Agent Parker’s email.
Possible Ciminelli on my phone. Will keep talking, can you trace?
Within a minute, he had his response.
On it.
The man sighed.
“We need this to wrap up quickly Mr. Belmont. You come highly recommended for finding the impossible. I have great faith in you. How long do you think this will take if your friend can get into the files?”
“That depends on how deep they are buried. Then I have to recon wherever they stashed her and make sure she’s really there. Occasionally they have decoy locations. I’d like to make sure she’s really where they say.”
“I appreciate your thoroughness Mr. Belmont. But if you get an address, that’s all we need. We can do the rest. You just find me an address.” The line went dead, the man hanging up.
Being a PI, Beau had an app that recorded every conversation on his phone. It came in handy in case things went wrong or a client tried to not pay him. He quickly plugged it into his laptop, pulling the MP3 to send to Agent Parker. His phone rang again, this time, it was Travis.
“Agent Parker, did you get anything?”
“It was too short. We just latched to your call as it ended.”
“Well, check your email,” Beau said as he clicked send. He could hear the agent clicking and then the file playing. When it ended, he heard Agent Parker sigh.
“That’s Ciminelli alright. Damn, I can’t believe he called you himself. Ok, do you mind if our guys poke around your phone remotely? Maybe they can hack something and trace the number.”
“I’m a PI, privacy is important. How about I just send you the number?” Beau wanted to help Mara, but he couldn’t risk his business.
“Beau,” Agent Parker started to rebut. “You know what, I get it. Ok, email it over and I”ll see what I can do.” Beau sent the number and hung up. He agreed to let Parker put a tap on the line for now, so they would know right away if another call came in. That much he could do. There were no other open cases on his agenda. So any calls would be okay for them to listen to.
He rubbed his eyes, frustrated with the situation. If this guy was calling less than a day after he met with the money guy, then they were serious and in a rush. They wouldn’t wait just for him. Crap. They needed to do something and quick. Beau shoved up, heading out the door to Mara’s. As he crossed the yard, he could see the women relaxing on her porch swing, sipping something cold. All of the plants were now in the ground, and he had to admit, it looked wonderful. When guests finally began to come in, they would love it. The peacefulness of it all.
“Howdy boy,” Jennie called out. Bear lifted his head lazily, putting it back down to snooze at the women’s feet.
“You ladies did great,” he said, sticking his thumbs in his belt loops and rocking on his feet.
“And, I have my first guests booked! They check in tomorrow morning. A Mr. Thomas and Mr. Jones.” Mara’s excitement bubbled over like a child showing off a new toy. Beau had a tinge of something, tapping at his brain. He dismissed it and couldn’t help but enjoy her excitement.
“That’s great darling, you’ll be overbooked sooner than you think,” he said. “I’m gonna head to town. Why don’t you clean up and we’ll get dinner and hit the salon before they close. You wanted your hair done, right?” She nodded, jumping up from the swing.
“Jennie, thank you so much, for everything.” Mara hugged her then quickly disappeared inside.
“Come sit with me Beau.” He moved next to the older woman, pushing the swing with his longer legs. “I’ve known you awhile now. I can tell you got it bad for this young lady. But like I said earlier, I know when someone’s running. Is she in danger?” Jennie continued staring out at the garden, not even looking at Beau as she asked. He sighed.
“It’s not my story to tell Jennie. I will say, that as long as I’m around, she’s going to be safe.” The older woman nodded.
“Ok, if you need me, let me know. For anything. I been on my own a lot of years now. I can shoot better than any of my brothers and if necessary she could always hide out. You let me know.”
“I appreciate that. Just, keep an ear out. I know you don’t gossip, but if you hear about anyone asking around for someone new, see any suspicious men in town, let me know?” he asked her. She nodded.
“So it’s bad?” Jennie took his silence as an affirmation. “I’m here, you know. No matter what.”
“Thank you. I’m here too,” he chuckled but it lacked humor. They silently swung, staring off at nothing. Beau had known Jennie awhile. But they were never close.
“I was attacked by an ex boyfriend who didn’t understand that being married, meant he wasn’t the one for me. Even after he got out of jail, he followed us. My husband moved us all over, running. I was always looking over my shoulder. I get it, she’s scared. I recognize the look of fear.” Beau obviously had never known this about her, but was surprised that she shared. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it and nothing more was said. Finally, she set her ice tea on the table and looked at him.
“Let me know, I’m here if you need anything.” She patted his leg, getting up and shouting goodbye to Mara. Per Mara’s request, he wouldn’t tell Jennie and put her in danger, but it was good to know that if they needed, he could secret Mara away with her. Beau continued rocking as he watched her walk around the side of the house and disappear. He continued swinging, wondering how else he could keep Mara safe, but help Agent Parker find his guy. They had to get Ciminelli behind bars. That was the only way to protect her. Once he was behind bars, someone else would take his place in the family and hopefully forget about her. Hell, who was he kidding? Someone would always be after her. There was never going to be safety unless she either didn’t testify, or the whole family went down. Or he made a deal. Beau pulled out his phone, emailing Agent Parker quickly.
Can we try to draw out Ciminelli by getting Paulie in a position where he thinks we have her? Can we find out who takes over if they both go down and make a deal? They get the family business and leave her alone?
He pressed send and anxiously hoped to get a quick response. The sooner this was resolved, the better.
He kept rocking, with Bear sleeping at his feet, until Mara reemerged from the bedroom. Her skin was sun kissed and glowing, her damp hair hung around her shoulders. Her white sundress made her look like she belonged here. Like she had grown up in small town living, a good southern woman. She slid onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He could smell the citrus from her wash.
“So, hair first, then dinner?”
“What made you change your mind about the hair?” he asked her.
“If you’re willing to put yourself at risk to save me, the least I can do is follow your advice. To an extent. I’m not ready to marry you though.” He nodded, biting his tongue to keep from laughing. He had only been half serious when he had mentioned it to her before. Beau leaned in to nuzzle Mara’s neck. As he placed a
kiss on her nape, her stomach rumbled loudly. They looked at each other laughing.
“Maybe dinner first,” he joked.
“Sally will be open late today, it’s the beginning of the month and all the senior ladies come in, Jennie told me all about it.”
“Let’s do the hair first,” he shook his head. “This way, when I introduce you to the people in the town, they see a beautiful woman with short black hair, not long blonde hair.”
“You think Ciminelli will get this close to me?” Her gaze raked over Beau’s face. His serious expression caused fear to creep up her spine.
“I don’t want to risk it.” He stood, letting her body slide down from his lap. Taking her hand, he led her to the truck, ready to get the night on with.
Chapter 7
“It looks amazing. You’re like a completely different woman.” Beau couldn’t believe his eyes when the chair spun around and Mara looked at him. Gone were the long locks, and in their place was a shorter, shoulder length, jet black style. She went from a free spirit looking young woman, to a mature, grown one. She was a whole new person. Mara reached up, nervously twirling her shorter locks around her finger. It fell in waves around her face.
“You think so?” Beau wanted nothing more than to ease her self-consciousness.
“You look beautiful. Gorgeous.” He wrapped his fingers around her hand, helping her from the chair. Sally swept up the long locks that covered the tiled floor of the salon.
“Thank you so much, it was great to meet you Sally.” Mara pulled her wallet out to pay. Sally waved her off, winking at Beau. When he had called ahead, he arranged to pay.
“And Sally,” he said to her, “Remember what we talked about. You cannot mention to anyone that Mara was a blonde. Got it?”