by Lea Hart
Laughing louder than was necessary, he tipped his head back. “Girl, you have never done anything you haven’t wanted to, and I don’t expect that to change.”
“As long as you understand that, then we’ll get along just fine.” Looking out the window, she noticed the storm had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. “Let’s take a walk while we can.”
“Okay, you want to walk over to the shops and grab a hot chocolate and some dessert?”
“Sounds perfect. Let me put Popcorn’s raincoat on and then we can go.”
“Are you dressing that poor dog up?”
Standing, she fixed her sweatshirt. “He likes it.”
“He’s a working dog. He’s not meant to have outfits like a poodle.”
“I’m going to ignore you because you have no idea what he likes. I’m his mama and I know what’s best for him. For your information, he’s not your typical Australian shepherd and doesn’t like exercise much. It’s a good thing that I got him because if he ended up on a ranch, he would’ve been kicked out. He wouldn’t herd a thing if his next meal depended on it.” Popcorn got up from his bed and wandered over. She ran her hand over him and kissed his head. “We’re the perfect match for one another.”
“You’re right, honey. After all, he saved your life.”
“He did indeed.” She walked out of the room with Popcorn following her, and she wondered if she had succeeded in avoiding the stalker discussion. Years ago, she’d been pretty adept at distracting Brock, and she hoped that was still true. If the old distraction techniques didn’t work, then she’d take his clothes off and have her way with him. Smiling to herself, she pictured him at her mercy and let out a small laugh. She might just do it anyway. Seeing that man lose control was long overdue.
CHAPTER TEN
Saturday Afternoon
Walking along the wet path, Lilly noticed a rainbow in the distance. “Look.” Lifting their entwined hands, she pointed east. “How pretty.”
“We’re in for some good luck.”
Swinging their hands back and forth, she laughed. “I’m past due for some.”
“How did it start?”
Cringing, she knew the inquisition was about to begin. “After my third book.”
“How did she get in touch with you?”
“I have a good-sized group of fans on Facebook who I interact with, and that’s how she first got in touch. The interaction was typical in the beginning but soon turned overly enthusiastic. She started to message me every day and would get angry if I didn’t respond right away. I tried to manage her expectations without offending her, but that never seemed to work. My agent suggested blocking her from the group, and I eventually did that. But by then it was too late. She’d become obsessed, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I finally filed a restraining order after she showed up at book signings all over the country.”
“Shit, Lilly. A restraining order doesn’t do anything.”
She tugged her hand away. “Don’t judge me, Brock. If you want to hear the story, then listen.”
He took her hand again, lifted it to his mouth, and pressed a kiss against her skin. “From the moment you jumped out of your first tree, I have worried. Don’t expect me to give up something that I’ve been doing for years.”
Looking down at a puddle, she sighed. “I know you care about me, but your worrying implies I’m not capable of making a good decision. I know as a kid I was a little reckless, but don’t assume that I haven’t grown into a responsible adult.”
“My overprotectiveness has nothing to do with your ability to take care of yourself. It’s just my way. I watched you jump out of trees, race down hills on your bike, and set off rockets for years, and I got used to safeguarding you. It’s not a habit that I’ve ever broken. The thought of harm coming to you has always made me feel sick to my stomach. It got worse after my mama passed away. I can’t explain it, but that’s how it’s always been.”
Wrapping her arms around his big frame, she squeezed him as best she could. “I appreciate that you care about me, more than you’ll ever know.” When he squeezed her back, she felt a peace she’d forgotten existed. Part of the reason she was such a daredevil as a kid was that she knew he would always be there to catch her. It was easy to be brave if she had a superhero ready to save the day. And that’s what Brock had always been for her. A hero. Not that she would tell him. God, if he ever found out, he would be insufferable.
Popcorn tugged on his leash, and she released her hold on Brock. “Come on. You promised to buy me a brownie.”
When he shook his head, she decided to change the subject. “Admit it. Doesn’t Popcorn look good in his raincoat? He’s about the best-looking dog there is.”
“It’s really a rain poncho, and to answer your question, yes, he does look good. I don’t know how he manages to keep hold of his dignity, but he does.”
“Being well-dressed is not a measure of testosterone. My dog can be macho and stylish.”
“Why do I feel like you’re trying to tell me something? I know I’m not a fancy dresser. Is that something you want?”
“I’m not talking about you. I’m defending my dog’s honor.” Leaning her head against Brock’s shoulder, she gave him what she hoped was a sexy smile. When he frowned, she figured it had failed. “For the record, I like the way you dress. As far as I’m concerned, you can wear jeans, a white T-shirt, and boots every day for the rest of your life. Or just go naked. Either is fine with me.”
“That’s damn good news.”
“You thought I wanted to change you?”
“Not really, but seeing Drew the other day in his stupid three-piece suit made me wonder if that’s what you liked.”
“Nope, I like a man in jeans with long legs and a fine ass.” If he didn’t figure out she was talking about him, then he wasn’t paying attention. “The only good thing about this situation with Drew is that I’m going to get a really good book out of it. Don’t mess with a writer, ’cause we’ll describe you.”
“Remind me never to piss you off. The last thing I want is to end up dead in one of your books.”
Wrapping her hand around his arm, she looked up into his sexy gray eyes. “What if I use last night as inspiration? Would that be all right?”
Sliding his hand over his jaw, he gave her a small smile. “I suppose that would be okay.”
“Might have to do some more research, really spend some time and see what works and what doesn’t. One of the things I’m known for is my thorough study of a subject. I spend months investigating the right techniques.”
“I can surely help you with that, and can make myself available for whatever you have in mind.”
“I’d better make you sign something before we start. The last thing I need is to be sued again.” When she started laughing, she noticed that he didn’t join her. “I was kidding.”
“You know I would never doing anything like that.”
She stopped and made sure he was paying attention. “Of course I do. That’s why I made the joke.”
“Let’s go back to the stalker story. What happened after you filed a restraining order?”
“At first it seemed to work because she wasn’t within a hundred feet of me. That lasted for about six months, and then I’d find her sitting in a car at the end of my street. At one point, she had violated the order enough times that she was brought up on felony charges. My sister said the indictment was long overdue because she was always found with a gun as well as other items considered dangerous.”
“I’m guessing she served her time, and when she got out, she started the whole thing again.”
“You would be right.” Shoving her hands into her pockets, she shook her head. “I made a couple of mistakes that could’ve prevented the final disaster. The first was believing the woman wasn’t a serious threat, and the second was not trying to get her help. The system isn’t set up to get people treatment. It’s set up to incarcerate them and then let t
hem go. Ruth has a form of schizophrenia. She suffers from delusions and attachment disorder as well as a handful of other things. Putting her in jail does nothing to solve the problem.”
“You seem to have a lot of compassion for a woman who threatened your life and terrorized you.”
“I didn’t arrive at this by magic. After the incident in my home, I went to stay with my parents and ended living with them for close to a year. I’ve spent a lot of time on a therapist’s couch. One thing I learned is that forgiveness is the only road to recovery. Once I understood that Ruth is mentally ill, I could move forward.” They rounded the corner and Lilly saw the bakery. “I’m going to need a big brownie.”
“Whatever you want, honey. I’ll get you a whole tray if that’ll help.”
Looking up at the mountain of a man next to her, she realized how good it felt to get the story out. She hadn’t spoken about it much in years, and telling Brock the whole thing somehow made her feel lighter. He seemed to be handling it okay, so maybe telling him wouldn’t make him go into overprotective paranoid mode. Maybe she wasn’t the only one who had grown up.
***
Brock sat in his truck and looked up at Lilly’s front door. It was after seven, and she’d nixed extending their twenty-four date any further. He had reluctantly left and made her promise to call him if there were any funny sounds around the house. When she gave him a faint smile in agreement and tapped her foot, he figured he’d pushed it as far as he could.
Driving away slowly, he made a mental list of the added security measures he wanted to install. As he got to the end of the street, his phone rang, and he saw it was his brother. “Brody, don’t tell me I have to come and get you out of jail.”
“You’ve never had to bail my ass out of anything.”
“What’s up?”
“If your girl has cut you loose, then I want your help over at the house. The weather has set us behind and I need another worker. We’re installing the kitchen cabinets tonight, and it’s all hands on deck.”
“Just so happens that Lilly wasn’t interested in extending our date, so I’m available.” His brother’s loud hyena laugh filled the car, and Brock waited patiently for him to get over himself. Nobody loved to see him suffer more than his brothers. Apparently, he’d cast a long shadow over them, and they took every possible opportunity to knock him down. At the same time, if he was ever in real trouble, those two would be the fiercest defenders in the world and the first in line to take care of any threat.
“Come over to the meat-pie queen’s house and you can fill me in on all the gory details. Did you even make it through dinner without getting in a fight?”
“Not that I’m talking about it, but we lasted twenty-four hours without so much as a negative comment.”
Brody whistled loudly. “Knew it. You two are either going to work perfectly together or blow one another up. I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty chance for either outcome.”
Unfortunately, he didn’t disagree with his brother, not that he would give him the satisfaction of telling him. “I’ll be over in about thirty minutes.”
“Thanks, brother. I’m staking a lot on this house coming in on time and it turning out perfectly.”
“Anytime. You can repay me by filling me in on Lilly’s stalker. I need to get as much intel as I can and want to hear what you have to say first.”
“She talked about that?” Brody asked quietly.
“Yeah. Popcorn barked in the middle of the night, and I checked the house and found nothing. When I told her this morning, she casually mentioned Ruth. If I didn’t have such a good poker face, I’m sure she would’ve figured out how upset I was. I played it cool and she told me the story. The thing that bothers me is that she was so calm about it. Almost like she was talking about it happening to someone else.”
“I’m not going to ask how you managed to spend the night after the first date,” Brody responded with a laugh.
“This first date has been years and years in the making, and I wouldn’t tell you anything even if you did ask.” Driving onto the highway, he noticed the sky had cleared. “How much do you know about the stalker thing?”
“Enough. After we’re done getting the cabinets in, you can buy me a dinner, and I’ll tell you what I know.” He cleared his throat and then went on. “I redid her kitchen and living room after the fire. It had been destroyed.”
“Fuck,” Brock said quietly.
“Lilly pulled herself together through pure grit and determination. Make no mistake, her mama had a lot to do with it, but that’s not surprising. I’ve never meant a stronger, sweeter woman than Rochelle Bertrand. Remember, she practically raised me after Mama died, even when I was a stubborn, angry little cuss. Given the chance, that woman could probably cure the world with her tough love, faith, and peach cobbler. As far as I can see, those Bertrand sisters are exactly like their mama. Don’t underestimate any one of them, because you will only be proven wrong.”
“That is the truth. I’ll see you in a bit.” Disconnecting the call, Brock let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. Memories swamped him as he rolled down the highway. After his mama had died from cancer, Rochelle Bertrand took him and his brothers under her care.
His daddy had been lost in grief for years and had no idea what to do with three boys. Had it not been for her, they might have all grown up feral. She was a no-nonsense woman with a huge heart. They sat at her dinner table every night for two years and many nights after that.
The normalcy of that house had saved him and his brothers, and it wasn’t anything they would ever forget. For Brody, she was more of a mother to him than the woman who gave birth to him. Probably Brady, too. As the oldest, Brock had real memories of his mama and held them close to this day, but his younger brothers didn’t have enough time with her to have memories of their own.
Running his hand over his hair, he tried to release the tension in his shoulders. Thinking of Lilly in danger made his anger hard to control. The fact that he’d been on the other side of the world and wasn’t there to help her burned a hole in his gut.
Well, he was here now and was going to make damn sure that nothing like that happened again. The first thing he needed to do was gather intel. After he had that, he would make a plan to ensure her continued safety. No matter what she said.
Brody had been right; the Bertrand sisters were just like their mama. Nothing would move them off their path, no matter the circumstances. All he had to do was make sure he came up with a plan she could live with. Because the truth was, it was his fight now. Anything that threatened Lilly always would be.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Monday
Sitting in the French Press restaurant, Lilly realized her sister Lucy’s dream had come true. The place had turned out exactly as Lucy imagined it. Their mother’s singsong voice called out and she walked out of the kitchen. “Hi, Mama.”
“Hello, sweet child. I had to go back and give your sister some love and see what she has going on back there.”
“Is she going to join us today, or is she cooking?”
“She’s gonna try. Depends on how the lunch rush goes.”
“I’m so proud of her.”
“Me too, sugar. Happiness is when your children turn out well. To see you girls exceed your goals is all that I can ask for. And the boys are doing well too. I tell you, it lets me sleep well at night to know that you’re all on your way.” Mama flattened her napkin, then smiled. “Speaking of the boys…”
Watching Mama’s steady gaze told Lilly the cat was already out of the bag. “By the looks of it, I’d guess you already heard how I spent my weekend.” Lafayette wasn’t a small city, and she often wondered what kind of spy network Mama had that allowed her always to be fully informed. “What is it you want to know?”
“I know most of it because Brock’s behind was parked at my kitchen table at seven thirty this morning.”
“Did he run out of coffee?” Just as Mama started laughing
, the waiter brought over two glasses filled with a chilled white wine. “Thank you,” Lilly murmured as the man set the glasses down. They never knew what they were going to eat when they came because Lucy decided for them. Apparently, the wine was part of the experience, and she wasn’t one to argue with a little libation in the middle of the day.
“He comes to see Daddy and me after he visits with his father, which seems to be at least once a week. He came by this morning because he wanted us to know what his intentions are.”
Lifting the glass, Lilly took a healthy sip. “This is the not the 1950s, and he does not need to ask my parents’ permission. I’m a full-grown woman and can make my own decisions.”
“Nobody doubts that. I got the impression that he wanted our approval.” Another waiter approached with two spinach salads topped with buffalo oysters. “Lucy is spoiling us today. Doesn’t this look delicious?”
“What else did Brock have to say this morning?”
“He had a lot of questions about the stalker. I had a feeling that he was trying to find out everything he could so that he could make sure it never happened again. We tried to reassure him that the mattered was closed, but I could tell he wasn’t really buying it.”
“The last thing I want is for Brock to go into overprotective mode. He can’t be up in my business every moment of every day.”
Lucy chose that moment to join them. “I heard he was already up in your business. It’s hard to shut the barn door after the cows are out.”
“You hush,” Lilly said as her sister sat down. “Don’t be talking about that in front of Mama.”
Rochelle Bertrand gave her girls a disapproving look. “I don’t know why the three of you pretend that I don’t know what’s going on. It’s insulting and not necessary. How do you think your father and I have managed to stay happy all these years? It’s not because we play cards at night.”
Lilly and Lucy covered their ears and shook their heads. “Stop!” they said simultaneously.