A difficult new boss, a confusing new half-brother.
Ugh. Men. If only all men were more like StarLord. Thoughtful, soulful, funny, smart.
Speaking of StarLord, he'd sent her a message this morning but she hadn't had a chance to read it. As she rounded the last curve toward the ocean, she opened the app.
Reading while driving…very bad idea. She could just imagine how Will Knight would lecture her about that.
Smiling, she read the message in quick glances.
It was a poem. She loved it when StarLord wrote poems, even silly ones. It confirmed her sense that he was exactly the sort of sensitive man she wanted to find.
If you were a star, I'd be a telescope. If you were an island, I'd be a breeze. If you were a clock, I'd be high noon. If you're just a dream, can I keep hitting snooze? (P.s. I know "breeze" and "snooze" don't rhyme.)
She laughed, then swerved to avoid a creature scampering across the road. Behind her, Chase honked his horn.
She swung the steering wheel to get her car back in the right lane, barely seeing the road in front of her. Chills chased through her, filling her up like bubbly at a wedding.
She had to meet his guy, this StarLord. He was totally different from the men she knew. Even if he turned out to be hideous, she wouldn't care. She knew who he was on the inside. That was all that mattered.
She crested the last hill before the airstrip. From here, meadows filled with wildflowers stretched toward the Pacific Ocean, which slumbered under the hot September sky.
Even if she never met StarLord, knowing that someone like him existed made it easier to deal with the other men in the world.
Deputy Will Knight, for instance.
If Will pulled his bossy, arrogant moves, all she had to do was think of StarLord and his tender, funny messages.
Will had to hand it to Merry. When she turned on the charm, no one could resist her.
As soon as she stepped onto the freshly resurfaced pavement next to the newly painted reception building, Tobias and Ben fell all over her like moths to a flame.
He didn’t, of course. He knew all about Merry and her reporter wiles. She had a way of asking questions that kept you talking and before you knew it, you were sharing details meant to be kept quiet. He'd been burned early on with her and had never made that mistake again.
Instead, he hung back and watched her flash that smile, tilt her head, fix her sparkling eyes on his brothers, and turn them into pigeons eating out of her hand. While they took her into the hangar to show off their Cessna 206, the Piper Matrix, and the Robinson R44 II Raven helicopter, he stayed on the tarmac with the intern, Chase, who explained that he was taking pictures for Instagram.
"If you're on Insta, I can tag you," he said.
"You'll have to ask my brothers about that. I'm just a bystander."
For some reason, the kid seemed fascinated by the fact that they were all brothers. "All of you work together? Do you play sports together? Football? Tennis?"
Will lifted an eyebrow at him. "We're more of a basketball family."
"That's cool, that's cool. So you do all live together? Is that fun, kind of like a sitcom?"
Jesus. What was with this kid?
"Will!" Tobias called to him from the area of the hangar. He and Ben were rolling the Cessna 206 six-seater onto the tarmac. The propellers quivered in the constant breeze that came off the ocean. "Come on over for the family interview."
At the edge of the tarmac, Merry was watching the rollout of the Cessna with her head cocked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. He allowed himself a moment to stare at her, since she wasn't looking his direction. She was so beautiful, with her pretty amber skin and unruly fluff of hair. How soft and springy would it be to the touch? His fingers itched to feel for himself.
But knowing Merry, she might turn on him like a spitting cat. She'd probably be shocked at how attracted he was to her. He barely admitted it himself. Around her he turned into a straitlaced stiff who barely cracked a smile. And he knew exactly why—because he was afraid of giving himself away. Letting on how incredibly appealing he found Merry Warren.
He left Chase, who was busy composing a tweet, and ambled toward his brothers. As he reached them, Merry was asking Tobias about the bidding war for the property. "I understand several real estate developers were interested. People were talking about vacation homes, condos, that sort of thing."
"That was thanks to Sean Marcus," answered Tobias. "He felt the community would be better served by bringing back a flightseeing service like the one his parents had."
"Also, he's been wanting some more air support for the Jupiter Point Hotshots," Ben added. "We agreed to offer resources for search and rescue, firefighting, whatever Jupiter Point might need."
Merry scribbled notes in her reporter's notebook. It looked a lot like the notebook Will used during interviews, which amused him for a second. He and Merry had nothing in common—except those things they had in common.
"So the two of you are both trained pilots with military experience. And you, Deputy Knight?"
Will started. He'd been watching her smooth brown hand manipulating that pen. The sight was oddly sexy. "Nope. They're the flyboys. I keep my feet on the ground."
Ben slung his arm over Will's shoulders. "This guy right here is the roots. We're the leaves. Because we left, get it? He stayed in Jupiter Point and held down the fort."
Will gave him a narrow-eyed look. He didn't want Merry knowing about their family.
"Where's your sense of humor, bro?" Ben turned back to Merry with a shrug of apology. "Don't mind Grandpa here."
Merry gave him a somewhat sympathetic look. "So is it just you three running the family business?"
"We have a younger brother who just started college," Tobias said. "He's got a summer job here if he wants it, but school comes first."
"All boys. Wow. And your parents?"
Awkward silence descended, so fast and complete that the distant sound of waves on the gravel shoreline could be heard. A soft whir came from the gentle circling of the propellers. The scribbling of Merry's pen paused as she looked up.
Tobias cleared his throat. "Ah, we have a sister too. Our parents aren't part of this. They're—not around."
Will's stomach felt tied in a hundred knots. Merry glanced at him again, but he kept his face completely impassive. If she wanted to know more, she'd have to figure it out herself. She was a reporter, it shouldn't be too hard.
Luckily, she changed the subject. "Have you guys been in touch with Suzanne Finnegan at Stars in Your Eyes? She plans tour packages for honeymooners, and I bet she'd love to work with you once you're up and running."
Will relaxed, as did his brothers. None of them liked talking about their parents.
"Suzanne's coming out here tomorrow to meet with us," Ben answered. "We'll be catering to the tourist crowd, of course, but we also plan to offer a special rate to locals. We live in such a beautiful spot, especially when you see it from up there. It ought to be easier for people who live here to take advantage of that. Speaking of which, are you ready to get airborne?"
Merry stopped taking notes. "Um." She folded her lips, her confident manner disappearing completely. That one small moment made all of Will's stiffness melt away.
"First time in a small plane?" he asked her gently.
"Well, I'm not in it yet." She darted a nervous glance at the Cessna. At that moment, Chase jogged over to them. "Maybe Chase should go instead. He can take pictures for Instagram and all that."
"Sure!" the kid said eagerly. "I can get some great shots for you, Merry."
Will eyed him, amused by his eager-beaver manner.
"We can take you both," said Tobias. He buckled up his flight jacket. "There's plenty of room. Will, you come too."
Will was about to decline—he was due back at the station—when he caught another glance from Merry. A pleading one. How the hell could he resist that? Merry Warren, queen of attitude, was nervous about strapping
herself into a Knight and Day Cessna 206?
He nodded, then added a teasing, one-sided smile. "Sure thing. Just don't hold my hand too hard, Merry."
She made a face at him. Good. He was used to sass from Merry. It was a lot easier to handle than panic.
If someone had told Merry that by the end of the week, she'd be holding Will Knight's hand, she would have laughed in their face. But there she was, ten thousand feet in the air, squeezing his big hand for dear life. She was probably crushing his bones, but she couldn't seem to loosen her grip.
The land was so far away, and as for this little tin can they were packed into…whose genius idea was this? Was this legal? Would someone really pay to do this?
Cotton tufts of clouds floated around them. She had the wild impulse to reach out and snag one, catch a ride with something that belonged up here. She'd ridden in airplanes before, of course. But on a commercial flight it was easier to pretend you weren't rattling through the air in something that belonged in a pantry. The outside air was right there. Inches away. And damn, was that a bird?
Will pried his hand out of hers and moved it to the base of her neck. Warm. Solid. Calming. Even through her ear protection, the drone of the engine drowned out other sounds. The plane hit an air pocket—or maybe it was a mountain, what did she know?—and dropped. She shrieked and clamped her hand onto his thigh. It felt like warm steel under her hand—another anchor in this crazy, free-floating cork bouncing on an air current.
His hand, still on the back of her neck, tightened. One thumb traced circles along her skin. Slow, calm movements. He gave her a reassuring smile and mouthed something, but she couldn't make it out over the engine noise and the hammering of the blood in her ears. But the motion of his thumb spoke its own language. Everything is fine, it said. If this was a crisis, I wouldn't have time for such a thorough, slow-moving, sense-drugging caress, now would I?
Slowly, surely, she relaxed. Her chest eased enough for her to take in a shaky breath. Will's thumb pressed harder, and her body automatically translated his meaning. Take another breath. Deeper. That's it. Everything is fine. Close your eyes if you want. I'm here. I'm solid as a rock. And I'm not leaving.
She clung to that reassurance as she forced her eyes back open. In the front seat next to Ben, Chase was snapping photos of the ocean below. He didn't seem bothered by the turbulence. Maybe he'd spent plenty of time in little private planes. LearJets, yachts, BMW's. The world was his oyster. She'd be more envious if she weren't so terrified.
Finally, the Cessna stabilized and the bouncing up and down changed to a smooth chug-a-chug.
And then, thanks to that soothing hand on her neck, she relaxed enough to appreciate the beauty of it. The vast sparkling sea. The hazy offshore islands, the puffy clouds, the endless horizon.
Chase turned around and flashed a delighted grin at her. For one moment she forgot her annoyance and smiled back.
The breathtaking vista out the plane's window drew her attention again. They were passing near an island, a wooded peak with creamy lines of foam lapping at the shoreline. Out of nowhere, a line of poetry came to her. One of the lines in StarLord's poem. If you were an island, I'd be a breeze.
She whispered the words under her breath because they fit the spellbinding beauty around her so perfectly.
Will looked at her sharply. "What did you say?"
Had he heard her random line reading? Unlikely, with all the engine noise. "I said, I can practically feel the breeze!"
She smiled at him, so giddy with relief she could practically kiss him. Those gray eyes would close in, those firm lips cover hers, that stubble brush against her cheek—
Kiss Will? What was she thinking? And oh my God, she still had her hand on his thigh.
She snatched her hand away.
Deputy Will Knight better not ever mention this moment. It was going in the vault, right along with that other incident-that-shall-not-be-named.
6
"Okay, I got my pitcher. Where's y'alls?" Merry wrapped her arms around the plastic pitcher of neon-green liquid the waiter set on the table. Safely in her favorite booth at the Orbit Lounge and Grill, with her friends Evie, Suzanne, and Brianna around her, life finally felt normal again.
Brianna Gallagher flung up her hands. "Hey, if you need it that bad, it's all yours. I'm driving you home, though."
"Hell no. I'm driving myself from now on. I figured something out today." Merry filled the stack of plastic glasses that the waiter had provided along with the pitcher, and handed them out. "I am not a good passenger. Especially if the vehicle is basically the size of an airsickness bag"
Across the table, Evie's lovely face brightened. Merry privately considered her to be one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen, with her silvery eyes and peaceful manner. She was married to Sean Marcus, who had sold the airstrip to the Knight brothers.
"The flight tour!” she said. “Did you take a ride in one of those little planes?"
"Yes, I did. And I kissed the ground that used to belong to Sean when we landed."
Brianna laughed. "I'm with you. Ground is good. The sky provides rain and sun and stars and looks pretty, and that's more than enough. I don't need a close-up view."
Since Brianna was a gardener who spent most of her time with her hands in the soil, this didn't surprise Merry. She lifted her glass to click it against Bri's.
"All of this is beside the point," Suzanne declared. With her long blonde hair and carefree attitude, one would never guess she was a new mom, except for the spot of spit-up on the shoulder of her blouse. "What we really want to know is what the hot cop's brothers are like now."
"I thought we agreed not to call him that?" Merry grumbled into her margarita.
"Did we?" Suzanne blinked innocently. "Pregnancy brain."
"You're not pregnant anymore," Brianna pointed out. "Unless…oh my God. You haven't touched that margarita. Oh my God! Suzanne, are you?"
"God no." She picked up her drink and drained it. "It's more of an all-purpose excuse," she gasped as she lowered the plastic glass. "I'm planning to use it as long as Josh lets me get away with it."
The others all laughed. Merry gazed at her friends with affection. Evie and Suzanne were cousins, and Evie and Brianna were childhood best friends. They'd all known each other forever, but they'd accepted her into their little group without hesitation. She loved that about Jupiter Point. New arrivals got the benefit of the doubt. As a city girl, she'd always imagined small towns to be close-minded and intolerant. She couldn't speak for other small towns, but Jupiter Point had accepted her easily.
"Back to our main topic of conversation here," said Suzanne. "The famous Knight brothers. They've been gone so long, I'm not sure I'd recognize them."
Merry waved her hands in the air. "Hold up, hold up, hold up. You know the family?"
They all stared at her in surprise. "Of course," Evie said. "From afar. They lived outside of town, so they didn't go to our high school. But everyone knew about them anyway. Four wild brothers and one spoiled sister. People told crazy stories about them. They were hell-raisers, every one of them."
"Excuse me, are we talking about the same Will Knight? The one who singlehandedly upholds the rule of law with that stick up his ass?"
Brianna laughed at that description. "He wasn't always like that. He changed after—" She broke off, then lowered her voice. "Well, after the murder."
"The what?" Merry waved her hands about again. Maybe that margarita had been stronger than usual, because she sure hadn't seen that coming. "What are you talking about? No one gets murdered around here. This is honeymoon-stargazing territory. Murder's bad for tourism."
"Well, strictly speaking, it didn't happen in Jupiter Point," said Brianna. "They lived outside city limits."
"I feel bad even talking about this," said Evie softly. "It's been so long, and it really tore their family apart. I've never heard Will mention it. And the other brothers joined the military right afterward. I think they j
ust wanted some space from all the talk."
Merry sloshed the last of her margarita around. "Can someone please give me the details here because I'm really not used to being the last to know something."
The other women exchanged glances. Merry jiggled her foot impatiently. She could always look it up in the archives, but she burned with curiosity and wanted the details now.
Suzanne finally stepped into the silence. "It was their father. He was found murdered at their house. Stabbed, I think. No one ever found out who did it. Some people said it was a random stranger, other people suspected Mrs. Knight. I guess they had a lot of problems in their marriage. After she was cleared, she had a meltdown and left town with Cassie, the only daughter. I think she was maybe sixteen then. Will was twenty-two and he took charge of the family. He was in law school then, but he dropped out and came back home to deal with everything."
Brianna was shaking her head at the memory, her ginger-cinnamon hair gleaming in the overhead light. "It was so awful. Poor Will. The whole family was a mess. The youngest brother, Aiden, was like, eight. His father had been murdered and his mother abandoned him. Poor kid. But he's doing well now, or so I've heard."
Merry realized her mouth had dropped open. All this time, no inkling of this story had reached her ears. In three years, no one had thought to mention an unsolved murder involving someone she worked with on a regular basis.
And then she remembered that moment when she'd asked the brothers about their parents and they all froze. She'd even made a note of it. "Parents?" she'd written. The shock of that plane flight had chased the memory right out of her head.
"No one talks about it," she marveled. "I haven't heard anything until this very moment."
Evie nodded thoughtfully, her sleek dark hair spilling over her shoulder. "It's out of respect for Will, I think. Everyone around here loves him. He could have run for sheriff and won in a landslide. He probably didn't want to stir up any talk about the murder. It has to be tough, the fact that it was never solved. The family never got any justice."
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