by Shady Grace
A slow smile crossed his face as he focused on the chopper. “Her father, and he’s one pissed off man.”
“Oh. Right. How exactly did you get him to come here?”
They stood side-by-side, both staring as the chopper faded into the endless sky.
“I got Sal to call him. I knew he couldn’t say no. Not with the deal I made him.”
A hair-raising scream came from the area of the pen as Sam regained consciousness. Gabe checked his gun and swore. “Fuck. I’m out of bullets.” He shot off toward Sam, not even seeing Buck’s gun at Terry’s feet. Terry stood numb in the same spot, unable to do anything of use. He watched as if through a tunnel as Gabe rushed the two men while they lowered a screaming Sam over the top of the railing.
The pigs gathered in a tight little formation waiting for their dinner like many times before.
The wind picked up with a sudden force as Gabe grabbed the arm of one man, violently twisting it until the bone snapped. As he dropped to the ground, shrieking in terror, Gabe ripped the gun out of the guy’s holster and shot the other man in the face.
He reached for Sam and ripped him down from the top rail as one of the pigs lunged for his foot, missing his ankle by mere inches.
As Sam composed himself from his near brush with a terrorizing death, Gabe strolled over to the man with the broken arm, shot both of his legs with the man’s own gun, before he fired a single round into his forehead.
The violence was over.
Terry’s chest tightened and he couldn’t breathe as he turned his attention to the water. He didn’t want to think but he couldn’t stop the images of Mary’s face before his eyes. Maybe he should walk to the shoreline and just keep going until the water swallowed him up.
His father would tell him to suck it up and move on. If only it was that easy.
Gabe and Sam came toward him. They had no idea what happened. He would have to tell them what Buck said about Mary.
It was only the three of them now, and John Covington, the moneyman. If Wanda scooped money soon after his mother’s death, then John was either a total fool or he was fucking her, too.
Tonight, he’ll be getting a visit.
Tomorrow everything will change.
But first he was going to get off-the-wall hammered, maybe he’d forget who he was. Maybe he’d be able to forget her beautiful face after a while.
Terry glanced around the yard like a stranger stepping onto the lush green grass for the first time. The huge Victorian mansion, surrounded by beautiful gardens, seemed like a monstrosity amidst this serene landscape. He wasn’t in awe anymore.
Everything had been built from lies and betraying hands.
It was time to make a change, if only Mary were here to see him do it. Because she had faith in him, he wanted to make things right for her. He wanted her to be proud of him from wherever she was.
Gabe and Sam dusted themselves off as they strolled over, Sam limping from the cut on his ankle, Gabe cradling his bleeding arm. Terry tried to smile as they stood in a circle on the helipad, but he couldn’t. He should be dead, not his sweet Mary.
“Better get your arm looked at,” he said to Gabe without any emotion. He was dead to the world.
“What do we do now?” Sam asked. “Where did they take Mary?”
Terry’s heart lurched as he cleared his throat. “Buck said something about a ditch. They already killed her.”
“I wouldn’t underestimate that woman of yours,” Gabe said with a smile.
Terry ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself, and angry that he couldn’t contain his tears in front of them. Pissed off that Gabe actually smiled at him.
“I couldn’t save her, Gabe! She’s gone. The only woman I’ve ever fucking loved is gone.” He put his hands on his hips and looked down at the concrete pad. He felt like that slab of cement. Cold and hard and alone.
“Look behind you, you idiot.”
His head snapped up and he stared hard at Gabe, who was looking over his shoulder.
When Terry turned around his lungs emptied of breath. His heart pounded and his hands shook at his sides.
There she stood, his beautiful Mary, standing there panting, as if she’d walked through the bush for miles, and apparently with bare feet.
“Loved, eh?”
His upper lip twitched. He cleared his throat, embarrassed his feelings were out in the open in front of two of the deadliest criminals in the country—and a trapper. “Something like that.” It took every ounce of will not to laugh and cry, he was beyond relieved she was alive. He rushed over and grabbed her, held her tight, afraid to let her go. He ran his hands up and down her sides, over her back, needing to assure himself that she was real, and that she was unharmed.
His hand slid over a familiar object tucked in her skirt. “What’s this?”
“A gift from Wanda.”
“Whatever,” Gabe cut in. “We need to settle—”
Terry put his hand up to silence him, every fiber of his being only focused on Mary. He held her back and looked down at her in awe. What a woman. “What happened? How did you get away? And where are your shoes?”
Her perfect little eyebrow arched as she grinned. “I convinced them to let me out, with a little help from this.” She waved the gun in the air. Gabe and Sam mirrored Terry’s look of surprise. “And I threw those goddamned shoes in the ditch. How am I supposed to walk here in heels?”
“I’m impressed,” Gabe said. Sam’s gold-toothed grin reflected the same.
Mary glanced around the property, unaware of the carnage that had happened only minutes before. “What happened to Wanda?”
“She’s gone. You’ll never have to worry about her again, I promise.”
“Oh, for fuck sakes. Come on, Sam. I need a fucking whiskey,” Gabe blurted.
Terry didn’t care what they did. Not with Mary standing there looking all tired and content, her hair all windswept and beautiful. He stepped closer, took her head in his hands and brought her lips to his.
She tasted like his dark days were finally over.
Now that he had his second chance at life, he wasn’t going to waste any more time. He pulled her into his arms again and held her tight to his pounding heart, grateful she survived this insanity. She nestled her cheek to his chest. “Now what?”
Terry put his arm over her shoulder and held her tight as they followed the guys back to the house, but they weren’t rushing. “They’re going to have a drink, and we need to talk about the future.”
Mary sighed. “I think you’re right.”
“Maybe we should go straight to bed. I should check every inch of your body and make sure you’ve come to no harm, my damsel in distress.”
Mary giggled and playfully slapped his chest. “I do feel tired, you terrible Scottish rogue.” She paused at the door and looked up at him. “But we’re not really going to sleep, are we?”
“Nope. I’m going to take you to a room far away from the parlor. Then I’m going to make love to you until one of my boys lays claim in that womb of yours. We’ll make this shit legit.”
Mary made a disgusted face. “That doesn’t sound very sexy, Terry. Besides, you already did.”
It took a second for her words to register before his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “What? Are you sure? How?” His entire body shook, he was so terrified by the news. He was going to be a father. That scared him more than having a gun to his head. But it was awesome terror.
“Well, it all started when we had unprotected sex in a hotel room. And several more times after that.”
He started laughing before he let out a manly holler. “Yes!” Then he scooped her up in his arms. “Told you it wasn’t your fault. You just needed a real man with good swimmers.”
Surprised but obviously relieved by his response, Mary hugged him tight and squealed as he burst through the door with her in his arms. “Why can’t we go near the parlor?”
“Never mind.”
She ya
wned and stretched, her smile teasing. “Maybe a nap is a good thing for me in my condition. A real nap where I actually sleep.”
“Not unless you want to sleep with a gun against your bum.”
She giggled and smacked his shoulder. “I already have one there.”
“Yeah, you have a point. But I really need to empty my chamber.” He shoved through the door and went straight to the nearest bedroom down one of the hallways.
He shut the door with his hip, went straight to the enormous bed and dropped Mary on it. “Get naked, woman. It’s time to check you for injuries.”
She looked at him with love and sex in her eyes. “Terry?”
“Yeah?” He pulled his shirt over his head and chucked it on the floor.
Mary struggled to get out of her bra in record time. “Are you sure this is what you want? I mean, am I what you really want?”
He crawled onto the bed and crowded her against the pillows. His little mountain woman wasn’t going anywhere. She could keep her house in Silver Creek if she wanted, but they’d only be going there once in a while for some serious relaxation and some of that wild outdoor sex Gabe talked about. Maybe he’d take her inside the tanning hut on one of her furs. The possibilities were endless.
No words could ever describe how happy and relieved he felt right in this moment. “You’re damn right you are. You’re mine, and I love you. Don’t ever question that.”
Her content sigh when he settled over her was music to his ears.
“I love you too, Terry. Business can wait till tomorrow, right?”
He growled against her neck and ground his erection against her. “Yes, Boss. Anything you say.”
Be sure not to miss Jannine Gallant’s thrilling Who’s Watching Who series!
Every Vow She Breaks
A Promise Can Follow You To the Grave…
Claire Templeton is drawn to the majestic beauty of the California Redwoods in the hopes of capturing an unexplained phenomenon on camera. What she doesn’t expect is to run into her first love, Jed Lafferty, the boy she worshipped as a child, the man she’s never been able to forget.
Carefree, fun-loving Jed doesn’t believe in fate, preferring to make his own luck. But when he runs into the little girl who used to follow him like a shadow, now an irresistible woman, he can’t help feeling the odds are turning in his favor. Letting Claire walk out of his life the first time might be his single biggest regret. But when strange gifts and cards left for Claire turn sinister, it’s clear someone else from her past isn’t ready to let go . . .
“Jannine Gallant is an exciting new voice in romantic suspense.”
—Mary Burton, New York Times bestselling author
“Well developed, realistic characters. Entertaining family dynamics. Jannine Gallant gives you a satisfying read.”
—Kat Martin, New York Times bestselling author
Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com
Chapter 1
The scent of burgers and fries drifted through the diner as the swinging kitchen door slapped against the wall. Claire Templeton’s mouth watered. With a sigh, she poked through her salad, stabbed a tomato and popped it into her mouth. Given her petite frame, eating fries wasn’t an option unless she wanted to look like the portly waitress. Not that the woman, who dwarfed the taxidermy bear in the restaurant’s entrance, was doing too badly at the moment.
Her ample bosom swayed as she set a plate loaded with a double-decker cheeseburger and onion rings on the table in front of the customer in the booth across from Claire. Customer didn’t do the man justice. Supreme specimen of manhood came close. Those naked Greek statues had nothing on this guy. Sun-streaked brown hair crowned a tanned face with bright blue eyes and a killer smile…which he was currently using as he requested extra mustard.
“I’ll get it right away, hon.” Augusta—if her nametag was to be believed—put one hand on her padded hip to lean in close. “You have to be the best-looking man ever to walk through that door.” A jerk of her head toward the bear set graying wisps of hair fluttering around an age-creased face. “If I were thirty years younger—”
“They’d arrest me for soliciting a minor.”
A robust laugh drowned the chatter of a family with three young children two booths down. “What a charmer.”
The linoleum floor shook as the woman rounded the end of the counter and disappeared into the kitchen.
Claire rolled her eyes. “She didn’t move like that when I asked for another slice of lemon in my iced tea.”
Her hunky neighbor met her gaze and grinned. “Didn’t your mama ever teach you you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar?”
“I didn’t want to catch flies. I wanted lemon.”
Something about his smile nagged at the back of her mind.
Nope. I’d never forget crossing paths with this man.
Augusta returned and plopped a bottle of yellow mustard on the tabletop. She gave Mr. Ruggedly Handsome a toothy smile. “You planning to be in town long?”
“A couple of days. I want to do some hiking in the redwoods around here.”
“Be sure to come back for breakfast. No one makes pancakes like Ralph.”
“I’ll do that. Can you recommend a campground? I drove by quite a few.”
“Take a right at the first cross street heading north and follow the road to the end. Towering Trees Campground has showers. Some of the others don’t. Enjoy your meal…er, what’s your name, hon?”
“Jed. Thanks for the tip…and the mustard.”
Claire’s head snapped around. Jed. Memories swirled. A laughing boy with bright blue eyes sliding worms down her shirt, hollering over his shoulder at her to ride faster, licking a triple-decker chocolate ice cream cone—
“Careful of your drink.”
She jerked her elbow back and slid the plastic glass away from the table’s edge. “Thanks.” Surely this man couldn’t be—
“Are you just passing through?” He picked up his burger.
Collecting her scattered wits, she shook her head. “Actually, I have a reservation at the campground Augusta mentioned. Uh, you said your name’s Jed?”
He nodded and popped an onion ring into his mouth. “Nice to meet you…”
“Claire.”
His hand stilled over his plate. “Claire. Maybe we’ll run into each other again while we’re camping.”
She worked her way through lettuce and an assortment of veggies while sneaking glances across the aisle. Jed wolfed down his burger then started on a chocolate shake topped with a cloud of whipped cream. The man might not have weight issues, but surely his cholesterol levels were as lofty as the dessert topping.
His gaze met hers again as he set down the glass. “I swear this isn’t some kind of lame pick-up line, but you remind me of someone I used to know. I don’t suppose you ever lived in Reno?”
She dropped her fork, eyes widening. “Oh, my God, it is you. Jed Lafferty. I can’t believe it. You were skinny and obnoxious, and now you’re…not.”
His smile stopped her heart.
“Little Claire Templeton all grown up.” His gaze swept downward. “Sort of. You’re still pint-sized.”
“I prefer vertically challenged.”
His laugh turned the heads of the two old-timers at the counter who’d been eating blueberry pie and arguing about fishing. Augusta stepped through the kitchen doorway to glance in their direction with raised brows before retreating.
Claire pressed a hand to her chest. “I had the biggest crush on you despite all the nasty bugs and worms you tortured me with. I cried the whole way to Winnemucca when we moved.”
“Your parents dragged you off to the middle of nowhere. I’d have cried, too.”
“Good point. Not surprisingly, we didn’t stay there long. After two more stops, I ended up here—” She spread her arms wide. “—for high school.”
“No kidding?” He picked up his shake, crossed the aisle and slid onto the bench seat facing her. “H
ow come you’re camping if you’re visiting your family?”
“I’m not. They left the area years ago. You remember my dad, always on the go, dragging my mom off to someplace new before she even had a chance to finish unpacking from the previous move. They’re currently up in Oregon. How’re your parents?”
His gaze dropped. “My mom died of breast cancer a few years ago. My dad’s still in the same house, retired from the Reno police force. I see him on a regular basis.”
She touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I loved your mom. She always had a smile and a cookie for the lonely, little girl from across the street. What about your brother?”
“Kane’s married and has three stepdaughters. They live in the Napa Valley area.”
His hand lay on the tabletop, ring finger conspicuously bare.
“You’re not? Married, I mean.”
He shook his head. “Not even close. What about you?”
“I’ve been within shouting distance a couple of times.”
Leaning back in the booth, his gaze wandered over her face. The smile she remembered from the best time in her childhood grew.
“Those guys must have been crazy to let you get away.”
“Augusta’s right. You are a charmer.” She wadded her napkin and dropped it next to her salad bowl. “How are you, Jed? Tell me all about your life for the last—what—twenty-five years?”
“Sounds about right. I was ten, and you were nine when you moved.”
“Yet I still have vivid memories of following you around that summer. Apparently you leave a lasting impression on a girl.”
He took a final swallow of his shake. “If you’re finished with your rabbit food, let’s go somewhere to catch up. The day’s too beautiful to hang out in here. No fog or rain is a rare combination in the redwoods.”
“It’s not even very windy. We could drive through the woods to the beach.” She dug her wallet out of her purse then glanced over to smile before dropping a few singles on the table. “I can’t believe we met again, here of all places, after all these years.”