by Tara Randel
Dylan cut his musing short. “Deke?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” He glanced over the surroundings he was coming to love. Leaves swaying in the gentle breeze. The sun breaking though the tree cover to shine on the ground in wavering patches of light. The nearby lake and mountains. “Once I hand over the reins, my work here is done. I can head to Florida.”
“Will that be a problem? You can only take a leave of absence for so long.”
He was nowhere near ready to get back to work. Not when he was finally coming to grips with his part in Britt’s death or while things were up in the air with Grace. If she refused to acknowledge the fragile bond forming between them, there was nothing else he could do. Since this was her home, no matter how sporadically she might visit the mountains, he wouldn’t stay if they parted ways. Atlanta or Florida would be the best alternative for him.
“I’ll let you know what I decide,” was all Deke could promise his brother.
“I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks, Dyl, but some things a guy has to figure out on his own.”
Deke heard a soft chuckle on the other end. “Must be a woman.”
“One worth fighting for.” He paused. “And promise you won’t tell Derrick. I won’t hear the end of it.”
“We’ve all suffered through his brotherly advice. It’s your turn.”
Deke shook his head as he ended the call. Talking to Derrick felt more like brotherly ribbing than advice, but he knew his brothers had his back. Always. One constant in life that never changed.
After leaving a message for Logan Masterson, his PI connection, Deke started up the Jeep and exited the main drag from the cabins, kicking up gravel as he turned onto the asphalt road. He was thinking about how to digest this new information when his cell rang. He glanced over to see a call coming in from Derrick.
“That had to be record time,” he muttered, ignoring the call. Hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, he focused on driving to his destination. Until he figured things out with Grace and talked to Logan, he didn’t want any well-intentioned advice.
Dylan’s phone call had changed the direction of his morning. He should give Serena some room until a new plan went into play. As he drove down Main, he glanced into the Put Your Feet Up office. There was a group of people inside. So much for talking to Grace alone.
Might as well make a pit stop for his daily coffee fix. As usual, the jolt of caffeine got his blood moving—not that he needed much of a boost after Dylan’s phone call. He stood on the sidewalk, shooting the breeze with a few locals, trying not to look in the direction of the tour office. Procrastinating didn’t matter. Grace never wandered outside. After determining he’d killed enough time, he headed to the warehouse.
Spending the morning unpacking camping equipment would be a good way to focus on the matters at hand. Busywork to keep his mind free to brainstorm solutions. He didn’t have a tour until this afternoon, when he would take a group on a hike to the highest mountain summit in the area. Afterward maybe he’d get Grace alone. Invite her to dinner. Someplace romantic. But for now, he was still employed by Put Your Feet Up and had a job to do.
Nathan’s truck was parked to the side of the warehouse, the large roll-up door open. As he strode inside, Deke’s feet echoed on the concrete floor. “Nathan?”
“Be right there,” came a voice from out back.
Pushing up the sleeves of his long-sleeved T-shirt, Deke began hauling the boxes to the floor. He was using his pocketknife to slit the tape when Nathan materialized.
“You don’t have to unpack all that. I was going to get it done this morning.”
“I’m free and need something to do.”
A ghost of a smile passed over Nathan’s lips. “Did you stop by the office?”
Suspicion had Deke frowning. “No. Should I have?”
“You usually check in.”
“My group doesn’t leave until later, so I’m good.”
“Good, huh?” came his reply, heavy with humor.
He shot Nathan one of his hard-line cop glances. “Got something to say?”
“I do.” Nathan squared his shoulders. “What are your intentions toward my sister?”
Deke’s hands stilled on the box of equipment. “Intentions?”
“I see the way you look at her.”
Deke straightened. “What way is that?”
“Like you can’t decide whether to argue with her or kiss her.”
No way was Deke admitting to Grace’s brother that he’d already kissed her or that it was the most incredible experience of his life. Then the first part of the statement stopped him. “Why would I argue with her?”
“Because she’s the boss and knows it.”
True, but that was one of the things Deke found appealing about Grace. Clearly Nathan was the one with the problem. “And that bothers you?”
The other man scowled. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Nathan clammed up, hefting another box from the corner and tearing open the packing tape. Just as Deke hoped, the conversation switched from his attraction to Grace to the real problem.
Voice tight, Nathan blurted, “She doesn’t trust me.”
“She has every right not to after what you pulled yesterday,” Deke admonished, putting as much authority in his tone as he dared. It was time someone spoke to Nathan, man-to-man.
“That was unavoidable. And in my defense, I did let Colin’s front desk help know I was leaving.”
“But you never should have taken off until you finished the job.”
Nathan looked contrite, then conflicted. “It won’t happen again. Not that it’ll change things with Grace.”
As one brother of four, Deke realized a dare was needed here. “Then prove her wrong.”
Interest spiked in Nathan’s eyes. “How?”
Deke pointed to the gear scattered around them. “Come up with a plan that shows Grace you’re committed to the business.”
“By what? Adding a tour or something?”
“Not something. Exactly that. Come up with a plan.”
Surprise, then excitement crossed Nathan’s face.
“Go for it.”
Nathan backed up. “Be right back.”
While Nathan raced off to his truck, Deke continued unpacking. He’d hold off discussing his hike/camping idea with Nathan until he heard what the younger man had to say. Then his phone beeped with a text. Grace, admonishing him for working when he didn’t have to be, but asking how it was going.
So she was being all business? Deke could reciprocate. I’m working with Nathan, he texted back.
He’s been avoiding me.
Can’t imagine why.
With a chuckle, Deke set the phone aside. Nathan returned with a notebook and held it out to Deke.
“What’s this?”
“My ideas.”
Curious now, Deke flipped through page after page of Nathan’s outdoor adventure concepts. Granted, some were a bit grandiose for a small team like the Harper family, but there were a few nuggets of gold. Deke focused on one in particular.
“Wilderness survival trips. What did you have in mind?”
“Taking kids up the mountain for a few nights. Bare basics to teach them how to survive on their own. I had some clients ask about this kind of thing the other day.”
“A good start, but what if parents aren’t secure with this kind of trip for their children?”
“Then we make it a family outing? That’s more of what Put Your Feet Up does anyway.”
“Start with family, see if there’s interest and then maybe just kids somewhere down the road.”
“Right.” Nathan took the notebook back and jotted down a few lines. “I’d have to figure how much equipment we have...”
&n
bsp; “We’re doing inventory right now.”
“And costs. Food. Time.”
Deke could see that developing his own tour had piqued Nathan’s interest. The next step would be convincing Grace that his idea had merit. While Nathan put details to paper, Deke opened the last box, removed the equipment, then sorted it.
Calling Nathan over, Deke said, “By my count you have enough gear for eight guests, plus two guides right here.”
An odd expression flitted over Nathan’s face.
“Am I incorrect?”
“No, I was just, ah...thinking about my dad. He wanted to do camping trips but it didn’t pan out.”
The infamous drug dealer. “Grace told me about him.”
Surprise lit Nathan’s eyes. “She did? Huh. It’s not something we share with strangers.” Nathan regarded him closely. “But then I’m guessing you’re more than an employee to my sister.”
He was working on it, not that his efforts seemed to be gaining any traction. Instead of admitting to making a mess of things with Grace, Deke said, “Your dad. Do you ever hear from him?”
Guilt flickered in Nathan’s eyes.
So he had. And kept it a secret. “I’m guessing you haven’t told the others.”
With a sigh, Nathan unfolded a nearby lawn chair and sank down. “No, it’s just...they wouldn’t understand.”
Deke leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Instinct told him that Nathan’s story was bigger than he let on. “You think they wouldn’t want to know how he’s doing?”
“His request.”
Which didn’t raise his already questionable, low esteem in Deke’s opinion. “When was the last time you saw him?”
“A month ago,” he said quietly.
“When you took off?”
“I only wanted to help. To make Mama’s life easier.”
“By doing what, exactly?”
Nathan ignored his question.
“Are you afraid to tell me what you were doing before you came home?”
Nathan seemed conflicted. “Grace said you’re a cop. Why would I tell you anything?”
“Because I can help you.”
“Trust me. You can’t.”
As much as his desire to protect Grace kicked in, she needed to know what her brother was up to, now rather than later. All Deke could do was be there to offer a shoulder to cry on or advice after the shoe dropped. From the expression on Nathan’s face, that shoe was more like a big, heavy boot.
“This have anything to do with leaving clients behind yesterday?”
Nathan averted his eyes.
A car door slammed outside. Deke walked to the open door, anticipation and dread filling him. “It’s Grace.”
* * *
SMOOTHING HER BLACK skirt after climbing from the car, Grace noted her heart skipped a beat when she glimpsed Deke standing in the open doorway. She’d overreacted last night. Big-time. But in her defense, she had felt adrift by the events of the day, unsure what to do about her future, so she deflected. Accusing Deke of being in love with a ghost was jumping to conclusions, but the devastated look on his face when she’d brought up his old friend made her doubt herself even more. He’d been honest with her, telling her she meant more to him than Britt, so why was she putting up a roadblock?
After driving to Mama’s last night after fleeing the firepit, she realized she owed Deke an apology. She’d sat down with an old family photo album, thumbing through the pages of memories. Stopped at pictures of her parents when they were young and happy. Had the fracturing of her family after Daddy was arrested made her lose faith in love? Was she afraid to love, and lose again?
Grace decided there was a lot of truth in what Deke had said. She couldn’t continue making excuses for her family, had to stop believing she could handle all the family problems alone. She couldn’t, no matter how often she had delusions that she could do otherwise.
So she’d stopped for takeout, hoping to butter him up with a nice lunch. Oh, and also to tell him she wanted to see where this attraction was taking them. Because he wasn’t alone in thinking there was something between them. Her attraction to Deke was starting to outweigh her family commitments and she needed to be honest with him. Hadn’t he laid it all on the line with her? It was time she admitted the truth to the one person it mattered to the most—Deke.
“Hey, how are my two hardest workers doing?” she called out, carrying a bag heavy with heavenly smelling food and a drink holder from Laurel’s Corner Café.
“You mean the only hardworking guys?” Deke countered, his steady gaze glued to her.
Controlling a runaway shiver at the intensity of his stare, she pulled a smile. “That, too. Thought I’d bring by lunch and see what you’ve unearthed here.”
Nathan walked up beside Deke, a patent look of guilt on his face. Sensing that she’d interrupted more than just work, she glanced from Deke to her brother. When Nathan turned away, her smile faded. “Something wrong?”
Deke kept his expression neutral. Waiting for Nathan’s lead? Judging by the caged expression on her brother’s face, something big, and probably unpleasant, was about to be exposed.
Grace dropped the bag and drinks on an empty table against the wall. “Well?”
Nathan walked over, handing his notebook to Grace. “We were discussing ideas about what to do with the camping gear.”
Taking the notebook, she scanned the notes. “This is well thought out, Nathan.” Her smile returned, and her stomach settled. Maybe she’d read him wrong. Maybe her brother was nervous about revealing his ideas to her.
Nathan ran a hand through his hair. “Thanks. That means a lot to me.”
“Look, I know I give you a hard time, but you really have a head for business. I’m excited to implement your ideas. After we sit down and get this initial proposal conceptualized on paper, Put Your Feet Up will offer a new tour.”
She handed the notebook back to him. Even though she’d hoped the notebook wasn’t a stalling tactic, her stomach continued churning at the regret on Nathan’s face.
“There’s more,” he said. “You should sit.”
He pushed the lawn chair toward her and opened another for himself, placing it directly in front of her. Deke leaned against the wall.
“You know how I took off last month?” Nathan started.
“You never did explain why.”
“Things were going good for the business. But Mama’s personal finances? I hadn’t kept up to date on them like I promised. She got behind on the mortgage.”
Grace closed her eyes, then opened them again. “What did you do?”
“I kinda borrowed money from some guys. Then I tried to gamble it back so I wouldn’t owe them.”
“Oh, Nathan.”
Her brother glanced at Deke, a pleading expression on his face. To his credit, Deke kept his expression schooled, but said, “Might as well get it all out in the open. Your sister deserves the truth.”
Grace’s eyes went wide. This could not be good.
“I went down to Biloxi,” Nathan continued. “Know some guys who run a card game down there. Only I got in deep and they wanted me to run a delivery with another guy.”
Shadows of the past rose up to haunt her. “What kind of delivery?”
“I didn’t ask. Just took the box and went to meet the guy.”
“And?”
“The other guy turned out to be Dad.”
So stunned by his answer, Grace could barely come up with a coherent response.
“How...” The crushing pressure in her chest made it hard to speak. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You know Mama. She would have insisted I take her to him. He may be our father, but no way would I let him get anywhere near her,” Nathan said fiercely.
While Grace appreciat
ed the loyalty—because he was right, Mama would want to see Daddy—she was starting to get miffed by all the secrets and tiptoeing around the truth.
Deke pushed away from the wall.
“You knew about this?” she accused.
“Not the details. Yet.”
She believed him and turned her attention back to her brother. “Nathan, just tell me.”
“I trusted Dad. Turned out to be a mistake.” Nathan jumped up from the chair and began to pace. “We were outside this run-down building where the games are held. He told me to wait while he got the car. Once he pulled up, he popped the trunk and I placed the box in the trunk. Before I had a chance to get in the car, he burned rubber out of the parking lot.”
Astonished, she yelped, “He left you?”
Nathan nodded, cheeks flushed. “I panicked. That’s when I came home, hoping to forget the whole thing.”
The details sank in. Grace was startled when Deke spoke.
“During the dance at the park, who were you talking to?” he asked, his tone calm in comparison with Grace’s racing pulse.
“One of the guys from down south. The package never reached its destination and they wanted answers.”
Rising slowly, Grace placed a shaky hand over her mouth. Her eyes flooded with tears. “Did they threaten you?”
“Not exactly. More like they want the money I owe plus the value of what was in the box.”
“Drugs?” Deke asked.
Nathan shrugged. “Probably. I didn’t look.”
More like he didn’t want to know. Grace eased back down into the chair as her legs gave out.
“They want me to do some more jobs for them until we’re even.”
“You don’t honestly think you’ll ever be even, do you?” Deke asked.
Nathan didn’t bother to give the obvious answer.
“How could Daddy do this to you?” Grace whispered, her throat dry with fear.
“He’s never changed, Grace.”
“How do you...” A thought skittered into her mind. “Wait, you’ve seen him more than that trip?”
“A few times.”
Silence settled heavily over the warehouse. Deke clapped a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “I don’t have jurisdiction in Mississippi, but I could contact some people I know. Whatever illegal activity is going on, you can stop them.”