9 Ways to Fall in Love

by Caroline Clemmons

  "Printouts of several unencrypted files you're going to want to see."

  "What's in them?"

  "Just for grins, why don't we talk here at the offices? You never know who might be listening."

  "I'm leaving now." Graeme knew Joe meant bugs or other kinds of listening devices and he should've thought of that himself. He went back inside where Amanda still sat, grabbed his keys off the table and handed her the tray of bribes. "Hey, time to go."

  She stood, her attitude unapologetically pissy. "Can you drop me off on your way in?"

  "Let's go."

  He'd dropped Amanda off at the campaign office then drove the few blocks to the building that housed INTERCEPT. Now, he sat in a small conference room, with Webster and Hub Hartford, reading incredibly incriminating information. A lot of it would prove to be quite damning to certain individuals and he'd only scanned the highlights.

  Graeme looked up and across the table toward the two men awaiting his assessment. He scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair then spoke without preamble, "Fuck me."

  Chapter 13

  Graeme closed the folder. The amount of information Wyatt had discovered staggered his imagination. He hated the way people looked at the surface and judged others by that depth. Yet that's exactly what he'd done because it's easy to believe the worst. At times even of a loved one. Why he didn't know, but it was a personal flaw he wasn't proud of. He'd initially accepted the preliminary reports from the NTSB and the coroner without looking deeper.

  "What's the next step, Joe?"

  "We have to verify every piece of info your brother discovered." He glanced at the Senator. "Hub will run what he can through ICE, and I'll get Wyatt's suspicions about the Camarone Cartel to Mike." Joe leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the table surface. "I want you to amp up your investigation into the airline. You'll use the cover background we gave you, how you do it is up to you. If it were up to me, though, I'd do a little digging around at the ranch."

  "Elliott's on board so, between the two of us, we'll scope it all out." Graeme left his seat at the conference table, shook hands with both men and walked to the door. Before he opened it, Webster spoke.

  "We'll find the son-of-a-bitch who's behind this and we'll put him away for a very long time. I promise."

  Graeme heard the door close behind him. As he made his way to the exit, he said under his breath, "If the bastard lives that long."

  * * *

  Maggie closed the lid on the barbeque grill. Glancing at her watch, she estimated the franks and buns should be ready about the time Dinah and Ben arrived. She'd cooked extra since she had no idea of Ben's appetite. There were days she and Di could pack away a tidy number of hot dogs all by themselves. If by chance some were left over, Andy would scarf them up when he got home tomorrow.

  Back inside, she gathered dishes, forks and knives, and set out chips and mustard to take to the dining room. Backing through the swinging door, she swiveled around and dropped the plates onto the table, the utensils clanged to the floor.

  "Jesus Pete!" She leaned against the table, hand to her throat in an attempt to keep her heart from jumping out of her body. "Trevor, you scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here?"

  He rushed over and began to pick up the mess off the floor. "I was on my way to the ranch and thought I'd see if you were home. See if you're settled in." Placing the errant items on the table, he continued. "There was no car out front and the door was standing open when I walked up onto the porch. I thought maybe someone had broken in like before and wondered if you were all right. I'm sorry I startled you."

  "It's okay. I just didn't know anyone was here but me." She smiled as her heart rate slowed to the beat of a marionette's tapping feet, somewhere between erratic and choppy. "Dinah and Ben Hammond are due here any minute. Will you stay and have a hot dog with us?"

  "I'd like that. Thanks. What can I do to pay for my supper?"

  "I won't ask you to sing, but if you'd go check the grill, I'll finish putting everything out on the table." He saluted and went out the back door.

  Her heart still thrummed against her ribcage like she'd run up a flight of stairs. The fact that someone walked into her house without her hearing any noise spooked her. She guessed she'd left the door open when her phone rang and she rushed in to answer. The call came from Andy telling her he'd be home tomorrow with Nannie and Pops. They'd talked for a few minutes then she'd gone to the kitchen to prepare the food. She really needed to pay attention to what she did, like not locking her door the other night concerning the cat caper. She'd have sworn on her ice cream stash that she'd followed through. Trevor came back in interrupting her thoughts.

  "Dogs are looking good, but I moved the buns to the upper rack."

  "Okay. Thanks for checking on them."

  "Mind if I borrow your bathroom?"

  "Sure." Maggie went about gathering a roll of paper towels for napkins and plastic cups for the tea. As she finished, Trevor rejoined her.

  "So you expect Graeme to get back from D.C. on Tuesday?" He sat down at the oversized round table and scooped up a handful of chips from the open bag.

  "I wasn't aware he told anyone he was going."

  "Oh, yeah, he mentioned it the other day. It had something to do with a new investigation into the crash and – hey, here they are now." He stood and greeted Dinah with a hug, then said, "I'll go check on the dogs again."

  Dinah raised her brow and dipped her head in Trevor's direction. "What's he doing here?"

  "Spur of the moment invitation. He stopped by and saw me setting the table."

  "It's a little odd don't you think?"

  "No, not really." Maggie answered. She wouldn't say so to Dinah, but actually she did.

  Since he'd shown up in her living room, she'd had the creeps. She shouldn't, though. He'd been coming around for a couple of years before Wyatt died always ready to lend a helping hand. When Andrew asked Wyatt to improve the carrier/shipping area of the business, Trevor had worked tirelessly alongside Wyatt at this very table to expand the routes and clients. The expansion increased their business so much that Andrew had promoted him right up the ranks. After the funeral, he'd been an invaluable resource.

  "Well, there's something about him I don't trust." Dinah darted another glance through the swinging door, lowering her voice. "He's just too good looking, too Johnny-on-the-spot for me."

  A little niggle tickled the back of Maggie's neck again but, lest they get caught talking about him, she changed the subject. "How's the planning going? You're down to less than a week."

  "Great, really. Jenel, the event planner, has her act together, making it fairly easy to step into her shoes."

  "How is she doing?"

  "Bridey said today that she may be back on Wednesday or Thursday. Her tests were negative for everything including West Nile Virus."

  "That's good news."

  "Yeah, she should be the one to reap the fruits of her labors."

  "Wow." Maggie looked at her friend in admiration. "Not that long ago you would've ranted about losing a great opportunity."

  "I know, right?"

  "You've come far, grasshopper."

  "Oh, shutup," Dinah shot back with a grin. "Oooh, here's tall, blonde and take-me-right-now coming up the steps."

  Ben removed his Stetson as he came into the house. He had a sheriff-caught-in-Dinah's-net look and Maggie knew he was a goner. She left the two of them alone to go retrieve the weenies and buns. When she stepped out into the late evening sunlight, she found Trevor on a ladder twisting a light bulb into the socket of the ceiling fan.

  "There you are." He looked over his shoulder then stepped down and stood the ladder against the house. "I was about to bring in the eats."

  "Good, Ben's here. What were you doing?"

  "Oh, the bulb looked loose, so I tightened it."

  "Thanks, I wouldn't have noticed that."

  "Only because you're too short on one end." He laugh
ed at his own joke then took the meat and buns off the grill. With his arm around her shoulder, he said, "Come on, hostess, let's dig in. My mouth's watering."

  She held the door open for him and followed him inside. Once again that niggle fluttered its way up her neck and she wriggled her shoulders to dispel the resulting chill. Stopping at the refrigerator to get the forgotten relish, she found herself wishing for tomorrow. Andy and Graeme would be home.

  * * *

  Graeme drove past the spot where Maggie's truck had taken flight, seeing the ruts and gouges carved deep into the hard, packed earth, he grimaced at the memory. He still felt twinges even though he'd been healed for a day or two now. He'd like it better when Elliott's mechanic finished his investigation into the accident, which should be in the next day or two. Elliott had been more than a little surprised at the extent of the cover-up and involvement Wyatt had discovered. They mutually agreed it was too early to share any of this with Andrew or Bridey. It would be better to wait until they had everything in its entirety.

  He'd planned to let Maggie in on their discovery, maybe even show her Wyatt's letter but now, as he neared her place, he had reservations. If he delivered a partial report and any of the information turned out to be incorrect, she could view him as lying to purposely keep her in the dark or misdirect her feelings about Wyatt or himself. She'd end up hating him and he didn't want to endanger their tenuous truce.

  Several cars, including Maggie's friend's VW, a silver Maserati and the sheriff's squad car, parked in front of her house put him on immediate alert. He bounded onto the porch, his knock rapid and insistent like a woodpecker drilling on an old oak tree. Laughter coming from behind the door eased his apprehension somewhat, but he didn't breathe easy until Maggie opened the door wide. She looked and sounded just fine. A smile lit up her face.

  "Graeme, you're back early, come on in."

  "I didn't know you had company. I don't want to interrupt."

  "Nonsense," Maggie insisted. "We're just shootin' the breeze. I think there's a hot dog left if you're hungry."

  "No thanks, Elliott and I had something on the way back from the airport a while ago." He leaned across the table, shook hands with Ben and Riordon then hugged Dinah.

  "Hi, handsome, glad you're back."

  Graeme caught her furtive glance toward Riordon as she welcomed him but had no idea of her meaning. He joined them at the table and grabbed a glass for tea when Ben's phone signaled a text message.

  Ben shot a message back then stood and asked Dinah, "You still want to ride along?"

  "Yes, can I?"

  "Sure, this should be an easy call."

  Dinah slipped on her shoes and jumped up ready to leave. Turning to Maggie, she said, "You don't mind, do you?"

  "Of course not."

  "Don't wait up, then. I have my key." With a flourish, Dinah flounced out the door ahead of Ben.

  The house went instantly calm and Graeme wondered if Ben knew how much his life was about to change.

  Maggie broke the silence. "Trevor, I don't mean to rush you but, if you're still going to the ranch, you better get a move on. Andrew turns in early, remember?"

  "You're right." Standing, he waved and said, "McAlister." Then he took hold of Maggie's hand. "Walk me out?"

  "Sure."

  Graeme hung back for a minute then followed them. He hated eavesdropping, but now had a little more than his suspicions prompting his interest. As he neared the open door, he heard Riordon speaking.

  "So Andy'll be home tomorrow?"

  "Yes, sometime in the afternoon."

  "Then he starts school and you go back to the hospital next week."

  That was a statement, Graeme noticed, not a question.

  "Yeah. You know, you really should go, Trevor, it's late."

  "You're right, but . . ."

  "What are you doing?"

  Graeme pushed onto the porch to find Maggie held in Riordon's arms. Oh hell no! With the speed of a raptor, he reached Riordon, stopping short of taking the man out with a punch to his face. His anger teetered closer to the edge when he looked into the asshole's shit-eating grin.

  Maggie intervened. "Graeme, please calm down. And you," she said glaring her displeasure and jabbing her finger into Riordon's chest. "Go. Now."

  "Okay, beautiful." Riordon chuckled. "I'm leaving." With a taunting glance toward Graeme, he lifted her chin and covered her mouth in a kiss, stopping abruptly when his collar whizzed past his ears.

  "Get the hell away from her," Graeme growled holding on tightly to the wad of shirt in his fist. It gave him great satisfaction to see the slightly shorter man's heels lifted off the wood planks. Blistering heat infused his glare as he stared Riordon in the eye. "Don't ever touch her again, got it?"

  "Message received." Riordon grinned and straightened the collar of his shirt. He laughed and, as he bounded down the steps toward his car, said, "Don't look now, but you've got it bad, my friend."

  Maggie steadied herself against the porch railing and swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. What just happened? What in the world had gotten into Trevor? He'd never done anything like that before. Maybe she overreacted, but she felt like he'd violated her and the trust between them.

  She sensed rather than heard Graeme's presence beside her. His warmth and spicy scent tempted her to lean closer to him. An intrinsic need compounded by desire coursed so strongly, it nearly drew her off balance. She tightened her hold on the railing to keep from falling into his arms. Her tenuous grasp on reality, though barely recognizable, stopped her from making a fool of herself.

  His hands lightly supported her upper arms. "Look, I –"

  "I'm –" she said simultaneously. When he nodded, she continued, "I apologize for whatever that was just now."

  "No, your life's none of my business."

  "Trevor's never done or tried to do anything like that before. Truth be known, from the look on his face, I think he was trying to make you mad for some reason."

  "Or jealous."

  "Were you?"

  "Hell, yes," he growled.

  She offered no resistance when he pulled her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding her hands up his tautly muscled back. She lifted her face to his meeting his lips in a kiss that stole her breath and all cognizant thought. There was something she'd intended to ask him, something . . . needing . . . clarification. Just then his hand slipped into the waistband of her jeans at the small of her back. Bells and whistles went off in her clouded brain or maybe they were Black Cats and sparklers. She couldn't tell.

  One conscious thought did wheedle its way in between his tongue in her mouth and the feel of his fingers sliding farther down her backside. They were still outside, on the porch. When she managed to break contact, she murmured against his lips, "Inside."

  He missed her meaning, for he maneuvered his free hand to the front of her jeans working to undo the snap and zipper.

  "The house," she managed. "Inside the house."

  Taking his hand, she led him to her bedroom where the only light came from the full moon, leaving the room cloistered in shadows. He tugged on her hand stopping her forward motion and pulled her into his embrace. In seconds her shirt and jeans were strewn on the floor. He removed his shirt while she opened his fly one button after the other. Emboldened by the near darkness she let her fingers glide down the length of the bulge behind the buttons, pleased that she was the reason for his excitement.

  She laid back against the pillows at his urging, her body humming as he trailed kisses across her stomach, breasts and neck to her ears, eyelids and lips. He peeled down her panties and, she realized as she reached for the elastic waistband around his hips, he'd already shed his underwear.

  He stilled when her fingers found and encircled his hard length. "Careful, honey, or the evening'll be over with before it gets started."

  "We don't want that. Come here." She released him, dragged her fingers slowly up his abs, then pulled him down beside
her, rolling toward him while he unhooked her bra and flung it to the floor beside the bed. She pushed his right hand down between her thighs, reveling in the magic of his fingers so much that she climaxed in seconds.

  He kissed her then reached over her to the side of the bed. After a few seconds, he opened the condom package and sheathed himself. Maggie watched the moonlight and shadows play across his face as he buried his length inside her, loving that he held nothing back. When he gave in to his pleasure, she followed him over the edge.

  Several minutes later, after their breathing returned to normal and they again lay side by side under the sheet, he pulled her close and nuzzled her neck.

  "Sorry that happened so fast."

  "That's all right," she said, feeling a bit mischievous. "I'll let you make it up next time."

  "There's going to be a next time?"

  "Oh, yes sir."

  Chapter 14

  Graeme awoke to the low hum of the ceiling fan overhead, and a warm, giving Maggie snuggled next to him, her bottom spooned against the beginnings of an early morning erection. He hadn't felt this sated in months and marveled at his body's readiness to perform after their love making throughout the night. His hand cupped the weight of her breast and, trying not to disturb her sleep, pulled her closer, kissing her neck just below her ear.

  She stirred slightly, angled a sleepy glance over her shoulder, and pushed her backside even closer. "Good morning."

  "Yes, it is." He sucked in a breath when she slid her hand between their bodies and wrapped her hand around him. Extricating himself out of her grasp, he pulled her hand to his lips to kiss her fingers one by one, barely flicking the tips with his tongue. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait 'til later."

  With a smile meant to tempt, she crooned, "That's not the message I'm getting."

  "Trust me, honey, this isn't by choice," he said, quickly grabbing her hand before she could touch him again. "We're out of protection."

  "Is that all." She licked her lips, still swollen from his kisses, then sat up dropping the sheet to expose her from breasts to thigh. "Surely, after everything we did to each other last night, we can think of something to remedy your situation."