She looked about seventeen, her hair caught up in a ponytail, curls escaping all around her face. She, too, had jeans on, though he imagined hers probably cost much, much more than his. Whatever the cost, though, they were worth it. America’s Sweetheart had one very fine derriere and impressively long legs for someone barely medium height. She looked amazing.
Whoa, boy. She’s a case, not a woman. Certainly not a woman you’ll ever find in your bed. Still, he changed course and crossed the grounds with long strides. Skeeter saw him first, barking a greeting, then racing his way.
When the dog reached JD, he leapt to his hind legs and planted his forelegs on JD’s chest.
“Still not doing so hot at the obedience lessons, huh, boy?” JD grinned and scratched behind Skeeter’s ears, then darted sideways, exciting the dog. They began to roughhouse.
Violet approached. “He’s a great dog.”
He was staring, he knew it, but couldn’t seem to do anything about it.
The woman was just too beautiful to believe.
Her head tilted curiously, then disappointment crossed her expression and she looked away.
“I’m not thinking about how beautiful you are. I’m picturing you with a big wart on your nose.”
Her head whipped back. “What did you say?”
“You don’t like hearing that you’re beautiful. Picturing you with a big wart will keep me from being just one more person saying that.”
A sideways glance. “You’re not into warts?” There was a tiny curve to her lips.
“Well, now don’t get me wrong, with the right woman a wart could be just fine.”
This smile was genuine.
“I’m much more evolved than that,” he went on. “I couldn’t care less what a woman looks like. I’m blind to all but inner beauty.”
At that she laughed. “I think I’ll try that wart image myself. I suspect you already have enough women falling all over you.”
He grimaced. “Please, not you, too.”
“But here’s the thing: handsome men are a dime a dozen where I live. I’m immune.”
He stared at her. “That’s good…I think.” His forehead wrinkled.
“I’m just saying…”
“Consider me forewarned.” Well, now, this was…different. He saluted her then cleared his throat elaborately. “So, what’s your pleasure, ma’am? Where would you like to go?”
“Surprise me,” she said.
He considered her for a moment. “So are you a risk taker?”
“I dropped out of college and left for Hollywood against my family’s wishes and with the sum total of three hundred dollars in my pocket, which I proceeded to lose the first week I lived in L.A.”
“That only says you’re not too bright.”
She laughed instead of taking offense, and that impressed him.
“So how about now? Are you still adventurous, Ms. James?”
Her smile dimmed. “I’m trying to be. It’s harder these days. Too many eyes watching. Too many people hoping I’ll screw up. I brought it on myself, though. If I hadn’t been ambitious, none of this would’ve happened.”
“So where would you be now, if you hadn’t been ambitious?”
She got this faraway look on her face. “Maybe back in Tennessee, maybe married to one of the boys I grew up with, a house full of kids…”
He considered and rejected any number of responses. There was an element of wistfulness about her when she talked about a home, kids, as if she would trade being queen of the universe, arguably the most famous woman in America, for that life. But would she really trade her life for what many would consider mundane?
Before he could decide, she straightened and tossed her head, sending that ponytail swinging. “So, what’s the plan, Mr. Bodyguard?”
He winced. “Sure you don’t want to just hire a real bodyguard?” Immediately he cursed silently. Why had he even asked her? Ten minutes in, and he was letting emotion and a beautiful face make him forget why he was here.
“Sophie said I’d be safe with you. Was she wrong? Aren’t you a cop? Protect and serve, and all that?”
Here’s where it got dicey. He couldn’t hide his profession, but he had to walk a fine line. He’d already decided to give himself a different career path. “I teach at the Academy.” It wasn’t a total fabrication; he did teach a class now and again on undercover tactics. And the amount of time he spent undercover meant he was adept at lying, anyway.
But somehow he didn’t like lying to her.
No other choice, son. Doc’s voice rang in his head. No one knew who she was to Avery Lofton or how much she was aware of Lofton’s illegal activities. JD had to keep his eye on the prize.
She scanned his body. “You’re pretty fit for a teacher,” she said.
He couldn’t help reacting. Down boy. It was hard to ignore the impact of a beautiful woman letting her eyes walk a lazy trail over your flesh.
“I like to run,” he said.
Her expression brightened. “Me, too. Every day?”
He nodded. “Five miles, rain or shine.”
She sighed. “I miss it. It’s probably part of why I’m going stir-crazy. I haven’t left this place in two and a half weeks—until this morning, that is.”
“Well, then, there’s your answer. You got your shoes here?”
She glanced down at his boots. “Yes, but you don’t.”
He grinned. “Au contraire, darlin’. I keep my gym bag in my truck. You game?”
Caution crept in. “But where?”
“Oh, honey. Austin is full of places to go run. You get changed while I grab my bag and go say hi to Sophie. How far do you normally run?”
“Three miles,” she said. “But only three times a week.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you.”
Competition sparked in her eyes. “Don’t you dare.” She turned to go.
“Tennessee girl, huh?”
She glanced back. “Yeah.”
“So you probably think pork is real barbecue.”
“It’s the only barbecue,” she responded.
He walked backwards, still talking. “So you haven’t been completely ruined by the land of fruits and nuts? I don’t have to produce macrobiotic organic vegan food for you? I mean, I can, you know. Austin’s nearly as weird as California.”
Her smile spread. “Barbecue will be just fine, even if it’s only beef.”
“Oh, sugar, you are so going to eat your words.” He spun and headed for his truck, smiling as he heard her laugh behind him.
* * *
VIOLET RACED THROUGH changing clothes. While the respite from her demanding trainer had been pretty nice up until now, she was antsy to stretch herself, to push hard, to feel the heat of well-used muscles.
So he was a runner, was he? He must lift weights, too. You didn’t get those broad shoulders and ripped arms simply from running.
He was friendly, but he was also smart. He was still too charming by half, but he didn’t kowtow to her, and that was worth a lot.
Anyway, she wasn’t obligated to anything. She would gamble today and go on this adventure. At worst, she’d get some badly needed exercise and the chance to be free on the other side of these grounds. She hoped very much he’d take her someplace where she didn’t have to be so guarded, where it could be just her and the outdoors, the sun, the breeze, the rhythm of the run.
She’d hurried so she could beat him outside, but instead he was throwing a ball for Skeeter and visiting with Sophie and Cade. There was an ease among them that she envied. Her time with the MacAllister family the night before had reminded her so much of what it was like to go home. Or, actually, what it had been like before she
became famous. Now she brought trouble along with her everywhere she went.
But when she was with her family, it was so wonderful to just relax and be herself. She’d watched Zane doing the same thing, being teased by his brothers and giving as good as he got. Playing with his children, dragging his wife onto his lap and kissing the socks off her. He made everything seem so normal, but she knew very well how difficult achieving “normal” was.
How had he managed it? she wanted to know. A devoted mate, three beautiful children, roles he only accepted when the time and place worked out for all of them.
Zane had gotten it all right. She should take lessons.
Unless there was no point in teaching her. Maybe she was simply doomed from the beginning because there was something innately unlovable about her.
She danced away from that line of thought.
As she approached, she studied JD more closely. His shoes were clearly not brand-new, and he wore an ancient cops vs. firemen baseball game T-shirt with the sleeves ripped out and a pair of running shorts ratty enough to indicate that these were his real workout clothes. It was the attire of the man who wasn’t out to impress anyone.
And she’d been right about those arms, now that she saw them bare. In street clothing, he looked deceptively lean, but there was definite power in that frame.
He was indeed handsome, but not in a pampered way, not someone who had facials or manicures or a spray-on tan. This was a real man, the kind she’d almost forgotten existed.
At that moment Sophie caught sight of her and welcomed her with a smile.
Violet was grateful for the distraction. No unwholesome thoughts about the bodyguard, Violet. Remember that.
“Hi, there,” Sophie said.
Cade turned in her direction, then JD did, as well. She was more than a little gratified to see his eyes widen at the sight of her. She hadn’t gone to any special trouble; she wore her oldest running shorts and a sleeveless form-fitting T-shirt. For an instant pride ambushed her. She wanted him to see that she, too, knew what she was about, that she was no dilettante about her exercise.
“Did you bring sunscreen?” JD asked. “’Cause you’re going to need it. This sun is brutal.”
“I live in the land of sunshine,” she reminded him.
“Texas sun isn’t sissy sun like California. You’ll need more. I have some in the truck.” Then he turned back to Sophie. “Thanks for the loan of the extra water bottle. I only had mine with me.” He glanced at Violet. “There are points along the trail where we can refill our bottles, if we have to. Gotta stay hydrated in this heat.”
He wasn’t kidding. She was used to sun and to protecting herself from it, but it had been a while since she’d had to deal with the deadly combination of heat and humidity. Tennessee could be the same, but she hadn’t lived there in a very long time.
“Thanks, Sophie. Hi, Cade,” she said.
“If Pretty Boy here doesn’t take good care of you, he’ll answer to me,” Cade said.
Violet saw JD’s shoulders stiffen. “Stop playing big brother. She’ll be fine with me.”
“Cade…” Sophie touched his arm. “I don’t understand why men have to talk trash to each other.”
JD grinned down at her. “If you had brothers you’d understand.”
“Or if you’re the only girl with two brothers,” Violet added. “Let’s just say it’s a matter of survival to toughen up.”
Cade nodded. “Jenna would completely agree with you, though I have no idea why.”
JD chuckled. “Yeah, ’cause all of you treat her with such kid gloves.” He glanced at Violet. “You have brothers?”
“Sadly, yes,” she answered. “Both of whom think they need to tell me how to run my life.”
“What else are older brothers for?” Cade asked.
“Mine seem to agree.”
They shared a smile.
“You ready?” JD asked her.
“Absolutely.”
“See you two later,” JD said.
“When will you—” Sophie stopped abruptly.
“I won’t keep her out late, Mom.”
“I’ll keep her too busy to notice curfew,” Cade promised.
* * *
“THIS PLACE IS BEAUTIFUL,” Violet said. They were two miles into the run, and he was impressed to see that her breathing remained steady.
“It’s a dedicated wilderness area, but it’s nice because it’s still in the city and easy to access. We’re lucky, though, that it’s not jammed with people today.” He glanced over. “The heat bothering you? Please speak up if it is.”
“I’m fine. I like hot weather.”
“That’s good. You’re lucky it’s only May. It gets worse…way worse. August is a special kind of hell.”
“How about some interval work?” she asked.
“Yeah?” He was delighted. And impressed again.
She checked her monitor. “I don’t know how you usually do it, but how about twenty-second bursts every two minutes?”
“I’m game, except—” He looked her over dubiously.
“You don’t think I can keep up with you?”
She’d surprised him so far. Her endurance was good. “No, but my stride is longer. I don’t want to get ahead.” He’d been pacing himself thus far, but the shorter strides didn’t come naturally.
“I don’t mind if you get ahead.”
“Uh-uh. I’m your bodyguard, remember?”
“You said you’re not a real bodyguard.”
“If you think I’m facing Sophie after something happens to you…”
She grinned in response.
“I know. I’ll run backward.”
“Please. Don’t be insulting.”
“Okay, how about I run around you during the burst? That’ll keep my heart rate up but keep me nearby.”
“So you can tell your buddies you ran rings around me?”
He laughed. “Yeah. I kinda like the sound of that.” He winked. “Seriously, though, no insult intended. You can’t help it that you’re smaller.”
She watched him carefully, suspicion in her gaze.
He crossed an X over his heart. “I promise I won’t talk out of school about you, to anyone.” That wasn’t a stretch, not exactly. He didn’t owe the task force personal details. They were only interested in her for her access to Lofton…unless she was somehow involved.
But he’d already decided she wasn’t. Undercover work meant you listened to your gut, and his was telling him she was clean.
Not that he wouldn’t remain vigilant. He didn’t want to think a beautiful face could sway him or that he was too starstruck to see her clearly. There was much he still had to learn about the woman beside him, and he would pay attention.
But he wouldn’t be spilling secrets no one needed to know.
She was watching her monitor. “No circles. I’ll keep up. Ready?”
He had to appreciate her resolve. “You bet.”
She kicked it into gear, and he did the same. After they’d completed two intervals during which he’d shortened his stride, he decided he wanted to see her smile again. On the next one, he kicked his pace higher again and went past her, then circled around in tiny steps, chanting, “I can run circles around Violet James, uh-huh, oh, yeah.”
She laughed as he closed on her and kept pace. “Nobody warned me you were a brat.”
He chuckled, and they kept running.
CHAPTER SIX
“I AM STUFFED TIGHT AS A TICK,” Violet said, patting her belly.
“Told you beef barbecue was better,” he said.
“You are asking me to betray generations of my ancestors, you realize,” she dr
awled. Good grief, her Southern accent was sneaking back in. Not that she was ashamed of where she’d come from, not one iota, it was only that to play a full range of parts, she’d had to work hard to rid herself of the extreme Tennessee drawl she’d grown up with.
“If they’d eaten at the County Line, they’d be in full agreement,” he argued. “You have to admit that.”
“Anything else for y’all?” the waitress asked. “More hot washcloths? These have cooled off.”
“Naw,” JD answered. “She’s doing fine licking her fingers.”
Oh, good gravy, he was right. She’d gotten so relaxed with him she hadn’t realized she was doing exactly that. “Um, a couple more would be great.” She wanted to look up and smile at the woman, but she’d kept her cap on and pulled down over her forehead.
“Right away.”
“Oh!” She’d nearly forgotten. “Could you bag up those bones, please?” The waitress nodded, and Violet turned to JD. “Surely Sophie will let Skeeter have some, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know…she treats that dog like her baby, so she might not.” He grinned. “But you can bet the farm Cade will.”
The waitress came back with their check, more cloths and a bag with the bones. JD reached for his wallet.
“No, please, let me buy dinner,” Violet said.
He shook his head. “I’ve got this.”
“It’s not a date, JD, and you won’t let me pay you for your time.”
His face screwed up in disapproval. “I’m doing a favor for a friend.”
“You’ve given me hours of your day, you’ve provided transportation.” Men were so touchy. For heaven’s sake, she was a wealthy woman, and he lived on a cop’s salary. She sighed. The eternal conundrum of her situation.
“You got cash? ’Cause they’re going to see your name on the credit card.”
She smiled. “This ain’t my first rodeo, cowboy. The card has my production company name on it.”
On His Honor Page 7