by Rebecca Deel
Her lips curved. At least there wasn’t much Trent could trip over. The night before, Josh had met them at the house with her key. She’d walked into the place, astonished at the changes since she left to be with her brother. The trainees had cleared the first two floors with the exception of the candles. Rio’s teammates had brought over a comfortable recliner, sofa, and three double beds. All the beds were in the first floor bedrooms, a fact Darcy had been grateful for as Trent would have a hard time dealing with the stairs for a while yet. Nate had taken care of the appliances in the kitchen, all top of the line.
As Darcy grabbed her clothes and hurried into the bathroom, she thought about Rio Kincaid and all his care and support for her and her brother. How had any woman let him slip through her fingers? She had to laugh at her herself. She and Rio were in the early stages of friendship. Just because he called her sweetheart didn’t mean he thought of her as anything beyond a friend. Some men called every woman in their lives sweet names.
Darcy shoved the circling thoughts to the back of her mind. She had a brother to corral and a house to wrangle into shape. She also needed to check on the progress at the shop. It was a good thing she’d given Brian Elliott her spare key to the storefront. Otherwise, there would have been no progress over the last several days, and that wouldn’t do. The deli meant a new beginning for her, one necessary for renewed purpose in her life.
After showering and dressing, Darcy strode into the hall fastening her watch, and ran smack into a broad chest. Hard hands grabbed her before she could fall from the impact. She glanced up into twinkling brown eyes. “Sorry, Nate. What are you doing here?”
“Rio’s sleeping. I’m doing the heavy lifting.”
“I heard that,” her brother called from the other room. “I’m not two, you know. I’ve been able to get up by myself for years now.”
“You tear those stitches loose, you won’t be getting up for a long time. You’ll be able to maneuver by yourself at the end of the week. By that time, none of us will want to haul you anywhere, frog boy.”
“Get me up, grunt.”
“Your wish is my command.” Nate winked at Darcy. “Your breakfast is in the refrigerator.”
“Thanks,” she murmured as she followed behind Rio’s teammate. Her brother’s wild bed hair brought a smile to her face. “How are you, Trent?”
“Sore, hungry, and stir crazy.” He glared at Nate. “I want out of this bed. The four walls are closing in on me, man.”
“Figured.” Nate crossed the room. “Rio suggested the recliner today. At least you’ll have company with the PSI trainees coming in and out of the house. You can direct traffic.”
“Fabulous. That’s why I spent so many years in the SEALs, you know. They taught me great traffic skills.”
His barbed comments made her laugh. Though her brother scowled at her, his eyes revealed reluctant humor at his own situation. Progress. She’d take that.
“Glad I can entertain you, Darce.” He winced as Nate hauled him up and helped him balance on one leg. Once he was stable, Trent limped with Nate’s assistance to the bathroom across the hall.
Some of the tension eased from Darcy’s muscles. Looked as if Rio was right again. Her brother was healing at a fast rate.
Nate returned to the hall, closing the bathroom door behind him. “I’ll wait here for your brother if you want to drink your breakfast. My wife, Stella, is in the kitchen. There’s food if you want it. Otherwise, at least drink the shake.”
She grinned. “Rio’s orders?”
“Yes, ma’am. None of us disobeys that man’s directives, not even Josh.”
That made her pause. Interesting comment. “Your medic seems as if he’s easy going. Is he that much of a tyrant?”
“When it comes to our physical health, you bet. There’s a lot of steel beneath the calm exterior, Darcy. Don’t kid yourself. He’s as much Special Forces as the rest of us. There’s no one tougher and no one I’d rather have at my back. He just hides his true self better.”
Huh. Hidden depths to the medic. It made her more curious to learn the real Rio Kincaid. She walked to the kitchen, stopped short when she saw all the food spread out across the counter. “Good grief!”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” said the dark-haired woman sitting at the kitchen table, sipping from a cardboard cup.
Impressive wasn’t the word Darcy thought of first. “Did you make all this?” Two kinds of breakfast casserole, cinnamon buns, muffins, bagels, cream cheese spreads, a huge coffee pot, and orange juice.
“My greatest cooking feat is popping food in the microwave. The magic chef is Nate. PSI trainees are still working here and his job is to feed them, wherever they’re working or training. I’m Stella, Nate’s wife.” Even as she said those words, the beautiful woman’s cheeks reddened.
Newlyweds, Darcy remembered. Sweet. “I’m Darcy, Trent’s sister. Congratulations on your marriage.”
“Thanks. Come sit with me while you eat.”
She turned to the food spread again, flinched. Nope, not happening. “Um, Rio left a protein shake for me in the refrigerator. While the food looks amazing, I don’t think I could eat a bite and keep it down this early.”
Stella laughed. “Early?”
“Sad, isn’t it? I can’t tolerate food before noon.” Probably came from the weird eating schedule on her concert tours.
“I understand from Nick Santana that you’ve had some break-ins recently. Why don’t you tell me about them?” She held up her left hand which was covered in a cast. “I’m with the Otter Creek police, even though I’m on restricted duty until my wrist heals. I’d like to help if I can.”
Darcy retrieved her shake and placed it on the table. The coffee smelled so good. Green tea for her, though. She had no desire to aggravate Rio or cause her body more stress. She saw a couple boxes of flavored green tea bags on the counter. Rio taking care of her again. She selected one with jasmine and orange and nuked the tea bag and water. “What happened to your wrist?”
“Long story short, I was abducted and broke my wrist attempting to escape.”
She stared a moment. “Hope your kidnapper is in jail.”
“Oh, yeah. He won’t be getting out until he’s old and gray. Now, tell me what’s been going on around here.”
In between sips of her shake and green tea, she told Nate’s wife what had been happening in the short time she’d been in Otter Creek.
“So you bought this place with the previous owner’s possessions still inside?”
“According to the real estate agent, there are very few houses available right now. This was the best she had unless I wanted to stay in a motel or rent an apartment for months while contractors built a house for me. I just didn’t want move into an apartment, then into a house if I could avoid it. I’m a creature of habit and I despise moving. Takes me forever to find things and place them where they can be used in an efficient way.” Not to mention how difficult it was to move her piano. She couldn’t stand the thought of leaving her Steinway in storage for months.
“Nate and I are living out of boxes right now. Frustrating for both of us. Ah, well. One box at a time. Do you have any idea what the break-ins are about?”
Darcy shook her head. “I didn’t want to tell Trent yet, but I’m concerned. What if this has something to do with the murder of the previous owner?”
Stella’s eyes widened. “The previous owner was murdered?”
“That’s what Mrs. Watson told me.”
“Do you know anything about the owner or the murder?”
“The woman’s name was Gretchen Bond. Her relatives didn’t want the house and the items inside. Can’t say I blame them. You should have seen this place. If Rio and his friends hadn’t helped, I’d still be walking a very narrow path from room to room. Stella, there were so many things in here, I don’t know how anyone could look for a specific item.”
“If the prize is important enough, people will go to any lengths to get what they w
ant. I’ll check into the previous owner’s background, see if I can find anything interesting. We’ll talk to people around town about her and the house. According to Nate, Otter Creek’s grapevine is well developed. Somebody knows something. We have to ask the right person.”
“Josh suggested I talk to his father about Ms. Bond since he’d lived here all his life. Mr. Cahill might point us in the right direction.”
“Hmm. Isn’t Josh’s father a banker?”
“I think so.”
“Makes sense, then. There’s only one bank in town. I imagine the employees know something about everybody.”
“The break-ins are strange. Seems as though someone is looking for buried treasure. Who would hide something in the floor?”
Stella tilted her head. “The floor?”
“Oh, yeah. Somebody took a crowbar to the floor in at least two rooms. So now the contractor will have to repair the floors as well as any remodeling I think is necessary.”
The other woman glanced at her watch, stood. “Time for me to go to the station. Rod Kelter, the detective I’m shadowing, should be finished with his court appearance by now. I’ll do some digging and let you know what I find about Ms. Bond.” She paused. “By the way, Nate tells me you’re planning to open a deli soon. Will you be hiring workers?”
“One or two people. Why?”
“I have a friend who just moved here. Her name is Leah Conner. She’s looking for work.”
“Can she cook?”
Stella’s lips twitched. “Not a bit. She’s really smart, though, and great with people. I don’t think you’d have a problem teaching her what she needs to know. She’s a hard worker, too. Her husband, Dean, is working for Elliott Construction.”
“Brian Elliott is working on my deli and remodeling this place. Tell Leah I’ll be glad to talk to her.” She gave Stella her cell phone number. “I’ll be hard to catch for a while. I have to buy furniture for the house and the deli as well as help out with Trent. I can’t leave Rio to do everything.”
“He’s pretty capable.”
“So I’ve seen. I feel as though I’m taking advantage.”
“Believe me, Rio doesn’t see it that way. All the guys put themselves out to help each other. I’ll have Leah call you. Maybe you two can get together and talk about your plans for the deli. Darcy, there’s no pressure to hire her if she won’t meet your needs, okay?”
“No problem.” She didn’t cave to pressure when it didn’t suit her. “I’ll talk to her and we’ll go from there.”
“I’m going to track down my husband before I go. Talk to you soon, Darcy.”
She finished her shake and green tea. By the time she finished washing her shake cup, the PSI trainees started trickling through the kitchen to grab plates of food.
Nate strolled in a minute later, filled a plate, and poured a cup of coffee. His gaze stopped on her cup now sitting on the counter. “Good. I’ll have something you can eat at lunch.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she protested. “You have your hands full feeding the bodyguards plus riding herd on my cantankerous brother.”
“It’s not a problem, Darcy. I’ll just feed the troops the same thing I feed you. They don’t care what I place in front of them, as long as it’s edible.”
“I need to check on progress at the deli.” She glanced through the doorway. “I should check the Dumpsters before I leave.”
“Empty ones were delivered while you slept. Brian kept an eye on them while you were in Texas.”
One less thing to worry about completing today. “Guess I’ll go.” She hurried to her room, scooped up her purse, stopped. Rats. Her car was at the motel. She needed a ride. Darcy went to the living room. “Nate, could somebody take me to my motel? I need my car.”
He smiled. “It’s out in the driveway.”
Stunned, she glanced out the window. Her black car gleamed in the morning sunshine. “Rio?”
“Uh huh. He had the major stop by and drop him off at the motel.”
“I gave him my set of keys, Darce,” Trent said. “We knew you’d need wheels today.”
The handsome medic thought of everything. Nice. “I’m going to the deli. I’ll return soon.” She leaned over, kissed her brother on the forehead. “Want anything while I’m out?”
“Books. I need something to occupy my brain.”
She blinked. “Any requests?”
“Something recent. I haven’t had time to read in months.”
That didn’t narrow the selection. Her bewilderment must have shown because Nate said, “Drop by Otter Creek Books and ask for Del. She’ll have suggestions.”
She’d wanted to meet Josh’s wife anyway. This was a good excuse. “I’ll do that.”
Darcy palmed her keys and walked from the house. Her breath caught at the sight of the man leaning against her car.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Rio tugged on his black t-shirt and laced up his running shoes. He needed a good, hard run after days of sitting by Trent’s bedside or sleeping on the floor. Inactivity was driving him crazy. After stretching his muscles, he walked to the living room to see Trent seated in the recliner, scowling out the front window. His recalcitrant patient looked better this morning. Amazing what a decent night’s sleep at home could do for morale. “What’s up, Trent?”
“There’s a strange man talking to Darcy outside.” He struggled to get up from the recliner.
“Whoa, whoa.” Rio hurried over and restrained him. “Hold on, buddy. What do you need?”
“To find out who that clown is. Darcy’s upset.”
Rio moved to the window and took in the scene outside at a glance. Trent was right. Darcy didn’t look happy. She also didn’t seem afraid. Aggravated, maybe. So this guy was an irritation to her. Wonder what that was about? As far as he knew, Darcy didn’t know many people in town, and this guy was unknown to him. In Otter Creek, everybody knew each other at least by sight.
Nate strode into the living room with a steaming cup of coffee, frowned. “Anything wrong?”
“Something is up with Darcy. I’ll find out what’s going on if you keep Humpty Dumpty in the chair.”
“Ha ha.” Trent sent him a dirty look, but sank deeper into the recliner, apparently satisfied now that someone was checking on his sister. “Send him packing.”
Rio saluted and opened the door. A cold breeze slapped him in the face, stealing his breath. Wow. The wind had kicked up in the last hour. He’d need to keep moving on the five-mile run or he’d freeze.
The other man’s voice carried on the wind. “Come on, Darcy. Be reasonable. It’s too soon to move on. I want you to promise me to think about it. Give me that at least.”
Rio’s eyes narrowed. What was this about? An old boyfriend, maybe? He was about her age and it was obvious he was from Darcy’s life before Otter Creek. This guy talked like he knew her well, not something that made Rio happy.
“You’ll never be able to make it without me,” the man continued. “This isn’t what you want. Only I can give you that. Think of everything you’re giving up. Come on, baby. Don’t do this to me. We’ve been together too long to hurt each other this way.”
Baby? Something dark and deadly stirred in Rio’s gut. What gave this man the right to pressure Darcy to change her mind about anything? He lengthened his stride.
The other man finally looked away from the woman in front of him and noticed Rio bearing down on them. His eyes took in Rio’s running attire, one which showcased his muscle-laden chest and arms, and broad shoulders. Didn’t hurt that Rio had a good six inches on him, either. The other man swallowed hard.
At his sudden silence and gaze fixed over her shoulder, Darcy spun around. “Rio.” She smiled. “You’re awake.”
He stopped in front of her and cupped her face between his palms. “Good morning, sweetheart.” Rio leaned down and kissed her, just a gentle brush of his lips over hers. Not the no-holds-barred kiss he wanted to share, but a definite statement that she
was off limits to this stranger. He also knew Trent was watching through the window. He hated to drop a bombshell on his friend, but he was interested in dating Darcy. Trent had trusted her safety to him. Would he trust Rio with her heart?
With a last soft kiss, he dropped his hands, draped his arm across Darcy’s shoulders, and faced the man now scowling at both of them. Rio held out his hand. “Rio Kincaid.”
“Allen White,” came the churlish response.
“Allen was my agent,” Darcy said.
Why was he in Otter Creek? He thought back through the part of the conversation he’d overheard. White was trying to pressure Darcy into returning to the stage. A possible relationship aside, this guy wanted her to continue a life which was no longer possible for her. If it was only the fatigue, she could reduce her concert dates, concentrate on studio work. But it wasn’t just that. Darcy’s problem was the repetitive motion required to be a pianist. How many hours a day would she have to practice to continue in that career? Six, eight? Too many for the joints, tendons, and muscles in her hands and arms.
“I’m still your agent,” White muttered. “We haven’t scheduled more concerts.”
Darcy sighed. “I’m not going back, Allen. You need to accept that and move on to the next virtuoso.”
“There is no one like you,” he snapped. “Look, if you need to cut back a little, I can work with that. I’ve been bombarded with calls, begging me to schedule you in different venues. This is the peak of your career, baby. You’re hot and you have to take advantage of the heat while you have the chance.”
“I’m not leaving Otter Creek.”
“Why not?” His gaze flicked to Rio. “If he’s the reason you’re reluctant to leave this little berg, bring your boyfriend along. It will give the entertainment reporters something to speculate about.”
Darcy drew in a sharp breath, her cheeks flushing. “Rio has a job, one that won’t allow him to spend ten months a year away from it.”