by Lori Foster
What they didn’t yet realize was that, finally, he could be fun, too.
And he could turn it all around on them.
* * *
Friday and Saturday evening crowds were always a little rowdier than the workweek. Not in any drunken or destructive way. Just a little louder, more packed, added chaos from the sheer volume of people coming and going. For the first time ever, Hogan resented that Violet was in the diner while he was stuck outside.
If he couldn’t see her, how could he protect her?
Around seven o’clock, Nathan stopped by the grill with Brooklin, both of them looking very cozy together. After a glance around to ensure they weren’t heard, Nathan said, “The cretin I told you about?”
“Yeah?” Hogan’s gaze skipped to Brooklin, and he realized she looked tired, maybe a little defeated. “Bad news?”
“Not really.” Nathan frowned. “He’s still in prison.”
“But...” Damn. Hogan didn’t know what to think.
Brooklin turned her face up to Nathan. “I’ll go find Violet. It’ll give you guys a chance to talk while I update her.”
Nathan stopped her. “If you see anyone suspicious at all, let me know.”
Her smile was sad and fleeting. “I will.”
Soon as she was gone, Nathan pulled up a chair under Hogan’s rainbow umbrella. “She’s stoic, but this is getting to her. We thought for sure it’d be Elle’s father, Richard. But no chance. Given his track record in prison, I don’t know if that bastard will ever get out.”
“Troublemaker?” Hogan asked, then laughed without any humor. “You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do. He’s caused enough problems that he’s been transferred twice. They got him to the new location only it wasn’t ready, so he got moved again. That’s why it took me a little longer to track him down. But he’s definitely behind bars and likely to stay there.”
“So who’s threatening Brooklin?”
“That’s the million-dollar question.” Nathan sat back, his expression strained. “I love her.”
Hogan’s surprise didn’t last. He smiled. “I figured.”
“I have no idea who’s bothering her or why, but someone is, and gut instinct tells me it’s serious.”
“Could that be emotion slanting things?” Nathan’s reaction amplified his own. Uneasy, Hogan gave his attention to the grill. “You caring more for her could make the problems seem bigger, right?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Never been in love before.”
Hogan understood his confusion. He had been in love before, but things with Violet were different. Somehow...richer. Bigger. More confusing.
Could be his age, too. He was no longer a kid rushing into life and assuming it’d all work out. Older, and hopefully wiser, he knew things didn’t always go as planned.
Sometimes they even went horribly wrong.
He said to Nathan, “Trust me. Having been there previously doesn’t make it any easier.”
That sharpened Nathan’s attention and gradually he smiled. “You know, I was starting to think you were too damn stubborn, or else too stupid, to admit the truth.”
“I hope I’m neither, but I am admittedly reluctant.” And unlike Nathan, he wasn’t about to make a public announcement on his relationship.
Nathan wasn’t the pushy type, so he only said, “Don’t be so reluctant that you miss out on something good,” then slapped Hogan on the shoulder and went back to brooding while he awaited Brooklin.
Minutes later, Jason and Colt showed up with Honor. They went through the usual greetings. Then Hogan took Colt aside to fill him in, just as he’d done every day since the incident. Hogan wanted him aware of everything so he could be on guard.
When he finished, Colt’s scowl was as dark as Nathan’s. “I don’t like it.”
“No,” Hogan said. “Nathan and I don’t, either. But for now, there’s nothing we can do except stay alert.”
“Is it possible it was a fluke? Maybe the bozo moved on already...”
“I’d like to think that,” Hogan said. “But since someone tried to get into her house, I can’t.”
“Yeah.” Colt frowned, then put a hand on Hogan’s shoulder. “I’ll be inside, so I’ll keep an eye out.”
That both reassured and alarmed Hogan. “Don’t take any chances.”
“It’s a crowded diner. No one would try anything in there.”
“We don’t know that. Remember, someone tried to run them both down during the middle of the day in the busiest part of town.”
Colt’s expression darkened even more. “We could be dealing with a nut.”
“We could—so promise me, Colt.”
His smile went crooked. “You think I’ll try to be a hero? I’m not stupid.”
“No, you’re not.” Hogan started to relax.
Until Colt added, “But you also can’t expect me to stand by if someone tries to hurt Violet.” He eyed his father. “I like her a lot. More than a lot. And I like how things are between the two of you.”
Thrown by that casual statement, Hogan said, “You do?”
“Yeah. Everything is starting to feel... I don’t know. Normal again.” Colt shook his head, troubled, then asked, “Would you prefer for me to go away to school? I mean, you and Violet would have the house to yourselves then and—”
“Violet has her own house.” And they didn’t have the money for him to live away on campus. Not yet, anyway. Choosing his words carefully, Hogan said, “If all things were possible, what I’d prefer most is for you to have choices so you could decide what it is you want.”
“I already know what I want.” He shifted, looked at the people not that far from them, then to Hogan’s face. “I was going to talk to you about something tonight, but I don’t know... This feels like the right time.”
Alarm slammed through Hogan. He said over his shoulder, “Jason, watch the grills for me.”
Jason, who’d been talking with Nathan, said, “Sure,” and without breaking the conversation went to poke at the ribs.
Hogan stepped aside with Colt, not far enough for serious privacy but it was all they had. “What’s going on?”
Colt tried for a strained smile. “Nothing life or death, or even all that serious, so relax.”
Hogan didn’t think he could relax until he knew what had put that particular look on his son’s face. He tried his own smile, and for the most part, managed. “I’m all ears.”
Colt drew a breath, visibly girding himself, and said, “I’m going to graduate early.”
All the tension fell from Hogan’s shoulders, making him almost limp. No girl was pregnant, Colt hadn’t been in a wreck, no mentions of drugs or any number of other things that he always took for granted because Colt was that type of young man, as honorable as good men twice his age.
“Jesus...” He laughed. “You had me there.” Now able to draw a deep breath, Hogan said, “So, what’s this about graduating early? What does that mean?”
Colt’s smile went crooked. “What were you thinking?”
“That maybe I was going to be a grandpa early.”
Snorting, Colt said, “No, I’m careful.”
Hogan stared over that unintended admission, then shook himself. He wasn’t obtuse. Colt was a good-looking kid, big, fit. Of course... He shook his head again and said, “Good. Not that you couldn’t tell me if anything like that ever—”
“Relax, Dad, seriously. I’m not a drug addict, haven’t robbed a bank, and I definitely haven’t been careless with a girl.”
Sharing the truth, Hogan said, “I couldn’t really imagine any of those things. But in all seriousness, for any problem, ever, I’m here, okay?”
“I know, thanks. But it’
s nothing like that. There’s a special program at the school. I can graduate in January, which will give me half the year to work and save for college, and then—”
“January?” That hit Hogan like a ton of bricks. “Graduating early is about working more?” His guts cramped. His son already worked too much. Maybe not as much as Hogan had at his age, but Colt didn’t have a new wife with a kid on the way.
“It’s about me getting on with my life. I’m acing school, you know that.”
“You’re freaking brilliant and it unnerves me. I have no idea where you got all those smarts.”
Raising a brow and giving Hogan a look, Colt said, “I know exactly where I got my brains.”
Damn, it was nice to be admired by his son. Really nice. Hogan took his shoulders in both his hands. “Then you’re smart enough to know that high school isn’t only about study. It’s about social stuff, too.”
“Out of school, I’d have more time for dating.” Then he dropped another bombshell. “I’ve decided the local college would be better, too. Remember, we checked into it—”
“I know there are choices here, Colt.” His son wanted to be a mechanical engineer. For two years, he’d talked about more prestigious colleges. MIT and Stanford were out, so he’d been focused more on the University of Michigan—which still would have been a financial stretch.
But now he was ready to settle for sticking closer to home?
“They have a decent program.”
Hogan shook his head. “But it wasn’t the choice you wanted.”
“Not at first,” Colt agreed. “But things changed.”
Yeah, they had. Colt’s mother had died, Hogan had lost his job, they’d moved—
“I don’t mean the past,” Colt said. “The more I’ve thought about it, the more I like the idea of sticking around. I like it here now.” He shared another crooked grin. “And you know you’d miss me.”
“A lot.” He’d gotten used to having Colt at the diner with him. He valued the extra time they had to chat.
That didn’t mean he wanted his son to give up on his goals.
“I’ve been thinking, too,” Hogan said. “I could take a second mortgage, and—”
“You said it, Dad. They’re my choices. Right?”
Hogan didn’t want to, but he nodded. “As long as you’re making those choices for the right reason.”
“I am. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’m pretty pumped about it.”
Damn, but Colt seemed dead set on things. “I want to meet with the counselor, hear about this program, and we have to talk about it more.”
“Sure. I got you some literature on it. It’s on the kitchen table at home.”
Home. Did Colt truly feel like Clearbrook was now home? Hogan hoped so, because for him, it felt more like home than anyplace they’d ever been. “All right. I’ll look at it tonight.”
“I better get to work.”
Stopping him, Hogan harked back to their original conversation. “If you see anything at all suspicious tonight, come get me.”
“Sure. If there’s time.” He slung his arm around Hogan’s shoulders, reminding his dad that while he was a whole lot leaner, he was now a few inches taller. “I won’t play hero, but I’m also not going to hide in a corner, okay?”
Hogan put him in a headlock, they both laughed, and then he heard Sullivan say, “You’re not burning my share of ribs, are you, Jason?”
Hogan released his son and glanced at his grill. “Damn it.” He quickly shouldered Jason aside and hit the dancing flames with a spray bottle of water.
Both Sullivan and Lexie had joined the growing crowd outside. Sullivan explained, “We were going to sit inside, but it’s jammed. Friday nights are getting busier than Saturdays.”
“I know,” Hogan said. “We’ll have the upstairs ready soon. Then hopefully the younger crowd will fill that space and leave the main floor more open.” In a town the size of Clearbrook, plans were seldom kept quiet. Most everyone knew about the expansion of space.
“I better get in there,” Colt said. “But don’t worry, Dad. I’ll crawl out, my head covered, and get you if anyone looks at me funny.”
Hogan threw a dish towel at him, grinning as his son ducked inside.
“You’ve done a great job with him.” Sullivan stared after Colt. “I wish all young adults were that well-adjusted.”
Lexie wrapped an arm around him. “Thanks to you, more of them are.”
“She’s right,” Hogan said and saluted Sullivan with the water bottle. Being a true badass, Sullivan ran his own karate school for kids with behavioral issues. Hogan respected him a lot.
He was also in prime shape. If the ladies wanted to see someone without a shirt, they should be after Sullivan. He could make them all blush.
Then again, few people other than Lexie felt comfortable hassling Sullivan. From the first meeting on, Lexie had deliberately provoked him, flirted outrageously and eventually chased him down. They were yet one more happy couple to view as an example.
Hogan frowned at himself. An example of what?
He didn’t feel like figuring it out, not at the moment, because another idea had just crowded his brain.
Ladies’ night. Could he possibly convince Sullivan to take part? What about Jason? Nathan?
He was considering things when Jason brought up the awning that would go over his area.
“Violet wants two walls as well, to help shelter you from inclement weather.”
The way his brother said it, Hogan knew those were her words. “When did she decide that?”
“She called me Wednesday so I could reconfigure my plans.”
Hogan grumbled. “You’d think the rainbow umbrella and table would be enough.”
“She’s locking you in,” Honor said.
The men all looked at her. “What do you mean?” Jason asked. “Why would she want to lock Hogan in?”
“Figuratively, I mean.” Honor glanced at each of them, apparently amazed that they didn’t understand. “Come on, guys. Violet’s a businesswoman, and Hogan is good for business.”
“He’s good for her,” Lexie added, apparently in agreement with her best friend. “That factors in, too.”
Nodding, Honor said, “So of course she wants him as comfortable as possible. I mean, Screwy Louie’s wouldn’t crumble if Hogan walked out, but look at all the recent changes. Things are on the uptick, and they both look happier. Violet doesn’t want to backtrack.”
“She has the hots for him,” Lexie insisted with bobbing eyebrows. “And honestly, Hogan, I think you owe me some gratitude for suggesting you work here.” She managed a haughty expression. “I feel instrumental in this whole business and personal relationship.”
“Agreed.” Straight-faced, very sincere, Hogan said, “Thank you, Lexie.”
The guys grinned, but both Lexie and Honor oohed in astonishment.
“You realize how lucky you are?” Lexie asked in disbelief.
“Yup.”
Her tone cautious, she said, “Wow.”
Honor pressed a hand to her heart. “Oh, Hogan, seeing you happy makes me happy for you.”
He drew back. “You’re rushing ahead, hon.”
“Let her rush,” Jason said.
When Honor pulled him into a big hug, her head on his shoulder, her arms tight around him, Hogan went with the suggestion and let her. Honor always had a funny effect on him, making him feel valued. He grumbled near her ear, “I’m not eloping or anything.”
“I know,” she said, just as quietly. “But you are getting on with your life.”
Huh. Yeah, maybe he was.
With one more squeeze, Hogan released Honor. “It’s a nice thing, having a sister-in-law.”
“Almost as nice,” s
he said, “as having a brother-in-law.”
Jason, pleased with that exchange, smiled at them both, then led his wife away so they could eat.
When Hogan thought of Meg this time, when he thought of all she’d taken, what hit him was that her actions had put him here, right where he was this very minute, surrounded by very genuine people, working a no-stress job he loved, alongside a woman who matched him in nearly every way.
He’d loved Meg—he couldn’t deny that. If she hadn’t cheated, hadn’t died while walking out on him, he’d be with her still, a faithful, dedicated husband to the bitter end.
But what he felt for Violet was as different as night to day. He and Meg had each accepted their designated roles. Until she’d changed, they’d taken on their responsibilities without question, without much complaint.
But with Violet, everything was shared.
Everything.
And that made it so much better.
Ten minutes later, Hogan was still standing there, staring at the grill, breathing harder under the weight of realization, when Violet slipped out to visit him.
“My,” she said, giving him a hip bump, “with that blank stare on your face, I don’t think it’s my legs occupying your thoughts this time.”
Hogan turned to see her, really see her, and felt his heart expanding. She did look happy. And beautiful.
She looked like his.
“Hey.”
She cocked her head to the side. “You okay?”
Actually, he was better than okay. He felt at peace. “You visited with Brooklin?”
“I did. I feel so bad for her, Hogan. She thinks she’s somehow responsible, but she has no idea what’s happening or why.”
“Nathan will figure it out.” He glanced over at them where they sat alone beneath the shade of a tree. “He’s in it for the long haul.”
“Brooklin is, too. But with this big mystery, she’s afraid Nathan could get hurt.”
Hogan scoffed. “He’s the sheriff. Before that he was SWAT. Pretty sure he can take care of himself.”
“That’s what I told her, but she reminded me that Nathan had been hurt once, and once was more than enough.”