by Lori Foster
Huh. Yeah. Hogan looked at Nathan, at the scar on his face that now just seemed a part of him, like his hair and eye color or his height. But thinking of it, he had to agree. “Maybe it was a fluke.”
“How Nathan got hurt? No, I don’t think so. He wouldn’t take it so personally if that was the case.”
“Probably not.” Had Nathan’s gut instinct once failed him? If so, that’d explain why he was doubly determined to keep Brooklin from harm.
Violet sighed. “We’ll all be careful and eventually we’ll find the jerk who’s giving her a hard time.”
Hogan brushed away a few tendrils of dark red hair that had escaped her braid. He saw the dampness across her cheekbones and the flush in her cheeks, proof that she’d been rushing to keep up with customers. “How’s your foot?”
“What foot?”
He slid his hand around to her exposed nape. “The foot that’s still bruised and tender.”
“It’s on the bottom of my leg, right where it belongs.” She tipped back her head to stare up at him, her tone casual but her expression probing. “Hogan, since when did you start all this familiar touching in front of people?”
Looking at her mouth, he asked, “What people?”
Her lips curled. “You can be so funny.” She rested against his supporting hand for just a moment. “Okay, so you no longer care if folks around here see you getting cozy with me. You gotta know, sugar, I’m fine with that.”
“Yeah?”
“It was never my problem in the first place.”
True, he’d been the ass. But ever since she’d gotten hurt, he’d had the urge to show everyone the truth.
Now was a good time to start.
“Good.” He bent to kiss her nose, her chin, then briefly brush his mouth over hers.
Violet blinked at him. “I’m starting to think there’s something in the air today. You know, Colt just told me I was one of his favorite people, and I needed to promise him I wouldn’t hesitate to tell him if I saw anyone fishy. Then he gave me a hug. Like...a four-or five-second hug.”
Hogan grinned. “I hope you promised him.”
“Not exactly, no. If I did see someone suspicious, the very last thing I’d want is for Colt to get involved. He’s young, your son, an employee, and one of my very favorite people, too. All reasons why I’d want to protect him, not drag him into harm’s way.”
That gave Hogan something new to chew on. “So you two get along that well?”
“We do. He’s mature beyond his years, but still with all that boyish charm. And he’s a real sweetheart. I’m going to miss him something awful when he goes off to college.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“Not tonight, but I have, yeah.” She gave a wistful sigh. “He said he’d miss me, too.”
Lots and lots to think about, Hogan decided.
Kristy came out, needing more ribs to fill her orders. Hogan loaded her platter full.
Violet sniffed the air. “Even though you’ve been serving those for a while now, they still make my mouth water. I don’t suppose you have any other specialties to share?”
“I grill a mean steak.”
She shuddered. “Too expensive.”
“Huh. Well...” He pretended to search his mind, then offered, “I’m good in bed. Does that count as a specialty?”
She opened her mouth, closed it, then laughed and patted his chest. “I’d sure count it, but I don’t want it on the menu.”
His inclination was to kiss the sassy smile off her mouth, which would require something more than a peck, maybe some tongue, too. Unfortunately, too many customers sat around them, enjoying the balmy evening while dining with friends and family. Honor and Jason were at a nearby table, with Honor glowing at them like a proud mama. Lexie and Sullivan sat with them, Lexie once again bobbing her eyebrows.
Nathan and Brooklin were farther out, seated across from each other, leaning in close to talk, their body language intimate.
Knowing they were being watched, Hogan said, “When I get you alone...” He left it open-ended enough to entice.
“Oh, I hope it’s something good.” Violet propped her hip against his rainbow-covered table and held out a gift bag.
“What’s this?” Hogan eyed the colorful tissue paper.
“It’s a little something for you.” A wicked light glittered in her blue eyes, and she couldn’t suppress her smile. “Go on. Open it.”
Curious, he set aside his tongs and pulled the puff of tissue paper off the top of the bag.
Inside was a shirt.
He knew exactly what it would be. Grinning, he withdrew it and shook it out.
Sure enough, Barbecue Master, in a special flame font, blazed across the front of a supersoft black T-shirt.
“Look at that,” he said, flattered that she’d had it made for him. “I like it.”
“It’s your size, right?”
He checked inside the collar, saw it was a large and nodded. “Yeah.” He smiled at Violet’s expectant expression. “Now it’s official. Thank you.”
“Put it on.”
Pausing, wondering what she was up to, Hogan repeated, “Put it on?”
Violet nodded.
He glanced around, recognizing many familiar faces, some of them not well-known to him but he’d dished up their food many times.
Fortunately, he didn’t see any strangers who could be a threat to Violet or Brooklin.
But he did have everyone’s attention. In fact, ladies had crowded out of the building and were now watching from around the front wall. “You mean...now?”
“Yes.” Her mouth twitched with suppressed hilarity. “I want to see it on you.”
“Violet—”
She leaned in and whispered, “I was encouraged to ask. But as your boss, I certainly don’t expect you to—”
“I’ll do it.”
Her eyes went comically wide. Two beats of silence passed before she demanded, “What do you mean, you’ll do it?”
Hogan almost laughed. So, she’d thought he wouldn’t? She’d come out here to razz him, fully knowing women would watch? Violet was quirky, and he adored that about her.
Trying to pretend confusion, he asked, “Why not?”
Her mouth pinched.
“Do it,” Honor said, starting a chant. “Do it, do it, do it.”
Others joined in, proving they’d all known what was happening.
“Hogan,” Violet said, fresh color on her cheeks, “you don’t have to—”
“Oh, I don’t mind.” Funny, the more she protested, the more he wanted to call her bluff. He lifted a hand, said loudly, “You’re all about to be disappointed.” Then he stripped off his shirt.
Raucous cheers rang out from the ladies, while the men booed him.
Colt stood in the doorway from the prep area, an ear-to-ear grin splitting his face.
Someone, probably Lexie, gave a loud wolf whistle.
Mrs. Arbuckle, at least eight-five, playfully shouted, “Oh, my heart!”
“Here.” Violet shoved the new shirt at him. “Put it on already before you kill someone.”
Fighting off a laugh, Hogan bent and kissed her mulish mouth before pulling on the shirt and smoothing it down. The kiss was to let everyone know that he’d done this to tease Violet, not for any other reason.
Not for any other woman.
Holding his arms out to his sides and doing a slow turn so everyone could see, he called out, “What do you think?”
More cheers filled the air, scaring birds out of the trees.
Hogan snagged his arm around Violet and hugged her close. He knew without a doubt, here, with Violet, with all the crazy neighbors and family, with his smiling son, was exactly where he needed t
o be.
17
AFTER THE LAUGHTER died down, Nathan turned back to Brooklin and found her smiling as she watched Hogan and Violet. “You look happy.”
She took his hand in both of hers, emphasizing the contrast in their sizes. “I am.”
“I’m glad.” The setting sun cast a halo around her hair. The air smelled thick, as if it might rain. A breeze teased past.
Nathan drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Her skin was so soft, her nails short but glossy with polish. “I never would have imagined Hogan doing that, but I’m glad he did.” He’d gotten used to seeing the strain on her face, but for the moment it was gone. “I like seeing you like this.”
“Like what?” Brooklin could barely contain herself. Then she started snickering.
“Lighthearted, I guess.” He didn’t want her to worry. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her. But this hilarity? “What’s going on?”
The snickers turned into full-blown chuckles.
His own mouth twitching, Nathan said, “What? It wasn’t that funny.”
She tried a deep breath, but couldn’t get the amusement off her face. Leaning in, she confided, “I orchestrated most of that.”
“Yeah?” Nathan had no idea what she was talking about, but her mood was so carefree, he wanted it to last. “How’s that?”
Her golden eyes searched his. She leaned closer still, whispering. “I’ll tell you something no one else knows, if you’ll tell me how you got hurt.”
“Hurt?”
With one fingertip, she lightly traced the scar on his face. “This.” She ended by moving that finger over his bottom lip. “You had promised to tell me, but then you didn’t and I didn’t want to press you.”
“Pressing me now is okay?”
All the past wariness flooded back into her face and she withdrew. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“No, it’s fine.” Nathan circled the table, then sat down close beside her. Keeping an eye on the surrounding area, at all the different people there, he said, “I don’t mind telling you. I just forgot.” A lie. They both knew it. “Besides, once I tell you, you’re going to share some awesome secret, right?”
“Yes.” She cautiously smiled again. “It truly is awesome.”
He nodded, wondering where to start. “Truth is I screwed up. We were executing a search warrant for a drug bust. We used some flash bangs—”
“Flash bangs?”
“Explosions that disorient the occupants.” He stopped, remembering, then looked away. “I was first in. There were four occupants, but they were down, cowering. Everything seemed secure in the main rooms. I called it clear. Then Officer Johnson tried to force open an interior door. Soon as it budged, two men came out shooting. Johnson wore his helmet, but he got struck in the back of the head.”
Brooklin covered her mouth. “You got hit, too?”
“The gunfire shattered a mirror. My eyes were mostly protected by the visor, but not the bottom of my face. The glass...” He could almost feel again the pumping adrenaline, the frigid anger. “It jammed inside my helmet. That’s how I got cut. Wounded, but not down.”
“What did you do?”
“I killed them both.” Just not in time to spare Johnson.
Eyes big and soft, Brooklin whispered, “Did Officer Johnson survive?”
He shook his head. “He was young. Newly married.” Nathan’s throat felt tight, but he ignored it. “He died later in the hospital.”
“I am so, so sorry.”
He picked up her hand and kissed her wrist. “You had a right to know.”
Just like that, she melted into his arms. “I’m not sorry for asking. I’m sorry that you were hurt and that you lost a friend.”
Nathan hugged her close. Damn, she felt good in his arms.
“Thank you for telling me.”
He nodded. “I got out of SWAT after that. At first I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do, and somehow I ended up in the area. Didn’t take me long to decide this was home.”
“And then you became the sheriff.”
“It seemed the perfect fit.”
“I understand why. Clearbrook is a special place.” She stroked a hand over his chest. “Small enough to be quaint, with a variety of characters in it. Large enough to have all the conveniences within a short drive.”
Did she realize what that innocent touch did to him? He flattened his own hand over hers, then said, “Will you officially move in with me, Brooklin?”
She froze.
Nathan set her back to see her face, to make her understand. “Eventually we’ll find the guy bothering you. But it doesn’t matter. I want you with me whether there’s any overt danger or not. Always.”
She searched his face. “You love me?”
How the hell had he forgotten that part? He gave a crooked smile. “Yeah, I love you. I think I lost it for you the very first time I saw you. Everything after that was just buildup.”
That brought her right back into his arms. “I love you, too. But there’s something else I need to tell you.”
Since she’d agreed, she could tell him anything she wanted. It wouldn’t matter. “Your exciting secret?”
“Yes.” She looked around as if to ensure no one could hear her. In a barely there whisper, she said, “You know that advice column in the Trickle?”
Suspicion crowded in. He remembered the columns with questions about him, and the disparaging way the columnist had replied. “Yeah?”
“I’m Advice Anonymous.”
Nathan stared at her. “No.”
“Yes. I’m sorry about those first few. I think my replies came from both a touch of jealousy and a little spite.”
“Just a little?”
She gave him a shameless grin. “Okay, I was spiteful. You were pestering me...and I liked it. Only I thought that was dangerous, because if we got involved—”
“You’d have to explain. But now you know it doesn’t matter.”
“No, because you’re so wonderful. Still, I wouldn’t have told, except that if I move in with you, you’re bound to see the pile of mail I get, and you’ll see me working on the weekly piece, so—”
His burst of laughter cut her off.
People looked their way. Brooklin bit her lip.
Once he’d caught his breath, Nathan said, “You were the one who accused me of preferring men.”
She winced. “Guilty. I’m so glad Stan wasn’t offended.”
“Stan thought it was hilarious, especially when you insulted me. And Hogan.”
“That was before I knew you both well.”
When she’d wanted to stay distant—only he hadn’t let her. She’d tried her best to make him lose interest. Good thing he wasn’t a quitter. “Now that you know Hogan—”
She gave him a beautiful smile. “I honestly get a lot of mail from women asking questions about both of you. Recently, since I didn’t want to share you, I decided to focus on the requests about Hogan.”
“And it brought him and Violet closer together.”
Brooklin nodded. “And now you see why I’m so pleased.”
“Yeah, I do.” He kissed her, lingering longer than he should have, but unable to pull away. Against her mouth, he murmured, “You are one multitalented lady.”
“And you love me?”
He took her mouth again. “Yes.”
She put her forehead to his. “The past, those awful accusations... I was so ashamed. It seemed everyone believed the lies, even my fiancé. I couldn’t see trusting anyone else, definitely not a man.” She sat back and touched his face again. “But now there’s you.”
“And you love me, too?”
She nodded. “Everything about you.” Te
ars sheened her eyes. “I went from being so alone to feeling so blessed. Thank you for convincing me to let you in.”
He touched away the tear from her bottom lashes. “Sometimes I’m a pretty smart guy.” Nathan breathed in the scent of her, stroked her soft hair, felt her toned body against his.
They would put an end to the danger soon. Very soon. Somehow he’d figure it out.
* * *
It was nearing the end of the day, the crowd mellower, the servers wearing down. Giving Kristy a break, Violet waited tables. She’d just finished serving a family of four when she saw a familiar face go past the front window.
Oh, hell no. Joni Jeffers.
Moving quickly, she cut through the diner to the prep area and then outside. She got to Hogan seconds before Joni did. He looked up at her to smile, saw Joni and went still.
A second later he gave Violet a stern shake of his head, no doubt an implicit warning to behave.
Ha! Okay, yeah. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, cause another scene. But if Joni hoped to win Hogan back, she could forget it.
As usual, Joni was dressed to kill in a fitted sundress appropriate for the warm evening. She even wore heels and she came directly to Hogan.
He said, “Joni, hi. How are you?”
“That was my line to you.” She flicked a cautious glance Violet’s way.
“Ms. Jeffers,” Violet said, her smile all but forcing the woman to be cordial.
“Ms....” Joni shook her head, impatient. “I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”
“You can just call me Violet,” she drawled. Or you can go away.
“Violet.” Her teeth showed in a strained smile. “Pretty name.”
Oh ho, now what was that? An attempt at niceness? Violet crossed her arms. The woman was up to something.
Hogan stepped in. “Did you come for dinner?”
“Actually, I have some business I’d like to discuss with you.”
It took everything Violet had not to protest. If she was superpolite, she’d step away and give them privacy.
Not happening.
“How about I watch things for you?” She snatched the tongs out of Hogan’s hand and planted herself—all of two feet away—at the grills.