by Eileen Green
Bradley groaned as he took the couch, stretching his leg out along its length. “Blimey, this hurts like a motherfucker.”
“I’m sure it does, dude, but at least it was in and out,” Frank spoke as he retrieved two long necks from the fridge before settling into the recliner near the couch. Handing one to Bradley first, he twisted the lid on his and then took a long draw from it. “I’m just glad they allowed you to come home when they did. They could have kept you a lot longer.”
“I know, mate. It’s just with a hole in the back of my leg makes it hard to sit. I just don’t know how I’m going to…” Bradley stopped short, as if he wasn’t sure of what he was going to say. “We need to talk.”
With a flick of his wrist on the handle, Frank propped his legs up as the bottom part of the dark blue recliner rose up. “I know.” He took another swig of beer. “Why don’t you start since you’re more at a standstill at the moment?”
Bradley unscrewed the lid on his beer and took a long draw. Placing the bottle on the small coffee table in front of the couch, he looked at Frank. It was hard to discern the look on the man’s face, and Frank became leery of what he was going to say.
“I blew the mission, Frank. I almost had the mark, Giselle, and the blasted fence, but the fucking security guard either hadn’t been informed I was there, or he freaked out at the situation. I got Alastair, but Giselle got away with the diamonds.”
Frank felt for the man. The mission not only had been blown, but also the most important part of it got away. They were diamonds in the wind.
Bradley picked up the bottle and took another swig before continuing, “I was already thinking about calling it quits after this mission instead of getting a transfer, and now, I know that’s what I want to do. I don’t know what I’ll do, but it’s not like I have to work. I have my trust funds to live off of, but I can’t just sit around.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something. Perhaps Brooke will have something for you to do in her company.” Frank took a drink. “She began production yesterday.”
“That’s great. She’s getting on with her life. I’m proud of her.” Bradley looked at Frank, seriousness in his eyes. “Does she know about me?”
Shaking his head, Frank said, “No. I kept sending her flowers every day, even on your days. She knew you were on a mission, so she knew they were from me. She should have no idea you were injured though.”
“Good. I would hate to have her worried about me while she was trying to get everything up and running. She’ll be surprised when we just show up.”
“She will at that,” Frank said, rolling the bottle around between his two hands. “I’m off on vacation for the next month. That’ll give us time to work on a relationship with Brooke, and in that time, hopefully my transfer will come through.”
“I’m not coming back here. I’ve already hired a crew to come in and pack for me. They’ll be here tomorrow.” Bradley was serious.
“Are we packing your new ride, or towing a trailer?”
“I was thinking a trailer. What about your stuff?” Bradley asked. “We can stop off in Denver to get it.”
Frank felt the smile spread across his face as he looked at his friend. Bradley cocked his head to the side in confusion.
“My stuff is already packed. All I need to do is have a moving company pick it up. I’ve arranged for my landlord to let them in when I give them the heads-up. I came out here to help you with the driving.”
A smile broke out on Bradley’s face, his eyes dancing with delight. “So, we’re really doing this?”
“Yup. We’re going to claim our woman.” Actual giddiness spread throughout Frank’s body at the thought of building a relationship with Brooke.
“I can’t wait. But we’ll have to go slow. She went through a lot when she was kidnapped, and I think that trust is going to be the hardest thing for her to do with anyone at the moment.”
“I know.” Frank sat back and relaxed. “I truly believe that sending her flowers and talking to her on the phone is helping her to accept what we want. We’ll just have to be more diligent when we get there.”
“I bet you’re right. I do appreciate you coming all the way here to help out,” Bradley said, weariness in his voice.
Stress lines had appeared on Bradley’s forehead since Frank had last seen him, a sign that his job and his injury had finally gotten to him. It was an occupational hazard all law enforcement faced. Frank just had to hope that Bradley was ready for the next stage in their lives and didn’t have any setbacks health wise.
Chapter Two
Flathead Lake was glistening as the sun beat down upon it from its place halfway in the clear blue sky. A slight breeze had small ripples skimming the surface as the water drifted ashore down the way from the half-completed structure, the lapping sound reaching her ears. Brooke stood where the balcony would be off her master bedroom.
As soon as her father had told her he wanted her to move to Kalispell, she began her search of a home. When she had found the lots for sale, she knew she wanted a large house with a large balcony to enjoy the sunrise and watch the activity of the lake. To ensure privacy, she had bought up the six surrounding one-acre lots along with the one the house was currently being built on.
There would be plenty of room to entertain, play, relax, and enjoy her life. Walks down at the water’s edge during the summer sounded tantalizing while watching snow falling out on the lake during the winter was equally anticipatory.
Working with the general contractor and architect to achieve her goal of the house being completed before the heat of summer set in had been exciting. Now that the exterior walls were standing, the interior could be worked on in a less chaotic state.
Arriving early gave her the ability to check out the progress before the interior designer arrived.
Here, she breathed in the fresh clean air along with the aroma of burning wood from someone’s fireplace. The fainter aroma of pine trees along with the scent of water kissed her nose. A calm settled upon her, giving her the feeling of rightness in her life.
The only thing that bothered her was the fact that the two men who had claimed to want her had stopped calling her a week ago. The flowers no longer came to her office, causing a large disappointment to settle down over her, a shroud of discontentment blanketing her heart and soul.
Had they finally come to their senses and moved on with their lives? Searching for one woman for each of them?
Melancholy filled her body at the loss of the attention, but perhaps it was for the best. She needed to concentrate on work, and they had become a distraction. Perhaps once she got fully settled with the running of her own division and comfortable in her surroundings, she could start pursuing a romantic life.
Tires crunching the gravel on the drive to the house announced the arrival of her designer. A stab of excitement raced through Brooke as she made her way down to the front part of the house. A new beginning would include her happiness with the house, even if her heart was being broken.
The designer, Paige Woodward, spent an hour strolling through the house with Brooke. They moved from room to room discussing what type of paint, draperies, appliances, furniture, and even knickknacks for each one. Once the brunette was ready to leave along with her notes and electronic tablet, Brooke was pleased with the plans they had come up with. She knew she was going to love her new house.
Standing on the steps that led to her front porch, watching Paige drive up the dirt road to the highway, Brooke looked out over what was to be her front yard. She had decided on a large lawn with many trees spotting the landscape. Beyond that, there would be small pastures for horses and other livestock, something she had always wanted but never had room for in the city. She knew without a doubt she would be happy here.
The trilling of her phone broke into her thoughts. Pulling the device from the back pocket of her jeans, she hit the talk button. “Hello?”
“Brooke, it’s Raven. Um, we have a situation here a
t the office.” Her secretary sounded too calm for it to be an emergency, but Brooke would still take it as one.
“What is it?” she asked as she walked out to her new pickup.
“I can’t discuss it. You’ll have to see for yourself.” The call disconnected, and Brooke was certain she had heard amusement in the woman’s voice.
Climbing in, Brooke started the engine and took off toward the office. Carefully, she maneuvered the curves on the road she had become used to, both in her truck and her Harley. The drive would be a bit more difficult in the wintertime, but she was where she wanted to be. Also, the house had a large office going in on the main floor that she could work from if she wasn’t able to get into the office.
Lakeside was a small community, but still close enough to her job and her new friends. Several restaurants populated the homey little town, which Brooke had already become accustomed to. Two hotels were options for visitors to stay at if she wanted privacy should they come to visit.
The mountains surrounded the area, even though half of them were across the large expanse of water. Nature was all around her, and she reveled in it, the big city becoming a distant memory. She would be happy to visit her father in Atlanta, but knew she would always look forward to coming back home.
Curious to see what was going on, Brooke had to fight the urge to press the metal to the floor. With winding roads and speed limits up to 70 miles per hour in some places, too many possibilities of senseless accidents spoke to her. Crosses set out by the American Legion of Montana marred the sides of the highways where people had died. Brooke thought there were too many along the road between Hwy. 90 and Kalispell.
As she pulled into the southern part of Kalispell, she made a left-hand turn going out toward the airport. Having the factory near the southern end of the airfield made it easier to ship out product.
Pulling into the parking lot, she drove to the spot dedicated to her. Sitting on the sidewalk near the front door were two Harleys. One, a royal-blue Road King, and the other, a fire-engine red Softail. Both appeared to be brand-new, either this year’s models or the previous one.
She had to wonder who they belonged to, for none of the employees had brought them to work before, and they knew better than to park them on the sidewalk. She wasn’t expecting any vendors, so she had to assume that they had something to do with the phone call from Raven and the situation they had going on.
After making sure her pickup was locked, she made her way into the lobby where she found several of her office workers standing at the reception desk whispering. When they saw her come in, they stopped and smiled at her, curiosity and guilt written on their faces.
Suspicion rose within Brooke, her own curiosity prickling at her. Wanting the information from her secretary instead of the gossip crew, she took the stairs up to the second floor where her office resided, her heart beginning to flutter in her chest.
Raven sat at her desk, which was outside of Brooke’s office. A view of the mountains in the distance with the airport runway in the foreground was seen through the large window behind the woman. As Brooke approached, the dark-haired beauty looked up at her, trepidation registering on her features.
“What’s going on, Raven?” Brooke asked, exasperation sounding along with her irritation.
“Um…you have visitors,” Raven spoke lowly as she glanced at Brooke’s office door. “They insisted they be allowed to wait in your office for you.”
“Who are they?” She hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but Brooke knew that’s how she sounded, for Raven cringed. Once she saw the woman’s reaction, Brooke knew she just needed to find out for herself.
Taking a deep breath in anticipation of who she was going to find behind the door, Brooke turned the handle and pushed on the wooden slab. At first she didn’t see anyone. Not until she looked over at the seating area she had set up for visitors.
She let her mouth drop open in shock as her gaze took in the two men she wasn’t expecting to see again. Sitting on the yellow couch under the window sat two gorgeous men in blue jeans, T-shirts, and black leather, a major contrast between them and the piece of furniture they sat on.
Frank stood quickly as soon as she saw them, but she noticed Bradley stood with more care, as if he had been injured. Her heart flew to her throat as she made her way over to them slowly.
“What are you…” she began to ask before a squeal sounded from her as Frank pulled her into his arms quickly, a move she wasn’t expecting. Her feet left the floor as he swung her around, his face buried in her hair.
When her sneakered feet touched the carpeted floor again, she let her arms slide down to Frank’s biceps and held his muscled arms in her hands as he continued to hold her. There were only about five inches in height that separated the two, but she still had to look up to gaze upon his handsome face.
His smile reached his light blue eyes, which were the color of the Montana sky on a clear spring day. There were a few scars on his cheeks as if he had possibly had an acne issue when he was younger. His nose was long and thin, providing a very aristocratic air to him. Full lips, made for kissing, called to Brooke.
Surprise overtook her when she leaned up and pressed her own lips to his. Breathing in as she felt his lips move against hers, she became aware of his unique aroma. A woodsy scent along with something citrusy and spicy reached her nose, which she liked on the man. A hint of laundry soap lingered there also, but she found she could get used to just breathing him in.
His lips were soft against hers as they teased her own. Hot breath fanned her cheek as he returned her kiss. Savoring the touch of his lips and his hands on her back, this was a moment long in the making.
Pulling back as he ended the kiss, the smile returned to his lips as his eyes turned dark with his lust. “Finally,” he whispered. “I’ve dreamed of this moment since we parted the last time.”
“You’ve certainly made an impression on my assistant with all the flowers.” A giggle escaped her. “And I think you’re beginning to grow on me, too.”
Frank leaned in and kissed the end of her nose before he released her. With a gentle hand, he turned her toward Bradley, who was standing near them.
The second of her men was standing patiently, but she noticed he was favoring his left leg. She only needed two steps to be directly in front of the man, careful of him. “And there’s you. What happened to you?”
A sheepish look crossed his face as his lower lip pulled into a smile, or at least that’s what it looked like to her under his mustache. A shrug pulled his shoulder up a bit before it fell again. “It’s nothing, love. It’s just a little bullet wound.”
Did he really just say a little bullet wound?
Frank cleared his throat as he seemed to step away from her, and she knew it was worse than just a little bullet wound. Setting her hands on his forearms, she looked into his usual hazel eyes. Today they were more of a mossy green, surrounded by lovely long, curved, blond lashes.
His somewhat bushy mustache was well groomed, hiding his thinner upper lip, which was twitching slightly from his apparent guilt. The facial hair hadn’t been as bushy when she had last seen him, so he must have relaxed the trimming of it.
“I don’t want to start off with a lie,” he murmured. A quick glance over to Frank told Brooke that his statement was as much for Frank as it was for her. Looking back down at her, Bradley smiled tentatively. “I was shot three weeks ago on a mission.”
Brooke’s stomach performed a flip that any gymnast would have been proud of as she thought of how she could have lost him. That the relationship they had been talking about for so long could have fallen apart before it had begun.
“Oh my gawd!” she blurted out as she looked over his body. “Should you be standing? Should you be traveling?”
A smile spread across his face as he gingerly sat back down on the left-hand side of the couch. He pulled her down to sit next to him, sliding his arm around her shoulders. She watched his face for an ounce of pain,
but all she saw was need as he leaned down and captured her lips with his.
Bradley’s lips were warm and firm as he moved them against hers. His mustache was a bit coarser than before, but then again, it hadn’t moved against her flesh as it had been a lot shorter. It tickled a bit, but just being able to be in his arms again and having him kiss her, it was something she could endure. Perhaps it was something she could come to enjoy.
As much as she wanted to go further with the kiss, for some reason she welcomed the break when Bradley pulled away. Opening her eyes, she could see the passion burning in his hazel eyes as she licked her lips.
“We’ve been on the road since Saturday. It was a bit tedious on my leg, but it’s doing okay. I’m sore, but nothing seeing your face wouldn’t help me through,” he said quietly.
“You’ve been on the road for three days? From Denver?” she inquired, looking between him and Frank, who had sat in the chair next to the end of the couch where Bradley was sitting.
Both men chuckled. Frank spoke for them. “DC, baby. We drove straight through with both of us sharing the driving. We got here last night and checked into a hotel before coming here. We wanted to look a bit refreshed before we came to see you.”
“We’ve been waiting a while for you to come back,” Bradley said with a smile. “Your secretary didn’t want to let us wait in here, but we told her this was where we wanted to surprise you. We were a bit insistent, but she finally decided it would be for the best since she didn’t know when you would be back.”
As she looked at both of them, she thought of the house she was having built. It would hold all three of them with plenty of room to spare. She wouldn’t mind them living there, but it would depend on if they were going to stay here or if they were going to go back to their jobs. If they couldn’t provide her a future, she wasn’t sure if she wanted them in her life.
It was something she had been thinking about. Coming to Kalispell was a big step in her life. Freedom was a big factor in coming here. Yes, she was still her father’s daughter, and a part of the company, but she didn’t have to worry about answering to him.