by Grady, D. R.
With all the unknowns streaking through her mind, Janine wondered why she cared about the answers. She didn’t doubt that the Morrisons loved her and accepted her. But she didn’t know if they would welcome a man into her life. So far, none of them had even hinted about setting her up with a man. The Morrisons were known matchmakers, but they had never attempted to set her up with any of their male acquaintances. A list she knew was practically endless.
Why was that?
Janine bit her lip and darted a look at Treeny. Maybe her sister-in-law would have a better idea of the why. But Janine hesitated to ask. She wasn’t sure she could handle the answer. Maybe her family liked her, but did they love her yet?
At that thought, her heart plummeted to her feet. She couldn’t bear if they didn’t love her with all their being. Now that she had been given all she ever wanted. Unconditional love from people who didn’t judge her or care that she wasn’t perfect.
She thought she had found that with the Morrisons. Ben surely loved her unconditionally. And she thought maybe Treeny did, too. Then she thought of her mother. Heather Morrison would move grizzlies, mountains, and the very ocean for her, with her dad not far behind. Janine knew this. Somewhere, that knowledge coalesced. Her three sisters were also very protective.
So, the unconditional love bit worked for her. But would it for Greg? Did he have any idea what the concept meant? Did he care? Would he embrace it like she had?
Seems she always came back to whether he cared or not.
Greg Gilmore had seen so much in his life, she didn’t know if he did or could. He had surely witnessed failures and mistakes, but he was so quiet and contained, she didn’t know if she could convince him to tell her about those experiences. Did she want to know them?
Yes.
For some reason, she wanted to know everything there was to know about this mystery man who was Greg Gilmore. She knew the technical things, especially about his body, since she’d worked so extensively on him. But she knew next to nothing about how he ticked.
The ground near him seemed like a rather dangerous place to tread.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Treeny said, breaking into her thoughts. Janine trailed a hand over Kyla’s smooth cheek.
“I guess I’m thinking.” Should she ask Treeny what she thought?
“What are you thinking about? Peace on earth?”
Janine laughed. “No. Nothing so serious.”
“It looks serious, with the way you’re frowning at my son.”
Janine stared down at the little boy in her arms, and couldn’t remember scooping him up. She bent to kiss him before laying him in his bed beside his sister and watched as both baby’s eyes drifted closed, their little thumbs in their mouths.
“It never ceases to amaze me how much they fight when we put their jammies on, but as soon as we lay them down, they’re gone.” Treeny shook her head.
Janine smiled at the angelic little faces, sound asleep moments after they finished the clean-up process. “They are so precious.”
“They are. I had no idea.”
Janine glanced at Treeny. “You seem to know now.”
“Oh, I do. I guess all my growing up years I couldn’t imagine life without kids. And no other man than Ben.”
“Did anyone in the Morrison family try to set you up with anyone else?”
“Nope. I think everyone knew how I felt about Ben and how he felt about me. We’ve always been attracted to each other.”
Janine bit her lip. Should she ask? “What about me?”
Treeny blinked at her, utter stupefaction crossing her lovely features. “What about you?”
“No one in the Morrison family has tried to matchmake me. Do they think I’m not matchable?”
Treeny’s mouth now hung open in a perfect circle and the sight made Janine feel a little better.
“Not matchable? Janine where on earth did you get that stupid notion?” Treeny’s voice matched her expression and the two further appeased Janine.
“Well, no one’s ever mentioned anything about a man to me.”
“Of course not. We’re still getting to know you. Plus you’re a bit of a loner. I think no one wanted to pair you with someone if you didn’t want a man.”
Now it was Janine’s turn to blink in confusion. What? She stared at Treeny, rolling the words around in her head, trying to figure out what her sister-in-law said.
“We don’t know you that well. You’re definitely family and you’re ours, but we still haven’t figured out the perfect man for you. Until we do, we’ll keep you pure.”
Janine laughed. “Pure?”
“Yes, the last thing we want to see is you get hurt, so until we deem a man appropriate, we probably won’t let you date.”
“I’m in my mid thirties.”
“Well, yes there is that. You’re old enough to make your own decisions, but we won’t add to your burdens by offering you a jerk.”
Oh, that’s why. They didn’t want her paired with a jerk. Greg Gilmore’s face popped into her mind again. Would they deem him a jerk? What if her family never looked deeper? What if she didn’t?
“What if I meet a man I’d like to date?”
Treeny shrugged. “You’ll have to take him through the approval process.”
Janine’s brow shot up. This didn’t sound good. “Approval process?”
Treeny looked sage – all knowing and super bratty as they left the twins sleeping in their bedroom. “Yes. The committee meets the first of every month. All participants have to bring the person they’re interested in for a severe panel of questions and answers. The committee votes on whether you’re allowed to date, and then the decision is handed down to you.”
“Sounds painful.”
“Oh, it is. I think the deal is to discourage some of the teens from dating.”
“You and Ben didn’t have to go through this process.” Janine’s lips twitched. She wanted to laugh, but Treeny appeared so solemn, she thought she better behave.
“Oh yes we did. It was awful.”
Janine rolled her eyes. “I know for a fact Max and KC didn’t have to go through this process.”
“Well, no, they cheated.” Treeny had an answer for everything.
“But you and Ben didn’t?”
“Of course not. Sam and Shelby cheated, too.” Her eyes narrowed. “So did Mitch and Lainy.”
“Wow, you and Ben were the only ones who went through the actual approval process. I had no idea.” Janine’s tongue was firmly in cheek. She couldn’t believe she was conducting this silly, inane conversation with Treeny, but she did feel better, even if only marginally, about bringing Greg into the fold.
Provided she was interested in him.
Treeny paused in her general tidying of the room and cocked a head at her. Janine thought a question was on the way. Hmm, what had Treeny picked up on that she shouldn’t have?
“Janine, do you have someone in mind? About dating, I mean?”
Now what did she do? Should she reveal how she felt to Treeny? Janine didn’t think she should tell KC. That would either raise or dash hopes, and she couldn’t bear to hurt KC.
There was yet another consideration. What if KC didn’t want her as a sister-in-law? What if Greg didn’t want to be saddled with a woman? She didn’t even know if he still liked women.
“I don’t know, Treeny.” Janine suppressed a sigh. At least she was honest.
“What’s his name?”
Janine glanced at Treeny and saw her eyes were bright with unasked questions. This time she suppressed a groan. Treeny wasn’t a gossip, so she knew her secrets would remain here. But she still didn’t know if she could reveal her thoughts. Somehow the name escaped.
“Greg Gilmore.”
Chapter 11
Janine watched as Treeny all but collapsed into the chair behind her.
“The painter?” she asked weakly.
Janine nodded. There was yet another problem. Most of the family thou
ght Greg a useless drifter who painted and had given up his son. Most of them didn’t know he was a hero and a legend in his own right. None of them would know the cost it took for him to return to Hershey. His strong sense of responsibility would have forced him home. Few in her family knew that. Fewer could know it, ever.
“I can’t believe you’re attracted to a painter.”
“He’s much more than a painter.” Maybe that was one of the reasons Greg resisted returning here. He had sacrificed and fought for the very people who would deem him unacceptable. All through the years he had created and further established his loser persona and now even though he was retired he couldn’t tell the family any differently.
That he had cared only for Ryan’s best interests and welfare wouldn’t and couldn’t be common knowledge among the Morrisons. Only she, O’Riley, and KC knew. Ben suspected, but he’d never tell that to even Treeny. Those were military secrets he would hold through punishment and into death.
Janine watched Treeny rise and wander over to the bookshelves to shelve some children’s books. She fretted as she watched her sister-in-law. How could the Morrisons change their minds about Greg? Should they? Wouldn’t their knowing his true former career land all of them in more danger? Besides, Greg had buried Michael Lamont and the safest place for him was that cold grave.
Maybe Greg would have to establish himself here first. Did he want to do that? Janine doubted it. He would more likely ensure everyone’s safety, then hightail it out of Dodge. Or Hershey, in this case. And could she blame him?
If he didn’t love the Morrisons like she did, then living here would be a stifling existence. Because the Morrisons loved each other, and spent quality time together. A man used to existing on his own would have excellent reasons to find such family togetherness uncomfortable.
“How’s he more than a painter?” Janine regretted how disturbed Treeny seemed by her attraction to Greg.
“He painted me a picture of the family party the other night.”
Treeny stopped shoving books on shelves and spun to stare at her. “What?”
“He painted a picture of all us together. It’s incredible. He definitely has talent.”
“I’d like to see it.” Treeny gazed at the ceiling.
“It was still unfinished when I saw it but when it’s finished and dry we’re moving it to my mantle.”
“You’ve needed something there for a while.”
“Yes.”
Treeny continued to show symptoms of not quite standing on the same plane of reality.
“What’s bothering you, Treeny?”
“Well,” Treeny frowned and blew a bit of hair from her face. She went back to straightening the room. “I’m not sure. This guy isn’t known for his ability to settle down.”
“No. But then neither was I.” Janine stared at her sister-in-law. Hoping to convince her that... that what? That she was justified in wanting to date Greg? Did she need justification? She was nearly thirty-six years old. That was plenty of years and experiences behind her to make her own choices. She knew more about Greg Gilmore than most.
“You’ve settled down, Janine. You have a great job you love, a house you adore, and family who think the world of you.”
“But those things have all happened in less than a year.”
“So?” Treeny raised an eyebrow in question.
“So it took all this time before I realized what I wanted. Maybe Greg deserves the same amount of time to make his own choices.”
“Maybe.” Treeny chewed on her lip. “I guess that makes sense. How old is Greg?”
Janine had to stop and think about that. “He’s thirty-seven or thirty-eight.”
“Don’t you think that’s plenty of time to think about what you want from life?”
“I only figured it out this past year,” Janine repeated and decided she would remind the entire family of this fact if she had to. She planned to repeat it until they knew the information by heart. Why was them accepting Greg Gilmore so important to her?
Because she wanted him.
“You have a good feeling about this man?”
“Yes.”
Treeny nodded. “As far as I’m concerned that’s all that matters. You’re a good judge of character, you’ve seen the world. You’re not young and stupid. If you think he’s a good risk, then he probably is.”
“But?” Janine raised a brow at her.
“But what?” Treeny acted all innocent, but Janine wondered if the hammer was about to fall.
“Like I said before, we don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’m not eager for that either.”
“He’s not been stable in the past. What if he starts something with you now but then leaves?”
“I guess I’ll have to cross that particular bridge if we reach it. I don’t even know if he’s interested in me. He might not like women.” Frustration welled. She knew he was attracted to women. He had to be.
“I think he’s interested in women.”
“I do, too. But you never know.”
“No. Just be careful, okay?” Treeny reached out and hugged her and Janine reveled in the embrace.
“I always am,” she whispered.
Chapter 12
Greg leaned back in his chair and watched as the scene on the laptop screen unfolded. Still nothing from his buddy in a secret government think tank, but he hadn’t expected that friend to come through yet. His task was daunting, and Greg was willing to wait for the results.
Right now, he was more concerned about what O’Riley came up with. Greg didn’t think he could afford to make so much as one mistake right now. He kept picturing himself as a tightrope walker. One wrong move and he’d fall.
Falling wasn’t on his To Do list today.
Or any other day for that matter. Too many people would get hurt if he fell. Since the net beneath him was made up of family rather than a vast array of cloth.
Macy’s face swam into his vision and he smiled as he thought of her gazing so solemnly at him. Like she knew him and understood him. He liked how his heart responded to the innocence in her. That must mean the demons hadn’t dragged him into Hades yet.
It must mean there was still some hope for him. He couldn’t bear to get too close to Ryan yet, because the little boy represented all Greg had been forced to give up. Never had he remembered wanting anything as much as he wanted Ryan. The pain still lurked in his heart, threatening to torture him if he allowed it.
Instead, Greg clicked on another file on the laptop and sank into the depths of the information, seeking solace from the heartache. Somewhere he had stored data on the group they suspected were after him. The more he knew, the better he could prepare. He wouldn’t plunge into anything without facts. Greg had only ever had to depend on himself, but right now, if he was all that stood between his girls, Ryan and destruction, he’d take on another bomb without hesitation.
He tapped some keys and searched each file as it emerged. The encryption codes took some memory on his part, but he eventually remembered them, and entered each one. He had been tricky with the codes, but that was good. If he couldn’t crack them, and he created them, a hacker shouldn’t be able to, either. Hopefully.
Wondering what Janine was doing at the moment, he kept clicking on files. Was she searching through files like him? Maybe she agreed to have supper over at KC and Max’s house. She might even be swinging Macy high or playing with Ryan. That would be fun. He enjoyed doing both of those things, and he had only been here a few short days.
He wondered if Janine worked late at the hospital sometimes. She was an emergency room doctor, and he figured they had more demands placed on them than other doctors. She probably needed the adrenaline rush.
Greg wondered if he still needed the rush. He clicked on the next file. Could he survive without a demanding, fast paced career? A career so dangerous you had to be highly trained to survive. And your knowledge didn’t guarantee survival either. One misstep and you co
uld be blown to dust. An agent he worked with had barely been dust, so effective had been the technology that killed him. He died at the work of arms dealers, too. Greg frowned. Had Mallory died from the same group that might be after him?
He leaned forward and clicked on more files, a memory swirling just out of his grasp. They were connected, if not the same group. But how? How did the two connect?
He couldn’t remember, but he kept searching through his files. The information was here. Apparently the problem was retrieving it. Greg consoled himself with the thought that if he had managed to bury himself as effectively as he hid this data, he should stay dead forever.
He called O’Riley a few minutes later, since his search was proving fruitless.
“Got anything?” Greg asked and waited for O’Riley’s answer.
“Yeah, I think we do. My hacker still doesn’t have all the pieces, though. What about you?”
Greg heard O’Riley’s chair creak and glanced at the clock. “Shouldn’t you be home enjoying the evening with your wife?”
“She’s at a social function and won’t be home until about the time I roll in.”
“You didn’t have to escort her?”
“No. Thank goodness. I enjoy the Morrisons, but...”
That went a long way to making Greg feel better about his windpipe closing off every time he encountered the Morrisons en masse. They seemed to run in herds. If Admiral O’Riley, who he had never seen daunted before, felt this way about them, maybe he’d be okay.
Relieved, Greg moved on to the purpose of his call. “I had a thought tonight.”
“Yeah?”
“Mallory.”
He heard O’Riley’s chair creak again. It sounded like he lunged for something across the desk. “Mallory. He went down in an arms deal gone bad.”
“Same group?”
“I don’t know. Why did you think they were?”
“The Temites are the group who killed him. But something keeps bugging me about that situation.”
O’Riley muttered something under his breath and Greg heard the rustle of rapidly flipped pages. “Are there two factions? Like brothers who wanted to take the family into the big time?” That sounded right, but Greg couldn’t make the pieces all fit.