Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2)

by Liza O'Connor

  He frowned. “I’m going to your house?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry. My grandmother will be there to chaperone. It’s really her home, but legally it’s mine now.”

  “Will your father be there?”

  “God, no!”

  “Will he be upset with my being there?”

  He must know who my father is. “First of all, my father never comes to my grandmother’s house. They don’t get along. Second, even if he sends relatives, they call before they come to ensure Grams will call for a rescue if they fail to show up. Third, they never begin the drive after three in the afternoon, so I can guarantee your presence will be a secret to all.”

  He still didn’t get in the car.

  “You really need to trust me. You have nothing to fear from my father, but the drive home is iffy once darkness sets in.”

  He studied her another moment before sliding inside the car.

  Tess closed his door and rushed to the other side. She drove as fast as she dared through Dubuque’s evening traffic to catch up some serious time. When she hit Highway 52, she floored it.

  Dr. Castile didn’t verbally complain, but the white knuckles of his hand that gripped the window handle were clearly unhappy.

  “I gather police don’t give those in the mafia speeding tickets?”

  “I don’t normally speed, but we are losing daylight. We do not want to drive our road at night.”

  “Are you night-blind, by chance?”

  She laughed. “No. Have you ever driven in pitch blackness?”

  “In fact, I have. But seeing as how Iowa has neither bears nor moose, and the land is quite flat, I’m not sure how that would be a problem. Your high beams do work, do they not?”

  “Yes. And while I agree we don’t have moose, I assure you a large deer can pretty well wipe out this car.”

  “Then perhaps you should slow down so the wildlife has a chance to see and avoid you.”

  She waved at the crop fields on both sides of the road. “I can see any deer coming easily enough here.”

  He sighed and said no more until she turned off Highway 52 and slowed down considerably as she headed into the hills.

  “Thank you,” he muttered.

  “Oh, I’ll be slowing down to a crawl before we get home. Grams will no doubt be worried sick. I should have called her once I got you in the car, but I just wanted to get moving.”

  He cursed softly as she took the first of a thousand hairpin curves as fast as she dared.

  “It gets worse,” she warned.

  “You could take them slower.”

  “Not if you want to make it home.”

  “Preferably alive,” he muttered.

  “Hey, we agree on something,” she teased.

  The dimmer the light became, the slower she dropped her speed.

  Dr. Castile rolled down his window, evidently thinking it would improve his vision.

  “Roll your window back up, please.”

  “Why?”

  “I had a bear stick his head in the window before. Kind of disturbing when I’m trying to drive.”

  “There are no bears in Iowa. I looked it up.”

  “Yeah? Did you happen to notice all the videos of those non-existent bears that people around Iowa have up on the web?”

  He paused and then rolled up the window.

  She smiled. “Thank you. I know you probably think it’s a ridiculous worry, but every time I’ve taken this road near dusk, I’ve come upon Grumpy Bear. It gets chilly at night, and the road is warmer than the ground, so he prefers to sleep on the road.”

  “While this car couldn’t frighten a bear, won’t the other cars scare it off?” Dr. Castile asked.

  “Believe me, we’ll be the only car on this road for the rest of the night. Locals try to get home by four. That gives someone time to rescue them before it gets dark.”

  He smiled. “You don’t have vampires out here by any chance?”

  She chuckled. “Worse.”

  “And what’s worse?”

  “Things that eat your car. Potholes, washouts, bears, and deer.”

  As if to prove the point, Tess slammed on her brake as three deer crossed before them.

  “Bloody Hell! I see what you mean.”

  “Just wait. I’ve been dodging the potholes, but pretty soon I won’t be able to see them.”

  As night settled in, the darkness overpowered her high beams.

  “Crap.” Dr. Castile leaned forward, squinting into the darkness before him.

  “I’d lean back if I were you. I might be coming to a halt any time without warning.”

  To her amazement, he did as she asked. Maybe he wasn’t un-trainable after all.

  As they took a hairpin curve, weaving about to dodge potholes, he asked, “What happens if a car comes down the hill on one of these curves.”

  “We’d crash, but hopefully at a very slow speed. But there’s almost no possibility of anyone being on this road beside us. I’m sorry. I should have gotten us rooms in Dubuque, only I wanted you to see the sunrise in the morning. It’s quite beautiful.”

  “Well, if we’re alive come morning, I look forward to seeing it. And honestly, had you suggested we stay in a hotel, I would have objected.”

  “Why?”

  “It wouldn’t be appropriate. We’re going to be working together.”

  Just then, the right front wheel slammed into a deep pot hole.

  “If we survive the ride up,” he added.

  She was about to ask how it would look worse than him staying as her guest but remembered her grams. And the fact no one would know he’d been there.

  While creeping along the last curve before they made it home, she slammed on the brakes. The blackness ahead looked wrong in her headlights.

  “Why have you stopped?” he asked.

  “Our non-existent bear is in our way.”

  When the bear didn’t move, she honked her horn.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  “I do. Think I’m hallucinating?” she teased.

  “Or off your trolley,” he muttered.

  She stared at him. “I am not crazy! The bear is lying on the road, ten feet in front of my car!”

  He leaned forward and shook his head. “Move up a bit.”

  “Grumpy won’t like that.”

  “Well, we can’t just sit here.”

  She put the car in park and let go of the wheel. “Actually, we can. But don’t worry, Grams has probably called the rescue squad by now.”

  Five minutes later, a heavy thumping came from behind and hovered above them.

  “Bloody hell!” Castile yelled.

  Chapter 2

  Memories of the carnage in Egypt flashed before Steel’s eyes, the enemy helicopter hovering above, firing at them. The need to dive from the car and take cover overwhelmed him.

  “Rescue’s here. Bear’s moving,” Tess yelled over the thumping.

  He focused on the road before them. The helicopter had a bright beam shining on a six-hundred-pound black bear. Between the noise and light, the snarling bruin left his warm bed and slowly waddled into the trees.

  For a bear he couldn’t even see before, the damn thing was huge!

  Once it was gone from sight, Tess slowly drove forward. The thumping helicopter didn’t leave. Instead, it provided additional light to the road so Tess was able to speed up to twenty miles per hour.

  Soon they pulled onto a tree-lined driveway. The helicopter continued to shine its light down from above and followed them all the way to a well-lit parking area.

  A thin, old woman wearing hiking pants and a loose shirt stood on the bright porch and waved at the helicopter.

  Tess parked the car and ran to the old lady. Steel escaped the car as well, but for a different reason. Although he knew he was perfectly safe, his heart pounded in fear, certain the car would blow up any second now. He ran behind a tree and hid until the helicopter’s bright light disappeared and the thumping faded
away. Only then did his heart calm. With dignity, he walked to the trunk of the car and retrieved his luggage. Tess remained with the old woman on the porch, but he could hear their conversation.

  “You’re a life saver. Grumpy was sleeping on the road and refused to move.”

  “Is your car okay?” the old woman asked.

  “Yeah, I stayed ten feet back and honked my horn from there.”

  Steel recalled suggesting she do otherwise. Thank God, she had ignored him.

  “You need a better car to push about that bear,” the old woman scolded.

  “Well, now that I have a job, I’ll save up and buy something less pealable.”

  He rolled his suitcase to the porch and held out his hand to the woman. “You must be Tess’s grandmother. I’m Alastair Castile.”

  Grams held out her hand. “Call me Helen.”

  “My friends call me Steel.”

  He stared at the small cabin, then glanced at Tess. What the bloody hell was she thinking? There wasn’t room for him here.

  Helen patted his arm. “There’s room. Don’t you fret.” The old woman’s ability to read his thoughts shocked him. She led him into the ancient kitchen, then faced him, her dark eyes drilling into his. “What you’re about to see, you can never speak of. Do I have your word?”

  He nodded, wondering if the old girl was loopy.

  Helen opened the small kitchen closet, walked in, and exited through the back wall, which turned out to be a hidden door. “Well, come on then. Tess will make sure everything is locked up tight.”

  Tess gave Steel a gentle shove. “She’s fast. Don’t fall behind.”

  Recalling Tess’s speed at the airport, he rushed to catch up, knocking down the broom with his luggage as he passed through the narrow closet. “Sorry.”

  “Go on, I’ll put everything to right.”

  He was momentarily lost in darkness, having no idea where the old gal had gone, then a light came on from below, exposing a staircase down to another level.

  Helen smiled up at him. “Watch your step.”

  He lifted his luggage and made his way down, recalling Tess’s assurance her father would never know he was here. Where the blazes were they taking him?

  Fortunately, Steel had no fear since he’d spent a great deal of his life underground, excavating tombs. The narrow stairway would no doubt lead to a dank, narrow tunnel.

  Or not.

  At the bottom of the steps, Steel discovered a well-lit, modern, comfortably-wide hallway with live plants flourishing on coffee tables placed every ten feet. And the air, far from moldy, smelled clean and dry.

  Helen waited at the end of the hall where she held a door open. “Welcome to my home,” she stated with both humor and pride in her voice.

  He walked through the entryway into a large, spacious living room with an open kitchen to the left. The entire east wall of the room was glass, revealing bright stars and the black shapes of trees below them. He abandoned his luggage and approached the view.

  “See the moving lights going from north to south?” Helen asked.

  He nodded.

  “Shipping boats on the Mississippi.”

  “Tess said the sunrise from your house was spectacular. I can’t wait to see it.”

  “I’ll have to wake you early,” she warned.

  “When working in the desert, I always started before sunrise. Those first hours of daylight were the most productive.”

  “In the summer, you’ll find that true here as well. Iowa’s heat and humidity can be formidable.”

  Tess arrived and shut the door he’d left open. “Found our view, did you?” she teased.

  When not being lectured or having her competency questioned, Tess Campbell seemed to have a pleasant personality. He still couldn’t believe he’d botched his chances for the job. Tom Barkman had been very clear that while he thought him perfect for the position, there remained one last person who had to agree before it was his: Tess Campbell.

  Given how rude he’d inadvertently been to her at the airport, he’d seen no chance of getting hired. He would have given up and returned to England if not for two issues and a glimmer of hope. First, he needed this job. The salary was twice what the small college he’d interviewed with had offered, and honestly, since they had yet to check his references, he wasn’t sure there would be an offer forthcoming once they contacted his former school. Second, if he attempted to return to England with such short notice, he’d have to make four or five flight connections, and, God, he hated connections.

  So he got in the car, hoping Tess would prove to be a bit more forgiving than most the females he dealt with. She had shown her good nature when she had “started over” and properly introduced herself, something he’d never expected from a mafia princess.

  Finding her eyes a bit too enchanting, he focused on the stylish, yet comfortable living room before him.

  “I have to admit, when I saw the tiny wood cabin above, I thought I might be sleeping in the car.”

  Helen patted his arm. “Don’t want to do that with Grumpy on the prowl.”

  “Grumpy?” he asked, having some vague memory of Tess saying that name as well.

  Tess came forward, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s the name of the bear I was hallucinating. If he smells food in a car, he’ll roll it over and dig about its belly, or he used to. He seems to have figured out the sides of a car are easier to remove than the underbelly. The Thompsons had their Toyota doors peeled like a banana when their granddaughter left a donut in the back seat.”

  Helen huffed. “I’ve asked the state police to shoot the damn bear, but they keep insisting there are no bears in Iowa.”

  Tess glanced at Steel with teasing eyes, no doubt recalling he’d said those exact words. “The cops just don’t want to ruin their SUVs driving up these roads.”

  Helen sighed. “I expect that’s true.” She then eyed Steel. “So what do you plan to do about Grumpy?”

  He met the old bird’s gaze. “To be honest, I have no answer for you. Until fifteen minutes ago, I didn’t think there were any bears in Iowa.”

  “Well, there are, so you better come up with some solution because Grumpy is not friendly, and if some silly tourist tries to take his picture, you’ll be missing a tourist, and that is not how you make this a premier state park.”

  Normally, he hated being lectured, but for some reason being lectured by Helen made him smile. “No, madam, it’s not.”

  Helen returned his smile and walked to the kitchen area, waving him forward. “You aren’t a thing like I expected. When Tom called and asked to speak to Dr. Castile, then explained you had said you’d call him back, but didn’t, I got worried on two accounts. First, my granddaughter was evidently stuck somewhere on our road, and secondly, you’ve clearly spent too much time in school and not enough in the forest.”

  He sat down at the kitchen counter and watched her inspect the contents of the refrigerator. “Well, I approve of the order of those worries since we were stuck on the road and the helicopter saved the day, and while a doctorate does usually indicate excessive schooling, in my case, I got credit for a lot of my outdoor activities, which means I have more hands-on experience than my title and age might imply.”

  Now her focus was solely on him. “And what is your age, if I may inquire?”

  “Grams!” Tess chided.

  “I’m thirty-three. Would you like to see my passport?” he asked and winked at Tess.

  “If you don’t mind, because honestly you don’t look more than twenty-five.” The old gal glanced at Tess. “Sure you picked up the right one?”

  Before Tess could answer, Steel spoke up, handing her his passport. “You taught her well. Tess also demanded to see my passport. She accused me of being a frat kid playing a prank.”

  Helen chuckled, then frowned as she flipped through all the pages full of passport stamps. “I wasn’t aware the Middle East had forests.”

  “Actually, they do, but I have two love
s. First and foremost, I’m an archeologist. However, I’ve a Master’s in Forest Management as well.”

  Helen handed him back his passport. “I gather the doctorate is in archeology?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Thank God. I wasn’t even aware a person could get a doctorate in Forestry.”

  “I had a few professors who claimed such, but honestly, they were my worst professors.”

  Helen thumped the counter. “You are just what I needed. Now, what would you like to eat?”

  Tess sat down beside him. “Grams is a health nut, so anything you get will be ‘damn good for ya’.”

  “In that case, whatever you wish to cook. It’s been a great while since I ate anything healthy.”

  “What were you doing in Egypt?” Helen asked.

  “My team and I were site-mapping what could be the earliest agriculture site ever found in the country. Unfortunately, given the current unrest in the Middle East, the college that funded the trip recalled us. I offered to send back the students and remain, but they insisted I return…which I didn’t take very well.”

  Helen chuckled as she pulled items from the fridge. “Did you quit or did they fire you?”

  He removed the curved metal clip holding his shoulder length hair together and ran his fingers against his scalp. “That depends upon whom you ask, so let’s just say my departure was mutually desired. Honestly, I should have never taken the job since I hate giving lectures.”

  Tess choked on her tea and had to leave the room. He spoke louder, hoping she’d hear him over her coughing fit. “Except to airport limo drivers who don’t do their job correctly. I fly so much that I’ve lost patience with that particular profession.”

  Helen turned around. “I may be old, but I’m not deaf.” She then stared at Tess’s empty chair and chuckled. “You mistook Tess for a bad limo driver?”

  He rubbed his temple. “Yes, and I wasted precious time lecturing her how to be a proper driver. To be honest, I’m amazed she didn’t kick me out of her car to entice Grumpy off the road.”

  Helen released a heavy sigh. “Tess is too soft-hearted, but you were probably at risk of being left at the airport. When people start yelling at her, she normally runs off.”