Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2)

by Liza O'Connor

She was exhausted beyond words, but she wasn’t going to admit it before the new guys.

  His hand rested on her back. “Are you okay?”

  If they had been alone, she would have told him how much it hurt her to cut all those healthy trees. Instead, she just breathed in deep and released her misery. “I’ll live.”

  When they arrived at the bottom of the hill, all the guys gawked at the freshly-cut swatch of space where the fence would go. They stood in utter silence. Finally, Frank spoke. “You did all this by yourself?”

  His question pissed her off. “No, little elves came out and helped me once you guys went up the hill.” She then focused on Steel. “This is where the fence will go.” She pointed to her left and then walked farther down the trail. “This is the barrier to stop normal hikers.”

  The rangers left the equipment on the trail and went to study the five-foot tall mound of impenetrable and rather lethal-looking brush.

  Sonny stared at her. “Seriously, did someone help you? Because this would take the guys at Harper Ferry a solid week to do.”

  Frank snorted. “Longer than that, and it wouldn’t be half so effective.” He smiled at her. “You have impressed the hell out of me.”

  Finally, her smile returned. She had impressed them, and while it shouldn’t matter, it made her feel better. “Then maybe someone can carry my chainsaw?”

  The four men fought for the privilege. Finally, Frank called rank and lifted the Husqvarna 3120XP chainsaw. The moment he did, he frowned. “How can you even control this?”

  Okay, he’d fallen back into caveman territory. “Years of practice,” she replied and headed toward home at a pace they couldn’t follow. Maybe they actually did believe little elves had helped her.

  ***

  Frank watched her leave and then faced Steel. “How the hell does she use this thing? It’s got to be over twenty-five pounds.”

  “It weighs even more with the five-foot blade on it,” Steel replied and headed down the trail.

  “There is no way a woman can manage a five-foot blade,” Frank insisted as he fell in beside him.

  Steel just smiled. “I believe she prefers the three and four-foot blades, but the six-footer in her storage room shows use, and I’ve seen her weld the five-foot blade.”

  “Sonny, take over lugging the GPR. I’m wiped,” Luke huffed. Once Sonny took his end of the equipment, with Jack carrying the back, Luke moved up and checked out the chainsaw. “This is top-notch. It’ll slice wood like butter.”

  Dan spoke up. “Even so, what she did today was amazing.”

  His comment surprised Steel. But then he realized Dan’s comment was only to make Steel’s admiration one of many.

  “Damn straight,” Sonny stated. “Does she have a boyfriend?”

  Steel frowned. “No, and from hard-earned experience, I’m warning you that all relationships between staff will remain platonic and professional. Is that understood?”

  Sonny grimaced. “Sorry.”

  “Actually, I’m glad you asked. And while we are on the topic of Tess, you should know that she and I will be managing this place jointly. So in essence, you have two bosses. If either one of us doesn’t think a crewmember is working out, they’re gone.”

  “Whoa…no offense, but what does Tess know about archeology?” Frank asked.

  “Only what she’s picked up. So as long as you don’t do something that endangers her forest, you’ll be fine.”

  Frank scowled. “What if we need to remove some trees on the archeological site?”

  “Let me know, and if I agree, I’ll let her know, and she’ll take them down.”

  “Frank, can we switch off,” Jack asked between heavy breaths as he and Sonny carried the equipment.

  Frank tried to hand the chainsaw to Dan, but he shook his head. “I’ll take it,” Steel said, knowing why Dan had refused. He needed his hands free to shoot.

  ***

  When Tess entered the house, she froze at the blinking red light. She checked the monitor, afraid her father had come to hurt her for stealing Grams and thwarting his last act of revenge. She sighed in relief at the sight of Sheriff Cobbs.

  Hurrying upstairs, she opened the door to the cabin. The moment he stepped inside, the black box in his hand lit up like Christmas. She silently led him downstairs where the box went dark.

  “Thank you so much for helping Grams get cremated as she wished.”

  He tipped his cowboy hat and grinned with satisfaction. “My pleasure.” He looked around. “Is Steel here?”

  “I ran ahead to get a shower while there is still hot water. They should be here shortly.”

  “They?”

  “Steel, Dan, and the rangers from Harper Ferry.”

  “Don’t let me hold you up. Go take your shower.”

  “When the guys show up, will you tell them their beds are in the parking lot? They need to bring them in before it starts to rain and assemble them, or they’ll be fighting over the couch tonight.”

  He chuckled. “That sounds like a terrible start to their new jobs. I’ll not only let them know, I’ll offer to help.”

  She really liked Sheriff Cobbs. He was a throwback to a time when men could be trusted. “I won’t be long,” she promised and ran to her room.

  ***

  Cobbs stood at the wall of glass and studied the sweeping forest before him. It was truly an amazing sight in Iowa.

  A half-hour later, as dusk set in, he spotted the men carrying heavy machinery up the trail. Now he understood why they were so much later. Everything was working for him. No way in hell could he make the trip down the washed-out road in the dark.

  A sense of happiness and the scent of apples came from his left. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Tess, her long black hair damp and glistening.

  “Sheriff, I know you are probably an expert driver, but it’s really not safe to drive these roads at night. So if you want to stay here, I could let you sleep in Grams’ room.”

  He smiled, pleased not only with her offer to stay but in placing her in the room he needed to search. “I didn’t get to my age by being stupid. I gratefully accept your offer.”

  She gripped his arm. “Thank you. I didn’t want to offend you, but the road is getting damn near impassable with good light.”

  “I called the young man who brings you groceries. He assured me the back road is no better,” Cobbs warned.

  “I’ll give you thick planks you can use to get home tomorrow.”

  “Actually, someone has put thin stone bridges across the washouts.”

  “That was Dan, Steel, and me, but we’re going to have a storm tonight, so they’ll be gone tomorrow.”

  “Ah…then the planks will be gratefully accepted.”

  “I better show them where to store the equipment and how to best bring in their beds.” She hurried out the door. He watched her meet up with the men. God, she was a charmer. How the hell had she come from pure evil?

  ***

  Steel and Dan entered the house while the other men followed Tess to the shed.

  The sight of a man in a cowboy hat and jeans watching them from the living room startled Steel until he realized it was the old sheriff, Lee Cobbs.

  Dan’s hand went to his gun, then relaxed. “Problem?”

  “Is there someplace the three of us can talk in private?” Cobbs asked.

  “My room,” Steel offered, and motioned them to follow him down the hall.

  Once inside the room, Cobbs spoke. “I got an interesting call from a zoo in Minnesota. It seems the bear you had trapped and moved to a sanctuary was stolen from their zoo three years ago.”

  The information caused a knot to form in Steele’s chest. “If I recall, that’s about when Helen said it showed up here,” Steel said.

  Cobbs focused on Dan. “I can’t prove it, but I’m certain Benito had the bear removed from the zoo and brought here, hoping it would kill Helen.”

  The knot in Steel’s chest tightened further. “But
Tess said her father wouldn’t hurt her or her grandmother.”

  “Well, Benito would never personally cause their death, especially not while Jonas remained alive. But placing a lethal bear into Helen’s woods evidently was indirect enough not to cross whatever line he has.”

  Dan’s brow furrowed. “That would imply he would have no lines as far as Dr. Castile is concerned.” Dan turned to Steel. “Is this site worth dying for?”

  “Yes,” Steel replied without hesitation.

  Cobbs frowned. “There will be other sites…”

  “Not like this and not for me. I have pretty well trashed my reputation. This is my last chance for redemption.”

  “Only if you don’t die,” Cobbs observed.

  “I’m not leaving, and that’s final. And no lectures about my feelings for Tess. As far as I can tell, every male on my staff is attracted to her, so my interest won’t stand out.” He glanced at Dan to let him know he thought him included.

  Cobbs looked at Dan. “Is that true?”

  “I would be suspicious of anyone not interested in her. She’s remarkably competent, yet still manages to be cute as a button.”

  Cobbs chuckled. “I’ve noticed that myself.” He then eyed Steel. “And what do you think of all this attention to Tess?”

  He shrugged. “It makes Dan happy. However, I’ve already told my staff that she’s off limits to everyone.”

  Cobbs smiled. “I like you. You seem like a solid fellow.”

  “I try.”

  “Well, just between us, I am trying to find something to put Benito and his sons in jail, but it needs to be for life. Sadly, he managed to wiggle out of jail time for his three efforts to kill the lady who made this place a State Park.”

  Dan breathed out in frustration. “Doesn’t really matter. He’d just run their operation from inside the prison.”

  ***

  Cobb’s couldn’t argue that. The only way to make Benito harmless would be to shoot him in the head, which he intended to do the first chance he could. But he’d never tell that to a soul. “Probably true, but we can only do what we can do. We can’t just go shooting them because they are the scum of the earth. We have laws, and even law officers have to abide them.”

  Wanting to search Helen’s room, he rose. “I’ll let you two get to your showers. According to Tess, there won’t be sufficient hot water for all of you. Luckily, I showered before I came.” He turned to Steel. “Oh, she offered me Helen’s room for the night so I wouldn’t have to drive back over those tiny stone bridges in the dark.”

  Steel smiled. “Tess is good about handling the small details…like keeping her favorite sheriff alive. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take her advice on the shower now.”

  “Me, too,” Dan added and hurried from the room.

  Sheriff Cobbs entered Helen’s room and closed the door behind him. A hint of lilac in the air reminded him of the first time he’d met her. He had picked the front door lock and entered the Chicago house when a regal, defiant young woman entered the alcove. She stopped and stared at his gun while he stared at her swollen belly. His father-in-law had failed to mention Eddie’s wife was pregnant. This was no longer an eye for an eye. If he killed her, they’d come after his son to make the count equal.

  By now she should have been screaming her head off, but instead, she spoke with composure. “I know who you are, and I’m sorry you lost your wife. If you’re looking for my husband, he’s taking a shower. Down the hall, second door on the left. There’s no one else in the house, so whatever you say to him will remain private. I’m taking a long walk and won’t be back for several hours, and I never saw you.” She then passed him, head high, and more strength than he’d ever sensed in a woman.

  Cobbs hadn’t hesitated. Instead of an eye for an eye, he killed Don Campinelli, the man who had used Cobb’s young wife as a shield against the FBI’s bullets.

  And true to her word, Helen never told a soul. He knew that for a fact. Had anyone in the Campinelli’s family known he’d killed the bastard, they would have killed him within days of Eddie’s death.

  With the head of the family dead, Cobbs was able to pick off several of the key players before they scattered from Chicago like rats.

  And for a long while, the Campinelli family remained a historical footnote…until Benito had taken charge. That bastard was a throwback to the lawless past. But then so was Cobb’s son. His boy had been testing boundaries and skirting laws since his first step, always depending upon Cobb’s connections to keep him out of trouble.

  Shucking off the past, he focused on the room before him. He began his search in the dresser drawers to his left.

  He had just finished the last drawer when a soft knock sounded on the door.

  “One minute,” he called out and lay down to make it appear he’d been napping. Then he got up and opened the door for Tess. “Do the fellas need help making their beds?” he asked.

  Tess chuckled and shook her head. “The guys assembled them on their own. I’m going to make fish and hamburgers. Which would you like?”

  “Fish sounds good.”

  Her cheery smile left no doubt she liked his choice. “Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, but you can join the guys in the living room if you want. They are going over the computer displays.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll lay back down for a bit more.”

  “Of course. To be honest, all the computer images are just squiggles and lines. I can’t see anything in them. So I’m just enjoying their excitement when something gets them giddy.”

  More than once in his life, Cobb’s had regretted not getting rid of Eddie’s spawn. If he had, Tess would have never existed, and that would have been a great loss.

  “I’ll set my watch so I’m at the table in twenty.” He then closed the door and resumed searching. Helen had possessed evidence of something that allowed her to hold power over Benito. He dearly wanted to find it.

  ***

  Steel felt like it was Christmas morning as they reviewed the outputs from the GPR. The ground was full of signals that looked to be artifacts of a past culture.

  Frank pointed to a dark spot. “That looks to be an ax head and this a spear.”

  “I agree on the ax head, but this looks more like a figure of some sort.”

  He glanced up as Cobbs entered the room. “Come look if you like,” Steel offered.

  Cobbs walked over and studied what they thought was an ax head and spear or figure. He chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll have to take your word for it. To me it looks like an ant colony.” He then entered the kitchen. “Can I be of assistance?” Leaning in, he whispered something in Tess’s ear, and she laughed before asking him to put out plates for everyone.

  Cobbs turned around and counted heads. “Looks to be eight. Am I missing anyone?”

  “Nope. That’s it,” Steel replied and then noticed his men eyeing Cobbs with concern.

  “This is Sheriff Cobbs. He’s staying the night and will be driving back in the morning.”

  Frank frowned. “I was told there aren’t any roads up here.”

  “Pretty close to the truth,” Cobbs said. “Anyone calling what I drove up ‘a road’ is a born optimist.”

  “That’s the damn truth,” Dan muttered.

  Just as Tess got the food on the counter, an explosion erupted overhead and the lights went out. A few moments later, the room illuminated, only slightly dimmer.

  “Backup generator just kicked in,” Tess said and frowned at Dan and the sheriff both holding their guns. “That was lightening. Steel, you better check your computers.”

  “Damn it!” Steel cursed at the now black screen. “Is it possible that this PC isn’t plugged into a socket supported by the generator?”

  She sighed and walked behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “No, I’m afraid it’s fried. However, for the future, whenever we expect a storm, keep your computers unplugged.”

  “But we used your surge protect
or,” Frank said.

  Tess grimaced. “They can’t save you from a direct hit. The lightning strike may have hit the cabin above. I’m going to go check and make sure it’s not burning.”

  Steel rose. “I’ll go with you.”

  Cobbs re-holstered his gun. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go with Tess.” He patted his gun and gave Steel a meaningful glance.

  “Thank you, Sheriff.” Once the two were gone, Steel looked at his staff. “We lost a half day’s work but learned something important. Whenever Tess says there is going to be a storm, computers get unplugged. These are…were…eight-hour batteries. Also, upon returning to the house, first thing, even before showers, we download our information onto DVR discs, date and label them, and place them in the storage room. In addition, I will buy us some external storage that performs automatic backups, so while we shower, our data will be secured. Any questions?”

  “No,” Frank grumbled.

  “It’s not like we lost a week of work. In fact, this may have been a good thing because we can tighten up our specs. Tomorrow, when we return, I want both meterings to be done an inch apart.”

  Instead of groans, all the men nodded.

  “I’ll slow down the GPR to get a better read there, too,” Jack promised. “I had no idea how much stuff was beneath my feet.”

  Steel gripped Jack’s shoulder. “Now we do know, and we have been given the chance to do it better.”

  “One problem,” Frank grumbled. “We don’t have working computers.”

  “Did you check the others?” Steel asked.

  “No, but—”

  “Check them.”

  Sonny declared computer two dead, then screamed “Yes!” when the third computer came up. He lifted the computer up and laughed. “You asked to see the ERMs. To bring it to you, I had to unplug the computer, and I forgot to plug it back.”

  “Then we have three computers for tomorrow. Tess and I both have laptops that we can use until we get new ones. Sonny, make sure your computer is off and unplugged.”

  To emphasize the point, the sky came alive with an electrical show that was both beautiful yet deadly. Lightning bolts attacked the hills and river before them. The magnificent force of nature especially seemed to dislike the large tug boats slowly moving up and down the river. The crew migrated to the windows to get a better view.