Undercover in Glimmer Creek

by Julianna Morris

  “Yeah, it’s cool. I couldn’t talk Carlo into shorts, though. Let’s see, I have a half combination, half veggie dinner special for you.” Wayne handed her an enormous pizza box and two bags. He cast a less-than-subtle look at Gabe. “See you next time. I’ll take the order over to Mr. Connor now.”

  “Thanks, Wayne.”

  Gabe took the food and put it on the sofa table while Tessa locked the door. She unpacked the bags; one contained soft drinks and salad, the other a large carton of chicken.

  “I hope you like baked chicken.” She pushed the carton toward him, along with a paper plate. “The seasonings they use at Little Italy are terrific.”

  “It’s fine. I thought you were just getting pizza. This is enough to feed a navy convoy.”

  “Leftovers are convenient. I’ve eaten many a slice of pizza for breakfast.”

  “Same here. My mom rarely cooked, so Rob and I usually ordered pizza from a restaurant where Dad had an account.”

  “It doesn’t bring up bad memories for you?”

  He looked at her incredulously. “Bad memories about pizza? Get serious. The last time I was injured in the service and they wouldn’t let me eat, I told them to give me a pizza by IV.”

  * * *

  TESSA CHUCKLED AND forked a serving of Greek salad onto her plate.

  She was trying to decide if she regretted having sex with Gabe. Essentially, she was staying in Glimmer Creek, and he’d made it clear that he was taking the fastest route out of town once his investigation was finished. He’d been equally clear that he didn’t intend to have children. She might have put romance temporarily on hold and have qualms about loving too deeply, but she still wanted it all, including a family.

  They ate steadily and put the leftovers in the refrigerator before returning to her office.

  It was cooler now, and she continued reading the background reports, occasionally making comments. She was careful not to say anything she’d learned exclusively as manager of Poppy Gold, sticking to what she knew as a member of the community.

  “You have boring neighbors,” Gabe said finally.

  “Quiet, not boring.”

  “You mean Poppy Gold tourists are as blameless as the rest of Glimmer Creek?”

  “No, but I think most people are basically good. By the way, you don’t have to keep sniping at small towns,” she advised wryly. “I get the message. And if you’re trying to warn me off because we had sex, don’t bother. The sex was okay, but I know we aren’t compatible in any other way.”

  She wasn’t sure, but she thought she detected annoyance in Gabe’s eyes. Honestly, men thought women overanalyzed and picked things apart, but they were often the worst offenders.

  Still, it was true that she wouldn’t have had sex with Gabe if she hadn’t liked him quite a lot—physical attraction wasn’t enough for her. Maybe he’d sensed that and was trying to protect her in his own way.

  They were looking at the next file when Tessa’s phone rang. “It’s my great-uncle,” she said, looking at the display before answering. “Hey, Uncle Milt.”

  “Hello, Tessa. I got the report back from the state crime lab.”

  “Oh. Gabe McKinley is here—let me put you on speaker.” She pressed the icon on the smartphone. “Go ahead.”

  “As I was saying, I got the report back on that wood from the El Dorado staircase. There are a lot of details in the report, but basically it’s the considered opinion of the crime lab that both the step and railing were deliberately rigged to collapse.”

  “Hell,” Gabe exclaimed.

  “Exactly. It doesn’t prove that your brother was the intended victim, but he’s the most likely target, given the letters and that he was the next person expected to be on those stairs. It would be a good idea to contact the Los Angeles police and get him under protection.”

  “He’s already under protection. Rob doesn’t know it, but I’ve got two ex-SEALs tailing him,” Gabe explained.

  “Why doesn’t he know?” Tessa asked.

  “Because he’s a stubborn jackass who refuses to have personal security. He’d refuse police protection, too. I know him.”

  Great-Uncle Milt’s laugh sounded over the phone. “Sounds like brotherly love to me. What about this sting operation?”

  “I want to create a stack of fake documents to tempt the spy,” Gabe said. “I’m not a businessman, so I’ve been thinking that Tessa and I could work on it together and come up with the details. We’ll run it past you, of course, and develop a plan of action for the week Rob is here.”

  Tessa’s jaw dropped. They hadn’t discussed the sting yet, and she’d expected to need to fight tooth and nail to be included.

  “All right,” Uncle Milt agreed. “My office isn’t soundproofed, so I don’t want to take any chance of being innocently overheard, but we can talk on the phone when I’m at home.”

  “Sure thing. Thanks for calling, Uncle Milt.”

  “Just a minute,” Gabe interrupted. “I want to ask about Wanda Donovan. I’ve gotten some background checks of my own and apparently she’s often near Reno. I understand her daughter is there, but it would be easy for her to gamble when she’s visiting. Having money problems could tempt her to do something she shouldn’t.”

  Tessa glared at him.

  “That’s a leap if you’re going for guilt by association,” Great-Uncle Milt said. “I’ll look into it, but I probably would have heard something by now if Wanda had a gambling problem.”

  “That’s how I feel,” Tessa affirmed. “We’ll talk to you later, Uncle Milt.”

  “Take care, darling.”

  Outside the sun had dropped low in the sky, and Tessa stood up. “Let’s take this up again tomorrow. I’m going over to check on my father.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  She shook her head. “Pop has already suggested I could do worse than to get together with a man like you. The less he sees us together, the better.”

  Gabe stared. “You’re joking.”

  “Not at all, though I’ve reminded him there wouldn’t be any grandchildren if we got serious.”

  “Was he convinced?”

  Tessa thought about her father’s comment that she could change Gabe’s mind, but she didn’t want to discuss it. “Grandchildren are important to Pop, partly because he knows kids are important to me. As long as I keep reminding him of that, he won’t push. He doesn’t want to see me lose out on something I’ve always wanted.”

  “I’d still better go with you. It could be dark by the time you leave.”

  She gave him a tight smile, refusing to get into another debate about small towns versus cities. As far as Poppy Gold went, it was a world unto itself, with staff on duty around the clock, including security.

  “Fine.” Tessa turned off the computer and stood up.

  They were both quiet as they walked to the central maintenance building.

  “I didn’t realize there was living space up here,” Gabe commented as they climbed the rear exterior steps.

  “The apartment has been mostly empty until the last year or so. Hi, Pop,” she called, seeing him at the table under the pergola. The food containers from Little Italy still sat there, and she quickly assessed how much he’d eaten—not as much as she would have preferred, but more than half.

  “Thank you for dinner, dear.”

  “No trouble. I was ordering food for myself and just added something for you.”

  For the first time, her father seemed to notice her companion. “Hello, Gabe. I see you’ve been more successful than the rest of us in getting my daughter to take time off. Thank you.”

  Tessa squirmed, recalling what she and Gabe had done with that time off, and was pleased to see he looked a little uncomfortable himself.

  Gabe cleared his t
hroat. “Uh, sure.”

  “Have a seat.” Liam gestured vaguely. “There’s probably soda or juice to drink if you’re thirsty.”

  “I’m going to get soda water,” Tessa said. “Do you want lemonade, Pop, or something else?”

  “Lemonade is fine.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Gabe added.

  Tessa was grateful to get away, even for a few minutes. Spending so much time with Gabe was exhausting; she always had to be on her guard around him, and her instincts were totally screwed up by hormones and a growing understanding of the complicated, wounded man beneath the hard shell.

  Tessa’s throat was tight and she tried to suppress the melancholy going through her. Despite his professed lack of faith in human nature, Gabe was a protector—a soldier who’d risked his life to make the world safer. It was equally clear he was haunted by the people he hadn’t been able to help, especially the children. His deepest wounds weren’t the ones on his body.

  But it wasn’t up to her to heal him; he’d probably laugh at the idea that he even needed it. But he did. He really did. And a part of her already wanted to be the source of that healing.

  * * *

  AS LANCE WAITED in the car for Jamie to finish her class on Wednesday, he looked through the printouts he’d found on his doorstep. They were from the US Navy website, and he figured Gabe McKinley must have left them there.

  He just wished he could ask Gabe how being arrested in Sacramento might affect his chances. What if Gabe or the navy thought he’d actually broken into somebody’s house and had gotten off lucky? That would be horrid.

  Before coming to Glimmer Creek, Lance hadn’t cared much about what people thought, but it wasn’t the same now. Jamie was a sweetheart, and even if her parents still weren’t sure about him, they were nice people. Liam and Tessa had given him a shot and the pay wasn’t bad; it would get even better once he started training to take care of Poppy Gold’s antique vehicles. But the navy could be a real chance to do something.

  The driver’s door opened suddenly and Lance jumped. It was Jamie.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Nothing.” He hastily shoved everything into his backpack. “Did your professor say anything about the term paper you gave him on Monday?”

  She smiled ecstatically. “I got an A. He said it was great and he’s looking forward to reading my other one.”

  Lance kissed her, so proud he could burst. “I knew you could do it.” He pulled out a small box from his pocket. “So I got you this to celebrate.”

  Inside was a little silver A for her charm bracelet.

  Jamie looked at the charm for a long time without saying anything.

  “Don’t you like it?” he asked anxiously.

  “Oh, yes, but I need to talk to you about something, and a gift makes me feel funny.”

  He’d never liked it when people said they had to talk. Usually it wasn’t anything good. “What about?”

  “The thing is, my mom asked me not to ride the motorcycle any longer. It isn’t because she doesn’t like you—it’s because she worries about safety.” Jamie drew a deep breath. “But this isn’t just about Mom. I get sick to my stomach on the bike and riding it scares me, too.”

  Lance frowned.

  “Please don’t be hurt,” Jamie begged him. “I didn’t want to tell you because I know you love your bike. Only Tessa said the longer I waited, the harder it would be, and she was right. Please say something.”

  “I don’t care about the bike,” he said slowly, relieved it wasn’t something worse. “I already figured your folks didn’t like it, and I should have noticed riding it made you sick.”

  Her face relaxed. “I’m really proud that you fixed it up. Not too many people could have done such a great job. I bet that’s why Uncle Liam wants you to work on Poppy Gold’s vehicles.”

  Lance hadn’t thought about being proud. He’d wanted something to drive, and the only way was to fix up a bike that somebody else had thrown away. Getting it to work had pleased him, of course. Buying a motorcycle, even a used one, would have been impossible.

  “I guess.” He was thinking about what she’d said, that putting something off only made it harder. She was right. It seemed almost impossible now to tell her the truth about his childhood.

  “Do you want a milk shake before we drive home?” Jamie asked.

  “Uh, okay.”

  She started the car—it was a Volvo that belonged to her dad—and drove toward a hamburger stand they’d eaten at before. Lance knew her father had wanted her to take the Volvo because of its safety record. Motorcycles were great, but her parents had a point—they weren’t as safe as a car.

  Only Volvos cost a lot. You sure couldn’t buy one at the salvage yard and fix it up the way you could a motorcycle. It was scary to think about everything needed to take care of a family. And since Jamie wanted kids someday...his head started spinning.

  They ordered their milk shakes and drank them at a park, but as they started back to Glimmer Creek, Lance thought about the papers in his backpack.

  While he hated anyone knowing about the problems in Sacramento, maybe he’d better talk to Gabe. There wasn’t any point in going to a recruiter if they wouldn’t take him, anyway.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  GABE WAS STOWING equipment in the maintenance building on Friday afternoon when Lance came in, but instead of marking his time sheet and leaving, the kid hung around.

  “Something up?” Gabe asked after a few minutes.

  “Uh, yeah. Did you give me those papers about the navy?”

  “Yes. I thought they might help.”

  “Thanks.” Lance shifted his feet and glanced around.

  Realizing he didn’t want to talk where anybody else could hear, Gabe wiped his hands. “I’m off myself now, and I’ve been curious about this orchard you’re digging. Any chance you have time to show it to me?”

  The kid nodded eagerly. “We can go now.”

  As they headed toward the site, Lance explained how he’d first cut the brush, then dug out the roots and rocks and prepared the soil for the first orchard, and was now doing the same for another one.

  “That’s heavy work,” Gabe commented.

  “It isn’t too bad. At first I didn’t get why the Connors wanted to grow their own apples, but it’s cool watching the trees grow.”

  “You wouldn’t plant orchards in the navy, but you’d be able to get an education or other training.”

  Lance cleared his throat. “But, uh, I don’t know if they’ll take me,” he said in a rush. “See, this thing happened a few months ago. It...well... I grew up in foster homes, and my last foster father would get drunk and smack us around, all sorts of crap.”

  Though he already knew about the abuse, Gabe felt a flash of anger.

  “After I got my own place, my old foster sister would call me,” Lance continued. “One night, Maggie was scared he was going to kill her, so I went over to help.”

  Gabe wished he could stop Lance and say that he understood, but it would require revealing too much.

  Slowly, painfully, Lance finished the story, and Gabe wished the youngster had come to him earlier.

  “You were just trying to protect her—she was lucky you were there. Does Maggie ever call now?”

  “Sometimes. Her new place is pretty nice. They’re even talking about adopting her.”

  “That’s great. About the arrest, the recruiter will find out about it and ask what happened, so it’s best to explain up front. They’ll want copies of the police report and do some checking on your story. If they believe you’re innocent, which I’m sure they will, you shouldn’t have a problem enlisting. I’d be happy to write a letter of recommendation, and that should help.”

  Lance’s face contorted,
as if he was struggling with emotions he didn’t know how to handle. “Thanks. I was never in any other trouble, but I didn’t think anyone would believe me. It was my word against his.”

  “I believe you, and I’m sure other people will, too, if you decide to tell them.”

  Lance kicked a small rock and watched it bounce across the land he’d been clearing. “Nobody here knows about me growing up in foster homes and stuff. Jamie’s parents probably won’t like it. Especially if they...”

  “Yes?” Gabe prompted.

  “Well, I never met my father, but I know he’s in prison for killing someone. And my mother died when I was born. She used to be in all kinds of trouble, too.”

  “You aren’t responsible for your parents, and don’t pay attention to anyone who judges you because of them.”

  Lance’s expression reminded Gabe of the old men he’d met in his travels, worn down by a lifetime of violence and poverty. “That’s easy to say when you’ve got a proper family. When I was growing up, none of the nice people wanted me to be friends with their kids. I should have told Jamie before, but I’ve been scared I’ll lose her.”

  “Lance, you’ve grown up to be a decent person. You can’t let anyone take that away. I’m sure Jamie will understand.”

  Lance nodded jerkily. “I hope so. I better go now. She’s expecting me. But thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Lance trudged away and a thread of sadness went through Gabe. He didn’t know if enlisting was right for the kid; he just knew there were opportunities in military service that he might not get otherwise.

  * * *

  LATER THAT EVENING, Tessa was glaring at Gabe when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it from the sofa table and answered. “Hello?”

  “Tessa, it’s Bill Blaylock in Guest Registration. Some visitors are here who want to speak with you.”

  “Sure. I’ll be right over.”

  “We have more to discuss,” Gabe warned as she got up from her chair.

  “And we can take it up again later. But we’ve been over this time and again. I’m not releasing information that I have solely as Poppy Gold’s manager. Period. End of argument.”