by Susan Boles
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Ian asked sarcastically.
"You're here to do a job. Not get involved with my daughter." Matt said as he exited.
"I'm here to do both." Ian said to the empty room.
Chapter 12
As he heads out to the shed to check on the crop duster, Ian hears gravel popping in the driveway again. Thinking Matt MacKenzie has come back to discuss something else related to his mission, he rounds the house already speaking.
"Mr. MacKenzie ---"
He stopped, feeling as though he'd slammed face first into an invisible brick wall.
Piper stepped from a dark blue, mud splashed Nissan Murano and opened the back door. Ham jumped to the ground giving Ian a suspicious look and placing himself between Ian and Piper. Though he's not growling this time he clearly has trust issues when it comes to Ian.
Piper is dressed in a pair of tight skinny jeans that hug the curves of her butt, battered tennis shoes and an oversize turquoise t-shirt that proudly proclaims Streetpups Need Love Too! Her hair is scooped into an untidy bun and she's never looked more beautiful to him. And she's driven out here to see him. It must be good news.
"What the hell was my daddy doing out here with you?" She demands. Ham moves closer to her, leaning against her leg. Not baring his teeth but looking like he's thinking about it.
Ian does a mental double-take at her tone. Time to do some fancy tap dancing if he's going to keep her in the dark about his mission.
"I was just on my way to look at my daddy's crop duster. Walk with me and we can talk."
Piper looked at him as though he'd lost his mind. "I'm not walking out in the field with you. I just want to know why Daddy was here. It shouldn't take a minute for you to answer that and Ham and I will be on our way."
He began walking toward the shed in the distance. Once upon a time she'd've been right on his heels. Maybe she would now, too. If she wanted her answers, or at least the story he intended to tell her, she'd be along in…five…four…three…two…
"Ian! Stop walking so fast. I want an explanation."
Ahhh. She hadn't changed as much as she wanted him to think. Still had to get her way and didn't mind slogging through thigh high grass to get it. He hid a smile as her turned toward her.
"Come on, slow poke."
She glared as she caught up to him in the tall grass, trying to brush beggar lice off her jeans. He stifled a laugh.
"Stop being such an ass, Ian. Tell me why my daddy was out here."
"How do you know he was out here? Were you spying on him, I wonder?"
She glared some more and, as though picking up on his mistresses distress, Ham growled low in his throat.
"You're dog doesn't seem to like me." He observed.
"He has very discriminating taste." She retorted.
"That's not the way to get me to tell you what you want to know." He said, pushing aside the last of the tall grass in front of the shed and pulling open the double doors.
The late afternoon sunlight slanted into the structure illuminating just how bad the little plane looked. Covered in dust and cobwebs, it sat in lonely splendor. Waiting patiently for the next time high above the earth. Or at least as high as this kind of plane could fly. He quickly clamped down on thought of a plane that flew ten times as high.
Running a hand gently over the fuselage, he grimaced at the layer of dust on his fingers. He wiped them on his pants and turned in time to catch Piper with a wistful look in her eyes. Was she remembering the time he'd sneaked the plane out and taken her up to see their little world from the sky? There'd been hell to pay when his daddy found out, but it was worth the look of wonder on her face during the flight.
She put on her haughty expression so quickly he almost thought he'd imagine the previous one. Almost. Electricity crackled between them. He felt it. And she must, too. It it were dark, he felt sure it would light up the shed with it's intensity.
He motioned to a splintery, dilapidated looking bench along the wall, eyebrows up in question. She tilted her head, raised her chin and sat. Challenge accepted.
He settled next to her, their thighs not quite touching and the electricity arced between them. How could she not feel it?
He leans toward her, helpless to deny the pull.
"So. What was Daddy doing out here?"
"Huh?"
She places a hand on his chest, pushing him away. "You said if I followed you out here you'd tell me what Daddy was doing here."
Adjusting his mental state to full on protection mode, he said. "He was out here to look at some paperwork I found in the house."
She rolled her eyes. "You'll have to do better than that. Why wouldn't he tell you to bring some old paperwork into this office instead of coming all the way out here in person?"
"I wanted him to witness where I found it and we took pictures to document it." He improvised.
"I still don't understand why him. I mean there are other lawyers in town."
She was a wily one all right. It'd be difficult to fool her for long. But he had to make an effort to keep her in the dark as long as possible. To honor her father's wishes; even though he didn't agree with them.
"He was my daddy's friend a long time ago. I just thought he was the best one to call in."
She narrowed her eyes. "What, exactly, was this paperwork about?"
"I can't tell you. You're daddy said to keep quiet about it."
She laughed. "You are so full of it, Ian. This is the worst story I've heard in a long time. And I don't believe a word of it."
Ham stood up from his position by the door they'd come in. His ears twitched forward and back, and his lips raised a bit. Instantly, Ian went on alert. The dog obviously was hearing someone other than the two of them.
He stood up, reaching for Piper's hand. "Come on. Let's head on back to town. I'm sure you've got things to do and I have to meet my mama."
His eyes scanned the area for anyone lurking all the way back to the house. He breathed a sigh of relief when Piper's tail lights disappeared into the red dust of the gravel road.
Someone had been out here listening and watching. He would bet his life on it. If it hadn't been for that darn dog, he might have missed the clues. This couldn't continue if he was going to protect Matt MacKenzie --- and, by extension, Piper. Distraction on his part could prove deadly.
Grimly he set out to pace the perimeter of his land. Looking for evidence of the intrude Ham had heard. Someone sneaking and spying out here would not be tolerated.
Chapter 13
Piper pressed too hard on the accelerator and fishtailed in the loose gravel of the road. Ham slid across the back section of the SUV and thumped into the side window. Why was he sitting all the way at the back staring so intently out the rear window? Was he watching Ian?
She smiled at Ham's reactions to Ian. The poor thing was desperately jealous. She believed he was picking up on her strong feelings every time she got in close proximity to the man.
And it drove her nuts. She was so conflicted about him. Still hurting and hating; and yet wanting to have him back again at the same time. To have back those wonderful feelings of being the only woman alive that he'd always made her feel.
She shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts. Those were not material right this minute. No. The more burning question was what was Daddy and Ian cooking up between them. And why had Daddy warned her to steer clear of Ian and then gone to have some kind of secret meeting?
Her cell phone rang. Glancing at it in the cup holder between the seats, she saw it was her cousin, Jason. She sighed. Jason was such a geeky pain in the rear. Daddy was forever admonishing her to be nice to her only cousin. Daddy felt sorry for his nephew, but Piper wished he'd never come to Mississippi looking for them. She almost let the call roll to voicemail, then changed her mind quickly. He'd at least be a distraction from her circling worries and thoughts.
"Hey, Jason."
"Hello, Piper." Jason said. "I was wonderin
g if you're busy?"
"What did you have in mind?" She asked. No point in telling him she wasn't busy until she found out what he wanted. Then, if she wasn't too bored by the thought of spending time with him, she'd tell him her status. You were raised better than this, Piper. Besides, you should mind your Daddy. Whispered the memory of her mama's voice, making her wince.
"Are you driving while we're on the phone, Piper?" Jason asked in a concerned voice. "Do you have hands free on your car? If not it's illegal to be talking. Not to mention dangerous. Maybe I should call you back later."
Oh, Lord. Please let them figure this out now. She didn't want to have to deal with a second call later.
"I'm pulling over, Jason. So we can talk now." She considered just driving on, but figured somehow Jason would figure out she was lying. It was tough to find a spot to pull over on this old gravel road with a non-existent shoulder, but she manage to find a spot a bit wider than the rest and eased over. Hopefully no one else would come along until she finished this call.
Chapter 14
Ian exited the Grits and Gravy café on Thursday morning feeling as thought he'd just run a gauntlet. He'd been a good sport about answering all the question thrown at him by his mama's girl gang at breakfast. The smile on her face and love in her eyes made him feel all the more guilty for lying about his reasons for being in town. A week already and he was no closer to finding the hit man than he'd been the day he got here. And his excuse of an impromptu visit with his mama was wearing thin. People would start to wonder soon.
His phone rang before he could wallow any deeper in his woes. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Matt MacKenzie. Good. They needed to get a move on with this case.
"Mr. MacKenzie. Good morning." He said.
"I gave some thought to a way to have you closer to me and the house." Matt said abruptly. "I need you to take care of this situation and then get on back to where ever you live these days. Montana, isn't it?"
So. Piper must've let it drop that she'd spent some time with him yesterday and Matt didn't like it. Well, he could lump it. He'd summoned Ian here to protect him. What did he think would happen? Or had he counted on his daughters hurt and anger as a shield against any renewed relationship?
Shifting into professional mode, Ian said, "What were you able to come up with? I agree that we need to solve this case. I think someone was hanging around out at the home place yesterday." He left out the part about Ham being the one to actually notice that detail. He'd found mashed down grass and a few footprints in some soft ground, but nothing he could use to identify who might've been lurking out there.
"There's an old barn about half a mile behind the house." Matt said. "I used to have a private plane that I kept there, but I sold it several years ago. All the tools are still there. Locked up inside. I thought if you wanted to bring your daddy's crop duster over and put it in that barn, you could work on it and be close enough to keep an eye on me and the house."
"That's an excellent idea, Mr. MacKenzie. May I also suggest that you send Piper out of town until this is resolved? She's in danger of getting hurt simply by proximity to you."
"Nothing would make me happier." Matt snapped. "But she'll never agree to go out of town. If I tell her why I want her to go, then she'll just dig her heels in deeper. If I can't give her a good reason to go, then she'll just ignore the suggestion."
There was nothing he could say to that. He knew Matt was right.
"I'll take you up on the offer of moving the crop duster to your barn. It'll help to have an excuse to be close. At least during the day and early evening." Ian paused, then went on. "You need to work from home until we get this resolved."
Matt spluttered. "I'm the mayor. I need to be at my office where my constituents can find me. Not cowering at my house. I'm not scared. I'm annoyed as hell and want this guy neutralized."
Ian took a deep breath and mentally ordered himself to be calm. "Mr. MacKenzie. I have no reason to be hanging around the square all day, so that creates a problem protecting you if you still want to keep this secret." He paused, then went in for the kill shot. "And, if this guy comes after you while you're at your office, some innocent bystander could get killed as collateral damage. You don't want that on your conscience do you?"
Silence. Ian decided his point was taken.
"So, I'll go out and look at your barn and figure out a way to get my plane out there today if possible. But definitely by tomorrow."
Chapter 15
Piper struggled to hold on to the leashes of an assorted half dozen recuse dogs she was walking around the square of downtown Mercy. She spotted Ian standing outside the Grits and Gravy Café with a dark look on his face.
As soon as he saw her with her entourage rampaging along the sidewalk, a melee of wagging tails and barking, the dark look vanishes to be replaced by a laugh. He motioned them over and she let her better judgement go.
"Are you walking them or are they walking you?" He questioned as the dogs, tails wagging furiously, dragged her to him so they could beg for attention. He knelt on the sidewalk, face-to-face with the group and was immediately engulfed in paws, tongues and tails.
Her heart melted just a bit to see him so pleased to be with the dogs. And the dogs so happy to be getting all of his attention.
"They're rescues from the group I work for. It's called Streetpups. And I'm not sure who's walking who at this point."
He looked up at her. "That explains the shirt you had on yesterday. Have you worked for them long?"
She smiled. "I've been with them for several years as the fundraiser coordinator. It takes a lot of money to take care of abandoned and abused animals until we find them their fur-ever homes."
He grinned. "I remember you were always crazy about animals. And you could sell ice to an Eskimo. So this must be a good fit for you. And them."
Pushing away three adoring doggy faces, he reached up a hand and said, "Help me?"
She couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face. Reaching out, she felt a jolt all the way to her heart when their hands connected. His eyes reflected heat as they locked on hers. Pulling harder than necessary, she got him to his feet quickly and let go, rubbing her hand down her thigh.
His eyes watched that movement, too. Took a half step closer to her. How had an innocent carefree moment turned into this molten heat boiling between them?
"I was just talking to your daddy about using y'all big barn out back of your place to work on my plane. I really want to get it running again. It's not in terrible shape so it shouldn't be too hard to get it cranked up. Your daddy said he'd let me use the barn as a favor because he was a big fishing buddy of my daddy. I guess we'll be seeing more of each other now."
And as quick at that, the heat of passion was gone. Replaced by the heat of anger.
"Come on, Ian. Stop giving me that terrible lie. Your daddy has been gone a long time and you’re a grown man. My daddy hates you. Tell me the truth about why the two of you are all of a sudden thick as thieves."
His slight hesitation was all the answer she needed. Jerking the leashed dogs away from him, she race walked in the other direction. Once she'd gotten down the block and around the corner, she knelt and apologized to the dogs. And hid her tears in their fur. Deceit and lies. Lies and deceit. Nothing good could come from them.
Chapter 16
After the fiasco downtown, Ian decided to lick his wounds out at the home place working on his plane. He'd let himself get lost in the moment. Thinking maybe he and Piper could work something out. Her comeback about lies had hit home with him. Since he was currently living one. Again, he mentally cursed Matt MacKenzie for the secrecy. Understandable that he wouldn't want the whole town knowing what was going on, but keeping his daughter in the dark was a big mistake. In his opinion.
He literally kicked the tires on the plane in frustration and discovered they needed air. Not a big surprise. Anything sitting for this long would need air. An easy fix. Easing the hopper d
oors open he held his breath and looked in. He didn't want to inhale anything. Chemical or dead animal. Luck was on his side. Both hoppers were completely empty. His daddy must've clean them out after his last job.
He'd need a tow bar to get the plane to the MacKenzie barn. Maybe Matt MacKenzie had one. And knew someone with a three-quarter ton truck to pull the plane.
As he wiped down the interior around the pilot seat, a small sound outside attracted his attention. Quietly he moved to the door, standing with his back to the wall to one side. Waiting. Slow footsteps progressed outside. So slow that he nearly stepped into the open doorway. That kind of move could be deadly in his business, though, so he remained still. More waiting. At last, a shadow fell across the door. Tensing his muscles he had nearly sprung at the person crossing the threshold when he realized it was his mama.
She screamed when she caught sight of him, arms raised right next to her. He pulled her into the shed, against the wall with him. "Did you notice anyone following you?" He asked quietly against her ear.
"Ian Andrew Elliott."
Her elbow jabbed deep into his gut. He didn't have his muscles tensed in preparation for taking a hit and so her jab hurt more than it would have otherwise. Her shoe jammed into his instep and he released his hold on her.
"You better tell me what’s going on with you. And I mean now."
She wagged her finger in his face.
"You're not so grown that I can't whip your tail right now."=
Catching her by the elbow he led her out of the shed, closed the doors, then pulled her along the newly created path.
"I don’t want to discuss it here."
She yanked loose from his grip.
"We're gonna stand right here until you give me some answers."
He looked around, trying to spot anything out of the usual. Anything that might indicate someone was watching. Shook his head.