by Susan Boles
Her heart leapt at the thought of time alone with Ian. Happy. Scared. Happy. Scared.
The two of them cleared the table again. Just like an old married couple, she thought to herself. Then shook her head.
"Penny for your thoughts." Ian said.
She tapped him lightly on the arm and smiled. "They're worth a lot more than that."
She watched him look around the kitchen. Their work here was done. Dishes washed, dried and put away. Counters and stove wiped down. In the dying sun of the late summer evening, light slanted through the big double windows over the farmhouse sink that had replaced the old fifties model sink from her childhood. Dust motes danced in the beams, making her smile.
Ian smiled back at her. No doubt thinking the smile was meant for him. He put an arm loosely around her shoulders.
"How about we go sit in the summer house for a while? I think it's cooling off now that the sun is going down. Is it still covered in those thick vines with the purple flowers?"
"Wisteria." She answered. "And, yes, it is."
Taking his hand, she led him out the back door and along the stone walkway to the fragrant little open air house.
Ham bounded ahead of them down the path.
"Ham," Piper said. "No. Setzen. Blieb." Ham sat, staring at Ian and growling low in his throat.
"I believe that dog hates me." He said.
She laughed. "He's just a bit jealous. He's used to having all of my attention."
"So, you haven't dated anyone since you've had him."
She considered lying. But that would be silly. "No. Not in a while."
They continued down the walk, into the outer yard.
You know what's going to happen out there in the summer house. Whispered a voice in her head. There's no harm done. I'm a big girl. She answered back.
Ian took her arm as she went up the steps into the summer house. A gentleman, as always. They settled, side-by-side on the cushioned bench that ran all around the little room.
Darkness and silence settled around them. Over the years the wisteria had grown so thick that it cut out most of the light to this little oasis. It really should be trimmed back, but it was so beautiful she'd kept persuading her daddy to let it go another year.
She fumbled on a table for the candle and lighter that was kept there. The snick of the lighter sounded loud in the night and then the candle glowed with a lovely yellow light; casting them in a romantic circle.
Ian took her hand in his. "You seem preoccupied. Is there anything wrong."
"What are we doing, Ian?" she asked, quietly.
"We're sitting here together enjoying each others company on a nice night."
She shifted. "You know that's not what I mean." She looked into his face and said, "I'm not asking you to make some kind of big commitment. I just want to know what this is right now. Right here."
His eyes softened as his thumb stroked the back of her hand. "I know I'm still in love with you."
She started to speak, but covered her lips with his fingers.
"Wait. I need to say this. I love you, Piper. I've never stopped loving you. These past few days I've put some thought into all the hurt we've put on each other these past years with our silence. I didn't reach out to you at any point. And you made no effort to reach out to me. We're both proud people. But pride is a cold partner. Can you let go of the hurt and never look back?"
Owning up mentally to her own part in the mess from the past, she made a note that they would sit down and have a full closure, heart-to-heart, lay your cards on the table, talk.
Ian wasn't in the Navy any more, so maybe he would be open to moving here to work. If that was possible with his current job. Or…maybe she should be more open to moving out west with him.
He leaned in and kissed her just then, wiping all the internal dialogue into a white mist.
As he deepened the kiss, her tongue met his and danced in exquisite harmony. His hands were all over her. Petting and stroking until she thought she'd go mad from wanting.
She reached between them and began unbuttoning his shirt. That was all the encouragement he needed and her own shirt went over her head in a heartbeat. He drew back, his gaze locked on her breasts in the flickering candle light. She felt her nipples rise as he gently eased her backward on the cushions.
His hands cupped her breasts as his thumbs stroked her nipples further erect. He unhooked the front clasp of the bra, pushing the cups aside with impatient hands and took her right nipple deep into his mouth. She moaned, head back, throat exposed and pressed his head against her breast as he tongued it.
His other hand squeezed and rolled the nipple of her left breast. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him deeply, wanting more. The front of his jeans bulged against her thigh as she shifted her hips beneath him in invitation.
His fingers skillfully unbuttoned and unzipped her Capri pants and he shifted his weight to one elbow as he used the other hand to push the pants down her hips and legs. His eyes never left hers as he placed that hand on her crotch and, with one finger, shifted her wet panties aside to find her core.
His eyes went wide at the heat and he shucked his shoes and jeans. She heard something solid hit the floor, but before she could question it, he had thrust into the center of her erasing all other thoughts from her mind.
Chapter 24
As they lay on the cushioned bench later, Ian traced the shape of her face with a fingertip. They can't go back from here. But he's glad. He needs her in his life. And they'll work out their differences like the adults they've become.
In the distance Ham began barking and Piper stirred.
"Wonder what's gotten into him." She said in a drowsy voice.
The sound of breaking glass shattered the stillness of the night and Ham went into a bigger frenzy of barking.
Ian jumped up from the bench, eyes scanning the floor for the pistol he dropped earlier. As he yanked his jeans on, he spotted it on the floor just under the edge of the bench. He grabbed it, spun and came face-to-face with Piper.
"Stay here. And don't make a sound. I'll be back quick as I can." He crushed his lips against her protests and raced down the stone path to the house.
He didn't look behind him to see if Piper had followed his instructions. A fall in the dark on this rough stone could delay him enough to cost Matt MacKenzie his life. Ian didn’t doubt that Matt had returned home at some point and felt sure the assassin had chosen tonight to make his move. Had possibly followed Matt home from town.
He saw Matt step out the front door as he approached the house at a run. Damn. What was Matt thinking? He was silhouetted against the light from inside the house. A perfect target for a crack shot hit man.
Matt's hand swung up, cradling a shot gun and the roar of it filled the night. What the hell had he loaded that thing with?
Ian used the distraction to race across the open lawn to the shrubbery next to the porch rail.
A figure dressed in black with a hoodie steps from the shadows behind the porch swing and grabbed the mayor from behind in a choke hold. Matt swung the shot gun like a bat but couldn't connect with the man behind him.
Ian raced up the steps, pistol at the ready. "Let him go. Now."
The intruder shoved the mayor at Ian, tangling them together as the shadow figure jumped the porch rail. Something hard clattered to the boards.
As Ian picked up a sheathed Bowie knife from the porch, Ham raced from the back of the house full speed after the man in black. Growling and barking in deep voice that must be waking every neighbor within a mile. But no porch lights flashed on.
A yelp in the distance brought Piper from her hiding place around the corner of the house.
She called to her dog and he came limping into view. Piper raced to the injured dog, cradling him in her arms and crooning to him as she ran her hands over him to search for injuries.
Ian glanced at the mayor. "Are you injured, sir?"
"No. Everything's in operating order. "Matt
shifted his shoulders, shook his legs. "You scared him away before he did any real harm. I sure wish you'd been able to capture him."
"I do, too. I couldn't fire at him for fear of hitting you in the attempt." Ian showed him the knife. "This feel as he leapt over the porch rail. Looks like maybe he was planning on cutting you."
Piper led her limping dog to the porch where the two of them stood glaring up at Ian and Matt.
"Somebody better give me a clear explanation of what's going on here." She stated.
Chapter 25
Piper poured two fingers of whiskey for each of them, then sat in a wing chair near the dead fireplace. She gave the two men her sharpest look and said, "Now. Explain."
When the two remained silent, she said, "Since neither one of you is jumping in, Daddy, you go first."
Her daddy blinked like an owl. She'd never known him to be at a loss for words. This must be bad indeed. She shifted her gaze. "How about you, Ian?"
Ian glanced at her daddy, rotated his glass of whiskey in his hands and looked at the floor.
"The two of you look like a couple of kids who've been sent to the principle's office." Picking up on the tone of her voice, Ham growled softly from his place at her feet. She put her hand on his back to hush him.
"Piper, you have to understand that we've been protecting you from worry." Her daddy said into the silence.
And her blood began to boil. "Protecting me? Why do I feel like this is some macho BS that you two have cooked up?"
"It was your daddy's decision to make. He's got the right to protect his child." Ian said.
"Are you hearing yourself?" She asked indignantly.
Ian flushed bright red.
"I wanted you to know what was going on, but I respected your daddy's decision to keep it quiet." Ian carefully didn't look at her daddy.
She figured it was because he didn't want to get the death ray look her daddy had always been so good at giving when he was angry about something. It was legendary in this house.
She shifted in her chair. Sipped from her glass of whiskey, enjoying the burn of it going down her throat. She'd been scared to death earlier when the breaking glass had shattered their moment together. Being told to stay there and hide hadn't gone down well with her. And now, these two macho men were sitting here like statues with no explanation.
Ian was no doubt the weak link. At least tonight, fresh from their lovemaking and renewed declarations to each other.
"If you think I should know, then you should go ahead and tell me." She said to him.
Ian glanced at her daddy who looked weary enough to sleep on the floor. The older man gave a short nod.
"I came back to town on an assignment with my new employer." Ian began. "My cover story is that I'm visiting my mama."
She narrowed her eyes and he flinched.
"Tell me more about the organization you're working for and what it has to do with my daddy and you."
"I work for an organization called the Brotherhood Protectors. It's based out of Eagle Rock, Montana." Ian replied. "It's a group of former military personnel, who for a wide range of reasons, aren't in the service any more. I went to work for them after I left the Navy."
Piper nodded. So far, so good. "And what does that have to do with your being here in Mercy?
"You're daddy hired me to protect him from a mob hit."
The words fell into her world like a bomb and the room swirled around her.
She came back to herself, still seated by the fireplace in her childhood home.
Ian and her daddy still sat across from her looking sheepish.
And Ham still sat at her feet.
But the world was a totally different one than she'd live in five minutes ago.
"Mob hit." She repeated in a voice that sounded far away to her ears.
"You damn fool!" Her daddy shouted at Ian. "What were you thinking saying flat out like that?"
She pulled herself back from the brink. Raised her hands. "Stop! Don't go crazy one me. I don't think there's any gentle way to tell that to someone." She took a deep breath. Let it out. Okay. Steady as she goes.
After she'd pull the full story from both men, she stood and paced.
"Right. Ian needs to move in here so he can be on site all the time. Ya'll should have told me from the get go and Ian should have been in the house from the time he arrived." She pointed a finger." And Daddy. No more going anywhere alone. There have been four attempts so far. I don't know how these things work or if there's a timeline involved."
She bit back the tears that threatened. This was not the time to lose her grip.
Chapter 26
The next morning Ian worked on the plane, with the mayor giving useless advice from his perch on an overturned crate. Piper arrived waving a piece of paper just as he was taking a break from the recalcitrant engine that refused to turn over today.
Matt took the paper from Piper, read it with a creased brow and handed in to Ian.
It was from the State of Mississippi and mentioned a surveyor coming out the next week to take clay samples to compare to the ones they'd already received. It's now clear that the digging he'd found outside had been done by Jason. But why?
"Why would Jason send clay samples to the state?" he asked. "Is there any kind of value in it?"
"There's a pottery down the road from here that's been in business for quite a while. The pottery is pretty well known in this part of the country. And I think it's been displayed in museums in various parts of the country. But I can't imagine why the state would be interested in the clay here." Piper said.
"I can't believe the boy went sneaking around digging and sending samples to the State without saying a word." Matt exclaimed. "Who does he thing he is meddling in my business?"
Piper put her hand on his arm. "Now, Daddy. He is family."
Ian wondered what that had to do with the whole situation.
"I don't care if he is." Matt blustered. "This is my land and he has no business doing what ever it is he thinks he's doing."
Ham raised his head from his paws and looked toward the barn door. Ian caught the movement and looked that way, too. Was the dog hearing someone outside? He sidled discreetly in that direction to see.
"Ian? Where are you going?" Piper inquired.
He glanced back at her. "I think Ham heard something outside. It may be nothing, but the two of you stay alert while I go take a look around."
Ian paced around the perimeter of the barn as he looked for any indication that someone had been, or still was, out here. After a moment, Ham joined him. The two made a full circuit of the area and found nothing. Ian looked at the dog. "You heard someone out here, didn’t you? But you didn't run out here barking. Some guard dog you are."
Ham gave him a disgusted look and went back into the barn. When Ian entered, he shook his head in answer to their silent question.
Chapter 27
That night Ian snuck into Piper's room and they made love in the comfort of her pillow top king size mattress. Afterward, Ian delayed leaving the warmth and comfort of her bed.
"I swear, I'm so mad at Jason I could just strangle him. Daddy is fit to be tied over that letter from the State." Piper complained.
"All he has to do is call and let them know that he's not interested and that will be the end of it. No big deal." Ian soothed.
"I've never really liked Jason. But, like I already told you I felt like I had to be friendly because Daddy wanted to make him feel like family. But no more. The guy gives me the willies and I’m not going to play nice after this." Piper fluffed the pillow behind her head and flopped back onto it.
"Daddy doesn't need to deal with this ridiculous mess on top of someone trying to kill him." She gave him a pleading look. "Please find that guy and put a stop to him, Ian. I don't care what you have to do to make that happen. I want Daddy safe."
He shifted in the bed, pulling her over to cradle in his arms. "I won't let anything happen to him. Or you." He kissed he
r forehead and tightened his arms around her.
"I heard Daddy blessing Jason out over the phone right after supper. I wonder how long it'll take him to come over here with his tail between his legs apologizing." She rolled onto her side, putting her head against his chest. Within moments he heard quiet snores and grinned to himself. He'd give her a hard time about that tomorrow.
As he reveled in knowing he'd gotten Piper back and that they would work things out together this time, Ham stood up from his place next to the bedroom door.
Ian shifted his gaze to the dog. Did he need to go outside to do some business. He studied the dog's tense posture. No. He must be hearing something.
Ian shifted his body from under Piper and eased out of the bed. Pulling his jeans on, he got his gun from the nightstand where he'd placed it earlier. Quietly he made his way to the dog. "Do you hear something, boy?" He whispered.
The dog whined softly. Ian opened the door and the two of them moved stealthily along the second floor hallway. The runner down the center kept the sound of Ham's toenails silent as they crept along. Ian looked over the bannister but couldn't make out anything unusual.
At that moment, Ham rocketed down the stairs barking.
The sound of shattering glass brought him up short. Shades of last night.
Doors opened along the hallway and Piper and Matt stuck their heads out to see what was had happened. Ian noted that Piper was fully dressed in street clothes.
At that moment there was a whooshing sound and a thump followed by flames racing along the first floor entryway.
"Where's Ham?" Piper screamed as she ran from the room toward the staircase.
Ian caught her around the waist. "You can't go down there. You'll be killed."
"Ham!" Screamed Piper. And to Ian's relief, the dog raced up the stairs to his mistress.
"Mr. MacKenzie. We have to get out of here. I don't think we should risk going down these stairs. The killer is probably waiting somewhere down there expecting us to come that way. Or for us to just pass out from smoke inhalation up here and save him the trouble of killing us."