He shook his head, hooked his thumbs behind his carved leather belt. “Hell no.
She’s crazy, and she’s armed. That female woulda shot me dead, then skinned my sorry carcass before it hit the ground.”
“Then what are you doing out here? Are you a friend of Adam’s or Lucian’s?”
“We know each other.”
The adrenaline still spiking, Keko took an aggressive spread-legged stance, fists parked on her waist. “Okay, look, Mr. Black Crow. You scared the crap outa me and I’m in no mood to play twenty damned questions. Since you obviously decided knocking on the front door wouldn’t work for you, exactly what the hell do you want?”
“Feisty little thing, aren’t ya. Kinda like a blue jay with young’uns in the nest. Not so much what I want, more like what your friends need ta know. Tell your man there’s been someone hangin’ around Smitty’s place, just outa sight of the FBI. He’ll want to know. He can pass it on.”
“My man? I don’t have a man.”
“The sheriff. MacBride. He’s a good one, spoke up for me at my hearin’. So did those two Marines. Only got community service for poachin’. Of course, I was huntin’, not poachin’, but the law didn’t see it that way.”
“Why the hell did you say that MacBride is my man?”
“Just be sure you tell him.”
“But what made you think … .?”
Then, just as quickly as he appeared, Bobby Black Crow vanished into the woods with the stealth of a fox. His words trailed behind.
“You’re fresh outa his bed. I can smell him all over you.”
Chapter Seven
Monday
Mac had been awake when Keko left his bed. He played possum to see what she would do. Grabbing her and pulling her back under the bedclothes with him would have been his choice, but she seemed determined to sneak away. If she was so hell-bent on leaving, why did she brush the hair away from my eyes? Why were her warm, soft lips so tender when she kissed his forehead? Damn, she’s an exasperating woman. A vibrant, headstrong, sexy, but still exasperating woman.
He’d been serious about someone only once in his life, serious to the point of marriage. But what he felt for Keko seemed different, stronger. He always joked that his brothers had better luck with the ladies—although he did admit that the MacBride boys made a striking quartet when they cruised their favorite hometown watering holes and eateries.
“I swear, you’re the bane of my existence,” his mother would say, repeatedly, when they’d all reached their teens. That led to the boys happily tormenting their mom by referring to themselves as Banes One, Two, Three, and Four. Mac was Three.
However, even though they made her crazy, their mama couldn’t hide the love and pride in her voice. Her boys. Their father would just smile and shake his head, go back to his sacred workshop to build beautiful things for their mother.
Down in the kitchen, Mac moved out of the way so Adam could whip up breakfast. Lucian brewed the coffee, set the table, then parked out of the way to suck down the caffeine he appeared to need.
Lucian gave Mac the hairy eyeball. “Boy howdy, chief, you’re not lookin’ so good.
Definitely rode hard, put up wet.”
“Yeah, well, Golden Boy, you should check the mirror before casting aspersions on others.” Mac held out his mug for Lucian to fill.
Lucian poured. ” Ooh, big words this morning. Did you hear that, hoss? I’m casting aspersions.”
“It means you made a rude and insulting remark, Luce. Not fishing for trout.”
Adam turned back to the stove.
“Hell, I knew that.” Lucian pulled out another chair and rested his feet. “I’m just sayin’ it appears to have been a lively night all the way ‘round. An observation, that’s all.”
Already in a mood, Mac’s back stiffened; he sat up straighter.
“Duquesne, if you have something to say … .”
“If Duquesne has something to say, he’ll keep his sweet, sexy, Southern boy mouth closed until the caffeine reaches his brain and the little gray cells kick in. Won’t you, darling?”
Lorelei strolled into the kitchen, sidled up to Adam for a quick kiss, then settled on Lucian’s lap. “Hayseed.”
Lucian wrapped his arms around her, nuzzled her ear. “Heartless wench. There’s no call to be takin’ the sheriff’s side. He’s only a guest. I live here. I’m special, and I have privileges.”
“Mac is not a guest. He’s a friend.”
Lorelei kissed her blond Adonis full on the mouth. “Here’s one of your privileges. Now, hush up, be a good boy, and brew up a nice cup of special lemon tea to perk up your exhausted woman.”
She slid off Lucian’s lap, settled on his chair as soon as he rose to put the water on to boil. Lucian refused to use the microwave to brew tea.
Since Lorelei had arrived rather abruptly at Sanctuary months earlier, Mac never ceased to be amazed at how these three people ebbed and flowed around each other, like water in a tidal pool. As individuals, they had great energy—yet they still merged well. More than amazed, he suddenly realized jealousy reared its ugly head. He wanted what his friends had. Why can’t I get through to one half-Hawaiian woman whom I want so bad, my soul aches?
Lorelei rested her elbow on the table, her chin propped up in her hand. “So, are you going to ask her?”
All three men swung around.
Lucian found his voice first. “Is who going to ask whom to do what, exactly?”
She pointed at Mac. “Is he going to ask Keko to move in with him?”
Mac forgot what he was doing with his coffee mug halfway to his mouth.
Lorelei reached over, took his mug, set it safely on the table. “Are you going to continue to mope like a love-struck kid, or are you going just come out and ask the girl?”
From the look on Lorelei’s face, Mac knew better than to deny it. He’d been caught out, fair and square. “Damn. Is it that obvious?”
“Been there, done that.” Lucian pulled out another chair and settled, so he didn’t disturb his mate. He’d been enamored of Lorelei from the first moment he saw her—
and she’d been unconscious.
Mac rested his head in his hands. “Man, I don’t know if I can take another beating.”
Adam usually avoided such discussions, but must have felt the need to say something. “She isn’t Caroline. That ship sailed.”
Lorelei perked up. “Caroline? Who the hell is Caroline? What did I miss?”
“Let’s not go into this, all right?” Mac retrieved his mug, took a long pull. He didn’t notice if the coffee was hot or not.
Lucian wasn’t about to cooperate. “His fiancée.”
At Mac’s harsh glare, he amended the comment. “All right, his ex-fiancée.”
“Wow, how did I miss that?”
“It was years ago. Many years ago. Before your time.”
“And—?” Lorelei’s eyebrow cocked.
Mac gave a defeated sigh. “You’re not gonna to let this rest, are you?”
“Not hardly. Out with it.”
Lucian grinned. “Mac, old buddy, you might as well get the thing over with.
Trust me. She doesn’t give up until she roots around like a truffle pig and unearths all the gory details.”
Adam grunted his assent.
Lorelei made herself comfy, wrapped her hands around her tea. “Lucian, baby, later we’ll discuss exactly why your thought processes associated me with a truffle hog, but I’ll let it go for now.”
Lucian reached over, took her hand, kissed her fingertips. “Good truffle hogs are prized in Europe.”
Lorelei retrieved her hand. ” Uh huh, I see. Prized in Europe. Mac, this hasn’t gotten you off the hook. Spill.”
“Nothing much to tell. Caroline, my fiancée, bailed on me before the wedding.”
“How long before?”
Mac couldn’t prevent the curse that escaped.
Lucian kicked in. “Bubba, you might as well spill it no
w, or she’ll hound you until she squeezes every last little detail out of your hide. Trust me. We saw her in action at Mama’s. She held her own in a houseful of Southern women. Our sweet baby took no prisoners, showed no mercy.”
Mac glanced at Adam, who nodded. “It got ugly.”
“Damn.” He took another swig of his coffee. “I was stationed at the Naval Amphibian Base in Coronado, had already extended my enlistment. Caroline and I had been seeing each other on and off for about a year, any time I reached land between deployments. We seemed solid. She said she was okay with the SEAL thing. I finally asked her to marry me.
“I’m thinkin’ a simple on-base ceremony with a Navy chaplain and a couple of witnesses. No, that wasn’t good enough. Nothing would do for Caroline and her folks except a huge, white dress wedding. They seemed like they could afford it, so I finally caved, went along for the ride.
“I’d brought Caroline home to meet my family—my mother, father, three brothers. I thought it was odd that they didn’t seem to warm up to her, especially our mom, but no one interfered. Whatever I decided to do was okay with them, as long as I was happy.” He stopped, glanced at Lorelei for a reprieve. It didn’t happen.
“I had no idea what was involved to bring off a big deal wedding. Our group stayed at a ritzy hotel for nearly a damned week to get through all the wedding nonsense. It was the day before the ceremony. The booze had been flowing freely, so Caroline had been fairly sozzled before and during dinner. After dinner, I thought she’d disappeared to take a nap before the evening’s festivities. I wanted to ask her something. To this day, I can’t remember what was so bloody damned important. There was a communicating door between our rooms. And, well … .”
He stopped again. “I walked in on my fiancée. And my brother. In bed. Naked.”
The guys knew the story. Lorelei sat back, finally stunned into silence.
“There was the obligatory ‘it’s not what it looks like’ bullshit. Rather than pound anyone into pulp, I left the hotel, walked along the beach until the sun came up. When I got back, Caroline and her parents were gone, along with her very expensive engagement ring and all the wedding gifts. So was my brother.” He cleared his throat.
“That night was the last time I spoke to either of them.”
“Dear sweet Christ, Mac, I’m so sorry. I had no idea … .”
“I left the SEALs when that tour was finished. I’d gotten real close with my Navy recruiter. He came to me with a list of possible employment opportunities in the law enforcement sector. I hooked up with the gig up here, took my tests, aced the job. End of story.”
“And your brother?”
“Bradon? Don’t know, don’t care. I speak to my folks, and my other two brothers.
It took them a while, but they finally learned not to bring it up. That’s it, in a nutshell.”
“Does Keek know?”
“No. Why should she?”
“Mac, I’m—”
Conversation ceased abruptly when they heard the buoy bell on the back door clang twice, to indicate the door had opened, then closed. The cat strolled into the kitchen with the nonchalance only a feline can manage, tail straight up in the air, then made a beeline for Lorelei’s lap.
Adam placed a platter of thick French toast coated with slivered almonds on the table, accompanied by a large ramekin of his homemade raspberry honey butter. He settled in a chair. “Clever cat. Opens and closes doors.”
“Yeah, well, teach the clever cat to be a better watchdog, will ya?” Keko walked into the kitchen behind Callie, pulled out a chair, slumped into it.
Mac, touchy after his confession to Lorelei, didn’t bother to hide the agitation in his voice.
“What’s wrong? Where did you go? Why did you leave the lodge without telling someone?” Someone like me, someone who thought you were still in your damned room. What was wrong with staying in my bed?
“Okay, Columbo, just why would I need a bodyguard when we’re surrounded by security central? Or, perhaps you’d prefer to glue a GPS chip to my ass?”
Mac ignored her sarcasm and turned terrier. “Keko, what happened?”
“Some dude named Bobby Black Crow scared the hell out of me, that’s what happened.”
Adam and Lucian rose at the same instant as Mac.
Lorelei placed the cat on the floor, stood as well, held her hands up. “Hold on, boys. Let’s find out what happened before you charge down the warpath, with guns blazing.”
Mac leaned toward Keko, hands flat on the table. His pulse revved up, his muscles twitched for action. “Did he threaten you?”
“No, of course not. Nothing like that. He told me to give you a message.”
Lucian exhaled in relief, threw in a question. “Which you, exactly?”
“Sheriff MacBride. Although I suppose you all need to hear it. Mr. Black Crow said to tell Sheriff MacBride that he saw sign that there’s been someone hanging around Smitty’s place, just outa reach of the Fibbies. He said you could pass it on to whoever needs the intel.” She looked like she had something else to say, but pursed her lips together before more words escaped.
“The three of you are on Black Crow’s short list of good guys, in case you ever wondered.” Keko gulped a mouthful of coffee from Mac’s mug, made a face. “Yuck, no milk.”
She turned to Lorelei. “He also said that you’d field dress him before his carcass went cold, if he pissed you off.”
Lorelei sat down again, retrieved the cat, laughed until tears fell. “Is that what he said? Good to know.”
* * * * *
“I thought you were driving me to Smitty’s. I don’t recognize these roads.” Keko considered. “Not that I’ve been here long enough to recognize much.”
Neither of them mentioned the discussion over breakfast; the tense mood continued after MacBride volunteered to drive her to Smitty’s.
She grabbed the oh-shit handle over the passenger’s side door, although she’d already made sure her seat belt was securely fastened. MacBride maneuvered the big truck with care, but the ruts were unavoidable.
MacBride finally spoke, but he seemed distracted, like he had something else on his mind.
“I need to stop by my place first, grab fresh clothes. I didn’t plan on staying at the lodge last night. Usually carry a duffle with a change of clothing, but forgot to repack my kit. It’s not that long a detour. Didn’t think you’d mind.”
“Since I seem to be a captive audience, I suppose not.” Keko realized she sounded snarky. “Thanks for the ride.”
MacBride grunted.
Despite the bumps and ruts, the trip provided enough visual interest to prevent her from staring at him. The woodlands and meadows eventually gave way to small neat houses surrounded by small neat yards, enclosed in fences made of neat white pickets or neatly peeled logs.
They pulled into the driveway of a log and stone ranch house with a porch that wrapped around the front and left side. On the right, an enclosed breezeway connected the house to a three-car garage.
Logs. Stone. Big garage. Definitely a guy thing.
That the yard and the flowering borders were orderly, trimmed, and free of weeds came as somewhat of a surprise.
Not such a guy thing.
MacBride must have noticed the direction of her glances.
“Don’t get all excited. I’m not Harry Homemaker. I pay a high school kid to take care of the property. He’s a real go-getter, has his own little landscaping business that he does after school, plus weekends.”
She felt heat rise to her cheeks over his mindreading skills.
“I figured it wouldn’t do for the sheriff to live in a dump like trailer trash.
Community spirit, hiring a local teen, and all that.”
“I see. Well, it looks very nice.”
He shifted the SUV into park. “Care for the short, guided tour? It will take only a few minutes to pull my stuff together.”
She hesitated for a split second, but he caught it.
Surprised, she turned to him. “Thirty-five hundred? As in, three thousand, five hundred? Acres?”
“Yep. That’s how much ground Sanctuary covers, at least at the moment. Adam plans to expand. There’s a tract of five thousand acres butting up to their property, and probably more is available.”
“Yikes.”
“Exactly.” He walked around to the driver’s door. “So, are you coming in?”
This isn’t a good idea. I know this isn’t a good idea. I may trust him, but I sure as shit don’t trust myself.
“Okay. Sure. Of course.”
He unlocked the front door, then led her into a surprisingly bright interior. With an open floor plan, the large living room sported autumn colors based on a deep cream background, mostly reds and browns with splashes of gold here and there. Gold- and cream-striped drapes covered wide windows, autumn harvest area rugs were scattered on the floors. The deep red leather sofa, love seat, and side chairs surprised her.
“Nice job. This place looks great.” She meant it. The house radiated comfort and warmth.
“I can’t take credit. One of Lucian’s sisters, Julia the designer, took pity on me.
Begging and groveling on my part finally persuaded her.”
Keko laughed. “I can’t imagine you either begging or groveling, but apparently whatever you did, worked.”
“Updated kitchen and bath, three bedrooms. Nothing fancy, but it’s home.”
“Three bedrooms?”
“Yeah. Master bedroom, guest room, office.”
“May I see?”
He looked surprised, but his features lit up. “Yes. Of course.”
The office was masculine, with dark woods, chrome, and glass, cabinet-style file drawers, built-in bookshelves. It was surprisingly neat and organized.
The guest bedroom had more browns and greens than the living area, with a wide leaf and vine motif area rug anchoring the king-sized bed. On all the walls, watercolors of sunlit ponds and subdued meadow scenes balanced the heavy colors.
“Well done. Really. A calm room, quiet.”
Bombshell - Men of Sanctuary Series, Book Three Page 8