Unforgettable Heroes Boxed Set

by James, Maddie

  “What can I get you two?” the waiter asked, hovering over the table, slightly overweight, pleasantly chubby face, his hair black with a handlebar moustache. Very Italian.

  “Hi Butch,” Zack said. “Here’s what we want.” He ordered and the guy excused himself.

  She leaned forward. “Butch?”

  He nodded. “Nickname for what he used to do. Was connected to the Sopranos, capice?”

  Crandall wiped her hair off her forehead. “Have I fallen through to another dimension?”

  He grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes. “If you thought your world in Sierra Landing was tempestuous, welcome to my inferno.”

  ****

  Tom lay back on the feather pillows on his bed and smiled. Nice bed and breakfast. The people were cordial, especially the woman at the diner, though a bit nosy, and the beat of the town slow and easy. He liked the deep South, though he still thought living outside Austin is what he’d do when he had the money.

  First he had to get through this season with Magic and at least four or five more. This year, unlike last, he’d been able to sock more than half his money away and clean out all his debt. It felt good to not worry about creditors pestering you.

  The heat wasn’t off him in this match, though. Magic had been explicit that Briny Bay was no walk in the park either. “When these two leave Briny Bay, they’ll be confused,” he’d said. “It’s okay, they need to pull everything together and then finally realize each has something to give the other. But more will happen first. He will sacrifice more, in a way, but she will make him whole. Just like in Jane Eyre. Though damaged, they come back together after sacrifice. She realizes his secrets and he discovers hers. Perhaps better, as Crandall’s mother is still alive.”

  He still puzzled over the codger’s words. What could happen that would be so terrible to make Zack sacrifice more, as it appeared he already had quite a bit along the way as had Crandall herself? “Sure would be nice to know everything, you old coot.”

  Tom thought about it. Maybe not. Just what he knew was a burden. He had to divert Washington so they could find out the truth. That was all he knew. What was the truth about Xavier Washington? Or did the truth have anything to do with him at all?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Zack lay in his old bed and a million thoughts raced in his head. Forget sleep. Seeing Crandall on his old territory had brought back long time buried wounds and deeply hidden skeletons. He wasn’t married, that was true. But the hideous reason was a scar that would never heal, even when the reason for it was ten feet under.

  The nightmares had returned with a vengeance, the gnawing guilt, the indecision, the many nights wondering if he’d made the right choice. The right thing for Meredyth’s future and his own. Always being derided by his mother and avoided by many people in the town who didn’t understand the full circumstances. He thought it had been behind him forever, but now it popped up like an angry serpent, coiling and ready to sink in its venomous teeth and drain him dry of all the joy he’d begun to find with Crandall.

  The weight of his final actions sank on his shoulders like boulders. Did he do the right thing? He’d thought so then, still did, although occasionally when he was faced with the reality, a niggling tickled the back of his brain, something he’d thrown money toward and hoped would go away.

  The truth was he’d long ago decided his responsibility here and now was his daughter’s long-term welfare. He’d been determined to let that play out in his terms and not in his mother’s. Still, the pull of longing for Crandall tugged on him, and not just for the touch of her skin and the heady lust from having sex with her. She seemed to get through to him like no one else ever had. His dad had been the closest until he got wrapped up in the company. As for his stepmother, well, the two of them were like oil and water. Never had mixed.

  With Crandall, it was like mixing cream with sherry, a little hard to keep from breaking, but when it worked, the taste was unforgettable. Enough of this insanity, he was going to see if she’d let him in. His mother was downstairs at the back of the house and not likely to hear him or them for that matter. As long as they parted early, none would be the wiser.

  Creeping down the hall, he paused in front of her door, and finally knocked. Standing there for what seemed like minutes, he wondered if she’d just ignore him. Finally the door creaked open a couple of inches. “Zack we’re in your mother’s house!”

  “She can’t hear us. The Master is on the back of the first floor. At least let me in for a minute.” He clenched his fists at his side and hoped. Entrance was the first step.

  She opened the door. Wearing a thin nightshirt just covering her butt, Crandall was so enticing, he almost grabbed her. He tensed. This wasn’t easy. Walking slowly, Zack entered and stood next to her bed. “Is it okay if I sit on the edge?”

  She nodded. “That’s all, though. I told you we’re friends. We need to keep it there until we both decide if we’re all about sex or more.”

  He exhaled. “Look, if I didn’t feel more for you than just having sex, I wouldn’t be in here now. I could have sex with other women if I wanted to. And I won’t deny I love making love to you. But there’s more. I’m not sure yet what it is, but I know it’s strong. Strong enough my competitive drive has decreased in this competition and also strong enough I really want to help you discover how to defeat that wimp who thinks he’s king of the world. That’s something that wouldn’t have bothered me before. Not if I wanted to win.”

  He wiped the hair off his forehead. “My whole life has been about winning. Maybe it’s because I always felt like I had to prove something. First to my Dad, then to myself after my marriage screwed up, then to myself again when I tried to piece my life together as CEO of a company.”

  “Maybe you’ve just been trying to prove you can be loved,” she said in a low voice as she sat down next to him and placed her hand over his.

  He turned to her and could see her lowered lashes, the heat coming from her blue eyes. Desire, concern, a look that captivated him, surrounding him in a warm cocoon of light, as if she were a witch from a faraway land. Yet here, very touchable and beckoning to be kissed. He leaned down and covered her mouth, relishing in the soft texture of her lips, the tremble of them as they parted and let him enter. This kiss wasn’t one of passion, but a joining of souls with wounds that needed to healed. And it was as if this kiss could do that, as they stayed joined in a dancing of tongues, celebrating the release from a prison of loneliness, being set free as an ever joined duo.

  As they broke the kiss, Crandall sighed. “Wow. That was different than any kiss I ever had.” Her eyes flew open. “In a good way. I mean, a really awesome indescribable way.”

  He reached down and kissed her hand. “I agree. I don’t think we’re just friends. But, tonight, that kiss is enough to see me through. We need to save all the chemistry for the cameras this time. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Zack rose from the bed.

  “You don’t want to sleep with me?” she asked, still breathless.

  He nodded. “I do, but that kiss makes me think we can go slowly. I think we dove into uncharted waters just then.”

  She nodded, her face turning red. “I think you’re right. Thanks for dropping by.”

  ****

  Zack’s cell phone woke him up the next morning. He squinted through one eye at the window. The sun was barely lighting the exterior. Groping for the phone on the nightstand, he popped it open. “Hello? This had better be good.”

  “Good morning boss. Up and at ‘em. Six-thirty and time to shine!”

  Zack cursed under his breath. “You are the late sleeper. Whatever that’s making you so chipper is a pain in the ass. I didn’t sleep that much last night. What’s up?”

  “It seems Laura Appleby is in Charlotte.”

  Zack sat straight up in bed. “She’s where? That’s impossible.”

  “Maybe, but true. Knew that would wake you up.” Mike chuckled. “Got a PI to track her down. She�
��s not using that name. You’ll love this. She’s going by the name Laura Tolbert.”

  “Grant Tolbert’s wife, maybe?”

  “I don’t know, but I sure as hell am going to find out.”

  “Get on it.” Zack hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes. That was better than a cup of coffee, not that he’d refuse one of those as soon as he took a shower. Now the question was should he tell Crandall or wait? Caution told him it was too soon.

  Minutes later, he rounded the corner to the kitchen and smelled bacon frying. He frowned. His mother would never make bacon. She frowned on fat, avoiding it like the plague. To his shock, Crandall stood in front of the stove turning the slabs in a frying pan. “You cook?”

  She laughed. “Surprised? I have all sorts of talents you don’t know about.”

  “I like the ones I do know about.” He grinned as he saw her cheeks turn pink. “Where’s my mother anyway? It’s not like her to give up cooking rights. In fact, she doesn’t normally use the stove at all for breakfast. She’s a cereal and microwave woman at this meal.”

  She nodded. “So I found out. I suggested bacon, which I have about once a week. After last night I thought I wanted some. She looked like I’d just declared I was a Satanist. I swear, Zack, I was trying to be as nice as I could, but after she attacked me over breakfast meat, I dug in my heels and she spread her wings and flew out of here making screeching noises. I’m surprised she’s not hanging from the living room curtains upside down.”

  He grinned. An ally in the war against his stepmother.

  “So, I went for a short ride up to the corner and got some bacon.” She took the slices out of the pan and placed them on paper towels laid out in a plate. “A lot of action in the first hour of the morning.”

  “I wonder if it’s an omen of more to come.”

  She shrugged. “Who knows? Since you told me Xavier’s around here somewhere, I’d say that’s a safe bet. But for now, how would you like your eggs?”

  Her smiling face gave him such joy. He bent over and gave her a kiss. “Make them sunny side-up.”

  ****

  Xavier Washington wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin as he sat at the table in his B&B. He ogled his half-dressed hostess and thought about how easy it’d been to get her into bed. After all, he was the only guest and she was a widow for ten years. A woman in need was the easiest kind to spread her legs. “Great blueberry muffins,” he told Mary, who beamed at his side. “I’d gain twenty pounds if I stayed here long.”

  “You’re welcome back anytime,” she told him, caressing his shoulder before leaning down to rub her breasts across him. “Traffic is light before Memorial Day.”

  “I’ll remember that. Uh, I assume I’m the only guest tonight?”

  She licked her lips. “Just you.” Her robe fell open across her naked body. “I wouldn’t dare open this place tonight to anyone but you.”

  He reached out and caressed one breast. “Save those babies for me.”

  She giggled. “Oh, Xavier.”

  Getting up, Xavier winked at her and thought about the day’s plans. He had to get to Briny Bay pronto and mingle with the townsfolk, find out what he could about Zack Graham. The man had to have some more skeletons hidden. Xavier was confident he could find them. He excelled at exposing embarrassing secrets to the light.

  Twenty minutes later, he was in Briny Bay and walking around. Surely he could find out something. He saw a woman walking his way, about thirty-five, no ring and definitely not a lesbian. She was wearing heels. “Hi, there, I was wondering if you had a couple of minutes.” He flashed a fake press pass. “I’m with the California Chronicle doing an article on Zack Graham and the competition. I assume you’ve heard about it?”

  She twittered, just like a bird. “I have. As a matter of fact, I just told my sister I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Zack is so, well, scarce around these parts these days, even with his daughter here.”

  His ears perked up. “Let’s go somewhere and talk for a few minutes. I’ll make sure I mention you in my article.”

  She grinned. “I’d love it. As long as there are no pictures. I’m camera shy.”

  He winked at her. “No worries. Only I will behold your beauty. How about coming with me in my Z car and we’ll go for a ride and talk?”

  The woman had to be a Puritan, because she fell for it hook, line and sinker. She wasn’t a looker, but definitely okay for being test ridden. It was that look similar to what virgins had even if they were a little long in the tooth. When was the last time he dipped into clear waters? He knew he’d get what he wanted.

  ****

  Crandall stared at the flashing cameras in the Civic Center and couldn’t believe the media coverage. There hadn’t been this much in Sierra Landing. Of course, the fact Zack had implemented Operation Love Boat before they ever left the front door of his mother’s home may have had an impact. Walking out the door and waving, he’d turned to her, whispered “Pucker up,” and swooped her into an embrace before grabbing her around the waist and smiling back at the crowd outside. In fact, he’d been permanently cemented by her side since.

  “You may be laying it on a little thick,” she said in a low voice through a clenched jaw. “Don’t you think folks will wonder why we didn’t do this before?”

  “Not really.” He stroked her back. “They just saw that camera footage. Would love to know who set that whole thing up.”

  “You don’t think Brooks did it?”

  He shook his head. “No way. He’d just discovered we were on the island when you and I first went to bed together. The first film was us kissing on the beach. My bets are on the worm.”

  She gasped. “Xavier? But how did he know where I was going?”

  He gave her an exasperated looked, punctuated by raised eyebrows. “Crandall, remember Jenny? But I would guess it was that Smith York guy who leaked it.”

  “What was he going to achieve by all this media coverage?”

  Zack crossed his arms. “I gave you more credit than that. The more he can sensationalize your actions the easier it’ll be for him to get the board to decide in his favor. After all, no one wants a CEO who can be so easily swayed by a love affair.”

  Her pride wounded, Crandall immediately took the offensive. “I am not easy, and it seems to me I could be portrayed more as the victim of a womanizer.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I am not the bad guy here. Stay focused. We are demonstrating true love, not lust.”

  “Yes, of course. Whatever you say, Don Juan.”

  “Watch it Jez, or you’ll be accused of living up to your reputation.”

  She stomped her foot, but didn’t open her mouth as Brooks approached them.

  “Well, don’t we look chummy?” Brooks asked. “Thinks must be working out well staying at Zack’s boyhood home, hmm?”

  Crandall’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose that’s what you had in mind when you set me up to stay there.”

  Zack jerked her close to him. “Don’t mind her, we were having a small lover’s spat, you know how they are. However, nothing too big to keep sweetie-pie and me apart.”

  Brooks gave Zack a whack on his back. “Way to go, son, I had a feeling about you two. Just think, I will be thought of as the world’s greatest matchmaker. You have fifteen minutes before you take your stations.”

  As Brooks strode off, Crandall stared up at him, her mouth gaping open. “Sweetie-pie? When did you become a sentimentalist?”

  He stared at her with a wounded look. “I’m a deep-down romantic. Didn’t you know?”

  “Right.” Crandall laughed. “How do you like that guy? Matchmaker? Biggest butt hole, maybe, not biggest matchmaker. That guy can’t compete with the man who runs that full page ad in the New Year’s papers.”

  “Do you think…” Zack glanced at Crandall.

  She shook her head. “The timing may look like it, but no way are you and I that guy’s match. And as for Brooks having any part in that kind of plan, get over it.”
r />   ****

  Xavier made his way toward the front of the Civic Center with Roxie on his arm just as a man in a black suit wearing sunglasses jumped out in front of them. “Sorry, sir, we’ve had to close the entrance for the next half hour. There’s been a bomb threat.”

  “But I hear people inside laughing.” Roxie started to skirt around him and the man pushed her back.

  “They don’t know.” The man clasped his arms in front of him and spread his legs. “Don’t want to cause a stampede or unnecessary concern. It’s a government matter.”

  “Terrorists?” Xavier asked. “Here? Briny Bay seems like an unlikely place.”

  “They said we’d never expect their targets.” The man sighed. “It’s a burden, being part of national security. But someone has to do it. On this one point, everyone’s agreed. Even George W. and Barack are on the same page. I’ve worked for both, by the way.”

  Xavier crossed his arms. “How do I know you work with the NSA?”

  “Technically I’m not. I’m part of the USF.” He took a deep breath. “Oh shit, forget I said that.”

  “What’s the USF?” Roxie asked.

  “The Undercover Secret Forces. They’re double-double top secret.” He shook his head. “Now I have to insist you come with me. The chief is going to give me a reprimand about this.”

  “Wait a minute,” Xavier told him. “I’m not going anywhere until I see your ID.”

  The man flashed an NSA badge. “Good enough?”

  Xavier exhaled sharply. “Don’t you think the US is getting a little Big Brother about all this?”

  “All for your protection, just for the security of our country. You’ll be taken care of on the plane. Enjoy the island.”

  “What island?” Roxie asked. “I haven’t packed a bag.”

  “That’ll be taken care of,” the agent told them. “The limo is waiting.”

  ****

  “Well, I should have known you were going to win that challenge,” Crandall said a couple of hours later as they had a burger at Trixie’s diner.