“I have to.”
Miles swore viciously. “Let me help you.” His words were spoken softly, but it was a demand nonetheless. Dudley Do-Right, the ultimate Boy Scout, couldn’t stand not being able to make things right.
The tightness in Lori’s chest grew stronger. This was why she should have left days—make that weeks—ago. “You can’t. Don’t you see?” she whispered.
“No.” Shaking his head angrily, he stepped into the small room, slamming the door closed behind him. “Try me, Lori. Tell me what it is you’ve done. You can trust me.”
Trusting him was no longer the issue. Lori was more afraid of the disgusted reaction she knew would come when he found out who she was. Who her father was. She didn’t want him to know that woman. Instead, she wanted him to remember the woman he’d been sleeping with the past several nights. The woman who loved him.
She tried to deflect the focus back onto him. “Have you broken off your engagement with Greer yet?”
His blue eyes narrowed and he gave his head a little shake as if to refocus his thoughts. “You know as well as I do there never was a real engagement, Lori. But I’ll show Greer the same courtesy I would any woman and discuss it with her in private. Not via that witch Tanya Sheppard.”
“Of course you will,” she mumbled. “You’re the quintessential gentleman.”
Miles plopped down on the bed beside her. Tessa gave him a guarded look from her perch on the upholstered chair in the corner of the room.
“Am I detecting a touch of jealousy, Lori?”
She swallowed around the knot in her throat. “I’m not jealous of Greer Rossi.” Her next words weren’t meant to be cruel, but they would do the trick of getting Miles to back off. “I’m jealous of Justine.”
He flinched beside her. His eyes darkened and his mouth formed a grim line.
“When she died,” Lori continued, “she took your heart with her. That makes me jealous as well as sad because now there’s nothing left for the rest of us.”
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
She watched as recognition dawned on his handsome face. He shook his head violently.
“You knew better,” he growled.
Lori’s laugh was hollow-sounding. “That seems to be my life’s mantra.”
“Damn it, Lori.” He plowed his fingers through his hair.
“You don’t need to worry, Miles. I’ve packed my heart up with the rest of my stuff and I’ll be taking it with me.”
He reached over and traced a finger along her cheek. “I’ll still worry about you.”
She leaned into his palm and covered his hand with hers. “I know you will, but I’ll be fine.”
He pulled her in closer so that his lips brushed over hers. “Promise?”
Lori knew enough not to make him a promise she had no idea would hold up, but she wanted to reassure him. Instead of speaking a lie, she pressed her lips to his, opening his mouth with hers and delving inside. She felt the low rumble at the back of his throat as she wrapped her fingers around his skull and pulled him in closer. Miles’ hands slid beneath her T-shirt to cup her breasts and suddenly Lori was frantic to have him inside her one last time. She yanked at the buttons of his dress shirt, eager to get at the smooth skin beneath it. Taking control, Miles used his powerful body to push her back onto the bed.
“No,” he said as he nipped at her neck. “If this is going to be our last time, we’re not going to be hasty. We’re doing this slow and thoroughly.”
His words, delivered with such fierceness, made her core ignite. Lori’s fingers trembled as they undressed each other but Miles’ expression was unwavering. His mouth and hands roamed over her body as though he was trying to commit her curves to memory. Lori gasped when he finally slid home.
“Look at me,” Miles commanded. Lori forced her eyelids open and stared into the blue depths of his resolute eyes. “This is our truth, Lori. Right here. Right now.” He rocked his hips into her and began a slow, deliberate thrusting, his eyes never leaving her face. Lori picked up his rhythm and they moved as one until both were falling headlong over the edge.
* * *
Heat lightning flashed beyond the veranda of the inn. Patricia carefully navigated the wooden stairs leading up to the B and B. In all the excitement this afternoon, she’d left her reading glasses somewhere—hopefully on the kitchen counter of the inn. Flipping on the light switch, she breathed a sigh of relief when she spied her glasses on the desk in the corner. The kitchen was quiet; Lori had likely finished for the night, but she heard guests in the common area down the hall. She was debating whether to check in with them to make sure their rooms had everything they needed when Cassidy barreled through the screen door.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m fine, Cass. I was looking for my glasses, but I found them.” She held them up for the girl to see. “What’s got you so riled up?”
Cassidy leaned against the island, trying to catch her breath. “I was downtown with the Patty Wagon when someone said there was an emergency call into the sheriff’s office from the inn. I was worried it was you.”
Patricia gave Cassidy a puzzled look. “There’s no need to worry about me, honey. I’m fine. No one here has called the sheriff.”
A knowing smile broke out on Cassidy’s face. “Oh, I get it. You and the sheriff are just fooling around and you don’t want anyone to know he’s come over here.” She winked at Patricia. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”
A blush warmed Patricia’s face. “That’s not it at all, Cassidy. Lamar is on duty tonight. There’s no ‘fooling around’ when he’s working.”
The teenager’s face sobered. “Then why is his cruiser out front?”
She stared at the teenager a moment before realizing she heard Lamar’s voice among the chatter in the common rooms. Pivoting on her crutch, she shuffled toward the foyer with Cassidy at her heels. Sure enough, Lamar was standing in the entrance to the music room taking notes on his phone. Several guests were clearly eavesdropping on the conversation he was having with Mr. and Mrs. Benson, who were staying in the Perth Suite.
“Is there a problem here, Lamar?”
He wore a resigned look when his eyes met hers and Patricia’s stomach dropped. What was going on here and why hadn’t someone informed her? Her own expression must have conveyed her questions because his stance grew defensive. Damn. She was being coddled and protected yet again. Patricia hobbled closer, nearly smashing Lamar’s toe in annoyance.
“Yes, there is a problem here,” Mr. Benson was saying. “My wife’s diamond tennis bracelet is missing.”
“Uh-oh,” Cassidy murmured.
“I took it off this morning before we went on our bike ride,” Mrs. Benson said. “And now it’s gone.” She gulped and Patricia wasn’t sure whether it was for real or for the benefit of those watching.
“When exactly did you last see the bracelet?” Lamar asked. It was a good thing he was doing the talking because Patricia was furiously reviewing her insurance policy in her head. There was always a chance a guest could lose something while at the B and B. She just hoped the diamond tennis bracelet wasn’t as expensive as it sounded.
“This morning, around nine. That’s when I put it in my jewelry roll with the rest of my pieces.”
“You didn’t think to put it in the safe provided for you in your suite?” Lamar seemed to be trying his best not to sound accusing, but Patricia had to concede that he was failing miserably.
“Given the reputation of this B and B, I had assumed that we didn’t have to.” Mr. Benson’s tone was every bit as condemning as Lamar’s. “But I can see we were wrong about that.”
Patricia’s head was throbbing as much as her hip now. Most of the guests were taking in every word as though this were a planned entertainment for the night. “Perhaps we should take this into my office.
We’ll need a description so that we can begin searching the inn for it.”
Cassidy groaned. “Lori made me tear apart this whole hotel earlier this month looking for that guy’s thousand-dollar pen. Are you telling me we’re going to have to do it all over again?”
Two of the guests stepped closer at Cassidy’s words. Patricia’s stomach dipped a little lower. “What ‘guy’s thousand-dollar pen’?” She intercepted the quelling look Lamar shot Cassidy, and a lick of panic crawled up her spine. What else had gone missing that her family and staff had forgotten to mention?
Probably realizing that she’d said too much, Cassidy licked her lips. “Mr. Maxwell. He lost a silver Montblanc pen.”
“Do guests’ belongings often disappear from your B and B, Mrs. McAlister?” Tanya Sheppard’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Patricia turned to see the television reporter and her cameraman standing just inside the B and B’s front door.
“Not any more than they do in any other establishment in town,” Lamar interjected.
Patricia could have kissed him for his quick defense of her and the B and B. But that would have to wait until after she shooed Tanya and her camera crew off the premises; dealt with the Bensons and her other guests; and chewed her fiancé out for acting like her late husband and shielding her from things she ought to know.
She turned to Tanya with what she hoped was a serene smile on her face. “Can I help you, Ms. Sheppard?”
Tanya glanced around the crowded foyer. “I was looking for Miles. I’ve been trying to get a comment from him all day.”
“He’s at a campaign function.” It was a lie, but she figured it was a mother’s prerogative to buy her son some time before he debunked the rumors tomorrow. “We don’t expect him back until later. Much later.”
The reporter smirked as if she knew she was being played, but she got the message regardless. She nodded to her cameraman to head back to the veranda before she thought better of it and stopped herself midway out the door. “Perhaps you’d like to tell me what you think about your son’s rumored engagement to the governor’s daughter?”
Excited tittering and gasps echoed among her guests and Patricia tried to keep the exasperation from her voice. “Right now, I’m not thinking about it. I’m taking care of my guests. I’ll happily discuss it with you tomorrow.” That was an interview Patricia was definitely looking forward to. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Benson need my attention right now.”
Tanya looked as if she might say something more, but Lamar was wearing his intimidating military policeman’s face. With a smirk and a wave to the crowd, she closed the front door. Lamar gestured to the Bensons to lead the way down the hallway to Patricia’s office located in the corner of the kitchen.
“Y’all have a good night now,” Patricia said to her guests as she limped behind the Bensons. “If there’s anything you need, just let Cassidy know.” She shot the teenager a look that clearly said: Stay here. Cassidy’s shoulders slumped, but she remained in the foyer.
“Would you mind if I had a look around your room?” Lamar asked once they’d reached the kitchen.
“It won’t do you any good.” Mr. Benson had become quite defensive. “I checked everywhere.”
Lamar nodded patiently. “All right, then I’m happy to file a police report.”
Patricia swallowed harshly. This had the potential for negative publicity for the inn. The Bensons were avid golfers who traveled frequently. The word of mouth alone could damage the Tide Me Over Inn’s reputation.
“You’ll need the report to file a claim with your insurance,” Lamar continued.
“The insurance company will demand an investigation,” Mr. Benson said. “That bracelet was insured for twenty-five thousand dollars.”
This time when Patricia went to swallow, nothing was moving. Lamar didn’t flinch at Benson’s declaration, however.
“If you happen to have a photograph, that’s helpful, too,” he said. “I’ll have my department check the area pawn dealers to see if it turns up.”
“It still may turn up somewhere here in the inn,” Patricia interjected. “As I said before, we’ll conduct a thorough search for it.”
Mrs. Benson gave her a pitying look. “I know I put it away with my other jewelry, Mrs. McAlister. It didn’t just walk off on its own.”
“But none of your other jewelry is missing, is that right?” It was Patricia’s turn to be defensive. One of Lamar’s eyebrows rose up slightly, but he let her continue. “If someone were going to steal it, why not take the entire jewelry roll?”
Mr. Benson clicked his teeth together. “This is getting us nowhere. My wife’s bracelet is missing. It might be somewhere in this inn or, more likely, in somebody’s pocket. I suggest you check with your staff, Mrs. McAlister. Sheriff, we’ll stop by your office on our way out of town in the morning. I’ll have my insurance agent fax you a photo of the bracelet then. Nicki, let’s go up to our room now.”
Patricia opened her mouth to say more but the warning look in Lamar’s eyes stopped her. She let the Bensons leave the room without so much as a good night. Lamar held up his hand, allowing for the couple to get some distance down the hall before he spoke. They stared at each other in the quiet room for a full minute until Patricia couldn’t take it any longer.
“What else is missing?” she hissed.
Lamar sucked in a deep breath and Patricia knew she wasn’t going to like what was coming. “The pen, Greer’s watch, a silver charm bracelet, your crystal paperweight, and a gold wedding band.”
Patricia stumbled to the closest chair and sank down into it. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since your accident.”
“And no one thought to let me in on the secret?”
“Your hip was mending. Miles and I were handling it.”
“You and Miles?” Patricia was incredulous wondering how things had gotten so out of hand. “Lamar, when I asked you two to get along, I didn’t mean for you both to gang up against me! This is still my inn.”
“Damn it, I know it’s your inn, Patricia.” Lamar tossed his campaign hat onto a nearby chair and rubbed his hands over his head. He took a step closer and knelt down before her. “And nobody is ‘ganging up on you.’ You need to face the fact that the men in your life are going to protect you. It’s what we were bred to do. You can fault your husband and your sons all you want, but they’re just doing their jobs. Because they love you. And so do I.” He took both her hands in his larger ones, bringing them up to his lips for a gentle kiss.
Tears gathered behind her eyes. “It seems I’m destined to fall in love with men who’d rather be white knights.”
He looked up at her with a solemn expression. “It’s who I am, Tricia. I’m too old to change now.”
She leaned down and kissed him on the nose and then on the lips. Lamar slowly stood up, gently lifting her so her body was flush against his. Patricia wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss.
“If we’re going to move forward with this relationship, we need to be able to work this out,” Patricia said as his lips grazed her collarbone. “I’ll agree to let you protect me, if you’ll agree that protecting me doesn’t mean keeping secrets.”
“Deal,” he murmured against her neck.
Patricia met his lips for another deep kiss.
“Hey,” Cassidy interrupted them. “You said he wasn’t here to fool around.”
Lamar mumbled something unkind about teenagers before he lowered Patricia back into her seat. “Cass, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about these missing items, would you?” he asked.
Both women stared at Lamar in astonishment. “Hey! You don’t think I had anything to do with this?” Cassidy asked with a huff. “I’m not my mother.”
“Of course not,” Patricia answered quickly while shooting Lamar a pleading look.
He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think you’re guilty of anything, Cass. But you are a very perceptive young woman and you seem to know everything that goes on in this town. I was just wondering if you’d heard anything. Or if you had any other theories.”
The teenager went from belligerent to preening at the sheriff’s words. “My theory is that the pen and the bracelet rolled into a nook or cranny in their room. Maybe under the radiator.”
“We’re missing more than a pen and diamond tennis bracelet, Cass. It seems a gold ring, a charm bracelet”—Patricia glanced over at Lamar before continuing—“Greer’s watch, and the crystal paperweight from the Edinburgh Suite have all disappeared from the B and B the past few weeks.”
It was obvious from the look on Cassidy’s face that she wasn’t the culprit and neither did she have any idea who might be. Patricia was relieved and frustrated at the same time.
“And nobody told me?” Cassidy asked incredulously.
“Join the club.” Patricia stood and gave Lamar a reassuring pat on the chest. “But we’re all going to work together to solve this mystery before any more damage is done to the B and B’s reputation.”
There was a knock on the screen door and Deputy Hayden Lovell walked into the kitchen. “Sorry to interrupt, Boss, but something’s come up.”
Lamar looked at the deputy quizzically. “You could have reached me by radio.”
Deputy Lovell glanced at Patricia and Cassidy before turning back to Lamar. “I didn’t think this was something the whole town should hear.”
With a nod, Lamar and the deputy stepped to the opposite side of the kitchen. Patricia was still able to make out the gist of their conversation.
“The FBI is in town,” Deputy Lovell said. “They’ve commandeered the station house as their command post.”
She watched anxiously as the tension gripped Lamar’s body. Deputy Lovell handed him a folded-up piece of paper.
“They’ve been using facial recognition cameras in bus stations to track down some of their most wanted,” the deputy explained. “They got a hit today here in Chances Inlet. I played dumb with the feds. I wasn’t sure how you wanted me to handle it.”
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