The Big Heat

by LaBrecque, Jennifer

“Oh dear. What kind of problem?”

  He gave her a quick recap of the events at Sunny’s house, leaving out him carrying her from and to the car and their kiss. “I tried to drop her off at your place.”

  Marlene closed the file drawer with a snap. “If you came by you saw Martin’s truck at my house.” She looked him dead in the eye.

  “Marlene, he—”

  She stayed him with an upheld hand. “I know who he is and what he is, Cade. We’ll keep it out of the office but after hours, our time is our own. I don’t think he’ll break my heart, but if he does that’s a chance I have to take. I know you’re concerned about me and I appreciate it.”

  He raked a frustrated hand over his head. “What happened to the Internet dating?”

  “It did exactly what it was supposed to—it got Martin’s attention. And now I’ve got four weeks.” She actually winked at him.

  Suddenly one of the components that had been an essential part of his life for a long time seemed to not make nearly as much sense as it used to—that damn four-week rule. And he wasn’t altogether too certain that he shouldn’t be more concerned about Martin in this deal than Marlene. He had a feeling Martin might’ve just met his match.

  Cade nodded. There wasn’t much to say to that.

  Marlene’s smile thanked him for letting it go. “So, finish the story. What’d you wind up doing with Sunny?”

  “I brought her home with me,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.

  Marlene’s mouth gaped and then snapped shut. A coy smile bloomed on her face. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “And where is she now?”

  “My house.”

  “Well, that’ll be interesting. Gracie stopped by about an hour ago. She left Prudence in the flower shop and she was heading out to your place to get the Christmas decorations up. I bet they’ll have a nice visit.”

  Sunny at his house. Gracie, the Mouth of the South, showing up. Marlene and Martin. Why’d everything have to be so complicated?

  * * *

  Sunny sat cross-legged on the sofa cushion that she’d dragged into the sunroom area, Cade’s laptop resting on her thighs, a fire crackling cheerily in the fireplace. The fireplace was obviously used and there was a stack of wood to the left of the hearth, so she’d built a fire after taking a brisk walk this morning. She’d had to find a momentary outlet for all that energy bottled inside her after he left. He was right. She’d be in his bed tonight. But it’d be on her terms.

  She checked off the first item on her to-do list. She now had a new phone number. Her service might be spotty due to a weak signal now and then, but it had only taken about fifteen minutes to change her cell number.

  Next a conversation with her attorney. Celia Mallard’s secretary put her on hold. Sunny considered it a good sign she’d actually caught Celia in the office.

  The on-hold Muzak ended and Celia was on the other line. “Sunny, I tried calling earlier and it went straight to voice mail.”

  Sunny offered a quick rundown and gave Celia her new number.

  “Well, good news this morning. It looks as if they’re dropping the felony charges and it should be reduced to a traffic violation. If that’s the case you’ll still have to appear at court and you’re probably looking at a stiff fine, but absolutely no jail time. I’m waiting to hear from Cecil’s attorney.”

  Sunny sagged with relief. She could figure out how to pay a fine. She hadn’t been sure how she’d handle her house and her business if she had even a couple of months in jail. “That’s fantastic. How…why?”

  Celia laughed. “Santa came early for you this year. Remember the guy in the Santa suit who helped you out of your car?”

  “Distinctly. His beard had gotten knocked to one side.”

  “Well, he saw Cecil’s interview on last night’s news and it bothered him because Cecil was presenting a very slanted accounting. Meeks claimed he didn’t see you until he had passed you. Santa, however, saw him wave before he ever got to you. In light of Santa’s willingness to testify on your behalf and the fact that now Cecil can look magnanimous by dropping the charges, I’m almost certain they’ll be dropped.”

  “Should I talk to the press or—”

  “No. Do just what you’re doing. Keep a low profile until we hear from Cecil. Let him think he’s won.”

  They settled a few remaining details and ended the call. The first person she thought about sharing the good news with was Cade. He might not win any charm awards, but he’d gone out of his way to take care of her last night. However, the only way she knew to get in touch with him was to call the bail bond office and that just felt…weird. She’d tell him when he got back.

  She forced herself to work through the rest of the to-do list. She transferred the bail bond fee from her account into Nadine’s. She called for information on getting her car out of the impound lot and she e-mailed two clients about design specifics for their Web sites.

  Sunny checked off the last item on her list and then e-mailed the notes she made regarding the various items to herself. She stood and stretched. She’d just got herself into a downward dog position when a delivery van pulled up to the back door.

  After her initial start of surprise, she saw Gracie’s Flowers scripted on the side. Gracie? Sunny was almost sure that’s what Cade had called his sister.

  A petite blonde hurried out of the driver’s side, opened the van’s rear door and pulled out a box. Yep, she had to be his sister because she was tiny and Sunny definitely was a Sasquatch in comparison.

  Sunny stood next to the cushion she’d dragged into the greenhouse, unsure exactly what to do. It wasn’t her house so greeting the woman at the door didn’t feel right.

  The woman unlocked the back door and walked in, carrying the box in front of her.

  “Uh, hi,” Sunny said.

  The woman screamed, jumped, and promptly dropped the box.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Sunny said, she held up her hands. “I’m harmless.”

  The woman glanced from Sunny to where she’d nested in the sunroom and back to Sunny and smiled, obviously deciding she was neither a deranged killer nor a burglar.

  “Holy hell, you scared me.”

  “I didn’t mean to,” Sunny said, wincing. “That’s why I said something. I didn’t think you saw me standing here. By the way, I’m Sunny Templeton.” She stepped forward, offering her hand and a smile. “You must be Gracie.”

  She wasn’t sure she’d catch the family resemblance if she passed the other woman on the street but it was there. Granted, Cade was huge with darker hair and this woman was petite with blond curly hair, and Gracie’s eyes were sky-blue where Cade’s were tawny, but if you looked closely the shape and set of their eyes was the same. They also shared a similar mouth and a slightly square chin.

  Gracie kept her distance, her blue eyes puzzled. “How’d you know my name?”

  Sunny gestured outside. “It says it on the side of your van.”

  “Duh.” Gracie laughed and smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Yeah. I’m Gracie Stone.” She closed the gap between them and clasped Sunny’s hand in a quick, firm handshake. “Nice to meet you. That’s why you look familiar. You’re the lady on the flyer, the one that hit Cecil Meeks yesterday.”

  Sunny waggled her fingers. “That’s me.”

  Gracie moved the box over to the counter, the scent of fresh evergreen perfuming the air. “I don’t mean to be rude but how in the heck did you wind up here? I mean, Cade actually knows you’re here, right?” She propped against the counter, radiating curiosity.

  Did women regularly show up at his house uninvited? “He does. He brought me here last night.”

  “Holy hell.”

  That seemed to be one of her favorite expressions. “I beg your pardon?”

  “You spent the night here?”

  Sunny wasn’t prone to blushing but heat swept her face. “I…uh…stayed in the guest room.” But you won’t be tonight,
a wicked little voice whispered in her head.

  A grin spread over Gracie’s face that looked so much like Cade’s a funny feeling blossomed in Sunny’s chest. “Well. Hope springs eternal.”

  Sunny wasn’t quite sure what to make of that cryptic comment. Was it because she’d spent the night or because she’d slept in the guest room? She must’ve looked perplexed.

  “Cade’s lived here for over ten years and he’s never brought a woman out here. All his dating is strictly off-site. You must be special.”

  Sunny wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. They weren’t dating. They weren’t lovers…yet. “We’re not—he bailed me out last night.”

  She nodded, her mouth quirked in a rueful smile. “I saw the news last night. But how’d you wind up here?” She laughed. “Oops. I bet you’re getting there. I have a tendency to interrupt. My bad.”

  Sunny laughed along with her. Gracie Stone was like a little human minitornado but her good humor was infectious. For a brief, awful moment, the traitorous thought crossed Sunny’s mind that it would’ve been nice if Nadine was a little more like Gracie and a little less like…well, Nadine. “It’s sort of complicated. He took me home—”

  “Cade took you home?” Gracie looked as if she’d announced he took a spaceship to Mars.

  “He was just giving me a ride.” How the heck did she explain last night’s events? She settled on the abbreviated version. “It gets complicated from there, but I wound up here.” Okay, it just sounded weird and secretive when put that way.

  “The company bails out lots of people and he never brings any of them home with him.” Gracie appeared quite smug.

  “It was sort of a protective custody thing,” Sunny said, borrowing Cade’s phrase from last night. It sounded better than telling his sister he’d all but kidnapped her.

  Gracie smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. “Okay, if you say so.”

  Sunny didn’t particularly like that smile. “He says I’m a pain in the ass,” she blurted.

  Gracie grinned but said nothing. That was the wrong response. Sunny tried again. “He threatened to throw me over his shoulder and carry me out of the police station yesterday.”

  Gracie nodded. “He would’ve, too. He’s used to being in charge. You should’ve seen him with my boyfriend when I was in high school. Mark was scared to death of him. I always got home early. When I was a teenager I was convinced I was going to die a virgin.”

  Sunny busted out laughing but shot her a sympathetic look. She couldn’t imagine a seventeen-year-old boy having to face Cade’s unyielding stare.

  Gracie laughed along with her. “That’s just who and what Cade is—it’s as natural to him as breathing. Most of the time he has all the finesse of a linebacker, but he’s got a good heart.”

  “I can see that.” The finesse of a linebacker? Definitely. The good heart? He’d shielded her from the reporters and paparazzi and her own misguided notions when he didn’t have to, fed her and gave her a place to stay.

  “So, how long are you here?”

  That was the burning question. She was playing it by ear. A lot depended on how negotiable he was when he showed up. “Just until things die down.”

  For a few seconds Gracie wore a peculiar expression, as if she’d checked out of the conversation. She shook her head and smiled at Sunny as if she possessed a secret, then pushed away from the counter. “Well, I better get busy ’cause I’m burning daylight. The house isn’t going to decorate itself. You can either pretend I’m not here or you can help if you want.”

  Ignoring Gracie Stone seemed as improbable as ignoring her brother and she liked the woman’s outgoing personality.

  “I can help.”

  Sunny grabbed her shoes and jacket and together they unloaded mountains of fragrant greenery—cedar, pine, prickly holly and blue-spruce trimmings—and finally two fresh trees, which they placed in stands.

  “That’s it,” Gracie announced, brushing her hands together. “Now we can start decorating the house.”

  Sunny kicked off her shoes and pulled off her coat. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”

  “We’ll do the greenery first and the trees last,” Gracie said.

  Gracie kept up an ongoing stream of conversation while she worked on the mantel over the dining room fireplace. “I do Daddy’s and Cade’s houses every year for the holidays—otherwise neither one of them would bother. Cade likes it all decorated, but it’s just not in him.”

  Nope. She couldn’t see him decking his halls with boughs of holly. Sunny watched in amazement as Gracie twisted and tweaked pine and cedar into place on the rough-hewn mantel. Sunny could put together a jam-up Web site or design and construct intricate stained-glass pieces, but she was terrible at stuff like this.

  “Hey, hand me some of that holly—a big piece with lots of berries,” Gracie said.

  Sunny handed it off and Gracie continued her magic. “That looks great,” Sunny said.

  “Thanks. Me and Linc are artistic like our Mama was—she did the painting in here and up in the guest room. Cade’s like Daddy, which is why they bump heads. They’re too much alike. Linc did this.” She gestured to a piece of pottery on the mantel.

  Sunny traced her finger along the rounded, curved piece fired in shades of purple and green. “Very nice. Very sensual.”

  Gracie nodded. “Linc’s good. He lives in a loft downtown. Needless to say he does his own decorating. He does a great retro, silver-tinsel tree with colored lights—very funky. Have you met Linc?” Gracie asked, moving to the hall banister where she began to twine greenery. Sunny shook her head now because she didn’t think she could get a word in edgewise. “No? You’ll like him. Everybody likes Linc.”

  “He’s a bounty hunter, too, isn’t he?” she managed to slip in.

  “Bond-enforcement agent,” Gracie corrected. “Yep. I’m the only one not involved in the business. I got my horticultural and business degree a couple of years ago and then last year Cade helped me start my florist business.”

  Sunny noticed it was Cade and not their father who’d helped launch Gracie’s business. Interesting. The same as it had been Cade rather than their father who’d culled her dates. “Do you like having your own business?”

  They spent the next several hours hanging wreaths, stringing greenery and decorating the trees—one in the dining room corner, the other in the front window of the den to the left of the front door. By the time they were through, not only did the house look and smell fantastic—Sunny was inspired to get her own decorations out and up when she got home—but she felt as if she knew the Stone family intimately and they were an interesting bunch.

  Gracie had entertained her with stories about herself and her fiancé Mark Fletcher’s romance, how Georgia had tagged along with Linc and they’d fallen in love. She knew Linc played the guitar and Cade spent his spare time restoring cars. Cade had joined the family business immediately out of high school but had insisted on, and helped pay for, Linc’s and Gracie’s college education.

  While they’d covered the trees in ornaments that spanned nearly forty years—macaroni-noodle angels made by them in kindergarten, Popsicle-stick-framed Christmas photos—Gracie touched on how difficult it had been after their mother died, how their father had had a total breakdown.

  And in all the stories, it was always Cade that came up as the strong one, the alpha, the leader of the pack.

  By the time Gracie packed her van, Sunny knew the Stones were close in a way her family never had been and never would be.

  Gracie gave her a quick hug. “I’ve had the best time with you today. This was a lot more fun, and a lot faster, than if I did it all myself.”

  “I enjoyed it. It was great meeting you. I definitely know who I’m calling the next time I need flowers delivered.”

  “Definitely. I’ll take care of you.” Gracie paused on her way out the door. “The AA Atco Christmas party’s here next Friday night.” The one The Best Barbecue was catering with…pork. “I’ll s
ee you then.”

  “That’s nice of you to invite me but I’m not an employee.”

  “Minor point.” Gracie shot her a cheeky look as she ducked out the back door. “You’ll be there.”

  Chapter 11

  Cade garaged the ’vette and the beater he’d pulled out for Sunny before he’d left in the morning, relieved Gracie’s van wasn’t in the drive. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his sister, even though he appreciated her taking the time to decorate the house. He could’ve worked at least one more case but he wasn’t in the mood to deal with an FTA. It was midafternoon and for the first time in a long time—make that ever—he’d quit early with no plans to work any more today. The rest of the day was about Sunny. He slid the barn doors closed. Who was he kidding? The whole day had been about her. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head.

  He crossed to the back door. He had a feeling he’d find her in the back of the house. Brittle grass crunched beneath his feet and wood-smoke curled from the chimney, adding a tangy scent to the day’s crispness. The cold air stung the split over his eye.

  Cade walked in through the door to a fire burning in the hearth and the scent of evergreens. Sunny uncurled herself from a cushion, obviously “borrowed” from the couch, on the sunroom floor. It should’ve been intrusive to have her in his house. Instead it was nice to walk in to this, to her.

  “Hi.” Her smile and her eyes held a mix of welcome, challenge and sexual heat.

  “Hi,” he said, noting the way her jeans hugged her hips and her sweater skimmed the curve of her breasts.

  He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it onto one of the bar stools. Her gaze trailed over him and his body tightened as if she’d touched him.

  She eyed the bandage over his eyebrow. “I see you managed to not get yourself killed today. That’s a plus.”

  “I’m considerate that way. I didn’t want to inconvenience you. You should see the other guy.” He advanced on her.

  “No, thanks.” She frowned. “Does it hurt?”

  He smiled and trapped her against the counter. She smelled like sun-warmed woman—his woman. The air between them felt heated, charged, like the precursor to a summer storm. “If I say yes, will you make it better?”