Deadly Adventure (Hardy Brothers Security Book 19) Page 8

  “So she comes into your office and has trouble with a stalker,” Jesse supplied. “That’s what you said, right?”

  “Someone tried to run her off the road and she felt as if someone had been inside her apartment,” James explained. “Once we realized who she was we had a nice reunion. I volunteered to check out the security on her apartment. Actually, Finn and Grady jokingly did, too, but for some reason I already felt territorial.

  “I thought it was just sexual attraction, because I definitely wanted her from the moment I saw her,” he continued. “Once I realized who she was, though, I knew she was off limits. I knew her when she was a kid. I couldn’t imagine feeling how I do now.

  “Anyway, we ended up having dinner a few nights later after I checked in on her,” James said. “I couldn’t stay away from her. I knew it was a terrible idea and yet … I couldn’t stop myself. I still wouldn’t let myself believe it was anything more than sexual chemistry, though.

  “I kind of lost my head one night and did what came naturally,” he said. “It was absolutely perfect.”

  “You sound like a chick, man.” Jesse grinned to let James know he was joking. “So, that was it? You were in love after your perfect night together?”

  James smiled at the bartender as he delivered a fresh beer and took a swig before responding. “No. At some point in the night I panicked. She was so warm next to me and she felt … so right. I didn’t want that, though. I fought it.”

  “And?”

  “And I left her sleeping alone in her apartment and snuck out,” James answered, shame washing over him. Every time he pictured Mandy’s face when she woke up alone the next morning it shredded his heart. He wasn’t one for regrets, but if he could take one thing back in his life, it would be that cowardly escape. “I went back to the office and tried to pretend I hadn’t just done something horrible.”

  “Horrible?” Jesse scoffed. “We spent years doing that exact thing with more women than I can count. It’s not horrible. It’s … sensible. Who wants to jilt a woman in person?”

  “The thing is, though, I didn’t want to jilt her at all,” James said. “I wanted to crawl inside of her and live there forever. It frightened me. My feelings for her were so intense I told myself it was one of those things that would flame out after we had sex.”

  “It obviously didn’t.”

  “No,” James said, shaking his head. “I sent Grady to watch her because I was a coward. She was furious and tracked me down. When I saw her face … she’d obviously been crying … that was it. I knew I couldn’t stand to hurt her again. I chased her out of my office, let her slap me, and then we went to bed for another perfect evening.”

  “Nice,” Jesse said, smirking. “Did you sneak out again?”

  “We’ve only spent a few nights apart since then,” James replied. “Most of those were because I had to take a trip to California before Christmas. Other than that, we’ve had a handful of fights and I’ve regretted being away from her because of my temper. If I crawl into bed next to that woman every night for the rest of my life, I will consider myself a lucky man.”

  Jesse was quiet for so long James thought he must’ve zoned out. When James risked a glance in his friend’s direction, he found Jesse smirking.

  “What?”

  “That was brilliant, man,” Jesse said, keeping his voice low. “Those women on the other side of you totally heard that. We’re in.”

  James glanced over his shoulder and forced a smile as the two women at the bar giggled and waved. When he turned back to Jesse, he was deadly serious. “Mandy is the only woman I’ll ever want.”

  “That’s great for you,” Jesse said. “I’m not asking you to betray Mandy. I’m asking you to be my wingman. I want one – or maybe both – of those women to welcome me back to the states with open arms.”

  James sighed. “I’m too old to play these games.”

  “You don’t have to play,” Jesse said. “You just have to stand aside and let me play.”

  “Knock yourself out,” James said, reaching for his beer. “Maybe you’ll luck out and find a woman to knock you on your ass like I did.”

  “Maybe,” Jesse said. “One thing is certain, though, I’m definitely going to enjoy the hunt.”

  MANDY wasn’t used to being up and showered before James so she took the opportunity to study his face the next morning as the sunlight wafted through the bedroom curtains. He was a beautiful specimen of a man, ridiculously handsome and strong. The morning stubble only made him more appealing. Given his late return the previous evening, Mandy had a feeling he was in for a rough morning, though.

  “James?” She hated waking him, but she wasn’t certain if he needed to be somewhere.

  He didn’t stir.

  Mandy cleared her throat and tried again, a little louder this time. “James?”

  “What, baby?” James asked, his tone tinged with irritation as he slapped his hand over his eyes. “It’s the middle of the night. Go back to sleep.”

  Mandy pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. He’d nursed her through a few hangovers and showed infinite patience while doing it. She owed him the same courtesy. “It’s almost eight, James, and I have to leave for work in five minutes.”

  James moved his hand and stared at the window. “Seriously?”

  Mandy couldn’t hide her giggle. “Seriously,” she confirmed. “I wanted to leave you sleeping, but I was worried you might have a meeting. I put aspirin and a bottle of water on the nightstand. If you don’t have to go to work, take the aspirin and drink the water and get some more sleep.”

  “I … .” James was muddled.

  “Did you at least have fun?” Mandy asked. “I don’t even know what time you came in. I was asleep.”

  “I’m sorry, baby,” James murmured. “I meant to be home by midnight, but Jesse was having a good time and wanted to play pool. We ended up calling cabs.”

  “Well, I can’t take you to your truck so you need to call Grady later,” Mandy said, rubbing her thumb against James’ cheek. “I’m glad you had fun. You need to take the aspirin, though.”

  James captured Mandy’s hand and kept it pressed against his cheek. “I missed my favorite part of the day.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Waking up before you and watching you sleep,” James admitted, guileless. “I like holding you while you sigh and make those little cooing noises. I missed it.”

  “Well, I think we’ll have plenty of other mornings to do it all over again,” Mandy said, biting the inside of her cheek. He was adorable. “You can do it tomorrow.”

  “I’m still annoyed I missed it,” James muttered. “How was your night? Did you get your pizza and some painting time?”

  Mandy nodded. “I completed an entire project. I’ll show it to you tonight. I think you’re going to like it.”

  “I like everything you do,” James said, dragging Mandy’s hand to his mouth so he could kiss her fingertips. “I’m sorry we didn’t get our morning chat either. I don’t like missing time with you.”

  “It’s a hangover, James. These things happen. I should know because you’ve nursed me through a few. I think I can handle it. I have to get to work, though. I don’t want to be late.”

  “I’ll text you later,” James said, leaning forward. “Give me a kiss before you go. I missed my loving last night and my cuddling this morning. I’m going to be a sad sack all day.”

  Mandy pulled her head back and offered James a rueful smile. “You’re going to miss your kiss, too.”

  “What? Why?” James managed to muster outrage, which was fairly impressive in Mandy’s book given his hangover.

  “Because you smell like stale beer and I don’t have time for you to brush your teeth.”

  “You said last night that I should kiss you no matter what,” James argued.

  “Did you?”

  “I honestly have no idea.”

  “Well, you can kiss me ten times tonight,” Mandy s
aid, smoothing her skirt. “I have to go. Text me when you’re feeling better. I’ll text back with a photo since I’m going commando again.”

  “Oh, baby! That’s torture,” James said, pressing a pillow over his face. “I missed it all!”

  “You can make it up to me later.”

  “You bet your sweet ass I will! Prepare yourself, woman.”

  Mandy smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  10

  Ten

  Mandy was almost done with her afternoon tasks when Judge MacIntosh found his way into her office. She glanced up, surprised, and offered him a worried smile.

  “Is something wrong?”

  MacIntosh chuckled as he sat on one of the chairs across from her desk. “Why do you naturally assume something is wrong?”

  “I … don’t know,” Mandy admitted. “You don’t generally stop in my office, though.”

  “I stop in your office every Monday,” MacIntosh countered. “It’s like clockwork.”

  “Yes, but that’s usually because Heidi is here and you like to know the office gossip,” Mandy said, flashing a warm smile this time. “I like that about you. It makes you seem like a normal guy.”

  “I am a normal guy,” MacIntosh said. “Well, other than the cape I wear under my robe.”

  Mandy giggled. She loved her boss. He was one of the few reasons she remained at the courthouse even though James wanted her gone and her heart was in her studio. “You’re funny for a judge.”

  “I have my moments,” MacIntosh agreed. “We haven’t had a chance to catch up since your return. How was London?”

  “It was great,” Mandy enthused, warming to the topic. “I had an absolutely wonderful time. James took me to Stonehenge and the wax museum. We took a tour on one of those buses with the open roof. We only had two days of rain.”

  “And how about the food?”

  Mandy wrinkled her nose. “The food was … not great. We survived, though.”

  “I’m glad you had a good time,” MacIntosh said. “I worried a bit that you would be angry about James going behind your back to secure time off. The other times he did that you were … unhappy … with his machinations.”

  Mandy sighed. “James likes to surprise me,” she said. “He gets a kick out of it. I keep saying I don’t like it, but I’m not sure that’s true. I think the trip was good for both of us. We needed the time together.”

  “You’ve been through a lot,” MacIntosh said. “You’ve been through more than any one person should have to deal with. James would throw himself on a grenade to protect you, but it’s not always possible.

  “I feel privileged to have been able to watch you two fall in love and build a life together,” he continued. “It’s something of a romance for the ages.”

  For some reason she couldn’t explain, Mandy’s heart dropped. “Are you firing me?” She had no idea why she blurted out the question. Losing her job would solve a multitude of problems, not the least of which revolved around telling the judge she was leaving in September. Still, she’d never been fired. She’d never been told her work wasn’t good enough. “I … did I do something wrong?”

  MacIntosh’s face remained unreadable. “Why would I fire you?”

  “I don’t know,” Mandy answered. “It might have something to do with all the time off I’ve been taking. Maybe there are cutbacks. If there are cutbacks, you should definitely lay me off instead of Heidi. She needs the job.”

  “You have a selfless heart,” MacIntosh said. “I’ve always known that. I am not, however, firing you.”

  “Oh.” Even though she didn’t want to be fired, part of Mandy was disappointed. “I … that’s good.”

  “You’re a terrible liar,” MacIntosh said. “I just saw fifty different emotions flash across your face. The first was worry because you thought you did something wrong. Then there was a brief bout of anger because you know you’re a good worker. Then there was worry again because you thought Heidi’s job might be in danger. Then, my dear, there was relief.”

  Mandy opened her mouth, flustered. “I … .”

  MacIntosh held up his hand to cut her off. “I know you’re leaving in September. It’s okay. I never expected you to stay here forever. You don’t need to hide it. You don’t need to twist yourself into knots while wondering how you’re going to tell me. I already know.”

  Of course he knew. He wasn’t an idiot. Mandy was still flummoxed. “Who told you? Was it James? Did he pressure you to boot me out of here early? I will kill him.”

  “James didn’t tell me,” MacIntosh replied. “No one told me. I figured it out myself. I am a judge, after all. Reading people is part of the job description.”

  “Oh, well, then ignore what I said about James,” Mandy said. “I don’t want to kill him anyway. It’s just … I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “You never wanted to be a clerk, but you picked a job you would be good at because you were frightened about following your dreams,” MacIntosh said. “It’s perfectly okay. Finding love with James allowed you to admit what you want and take a chance. I’m very proud of you.”

  “But … you’re going to have to replace me.”

  “That is part of life,” MacIntosh said. “I will miss you. I want you to be happy, though. This place doesn’t make you happy. It certainly doesn’t make James happy. You two can have the kind of life most people only dream about.

  “You can travel together and see the world,” he continued. “You can build your own perfect world. Heck, you’re mostly there already.”

  “But … are you angry I didn’t tell you?”

  “No,” MacIntosh answered, opting for honesty. “I wanted you to know I was aware, though. We will make sure we have a replacement in here so you can train her. You don’t have to fret about it. Stop making yourself sick with worry. I don’t like that.”

  “Thank you,” Mandy said. “I … that’s a weight off my shoulders.”

  “And that’s why I stopped in,” MacIntosh said. “You’re a part of my family, young lady. Just because you’re leaving the nest here, that doesn’t mean we won’t see each other outside of this courthouse. You’re leaving a job, not my life.”

  “You’re the best boss anyone could ever wish for.”

  MacIntosh smiled. “I know,” he said. “It warms me to hear you say that, though. I haven’t even given you the surprise I planned for you yet. Now I’m going to be elevated to the best boss in the universe. It’s a new milestone for me.”

  Mandy was legitimately confused. “I’m sorry. I … what are you talking about?”

  This time the grin MacIntosh shot in Mandy’s direction was mischievous. “Your husband isn’t the only one full of surprises. I’ve got a dilly of one for you.”

  “THIS place is something else,” Jesse said, watching as James maneuvered behind the bar in the guesthouse and reached for a bottle of whiskey. “I mean … you designed it with a Jaws theme.”

  James smirked. “It used to have a western theme but … something happened out here and we needed a fresh start.”

  “What happened?” Jesse asked, genuinely curious. “The western theme sounds amazing, by the way. Don’t get me wrong, I like the sharks, but the western theme sounds more … you.”

  “The western theme was already here when we bought the house,” James replied, pouring two glasses of whiskey over ice and handing one to Jesse. “I liked it a great deal but after what happened I wanted a complete change so Mandy wouldn’t be reminded of … the worst thing that ever happened to her.”

  Jesse swished the whiskey in his cup before sipping. “If you don’t want to tell me what happened it’s okay. It sounds bad.”

  “It was bad,” James confirmed. “I’m going to tell you because you’ll be in the office and hear things. Don’t ever mention it to Mandy, though.”

  “She can’t take it?”

  “She can take anything,” James replied. “I don’t want her dwelling on it, though. It’s been …
hard.”

  “Okay.”

  James directed Jesse toward the booth and sat across from him. “I told you Finn is engaged, right?”

  Jesse nodded. “I saw her on the stairs at the office this afternoon,” he said. “She’s very pretty. The kid is cute, too. Finn said they live upstairs.”

  “They do until they save up for a house,” James confirmed. “I think they’re happy up there for now. Emma is a new mother and she has constant help with Avery if he needs it.”

  “Avery is your wife’s maiden name,” Jesse said. “Does the kid have something to do with whatever you’re about to tell me?”

  “He has everything to do with it,” James answered. “Emma’s father was a man named Lance Pritchard. That name won’t mean anything to you, but he was big news around here. He molested a bunch of kids and went to prison. He was brutal … and he didn’t leave his own kids untouched.”

  “That is … terrible,” Jesse said, making a face. “That poor girl.”

  “Emma is stronger than anyone gives her credit for,” James said. “She survived. She’s a little shyer than the rest of the women, but she’s really coming out of her shell. She’s a good woman.”

  “Okay.” Jesse knew something big was about to be dumped on him, but he had no idea what.

  “A few months ago Lance Pritchard escaped from prison,” James supplied. “It was part of a conspiracy with the warden. That part isn’t important. Emma was very close to her due date and Pritchard was determined to get his hands on her.”

  “I’m guessing you guys protected her, right?”

  “Kind of,” James hedged. “We were looking for him and tracked down where we thought he was hiding. Mandy and Emma were left at the house alone. While we were gone, Pritchard attacked and Emma went into labor. It happened out here in the guesthouse.”

  “Holy … wow,” Jesse said, his eyes widening. “You guys got here in time, though. It ended well.”

  “We didn’t get here in time,” James said, gripping his glass tightly. “Mandy had to deliver Avery while Pritchard threatened to kill her and Emma. He was going to take Avery and run. I’m sure you can imagine what else he was going to do to him.”