Three Little Words

Page 24

He glanced at the pitcher. “No. I’m good in bed. Anything else, we’re going to have to hire out.”
A reasonable trade, she thought, then glanced at the stack of records he’d accumulated. “You’re buying all those?”
“Yup. They’re cheap enough. Gideon can give away the ones he doesn’t want or already has.”
They paid for the records and took them to the Jeep, then returned to the second barn. There Ford was excited to find a couple of tables overflowing with vintage Harley memorabilia.
“For Angel?” she guessed.
“Just a couple of things.” He tucked them into an empty box from the stack against the walls. “Let’s go look at toys. I’ve got nieces and nephews born what feels like every other month.”
By noon, they’d nearly filled the back of the Jeep. Isabel had fallen in love with an old handmade quilt. She’d also bought two antique wedding veils. She might not be into all things vintage, but some of her clients were.
They walked around the barn to an open, grassy area. There, tables and a grill were set up. Ford ordered two burgers while she grabbed canned soda and chips. When their food was ready, they sat at one of the picnic tables.
“Okay,” he said, smearing mustard on his burger. “You were right. This was better than I thought it would be.”
“They aren’t all like this,” she pointed out, “but I’m glad you had a good estate-sale experience.”
“You’re gloating,” he said with a grin. “Admit it.”
She laughed. “Okay, yes. I love to be right. Doesn’t everyone?”
“Not me. I’m a consensus builder.”
“Oh, sure. That’s why you’re always betting with Angel about races and workouts.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He took a bite of his burger and chewed. When he’d swallowed, he said, “He and I haven’t been doing that as much. I guess because I don’t live with him anymore.” His gaze settled on her face. “Not that I’m complaining about my living arrangements now.”
She sipped her soda but didn’t speak. Ford had pretty much moved into the house. He spent every night in her bed and hogged the shower in the morning. The good news was, he was only in it for about fifteen seconds. Apparently the navy taught a seaman how to shower quickly. No doubt it was about the whole being-on-a-boat thing.
“You’re saying I’m more fun than Angel?” she asked.
“You’re a different kind of fun.”
“Thanks.” She picked up her burger. “What about when you were on missions or whatever? Did you have girlfriends there?”
“A girl in every port?” he asked as she took a bite and chewed.
She nodded.
“No. We would go in, do what had to be done and leave.”
“Were you ever stationed in another country?”
“Lots of times. A few years ago, I was invited to be part of a task force. We pooled skills.”
“Any women?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What do you want to know?”
“I’m not sure. Nothing specific. Were you like James Bond, with a woman waiting around every corner, or more like in those war movies where the only women are waitresses?”
“Not a lot of women where I went,” he said. “No women on the team. Consuelo worked with some special forces units, but we never had an assignment together.”
“Then how did you meet?”
He grinned. “She’d been flown in for a secret assignment. My team was there for a different op. Quarters were tight and she had to bunk somewhere. I offered my room.”
Isabel put down her burger. “You slept with her?”
She tried to keep her voice calm, but it was difficult. Knowing Ford loved all women but committed to none was one thing. Thinking about him with beautiful, sexy, dangerous Consuelo was something else.
“Sleep with her?” He shook his head. “No way. Not only did she threaten to cut off my balls if I tried anything, she reminded me of my sisters. That wasn’t very appealing.” He shrugged. “We became friends. She wasn’t with me and Angel when we rescued Gideon, but she was waiting in the village. She’s the one who found Gideon the place in Bali.”
His dark eyes widened. “You’re not worried that I had a thing with her, are you?”
“Not anymore.”
“She’s not my type.” He put his hand on top of hers. “Hey, I’m faithful. I might not marry the girl, but I don’t cheat on her.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Do you believe it?”
She nodded.
They went back to their lunch. Isabel knew that she had to keep her heart safe when it came to Ford. That what had started out as something fun but meaningless had turned into something more. Not just because he’d helped her figure out what it really meant to be physically intimate with a man, but because she liked him. From the flames painted on his Jeep to the records he’d bought for his friend, to how he brought her coffee every morning, she liked him. But he was committed to staying and she was committed to leaving, so anything other than what they already had wasn’t possible.
She would be strong, she told herself. She would hold her heart separate and not let him touch her emotions. It was safer that way.
After lunch, they made a quick pass through the house, but didn’t see any furniture they had to have.
“Just as well,” Ford said. “We don’t have the room.”
“They said they’d hold it. We could have made a second trip.”
“I don’t go backward,” he said. “Move forward or die.”
“That’s a cheerful philosophy.”
He held open the passenger door for her. She started to climb into her seat, only to find a small box there.
“Did you want to put this in the back?” she asked, holding it out to him.
“No. It’s for you.” He shrugged. “It made me think of you, so I got it.”
She opened the box and saw a dragonfly pendant on a delicate gold chain. The dragonfly was made up of different-colored stones. Sapphires and amethysts, garnets and topaz. The small pendant was both beautiful and whimsical.
“I love it,” she whispered, then looked at him. “Thank you.”
“I know pretend-dating me has been hard on you.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “Not the sex. We both know I’m a god in bed. But dealing with my mom and family stuff. You’ve been great and I appreciate it. This is to say thank you.”
She took the necklace out of the box and handed it to him. After turning so her back was to him, she moved her hair out of the way.
He fastened the necklace around her neck and she released her hair.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“Beautiful,” he murmured. “Just like you.”
He lightly kissed her, before stepping back and closing the door.
She touched the small pendant, then reached for her seat belt. Ford got in next to her and started the engine. They discussed the best way back to Fool’s Gold, but her heart wasn’t in the conversation. It was, she realized, shifting loyalty. Her plan of keep it, and her, safe had a flaw she hadn’t noticed before. That flaw was Ford himself. A man it might be impossible not to love.
* * *
FORD LOOKED AT the empty plate on the table. He and Angel had already eaten nearly a dozen cookies between them. Getting more would mean a harder run later. But the price might be worth it. The planning meeting was tough to get through. Sugar and another coffee might help.
“Don’t even think about it,” Angel said with a growl. “Keep your ass in the chair.”
“Are you talking to me, old man?”
Angel looked up from his pad of paper. “We have to get this done today. Justice has to present the obstacle course to the client.”
“And that would be your job,” Ford reminded him. “I’m the sales guy.”
“You’re bringing in too many customers,” Angel mumbled.
Ford leaned back in his chair. “Sorry, what? I didn’t catch that.”
“I should kill you where you sit,” his friend grumbled.
Ford looked around the brightly lit interior of Brew-haha. “And ruin Patience’s store? The one she’s worked so hard on? Justice wouldn’t like that. Plus, with me dead, you can kiss your successful business goodbye.”
“We’d find another sales guy.”
“Not like me.”
Angel tossed down his pencil. “If you’re so damned special, you fix it.”
Ford took the pad and studied the design. “Who’s this for again?”
His friend swore. “Seriously? We’ve been talking about these customers for an hour and you don’t know who they are?”
“I was thinking about something else.”
Angel’s expression darkened. Ford recognized he might be hitting the breaking point.
“Corporate, right?” he asked hastily. “So we need to assume some of the team are out of shape.” He looked back at the course Angel had come up with. “Walk-arounds.”
The other man’s eyes brightened. “Walk-arounds. We get to build a challenging course and no one gets dead.”
“Or seriously injured.”
Angel took back the pad and started making notes. “You think they expect that? There has to be some blood. If there isn’t, how will they know they’ve had a good time?”
“Civilians don’t think like that, my friend.”
A walk-around would mean anyone could simply walk around whatever the challenge was. A rope bridge, a chin-up bar, anything they couldn’t physically do. But they’d stay with the group and enjoy the collective experience.
“Is rappelling too much?” Ford asked. “It’s hard but satisfying. It would give them something to talk about on Monday morning, when they’re back at the office.”
He paused, but there wasn’t an answer. He returned his attention to Angel to find his friend staring at a woman getting coffee.
“You know her?” he asked.
Angel didn’t speak. As far as Ford could tell, the man wasn’t breathing. Slowly, his expression tightened from interested to predatory.
Ford looked back at the woman. She was tall, with long dark hair that hung straight down her back. She had on a suit, so she worked in some kind of business, and she wore those really high pumps that he’d always thought were a good way to break a leg. Although he had to admit she wore them well.
She was attractive enough, he supposed. Nowhere near as pretty as Isabel, but few women were.
The woman paid for her latte, got her drink and left without once glancing at Angel.
“Who is she?” Ford asked.
“Hell if I know.”
“You’re going to find out?”
Angel gave him a slow, determined smile. “If it’s the last thing I do.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“SHOULD WE SAY something?” Patience asked as she and Isabel walked into Jo’s Bar for lunch. “Do you think she saw us?”
“I don’t think we should worry,” Isabel said. “We’ve had lunch at other restaurants before.”
“But not right in front of me,” Jo said, appearing out of nowhere and staring at both of them. “Really? Street food? Is that what it’s come to? Have I been wasting my money on things like tables and chairs?”
Isabel couldn’t tell if the other woman was kidding or not, and based on her silence, Patience wasn’t sure, either. Felicia walked in and moved toward them.
“Jo’s upset,” Patience murmured.
“Don’t be ridiculous. She has no reason to be upset. There’s no way to avoid competition, especially in a town this small. Maybe Ana Raquel shouldn’t park directly in front of Jo’s place, but other than that, she’s within her rights. Besides, the street food will be less appealing when it gets cold, and Jo’s customers will return. She hardly wants to chase them away by pretending anger.” She paused. “I could be wrong about all of that, too.”
“Nope,” Jo said, handing them menus and pointing to a table by the back wall. “I heard you were expecting a big crowd today, so I saved that space.”
“She was messing with us,” Patience said. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“I’d go with it,” Isabel told her. “We love coming here.”
They took seats at the table. Charlie and Noelle arrived next. Consuelo followed. Heidi and Annabelle Stryker took chairs and said how happy they were to join them for once. Taryn Crawford arrived last.
As the tall, gorgeous brunette walked up to the table, everyone went silent. Isabel motioned to the seat she’d been saving next to herself and rose.
“Everyone, this is Taryn. She’s new to town. Her business is moving here.”
“Officially after the first of the year, but I came early to get things ready.” She raised her eyebrows. “I was promised you weren’t especially nice and I’m hoping that’s true.”
Charlie chuckled. “Next time sit by me.”
“Sure,” Taryn said as she sank into her chair.
“I’m going to go around the table and introduce everyone,” Isabel said. “Then you’re on your own.”
“Great suit,” Heidi said when Taryn had been introduced to them all. “I never get to dress like that. It wouldn’t be practical.”
“What do you do?”