“I have to get back to work,” Tracy said. She leaned over and kissed Peter. “Please stay. Your gun may be required to enforce the peace.”
When she stood, so did Drew and Dev. Their reward for the courtesy was a smile of appreciation, and an invitation. “Maybe tomorrow we’ll have a cookout,” she said. “I’ll give Julia a call once I talk to Jordan.”
“That would be great,” Drew said.
“We’ll look forward to it,” Dev said.
Ginny Rose came out of the kitchen carrying a large tray loaded down with plates of food. She set one in front of him, and all Drew could do was inhale. The large roll was heaped high with roast beef, and the aroma of the gravy and the onions made his stomach growl.
“God, that smells good. Thank you.” He smiled at her, and immediately became aware of Adam’s intense stare.
“You’re welcome.” She set plates before Julia and Dev.
Drew caught her blush when she looked at Adam. Not usually that aware of nuances, he certainly realized there were vibes of some sort traveling between the shy waitress and Lusty’s sheriff. He met that man’s gaze, hoping Adam realized he had no interest in Ginny Rose at all.
“Why don’t y’all bring that other table over, instead of trying to crowd out those wanting to eat their lunch?”
Ginny’s question, directed at the Benedict brothers, raised Adam’s eyebrow.
“Yes’m,” Kevin and Trey said, and immediately got up to do as she asked. By moving the smaller table over, they had to change the way their chairs were situated. The result did indeed give everyone more room, and moved the Benedicts further away from their sister.
“Anyone else ordering lunch, or are y’all just here to cause trouble?”
Adam’s eyes seemed alight with merriment as the three Benedicts quickly ordered lunch. Since they didn’t even have a single menu between them, they each asked for a hamburger and fries. Neither Adam nor Peter ordered anything, and Ginny, with a smart nod of her head, returned to the kitchen.
“I still haven’t received a straight answer as to whether or not Julia is engaged to the two of you.” Richard had obviously tired of trying to get an answer from his sister. “How do I know you’re even really interested in her, and not her money? How do any of us know we can trust you? You haven’t had the decency to introduce yourselves to us
or
our parents.”
Julia tensed beside him. Later, when they were alone tonight, he’d tell her how he believed Richard wasn’t purposefully goading her. He really was, just as Adam had said, totally clueless. But for the right now, Richard needed to be put down, and put down in such a way that he would stop baiting Drew’s woman.
“Did you know that your grandmother is our landlady?” Dev set down his fork and sat back, his gaze focused on Richard.
Drew smiled. It never ceased to amaze him that, at important moments, he and his best friend were on the exact same page. “And I believe she obviously not only trusts us but likes us,” Drew said, “as she brought us some of your Aunt Bernice’s homemade bread yesterday before heading off to Houston.”
Drew believed that between them, he and Dev had come up with a line of reasoning that Rick Benedict couldn’t possibly argue against.
How could he not be satisfied with that answer? In the last few days, Drew and Dev had discovered that Kate Benedict was considered by almost everyone in Lusty to be the matriarch of the families.
He didn’t think they could possibly have said anything to increase the tension between brother and sister. As it turned out, he was wrong.
“Oh,” Rick said. “Grandma chose the two of you for Julia. Good, then.” He looked at his sister. “I was hoping she would find some mates for you.”
* * * *
Julia knew she’d met and taken on these two SEALs without any help from Grandma Kate. She
knew
that. And yet there’d been enough whispers and speculation about the “matchmaking bug” that everyone seemed to think Grandma had. So despite all logic, little seeds of doubt began to sprout in Julia’s mind.
She didn’t like having doubts, and she especially didn’t like the fact that her pain-in-the-ass of a brother had given them to her. She felt her temper stirring all over again. No one could push her buttons the way Rick could.
Julia set her fork down, sat back in her chair, and sent Richard a stare that felt lethal because, quite simply, it was.
Before she could open her mouth, Adam said, “Personally, I’d be inclined to rule it ‘death by misadventure.’” Then he skewered Richard with as serious a stare as she’d ever seen on him. “If you open your mouth and say
one more thing
to your sister, I’m going to arrest you.”
“What are you pissed about?” Rick asked him. “I don’t get it.”
“That,” Adam said, “is clear to everyone.”
Peter sat forward. “Despite Tracy asking me to stay, I do have to get going. Julia, can you walk me out? I’m planning the honeymoon trip, and I need to ask you something about both of my fiancées’ preferences.” He looked at Drew and Dev. “If you don’t mind?”
Dev ran a hand down Julia’s back. Just that much of a touch eased her tension and steadied her.
“No, of course not,” Dev said.
Julia tilted her head to one side and wondered if Peter was just removing her from the front lines so the men could speak to her brother without her being there.
Richard Benedict made a hell of a savvy businessman but one piss-poor brother. So if that was what he was doing, then fine. She didn’t mind getting help from her lovers in dealing with Richard’s stubbornness.
Then again, it could very well be that Peter really just needed her advice. Who else would he ask? She pulled her thoughts back to the present, and Peter’s request. “Of course.” She looked down at her half-full plate. Her appetite had vanished.
Thank you, brother mine
.
“I’ll be right back.” She got to her feet, and when Dev and Drew both stood with her, she kissed each of them in turn.
Outside, Peter donned his sunglasses against the bight midday sun.
“Nice job trying to intimidate the SEALs,” she said. “Except I don’t think they intimidate very easily.”
Peter laughed. Then he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “No, I don’t think so, either. But we had to give it a try. My car’s just down by the sheriff’s office. Walk with me, please.”
“Was that the plan regardless of whether or not I showed up with them?” She walked with him, but the pace was nice and slow.
“Actually, the fact you
were
there with them surprised both Adam and me.”
“But why let a change in facts spoil a good game?”
Peter chuckled. “Busted.”
Julia didn’t begrudge him or Adam their “game.” What they’d done really had been nothing more than teasing. Benedicts and Kendalls had been doing that to each other, in one form or another, all her life. “And the advice you wanted?”
“It’s my job to arrange our honeymoon trip, and I want to surprise both Tracy and Jordan with my choice.” He stopped, and put his hands in his pockets. “Jordan’s parents are giving us the trip, and when Samantha told me how much money to spend…” He shook his head. “One of the things I keep forgetting is that the families are rich as Croesus. Until something like this happens, and I think, ‘holy shit!’”
Julia wondered if anyone had told him that those marrying
into
the families were presented with a nice little fortune of their own courtesy of the Town Trust. “That’s a lovely compliment. We don’t tend to live lavish lifestyles, on the whole. But there are times when we open the purse strings. Honeymoons are one of those times.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been looking, because I think what would be nice would be some sun and sand and
total
privacy. I was looking at this private resort in the Seychelles.”
Julia clapped her hands together once. “Oh, that’s perfect!” Then she threw her arms around Peter’s neck. He hugged her in response to her spontaneous burst of affection. She kissed his cheek then stepped back.
“Tracy will love it! She’s always wanted some sort of exotic locale for her honeymoon, and what better place than that?”
“I was worried she’d want to go somewhere more urban, than less off the beaten path. I think Jordan just wants us all to be together, and alone, for the week.”
“You’re absolutely right, he will. I think they’ll both be thrilled.”
Peter grinned. “Good. I’ll go ahead and book it, and just close my eyes when the price flashes up on the screen.”
“And I won’t breathe a word of it to either one of them!”
Peter caught her hand and kissed it. “Good girl. Now go back to those Navy SEALs before they come looking for me.”
“You go on to whatever you have to do, and look out for stray bullets.” Julia tried to keep a straight face as she tossed that last bit in. Everyone teased him about getting shot twice in two months.
“Ha, ha.” Peter got into his car, and Julia turned to go back to the restaurant. She knew Tracy would especially get a kick out of honeymooning where royalty had so recently done the same. She wasn’t concerned about her ability to keep the location a secret. She was very good at that sort of thing.
As she neared the restaurant, the back of her neck itched. She looked around, wondering why she felt as if someone was watching her. She knew just about everyone she saw walking along Main Street. Some waved, and she waved back.
Shaking her head and trying to rid herself of the weird sensation, she headed back inside. Hopefully Dev and Drew were nearly done eating.
Julia sighed. She really should try harder to get along with Richard. He didn’t even
see
the way he came across with her—or with most women. Maybe she’d talk to Penelope and find out what, if anything, she’d done to help her cousins Josh and Alex to finally get a clue.
* * * *
Juan Pecos lowered his newspaper, getting a good look at the woman. He’d used his cell phone to discreetly snap a picture. He caught the couple’s moment of affection, as well as another of them as they’d emerged from the restaurant.
He would see what he could learn about her over the Internet. In the meantime, he needed to keep his cover. He’d been in to a couple of businesses in town, dropping off his resumé, asking for work. He’d used his own name. If later the police questioned him, he would appear genuine to them. He was just a man looking for a job, with nothing to hide.
He’d lived in Texas all his life, and he knew the way Americans thought. Afterward, when the cops looked into the woman’s disappearance, all that any in town who saw him would be able to say was that he was Mexican.
That’s all he ever was to any of them, even though he was as American as they.
No matter. He would grab this woman. But first he would see what information he could find out about her.
He’d been loyal to Don Miguel for many years, and only now was he being rewarded. Juan wasn’t stupid. He knew the rewards came at a time when his
P
atrón
was desperate for revenge—and desperate to appear strong.
His Mama used to tell him that you need to be kind to everyone, because the people you met on your way up the ladder of success would be the same ones you met on the way back down.
Juan Pecos knew that Don Miguel Ramos was on the way down. It was time for Juan to look out for himself, and his own interests.
So he would see what he could find out about this pretty woman Special Agent Alvarez had chosen. Then he would take her—and perhaps offer her, not to Don Miguel, but to the highest bidder.
Chapter 9
“Well, that was very interesting,” Dev said.
“That was a
trial
, and I think I need to apologize.” Julia turned as he shut the door behind them. He reached for her, and she went into his arms. She wound her arms around his neck, and he kissed her. His mouth, hot and hungry on hers, fanned the embers of arousal within her to instant flame. His flavor drenched her, and his hands, caressing up and down her back, soothed and excited at the same time.
It occurred to her in that moment that when Dev or Drew held her in their arms, she felt safe and cherished, with not even a whisper of feeling bullied or controlled.
These two Navy SEALs had to be at least as bossy as her brothers. Why didn’t she feel bullied or controlled?