CHAPTER SEVEN
TEN MINUTES LATER, Lisa found herself sitting at Gray’s kitchen table wearing one of his shirts and nothing else while he walked around in snug boxers and nothing else, making them sandwiches.
“I named the dog Shelby, after my partner, Vic Shelby.”
Lisa sipped a glass of sweet tea and watched Gray. Just looking at him was wonderful. Long, leanly muscled thighs sprinkled with dark hair. Flat abs sporting that incredibly sexy happy trail. And his chest and shoulders…
Looking at him melted her bones and made her skin too tight and stirred that insanely hot, sweet lust to life again.
It swelled her heart to know he would finally open up to her, and the combo of lust and tenderness nearly did her in.
“I like the name.”
“Good, because I’m keeping Shelby. I’d planned to get a dog after I got settled in anyway. She’s such a sweetheart, and some coward used her to send me that note.”
“And keeping her is the least you can do because you feel responsible?”
Turning his back to her as he sliced a tomato, he lifted a shoulder. “That covers it.”
His back was as amazing as the rest of him. And that tight butt…but it was his big heart that really got to her. “Aww.”
He scoffed at that. “Like I said, I wanted a dog anyway.” He glanced back at her. “You don’t mind?”
“One thing you should know about my family, we’re very pet friendly. I didn’t have a dog or cat because I traveled all the time. But I love animals.”
“And now that you’re here?”
She knew he deliberately left that open-ended. Unlike everyone else in her life right now, Gray didn’t push. He made his intentions known, and he was real up-front about wanting her. But that was as far as he took it. She appreciated that a lot. “Now that I’m here, I’d be happy to help with Shelby.” And maybe, if she ended up staying, she’d get a dog, too, a companion for Shelby. Or maybe a cat. She’d have to think about it.
“Now, about you and your partner and that wound that nearly unmanned you?”
“It was close, but luckily missed the vital parts.”
Very close. The scar, a jagged line, cut across the top of one thigh. Healed now, thank God, but what if it had been a few inches over? Worse, what if it had been a killing blow?
Gray studied her, then went back to the sandwich prep. “So one day Shelby—my partner—and I were checking out a domestic dispute. A neighbor had called about the noise, said she heard a lot of angry arguing. From the second we got there, I knew it was going to be bad. There were three men and one woman and tensions were already so high, no one was listening. Some scumbag had hit his wife, and her two brothers were there to defend her. The husband and one of the brothers had felony records, everyone was ramped up on adrenaline and rage, and before we could even ask any questions, shit went south in a big way.”
Gray had stopped moving. He had a butter knife in one hand, a piece of bread in the other, but he just…stood there. He seemed lost in the memory. A very ugly memory, given the strain in his broad shoulders.
Leaving her seat, Lisa walked over to him. She gently took the butter knife and bread and finished spreading the mayonnaise. “That’s when you got hit?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and put his head down. “Shelby took one to the chest and went down fast. I tried to cover him, but it felt like everyone was shooting, me, the two brothers, the husband…”
She leaned into him but didn’t look right at him. She sensed how personal and painful this still was for him. “I can’t imagine how devastating that must’ve been.”
“We’re trained,” he said. “But there’d been no prior indication we were walking into a fucking war zone. The entire time we were shooting, the lady screamed—until she wasn’t anymore.”
Hurting for him, Lisa swallowed hard, tears clogging her throat.
“I was crouched over Shelby, covering him the best I could, and I got off some good shots. Hit one of the brothers and her husband, but the other dude ran off. The woman was already dead. Blood was literally everywhere, soaking Shelby, all over me…”
Suddenly he caught himself. She heard him taking deep breaths, saw his hands clench and unclench. After a low, nearly inaudible curse, he turned and leaned on the counter, watching her.
Lisa did her best to look…not devastated. But in her mind she saw it all and her heart wept for him. In a very short time, he’d come to mean a great deal to her. She couldn’t bear the thought of him hurting, and yet he’d almost died.
Quietly, she finished the sandwiches and cut them into halves.
“You’re pretty good at this,” he finally said.
The lump in her throat almost strangled her, but she managed to keep things light. “At finishing up almost-finished sandwiches?”
“At listening.” His warm, somber gaze went over her. “And looking good while doing it.”
She gestured at his shirt, which she wore. “What? This old thing? I just threw it on.”
Smiling, Gray pulled her in close for a kiss and then just held her, his arms around her, his chin on the top of her head.
“You’re okay?”
“Yeah.” He squeezed her. “The bullet to my thigh just grazed me. At the time I didn’t even feel it. It wasn’t until the paramedics showed up and told me I’d been hit that it started to hurt like a son of a bitch.” He quieted, and Lisa waited, her arms around him, her cheek to his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. “The woman and one of her brothers were dead. Her husband, wounded, didn’t put up much resistance after that. They found her other brother within ten minutes.”
“Your partner was already gone?”
“No.” Gray’s hands contracted on her. “He held on for three long weeks. Seeing his wife go through that—I think that might’ve been the hardest part. We all knew he wouldn’t make it, that we were leaning on false hope. But you can’t help yourself.”
“No.”
“I’d just left the funeral when I met you.”
She kissed his bare chest, then his shoulder, then went on tiptoe to reach his chin and finally his mouth. “I’m very, very glad you survived, Gray Neely.”
Smoothing back her hair, looking at her, really looking at her, Gray nodded. “Me, too. Though I spent a hell of a lot of time wallowing in guilt because of it.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.”
“That’s the thing.” He cupped her face, his expression serious. “I waffled between guilt and rage and being just plain numb. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to do it. But that night with you, I finally felt again. Everything. All good stuff. I thought I’d never see you again, and I hated that, but I woke that next morning knowing I would start fresh.”
“In Buckhorn.”
“Random shot in the dark, babe. I was checking around for something different and saw the ad for the marina.”
“That’s certainly different.”
“But you know what?”
Since he was smiling now, Lisa smiled, too. “What?”
“I think it was fate.” Scooping his hands under her bottom, he lifted her up and stepped to the wall, gently pinning her in place. His voice went husky and his lips almost touched hers. “I think we’re good together.”
Though she told herself that her plans were still up in the air, her heart tried to dance out of her chest. “I think so, too.” Until Gray, sex was something she could take or leave, and usually she left it in favor of other, more exciting things—like wrapping up a new deal or finishing a business project. Now, well, she was starving but she’d gladly forgo the sandwiches if he wanted to take her right now. She couldn’t imagine anything that could take her away.
In that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than Gray.
And from the look in his eyes, she thought he might be feeling the same.
“No pressure,” he whispered. “I want you. Just about every way there is.”
Wait—what was he saying?
“But if you decided tomorrow to go back to your old job, I’d still be here in Buckhorn.”
“Um…okay?”
He smiled. “I want you to understand. You don’t need to feel responsible for what we do or don’t do, or how it might turn out. I like it here. I like your family, seeing the people who fish or swim or ski, the rowdy kids everywhere, and I like the lake. The broiling sunshine. The damp wind. All the birds and the frogs and turtles. All of it. I’m guessing I’ll even like the winter, when everything is frozen and white and I’ll be able to loaf around and put my feet up.”
It wasn’t easy to think because, really, he’d pinned her with his hips, which meant she felt his very noticeable erection. And he’d said he wanted her in every way there is. Confusing, to say the least—like, did he mean he wanted her beyond the physical, or maybe long-term?
All that, along with the scent of his warm body and the way he watched her with those stormy gray eyes—well, none of it was conducive to clear thought.
So she nodded.
That made his smile widen. “You have enough pressure, honey. You won’t get it from me. Know that I want you, but if you want something different, I’ll deal with it. That’s all I’m saying.”
Instead of giving her a chance to come up with a reply, or even to decide how she felt about his blithe attitude, he leaned in for a kiss, warm and soft, moving over her lips until she sighed. And maybe squirmed against him a little.
Her thoughts dissolved, her only focus on his mouth and how he tasted and how perfectly he worked those deliciously sculpted lips against hers. But as he started to trail kisses down her throat, she thought of something he’d said. “Wait.”
“Okay.”
She gasped for air, shook her head to clear the fog and caught his intent expression. “So.” One more necessary breath and she felt clearer minded. “You plan to take the winters off?”
“Shocking idea for you, huh?” He kissed the end of her nose, as if her astonishment was…cute. “I like the idea of working hard all summer, relaxing during the worst months in the winter. I’m thinking spring and fall will still bring in some business, right?”
Could he afford to just take off for months at a time? How much did cops make anyway? Surely not—
As if he’d read her mind, he put his forehead to hers. “I bought the house and business outright. I’m thirty-two and single, and I was always frugal, so I had decent savings. Add that to the profit I made when I sold my house, which had been a fixer-upper, and it was easy enough. All I’m paying on is my boat.”
Lisa sifted through everything he’d said, wondering why he’d told her about his financial status. But mostly she focused on one particular thing. She pushed him back to see him. “You have a boat?”
“You haven’t noticed it sitting out back?” Mouth twisting, he added, “Still on a trailer?”
Of course she’d seen it, but…there were a lot of boats sitting around the lot. In fact, that was probably partial income in the winter, storing boats in a secure place. “You have a boat.”
“Fishing poles, too.” He shrugged. “Seemed necessary, with me buying a marina and all.”
“A boat.” Why hadn’t she realized? “Well, we need to put it in.”
Very slowly, he grinned, then nudged his erection at her. “With you so far.”
Her face went hot. “Not that.” What was she saying? Backtracking, she corrected, “Okay, that, too.” He leaned in for another kiss, but she dodged him this time. “I meant your boat. Have you been out on the lake?”
“Once, before I bought this place.” He got comfortable—pressed tight to her. “The previous owner took me around.”
She gave it some thought. “How many hours do you plan to give to Petie?”
Gray shrugged, and as usual she enjoyed the flex of his strong shoulders. He held her up, between the wall and his body, with ease. “Now that he’s back for the rest of the season, I was thinking a few hours each evening, Monday through Thursday, then half a day on Sunday.”
“Perfect.” She could work with that. “What about me?”
He put soft, damp bites on her neck. “When I get off, I want you to get off.”
The toe-curling way he teased distracted her, but to be sure, she asked, “Are we talking about work?”
“That, too.” Grinning, he lifted his head and kissed her mouth. “I want us to have a few evenings together, and Sunday afternoons, too.”
He’d already been thinking about it? Planning for more time with her? That deserved a big hug, which she gave him. “You’re an excellent planner.”
“Know what I’m planning now?”
Her heart skipped a beat and she whispered, “Tell me.”
“I’m planning to eat a sandwich.”
“Gray!”
He smooched her again. “With you.” Slowly he lowered her to her feet. “Then a shower.”
She frowned.
Until he said, “With you.”
Now that sounded better.
“And then I want to go back to bed—”
“With me?”
He nodded. “And I’m going to love you head to toes, and all those hot places in between, until you give me some of those sexy moans and sighs again, and then I’m going to hold you all night. What do you think?”
Lisa smiled dreamily. “Sounds like the perfect plan to me.”
* * *
SHELBY CAME HOME midmorning the next day. Jordan delivered her, then hung around a few minutes to ensure she was comfortable and to go over some meds with Gray.
Looking very uncertain, the dog sniffed around, wary of everyone but hungry for affection. Gray admired her now, after her bath and with her fur brushed. “She’s beautiful.”
“Mostly a bluetick coonhound,” Jordan said, “but a mix for sure. Smart and gentle. I’m guessing at least ten years old, maybe older. I don’t think she’s at all aggressive, but keep an eye on her, okay?”
“I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Gray was careful to stroke her gently, especially around her abraded neck, taking care not to move too fast.
The rest of the day Shelby mostly slept, and the day after that she ate and slept, and the day after that she strolled out to the docks to laze in the sun—until kids showed up, then she lazed inside…and slept.
From what he could tell she didn’t have a single aggressive bone in her body. If anything, she was too timid. But at her age, and having been neglected, it made sense that she might be uncertain.
Every so often, if Gray sat long enough, Shelby would come over and stare at him, then lean on his leg. He quickly learned that was his cue to pet or scratch or just give affection. She’d tip up her face, close her eyes, and it looked as though she smiled.
She showed no interest in getting on the furniture and chose to sleep alone at night, which was a good thing since she snored. Loudly.
The first time he heard it was only a few hours after he’d made love with Lisa. They both should have been sleeping, but the noise kept him awake. He’d come up on an elbow to look at Lisa.
Eyes open, she said, “Don’t even think to blame me.”
He grinned. “It’s the dog.”
“Yeah.” Lisa smiled, too. She’d fallen fast and hard for Shelby, and did her best to pamper the dog. For the most part Shelby let her. “Guess we should get used to it.”
That simple statement had affected Gray, because it was an indication that she planned to stick around. And thinking that stirred him, so it was an hour later before they got back to sleep. And he’d held Lisa close all night.
Each and every night, Lisa stayed over. She always wanted him to talk, so he did, but she didn’t enjoy sharing about herself. She especially didn’t want to talk about her job or whether or not she’d be staying in Buckhorn. So he didn’t ask.
Everything he learned about her was from experiencing her, and paying close attention. Not a problem, since Lisa fascinated him.
When it came to Shelby, she seemed to have a sixth sense and just knew when the dog needed her. Like the time a woman came in with her little snapping dog that yapped incessantly and had Shelby backed up with her scruff starting to rise.
Suddenly Lisa was there, kneeling by Shelby, soothing her while glaring daggers at the lady. Gray scooped up her little ankle biter, got bitten in the process and nicely requested that the woman keep the dog on a leash, or carry it.
It wasn’t until the lady was leaving that he found out she was single—since she asked him out.
That was also when he got reminded of Lisa’s temper.
Gray had only smiled and thanked the woman, ready to make his excuses, when Lisa said, “Honey, did you want to grill tonight?” And she’d pulled him down to kiss him. On the mouth. Deliberately for the lady…who left with an apologetic smile, carrying her dog.
Yup, Lisa had a temper, as he’d witnessed when that yahoo had thrown the kid in the lake. Gray would never forget seeing the guy shout back at her and how he’d wanted to take the man apart.
But in most cases Lisa had great control and even better tact. Overall the customers, visitors and locals alike, loved her.
Some of the hopefuls that Amber had originally brought around still tried to flirt, but she was never more than casually friendly. He respected that a lot.
Lisa didn’t need compliments to continually feed her ego. She was smart, talented and accomplished. She knew it but didn’t brag about it.
Every damn day he wondered if she could possibly be content in Buckhorn. She didn’t seem bored. But neither did she say the menial work fulfilled her.
Shelby loved her. If she didn’t stick around, the dog would miss her horribly. In fact, Shelby fretted every morning when Lisa insisted on driving home to jog—for appearances.
Gray didn’t tell her that she’d seriously underestimated the intelligence of her family if she thought they hadn’t yet figured it out. From what he could tell, they were all observant enough to understand the way of things. Hell, Gray didn’t want to hide it.
But apparently Lisa did. So every morning she drove home and jogged and then came back to work with him wearing fresh clothes.
If he had his way he’d just move her in, but her house was nice enough that he supposed that didn’t make sense to her.
On the morning of the picnic, as Lisa was preparing to go, Gray walked Shelby downstairs to let her out in the back lot where she usually did her business. She still navigated the stairs with no problem, but at ten, how much longer could that last? Something to think about.
The stairs opened into the shop, and Gray immediately sensed something was wrong. Setting aside his coffee cup, he looked around but saw nothing amiss. Shelby, picking up on his tension or maybe sensing something he didn’t, gave a low snarl and crept toward the door that would lead to the back lot.
The dog was normally so passive that the feral sound surprised Gray.
“Easy.” He put a hand in her collar in case he needed to restrain her, then opened the door—and stepped into one hell of a mess.
Shelby tried to dart out, but he stopped her. Until he made sure the vandal was gone, he wouldn’t take any chances. Turning, he called toward the stairs, “Lisa? I need you.”
* * *
LISA STOOD BACK with Shelby on her leash, distraught over the destruction done to the lot. Shelby wasn’t happy, either, so on top of taking it all in, Lisa did her best to soothe the dog.
Splattered paint covered everything, thrown on the trees and Shelby’s new fence and the grass. Vile words covered the back of the building and the trailer for Gray’s boat.
His boat.
Oh, no. Pivoting around, urging Shelby to follow, Lisa started down to the docks.
Gray materialized in front of her. He looked scruffy, intense and all alpha-male protective. “Where are you going?”
Lisa had a hard time answering. Gray hadn’t yet put on a shirt or shoes, and his shorts hung low. She knew he tried to keep his expression neutral. Did he fear showing her the anger he surely had to feel?
How had he even noticed her leaving? One moment he’d been talking with Tucker and Morgan, who’d again shown up together. They’d been calculating the damage, going over everything, and then poof, Gray stood there in front of her.
Lisa shifted her bare feet on the dew-wet grass. The sun was up, already scorching the day, but night on the lake always left everything wet with humidity. It’d take another hour at least to dry out the area. “Your trailer is ruined.”
“It can be cleaned off, probably with a power washer.”
“It can?”
He scratched his bare chest, swatted away a bee and stared down at her. “Wet as everything is, the paint didn’t get a good chance to dry. It’ll be fine.” He dropped his hands back to his hips and asked again, “Where are you headed?”
She hated to say it aloud, but he waited, his gaze never wavering from hers… She winced. “Your boat.”
His face went blank before dark emotion flashed into his stormy eyes. “Shit.” He took off at a fast clip down to the shore, striding along the boardwalk and then down the dock and—she heard his muttered curse over whatever he found.
He’d been through so much, but he’d found his place again here. He liked Buckhorn. Really liked it. Why was someone tormenting him like this?
Coming up alongside her, Morgan automatically reached for the leash and took the dog from her. Shelby didn’t mind. She panted up at Morgan with near adoration. Her uncle, a big softie when it came to animals, squatted down to give the dog attention.
Shelby sniffed him all over.
“She smells your own pets,” Lisa told him. Shelby had an amazing nose. Often she’d smell a dog before customers entered with their pets.
“You’re a good girl, aren’t you?” Morgan said to Shelby, then he looked up at Lisa. “He’s made an enemy.”
The sudden switch threw her. “Gray? Don’t be silly. Everyone loves him.”
His brow went up. “Everyone, huh?”
She froze, but quickly shook it off. “With the security lights and knowing Gray lived upstairs, a person would have to be very ballsy to get close enough to do all this.”
“Ballsy, or nuts,” Morgan said, standing again. “I’m betting on both.”
“That’s why you’re here?”
He shrugged. “Tucker told me when Gray called. Assuming you’d be here, too, I decided to tag along.”
Lisa snorted. Morgan might have retired as the sheriff, but he still involved himself in every situation.
“Know what I’m wondering?”
Feeling a trap, Lisa didn’t look at him. But that didn’t stop her uncle Morgan. Very little ever did.
“I’m wondering why Gray didn’t hear anything. He must have been…preoccupied?”
“Or sleeping,” she said with a frown. “Don’t most people sleep at night?”
“Yeah.” Morgan still watched her too closely. “Unless someone is fresh to a romance. Then there are usually better things to be doing, things that could distract a man.”
So now she was a distraction?
The sounds of a truck on the gravel drive saved her from replying. Both she and Morgan turned to see Garrett had arrived. Her cousin, Morgan’s son, was a firefighter. He was also friends with Tucker. For those reasons, Lisa supposed he had some interest in any mischief caused in Buckhorn.
Looking around again, she took mental inventory of what would be needed to clean and repair everything.
“So you spent the night, huh?”
Startled by that abrupt statement, her gaze clashed with her uncle’s again. Her laugh sounded guilty, as did her exclaimed “What?”
Morgan looked at the dog, shook his head as if Shelby would understand and then slung an arm around her. “I know the signs, honey, so don’t bother denying it. I’m not judging you. I’m just surprised. I mean, that was fast.”
Heat rushed into her face. What would Morgan think if he knew she’d originally hooked up with Gray within hours of meeting him?
“Never known you to move fast before.”
“Uncle Morgan—”
“I’ve never known her to move at all,” Garrett said, joining them. “She’s usually too involved with her work. But Gray seems all right.”
They heard Gray muttering curses mixed with threats as he pulled ruined equipment out of his boat.
“All things considered,” Morgan said.
“If he coerces her into staying,” Garrett added, “then I like him.”
“He’s not coercing,” her dad said, making Lisa jump. “Told me so himself.”
Lisa rounded on him, and saw that he had her uncle Sawyer and Shohn with him.
Shohn said, “Hey, cuz,” as if they hadn’t already intruded.
She threw up her hands. “This is ridiculous. It was vandalism. Why are you all congregating here?”
Sawyer drew her away from Morgan and in for a hug. “Because you’re here.”
“That’s what I told her,” Morgan said.
“And Gray,” Shohn added, “has an enemy.”
“Told her that, too.”
“No one wants you caught up in this,” her dad told her.
Damn her fair skin, she blushed from her neck to her hairline, and no wonder, with the majority of her male relatives standing there studying her, knowing her and making some accurate guesses.
As her dad searched her face, his brows shot up. He glanced at Morgan, who shrugged. Then at Garrett, who grinned.
Shohn sighed. “Well, hell. You’re already in it knee-deep, aren’t you?”