Penny finished loading the dishwasher and wiped her hands on a tea towel. She’d had so much Gondola food left, they’d both been able to make a meal from it. If Clive stayed very long, he’d learn cooking was not in her skillset. But she was excellent at takeout, so they wouldn’t starve. And day-old Gondola food was better than most other food anyway. Like Cindy, she’d worked at the restaurant during her undergrad days and had a whole secret menu in her repertoire. She could order things with the best of them. Many days, she stopped by the Wharf before leaving campus and bought soup or a salad to take home with her.
Food…was not what it was about right now, though. How about the fact a man who could kiss like a house on fire—sorry, Chief Mac. Their family patriarch who still had not stepped down from his position as chief of the Cedar Valley Fire Department didn’t appreciate fire jokes. But, no matter how she considered it, Clive Harrington turned her on more with a simple, maybe not so simple, kiss than any man who’d gone much further.
And he was her first fiancé, as well. Fake fiancé, but maybe they could call it fake fiancé with benefits.
Penny!
“Well, I’ve had a look around the place for security issues.”
She jumped. “Where did you come from?”
“England, luv.” He flashed her that cheeky grin. “I thought I told you that.”
“I mean now, and you know it.”
Taking the towel from her hands, he hung it on the hook by the sink and led her out of the kitchen. “Let’s sit in the lounge and talk.”
Lounge…UK speak for living room. She loved his turns of phrase. Penny, suddenly interested in all things English, stopped him long enough to brew some tea, apologizing for the bags and learning many people in his country, including her current guest, used bags most of the time. Then, as he’d requested, they moved into the living room and settled on the sofa. The fire he’d built while she reheated their dinner crackled and popped in the stone fireplace. She cradled the mug of orange pekoe between her palms and settled into the cushions with a sigh. “It’s been a long day.”
“For me, too.” Clive lay back in the opposite corner of the couch from her, making her wish she had the nerve to scoot over there and join him. “Feels good to sit by the fire.”
“Yes…oh, your day had to be tiring. How long was your flight?”
“Long. But I didn’t mind.” He sipped his tea. “You brew a proper cuppa.”
“Thank you. I am a coffee girl, but in the evening, tea just seems like the right thing to have. Cookie?” She nudged the plate of Oreos on the coffee table closer to him. “I opened the package myself.”
“Quite the homemaker.”
Her cheeks heated. “No, I hardly cook, have a weekly housekeeper, and I’d like to grow a garden but I travel too much to keep anything alive.”
He nodded. “Well, that answers the first question I planned to ask. Does anyone else have a key to your home besides the housekeeper?”
“No…well, a cousin or two. And my mom and dad. Why? Nobody I don’t trust.”
“Your family is probably fine, although I don’t know them and haven’t had them checked out yet.”
“What?”
“It’s just procedure.” He picked up a tablet and typed in a note. “How long have you known the housekeeper?” He’d carried his duffel and briefcase in and changed to jeans and a sweater before dinner. The man looked amazing in anything.
“Several years.”
“Even so, I want you to give her a little vacation while we deal with whoever is stalking you. I don’t want anyone coming up here while you’re not home. For several reasons.”
Setting her cup down, she blew out a breath. “Okay. Want to share them with me?”
“Of course. First, she could be someone who they could use to get to you. She could owe money to someone or have a child or spouse who does. She could just be glad to get some money.”
“She’s not like that,” Penny protested. “She’s very nice, she—”
“She could be in danger, too.” The words hung there for a moment before he went on, the firelight playing on his face, adding even more drama to what he was saying. “With all the trees out there, and shrubbery…have you considered getting a gardener, since you don’t have time to do it? It’s like a jungle. An entire army could be lurking in the brush and trees when she comes to clean your house, kill her—sorry, but they could—take the key and wait in your house to kill you.”
A pang hit her below the breastbone. She’d been so worried about herself. What about others? “Oh no. I’ll text her right away and tell her not to come until I ask her to. I’ll pay her so it doesn’t hurt her family budget.”
“And we’ll change the locks anyway. Too many keys out there.”
She started to protest then realized it was pointless. After requesting help, she needed to accept it. “I can probably get a locksmith out here tomorrow.” As far out of town as her house stood, she’d be lucky to get one at all, but maybe Chief Mac could convince the guy if he didn’t want to make the long drive.”
“Unnecessary. I’ve got it covered.”
“What about the rest of my team? What if he sends people after them? I should let them know.”
“No. Don’t contact them. If he hasn’t found them, you might be leading him to them. Your organization is working with Phoenix to make sure they are protected. I can’t tell you more; it’s need to know.”
“That’s okay. If something happens, it’s better if I can’t give them away.” This was spiraling out of control. “It’s so weird, though. I always felt danger while on our missions, but home, well, home felt safe. Now it might as well be a war zone.”
“You don’t—”
Suddenly, the living room was flooded with light. She stood and banged her knee on the coffee table as she raced toward the window. “Ouch!” She hopped the rest of the way. “What’s going on out there?”
Clive followed Penny across the room. How could a woman with a nearly perfect safety record in war zones and areas controlled by violent warlords and drug kingpins be so foolish? He put his arm around her waist and supported her where she peeked through a crack in the curtains.
“First, don’t you ever rush to see what’s going on like that again. At least on my watch.”
“Oh.” She let the curtains drop and rubbed her knee. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, just be careful.” He would have to be faster to protect her from herself. “Did you hurt your leg?”
“No, I’ve hit my legs on that table more often than I like to admit. If it wasn’t so handy for working and eating, I’d smash it up and burn it in the fireplace.” She leaned into him for a moment before stepping away. “So, who is out there? I gather if it were a danger, you’d have yanked me away instead of just reminding me not to be an idiot.”
“No, I got a text letting me know they were a few minutes out while you were brewing the tea.” Clive guided her toward the door, relieved she didn’t limp. “Come outside and meet the crew. They’re a very specialized group, here to make the property secure.” A half-dozen vehicles were parked along the curb and in her driveway. He’d heard them arrive, but for some reason she hadn’t. They’d have to work on her awareness of surroundings. The fact she was so successful in her fieldwork indicated she bore the skills, but she would need to remember to apply them all the time, including at home.
“But…this is just a temporary problem.” Penny followed him out into the yard, aglow with floodlights and populated by a dozen tall, muscular men carrying equipment toward her home. “This is crazy.”
“No.” He waved to the crew chief, a man he’d known years before. “Unless you plan to give up your international work, it’s a problem likely to recur. Our goal is to ensure your safety now and in the future.”
“Oh.” Her very soft reply made his heart ache and his protective instincts flare. “I always felt safe here. But I see that was foolish.”
Clive squeezed her waist and stepped away from her. “Allow me to introduce Trent O’Donnell. He was in the RAF, worked on jets, along with me, but on the computer side, where I was a mechanic digging around in motors. Smart bloke who turned his talent into a successful civilian business. Trent, meet Professor Penelope MacKay. The client.”
Trent’s open, friendly manner and almost comical beanpole physique, made more obvious by the muscular types who carried out his commands, charmed Penny just as he’d expected. “Nice to meet you, Professor. We’ll try not to disturb you or the neighbors too much.
Penny accepted his congenial handshake and returned his smile. “Since my nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away, I doubt that’s a danger. And how could I be upset at you helping me? What I am worried about, Clive, is how I can afford this.”
“Trent, we’ll go inside and leave you to it. Text if you need me.” They left him and walked side by side back inside the house, Penny practically twitching beside him. “Wait until we’re alone, and I’ll try to put your concerns to rest, okay?”
“Whatever you say.” She stumbled over the doorstep. “Dammit, I’ll end up breaking a leg at this rate.”
He steadied her, and, once they were inside, he closed the door.
“You aren’t locking it?” Penny asked. “Oh, silly. Because we have a yard full of protection.”
“That and they’ll be replacing it shortly.”
“The lock?”
“The door.”
“Oh no. I agonized over just the right one with the pretty stained-glass panes and… I’m an idiot.”
“I keep telling you you’re not.” They sank onto the couch. This time, he sat next to her with a scant inch between them. “You’re a brilliant and insightful woman.” He patted her arm. “And pretty, too.”
“Do you think so?” She blushed. “Wait, don’t do that.”
“What?” He picked up an Oreo and screwed it open. “We’ve only had these in England for a decade or so, but I’ve become quite fond of them.”
“Quit trying to distract me. Compliments and cookies?” She stuffed an Oreo into her mouth and sat back, chewing.
“Saw right through me.” Outside, lights flashed, thunks and low voices carried to them. Anyone would be unsettled, and she appeared so petite and delicate, although her field record indicated more steel inside than posies. “I think you’ll agree, sleep is impossible while they work, so let’s use the time to go over the procedures we’ll be employing to protect you.”
She swallowed and licked a crumb from her lips. Clive tried not to think about it or they’d be kissing again. If he couldn’t focus on his job, he’d have to remove himself from it. “By we, do you mean the crew out there and then, after they leave you?”
“The particular guys outside will be withdrawing in a couple of hours. Their monitoring from that point will be offsite, with the exception of one man who will be staying in the apartment over the garage. I hope that’s all right. I found it when I was surveying the place.”
“Sure, of course,” she mused. “But”—her gaze flashed to him, alarm in her wide eyes—“I am comfortably off, but this…this has to be beyond my budget. I doubt I can even afford you.”
He shrugged. “His Lordship’s compliments. There will be no bill.”
“Oh, I can’t possibly accept. No matter how kind he is, I am not his responsibility.” She moved to stand up, but he gripped her wrist. “No, let go. I need to tell all those men to stop.”
“You can’t.” He tugged her against him and laid his arm over her shoulders.
“What do you mean I can’t?” She tried to shrug him off, but he hugged her while keeping her from standing up. “Let go of me.”
“I will. But first listen. Your cousin cannot have any worries. At all.”
She sagged against him. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me why?”
“Her pregnancy is not as smooth as the doctors would like, and they have ordered her to rest, preferably in bed. That’s the main reason you got me and not his Lordship.”
“Well, crap. Why didn’t she say anything? It’s not fair that he should bear the burden of taking care of me when Amelia needs him. And paying? No. I can’t accept that.”
“Amelia will be fine as long as she relaxes, and his Lordship insisted. As Amelia’s favorite cousin, you’re his family as well. The money is no issue, I assure you.”
“God, I hate this.”
Clive stroked her hair, the fall over her shoulders like black silk. “I know. You’re a strong, independent woman. But allow him his pleasure in taking care of family.” He felt a pang, thinking of his own mother. Hopefully, she would be well while he was away.
“Did I say I hate this?”
He chuckled. “I think you mentioned that. Now, let’s start to go over the plan.”
Two hours later, the crew cleared away, leaving a new front and back door, sensors installed on all the windows, and a plethora of other security measures behind. A man was ensconced in the apartment over the garage, to watch monitors and take a stroll around the property every hour.
Satisfied, Clive decided it was time for bed.