Lori didn’t know the way, so she handed over the keys to her truck to Justin. He looked breathtakingly handsome, as usual. She liked him in uniform and she was pretty crazy about him wearing absolutely nothing. But he was equally sexy dressed in a plain but blindingly white T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots. He would have fit on the cover of any magazine from GQ to Western Horseman. It took all her self-control not to get him to pull off the road so she could climb all over him.
But today was about Mackenzie, so Lori forced herself to behave.
Mackenzie was waiting in the front yard of Ali’s house and ran to the truck, calling goodbye to Ali as she went. Lori leaned out the open window and waved at Ali’s mom. The two women did everything they could to facilitate their daughters’ friendship. Living in the country didn’t provide many neighbors, so even if it took a few minutes to drive the kids back and forth, the moms traded off so the girls could play together. But Ali didn’t share Mackenzie’s love of horses, so she was satisfied not to take part in this special day.
“What happened to our truck?” Mackenzie asked as she stared at the burn scars covering most of the hood and part of the right fender.
“Almost got caught in a grass fire,” Lori answered, not willing to go into the details. That explanation satisfied her daughter, who was clearly distracted by her excitement about the ponies.
They traveled a few more miles before Justin turned into a long driveway. An old VW bus was parked in the middle of the pasture, more of an art installation than an abandoned vehicle. Grammy’s house was a classic two-story farmhouse with a sprawling wrap-around porch. It was white but badly needed a fresh coat of paint. The eaves and porch rails were a beautiful shade of blue, and the shutters were a shocking purple. Clearly, this house belonged to someone who was artistic and eclectic and didn’t give a damn what other people thought.
Off to the right were a huge red barn and a couple large pastures with two horses, two ponies, and a half dozen goats grazing on the lush knee-high grass.
“How far back does her property go?” Lori asked.
“On the other side of those trees,” Justin told her, indicating a thick forest of oaks, mesquites, and pines across the back of the property. “It’s about forty acres all together. There’s a cool creek running through the pasture where my brothers and I spent a lot of time, and a large pond that’s full of bass and perch.
“Sounds like a great way to grow up.” Lori couldn’t help but be a little envious. Her childhood had been spent moving from apartment to apartment, her only yard being the closest city park.
“Grammy’s Sunday rule is no shoptalk. Otherwise we’d have bodies and blood all day long.”
“Guess me being here will break that rule.” Lori grimaced.
“Maybe…but she believes in you.”
“Why? She doesn’t know me.”
“She knows me,” he assured her and squeezed her hand. “Blood matters with Grammy.”
They pulled into Grammy’s drive and parked in the shade under the oak tree next to a shiny new black Ford pickup that Lori knew belonged to Nick because she had ridden in it the night he picked her up from jail. There was another car, a small Chevy, and behind the house she could see the hood of Justin’s white Explorer. There were four adults on the front porch rocking in big wooden rockers and two young boys who Lori assumed were Nick’s twin sons, playing a rowdy game of yard darts out in the middle of the yard, well away from the house and vehicles.
Justin turned the engine off and everyone climbed out of the truck. He waited until she reached him before taking her hand so they could walk forward together. The people on the porch looked curious, but their smiles were friendly and genuine. They were all drinking beer, except for Grammy, who had what looked and smelled like a joint between her fingers.
“Grammy, this is Lori and her daughter, Kenzie.” He turned to Lori. “This is my grandmother. Her real name is Susan, but we all call her Grammy.”
Lori smiled and nodded. “Pleased to meet you. Justin talks about you often.”
“I’m sure he does,” the old woman retorted with a twinkle in her eyes.
Justin continued with the introductions. “You’ve met Nick, and the pretty lady next to him is Jamie. She trains service dogs.”
“Aw, that sounds wonderful,” Lori said with interest.
“It is. I love working with the dogs,” Jamie told her. “I’m so glad you’re here. Finally, someone to balance these guys out.”
“And the dude on the end is my other brother, Luke,” Justin said. “He works out of DC.”
“Nice to meet y’all,” Lori said, and they returned the greeting.
Mackenzie tugged on Lori’s shirt. “Mommy, can I go see the ponies? Please?”
“My daughter is obsessed with horses. Is it okay if she goes out to see them?” Lori asked.
Grammy waved toward the pasture. “Go ahead. They’re very gentle. Nick, get your boys to go with her so they can take some apples out there.”
Nick called his sons over and introduced them, then the three kids ran toward the pasture.
“Come on up and get something to drink,” Grammy said. “I’ve got plenty of rocking chairs.”
Lori held up a bag containing two bottles of wine. “I brought some of our wine for dinner.”
“If it needs to be chilled, go on inside and put it in the refrigerator,” Grammy said, never breaking rhythm.
“While you’re there, would you bring me another beer?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, me too,” Nick called.
“Jamie?” Justin asked.
“Sure, why not?” Jamie answered.
“Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour,” Justin said to Lori. They walked into a living room furnished with comfortable-looking overstuffed couches and chairs, an upright piano, and a large flat-screen TV. On the bookshelves were a wide variety of books, from Erica Jong to Kathleen Woodiwiss to the Bible. And in the middle of one shelf was a shiny gold Grammy statue.
“Is that real?” Lori asked, stepping closer to examine the impressive award.
Justin nodded. “It’s for Song of the Year. She wrote a song that became a crossover hit and even sang backup on the record.”
“That’s so cool. I’ve never actually seen one in person before.”
“Grammy’s a pretty incredible woman. She was arrested for protesting in the 1960s and lived on a commune for a while. She had my dad when she was really young, but she brought him along on all her adventures. He had quite a few stories to tell too.” Justin’s expression was melancholic.
“How old were you when your parents died?”
“I was in college. I had just been home for Thanksgiving and told them I was going to law school at UT. They were so excited that I’d be closer to home.”
“You’re the oldest, right?”
“Yes. Nick is a year younger, and Luke is the baby by about five years.”
They continued through the dining room, where a huge antique table was partially set for dinner, then to the kitchen, which had a great view of both the backyard and the barn. Lori put the bottle of red wine on the counter and the bottle of white in the refrigerator. Justin grabbed a six-pack of cold beer before she shut the door.
“Grammy’s bedroom is down the hall, and then there are three bedrooms upstairs. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll show you our old bedroom.” Justin wiggled his eyebrows, and Lori laughed.
“Let me guess…a twin bed, rock star posters on the walls, and old tennis shoes in the closet.”
“Close. Actually, there are three twin beds, because for some reason we all slept in the same room. Nick had some movie posters, but all of my posters were of Chuck Norris.”
“Ah, Walker, Texas Ranger. I should have known.” Lori smirked.
“And I don’t know about the shoes. But there might be anything in the closets or under the beds.” Justin caught her hand and pulled her toward the stairs. “We can sneak up there and initiate my bed. It has never had a woman other than Grammy or my mom anywhere close to it.”
Lori dug in her heels. “Tempting, especially since it would be your bed’s first time. There’s something strangely hot about that. But I’m nervous enough about meeting your family. I can’t imagine what they’d think about me if they knew what we were doing.”
He held the beer off to the side while he pulled her against him with his other hand and looked down at her upturned face. “They’d think that you are the sexiest woman in the world, and I couldn’t resist you. And they’d be right.”
He closed the distance between their lips and kissed her so thoroughly her knees almost gave way.
“Wow.” The word came out in a whoosh. But before she could consider changing her mind, a voice from the porch called out, “Where’s our beer?”
Justin smiled ruefully. “I’ll take a rain check.”
“I’ll keep my raincoat handy.”
His blue eyes sparkled. “Better have several. I have a feeling it’ll be a flood.”
They circled the staircase and went back out on the porch.
“Did you go to Dallas for the beer?” Nick asked as he pulled a can out of the plastic rings.
“Next beer run’s on you,” Justin retorted. He leaned up against the porch rail.
Lori sat on an empty rocker, not really knowing what to say. She quickly found out she didn’t have to make conversation. All she had to do was keep up.
Justin looked at Grammy. “How are those knees?”
“What’s wrong with your knees?” Jamie asked, her voice filled with concern.
“That’s her excuse for smoking pot,” Nick answered for his grandmother. “At least, that’s what she told the doctor so she could get her prescription.” He emphasized the words with eye rolls.
Grammy just smiled and nodded. “It’s preventive. It wouldn’t be Sunday unless you boys were here and bugging me about my prescription like a bunch of little bitches. And yes, it helps, but I don’t use my prescription anymore. I grow my own.”
All three boys slapped their hands on their ears with comical synchronization.
“Oh, God, Grammy,” Nick cried. “Don’t say shit like that out loud.” Harley, who was lying at his feet, looked up and whined. “See, you’re upsetting my drug dog.”
“Language!” Grammy warned, then leaned over and patted the German shepherd. “Harley knows that the badges come off at the gate.”
“Aren’t you a DEA agent?” Lori asked, looking at Nick.
“Uh…yes,” he responded, then added with a wink, “Let me know if you see anyone smoking.”
Lori got the impression this was a major point of discussion, but clearly Grammy trumped the three law enforcement officers, because they all just shook their heads and relaxed.
Justin raised his can toward Luke. “Is our homeland secure today?”
“Depends on who’s got a bug up their ass about something….Who knows?”
Grammy gave him a warning look.
Justin looked at the rental Chevy Volt. “Nice ride,” he said sarcastically.
“Budget cuts and tree huggers,” Luke answered. “They’ve clearly never driven in Texas.”
“You in town long?”
“About a month, then back to the Beltway.”
“Anything we should be worried about?” Jamie asked.
“Problems at the border. Just checking it out,” Luke answered succinctly. But everyone knew it must be a big deal for him to come down here for so long.
“Aren’t you tired of that rat race yet?” Nick asked. “Working for all those hypocrites would drive me crazy.”
Luke shook it off. “It’s nice being in the epicenter, but I do hate the politics.”
“Then DC is the perfect place,” Justin scoffed. “Hey, why don’t we all go shooting next week? I need to get my hours in. We’ll have a blast like the old days.”
Nick and Luke looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “During the week?” they asked in unison.
“Sure, why not?” Justin asked.
“Justin’s on vacation,” Grammy told them, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “But he’s still working to find the guy who killed Lori’s husband.”
Nick and Jamie were up to speed, but Luke tried not to look confused.
“So, how’s it going?” Nick asked Lori.
“Thanks for picking me up, by the way,” Lori told him. “I was too upset that night at the jail to thank you properly.”
Luke’s eyebrows shot up as he realized how serious things were.
“No problem. I’m sure you’d do the same for me or Jamie,” Nick responded. He lifted his nose in the air like Harley and sniffed. “I don’t smell anything cooking. I’m starving.”
Grammy waved her hand toward the side of the house. “You’re upwind. Check out the backyard.”
That caused everyone to walk around the side of the house to check it out. Smoke billowed out of a vent pipe on top of what looked like two metal barrels welded together.
“Whose pet are we eating today?” Luke asked.
“It’s turkey, and he wasn’t a pet. In fact, he was wild. I shot him myself,” Grammy announced proudly.
Justin groaned. “I don’t think it’s turkey season yet.”
Grammy pierced him with a fierce look. “Are you a game warden now? He was in my garden, eating my vegetables. I shot him in self-defense.”
“I don’t think…” Justin started to say, then threw up his hands in defeat. “Never mind.”
“A person should be able to do whatever she wants on her own property,” Grammy retorted. “And why do we always wait for Thanksgiving to eat turkey? It’s healthy. We should eat it more often.”
There was a long moment of silence, as no one came up with a good argument for or against it.
“Justin, I hear you’re being courted to run for lieutenant governor,” Nick finally spoke up, obviously trying to change the subject.
“Where’d you hear that?” Justin asked, then shook his head. “Never mind. I should have known it wouldn’t stay secret long.”
Lori looked at him with wide eyes. “You never mentioned that to me.”
“I’m not seriously considering it. At least not yet. I’ve still got a very important case to solve.”
He didn’t touch her, but the warmth of his gaze was as powerful as if he had taken her hand.
“You haven’t used the smoker for years, Grammy,” Nick said.
“It seemed like a good tradition to start up again…maybe once a month? What do you think, Lori?”
“I’m overwhelmed. It’s a lot of work to get him cleaned and dressed. We buy fresh turkeys often, but they’re already plucked.”
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about your restaurant,” Grammy told her. “I’m going to have to get over there for a meal someday.”
“You’re welcome to come anytime you want. My treat.” Lori smiled. She was beginning to lower her guard a little around these people. They were all so nice. She looked out at the pasture and saw Mackenzie and the two boys, Brent and Brad, leaning between the slats of the wooden fence, hand-feeding the ponies tufts of grass and pieces of apple. Mackenzie saw her mom watching, and the little girl waved happily. Lori waved back. Maybe she should consider getting Mackenzie a pony when—or if—everything settled down.
Grammy spun into action, allocating kitchen tasks to get the rest of the meal put together. Lori and Justin were assigned to finish setting the table properly. Lori was surprised to discover that Justin knew the proper way to place the utensils and the dishes. When she mentioned it, he laughed.
“Grammy insisted we learn proper etiquette. She said people already thought Texans were heathens, and she didn’t want to perpetuate the myth.”
“Good to know. First bartending and now setting the table. I’ll have to keep you around as long as possible.” She said it lightly, but in her heart she wished it could be true.
Justin laughed it off. “You’ve barely seen a glimpse of my skills.”
“I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with the ones I’ve witnessed.”
He started around the table to kiss her but stopped when the kids ran into the house.
“Dad said dinner was ready,” Brent—or was it Brad?—announced. They were identical twins and Lori couldn’t tell them apart.
“Go wash your hands and faces,” Lori told the kids, who all obeyed without argument.
Luke came into the dining room carrying a beautifully browned turkey on a platter. Behind him, like a parade, the rest of the family entered with one or two heaping bowls in their hands.
There was a little bit of shuffling as everyone found a chair and sat down. The kids returned and the boys sat on either side of Nick and Jamie, and Mackenzie took the empty seat next to Lori.
After a brief prayer, they began passing bowls in a very orderly manner. Clearly, there was a method that had been perfected years ago to get everyone’s plates filled in the shortest amount of time.
Conversation at dinner was lively and centered, to the men’s embarrassment, on the antics of their childhood. Justin had opened the wine and poured everyone a glassful, and it was received with glowing praise.
“This is delicious,” Grammy said. “How wonderful it would be to have a winery owner in our family.”
“Grammy!” Justin warned.
Of course it wasn’t going to happen, Lori chided herself at the disappointment she felt at his objection. She tried not to let it get her down. It was reality. The last thing a potential candidate for political office needed was a girlfriend who was a suspected felon.
After a decadent dessert of fresh strawberry shortcake, the men pushed the women out of the kitchen. The kids returned to the horses and the women pulled their rocking chairs around to the side porch so they could keep an eye on them.
“Do they always clean up?” Lori asked.
“I think it’s fair that if the women do most of the cooking, the men should do the cleanup, don’t you?” Grammy replied.
Lori leaned back and rocked. “I like it. You have some great traditions here.”
“They’re good boys. I try not to worry about them, but they’re all in dangerous jobs.” Grammy frowned.
“But it’s who they are,” Jamie said thoughtfully. “I’m so glad that Nick has been taken out of undercover work.”
“How did that happen?” Lori asked.
“He was ambushed and almost killed just a few months ago,” Jamie replied. “But it was his saving a carload of puppies that made the news and blew his cover.”
“I can see I’ve missed a lot.”
Jamie laughed and filled Lori in on the whole history of how Nick had come to her Woof Gang Kennels to get a K9 partner and ended up getting a fiancée. “How are you doing?” Jamie asked Lori. “I mean, I lost my husband over three years ago, and it was really hard to let him go.” She hesitated. “Forgive me if I’m out of line, but you seem to be coping all right.”
“I’m sure my case is much different than yours. Mark and I knew each other only a couple days before we got married, and we were married just four years before he disappeared. It was widely assumed he had run off with another woman, so that sort of took the edge off anything I was feeling. He’d been missing for eight years, and that gave me plenty of time to go through the four stages of grief.”
“Oh, I studied that in school.” Jamie smiled in recognition.
“Actually, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I read an article a couple years ago about it. It said I’d go through shock and denial, which was not quite right. There was a little disbelief, but no real shock.”
“Then stage two?” Grammy asked.
“Pain and guilt. I’d already had a lot of pain during our marriage, and after he left I had a moment of guilt. But as I worked through it, I realized that Mark was Mark all along, and I just hadn’t been willing to accept it. His behavior wasn’t my fault.”
Jamie held up three fingers.
“Anger, frustration, and supposedly bitterness. Yeah, all that lasted a little longer. But once I threw myself into building up the winery, it passed. I just didn’t have the energy or the time to think about Mark.”
Jamie flashed four fingers.
“Acceptance. That happened when I realized I was happier without him than I had been with him. I love the winery, and of course there’s my daughter. She is my reason for living, and neither of us needed Mark.”
“Are you against marriage, then?” Jamie asked.
“No, I’m older and wiser. I think I’ll make a better choice next time.” Lori’s gaze unconsciously followed Justin’s tall frame as he and his brothers walked out the back door and toward the pasture.
The three brothers didn’t look anything alike other than that they were all tall and attractive and had different shades of blue eyes. Nick was ruggedly handsome, with dark brown hair that was perpetually tousled. Luke was more GQ perfection, with neatly combed brown hair and dressed in a perfectly fitted polo and black slacks. But Lori thought Justin was the hottest, with his neatly trimmed blond hair, shining gold in the sun and ruffled by the wind. His T-shirt was casual, but since she knew the magnificence of the body underneath, it was, in her opinion, the best look of all.
The men saddled the ponies and supervised the kids as they took turns riding. Lori was nervous as she watched Mackenzie step in the stirrup and settle onto the black pony. Her daughter had never actually ridden a horse, but you couldn’t tell it by how confidently the little girl urged the pony forward.
Justin gave her instructions on how to use the reins and grip with her legs, but he kept a close watch on her. Nick was less concerned because his boys had grown up around the ponies, and they could ride like pros.
The women watched and continued chatting while finishing off the second bottle of wine. A half hour later, the men returned to the porch and joined them after a detour to the kitchen to get some beer.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Lori could see that her daughter was having fun, but that didn’t mean there was no reason to worry.
“She’s a natural,” Justin answered. “Those ponies are so old and fat that they wouldn’t hurt a flea. I need to get over here and exercise my own horses.”
“Oh, those are yours?” Lori focused on the two horses in the other pasture. They looked really big compared to the ponies.
“Yes. You wouldn’t believe how often I have to use them on a case. There are some places that an SUV or an ATV can’t go,” he explained. “Maybe you’d like to come riding with me sometime?”
“I haven’t ever ridden, but I’d love to.” She smiled at Justin, and for a moment they were the only two people on the porch.
Then the conversation of the others pushed into their bubble.
“While I was observing with a couple Border Patrol officers two days ago, a whole group of people just walked across the border. I couldn’t believe their boldness. I guess they’re counting on amnesty.”
“Or they’re coming over before we tighten the border,” Nick suggested.
“Whatever the reason, there’s no control of our border. And it’s not the Mexicans and Central Americans that worry me most.”
“Who, then?” Grammy asked.
“Every day terrorists are sneaking across the border, and our government is too stupid to see the threat!” Luke exclaimed.
“I’m not one to defend the government,” Grammy commented. “But don’t you think that’s an exaggeration?”
Luke took out his cellphone and flipped through to a photograph. “Here’s a photo of that group of illegals we caught crossing the border a few days ago. When we processed them, we found two Syrian men mingling with the Mexicans to keep from being noticed.” He held his phone out. “Look at this and tell me which ones they are.”
Grammy took the phone and studied it. “No clue. They all look the same.” She passed it to Jamie, who took a turn trying to guess, but Luke shook his head at the two people she pointed out.
“Let me look.” Nick motioned for the cellphone to be passed to him. He checked it out. “That’s got to be a two-pound silver belt buckle!” he declared as he pointed to one of the Mexicans before tapping on a guy in torn jeans and a corduroy shirt. “The Syrians are this guy here and the one in the back, right?”
“You got it,” Luke confirmed. “But you’ve got a trained eye. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, and once they’re safely inside the States, they’re in the wind.”
Justin held out his hand and took the phone. “Yeah, they’re hard to spot. They’re dressed just like everyone else.”
Lori leaned over and looked at the photo. Justin had started to hand the phone back when she grabbed his hand. “Blow that up,” she said, pointing to one of the Mexicans on the edge of the group.
Justin moved his fingers on the screen, enlarging the photo to focus on that one person.
Lori jerked the phone out of his hands, lowered the focus, and blew the picture up even more. Her hands were shaking as she pointed at the man’s boots.
“Oh my God. He’s wearing Mark’s boots!”