Holly Grove Homecoming Read online

  She hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen so she could look out the back door toward the Abbott house. Dusk had turned to darkness and she couldn’t see anything beyond her own backyard.

  Just as she was about to turn away from the door, she saw the flash of headlights as a car turned into her driveway. Surely this was Trooper coming back.

  She hurried toward the front of the house, flipped on the porch light, and peered through the sidelight by the door. Within a couple of minutes, Trooper appeared, carrying a piece of plywood and a small toolkit.

  Carly could barely believe the sense of relief she felt. Strange how much she had come to rely on Trooper in a very short period of time. She reminded herself again that she needed to use caution in her dealings with him. No matter how much she might like him or how deeply she might be attracted to him, there were still secrets she couldn’t share with him, which meant that anything more than friendship would be a serious mistake on her part.

  She waited until he started up the steps and then she opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. “I was getting worried about you. Did you have problems at the Abbott house?”

  Trooper rested the plywood on the porch and sighed. “No trouble, but no assistance either. Ralph came to the door but didn’t invite me in. When I told him what had happened, he said he felt sure Marge hadn’t been out of the house this evening and that I must have been mistaken when I thought I saw a figure slipping in their side door.”

  “So he’s protecting her?”

  “Looks that way. I’m hoping that he’ll at least talk to her and then keep a closer eye on her. Considering what happened twenty years ago, I don’t want to have any trouble with Marge Abbott but I won’t allow her antagonism toward me to result in additional problems for you.”

  Carly shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. I’m sure the broken window was an accident, and I see you located a piece of plywood.”

  “Surprisingly, small pieces of plywood are not that easy to find. I ended up having to go to my cousin Karen’s house. Her husband is a carpenter and fortunately had what I need to board up your window for the night. He also gave me the name and number of a glazier we can call in the morning to come replace the glass.”

  “Thank goodness. I’ll be glad to get it fixed. In the meantime, I’ve decided to sleep in the guest room tonight.”

  “Good idea. Even with the plywood, you might get some warm air in your bedroom.”

  Carly shivered. “Not to mention bugs. The screen has a hole in it too.”

  Trooper slapped himself on the forehead. “I’d forgotten about the screen. Hopefully the glazier can fix that too. If not, maybe he can tell us who to call.”

  Carly gave him a weak smile. “I appreciate your help, but you’re not responsible for what happened, Trooper. And I don’t want you to feel as though it’s your place to make everything right again.”

  Trooper answered her smile. “Nice try, Carly, but you and I both know that I am responsible just by being a frequent visitor here, and you can’t expect me to walk away and leave you to deal with the problems my presence has caused for you.”

  She grinned. “I figured as much, and I won’t say I’m not glad to have your help, not to mention your presence. I felt a little uneasy the entire time you were gone.”

  “Sorry it took me so long.” He picked up the plywood. “Let’s go upstairs so I can get this propped up in place. Obviously it would be better if I could nail it on the outside, but I’m not that great with climbing ladders in the dark.”

  Carly snorted. “Not to mention that you’re still nursing a wounded shoulder. Come on. I’ll help you carry that upstairs and we’ll patch up the window for tonight. Then, if you don’t mind, I could use another glass of that Bordeaux we left in the kitchen. Care to join me?”

  “Sounds great to me. It shouldn’t take us long to fix the window. I can carry the plywood if you’ll bring the toolkit.”

  Carly turned to open the door, hoping that the relief she felt wasn’t reflected on her face. The last thing she wanted was for Trooper to put himself out because she had a case of nerves. But she sure wasn’t going to complain because he agreed to stay and drink another glass of wine with her.

  She held the door open so he could walk on through with the plywood. Then she picked up the toolkit and followed him up the stairs.

  Half an hour later after Trooper had finished boarding up the window, Carly stepped with him out into the hallway, then pointed him toward the upstairs bath where he could wash his hands. “Meet me in the living room,” she said. “It’s cool in there, and we can drink our wine in comfort.”

  “Sounds good.” Trooper paused, then caught her eye and stood staring at her for several seconds. His gaze was intense but warm, and she felt her heart rate increasing. She wanted to kiss him again, to feel the texture of his tongue exploring her mouth, to experience the strong sense of security she’d known earlier when he wrapped his arms around her.

  That was so not a good idea.

  She swallowed and moistened her suddenly dry lips. “I’ll, eh, meet you downstairs,” she murmured, then turned and dashed down the stairs.

  Ten minutes later Carly set a tray on the coffee table in the living room. A fresh bottle of wine, two glasses, some sliced cheese, crackers, and a few slices of apple. She knew Trooper had eaten supper at Myrna’s, but he might enjoy a light snack. After all, the evening had been both long and eventful.

  She heard Trooper’s footfalls on the stairs and turned toward the hall. He paused in the doorway. He’d obviously splashed water onto his face because his hair was wet and curling around the edges. His eyebrows shot up. “That looks good,” he said. Standing as close as she was to the coffee table, Carly couldn’t tell whether his gaze had paused on the refreshments or on her. A blush brought heat to her face and she quickly bent to begin pouring their wine. “Come on in. I fixed us some snack items. I thought you might be hungry.”

  “I am,” he said in a voice that bordered on seductive. Or was she reading something into his tone that wasn’t really there?

  Carly cleared her throat and seated herself on the sofa right behind the coffee table. “Would you like some cheese and apples?”

  “Wonderful.” Trooper walked across the room and sat down on the sofa beside her. “But you don’t have to serve me. I’ll just help myself.”

  He reached for one of the small plates sitting on the tray, then selected a couple of slices of cheese and two crackers. Carly poured him another glass of wine and scooted it toward him on the glass-topped table.

  “Thanks.” Trooper took a deep gulp of the wine, then pushed his plate away. “I’m not that hungry for food, I guess.”

  “Me either,” Carly responded. She knew she was playing with fire but didn’t want to stop. She’d been alone for years, and outside of a couple of affairs in college when she could have sworn she was in love, she hadn’t been with a man. She had rarely been tempted for the simple reason that she had been too devoted to her career.

  But she wanted Trooper Myers. Damn the consequences. Damn the probable future recriminations. She wanted to lose herself in the embrace of a man she admired, a man who appeared to want her as much as she wanted him.

  She took a sip of wine and set her glass down on the table. Then she pulled in a deep breath. “Trooper?”

  He continued to hold her gaze. “Carly?”

  “Would you kiss me?”

  He raised his brows just the tiniest bit, as though he couldn’t believe she’d ask that question. Then he smiled. Slowly. Seductively. “It would be my pleasure.”

  Carly returned his smile. She was glad he didn’t rush to fulfill her request. He retained his smile, holding her gaze while he lifted his right hand to very gently push a stray curl back onto her temple.

  Then he traced the outline of her face, down from her temple and around her earlobe, across her jaw and under her chin.

  Wanting more, Carly turned her face into his hand and
kissed his palm.

  A soft moan tore from his throat and he pulled Carly into a firm embrace. She raised her face to his, welcoming the sensation of his lips touching hers, first softly, almost teasingly, then with more pressure and finally, with the passion she’d been longing for.

  She welcomed the thrust of his tongue, which tasted of wine and something more subtle. Peppermints, perhaps? Whatever the flavor was, she liked it.

  Just as she liked the clean, crisp fragrance of his aftershave. She slipped her hand to the back of his neck and then upward until she could pull him even further into their kiss.

  He was undoubtedly the best kisser she’d ever known, and she wasn’t eager to end their embrace, but she wasn’t used to being the initiator of a kiss and suddenly felt a bit shy. What if Trooper was only kissing her because she’d asked him to?

  She eased back and he instantly ended the kiss but didn’t release her from their embrace. Instead, he pulled her close and leaned his head against hers. “You’re something else, Carly Morrison,” he murmured. “I guess you know I don’t want this to end.”

  Carly pulled back and looked into his eyes. He met her gaze squarely, his expression heated enough to give her the courage to continue. “I don’t want it to end either. There’s a guest bedroom down the hall.”

  His eyes widened momentarily and then brightened as a smile lit his face. “That sounds great to me. Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” She smiled, pushed herself off the sofa, and grabbed the bottle of wine. “Why don’t you bring the glasses and follow me.”

  His expression turned more solemn. “Carly?”

  Oh God, surely he wasn’t going to change his mind. She wasn’t convinced she could deal with that. “What is it?”

  “In case you’re wondering, I have protection in my wallet.”

  She hadn’t even thought of that and could feel her eyes widening with surprise. “You do?”

  “Yes, but don’t think I was necessarily planning on this happening. The Bureau taught us always to be prepared for anything.”

  Carly felt a giggle moving into her throat, a giggle brought on by relief and also by the blush that was darkening Trooper’s cheeks. His blush gave her reason to believe that this type of evening was no more common for him than it was for her.

  But she swallowed her giggle and instead flashed him a grateful smile. “I’m so glad the Bureau taught you to think ahead.”

  Trooper laughed out loud. “Believe me, so am I.”

  Still grinning, Carly reached for his hand and pulled him along behind her down the hall and into the guest bedroom.

  A ray of the rising sun slipped through the guest room curtains and landed in Carly’s eyes. She flinched, then stilled. For a second she had no idea where she was and why she was sharing a bed. Trooper’s arm was wrapped around her and her head rested on his right shoulder.

  Then memories of the previous night flooded back and a smile of satisfaction pulled at the corners of her lips. Never had she been loved so thoroughly and so satisfactorily.

  She eased up to look at the clock on the bedside table and was dismayed to discover that it was almost six o’clock.

  Her movement had been slight but Trooper roused enough to use his left hand to gently push her head back onto his shoulder. “Go back to sleep,” he murmured.

  But she knew she couldn’t. There were other people to consider. She lifted her head again and shrugged out of his embrace. “Trooper?”

  “Hmmm?” He didn’t open his eyes.

  “Will Myrna be worried if she wakes up and you aren’t at home?”

  He groaned and opened one eye. “Do you have to be so practical?”

  “Well, will she?”

  “Probably.” He groaned again and opened his other eye. “Definitely. What time is it?”

  “Six o’clock.”

  “Then I’d better go back across the street. She wouldn’t mind me staying out if she knew about it beforehand, but she might get upset if she discovered my bed hadn’t been slept in.” He made no move to get up. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Carly and pulled her against his chest. “Last night was great. I wish I had the words to tell you how much it meant to me.”

  “Same here,” Carly said, relaxing against him. His warmth enveloped her, and she wanted nothing more than to spend the morning in bed with him.

  But she thought too much of Myrna to risk her being frightened and worried for no reason. She squeezed Trooper’s biceps. “You need to go. I don’t want you to go, but you really should.”

  “You’re right.” Trooper blew his breath out in a long sigh, kissed Carly on the top of her head, and released her. He pushed himself up on the side of the bed and reached for his shorts. “What are your plans for the morning?”

  “Well, since I seem to be unusually relaxed, I think I’ll rest a while longer. Then I really should write, but I’m more in the mood to continue my research online. What about you?”

  “I need to go through those reports I got from the sheriff but I’m not really ready for that yet. Let’s go to Knoxville.”

  Carly gaped at him. “Knoxville? What’s in Knoxville?”

  “Some old newspaper files, for one thing. And, more importantly, my favorite Mexican restaurant. Have you noticed that you can’t get authentic Mexican food in Holly Grove?”

  Carly laughed. “I have. Fortunately, I’m able to survive on the frozen Mexican dinners I buy at the supermarket.”

  Trooper buttoned his jeans and reached for his shirt. “Those frozen dinners are better than nothing but for some reason, I have a real hankering for the authentic stuff. Are you game for a day trip?”

  “Absolutely. What time do you want to leave?”

  “I’ll be here to pick you up around one this afternoon if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sounds perfect. I’ll be ready. But you mentioned old newspaper files. Are you going to a newspaper office before we go to the restaurant?”

  “Yep. I talked to someone at the paper a few days ago and learned that they have the twenty-year-old papers available on microfiche. I want to see what was reported about the murders and apparently this is the easiest way to do that.”

  Carly nodded. “I’ll help. Since we know the approximate dates when stories would have run, going through the back issues shouldn’t take too long.”

  “You’re right. And then we’ll have our Mexican dinner.”

  “Sounds great,” Carly said, smiling.

  Trooper had finished dressing and moved to stand near the door leading out into the hallway. Carly climbed out of bed, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “If your aunt Myrna wasn’t likely to worry about you, I wouldn’t let you go.”

  He pulled her close and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Nothing would make me happier than to stay but…” He paused to shrug one shoulder. “Neither of us wants Aunt Myrna to worry.” He stepped out of her embrace. “See you around one.”

  “I’ll be ready.” Carly let her arms drop to her sides and flashed him a smile. She didn’t want to give him the impression that she was clinging. After all, she was the one who had initiated their lovemaking last night. Naturally, Trooper wouldn’t have turned her down. He was too considerate for that, but that didn’t mean he wanted their relationship to change appreciably. She’d have to remember to try to come across as a colleague rather than a lover.

  “See you later.” Trooper hurried down the hall and opened the front door, turning at the last minute to shoot Carly a quick wave. Then he paused. “By the way…”

  “Yes?”

  “I almost forgot about the need to get your window repaired. As soon as I get to Aunt Myrna’s, I’ll call the glazier and see what time he can come by here. I’ll ask him to try to make it this morning so as not to interfere with our trip.”

  “I’d completely forgotten about the window,” Carly admitted. “Thanks for handling that for me.”

  “No problem. I’ll talk to you soon.�
�� He turned and let himself out the door.

  Carly no longer felt like going back to bed so after taking a nice long shower, she dressed in shorts and a tee and wandered into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. FluffBall was there ahead of her, meowing her displeasure. Carly suspected the kitten was upset because she’d been shut out of Carly’s bedroom where she loved napping on the chair next to the window—the chair that might now harbor slivers of glass.

  “I’m sorry, Fluff,” she said soothingly. “I’ll let you back in my bedroom as soon as possible. And because you’re upset, I’ll treat you to some wet food this morning.”

  A few minutes later, the cat was happily devouring her treat, so Carly could now devote her attention to her own pursuits. It was still short of seven thirty, so she had plenty of time to do something with her morning.

  But what to do? She needed to write but doubted she could concentrate. Perhaps she’d hop online again and see if she could track down any more references to the murder of Trooper’s parents.

  But that prospect was less than appealing too. What she really wanted was to step outside for a while, away from the air conditioning, and to enjoy the cool air and heady fragrances of the morning before the day heated up too much. Besides, she should probably check the ground outside her bedroom window. She suspected most of the broken glass had ended up inside her house, but if any had fallen to the ground, she should pick it up before the glazier arrived.

  She slipped on her oldest pair of sneakers and grabbed a couple of plastic grocery bags on her way out the back door.

  The morning air was already humid, but she still enjoyed the feel of it on her skin. It was rather like a warm embrace, enveloping her with silky moisture that smelled of grass and honeysuckle.

  The dew hadn’t completely dried yet, so she was glad she’d not made the mistake of coming outside in her sandals. Even her sneakers didn’t protect her ankles from the wet grass, which had grown considerably higher than usual and was interspersed with weeds that had shot up taller than the grass. She wrinkled her nose, aware that she should have hauled her mower out of the shed sometime this past week, but the weather had simply been too hot to work outside lately.