Almost Forever (18 page)

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!”

“Are you sure?” Justin asked as he leaned closer so he could see.

“I can't be positive unless his name is on the bootstraps,” Lori answered. “But they look exactly like the ones he'd just picked up. And how many boots can there be with clusters of grapes and longhorn on them? He had them custom made.”

“Hundreds of thousands with longhorn but very few with grapes,” Justin commented. “Put the two together, and I'd say we have a match.”

“Where are these people now?” Lori asked.

“If they haven't been deported, then they'd probably still be in Laredo,” Luke answered.

“Can you check?” Lori asked hopefully.

Luke took his cellphone back and auto-dialed a number from the contacts list. “Grace…Luke. I know. Sorry to bother you on a Sunday, but I really need a favor.” He tilted his head to the side while he listened. “I promise…as soon as I'm back. Yes! My treat. Okay, listen. That group we checked out on Wednesday in Laredo, I need you to call down there and make sure the guy with the grapes on his cowboy boots is detained another forty-eight hours.” Luke held the phone away from his ear and everyone could hear the laughter. “No, really. I haven't been drinking…too much. I need him held. He's either a killer or a material witness to a murder. I'll send you a photo.” Luke nodded and smiled. “I owe you dinner. Thanks.”

“Dinner?” Grammy exclaimed. “We're working on a murder case here, and you're making dates?”

“She's a friend back in DC. That's all.”

“Well?” Lori demanded.

“She's going to call and get back to me. He should still be there. It takes several days to process them once they're booked into the center.”

“We should go down there. How far could it be? Three hours?” Lori stood in anticipation of everyone following her.

“Not legally…three and a half if you push the speed limit, and you can't get in until eight tomorrow morning,” Luke explained.

“You'll come with me?” She persisted. “We could leave early tomorrow.”

Luke thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded. “Sure, I'll take you there.”

“All right, little brother, since I don't trust you with her alone, I call shotgun,” Justin said loudly. “Besides, this is my case. I'm not going to let you horn in on it.”

Lori was so excited that she completely zoned out the rest of the conversation. Surely Mark's boots were an important key that would keep her out of jail.

The kids' screams brought all the adults to their feet. Nick and Lori were first off the porch and then slid to an abrupt halt. The kids kept running toward them with Harley leading the way.

“Holy shit!” Nick exclaimed as his nostrils filled with a pungent odor that was so intense it was almost visible.

Lori grabbed her nose and tried not to breathe. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she didn't know whether to stand or run.

“We found a baby skunk,” Brent or Brad shouted.

“He was so cute,” Mackenzie agreed. “We wanted to bring him home.”

“But then his mother came up, and she sprayed us,” Brent or Brad explained.

“Stop!” Nick commanded, and the kids obeyed. Only Harley continued forward, his eyes watering and his tongue hanging out as if begging his master to help him.

“Stay right there,” Nick told him. And to Harley he said, “Harley, sit. Stay.”

The dog was in misery, but he heard his master's commands and sat. Nick and Lori fled back to the porch, where everyone was covering their faces.

“I'll see if I have any tomato juice.” Grammy started to go into the house.

“No, wait. Do you have any hydrogen peroxide and baking soda?” Jamie asked. “Much more effective. I've used it on my dogs.”

“There are two-gallon jugs of hydrogen peroxide in the barn. Nick, can you fetch it for us?”

“Gallons of hydrogen peroxide, Grammy?” Luke asked, not even trying to hide his horror. “That's enough to put you on our watch list. If it was anyone but you, I'd be pretty suspicious.”

“There are dozens of reasons to use it around here,” Grammy retorted.

“Such as?” Nick prompted.

“Cleaning grout, whitening my teeth, and taking a detoxifying bath, just to name a few.” Grammy grinned, flashing very white teeth to illustrate her point.

Nick hopped off the porch and ran to the barn, holding his nose as he returned. He dropped the two-gallon jugs on the steps and bent over in a violent coughing spell.

“We also need some soda and dishwasher soap,” Jamie instructed. “And a big tub.”

“I know where the tub is,” Justin volunteered and darted off to get it while Grammy went inside for the other two ingredients. They both returned at about the same time. Justin placed the tub under one of the sprawling oak trees and Grammy handed Jamie the soda and soap. She had also brought out several large towels.

“Kenzie, you're first,” Justin said, and while Jamie and Grammy held up the towels as a curtain, Lori stripped her daughter down and bathed her in the peroxide mixture. Wrapped in a towel, the dripping-wet child was exiled to the porch while Nick repeated the procedure with both of his sons and Harley.

Almost an hour later, while the kids' clothes were being washed using the same ingredients and then dried, everyone sat around and made their plans for tomorrow.

“Did the ponies get sprayed?” Justin asked.

“No, we had tied them up by the water trough and went 'sploring,” Brent or Brad replied.

“If Mackenzie wants to stay here, she can. The ponies would love the company…and so would I,” Grammy said.

Lori looked at Mackenzie, who nodded enthusiastically. “That would be really nice,” Lori said. “Then we can get an early start in the morning.”

The men braved the lingering smell to go back out and unsaddle the ponies and feed them. By the time the kids were re-dressed in clothes that smelled considerably better, everyone was hungry again, so they raided the refrigerator and put together a leftovers meal of turkey sandwiches and potato salad. It was well after dark when Lori gave Mackenzie a big hug and said goodbye.

Nick and Jamie piled his sleepy boys and Harley in the backseat of their truck and left, with Justin and Lori following a few minutes later. Luke was staying at a hotel in Austin, so he headed in the opposite direction once they reached Highway 290.

“Your family is really nice,” Lori commented.

“They like you.” He glanced over at her and grinned.

“How could you tell?”

“Oh, they're always friendly, but I know when they're just being polite or when they think you're special.”

For a moment Lori basked in the thought of being a part of his family. Few people had ever thought she was special, and it felt amazing. “Kenzie got along great with the twins.” She grimaced and admitted, “I can't tell them apart.”

Justin chuckled. “It's easy. One of them has a little mole on his neck.”

“Which one?”

“Hell if I know. But if you tell Nick, I'll have to kill you.”

Lori smiled, but she was too distracted to keep up the banter. “What if he's already gone?”

“Brent or Brad?”

“I meant the guy with the boots. If he's already back in Mexico, we'll never find him.”

“Don't worry. At least not yet. I'm sure they'll have records on all the detainees.”

“Thanks for going with me.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world. I have a personal interest in those boots.”

They parked in front of her house. The lights in the winery and restaurant were all off, so there was no real reason for Lori to go over there. Besides, she was bouncing back and forth between being ridiculously anxious about tomorrow and completely exhausted.

She unlocked the front door and flipped on the overhead lights. As soon as she stepped inside, she stopped and held her tank top up to her nose. “Yuck, I think I've got skunk on me.”

Justin shut the door and locked it but kept his distance. “Yeah, you picked up a little of the scent.”

She pulled her hair around and sniffed it. “I thought it was just because I carried home some of your grandmother's pot cloud.”

“Close, but you're a little…fresher,” he teased.

She felt bad, and if she hadn't caught the sparkle in his eyes, she would have felt worse. “I'm going to take a long shower.” She started up the staircase, then looked back over her shoulder. “I might need help washing my hair.”

“I'm right behind you,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt as he followed her up the stairs.

It took several sudsings and rinses until her hair smelled more like flowers than skunk. Justin lifted a wet strand to his nose. “Okay, that's back to normal. Now I can focus on the rest of you.” He squirted liquid body soap into his palm and rubbed his hands together, then started at her shoulders. When he reached her breasts, he lingered, making slick, bubbly circles around the full globes.

The warm water from the shower head bounced off her skin and washed away the soap as fast as he could put it on.

“I didn't realize my boobs were that dirty,” she commented with a smile.

“I'm just trying to do a good job. You know me: I always do my best.” He lowered his head and captured a shiny nipple in his mouth.

She watched through half-closed lids as the water pounded off the back of his head, pushing his hair onto his face. She steadied herself with one hand flat on the tile and the other on the glass shower door as his lips continued their wet assault. Engrossed in the primitive pleasure, she let him take the lead.

He moved his hands lower until one slipped between her legs and the other grabbed a handful of her ass. She wanted to touch his penis, but it was out of her reach, so she had to settle for bracing herself and simply enjoying the moment. He continued sucking and stroking until she was escalating to a glorious peak. But seconds before she orgasmed, he flipped her around so that she was facing the end wall of the shower.

She leaned against the wall, waiting, anticipating his next move. She felt the tip of his penis probing, asking permission to enter the center of her femininity. With his foot he nudged her legs wider until the opening allowed him to slide inside. He kissed her shoulder, then groaned.

“Damn, I don't have a condom.”

“Don't stop,” she ordered and shifted enough to allow him to push in even further.

He hesitated, but she knew they had gone too far to stop. With his hands braced against the wall on each side of her head, he buried himself inside her. Their lovemaking was frenzied and quick. She reached the pinnacle first and held onto his forearms for support as he gave one final thrust and cried out in complete release.

For at least a minute they stood, pressed against the wall, while the shower pounded on his back and splashed over his shoulders onto her. His body was so much larger than hers that she felt completely sheltered. He moved his arms until they were wrapped around her waist, holding her back against his chest with her butt nestled into his crotch.

“I think that's the end of the hot water,” he said, flinching as the shower turned cold. He moved to turn it off, and Lori squealed as the full blast of icy water hit her. They scrambled out of the shower enclosure, and the air-conditioned air chilled them even further.

“You need to get a bigger water heater,” he teased.

“I'll get right to it…after I find an extra thousand dollars,” she retorted. She handed him a towel and wrapped one around herself, then got another one to rub her hair dry.

Justin leaned over and sniffed her bare shoulder. “You smell like Lori again.”

She twisted around and gave the towel that was around his waist a little jerk. It fell to the floor at his feet.

“Is that how we're playing it?” He laughed and pulled her towel off, then scooped her up in his arms. She kicked and wiggled, but more as a show than as an attempt to escape. In fact, his power and strength were quite a turn-on.

He carried her into her bedroom and dropped her on the bed, then stared down at her naked body.

Normally, Lori would have been self-conscious, but the warmth and desire in his eyes made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. She patted the bed next to her. “We got a bonus night. Let's not waste it.”

He turned out the lights while she pulled back the covers and slid between the sheets.

“I was hoping you'd say that,” he said.

Lori moved into his arms as naturally as if they'd slept together for years. “I like this,” she murmured.

Justin nodded. “Best unassignment I've ever had.”