Deadly Proposal (Hardy Brothers Security Book 4) (20 page)

James glanced at his sister. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good,” James said. “Because I’m going to bring your what-harm-could-come-from-going-to-the-salon argument up to you every time you argue with me from now until eternity.”

Ally rolled her eyes. “Bring it on.”

James pressed his lips to Mandy’s forehead. “The cops will be here any second.”

“Well, great,” Ally said. “I can’t wait.”

Terror made her belligerent, James realized. She was just masking now. Later tonight, when she was alone in her bed, that would be the time she let herself feel the events of the day. For now, he let her be.

“Is Mandy okay?” Ally asked.

“Mandy is just fine,” James said, rubbing her back. “We’re just fine. Everyone is going to be just fine.”

Three days later, James found Mandy sobbing on the couch. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and her face was buried into the space between her knees and her torso.

He’d been expecting this. After the initial shock had worn off, and the police had questioned them for hours, she’d cried herself to sleep that night. He couldn’t do anything but hold her, so that’s what he did.

The next morning, she’d been dull and lifeless, slowly returning to herself as the days passed. She’d seemed fine when he left a few hours ago. Well, fine was an exaggeration. She’d seemed resigned and relieved.

“What’s wrong, baby?” James slid onto the couch next to her, pulling her to him. “Are you thinking about Sheryl?”

Mandy lifted her tear-streaked face up. “I killed Sheryl.”

“No,” James said. “You protected yourself. Sheryl killed herself.”

“She’s still dead.”

“I’d rather her be dead than you,” James said. “I’m not going to apologize for that.”

Mandy sniffed.

“Things are going to get better now,” James promised. “Everything is going to be better.”

“I heard back from Tanya,” Mandy said. “The house is gone. Someone made an offer to the owner before we got a chance. We lost it.”

James stilled, running a hand over her shoulders. “Wait a second, are you crying about Sheryl or the house?”

Mandy’s sad eyes tore at his heart, but the rueful expression on her face was almost comical. “I should probably say Sheryl.”

“But?”

“But I really wanted that house,” Mandy said. “I had all these dreams. Ally calls it angels dancing on the head of a pin. I shouldn’t have let myself dream about it. I should have listened to you and not gotten my hopes up.”

James leaned back, pulling Mandy with him. “Tell me about the dreams.”

“Why? We’ve lost them.”

“You can never lose dreams,” James said, smoothing down her hair. “Tell me about them.”

“You’ll think they’re stupid.”

“No, I won’t.”

“It’s just … I imagined us doing stuff there.”

“Like?”

“Like I thought we could use those two connecting rooms at the far end of the second floor as our offices,” she said. “I thought we could peek in and talk to each other when we were working. You know, just check in during the day.”

“That sounds … corny,” James said. “Cute, but corny. What else?”

“I pictured us skinny-dipping in the pool,” Mandy said.

“Now, this is what I’m talking about,” James said. “What happened then?”

“Then we’d get into the hot tub and steam things up together there,” Mandy said. “I thought our summers would be spent making love in really hot water and never wearing a bathing suit.”

“Uh-huh. What else?”

“I thought that you and your brothers could have fight nights out in the saloon, playing pool to your heart’s content,” Mandy said, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. “I figured, now that you’ve hired Jake as another employee, he could be there, too. You could finally have even teams.”

“That seems like a practical idea.”

“And I dreamed of that stupid art studio,” Mandy said. “I pictured myself painting in there, getting dirty. I thought we could put a bed in the second room, so when you came to see what I was working on, and we both got covered in paint, we wouldn’t have to go too far to find a bed.”

James smiled. He’d pictured something similar himself. “That sounds really nice.”

“It’s gone.”

“There will be other houses,” James said. “We can build new dreams around another house.”

“I know. I just wanted
that
house.”

James was quiet for a moment, rubbing soothing circles on her back. “You know what you need?”

“My house?”

“You need to get out of here,” James said. “We’ve spent almost a month straight in this place. I think we both need a change of scenery.”

Mandy pulled back, letting James reach up to wipe away her tears. “Where are we going?”

“Just for a ride,” James said. “I think you’ll feel better if you just get out of here. I’ll even buy you dinner afterwards. Just no seafood. I still haven’t recovered from the puking incident from last winter.”

Mandy glanced down at her outfit, the flannel sleep pants and tank top giving her pause.

“Get cleaned up,” James said. “I’ll be waiting right here for you.”

MANDY
had stopped crying about the house, but her heart still hurt. She knew she was overreacting, and she had a feeling that Sheryl’s death was part of the cause. She didn’t want to dwell on that too much, the idea of killing someone – even someone hell-bent on trying to kill her – was hard for her to wrap her mind around.

She had no idea where James was heading, but when he pulled into a familiar neighborhood in Harrison Township, her heart skipped a beat.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re just driving,” James said.

“But … .”

“Do you know what’s great about this area?” James asked, clearly changing the subject. “You have direct access to the freeway, and yet you wouldn’t know it from all the foliage. It’s kind of a hidden gem.”

Now he was just torturing her. “Yeah. It’s great.”

James flicked his turn signal, pulling onto Park Street. He was heading in the direction of the house.

“What are you doing?”

James ignored her, coasting to a stop on the long driveway of Mandy’s dream house. He killed the engine and got out of the car.

Mandy remained inside, pouting. When he didn’t come to collect her, she sighed dramatically and climbed out of his Explorer. “What are we doing here? Are you trying to make me cry again?”

“I just thought you might want to dream a little more.”

Mandy joined him in front of the Explorer, the dreams she’d tried to tamp down flitting through her head again. “It really is beautiful.”

“It is.”

“Do you think we could have been happy here?”

James didn’t answer immediately, causing Mandy to look in his direction. Instead of leaning against the vehicle like he had been a few seconds before, though, he was kneeling in front of her – a blue jewelry box in his hand.

Mandy’s mouth went dry. “W-w-what are you doing?”

James flipped the top of the box open, revealing a huge emerald cut diamond ring. It was two carats, simple, and set in platinum. It was the ring she’d dreamed about since she was a teenager – a dream she’d only ever told Ally about.

“I bought the house,” James said.

“You … you bought the house?”

“I bought the house.”

“Why?”

James pursed his lips. “Because I had the same dreams you did. I saw us here, and we were happy.”

“But … you’re, um … are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

“You seem surprised.”

“I just … I didn’t think you were there yet,” Mandy admitted.

“Well, I gave it some thought,” James said. “Loving you is one thing. Pledging forever is another.”

“Do you want forever?” Mandy’s heart was welling with hope.

“I want you,” James said. “Today. Tomorrow. Forever. You’re all I want. You don’t just own my heart, baby. You are my heart. You’re my whole heart.”

Tears were flowing from Mandy’s eyes again, this time for an entirely different reason.

“Will you marry me?”

Mandy opened her mouth to answer, but no sound would come out.

James shifted, his knee uncomfortable against the ragged cement of the driveway. “You need to give me an answer, baby. I’m starting to get a complex.”

Mandy dropped to her knees next to him, the emotions running through her too much to fathom. “Yes.”

James pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers so he could kiss her senseless. When they came up for air, James pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. It was a perfect fit.

“How did you know?”

“Ally does give sage advice sometimes,” James said. “She’s also a fountain of information.”

“Did you really buy this house for me?”

“No,” James said. “I bought this house for us. We both have a lot of dreams, and we can share them here.”

“This is what you want, right? You’re not just proposing because of all the crap we’ve been through over the past month, are you? Because that would be a total bummer if you changed your mind.”

James smiled, kissing her more sweetly this time. “I’ve had the ring for three months.”

Mandy’s mouth dropped open. “Three months?”

“I’ve known you were my forever for a really long time,” James said. “I was just waiting for the perfect moment.”

“And me crying on the couch was your perfect moment?”

“Baby, you’re my perfect everything.”

James claimed her mouth again, wrapping his arms around her back – not worrying about hurting her for the first time in as long as he could remember. For him – and for her – happily ever after officially started today.

Sassy and fun are the two words Ally Hardy lives her life by. She also wants love – and happiness – but she’s not sure either are in her immediate future. She’s content to tread water until she gets everything she’s ever dreamed of. 
Jake Hardy is just trying to get by. His six-year tour in the Army haunts him, and he’s decided distance is the best way to survive. He doesn’t want – or need – any waves in his immediate future. 
Ally’s mere existence might put Jake’s plan in jeopardy. 
While her brothers are happily paired off, Ally is still floundering. She’s attracted to Jake. Who wouldn’t be? He’s every woman’s physical dream, and yet his mental stamina might leave much to be desired. 
Ally can’t stay away, though, and when trouble upends her life, the woman who wants everything can’t help but cling to the man who desires nothing. 
Jake wants distance, but his heart has an argument his body can’t deny. 
After discovering a dying man, someone thinks Ally knows a secret. When they go after her, Jake can’t fight the urge to protect her. 
Her brothers want a “perfect” man for their baby sister, and Jake is far from a perfect man. Ally only wants Jake, and she’s decided no one is going to stand in her way. 
Jake fights the pull – but it seems to be a fruitless endeavor. Her energy is too much for him to resist, and despite her brothers’ misgivings, Jake can’t stay away. 
Despite his best efforts, Ally manages to catch Jake’s attention – and heart. Someone is still after Ally, and her brothers may never approve, but Jake soon realizes he’s beyond caring. 
Ally is in danger, and Jake plans to stand in the path of anyone who would try and hurt her. 
Will this duo survive to find out if they can find happily ever after, too? Or will someone snuff out potential love before it has a chance to bloom?

Deadly Prospects will be released on Feb. 3, 2015. Buy it
here.

The Hardy brothers and their love stories aren’t over. Track their progress through upcoming books  – and maybe find out a little more about the Hardy family, too.

Deadly Prospects:
Ally Hardy has watched all three of her brothers find happiness, and now she wants some of her own. When Hardy Brothers Security employs Jake Harrison to help with their expanding business, none of the of Hardy boys think he’s good enough for their baby sister. Ally has other ideas, though, whether Jake is agreeable to them or not. When Ally finds herself in boatload of trouble, it’s not her brothers she turns to. Jake can’t fight Ally’s pull, and, at a certain point, he’s not sure he even wants to try. Will this duo survive to find out if they can overcome the disappointment of three brothers and forge their own path?

Deadly Ever After:
James and Mandy are looking forward to moving into their new house, and enjoying their upcoming wedding. The road to happily ever after is littered with hurdles, though, and maybe a few bodies. Will this beloved couple get to say “I do”? Or will the enemy finally be too much for the Hardy family to overcome?

Deadly Honeymoon:
After more drama – and a romantic wedding – James and Mandy are going on a honeymoon. After frolicking in the sun – and getting frisky in the water – they discover a dead body. The mystery surrounding that death follows them home – and the entire Hardy family is put on alert when danger rears its head. Again.

Deadly Questions:
Grady has never been fond of Sophie’s foster father, Peter Marconi, the mob associations always giving him pause. When Peter approaches Hardy Brothers Security with a problem – Grady is hard pressed to deny him. Someone is trafficking young women across the Michigan border to Canada, and Peter needs help figure out whom. Grady agrees to help, but only if Peter is honest. Can Grady and Sophie find common ground when his family starts fighting with hers?

Deadly Addition:
After years of turmoil, Emma Pritchard is finally happy. She’s found the man of her dreams, and a new family to love and accept her. All of that is put at risk when Emma’s absentee mother returns to town. The woman is full of apologies – and promises – but Finn doesn’t believe she’s good for Emma. When the couple is faced with another problem, Emma’s world starts to close in. Can she ever fully let go of the past and look forward to the future?