Out of Circulation (Hemlock Creek Suspense Book 1) (4 page)

She nodded.

"Was that hard on you?"

She shifted, fingering the cool metal of the gun. How did she explain that although Dad's long hours hadn't affected her, his bravery had? He had been willing to put his life on the line to protect the people of the United States.

And why had God taken a man like that so early? Sometimes she felt like God enjoyed snatching things from her—her ability to walk properly, her father, her chance for an exciting future...but she couldn't let her mind go there.

"Some jobs require long hours. Dad had one of those jobs. We understood."

His clear eyes filled with pity, something she simultaneously hated and craved. As large raindrops splattered her nose and cheeks, she grabbed the Sig, happy to close the conversation. "We'd better head inside. I'll bet Mom has a warm supper waiting."

****

Katie observed the normally chatty Northerner as he fell silent during their evening meal. Maybe he didn't care for chicken and dumplings, or maybe he was disappointed they hadn't nabbed the man in the woods.

She smiled as he drank the unsweet tea she'd made for him. She had been so tempted to throw in just a tablespoon of sugar—unsweet tea seemed so unnatural—but resisted. Apparently it hit the spot, because he'd asked for another glass.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs. McClure." Ace rubbed his forehead, like he was exhausted. "I think I'll head over to the apartment and gear up to keep watch tonight." He scraped his plate, placing it carefully on the counter before walking out.

Katie helped Mom clear the table, then cut a slice of key lime pie to take out to Ace. A taste of Mom's famous pie was sure to cheer him up.

He stood outside the apartment in the waning light, tacking a piece of plywood over the open door pane. "I stopped by that hardware store in town and ordered glass for this. Should come in next week. It's standard size."

She was taken aback at his thoughtfulness, which he seemed to be downplaying. "Thank you for doing that." She motioned to the piece of pie. "I'll just put this inside." She scooted around him, through the open door.

His all-black luggage was piled in the corner of her small living room. She snickered when one whopper-sized suitcase caught her eye. For such a brief bodyguard conference, he'd packed even more clothes than a woman would. She could imagine what her brother would say about that.

She set the pie plate on the counter next to his gun, realizing it wasn't the .45 he'd carried earlier today. This one was a nine millimeter, she felt sure. She wondered if it was a Sig Sauer, like her dad's. Gently picking it up, she examined the frame for the brand...

"Put that down!" Ace's deep command echoed in the small apartment. Startled, she returned the weapon to the counter. How dare he assume she was doing something stupid?

She tried to explain. "I just wondered what it was."

Ace gave her a hassled look. "It's a gun, and you shouldn't be handling it."

Anger boiled up. Words exploded from her like fireworks. "I know good and well it's a gun, you dimwit. I just wondered if it's a Glock, a Sig, or a Ruger. I told you I know how to handle guns—you saw me with one today."

Ace crossed his arms. "And you told me you hadn't gone shooting for a while. You can't be casual with firearms, as I'm sure you know."

Now he was lecturing her. Katie raised her chin and tried to stomp out the door, but her awkward gait morphed into a step-drag canter. Regardless, she did succeed in brushing past Ace like he was yesterday's trash.

Once in her room, Katie burst into tears. She already knew she was incapable of doing most of the things she wanted, but to be talked down to like that was insufferable. She wished she could pull a judo flip on Ace or throw a vase at his head.

But a deeper part of her wished she could say the words that would calm his stormy eyes and make him smile. It
had
been foolish to handle someone else's gun. Maybe she should apologize in the morning.

When Molly showed up for her belated supper, Katie emerged briefly to say hello, then skulked back to her room. Like any good sister, Molly followed her. She probed and prodded until Katie gave in, recounting the day's events.

As Katie finished sharing about the gun-touching incident, Molly shocked her by laughing outright. Auburn curls tumbled around her face. "You know what your problem is, don't you? Why, Katie Beth McClure, you're smitten with that Yankee!"

Katie blushed as a wave of realization hit. Why hadn't she seen it? Truth be told, she was downright fascinated with Ace Calhoun.

Molly continued to dispense her sisterly advice. "Right now, the sparks are flying. But you need to figure out if you all have anything in common. He's from New York City, you're from West Virginia. He totes guns, you shelve books. You know Dad and Mom didn't have a lot in common, but Dad was a Christian and so is Mom." Molly's hazel eyes fixed on hers. "You need to get to know that boy, sis."

Later, as Katie snuggled into her soft, worn sheets, she reread a few chapters of
Little Men
, one of her favorite books by her favorite author, and one that never failed to make her feel calm and happy. As usual, she savored the interactions with Professor Bhaer and his wife, Jo. If only she could find a man like that, someone who loved her just as she was, yet challenged her to be better than she ever thought she could be.

Shockingly, Ace Calhoun came to mind. She snickered. Well, the man certainly didn't hesitate to challenge her, that was for sure.

She hesitantly prayed that she could have more chances to get to know Ace Calhoun...and that God would help her bite her tongue in the process.

****

After an uneventful night, Ace joined Katie and Mrs. McClure at the kitchen table for French toast. Must be someone really liked it. He remembered Granny's pancakes, light and fluffy as cotton candy. As he sipped his second cup of black coffee, he turned to Katie, determined to smooth things over from his outburst last night. "You want to go shooting sometime? As you know, I have an extra handgun."

A wide smile stretched across Katie's face, triggering a nearly electric response in him. She had no idea what a knockout she was.

Leaning toward him, she briefly rested her hand on his, obviously pleased. "I'd love to!"

He tamped down the guilt that rose like bile in his throat. Last night, after going over every inch of Katie's apartment, he'd decided to take a more aggressive tack in gaining access to the McClure home. This shooting scheme was just another step in his plan, a way to ferret out where Sean McClure could have hid the bank money.

He'd found no clues as he'd examined Katie's apartment—right down to the diaries in her bedside table drawer. Apparently, she hadn't nosed into her dad's work much. Her diaries were full of written-out prayers, asking God why she had a limp, why her dad died young, and why she couldn't find a man who would love her for who she was.

In other words, her dream man looked like his exact opposite. Wasn't he just using her for his own ends, like a phony?

This morning, as he stared at Katie's welcoming, Julia Roberts-wide smile, he faltered. He wished he could be that dream man.

The man his granny had prayed he'd grow up to be.

****

Katie wasn't sure where Ace's magnanimous suggestion to go shooting came from, but she'd take it. First, because she used to enjoy shooting immensely, before
the unfortunate event
, her private nickname for that injurious volleyball game. Second, because Molly had been right. She felt a spark of interest in Ace Calhoun that she'd rarely felt with any other man.

She peeped over her favorite sunset-colored mug, watching him carry on an easy conversation with Mom. There was something about him—not just the chiseled nose and chin, or his striking combination of blue eyes and dark hair. There was something deeper about Ace, something not easily visible on the surface.

She couldn't imagine having a job that would cover a stay at The Greenbrier. Sure, Molly got her in for meals now and again with her employee discount, but she would feel ostentatious paying for even one night at the lavish hotel. And yet here sat a man who took it as a matter of course, who rented a Lexus, and who had more than one handgun.

Her cell phone rang, startling her. Mom grinned and gave her a quick wink. So she wasn't unaware of her daughter's scrutiny of the hired gun.

As Katie picked up, Reba's weary voice filled her ear. "Could you come in today?"

"Um..." Katie glanced over at Ace. What would he do? Stay here and guard Mom? But who would guard her? Oh, well. She couldn't live in fear forever. "Sure. I can come in around ten."

"Oh, honey, that'd be great. We're getting swamped already with all these summer reading activities. Kids bouncing off the walls today." Reba abruptly hung up.

Taking in Mom and Ace's anxious stares, Katie made a public service announcement. "I'm going in to the library today. I'll be fine."

Ace glanced at Mom as if they had some secret understanding. "I'll come along," he said.

Mom nodded. "I have to go into town today anyway, so I won't even be around. It's more important that you get back to your normal life."

How many times had Katie heard that in high school? She never understood how she could get back to her normal life when she was living her new "normal." But she knew better than to sass her mom, who only meant well. She turned to Ace.

"Okay, but you'll just need to stay out of the way. They're really busy." She tried to channel some of last night's irritation with Ace, but found it had almost completely dissipated. The man was winning her over, no doubt about it.

"Will do." He stood and carried their plates to the sink, then returned to tote the milk back to the fridge.

Katie had to admit, this city boy was no slouch around the kitchen. That was more than she could say about most of the guys she'd dated.

****

He was going to find that money in the next couple days if it killed him.

As Ace brushed his teeth, he reflected that Katie seemed to be softening toward him. He would try to keep those positive feelings flowing. Maybe he'd launch a barrage of compliments, or touch her elbow repeatedly as he earnestly spoke to her. Those tried-and-true flirting techniques had yet to fail him. But in case of emergency, there was always the old fallback—fake an injury.

It was despicable, this plan. But there was no way around it. He had to gain access to Sean McClure's things, and the only way in was through Katie.

****

The library was hopping, as both children and parents disregarded the unwritten keep-it-to-a-whisper rule. Katie jumped right in, entering data from the summer reading forms and guiding children to bookshelves.

Ace seemed content to sit on an extra rolling chair and observe. Reba had only hesitated a moment to let the bodyguard bypass the
No Guns Allowed
restriction posted on the library door. She didn't want to take any chances with a library full of children running around, and Katie was thankful she could focus on her work instead of worrying about masked men.

When she finally glanced at the clock, it was nearly one and they hadn't taken a lunch break. Ace must be starving; he was such a large and well-muscled man. She tried to keep her eyes from wandering to his biceps, which filled out his fitted blue dress shirt in a most impressive way.

She gathered her purse and keys and walked over to him. "I'm so sorry. I totally lost track of time. I have an hour lunch break."

He stood, halting his apparently tireless visual rounds of everyone in the library. He met her gaze. "Sounds good."

"You want to run home and get something to eat? Mom always has sandwich supplies and chips. Or if you're into healthy, I'm sure there's fruit and hummus."

He shot her a radiant smile, and she nearly lost her balance. "I'll eat anything. I'm easy to please."

Reba reluctantly agreed to let them go, her eyes lingering on Ace's holstered guns. Katie prayed there would be no repeats of the other day's armed guest appearance while they were out.

Ace seemed unusually chatty in the car. "Those kids were cracking me up. One of those little boys kept circling the front desk, his eyes glued to my guns."

"It's not every day they see someone like you sitting around. I mean, you do cut an impressive figure." Her cheeks heated and she tried to will the blush away.

He was watching her, but she forced herself to keep her eyes on the road. It was awkward being confined in her small car with such a fine specimen of a man. She struggled to land on a topic of conversation, finally saying the first thing that popped into her head.

"So, were you close to your grandma?"

He stretched his legs, then adjusted his seat so he could keep them fully extended. "I was."

She could tell he was hedging, dancing around something he didn't want to share. Should she keep probing?

Hoping to keep him talking about himself for a change, she said, "So tell me about her. Was she one of those cozy knitting grandmas or one that goes out line dancing?"

To her relief, he laughed. "I don't think they line dance up my way. But she wasn't a knitter, either. To be honest, the main things I associate with my granny are good cooking and going to church."

Katie tried to hide her surprise. "We go, too. You're welcome to come along."

She glanced over and took in his serious look.

Finally, he sighed. "I don't believe in that stuff now."

Something pricked Katie's heart. Yes, she believed in
that stuff
, but did she really believe all of it? If she dug deep and examined her blackest thoughts, she had been angry with God for years. Even as she sang songs in church, read her Bible, and prayed, there was a splinter of doubt that always needled her...that feeling that God had enjoyed keeping her from the life she wanted.