Willow Smoke (85 page)

Accommodation.
That
was
one
of
those
big
words
she’d
learned
in
her
introductory
sociology
class.
Migrating
populations
often
had
to
learn
to
accommodate
to
existing
cultures.
And
to
a
certain
extent,
existing
cultures
had
to
accommodate
to
the
new
ideas,
tools, and
norms
of
the
migrating
population.

Well,
Nick
had
migrated
to
her
culture,
so he’d
have
to
accommodate
the
best
he
could.

“So,”
she
said,
with
a
trace
of
incredulity,
“when
you
next
have
a
problem
at
Paddle
Dreams
Unlimited,
you’ll
come
running
to
me
for
advice.
Maybe
I
can
even
tell
you
what
to
do.”

Nick
scowled
darkly.
“That’s
different,
and
you
know
it.”

“Maybe. But I doubt we’re
going to get
further
by
fighting
about
it.”
She
grinned.
“Do
you
want
to
fight
or
make
love?”

“What
a
question,”
Nick
responded.
He
set
his
coffee
cup
down
and
then
relieved
Daisy
of
hers.
“Let
me
show
you
which
I’d
prefer.”

Daisy
allowed
herself
to
be
comfortably
pulled
into
his
arms.
They’d
only
worked
out a truce of sorts, but life was far
better
this
morning
than
it
had
been
the
previous
morning.
Her
grandmother
had
always
told
her
to
be
thankful
for
small
blessings.
Daisy
smiled.
Oh
yes,
she
was
thankful
this
day
for
blessings,
small
and
big.

= o =

“So
how
do
we
contain
Lassiter?”
Nick stared
hard
at
Clint
and
Cassie
Travers,
who sat across from him in their farmhouse kitchen.

“I
wish
I
could
be
more
positive.”
Clint
traced
a
design
on
the
kitchen
table
cloth.
“But
the
guy
is
cagey.
Hell,
the
cops
have
been
trying
to
collar
him
for
years.”

“I
don’t
know
how
such
a
dumb
ass
can
outsmart
so
many
people.”

“It’s a matter of time.
He’ll overstep; he’ll
cross
the
line.
He
probably
has
in
the
past,
but
no
one
was
watching
at
that
moment.
Now
we’re
watching.”

Nick
squeezed
his
arms
tight.
Daisy
would
have
a
fit
if
she
knew
he
was
there
talking
to
Clint
and
Cassie
about
Reggie,
but
there
was
no
way
he
could
just
sit
idly
by
and
watch
the
bastard
drain
her,
either.

As
if
reading
his
mind,
Cassie
pushed
her
chair
away from the table and rose. “I
don’t
suppose
Daisy
has
any
idea
you’re
having
Reggie
tailed.”

“Nope.
She’d
think
I
was
interfering.”

“And
what
will
she
think
if
she
finds
out
you
have
a
tail
on
her,
too?”

Nick
grimaced.
“She’d
go
ballistic.”

“I
don’t
like
being
part
of
this
subterfuge.”
Cassie
removed
their
coffee
cups
from
the
table.

“You
wouldn’t
be
part
of
it,
if
you
had
kept
your
nose
to
yourself,”
Clint
declared,
scowling
at
his
wife.

Cassie stuck her tongue
out at him. “I
learned
long
ago
that
I’d
better
keep
my
nose
in
everything
that
goes
on
around
here,
or
I
could
be
in
deep
trouble.

“Don’t
worry
about
me,”
she
said,
smiling
sweetly
at
Nick,
“I
won’t
go
share
your
secrets
with
Daisy.
Any
more
than
I
share
hers
with
you.”
She
picked
up
a
towel
and
began
wiping
the
table.

At
least
she
was
taking
out
her
anger on
the
table
rather
than
on
him.

She
looked
back
up
at
him.
“One
of
these
days
the
two
of
you
are
going
to
have
to
learn
to
trust
each
other
more
than
you
do,
or your secrets are going to
destroy a
damn
good
relationship.”
Cassie
glared
at
her
husband.
“I
have
chores
to
do
in
the
barn,”
she
said
tartly.
“See
that
you
control
yourself
while
my
nose
is
absent.”

Clint chuckled. “Or you’ll
pry it out of me later.”

“Of course. I always do.”

The
redhead
sauntered
through
the
kitchen
to
the
porch
swaying
her
hips
with
purpose.
Nick
laughed.
There
was
little
question
how
she’d
wheedle
information
from her husband.

Wincing
at
the
slamming
of
the
porch
door,
Clint
arched
his
eyebrows.
“Women can
be
infuriating
no
matter
how
long
you’ve
known
them.”

Nick
nodded
in
agreement.

“We’ll
keep
the
surveillance
on
Reggie.
Do
you
want
to
keep
it
on
Daisy?”

Glancing
at
the
doorway,
Nick
knew
Cassie
was
right.
If
Daisy
ever
found
out
he
was
having
her
followed,
she’d
flay
him
over
a
slow
burning
fire.
But
it
was
the
only
way
he
knew
he
could
keep
her
safe.
And
even
then
there
were
no
guarantees.