Page 31 of A Lonely Road (Spruce Hill #2)

I waited through one more ring before I answered the call. “Hey, Dad,” I said, hoping my voice sounded steady as I rose and walked over to the window to watch Jake heft the area rug over one shoulder.

Like Jake, my father was a perceptive man, and I was fairly certain I was still not very good at concealing my emotions from either one of them.

“Hey, Bear,” he said brightly. I rolled my eyes at the nickname, grateful he couldn’t see me. “I had no service for a while so I just got your email. You make it to Spruce Hill okay? An old buddy of mine is the police chief there, did I tell you that?”

“Yes, I’m here,” I said, “and no, as a matter of fact, you didn’t. You could have mentioned it when you sent me the apartment ad, Father Dearest.”

“Didn’t I? I could have sworn I told you about Roberts. That’s why I even thought of Spruce Hill when you were looking for somewhere near the water. Maybe you’ll run into him around town. ”

With a sigh, I replied, “Actually, I’ve met him.”

My mouth snapped shut when I realized what I’d just said, distracted as I was by ogling Jake. Though I could have met the chief of police on any number of occasions in a small town like this, my father apparently caught something in my tone that sharpened his attention.

“Oh? Where exactly did you run into him?” he asked.

His voice was deceptively even, a sure sign that I was completely screwed. I closed my eyes, recognizing a trap when I heard one. John Cassidy knew very well that I couldn’t lie to him without cracking, just as he knew that I would always try to evade an indirect question if given half a chance.

Dammit. I’d backed myself into a corner and there wasn’t a chance in hell that my father would let it go after that slip.

“At the police station,” I finally admitted.

“Nora, are you in some kind of trouble?”

Am I? I wondered idly. My heart seemed more at risk than my physical safety, but I had even less interest in talking to my father about love than I did about a potential threat. The truth would have to do.

Part of the truth, anyway.

“My apartment was broken into when I wasn’t home. Nothing was stolen. It might have just been kids screwing around. My neighbor already replaced the door and the locks, and we just set up some security cameras. I’m fine. Everything is fine. ”

Accurate, if oblique. There would be no mention of the romantic lakeside getaway, no freaking way, and certainly no mention of what the culprit left waiting on my bed.

My father made a sound that indicated he wasn’t fully satisfied with that explanation, but for once in his life, he didn’t push.

“Well, I’m glad it’s taken care of. I was thinking I’d come out to visit next weekend, actually.

I’m about ready for a change of scenery and I still owe Roberts a beer from the last time I saw him.

There’s a campground by the lake, so you don’t have to worry about entertaining me. ”

I banged my forehead gently against the new steel door. “It’ll be great to see you, Dad. Text me the details.”

“I will. You take care of yourself. I love you. See you in a few days.”

“Love you, too, Dad. Bye.”

I stared down at the phone for a long moment before shaking myself back to reality.

It had been too long since I spent any time with my dad, and at least we had a little bit of time to get used to the idea of him showing up in Spruce Hill.

I shoved a few more changes of clothes into a bag, secured the locks on my sturdy new door, and went around to Jake’s deck to let myself into the house.

Heaving another sigh—was I really so pathetic that my life was boiling down to a series of heartfelt exhalations?—I left my bag on the kitchen table and found Jake positioning furniture around his new area rug.

“I told you it would look great in here,” I said .

Jake straightened and surveyed his lair. “You are a goddess among women,” he replied, watching my lips twitch. “Everything okay with your dad?”

I plopped down on the couch and threw an arm dramatically across my eyes. “Yes, but he’s coming for a visit. I had to tell him about the break-in, though I made it sound like the matter was resolved. It seemed like he was planning to pitch the visit even before I told him.”

With a grin, Jake sat beside me and rested his hand on my knee. “So I’ll get to meet him?”

“Yes,” I muttered. “I conveniently left out the part about being assaulted and then stalked. Oh, and about sleeping here every night. And about banging my insanely hot neighbor. And . . . well, I guess that’s the bulk of it.”

His laughter earned him a glare, which did nothing to quell that damn dimple. “Well, I didn’t exactly plan to inform him that we were ‘banging’ either, Nora, though I do appreciate that you think I’m hot. But he can’t be opposed to you having a boyfriend. You’re a grown woman.”

“Are you opposed to a background check?” I asked sweetly. “Because that will only be the first step if he knows you’re . . .” I waved an airy hand and Jake caught it, kissing my fingertips one at a time.

“Knows I’m what?” he murmured. “Making sweet, sweet love to you at all hours of the night? Exploring every inch of your skin? Giving you countless orgasms until your legs are shaking so hard you can barely stand?”

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” I hissed when his teeth nipped at the pulse in my wrist.

Jake’s heated gaze settled on my face. “Or did you mean if he knows I’m in love with his daughter?”

My lips parted at the words, but I didn’t pull away. His beautiful blue eyes held mine without flinching.

“Are you?” I breathed.

Our earlier comments had been offhand, qualified, lighter somehow.

The way Jake looked at me now wasn’t any of those things.

It was simultaneously intense and scorching but soft and sweet.

I could practically feel the emotion flowing from him, twining up my arms and wrapping tightly around my heart.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied, brushing his knuckles along my cheekbone.

I knew perfectly well that he would never, not for anything in the world, rush me into saying something I wasn’t ready for—but it seemed that the way my expression softened with a breathy little sigh was answer enough for him.

“Well then,” I murmured. As I covered his hand with my own, I gave in to a spark of mischief and smirked. “I just dare you to tell him that when he gets here.”

The touch of his lips to mine soothed my sudden flare of nerves, but when he deepened the kiss, I nearly forgot all about my father. Eventually, Jake drew back, brushing his nose along mine before flashing a smile.

“Maybe I will. I’d walk through fire for you, Nora—I’m perfectly willing to face your father, no matter how scary he might be.”

I thought he might regret that statement by the time he finally met the man, but when he slipped his hands under the hem of my shirt to slide up either side of my ribcage, I decided to put off worrying about it until another day.