Page 33 of A Lonely Road (Spruce Hill #2)

“You know why that guy was able to get close enough to touch me? Because I feel safe here. Because for once in my life, I’m not itching to leave town.

And if you don’t think Jake has everything to do with that, then your little spy in Spruce Hill neglected to give you the full story.

I took care of the situation the way you taught me to, and Jake took care of me in the aftermath. ”

A stunned silence fell over the table as John’s speculative gaze traveled between the two of us. Nora stared him down for a solid minute, but when she glanced at me, I winked at her, impressed.

Nora in a fury was truly a sight to behold, as long as it wasn’t directed at me.

“Don’t look so smug,” she growled, poking me in the ribs as she leveled a glare in my direction.

I smiled over at her even as I rubbed the spot. “Yes, ma’am.”

John sat back against the seat, finally relaxing his militant posture as he studied us. “Very well. That tells me everything I needed to know.”

Joanna returned with the food, earning herself a wide smile from John Cassidy while Nora and I blinked at his sudden change of mood. We pulled ourselves from our confusion long enough to thank Joanna before she walked away, then we both looked at John again.

“What do you mean, that’s all you needed to know?” Nora finally demanded .

“Come on, Bear,” her father said gently.

“I know perfectly well you don’t need a man to protect you.

The fact that he knows it, that he not only respects it but appreciates that about you, well.

” He shrugged. “You don’t need my blessing or my approval to make your own choices, but I feel a fair sight better knowing you’ve made a good one. ”

I waited for Nora’s reaction before so much as lifting my fork.

Though I might never live it down among the staff if she chose to storm out of there without eating, I’d follow without question if that was her decision.

Despite her silence, she was still simmering, so I laid my hand between us on the bench in case she needed it.

A bare second later, her hand crept into mine, opening and closing against my fingers as she struggled to control her temper.

“That was low,” she told her father with another scowl, but her palm relaxed against mine as I gently squeezed her hand.

Her father raised a brow as he spread the napkin across his lap and cut into his meal. “I was actually hoping Jake here would be the one to rise to the bait, not you, but I suppose it worked out in the end.”

I choked on a laugh and Nora turned her glare in my direction. “What’s so funny, Lincoln?”

“Bear baiting,” I replied with a grin.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget you ever heard that stupid nickname,” she warned, but she squeezed my hand one last time before releasing it.

“So, you get into town and meet up with an old Navy buddy before your own daughter, huh? Was that to thank him for spying on me all this time?”

Her father shrugged, but his lips curved. “Roberts offered to meet for breakfast and I couldn’t turn him down. Besides, keeping his ears open for any gossip about my only child is hardly spying.” He took a bite and nodded to me. “This is delicious.”

“I’ll pass your compliments to our chef.”

John’s smile broadened. “I like a man who doesn’t take credit for work someone else has done.”

Nora rolled her eyes, so I nudged her knee with mine under the table. She turned her attention back to her father and said, “Jake is also renovating his own house. He’s amazingly talented.”

“Is he? Is it safe to assume Jake is the neighbor who replaced your door and locks?”

I swallowed another laugh when he put air quotes around the word neighbor. Nora’s cheeks burned brighter, which I hadn’t thought possible, but she ignored him and took a bite of her own meal.

The rest of our lunch passed peacefully, devoid of any further outbursts or arguments, though I got the impression that Nora’s temper still hovered just below its boiling point.

I wondered if being around her father always put her in this state—a woman like her surely wouldn’t appreciate being treated like she couldn’t manage her own life just fine by herself.

Even if John Cassidy seemed to understand his daughter perfectly, the two of them had decades of history that I simply wasn’t privy to. I’d just make sure I didn’t take any of her glares personally.

The conversation turned away from sensitive subjects, though I couldn’t help but feel I was still being thoroughly assessed.

Once our meals had been cleared and we were waiting for the strawberry shortcake to arrive, Nora excused herself to use the restroom.

I stood to let her out of the booth and then sat, waiting for her father to speak.

He didn’t make me wait long.

“Roberts thinks the man from the bar may be the one who broke into her apartment?” John asked quietly.

I nodded. “It seems pretty certain at this point. Nora bumped into him when she was out to lunch with my sister, then we caught him staring at her outside the hardware store the other day. She got a photo of him—it’s a little blurry, taken from a fair distance, but it looks like the same guy.

I ran after him as soon as I was sure she was okay.

He was gone by the time I got over there. ”

“I’d like to see the photo.” John’s voice was low and he glanced over to make sure Nora wasn’t on her way back. “Am I wrong to assume she’s not staying at the apartment alone?”

“No, she’s been staying at my house. I’m hoping to keep it that way for as long as she’s willing. I have a security system and I feel better with her close by.”

Her father nodded. “She’d kill me if she heard me say this, but you take care of her. She’s not always as tough as she makes herself out to be. ”

“No, sir, she’s even tougher. But I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

Clearly satisfied with my response, John held out his hand across the table. “Welcome to the family, Jake.”