Page 26

TWENTY-SIX

Two days later, Meredith climbed from Mo’s Jeep at Papa and Granny Quinn’s house for their monthly Sunday dinner. Mo fell into step beside her.

They’d only gone five steps when Meredith stopped walking. “Really?” She put her hands on her hips and glared at her barely older brother.

“What?” Mo was all innocence.

“We’re at Papa and Granny’s.” She hissed the words. “You don’t have to stay within reach every minute of the day. No one is going to kill me here.”

Mo stepped closer and his voice was a bare whisper. “Rein in the drama, baby sister.” He cut his eyes to the porch where Granny and Aunt Rhonda sat, despite the fact that it was barely over forty degrees outside. “I know you’re scared and you’re tired of everyone hovering.” He made a sour face. “And you haven’t seen Gray all weekend.” She started to speak, but he put a hand up. “Don’t deny it. Don’t even try.”

She relaxed her body but kept her glare on full beam. A car parked behind them, but she kept her eyes on Mo. “Ever since Gray called on Friday, you and Cal have been insufferable. I didn’t need anyone sleeping in my guest loft, but that’s where you’ve been. I didn’t need a ride to church, but you gave me one. You think I’m scared? You’re right. But your incessant hovering isn’t helping.”

Mo was unrepentant. “We can discuss my perfectly rational levels of caution later. But not here. Papa and Granny don’t know, Mer. If you don’t calm down...”

“Maybe I could help with that.” Gray stepped out from behind Mo and inserted himself into the very small space between Meredith and her brother. Mo immediately stepped back. Meredith didn’t move.

Gray brushed his thumb across her cheek, an action that was becoming familiar and welcome. “I thought I told you not to worry.”

The sound of fake retching came from behind them.

“Mo, I’ve got her,” Gray said, not taking his eyes off Meredith. “Why don’t you go inside and give us a minute.”

Mo grumbled something unintelligible and then reached in between them and pulled her away from Gray.

“Hey!” she protested.

But Mo squeezed her close and whispered in her ear, “I won’t apologize.”

Then he released her and took off toward the house.

Gray put an arm around her waist. “I’ve never known you two to fight the way you’ve been lately.”

She looked at Mo’s retreating back. “We don’t usually. I guess mortal danger is bringing out the worst in us.” She dropped her head to Gray’s chest, careful to choose a spot that wouldn’t involve poking herself in the face with his badge.

“I missed you.” Gray’s lips brushed her outer ear. “I wanted to be with you this weekend.”

“Same.” She pulled away and linked her arm with his. They started toward the porch. “Not that I’m upset about it, but why are you here? Aren’t you on duty?”

“I’ve been on duty for the past seventy-two hours. I might have to dash out of here, but I’m hopeful that Gossamer Falls can hold it together for a few hours.” He waved at Granny Quinn. “And I have a standing invitation for Sunday lunch.”

As if talking about lunch triggered it, his stomach rumbled loud enough for her to hear.

“Have you eaten today?”

“Does coffee count?”

“No,” she said. “Did you eat yesterday?”

“I think I ate a pack of crackers last night.”

“Chief Ward, there’s to be none of that mess.” Granny Quinn’s voice was a combination of sharp and concerned. They must have gotten close enough to the porch for her to overhear. “Why didn’t you eat breakfast?”

“Sorry, ma’am. Duty called.”

Granny humphed. “I heard you got called by a bunch of hooligans who got drunk last night and then woke up in the wrong house.”

“What?” Meredith looked from Granny to Gray. “And how would you know, Granny?”

“It was all over the church this morning. If you’d been early, you’d have heard all about it.” There was a hint of censure in the comment.

“You can take that up with Mo, Granny. I was ready to go. He made me late.”

“Mo!” Granny’s voice pierced through the gathering Quinns.

Mo came at a jog. “Yes, ma’am.”

“You best be getting to church a little bit earlier, young man.”

Mo’s jaw twitched, but he gave Granny a sharp salute. “Ma’am, yes ma’am.” And then he made a quick retreat.

Granny looked after him, then turned back to Meredith. “Something you’re not telling me?”

“Meredith!” Aunt Minnie careened down the porch steps and straight into Meredith’s welcoming arms. Saved by Aunt Minnie.

“Minnie Moo! How are you?”

Aunt Minnie looked at Gray. “You brought your policeman.”

Meredith decided not to try to explain that Gray had just appeared. “I did.”

Aunt Minnie looked at Granny. “See, Mama. She got it sorted.”

Granny gave her daughter the same smile she’d been giving her for over sixty years. “Yes, she did. You were right.”

Aunt Minnie’s face was lit with the joy that she almost always seemed to carry with her. “Come on, Merry. Mama made my favorite.”

“Can Gray come too?”

Aunt Minnie gave her a look. “He’s yours, Merry. Of course he can come.”

Granny and Aunt Rhonda made no attempt to hide their glee. “Well, I do believe Minnie’s got the right of it.” Aunt Rhonda nudged Granny. “How many grandmother-of-the-bride dresses do you have to buy this year?”

Meredith grabbed Gray’s hand and indicated that Aunt Minnie should lead the way to the kitchen before her grandmother and aunt had them going to the chapel before they had their second date.

They made it into the house and hit a wall of heat and people. “Now I understand why they’re sitting on the porch.” Meredith saw her dad and he saw them.

“Minnie. Bring my baby girl over here, won’t you, sweetheart?”

Aunt Minnie tugged on Meredith’s hand, and Meredith clung to Gray with her other hand. This was so not how she’d envisioned introducing Gray to the family. Not that everyone hadn’t already met him, of course.

But in the Quinn family, if you showed up with a date, that person had to be prepared. Everyone was always welcome at the Quinn table, but if your relationship status had moved beyond friendship, an entirely different level of scrutiny was brought to bear.

Aunt Minnie reached her brother first, and he grabbed his older sister and pressed a kiss to her temple. “There’s my first girl. How are you today? You didn’t even speak to me at church.”

Aunt Minnie preened under his attention. “I helped in children’s church.”

“Well, then that’s okay.” He looked at Meredith and very obviously allowed his gaze to linger on her hand, firmly clasped in Gray’s. He returned his attention to Minnie. “Could I borrow Meredith and Gray for a minute?”

Aunt Minnie grinned. “I’m taking Merry into the kitchen for some ham.”

“Minnie, you haven’t been sneaking ham, have you?”

She giggled and ran off.

Meredith faced her father. Gray stood straight at her back, and she got the sense that if he could stand beside her, or even in front of her, he would. But they were in a corner, and there wasn’t anywhere to go.

She wasn’t sure what to say. She had nothing to be ashamed of. She’d done nothing wrong. And for that matter, neither had Gray. Well, okay, so he’d broken her heart. But he was sorry.

Yeah. That was not the argument to use with her dad. But how could she explain it? Gray had hurt her. But he apologized. And he explained. And she believed him. And she cared about him—okay, fine, she’d been in love with him for a while. So she was willing to see where things went.

If her family couldn’t get on board with that, then they were going to have a problem. And by “they,” she meant her family. She and Gray would be fine. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey, baby girl.” Her father pointedly looked over her shoulder. “Gray.”

“Sir.” Gray didn’t sound nervous.

“You hurt her again, you’d better not show up for lunch. You hear me?”

“Dad—”

“Won’t happen, sir.”

“Better not.”

“Dad—”

“Glad we got that straight. One of the kids messed with the thermostat and it’s hot as blazes in here. Dad opened a few windows. Should cool off soon enough. Granny and Rhonda went to the front porch, but it’s too cold for your mom. She went to the sunroom. Go see her before lunch. She’s got it in her head that you and Mo are fighting.”

He kissed her cheek, slapped Gray on the shoulder, and maneuvered through the crowd. He called out, “All the little hooligans, let’s go outside and burn off some energy.” And like some kind of mountain-man pied piper, he led most of her cousins under the age of fifteen into the yard.

Meredith turned to face Gray. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” He seemed genuinely confused.

“My dad. He’s usually nicer than that.”

“He’s looking out for his daughter. I respect that. If some man treated my daughter the way I treated you? I don’t know that I would be so forgiving.”

“That wasn’t forgiving. That was putting you on notice.”

“Oh, I know.” Gray smiled. “But I’m not worried.”

“He didn’t have to be so blunt.”

“What’s the matter?” Gray studied her. “Are you worried about me? Do you think I’m upset?”

“Clearly you aren’t. But I am. He should treat you better than that. I hope he doesn’t plan to act this way for long. I won’t stand for it.”

Gray would have given up dessert for a decade to be alone with Meredith in this moment. As it was, he leaned toward her and whispered, “Sweetheart, I love the way you’re trying to protect me from your family. I really do. But I promise you, I’m fine. Your dad and I are fine.”

He stepped back, but her expression still hadn’t cleared. Was this what it was like to have a woman care about you? Was this protectiveness, this worry, going to be part of his life? Was this what he’d been missing? Because if so, he’d been a fool.

The warmth in his chest trickled through his entire body, and it was a heat that had nothing to do with the stifling temperature of the room.

“Let’s go find your mom and then we can go for a walk.”

Meredith was quiet as she led him toward the back of the house. They entered a room that had probably been an open back deck at some point but now was enclosed with large windows. This space was noticeably cooler than the rest of the house, but significantly warmer than it was outside. Gray concluded there was no heat or A/C in this room.

Jacqueline sat in a rocking chair, and when they entered her face lit. “Oh, there you are.” She stood and gave Meredith a hug, and then hugged Gray. He patted her in what had to be the world’s most awkward hug. For one thing, he was in full uniform, which made all hugs a bit weird.

But the real issue was that she was hugging him. Why?

“Oh, don’t look so surprised.” She winked at him and patted his arm. “Mothers take a different approach. Dads get grumpy. Brothers get dramatic. But a mother? She sees the way her daughter’s spark has grown brighter, and the way she’s all fierce and determined to defend you. I bet Doug gave you a hard time, didn’t he? And it got her all riled up.”

Jacqueline returned to the rocking chair. “She’s protective of those she loves. You’ll get used to it. Or maybe you won’t. That might be better. A lifetime of delight is hardly a bad way to live. I should know. My husband’s the same way.”

She turned her attention on Meredith, then patted the arm of the chair beside her. “Now, come here and tell me why you’re fighting with Mo.”

Meredith, her expression a bit befuddled, took the seat her mother had indicated. Gray took up a post leaning against a window, where he could see both women.

“What makes you think we’re fighting, Mama?”

“I’m not as strong as I used to be, but my brain works just fine, Meredith Catherine Quinn.”

Uh-oh. She’d full-named her.

“You were almost late for church. You sat by Mo, but you both looked like little thunderclouds. You didn’t speak to him. You didn’t turn your head in his direction even once. While he—what’s the term?—oh yes, he had his head on a swivel.”

Gray coughed a little. Jacqueline knew her children well.

“Spill.” There was command in that word, and Meredith dropped her head.

“He won’t leave me alone. He follows me everywhere. He’s convinced someone is going to jump out of the trees and grab me. He’s making me paranoid.”

“It isn’t paranoia if the threat is real,” Gray muttered.

Jacqueline pointed at him. “Exactly.” She shifted in her seat. “He’s trying to protect you, Merry-girl. He’s lost so much. He can’t lose you. You know that.”

Gray wasn’t sure what loss they were discussing, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

“He’s suffocating me.”

“He’s a Quinn.” Jacqueline winked. “It’s a family characteristic.” She leaned back in her chair and rocked a few times. “As I recall, I had to have a conversation with you about the very real possibility of you loving me to death.”

Meredith looked at the ceiling. “That was different.”

“How so?”

“I wasn’t...”

When Meredith didn’t say anything more, her mother prompted, “What’s that, dear? Oh, wait. Let me guess. You’ve just realized that he’s making you mad because he does the same thing you do. And you don’t like that at all.” She stood and patted Meredith’s hand. “I’m going to see if they’ve got things sorted so we can eat. I’m starving. You be sure to make up with your brother before you run off with Gray.”

“Mama!” Meredith flushed.

“Please. I’m not an idiot. You’ll be dragging him out for a walk by the river before we’re halfway done eating.”

“He’s on call, Mama.”

“Well, that changes things. Better get that walk in first.” She grinned a sly grin, patted Gray’s arm, and disappeared into the house.

Gray took the seat she’d vacated and waited for Meredith to speak.

“I wish I could tell you this is abnormal behavior, but I can’t. My family’s always like this.”

“If by ‘this,’ you mean exuberantly loving, wildly protective, and fiercely loyal, then, yeah, they are. And you are the luckiest woman in the world to have that.”

“True, but today they’re driving me bonkers.” Meredith popped to her feet. “Come on. Let’s go eat. You’re starving, and I need to find Mo.”

Gray hadn’t seen her in two days. They were in an empty room at the back of the house. And he had no plans to wait for a walk that might not happen.

He stood, spun her around, and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Meredith.” Her eyes were wide, her mouth parted, and she made a soft sound that indicated that she’d heard him. “I’m not that hungry.”

She slid her hands up his arms and laced them around his neck. “In that case...” She pressed her lips to his, and he knew no one else would ever touch him the way she did.

And when she ended the kiss far sooner than he wanted her to and insisted that he get some food before someone in Gossamer Falls did something stupid that required his assistance, he knew that no one else would ever be protective of him the way she was.

She bullied family members to clear a path and made sure he had a full plate of food and a separate plate for dessert. Holding her own plate, which held nothing more than a green salad, in front of her, she led the way to one of the tables set up in the garage. They sat beside each other, and while he inhaled the first real meal he’d had in two days, she picked at her salad.

Until Mo sat down across from her and slid a full plate of food to her. “Eat.”

Gray made note of the items on the plate. Deviled eggs. Mac and cheese. A yeast roll. Mashed potatoes. Ham. Green beans.

Meredith slid her salad to Mo and said, “Then you eat this.”

Mo grinned and took a huge bite of the salad. Meredith took a big bite of mashed potatoes.

Jacqueline walked by, saw the three of them, and smiled. “It makes me so happy to see you getting along.”

Mo blew her a kiss, and she caught it and then walked away.

“What am I missing?” Gray asked.

Mo spoke around a bite. “Meredith doesn’t like salad, and I only like salads when someone else makes them.”

“You don’t like salad?” She’d seemed to enjoy the wedge salad he’d made for her Thursday night.

“I like salads, but not at Granny’s. Why would I eat a salad when I can eat this?” She waved a forkful of mac and cheese in his direction.

She had a point. And he had a lot to learn. He thought he’d been paying attention. Thought he had catalogued many of the things that made Meredith tick, but there was still so much he didn’t know.

Cal and Landry joined them at their table a few moments later.

Landry had a roll, mashed potatoes, and a piece of ham on her plate. Nothing more. Weird. Landry usually had a little bit of everything.

For a few moments, everyone ate, and the conversation was light and innocuous. Cal scooped up a spoonful of corn and asked, “When will you have time for some target practice?”

Gray wasn’t sure if the question was meant for him or Meredith.

Meredith’s grumbled “Never” answered the question for him.

“Come on. It wouldn’t hurt you to get some practice in.”

Landry placed a hand on Cal’s forearm. He looked at her, and even from where Gray was, he could tell she was saying “Shut up” without uttering a single word.

Mo, oblivious to the tiny drama happening on the other side of him, nodded enthusiastically. “Maybe some hand-to-hand? Or grappling?”

Meredith was coiled so tight beside him, Gray imagined that if Cal or Mo said one more word, she was going to start pinging around the room like she was in a pinball machine.

“Will y’all excuse us? I’m going to have to go back to work soon, and I need to talk to Meredith.”

“Talk?” Cal and Mo said the word, with the same incredulous inflection, at the same time.

Meredith stood, slid her chair in, grabbed her plate, and hightailed it away from the table without a backward glance.

Gray leaned across and spoke to Mo and Cal. “Back off.”

Both men’s expressions hardened, but Gray didn’t stay to chat. He followed Meredith outside. Once they were away from the house, he took her hand. She rested her head on his arm, and he happily followed her lead.

When the well-worn path they were on led them to the river, then to a bench that overlooked it, he took a seat beside her. She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to talk, so he put his arm around her shoulders and held her until she rested against him.

“I don’t want to die, Gray.” Her broken words sent a shaft of terror into his heart.

“I can’t promise you complete safety, but between me, Mo, Cal, your dad, and pretty much your entire family, we’re going to do all we can to be sure that won’t happen. I just got you, Meredith. There’s no way I’m going to lose you now.”

He got another ten minutes to cuddle her, to whisper things like “I’ve got you” and “We’ll be okay” in between pressing kisses to her hair, twisting his fingers with hers, and doing everything he could to comfort her.

Then his phone rang. He answered.

“Sorry, boss,” Brick said. “I’m okay to man the fort, but I can’t go out on any calls. The stomach bug that’s been going around got me.”

“I’ll be there in twenty.”

He put his phone back in his pocket.

“I’m sorry I dumped this on you. You have so much on your plate. But if I tell my parents or Mo that I’m scared, they’ll freak out.” She dropped her head against his chest and took a few deep breaths.

“It’s probably too soon for this, but I’m going to put this out there.”

She looked up at him.

“I want to be the one you run to. The one you call when you’re overwhelmed. The first person you want to see when you’re scared. I don’t want to replace your family or your friends. I don’t want to take their place in your life. But I want to have my own place. And I want it to be the safest place you’ve ever known.”

He’d told Brick it would be twenty. It was more like forty.