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N ick swiped his suddenly sweaty hands down his jeans. Swallowed hard, then pulled open the door to The Trailhead. He had no idea if Celia would welcome him or tell him to get lost, but he couldn’t stay away. He hated the way they’d left things this morning. Hated the pain and regret that he’d put on her face.

He’d been really hurt that she hadn’t told him earlier that she’d been working with the Las Vegas Gaming Commission. That she intended to stop his father from tampering with the slot machines. His old man had been cheating the casinos out of significant amounts of money for years. Not only the casinos, but the people who spent their money to play those slot machines.

Which made him a complete idiot. Exactly when had he expected her to tell him about the recordings? At his father’s house? The place where they’d exchanged nothing more than pleasantries? The place where he’d been terrified of his father realizing he had feelings for Celia? He'd spent the day trying to figure out why he’d been so upset, and he’d finally realized that he was hurt that she hadn’t shared that with him earlier. Which made him a complete idiot.

In spite of living in the same house for almost six months, they barely knew each other. He’d been wildly attracted to Celia but had been very careful not to show any interest in her. Not to speak to her, other than offer bland pleasantries, like telling her how good the meals were. He was always aware of his father watching him, and he hadn’t wanted his father to realize how into Celia he was.

He’d seen his father watching Celia when she wasn’t aware of it, and Nick suspected that Bobby was interested in Celia, as well. He knew his old man would be furious if he suspected he’d have competition from his son.

Celia had treated both of them the same. Reserved. Distant. Aloof. Except for the times he’d walked through the kitchen while she was working. When he’d greet her, she’d smile at him. Say a few careful words, then go back to her cooking. Several times, he’d thought he’d seen a spark of interest in her eyes, but it was always quickly hidden.

Living in Bobby Doyle’s house, she’d had to walk a careful tightrope. She’d been surrounded by men, most of them conscience-less killers. Or, in the case of Bobby, a man who thought he was entitled to have anything he wanted, including women. No wonder she’d barely spoken to him.

But she couldn’t disguise her expressions. She wasn’t experienced enough for that. He’d seen the yearning, quickly hidden, whenever she saw him. And he’d been so obsessed with Celia that he’d watched her whenever she wasn’t looking. He’d been able to decode her carefully hidden distaste for his father, although he was certain no one else had noticed it. Because no one watched her every expression the way Nick did. The idiots who worked for his father leered at her when she wasn’t looking, but none of them were stupid enough to try to get involved with her.

They’d seen what had happened to the other women who’d worked for his father. If Bobby was interested in them, they either capitulated, or they were gone. And if one of his father’s men had tried to start something with a woman who worked for him? That guy was gone quickly, too.

Nick had known it was only a matter of time before Celia would face the same choice. His father wasn’t a patient man. If he wanted something, he took it. Women didn’t say no to Bobby Doyle.

None of which mattered now. He was out of his father’s sphere of influence, and so was Celia. They were free to start a relationship if they chose to. But Nick had forgotten one crucial detail -- Celia didn’t have to share anything with him. Not when they were practically strangers.

So tonight, he’d come to The Trailhead to ask her to forgive him. To give him another chance. He hoped he’d read her expressions correctly. Hoped that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Wanted him enough to forgive him for screwing up.

The door closed behind him with a solid thud. Hiram and Noah, already sitting at the bar, glanced over at him. Hiram smiled at him and waved him over. Noah studied him for a long moment, then nodded once, a terse jerk of his head.

That was better than telling Nick to get his ass out of The Trailhead, which Nick had pretty much expected.

Anne sat beside Noah, and Celia sat beside Anne. Nick slid onto the stool beside Celia’s. He nodded at her when he felt her staring at him, then swallowed the lump in his throat. Would Celia stay on that bar stool next to him? Or would she move to the other side of Noah? Would she tell him to get his ass out of The Trailhead?

He swallowed again, bracing himself to hear Celia tell him to get lost. But she didn’t say a thing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she was watching him, though. Was she glad he was here? He hoped so.

She looked a little… ragged. Like it had been a rough day for her. Was it because they’d been busy for dinner? Or had she been thinking about what had happened between them that morning?

“You want your usual?” Hiram’s words interrupted his nervous speculation.

Nick swallowed and said, “Yes, please. The house red.”

Hiram scowled at him. “I remember what you drink,” he said, bending to pour the wine. “Not like there are hordes of people I let in after we’re closed.”

“Thanks, Hiram,” Nick said when the older man slid a glass of wine onto a coaster in front of him. He reached for his wallet, and Hiram drilled him with a glare that could probably kill.

“People I invite to join us after hours don’t pay for their drinks,” he said, scowling. “Put your damn money away.”

Nick held his gaze for a moment, then asked, “How do you know I was invited? Maybe I just showed up out of the blue.”

Hiram jerked his head toward Celia. “I know damn well she invited you,” he said. “She’s been mooning over you since you showed up here during the wedding.”

“Hiram!” Celia gasped, sitting up straight on her stool. “I do not moon over anyone. Especially not a man.”

Hiram shrugged. “You saying I can’t believe what my own eyes tell me?” he asked.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, old man,” Celia shot back, although her face was bright red. “Maybe you need glasses. Have you had your eyes tested lately?”

Hiram gave her a look that could only be described as the stink eye. “Don’t need to have my eyes tested to see a smart ass sitting right in front of me.”

Nick took a sip of wine to keep from laughing. Celia didn’t take crap from anyone. And neither did Hiram. Must be an interesting work dynamic in The Trailhead’s kitchen.

Celia pretended to ignore him as she talked to Hiram, Noah and Anne. They discussed their days, and Nick took a sip of his wine as he listened to the rhythm of their voices. Noah had a low voice that was full of authority. He probably needed that in his job as a Sheriff’s deputy.

Anne’s voice was softer. Sweeter. Celia’s voice had an edge to it. A ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe, and he wondered if she’d acquired that when she worked for his father, or if that was her usual tone.

However she’d gotten it, he liked it. Liked that she was a tough, capable woman who stood up for herself. Didn’t let anyone push her around. And that included him.

He was ashamed of the way they’d parted that morning. Ashamed that Celia had left feeling as though he’d taken his father’s side. The fact that he’d been hurt that she hadn’t told him earlier? That was on him. Why the hell would she tell him? The fierce attraction that burned between them was all chemistry. In every way that counted, they were mostly strangers. They’d never had an even semi-serious conversation until he discovered that she was alive and living in Helena.

And they wouldn’t have a conversation like that tonight, in front of her sister, brother-in-law and father figure. So he took another sip of his wine and let the conversation flow around him. He glanced at Celia several times, but she was always looking at someone else. Noah. Her sister Anne. Hiram. She’d barely glanced at him since he walked in the door.

Nick frowned. Did she think he was still pissed off at her? Why would he be? She knew what he thought of his father. Knew he wanted nothing to do with that evil man.

He needed to make clear why he was upset. That he was actually proud of what she’d done. But that wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of the rest of her family.

Taking another sip of wine, he turned an idea over in his head. That might work. And it wouldn’t piss Celia off more than she was already. So why the hell not?

Clearing his throat, he said, “Did Celia tell all of you what she’d done?”

Celia’s head jerked around to stare at him. Her teeth were clenched, and a muscle in her jaw twitched. Clearly, she was expecting the worst.

Leaning on the bar, his gaze moved from Noah to Anne to Hiram. “She was recording my father’s phone conversations,” he said. “For the Nevada Gaming Commission. To get proof that my father was rigging the slot machines in a number of the casinos.”

Celia glanced at him, and she’d paled. Did she really think he’d shame her in front of her family? Who did she think he was?

Sliding his hands into his lap, he clenched them into fists. Didn’t she know him better than that?

Of course she didn’t. How would she know? From the many conversations they’d had over the past several months?

Staring into his wine, he took a long drink. Set the glass on the counter with a snap. Took a deep breath, then looked at her family. “Celia’s a hero. Once she gets those tapes to the gaming commission, they’ll know exactly what my father’s been doing. And they can take steps to stop it.”

He swallowed hard, ashamed of being his father’s son. “I’m sure my father isn’t the only one who’s been doing that. Likely most of the mob families in Vegas have their hands in the casinos’ tills. With the information from those tapes, the commission can shut those stealing bastards down. Make sure that the tourists don’t lose money they should have won.”

No one spoke for a long moment. He wanted to look at Celia but was afraid of what he’d see. Would she be pissed off at him for telling her business to her family? He had no idea. But it was out there now, and there was no taking it back.

After a long silence, Anne looked over at him. Raised one eyebrow. “So you’re not pissed off at her?”

Nick glanced at Celia, realizing that she’d told her sister what had happened between them. He took a deep breath. Cleared his throat.

“I was when she told me,” he said, holding Anne’s gaze. “I was upset that she hadn’t told me earlier. But it took me about a minute after she left my apartment this morning to realize that was my vanity talking. Why would she have told me? She knew nothing about me. And why would I be okay with my father stealing money? Money he doesn’t need. He has more money than he could ever spend. It’s all about power for him. The power to control the casinos.

“So, no. I’m not pissed off at Celia. I consider her a hero. She did the right thing, and it almost got her killed. When the gaming commission gets the recordings she made, it’ll make a huge difference. I hope it changes the way the casinos do business.”

He sighed. “I think a lot of the casinos are in bed with the mob families. The families take a cut, but the casinos still make an obscene amount of money. The only people who are hurt are the ones who play the slot machines. And those are usually the tourists who can’t afford to lose that money. The casinos and the mob bosses get rich, and the tourists get the scraps.”

Noah narrowed his eyes at Nick. “You gonna personally do something about that?”

Nick held his gaze. “’l’ll do whatever I can, including telling the FBI what I know about my father. I’ll give them the tape of him ordering Fingers to kill my brother Robert, and the video of Robert dying in that alley. I deliberately avoided knowing anything about Bobby’s day-to-day life. Before she died, my mother warned me to keep my distance from him. And that’s what I tried to do.”

Anne tilted her head. “Celia and I already talked about how to get those recordings to the gaming commission. She can’t go to Vegas -- she’s supposed to be dead. So Noah and I are going to go. Take the recordings, a copy of Celia’s will, and my identification. If they refuse to pay me, they don’t get the tapes.” She smiled. “But the Las Vegas newspapers will get them. And you can be sure they’d publish what was on them. They’ll make everyone, including the gaming commission, look really bad.”

Nick studied her for a long moment. Finally he nodded. “That would work. But you need to make sure you get in and out of town quickly. Watch for cars following you away from Vegas. Once you’re out of the Las Vegas suburbs, it should be easy to spot a tail.”

“You read my mind,” Noah said, only slightly grudgingly. “You have any other tips, I’ll be happy to listen to them.”

“I’ll give it some thought,” Nick said. “Let me know when you’re going to head to Vegas, and I’ll tell you anything I come up with.”

Noah nodded. “Will do.”

After a few more minutes, Anne and Noah stood up to leave. Hiram began cleaning the glasses on the bar, and Celia slid off her stool. Was she going to walk away without saying anything to him? He hoped not, but he probably deserved it.

Instead, she surprised him. “You want to come up to my apartment and talk?” She glanced at Hiram and Noah. “Protect me from the mountain lions and wolves that Noah tells me roam around Helena at night?”

She didn’t crack a smile, but her eyes twinkled.

“Sure,” he said. “I’m a pro at wrestling mountain lions.”

Celia turned to Hiram. “You need any help cleaning up?”

“I’ve got this, Cece. You’ve had a long day. Go on upstairs.”

Celia surprised Nick by leaning over the bar and kissing Hiram’s cheek. “Thanks, Hiram. You know we all love our nightly wind-down with you.”

Hiram’s cheeks flamed red. “Get out of here, Celia. You work hard enough during the day. You don’t need to work after hours, too.”

“Okay, Hiram. See you tomorrow.”

Without saying anything to Nick, she turned and headed for the back door. Nick hesitated for a moment, then he followed her through the kitchen and out into the cool evening.