Deadly Proposal(13)

James’ heart pinged at the naked emotion flitting through the depths of her blue eyes. “I wouldn’t be leaving you if I didn’t think it was important.”

“I know.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I know.”

James was still torn, worried, but he gave her another quick kiss. “I’ll bring you a present anyway.”



FINN and Grady were waiting for James in the lobby of the courthouse when he arrived. He was still wearing his tattered suit from the night before, so he was drawing a number of curious stares.

The courthouse wasn’t normally open on a Saturday, but Judge MacIntosh had pulled some strings. Because of his efforts, the police officers investigating the explosion were using the lobby as a command center – and the handful of court personnel on hand were busily milling about.

The explosion was big news in the county, Sophie supplying most of the information in a dual byline for the Daily Tribune. James wasn’t surprised to find her in the lobby when he entered.

“Are you here in an official capacity?”

Sophie looked tired, the dark rings under her eyes highlighting her fatigue. “Kind of,” she said. “I’ve been here all night. I wanted to be around if they found anything. It’s part of the job and, well, it’s part of being a member of this family.”

Grady was standing next to her, his shoulder brushing against hers. He didn’t reach for her, though, and James knew it was because Sophie desperately needed to appear professional in front of the assembled police presence.

“Thank you,” James said.

“How is Mandy?” Finn asked.

“She’s better since Emma and Ally got there,” James said. “I’m sure they’ll keep her distracted. The doctor says she can go home tonight if she stays stable.”

“You don’t like that, do you?” Finn asked.

“I would feel better if she spent another night in the hospital,” James admitted. “She’s just so … hurt.”

“She’ll get better,” Grady said. “We need to take this whole situation as a win. Things could have been a whole lot worse.”

“I keep telling myself that,” James said. “I’m still a little … unsettled.”

“Anyone in your position would be,” Finn said. “You need to take care of yourself. Once you get her home, she’s going to be your patient.”

“I don’t know if that’s going to be better or worse,” James said. “Don’t get me wrong, I want her home. I need her home. Although, truthfully, the doctors being so close is somehow comforting. It makes me not have to deal with things.”

Grady nodded sympathetically. “In a few weeks things will be normal again.”

“Will they? We still don’t know why the car exploded.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Finn said. “There were cameras in the parking lot. This is going to tell us what happened.”

“Maybe,” James said. “It might just be another mystery.”

“We’ll tackle that if it becomes a problem,” Finn said, moving his arm to direct his brother toward the back of the lobby. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”

When the brothers got to the security office, James wasn’t surprised to find a familiar face waiting for them. Clint, one of the courthouse’s fulltime security officers, was sitting behind a computer.

James had only seen Clint once since he’d found the man in a pool of his own blood on the lobby floor. Despite growing up in the same small town with Mandy, James hadn’t reconnected with her until her stepbrother, Troy, started threatening her life. She’d come to Hardy Brothers Security out of necessity, and love had kept her from ever leaving.

Of course, James hadn’t figured out who was trying to hurt her until it was almost too late – and by then his heart was already claimed. Before he’d managed to find her, James had discovered Clint’s body on the floor of the lobby – a victim of Troy’s misguided attempts to get rich.

Mandy had taken James to the hospital to visit Clint in the days after he’d killed Troy in a protective rage, and Clint’s recovery had been long and arduous. Seeing him now filled James with guilt. The man had tried to protect Mandy, but James had never viewed him with anything but suspicion.

Now, here he was, helping again.

“Hey, Clint.”

“Mr. Hardy,” Clint said stiffly. “I’m glad to see you. How is Mandy?”

Clint had been harboring a crush on his girlfriend for years. James reminded himself that the man was not a threat, and forced a smile onto his face. “She’s going to be okay.”