“Yeah, we’re good. Thanks for the computer. But could we ease into that whole talking about sex thing? I’m still trying to get over the birds-and-the-bees speech you gave me in the fifth grade.”
“Me too. I was only seventeen. I made it up as I went.”
No. Knowing Casey, she’d probably read eight books on the subject to be sure she got it just right. “That might explain how I accidently got pregnant.”
Casey laughed and gave a quick tug on Meg’s ponytail. “See you later, brat. I have work to do.”
Her sister had never judged Meg for Haley like their father had. Seems Casey had stopped mothering her; she just hadn’t noticed.
Meg called out as her sister started up the hill. “Actually, it was equipment failure.”
Casey turned around but continued walking backward up the hill. “Careful, Meg. That’s dangerously close to having a conversation about sex.”
Meg smiled as she leaned down and picked up the paint nozzle. Maybe now everyone in this damn town would leave her alone for a half hour so she could paint the fence—and figure out how to raise enough money to fix up her new lodge.
Drawing in a deep breath of clean, pine-tinted fresh air, Josh Granger walked toward the massive Anderson Butte Hotel, smiling for the first time in years. After being sequestered for three years, breathing fresh air, being able to do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted, was fantastic. Just driving his truck on the open road felt like he’d won the lottery. But now he needed to focus.
Interrogating and mining out the truth from life’s worst excuses for human beings had left him hollow and empty. The FBI’s definition of giving him a break a little over three years ago had been to send him undercover as an employee of a software company the mob ran as a front.
The only good thing to come of the case was that he’d met Meg. A woman as fragile as she was strong. Her external badass attitude couldn’t hide from him the sweet woman inside she protected so fiercely. The light in Meg’s infectious smile had shown him how far he’d sunk into the darkness and despair of the criminal underworld.
Thoughts of being with Meg again had gotten him through all the lonely days and nights he’d been hidden away. He couldn’t wait to see her and finally meet Haley. But Meg wasn’t going to feel the same about him.
He closed his eyes and dug deep, conjuring the man Megan thought he was. His training had taught him to act, steal, and mine out the truth, but getting Megan and Haley back wouldn’t be easy. He needed to let Meg see enough of the Josh she thought she knew, then he’d feed her the real Josh a little at a time. She thought he was a wealthy software designer who didn’t want anything to do with them.
He couldn’t tell Meg the truth—yet. While the dangerous criminals were all dead or behind bars, there were still some lingering questions about Meg’s father, so the case wasn’t closed. He probably should’ve waited until it was all over before he reappeared in their lives, after they knew her father’s fate. Then there’d be no need to lie. But who knew how long that was still going to take? And after three of the longest years of his life, he couldn’t wait another day to see Meg’s beautiful smile again and to finally meet the daughter he knew nothing about but wanted to know every detail he’d missed. Never having a father, and being orphaned at six, he vowed to be a good parent to Haley.
But how the hell was he going to convince Meg he wasn’t the old Josh? Worse, what if she didn’t like the man he truly was?
Hitching up his bag, he headed for a set of double doors that slid open as he approached. The lobby was surprisingly sleek compared to the rustic exterior; gleaming wood floors, massive tables with fresh flowers, and oversized leather couches and chairs were all strategically set around flat-screen televisions and a big stone fireplace. There was even a highly polished old-fashioned bar for happy hour that could have come straight from a saloon in the Wild West.
A tall, dark-haired woman behind the reception desk lifted her head and sent him a warm smile. “Hi. May I help you?”
Before he could answer, the elevator doors slid open and a guy who looked familiar exited. Dressed in a T-shirt and board shorts, he lifted a hand to the lady behind the counter and then strolled out the back door toward the lake.
Josh approached the counter and dropped his bag at his feet. “Was that Ashton Kutcher?” He’d watched too much mindless television to pass the time while he’d been hidden away. It was embarrassing he even knew who that was.
“I wish. How can I help you?”
He could have sworn . . . he shook it off and got back to business. “I need a room for a few nights, please.”