“Will do.”
Meredith reached for a piece of Dove from the crystal bowl. Funny, Sommerville hadn’t included chocolate as one of her likes in his file.
“We’ll have to wait until after Thanksgiving for Peggy to do the drug tests,” he added.
Meredith’s eyebrows slammed together.
“Problem?”
“I’m only here until Thanksgiving. Uh, maybe I can ask for more time.” She wrung her hands and frowned,
Arthur grinned.
Tanner grunted. If she left without finding Mr. Right, there couldn’t be a story, right?
“Your grandpa and I can finish this.”
She pressed her hands to her ribs. “No, I need to stay here. Finish…everything.”
He bit his cheek to stop from frowning. Damn, she wasn’t giving up.
Arthur tapped his cane. “I could always look into getting the sample tested by a closer lab.”
“No,” Tanner declared, his voice gruff. “I want someone I know.”
Arthur glanced over to Meredith. “Yes, you can always trust family to be straight with you.”
Her chin lifted, and they shared a look Tanner couldn’t decipher. Did Arthur suspect Meredith was in town for reasons other than those she’d told him? The man wasn’t stupid. Hadn’t he heard the wheels turning when she’d realized her time in town was almost up?
“Too bad you can’t ship it through the mail,” Meredith commented.
Tanner leaned down and straightened the end of the Persian carpet he’d kicked up with his pacing. “It’s too risky, and Thanksgiving’s only a little over a week away.”
Arthur put his arm around Meredith. “In the old days I could have gotten away with mailing drugs or getting on a plane with them.”
Meredith kissed his cheek. “Ah, the good old days.”
“Oh hush up, girlie.” He tugged on her hair. “Now, why don’t you run upstairs and get this old man a sweater? The gray one.”
“When have you ever cared about the color?”
“Since I started dating again. You might try it. Not the pretend kind.”
Suddenly, the black boots on Meredith’s feet fascinated her.
Tanner took the red hot Arthur offered him. “I keep telling her it can be more than a cover, but she’s stubborn.”
Meredith sauntered out of the room. “It’s a Hale trait. Besides, I’m not the one being stubborn.”
“Stop that muttering,” Arthur called as her boots pounded on the stairs. “You.” He pointed at Tanner. “Come with me.”
His radar went up immediately, but he followed Arthur into his study. Photos covered the wall, telling the remarkable tale of Arthur’s career. He forced his gaze away from a picture of Arthur and JFK when Arthur thrust a newspaper into his chest.
“Do you want to tell me why there’s a shitty article about your brother in Richard Sommerville’s paper today? Seems strange, since he’s a local councilman.”
Tanner’s heart rate doubled. Christ, hadn’t he said Arthur was as sharp as a tack?
He made himself shrug nonchalantly. “Everyone knows Sommerville’s a prick. This is shoddy, personal journalism. I can’t understand why your granddaughter married that asshole.”
Arthur adjusted his glasses. “And yet one of Sommerville’s best friends recommended you for your teaching position at Emmits Merriam.”
Tanner forced every emotion from his face, but the quiver went to his toes. Too damn smart by half. And he’d have to lie to him. Fuck.
“I didn’t know he knew Sommerville. Journalism’s a small world.”
Arthur smacked Tanner’s boot with his cane. “I certainly hope so. I don’t know you well, McBride. I had you figured out until today. Now, I’m not so sure. I intend to watch you closely.” He nodded to the closed door. “Especially since you’re cozying up to my granddaughter. Anyone with eyes can see there’s nothing pretend about it.”
“You should know I only have the highest respect for you and your family.”
Arthur grabbed the newspaper. “Doesn’t mean you haven’t gotten yourself tangled up in something. I don’t plan on telling Meredith about this article. At least not unless I have to.”
Tanner inclined his head, grateful for the reprieve.
“If you need help, the door’s open. Just make sure you don’t hurt my granddaughter, because I still believe in vigilante justice.”
He sauntered away, adjusting a photo of himself on a horse with a shotgun in his hand. Arthur looked like a teenager in the aged, grainy picture. “Another thing I miss from the old days.”
Tanner gestured to the paper Arthur had tossed on his desk. “I understand the feeling, sir.”