Wyoming Christmas Ransom Page 12

  “Oh. Oh.” She blinked, looking down at her hands splayed over his chest as if she hadn’t quite realized how she’d gotten here. “Um.” She swallowed, looking uncertain for the first time. “I haven’t...er...” She pulled a face. “It’s just...” She trailed off, looking adorably embarrassed.

  Until he figured out what she was trying to say. “Wait.” She didn’t mean... “What?”

  She blew out a breath. “Well, I haven’t exactly done this before.”

  He felt something like frozen. Well, his brain was. Other parts of him were fine and not at all affected by the information, especially when the warmth of her was pressed to the hardness of him, even with the underwear barrier. Will swallowed, but Gracie just kept babbling.

  “I was just so focused on becoming a coroner, and it’s a small town so the dating pool is small and then I was hung up on someone there for a while.”

  Someone. He scowled, surprised at the sharp bolt of jealousy. He didn’t consider himself the jealous type. Wouldn’t he have figured out Paula was cheating a lot sooner if he had been? “Who were you hung up on?”

  She laughed, looking down at him with one of those adorably baffled smiles. “Um, you. Have you really not been paying attention?”

  “I didn’t realize it had been a while.” He studied her, the round face, the wavy brown hair, the expressive brown eyes he’d been dreaming about long before he’d admitted to himself she haunted him everywhere. “How long’s ‘a while’?”

  “None of your business,” she said primly. Primly while she was straddling him in nothing but her underwear. Then she smiled, as if finding all of her normal poise and strength in the blink of a moment. “But I want it to be you, Will. I want it to be now.”

  Some little voice in his head told him it was too much, some of that panic he usually felt going to town thrumming through his veins.

  But she pressed a kiss to his mouth and it was gone, because she was everything he wanted, and he’d give his life to give her what she wanted. “Gracie. I don’t have any sort of protection.”

  A flush washed up her neck into her cheeks. “I mean, I’m on the pill. So, it’d be... I mean...”

  “I haven’t been with anyone since Paula.”

  She smiled at that, some of the flush receding. “Yes, Will, I’m pretty well-aware of that.”

  “I just meant after the whole cheating thing I got...checked out and, you know, we’d be fine. Everything’s fine.”

  She laughed against his mouth. “We really need to stop talking.”

  He laughed, too, a real deep laugh and it was such a strange thing to suddenly remember a time when he’d had reason to. A relief and comfort to find it again. To find it with her, and have the promise of a future to keep doing so.

  They awkwardly struggled out of their underwear, laughing all the while, and it was in that laughter they came together, each other’s names on their lips, a long, slow glide to that connection he hadn’t realized he didn’t just want, but needed. He needed Gracie in his life—wanted her there, too.

  The laughter was gone and there was only her sweetness and warmth. She was pouring hope inside him, filling him with something he’d never truly had before.

  She was a sunrise on a new beginning. It didn’t erase what had come before, but it made hope spread out like light. When she shuddered against him, he lost himself inside her, determined for this new beginning to be everything they both wanted.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gracie couldn’t remember ever feeling both so perfectly relaxed and so giddy she just wanted to giggle.

  She’d finally had sex, and it had been perfect. Amazing. And it had been Will, who dozed next to her, his good arm holding her close.

  She should sleep, too. They’d been through so much these past few days, but she was too full of adrenaline and excitement. Too happy.

  But happy could end in a moment. She knew that better than most, and she supposed Will did, too.

  Nothing had been solved, per se, and she found herself not caring in the slightest bit. Oh, she still wanted to figure it all out, but she wanted this, too. She wanted both: the good and the bad. She wanted a hope for the future, even when things weren’t great in the present.

  She pressed her cheek to Will’s shoulder. She could see the pattern of bruises across his torso, the sharp pop of the white cast against the warmer tones of his skin. His dark blond hair was a tangle, and he needed to shave. He was so handsome, even disheveled and beat up, and somehow this had happened.

  A future had happened.

  Which meant they had to absolutely figure out the very problematic present, because come Christmas she wanted to celebrate it with the man she loved.

  Love. She wanted to laugh out loud again. She wanted to laugh and laugh. She’d fallen in love with Will a while ago, during those glimpses into the man he was. She hadn’t let herself really dwell in that, think about that, but it had been there.

  Watching him choose to be that man she knew he could be sealed the deal.

  She couldn’t sleep. Not with love and mysteries battling it out for prominence in her head. As carefully as she could, Gracie slipped out of bed. She needed to move to think, and she needed... A list. She needed to write out the next steps. Just like with work.

  Work. Jeez. She pulled on her underwear and her shirt, and then went in search of her pants. Once found, she dug the cell phone out of her pocket. No phone calls or messages. Usually she spent a few days in the office a week, even when things were slow, but she was up to date on all her cases, so unless she got called in there was nothing going on at the moment, and with the holidays a lot of people took time off. Her absence wouldn’t be missed as long as she didn’t get any calls.

  She opened the notes section on her phone and began to pace trying to come up with a to-do list. They needed to contact Kayleigh. Maybe they should look into Jesse. Then there was her uncle who had the same kind of truck and...

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was a lot to look into, but they could only do one thing at a time. She had to prioritize and organize.

  “Back to work, huh?” Will murmured sleepily from bed.

  She winced and turned to face him sheepishly. “Sorry I woke you.”

  He shook his head, motioning her back to the bed. “We have to figure this out.” He struggled into a sitting position, the blanket falling to his waist, and for a second she just stared at him.

  This gorgeous mess of a man was something like hers, and she would do just about anything to protect him. And herself, so that they really got to experience this.

  “I made a list,” she said, moving to her side of the bed. She scooted next to him and handed it over.

  He rubbed a hand over his face before he took the phone and squinted at it. “Okay.”

  “I start thinking about what to focus on and I get overwhelmed. I don’t know where to start. There are so many threads.”

  “Well, I’d say we pick one. One at a time. We just have to be methodical. And if you and I are methodical, and Cam is protecting yo—Us,” he quickly corrected since she’d been opening her mouth to do so. “And Laurel is pulling her own threads, so we pick one.”

  “Okay. But which one?”

  “I think we follow the Kayleigh Gentry connection. It’s a weird long shot but I haven’t attempted any weird long shots in two years. Maybe it’s time.”

  “Okay, but I don’t think we should call Kayleigh. If she knows something, she might cover it up if we call first. But if we can catch her off guard—”

  “And without a cop—”

  “Yes. But we can’t go back on our word. I know you didn’t promise Laurel exactly, but I don’t want to wiggle out of that on a technicality. We said we’d work together. We should.”

  “We can’t take a cop with us.”

  “We
need Cam. If Cam came with us as our security, then we’d be staying safe, and we could report it all to Laurel after. She might be irritated, but it isn’t going off on our own.”

  “Okay, but we need Ty, too. To put this Kayleigh woman at ease or have her meet us somewhere.”

  “One will be easy to use without Laurel’s approval. The other?”

  A knock sounded on the door and they both froze.

  “Gracie? Will? I need to talk to you guys.” Laurel’s voice was all no-nonsense policewoman.

  “Oh my God,” Gracie hissed. “I’m pantsless!”

  “I’m a lot more than pantsless,” Will replied, sounding far too amused.

  Gracie scrambled out of bed. “Well, fix it!” she whispered as forcefully as she could.

  “I have one arm,” Will replied, holding up his cast.

  “J-just a second,” Gracie called toward the door, her voice too high-pitched. “She’s going to know,” she muttered, scurrying for her pants.

  “Is that a problem?”

  Gracie stopped with one leg in her jeans and one leg out. When she’d been thinking about futures she’d been thinking about her and Will and relationship stuff and love, not dealing with her overprotective cousins.

  He got out of bed, all too perfectly naked, which was quite the momentary distraction. He grabbed his boxers and pulled them on, though she could tell it hurt his arm a little bit.

  “You should have a sling.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Should I?”

  She was an idiot. “And Laurel knowing isn’t a problem exactly. Or it won’t be. The timing... Laurel is going to lecture me about the timing.”

  “So?” he asked with a shrug as he picked up his pants.

  “What do you mean ‘so’?”

  “I mean so what if she lectures you? She’s not your boss. You’re an adult. She’s not in charge of you in any way.”

  “They look out for me. They took care of me when no one else did. They mean a lot to me. Laurel can be overbearing, but she means well, and she’s always been there. It doesn’t mean I have to do what she says, but I care. I do have to listen.”

  “You aren’t beholden to the people who love you, Gracie. Not like that.”

  Laurel knocked again. “What the hell is going on in there? Are you hiding something or... Oh God, Gracie Delaney, you’re not... Do I need to come back?”

  Gracie had to answer even though Will’s seemingly offhanded comment had struck her like a blow. She finished fastening her pants and then she helped Will get his shirt on.

  They stood there for a second, Will studying her with one of those unreadable glances she thought sex would magically stop. But there were parts of Will she still didn’t understand, and parts of everything she didn’t understand. She felt young and stupid and out of her depth.

  But Will kissed her temple, light and sweet. “She should respect what you want, because you’re smart and determined and have always made good choices. You don’t have to prove yourself to her, and if she loves you, she won’t want you to, either.”

  Which was more than a blow. Something like an explosion, and Gracie didn’t know how to sort through all the debris so she moved to the door and opened it to Laurel.

  Laurel’s narrowed gaze went from Gracie to Will. “Can I talk to you in private?” Laurel asked, and even though she was still glaring in Will’s direction, everyone knew she was speaking to Gracie.

  “I don’t really think that’s necessary.”

  Laurel sighed heavily. “I came by to tell you that I’m going to stay here tonight and go over some things with Cam and I thought you might want to join us.”

  “Of course,” Gracie replied overbrightly.

  Laurel raised an eyebrow at Will.

  “Sure,” he said, getting to his feet. “We were just discussing some ideas ourselves.”

  Laurel rolled her eyes before sailing off into the hallway. Gracie knew she should follow, but she only stood there for a few moments before she felt Will’s hand on the small of her back.

  “You ready?”

  She glanced up at him and there was something about his expression—he was calm and in control, sure, but there was something more. Like he was sincerely asking if she was ready, as if he was really paying attention. It dawned on her that him saying he’d paid attention in spite of himself, or while pretending not to, was true. All this time while she’d thought he’d been clueless he’d just been trying to keep himself separate.

  But he hadn’t been able to.

  She rose to her toes and pressed her mouth to his. “Let’s solve this, huh?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  * * *

  WILL SAT ON a couch next to Gracie. Laurel was pacing the floor and Cam was sitting unnaturally still in an armchair.

  “You need a presence. This is a police investigation,” Laurel said through gritted teeth.

  “But you’re off duty right now,” Will pointed out.

  Laurel scowled at him, and he knew he wasn’t doing himself any favors in terms of winning over Gracie’s family, but someone had to speak the obvious truth. Not to mention the fact they had to play this carefully.

  “Whoever messed with my car heard me say something to Gracie in Rightful Claim. Or saw me or something. For two years I’ve been poking into this. Something had to be the catalyst two years later. We can’t be too careful. If Kayleigh has some knowledge we have to be careful it isn’t the kind of knowledge that could get her hurt.”

  Laurel frowned at that, but Will could tell he’d scored a point.

  “I think I should go alone. They know what I know. They know I’m a threat. I’ve already been targeted. Why not keep it focused on one person?”

  “Because that puts you in danger again,” Gracie said, clearly irritated with his suggestion. “And if they did overhear us at the bar, they’ve connected me to this, too. If they saw me at your cabin when they set the fire, I’m a target, too.”

  “Neither of you is going alone or together,” Laurel said firmly.

  “I have an idea,” Gracie said. “One where we all get our way.”

  Will almost scoffed, but then he looked at Gracie and knew if someone could find a compromise amid all this, it would be her.

  “We have Ty meet Kayleigh at Rightful Claim. Laurel and Cam can be there. If you’re talking to Grady or pretending to do wedding stuff or something, no one will question it. Will and I can come in and I can go up to Ty to say something, and we can start a very casual conversation. Will can play the obsessed, cuckolded husband and not let anything go. She might give us information, she might not, but it’s worth a shot.”

  “Is that acting?” Laurel asked, her gaze slowly turning to Will.

  Maybe because Gracie had just talked about these people protecting her and taking care of her, he could finally understand that Laurel wasn’t just a hard-ass cop with no give in her. She cared about Gracie and didn’t want her hurt. Which reminded him that he had to care about that, too. If he didn’t get along with her cousin, that would hurt Gracie.

  So he held Laurel’s glare and offered a truth he wasn’t 100 percent comfortable voicing, even if it was the truth. “People change, Laurel. Sometimes they get out of the crap that held them down because someone helped them out.”

  It softened her, clearly and completely.

  “It’s a good plan,” Will said to Gracie. “A good compromise.”

  “It is,” Laurel agreed. “But which one of us is going to get Ty to go along with it?”

  All Delaney eyes turned toward Will.

  Which was how he found himself outside Rightful Claim at midnight, Gracie at his side. Laurel and Cam had already gone inside when Ty roared up on his motorcycle.

  “Hey,” he offered as he strode up to the two of them. “Kayleigh’s already inside. Maybe gi
ve us a few minutes to get a drink. Relax into it.”

  “Sure,” Gracie said with a nod.

  “And just a heads-up, Delaney, Kayleigh’s Dad, Jesse Carson, is out of jail. I know you know he takes this feud even more seriously than your uncle, so I’d be careful in there. Maybe just let Will come over and make sure Laurel and Cam stay on their side of the tracks so to speak. You don’t want to add any more volatility to this mix.”

  Will slid a glance to Gracie to find her already looking his way. They both waited to speak until Ty was inside while Christmas lights glittered above and Christmas music quietly soared from inside.

  “Why does this one name keep coming up?” Will murmured quietly, watching the streets for anyone who might be paying too much attention or listening too carefully.

  “I don’t know. There was the man having an affair with Paula, but also the man watching them. Maybe Jesse knows something. Maybe he’s the watcher.”

  “He’s been in jail for two years,” Will said thoughtfully. “It might explain the timing. It’s not that someone overheard us that escalated this. It’s that he got out of jail.”

  “When we go in, you go to Ty and Kayleigh. I’ll go to Laurel and see if she can find out what kind of car Jesse drives.”

  Will nodded. He didn’t mention that her uncle could still also be a person of interest, but he supposed he didn’t have to. They were all looking for the truth. If Jesse knew something her uncle had done, that would be a truth that came out. That was the important thing.

  “Let’s go.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Be careful.”

  “You, too. No leaving without each other, got it?”

  She nodded and tried to pull her hand away, but he wasn’t quite ready to let it go. So he pulled her to him instead. She gently placed her hand above his cast. “You need a sling. And probably a checkup.”