15 #2
The words seemed to lump together in her throat. “You’ll think I’m silly, but Liz made a comment about me being her daughter
and it . . . surprised me.”
That sexy mouth of his curled. “More like it left you gobsmacked—but in a good way?”
“Yes.”
From the distance separating them, the voices of all three women blended together with Callie’s being the loudest and most
hilarious. Laughter followed.
Accompanied by a thunderclap, the realization came to Glory. “I’m blessed with an amazing family.”
“We both are. They’re not traditional, but they’re still pretty damned awesome.”
“Until I met you, I never realized—”
His phone buzzed in his pocket. “Sorry,” he said, and lifted a hip to get it out. One glance at the screen and he frowned. “It’s Shara.”
Fear grabbed hold of her. “Oh, no.”
“It might be nothing.” With a swipe of his thumb, Kam answered the call. “Shara, what . . . Hey, slow down.”
Glory struggled to sit forward, one hand clutching Kam’s forearm. He readjusted the phone and helped her.
“Okay, shh, no, it’s fine. You did the right thing. Yeah . . . no, don’t go. Lock yourself inside. Yes, I’m sure.” Agitated, he stood. “Is anyone there with you? Call your folks or a friend
and have them come stay with you. I’ll let you know what happens. Right. I promise. Okay, you, too.”
The second he shoved his phone in his pocket, Glory knew he was leaving. “What is it? What’s happened?”
“Callie?” he called out, and given the urgency in his tone, it didn’t surprise her that her cousin came running.
He helped Glory from her seat. “I have to go. Right now.”
With her thoughts in a blender, Glory grabbed for the first concern. “Is Shara okay?”
“Yeah, but she got a call from Mike. He told her to meet him at the park.”
“When?”
“Now, basically.” He strode to the foyer to get his shoes and rain jacket.
“And instead she called you?” While trotting behind him, Callie retrieved her own phone from her pocket. “I’ll call Tanner
right now. If I hurry, I can get there before Kirby and his sister arrive.”
Worries bombarded Glory. “Mike’s unstable and that makes him dangerous.”
“I know, babe.” Shoes in hand, he pressed a firm kiss to her mouth. “I’ll be careful, and I’ll call the cops on the way.”
“This could be a trap.”
“Could be,” he agreed, “but it’s also our best chance to get the bastard.”
Addie and Liz had joined them and they both looked frightened. Addie shook it off first. “We’re both parked in the driveway,
blocking the garage. You can’t get out until we move.”
“Take my car,” Liz said, already rushing for her purse.
Stymied for a split second, Kam stared after her. “Your BMW?”
“It’s a car,” she said. “Only a car.” She pressed the key fob into his hand.
Glory jumped on that. “Remember, Mike is fond of car accidents. He probably knows what you drive, but he won’t expect Aunt
Liz’s car.”
Accepting that logic, Kam wrapped his fingers around the fob and thanked Liz.
Addie grabbed for her own jacket. “I don’t want Callie alone, so I’m going with her.”
Liz hitched her chin high. “I’m staying with Glory.” She rounded on Glory. “I’m staying. Don’t argue.”
“No,” Glory said, taken aback by her vehemence. “I won’t. I’ll be glad for the company.”
The agreement took the starch out of Liz’s spine and she scooped up PB, who’d been dancing around them. The dog seemed very
unsure of what was happening.
Against her furry ear, Liz said, “It’ll be okay, precious. You’ll see.”
Glory wasn’t sure if she was convincing the dog or herself. Never, until this moment, had she seen Liz talk to an animal,
much less show it so much affection.
With her phone to her ear, Callie said, “Tanner will meet you at the gas station right before you get to the park.”
“Sounds good.” Kam briefly slid his hand to the back of Glory’s neck. After a long look, he touched his mouth to hers. “Try not to worry. I’ll let you know what’s happening the moment I’m able.”
Numb with fear, she nodded, and seconds later, everyone but Liz was gone.
Another boom of thunder shook the house and put Liz into action. Still holding PB, she raced to the front door and secured
it. When she turned, she made an obvious effort to put Glory at ease. “Food is ready. Addie made enough for everyone, but
now it’ll just be us. Where would you prefer to eat?”
Putting a hand to her unsettled stomach, Glory said, “I don’t think I can—”
“Yes, you can.” Remaining in her no-nonsense mode, Liz put down the dog and swept past her. “Addie went to the trouble of
making a lovely brunch, so we will eat it.”
Lightning strobed against the windows, a crack of thunder right behind it, and everything went deathly quiet. With a yelp,
PB scuttled over to cower by her feet, then proceeded to growl.
“Poor baby.” Liz rushed over to get her. “Now we have to eat. If we don’t, the food will be ruined.” As if to tempt her, she
said, “Chicken salad on whole wheat bread—the bread was my idea. I got it from a lovely little bakery that’s been here since
I was young. Addie also made avocado salad as a side, and homemade brownies for dessert. Oh, and she even brought along fresh
lemonade.”
“It sounds delicious.” Struggling to compose herself, for Liz and PB, Glory agreed to enjoy the meal. After all, she was eating
for two now. Carrying her phone with her, she headed to the dining room table. “PB likes to rest under the table when we have
dinner, so let’s eat here.”
“Perfect,” Liz said. In rapid order, she gathered PB’s blanket and a chew, bent low to put them under the table, then helped Glory to get seated.
Though it was bad manners, Glory set her phone on the table right beside her plate. No way would she miss Kam’s call.
PB, being the best dog-ter ever, got comfortable, but every so often, she still issued a low, nervous growl. Thankfully, the
storm quieted some. The rain continued in a steady downpour but without the accompanying fury.
Once Liz had served them both, she sat at the table across from Glory. “So. You and Kam?”
Despite her jitters, Glory noted the motherly way Liz asked the question. “He’s wonderful, isn’t he?”
“He’s not at all what I planned for you.” She glanced around the house. “None of this is—but then, Callie’s life isn’t what
I anticipated, either.”
“It’s better,” Glory said, ready to defend her cousin.
“Indeed. The connections here are substantial. Genuine.” Liz forked up a bite of avocado salad, then paused with it held aloft.
Both her voice and her expression displayed contentment. “Callie is happier than I’ve ever seen her. Who knew feeding goats
and petting chickens would be so good for her?”
Callie knew. “This is where she’s meant to be.”
Thoughtful, Liz said, “Frank and I were happiest here, when we were still planning our future. Things seemed so much easier
then.” A quirky grin made her aunt look younger and far more carefree. “We were too busy surviving, living on tight budgets
and getting our business off the ground, to worry about what anyone else thought.” Sighing, she added, “And now we’re back,
and we’re both more content than we’ve been in years. We’re closer, too.” After a moment, she said, “I think Frank was meant
to be here as well.”
“And you, Aunt Liz?”
She gazed across the table at Glory. “I feel younger, rejuvenated even.” Her lips tipped up in a smile. “Addie feels like a lifelong friend. Heaven knows, she doesn’t hesitate to correct me. You know what’s equally nice?”
“What?”
“She accepts me for who I am, and she loves me as a friend. She told me so.”
“Well, of course she does.”
“I’ve made so many mistakes, but Addie told me all moms are flawed and she pointed out how amazing you and Callie are. She
said that’s to my credit.”
Nodding, swallowing back a few tears, Glory said, “It’s true. You gave us so much and showed us how to be strong women. How
to be independent and smart about our choices.”
Liz’s gaze softened. “Now I just need to learn how to respect those choices.”
They smiled at each other, and Glory decided that Hoker really was the place to be—for all of them. “You don’t approve of
Tanner?”
“Of course, I do. He makes my daughter happy, and I’ve never seen a harder working man.”
Coming from Liz, that was high praise. “And Kam?”
Being brutally honest, Liz shrugged. “He’s not what I would have chosen for you, but for such a muscular young man, he has
a gentle heart. I see it in how he treats Addie, how he cares for the animals, and the respect he shows to Frank and me. Plus,
he’s steady and levelheaded, certainly determined, and . . . he clearly loves you.”
Glory’s heart felt big enough to burst. “Yes, he does.”
“There’s one more thing.” Liz took her time, taking a bite of her chicken salad sandwich before explaining. After a drink
of lemonade, she patted her mouth with a napkin.
“Well?” Glory asked, her curiosity ripe.
Liz leaned in to whisper, “He is an extremely gorgeous young man.”
For a few seconds, her worries were forgotten. “That he is.”
As they ate, Glory checked her phone often, but she hadn’t yet heard from Kam.
Both women were silent when PB made it clear she had to go outside. The rain continued, and Glory didn’t look forward to getting
soaked, but she couldn’t ask her aunt to handle the chore.
When PB whined again, she knew she shouldn’t wait any longer. The dog was nervous and she might have an accident. Glory wouldn’t
be able to clean it, and no way could she ask Liz to do so. Just serving a meal was more than her aunt was used to. Plus,
PB had been really great about her house training and Glory wanted to build on that, not lose ground.
Excusing herself from the table, and taking her phone with her, Glory went to the couch to attach the dog’s leash. Kam probably
hadn’t even made it to the park yet, and once he got there, he’d be busy. Even if the police didn’t arrive at the park right
away, he’d have Tanner for backup. She had to believe that it’d be okay.
There were no cars in Glory’s driveway, and none parked on the street in front of her house. Perfect. Feeling brazen, Mike