Chapter 13
Grant remainedcautious over the next week, but the more time that passed, the easier it was to slip up and forget that someone might be out to get him. Bella’s presence only added to it. She still had that hard exterior shell that he couldn’t seem to break through, but every so often she showed a softer side to him—one that made it hard to ignore his growing attraction to her.
Would it be so bad if he were to ask her out on a date? They’d spent plenty of time together after work lately. That was a good sign, right? Unless what she’d said was true and she was only doing it because she thought he wasn’t capable of keeping his son safe.
He let out a sigh as he sat at the table in his RV with his cup of coffee. Nick wasn’t up yet, so it was harder for Grant to keep his mind from wandering. There was only one problem with asking Bella out.
What if she turned him down?
Then he’d have to live with the embarrassment while they continued looking for the person responsible for framing him.
Grant lifted the steaming cup to his lips. It was Saturday, which meant no school. Charlotte wasn’t able to keep an eye on Nick because she had other errands to run, so he’d made sure to take the day off.
Bella would be stopping by, as well. She wanted to get a more detailed list of all the things that had happened since he’d arrived, though he couldn’t think of anything they hadn’t discussed.
Maybe she was spending time with him because she liked him. A pleasant sensation shot through him, spreading to his extremities. He was going to do it. He was going to ask her out. The risks weren’t so bad, and he wanted to see where he could take this.
A soft knocking brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced over to where Nick was still sleeping. The boy could sleep through most anything, but Grant wasn’t willing to risk him getting up right now, so he grabbed his cup and headed for the door.
Bella stepped back as he pushed the door open. She didn’t look thrilled.
Grant ducked out of the RV and shut the door as quietly as he could. “What’s the matter?”
“Bad news.”
“Do I even want to know?”
She looked away. “This is so embarrassing. I don’t even know where to start.”
“How about at the beginning.”
Bella gave him a flat look. “Someone threw away your canteen.”
He stiffened. “What? How does something like that happen? You said you took it to the station.”
“I did. We have some new people working there. Mishandling of evidence happens a lot more than you might think, especially in a small town like this one.” She pressed her lips together and her cheeks flushed. “There’s no way to track it down. Believe me, I tried.”
He groaned. It felt like a new obstacle was thrown in their way at every turn. “We still have the blood samples though, right? Any word?”
Slowly, Bella shook her head. “Whenever I call, they make excuses or try to assure me everything will be sorted out soon,” she said. “I don’t know what kind of show they’re running up there, but they should have found it by now.”
“I’m sure they will. It’s just a matter of time. Maybe other samples take priority over mine.”
She shook her head, her cheeks flushed. “Yours are part of a criminal investigation. There isn’t anything that takes more priority than that.” She started pacing. “I can’t believe what’s going on. At this rate, something else could happen. We should have been able to prevent it.”
Grant chuckled, his arm shooting out to stop her. “I’ll give them another sample. It’s no big deal.”
She gave him a flat look. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not? It’s just blood. I’m sure?—”
Bella pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “That blood came from the day you were drugged. It’s not in your system anymore. If they can’t find it, then we’re stuck. We’ll never figure out what you took.”
“Oh. I guess you’re right.”
She peeked at him. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw amusement cross her face. Bella shook her head and a soft laugh escaped her lips. Yep, he was right.
“I’m going to give you a pass on that one because of what you’ve been going through.” She pushed her hands in her pockets, and it was only then he realized she wasn’t in her uniform.
Bella was dressed in a pair of capris and white sneakers. She wore a white knit top that fell off one shoulder, and beneath it was a black tank top. This was the most dressed-down he’d ever seen her.
It must have been obvious that he was staring because she waved a hand in front of her face. “Hello? You in there?”
He jumped, letting out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Are you ready to go over what you know?”
Grant ran a hand through his hair and looked away. “Honestly, I racked my brain for any additional details, but I came up blank. Even the people who might be a good suspect—there are days when they’re great to work with just like there are days when it feels like they wish I wasn’t here. But that’s how everyone I’ve ever met is.” His gaze found hers. “Even you.”
Her mouth fell open with a smile. “I beg your pardon.”
“Don’t you remember the first day we met? You practically bit my head off.”
“Did not!” she stammered.
“Yes, you did! You gave me this long lecture about keeping a better eye on my son.”
Her mouth remained open when she huffed.
Grant moved a little closer to her. “But then there are days, like when you took me to the hospital, where I feel like you might actually…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say it. He knew how bad it could be to assume something like that. It would be better to just ask her out instead of accusing her of liking him. He cleared his throat and ended up just staring at his coffee.
Bella’s voice sobered. “Where I might actually what?”
She was quieter this time. The whole ranch seemed quieter. It was as if they were the only two people left on the planet. The air hung heavy with the anticipation of what he might say.
Bella probably didn’t even want to hear what he was thinking. But she shouldn’t be asking him if she wasn’t prepared for it.
He glanced up at her once more. Then again, maybe this was exactly what she wanted him to say.
“Is there a chance that you might find me attractive?”
He hadn’t meant it to come out as a question. Normally, he was so much more confident when it came to women. But that was when he didn’t think anything would come of it. He was so busy with work that he didn’t have time for a first date to become anything more. He’d always had the mentality that he wouldn’t be seeing the woman again any time soon.
Bella was different. She was someone he would have to see a lot over the next few weeks and that was if they were lucky and figured out who the bad guy really was. But besides his ex-wife, Bella was the first woman he wanted to see more of.
The realization hit him hard in the chest and made his whole body sag. Grant could actually see a future with this woman. He was willing to make a commitment to her and they hadn’t even gone on a first date—something he needed to rectify immediately.
“It’s okay if you don’t. I’m not going to push you into anything you’re not comfortable with, but I want to make it clear that I…” He swallowed hard and straightened his shoulders to take on the frame of the man he used to be when he headed his company back home. “I do find you attractive—very much so. And I would like nothing more than to take you out to dinner tonight.”
She blinked.
Dang. He’d hoped she would have had more of a reaction to his request. Shouldn’t she smile? Flirt with him a little? He wanted her to show some sign that he wasn’t imagining the connection he had started to feel with her.
The longer she waited to say something, the harder it became for him to stand there. He wanted nothing more than to escape into his RV and tell her he’d talk to her when they had an update on his blood samples. In fact, he was so close to doing just that when Bella nodded.
“I’d love to.”
He didn’t have a chance to react in the moment due to his ex-mother-in-law’s arrival.
“Good morning, Grant. Is Nick up yet?”
Grant’s confusion was nothing compared to the elation he felt over Bella accepting his request. He looked from Charlotte to Bella and back. “No, he’s asleep.”
Bella glanced at her watch and offered him an almost shy smile. “I’m actually going to get going.”
“No, it’s okay?—”
Charlotte interrupted him. “I told you I’d like to take him with me on my errands today. We discussed this, Grant. I have to leave early and?—”
Grant shot a sharp look at the woman. “You said you couldn’t watch him today, so I got the day off.”
She shook her head. “No, I said I had errands and I wanted to take him with me for the company.”
“Really, just call me, okay? Let me know when you want to pick me up.”
Bella backed away from him. He couldn’t tell if she sensed the tension from the argument he was having with Charlotte or if she was just trying to make sense of their agreement to see each other in a more romantic setting.
“Bella, you don’t have to?—”
Charlotte stepped between him and Bella, successfully blocking him from finishing the conversation he wanted to have. “You need to get him up. I’m going to be leaving in ten minutes.”
If he hadn’t just gotten confirmation about the date, he would have given her a piece of his mind. He knew what she’d said. She’d been very clear about it. In fact, from what he’d remembered, she said she might have Nick over for a sleepover after all her errands.
He locked eyes with the woman and crossed his arms. “You can’t pull this kind of stuff with me. I know what we discussed, and this wasn’t it.”
Her pale skin flushed deeper. “My daughter would want me to spend as much time with my grandson as possible. I’m not responsible for you mishearing what I said. I swear, ever since you got sick in the hospital, you haven’t been right in the head.”
Boy, if there was ever a moment when he’d wanted to deck someone, now would be that time. He shook his head and rolled his shoulders, telling himself this wasn’t the battle he wanted to fight.
“You’re right,” he said through gritted teeth. “She would want her son to have a relationship with his grandmother. I’ll get him ready.”
“And what was that about you picking up the deputy?”
He stopped with his hand on the door. “What?”
“Please tell me you’re not taking her out on a date.”
“I don’t see how that is any of your business,” Grant said.
“It’s my business because you’re bringing someone else into Nick’s life. He doesn’t need another mother, Grant. He just needs his father—and for that father to not move on so quickly.”
Grant didn’t know whether to laugh or scream about the ridiculousness of this conversation. It was all coming together, though. Charlotte had never been this combative before. She must have overheard him asking Bella out.
Turning, he made sure to close enough space between them for her to get the full extent of what he was about to say.
“You don’t have any control over who I want to see or when I want to see them. Nick adores Bella, so I don’t think that should be of any concern. As for him needing a mother, I would agree. He doesn’t need a new mom, he had the best one there was—except for the tiny detail that she kept his existence a secret from me. That being said, we haven’t been together for nearly seven years, so there is no need to point out how quickly I’m moving on. I fully intend on being a firm fixture in Nick’s life but that doesn’t mean I can’t seek out companionship while I do it. And if that’s a problem, then maybe you should take it up with a judge.”
“Maybe I will.” She turned and stomped off. “Make sure Nick is ready in ten minutes,” she called over her shoulder.
He froze. Wait. He hadn’t meant to say that. His lawyer was going to be furious with him. The paperwork wasn’t set in stone. Grant didn’t have full custody yet. They were still working out the details. He needed to play nice.
A lump formed in his throat.
That wasn’t good.
Nope, not good at all.