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HER BROTHER? He hadn’t seen that one coming.
She didn’t look much like the broad-shouldered, dark-haired Ward. Jack took in Kelsey Reagan’s slim legs, subtly curved hips and the tight black T-shirt hugging her small, round breasts. And was that a tattoo peeking over the waistband of her low-slung jeans?
His mouth grew dry at the idea of finding out, and he frowned. Focus, Martin.
He stole a quick look at her left ring finger. “Is Reagan your married name?”
“I’m not married.”
“Divorced?”
She raised both eyebrows. “Nosey, aren’t you?” Warmth crept up his neck but he merely shrugged. “Just curious.”
“If you must know, Dillon is my half brother. Different fathers.”
“And, as Mr. Ward’s sister, you thought illegal entry was a good idea?”
She sighed. “You’re just not going to let that go, are you?”
“I’m just doing—”
“I know, I know. You’re doing your job. I get it, okay? Just lay off the ma’ams,” she said as Jack’s sister Allie walked through the front door, “or else I might give you a reason to haul out those handcuffs you’re obviously dying to use.”
“Hey,” Allie called, curiosity clear on her face, “what’s going on?”
Ignoring his sister—and Kelsey’s loaded statement about him wanting to cuff her—Jack kept his gaze on the redhead. She reminded him of those modern art paintings his daughter had been fascinated with at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few months back. The sharp lines of Kelsey’s face shouldn’t have worked with her high cheekbones and narrow nose. But they did. In fact, her unique features made her face all the more interesting.
He frowned. He found her interesting in a totally professional way, he assured himself, nothing more.
“I need to speak to the building’s owner for a minute,” he said, stepping back. But it wasn’t far enough away to avoid her light, citrusy scent. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
Her emerald-green eyes narrowed. “I’ll stand.”
Intrigued by her stubbornness, he kept his mouth shut and walked over to where Allie stood, halfway into the bar.
“What’s going on? I thought you had the day off,” Allie said softly. She set two plastic grocery bags on a table, looking from him to the redhead and back again. “Who’s that?”
“I am off duty.” Jack turned so both the redhead and the exits were within his sight. “I came over to see if you wanted to have lunch.”
“You mean you came over to see if I’d cook you lunch.”
He almost grinned. “Only if you insist.”
Allie cuffed him on the shoulder. “That still doesn’t answer my second question. Who is she?”
“Says her name is Kelsey Reagan. Ring any bells?”
Allie glanced at Kelsey again. “No. Should it?”
“I just figured since you and Ward are such good buddies, you’d know the name of his sister.”
Allie’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me this Kelsey…”
“Reagan,” he supplied.
“Kelsey Reagan is Dillon’s sister?” At Jack’s nod, she continued, “He’s never mentioned her. Not to me, anyway.”
Jack didn’t miss the surprise on Allie’s face. Ever since Ward, the ex-con-turned-carpenter, started renovating The Summit, rumors had spread around town that he and Allie were lovers. But if that was true, surely she’d recognize the name of Kelsey Reagan.
Not that Jack believed the gossip. And not just because he didn’t want Allie involved with someone with Ward’s less-than-desirable background. No, he based his conclusions on the only thing he could count on. Cold hard facts.
While Allie had never bothered to deny or confirm it, the few times Jack had been around the two of them, he’d seen nothing to indicate their relationship was anything other than friendship. There were no long looks. No subtle brushing of hands. No sparks.
Nothing even remotely close to the flash that had, briefly, arced between Jack and Kelsey a few minutes ago.
He rubbed a hand over his face. “Upon entering the premises, I discovered Miss Reagan inside. She claims the door was unlocked—”
“It was unlocked,” Kelsey called. “And if you’re going to keep talking about me, you might want to either lower your voices or go into another room.”
Jack took hold of Allie’s arm and moved her farther away from the bar. “Is that true?” he asked quietly.
Allie shrugged out of her red leather jacket. “I didn’t lock the door when I left, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“How do you expect to run a business when you can’t even remember to lock the door?”
“I didn’t forget to lock it,” Allie whispered, “I left it open because I didn’t know when Dillon would be back.”
He glanced back at Kelsey. “I think it would be a good idea for you to check around, make sure nothing’s missing.”
Allie frowned. “Why? I only ran out for a few minutes.”
“In those few minutes, you could’ve returned to find half your stock gone and your cash register empty.”
“The stock’s still here,” she said, motioning to the bottlefilled shelves behind the bar. “Was she emptying the cash register when you found her?”
A headache began to form behind his eyes. “No. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t help herself to your petty cash.”
“It doesn’t mean she did, either.” She laid her coat on the table. “Remember that pesky little constitutional amendment? The one about a person being innocent until proven guilty?”
Spoken like the defense lawyer Allie was. Or had been until she’d chucked eight years of higher education, quit her job and returned home to buy this run-down bar.
Talk about your less-than-stellar career moves.
“Let’s save the debate on criminal rights for another time. Just do me a favor and check the cash register. Please,” he added, knowing Allie would balk at anything she construed as an order.
With a resigned—and to Jack’s mind, overly dramatic—sigh, Allie crossed the room and went behind the bar. Sending Kelsey an apologetic look, she opened the cash register drawer, glanced down and shut it again. She shook her head at Jack.
“I told you I didn’t steal anything,” Kelsey said with a smirk. And if he thought the smirk was sexy, no one had to know but him.
“Ignore my brother,” Allie told her. “He’s a bit overprotective.” She smiled. “I’m Allie Martin. Jack says you’re looking for Dillon?”
“That’s right. I thought he’d be working here today.”
“He ran out for some lunch,” Allie said. “But he should be back any minute. Can I get you something? A soda, maybe?”
“Uh…” Kelsey’s eyes darted from Allie to Jack, but then she slid onto a stool. “A soda would be great. Thanks.”
Allie filled a glass and placed it in front of Kelsey. “Is Dillon expecting you?”
Kelsey twirled her straw between two fingers. “I doubt it. I was in the area and thought I’d drop in to see him.” She sipped her drink. “So…uh…you own this place?”
“I do.” His sister’s pride was unmistakable. And, if you asked Jack, unwarranted.
Not that he wasn’t thrilled to have Allie back in Serenity Springs where she belonged, but why couldn’t she have opened a law practice instead of mixing drinks for a living? Or at least bought a place that hadn’t sat empty for the past year?
Allie leaned her elbows on the bar, her chin in her hand. “Actually I’ve only had it a few months. Dillon just started the renovations and he figures it’ll be at least two months before we’re done.”
“Have you thought of moving the pool table there?” Kelsey pointed to the far corner by the kitchen. “It would open the flow of traffic and leave you room for more seating.”
“You think?”
Kelsey nodded. “Yeah. That way you could put in a small dance floor as well. You could even add a dartboard.”
Jack sat two stools down from Kelsey and zoned out of their conversation before they started swapping decorating tips and cake recipes. His instincts went into overdrive when he looked at Kelsey. It was more than just her looks, her clothes and her bad-girl vibe.
He’d been brought up to never judge a book by its cover. Helen and Larry Martin had raised their four children to be fair and nonjudgmental. His liberal mother insisted on tolerance and compassion, and his father—Serenity Springs’ previous chief of police—truly believed justice was for all.
Nice sentiments, but Jack knew better.
Nine years working the streets of New York City, working his way up to detective, had wiped away any idealistic beliefs his parents had instilled in him. Tolerance and compassion were no match against the endless stream of violence and ugliness so many people faced day in and day out.
He’d learned to look beyond the obvious. To count on his instincts. At the moment, those instincts were telling him there was more to Kelsey Reagan than met the eye.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Jack turned to see Dillon Ward standing in the doorway. Ward’s usual cold, flat expression had been replaced with a dark scowl. And that dark scowl was aimed at none other than Kelsey Reagan.
Jack glanced at Kelsey. Gone was the cocky, go-to-hell attitude. Instead she seemed apprehensive. Nervous. Almost…vulnerable.
What was that about?
Kelsey got to her feet. “I…I wanted to see you.”
Her statement was met with silence. Not the comfortable kind, either. More like the oppressive, somebody-say-something-to-break-it kind.
“Well,” Allie said brightly, doing her part to ease the tension in the room. “I’m starving. I think I’ll just go make some lunch. Come on, Jack.”
“I’m not hungry.” He kept his eyes on Ward.
Allie walked around the bar and stopped in front of Jack. “I said—” she grabbed his arm and pinched, hard “—let’s go.”
Ow. Damn, that was going to leave a bruise. “Fine.” He twisted out of her reach knowing he could keep an eye on Kelsey and Ward from the kitchen. Allie grabbed her coat while Jack picked up her groceries.
“What was that for?” Jack asked when they were in the kitchen.
“What do you think?” She unloaded her groceries onto an old, large farm table. “They don’t need us watching their every move.”
“Wanna bet?”
She sent him an exasperated look. “You’re overreacting, Jack. Just because you don’t like Dillon—”
“He’s a convicted felon. A murderer.”
Allie’s expression darkened and she slammed a can of tomatoes onto the table with more force than necessary. “Dillon has paid his debt to society, and he’s been an exemplary citizen since he moved here. Besides, whatever’s going on between him and Kelsey is none of our business.”
“As chief of police, everything that happens in this town is my business.” He edged toward the doorway to watch the couple in question. “But, as long as Ward and his sister keep their noses clean, they won’t have anything to worry about, will they?”
KELSEY MET DILLON’S HAZEL EYES and emotions surged through her, too numerous to name, too frightening to acknowledge. The only solid thought she could grasp and recognize was that after so long, she was finally face-to-face with her brother again.
Too bad she’d only been fooling herself all these years thinking time would heal their wounds.
Maybe she shouldn’t have come. She barely recognized Dillon as the young man who’d given up his future for her. In his place stood a broad-shouldered stranger who looked at her with cold, emotionless eyes.
Well, one thing was for sure. He hadn’t been expecting her.
Guess she should’ve remembered how much he hated surprises.
“What do you want, Kelsey?”
“Leigh’s dead,” she blurted out as she twisted her fingers together. “She died in her sleep three months ago. The coroner said it was heart failure.”
“I know.”
She dropped her hands to her sides. “You do?”
“Yeah.”
And here she’d thought the news of their mother’s death would be the perfect excuse for tracking him down.
“If that’s what you came here to tell me—”
“I just wanted to see you. To talk to you.” No response. Not a flicker of emotion crossed the hard planes of his face. “Uh, how have you been?”
“You mean since the last time you saw me?” He stuck his hands in his front pockets and shrugged. “Hard to get much worse than being in federal prison, isn’t it?”
She flinched at the bitterness in his voice. At the accusation. Of course he had every right to accuse her. After all, he wouldn’t have gone to prison if he hadn’t been protecting her.
She wanted to beg him to forgive her for what happened. To throw herself into his arms and never let him go again. Instead, she took several deep breaths and wiped her damp palms down the front of her jeans.
