His Honour, Her Family. Tara Randel

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      “I never said I needed you.”

      His eyes gleamed. “But you do.”

      “I have other interviews lined up.” Liar.

      He rested his elbows on the scuffed countertop. “Until then do you plan on running the office and hiking up the mountain at the same time? Handling the town celebration by yourself?”

      Why was she even arguing with him? She’d thought he might be the answer to her problem until he started questioning her methods. She hesitated until a voice in the back of her mind taunted, Hire him so you can get back to Atlanta sooner than later.

      She couldn’t allow herself to be sucked into family drama again. Her mother would try everything in her power to keep Grace in Golden. Hadn’t it been an ongoing battle just to attend college and law school? If Mama could find a way to milk her injuries—very possible for Wanda Sue—Grace might end up back where she started, stuck in a town she’d dreamed of leaving since she was a teen. Everyone knew her here, knew the family’s worst history and her part in it, a time when she’d been unable to manage events that had spun out of control. The sooner she was at her real job, assuming the firm didn’t fire her if her mother didn’t get back on track soon, the quicker she’d gain control of her life.

      Still, telling Mr. Matthews to take his high-handedness and hit the road was on the tip of her tongue. Before she could utter the words, the phone rang. She held up a finger and snatched the wireless from the cradle. “Put Your Feet Up.”

      “Gracie, tell me you hired someone today.”

      “Mama, this isn’t a good time.”

      “Buck Watkins down at the Jerky Shack said he saw a healthy man walk into the office. Did you talk to him?”

      “I’m conducting an interview now.”

      “Can he take the job?”

      “Yes, but—”

      “Gracie, you always make everything so difficult.”

      Grace ignored a twinge at the not-so-subtle dig.

      “I can’t get ahold of Nathan and the first tour is in three days. How on earth will I deal with my injuries and not worry about the business if you don’t get help soon.”

       Pile on the guilt trip, Mama.

      “Let’s discuss this later.”

      “Why? We’ll still come to the same conclusion.”

      “I need to check his references first.”

      “Hire him now, check them later. If they don’t pan out, you can fire him then, but for goodness’ sake, don’t let him slip through your fingers. We need him.”

      This was exactly why Grace had left Golden and the family company.

      Turning from Mr. Matthews’s curious expression, Grace closed her eyes and counted to ten. “I’ll see you later,” she said, ending the conversation.

      Straightening her shoulders, she faced the man she was going to have to work with in the near future. “You’re hired.”

      A smile broke the serious expression on his face. At the sight of his dimples, her breath stalled in her chest.

      “That wasn’t so hard.”

      Of all the... One, two, three...

      “When do I start?”

      “How about tomorrow? Nine in the morning.”

      “Works for me.”

      “Make sure you’re on time,” she said, rounding the desk as the phone started to ring again. As she reached for it, the front door closed behind her. Thankfully, she’d be heading back to her old life in a month. Then the family business, and all it entailed, was someone else’s problem.

      * * *

      TAKING A SIP of hot coffee as he exited Sit a Spell Coffee Shop, Deke Matthews struggled to hold back a satisfied grin. Step number one taken care of. He’d landed a job and now had a cover story to justify hanging around Golden. Pleased with his progress, he pulled his cell phone from the back pocket of his jeans and hit speed dial.

      “Deke, any success?” his brother Dylan promptly asked when he picked up.

      “I got a job.”

      “That was fast.”

      “You know I always take care of matters in a timely manner.”

      “A trait I appreciate. Especially now.”

      Deke heard a rustling on the other end, then, “So what’s your new profession?”

      “Outdoor tour guide. Leading tourists up mountain trails, boating on the lake, that sort of thing.”

      “Sounds more like fun than work.”

      “Someone has to do it.” Deke took another sip of the tasty almond-flavored coffee, swallowed, then asked, “Is Mom still in the dark?”

      “Yes. And I plan on keeping it that way.”

      “Agreed.”

      “Derrick and Dante are on the same page, too.”

      “Still, this is Mom we’re talking about. She has no clue?”

      “No. James Tate has totally duped her.”

      Deke frowned. He hadn’t met his mother’s boyfriend yet. In fact, none of her boys had had the pleasure. That made him very wary of the guy. Along with the fact that his mother and Dylan lived in Florida, it made a quick pop-in to scope out the situation almost impossible. But their mother’s recent behavior had set all the brothers into a tailspin.

      First of all, this was their mother. She didn’t date. Or at least hadn’t, not since their father had died. In the years after Daryl Matthews’s passing, she’d never once gone out with a man. Friend, romantic interest or otherwise. This Tate guy must have sold her an attractive story for her to finally move on from their father’s cherished memory and try to hide it from her sons.

      “Is she still giving you the runaround?”

      “Every day.”

      At the frustrated tone of his brother’s voice, Deke grinned. It took a lot to throw his brother Dylan off task, but Jasmine Matthews was good. Very good.

      So were her sons. They’d learned from the best.

      “I thought you had plans to run into them while they were on a date?” Deke reminded his brother.

      “She caught wind of it and moved the location.”

      “Classic Mom.”

      Dylan СКАЧАТЬ