Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(85)

“You have a message.” She held the phone out to him.

Remembering the previous text, his grief and anxiety returned in an instant flood, almost as if their lovemaking had never occurred.

The message was from Hannah. The baby and Carson were both awake, and Hannah was needed on a conference call.

Disappointment flushed through Grant. No time for postsex intimacies. Those few minutes—way too few—with Ellie had energized him. They’d shown him what could be, and because of that, it could never happen again. He wouldn’t want to leave her when the time came. And he didn’t want to get used to something he was going to give up.

“Do you have everything you need?” Grant reached for his socks. “That was Hannah. We need to get back.”

“All right.” She pointed to his calf. “What’s that?”

“Shrapnel.” Grant brushed his hand over the patch of gray bumps below a burn scar on his lower leg, where tiny bits of metal had been embedded since his first tour in Iraq.

“They just left it in there?”

“Doctor said they’d do more damage trying to dig it out than leaving it alone. It’s been in there for years.” He shrugged. “I know it’s ugly, but it doesn’t hurt.”

She reached for his shoulder and turned him away from her. He felt her finger lightly trace the puckered pink scar on his back. “And this?”

“Bullet. Also Iraq.”

He turned back to her and took her hands. “Now you see why I didn’t want you to get attached to me.”

Instead of answering, she leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“We’d better go.” Moving away from him, she dressed.

With a fresh wound in his heart, Grant did the same. He stuffed his feet into his boots and picked up her bag of clothes. Ellie locked up as they left the house. He scanned the street, looking for any signs of surveillance. Was Hoodie Man, as Ellie called him, watching right now? He hadn’t relied on GPS technology alone. The picture he’d sent to Ellie clearly showed he’d also been doing personal surveillance. But tonight, Grant didn’t see or feel any eyes on him. A few cars were parked along the street. No signs of occupation, but he made a note to do another check later. He’d had enough waiting for the police to do things legally. Grant’s leave was ticking away. He needed this situation settled and his family and Ellie’s safe before he returned to the army.

He’d been formulating a plan. Tomorrow, he was putting it into action. They went out onto the porch. A silver Mercedes sedan was parked out front.

“Who is that?” Ellie asked.

“Boston plates. Must be Kate’s parents.” Grant hustled across the front yard. “I hope calling them wasn’t a big mistake.”





Chapter Thirty-Two


Ellie followed Grant into the house. An older couple stood in the foyer. Hannah was taking coats and hanging them in the closet.

“These are Kate’s parents, Bill and Stella Sheridan.” Hannah introduced Grant and Ellie. “Let’s go back to the kitchen. I just made coffee.”

Bill was tall, with a thick head of silver hair, blue eyes, and a slight stoop. His thin wife had a gray bob cut precisely to swing at her chin, pointy and angular as her face. They were well-dressed in slacks and sweaters.

Stella frowned at the peeling wallpaper in the hall. In the kitchen, Hannah set out mugs and coffee on the table. The baby stirred, making a fussy sound. The Sheridans crossed the floor and stopped in front of Faith’s baby seat.

“That’s your granddaughter, Faith.” Grant squatted and released the harness. He lifted the baby and turned her to face the Sheridans.

Stella reached a tentative hand and touched Faith’s chubby thigh. “Babies should take naps in their cribs.”

“She’s colicky,” Grant said.

Stella shook her head. “Babies need routine, Major. Put her in her crib and leave her be. She’ll cry for a while, but she’ll soon learn to be independent. If you coddle her, she’ll never learn that the world doesn’t revolve around her. I understand there’s an older child as well?”

“Yes. Carson is six. He’s taking a nap.” Hannah measured formula.

“I imagine this has been an awful week for him.” Stella lowered her hand from Faith’s leg. Was Kate’s mother nervous? She’d never seen her grandchildren. How many regrets was Mrs. Sheridan battling behind her gray eyes?

“He’s having a rough time.” Grant’s brow creased. Hannah handed him a bottle, and he settled at the table with Faith in the crook of his arm. The Sheridans sat across from him. Ellie contemplated backing out of the room and giving the family privacy, but the grief in Grant’s eyes pulled her to him. Ellie took the chair next to him, pressing her leg against his. He shot her a grateful look.

Bill ignored the coffee Hannah set in front of him. “When is the funeral being planned?”

Grant shifted the baby to his shoulder and burped her. “We haven’t made plans yet. The medical examiner just released their bodies a couple of hours ago.”

Remembering Grant’s tight hold on her as he slept in her bed, Ellie’s heart clenched. He hadn’t told her. Didn’t he trust her? He’d lied to her yesterday about where he was going with Mac. Was he holding anything else back?