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Ben wasn’t stupid. He’d been a military cop for three years. He’d seen things he’d never be able to forget. He just wanted Dusty safe. Nothing wrong with that. Maybe a part of him thought she washisdemoness to protect. He was her thug warrior, after all. Hard for him to forget that.
19
Sean hadn’t meantto go looking for the beautiful blonde again. He’d just felt restless in the small but comfortable room he’d been assigned on the third floor. He’d wanted to walk around, explore this surprising piece of Wyoming history. See something beautiful again. The Nebraska situation was heating up. It wouldn’t be good for Sean’s latest assigned family.
They might have to be moved again.
The inn was a distraction. One he needed.
There had been a description of how the thirty-plus-room, three-floor-plus basement-and-attic-level inn had come to be. Complete with a much older structure that had had ten rooms. Those ten rooms had become part of what they now called the family wing, along with what had once been the inn’s kitchen and dining room and main lobby.
It was now, according to the brochure complete with eight smiling young women and their grandmother on the front, ran by the Talley family. Another photo of several Talley second cousins was on the back. Including the sweet-faced child down at the front desk. She looked even younger than LaDonna’s twins. Of course, Dylan was almost twenty-three now. Fiery, just like her mother. Dylan looked a great deal like her mother actually.
Except for that distinctive white-blond hair of Dylan’s.
He’d seen another young woman with that unusual hair color recently. He just couldn’t recall where. He was too tired to think at the moment honestly.
He’d been driving around from assignment to assignment for days. It was time he took a break. A real one. Maybe around Thanksgiving he would. Spend some time with the boys, while they were home from school. If his ex wouldn’t be so difficult about that anyway. She was getting harder and harder to deal with lately.
Sean punched in the number for the chocolate bar that he wanted absently. He’d seen the beautiful blonde working there by the pool entrance. She was hard to miss.
So was the man next to her. All polished and rugged looking. He wore a T-shirt with ARMY printed on it. He was in prime physical shape, too. Sean had always prided himself on keeping in excellent physical shape, but that guy…
He probably spent half his day working at looking like that.
Sean tried to hear what they were saying, but they were too far away.
He’d made a career out of reading people. He studied them surreptitiously. Even though he thought the man suspected. Most people Sean watched never realized it—but some did.
This one probably did.
These two knew each other very well. A relative, perhaps? He discounted that idea, after one look at the guy’s face. There was hunger there. A lover then. Or a man who wanted to be.
The woman, Dusty, was turned away slightly. She wouldn’t have seen the hunger. It was most likely he was a guest, like Sean. One who was trying to put the make on the beautiful blond innkeeper. Sean had seen similar play out thousands of times in his travels through the years. He’d never used hotels as hunting grounds, but many men definitely did.
How often, he wondered, did beautiful women like Dusty get harassed and hit on during a normal business week in a place like this? Men far from home, looking for a little companionship that could be forgotten the next day?
Probably more times than a decent man wanted to consider. Sean was going to stay close. Until he knew the man wasn’t pushing for more than Dusty wanted to give. It was the honorable thing to do, after all. Sean had worked law enforcement since he was younger than Dylan.
Far, far too many times he had seen the results of unscrupulous men targeting young women who deserved better.
The younger guy had his hand on her shoulder now. Like he was trying to comfort her? Or just because he was that familiar with her?
It was probably that. Familiarity.
The man leaned forward and placed a kiss right over her forehead. And she didn’t push him away. She knew him. And knew him well.
That was just confirmed when the man leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips next. She smacked him lightly with the hand not holding towels, and pointed toward the ice cream freezer instead.
But she was smiling quietly. Relaxed. Like the brute had kissed her that casually before. Many times before.
Sean dawdled over the soda machine next, just watching. Finally, she took the three or four towels in her hand and put them on the top shelf, stretching in a delicious way that would heat any observant man’s insides instantly. Then she turned back to her friend.
And they left together, him dangling ice cream in front of her like he was using it to lure her to the nearest bed perhaps?
Were they sleeping together? Did the man live here, with her?
The Talley familylivedin a portion of the inn. All women. Beautiful, young, attractive,temptingwomen.
