Page 20 of Too Lethal to Love

“Maybe he can give me tips on how to renovate mine and Gran’s place. The kitchen is too small for us to cook together.”

“That’s…sweet.” She chewed on her lip instead of asking adozen more questions about his life with Gran beyond what she knew already. After he’d lost his leg, Gran came East to take care of him and now they shared a house. She had a feeling the rest of the story would make her like him even more. “What about your parents?”

“My dad was an Air Force pilot. He was killed in action when I was seventeen.”

“Oh, Kane.”

He shifted his jaw as he glanced at her. The glint of sorrow she’d seen in his eyes earlier flickered.

“After my dad died, my mom struggled with taking care of herself and the house, so we all moved in with Gran and Gramps. A few months later she…”

Beth stared at his white-knuckled grip on the wheel. Holding her breath, she prayed the dip in his voice and the hint of anguish in his tone didn’t mean what she feared.

“She died after Livvie and I left for college.”

“I’m so, so sorry.” A memory from two weeks ago when she’d met Scarlett and the VIPER boys for dinner popped into her mind so suddenly she flinched.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Kane said as Nic slid into the vacant seat next to him at the table.

Nic scrubbed his hands down his face. With a sigh, he looked around the Italian restaurant like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be there.

Beth leaned closer from her spot several chairs away. “Are you okay, Nic?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I was on a date when I got a call about my buddy. He was one of the guys on my team when everything blew to hell.” He dropped his chin to the spot where his steel arm met his flesh-and-blood shoulder. “He survived the blast. Got married. Had a few kids.” He stared glassy-eyed across the room. “His wife was…” Nic’s voice broke. “She was killed in a drive-by last night. I still can’t believe it. My buddy was tough enough to survive a fucking ambush, but he’s such a mess right now he had to send the kids to his parents because he can’t take care of them.”

Beth glanced at Kane’s profile as he steered the pickup truck into the next lane. She didn’t know why she’d pivoted her attention from Nic to him that night at the restaurant as the tragic story unfolded. She did remember the barefaced torment in his eyes when Nic spoke about his buddy being so distraught he couldn’t take care of his family.

Kane’s similar words rippled through her ears.

“Afterward, my mom struggled with taking care of herself and the house, so we all moved in with Gran and Gramps.”

Kane had quickly masked his reaction at the restaurant just as he did now, but she’d seen enough to know that the wisecracking cowboy had a big heart that had been broken.

Now she knew why, and it broke hers too.

“I’m so sorry about your parents.” She tried to search his gaze, but he kept his eyes on the road.

He nodded, his grip loosening on the wheel as his body relaxed. “If my dad were here, he’d kick my ass because I chose to serve with Marine Corps instead of the Air Force.”

His wide grin and deep laughter lightened the grave mood.

She smiled too. “Did your dad encourage you to be in the military?”

“Every man in my family has served for generations. I never thought of doing anything else but committing my life to protecting my country.”

She wanted to ask if that existence was as lonely as it sounded, but the tense set of his jaw indicated he wouldn’t bereceptive to her questions. The nostalgic edge to his voice said the memories were bittersweet. “Do we need to pretend in front of Gran?”

“No. That woman can smell bullshit from a mile away. And we don’t have to worry about my house being bugged. It’s as secure as VIPER headquarters. There are cameras in every room, except the private areas, but even those have listening devices I can tap into if I sense something’s wrong, like if Gran isn’t returning my messages or something.”

Beth giggled, half at his acute vigilance and half at herself for liking him even more because he watched out for his grandmother.

“Hey, don’t laugh. I look out for those who are important to me.” He pulled into a driveway in the middle of a quiet suburban street. “Don’t tell her. She’ll have my ass if she finds out. Hell, she may already know. You remind me of her sometimes. Smart, with a respectable, yet annoying, ‘I got this’ attitude.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment. And your devotion is sweet in an over-the-top sort of way.” Pulling off her seat belt, she took in the long ranch house the color of Kane’s eyes as he came around to open her door. He really needed to stop being so chivalrous. So attentive with his domineering, sexy brand of charm. So adorably dedicated when he talked about his grandmother. And he needed to stop calling her smart. She was far from it. Smart people didn’t believe in curses.

Kane took Beth’s hand and helped her out of his truck. Not that she needed his help, but she’d accused him of being over the top. And sweet. Why not live up to her expectations?

“Oh my God.” She pointed to the classic baby-blue Buick parked in Gran’s driveway.

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