Page 107 of What Doesn't Kill Her

MR. PARLIMAN:

MALE. EAST INDIAN ANCESTRY. MIDDLE-AGED. DELIBERATELY NONDESCRIPT IN DRESS AND GROOMING. WATCHFUL.

“I’ve met men like him before, in Afghanistan, officers and enlisted men who use their eyes and their minds to stave off disaster.”

“There you have it.” Max put his hand on her hip and let it rest there. “How big is Mr. Parliman’s firm?”

Arthur looked pleased. “We’ll talk to him.”

“I’ll stay here,” Kellen said.

“You don’t want to meet him?” Max asked.

She looked at Parliman again. He had zeroed in on a guest who had overindulged and had sent one of his men to offer free bottles of water and a complimentary plate of cheese and vegetables. “No. I trust Arthur’s judgment, and yours.”

Max laughed. “And your own.”

“In this case,” she agreed.

Max walked off with Arthur.

Kellen relaxed and leaned on the piano. She’d been thinking the same thing, that an assassin would find the winery an easy place to take her out, and Rae and Max and... She didn’t want the winery to be a war zone.

She was happy standing here, under the tent, soaking in the summer heat, listening to the music and looking at Max as he wandered around his winery, viewing and assessing the changes.

He wasn’t sure. These weren’t his ideas. But he was a fair man, and Arthur’s enthusiasm—and the profit—was winning him over. The two men disappeared into the tasting room.

Dan said, “Arthur has spoken highly of Max and of you, and I understand Rae is your daughter.”

“That’s right.”

“She’s quite the inquisitive child. Impetuous. I understand she went with you into the mountains.”

“It was an adventure.” The heat seemed to dissipate and a shiver ran up her spine, the way it used to in Afghanistan when some unseen signal told her the enemy held them in their sights. She looked around.

A lot of people were watching her, especially the new hires, who still gave off thethrilled and nervousvibes. And that was definitely odd.

Dan switched to “Tennessee Waltz.” He still played without sheet music; what a memory he must have. “You look as if your adventure agreed with you.”

She briefly touched the still tender knot on the back of her head. “I don’t think we’ll be doing it again soon. I’d be fine with a little peace and quiet. What kind of acting did you do, Dan?”

“Mostly dramatic. I don’t have the voice for musicals, and I never wanted to be in the orchestra pit.” He smiled. “I like the attention. I like to be the lead.”

She understood. She’d been an officer. “The responsibility can be a burden, but there are undeniable privileges.”

Max was wandering through the crowd, observing the new operation. He met her gaze.

She raised her eyebrows in question. “Excuse me.”

Kellen and Max walked toward each other, and when they met under the shade of an oak, she quietly asked, “So what do we think of these changes?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is this what you asked Arthur to do when you hired him?”

“Not exactly. But it seems churlish to complain when in a week the operation has grown by leaps and bounds through innovation and good hiring practices. Doesn’t it?”

“Right... We wouldn’t be suspicious of any wrongdoing if we hadn’t just been chased all over the mountains.”

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