Page 4 of Homecoming

She stepped into his space a little. “I would, JT. It’s wrong, and you know it. You’re just too lazy to find the right lights.”

“We already used all the colored lights,” he said, waving a hand toward the big courthouse, a block down. It had literally been draped in strings of Christmas lights, from the top of the third story clock tower down to the ground, then around the oak trees on the grounds. From this distance, Black could see more than a hundred strings of lights. There was a clear path people could follow to look at all the displays. It looked a little chaotic, but the kids would definitely love it.

“I have to do well with this initiative, JT. You know I have a lot riding on it.”

The man’s face softened. “I know you do, Grace, but you’ve become a bit of a dictator.”

The woman tipped back her head and laughed, and Black could feel his lips tip up in shared humor. Grace Lane had the kind of open, friendly personality that drew people to her. She didn’t care what she looked like when she laughed, she just did it, with her whole body. And she seemed to see the beauty in everything. Bloom, her flower store, always had a brilliant display in the front window, and maybe that was why she was so critical about the reindeer display. It wasn’t the right aesthetic. He’d heard her say that a few times over the past several months.

He’d heard chatter at the cafe that she’d left some big design job in the city a few years ago to come home and be with her family after her father took ill. Howard Lane apparently rallied once his daughter came home, because Black saw him walking Main Street occasionally. He was a tall, spare man with grayingchestnut hair, very similar to his daughter’s. Grace’s mother was just as beautiful as she was. Her hair was grayer, but her golden eyes were just as sharp as Grace’s. Black had run into her a few times at the grocery. As soon as he’d seen Frankie Lane, he’d known she was the mother of the Lane kids. Their characteristics bred true.

Grace was a hometown girl, and he’d learned a lot about her. Helped primarily by the chattering old busybodies that liked to gather at Lila’s Bistro. Black didn’t come to town often, but when he did, he liked to eat at Lila’s because it had the best food in a hundred-mile radius. He could block out the old women’s chatter if he needed to, but his ears always pricked up if he heard Grace’s name.

Grace had aspirations of taking over as mayor when Old Man Krank finally resigned. It was why she was working hard at beautifying the town. It was also why she was bending over backwards to help him out.

Black had received notification from Fontana that one of the bigger, primary cabins needed to be ready within the next three days. Aiden, Angela and baby Fallon were arriving, and it needed to be ready for them. He did not know what they were bringing, so he needed to cover everything. And quickly. Black wasn’t sure why the rush, but something must have spooked them enough to get out of Virginia. There was a team in the cabin now doing final trim and paint touch-ups, and Yates and Shade were going over the security protocols. They would have to tighten security all over with the baby in residence.

Black had cringed when Fontana told him the news. “Do they realize how rough it is out here? We have the main structures up, but it’s not as cushy as the Elton building. There’s no central heat or air, yet. Power can be iffy. Cell service is a spotty mess. Dominic still has issues with the water. They would be better off in the main building, at the very least.”

But Fontana had shaken his head. “They want their own space. A place they can make their own. They are aware of the issues, but they need to disappear.”

Black heard the underlying issue. Somebody was after the baby again. Still. They’d never given up on trying to grab her.

This was going to make his job so much harder. “Are they bringing a team?”

“Yes,” Fontana said, “but only a few. One dedicated guard specifically for the baby.”

Well, that was better than nothing. They could secure the family. Most of the men down here kept up with their training up by the cold mountain pond on the far ridge, but their primary job was building up the camp. Making sure all vital processes — power, water, septic — were in place and working. Coming up this mountain and completely starting at the beginning, building those necessities had taken a long time, and after being here a year, there were still kinks to work out. The elements worked against them, constantly, and winter was just settling in. They’d had snow since Thanksgiving, and Black doubted they would see green grass again until spring. This high up, it stayed cold.

They’d done as much prep work as possible, and it had been the most challenging project of his career. But he’d needed it. It had been something to focus on other than his own pain. And it quieted the noise in his head.

This woman was another thing that had taken his focus and eased the noise.

On any given day, he had between fifty and a hundred thoughts pounding through his brain at all times. All fighting for center stage. Most of it was useless info that literally no one cared about but him. Like, they needed half a load of gravel to fill a hole in the lower drive. Three cases of pop had ruptured from the cold and the rest needed moved inside before it did the same. There was a new squeak coming from the right-hand dryer inthe mudroom. All stuff that no one even thought about, but that bedeviled him.

Grace turned around then and caught him staring at her back. “Mr. Black,” she said, surprise lifting her perfectly sculpted brows.

With his enhanced ability to notice detail, her face was a fascination to him. Black had never seen a woman who looked like Grace Lane. She had one of the most beautiful countenances he’d ever seen on a woman, with thick, strong dark brows over deep-set eyes. Her irises were a pale brown, with glints of gold in the center— four on the right and five on the left— and he could stare at them forever. Her eyes were slightly tilted, and they looked almost leonine. Her mouth seemed a little too broad and full for her lean face, but maybe that was because she was always smiling.

Now that she’d turned around, he could see she wore a pair of fluffy deer’s ears on her head. It was silly, but cute too. They were lit with colorful little lights. One tiny red bulb was out.

The woman was one of those people that always seemed to be disgustingly upbeat, active, and he always felt like a black cloud as he hovered around. But nothing seemed to get her down. For a guy who only thought about things weighing on him, and the endless details to be completed, she was like a breath of fresh air. Her lightness haunted him, and made him want more of her shine, as ridiculous as the thought was.

As soon as Fontana told him Aiden’s family was coming, he’d texted Grace, hoping that she could get the cabin stocked and decorated before they arrived. Actually, he was glad to have the reason to contact her. It had been a few weeks since he’d last seen her in person. Hopefully, judging by the grin on her face, she had everything she needed for him. Aiden and family were arriving tomorrow, and they were cutting it so close.

Grace always seemed ready to tackle whatever issue he handed her, though. He’d interacted with her several times over the past year, and she always helped him out. But it came with a price. There was no way he could miss the growing interest in some of her lingering looks.

“Hello, Ms. Lane,” Black said, pushing air through his vocal cords to try to sound normal. The roughness was still there, though. “I’m early, so don’t feel rushed if you’re dealing with something else.”

She waved a perfectly manicured hand, her nails a pearl white with black lines squiggled across them. And different colored gems. Was that supposed to represent Christmas lights on her nails?

“It’s just my younger brother being a pain in my behind, as always,” she said, projecting her voice a little over her shoulder so that said brother could hear her.

The younger man waved a hand in her direction, but didn’t look up from what he was doing.

Black smiled slightly, feeling a sudden wash of pain. He hadn’t seen his own younger brother in a long time, and he wondered how he was doing.

“If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you what I’ve pulled together. The furniture truck is on its way up the mountain,” she glanced at the clock on her phone, “about half an hour ago. Hopefully, by the time we get your truck loaded with the smaller stuff, the furniture guy will be done.”

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