Page 58 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

“Deck!” Mila trilled out her brother’s name and wrenched herself away from Rock to sail in his direction. “Mr. Monty is going to make it!”

“I heard.” His arms came around her. “Good work, you two.” He rested his cheek against the top of her head.

“It was mostly Mila.” Rock inclined his head humbly. “The answers were in her sketches all along.”

She leaned back in her brother’s arms. “But he was the one who figured out the smoke signal. We make a great team, don’t we?”

Rock hid his mortified yelp with a cough.

Decker merely chuckled. “Ain’t no denying that.” He sobered. “Especially after what I just witnessed.” He pinned Rock with a piercing look. “When were you two planning on telling me you’re dating?”

“We’re not,” Mila insisted, blushing. “I’m the one who?—”

“I’m in love with her,” Rock interrupted. There was no way he was letting her take the fall alone. He’d returned her kiss because he’d wanted to, and he’d known what he was doing. No one had forced him.

“So…you’re not dating?” Decker looked mildly perplexed as he dropped his arms from around Mila. His gaze swiveled between the two of them.

“Not yet, but I want to.” Rock attempted to clear the air. It was probably a good thing he’d been too busy to contact his realtor to put a bid on the log home he wanted to purchase. “If you want my resignation on your desk?—”

“No!” Decker’s answering bellow made Mila wince. “No,” he repeated in a quieter voice. “The last thing I want is to lose either of you. Monty Chester is alive because of how well you two work together. Admittedly, I didn’t realize until a few minutes ago exactly how well you work together.” He gave a dry chuckle.

The tension in Rock’s shoulders eased. He was in no hurry to leave Lonestar Security. Quite the opposite. It was quickly turning into a second career that he could see himself staying with for the long haul.

“Just give me a few hours to figure this out.” Decker lifted his ball cap to run a hand through his hair. “It’s a private company, so I’m sure we can find a work-around.” He settled his ball cap back on his head. “It might involve moving our new forensics department under Gil Remington, which probably makes more sense, anyway. It may also involve making you both report directly to him.”

Rock nodded at what he was leaving unsaid. It meant Rock would no longer be Mila’s supervisor. He could certainly get on board with that. It might even amount to a pay raise for her.

The moment Decker took off, Mila swung Rock’s way. “Did you really mean what you said about…?” She fell into blushing silence.

“Yep.” He moved her way to stand in front of her, tangling their fingers together. “Imeant every word.”

“When did this happen?” Her eyes glinted with more unshed tears, happy ones this time.

He was all too eager to admit the truth to her. “I think it started when I was reviewing job applications.” No joke. “The first time I laid eyes on your sketches, they spoke to me. I immediately wanted to meet the artist who could spin that kind of magic with a pencil or a pen.” He tipped his forehead against hers. “Or a piece of charcoal. Or a tray of watercolor paints. That kind of beauty only comes from within.”

“No one has ever seen me the way you do.” Her breath mingled with his. “No one has everreallyseen me at all.”

“I see you,” he whispered back. He knew she was referring to more than her sketches. She was referring to a lifetime of doubting where she fit in her mother’s affections. Carla Kingston’s many secrets, including the shadowy overseas financial predators she’d gotten mixed up with, had left their marks on her stepdaughter.

Because of Rock’s upbringing in foster care, it was easy for him to identify with Mila’s craving for love and acceptance. He craved the same things.

But not anymore. Now that he had her in his life, the clawing edge of those needs had vanished. An ancient verse from the Bible drifted through his mind.

Three things will last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love.

It was a passage that a lot of couples incorporated into their wedding ceremonies. He’d memorized them years ago, hoping to recite them to his own bride someday.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Mila said softly. “I know things are a little crazy on my end right now, whichmay make you doubt what I’m about to tell you.” She brushed her lips against his again. “But I’m going to tell you, anyway. I love you, too, Rock. So much, that if it had come to one of us being asked to leave Lonestar Security over it, that someone would’ve been me.”

“I wouldn’t have let that happen,” he growled.

“Fortunately, it’s something we won’t have to fight over.” A note of humor entered her voice. “Because I can think of much better ways to spend our time.”

She coaxed another kiss from him that he never wanted to end.

Chapter 10: The Unraveling

Two weeks later

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