Page 8 of Defended By the SEAL
The curtain moved to the side and an eye poked out, a muffled voice coming through the door. “Charlotte Grace?”
“Hi Grams.”
The curtain dropped, covering the glass again. The low rumble of conversation could be heard, a man’s deep voice punctuating his words, but nothing Charlotte could make out.
A sudden gust of wind nearly pushed her sideways, and she wrapped her arms around herself to stay warm. “Jesus, it’s cold.”
They stood there for another minute, then two.
“What’s taking her so long to open the door?” asked Cowboy.
Charlotte had just been wondering that herself, but rather than agree with his question, she snapped, “It’s notlike she was expecting us.” She licked her lips, knowing that doing so in this weather was begging for them to become chapped. She shifted her weight. What the hell was she doing in there?
Finally, the deadbolt clicked and the door opened, her grandma’s face appearing and instantly lighting up with joy. “Get in here, you sweet thing.” She gestured for Cowboy to follow, then hugged Charlotte in a tight embrace. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s kind of a long story,” Charlotte said. “Grams, this is Leo. Leo, this is my grandmother, Loretta.”
The old woman smiled even wider. “Hello, Leo.” She shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. My friends call me Cowboy.”
“And any friend of Charlotte’s is welcome to call me Grams.” She turned back to Charlotte. “What on earth are you doing here? And why didn’t you call and tell me you were coming?”
“It was sort of a last-minute decision,” said Charlotte, slipping off her coat, irritated when Cowboy caught it.
“She sent you to deal with me, didn’t she?”
“Who?”
“Your mother.” Grams shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “Well, I’m glad you’re here, anyway. It’s always good to see my grandbaby, and you can meet Tom for yourself. Then you can report back to my daughter-in-law with the all-clear and call off the guards.”
A tall wiry man with salt-and-pepper hair and wire glasses stepped forward from a doorway. A pronounced linear scar ran up his left cheek. While her grandmother exuded warmth and welcome, this man did not. He looked from Cowboy to Charlotte and back again. “Hello,” he saidquietly. A tingling sensation went up the back of Charlotte’s neck.
Grams put her arm around Charlotte’s shoulders. “Tom, this is my granddaughter, Charlotte, and her friend, Cowboy,” she hesitated. “This is Tom Vanderhoffen. As I’m sure you’ve already heard, we’re engaged to be married.” The old-fashioned introduction wasn’t necessary, but that was Grams for you—she loved to stand on formality, then push it aside for an impromptu hug.
Cowboy shook the other man’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Charlotte turned to Grams. “I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.”
“We had a whirlwind romance. When he proposed, I accepted as quickly as I could.” She smiled, contentment and radiating from her pores. “Come now, come in and get settled. You’re staying the night, of course. You had to have been out of your mind to travel in this weather. Your mother must have been beside herself for you to do it in the first place.”
“As long as we’re not intruding,” Charlotte said, as if she would leave if they were. In reality, she had no intention of leaving, no matter what her grandmother said.
“Of course not, dear. I’ll put the two of you in the big guest room. The power went out a few hours ago, and there’s a fireplace in there to keep warm.”
Charlotte shot Cowboy an uneasy look. “Separate bedrooms would be better.”
“You’ll freeze to death if you do that. Besides, you don’t need to sleep apart on my account. You’re a grown woman?—”
“It’s not like that, Grams.”
“Oh, I just assumed…”
Charlotte’s cheeks flushed as the other woman looked to Cowboy. “It’s no problem. I’ll just sleep down here,” he said.
Grams waved her hand. “Nonsense?—”
“Grams, let it go.” A deep sadness punched Charlotte in the gut. A week ago she would have gladly shared that room with Cowboy, would have been wrapped in his arms before a raging fire in the wide old hearth as they made love.
