5. No Place Like Home

CHAPTER 5

No Place Like Home

NATE

W ith every mile, I felt myself split in two. One half dreading going home, the other racing there faster than the truck could take me. A plan formulated in my mind. I’d check in with Robbie and see if he could use his contacts to find someone in the FBI we could trust. Maybe they’d convince Tori to enter witness protection for her own good.

Robbie could hide us for a few days somewhere out of sight until we could figure a way out of this—especially hiding us away from the Harlands. God help me if my family found out I was in town.

Fuck. If Mom and Dad or my sisters got wind of it and I didn’t go see them, they’d disown me for sure. My ass was in deep shit as the black sheep of the family. I’d left Thanksgiving Day three years ago and hadn’t been back. I even missed out on Jayne’s wedding to Andrew with excuses that I had to work. The phone calls I made to them each Christmas would never be enough to satisfy them. I loved my family, and I missed them, too, but I knew the minute I returned to town again they’d never let me leave. Then I’d be stuck there. So I avoided them all this time.

“A mile to go,” Porsche cried, excitedly pointing out the green mileage sign with white letters. How could she constantly be this peppy in the face of danger?

“Now look, the name Kissing Springs might be cute, but the town has seen better days.” I gripped the wheel tighter, controlling my own self from getting too worked up about this. But as the road morphed into the cobblestone-lined Main Street with Federal-style brick buildings on each side, it was clear some things had changed.

“Welcome to Kissing Springs,” I read from a fancy sign with bold gold lettering and scrollwork. Hm. That was new, replacing the old wooden one that’d been there for years; in fact, my wood shop class built the original back in high school.

Ornate wrought iron lamp posts with floral hanging baskets of lush flowers and greenery lined the walkways. Trees were larger, fuller, providing shade as people of all ages strolled the sidewalks. The rose garden in front of the courthouse had clearly been well-attended to and multiplied. Shiny new storefronts filled every building, where once boarded-up windows made the place look like a ghost town. This was far from the down-and-out place of my youth.

The entire town must have observed this Labor Day weekend as the beginning of fall because everything was decorated with leaves and pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks, with signs posted here and there for an upcoming Love Ranch Harvest Festival. Described as a gathering for family fall fun, when I grew up here it was anything but, Love Ranch was known only for cattle and sheep and the stench of manure. On Friday nights after the football games, my teammates and I would go out into their fields to tip cows and pitch cow patties.

In the next block was finally something I recognized, the mainstay Aunt Minnie’s Pie Shop. I rolled down my window for a good long whiff of apple and pumpkin, my mouth watering for a taste. “Mm, smell that? Fresh baked pie and a spiced latte from that place was always the best.”

“Oh, I love apple pie with a little ice cream on the side.” Porsche licked her lips. Maybe I’d convince Robbie to bring us some while we’re in hiding, because Tori’s already made it clear she prefers fancy coffee and my guess was she did PSL by the cupfuls.

“How long since you’ve been back? Because Kissing Springs is actually adorable.” Tori surprised me with her observation. She’d been quiet for most of the ride, giving me the cold shoulder, barely participating in small talk with me and Porsche. But I could tell her mind was spinning, probably planning how to dump me and take off with her daughter.

That wouldn’t sit well with me. I had an obligation to Cap. No matter what it took to finish this mission, I would. For him. But posing as a husband and a father? I wouldn’t have the slightest fucking idea how to act. At least she claimed not to be in love with Cap like that somehow made the thought of calling this woman my wife okay.

My wife? What the hell?

As we drove down the street, the old feelings cut sharply back in, the ones that sent me into the military in the first place, the ones that said I didn’t want to die here in a small town with a small town life like my father had. I wanted something bigger, more adventurous, so I left. The military definitely gave me that, along with a healthy dose of danger and nearly losing my life. Working security, there was still a slight element of danger, but guarding celebrities was a hell of a lot different from fighting battles for the US government.

The one thing Kissing Springs had going for it was its quiet small town appeal. Perfect for hiding away, I’d hoped. But now I stared in awe at the bustling community.

“That sign says this is the Romance Capital of the South. Ooh, romance. So cool,” Portia continued with her giddy self. With a glance over at Tori, she rolled her eyes at me. Nope, no hope for romance between us. Although, damn, she’d be the kind of woman I’d go for. Strong yet with a vulnerability that would allow me to take care of her. Sexy body, nice tits. Thick dark hair I could ball into my fists. Eyes I could get lost in when I fuck her.

Yeah. I’d bet I could make Marina Bottesta—Tori—scream my name like I was the only god she’d worship. My pants were on the verge of getting tight, lost in a fantasy about us, when Cap’s words stormed back to me, complete with flashing red lights like a warning. Never get too close to your mark because it could mess with your ability to do the job.

This woman could very well be the death of me.

“Watch out!” She shrieked, gripping the dashboard.

I snapped my head back to the road and braked to a stop fast enough to avoid hitting a little boy, as he chased a ball into the street. A woman ran out after him in a panic. She scooped him up in her arms then headed back to the sidewalk, eyeing me through the windshield, her lips forming the word “Sorry.” Only she froze in the middle of the road.

I knew her. She knew me. And I was fucked.

“Nathan Daniel Harland? What the H-E-double L are you doing in town, and you don’t bother to call to let us know you’re coming?”

I groaned and squeezed my eyes closed.

“Who is that?” Porsche asked. No way to hide now, absolutely none. I opened my eyes to see the woman approaching my driver’s side window. In the rearview mirror, no cars were coming up behind me, so I had no excuse to drive away and pretend I didn’t see her.

“My oldest sister.” Reluctantly, I twerked my lips into a smile when she got close enough to hang her elbow inside my door. “Hey Tracy.”

“My God. Look at you.” She pulled me into a hug despite the door between us. “I’d hoped and even said a prayer last Sunday in church that you’d make it here in time for Mom’s birthday party today, because Lord knows, texting you never works. And here you are. Must be a tiny miracle that brought you here.” She eyed deeper into the cab. “Or maybe it’s the lovely ladies sitting next to you. Hi, I’m Tracy and this is my baby boy, Holden. And you are?”

I was tongue tied. I snapped a look at Tori, whose mouth hit the floor of the truck.

“Uh. This is um. My um… She’s… and she’s,” I stuttered, thumbing between them. I never expected this to happen, but I couldn’t very well say I brought a mafia princess to town. “They’re my wife and daughter.” The words came out in a rush. Shit.

“Your what?” Tracy balked.

“I’m Porsche, his daughter. He adopted me after he married my mother.” Leave it to little Miss Freaking Friendly Sunshine to be the first to reach out and recite a perfect script like she’d been memorizing it for the past year. She leaned her arm across me and shook Holden’s tiny hand. I hadn’t seen him since he was born, the day before Thanksgiving three years ago. The last time I was here.

Tracy gave me that look only big sisters mastered, the one that said I first had some explaining to do and then afterwards I should eat shit and die. But she split her face with an honest smile. “Well, aren’t you a sweetie? How old are you?”

“I just turned sixteen.”

“Oh, you’re the same age as Opal then, Mayor Meadow Boyd’s daughter. You’ll meet her when you come to the house for your grandmother’s birthday party, which I’m late for because this little one got a bean stuck in nose and I had to take him to urgent care.” She laughed slightly. That didn’t sound funny to me—kids, beans, doctors. Yuck.

Her eyes landed on Tori next, blinking and waiting for her response. I half expected the woman to my right to launch out of the truck and run far, far away. To her credit, she recovered fast.

“Hello, Tracy. How nice to meet Nate’s sister. I’m Tori. He’s told us so much about his family. I cannot wait to meet you all. And a party? How delightful? Honey, I’m so glad we arrived in time. But we can’t come empty-handed. We’ll be at the party soon after we buy a gift for your mom.” I could sense a mocking tone in her voice. Nonetheless, she made a damn good actress. She leaned over and squeezed my knee. If I wasn’t finding this situation so awkward, I might read more into that touch than I should. This was only fake.

“Well, I’m sure Nate remembers the way to our family home. We’ll see you soon, and I cannot wait to hug both of you and welcome you to the family.” She left us quickly with a wave as there were indeed a couple of cars finally backing up behind us.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” I groaned under my breath. “So much for hiding here. By tomorrow morning, everyone will know I’m back in town with a wife and kid.”

“Is that such a terrible idea? Are we two little women really such a thing to be wary about, Nate? Or do you think you could pull up your big boy pants and deal with the situation? Because we’re here now, and Tracy seems like a woman who will hunt you down if you don’t show up to this party. We might as well start keeping up appearances now,” Tori admonished me like I was her whipping boy.

I swear if there wasn’t a kid in this truck, I’d find a quiet alley to park in, bend Tori over my knee and give her a proper spanking. That thought did nothing to stop my pants from needing adjusting. This sassy woman’s mouth could be my undoing.

We stopped at a liquor store and bought a bottle of wine, which was about the best I could think of to buy for Mom as a present under these circumstances. I figured this way, depending how it went when I showed up, either she or I could get drunk considering how I reappeared after years away. Or she could very well hit me over the head with it. I probably deserved it.

Tori held the gift bag with the bottle in her lap on the way to my family's home. Her knee jiggled up and down like she was nervous. I couldn’t blame her.

When we arrived, there must have been twenty cars parked on the cul-de-sac where my childhood home still stood, sturdy as ever. The historic post-Civil War era mansion loomed at the end of the street, waiting to eat me alive when I entered it.

“Everyone must be here today. Great.” I cut the engine after I parallel parked.

“Define everyone. We can’t very well go in there blind. As husband and wife, we likely would have talked at some point about our families,” Tori pointed out. I knew she was right, but this was too much. With a sigh, I filled them in on some basics.

“Fine. My parents are Renny and Betsy. Dad’s the General Manager of the Bank of Kissing Springs, with several locations around the county. Betsy has always been a stay at home mom, but had several small enterprises over the years. I think her latest is a cookie baking business. Tracy, who you met, is married to Kipp Wilson, the town Fire Chief. They have three kids, so far. She’s a baby-making machine. Jayne is the youngest, and she married my old best friend from high school, Andrew. Only when they see me, I may catch hell. I was supposed to be in their wedding a couple of years ago and never showed up.”

“What? How could you?” Porsche’s eyes rounded on me in disbelief.

I shook my head, dreading facing them again. Or anyone here. “Mom was devastated when I decided to leave home. I’ve talked to her a few times since then, but needless to say, us showing up today like this, they’ll all be shocked.”

“Well, we got your back, don’t we, Mom? We’re a family now, so we stick together.” She turned her head one way, then the other, eyeing us both a few times.

“Right. Family,” Tori sighed and got out of the truck.

“Right.” I disembarked, too, pulling up my proverbial big man's pants like she wanted. As I strode up the street toward the house where a huge sign staked in the front yard had “Happy Birthday, Betsy” printed on it, this small town suddenly felt like it was caving in on me.