Newlywed Assignment
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Barb Han
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23
Chapter One
Why did every backyard barbecue with Emmaline Ree Sheppard’s family turn into a not-so-subtle hint that she was failing her mother? At thirty-six years old, Ree wasn’t married. She had no immediate plans to have a family. And she didn’t bake anything from scratch.
Sue her.
Ree did, however, have a job as an undercover agent for the ATF that she loved, a great house that she’d bought with her own money, and a fulfilling dating life. To be honest, two out of three of those things were true, but not having a man in her life wasn’t a problem for her, so it shouldn’t bother anyone else, either.
“Do you want to go inside and clean yourself up before the food is ready?” her mother asked. The woman was five feet two inches of pure spit and vinegar.
“I showered this morning,” Ree said more than a little defensively. What now? She didn’t know how to shower properly?
“You could do something with your hair,” her mother continued, undaunted.
“It’s fine,” Ree said as the others quieted. Everyone but Mother seemed to hear the caution in those words.
“While you’re inside, you can put up whatever’s in that bag,” Mother said, wrinkling her nose.
“Do you mean cheesecake?” Ree asked, her pulse rising faster than the Texas heat.
“Evelyn baked, so we’ll save yours for later,” Mother said with a flick of her wrist, referring to Ree’s sister-in-law.
The way Ree saw it, she had two choices. Let her tongue rip and probably say things she would regret or march inside with her store-bought cheesecake that her mother had already insulted and cool off in the air conditioning.
Her mother opened her mouth to speak, so Ree put a hand up to stop her. “I just can’t do this right now, Mother.”
Frustration seethed as she stormed toward the house and into the kitchen with her brother on her heels. Hot tears threatened, but she refused to let them fall.
“I’m sorry if I wasn’t the kind of girl who wore frilly dresses and big bows in my hair,” Ree said to her oldest brother, Shane, with a little more heat than she’d intended. She smacked her flat palm against the kitchen counter of her mother’s ranch-style house.
“She doesn’t mean it like that, Ree,” Shane defended. She’d gone by the nickname Ree for as long as she could remember.
“Oh, really? How am I supposed to take a comment like that?” she countered. “And what’s wrong with my hair anyway?”
“Nothing. You look fine. And for the record, you would look beautiful no matter what you did with your hair. All I’m saying is that you might be taking every comment she makes to heart.” He put his hands in the air, palms out in the surrender position, when Ree shot him the look.
“She went straight from my hair to attacking my store-bought cheesecake,” she continued, holding up the box. “We all know I don’t cook.”
“Bake,” he corrected.
Wrong move, Shane.
“Are you kidding me right now?” she asked.
“I still don’t think she meant it so harshly,” he said with a look of compassion.
“Fine.” She circled the small room. “Tell me how I should react.”
“You could crack a joke, for one,” he started.
“She would love that coming from me,” she countered. “Because Mom has always had one amazing sense of humor when it comes to her only daughter.”
“She laughs at my jokes,” he stated, sounding more than a little defensive.
“Case in point,” Ree said on a sharp sigh. Her brother had no idea what it was like not to be their mother’s favorite. He couldn’t help himself. She also acknowledged he was trying to calm her down out of love.
Shane cocked his head to one side and studied her like she was part of a final exam and he was about to fail the class. “Are you sure this is about her?”
“Yes,” she quickly countered. Too quickly? “Who else riles me up like our dear old mother?”
“You shouldn’t refer to her like that,” he said, shaking his head.
She resisted the urge to tell him that she had a pretty good handle on what she should and shouldn’t do because when she dialed down her frustration, she could acknowledge he was right. Ree was all defense right now when she should probably figure out a way to calm down. She’d been on edge since her most recent undercover case ended a few days ago. Her partner, Agent Quinton Casey, aka Quint, had left quite an impression on her. They’d shared a sizzling kiss that had replayed in her dreams more than once in the past few nights. Quint was most likely onto a new case by now. One that worried her because of its connection to the death of his best friend and former partner.
“She sure knows how to push my buttons,” she defended, gripping the edge of the counter so hard her knuckles turned white.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual,” he said.
“Not you, too,” she said.
“What?”
“Hopping on the ‘Mom bandwagon’ and making me feel bad for having words with her,” she continued. This discussion should have been over before it started. Ree was having a moment and wasn’t ready to let her frustration go. Why was that? It wasn’t like her to hang on to hurt. An annoying voice in the back of her mind pointed out she was always defensive when it came to her mother. Was it true?
The creak of the screen door opening in the adjacent room broke into the moment. Ree walked over to the fridge, then shifted a couple of cartons around to make room for her store-bought cheesecake. Forget that it had been her mother’s favorite and most requested at birthdays. Shane’s wife had baked sourdough bread, and French macarons with raspberry-rose buttercream. Evelyn loved to bake, and Ree planned to eat both. But it needed to be okay that Ree wasn’t into the same things. Wasn’t variety the spice of life anyway?
Shane disappeared into the living room as she flexed and released her fingers a couple of times in an attempt to work off some of the tension. This was the reason she’d stopped coming to Sunday suppers. She didn’t enjoy the stress that came from interactions with her mother, and it just became easier to stay away than to face another letdown.
As Ree took in a slow breath, she heard her ex-boyfriend’s voice in the next room. Preston was Shane’s best friend, so it wasn’t out of the norm for him to show up at a barbecue. So why was she suddenly not all that happy at the prospect of seeing him?
“Hey,” Preston said as he walked into the kitchen. He was six feet one with a runner’s build. He had light blue eyes and sandy-blond hair. He had a one-inch scar on his left cheek that she used to think was sexy, and would be considered good-looking by most standards. Women lit up when he entered a room. Shouldn’t she do the same?
“Hi, Preston. It’s good to see you,” she said, and tried to mean it.
He walked over to her, and then leaned forward for a kiss. She turned at the last moment, offering a cheek instead. He planted one on her, but it was the most awkward thing. She mumbled an apology and took a step back.
“How have you been?” she asked, pretending that didn’t just happen.
“Good,” he said, taking her in with his gaze. “How’s work?”
“Same. Good,” she parroted, realizing this shouldn’t be such an awkward exchange. The two of them might have dated at one time, but those feelings were long over. She’d considered reconnecting with him for a second while on her last assignment, but she was thinking clearly now. A voice in the back of her mind said she’d needed a diversion from the out-of-place attraction she’d felt for her partner. Quint was the opposite of Preston in just about every conceivable way, but a workplace romance could be a career killer.
“I’m just going to check on the kids,” Shane said, not making eye contact as he made a beeline for the back door.
Great. He was leaving her alone with Preston. Way to go, Shane. And thanks for the support.
“Yeah, so, maybe we should join them?” she asked as her brother practically bolted out of the kitchen.
“Or we could stay in here and talk,” Preston offered.
“Okay,” she said for lack of anything better. Besides, facing down her mother while Ree was still riled up probably wasn’t the best move.
Preston motioned toward the small table in the eat-in kitchen. “How about iced tea or lemonade?”
“Sure. Go ahead,” she said. “I think I’ll have a beer.” Her thoughts immediately drifted to the way she’d left things with Quint. She’d asked him to call if he ever wanted to get together for a beer. As expected, her phone had been silent. There was no way he would pass up the opportunity to chase Tessa’s killer.
“This early?” His eyebrow shot up.
“Day off,” she said by way of explanation, but in truth she was just trying to get through this gathering. She moved to the fridge and then grabbed a cold one. Where was her grandfather? He would definitely join her in a beer despite the fact that it was the middle of the afternoon. She was such an inexperienced drinker she’d be taking a nap in an hour. Then there’d be a headache. But it would be almost worth it to see her mother’s disapproval again. At least this time she’d have a reason to be disappointed in her daughter. “You know what? Never mind. I think I’ll put on a pot of coffee instead. Want a cup?”
Preston shook his head. His expression said it was unthinkable to drink coffee in this Texas summer heat.
She would have a Coke if there was any. Her mother had a couple of rules. No guns. No soda. No fun. Okay, Ree added the last part on her own.
“So, how many days off do you have?” Preston asked.
“A couple,” she said. “I just got off an intense assignment so...”
She stopped right there when his nose wrinkled and his face puckered like he’d just sucked on a pickled prune.
“What?” she asked, even though she should know better at this point. Work talk was off-limits with Preston.
The back door opened and her mother walked in, saving Ree from the conversation sure to come after Preston’s expression morphed to frustrated. The same old song and dance that Ree was in a dangerous job and should look for something with a desk attached to it.
“Oh, Preston, I didn’t realize you were coming today,” her mother said.
Really? Because Ree was 100 percent certain her mother did know he was invited.
“I’m here,” he said, walking over and giving her mother a peck on the cheek.
“Ree, would you mind bringing out some ice?” Mother asked.
“Not at all,” she said, noticing her mother never once glanced in Ree’s direction. She was being silly. She was a grown woman, a successful woman, and her mother’s disapproval shouldn’t hurt so much. “I’ll be right out.”
“Thanks,” Mother said before motioning toward Preston. “And make our guest feel at home.”
Wow. Was she not?
“Okay, Mom. I’ll make sure Preston puts his feet on the furniture and walks around in his underwear,” she quipped.
Mother’s disapproval was written all over her face before she seemed to shake it off and put on a forced smile. At least Ree had given the woman a reason to be upset this time.
“I’ll be outside,” Mother announced, nose in the air. Maybe Ree shouldn’t have poked the bear. Shane probably had a point. Ree was most likely making the situation worse with her attitude. She would apologize later and do her best to smooth things over. She would also stand her ground. Just because her father was killed in the line of duty almost twenty-five years ago didn’t mean the same would happen to Ree. Agencies were even more cautious now, and agents were better trained. Mistakes happened like with any other job. Those mistakes sometimes resulted in a fatality. It was a terrible reality in this line of work. Ree had no intention of becoming one of those statistics.
The sound of gravel spewing underneath tires caused her heart to skip a few beats.
“I haven’t seen my grandfather in so long. I gotta go.” Ree wasted no time rushing to the front door.
The truck speeding toward her didn’t belong to her grandfather, that was for sure. As she stepped onto the porch, she got a good look at the driver. What was Quint Casey doing here?
QUINT HAD NO idea if he was about to be asked to turn tail and head back from where he came or if he would be welcomed with open arms. Based on the fact that Ree had come out the front door and was heading toward him, he wasn’t going to have to wait long to find out.
He parked behind a slew of vehicles. Clearly, there was some kind of family gathering going on. Sunday supper? Hadn’t Ree mentioned something about this being a ritual?
Seeing her again caused his chest to squeeze and a knot to form in his gut. She looked good standing there, leaning against a convertible, all long legs, red hair and emerald eyes. Their last kiss came to mind, causing his pulse to jump up a few notches. Did the vehicle belong to her? Because for one quick moment, he could see her behind the wheel on a sunny day with her hair in the wind.
Arms crossed over her chest, toe tapping, a look of curiosity stamped her features.
He exited his truck and walked toward her as a guy took two steps out the front door, stopping on the porch.
“You’re about the last person I thought I’d see here,” Ree said with a smirk.
“Boyfriend?” He nodded toward the guy behind her, standing far enough away not to be able to hear their conversation.
“No. Friend.” Her smile faded, her gaze narrowed and her chin jutted out in a way that made him realize she was defensive on this subject.
“Is there a place we can go to talk?” He’d come all this way. He might as well go for broke.
“Why are you here?” she asked, not budging.
“To see you,” he said with a wink. Stating the obvious no matter how funny he tried to be with it didn’t seem to impress her much. His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. “In all seriousness, I’d like a word if you can spare fifteen minutes of your time.”
“Everything okay, Ree?” her friend asked, but his voice wasn’t filled with a whole lot of confidence.
Quint gave her a look.
“His name is Preston,” she said, looking annoyed.
Quint would give it to the man. He was attempting the whole knight-in-shining-armor routine. The move signaled how much the guy cared about Ree. Most folks would walk the other way when confronted with a person of Quint’s size and general demeanor. He knew he didn’t exactly give off a friendly vibe when he didn’t need to for a case.
“Ree?” Preston said a little louder this time.
“All good,” she said, sounding more frustrated than anything else. “It’s work-related.”
“At Sunday supper?” Preston asked with disdain in his tone.
Quint folded his arms across his chest, figuring this conversation was about to become real interesting based on the sparks in her eyes.
“Mind if we talk about this later, Preston?” she countered. “I need to speak to Quint alone.”
“This the guy from your last case?” Preston didn’t seem to realize this wasn’t the time to dig his heels in.
“You know I don’t discuss the details of my work,” she said without looking back. She kept her gaze focused on Quint, almost daring him to say something.
He figured this wasn’t the time to take the bait. Her shoulders were locked up and there was more tension radiating from her than gunfire at a shooting range.
“But at the ranch?” Preston didn’t seem to know when to stop.
Quint wiggled his eyebrows at Ree. The move was probably not smart. And yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
Ree’s face broke into a wide smile. She mouthed the word jerk. Then she turned around and walked over to Preston. Whatever she said to him worked, because he touched her on the shoulder before turning around and heading inside.
When she whirled around on Quint, all the humor was gone from her face. “What do you really want?”
“You,” he started, but she cut him off with a look.
“What if I’m not an option?” she asked, stopping a foot in front of him. She mimicked his body language, folding her arms across her chest as she jutted her chin out again.
“We worked well together before,” he stated.
“I’m honored you would want me back, but—”
“You haven’t heard the details yet,” he continued.
“Don’t need to,” she argued. “You’re going after the jerk you think is responsible for Tessa’s death. Aren’t you?”
“All I’m doing is following the evidence from our last case. And like it or not, we make a good team. We already have an established cover story. It’s less work to—”
“Oh, so you’re saying you don’t really want me. You just want someone easy.” She drew out the last word.
“Not what I meant at all,” he countered.
“Yes it is,” she said, poking him in the chest with her index finger. “It’s exactly what you said.”
“Okay. How about this?” he started, figuring he needed a new tactic. “I miss working with you.”
Ree rolled her eyes.
“You’re going to have to try harder than that,” she said. “Actually, never mind. You need to dial it down a few notches.”
This was exactly the fire and sass he’d missed over the past couple of days. Not that he would admit it publicly.
“You’re a good agent. I need someone who can step right in and work beside me without getting in the way,” he stated as honestly as he could.
“I can’t do it, and we both know why,” she challenged.
“Do we?” he asked. She gave away nothing in her eyes as to whether or not he was making any headway with her.
“You could just pull rank and get me assigned,” she said. “Why come here and ask in person?”
“Because you’re the best damn agent I’ve worked with in a long time. I don’t want anyone else by my side on this case. And you know how to hold your own,” he said. “If none of that convinces you, I’ll add that I think we make a good team.”
Again, he was having a difficult time reading her as she stood there. At least she hadn’t delivered a hard no.
“I can’t read your mind.” He finally broke the silence. “Any chance you’ll consider it?”
“Not a good idea, Quint” was all she said before turning to walk away.
He couldn’t leave without a reason, so he followed her.
