This was Granger’s town and he loved it. It had been his sanctuary after that mess in college. When he parked his SUV and headed to Harper’s, he knew he’d be stopped by every single person there and even if he didn’t show it, it meant a lot to him.
“Hiya, Sheriff!” Magnum “Maggie” Bell, an Olympic sharpshooter, called out as she and her brother, Gage, walked toward the bar. Gage and Granger exchanged a nod as Granger opened the door for Maggie.
“Busy night at the bed and breakfast?” Granger asked. Their parents had turned the historic family estate into a bed and breakfast and events location. Lots of weddings were held there.
“Drunk groomsmen were getting handsy at the bachelor party,” Maggie said with a roll of her eyes.
“You don’t see me complaining about the drunk bridesmaids getting handsy,” Gage complained. “But Mom wouldn’t let me punch the groomsmen and steal the bridesmaids away, so here we are.”
Maggie stopped short, making the guys nearly pile into each other. “Whoa, who is that?”
Granger looked to where Maggie was staring. It was a tableful of Townsend brothers. “Oh, we got another one,” Granger said. It was as if the brothers all heard him and turned as one to glare at him.
Maggie giggled.
Gage shifted nervously from foot to foot.
Granger glared back.
“Hi, I’m Maggie.” Maggie gave a little finger wave as she struggled not to blush as five pairs of alpha male eyes turned to look at her.
The door to the bar opened and in strode Olivia, the Townsend brothers’ sister and object of their overprotective presence in Shadows Landing.
The first thing Granger noticed was how hot Olivia looked in cut-off shorts and a T-shirt. Her long legs were on full display and he didn’t know how a plain T-shirt could make her breasts look so amazing, but it did.
Olivia’s eyes widened and then narrowed at her brothers. “Forrest! What the hell are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet your brother?” the newest Townsend asked, standing to hug his sister. No one knew just how many brothers there were. Every time Granger asked, they just grunted or Olivia would mutter, “a lot.”
“Fine, hi. Now, what the hell are you all doing here?” Granger pressed his lips together to stop from laughing. He loved it when Olivia showed them who was boss. As much as they thought they were, Olivia ran roughshod over them.
“Kane and Hunter are looking at homes to buy since they’ve been visiting so often. I thought I’d tag along. Turns out I like it here. I may stay a while. It’ll be good to have the family all together again,” Forrest said before sitting back down with the rest of the Townsends.
“Oh, is this all of you then?” Georgina the bartender asked as she placed their drinks down on the table.
“I wish,” Olivia muttered and then Granger lost control of his laughter. Now six pairs of Townsend eyes glared at him, but he just sent them a wink before heading off to meet the guys by the dart boards.
“Who’s the guy giving Georgie looks?” Kord asked as he glared at the Townsends while taking a sip of water.
“The newest arrival. Forrest.” Granger looked between Kord and the cute bartender and shook his head. “Just ask her out, already.”
“I could give you the same advice. You’ve been over here for less than a minute and have snuck three glances at Olivia,” Kord challenged.
“Yeah, I never took you for a coward,” Wade Faulkner, Coast Guard rescue swimmer, treasure hunter, and Granger’s lifelong friend, taunted with a smile as Olivia went to join the nearby table of women.
“I could give you some intimidation lessons,” Tristan Durand, Granger’s friend and Edie’s new husband, said with a smirk.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re scary, Assassin Boy, whatever. I think I’m fine on the intimidation front,” Granger said, shooting the new guy a glare.
“Eh, I’d give it a B. Now, Ahmed . . .”
All the guys groaned. “We don’t want to hear more about your man-crush on super soldier Ahmed,” Dare Reigns, Harper’s husband, said. Dare wasn’t exactly a pushover either. He was ATF and built like a tank.
The conversation turned to teasing Wade about becoming a father soon and talking about their wives. Granger and Kord were the only two without a woman in their lives, at least technically. Kord was head over heels for Georgie, but he’d never asked her out as far as Granger knew.
“You could have this, you know?” Gavin, the eldest of the Faulkners and the town’s only doctor, said quietly as he joined Granger for a game of darts.
“Have what?”
“A wife. A family. Love.”
Granger gritted his teeth and threw the dart. Bullseye. “You know better than most why I can’t. You know the saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, I’m not going for my third strike. I learned after the first two.”
“All it takes is the right woman to change everything.” Gavin walked away after dropping that tidbit of wisdom.
Granger knew he wasn’t being a good friend. The rest of the night he pretended to listen, but his thoughts were on Olivia. He’d thought he’d hidden the worst of his scars from her, but Granger knew that while Olivia might have seen some of the puckered skin, she hadn’t seen the invisible scars to his heart. Fool me once . . . he’d been fooled, big time. Fool me twice . . . and it had changed his life forever.
4
Olivia had a nice little buzz going on as she walked home. She hadn’t driven tonight. Not when she lived only a ten-minute walk away and knew she’d be drinking. Her brothers had offered her a lift home, but she’d sworn she would be okay. However, as she walked home, she felt goosebumps break out over her skin. The prickle at the back of her neck told her she was being watched.
Olivia glanced around as if enjoying the scenery. It was probably her brother Hunter. He had a freaky set of skills. She’d love nothing more than to catch him. That would be years’ worth of crap she could give him at family events.
Olivia climbed her steps and stopped when she saw the pretty pink box with a white ribbon around it. It sat by her front door looking all sweet, but there was nothing sweet about the way it made Olivia feel.
Trying to act as if it were completely normal to find a gift on her doorstep, Olivia unlocked the door, grabbed the box, and locked herself inside. Olivia turned on the lights and headed for the kitchen. She used a knife to slice through the paper and held her breath when she opened it.
A notecard was on top and Olivia paused.
For my love. I know you’ll get all the good things coming to you.
Granger immediately came to her mind, but he’d never send her a gift box or call her his love. Not without talking to her. No matter how much she wished he would. He just didn’t like her like that, and she needed to stop wishing he would.
Using the tip of her knife, she flipped the card off and found the box filled with chocolate. Olivia dropped down on a kitchen chair and cried. Whoever this person was, they were messing with her. No place was safe. Work, her apartment, her cottage, nowhere. He was harmless, then he wasn’t. He was threatening, then he was nice. Whoever this was, he was shredding her confidence.