“You’re going to be my wife. That makes you mine to protect. And Clive Wallace is about to find out what happens when you threaten a Hamilton’s family.”
“Beckett, he’s powerful. He has connections, lawyers, judges who owe him favors?—”
“And I have an uncle who happens to be the governor.” His smile turned sharp. “Clive isn’t the only one with friends in high places.”
She stared at him. “The governor?”
“Uncle Jack. My mother’s brother. He’s been bugging me for years to bring someone special to Sunday dinner.” His eyes softened. “I was waiting for you.”
She reached up and touched his face. “I should have told you sooner. I was just so scared?—”
He kissed her again, soft and slow. “You can tell me anything. Always.”
“I know that now.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Now let’s go have dinner. And tomorrow, we’ll figure out how to deal with this.”
“Together?”
“Together.” He squeezed her hand. “That’s how it works now.”
They walked down the stairs hand in hand, and Marnie thought that maybe—just maybe—everything was going to be all right.
Chapter Fourteen
Beckett had been waiting for this.
Two days after Marnie told him about Clive’s phone call, Rose. Baker rang him just after dawn.
“Beckett, this is Rose. There was an older gentleman in here early this morning. He checked in last night at the B&B and then came in for breakfast. Ordered a bran muffin and a black coffee. What people order says a lot about them, I always say.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He waited patiently for her to get to the point. He knew the cadence of conversation in Laurel Valley. It was never fast and often meandering.
“Anyway, the reason I called is that this man was looking for Marnie. I know she doesn’t open the shop until nine, so I told him he was early. But he was asking where she lived and where he could find her. I didn’t say anything, of course. Marnie’s one of ours now. But I thought I should let you know. He seemed slimy to me, and I know Marnie will be at the studio any minute. He’s been sitting in his car over at the B&B waiting for her.”
A tightness settled in his stomach and his jaw clenched. “Thank you, Mrs. Baker. I appreciate the call. I’m on my way to town now.”
“Oh, good. It’s been a while since something exciting has happened down here. I’ll let the customers know.”
He grabbed his keys and headed for the truck. He’d already called Uncle Jack and filled him in on the situation. The governor had promised to have his people ready to move the moment Beckett gave the word. Now it was just a matter of catching Clive in the act.
Marnie had already put in two hours of work before she drove into the studio that morning. A couple had scheduled their engagement pictures at sunrise, and she’d been out in the pristine snow with nothing but the mountains and the dawn light as her backdrop.
She was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. The kind that came from doing work she loved. And knowing that Beckett was handling things with Clive had lifted a weight from her shoulders she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying.
There was an open parking spot near the library. Thoughts of hot tea and reviewing the morning’s shots filled her mind as she walked toward the studio. She was past the sheriff’s office before she recognized the man standing outside her door.
“You’re late,” Clive said, straightening from where he’d been leaning against the building. “How are you supposed to run a successful business if you can’t show up on time?”
She stopped, studying him with fresh eyes. Months apart had put his image out of her mind, and now that she was face-to-face with him again, she wondered why she’d never really stopped to look at him before.
He was slick and smooth—like a politician—and you could hear the breeding and money in the way he talked and carried himself. She’d been so desperate for success, for validation, that she’d let herself be blinded by his sophistication.
Not anymore.
“I manage somehow,” she said evenly. Through the studio window, she could see Jenny at the reception desk, eyes wide. “What are you doing here, Clive?”
“I told you I’ve come to take you home.”
