“Of course, it’s not me,” Rory snapped.
Knox grinned. “I was just kidding. I’d be happy to dig deeper. We’ve been working with this group out of LA with unbelievable technology. It’s a little worrisome, but they seem to be on the right side, and their intel’s good. I’ll reach out when we’re done here. Do you think she’s in danger?”
“It’s just been a few phone calls,” Rory said. “But I don’t like it. It could be someone with a crush, or it could be something more.”
Knox nodded. “In exchange, it’d be really nice if you mentioned to Nonna that you were on a campaign to get Serenity back.”
Rory chuckled. Their nonna had been making noises that she’d found just the right woman for Knox, and since she was announcing it, there was no doubt a plan already in place for the poor guy. “I thought she’d zeroed in on Vince.” Even though he was the eldest, Vince had so far escaped their grandmother’s machinations.
“That’s what I thought, too,” Knox grumbled. “Help me out, would you?”
This was too much fun. “You just want her off your back, and I’ve already provided you with a distraction. She’s happily involved with fixing my love life. In fact, after a couple of drinks during Christmas, I planned to escort Serenity to our cabin, and Nonna was on board. It was great.”
“Escort? You mean kidnap,” Knox retorted. “I wouldn’t go that route. It’s not going to work.”
Rory knew it wouldn’t. Kidnapping women was always a bad idea, but his Serenity had always liked a clear path, so he’d given her dates as deadlines for her to consider. If she truly and honestly didn’t want to be with him, he’d have to take his lumps and move on. But he knew her better than that. “Huh,” he said.
“What?” Knox asked.
“Sometimes, maybe I’m the asshole,” he admitted.
Knox threw an oily rag at him. “You’re definitely the asshole sometimes.”
“Jerk,” Rory muttered, grinning and shoving his brother.
“You’re the jerk.” Knox pushed him back.
They may be grown adults, but it didn’t matter. They were still brothers, and they often acted like kids when together, though they were also highly trained and most certainly dangerous. The rest of the family didn’t know about Knox’s other business, except for Finn and Vince, who were his business partners. At least most of the familyprobablydidn’t know. So long as the brothers kept all campaigns away from home, they were good.
But Rory would have to tell Serenity the full truth if he made the move. What if she couldn’t handle it or still didn’t want to marry him because he’d hidden the truth from her? Then he really would have to let her go.
Which would pretty much rip out his heart.
Chapter4
After a day of debating whether or not she should order more shovels, Serenity hauled her groceries out of her SUV in her perfectly organized garage. Her quaint house was on the edge of town adjacent to Miss Millie’s farm, and she loved the quiet peacefulness around her. The sense of tranquility, even with another snowstorm on the way, calmed her like it always did.
The only other structure visible from her front porch was Miss Millie’s farmhouse. While Serenity owned one acre and was proud to maintain it, Miss Millie owned about a hundred and grew apple and plum trees, as well as all sorts of vegetables and wild strawberries that she sold at the farmers market in the summer.
Snow blanketed the entire area, but the chicken coop looked warm and inviting behind Millie’s farmhouse, next to the forest. Serenity looked up at the wonderful home that her mother had raised her in before moving to Timber City. The harmonious blend of country-style and classic architecture with warm, weathered bricks and darkened cedarwood felt like love.
The inside had one bedroom, a living room, a family room, and an upstairs area she now used as an office. The quaint space had been her bedroom growing up. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She schlepped her groceries into the kitchen to leave on the counter.
Whimsical wallpaper featuring faded honeysuckle vines covered the walls and probably needed to be replaced, but it had been there for as long as she could remember, and it didn’t seem practical to change it. Although, shehadupdated the appliances to stainless steel and the counters to a beautiful white and silver quartz that sparkled when the sun shone through the windows.
She loved things that sparkled, whether she admitted it out loud or not.
She traded her gloves for a thicker pair, grabbed a shovel, and hustled back outside to clear her walkway and driveway. The air was frigid against her cheeks, stinging the skin, and she wished she’d remembered a scarf.
Sighing, she finished her area and ran over to Miss Millie’s to hurriedly shovel her driveway and walkway before the woman could stop her, warming from the effort. Miss Millie’s walkway was longer than hers, and by the time Serenity finished with the farmhouse’s long porch, she was sweating.
The door opened, and Brandon Castleberry hopped out. “Serenity, you don’t have to do that.” The teenager shook his head. “Honest, I was going to get out here—”
“No.” She cut him off, looking down at the cast covering his left ankle all the way up past his knee. “You know you’re not supposed to be out here shoveling.” The kid had gotten into a car accident three weeks before and had undergone multiple surgeries already.
He scratched his head and ruffled his hair, which was already standing on end. Brandon was sixteen with earnest brown eyes and a fit physique, and he often took care of his Grandma Millie. She’d taken him in years ago after his parents died, and it was obvious the kid was itching to get back outside.
“It’s okay, Brandon.” Serenity leaned on the shovel. “I needed the exercise, and I know the doctor told you to take it easy for at least another few weeks.”
