"sure thing. you going to be around for lunch?"

he sighed regretfully. "no, connor, gray and i will get something out. this security system is acting all wonky, so i think we'll be here awhile."

"okay, pop, i'll see you when i see you then."

they rang off, and she replaced the receiver, still chuckling.

"yeah, yeah," micah grumbled as he shoved himself out of his seat. "i could hear pop all the way over here. i swear he has this place bugged."

nathan laughed. "i wouldn't put it past the old fart."

they waved at faith then trudged out of her office. quiet descended over the building. she leaned way back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

three years. for three years she'd lived an idyllic life. at times it was hard to remember the years before pop and connor had come for her. then pop had adopted her. yeah, sure, she was an adult. a woman full grown, but she'd burst into tears when he'd told her of his desire to adopt her and legally make her his daughter. it was the first true sense of belonging she'd experienced.

and now her circle had grown to nathan and micah. it was an atmosphere she was comfortable in. finally at home. now if only her mother would fall off the face of the earth.

she eyed the phone, willing it to stay silent.

with a sound of disgust, she whirled around in her chair and stood. she would not allow her mother to ruin her day, week, month...okay year.

she stalked out of her office and made her rounds to the other offices to collect outgoing mail. when she had a sizable pile, she lumped it onto her desk to wait for the mail carrier. then she busied herself going over the new job contracts, flagging the ones that needed pop's signature.

at noon, she pulled out the lunch she'd brought from home and ate it while fielding phone calls from potential clients. micah called to say he and nathan wouldn't be back into the office and would be working late. then pop called to tell her to go home early and that he'd lock up when he came through later in the afternoon.

she smiled as she hung up. pop always seemed to know when she wasn't her best. he never asked intrusive questions, but he worried over her just the same. that kind of unconditional love was comforting.

the phone rang again, and she picked it up, expecting to hear pop again. he usually got sidetracked when he called and would forget what he'd called for in the first place. which precipitated an immediate call back ninety percent of the time.

"malone's," she said cheerfully, prepared to tease pop.

"faith, baby, we need to talk."

faith closed her eyes, and her lunch burned a hole in her stomach.

"faith, are you there? i need to talk to you."

"i'm here," faith said faintly.

"i need some money," her mother said, forgoing her usual cajoling. "i'm in a bind, baby."

"i can't help you this time," faith gritted out. "i'd appreciate it if you would quit calling."

a shocked silence fell between them. "faith, you don't mean that. i'm your mother. you can't just cut me out of your life. i need your help. you can't turn away from me. after all i've done for you."

rage curdled faith's system. her vision blurred as the anger built. "all you've done for me? you've got a hell of a lot of nerve, celia. what have you ever done for me? i'm happy now. i have a nice life. without you. i can't help you. i won't help you. not this time. not ever again. please don't call me again."

she slammed the phone down, her breath coming in ragged spurts. her hands trembled, and she felt dangerously close to vomiting. she closed her mouth and sucked in deep breaths through her nose, willing the nausea to pass.

when her stomach settled, she surged up from her chair, making a grab for her keys and purse. she needed some air. needed to get away before she succumbed to the urge to start throwing things.

chapter 5

gray stepped into cattleman's bar and grill and headed for the bar area, intent on throwing back a cold beer. connor had introduced him to the local pub, a place he and the other guys gathered at after work several days a week.

when he walked around the divider that separated the bar from the eating area, he was surprised to see faith sitting on the far side, her legs dangling off the high barstool. one elbow rested on the bar top, and her other hand stirred a drink with the straw.

he walked forward, but she never looked up. she seemed lost in her own world, not a happy one either. he slid onto the stool next to hers and motioned for the bartender.

she glanced up at him in surprise as he ordered his beer.

"you and i seemed to have developed a habit of bumping into each other," she murmured.

he smiled. "i'm not following you, if that's what you're implying. i've been here every day after work. first time i've seen you here."

she flushed, and he watched in fascination as pink spread into her cheeks. "i didn't mean to imply anything of the sort. i know connor and the others come here a lot. but i thought you were all working late today."

he shrugged. "we finished up. pop headed to the office to lock up, and connor headed home." he cocked his head and looked probingly at her. "what brings you here?"

distress flickered in her eyes, and she quickly looked away. "just didn't feel like going home yet," she said vaguely.

gray cursed himself. he'd lay odds her mother had called again, and he hadn't yet been able to get into the office to do the tap.

"have you eaten anything?" he asked.

she shook her head. "don't really feel like eating."

"care if i eat then?"

she looked back at him, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. he watched in fascination as her tongue swept over her top lip, catching a droplet of her drink.

"suit yourself. far be it for me to get between a man and his meal."

"spoken like a woman who is well acquainted with a man's needs," he said, letting her make what she wanted of that statement.

to his delight she blushed again and ducked her head. she really was too cute with her rampant blushing. he'd begun to harbor the most vivid fantasies of seeing just how far down her body she flushed. would she be timid in bed? would her lover have to coax each piece of clothing from her body?

his entire body tightened. he was as willing as the next guy to have a firebrand in bed, a woman who took charge and rocked his world, but the idea of calling the shots, of maintaining every moment of faith's seduction sent a thunderclap of desire shooting straight through his groin.

seduction? jesus. he wasn't here to seduce her, though god knew he'd enjoy each and every moment. he was here to pump her for information. to use her, by any means necessary, to catch his partner's killer.

he motioned for a passing waitress and asked for a burger and fries before turning his attention back to faith.

"so how was your day at the office? you look...stressed."

she twitched uncomfortably on the stool and took another sip of her drink. then she forwent the straw and drained the glass in one long swallow.

"office was fine. just tired. didn't sleep well last night." she swiveled on her stool and flashed him a bright smile. "so how are you liking the job so far?"

classic change of subject. she was definitely hiding something. a complete moron could figure that out. but he didn't exactly have the kind of personal relationship with her where she would confide in him, and he damn sure didn't have time to cultivate one.

"i like it. it's going well."

"connor said...connor said that your partner was recently killed."

he tried like hell to keep his brow from creasing at the pain her question caused. he didn't say anything for a long moment.

"i'm sorry. i shouldn't have pried."

her gaze softly caressed his face, her eyes flashing with sympathy. lord, but she was sweet. and he'd bet money she felt every bit as soft and delicate as she looked.

"you aren't prying," he said quietly. "it's not a secret. yes, my partner-alex-was killed in the line of duty."

her face scrunched with dismay. "did they catch the person who did it?"

"no. not yet."

her long blond hair fell forward over her shoulder as she turned completely to face him. he wanted to touch it, imagine what it would feel like to wrap his fingers in the strands while he slid his cock into her pussy.

a tortured groan welled in his chest and stuck there. okay, granted, he hadn't gotten laid in longer than he could remember, but he couldn't blame his reaction to faith on that. there was something about her that just did it for him. pushed all the right buttons.

she elicited all his protective instincts. he wasn't thinking of hot sex-okay, well, maybe a little. what he was fantasizing about was hot, slow, lovemaking. the kind where a man worshipped at the altar of woman. where every taste and touch was enjoyed and savored.

then they could progress to the hot, sweaty fucking.

got this all figured out, eh, montgomery?

he downed the last of his beer and wondered where the fucking air-conditioning was.

"how long are you on leave?" she asked. "i mean when do you go back?"

she leaned forward, giving him just a glimpse of the pale mounds of her breasts, plumped up by the lacy bra she wore.

"i, uh, i'm not sure yet. i'm just taking it easy. deciding what to do next."

she smiled then, and his eyes were drawn to her face. he couldn't look away. he'd never wanted to kiss a woman so bad in his life.

"i'm glad you're here," she said sweetly. "pop is a great man to work for. he views his employees as family. sometimes...sometimes you just need to get away from everything, you know? maybe that's just what you need. time away."

"what kind of things do you need to get away from, faith?" he asked softly.

her expression froze, and he could see her mentally retreating. damn it all to hell.

the waitress returned and plunked the plate of food down in front of him, and the bartender slid another beer across the bar to him.

gray reached for the ketchup and opened the cap, prepared to douse the burger and fries. he paused then looked back over at faith. "sure you don't want some of this?"

she smiled and reached for a fry. "typical guy. have to drown everything in ketchup."

"i'll refrain just for you." he pushed his plate over so it straddled the space between them. then he proceeded to dump ketchup in a confined space on the plate.

as he watched her nibble on one of the fries, a sudden thought occurred to him.

"are you meeting someone here? am i keeping you?"

she gave him a puzzled look and shook her head.

he dunked a fry in the ketchup and raised it to his mouth. "not hooking up with the boyfriend?"

again a delicate pink blush bloomed on her cheeks.

"there's no longer a boyfriend," she said lightly.

could this be the reason for her melancholy? but no, she had a wariness about her that signaled more stress than sadness. he was still betting on the mother. he just wished he knew how involved faith was at this point.

"he's an idiot," gray muttered.

she laughed, and he pulled his head up, transfixed by the sound.

"i guess i'm the idiot. i was the one who ended things."

"he's still an idiot."

smiling, she motioned to the bartender for another drink. "you sound just like one of the guys."

he raised a brow. "which guys?"

"connor, micah and nathan."

"well, i definitely don't see you as my damn sister."

her eyes widened. "what do you see me as?"

now that was a provocative damn question. maybe she wasn't as shy as he thought. she stared back at him, unblinking.

"beautiful."

he chuckled as she blushed yet again.

"what? what's so funny?"

"you're adorable when you blush, and you do it so easily."

her brow furrowed, and her lips turned down into a frown. "adorable? i much prefer beautiful to adorable."

he reached over and touched her arm. "what if i find you both?"

a warm tingle spread up faith's arm as gray's fingers brushed across her skin. she swallowed the knot in her throat. she wasn't some inexperienced virgin, but here, sitting in such close proximity to a man telling her she was beautiful-and adorable-had her completely flustered.

she loved the subtle complexities of attraction. loved the feeling and challenge of meeting someone new and exploring those first awkward moments as they felt around, both being subtle yet forward.

"i can live with that," she said huskily.