climbed the stairs and disappeared.
Tara leaned close to her mother and whispered, “What was that? You know Detective Bailey said to tell no one !”
Her mother nodded as she took a bite of French toast. Her dad leaned behind her and said in a low voice, “I called Detective Bailey right after you left this morning. He’d rather you skipped Laura’s wedding, but knew you wouldn’t. He approved of this plan. Oh, and Ryan’s background checks out all clear too.”
Of course Ryan’s background check was all clear. All someone had to do was ask Zeke or anyone else in town and you’d get a background check more thorough than the FBI’s. “So you two, who usually can’t agree on a single thing, are in perfect harmony when it comes to plotting behind my back?” Tara laid her fork down and crossed her arms. “Seriously? You should have talked to me about this first. Now Ryan is just going to have more questions.”
Her mother shook her head. “We thought you’d be happy to have your new boyfriend there. And you know we’re only inviting family and very close friends. Your father will send out an e-mail to everyone warning them not to talk about your past. If Ryan asks questions at the wedding, we’ll all be on the same page. And if Ryan snoops on his own, he won’t find out your married name. He probably thinks Carter was your married name. Dad hired that top-notch firm to make all your online presence under your real married name disappear.”
Nothing ever really disappeared completely on the Internet. No matter how much money her father had paid for that. And she probably should have come clean about Ryan not really being her boyfriend. This was partly her own fault. “It’s a risk you shouldn’t have taken.”
Tara lost her appetite, so she hopped up to get started on the dishes. As she stewed about what to do, two big, strong hands landed on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. It sent a nice shiver down her spine.
Ryan sexy mouth next to her ear whispered, “Gotta go to work.”
She turned and forced a smile, not wanting him to see how upset she was. “Be extra careful out there on those mean streets, Officer.”
“It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.” He gave her a sweet peck on the cheek like a real boyfriend might do before he turned to her parents. “Safe trip home, guys.”
Her father jumped up and shook Ryan’s hand. “Great to have met you, Ryan. See you next weekend.”
Dammit. Her parents were out of their freakin’ minds.
“Thank you so much for all the great food, Ryan.” Her mom stood and gave Ryan a hug, making it a complete love fest. They seemed happy and not worried about her for the first time since she’d come home from the hospital. She didn’t want to pop their happy bubbles and tell them Ryan was a fake now. But Ryan still couldn’t come to the wedding. It was too risky.
After Ryan said his goodbyes and left, Tara turned to her parents. “He’s not coming. End of discussion.”
Her dad moved around the counter and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Detective Bailey said he was happy you’ll have a cop for a date. As low-key as we’ve tried to keep things, Spencer knows you’d never miss Laura’s wedding. We’ve beefed up security to presidential levels, but I’ll feel better too. We almost lost you once, sweetheart.”
Tara laid her head on her dad’s shoulder and blinked back her tears as memories of that horrific night filled her. Maybe they were right. It could be safer.
Her dad gave her one last squeeze before he released her. “Besides, I like Ryan.”
Her mom chimed in. “Me too!”
“Really, Mother?” Tara arched a brow. “Even though he’s in ‘public service’?”
“We just want to be sure you don’t end up with someone who’s after your trust fund. Ryan’s background check shows he’s actually quite wealthy for a sheriff. Does he have other business interests?”
It was probably the town’s profit sharing.
Tara leaned close to her mother and whispered, “What was that? You know Detective Bailey said to tell no one !”
Her mother nodded as she took a bite of French toast. Her dad leaned behind her and said in a low voice, “I called Detective Bailey right after you left this morning. He’d rather you skipped Laura’s wedding, but knew you wouldn’t. He approved of this plan. Oh, and Ryan’s background checks out all clear too.”
Of course Ryan’s background check was all clear. All someone had to do was ask Zeke or anyone else in town and you’d get a background check more thorough than the FBI’s. “So you two, who usually can’t agree on a single thing, are in perfect harmony when it comes to plotting behind my back?” Tara laid her fork down and crossed her arms. “Seriously? You should have talked to me about this first. Now Ryan is just going to have more questions.”
Her mother shook her head. “We thought you’d be happy to have your new boyfriend there. And you know we’re only inviting family and very close friends. Your father will send out an e-mail to everyone warning them not to talk about your past. If Ryan asks questions at the wedding, we’ll all be on the same page. And if Ryan snoops on his own, he won’t find out your married name. He probably thinks Carter was your married name. Dad hired that top-notch firm to make all your online presence under your real married name disappear.”
Nothing ever really disappeared completely on the Internet. No matter how much money her father had paid for that. And she probably should have come clean about Ryan not really being her boyfriend. This was partly her own fault. “It’s a risk you shouldn’t have taken.”
Tara lost her appetite, so she hopped up to get started on the dishes. As she stewed about what to do, two big, strong hands landed on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. It sent a nice shiver down her spine.
Ryan sexy mouth next to her ear whispered, “Gotta go to work.”
She turned and forced a smile, not wanting him to see how upset she was. “Be extra careful out there on those mean streets, Officer.”
“It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.” He gave her a sweet peck on the cheek like a real boyfriend might do before he turned to her parents. “Safe trip home, guys.”
Her father jumped up and shook Ryan’s hand. “Great to have met you, Ryan. See you next weekend.”
Dammit. Her parents were out of their freakin’ minds.
“Thank you so much for all the great food, Ryan.” Her mom stood and gave Ryan a hug, making it a complete love fest. They seemed happy and not worried about her for the first time since she’d come home from the hospital. She didn’t want to pop their happy bubbles and tell them Ryan was a fake now. But Ryan still couldn’t come to the wedding. It was too risky.
After Ryan said his goodbyes and left, Tara turned to her parents. “He’s not coming. End of discussion.”
Her dad moved around the counter and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Detective Bailey said he was happy you’ll have a cop for a date. As low-key as we’ve tried to keep things, Spencer knows you’d never miss Laura’s wedding. We’ve beefed up security to presidential levels, but I’ll feel better too. We almost lost you once, sweetheart.”
Tara laid her head on her dad’s shoulder and blinked back her tears as memories of that horrific night filled her. Maybe they were right. It could be safer.
Her dad gave her one last squeeze before he released her. “Besides, I like Ryan.”
Her mom chimed in. “Me too!”
“Really, Mother?” Tara arched a brow. “Even though he’s in ‘public service’?”
“We just want to be sure you don’t end up with someone who’s after your trust fund. Ryan’s background check shows he’s actually quite wealthy for a sheriff. Does he have other business interests?”
It was probably the town’s profit sharing.
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