needed. He’d rather one of his own men, but Brian was a good guy. And even though he wasn’t a Marine, Jesse considered him a friend.
“So what happens when we get there?”
“Lunch.”
Lily laughed and that's what he was hoping for. She’d been too quiet since they left the little scene with her ex at that pretentious French café. Jesse would have gladly retrieved that ring for her and given in to the urge to beat the hell out of her ex-husband. At the same time, he was grateful that she could walk away from it all. Because damn it, he wanted her to have his ring. Not some flashy showpiece, but something small and classy.
He mentally shook his head. If he wasn’t careful he’d become some sappy romantic. But did he care? He glanced over at his passenger. She watched the passing scenery engrossed in her own thoughts while they drove south from Dallas to Sweet Hill. She watched the scenery and he watched her. No, he didn’t care. Lily was the one. She was brave, smart, and sassy as hell. After all this time spent running away from marriage and being tied down, he was now yearning for just that. He blamed Zach. If his stone-faced friend hadn’t been so damned blissful in his own marriage, Jesse wouldn’t have begun to realize that something was missing from his own life.
“What happens if my stepfather won’t talk?”
Jesse shrugged. “Then I beat the answers out of him.”
Lily smiled. “I used to wish I was big enough to hit him. Then maybe he’d notice me or take some kind of interest in anything but my mother’s career. I’m a horrible person for thinking it.”
“You lost your dad young, Lil. It’s only natural that you’d want the only other father figure in your life to love you.”
She sighed softly and looked back out the window. “I would have settled for anything other than being ignored.”
“I’m sorry, honey. The men in your life have been nothing but a disappointment, including me.”
He saw more than heard her small laugh. Curled up in a ball, her shoulders slumped, she had her arms wrapped around her body as if to ward off all the bad that had been happening.
“Prom is supposed to be this big rite of passage, but all I could think was that I’d never get to dance with you. If you haven’t guessed by now, I had a bit of a crush.”
“When this is over, I promise to take you dancing. I’ll even spring for a corsage.”
She unfurled and turned toward him and he wished they were back in that beat-up old clunker in Mexico because it had a bench seat and he could have pulled her over next to him. Instead he reached out and took her warm hand into his, lacing their fingers.
“I think I might hold you to that, Jesse Calhoun.”
“Why, Ms. Richardson, it would be a pure honor to escort you out for an evening. And then you can have a sleepover at my house.”
“I can’t imagine a better night.”
“Well, until then, why don’t you get on the phone and find out where stepdaddy is at the moment.” He kissed the back of her hand and unlaced their fingers so she could use his phone.
“This time of day, he’ll be in his office at the store. But I’ll call his secretary and find out.”
“Good.”
“What do you think he’s involved in?”
Jesse could only think of one reason to be involved with an Army General and a drug cartel. “Illegal gun running would be my guess.”
“That was my guess too, but how are they doing it?”
“The General would have a connection with Army supply and is probably stealing the guns from different bases and having your stepfather ship them to the Huerta cartel. No one would be suspicious of a very successful man, who owns a chain of gun stores, shipping large amounts of weapons.”
“Because he could just say that he was shipping to another one of his stores.”
“Exactly.”
“Isn’t the military rigorous in their inspections? How are they stealing the guns?”
Jesse shrugged. “In some ways they are, but in others
“So what happens when we get there?”
“Lunch.”
Lily laughed and that's what he was hoping for. She’d been too quiet since they left the little scene with her ex at that pretentious French café. Jesse would have gladly retrieved that ring for her and given in to the urge to beat the hell out of her ex-husband. At the same time, he was grateful that she could walk away from it all. Because damn it, he wanted her to have his ring. Not some flashy showpiece, but something small and classy.
He mentally shook his head. If he wasn’t careful he’d become some sappy romantic. But did he care? He glanced over at his passenger. She watched the passing scenery engrossed in her own thoughts while they drove south from Dallas to Sweet Hill. She watched the scenery and he watched her. No, he didn’t care. Lily was the one. She was brave, smart, and sassy as hell. After all this time spent running away from marriage and being tied down, he was now yearning for just that. He blamed Zach. If his stone-faced friend hadn’t been so damned blissful in his own marriage, Jesse wouldn’t have begun to realize that something was missing from his own life.
“What happens if my stepfather won’t talk?”
Jesse shrugged. “Then I beat the answers out of him.”
Lily smiled. “I used to wish I was big enough to hit him. Then maybe he’d notice me or take some kind of interest in anything but my mother’s career. I’m a horrible person for thinking it.”
“You lost your dad young, Lil. It’s only natural that you’d want the only other father figure in your life to love you.”
She sighed softly and looked back out the window. “I would have settled for anything other than being ignored.”
“I’m sorry, honey. The men in your life have been nothing but a disappointment, including me.”
He saw more than heard her small laugh. Curled up in a ball, her shoulders slumped, she had her arms wrapped around her body as if to ward off all the bad that had been happening.
“Prom is supposed to be this big rite of passage, but all I could think was that I’d never get to dance with you. If you haven’t guessed by now, I had a bit of a crush.”
“When this is over, I promise to take you dancing. I’ll even spring for a corsage.”
She unfurled and turned toward him and he wished they were back in that beat-up old clunker in Mexico because it had a bench seat and he could have pulled her over next to him. Instead he reached out and took her warm hand into his, lacing their fingers.
“I think I might hold you to that, Jesse Calhoun.”
“Why, Ms. Richardson, it would be a pure honor to escort you out for an evening. And then you can have a sleepover at my house.”
“I can’t imagine a better night.”
“Well, until then, why don’t you get on the phone and find out where stepdaddy is at the moment.” He kissed the back of her hand and unlaced their fingers so she could use his phone.
“This time of day, he’ll be in his office at the store. But I’ll call his secretary and find out.”
“Good.”
“What do you think he’s involved in?”
Jesse could only think of one reason to be involved with an Army General and a drug cartel. “Illegal gun running would be my guess.”
“That was my guess too, but how are they doing it?”
“The General would have a connection with Army supply and is probably stealing the guns from different bases and having your stepfather ship them to the Huerta cartel. No one would be suspicious of a very successful man, who owns a chain of gun stores, shipping large amounts of weapons.”
“Because he could just say that he was shipping to another one of his stores.”
“Exactly.”
“Isn’t the military rigorous in their inspections? How are they stealing the guns?”
Jesse shrugged. “In some ways they are, but in others
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