early.”
The guy in the fringed jacket waved to her. “Our other gig is over. We’ve got no place to stay.”
And why did that make Ollie and the Dewdrops her problem? A gust of wind rattled the treetops, reminding her of the impending blizzard that was supposed to start tomorrow. She had to plan for heavy snow, had to make sure there was enough food and had to check on the flowers. Her day was getting more and more complicated.
For one irresponsible moment, she wondered what would happen if she told everybody to back off while she dragged Blake into her bedroom and had her way with him.
The urge passed, somewhat to her chagrin.
* * *
A FTER B LAKE HAD gotten Ollie and his two Dewdrop pals settled in the twelve-bed dormitory area on the third floor of the B and B, he collected their driver’s licenses. Checking identification for every person who joined the wedding party was a necessary security measure.
On the second floor, he tapped on the door to the bedroom that had been assigned to Maddox and Alvardo. The senior officer answered quickly. Alvardo wore an army sweat suit with a black knit cap covering his close-cropped blond hair. His complexion was ruddy, and he looked pumped.
“Been out for a run?” Blake asked.
“Five miles every day.” He slipped into the hall and closed the bedroom door behind him as though he had something to hide. “Can I help you?”
“I need your computer skills. During the weekend, we’re going to have civilians coming and going.”
His light eyebrows pinched into a disapproving frown. “This B and B is supposed to be a secure location.”
“It’s only as secure as we make it,” Blake said. “I want you to check IDs. See if you can work out something with Kovak to use the law enforcement database.”
“I don’t need Kovak. I can access any damn intelligence I need. How deep should I go with background?”
“Flag anything suspicious. Bring it to me, and we’ll talk about it.”
Blake didn’t completely trust this guy. Alvardo was an ambitious political officer who probably hadn’t seen a lot of action. Though Blake didn’t judge a man by his combat missions, he appreciated the sense of teamwork that came from working with a squad in the field. If push came to shove, he wasn’t sure Alvardo would have his back.
But he didn’t have much choice. Blake handed over the driver’s licenses. “You can start with these three. They’re a band, and they’re going to be here for the ceremony.”
“A band, huh?” Alvardo tapped the licenses in his hand. “Are we going to have a bachelor party for Jeremy?”
“Tomorrow night. I’m supposed to be planning it,” Blake said sheepishly. He hadn’t given a thought to the bachelor party. “I guess I should hire a stripper.”
“I’ll do it,” Alvardo readily volunteered.
“Thanks. You might check with Dolly, one of the owners at the Laughing Dog Saloon.”
He hustled downstairs where a buffet was arranged on the side table in the dining room. In addition to freshly made muffins, there was fruit, cereal and yogurt. One chafing dish held breakfast burritos of scrambled eggs and chorizo. A Crock-Pot was filled with green chili. It was a decent spread, and Sarah had put it together in less than an hour.
The general sat at the foot of the table, chatting with Jeremy and Emily. The Reuben twins were walking toward the front door with Maddox.
Jeremy waved to him. “Blake, come sit.”
“In a minute.”
He charged through the swinging door to the kitchen where he hoped to find Sarah alone. Last night when they’d kissed, he’d felt something deeper and stronger than the sensual attraction. Not that the sexuality was lacking; he’d been on fire. But the sense of connection was too powerful to ignore.
He called it an instinct. For most of his life, he’d been a man of action who didn’t spend much time analyzing and reflecting. His instincts told him who to trust. He knew without thinking when he was in
The guy in the fringed jacket waved to her. “Our other gig is over. We’ve got no place to stay.”
And why did that make Ollie and the Dewdrops her problem? A gust of wind rattled the treetops, reminding her of the impending blizzard that was supposed to start tomorrow. She had to plan for heavy snow, had to make sure there was enough food and had to check on the flowers. Her day was getting more and more complicated.
For one irresponsible moment, she wondered what would happen if she told everybody to back off while she dragged Blake into her bedroom and had her way with him.
The urge passed, somewhat to her chagrin.
* * *
A FTER B LAKE HAD gotten Ollie and his two Dewdrop pals settled in the twelve-bed dormitory area on the third floor of the B and B, he collected their driver’s licenses. Checking identification for every person who joined the wedding party was a necessary security measure.
On the second floor, he tapped on the door to the bedroom that had been assigned to Maddox and Alvardo. The senior officer answered quickly. Alvardo wore an army sweat suit with a black knit cap covering his close-cropped blond hair. His complexion was ruddy, and he looked pumped.
“Been out for a run?” Blake asked.
“Five miles every day.” He slipped into the hall and closed the bedroom door behind him as though he had something to hide. “Can I help you?”
“I need your computer skills. During the weekend, we’re going to have civilians coming and going.”
His light eyebrows pinched into a disapproving frown. “This B and B is supposed to be a secure location.”
“It’s only as secure as we make it,” Blake said. “I want you to check IDs. See if you can work out something with Kovak to use the law enforcement database.”
“I don’t need Kovak. I can access any damn intelligence I need. How deep should I go with background?”
“Flag anything suspicious. Bring it to me, and we’ll talk about it.”
Blake didn’t completely trust this guy. Alvardo was an ambitious political officer who probably hadn’t seen a lot of action. Though Blake didn’t judge a man by his combat missions, he appreciated the sense of teamwork that came from working with a squad in the field. If push came to shove, he wasn’t sure Alvardo would have his back.
But he didn’t have much choice. Blake handed over the driver’s licenses. “You can start with these three. They’re a band, and they’re going to be here for the ceremony.”
“A band, huh?” Alvardo tapped the licenses in his hand. “Are we going to have a bachelor party for Jeremy?”
“Tomorrow night. I’m supposed to be planning it,” Blake said sheepishly. He hadn’t given a thought to the bachelor party. “I guess I should hire a stripper.”
“I’ll do it,” Alvardo readily volunteered.
“Thanks. You might check with Dolly, one of the owners at the Laughing Dog Saloon.”
He hustled downstairs where a buffet was arranged on the side table in the dining room. In addition to freshly made muffins, there was fruit, cereal and yogurt. One chafing dish held breakfast burritos of scrambled eggs and chorizo. A Crock-Pot was filled with green chili. It was a decent spread, and Sarah had put it together in less than an hour.
The general sat at the foot of the table, chatting with Jeremy and Emily. The Reuben twins were walking toward the front door with Maddox.
Jeremy waved to him. “Blake, come sit.”
“In a minute.”
He charged through the swinging door to the kitchen where he hoped to find Sarah alone. Last night when they’d kissed, he’d felt something deeper and stronger than the sensual attraction. Not that the sexuality was lacking; he’d been on fire. But the sense of connection was too powerful to ignore.
He called it an instinct. For most of his life, he’d been a man of action who didn’t spend much time analyzing and reflecting. His instincts told him who to trust. He knew without thinking when he was in
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