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  He’d compared his love for Alexandra with what he felt for Thea—they were completely different from one another. But then again, he and Alexandra had been college sweethearts, and together for a long time. Last night he realized he was starting to fall in love with Thea; he felt like he’d been falling in love with her almost from the moment they’d met, and maybe even when he was researching her. She was young, and that was a concern, but she had a wisdom that surpassed her years, and an intelligence that easily matched his. It was sexy—she was sexy.

  * * *

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Thea said as she turned to face him, but then her eyes widened as she glimpsed—was that passion in his eyes?

  His eyebrows rose, and he smiled. It was one of those I’d love to tell you but I’m not sure you really want to know kind of smiles. She felt her knees go week and placed her hands on either side of the island for support. His ever-present intensity got to her every time, and it was becoming harder and harder to deny the feelings she was beginning to develop for him. But the last thing she wanted to think about was her attraction to him when he was sitting a mere foot in front of her.

  “What did you want to talk about?” she asked as she moved to the other side of the kitchen to pour them both a cup of coffee. Distance was safer.

  He waited until she’d pulled the bar stool out beside him. She hesitated for a second, or two. She preferred being across the island from him, but he might think she was being evasive if she ignored his invitation. Well, she was, but she walked past him, and handed him his coffee to sit on the stool. She swiveled it around until she was sideways to the island and facing him, looking at him expectantly.

  “First of all, I want you to know how much I appreciate the care and love you give Mackenzie.”

  She nodded, and her eyes jolted to his as she tried to read what was coming next. This seemed so unlike him and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “Second, I need to leave town again.” He observed her closely, but she accepted it without objection. “I’ll do my best to be gone for only a few days.”

  She felt her eyebrows lift sardonically, and it was his turn to nod.

  “I know, I realize I said that the last time and it ended up being longer than expected. But I want you to know that I don’t want to be away from Mackenzie—or you—any more than I have to be.”

  Her head cocked slightly to the side as she regarded him, her thoughts racing. Had she heard that right?

  “Yes, you heard that right, and no, I’m not a mind reader.” He chuckled.

  “This is different from the last time you left. Something’s different.” Worry picked at the back of her mind, and she thought about the odd sense she’d had at Mackenzie’s school the other day—the sense that someone was watching them.

  Thor was quiet—he seemed worried, too.

  “Yes, Thea, this is different. The third thing I want to mention is that—” But before he could say another word, Zee raced into the kitchen. She stopped short when she saw them together. Then a huge smile spread across her face and she ran to her father first to hug him, then ran to Thea and hugged her, too.

  “I’m a hungry bear,” she growled and then raised her hands above her head, pulling her fingers down into half-fists, mimicking bear claws.

  “Really? I’ve always heard that hungry bears are grumpy bears, but you don’t look grumpy at all.” Thea laughed as she moved from the stool back to the oven where the pancakes were staying warm.

  Zee scampered up onto the stool beside her dad, grabbed the knife and fork, and held them straight up with their base on the island. The picture was so adorable it made Thea laugh out loud. When she glanced at Thor, desire flared in his eyes and she stopped short.

  Zee looked at her dad, confused. “What is it, Thea?”

  “Oh, nothing, Zee. Would you like a chocolate chip smile or a blueberry smile in your pancakes this morning?”

  “Chocolate, please.”

  “Thor, could you get juice for us, please?” she asked, desperate to give him something to do besides stare at her.

  “With pleasure,” he replied, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

  She turned back to the stove as he walked around the island beside her, and placed his hands on her hips as though he had to move her to squeeze past her. He could just have easily walked behind Zee to get to the refrigerator.

  Her skin ignited where his hands had just been, and her eyes narrowed. What was he playing at?

  “I’ll grab a third plate for you, Thea. You are eating with us, right?”

  “Um. Sure. Thanks.”

  “Beside me, Daddy! I want Thea to sit beside me.”

  “What if we put Thea between us, and then she can sit next to both of us?”

  “Sure!” Mackenzie squealed with glee.

  There was no way to get out of sitting next to him, so Thea played along, but glared at him when she realized he’d allotted very little space between them.

  His eyebrows rose as he feigned innocence, but Thea knew exactly what he was trying to do and debated if she should play along. But decided against it, because the last thing she wanted to do was create false hope for Zee, or more confusion for her. One thing she knew for certain, she and Thor were going to have a serious conversation before he left on this trip. Figuring out what to do with Zee so they could have privacy would be the challenge.

  “Guess what I have planned for you today, Zee.”

  “What, Daddy?”

  “I have a friend coming to the house this morning. Her name is Wren Kelley, and she’s a master at Tai Chi. Do you remember what that is?”

  “Is that like the Karate Kid?” she asked with eyes wide.

  “Very good! It is very much like the Karate Kid. Would you like to learn self defense like he did?”

  “Really, Daddy? Yes, oh yes, I would! I would!” Her eyes shone, eager with excitement.

  Thea looked at Thor with questions in her eyes. When had he planned this? Had he simply forgotten to tell her?

  “Good, because she’ll be coming by every day for lessons, and in fact should be arriving in minutes for the first one. A Tai Chi teacher is called a Sifu, Zee, so you will call her Sifu Wren.”

  “Sifu Wren,” she repeated. “I like it.” Then she jumped off the bar stool and raced for the door.

  He laughed, “Wait, Zee. I have a few more things I need to tell you.”

  Zee swung back around and walked over to her father, putting her elbows on his knee, her chin resting in her hands, face tilted toward his in anticipation.

  Thea smiled and felt her heart skitter—he was such a good dad, and she was shocked at the ways her body reacted to him. A few weeks ago she’d debated if she could ever be a nanny—she’d never really been drawn to children or felt like she cared one way or the other if she ever had any.

  She had no desire to marry or be tied down to any man, or his life. Thea very much wanted her own life and the freedom to pursue her goals without attachments or anything to stop her. She’d taken the job because of the extra time it would afford her, and to get away from New England. Yet, here she was, feeling intense desire for a man who was technically her employer, a man she found incredibly frustrating, and someone encumbered with a child and a career that took him away for days at a time. She felt guilt sear through her as she realized she’d just thought about Mackenzie as a burden—she wasn’t, her heart said—yet the fact remained, that children demand time, attention, care, love, energy, focus, and you can’t play with their lives or hearts. There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with loving a child, things Thea had no idea about even a couple of weeks ago. How her life had changed.

  “I have to go away for business for a few days, Zee,” Thor said matter-of-factly. He carefully moved one of his daughter’s wayward blonde curls behind her ear and placed his hands lovingly under her chin, his eyes locked with hers, tender and sweet.

  A pout appeared on her face.

  “I know,
I do, I don’t want to leave you either, but I need to go to Washington to help Tucker with a case we’re working on.”

  “Why can’t Tucker come here, Daddy? I like him, and we have lots of room in our house.” she stated just as matter-of-factly.

  “I like the way you think, Zee,” he affirmed. “It’s just that in this case, I need to be with Tucker at his office where we have many, many files and all the computers we need to solve this case.”

  Zee sighed heavily.

  “I want you to be good for Thea, okay, Zee? You must do everything she asks you to do. She will pick you up from school and take you to all your activities, rather than carpooling with your friend’s moms as we typically do.”

  Zee started to protest, but he interrupted her. “It’s just for this week, Zee. Once I’m back we can talk about it, okay?”

  She nodded, and then the doorbell rang. Excitement lit up her face and Thor bent down to kiss her forehead before asking her to run and change into the uniform he had put on her dresser.

  He glanced at Thea, an apology on his face, “We’ll talk about all of this once I get Zee settled into her lesson. Come meet Wren.”

  Thea’s gut twisted—something’s wrong. She knew she needed to tell Thor about the sensation she’d had that she and Mackenzie were being watched before he left on his trip. “I’ll be there in a minute. Let me finish putting the dishes away, then I’ll join you.”

  “Join us in my office, but don’t be long.” With that he walked out of the kitchen to answer the doorbell as it rang a second time.

  9

  NINE

  “I haven’t had the chance to fill Thea in on what’s happening yet.”

  “When were you planning to do that?” Cox Lynch asked neutrally. At six-foot-five inches, Cox was tall, dark, clean-cut, athletic, and built like the former Navy SEAL he was. His eyes were a pewter color, intelligent and sharp—they didn’t miss a beat. He radiated pure male energy, Thor noted. He would feel better knowing Lynch was here to watch over his daughter, and Thea.

  “This morning. Mackenzie interrupted our conversation, and then you and Wren arrived.” A smile crossed his face as he remembered the look in his daughter’s eyes when she saw this massive man standing next to Wren. It was a good thing Wren was average height with a kind smile; otherwise he was fairly certain Mackenzie would have turned tail and run, fast, in the opposite direction.

  There was a knock at Thor’s office door. “Come in,” he invited.

  Thea opened the door and stopped short when she saw Cox, looking questioningly at Thor. “Come in and close the door behind you, Thea. There’s someone I want you to meet—he’s with Wren, and you’ll meet Wren after Mackenzie’s Tai Chi lesson.”

  Thea closed the door, and seemed to draw herself up to her full five-foot-nine inches as she strode forward, extending her hand confidently toward Lynch. “Hello, I’m Athena Gregory.”

  There was a slight flicker in Cox Lynch’s eyes—respect maybe?

  “Hello, Athena, I’m Cox Lynch. I’m with BRG Security,” he offered as he took a step forward, shaking her hand firmly.

  Thea immediately turned toward Thor, her eyes filled with questions.

  “Please sit down, Thea, and I’ll answer all those questions and fill you in on why Wren and Cox are really here.”

  Thea grabbed the closest chair to her, and Cox took the other one, both seated across from Thor, his desk between them.

  “Before Mackenzie interrupted us this morning, I had begun to tell you that I invited a few members of the BRG Security team to come here during my absence.” To her credit, Thea remained silent, and he could see she was processing the information as quickly as he doled it out. “In the past I’ve had a small security detail keep their eye on Mackenzie, and this all started after my wife’s death. Although as of late, most of this has been done via tech and security cameras.”

  A flicker of anger crossed through Thea’s eyes, but she remained silent, waiting.

  “The security firm raised some concerns that it’s possible someone may be following Mackenzie, which I learned just yesterday. They immediately sent agents—Wren and Cox—to Sweet Grove to help determine if this is indeed the case, or not.” He waited for a response, but Thea sat stoically in her chair. “Wren and Cox will be nearby during my absence, although you probably won’t see them apart from Wren’s daily visit to the house for Mackenzie’s lessons.”

  Thea stood in one swift move, and placed her hands on the table, leaning in, her focus on Thor. “And why am I just learning about this now?” she asked, her eyes seething.

  “Which part?” he asked.

  Her eyes narrowed. You could cut the tension with a knife.

  “Let’s start with the fact that there appear to be security cameras in this house that I was unaware of before this moment. From there, let’s move on to the fact that there are details I clearly should have been made aware of regarding your wife’s death if you hired a security firm to follow Mackenzie and there were concerns about her safety—if not prior to my employment, certainly immediately following my hire.” Her eyes never wavered from his.

  Cox looked back and forth between Thea and Thor, enjoying the exchange, his eyebrow arched, like he was waiting for Thor’s reply.

  “Please, sit down, Thea.”

  “Don’t patronize me.” Anger dripped in her voice.

  “Fair enough. I’ll start with the security cameras. They are predominantly focused on the grounds outside, and apart from that, there are only two others in the public areas of the house, focused on entrances and exits.”

  “How dare you keep this information from me.” She pushed away abruptly from the table and paced toward the bookcase, then reversed her steps, resuming her spot in front of the table. “Continue.”

  “Regarding my wife’s death, many of those details are classified, and it wasn’t information I would have divulged to you prior to employment.”

  “What about after employment? I’ve been here more than a week now.”

  “Honestly, Thea, I didn’t think there was any reason to give you those details. There had been nothing to suggest that any of the events that precipitated Alexandra’s death would be an issue here in Sweet Grove. I would have told you at some point, but ideally that would have come down the road.”

  “How much danger is she in?”

  His heart jumped. Despite her justified anger, her first concern was for Mackenzie. “It could be that she isn’t in any danger at all, but we don’t know that for certain, and that’s why Wren and Cox are here. Cox is the CIO of BRG and is one of the best at intelligence there is. Wren reports to him, and they both are highly skilled at self-defense and protective detail.”

  “What happened exactly to raise suspicion?” She moved back and sat down in the chair.

  “BRG saw activity they considered suspicious—as though someone were potentially tailing you.”

  “Thor—I realized this morning I needed to tell you this before you leave.” She licked her lips before continuing. “When I picked Zee up from school on Friday I felt something… It was that sense you have when someone is watching you.”

  Both Cox and Thor moved forward in their seats.

  Thea shivered. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I forgot about it after we got home, and then you arrived, and well, the rest is history. At the time I looked around to see if there was anything out of place, or anyone, but to be honest, everything looked normal. I rushed Mackenzie into the car and we came straight home.”

  “Did you notice anyone tailing you?” Cox asked, his eyes focused on Thea’s.

  She turned toward him. “I didn’t. I—I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to look for that.”

  “Tell me what you normally see when you pick Mackenzie up,” he directed. “What’s your routine, and what was different this time?”

  “Well, I drive to the school.”

  “Back up. I want to hear step-by-step what you do from the moment you
get into the car, and don’t leave any detail out.”

  She took a deep breath, worry creasing her brow, and slowly exhaled. “It depends on where I am when I leave to pick her up. Often I leave from the library, and I tend to grab a parking space toward the back of the lot.” She gestured to the Fitbit she was wearing on her wrist. “I typically go for a run at some point during the day, and have an aggressive goal for the number of steps I want to take in a day, so I typically park as far away from a store or destination as I can in order to get more steps—that is unless I’m with Mackenzie. Then I park as close as possible.”

  She turned back toward Thor, clenching her hands but she couldn’t hide the slight tremor and seemed desperate not to show the fear he suspected she was feeling. She wrapped her arms around her waist, bit her lower lip, and took a shaky breath. She looked lost in thought as if she was remembering something from the past.

  Thor watched Cox’s eyes roam Thea’s body. She was obviously lithe and fit, without an ounce of excess fat, and he felt jealousy spread as admiration shone in Cox’s eyes. Cox looked at Thor and raised his eyebrow—there was a brief standoff and then the focus shifted back to Thea.

  “Thea?” Thor prompted.

  She shot up out of her chair. “I need to hit the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back,” she said, already halfway to the door, closing it swiftly behind her.

  The men looked at each other.

  “You did a thorough background check on her, right? I don’t remember seeing a file on her at our office,” Cox hinted.

  “I had Tucker run her through a background check, and the FBI pulled some additional information and details. She was squeaky clean.” He hesitated for a second.

  “But?” Cox suggested.

  “But, I did find an over-the-counter bottle of migraine headache pills in her room, and there was nothing in the exhaustive medical history to even hint that she had an issue with migraines.”