B00MV3HMDW_EBOK (5 page)

“I thought I heard voices out here,” Mr. Chambers said, having opened the front door. Taryn hadn’t heard the catch of the latch, which made her suddenly uncomfortable. She couldn’t afford to be off of her game. She did her best to give Ethan a reassuring smile. “Come in, come in.”

Mr. Chambers stepped back, inviting them into their home and Ethan placed a hand on Taryn’s lower back, allowing her to enter first. The comfort of his touch was becoming too familiar and although it had never bothered her before, Taryn chalked it up to that agitation he spoke of earlier. The smell of meatloaf enveloped her and she inhaled deeply, feeling the bunched up muscles in her shoulders relaxing for the first time today. She pushed everything out of her mind and allowed the comforts of a good home to surround her. She rose on her tiptoes and gave Mr. Chambers a kiss on the cheek, always liking that he flushed slightly red at the affection. She smiled and then proceeded into the kitchen where Mrs. Chambers was mixing a huge amount of butter into the mashed potatoes.

“Hi. It smells delicious,” Taryn exclaimed, taking a seat at the island counter. She reached over and swiped a finger into the homemade spuds. She closed her eyes and hummed her appreciation. Mrs. Chambers chuckled and shook her head. “Is there anything that I can do to help?”

“If you don’t want to lose any fingers, keep them out of the bowl, Missy,” Mrs. Chambers said good-naturedly as she motioned toward the cupboard behind her. “The table is all set, but if you could grab four glasses for the iced tea, I would appreciate it. How was your day, dear?”

“Same as usual.”

Taryn hopped back off of the stool and then walked around to do the chore she’d been assigned. She didn’t want Mrs. Chambers to worry about her. The older woman had been welcoming to Taryn from the first time they’d met years ago. She doted on Taryn like she was just another child under her roof in need of love. Who knew, maybe it was because Ethan was an only child and Mrs. Chambers liked to dote on a “daughter”. She tried to think about her own mother, who right now was too caught up within herself to call more than once a month. Taryn didn’t kid herself as to why she came over here every Sunday for dinner.

“Ethan mentioned that you and he are heading back out on another assignment,” Mrs. Chambers called out from the kitchen. Their house was larger than it really needed to be and the rooms were cut off from one another in the old typical styled home. There was always a new piece of furniture at least once a month and this time was no different. A beautiful oak curio cabinet sat in the corner and nearly matched the dining room table to perfection. Taryn set the glasses in their right place setting as she thought about what to say, knowing that Ethan wouldn’t have given any specifics about Ryland. “I’m glad that you got to come over before the two of you leave.”

“I’m sure we’ll be back by next week,” Taryn replied, not knowing anything of the sort. Who knew how long they’d be gone or what they would find that would lead them to travel on to another city and state. She hadn’t had a chance to look at her calendar, ensuring that she wouldn’t miss any appointments while they were away. She’d have to do that before turning in tonight. “Have you picked out what you’ll plant in this year’s garden?”

The change of topic had Mrs. Chambers discussing her numerous fruit trees and what vegetables that she’d like to grow this year. Ethan and his dad finally joined them in the kitchen and it wasn’t long before dinner was on the table. The four of them sat down and dug in, Taryn melting in her chair as the delicious comfort food hit her taste buds. She pushed aside every worry and let herself enjoy the company and meal. The discussions ranged from the weather to books and then over to the latest movies that Mr. and Mrs. Chambers had seen lately. Every once in a while Ethan would look her way but she couldn’t decipher why. An hour later, everyone had helped clear their dishes and now she and his mom had returned to the kitchen.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Chambers,” Taryn said, scooping out the remainder of the potatoes so that she could store them into the refrigerator overnight, knowing Ethan’s mother would be making them into potato patties for breakfast. Ethan and his dad had retired to the living room. “This was a perfect sendoff. Who knows when Ethan and I will eat another decent meal?”

“Anytime, dear. We always enjoy Sunday dinner, but since you and Ethan will be traveling, at least we were able to get together before you leave.”

“Too bad I can’t take some of this with me.” Taryn reached for the vegetable bowl with the leftover corn and went about scooping the tiny kernels into a plastic bowl. “That lasagna you made me a month ago lasted me a full week.”

“You know, I worry about him,” Mrs. Chambers said, loading another plate into the dishwasher as if she hadn’t just changed the subject. Taryn was still busy with putting the leftovers into storage containers, but she stopped when she heard the concern in the older woman’s voice. Had something happened to Ethan that Taryn wasn’t aware of? It wouldn’t surprise her as she’d been caught up in her own troubles. It made her feel even more culpable than before. “Ethan should be settling down by now, getting married and having children.”

Taryn didn’t know how to respond to that, and when she snapped the lid onto the plastic bowl it resounded through the kitchen. Where was this discussion going? Mrs. Chambers turned around and reached for the serving bowl that Taryn had just emptied. She smiled tenderly and Taryn had an uncomfortable feeling that this conversation was about to take a turn.

“You should too,” Mrs. Chambers said softly, a fretfulness tinting her words. “The two of you work such long hours, how can either of you have a personal life? Ethan will be thirty years old next week and you’re two years older than him. Don’t you think about having a family?”

“I’m sure that will happen in time, Mrs. Chambers.” Taryn placed her hands on the counter and focused her sights on the caring and overly thoughtful woman. With everything going on, Taryn had forgotten that Ethan’s birthday was next week. She would try her damnedest to make sure Ethan was back to celebrate it with his family. It might not be important to him but it was significant to his parents. As for herself, she wasn’t in the market for anyone. It wasn’t easy to meet men when she worked like she did, and so far the men at the club didn’t interest her. But as for the suggestion that it was time to settle down, she had never heard from Ethan that he was looking for that. Fallon certainly didn’t fit the bill, if that’s what he’d been going for. “Ethan will find someone when he’s ready.”

“Dear, have the two of you ever considered…” Mrs. Chambers let her words slide, but her meaning was obvious and her hand gestured toward the living room where Ethan was keeping his father company. At first Taryn thought she misunderstood. When Mrs. Chambers again used her hand to signify her meaning, Taryn was stunned. She didn’t quite know how to respond to that and she didn’t want to consider how she must look at the present time. When she opened her mouth, nothing came out and Ethan’s mother spoke once more. “Sometimes friendship can turn into something more. You’re already a part of this family and it’s obvious that Ethan cares for you. I—”

“Mom, Taryn and I have to head out. We have a long drive tomorrow,” Ethan said, entering the kitchen. He walked around the table and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. He seemed to realize that a slight tension had overtaken the air that surrounded them. He looked between the two of them quizzically. “Everything all right?”

“Yes,” Taryn replied, covering for Ethan’s mother. It was clear that Mrs. Chambers didn’t want her son to know what they had been discussing as she made herself appear busy with the leftover plates on the counter. “We were just talking about your birthday next week. Thirty years old. You’re still a youngin.”

“What? That makes you an old cat lady?” Ethan laughed as he headed back into the living room. “You don’t even own a cat, so there’s still hope for you yet. Come on, decrepit woman. We need to hit my place so that I can pack before we drive to your apartment.”

Taryn opened the refrigerator door and stored the leftovers, allowing Ethan time to disappear back into the living room. She turned back to Mrs. Chambers and thought of what she could say that wouldn’t hurt the older woman’s feelings. It was easy to see that Ethan’s mom wanted her son to settle down and give her grandchildren. That woman just wasn’t Taryn.

“Ethan will find someone in time, but we’re just friends, Mrs. Chambers. He’s my teammate, my partner,” Taryn said softly, trying to ease the truth to her words and let Ethan’s mom down gently. She came around the small island and gave the older woman a gentle hug. “I think it’s sweet that you think I would be good enough for a daughter-in-law. Let’s keep that between us, and together we will make sure that Ethan finds someone who is good enough for him, okay?”

She found herself wondering what Mrs. Chambers had been going say, but that wasn’t to be. Ethan once again had popped his head into the kitchen, hurrying Taryn along. She gave an apologetic smile to his mother and then followed him to the front door, hugs and goodbyes distributed. Mr. and Mrs. Chambers had been older in age when they’d had Ethan and Taryn could well and truly understand their need to see him settle down and give them the grandchildren they deserved.

As Taryn and Ethan headed for her SUV, she couldn’t prevent herself from thinking about how a serious relationship for Ethan would change their friendship. It wasn’t something that she’d ever considered before, and a despondency came over her at the thought of their bond altering from what it had been over the years. She couldn’t deal with that now. She didn’t have it in her. After everything was resolved on the family front and Ryland was actually detained in federal custody or dead, Taryn would take the time to actually think about whether she was hindering Ethan from finding some nice girl and settling down. For now, the morning would come soon enough with answers awaiting her that she wasn’t so sure she was ready to find out.

Chapter Four

“J
esus Christ, will you put a shirt on?” Ethan mumbled as he made his way to the coffee pot. He’d heard her alarm go off at zero four thirty all the way in the living room, where he’d slept on the couch. Although he wasn’t much for the color of the material, it was damned comfortable. What wasn’t comforting was seeing her come out of her bedroom wearing another sports bra, although this one was pink. He slammed the cupboard door shut, at the same time adjusting his morning hard-on. “I hate running at zero dark thirty in the morning.”

“Since when do you care if I walk around in my bra?” Taryn asked, matching his irritable tone. She had always been a morning person and only became agitated if she didn’t get her run in. Ethan knew that she was tense regarding the upcoming trip and he felt guilty for snapping at her. “That’s the second time you said something. If it bothers you so much I’ll put my sweatshirt on. Maybe you can do something about walking around here pointing at everything with your good morning woody. Give me a cup, will you? I might as well have some while you get your ass in gear.”

“Sorry,” Ethan muttered, pouring both of them the steaming liquid that would most likely be the beverage of choice for the remainder of the day. “I’m just running on lack of sleep.”

Ethan picked up her mug and handed it to her, trying to ignore the image of her nipples poking through the material. He honestly couldn’t answer why it bothered him now when it hadn’t before. He’d tried to chalk up these last few weeks when he’d been viewing her as he had in his dreams as a fluke, but he would have thought those awkward feelings would have faded by now. As Taryn went about drinking her coffee and putzing around the kitchen, he let himself actually look at her over the rim of his coffee as if she were a woman instead of a friend.

Taryn was petite, yet athletic and toned. Although the sports bra compressed her breasts, she had more than enough that their shape and size were visible. She had a tight heart-shaped ass that was evident through the jogging pants that she was wearing. Keeping to her word, she slipped the heavy material over her head that had been draped over one of the kitchen chairs and finally covered herself. It still didn’t seem to help the state of his arousal though. He should have stayed in his own house, where he could have taken care of his usual morning state in the privacy of his own bathroom.