Along Came Trouble

And, to be honest, there had been a time when King had liked Mary Elizabeth just fine, a time when he’d hoped for a union between her and his son, but every bit of sentiment he’d felt toward her had died the day she’d rejected Tucker so she could marry that weasel Chandler. King was not inclined to welcome her back into the family fold, especially not when she was caught up in a murder investigation that could wind up with mud being slung at anyone around her.

He shot a sly look at Michele, a big woman with a bigger heart. She was every bit as protective of Tucker as he was, the only difference being that she was willing to protect him against King. In fact, she considered it her solemn duty.

“Do me a favor. Try that beeper thing of his,” he suggested casually.

“I told you, he’s on vacation.”

“Darlin’, you and I both know that man hasn’t spent a day in years without that beeper turned on. If it’s with him, he’ll answer you.”

“And then?” she asked suspiciously.

“You let me talk to him.”

She was already shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not? What’s the harm?”

“For one thing, he’s my boss. You’re not. For another, he left very specific instructions that he wasn’t to be disturbed.”

“By anyone?”

“No, by you,” she said bluntly, then shrugged. “Sorry.”

Just then a call came in on the nonemergency line. Looking relieved, Michele reached for the phone. “Yes, he’s here,” she said, sounding resigned. She turned to King. “It’s for you. It’s Daisy.”

King took the phone eagerly. Maybe his daughter had been able to use her powers of persuasion on Walker to get some information. “Yes?”

“Have you talked to him?”

“I can’t find him,” he admitted.

“Try the marina. I just talked to Bobby and tried to get him on our side. He was acting all weird, you know, the way he gets when he disagrees with me but doesn’t want to stir up a ruckus. I’m betting Tucker and Mary Elizabeth were right there, hiding in plain sight, as it were.”

King stood up, grateful for the tip. “I’m on my way. I’ll keep you posted. By the way, you need to tell that husband of yours that he’s a Spencer now. We expect loyalty from family members.”

“Actually, I’m an Ames now,” Daisy reminded him. “But I get what you’re saying. Unfortunately, Walker is an independent thinker, especially when it comes to work. That’s the one arena where my influence is limited.”

“More’s the pity,” King muttered. He handed the phone back to the dispatcher. “If my son happens to show up here, tell him I’m looking for him.”

She grinned. “Oh, I think he’s already well aware of that.”

King frowned at her. “Do you sass him like that?”

Her grin spread. “Whenever I get the chance. You have a good evening now, you hear?”

King shook his head. If he’d had a woman like that working for him, he’d have fired her by her second day on the job. Of course, he conceded, if a woman like Michele were working for him, she probably would have quit within the first hour.

Bobby tilted his chair back on two legs and looked from Tucker to Mary Elizabeth and back, then shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why aren’t the two of you bolting for the door? I just told you that I think Daisy figured out that you’re here, which means Daddy knows it by now. I give him five minutes, maybe less, to come storming in here.”

“You worried the commotion will be bad for business?” Tucker asked.

“Actually, most of the customers like a little diversion with their crabs and rockfish,” Bobby said. “Of course, if you’re staying, I highly recommend the halibut tonight. It’s cooked with lemon and capers and served over a rice pilaf.”

Tucker snapped his menu closed. “I’ll have that. Mary Elizabeth?”

“I’m not especially hungry.”

Tucker regarded her intently. “You’ll need to have some food in you if you’re going to face down King.”

“I could hide in the ladies’ room until he leaves,” she suggested. It was plain the remark wasn’t being made in jest.

“And leave me to handle him? I don’t think so.” Tucker gave her hand a squeeze. “We might as well get this over with. Besides, there is an up side to this. If we can win him over, let folks see that he doesn’t have any doubts about you, it will go a long way toward quelling whatever gossip is getting stirred up around town.”

“I think it’s going to take more than one evening and some casual chitchat over the halibut special to accomplish that,” Mary Elizabeth responded ruefully. “I’m not sure a lifetime’s long enough. You know how King loves to hold a grudge. He hasn’t spoken to your uncle in how long? Twenty, maybe thirty years? Does he even remember what the feud was about?”

“In detail,” Tucker said regretfully. “He still talks about the prize bull his brother stole out from under him at an auction.”

“Then I don’t hold out a lot of hope for tonight,” she said.

“The key is to get him into an appropriately mellow frame of mind,” Tucker said thoughtfully. “Bobby, have the waiter set two more places at the table.”

“If you think I’m sitting here to play referee, you’re crazy,” Bobby said, standing up at once. “And I’ve already warned Jenna to stay home tonight. I called the second you walked in the door.”

“The places are for King and Frances.” Tucker pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and punched in a number. “Didn’t you tell me she and Daddy had a reservation here tonight until he called to cancel it?”

“Yes, but—”

“Frances, this is Tucker.” He winked at Bobby, who shook his head and went in search of a waiter. “I’m at the marina, and I understand that you were planning to meet Daddy here tonight. I’m almost a hundred percent certain he’s on his way over here right now. Why don’t you join us? You’d be doing me a huge favor.”

Frances chuckled. “Yes, I imagine I would. Your father’s on the warpath over you getting mixed up with Mary Elizabeth’s problems, isn’t he? It didn’t take a genius to figure that one out once I saw the evening news.” She sighed. “Not that he said a thing about it when he canceled our date.”

“Will you come over here and protect me? Please,” Tucker coaxed.

She hesitated.

“I’d really, really appreciate it.”

“Mary Elizabeth is there?”

“Yes.”

“That poor girl,” Frances said, clearly wavering. “She must be beside herself. Okay, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. But keep in mind I am doing this for her, not to protect you from that meddling, know-it-all father of yours.”

Tucker grinned and gestured to the hovering waiter to go ahead and set the places. “Understood,” he assured Frances.

When he’d hung up, he looked at Mary Elizabeth. “She’s on her way. She’s worried about you.”

Tears filled her eyes, but this time she made no attempt to keep them from spilling over. “She said that?”

“Sweetheart, I told you that not everyone in Trinity Harbor is going to think you’re guilty of a crime.”

“But the few who don’t suspect me of killing Larry are going to blame me for hurting you.”

“Which is one reason we’re here tonight, instead of at my house. People need to get the message that they don’t need to worry about me, that you and I are getting along just fine, despite past differences.”

She studied him intently. “Are we, Tucker? Are we really getting along okay?”

“Have you heard me say anything to the contrary?”

“No, but you always were the most polite man I ever knew under the most trying circumstances. A lot of men would have plucked me out of bed and dumped me on the front lawn, rather than get involved in any way with a woman who’d abandoned them.”

Tucker glanced up and spotted his father coming in the door in full battle mode. “I think we’d better postpone that discussion for later and prepare to defend ourselves.”

Mary Elizabeth turned pale. Her hands were clenched together so tightly in her lap that her knuckles were white. Tucker reached over and gave them a reassuring squeeze. He withdrew hurriedly, because the jolt of awareness that shot through him had little to do with comfort and a whole lot to do with attraction.

“Just smile and leave the rest to me,” he said, then lowered his voice, “And remember, if he gets really contrary, I still have my gun with me.”

She laughed at that, just the way he’d hoped she would. By the time King reached the table, she’d squared her shoulders and faced him with a smile that only someone who knew her well would recognize as forced.

“King, it’s lovely to see you again,” she said.

Tucker noted his father’s startled reaction and waited to see what he’d do next. King wasn’t constitutionally capable of being outright rude to a woman’s face.

“Mary Elizabeth,” he finally acknowledged with a curt nod.

Satisfied that for the moment his father would remain on good behavior, Tucker gestured toward a chair. “Have a seat and join us. Bobby says the halibut is especially fine tonight.”

“I didn’t come here to have dinner,” King grumbled, but he sat just the same.

“No, I imagine you came here to tell me what a mistake I’m making,” Tucker said, getting the issue out on the table.

King seemed surprised that Tucker had grasped that. “As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I intended to say.” He frowned at Mary Elizabeth. “No offense.”

“None taken,” she said, her lips twitching with amusement. “And I can understand why you might not want Tucker mixed up in my husband’s murder investigation.”

“The investigation’s not what has me worried,” he said pointedly. “It’s this.” His gesture encompassed the two of them. “You two, out here in public when her husband hasn’t even been buried yet.”

“We’re having dinner in a public place,” Tucker pointed out. “Not dining all alone by candlelight at my house. You think that would be better?”

“No, dammit. I don’t think you should be dining together at all. In fact, I think you should be steering completely clear of each other. Otherwise, a tragic situation is likely to turn ugly with speculation and innuendos running rampant around town.”

“I’m sure you’ll set people straight, won’t you, King?” Mary Elizabeth said, her gaze steady. “After all, who knows the two of us better than you do, and you certainly don’t think there’s any hanky-panky involved, do you?”

“Of course not,” he blustered. “My son’s not a fool.”

“Well, then, you should be able to shoot down all that nasty speculation, shouldn’t you?” she challenged.

“Of course I can.”

She beamed at him. “We’ll be counting on that.”

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