Dakota Homecoming Page 7

  Georgie whispered in his ear, “We need to talk.”

  When he glanced up at his mother, he saw she was smiling. It was Georgie’s way of getting his attention without rousing suspicion. But his mother didn’t know that.

  “We’ll be back in a minute,” Julian said, getting up from the chair. “Mom, do you mind pouring two coffees for me and Georgie?”

  “Sure, honey.”

  Julian took Georgie’s hand and led her into the living room, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention to them. He wrapped her in his arms as if he were about to kiss her passionately. But instead of kissing her the way he’d dreamed of doing many times, he whispered in her ear.

  “You’ve had contact?”

  “Angela. She said Eduardo has brought home a baby girl. She thinks the baby is Cash Montgomery’s child.”

  It made sense. Kelly hadn’t known about a wife until a few days ago.

  “It makes sense. Kelly didn’t know Cash had a wife until just a few days ago. The wife’s family has had ties to the Aztec Corporation and Manuel Turgis.”

  Julian released Georgie and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He pressed the button for the downloads he’d made from the Internet and showed Georgie a picture of Manuel Turgis.

  “Is this the man who was talking with Eduardo when you were there?”

  Georgie looked at the picture on the cell phone. “I think so, but the man I saw was older than this man.”

  “It’s an old stock photo. I think Angela has hit on the reason Cash Montgomery went to Colombia and why Eduardo was so eager to capture him.”

  “He kidnapped Cash’s baby girl?”

  “Perhaps. We need to get in touch with Angela. We need to know for sure if the baby at the compound is really Cash Montgomery’s child. If she is, then we’ll need to get her back.”

  “What about Angela? She told me not to call her. She called me from a pay phone using a calling card today.”

  “It’s too dangerous. She’ll have to sit tight for now. Don’t worry. It may look like nothing is happening but there is a lot going on behind the scenes. It’ll all be over soon.”

  It should have given him a sense of relief. But instead, Julian knew it only meant that he was one day closer to having Georgie leave his life for good.

  * * *

  There had been no more phone calls that day or the next. Georgie kept looking at her cell phone as if Angela’s name and picture would magically appear there and she would know for sure her cousin was okay. Julian had insisted things were moving along behind the scenes. He couldn’t tell her anything more, so she might as well just relax and enjoy the wedding rehearsal dinner party that his aunt Kate had planned for the family.

  The sign on the diner said CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY. For days, Julian had been telling Georgie about his aunt Kate’s famous diner in the center of Rudolph. The McKinnons were a fixture in this town and the diner was at the apex of everything that happened here.

  The parking lot was already filled with vehicles. Glancing in the window, Georgie saw familiar faces of McKinnons she’d met the other night. She didn’t have to hear the laughter to know they were all happy to be here and glad to see each other.

  She took a deep breath and sighed. “Is it only your family?”

  “Pretty much. You’ll meet my cousin Sam and his fiancé Summer. They’ve been in Colorado for some training. Sam’s been a Hotshot firefighter for a few years now. They’ve been talking about setting up training here in South Dakota though so they may be moving here permanently, which I know will thrill my aunt.”

  “She likes having her family around her.”

  “Of course.” He got out of the car and slammed the door. She didn’t wait for him to walk in front of the car and open the passenger door for her like he always did. Georgie did it herself.

  “She hated it when Wade was gone,” Julian said, walking in front of the car and taking Georgie by the hand. “Everyone did. We’d thought we’d lost him.”

  “Lost him? How?”

  He steadied Georgie as she walked on a patch of snow and ice as they made their way to the front door.

  “We thought he’d died in a tsunami in Samoa. He was gone for five years. It was quite a thing when he’d returned and we found out about him and Skylar. And Alex.”

  “Alex?”

  “Their son. Skylar and Alex had been here in Rudolph all along.”

  “Skylar was the woman I met the other night who is pregnant.”

  “Right.”

  “And the woman with the baby?”

  “That’s Poppy. She’s married to my cousin Logan. They’ll be here tonight, too.”

  She stopped walking and looked down at the length of her jacket which was much too casual for the dress she’d worn. But she didn’t have a dressier coat to wear. “Am I dressed okay for this?”

  “You look beautiful. Don’t worry so much.”

  “I’m not.”

  He slipped his hand over hers and led her to the door of the diner. “Yes, you are. But you’re going to have fun.”

  “Is that an order?”

  He opened the diner door and laughter spilled out into the night. He smiled and held the door for her. “Oh, I know better than to do that. Stay close to me. It’ll be fine.”

  Julian led Georgie by the hand through the diner. The food was lined upon the counter in chafing dishes. Kate McKinnon stood behind the counter making sure all the containers were filled with food as family members stood along the length of the counter with plates ready to fill up. The aroma of home cooking assaulted Georgie’s nose. The smiling faces and lighthearted chatter filling the room showed how much everyone enjoyed being here and being together.

  “You made it,” Logan said. His smile was wide when he saw his cousin. He held a sleeping baby in his arms. Little Emma McKinnon had a small patch of red hair on her head, the same color as her mother’s hair. Logan was completely content holding the baby while visiting with the family. Every so often, one of the family would pass by and place a hand on the baby’s back or kiss her hand and touch the baby’s cheek. The gesture seemed so natural for all of them. So loving.

  Georgie’s heart squeezed as the realization of what she had lacked in her life hit her. She’d definitely had the love from her mother and her cousin. But this… She’d never experienced the kind of open heartedness the entire McKinnon clan had for each other. And what shocked Georgie more, was how open they were to having her among them. As if she really belonged there.

  There’d be a day of reckoning. A day when Julian would have to tell them the truth about why she was really there celebrating with their family. About how her presence could have potentially put them all in danger if Eduardo knew she was there and wanted to hunt her down as he had others.

  But that day was not today. Grace smiled at her and touched her arm as she and Julian walked by. Two little giggling boys ran past her leg on their way to a booth by the window where Julian’s dad and uncle were seated. Both of them were engrossed in conversation about something. Julian’s brother Gray was holding little Jonathan, one of the young twins that Ian and Abby had adopted after their mutual friends’ had passed away. Abby held the youngest of the siblings they adopted; little Lola who was just eighteen months old.

  “Do you want to eat something?” Julian asked. “There’s plenty of food.”

  “I’ll say. But no, I’ll wait. I’m still full from the lunch your mom made earlier.”

  He led her to a table where his brother Luke was sitting with the love of his life, Tessa. Tessa’s six-year-old daughter, Haley, was sitting between them in a booth eating a bowl of ice cream.

  “Hey, where’d you get that ice cream?” Julian said to Haley as they reached the table.

  Haley held a spoonful of chocolate ice cream in her hand and giggled. “From Auntie Kate!”

  “Auntie Kate has ice cream?” The animated way he talked to the little girl made her laugh harder. “Did you
eat it all?”

  “No, silly!” she said.

  “Did Luke eat it all?”

  “No!” Haley said with a roll of her eyes.

  “Well, that’s a good thing because chocolate is my favorite.”

  Julian motioned for Georgie to sit down in the empty booth seat. “I’m going to get a drink. Want something?” he asked.

  “Sure. Anything,” Georgie said.

  Julian spun around and addressed his family. “Anyone want a drink while I’m behind the bar?”

  “No going behind the bar. I’ll get you what you want,” Kate said. She placed a loving hand on the back of a man a few years older than Julian. Georgie guessed that it was Julian’s cousin Sam since he was the only other McKinnon who wasn’t at the house the other night and Julian had told her he and his girlfriend Summer would be here tonight.

  “I’m not going to blow anything up, Ma,” the man said.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time if you did.”

  The room erupted in laughter. Luke yelled out, “She’s never going to let you live that down, Sam.”

  “It wasn’t me. Well, it wasn’t just me,” Sam said laughing.

  This jovial banter continued for most of the night. Georgie laughed along with the tales of mischief and fun from the boys, and protests from Grace, the only McKinnon born female among them until little Emma had been born to Logan and Poppy a few months ago.

  It wasn’t until the evening was winding down and everyone was helping to clean up that questions started coming Georgie’s way.

  “So you’re the reason that my brother has been AWOL these last months,” Sam said.

  “AWOL?”

  Grace scraped the bottom of the chafing dish of the leftover food and put it the remaining food in a smaller plastic bowl. “No one has seen Julian’s face in nearly nine months.”

  “I knew it had to be a pretty girl,” Sam chimed in. “It’s always a pretty girl.”

  “Oh, really?” Summer said. “Is that all I am?”

  He hooked Summer around her neck and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “It’s not all you are, but I do love your pretty face, sweetheart. Among other things.”

  Summer’s cheeks turned a bright crimson as she glanced at everyone who was within earshot of them.

  Georgie glanced at Kate. “Nice. Go ahead and embarrass my future daughter-in-law again. She might just change her mind and decide to go back to Providence.”

  Summer shook her head. “Not a chance, Kate. Someone has to keep him in line when you’re not around.”

  Kate laughed and pointed to her. “Good girl! You learn fast.” Kate glanced at Georgie and said, “I want to hear the story. How did you and Julian meet?”

  Georgie lifted her gaze and searched the room for Julian. He was standing by the door with Ian, Luke, and Gray. The conversation they were having was one they were all engaged in. He was completely oblivious to the scrutiny she was under with his aunt and his sister.

  Being on her own, she decided to answer honestly giving enough details to satisfy them without giving herself and Julian away. “I saw him from across the parking lot and he followed me into the store. I’d gone in to get a few things and saw him following me around. When I went back out into the parking lot, I asked him why he was following me.”

  “He followed you around the store?” Grace asked.

  “He didn’t buy anything?” Kate asked.

  Georgie shook her head. “No. I had a big paper bag in my arms and when I spun around the bag split right down the middle and everything spilled out onto the ground. Cars were driving around us as we tried to pick everything up.”

  “What did he say to you?” Grace asked.

  She thought back to that day. It seemed so long ago but it was only a few weeks. “He told me that he'd been searching for me for a long time.”

  Grace looked as if she were about to melt. “My brother said that?”

  Georgie nodded. Of course, they didn’t know the context of Julian’s words. He had also told her he knew she was running and that she must be tired of doing it alone. He knew she’d reached out to the FBI for help and then she’d bolted. But now that he’d found her, he’d work day and night to make sure she was safe.

  She’d been the one to melt that day. Or whimper. It didn’t really matter what kind of fool she’d made of herself. For the first time since she’d heard that Angela was afraid to leave Eduardo’s compound for fear of what might happen to her, since Georgie had finally learned the truth about her mother’s murder, that she’d felt hope. Her mistake had been going to the compound blindly, to convince Angela to leave with her, only to meet up with Eduardo Sanchez instead. Instead of rescuing her cousin, Georgie had put unwanted attention on herself. She’d escaped Colombia and returned to the United States like a scared dog with her tail between her legs.

  “Well, Julian sure does surprise,” Kate said. “But then, all these boys have been a happy surprise.”

  She didn’t know why, but the conversation between Grace and Kate had left a bad taste in Georgie’s mouth for the rest of the evening. She was happy that Julian’s parents had left the diner early. With any luck, they’d be asleep by the time she and Julian made it back to the house.

  Julian pulled the car into the driveway and killed the engine. “It’s much colder than it was earlier. You should button up your jacket.”

  He got out of the car and walked over to the passenger side door. Georgie had seen his father open the car door for his mother. Julian had done it countless times for her. That type of chivalry was taught and she was sure John McKinnon had set a good example for his sons.

  However, it wasn’t the type of behavior Georgie was used to. And while it was flattering to have a man treat her with respect, it still made her uncomfortable. Everything she and Julian had done since she’d arrived in South Dakota had been for show. They hadn’t gone out of their way to pretend they were an actual couple. The closest she’d come to suggesting that was telling Grace and Kate how she and Julian had met. But after days of being in South Dakota, spending time with Julian’s family and…liking them, Georgie was beginning to feel like a fraud.

  A rush of cold air startled her as Julian opened the car door. He held out his hand to help her out of the car.

  She took his hand, but once again, felt uncomfortable. “You don’t have to do this.”

  He frowned. “Do what?”

  “No one is watching us. There’s no need to pretend with me now. The only light that is on in the house is the kitchen light. You don’t have to pretend for your family.”

  She didn’t wait for Julian by the car. Instead, she pulled her jacket tighter against her chest and headed to the house. When she didn’t hear the car door slam, she turned around. Julian was still standing by the car.

  “Are you coming?”

  His look of bewilderment made her pause. She retraced what she’d just done. It had been a kneejerk reaction, one she’d had many times in her life when a man had given her unwanted attention. But Julian wasn’t doing that. He’d been nothing but a gentleman despite the difficult circumstances they’d found themselves in.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He shut the car door and walked up the walkway she’d just traveled. The cold was biting into her exposed cheeks and her fingers, but she waited.

  “What happened?”

  Chapter Nine

  “I’m tired. I know that’s no excuse for my snapping at you,” Georgie said.

  They walked to the porch and climbed the steps to the door in silence. Julian unlocked the door and pushed it aside, waiting for Georgie to walk inside before he did. Then he shut off the outside light and locked the door behind him.

  He felt the familiar mix of emotions he always felt when he came home. He took in the scent that assaulted his nose. His mother always burned eucalyptus during the day and Julian had come to associate that smell with home. He’d missed the familiarity of it.

  The house was quiet. His
parents had gone to bed. They usually went to bed early and he’d stayed up and watch television until the wee hours of the morning. It had been a habit of his since he was in high school.

  They hung their jackets up in the mudroom. Before Georgie could disappear upstairs, he clutched her arm and kept her from leaving the mudroom where he knew they’d be alone in case someone got up and walked into the kitchen.

  “You didn’t answer me,” he said, looking down at her face. She was tired. He could see it in her eyes. But he wasn’t sure if it was mere fatigue or if being with his family had been an emotion drain for her. All he knew for sure was that he was tired too. Tired of this game. Tired of holding his emotions at bay.

  “Didn’t I?” Her voice was quiet, but it still sounded loud with no other sound in the house competing with it.

  “Did something happen that I should know about?”

  Her gaze drifted lower.

  “Did Eduardo call you tonight?”

  She glanced up at him quickly. “No. I would have told you if he’d called. Besides, you said my phone was being monitored.”

  “It is. But I thought…”

  “What?”

  “Are you worried about Angela?”

  She nodded. “I wish she would call. It’s the only way I know that she’s okay. Not hearing from her is killing me. But I know she won’t call unless it’s safe.”

  “You’re worried. That’s natural.”

  Georgie sighed. “Your aunt and sister asked me how we met. I didn’t know what to tell them.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “The truth.”

  His mouth dropped open.

  “Not everything. I just told them how we met at the store. When you first approached me and how the grocery bag broke.”

  He nodded, feeling relief at her answer. “That’s good.”

  “I didn’t know what else to say. But I feel guilty. I don’t like lying. I don’t like all this pretending. I want it to be over.”

  He reached out to her, touching her chin with his fingers lightly to make her look up at him. He hated seeing her this way. “It will be soon. They’re close.”