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“Oh, my,” Pansy said, “I do think Pepper did the right thing, after all. I’m not sure Luke would have been the steadying influence on those boys that she and her aunt Jerry clearly were.”
Helen nodded. “A man is not always the solution.”
Duke’s brows furrowed. “Let’s not take sides against a guy we haven’t seen in years. He was just a boy when he left. I was a hotheaded kid once, too, and I’ve turned out well, given time.”
Liberty smiled. “Parenting skills are a tricky business, Duke, is all Pansy and Helen are saying. Children have been known to be raised by a mother, or grandparents, or aunts, and turn out fine.”
Duke looked at his wife. “I’ll just be happy that the boys are where they belong now.”
“And yet,” Zach said, “it might not hurt Luke McGarrett to learn just how lucky he really has been.”
Every head turned to stare at him.
“I suppose you’re suggesting we tell his father he has grandchildren?” Pansy asked worriedly.
Silence reigned for a moment as the thought sank in.
“McGarrett is getting up in years,” Hiram said reluctantly, “though he’s no friend of mine.”
“He’s not been a friend to many folks,” Bug added, “and I say it’s not our place to make that decision. It’s Pepper’s.”
Helen shifted in her chair. “Luke’s never coming back.”
“Oh, he will,” Hiram said.
“Maybe for his father’s funeral,” Bug suggested.
“Oh, boy,” Duke muttered. “That’s not a good thought.”
Zach shook his head. “Listen, we could do something radical here.”
They all frowned at him. “Last time you did something radical—” Pansy began, but Helen waved at her best friend to be quiet.
“Like what?” Helen demanded, her black eyeglasses perched on the end of her nose.
Jessie whispered in her husband’s ear, and Zach nodded. Helen noted the two of them had been doing a lot of whispering, which was a sure sign of a conspiracy or a brainstorm, and right now, either would be better than what they had. “Tell us,” she prompted with impatience.
“Unresolved situations are never good,” Zach said, “and while I am not one to advocate being involved in other folks’ business, it seems that there are suddenly a lot of people in this town who could benefit from seeing Luke McGarrett in the flesh. As I say, he’s luckier than he knows, so it’s not like we’d be interfering in his affairs in a bad way.”
Duke looked at his brother. “You’re saying because his father’s old, and because Luke has two young sons he doesn’t know about, that we should get him home somehow?”
“Couldn’t hurt,” Zach said, and Jessie nodded.
“Could hurt,” Hiram said, “when Pepper kicks your tail for butting in.”
“There is that,” Helen agreed. “Plus she’d say we were playing matchmaker or something, and that would be awful for her to believe of us, because clearly Luke McGarrett is not the man for a responsible woman like Pepper. Lucky, indeed.” She gave a righteous sniff.
Bug sat up straight. “That’s exactly the way his father says ‘lucky’ when he’s talking about Luke.”
“How the hell would we find him on a floating party barge in the middle of the big blue sea?” Duke demanded. “Even if we did all vote that this scheme was a good idea?”
“His father sends the odd message through the general’s office,” Bug said helpfully, “though he never gets a reply.”
“What a jacka—” Duke halted abruptly, censoring himself for the sake of the ladies and children present. Although he was sure it didn’t matter what he said, because they all had the same low-down opinion of Luke at this moment. “We’d do better to send a P.I. after him so it could be done discreetly, instead of using a military office, anyway.”
“There’s trackers over in Union Junction,” Zach said.
“Yes. They came into my bridal salon one day to help out the bride of the young cowboy who used to assist Valentine in transporting cakes,” Liberty said. “Blaine was his name, and his older brother’s name was either Hawk or Jellyfish—I can’t remember which.” She nodded. “At any rate, Valentine would know how to get hold of them. I don’t think they actually work out of Union Junction.”
Duke stood and grabbed his wife’s hand. “We’ll think about all this,” he said. “I’m too much in shock to make a proper decision. I’m taking my bride home, because we have a baby who’s getting restless,” he said, staring down into the stroller where his son, Michael Zachariah, was just starting to wake from his nap. “Nobody do anything until we have a chance to think this through.”
Helen kissed him on the cheek and hugged Liberty, as Pansy did. “The Forresters sure do know how to grow a town all by themselves,” she said, her voice slightly teasing. “Remember when you insisted we had to grow the town organically?”
Zach slapped his brother on the back. “Sometimes you get what you wish for.”
Everyone laughed at Duke, since he’d been against bachelor balls, parades, rodeos and every other idea the Tulips Salon gang had come up with to lure settlers to the area. He’d insisted they should grow the town the old-fashioned way.
Duke put on his hat. “Well, at least I’m an uncle again. I’m pretty excited to get to know my nephews. I have a lot of catching up to do.”
The Forresters all departed, leaving the four town elders to grin at each other.
“That was a great surprise Pepper lobbed into our laps,” Helen said.
Pansy giggled. “I love that girl. She’s so dang independent!”
Helen nodded with satisfaction. “You just wait until big brother charges in to rescue his sister from evil Luke McGarrett’s neglect of his duties. I have a feeling things will be settled around here mighty fast.”
The four of them sipped tea and smiled, until Helen sat straight in her chair.
“Of course, we’re all assuming Luke would come home and that Pepper would forgive us for meddling,” she said, and everyone groaned.
“It’s too late now.” Pansy shook her head. “Pepper’s big brother is a man of action, as you all know, too well. He’ll drag Luke back here if he has to, once his brain starts functioning again. Whatever he thinks might be best for his nephews is exactly what those boys are going to get!”
Chapter Three
Luke McGarrett sat in a deck chair on the general’s yacht, anchored off an isle in Greece. The scenery, as always, was good, and he was, as usual, feeling lucky.
Except for the nagging sensation that something wasn’t quite right. The general and his daughters had gone into town—or the small fishing village that passed for a town—leaving Luke to his own devices. They’d acted a bit secretive, claiming they wanted to go by themselves, insisting they didn’t need a bodyguard.
This was unusual, as he was normally treated as part of the family. Maybe that’s what had his senses on edge. The general had insisted that he stay behind and watch the boat, when always before he’d insisted Luke watch his girls.
His neck prickled, a telltale warning that he was being watched. He knew it. That lucky feeling of warning had dug him out of investments just before they sank, and human relationships just before they got dramatic. Now it was sending shivers along his nerves. Rising, he scanned the horizon. Nothing at sea and nothing unusual from the dock into the quiet village, where fisherman worked their trade and women shopped and chatted.
A man suddenly leaped over the side of the yacht with a fluid flash of tanned skin. “Peace, brother,” he said, and Luke wondered where this American had come from. Luke reached for his gun, but the big man said, “No,” just as another figure appeared by his side to take it.
“Sorry,” the wiry accomplice said. “We don’t do guns. They’re dangerous.”
Luke thought he was perhaps looking danger in the face. The accomplice had long dark hair pulled tight into a ponytail and deep, serious eyes. These two wanted something, but if they wanted him dead, it would have happened without him having a chance to take a second breath. Damn, I’m slipping. “What’s up, fellows?”
“I’m Hawk,” the wiry stranger said, “and this is my buddy, Jellyfish. We know some of your people in Union Junction and Tulips, and we’ve had to come a long way to meet you, my friend.”
Luke raised his brows. “Friend?”
Hawk nodded. “In the loosest manner of speaking. Friend of a friend, perhaps.”
Jellyfish nodded solemnly. “Of course, we’re not sure yet if you’re really our friend.”
Luke sighed. “Okay. I’ll bite. What do I have to do to be your friend?”
Hawk seated himself while Jellyfish kept a lookout. Hawk ran admiring fingers over the yacht rail as he glanced speculatively at Luke. “You need to make a trip to Tulips part of your itinerary.”
“My father sent you?”
Hawk shook his head. “No. He doesn’t know we’re here. But it’s time to return to your birthplace.”
“No,” Luke said, frowning. “Not a chance in hell.”
Jellyfish dropped a hand to his shoulder, setting off alarms inside Luke. “It would be better if you did, friend.”
Jeez. “Look. Not that it’s any of your damn business, but my dad and me…we never got along. The old man pretty much thought I was a failure no matter what. Why he’s crying over me now is a mystery.”
“You should respect your elders,” Jellyfish said, and Hawk nodded.
“Not to mention that running away doesn’t solve anything.” Hawk eyed Luke pointedly. “But we weren’t sent by your father.”
“Speaking of that, how in the hell did you find me?” Luke demanded.
“Wasn’t hard,” Hawk said, and Jellyfish laughed.
“Ex-military connections,” he explained. “Sometimes it shaves a few weeks off a mission for us.”
Bingo. No wonder the general had scrammed with his precious trio. “Just great.” Luke shook his head. “So, do I even have employment anymore? Or did you tell the general what a bad guy I was just so I’d go home?”
Hawk grinned, leaning back against the rail. “Actually, you’re getting a paid leave of absence. At least until you make up your mind.”
Luke frowned, annoyed that his luck had finally run out. He also wasn’t thrilled with the breezy way in which his life was being decided for him. “And the general and his daughters?”
Jellyfish smiled. “We’ve agreed to take over here until a replacement for you can be found. The general said it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Luke stood. “Just great. A year of my life and I’m not that hard to replace.”
Hawk shrugged. “Depends upon whose opinion you’re interested in, I would imagine. Someone might think you’re worth a hell of a lot. Then again, maybe not. Guess only you know that.”
Jellyfish nodded. “The answer lies within.”
Luke gave each man a sharp look. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Jellyfish shook his head. “Would you like an escort to Tulips?”
“You mean a guard?” Luke snorted. “I think I can manage it. Thanks, pals.”
They grinned, setting themselves up on the deck. “You can borrow our little bicycle there,” Hawk offered. “You just ride up into town and a fishing boat can take you back to the big island to catch a plane. You can be home by this weekend. The sun is heavenly here, isn’t it, buddy?”
Luke ignored that, and went to pack his things. Boiling anger rolled through him. Of all the stinking tricks his old man had to pull, sending goons after him was the worst. He would have gone home eventually…one day.
No, I wouldn’t. I never want to see Tulips again, or anyone who lives there.
“Just peachy,” he muttered to himself, hopping out of the boat with his few belongings and giving his new “friends” a rude gesture. They laughed, and Luke privately cursed the general for so easily giving him up.
This was not his definition of being lucky.
ONCE PEPPER HAD introduced her children to the Triple F and let them settle in for a few days, she quietly—over Duke’s and Zach’s protests—moved them into the small home she’d bought. Pepper wanted to make the move together, she and the boys sleeping under one roof for the first time in Tulips as a family, so they would know that she’d bought the house for them. The house was made of red brick with white shutters, of a typical ranch style, and close to the clinic. She loved it, and so far, it seemed Toby and Josh did, too. There were bedrooms for all of them—even one for Aunt Jerry, once she came to stay—room to spread out and a huge backyard.
Either Duke or Zach stopped by every day, picking up the boys to run errands with them. They had a thousand excuses for spending time with their nephews. This gave Pepper time to clean the clinic and establish her practice, but most importantly, it gave her time to think about what she’d told the boys over the years about their father.
She’d been as honest about Luke as possible, deciding that the truth always came back to haunt a person. Carefully, she told the boys—when they asked—that their father hadn’t been ready for marriage, nor had she. She also admitted that she hadn’t told Luke about them. One day, when the time was right, she promised, they would find him and tell him.
Toby and Josh had been all right with that, somehow understanding that she was genuinely trying to act in their best interests to the utmost of her ability. As a doctor, she’d presented the facts gently; as a mother, she’d waited anxiously for tears, recriminations, bitterness.
The boys had simply taken the information into their hearts, knowing that one day they would meet their father.
Pepper glanced around the clinic. It was freshly painted and all her diplomas and certifications had been hung. She was proud of what she had accomplished. If she could make a go of this, she hoped to bring on a pediatric specialist in the future and maybe enlarge the clinic. Tulips deserved a good medical complex. That, as much as good schools, would bring people to their town, she figured. Moreover, she wanted to be able to take care of folks who had given her so much over the years.
Maybe she’d even have a door made for her clinic just like the beautiful one that welcomed visitors to the Tulips Saloon. People liked calming, pretty things when they visited a doctor, and a matching door would be symbolic. There were a lot of connected hearts in this town, and Pepper intended to honor them.
She locked the door and headed over to Holt’s salon.
“Hey,” he said, looking up from a magazine. “You’re right on time.”
“This time,” she said, sliding into the chair. “I love the clinic. The boys love the house. Thank you for helping me find them.”
Holt grinned, running a hand through Pepper’s tangled, auburn mop. “Let’s find something gorgeous here, okay? How long has it been since you’ve had a complete style?”
Pepper looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at the mess Holt was examining with somewhat concealed disdain. “Long enough. I’ve been busy.”
“Yes. Now that you’re back in town, you can slow down a bit. Your hair is telling on you.” He began combing out her locks, and Pepper sighed with pleasure. “If our hair is our nod to the day, I hear you may be needing a real brave new look.”
She looked at him in the mirror. “Are we going to share our little gossip?”
He smiled. “Perhaps. There was a council meeting the other night after you introduced your boys.”
“Oh? I’m not surprised.”
“All I’m saying is be on the lookout.” Holt flashed his scissors. “I can’t say more than that, but I do feel that a friendly heads-up is in order.”
“Could you clarify?”
He sighed. “Not really. You’re a Tulipian. You know how it works around here. Still, you’ve been gone long enough that you might have forgotten, so I’m just reminding you.”
“Should I be worried? Is it about the boys?”
“No.” Holt gave her a reassuring grin. “Not in the sense you’re thinking. Everyone here is glad you brought them home. But you know that, around here, love is equated with trying to be helpful.”
“Well, as long as it’s well-meaning….” She wondered what to make of Holt’s secretive expression.
“It always is, my dear.” He smiled. “It always is.”
She wasn’t sure that made her feel a whole lot better.
ON A CLEAR SUNDAY EVENING, at an hour when most people should be snuggled up in their beds or in front of their televisions, Luke McGarrett returned to Tulips. He was looking for zero fanfare and no welcoming committee.
Of course, he wouldn’t get one, anyway.
The taxi driver sped away, glad to get back to Dallas. Luke watched as the last vestige of up-to-date civilization left him. Feeling very much the pawn, he glanced around, deciding not much had changed. He hadn’t expected it to.
The Tulips Saloon was new. It had a pretty door, with lots of stained glass flowers worked into it. Quite inviting for a man who had come a long way and who’d dreaded every step. There was an Open sign in the window, and Luke felt as if he could use some fortification before he went to see his father, so he swung the door wide.
Four gray heads turned to stare at him, and one by one, their jaws dropped.
Not exactly an enthusiastic greeting, Luke thought. “Hi,” he said, “I’m Luke McGarrett.”
“We know who you are.” Helen Granger—he remembered her giving him a talking-to in church when he was a boy—stood to greet him. Pansy Trifle—he remembered her telling on him to his dad about how he didn’t eat his lunch in the cafeteria, preferring to play outside with the boys instead—stood, as well. “You got home quick.”
He nodded. “Howdy, Mr. Parsons. Mr. Carmine.”
Hiram and Bug stood in turn. They shook his hand solemnly.
“A couple of fellows happened to swing by the yacht I was on to let me know I was needed here.” Luke recalled how the grapevine worked in this small town. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
They shook their heads. Luke sighed to himself, realizing that starting out on the defensive was going to make him no friends. Whatever was brewing in Tulips would be revealed to him eventually. “So, I guess some coffee might be on the menu? I could use some before I go home.”
Pansy went to get him a mug. Helen, Bug and Hiram just stared at him, making him more apprehensive. “It’s only me,” he said. “I probably haven’t changed all that much.”
They looked down at their own coffee mugs. Luke was struck by their closemouthed behavior. When Hiram had owned the pawn shop, he’d been active in the community, and one wouldn’t have called him quiet. Bug…well, Bug was Bug, and he could be given to long bouts of quiet—he liked to take off to think, and drink, solo—until Mrs. Carmine had him brought home from the fields.
“Long time no see,” Pansy finally said bravely, and then he understood that maybe their feelings were a little hurt.
“I guess so,” he said with a nod. “I deserve you pointing that out.”
“Maybe a Christmas card or two wouldn’t have killed you,” Helen complained. “Your dad didn’t often seem to know much about you.”
“Enough for someone to figure out how to find me,” he said. “Who sent the goons after me?”
“We had nothing to do with that,” Pansy said. “We don’t send goons, anyway.”
But they all looked away, and Luke knew he wasn’t getting the straightest answer. “So, do any of you want to tell me what’s on your minds?”
“No,” Hiram said, “we just sit at this table most of our days and drink tea. Sometimes we go to Pansy’s house and sit and sometimes we sit at Helen’s. But our lives are pretty much about tea and cookies these days.”
Somehow, Luke doubted that. “Thanks for the coffee, then.” He stood. “It was good to see you again. I’d best go see Dad.”
They stared at him.
“I suppose you’d tell me if he wasn’t all right,” Luke said slowly, beginning to worry.
“He’s fine,” Bug said. “Mostly lonely, which, I’ll be the first to admit, he tends to bring upon himself. Still, he misses you.”
“All right.” Luke tipped his hat. “I’ll head that way.”
They watched him leave, and at the door, he turned to look back, again catching them staring at him.
They definitely had something on their minds they weren’t sharing with him. He sighed. “How about a hint?”
“No,” Helen said, “we daren’t.”
“All right, then.” He appreciated the honesty. “I’ll find out on my own.”
He left, and started heading to his father’s.
“Oh,” Helen said, sticking her head out the door. “Would you mind dropping this batch of cookies off at the new clinic? It’s a grand-opening gift, you might say.”
“New clinic?”
“Yes. Off Cotton Blossom street, four blocks away. You remember. Short walk.”
He looked down into her eyes, searching for clues, but she gave nothing away except the cookies, which she pressed into his hand. “Thank you,” Helen said primly.
“No problem.”
In fact, it gave him a reason not to hurry home. One more delay before seeing his father wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
PEPPER LOOKED AROUND her clinic, feeling proud of it, proud of her new home and of her boys. Holt had made her hair pretty and she had a new dress Liberty had sewed for her. Tomorrow was the big day. The grand opening. The day she started giving back to Tulips.
“I’m so excited,” she said to herself, glad that she had one last moment to herself to enjoy her brand-new surroundings. The boys were off with her brothers, but they’d be here tomorrow to help her celebrate.
They had so much to celebrate together.
The door swung open, and Pepper turned with a welcoming smile. But the face in the doorway was the last one she’d expected to see.
Chapter Four
Luke McGarrett looked at her, and Pepper stared at him, her heart leaping like a deer. As her worst fear materialized, her veins ran cold. “Hi,” she said, not ready at all for this moment.
He looked around, just as handsome and sexy as he’d ever been. “Hi. Pepper Forrester, right?”
She took a deep breath. “Yes. Luke McGarrett, of course.”
He nodded. “Here’s some cookies the ladies sent over for some grand opening. Is this your place?”
“Yes.”
“You’re a doctor?”
He said it as if he was implying You turned out to be more than just a bookworm?
She put the cookies on a shelf as an excuse to break eye contact. “Yes. And you?”
“I’m just…drifting,” he said slowly. “I don’t think I realized that until just now.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Well, congratulations.” He looked around him again. “I’ll think of something cool and witty I could have said after I’m gone.”
“Why?” Pepper asked, wondering why he’d bother.
“I don’t know.” Luke sounded surprised. “I don’t remember you being so pretty. I mean, you were always the smartest student in our class, but…you’ve really changed.”
She thought about laughing, then about slapping him, then decided it didn’t matter worth a damn. Obviously, she was one virgin he hadn’t thought much of after the heat of the moment. “Goodbye, Luke.”
“Yeah. Bye,” he said.
He stared at her so long that he made her even more uncomfortable, and awkward enough to realize she still found him the most tantalizing male she’d ever come across. Blasted female hormones.
It hit her that she’d made children with this man. Shock flared inside her. The boys had been just hers for so long she’d forgotten that one day… She looked at Luke again, considering. One day she was going to have to tell this hunk, this person with whom she had nothing in common, this gorgeously unreliable specimen who claimed he was just a drifter…that he was a father and that they, together, were parents.
“Let’s do lunch sometime, okay?” Luke said, and Pepper shook her head.
“I don’t think so.”
He hesitated. “Dinner? Coffee? For old times’ sake?”
She walked behind the protective barrier of an island countertop. “There are no old times’ sakes for us.” Please don’t let him remember us rolling around groping each other as lusty teenagers. I want to be a bookwormish memory to him.