Unfinished Hero 03 Raid (18 page)

This, of course, meant Grams said to her
,
but directed her remark at me. “Need you to get me a cane, child. Not to walk with
it, so I can beat Margaret over the head with it.”

Raiden chuckled.

Margaret gasped.

So did I, before I hissed, “Grams, we’re in church!”

She waved her hand in front of her face, “God’s forgiven me for a lot over ninety-eight
years, that’s the least of it.”

“We gonna get breakfast or we gonna have a smackdown in pew three?” Raiden asked,
sounding amused.

Grams didn’t miss a beat. “Breakfast. Need my vittles to perform a successful smackdown.”

Then she turned and toddled off slowly down the pew.

I leaned around Raiden and said to Mrs. McGuillicutty, “I’m sorry, Mrs. McGuillicutty.”

“As you should be,” she fired back. “No excuse for rudeness
. A
nd falling asleep in church? Appalling.”

I gave my apology
,
therefore did my duty to good manners. She could be ornery. She had to answer to
God for that, not me.

Therefore, I was going to let it go and get out of there.

Raiden had other ideas.

He turned his big, tall frame Margaret McGuillicutty’s way and looked down at her.

“One, Hanna apologized. The right thing to do is accept, not throw it in her face.
Two, Miss Mildred can take care of herself and she’s too old to give a damn what you
think. Obviously, Hanna cares or she wouldn’t have apologized when she had no need
to. Now what you gotta know is
,
if I’m standing next to her or not and I just hear you were rude to her, I’ll take
it as you bein’ rude straight to me and I think most folks in this town know you do
not want to be rude to me.”

She stared up at him, lips parted while I processed what he said and the fact that
any of this was happening at all.

She snapped her mouth shut to hiss at Raiden like he was twelve, not thirty-two, “Well,
I don’t believe it. I’ll be having a word with your mother, Raiden Miller.”

“Have at it. She won’t give a flying mostly because she thinks you’re as foul-tempered
and aggravating as everyone else in town,” Raiden fired back.

A couple people heard and tittered, proving him right.

I decided we were both done so I grabbed his hand and yanked him down the pew.

Fortunately, he followed me.

We made it to Grams
,
then we followed in what felt like suspended motion as she made her slow way out
of the church, her snail’s pace hindered further with the need to call a greeting
to everyone she knew, which was just plain everyone.

Raiden made a break for it at the doors, mumbling his excuse of, “I’ll go get the
Jeep.”

Fortunately, this meant when we got to the end of the walk at the front of the church
Raiden was there.

Like we had when we came, I climbed into the back and Raiden held Grams steady at
waist while she latched on with a bony hand. He mostly lifted her into her seat
,
but in a way where it made it seem like she put her foot to the edge of the door
herself.

We were on our way when I decided a debrief was in order.

“I don’t believe that happened,” I remarked.

“Believe it,
chère.
Margaret has always been a sourpuss. Makes it worse, she had her sights set on your
Granddaddy and never got over losin’ him to your Grandma.”

This was news.

And made the whole situation even more unbelievable.

“Seriously?” I asked. “That had to be fifty years ago
,
and sorry, Grams
,
but they’ve both passed. Holding a grudge when there’s no one left to hold it against?”

“Lost love, precious,” Grams replied, turning her head to look out the side window.
“Stings like a wasp bite that never fades.”

This made me pause for reflection, especially the knowing way Grams said it
,
but Grams wasn’t done.

“Probably didn’t help, my boy’s beautiful granddaughter sittin’ next to the town hunk.
History, in a way, repeating. Salt in the wound.”

My eyes went to the rearview mirror, caught Raiden’s and they rolled.

When they rolled back, his were back on the road but they were smiling.

We hit the Pancake House, all pancakes, all the time, (no kidding, they had nothing
but pancakes, sausage and bacon on their menu)
;
a weird restaurant that did booming business about fifteen miles out of town up the
foothills. It had a fabulous view and the best pancakes I’d ever eaten. So good Grams
and I never went anywhere else for Sunday breakfast
,
and this continued the tradition of Dad and Mom taking us all there every Sunday
up until the Sunday before they moved to a different state.

As usual, the pancakes didn’t disappoint and breakfast was fun. Grams talked through
most of it
,
which meant Raiden and I laughed through most of it
,
and Raiden didn’t surprise me by being gentlemanly and charming.

We had syrup covered plates and were on our third cup of coffee when Raiden’s jacket
chimed. He took his arm from the back of my seat, dug into his suit jacket that he’d
slung on the back of his chair, pulled out his phone, looked at it and turned to me.

“Gotta make a call.” His eyes slid to Grams. “Excuse me.” His attention came back
to me, his hand came to my jaw and he tilted my face up to touch his mouth to mine.

That felt nice
.
I liked that he was making a habit of kissing me when he left me
,
so my lips tipped up against his.

I watched up close as Raiden’s eyes smiled. He let me go, straightened from his chair
and walked away.

I watched the show.

“Now,
chère,
church with the grandmother and word whizzin’ ‘round town about holdin’ hands, all
cozied up at Chilton’s, of all places. Good to know early that boy isn’t about half
measures. But I’m guessing you’re sparin’ your old biddy of a Grams the details about
how you caught the eye of Willow’s most eligible bachelor.”

I looked at her, grinned a little and replied, “I was running late this morning or
I would have called to let you know he was coming with us
,
but yeah, Grams. Raiden and I are seeing each other.”

“Don’t kid a kidder,” she said softly
,
and my brows drew together at this unexpected reply.

Unfortunately, she explained.

“Not lost on you I’ve lived me some years, precious, but they didn’t slide by and
not touch me. A girl falls asleep at church on Sunday morning because she had too
much fun on Saturday night and one look at Raiden Miller says clear exactly what kind
of fun he has with a pretty girl.”

That was when I felt my eyes get big.

“Grams, I
—
”

She waved her hand at me. “Don’t. Got ourselves enough marks on our soul, disprespectin’
God in His house today. Don’t add to that,
chère.
”

I closed my mouth.

Grams didn’t.

“A week ago, he came to my house
.
I knew why. He’s got about as much interest in doing an old woman’s yard work as
he has in goin’ to the ballet. But I looked up at that big, strong man and thought
to myself, Raiden Miller? I liked that for my girl. I liked it a lot. You’ve been
alone for a while now and a girl like you, it’s a waste, you bein’ alone. Always knew
in my heart you’d stand by the side of a man like Raiden Miller. Those boys you saw,
they were okay
,
but not one of them was good enough for my Hanna. Now hardly any time at all has
passed and he didn’t waste a lick of it. He’s diggin’ deep into that heart of yours,
with intent, and child, I’m gonna share, it troubles me.”

Again, this was unexpected
,
but this time not in a confusing way. In an unwelcome one.

“Sorry?” I whispered, stunned.

“Way he looks at you now he’s had you, way he is, man like that.” She shook her head,
her eyes went distant then she focused on me. “Boiling under the surface.”

I leaned across the table toward her. “What are you talking about?”

“Had me fooled over sweet tea but now… now I see it.”

“Grams
—
”

“That man is dangerous,” she declared.

My heart skipped a painful beat and I stared.

“What?”

“Don’t get me wrong, he won’t break your heart. He’d die before doin’ that. But there’s
a lotta ways to get a broken heart, precious girl. And he’ll do it all the same not
even knowin’ he’s doin’ it.”

Grams was experienced. Grams was wise. Grams was
observant. And Grams was smart.

Therefore, I didn’t like this. Not one bit.

Still, I started to explain, “Grams, we’ve only been out on a couple of dates
,
but he’s reall
y a good guy. A gentleman. And
—
”

“Dangerous. In every line of his body, hidden deep in his eyes. Missed it then
,
but he hadn’t had you then. I see it now and I see you got bit by his bug. I’m tellin’
you, Hanna, you be careful. You go forward cautious. Hard to guard your heart from
a man like that who’ll do nothing and everything to win it in a way you’ll want him
to own it forever. But mind this, child
.
Raiden Miller doesn’t find a way to beat back the danger lurking within, he’ll go
down and he’ll take you down right along with him.”

She held my eyes, hers bright and keen, and I realized my chest was rising and falling
fast. I took a sip of coffee and sat back, trying to force myself to relax.

I was also thinking about the air in his hunting lodge that morning, the look on his
face when I said I wanted to give his Dad a boot to the groin.

There was something about that that moved me, scared me, spoke to me. I just didn’t
know what it was saying.

“You find a way to have fun, you enjoy him,
chère,
and I’ll enjoy him when I’m with you two. But don’t forget what I said,” she continued,
taking me out of my thoughts.

“Okay, Grams,” I told the tablecloth.

“Love you,” she told me and my eyes moved to her. “Said what I said and I’ll end it
with this. If you’re the kind of woman who can withstand the blaze of hellfire he’s
got burning inside, he battles that and wins, you will know nothing for the rest of
your life, no taste, no experience, not even the birth of your children that will
be sweeter than the love he’ll have for you.”

Oh my God.

She was totally freaking me out!

“We’ve only been on two dates,” I whispered.

“I see that. And I see he’s lost in you so completely it’s a wonder he knows his own
name.”

I was back to semi-panting.

“He’s headed this way, precious. Take a deep breath,” she ordered
,
and my eyes went over her head to see added proof to what I’d had repeatedly had
all my life
. T
hat Grams not only had excellent hearing
,
but eyes in the back of her head.

Raiden was headed our way
,
but he’d been stopped by Mrs. Bartholomew and her family. He was standing at their
table, talking.

I deep breathed then took another sip of coffee, trying to force back Grams’s dire
words, fit them someplace in my brain where I could go over them later (preferably
with KC). I achieved this feat and had it together when Raiden slid back into his
chair beside mine.

He also slid his arm along the back of my seat as he asked, “More coffee or the check?”

“Naptime for biddies, son, so the check. And I’m old, I’m a grandmother
,
so that means I pay and I don’t care how much of a man you are. When you’re old and
a grandfather you’ll know what I mean and you’ll be glad you let me do it.”

He pulled me into his side and grinned at Grams.