Annslee Urban - Smoky Mountain Investigation

He swirled the liquid in his glass, the ice clinking. An impulsive decision.

But a mistake? He’d never know that for sure.

Now that he was back, one look into Kylie’s eyes and long-buried emotions sparked to life. A jolt of remembered love, but also a tug in his chest that reminded him that those days were over.

The past was behind them. They were older now. Wiser. They had both moved on in very different directions.

The waitress walked by. He held up his hand to catch her attention. “May I get a refill, please?”

The woman nodded and he glanced at Kylie. “Would you like anything? You barely touched your coffee.”

Kylie shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

Though concern shadowed her eyes, her voice came across confident.

Nick’s gut clenched. Seeing her unsettled and worried, his protective instincts surged. The events at the airport had been horrific enough. He shouldn’t have voiced his opinions so quickly. He mentally kicked himself for adding more distress to her day.

The need to comfort her rose. “Don’t rack your brain trying to figure this guy out. He may not be anyone you know. Right now, facts don’t support any theory.” He covered his own concerns with a grin.

A glint of relief entered her eyes. She nodded. “Thanks, that makes me feel better.”

Good. Now if only he could convince himself.

Quiet fell between them. And then Kylie settled back in her chair. “Enough talk about murder. I’d like to give my brain a break, at least until I get home. I have an article due by four.”

He glanced at his watch. Nearly ten o’clock. “Do you need to leave and get started?”

She raked her hand through her long hair, tousling her curls further. “No, I’m fine.”

“Well, then, tell me how you’ve been.” He asked the question that had crossed his mind often over the past ten years.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.” Nick nodded and folded his arms, enjoying the view a little too much. Although appreciating a woman’s beauty wasn’t a crime. Even if she was his ex-girlfriend.

Kylie fell silent and picked up her cup and drank deeply from it.

Nick reclined against the seat back, his gaze resting on her as he waited. She must have quite a story to tell. He might be sorry he asked.

* * *

After a moment, Kylie set down her cup with a clink. Ever since high school, her life had gone by in a blur—at least in the romance department, as her parents so readily liked to point out. As if having a husband would solve the world’s problems or create a life of happily ever after. That fairy tale had died a long time ago. Thanks to Nick Bentley.

A sigh crawled up her throat. She swallowed it back. No telling how many relationships Nick had been involved in since they’d split up.

Not that it should matter. She picked up a napkin and dabbed the sides of her mouth. He no longer had any effect on her. She met his eyes, the tenderness in his dark gaze unmistakable. A tingle rippled along her spine.

Okay, maybe a little.

“I’m waiting.” Nick’s gaze sharpened on her face, which she feared was now blushing crimson.

She cleared her throat and spoke. “Well, I attended college at UNC Asheville and graduated with a degree in journalism. And, as you know, I work at the Asheville Daily News.” She folded her hands on the table. “What about you?”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Hey, not so fast.”

She blinked and then swallowed. “That’s about it. Really.”

He arched a dark brow. “No wedding bells or kids?”

She shook her head no.

This time both eyebrows lifted. “No special someone in your life?”

Not anymore. “Nope.”

His smoldering gaze warmed her deep inside. Nick hadn’t changed. He never settled for elusive. Always wanted the whole story and never gave in until he got it—well, except after Conrad’s murder. Her heart squeezed. After that he’d seemed to lose interest in everything. Including her. She took another drink of coffee, bitter against her suddenly dry throat.

Nick ran his hands over his close-cropped hair. “Wow, I thought you’d be married by now. A house. A couple kids.”

At one time she would have expected the same. “I’m only twenty-eight. Not quite an old maid. Although my parents might disagree.”

Nick laughed fully this time, a rumble as deep as a chasm, and charming dimples dented his cheeks. Her heart skipped a beat. “No, I wouldn’t put you in the old-maid category yet. By the way, how are your parents?”

“Enjoying retirement in Florida. My sister and her family joined them last year.”

“And you? Any plans to go?”

“No. Asheville is home. I love it here.”

“That’s what I thought.” He grimaced.

An awful coldness seeped through her, filtering out into her extremities. Nick was still running from the past. Ten long years hadn’t changed that.

Breathing deep, Kylie strove not to let her emotions show. She leaned forward, propped her elbow on the edge of the table and rested her chin in her hand. “Now, tell me about you.”

“Well.” He shrugged. “I’m in town to help out with the family hardware store until Steven is back on his feet. He took it over a few years back when my parents retired and moved to Charlotte to care for my grandfather.”

“That’s right. I heard Steven had been in an accident.”

“Yep. Fell off a bicycle. He rode off a trail trying to impress some new girlfriend with his agile riding skills. Tumbled about twenty feet before briar bushes cushioned his fall.”

Kylie winced. “Not much of a cushion.”

Nick shook his head. “No, not hardly. He broke his left femur and ankle, dislocated his shoulder, and worst of all, the girlfriend ditched him.”

“So sorry.”

“Kind of ironic.” He chuckled. “I’ve dodged bullets in the heaviest war zones in the world and he almost kills himself falling off a bike.”

“I’m sure you’re not going to let him forget that.”

Another chuckle. “No way.”

She hated to ask, but she did. “Any special someone in your life?”

When Nick paused, her heart gave an irrational thump. Her rotten day took another nosedive. Kylie picked up her drink and took a sip, feigning nonchalance. She wanted to be apathetic about Nick, distanced from the pain of a teenager’s broken heart. Whatever infatuation they’d shared had died along with Conrad. It was time to grow up and move—

“No one special,” he finally blurted.

Her heart danced in her chest. She looked up and caught him staring at her. His firm mouth twitched into a smile, deepening the glint in his rich dark eyes.

Heat rose up Kylie’s neck. She hoped he couldn’t read her mind. She managed a stiff smile. “Well, there’s still time. You’re not over-the-hill yet, either.” Crazy to even care.

Silence stretched between them.

She set down her cup and leaned a fraction closer, ready to change the conversation to something less personal. “Tell me about the army.”

“The army.” Nick smiled slightly. Settling back in his seat, he linked his hands behind his head. “Let’s see. I served ten years. During that time, I witnessed too much war, too much destruction and too much death.”

Images of recent news-broadcast footage assembled in Kylie’s mind. Her heartbeat stumbled. She couldn’t believe Nick had been in the middle of that. “Delta Forces, I hear. Pretty intense?”

He nodded his head. “Could be. Even brutal at times. But good came out of it. Lives were saved.”

Admiration for his commitment filled her chest. “Will you be going back?”

“Nope. I’ve done my time.”

Kylie smiled; she couldn’t help it. “Well, you’re quite the hero around here.”