Ian steps closer, placing a hand on her arm. Ham stares at the hand but remains quiet.
"Look, Piper. This is really embarrassing, but if you're going to make this big a deal out of it, I'll tell you."
He puts his hands in his pockets, giving her an embarrassed look. "I was going to climb up the trellis to your room the way I used to."
"What?!" Matt exclaimed.
Piper tucked her head down.
"That's right, Mr. MacKenzie. I used to shimmy up the trellis when Piper and I were in high school."
Piper puts up her hands. "Okay. Enough. Let's all just call it a nigh. Shall we?"
Pulling her daddy by the arm, she managed to get him up the front steps even though he's giving Ian the evil eye over his shoulder.
* * *
Ian's phonerang as he drove to his mama's house for the night.
Matt MacKenzie showed on the caller ID.
He signed. This night just would not end.
He mashed the phone call button on the steering wheel. He'd synced his phone with the car after the last time he'd tried holding the phone to talk while driving.
"What happened out there tonight?" Matt demanded.
"I saw someone lurking around in your yard after I dropped Piper off. So I tried to catch him." He paused for a moment. "Like I'msupposedto be doing."
"Well, you're doing a piss poor job of it, boy." Matt said.
Ian's hackled rose. "With all due respect, Sir. You're not helping the situation when you make those remarks."
Matt sighed. "You're right. Did you get a look at him? Will you be able to track him down now?"
Ian turned down the dark street where his mama lived, noting that the lights were out in all the houses. No party animals in this neighborhood.
"No." He blew out a breath. "The guy was dressed in loose, dark clothing with a hoodie of some kind. I couldn't get a grip on him. He managed to get away when he damn near burst my ear drums."
"I thought you already have a burst ear drum and that's why you're not a Navy pilot any more."
Ian winced. "You seem to be pretty well informed about my life."
"Don't get yourself in a twist, son. I had a friend run background on you when I found out you were being sent in to protect me by that organization."
That surprised Ian. "You didn't request me specifically?"
"Hell, no. I didn't want you back here around Piper. Stirring up all that old mess."
Ian heard water running in the background, then the sound of a coffee pot working.
"It was your boss that decided it would be the best thing for you to come since you could be here undercover. Less suspicious than having a stranger come in and trying to pretend he's a business partner or some long lost relative."
Ian pulled into the driveway, turned off the engine. No lights on here either. Mama must've turned in for the night. Good thing she'd given him a key to this house, too. "Especially since you already have a long lost relative that turned up."
Something that sounded like cutlery on plates came over the phone. Matt must be fixing a snack of some kind. "Right. Another one would be really hard to believe."
"Where was he during all the ruckus tonight?"
"He'd gone home. He was pretty unhappy when he realized Piper'd gone off somewhere with you."
Ian snickered. "I know this is the south. And there's that whole cousins marrying thing, but theyarefirst cousins."
"Don't be disgusting." Snapped Matt. "And find that hit man soon!"
Ian looked at his phone seeing that Matt had disconnected. No doubt annoyed that in the age of cell phones it wasn't nearly as satisfying as slamming down a handset on an old school phone.
