The Guardian's Honor

“You and your boats.” Hugh leaned an elbow against the dock railing. “I knew I’d find you here. Anyone would think she was a pretty lady instead of an old tub.”

“Don’t say that. She might hear you. And not that I don’t enjoy exchanging insults with you, but what are you doing down here? The Maritime Law Enforcement Academy having a day off?”

“I don’t teach all the time, y’know.”

“Tell the truth. You don’t want to be teaching at all.” He knew only too well that Hugh had loved his work as a boarding officer, leading the crew that boarded suspicious vessels, that he itched to be back on duty. “What do the docs say?”

“Same old, same old,” Hugh said gloomily, patting his bad leg. “They don’t want me in charge of a boarding crew until I’m a hundred percent.”

The injury had hurt Hugh’s pride as well as his leg, Adam suspected. He hated the fact that smugglers had gotten the upper hand of him, even for a moment.

“What do doctors know? Anyway, you brought in the bad guys, even with a bullet in your leg.”

Hugh shrugged. “I want to get back out there. We’ve seen an uptick in smuggling operations. I’d be more use out there than standing in front of a chalkboard.”

“It’ll come.” He felt almost ashamed of his healthy state. “Don’t push it.”

“Well, you be careful when you’re out there, y’heah? It’s not all just Sunday sailors running out of fuel these days.” Hugh straightened, pressing his hands back against the railing.

“I always am.” A trail of unease went through him as he said the words. If he’d been as careful as he claimed, he wouldn’t have injured a child.

And if he’d been as careful as he should be, he wouldn’t have kissed Cathy last night.

Hugh reached out to thump the side of the boat. “So, speaking of pretty ladies, what is our new stepcousin like? When are the rest of us going to get a look at her?”

Adam’s uneasiness increased. “That’s up to Miz Callie. She seemed to think we might be a little overwhelming all at once.”

“The Bodines? Overwhelming?” Hugh exhibited mock surprise. “Never. So I suppose you’re Miz Callie’s hero now, finding our missing uncle and all.”

“I don’t feel like much of a hero.”

The concerns he had about the whole situation pushed at him. He hadn’t talked to anyone about it, but he could talk to Hugh. Hugh’s law-enforcement background gave him a shrewd eye for anything that might cause trouble.

“So what is it?” Hugh asked, confirming his thoughts. “Something’s bothering you about them. Is it Uncle Ned or the granddaughter?”

“Both.” He frowned, trying to frame his words. “From what I can tell, Ned…or Hawkins, as I guess he prefers, has been nursing a grudge against the family all these years.”

Hugh pursed his lips in a silent whistle. “I knew he was on the outs with his father, but that’s more than fifty years ago. How can he blame the rest of us?”

“I’m not saying it’s rational. And he did agree to come, so maybe…” He let that thought die off.

“Has Miz Callie talked to him at all about this memorial she has planned? I mean, he’s not dead yet, so he might think a memorial is a tad premature. What if he doesn’t want a nature preserve named after him?”

“You’ve got me. Apparently Ned never talks about his war years, so he may not like the idea of being reminded. I just hope this whole thing hasn’t set Miz Callie up for disappointment. I wouldn’t want her to get hurt.”

“If it doesn’t go the way she hopes, well… It’s not like she’s going to blame you for that.”

“I feel responsible. I’m the one who tracked him down.”

“Because she wanted you to.” Hugh was nothing if not practical. “You don’t always have to be the responsible one, y’know.”

He grinned in response to the familiar gibe, but it didn’t make him feel any better. It was a family joke only because it was true. He was the responsible one, always the one the others depended on.

Hugh tilted his head back toward the sun and pulled on the brim of his Coast Guard ball cap. “So I hear tell from Georgia something’s wrong with the little boy. What’s the story?”

“I wish I knew.” Frustration sounded in the words. “I spent the better part of four days with them, and Cathy still keeps me at arm’s length. I get the impression it’s something he was born with, though. Wrenches my heart, seeing him lift those heavy braces.”

She hadn’t kept her distance last night, the little voice in his head reminded him. Last night you were considerably closer than that, and you shouldn’t have been.

“She didn’t talk to you at all about the kid?” Hugh’s voice made it clear he’d have asked.

“She’s overprotective. Secretive, I guess you’d say.” And he was attracted to her, despite not being sure he trusted her.

Hugh leaned against the rail, frowning. “I suppose there’s no doubt he really is Ned Bodine, is there?”

“Oh, he’s Ned, all right. I matched up the photos, and he has the watch his parents gave him.”

Hugh gave a quick glance at his own watch. “Well, even granting he’s kin, we still don’t know anything about him. Or this stepgranddaughter of his. It might be just as well to be a little cautious.”

“Can you picture Miz Callie being cautious, now that she’s found Granddad’s brother after all these years?” Exasperation leaked into his voice.

“You’ve got a point there.” Hugh’s frown deepened. “So, it sounds like you’d best be keeping a close eye on them.”

“Me? Why me?” He’d just been thinking it might be wise to keep his distance from Cathy for a bit.

“You’re the one they know. If they’re going to let anything slip, it’ll be to you. Besides—” Hugh clapped him on the shoulder “—you’re Miz Callie’s hero, remember?”

Adam’s jaw tightened. Hugh was joking, that was all. He couldn’t imagine how little Adam felt like a hero these days.

Her grandfather had been feeling the effects of the trip, growing increasingly irritable as the morning wore on. When he’d finally agreed to take a nap after lunch, Cathy could only feel relieved. She came slowly back downstairs after settling him, running her hand on the polished stair railing. Adam’s parents’ house didn’t scream money, but it had an atmosphere of quiet elegance that didn’t come cheap.

For a moment she felt a hot flush of shame at putting a mental price tag on the home of her hosts. Adam would look at her in contempt if he knew.

But how could she help drawing a comparison between this place and the rundown farmhouse they called home? As for Adam—well, he would never know what she was thinking. And she knew perfectly well that his name and his face were only coloring her thoughts because of that kiss.

What had possessed him? Or her, for that matter? She hadn’t exactly been fighting him off.

She’d say that was because she’d been taken so much by surprise, but lying to herself was a bad idea. She’d been surprised, all right. She’d also been overwhelmed with need and longing. Some deep, aching emptiness inside her had been brought to life by the touch of his lips.

Forget it, she ordered herself firmly. It meant nothing. She would make it mean nothing. Adam had given in to a momentary impulse.

She went in search of Jamie, who’d been settled in the family room with a book when she went upstairs. Now he was in the garden, sitting on a rug with some toys while Miz Callie sat in a lawn chair, watching him.

Cathy took a deep breath, her hand on the door. No two ways about it, Miz Callie intimidated her. Miz Callie might be a tiny, slight elderly woman, but she packed a lot of character in that wise face. Cathy could understand why Adam, indeed the whole family, seemed to have such respect for her.

Stiffening her backbone, Cathy went out into the garden, trying not to look in the direction of that bench where Adam had kissed her.

“Cathy.” Miz Callie looked up with a welcoming smile. “Please, come sit with me. We need to get better acquainted.” She patted the chair that had been placed next to her.