“Maybe while we’re all snuggled in our bed, those pressing matters will simply go away,” Henry said.
Tamara heard just enough humor in his voice to make her smile.
“God, I hope not.” Tamara resolved then and there to do her best to ensure that they didn’t disappear without some serious attention, first.
Chapter 13
Jordan Kendall pulled on his carpenters’ tool belt and grabbed a handful of nails. He’d chewed out his supplier for a good half hour, doing everything he could to try and expedite that shipment of sheet steel. Every once in a while a supplier would have a glitch, and while that was normal in construction, Jordan had been beyond pissed this time.
If he were to be honest with himself, he’d been a lot more pissed than the situation actually called for.
His mind settled on the obvious reason for his uncharacteristic short temper. This was a family build, and he wanted everything to go like clockwork.
Liar.
Yes, he was lying. But he was only lying to himself and whose business was it if he was? No one’s, that’s whose.
So he decided he needed to go pound some nails for a while. Pounding on nails—in lieu of pounding on his brothers, which he couldn’t do now that he was supposed to be an adult—was the one thing guaranteed to work off some of his pissy mood.
The sound of a car approaching caught his attention. He swallowed hard and watched as the Crown Vic pulled up to the back of the helicopter hangar, next to his own Ford F-150.
Peter Alvarez stepped out of the car. The man took off the sunglasses he’d worn while driving, and hooked them into the V of his button-front shirt. Jordan couldn’t look away from him and felt his heart give a jolt when Peter spotted him.
There’s just something about the guy. Can’t put my finger on what it is. My cop radar is vibrating.
Adam’s words played back in his mind while Peter walked toward him. He could see that Peter’s gaze fixed on the tool belt around Jordan’s waist.
At least, that’s where Jordan chose to think Peter’s gaze rested.
“You said there’d be no work today.”
“That’s right.” Jordan sighed. He heard the edge in his own voice and could have cursed his lack of control. More, Jordan understood why it was there, and by the look in Peter’s eyes, he understood the reason, too.
“So no one else will likely come by? It’ll likely be just you and me here for a while?”
“Yeah.” It took all of Jordan’s considerable will to not let his gaze skitter away from Peter’s.
“Then we should talk, don’t you think?”
“Yeah.” Christ, Kendall, could you be any more eloquent? Jordan sighed. This wasn’t like him at all. It had always been his nature to face whatever the hell life threw at him, square on. “Yes,” he said again. “We should talk. I’ll give you the nickel tour of the place. The Lear hangar has a lounge, and a vending machine.”
“The Lear hangar?”
Jordan laughed. “The families have a habit of naming things. That one,” he pointed to the far right, “is the Lear hangar. This one, the helicopter hangar, though actually it’s only one building, divided in half by a wall.”
“And the one we’re building?”
“Future home of Kendall Aviation, as well as Benedict-Murphy Investigations.” Jordan took off his tool belt and set it in the back of his truck. He began walking toward the back door of the helicopter hangar.
“Kendall Aviation. That would be your brothers, the ones who were here yesterday?” Peter followed him.
“That’s right. Morgan and Henry both just retired from the Air Force. All things considered, it’s only natural they’d go into business together.”
“Ah.”
Jordan unlocked and then opened the door to the building and held it for Peter to enter. “‘Ah’?”
Peter grinned, and Jordan had to fight the effect that smile had on him. “The woman who was with them yesterday. She’s their woman.”
Jordan tilted his head slightly, trying to read Peter’s meaning.
“Don’t forget, I grew up hearing stories of the families, and this town,” he said. “And now I understand the vibes I got from both men. They were protecting their woman.”
Not censure, then. “It came as some surprise to my brothers when Tamara dropped out of the sky, but it didn’t take them long to figure out that she was their woman. We’ll have to see how long it takes them to convince her of that fact. And those wouldn’t have been the only vibes you got from them. I’m younger, and they’ve always been a little protective.”
“Understandable. Wait a minute. You said Tamara dropped out of the sky?”
“She did.” Jordan fought his grin. He’d explain later. In the meantime, he could see no reason not to have a little fun.
Peter whistled when he got his first look at the helicopter. The EC120 B Colibri’s paint was still shiny new. They hadn’t had it all that long. Jordan hadn’t been up in it yet, but Henry said she flew like a dream.
“This belongs to your family?” Peter asked.
“The families,” Jordan corrected. “Or rather, technically, the airstrip and everything else on it belongs to the Lusty, Texas, Town Trust.”
“The legal entity that Warren Jessop set up all those years ago to give them the space and the privacy they needed to live as they chose,” Peter said. “I did a little research on top of hearing the stories from my abuela. My roots are here, and I’ve always been curious.”
In Jordan’s experience, those who were connected to Lusty but never visited could be just as loyal as those born here. He felt himself begin to relax, just a little. “Turns out my ancestor was a hell of a lawyer. That trust still stands today.”
Jordan led Peter through the hangar and out the other side. Barely any space separated the two entrances. He unlocked the other door.
“Wow. You don’t see many of these up close,” Peter said. He took
