The Chase

Chapter Eight

As Seth pulled awayfrom the farm, Beck cradled Heavenly’s hand in his, relieved that she never glanced back. The sun sank toward the horizon as they drove the ten minutes into town. Her upset filled the silence.

With one hand, Seth drove toward the inn he’d booked for the night. With the other, he took Heavenly’s free hand in his. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay.”

But not great. Beck understood. “Do you want to talk about today?”

“Honestly, no. Grief has consumed me for a week. I’m sure it will hit me again later, but right now I need to think about something else.”

“You got it. We’ll talk about whatever you want.”

“How about food, angel?” Seth chimed in. “Take pity on us and tell us you’re hungry.”

She turned to the man with a slip of a smile, her pale hair grazing the curve of her plump breast.

Beck forced himself to focus on the color-splashed skies over Lake Superior so he didn’t wrap himself around her. She needed time, not groping. Besides, she might only want them for temporary moral support. Beck had given Seth shit in Vegas…but since she had reached out to them in need, he felt far less willing to set her free.

“Okay,” she conceded. “I’ll take pity on you and tell you I’m hungry.”

“But you’re not?” Seth looked crushed.

“You wanted me to take pity on you…”

The big guy sighed. “Could you try to eat? For us?”

Beck sent her a suspicious stare. “What have you eaten today?”

“I had some tea and a piece of toast earlier. It was enough.”

He huffed. “For a bird. Look, neither of us he-men have eaten since breakfast and we’re dying. You need food, too. We’re going to dinner.”

“There’s a restaurant at the inn,” Seth put in. “The website showed a picture of a fat, juicy steak.”

“Good call.” Beck held out a fist, and Seth bumped it.

Heavenly rolled her eyes in silent acquiescence. “I still say there was nothing wrong with my motel, but where are we staying tonight?”

They were spared correcting her when Seth pulled up in front of a big red-and-yellow Victorian with a giant wraparound porch. “Here.”

She went wide-eyed. “Really? I’ve always thought this place was pretty. I was dying to see the inside as a kid.”

After Seth put the car in park, Beck tugged on her hand. “Then let’s go.”

At the top of the walkway, the PI opened the arched wooden doors. Together, they entered a shallow foyer with a gleaming marble penny-tile floor, then passed through a second oak door under a clear transom. The day’s waning rays spilled light onto the pale herringbone hardwoods. Everything about this room looked regal, from the upholstered chairs tucked under the front window to the Federal-style mantel dominating the cheery fireplace and the intricately carved newels towering over the gleaming staircase.

“Wow…” Heavenly turned in a slow circle, drinking everything in, before her eyes gravitated up to the richly stained coffered ceiling. “It’s beautiful.”

Too heavy and traditional for Beck’s taste, but he loved that awe had replaced the sadness in her eyes.

Seth proved he was a man on a mission when he charged toward the middle-aged woman behind a podium. “Evening.”

“Welcome.” She sent him a professional smile. “Are you checking in or here for dinner?”

“Both.”

Within minutes, Seth had procured the key to their suite and gotten directions to the inn’s restaurant. “Ready to eat? I’m fucking starved.”