LITMIR.BIZ

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beside the couch, holding a photo in her hand. She turned the picture toward him.

      The woman staring back at him was no child. Honey-blond hair, warm brown eyes and a face as delicate as the china he’d recently held stared back at him. A rush of desire hit Ben hard and a shot of adrenaline jump-started his heart.

      “She’s almost thirty and quite a beauty, isn’t she?” Emma asked, pride lilting her voice.

      He met the older woman’s gaze and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “She’s…something all right.” A golden princess.

      In his profession Ben was used to observing people and photographs. He was used to forming opinions and going with gut instinct. He was rarely mistaken in his impressions and never blindsided by a pretty face. And he’d always been able to remain detached. Until now.

      This woman was beautiful enough to affect his senses and sensual enough to rev up his libido. Her eyes reflected a wealth of emotion and hidden secrets—secrets he yearned to uncover. The assignment he’d been about to throw away had suddenly become one he couldn’t resist and a distinct sense of unease slithered through him.

      “Grace moved to New York City a few years ago,” Emma said. “She’s always lived off the trust her parents set up for her as a child. No steady job, no steady man.” She said the last with enforced meaning before she appraised Ben from his work boots to his unkempt hair.

      He shook his head as if he could rid himself of her penetrating stare. “And what’s going on with Grace that’s prompted you to contact me now?”

      “She’s stopped withdrawing money from her trust and decided it’s time to live on her own.”

      “I’d think that was an admirable move,” Ben said, having more respect for the new Grace than the one who had lived off her family money for years.

      “Well, of course it is. It’s how I raised her, after all—To be her own person. It worked, to an extent. She got out of Hampshire and away from her controlling father, Edgar, who is my son. We call him the judge.” She laughed but the sound contained no joy. “He has no idea what family means. Though I admit, with my grandson, Logan’s, recent marriage and new baby, he’s learning. But Grace isn’t around to see it.”

      Sensing she’d gotten off track, Ben tried to steer her back to what she wanted from him. “So you want Grace back home?”

      Emma shook her head. “Not if she’s safe and happy in New York. That’s all I care about, you see. But I can’t get information out of her because she’s clammed up on me.” The older woman zipped her fingers across her lips. “All she’ll say is that she’s fine and I shouldn’t worry.” Emma snorted, telling Ben what she thought of her granddaughter’s silence. “How can I not worry, the way she travels with a camera around her neck, paying more attention to her photographs than her surroundings?”

      “She’s an adult,” Ben felt compelled to remind Emma.

      “Women like her are attacked every day in New York City. She swears she’s taken a self-defense class, as if that’s enough to soothe me. I’m certain she’s holding out. Ever since my brush with death, she thinks she’s protecting me. She doesn’t realize it’s more stressful on the heart, being kept in the dark.”

      Ben nodded in understanding. His own father had died of a heart attack when Ben had been eight. He remembered him as a good man with a heart of gold. Too bad that heart had also been weak and he’d died driving home from his job as a department store manager, leaving no insurance and little money in the bank. His mother had been forced to extreme measures to make ends meet, and she’d turned to the only experience she had—housekeeping, only this time she worked in other people’s homes.

      “Make no mistake, Mr. Callahan. I’m glad Grace is finally ready to tackle the world on her own.” Emma’s voice brought him back to the present. “It’ll give her a chance to sow those wild oats her father made her suppress, but at the same time, that kind of sudden freedom frightens me. Even nearing thirty Grace has been sheltered too long. And I know her. Now that she’s made a stand, her pride won’t let her call on me or her brother if she runs into trouble. I need to know she’s okay.” Emma placed a frail hand on his arm.

      “Call me Ben,” he said, wondering if Emma was right—if Grace had a penchant for getting into trouble, and if so, what kind.

      No way he could deny Emma the peace of mind she sought. Her obvious love for her granddaughter, along with his financial need, sealed his agreement.

      She smiled. “I’ve taken a few liberties under the assumption you’d take this case.”

      Ben was used to presumptuous clients, but he could only imagine what this woman had decided for him. “What liberties would those be, Mrs….” He caught the quick shake of her head and corrected the formality. “What liberties, Emma?”

      “Grace lives in Murray Hill, in a one-bedroom off Third Avenue. After a long talk with the landlord, I managed to secure you the apartment across the hall. It seems his brother lives there and he’s out of the country on business for the next month.” Her white smile widened. “Wouldn’t it be nice of his good friend Ben Callahan to apartment-sit for him?” She reached for something on the sofa table behind her and dangled a set of keys in front of his eyes.

      Ben shook his head. “How convenient.” He thought he’d been prepared for anything. He’d been wrong. “I’m sure you realize I already have a place to live, Emma.”

      She rolled her eyes as if he were slow. “Of course you do.” Without warning, the older woman grabbed for his hand again, and her eyes met his in a silent plea, one he had a hard time ignoring. His gut clenched as he silently acknowledged he was in trouble.

      “I need to know Grace is safe, satisfied and fulfilled before I pass on. And you can only do that if you get close enough to see for yourself. I’ve heard you’re the best, Ben.”

      He knew he was being worked shamelessly, and even so, he couldn’t look away. Worse, her motives seemed so honest and pure, he couldn’t bring himself to turn her down. What would it hurt if he got to know the granddaughter to assure the grandmother everything was okay? He could give the older woman peace of mind and finance his mother’s care at the same time. A win-win situation, even if it meant putting up with the older woman’s meddling.

      “Well?” Emma asked.

      He glanced at the photo once more. Detachment? Hell, he’d been sucker-punched by a picture. Heaven only knew what his reaction would be to Grace Montgomery in the flesh.

      Emma patted his knee. “That’s okay. All men react like that the first time they see her.”

      Was that supposed to make him feel better?

      “I suppose you realize now why she needs someone to look out for her, especially since she’s on her own and more vulnerable than before.”

      Ben had his doubts Grace was as naive as Emma painted her. After all, she’d been living in the city and even with money to burn, she’d have learned to be cautious and careful. Still, he understood and felt the older woman’s concern.

      Ben let out a groan. With little effort, he’d become invested in both Emma and her granddaughter. More than he should be with a client. Enough to warn him away from this case.

      He stared into those compelling brown eyes and knew he couldn’t walk away. Emma’s obvious love and concern for Grace was one reason, his financial needs another. But there was yet another, more elemental reason not to opt out, his personal misgivings be damned. If he bailed, Emma would find another private investigator to get up close and personal with her granddaughter.

      At a glance, Ben knew he couldn’t trust himself around Grace. But he sure as hell wasn’t about to let someone else take the job, either.

      

      ADRENALINE PUMPED THROUGH Grace’s system, a natural reaction to the afternoon spent capturing pictures that filled her soul.

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