“It’s not easy being married to someone in law enforcement.” The defensive statement slipped out before she could think better of it.
He glanced her way. “No, I don’t suppose it would be.” His response was slow and deliberate, as if he chose his words carefully. “But my mother knew what my dad did for a living before she married him and has lived with it for over forty years.”
Feeling an argument rising, Paige declined to comment. Josh certainly knew her feelings on the matter, and she didn’t want to rehash issues that neither of them could agree upon.
As she stared out the window and watched the scenery pass, Paige wondered how Anna dealt with the men in her life putting their jobs before family, and decided the woman was a saint to tolerate the stress and worry. She had a husband who’d been with the Fort Lauderdale police department, and her eldest son, Vince, who was married with three children and one on the way, worked for the Jupiter police department. Though Jupiter was a relatively low-crime community, two years ago he’d been shot in the arm during a convenience-store robbery. The wound hadn’t been life-threatening, but Paige clearly remembered how frantic Audrey, Vince’s wife, had been over the incident She also recalled thinking that their three adorable little girls had come too close to losing their daddy.
And then there was Josh, a homicide detective who worked long hours investigating crime scenes and tracing leads, and sacrificed family gatherings for the sake of the job. He didn’t put himself in the direct line of fire, not intentionally, but the danger was always there.
The only Marchiano male who hadn’t opted for a career in law enforcement was twenty-nine-year-old JoeL He was the smart one, Paige decided-he’d gone into business with a friend and chartered sailboats in St. Lucie. The family affectionately called him the beach bum, and he joked that, with his laid-back life-style, he was going to outlive them all.
Josh’s older sister, Tyne, had married a conservative accountant and lived in Orlando with her husband and five children, and Gina, the baby of the family, was still single and working in Tampa as an ad executive. At least Anna didn’t have to worry much about her daughters’ welfare.
“So, do your mom and dad know we’re coming?” she asked curiously.
Josh exited off Interstate 95 and headed east on Indiantown Road to a more remote part of Jupiter. “No. I thought I’d surprise them.”
More quietly, she asked, “Do they know about Anthony and this case?”
“Dad does. I told him the last time I came up to visit. I also asked him not to tell Mom.” He reached across the console and rested his hand on her thigh. His touch burned through the material of the casual dress she’d donned at the boutique and kicked her pulse up a notch. “Don’t worry, he won’t put you on the spot with awkward questions. If anything, he’ll ask me about the case privately.”
“I appreciate that.” She didn’t mind discussing Anthony’s betrayal with Josh, but felt uncomfortable doing so with Nick. “Since your parents aren’t expecting us, what are we going to do if they aren’t home?”
“I have a key to the house, and we’ll be alone.” His brows bobbed mischievously. “The possibilities are endless.” His voice dropped, filling with sexy male undertones.
Those intimate “possibilities” swirled in her mind, prompting thoughts of the sweet, drugging kiss he’d given her that morning and how reluctant she’d been for it to end. She’d wanted to feel his hands on her breasts, stroking her belly. Wanted him to ease the ache lingering from that strange, erotic dream she’d had before he’d woken her with the delicious smells of breakfast Even now, she felt unfulfilled, wanting Josh in a way she had no business entertaining. Not when she intended to leave him.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the three bedroom house Josh’s parents had built on a prime piece of land after Nick’s retirement from the force five years ago. Ten acres of woods surrounded the charming old-style Victorian home, and a small stable nearby connected to a fenced-in pasture, where two beautiful quarterhorses grazed. The atmosphere was peaceful and serene.
Before either one of them could exit the car, his slender, petite mother was out of the house and heading down the porch stairs. A huge smile wreathed a pretty face framed by short, silky hair the same shade as Josh’s, and dark eyes twinkled with pure delight
“What a lovely surprise!” Reaching Paige as she stepped from the Volvo, the older woman wrapped he in an affectionate hug. “It’s so good to see you, dear.”
Paige closed her eyes, absorbing the warm embrace before letting the other woman go. She smiled. “It’s good to see you, too, Anna.”
Anna’s gaze narrowed in mock reprimand, and she shook a chastising finger at her. “You haven’t visited in months!”
“She’s been working too hard,” Josh interjected as he rounded the vehicle, saving Paige from fabricating ai excuse for her absence. “So I decided to kidnap her and bring her here for some forced R and R.”
“And you, Joshua Michael,” Anna admonished turning to her son to give him equal treatment. “You haven’t called in weeks, let alone returned the messages I left on your answering machine.”
Josh ducked his head sheepishly, making him appear adorably contrite. “I’ve been busy, Ma.”
“Hmmph.” Anna’s expression softened, but she wasn’t completely ready to forgive. “Too busy to call your mother to let her know you’re doing okay?”
Josh rolled his eyes and gave Anna a hug that seemed to swallow her up whole within his broad chest, the planted a kiss on her cheek. “Stop already, Ma. You’re embarrassing me in front of Paige. I promise it won’ happen again.”
She gave him a curt, satisfied nod. “Be sure that i doesn’t.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, shooting Paige a co vert, I-can’t-believe-she’s-doing-this-to-me-in-front-of-you kind of look.
Paige nearly chuckled at Josh’s embarrassment, but didn’t think he’d appreciate her laughing at his expense. Paige admired the other woman. She certainly knew how to handle her boys and keep them in line-with a firm hand and a loving heart.
“Your father is down in the stables. Go on and get him and don’t give him a heart attack by sneaking up on him. He’s getting old and isn’t as spry as he used to be.” She accompanied the outrageous lie with a sly smile and shooed Josh in that direction. “Paige and I are going into the house for a glass of iced tea and some girl talk. I’ll call Vince and Joel and see if they can make it for dinner tonight.”
"I’d like that.” Josh’s warm gaze touched on Paige, then returned to his mother. ”If you don’t mind, Ma, we’d like to stay overnight.”
Anna looked properly affronted. “Of course I don’t mind! That’s what the guest room is for, though you’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
“That’s fine,” he conceded with a grin.
Paige followed Anna into her large, spacious kitchen. Anna and Nick lived alone in the custom-built house, but Anna felt that a large cooking and eating area was a necessity, because that’s where her family always socialized during get-togethers. Strong family ties, good authentic Italian food and unconditional love were the bonds that held the Marchianos together. Paige loved the other woman’s traditional values and how she’d managed to instill in her children the same ideals and morals:
Anna insisted Paige make herself at home, and Paige felt comfortable enough to do so. While she poured each of them a glass of tea, Anna phoned Joel and gave him a similar guilt-inducing spiel about not stopping by often enough when he only lived an hour away. Before she hung up, she’d secured Joel’s attendance for dinner. Though Vince was on duty until six that evening, his wife, Audrey, promised to be by soon with the children. Tyne and Gina both lived too far away to make such an impromptu trip.