“Thanks, Hank. We’ll see you soon.” Grimm ended the call and glanced across at Dezi.
“I’m glad you have the connections you do,” she said. “First of all, I didn’t have the foresight to snap a photo before someone absconded with the map. Even if I’d had the photo, I wouldn’t know how to come up with the coordinates.” She sat back in her seat, a smile lifting the corners of her lips. “I’m glad you’re along for this ride with me.”
Her quirky smile and confidence in him made his heart lighter. He’d told her he was terrible at relationships. That hadn’t daunted her in the least. Still, she deserved a man who didn’t have his genetic makeup. A man who would be kind, caring and love her to the day they died.
She’d be easy to love. Her optimism and ability to make others smile made Grimm want to be a better person. Not the man he’d grown up with. He never wanted to be his father or his mother. She’d cowed to him, afraid to get out of the abusive relationship. Had she been more like Dezi, she would have taken her son and left the first time her husband had hit her.
Grimm couldn’t see Dezi putting up with an abusive spouse. Then again, she was small. A big man could overpower her easily.
The thought bothered him. He didn’t like the idea of any man overpowering the petite chef and hurting her.
He was glad she’d chosen him to be her protector for the day. But what about tomorrow? Who would look out for her well-being tomorrow or the next day? Until she got to the end of the clues list and found what her uncle had intended for her to find, she was at risk. Someone else seemed intent on finding whatever treasure Leon Thomas might have found.
If he had to take time off from demolition duty at the Lucky Lady Lodge, he would. He had some money saved. He could afford to take off a couple of days, even a week if that’s what it took to see that Dezi remained safe. He’d work with Molly to make sure she wouldn’t be upset by his change in plans. He suspected she would be as concerned about her friend as he was and would want him to continue his service as her protector until a time when she didn’t need protecting anymore.
“I was shocked when I heard the medical examiner say my uncle was murdered,” Dezi said as if talking to herself.
“I didn’t expect that finding,” Grimm agreed.
“It shocked me even more when Eugene said their other poker partner, Joe, had recently died of a stroke.”
Grimm had felt alarm bells going off in his head when the ticket guy had informed them of the other man’s death. “Too much of a coincidence.”
“My thoughts, exactly,” Dezi said. “Four men who played poker together. Two of them are now dead.”
“Makes me want to warn Eugene to watch his back,” Grimm said.
“And the other poker player.” Dezi tapped a finger to her chin. “I wished we’d asked what the fourth man’s name was.”
Grimm frowned. “You can give Eugene a call at the train station and tell him to be careful,” he suggested. “Then you can ask him the name of the fourth player.”
Dezi already had her cell phone out, looking up the phone number of the train station in Bozeman. She placed the call and waited.
After a while, she frowned. “We’re out of range. The call didn’t go through.”
“As soon as we reach Hank’s, we’ll call him. I’m worried about the man,” Grimm said.
“Me, too,” Dezi chewed on her bottom lip, making Grimm want to do the same.
He’d loved how her mouth felt against his and the way she’d caressed his tongue with hers.
She wasn’t afraid of him or that he might end up being a wife-beater like his old man. Dezi wouldn’t put up with that for long. She’d have the confidence and determination to get out of an abusive situation before it killed her.
Grimm’s chest tightened. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting the perky chef. Especially not him. She was a happy, optimistic woman with her life and career in front of her. She deserved the best. A man who would complement her strengths and skills. A man who would love her unconditionally and support her in her endeavors.
He wasn’t that man. Grimm was confident in every aspect of his career as a Delta Force Soldier, and now, a construction worker and part-time protector. He completely lacked confidence in his ability to control his temper and be gentle with a woman.
Grimm glanced across at Dezi and wished he wasn’t the man he was. He wished he was the kind of man who would be what Dezi needed and deserved. A man who would never lift a hand to hurt her. A man who would love her forever, no matter what mistakes she might make, real or imagined.
She sat by his side with the photograph of her uncle, father and grandfather in her lap.
“Have you had a chance to look at this photograph,” Dezi asked, holding up one of the photos with four men holding long-neck bottles of beer, smiling at the camera.
One of the men in the photo was obviously her uncle. Another looked to be Eugene, Leon’s friend and fellow poker player. The picture had been taken several years earlier, based on how much younger Eugene appeared.
“Do you think this is a photo of the infamous poker players?” Dezi asked. “I really wished we’d asked for the names of the other players. Eugene mentioned a Joe.”
“Joe, who?” Grimm asked.