used her hand to shield the afternoon sun from her eyes. “I noticed your accents. Are you guys from Texas?”
“Yep. We grew up in Wexler. It’s in south Texas, about two hours from Houston. Ever hear of it?”
“Actually, I have. I was born in Houston and went to high school in Jeffersville, which is about fifty miles from there.”
“No kidding? Small world.”
“In some ways.” But it could be a great big world, too. And lonely.
Bullet swept a muscular arm toward the water. “How ’bout that ocean? Ever see anything that blue?”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” In fact, that’s why she spent a lot of her free time at the beach on the North Shore.
“You here with friends?” he asked.
“Not at the moment.” She glanced at the two women sitting together on a blanket in the sand. It might be nice to have someone with her today, someone to offer solace and a diversion. But she didn’t.
“Just spending some alone time?” he asked.
She didn’t see a need to reveal that she was staying by herself this weekend, although she was pretty damn good at defending herself—with a gun or in hand-to-hand combat. “I have two vacation days left,, so I rented that bungalow behind me.”
“That makes us neighbors.” Bullet nodded toward his friends, who’d stopped playing and now stood with their hands on their hips, talking to two other women who’d just arrived. “We’re staying in the house next door.”
She’d already come to that conclusion, but she didn’t comment.
“We’re going to be grilling brats and hot dogs,” Bullet added. “And we’ve got plenty of beer on ice. Sodas, too. We even have a bottle of vodka and some OJ. You’re welcome to join us.”
Erica looked at his buddies, her gaze returning to Bullet, her attraction growing by leaps and bounds.
“Just so you know,” he added, “my friends and I are nice guys. Trustworthy and honorable. Especially Poncho. His day job is driving a squad car down Wexler’s main drag, keeping the residents safe.”
One of them was a police officer? She hadn’t expected that.
Erica was usually skeptical of flirtatious men, but something told her Bullet was honest. And that she’d be safe with the three Texas tourists.
So in spite of her plan to spend the rest of the day and evening alone, she agreed to join them.
“We’ll be starting the grill soon,” Bullet said. “How does an ice-cold beer sound?”
Every bit of common sense she’d ever had prompted her to say that she’d reconsidered, that she was going to pass on the barbecue after all. She wasn’t especially fond of hot dogs. But the loneliness and grief were getting to her, so she felt compelled to say, “Sure. Why not?”
“I’ll bring a beer over to you,” he said. “Unless you’d prefer a soda or mixed drink? I could make you a screwdriver.”
“Actually, the beer is fine.”
“You got it.” Then he turned and walked away, gracing her with a view of his broad shoulders and swim trunks that rode low on narrow hips and outlined a great pair of glutes. Dang. The guy had a heart-stopping swagger.
Moments later, after she’d shoved the novel into her tote bag and brushed out her hair, he returned with two ice-cold longnecks and handed one to her. She looked at the label. It was the Longboard Island Lager, made by the Kona Brewing Company. Apparently, these guys wanted the whole Hawaii experience.
“Mind if I sit here?” he asked.
“Go ahead.” She moved the ice chest, making room for him to sit beside her on the towel.
Instead, he chose the sand. She appreciated the humble move. She hated it when men tried to push boundaries. And the fact that Bullet seemed a bit shy and cordial was a bit of a turn-on.
Who was she kidding? It was more than a little alluring.
She took a long, refreshing drink. It had taken her a while to get used to the taste of beer, but after some time in the Army, she’d come to enjoy it after a hard day in the field.
“Tell me something,” she said. “Honestly. Is Poncho really a cop?”
“Yep. In fact, he was just promoted to detective.”
“I suppose he looks more like an authority figure in his uniform.”
Bullet laughed. “I don’t blame you for being surprised. Poncho used to be the rowdy one who led me and Duck astray, but once he turned twenty-one, he shocked the entire town, if not the high school, by joining the Wexler Police Department.”
“And Duck?” she asked. “Is he in law enforcement, too?”
“No, he’d rather be a lawbreaker.”
“Seriously?”
Bullet chuckled. “Maybe back in our high school days, but not so much anymore. Actually, he’s a rodeo cowboy. And a good one.”
She tended to be skeptical by nature, especially of men she’d just met, but Duck had a soft Texas twang and a lanky, muscular build. Of course, looks could be deceiving. Yet something in Bullet’s eyes suggested he wasn’t giving her a line of bull.
“What about you?” she asked, more curious about Bullet than the others.
He didn’t answer right away, then offered her a charming smile that dimpled his lightly bristled cheeks and made him appear both rugged and boyish at the same time. “Let’s just say that I can outride, out rope and outshoot both of them.”
That surprised her, although she wasn’t sure why it would. And he’d admitted that he was a better cowboy than the others, which just might be true. At least he hadn’t bragged about the number of silver belt buckles he’d won in the rodeo.
Erica had pretty much outgrown the type of guys she’d known as a teenager back in Jeffersville. Nevertheless, she found Bullet far more attractive than she should.
“How long will you be in Hawaii?” Bullet asked. Erica wasn’t about to reveal too many personal details with a guy she’d just met, no matter how hunky he was or how trustworthy she thought he might be. But then again, she didn’t see any reason not to be somewhat honest. If she kept the story simple, he wouldn’t have enough information about her to find her again—if he turned out to be a jerk. He didn’t need to know that she was stationed in Honolulu for the time being.
“Actually,” she said, “I just flew in from Houston.” It was the truth, of course. And it supported her comment about having two days left of her vacation. But she’d actually just returned from bereavement leave.
Several weeks ago, she’d gotten an early-morning call from the Texas hospital where her parents had been taken after the
