Free All They Ever Wanted by Tracy Solheim

don’t think we can fight that battle with her. She’s going to do what she’s going to do. And that means taking in a desperate stranger or two. All we can do is run interference if something becomes a danger to Mom. I don’t like it any more than you do, Miles, but I take some comfort that Mom’s got Lamar watching over her now, too. And you can be sure he’s already vetted Lori himself.”
    The mention of the sheriff caused the throbbing in Miles’ temple to intensify.
    Gavin shook his head as though he knew Miles’ train of thought. “Seriously, bro, you’ve got to let these things go. Focus on the campaign instead, okay? You’ve worked so hard to get to this point, enjoy it. This is your time, Miles.”
    His brother was right. Miles’ life was back to going as scripted. But that didn’t mean he still wouldn’t worry about his mother and what trouble might be following the women she chose to shelter. With his mom at least on the grounds of the inn, he needn’t sweat the day-to-day running of the B and B. But he would be keeping an eye on Little Miss Stubborn Mouth. A close eye.
    *   *   *
    Being careful to walk along the periphery of the inn’s large breakfast room, Lori quietly checked the contents of each silver chafing dish on the mahogany sideboard. This morning’s breakfast consisted of pimento cheese grits, mounds of turkey bacon, hickory smoked sausage, praline and pecan French toast, and seasonal fruit. It was nearly ten o’clock, and Lori took great pleasure in the fact that almost every morsel had been eaten. Cooking had always been her passion. It had also been her downfall, but she couldn’t dwell on that right now. Not in a room full of twenty strangers, any one of whom might recognize something about her.
    â€œHe has my vote and I don’t even live in the state of North Carolina,” one of the female guests tittered, stopping Lori in her tracks.
    The woman’s companion at the table peered over the rim of her coffee cup across the room. Lori followed her gaze just in time to see Miles crouch down to listen to something a guest at one of the other tables was saying.
    â€œSeriously, I wonder how young you have to be to work as a congressional page,” the woman whispered.
    Both women laughed out loud as their oblivious husbands discussed plans for a day at one of the local golf courses.
    Miles was dressed in a light blue shirt that fit him like a second skin, and Lori had no doubt all the females in the room were tracking his progress, paying particular attention as themuscles in his back flexed with every move. Not to mention that when he bent down, his chinos stretched over an ass that had obviously seen its fair share of squats. Putting that body on such an arrogant man was definitely a sin in Lori’s book.
    He stood up then and his wily eyes swept the room, passing over Lori before quickly flicking back to land on her face. A face she hoped wasn’t crimson after having been caught ogling him. His eyes narrowed and he started toward her only to have another guest intercept him. Lori took advantage of his distraction to slip back into the kitchen, where Cassidy sat at the island munching on a banana.
    â€œThe dryer is buzzing,” the girl said around a mouthful of the fruit. “I’ll do most anything around here, but you know I hate wrestling the sheets into neat piles.”
    Lori headed to the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen, swiftly pulling out a load of towels from the industrial-sized dryer. Snapping each one, she then folded it neatly before stacking them in the laundry basket. The mindless task helped her to regroup after Miles’ heated glare in the breakfast room. He was angry and she knew why. But he wouldn’t win this round.
    Still, his voice startled her when he entered the kitchen. “We need more coffee in the dining room.”
    Without a word,