Once Upon A Marriage. Tara Taylor Quinn

found it so easy to identify with the poor guy, who’d looked at Ms. Harcourt as though she was the sun, moon and stars all rolled into one.

      And so, with a few hours’ sleep in his own one-bedroom apartment after seeing Miss Harcourt to the airport that morning for her flight back to New York, he’d called Barbara Bustamante. His plan was twofold. To fire himself. And to acquire her permission to tell her daughter who he was.

      Asking Marie out, which was his ultimate goal, would follow the meeting of those goals.

      He’d failed on both counts. Mrs. Bustamante categorically refused to allow him to tell Marie—ever—that she’d hired him to watch her. Her paranoia had already rubbed off far too much on her daughter. She didn’t want Marie to know that her own mother didn’t trust her to make wise decisions where men were concerned. Specifically where her new business partner, but longtime friend, Liam Connelly, was concerned.

      And second, she warned him not to quit. Not while things were still so raw with Connelly Investments. Not while he was still watching Liam. He had the perfect in. She’d financed the plan he’d put in place. It would be highly unprofessional for him to just walk out. She could file a complaint against him.

      He’d been tempted to tell her that it would be highly unprofessional for him to have a thing for his client’s daughter, but refrained.

      Because she was right. He’d signed on to do a job that was not yet complete. No one else was going to be able to step into his shoes and have Liam believe that his father’s bodyguard had sent him. Elliott’s ability to do that had been a fluke of timing. A godsend. And had worked so well in part because Liam hadn’t been speaking with his father at the time. And also because everyone had assumed he’d been hired in secret and hadn’t asked too many questions.

      Later, when Walter Connelly had denied having any part in Elliott’s presence in their lives, Liam had taken the words with a grain of salt. His father might not be an embezzler, but he’d been found out to be an inveterate liar.

      If not for the plea agreement he’d been offered in exchange for full cooperation in the ongoing investigation of the Ponzi scheme being run through his company, Walter would be facing his own trial on lesser charges. And Liam was now in position to know everything that went on in his father’s company, and in much of his personal business, as well.

      If anyone else stepped in to watch over the Arapahoe and her owners and occupants now, a big question would be raised as to why. As to who’d sent the new bodyguard. Liam would ask questions Elliott couldn’t afford to have him ask. Barbara’s role in all of this could very well end up being exposed.

      The Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado would have cause to take action against him for a code of ethics violation. He could lose everything.

      Falling for Marie could be a code of ethics violation, too. If he acted on his feelings. So the only solution here was to stay away from her.

      Or come clean with Barbara and risk Marie’s safety.

      He’d decided to give things another month. If no other threats had come forth, if Liam Connelly’s life had no longer appeared to be in danger, he’d pull the plug. Get the heck out of their lives.

      Barbara wasn’t ever going to let him tell Marie the truth about their association and he couldn’t enter into a relationship with Marie without doing so.

      Not that he was even certain she’d have had him. All of which was a moot now.

      “I just spoke with Liam,” he said as Marie joined him at the door of her shop. With a quick look around, he knew they couldn’t talk out there. “He and Gabi are on their way down. I need to speak with the three of you in private. Can we go back to your office?”

      He didn’t see anyone behind the counter. Marie wasn’t supposed to work alone. Not since Liam’s father’s company had been under investigation right after the three of them went into business together and Liam moved in.

      Coincidence?

      Probably.

      But he’d agreed with Barbara on her initial assessment of the situation three months before. The coincidence was too suspicious.

      He just no longer suspected Liam Connelly of any subterfuge or wrongdoing. The man had been framed.

      “Eva’s...” The front door of the shop opened behind him and he swung to see Marie’s newest employee, a somewhat ditzy college sophomore, come in.

      “Back,” Marie finished. “You go ahead to the office,” she said to Elliott. “I’ve got something to finish up here and then I’ll join you.”

      Elliott thought the better idea was to wait for her out front. So he stood as inconspicuously as a six-foot-seven-inch, broad-shouldered man could stand, and waited while she helped an old man put some things in an envelope, watched Eva put candles on one of Marie’s amazing double-fudge cakes and then watched the front while the two women escorted the man down the back hall and to the elevator.

      Liam and Gabi got off the old car as Dale, Marie called him, got on. Trading places with Eva, Elliott made his way back to Marie’s office.

      “What’s up?” Liam, who was standing behind his wife’s chair, arms crossed, faced Elliott as he shut the door. The Connellys, in dark dress pants and shirts, looked as though they’d just stepped out of a boardroom—on a Sunday evening. Marie, in the armed office chair behind her desk, on the other hand, was far too attractive in her stained blue-and-yellow Arapahoe Coffee Shop apron with tendrils of long blond hair falling out of the pony tail she always wore.

      “I’m upping your security alert level.” He got right to the point. This was business. And he had no business finding any pleasure while he was there. “It’s just a precaution,” he added, raising a hand when all three mouths facing him opened at once. “But to be on the safe side, we’re back to no one in the coffee shop alone, even during the day, and you call me every time you have to go out.” The latter was directed at Liam.

      “I’m available to see Gabrielle to work every morning and home again in the evening if you so desire.” The protocol Liam had insisted upon when he first took Elliott on.

      Gabrielle looked at Marie. “Did you get another letter? We should have been here. I’m so sorry...”

      Marie shook her head. “No,” she said, glancing toward Elliott with concern written all over her face. And then, with her expression softening, turned back to Gabrielle. “And you have no reason to be sorry. It isn’t every day that Liam’s father invites you two to accompany him, and brunch at the governor’s mansion is an honor. A sign of his growing acceptance and respect.”

      Elliott had known Walter was in town for the weekend to take care of some business. He hadn’t been told exactly what the business was.

      “I’m assuming your father’s on his way back to Florida?” he asked Liam, just to make certain that there hadn’t been a change of plans.

      “Yes. Tamara’s got a softball game tomorrow night. They’re in the play-offs.”

      Tamara Bolin, the fourteen-year-old half sister Liam had just found out about during the initial investigation of his father’s company. She lived with her mother, Missy, in a beach cottage Walter Connelly had purchased for them years before. Walter and Missy were married now and Walter, having given Liam a lot more control in the business he’d almost lost, was spending a good bit of his time in Florida. Working from his home office. With trips up to Denver to meet face-to-face with the powerful and moneyed clientele he’d taken on over the years.

      Most of whom were still with them.

      “So what’s going on?” Gabrielle sat forward, her expression stoic but focused. She reminded Elliott most of himself.

      A woman who kept her heart under lock and key.

      Except when it came to Marie and Liam.

      He envied her