The Pursued Patriot: Georgia Patriots Romance Read online

  The Pursued Patriot

  Georgia Patriots Romance

  Cami Checketts

  Copyright © October 2019 by Cami Checketts

  The Pursued Patriot: Georgia Patriots Romance

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Daniel Coleman, Charmain Tan, and Denver Checketts.

  Contents

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  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  The Stranded Patriot

  The Committed Warrior

  Also by Cami Checketts

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  Chapter One

  Mike Kohler walked onto the wooden plank patio of the outdoor restaurant on the picturesque Hilton Head Island, searching for a seat. He hated eating alone but supposed he’d have to get used to it. At least now the Patriots were back in season, and most meals would be eaten with the team, or he could get a teammate or friend in Atlanta to go out with him.

  Dating any of the beautiful women who pursued him wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. After most dates, he’d get crazy emails from his stalker, claiming she was going to dismember his date, or worse, especially if he dared to go out with the same woman twice. The threats had escalated lately, and some of the women had sent him texts about weird accidents happening to them. Accidents that were exactly like the threat issued. Quite often, he’d get a follow-up email explaining how the accident could’ve been fatal if this had been a second date. Luckily none of them had been seriously injured, but it was so creepy that he hardly dared go out with a woman even once. He refused to involve anyone else in the psychotic web of his stalker.

  He was here on Hilton Head Island, off the coast of South Carolina, because he’d been ordered by the Patriots’ owner, Bucky Buchanan, to “get out of Dodge and clear your head of that idiot stalker for a weekend.” As this was their bye weekend, he’d been excused from practice. Missing practice made him feel out of sorts, but at least he now had the best security money could buy. Sutton Smith had recently assigned Gunner and Lily Steele to protect him. He liked the newlywed couple, a lot. Gunner was a tougher-than-nails ex-Navy SEAL and Mike’s teammate Preston Steele’s brother. The connection was nice and made him more comfortable than the bodyguards Bucky had been providing the past few years. Lily had an interesting past with her mother being Bella Jolie, a famous actress who had cracked and tried to kill Gunner and Lily for publicity. Mike might have a crazy stalker, but at least he had a nice, normal family.

  Gunner and Lily had a connecting suite to his at the Hilton. Mike knew with them close by, no stalker would hurt him, but he was more concerned about her hurting a woman he might find interesting. For the present time, his dating life had screeched to a halt.

  Gunner and Lily walked into the restaurant on his four o’clock and took an intimate table a few over from where he sat. He glanced around the beach-front restaurant, loving the view and the scent of salty air mingled with grilling meat. He was looking over the menu when a friendly voice greeted him, “Welcome to the Crabby Grill.” A redheaded girl, who looked barely out of braces, set an ice water down in front of him and grinned. “You want something different to drink? A recommendation for dinner?”

  “Thanks.” Mike took a swallow of the water and peered at the menu. “I’d love a strawberry daiquiri, virgin, and yeah, what are your recommendations?”

  She wrinkled her nose, and her blue eyes sparkled. “Well, first, I’m going to recommend that you take my friend, Shar, out on a date. She’s a huge fan of yours. I mean, crazy huge!”

  “Excuse me?” Mike straightened. So he’d been recognized. It was fine, it happened, but hopefully it wouldn’t bring his stalker here. If this child wanted him to take her teenage friend out, they were both in for a disappointment.

  The redhead tilted her head toward the open doors that led to the kitchen. Mike followed her gaze, ready to explain that he didn’t date teenagers. There was another teenager there, a pixy blonde, but she tugged someone else to the opening, and his eyes caught on an absolutely exquisite woman. She was maybe in her mid-twenties, close to his own age. She had olive skin, long, dark hair, and deep brown eyes. Wearing a flowered apron over a tank top and shorts, she was obviously fit and lean. Her gaze met his, and his stomach swooped. She wanted to meet him? If only he felt safe dating. He’d take her out in a second.

  There was something so familiar about her, and suddenly it struck him. Her friend, Shar? No, that woman was … Ally Steele, his friend Preston’s wife, and he definitely shouldn’t be checking her out. He remembered Ally being more rounded, not quite as lean, but he really shouldn’t be analyzing her shape at all.

  He whipped back around, and the redhead was watching him expectantly. “So?” She winked. “Shar? What’d you think? She’s pretty, huh?”

  He thought this girl was completely unprofessional. “About those recommendations?” he asked.

  Her mouth drooped, and her blue eyes filled with confusion. “You didn’t think she was pretty? What are you, blind?”

  Mike clenched the menu. “She is gorgeous, but that woman is Ally Steele, my friend’s wife.”

  The redhead’s grin returned. “No! Shar is Ally’s twin sister, and this is her restaurant. You think she’s gorgeous. Yes!” She pumped a fist in the air.

  Mike’s shoulders relaxed as understanding filled him, but then he went back to thinking about how unprofessional this was. Shar Heathrow, Ally’s sister, owned this restaurant. He remembered now from Preston and Ally’s wedding that Ally had a twin, but he’d never met her, just admired her from afar. Why was she hiring teenagers to be waitresses and fix her up on dates? Did they not have child labor laws in South Carolina?

  “You stay right here. I’ll go get your daiquiri and tell Shar she has to come meet you. Oh, and I’ll get you some fried pickles, on the house. They’re delicious. And a big guy like you? Get the platter—crab, lobster, steak, and barbecued chicken. You’ll love it.” She squealed happily and took off toward the kitchen entrance.

  Mike’s head was whirling as she skipped away from him. He’d love to meet Shar officially, but it might be awkward after the young girl tried to set them up. He couldn’t imagine Shar instigating that, but he didn’t know anything about her.

  He waited and waited, shifting impatiently in the chair. He tried to focus on the calming beach waves and the delicious scents emanating from the kitchen, but knowing Shar Heathrow was coming to talk to him had him sitting straighter and trying to appear confident yet relaxed. He didn’t dare take his phone out and check his emails, so he didn’t look so desperate, but he was more worried about looking like one of those guys who couldn’t disconnect. As time ticked by, it was getting a little unnerving wondering when she’d appear. He didn’t think it was smart to date, but his stalker couldn’t be watching him right now. Nobody knew they’d left Atlanta except Bucky, Gunner, Lily, and Sutton Smith, their boss. There
was nothing wrong with simply meeting a beautiful woman.

  He kept sneaking glances back at the kitchen, and suddenly, Lily was slowly walking by him, her blue eyes full of concern.

  “Everything okay?” she whispered when she reached him, pulling her long, blonde hair forward to cover her face.

  “Yeah.”

  She nodded and walked on past. Had he looked that nervous? He would’ve done the signal if he was in distress, but he must be really fidgety for Lily to approach him.

  Someone rushed out of the kitchen entrance, and he straightened his back and turned slightly with a welcoming smile. His smile drooped a little bit when the redhead came back out alone. She set the daiquiri down and a plate of fried pickles. She looked … upset.

  “Thanks,” Mike said.

  “I’m sorry,” she burst out in almost a wail then she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and rocked back and forth.

  “It’s okay.” Mike tried for a soothing tone. He knew he was big and often intimidated people at six-six and two-fifty, but this girl didn’t seem afraid of him. She was more frustrated and in despair. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes!” She flung her hands around. “Shar’s too nice to ever get mad at me, but I think I embarrassed her. When I told her what I’d said, and what you’d said, her face got all stiff, and she said she was too busy cooking to come meet you right now, and then she rushed off out back, hiding in the alley behind the restaurant. I’m no dummy, okay? I can read between the lines. I messed it up, and now she’s never going to meet you, and you’re like her hero. I mean she even has posters of you all over the kitchen. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has some at her house. That’s how much she loves you, and now I’ve messed up your cute-meet. Oh, crap-shooters!”

  The girl finally stopped her rant, and Mike should’ve been worried that half the restaurant was staring at him, but something was churning in his gut. Posters of him? Her hero? How much she loved him? It was an absolutely crazy thought … but at the same time, it wasn’t. Could Shar Heathrow be his stalker? He glanced pointedly at Gunner and Lily, rubbed at his jaw, and then rubbed his hand over his hair. Lily’s eyes widened, and Gunner looked more serious than usual, which was saying something as he was a pretty stiff guy, except for with his wife.

  Mike stood, towering over the teenage redhead. “You didn’t mess it up,” he tried to say reassuringly. “I’ll go find Shar, talk it out with her. You said she went behind the restaurant?”

  The girl’s eyes filled with relief. “Yeah.” She pointed. “Thanks.”

  Mike threw a couple of twenties down on the table, and she raised a questioning eyebrow. “Just in case I don’t make it back.” He forced a smile, but his gut was churning. If Shar was his stalker, he wouldn’t dare eat anything she cooked. He was going to try to play charming and maybe get the truth out of her. If only Gunner and Lily agreed.

  He eased to the side of the restaurant, waiting in the shadows. Gunner and Lily approached him and moved in close. “What’s going on?” Gunner asked.

  “This is Shar Heathrow’s restaurant.”

  “Ally’s sister? Like my sister-in-law’s sister, so we’re basically related?” Lily said in her usual funny way of phrasing things. “That’s a cool coincidence.”

  “I don’t know what to think. The little redhead wanted me to meet her, said I’m her hero and she has posters of me at the restaurant and possibly even at her home.” He arched an eyebrow. “Then she was all upset because she said Shar got embarrassed and took off behind the restaurant.”

  “Posters of you?” Lily repeated. “A grown woman? That’s … a bit sketchy.”

  “She could easily be the stalker,” Gunner got there quick, his dark eyes full of concern.

  “That’s what I wondered. She’d have access to a lot of information about me through Preston and Ally.”

  “Didn’t you meet her at their wedding?” Lily asked.

  “No. I saw her and thought she was beautiful, but it was a big wedding, and I never got close enough to talk to her.”

  “Hmm.” Gunner was rubbing at his short beard. “We can check into her. Let’s go find food somewhere else, though. I don’t want to eat anything your stalker might have cooked.”

  Mike nodded, but he had another idea. “What if I approach her with you two following me? I could gain her trust and see if she reveals anything.” It made him a little nervous, but if there was any chance to catch this stalker and move on with his life, he’d take it.

  “That could be dangerous,” Lily said.

  “You two can keep me in your sights. It’s not like my stalker has ever threatened me, only the women I date.”

  They both still looked dubious.

  “Come on. I’m sick of living like this.” Not being able to date sucked, but he also hated being commanded to miss practice. Football had been his life for so long that he felt off not being with his team and working hard for the next goal. “‘We can check into her’ might take months to come up with another dead-end.”

  They’d been checking into his college girlfriend, Meredith, who had been royally ticked when Mike dumped her days after signing on with the Patriots his senior year. She’d claimed he’d dumped her because he wanted to go date famous women, didn’t want to share his money and thought she’d hurt his obsession with football. He’d actually dumped her because she was too possessive and freaked out if he gave too much time to football, or if another woman so much as smiled at him. Sutton’s men hadn’t found anything on her though, besides the fact she’d moved to his hometown of Birmingham after she got her master’s degree, went to his dad’s church, and was close friends with his sister. None of those things made her a stalker, just made it awkward trying to avoid her when he went home.

  Lily’s blue eyes were wary, but Gunner nodded. “If you want to try it. Maybe talk her into a walk on the beach. Stay in open areas at all times. We’ll be close.”

  Mike clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.” He headed for the back of the restaurant. It was a darkened alleyway, not quite what Gunner had just described as an open area, but Shar Heathrow was half his size. His stalker might be deranged, but she’d never made threats directly against him. He wasn’t too worried. At the moment he was mostly excited. He might be able to end this stalker nonsense once and for all.

  Chapter Two

  Shar Heathrow paced behind her restaurant, trying to decide how to play this. Mike Kohler was sitting at one of her tables, and Kelly, that sweet little airhead, had told him that Shar had a crush on him. She’d probably also revealed Shar had posters of him tacked all over the restaurant walls. The posters had been a joke. When her younger sister Kim caught her staring at Mike at Ally’s wedding, and then Shar had refused to go introduce herself, Kim had realized Shar had a wicked crush. She’d started teasing her about him. The teasing escalated, and Kim and her husband, Colt, had come by the restaurant one time and secretly tacked up posters of Mike all over the kitchen. Shar should’ve taken them down, but none of the restaurant help complained about looking at Mike Kohler’s handsome face, and heaven knew she enjoyed it.

  Yet she couldn’t just march up to him, stick out her hand, and say, “Shar Heathrow. I idolize you.” It was all sports idolizing anyway, right? She’d fallen in love with football as a teenager. Her parents thought sports were idiotic. They were completely focused on their girls’ talents and brains. But they couldn’t say anything when Shar was elected student body vice president and had to attend every sporting event. Football was her favorite.

  She’d gotten her business degree at Auburn before going on to culinary school because she always knew she wanted to start her own restaurant. Mike Kohler was the wide receiver sensation at Auburn, a football icon, winning all kinds of awards and everyone’s heart with his gentle, humble manner and gorgeous face and smile. She’d never missed a home game, even streaming the away games on her computer. Of course, she hadn’t met the superstar of a huge university. He was busy dating the chee
rleaders. When he showed up at her sister’s wedding, her confident and fun-loving personality vacated the scene, and she was too scared to even be introduced to him.

  Now, he was here! At her very own restaurant. Heaven on her doorstep. She paced the alleyway, thinking up ways she could greet him and make him laugh. Should she say: “Hey handsome, sorry about Kelly. We worry she’ll drown standing up in the shower.” No, that was horrid of her to think, let alone verbalize. Shar loved Kelly. She was just a little perturbed with the sixteen-year-old fairy-tale believer at the moment. How about: “So glad you made it. I’d like to start with an interview before I agree to you being the father of my children.” No, that was tacky too. Dang, she really wanted him … in every which way.

  “Dang, girl, why are you so pathetic?” she asked thin air.

  Shar was asked on dates all the time. When she wasn’t too busy with her restaurant, she even accepted some of those dates with handsome, kind, and smart men. She had fun dating. She had a great life. She didn’t need to be such a pathetic fangirl. But come on, this was the Mike Kohler.

  Shar faced the dumpster and jumped, bouncing from foot to foot, psyching herself up. She pretended to punch the dumpster a few times, and then yelled, “You got this, girlie!” Then her shoulders sagged, she shook her head, and muttered, “No, I absolutely have not got this.” She clenched her fists and rolled her neck. “Come on, come on. Get some confidence, you pathetic loser.”

  “Excuse me,” a deep voice said from behind her.