One in a Million

by Susan Mallery

  Nash shook his head. “You can’t start adding more people,” he said. “Not without written permission.”

  As he spoke he spotted his brother, Kevin, across the room. Haley was next to him, staring at him with a look of love and devotion that made Nash feel he’d accidentally witnessed something personal. He turned away.

  “Listen up, everybody,” Elizabeth said loudly.

  A boy of about fourteen stuck two fingers in his mouth and gave a sharp whistle. The room went quiet.

  “We have name tags,” she continued, waving the box over her head.

  “And pens,” Jill added.

  “Right. Everyone come get a name tag. If you’re an adult, put your name first, then a dash and your spouse’s name. If you’re a child, put your name on top and your parents’ names underneath. If you’re too young to write, come see me or Jill. Any questions?”

  “Is there going to be a quiz?” Travis asked.

  “You bet. And if you fail, you are in big trouble, mister. Don’t be messing with me.”

  Travis looked pleased at the prospect.

  “After you’ve filled out your name tag,” Elizabeth continued, “take a seat at one of the tables. We want to save the big one at the far end for the adults. You kids can sit at the other tables with your friends.”

  Jill handed out name tags while Elizabeth passed around several pens. Nash saw Adam and Jason race over to stand with their mother. She talked them through filling out their tags. He waited until they had finished, then wrote his own name. It was only when he glanced around the room that he realized every other tag had either a spouse’s name on it or parents’ names. Kevin and Haley had put each other’s names with theirs on the name tags, as had Gage and Kari.

  “Getting ready to bolt?” Stephanie asked when she’d peeled the back off her tag. “I’m fairly comfortable in crowds, what with running the B and B and all, but even I’m a little overwhelmed by all this.”

  “I’m doing okay,” he said, taking the tag from her and placing it on her sweater, close to the neckline. “I won’t pass the quiz, though.”

  She grinned. “I figured if they called on me, I’d cheat by saying everyone was a Haynes. At least then I’d be able to pass with about eight-five-percent accuracy.”

  “Good idea.”

  His gaze fell on to the tag he’d just pressed into place and he saw that she didn’t have a name after hers either. They were the only two unattached adults at the gathering.

  Elizabeth waved them over to take a seat at the large table. Nash found himself seated between Stephanie and Jill. Kevin was on Stephanie’s other side.

  When everyone was settled, Craig stood. “As the oldest of the Haynes brothers, I would like to thank all of you for coming.” He smiled. “We are here tonight to welcome our new brothers.” He motioned across the table. “Gage Reynolds, Kevin Harmon and Nash Harmon.”

  Nash found himself standing, along with Kevin and Gage. There was a round of applause. When they were seated, Craig continued.

  “I know we’re all anxious to get to know each other. I suggest we start by going around the table and stating our names, where we live and what we do for a living. Oh, and don’t forget to introduce your children.”

  “Yeah, don’t forget us,” a little dark-haired girl said.

  The adults laughed.

  “As I already have your attention, I’ll start,” he said when there was quiet. “I’m Craig Haynes. My beautiful wife, Jill, is sitting right here.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “We have five children, the oldest of which is that tall, good-looking eighteen-year-old. Ben was offered a football scholarship at UCLA.”

  He continued to introduce his five children, then concluded by saying Jill had the hardest job of all—she kept them in line—while he was just a cop.

  Travis went next. He rose and introduced his wife, Elizabeth, and their four children. They went around the table. Every single Haynes brother was a cop, until Jordan stood and proclaimed himself as the only Haynes sensible enough to go into firefighting rather than law enforcement.

  Austin Lucas was next. He had the Haynes basics—tall, dark hair and eyes—that distinguished the brothers, but his hair was much longer and he wore a small gold earring. Austin mentioned that he was a Haynes in spirit and heart, rather than by blood.

  Gage was next. He talked about his life in Possum Landing, where he was the local sheriff. He introduced his fiancée, and said that his brother, Quinn, should be arriving any day now.

  When a tall, dark-haired woman rose, Nash figured she was the half sister he’d heard about. Her introduction confirmed the fact. She explained that her mother, Louise, was home babysitting their latest daughter who had been born only six weeks before.

  When it was Nash’s turn, he stood. “I’m Nash Harmon. Kevin’s twin brother. I’m the smart one.”

  Everyone laughed.

  He grinned when Kevin reached around Stephanie and punched his arm. “I live in Chicago,” Nash continued, “where I’m a negotiator for the FBI.”

  As he added a few more details, he glanced down and saw Stephanie looking at him with surprise. Hadn’t he told her what he did for a living?

  “I figured there would be more of you than Kevin and I could ever hope to take on on our own,” he said lightly, “so I convinced my temporary landlady to take pity on me and help balance the numbers. This is Stephanie Wynne. Her three boys are…” He glanced around at the other tables, then spotted Jason and Adam frantically waving. “Over there.”

  He sat down. Craig rose again. Just then several servers entered the room. They had large trays covered with pitchers of root beer, iced tea and beer. When everyone had a drink, Craig raised his glass.

  “Welcome,” he said.

  Chapter 6

  Nash lost count of the number of pizzas consumed by the Haynes family. They simply kept on coming. Pitchers of drinks were continually refilled, as well. By the time the kids asked to be excused to go play video games and the adults had started moving the chairs around to form small conversational groups, even the servers were looking exhausted.

  He’d spent most of dinner talking with Stephanie and Jill, but after the meal, he found himself in the company of his brothers.

  Brothers. The word still surprised him. How could he and Kevin have been a part of this family for so many years and not have known? How could a man like Earl Haynes get an innocent seventeen-year-old pregnant, abandon her to return to his real family, then produce such honest, sincere, caring offspring?

  He crossed to the pitchers of drinks left on the table and poured himself another glass of iced tea. After two beers, he’d switched to the nonalcoholic drink. He wasn’t worried about driving, they’d brought Stephanie’s minivan and she’d taken the wheel on the way over. Instead he considered the fact that too much beer would make his hostess even more of a temptation than she already was. When sober he found her delightfully intriguing. While drunk he might find her irresistible. Not a good thing for either of them.

  He took a drink and surveyed the crowd. He could put a name to the men, but he was still having trouble connecting which spouse belonged with which partner. Hannah was easy. As the only female Haynes, she had many of the physical characteristics of her brothers—she was tall, dark-haired and attractive. Her husband was the only blond male in the room. But after that, things got fuzzy. Was Kyle’s wife the average-height brunette with brown eyes or the average-height woman with light brown hair and green eyes?

  “Is it making you crazy?”

  He turned toward the speaker and found a slender woman standing next to him. Her name tag read “Rebecca—Austin.” Underneath were the words “Honorary Haynes through love.”

  “The guy with the earring,” he said.

  She s
miled. “That would be my husband, yes. He’s something of a bad boy.”

  She spoke the words with a smile and Nash saw the affection twinkling in her eyes.

  He glanced over to the man in question and saw him with a young child on his hip. As he spoke with Travis, Austin absently brought the child’s hand to his mouth and blew on the palm. The little boy laughed loudly.

  “You seem to have changed his ways,” he said.

  Rebecca shook her head. “Actually he changed them all on his own. He was always the quiet rebel, but he’s mellowed.”

  Austin looked content, Nash thought. He was a man comfortable and at peace with his world. Two things Nash rarely experienced.

  He turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. She was lovely, with classically beautiful features that spoke of a gentler time. Unlike the other wives who were dressed in jeans and casual shirts, Rebecca wore a long dress edged in lace. Her dark, curly hair came to the middle of her back. She reminded him of a character in one of those British period movies—the kind that made him head directly for ESPN if he ever turned the television to one by accident.

  “Are you overwhelmed?” she asked. “It’s a huge family.”

  “I’m getting the adults,” he said. “The kids are going to take longer.”

  “We all have trouble with that. At one time or another, each of us has had to stop one of the children and ask who they belong to.”

  She took a step closer and lowered her voice. “When Travis told us that there were long-lost Hayneses around, everyone was thrilled. When I heard you were all single, I was doubly delighted.”

  He raised his eyebrows. There was no way she was asking for herself.

  She laughed. “I have a friend. D.J. doesn’t know it yet, but she’s ready to settle down. I was planning on fixing her up with one of you. The thing is, you’re not all single, are you?”

  “Gage and Kevin have had a change in circumstance in the past few months.”

  “So I heard.” She grinned. “I had high hopes for you, Nash, but they’ve recently been dashed.”

  She turned and nodded across the room. He followed her gaze and saw Stephanie talking with Jill.

  As Stephanie spoke, she moved her hands. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Jill responded and they both laughed. He was standing too far away to hear the sound, but he imagined it and smiled in return.

  “Oh, my,” Rebecca said. “It’s worse than I thought.”

  “It’s not anything.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” He wasn’t about to tell her about his no-relationships rule. “I’m only in town for a couple of weeks.”

  “Sometimes plans change.”

  “Not mine.”

  “Too bad.” She shrugged. “But if you’re leaving that quickly, you wouldn’t be right for D.J. even if you were available. Which leaves the mysterious Quinn Reynolds. Maybe I can fix them up.”

  Nash considered the idea. On the surface Quinn was a charmer, with plenty of stories and a woman on each arm. But underneath…he wasn’t like the rest of them. Quinn lived in a world that would break most men. He did things, saw things, no human should endure.

  “Quinn’s a great guy,” he said. “But more than a little dangerous.”

  Rebecca looked intrigued. “D.J. enjoys a challenge.”

  “Quinn would be that. But he’s a loner. Women tend to have one purpose in his life, and it’s not cooking.”

  He’d expected Rebecca to be shocked, but instead she grinned. “How fun. That would make D.J. completely crazy.”

  Nash wouldn’t have used that word to describe Quinn’s relationships with his women, but then he didn’t know this D.J. person, either.

  “You want to torture your friend?” he asked.

  “No, but I can’t figure out another way to get her happily married.”

  “Okay, then.” Nash took a step back. Sometimes women completely confused him.

  Rebecca excused herself. As she walked away, Stephanie joined Nash. She glanced at her watch.

  “Would you mind if we collected the boys and left? It’s a school night and they’re already wired enough from school getting out in a couple of days. If I have any prayer of a decent bedtime for them, I need to get moving now.”

  “Sure. Want me to help?”

  “Please. Why don’t you look for the twins? They’ll be together and more cooperative. I’ll pull the car up front and get Brett.”

  They said goodbye to the Haynes family, then walked into the main restaurant. The video-game room was by the door. Nash spotted Jason and Adam on a bench by the wall. Adam stood as he approached, but Jason only blinked sleepily.

  “Time to head home,” Nash said.

  “I’m ready,” Adam said.

  Jason rose, then held out his arms. “I’m tired.”

  Nash stared at him. A small child holding up his arms was a pretty universal symbol. Even living a child-free existence, Nash got it right away. Jason wanted to be carried.

  Nash hesitated. It wasn’t because he thought Jason would be too heavy or that Stephanie would mind. Instead he paused because something inside of him warned him that this was potentially problematic. He didn’t do relationships—not with women, not with friends, not with kids. Relationships required a level of letting go he didn’t permit himself. Control was all that stood between him and chaos.

  Jason’s implied trust made him uneasy. He’d only known the kids a couple of days. So why was Jason so comfortable around Nash?

  “He wants to be carried,” Adam said, as if he thought Nash didn’t get it.

  “I know.”

  There didn’t seem to be a graceful way out of the situation and Nash didn’t want to make a scene over nothing. So he bent forward and pulled the boy up toward his chest. Jason instantly closed his arms around Nash’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder. His small legs wrapped around Nash’s waist.

  Nash put one arm around the boy to hold him in place, then motioned for Adam to lead the way. Instead the eight-year-old tucked his fingers into Nash’s free hand and leaned close.

  “Is Mommy bringing the car around?” he asked sleepily.

  “Yes. Come on.”

  He led the way to the front of the restaurant, then out into the night. Brett was already waiting on the sidewalk. He took one look at the three of them, then turned away. But not before Nash saw the hostility flare in his eyes.

  The brief glimpse of the twelve-year-old’s raw hurt and anger stirred something familiar in Nash.

  Stephanie drove up and broke his concentration. Then he got caught up in settling the twins. As he was about to climb into the passenger seat, Kevin stepped out of the restaurant.

  “What did you think?” his brother asked.

  Nash looked back at the pizza place. “Good people.”

  “I agree.” Kevin grinned and slapped him on the back. “See you soon.” He ducked his head into the minivan. “Nice to meet you, Stephanie. If this guy gives you any trouble, you let me know.”

  She smiled. “So far he’s been terrific, but if that changes, I’ll call.”

  “You do that. Night.”

  Kevin stepped back into the restaurant. Stephanie watched him go.

  “You have a great family,” she said. “You’re lucky.”

  Nash had never thought of himself that way, but in this case, maybe she was right.

  Stephanie sucked in a breath and did her best to hold on to her temper. “Brett, it’s late, it’s a school night and you’re behaving like a brat. If you’re trying to convince me that you’re not mature enough to handle evenings out on a weeknight, you’re doing a great job.”

  Her oldest flopped back on the bed and st
ared at the ceiling. Since arriving back from their dinner out with Nash and his family, Brett had been sullen, uncommunicative and mouthy. She couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Sure he was inching closer to being a teenager, but hormones couldn’t kick in over the course of a couple of hours, could they?

  She sank onto the bed and put her hand on his stomach. “I know you had a good time. I saw you laughing.”

  “It was okay.”

  “Just okay? I thought you were having more fun than that.”

  He shrugged.

  She began to rub his stomach, something she’d done when he was little and not feeling well. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what has your panties in a bunch. I’m just going to sit right here. After a while, I might start singing.”

  He continued to stare at the ceiling, but she saw his mouth twitch. All the boys thought she had a horrible voice and begged her not to sing. Plus, he would really hate the panty remark. She wondered which one would get to him first.

  “I don’t wear panties.”

  “I do the laundry. I already know that.” She leaned over him. “How about I just stare at you?”

  She made her eyes as wide as possible and forced herself not to blink. Brett pressed his lips together, but it was too late. First he smiled, then he grinned, then he giggled and turned away.

  “Stop staring at me!”

  She relaxed her face and sat back. “I will if you’ll talk.”

  He turned on his side so he was facing her, but instead of looking at her face, he studied the blanket. “Do you still love Dad?”

  She was unprepared for the question. Brett didn’t want to have this talk very often, but whenever he did, she felt uncomfortable. She always went for the easy answer, rather than the truth, because that’s what Brett wanted to hear. Because she wanted her son to remember his father as a good person and his parents as happy together.