A wolf whistle split the air and Rosemary pulled away to see Cami grinning at her.
“I couldn’t help myself, not after the way you teased me when I got together with Vince.”
“You’re funny.” Still, Rosemary extricated herself and returned to the food on the stove. “We’ll be ready to eat in ten minutes if you lazy butts will get out the dishes.”
Cami and Jonquil set into motion while Cleo called Harrison over. He sat beside her, holding her hand while she talked to him earnestly about what had happened that afternoon. Rosemary could only hear occasional words through the chatter going on around them, but Harrison’s soothing tone seemed to calm the little girl. A moment later Cleo crawled into Harrison’s lap, though she was getting a little too big for lap sitting. He interlocked his fingers as his arms surrounded her and Cleo fidgeted with his shirt collar as she had her dad’s when she was younger.
Rosemary felt a sharp pain as she remembered how close Cleo had been to her father, how she had always hung on him, kept him company by playing on the floor of his office while he worked. She loved going out on the job with him.
Tears rose to Rosemary’s eyes and she brushed them away, trying not to let the others see—it would damage her reputation as the tough one in the house. Thankfully Lana entered through the garage door with her six-month baby belly preceding her and attention shifted toward her. Blake came up behind, but didn’t garner nearly as much attention. By the time everyone was finished patting the belly—something they didn’t do at work—Rosemary was in control of herself again.
“I smell something awesome,” Lana declared as she approached the stove.
“And it’ll stay awesome if you don’t touch,” Rosemary said, shifting so she stood between Lana and the food. “Go take a seat and rest.” While Lana may not be bad luck in the kitchen, she wasn’t exactly skilled in the culinary arts, either.
“I’ve been sitting all day. Seriously, I’m pregnant, not disabled.” Lana grumbled some more under her breath as she moved away.
Rosemary would have agreed with her, knowing how it felt to be over-protected while pregnant, but Lana looked like death warmed over. They were gearing up for the prince of Denmark and his entourage to visit in a couple of weeks and everyone was on overtime making sure things would go perfectly.
She opened the oven and smiled as the cheese bubbled nicely on the enchiladas. “Dinner is served. Where are the others?”
“Just in time,” Delphi swept in with Sage and Joel right behind her. “Smells good. I’m starving. Do you think the snow is going to go away anytime soon? I need to get out for a ride.”
“Wishful thinking,” Rosemary said, imagining buttoned-down Delphi on her motorcycle—an incongruous image, if she’d ever seen one.
“I’ll have to settle for a big helping of whatever you made, I guess.” She smiled—something she didn’t often do—or at least Rosemary rarely saw it.
“It’s a nice consolation prize if you need one.” Rosemary set the first pan of enchiladas on the trivet and went back for a second.
“Where’s Vince?” Sage asked as Cami joined her at the kitchen island.
“Coming. He’s still pushing snow in a couple of parking lots and he has one more driveway to clear before the owners arrive this weekend.” She snagged one of the chips Rosemary had baked up from the extra tortillas.
“Did he come home last night?”
“For about five hours. The new plow’s arrival was pushed back again. At this rate it’ll be June before he has it.” Cami frowned a little.
There was a knock at the front door and Joel opened it to let Vince in.
“Great, the whole family’s home. Guess it’s time for solution by committee,” Joel said, shooting Rosemary a look.
She rolled her eyes—because it was expected—and plated up some dinner for Cleo and Harrison, who were still snuggled on the sofa. Cleo’s head rested on his shoulder, her eyes at half mast. Rosemary watched them for a moment while she waited for Jonquil to finish with the veggies. Then she took a moment to survey the room. Six months ago she’d thought there was no way the six half-sisters would come together the way their father wanted them to. Now she wasn’t so sure. Imaginary boundaries were being erased or redrawn, friendships had formed and she was starting to think maybe they wouldn’t return to being total strangers when this all ended.
Maybe.
She’d been mostly without a family of her own for so long, she hadn’t thought she could get used to so many other people surrounding her, in every pocket of her life, but she’d been wrong. She wondered what other surprises were still in store for her.
Cleo stayed awake long enough to eat, but then started to drift off again—still in Harrison’s lap.
“Hey, bug, let’s get you to bed.” Rosemary was surprised Cleo was sleeping so early; it was barely seven pm and she usually had to be dragged to bed at eight-thirty. She touched Cleo’s forehead, but didn’t feel a temperature. Maybe the days’ excitement had worn her out.
“Don’t wanna go. Stay here. All night.” The corners of her mouth tipped up like she was trying to hold back a smile.
Rosemary shook her head, but had to keep her own smile in check. “Let’s get you ready for bed anyway, then we’ll see.”
Harrison shifted Cleo in his arms and stood—a significant feat considering the almost-ten-year-old was tall for her age. “I’ll take her up.”
Rosemary didn’t protest, enjoying the play of muscles under his shirt as he shifted Cleo in his hold. She followed him up the stairs to Lana’s old room. He removed Cleo’s shoes while Rosemary grabbed pajamas and then he returned to the living room while Rosemary helped her daughter change.
“I want to stay downstairs and listen,” Cleo said.
“You’re too tired. Besides, it’s grownup talk.” She didn’t want to risk scaring Cleo worse than she already was.
“I’m not a baby.”
“No, you’re not.” Rosemary kissed her forehead. “I’ll tell you all about it in the morning, okay? Get some sleep.”
“Rosemary?” Cleo called her back when she was nearly to the door. “Will I have to go live with Mike if something happens to you?”
Rosemary returned to sit on the edge of the bed, disturbed by the question. “Nothing is going to happen to me, bug. Do you really think all of those people are going to let me get hurt, or send you to live with Mike?” Rosemary feathered the hair back from Cleo’s face, loving the sweet, tired expression, noticing her own features there, and those of the biological father. She felt a fleeting moment of regret that he didn’t get to see what a great kid Cleo was, then she let it go. “Sleep tight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Cleo shifted onto her side and curled up before Rosemary even stood.
When she reached the great room a moment later, Rosemary wished this could just be a powwow about their ‘ghost’ like the ones they’d had a few months ago instead of about her situation.
“So, tell us what happened.” Cami got down to business as soon as Rosemary took her seat beside Harrison again. “And don’t leave anything out.”
“I don’t know what to say—we were out shopping and someone shot as us. I didn’t see who it was, or notice anyone strange or unusual watching us, and we got away fine. Joel’s probably been in touch with the detective and can tell you more than I can.” Rosemary shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, but she could still hear the echoes of the gunshots and shattering glass. She shivered a little and Harrison wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She shifted closer.
Joel continued the report. “Someone from another store thought they saw a man in his mid-to-late forties, brown hair, medium build lingering in the alley across the street a few minutes before the shots, but she didn’t get a good look at him and wasn’t able to give a better description.”
“And it might not have been him anyway,” Rosemary said, discouraged.
“Right. The police department is trying to get more details or fi
nd a store security system that might have caught him to see if the woman can identify him, but that might take a few more hours to confirm. He said all of the store owners on that street are cooperating, though. It scared everyone that something like this could happen in this sleepy little town.” He said these last words with a twist of wryness. Considering the troubles they’d been having at the hotel, there had to be a lot more going on in town than most people knew.
“So we’re stuck with nothing,” Delphi said.
“Nothing useful, anyway. At least not right now. Except the general description the woman gave the officers.” Joel turned to Rosemary again. “Does it bring anyone to mind?”
“Only about two dozen guys who fit it,” she said. “Could it be any more generic?”
“Well, if that was the guy, it wasn’t Rulon, because he’s too young,” Harrison pointed out.
“True enough, but who does that leave us? The only people I know in town are the ones I work with and I don’t think I’ve ticked anyone else off enough to shoot at me.”
“What about your mom? If she’s looking for a payout, she could be after you,” Delphi suggested.
Rosemary was shocked by the feeling of betrayal that rushed through her system that her mother could try to have her killed. She’d thought that Wanda couldn’t hurt her anymore and that nothing she did would shock her, but that thought did. When she shook her head, it was mostly because she couldn’t face the possibility. “No, she couldn’t do this.”
“She is in town, Rosemary. And it’s possible she paid someone,” Joel suggested.
“As if my mom knew any thugs who do wet works.” She took a cleansing breath, then considered it a little more. “No, she’s grasping and underhanded, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she calls again, begging—despite Joel’s threats—but she wouldn’t have me killed. I’m sure about that.”
But why would someone want her dead? She knew she was a little abrasive at times, but she didn’t think she’d been that bad. “My first concern is keeping Cleo safe. Can I do that if someone is after me? What do I do?”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Harrison rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, which he was holding. “Maybe the two of you should take a trip somewhere. My mom loves to have visitors.”
Sage’s eyes brightened. “Yes, and she thinks you’re great. She said you have a sweet old soul.”
“I guess you pulled the wool over Darla’s eyes. How did you manage that?” Delphi asked Rosemary.
Rosemary ignored the cut and shook her head. “I can’t take off right now, not with everything going on. But maybe we could send Cleo for a visit.” She touched her stomach, feeling a little sick at the thought of being separated from her daughter so soon.
Cleo waited until she heard raised voices from the adults downstairs, then crept out of her bed to listen in. She hadn’t been that tired, but knew they wouldn’t let her stay for the conversation, and hoped if they thought she was asleep, they would talk about things they wouldn’t tell her.
She sneaked onto the balcony just as Harrison suggested they visit his mom. At first Cleo thought that sounded great—she loved Harrison and Sage was really cool too, so their mom was probably nice, even though they said she didn’t ever eat meat or eggs—weird. Then Rosemary said she wanted to send Cleo there by herself. Cleo crumpled a little at the thought. Rosemary didn’t want her? She wanted to get rid of her?
“Just a question,” Jonquil said, raising her hand a little to draw attention to herself. “How do we know that this is about Rosemary? Is there a chance it’s actually about Cleo?”
Cleo felt the air whoosh from her lungs. She had wondered when someone would realize it was her fault. It had to be her fault because her parents were dead and now someone was after her and Rosemary again—even Jonquil could see it and Cleo thought they were friends. Maybe Jonquil didn’t really like her, either.
Rosemary looked at Jonquil, wearing her scary face. “What? Why would anyone want to go after Cleo? She’s just a kid.”
“I know, don’t shoot me, but all of this did start after she arrived,” Jonquil said. “And the snake was in her room. It’s possible this isn’t really about you at all.”
“Then how do you explain my little ski accident? And the car windows?” Rosemary’s words floated up to Cleo as she returned to her room, feeling a little sick. It was true, it was all her fault and she had to do something to keep Rosemary from getting hurt. Even if Rosemary didn’t really want her anymore. Cleo couldn’t blame her; she caused a lot of trouble for everyone. She was surprised they didn’t try to get rid of her before now—send her to live with Mike. But he didn’t really want her either.
The tears started before she even reached the bed. She climbed inside and pulled the covers over her head, turning her face into the pillow so no one would hear her. She had to do something to make this better for everyone else.
“Do you really want to send Cleo to my mom’s alone?” Harrison asked.
Rosemary shook her head. “No. I couldn’t stand sending her away to stay with a stranger and not knowing how she is. But what do I do? I can’t have her here, at risk, either.”
“I think you need to stop driving to work,” Jonquil said, holding up her leg, which had been in a cast until a couple of weeks ago. She’d broken it in a car accident with Sage. “You never know if the guy will go after that—someone already took out some frustrations on it. With these winding roads, it’s not exactly the safety zone.” She shot a glance at Sage, who flushed a little.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Sage apologized.
“It wasn’t your fault. We didn’t have any reason to think your car wouldn’t be safe,” Joel soothed.
“In either case,” Harrison said, looking at Rosemary, “maybe you should take turns in different people’s cars until we figure out what’s going on.”
She realized how rough this must be for him too; he’d come close to losing his sister and now the woman he was dating was in danger. Their relationship might be new in a lot of ways, but he was serious about her, even if she didn’t understand why. “And maybe Cleo shouldn’t be out in public with me for a while.” She slid a hand over her roiling stomach.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet,” Joel said. “Tomorrow morning I’ll see what’s going on with the investigation, if the detective doesn’t contact me first.”
“I’ll hang out here for now, then return to get them to work and school,” Harrison offered.
“Yeah, I bet that’ll be a real chore,” Delphi said dryly.
“He’ll hate it, but he’ll throw himself on the proverbial sword for our Rosemary,” Cami agreed, her lips twitching.
“I’m just a nice guy, what can I say?” Harrison wore a smirk.
“That’s our cue to leave,” Vince said, standing and taking Cami’s hand to pull her up. “Call if you need anything at all. We’re just down the street.”
“Ditto. And double-check your daughter’s window,” Joel suggested as he stood.
Rosemary nodded and watched the others leave. Delphi and Jonquil both went down to their rooms, leaving Rosemary sitting on the sofa with Harrison.
“We really should check Cleo’s window,” Harrison suggested when the silence between them grew uncomfortable. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced with Rosemary lately, but he had things he wanted to say, things he wasn’t sure she was ready to hear. He decided to wait a few more minutes, at least.
He followed her up the stairs and stopped in Cleo’s bedroom doorway, watching as Rosemary walked over and tested the lock, then stopped to pull back the covers that almost completely covered her daughter’s face.
“Rosemary, has everyone gone home?” Cleo asked, her voice sleepy.
“Most everyone. Harrison’s going to hang out for a while longer,” Rosemary said as she tucked the blanket under Cleo’s chin.
“He should stay. I don’t want him to go home.” Cleo’s voice was more alert now, but her fa
ce was obscured by darkness.
“He has to go eventually,” Rosemary said.
“No, he doesn’t. Sage’s room is empty. He’s her brother, he can stay there again. I don’t want him to go home.” There was a trickle of fear in her voice.
“Honey,” Rosemary started to protest, but Harrison walked over and touched her shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’ll stay if it’ll make you feel better,” he told Cleo.
“Good. You should. I like you. Don’t leave us. Rosemary needs you.” Her voice turned sleepy again and she turned away, curling into herself again.
“I like you too, bug. I’ll stay and I’ll see you in the morning.” His heart nearly broke when he heard the longing in her voice. She’d lost so much already—what would she do if something happened to Rosemary? What would he do now that he’d finally gotten her to let him in—even if it was only a toe-hold? Was she really opening herself to him, or had the fact that she hadn’t called him today proved that she was keeping her distance?
“Thank you.” Cleo’s words were barely more than a whisper.
He led Rosemary out to the great room.
“Thank you for staying so she’ll feel better,” Rosemary said when he pulled her down to sit beside him.
Harrison wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her back against his chest. “I didn’t do it just for her. I did it for me too.”
“You’re worried about us?” Rosemary asked with a bit of laughter.
“Yes.” He kept his irritation out of his voice, which left it flat and matter of fact.
“Come on, we’re at home,” she blew off the threat with her usual bravado.
“I know, but being at home hasn’t always meant you were safe, has it? Not here, and not before you came here.” He referenced her childhood, knowing it was a dirty tactic, but wanting her to take this seriously. “I feel better being with you, having you in my arms so I know you’re safe.”
Rosemary’s brow furrowed. “Are you upset about something—something besides the shooting, anyway?”
“Depends on how you look at it, I guess.”
Family Matters (DiCarlo Brides book 4) (The DiCarlo Brides) Page 18
