by Sandra Owens
There was something else she wanted to know that had been on her mind since she’d met them. She’d wanted to ask last night but decided it might be an uncomfortable discussion to have in front of their wives. They might not like the question, but she needed to know. She hesitated, though, not sure how to ask.
“If there’s something you want to know, just ask,” Nate said.
She blinked. Was she that easy to read?
Alex chuckled. “He’s omniscient. You might as well get used to it.”
“Now that’s scary.” She didn’t like to think anyone could read her mind.
“Tell me about it,” Alex said. “He spoiled all my fun growing up. He knew the mischief I was about to get into before I did.”
Nate smirked. “Still do.”
“Truth.” Alex glanced at her. “Back to what you want to ask but are afraid to.”
The waiter arrived with their lunch, giving her time to get her thoughts together. Her brothers were sharing an extra-large pizza that smelled delicious. She took a bite of her Greek salad, trying to ignore the tantalizing aroma of cheese and pepperoni.
Without asking, Nate put a slice onto a plate and slid it over to her. “You know you want it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Get out of my head, big brother.” Both Court and Alex laughed, and she grinned at them. “Is that how to handle him? Just dig my feet in and don’t let him steamroll right over me?”
“Good luck with that,” Court said. “It never worked for us.” He glanced at Alex, getting a nod. “But quit stalling, little sister. What’s on your mind?”
She really liked how they kept calling her their sister. Yes, she did have a question, and what did she have to lose? She’d already figured out if they didn’t want to answer, they wouldn’t. “I get that you didn’t know about me until recently, but why didn’t you try to find my mother… our mother once you were adults?”
All three of her brothers sat back in their chairs while Court and Alex looked to Nate to answer. Was it that hard of a question?
Nate dropped the last half of his slice of pizza onto his plate as if her question had destroyed his appetite. He looked sad—they all did—and she wished she could snatch her question back. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer.”
“You deserve to know,” Nate said. He met her gaze straight on. “I’m not making excuses, but we were just boys, conditioned by our father not to question anything he said. We each had a part of the puzzle of why our mother left us, but to protect each other from what we assumed was the truth, we didn’t share what we knew until recently. That is my one regret. If we had, we would have realized much sooner that she had a precious life to protect. You.” He dropped his napkin on the table. “I need to get back to the office for a meeting.” He looked at Court and then Alex. “Make sure she gets safely back to work.”
Confused, Kinsey watched him walk away.
“He’ll never forgive himself for believing the worst of our mother,” Alex softly said. “We all should have known better.”
Court pushed his plate away. “Alex was too young to understand anything, so the blame mostly goes to Nate and me. I thought she was pregnant with another man’s baby because of a fight I overheard. Our bastard of a father accused her of being a whore. He beat her in an attempt to make her miscarry. At first she denied his accusations, but then in an effort to get him to stop, she admitted he wasn’t the father. It wasn’t until recently that I understood she was only telling him what he wanted to hear.”
She was that baby, yet it seemed as if they were talking about someone else. Their childhoods hadn’t been close to the wonderful life she’d had with her mother. “How old were you when that happened?”
“Nine.”
She reached across the table and put her hand on his. “A child shouldn’t have to witness a scene like that, much less understand it for what it was.” She was beginning to get why her mother hadn’t revealed her secrets. The memories of being married to a man capable of that kind of violence would have been ones she’d do her best to forget.
Court gave her the ghost of a smile. “I know, but I still should have known better.”
“He didn’t tell Nate or me about witnessing that fight when it happened,” Alex said. “Then when she walked away, Nate followed her to the highway. A man who’d worked for our old man doing odd jobs picked her up. Nate thought she was leaving us for him, and he kept that to himself because he didn’t want us to think the worst of her. Once all of this came out, Nate tracked the man down and found out all he’d done was drive her to the bus station.”
“Please don’t cry,” Alex said when she swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks. “From what you’ve told us, she was happy in her life with you. We don’t blame her for leaving.”
“The tears aren’t for her. She was happy and had a good life. My heart hurts for the three of you, being left with someone that cruel.”
Court shook his head. “She did what she had to do to save you. We wouldn’t change a thing about that.”
That was the moment her heart filled with unconditional love for her brothers.
9
Rand stopped by Summer Fashions to give Kinsey the keys to her new locks.
“Well, hello. I’m Shannon. How may I help you?”
He smiled at the pretty blonde-haired woman whose eyes were blatantly roaming over him. “Is Kinsey Landon available?”
Her lips formed a pout. “It’s so not fair.”
“Pardon?”
“Kinsey’s getting all the hot guys today. She needs to share, dontcha think?”
“Um, I guess that’s up to her.” What hot guys were visiting Kinsey?
“Are you one of her brothers, too? And please don’t tell me you’re also married.”
“No, just a friend. Is she around?” He thought it best to ignore her second question. It wasn’t good that he was relieved Kinsey’s visitors were her brothers. He’d spent the morning convincing himself that he was going to step away. But that streak of jealousy that had heated his blood when thinking Kinsey had hot-guy visitors said putting distance between them might be harder than he thought.
“No. She went to lunch with her brothers, but she should be back in about ten minutes if you want to wait. You can keep me company.” Shannon peered up at him with bright eyes and a hopeful smile.
This one was a man-eater, so definitely not a good idea. And it positively wouldn’t be wise to be here if her brothers came back with her. “Do you have an envelope you can give me?” Although leaving the keys with Shannon probably wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t strike him as being a responsible kind of girl.
“For you? Sure.”
He followed her to the cash stand, then managed not to roll his eyes when she pulled an envelope from a drawer and wrote a phone number on it.
“Here you go,” she said, holding the envelope so that her number was impossible to miss. “I don’t usually give out my number before I know a guy’s name.” She giggled. “For you I’m making an exception. What is your name, anyway?”
An older woman walked out from the back, saving him from having to answer. She glanced from him to Shannon to the envelope that Shannon tried to crush into his hand when the woman appeared. Not wanting to get the girl in trouble, he took it and stuffed it into his pant pocket. A bell dinged as three women walked in.
“Shannon, please go help those ladies,” the woman said.
“Oh, all right.” She winked at him before bouncing away.
Rand seriously considered kissing the woman for saving him from Shannon’s clutches.
“I know. You’re about to thank me for rescuing you.” The woman chuckled. “Shannon’s a great sales associate unless you’re what she calls a hot guy; then she goes a little crazy. I’m Corrie, Kinsey’s boss. Can I help you?”
“Actually, you can.” He pulled the envelope from his pocket. “Would you make sure this goes straight to Kinsey?” At her nod he lifted a pen from
a cup on the counter, crossed out Shannon’s phone number, and after writing Kinsey’s name on the envelope, he dropped the two sets of keys in it and then sealed it.
Back at his car, he texted Kinsey, letting her know that her boss had her new keys. Before he could pull out of the parking space, he spied her crossing the street, flanked by Alex and Court. He couldn’t quite figure out what it was about her that drew him. He’d never felt an instant connection with any other woman the way he had Kinsey, not even with his ex-wife. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful with a killer body, although he appreciated both those things.
He waited until they disappeared into the store before driving away. As much as he wanted to explore this thing between them, there were some good reasons not to. His own issues being a big one, not to mention three overgrown and overprotective brothers with the ability to put a serious hurt on him if he was ever the reason for so much as one tiny tear leaked out of their sister’s eye. And yet he couldn’t seem to stay away from her.
Saturday afternoon Rand pushed the intercom button at the Gentrys’ gate. He glanced over at Kinsey. “Did you tell them I was coming with you?”
She grinned. “Nope. I thought it would be a fun surprise.”
“Not so sure about that. Maybe I should have worn my bulletproof vest.”
“I won’t let them shoot you.” She leaned over the console and waved her fingers at the gate’s camera. “I promised him you won’t kill him. Let us in.”
“You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, little sister.” The gate swung open.
Rand snorted as he looked at Kinsey. “Told you.” That had been Nate, and there had not been amusement in his voice.
“He can sure sound scary when he wants to,” she said, dramatically widening her eyes, making him chuckle.
“You’re not intimidated by them?”
“I was at first, but we’ve had a few really good talks. For all their gruff, they’re marshmallows inside.”
“Uh-huh.” There was that throaty laugh that he loved. When he brought the car to a stop in front of Nate’s house, all three brothers were standing on the porch, their arms crossed over their chest. “Remember. You promised to protect me.”
“Come on, scaredy cat. Let’s go see the big bad wolves.”
He followed her up the sidewalk, and damn did she look hot. She had on a white denim skirt, a red sleeveless blouse, and red and black cowboy boots.
“Stevens,” Nate said.
So he was Stevens again. He nodded.
“Stop staring at him with those death glares, boys.” Kinsey gave each of her brothers a hug, then took his hand. “Let’s go say hi to their wives. They’re a lot nicer.”
Nate’s gaze narrowed at their joined hands. “You can come in, Kinsey. He can’t.”
“Bro, stop being a jerk,” Alex said, using his body to push Nate away. He smiled at his sister. “He can come in if you want him to. If not, his ass is grass.” He winked at her.
“I prefer his ass the way it is now, thank you very much.”
Alex snorted. “You’re going to be good training for when his girls start bringing boys home.”
“There will be no boys coming through that gate,” Nate growled.
“Oh, jeez, your poor daughters,” Kinsey said, rolling her eyes. “Or with six of them, maybe poor you.”
Rand agreed with both scenarios but wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Everyone’s out back.” Court opened the door, then stepped back to let Kinsey enter.
“A minute, Stevens,” Nate said, putting his hand on Rand’s shoulder.
And here it was, his warning.
Kinsey squeezed his hand. “If you let him send you packing, I’ll lose all respect for you.”
He dipped his chin, grinning at her. “I’ll do my best to make sure you still respect me in the morning. Not making any promises, though. He’s scary.”
“Been nice knowing you,” Alex said a bit too cheerfully. He pulled Kinsey into the house. Court followed them in, closing the door behind him.
“She’s not for you,” Nate said, getting right down to business.
Rand jammed his hands into his pockets. “She might think differently.”
“Listen, it’s not that you’re not good enough for her.” Nate huffed out a breath. “You’re one of the best, and I wouldn’t worry that you’d treat her wrong. But your head’s not in the right place now for a relationship with any woman, especially my sister.”
“Are you ordering me away from her?” He didn’t know why he didn’t make his boss happy and just walk away from Kinsey. He’d told himself a hundred times he was going to do exactly that. But for the first time since losing his daughter, he was living again. Kinsey made him happy. Was it fair to give that up without talking to her? If she understood where he was coming from and agreed that they could enjoy each other’s company without any expectations, then what was the harm?
“As much as I want to, no. She’s still learning what it’s like to have brothers—”
“And overprotective ones at that.”
Nate cracked a rare smile. “There is that. I’m already seeing she can be stubborn—”
“Wonder where she got that from?”
“Would you shut up a minute? What I’m trying to say—”
“Is that who I see is none of your business,” Kinsey said from behind him.
Rand glanced over his shoulder to see Kinsey leaning in the doorway. Christ, she was as stealthy as her brothers.
She slipped her arm through Nate’s. “Now leave him alone and come inside. And both of you play nice.”
As she led her brother away, she glanced over her shoulder and winked. Rand smirked at Nate’s retreating back. The man was already wrapped around his sister’s little finger and was clueless. He followed them to the backyard, missing a step when he saw all the Gentry children. How had he not thought about them being here? He avoided children. It hurt too much to hear their laughter, to look into their bright eyes and know he’d never again see his daughter’s blue ones, or to be graced with one of her sweet smiles.
His heart jumped into a panic beat—as if it was too broken to stay in his chest—the way it had started doing every time he saw a child after Zoe died. He turned to leave, needing to get out of here before he lost his shit in front of everyone.
“Hey. You okay?” Kinsey said, coming up next to him and slipping her arm around his. “You’re trembling.”
“I have to go.”
A giggling shriek filled the air, startling him. He swung his gaze toward the sound to see Annie on her back, her little legs kicking as Alex tickled her. Zoe loved it… had loved it when he tickled her.
“More, Daddy,” she’d cry when he stopped.
“I have to go,” he said again, hating the desperation he heard in his voice. He turned back in time to see understanding settle in Kinsey’s eyes as she looked from Annie to him. She slid her hand down to his, tangling their fingers. The touch of her palm against his, her warmth seeping into his skin, was so soothing that he fought the urge to drag her out with him. All he wanted to do was take her home and lose himself in her body until the only thing in his head was her.
“You can go if you need to, but maybe it’s time to learn how to be around children. If it helps, I won’t leave your side.”
He tightened his hand around hers. “Your brother’s right. I’m not good for you right now.” So why wasn’t he letting go of her?
Kinsey held tight to Rand’s hand when he tried to pull away. “My brother needs to mind his own business.” She glanced over to the patio where Court was putting hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. “Come with me.”
Clutching her hand as if she were his lifeline, he let her take him to Court. She’d seen the pain in his eyes when he’d looked at Annie, and her heart hurt for him. Even missing her mother with a bone-deep ache, she knew it couldn’t possibly compare to losing a child. Maybe she should have let him leave, but he couldn’
t hide from children forever. Well, she supposed he could, but what kind of life was that?
As they passed the cooler, she stopped long enough to grab a beer and a water. When they reached Court, she said, “Go away. We’re taking over.”
“What? You afraid I’ll put a laxative or something in his?”
“Yep. So bye.” He’d said it with a smirk, but she’d caught the concern in his eyes when he’d glanced at Rand. She’d already noticed that her brothers were observant, and she supposed they were trained to notice even the small things.
“I’m sorry,” Rand said after Court joined the others.
“For?” She handed him both bottles. “Open the beer for me, will you?”
His gaze dropped to the bottles he held, and she saw shame on his face, saw the unshed tears in his eyes. He was embarrassed that he’d almost lost it in front of her. She hated that he felt like he had to hide his love for his daughter from her, from anyone. It didn’t make him weak. It made him a beautiful man who’d loved a little girl and didn’t know how to come back from losing her.
“For ruining your day. Sometimes…” He twisted off the bottle cap with his fingers.
She put her hand on his arm. “I know. A few days ago a woman came into the store wearing a blouse just like my mother’s. It was her favorite one. I had to leave the sales floor before I lost it.” She took the opened beer from him. “There will always be times when something reminds you of her, especially other children. Don’t feel embarrassed because you loved her so much it hurts. She was a lucky little girl to have you as her daddy.”
“I was the lucky one,” he murmured. He picked up the spatula and flipped over the burgers.
“Without a doubt.” She smiled at the sight of her brothers on their backs on the grass as Nate’s daughters climbed over them. “From what I understand, Nate and Taylor’s girls had a rough start in life. All the children in the world should have daddies like you or my brothers.”
