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“The government. ” He finished his coffee before placing the cup on the table. “Are you ready for that walk now?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, staring back at him with a sense of nervous awareness. “Are we taking a walk to avoid the questions I’m going to ask?”
“To answer your questions, Eve,” he promised her softly. “Whatever you want to ask. As soon as I tell you a few things, then you can ask all the questions you like. ”
Rising from the table, he held his hand out to her, his expression closed and guarded. “Walk with me, baby. ”
Placing her hand in his, Eve let him draw her to her feet and lead her through the open kitchen and living area to the wide patio she’d sat on the night before. Opening the glass patio doors, Brogan stood aside, allowing her to step into the cool mountain air before he closed the doors behind them. Eve couldn’t help but feel she should have stayed where she was.
She should have waited.
She should have begged him to make love to her one more time before she learned something that could destroy every possibility of her staying with him.
She should have never gotten out of the bed at the sound of the boat motor and taken a chance on seeing the men who had arrived. If she hadn’t, she would have never known he was hiding anything. And that, she thought, was her biggest mistake.
Getting out of the bed.
If she had just stayed, then when he returned to the bedroom she would have done as she had been fantasizing. She would have tempted him to lie down with her again, perhaps convinced him to allow her the exploration of his body before he took her again.
But no, Eve had to be nosy.
She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like the consequences of that nosiness now.
THIRTEEN
Stepping from the cool interior of the luxurious house to the heated summer warmth of the sun was a comforting feeling. This was the part of Kentucky that Eve loved so much: the heat overhead, the cool, sheltered shadows of the surrounding trees, and the lush vibrancy of the mountains.
“It’s so pretty here,” she said as he led her along a decorative gravel path that wound through the trees. “And peaceful. ”
He settled his palm against the small of her back as they followed the path, and Eve swore she could feel a sense of hesitancy filling him.
“It’s not very peaceful when the parties get started up here. ” He sighed. “Sometimes it’s been a veritable den of iniquity for days at a time. ”
He was giving her the perfect opportunity to delve into the questions she’d claimed to want to ask.
“You can’t tell it’s been anything but this peaceful,” she commented as they continued along the path. “I remember when we first came to Somerset. Timothy flew us in and pretty much surprised Dawg with our existence. But I remember the drive to the house Timothy was living in at the time. The mountains were so beautiful and so green. After spending most of our lives in northern Texas, it was like an alien world. ”
She was aware of him glancing down at her thoughtfully. She rarely talked about their arrival in Kentucky. The years in Texas hadn’t always been pleasant, and remembering them was something she rarely enjoyed.
“How did Dawg react to meeting four sisters and their mother? Hell, Mercedes is younger than he is, isn’t she?” he questioned her curiously.
Eve nodded as she pushed her hands into the hidden pockets at the side of the skirt. “He’s older by several years. The day we arrived at the marina, Momma was sick. Timothy was trying to explain to Dawg who we were when Zoey rushed in accusing him of not wanting us. ” She grinned at the memory. “The rest of us were in the truck with Momma, but I remember seeing his face when he came out to where we were. He looked completely stricken. ”
“Good God. ” Brogan gave a surprised laugh. “There’s no way in hell he could deny he’s related to Zoey. Look at her and you’re looking at the image of his daughter in a few more years. ”
“They’re the image of each other now. ” Eve laughed lightly. “Christa thinks it’s a hoot when people mistake Zoey for Laken’s mother. ”
“And how did Dawg react to Zoey?” he asked her, his tone husky with amusement.
“Zoey swears he looked like he was going to cry. She says his hands were shaking. But as soon as she mentioned Momma was sick again, Timothy rushed outside to the truck where we were waiting. After that, it was like Dawg had always been there watching over us. ”
She glanced up at Brogan, seeing the understanding in his eyes. “He made sure Momma got the tests and medication she needed. He moved us in with him and Christa while Momma was in the hospital. When he learned Momma had always wanted her own bed-and-breakfast inn, he had one waiting for her when she came out of the hospital. He’d completely remodeled it and had everything perfect for her. He told her he didn’t have just four sisters; he had five. And he had to take care of her, too. ”
Rounding a bend in the path, Eve came to a surprised stop, delight racing through her at the sight of the small trickling stream flowing past a nearly hidden grotto.
Beneath the canopy of wisteria and honeysuckle was a wide padded bench almost half the size of a bed.
“Can we go in?” she asked, the urge to stretch out on the padded bench nearly overwhelming.
