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She sighed and leaned back. “You may have healed from your loss, Sawyer, but you were changed forever by it, too. The missing never really goes away, does it?”
He shook his head, feeling his heart swell in his chest. His whole life he’d known how to read people. It was a gift and a curse at times. But as much time as he’d spent with Nicole since yesterday, it was only now he was seeing her—really seeing her—for the first time. She had a depth of compassion that was remarkable to him. She was a survivor, too. Whatever crushing hurt had happened to her, she’d fought her way through it. Hell, it was clear she was still fighting the demons of her past. What were they?
“Tell me about your parents. What were they like?”
“Mom was the most selfless person I’ve ever known. Whenever she saw someone who needed help, she was there ready to lend a hand. Our two dads were so in love with her.”
“Two dads? That’s unusual.”
“Not here in Destiny. It’s quite common. Actually, it’s the norm. Our dads were opposite on so many levels,” Sawyer continued. “Reed is a lot like Dad Gene.”
“A smart-ass,” she said, smiling.
“I mean quiet, hard for him to open up.”
“Yeah. I can feel that in him,” she said. “What about your other dad? How are you like him?”
“Dad Gilbert was always accused of being able to read minds.”
Her cheeks flared red. “And you have that ability, too?”
“Some say I do.”
“What am I thinking right now then?”
He closed his eyes and made a humming sound to add to the show. “You are thinking how lucky you are to be with such a good-looking cowboy.” He opened his eyes and laughed. “Right?”
Her jaw dropped and then snapped shut. “You should take your act on the road.”
“And leave all this?” He motioned to the cabin. “Not a chance.” Time to test the waters and see if he could turn this conversation around to learn more about her. “What about your loss, Nicole? Talk to me.”
“I want to, cowboy.” She released her hold on his wrists. “I just can’t. You asked me about the case. What if I tell you about that first?”
It would have to do, for now. “Yes. I want to hear about it. You know we’ve had several killings in Destiny of late. One, just a couple of months ago at TBK.”
“TBK?”
“Two Black Knights. It’s a high-tech company owned by two local billionaires in Destiny.”
Her jaw dropped. “Billionaires live in Destiny?”
“Actually, we have more than a few. Eric and Scott Knight are friends of ours. The Stone brothers—Emmett, Bryant, and Cody—aren’t billionaires but aren’t too far from it. I think Mrs. Steele is a billionaire, too, but I’m not sure. Gold, the owner of the club we met at, he’s rumored to have over a million in cash under his mattress.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “Then there are the O’Learys. They could buy and sell everyone in town, including all the other billionaires.”
“That’s an impressive demographic for any city but even more so for such a small town as Destiny.”
He shrugged. “I suppose so. Growing up here, it seems quite normal to me.”
He watched her eyes dart around the cabin. “You and your brother aren’t part of that rich crowd, are you?”
“Nope. But they are friends. The Knights’ and Stones’ parents died in the same plane crash as ours. The entire town, but especially the O’Learys, were there for us.”
“I’d like to meet your sister.”
That was music to his ears. That had to mean Nicole might be convincible if not entirely open to staying yet. He felt light and hopeful. “You two will get along great.” Taking a risk, he leaned forward and brushed the hair out of her eyes.
