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A short silence settled over the vast back yard. When I looked down, Jace was trying to pull me in the direction of a wooden play-set. I couldn’t move though, because the little girl was hugging my leg.
“Looks like you’ve made some friends,” said Duncan.
“Yeah,” I laughed. “Guess so.”
“Courtney doesn’t usually take to strangers,” said Liam. “Which means she must sense the awesome person you are.”
I tried to keep from blushing at all the compliments, but realized if I were in their shoes I’d be doing the same. It still didn’t make sense though. I had more questions than answers.
“By the way, that’s one heck of a front gate,” I whistled. “Which one of you is lucky enough to have a last name that starts with ‘J’?”
The guys glanced at each other for a moment before turning back to me. “None of us, actually,” said Liam.
I blinked. Still no answers.
“Well, that’s notentirelytrue,” said Julius. Extending one very tan, well-muscled arm, he pointed to the children. “Theydo.”
I looked down to where the kids were hiding behind my legs and making faces at each other.
“Their last name is Jackson,” he said gruffly. “This place is theirs.”
“And you’re doing renovations for them?” I chuckled. “Are they paying you in dirty diapers, or…”
“We’re their guardians,” said Duncan. “Or rather, their parents. Have been for about a year now.”
“Oh.”
“We get paid in hugs and giggles though,” Liam said with a smile. “Can’t say I mind it.”
“You’re not contractors though,” I guessed. “In fact, the three of you are military. Aren’t you?”
Duncan scratched at his goatee. He looked mildly impressed. “What tipped you off?”
“Flags,” I said. “Medals. The old fatigues the two of you are wearing.” I pointed to Julius and Duncan’s camouflage cargo pants. “Plus he’s got an airborne tattoo on his right shoulder,” I continued, nodding toward Liam. “Saw it as I followed him back here.”
“She’s good,” Liam chuckled. “Real good.”
“Definitely not bad,” Duncan allowed.
Julius, easily the more stoic of the three men, still didn’t look convinced. Not fully anyway.
“We’re Army,” Liam said, folding his arms. “Ranger specialists. Mostly inactive, but we do contract work. Or we did, anyway. Up until…”
His eyes scanned past my waist, to Jace and Courtney. The children had dropped into the grass again and were clawing at my shoelaces.
“Would you like to stay for dinner, Delilah?”
The sun had begun setting past a distant row of trees. My stomach rumbled.
“Got any pasta to go with that sauce on the stove?”
Duncan smirked broadly. “Homemade ravioli. Julius’s own family recipe.”
I looked to the blue-eyed ranger with the shaggy brown mane. He grunted, adding a nod.
“Well then count me in.”
