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Bonita had an excellent reputation in the hospital. People seemed to like her. Respect her. Sought her out. He’d even stayed late many, many nights to study her as she worked the overnight shift.
She calmed the patients, especially the younger ones, so beautifully. She was quietly elegant and graceful in a way that was extraordinary.
Denita’s younger sister had grown quite beautiful as she had aged.
Of course, she had, her mother had been a prominent movie starlet, after all. Her grandmother a musician and actress as well. All of those women’s daughters and granddaughters were almost guaranteed perfect breeding. Extraordinary beauty. The woman who had replaced Denita’s mother had been physically attractive as well. As had the grandmothers Denita had mentioned to him once. Shown him photographs of.
Physically beautiful, phenomenally intelligent. Perfect breeding through several generations of well-educated women and men as well.
Denita had been extraordinary.
Her daughters would be as well.Allof them.
He spent a great deal of time watching Bonita now, too.
It was always going to be about Denita’s daughters first.
But Bonita…
Gregory could just not make the thoughts of Bonitastop.
They had grown in intensity lately. She was haunting him now. Bonita just wouldn’t stop. Gregory held another young woman in his arms and waltzed, as he wished…she was Bonita instead.
The woman he hated…the woman who had Denita’s soul.
Bonita.
18
His brothers had always hadhis back. Murdoch had seen his brother early on, but he hadn’t had a chance to talk to him yet. This was the last place he’d expected to see his brother—fancy parties at the Barratt weren’t exactly Anthony’s kind of thing.
Anthony spun the woman of Murdoch’s dreams right into his arms. “I believe this woman is…yours?”
Good brother.Anthony deserved a cookie.
“Damned right she is. No other guy on the planet is brave enough to take her on.” Murdoch took her into his arms before she could escape, trying not to swallow his own damned tongue seeing how low that neckline plunged in the front. “Right now I’m trying not to have a heart attack. Zoey Sofia in red silk? I’m…it’s a good thing my twin bro is a doctor. I’m struggling to breathe here.”
To his amusement, her cheeks reddened just a little. Of course, it could be because she was pissed at him, but he preferred it was because she thought he looked good in the tux or something. “Hey, babe. Surprised meeting me here amongst the fancy-class set?”
“What exactly are you doing here?” she almost hissed. But at least she hadn’t kicked him in the middle of the dance floor or anything.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not entirely certain. I was just sitting there in my living room with Peach the Fuzz for company—he was hiding from the new law in town—debating microwave pizza or microwave egg rolls for breakfast—when Acardi and McKellen knocked on my door and dressed me like this. Told me the principal wants to see me. Or the mob boss. I’m not sure, but I think you might know which. Since he’s your brother-in-law and all.”
“Marc wants you here to meet with the task force?”
“See, I knew you were one of his little lackeys, too. And, babe, you look phenomenal in red silk. I’m going to be dreaming about this dress for a long, long time. Probably until I’m ninety and Ronnie’s kids have stuck weird old Uncle Murdoch in the home.” Murdoch just danced with her, until the song ended and she tried to escape. “Nope. You and me, we’re going to hit the garden. I’m getting overwhelmed here. That fancy blond with the talons tried to grope my ass when I was polite enough to dance with her after McKellen suggested it.”
“That’s Breanna Claireson; she has a major problem with my sister. And likes to—as she puts it—go slumming with the TSP. I think McKellen played you.”
“I still feared for my virtue.” And hell, he just wanted to spend a few minutes with her. Was that so wrong? “So, walk around the garden in the moonlight? We can talk about yourquest.”
She narrowed those dark eyes of hers right at him. Murdoch decided he wanted her hair down. He didn’t like it all swept up and sophisticated like that. It hid the real her. The Zoey he had known from the very beginning.
Before the damned shooting that had nearly stolen her away from them all.
He had his target in mind. That open door right there, and with one elegant twirl his sisters would have been proud of, he whirled her right outside where he wanted her.
19
