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The scent of gumbo wafted into his room, but he wasn’t hungry. Not with his thoughts running around and around. Every time he was around Carly, he felt vital and alive. Alert and happy. He’d decided to keep his distance, but it would be hard to do when every cell in his body jumped to attention when he was near her.
Someone tapped on his door, and he looked up. “Come in.”
Isabelle peeked inside his room. “Gram says dinner is ready.” She held little Caroline in her arms, and the baby gave him a gummy smile when she saw him.
Lucas felt like the worst person in the world when he saw her happy little face. What kind of man begrudged safety to a tiny being like that, especially considering he was sworn to serve and protect? He should have felt privileged to be able to provide a safe haven for the infant. Instead all he could think about was how it affected him.
Isabelle’s smile faded. “Are you okay, Lucas?”
“I’m fine, Isabelle. Just tired.” He rose and went toward her. “You’re doing a great job with Caroline. You must really like babies.”
Her blue eyes lit up her face. “I love them. She’s a really good baby. Not as good as Noah, of course, but I already love her. Here, want to hold her?” She thrust the baby into his arms without waiting for an answer.
Lucas juggled the infant into his other arm. “She’s heavier than Noah.”
“She’s a little older.” Isabelle’s loving smile focused on Caroline.
The solid weight of the child in his arms roused a sensation of protection, and his arms tightened around Caroline. Noah was the first baby he could recall holding, and now here he was with another infant. The funny thing was he felt experienced and competent to do it. Crazy when he’d thought kids were little terrors.
He gave her back to Isabelle. “I’ll join you in a few minutes. I want to wash up.”
“Okay.” She and the baby left the room, but she left the door open.
He stepped over to close it and heard voices from down the hall. Emily and Amelia.
“Dillard is suing me for divorce.” Amelia’s voice quivered, and she released a small sob. “I can’t say it’s a complete surprise, but I thought the money would make a difference.”
“I’m sorry, sis. He’s such a sleazebag. I don’t know what you ever saw in him. What money are you talking about? It’ll take ages for the bed-and-breakfast to pull in a profit.”
“No, no, I mean the egg money.”
“You told him about Carly’s egg?”
“Well, sure. It’s a fortune. Know what he said? He laughed and said even millions of dollars couldn’t make him stay with me one more day.” Amelia’s soft sobs continued down the hall.
“I wouldn’t put it past him to try to steal the egg. Carly asked us to keep it quiet.”
“Not from my husband!”
A door shut, and he heard their footsteps coming closer. He left the door open a crack but ducked back. They said nothing more, though, as they went toward the kitchen.
Dillard knew about the egg. Lucas hadn’t cared for the man from the first time he’d met him. He was all flash and no substance. Could any of these attempts to find the egg be fueled by Dillard’s greed? Maybe not since he’d told Amelia he didn’t care enough to hang around. But the divorce also meant Amelia would be in no hurry to leave here and go home. Lucas had wondered if living away from her grandmother’s house would drive her home until it was ready for her to paint.
The original plan had been for them all to stay in the house while it was being updated, but the intensifying danger had worried him. And there was no turning back now. Once the die was cast, Ryan had jumped into the remodel with both feet. There were no working bathrooms now. And no kitchen. They couldn’t move home until those rooms were ready for occupancy, and that would be weeks.
If he had it to do over again, would he still offer up their house? He thought about the quiet times he’d had with Carly, and a warmth spread through his chest. Those times had been special to him, but they also made it harder for him to step back.
He went to his bathroom and splashed water on his face, then stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes held more fear than he’d ever seen. Vince’s words came back from earlier today.“You ever think the good Lord brought Carly into your life on purpose? You’re a stand-up guy, Lucas. She hadn’t had the experience of meeting a man like you.”
What did that even mean—a man like him? He wasn’t anything special—just a guy doing his job day after day. He’d faced death in his job plenty of times. Looking down the barrel of a gun tended to make a guy evaluate the worth of everything in his life. Relationships were every bit as hard as he’d always feared.
He wiped his face with the hand towel and hung it up. The thought of not seeing Carly every morning brought a hard lump to his stomach, but he’d done other difficult things before. This wasn’t something he could decide overnight.
Twenty-Nine
Carly rubbed her dry, tired eyes and turned off her computer. The story was going well, and she was already up to ten thousand words. Outside the sunroom’s windows, the yard was illuminated by security lights. Lucas had the place lit up like a prison—but not to keep anyone from escaping. He wanted plenty of notice if anyone was skulking around. He seemed to think of everything.
Her mouth turned down at the memory of his distant manner. What was going on with him? She hadn’t had the opportunity to ask him.
