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He forced himself to pull back quickly. To keep itbrotherly.
Brotherly? Ben definitely didn’t feelbrotherly.Far from it.
Ben fought the urge to carry her off with everything he had. Hewasjust as much a caveman as his older brother was, after all. Damn it. What in the hell was happening here? “Come on, kid. I’ll walk you to your truck.”
She just blinked at him for a moment. Ben slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, forcing himself to turn away from her. Her hair was straight and long. He wanted to tangle his hand in it, see if it was as soft as it looked. He wanted to taste her lips forreal,not just a stupid brotherly peck.
Then he wanted to enjoy her every way a man could.
Before doing it all over again. And then, again the next morning.
He waited while she locked the diner and slipped the keys into her bag. Then she turned to him. “My truck is right there. I think I can handle it from here.”
“Nope. That wasn’t the deal. I told Marin I would see to it that you made it home. I’m going to do that. Otherwise, that witchy-woman might just put a spell on me or something.”
“And you’re afraid of her. Everyone knows it. She uses it to her advantage.”
“No kidding. That woman is the dangerous kind. You can tell it by looking at her.”
“Because of how she looks? I didn’t think you’d be that shallow—having all this insight into humanity that Nikki assures me all writers possess, after all. And I know Nikki tried to train you three baboons better than that. We both did.”
He snorted at that. They had done no such thing—but he and his brothers let them think that. “Harry’s not cooperating today. And I don’t care how your cousin looks. It’s that whole predict the future thing that scares me spitless. You can see her magic powers in hereyes.”
Her face tightened. “Yes. If you believe in that kind of thing.”
Ben wasn’t sure if he did or not. He’d seen a few too many things in his lifetime to completely discount it. But Dusty, she was a skeptic through and through. He doubted she’d ever even believed in Santa Claus, this woman. “I’m not saying I do. Or I don’t.”
He just went with it—he slung his arm over her shoulder. She stiffened. He refused to pull away. He shot a challenging look at her. Daring her to say something. She looked sogrumpyin her heavier winter coat. “Come on, I’ll help you across the road. Since you are so defenseless and helpless.”
“Ha ha. What would I do without you?”
“I hope you never have to find out.” He willingly did his duty, walked the gorgeous woman to her truck, and made sure she was tucked safely inside. Ben helpfully lifted her in, even after she gave him an exasperated look. He was used to her looking at him likethat.
And maybe…putting his hands on her hadn’t been a smart move. But he’d think aboutwhylater.
Then, mostly because he knew it would irritate her and he loved it when she snapped fire at him, Ben pulled out right behind her and followed her the short distance home.
That was what a good best friend’s older brother did, after all.
8
It had takenSean another full day to get to the Browns. Fred couldn’t put him off any longer. He’d finally made it to the Browns’ home in a small town in southeastern Idaho.
LaDonna Brown greeted him at the door.
She was a remarkably attractive woman. Sean had always thought so. It was in the turn of her head, the way she smiled. The look of vulnerability in her blue eyes. And the pain. There was a heartbroken look in her eyes that never truly went away.
She had lost four children because of the monsters of the world.
No woman like that would ever be fully whole again. A chance overheard conversation and murder witnessed by her and her husband had cost them four of their children.Four.
She’d mentioned themoncein his hearing. Spoke of the loss and how much it had nearly destroyed her. And if Dylan hadn’t needed her so much, LaDonna wouldn’t be there now.
Sean knew what LaDonna had been implying.
He could not imagine. He had three sons. The oldest was now twelve. If he was to lose him or his younger brothers, even if he didn’t see them as much as he would have liked, it would destroy him.
The woman who now went by LaDonna Prescott Brown smiled at him, again. But the shadow was always there.
