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She looked at the deputy standing there. “Excuse us, Sage. We’releavingnow.”
“I’m afraid you can’t leave yet. We have to do the statements thing first,” Sage shot her a wicked grin. “I promise not to drag it out. I understand exactly how you feel right now. Exactly. Those Tyler boys—there is just something about them that makes a woman lose all sense of reason. Should I say…welcome to the family? And should we just let Nikki keep squealing like that until she wears herself out? It might take a while. You two have apparently shocked…her, at least. The rest of us…not so much. Not so much.”
“Just hurry it up, Sage. We have somewhere more important to be,” Ben said, scowling at his brother’s fiancée. Looking all adorably Ben-grumpy once again. “This is our dramatic exit scene here!”
But whatever he had planned had to pause.
There was a crowd right there. Pushing their way in. Thentheywere there. Her sisters. Well, Darcey, Dixie, and Daisy anyway. She didn’t know where the others had disappeared to.
That was when Dusty’s tears started. Her sisters. They were going to have so many questions. And they deserved answers, too.
Reality had just sunken in faster than she wanted to think about. “You’re going to have to put me down. I think…there are some things my family and I are going to have to talk about now. You and I—we’ll do the romantic ending…later.”
“Beginning. It’s a romanticbeginning.” But he kissed her again. Right there in front of everyone.
Nikki squealed again. Or it might have been Daisy actually. Dusty really wasn’t paying attention. She just kissedherTyler man right back.
She knew what was important now.
“Daddy? Mom? What’s going on?” a voice called. One that was so much like Daisy’s Dustyalmostthought it was her little sister. That had Dusty snapping back to reality. Ben lowered her to her feet. But his hand wrapped around hers. He pulled her close until she could rest against his chest. But she couldn’t see the woman who had said it.
Darcey came straight for her. “Dusty!”
Her oldest sister wrapped her up in a hug so tight, Dusty thought Darcey would choke her.
“I’m okay, I’m okay. I promise. They…were there, too. That was who he really wanted.”
“Who are they?” Daisy asked, hugging her next and clinging. Her baby sister. “I couldn’t really see anyone but the man with the gun. And that girl.”
Dusty pulled in a deep breath. And looked. Toward where Joel still stood. “Our parents.”
“Themagain?” Dixie asked, fury in her tone. Then, to Dusty’s shock, Dixie headed right to where Joel had her father now in handcuffs, with that US marshal there next to Joel. Joel and Marshal Sutton seemed to be in a heated discussion about who was taking charge—of Dusty’s mother.
Neither one of them really wanted Dusty’s father, though.
Dusty and Darcey shared a look. And followed. Dixie was the calmest of them all. And always had been. But when her temper erupted, the entire county shook.
Daisy’s hand slipped in hers. Dusty pulled her closer. Like she always had, always would.
“What did you think you were doing?” Dixie’s voice was loud enough thateveryoneheard. Everyone in the dining room got quiet. Fast. “Did you even bother to consider what you did? What you were doing? Couldn’t you have just stayed away forever? We dojust finewithout you here. We always have. But the instant you come around, Dusty almost dies!”
“I’m sure you can talk about this later,” Joel said quietly. “Less publicly.”
“Why bother caring who listens or who doesn’t?” Dixie demanded. “Everyone in town knows what they did to us, don’t they? We’ve been gossiped about for decades.Poor little babies left on the damned doorstep. How sad! How tragic!It was our lives they screwed with. And now we want answers.”
“I think mysistersand I have waited long enough, Joel,” Darcey said, putting one hand on Dixie’s shoulder. Dusty shifted closer, pulling Daisy with her. United, like the Talley sisters almost always were. “We deserve answers. Right now is about the only time we trust he’s not going to take off. Just walk away and leave us behind again. Not even a note this time, either. No handydoorsteparound right now, huh,Daddy dearest?”
Daisy took it one step farther. Well, three steps. Dusty watched in shock as her sweet-natured baby sister took three steps toward their father, hauled back her leg—and kicked him right in the shin. “Why couldn’t you have just stayed away forever, huh?”
Dusty had almost expected Darcey to kick the man. It wouldn’t have surprised her at all. Or Dixie.
ButDaisy?
Their father cursed. Hopped a little. “I suppose I deserved that.”
“You think?” Darcey snarled. Dusty reached out. Put a hand on her oldest sister’s shoulder. Darcey was seriously about to erupt. If she did, it would not be pretty.
Dusty pulled Daisy closer. And looked atthem.“Where arethey?”
