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72
He heardher father’s words. Ben kept his mouth shut.
This wasn’t for him to do, and he knew it. But he was going to stay close in case Dusty needed him. People were everywhere, gawking.
He looked at his brother and his cousins. “Keep the crowd back. Dusty and her sisters—all of them, none of them deserve to be a spectacle. Right in the middle of the town for everyone’s entertainment and amusement.”
She’d told him how hard that had been, growing up as aTalley girl. He’d seen it for himself before. Talleys were talked about in town. They always had been.
This was going to stir up gossip left and right.
Well, not on his watch.
Fletcher and Reese and Kaece started moving around, sending gawkers out of the lobby. The ones who would go. The rest—Nikki took care of them herself. With one sharply worded order.
Nikki was the scariest Tyler in existence, after all.
Then the world narrowed until it was just four young women staring at Dusty and her sisters, beautiful eyes all full of questions. No one said a word for the longest time.
Then Darcey stepped forward.
Dixie put one hand on her shoulder. Dusty matched the move on her left, while pulling little Daisy closer.
“I’m not entirely certain what is going on here,” Darcey said. “But…I think we need to have a talk.”
“Devvie needs to go to the hospital. She’s been hurt,” the extra small one with Dusty’s eyes and cheeks, with spiky white-blond hair curling out everywhere, said. She did look like Dusty, a bit. But smaller. Definitely younger. She winced, put one hand up to the blood stain on her arm. Hell, she’d been hurt. There would be time enough for conversation later.
“So have you,” the youngest one said. “You’re still bleeding, Dylan.”
“I’m good. As long as whiny truckboy over there doesn’t eat me alive or something anyway. I think he’s aTyler.Probably a criminal, too. Just like Daddy said they all were.” The girl scowled at Fletcher. Ben wasn’t fooled. This little sister was hiding behind a cocky attitude that didn’t fool anyone who looked closely. The girl was scared to death right now. Confused. And deflecting her fear through anger at Fletcher or something.
Well, Ben’s brother was big enough and strong enough to make a decent target.
“Tylers aren’t criminals, just our uncle Bruce, who wealldespise,” Ben told her. “And you are still bleeding. You need to go to the ER. Or let Dixie look at your arm, kid. I’m Fletcher Truckboy Tyler’s brother Ben. I won’t let him eat you. I promise. So, what did your dad tell you about us Tylers?”
“Bruce Tyler was there.” The twin in glasses almost whispered the words, even though her sisters shushed her. “When Morris Preston tried to kill our mom that day. Daddy said Tylers are hotheaded, redheaded criminals and stuff and shouldn’t be allowed near decent women at all.”
“I promise I’m a good guy. So are the rest of us Tylers.” Hell, they were breaking his heart. He could see so many pieces of Dusty in their faces. And the hurt…a man could almost feel it. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you taken care of. You…saved the day, you know. Just popped up out of nowhere at the exact right moment.”
“I’m okay,” the little one said. She was also very suspicious, apparently. “I’m not going anywhere without…my sisters.”
Well. They wereallsisters, weren’t they?
“Then we all go,” Dixie said. “I think we all eightneed to stick together until we figure this out. I think we’ve been kept apart longenough.”
The pain in Dixie’s words was damned hard for anyone to miss.
“Okay, enough is enough. Let’s get you and your sister here taken care of.” Ben looked around. There. His cousin Josh, the paramedic, was right there. “Josh, I have a few ladies who need your attention. How about doing your job for once, you goober?”
His cousin nodded.
Then the ones in charge took care of what had to happen next.
73
Dusty stayedin the ER waiting room, with her sisters. And two of the new ones. They’d both been checked out by the ER staff and given clean bills of health. They had a few bruises from seat belts and would probably be sore for a few days, but they were okay. The other two were still in the back.
She really tried hard not to stare. But they were her sisters. It meant something. She didn’t know what to feel, but it had to meansomething,right?
