Read Online BRANDED BY A CALLAHAN by Tina Leonard - Free Book Online Page B

than he’d expected her to. “I understand. Thank you.” He’d been left with the consolation prize that the woman he had a major thing for at least thought he had potential.
    Although not enough to not give him up.
    “This might sound strange, but did Ana tell you if she’d tried on Fiona’s magic wedding dress?” What woman ran from a dress? Weren’t ladies generally more inclined to knock down everyone in their path to get the perfect gown on their body and a man to the altar?
    River looked confused. “She didn’t mention it. Isn’t that dress a Diablo fairy tale?”
    It was impossible that River didn’t know of the Callahan family legend. Dante studied her, wondering if she was stringing him along, but then his cute nephews toddled over and struggled to get in his lap, and he grinned. “Got new trucks, guys?”
    He admired their new toys and they stared up at him with big navy Callahan eyes. “I have a funny feeling Ana’s going to miss you terribly, gentlemen.”
    “That’s exactly what she said when she left,” River said. “In fact, they’re a big reason Ana realized she couldn’t stay here any longer.”
    He glanced up at River, intrigued by the information she was divulging. “What do you mean?”
    River went into the kitchen and began making little plates of snacks for the boys. “Ana said she’d gotten too attached. What started out as a simple bodyguard position turned into a lot more.”
    Dante kissed his diminutive nephews on their heads. Ana had been with them about a year, since before Sloan had married Kendall. Too headstrong to be sent off away from her husband forever, Kendall had returned with her own security detail, Ana and River, who pretended to be nannies but were actually in charge of protecting the twins. The lines had been blurred a long time ago as Ana and River really enjoyed being with the children and part of the Callahan family. They took their job very seriously. Dante was completely comfortable with Ana and River overseeing the safety of his nephews. “I can understand how Ana could fall for these little guys. They’d steal anybody’s hearts.”
    “Yeah.” River looked away for a moment. “Occupational hazard. Ana’s totally professional, though. She wouldn’t have left only because she cared too much about the boys. She left,” River said, hesitating, “because she’d begun to want a child of her own. Very much.”
    Dante blinked. Felt a little ball of excitement lodge inside him. Heck, if she really wanted a child that badly, he’d be more than happy to give her one. The thought was so strong as it came to him that he tensed, worried for a moment that he’d spoken his thought out loud. It had been so real. Of course he’d love to have a child with her. “Sounds pretty normal to me. Doesn’t it to you?” If he hung around these little guys most of the time, he’d want a child, too.
    He did want a child.
    Dante swallowed hard. That was a new thought. He noted River hadn’t answered his rhetorical question, but he sped on, his curiosity prodding him. “So, nothing happened that involved an enchanted dress?”
    River shook her head. “Not that she mentioned. She was upset when she came home, but she’s been planning to give her notice ever since you two got back from...you know.”
    “She’s been planning to leave since the Halloween thing?” That was two weeks ago. Dante’s heart clenched up, tightening his chest.
    River nodded. “Ana took it very personally that she hadn’t been able to stop the kidnapping. She felt like she hadn’t checked your room out thoroughly enough. And felt guilty that it could have been these little boys who got taken instead of the two of you. Carelessness isn’t good in our line of work.” River’s expression was so sad that Dante felt for her, and for Ana, too.
    “It wasn’t her fault. It was an ambush.” It had been his focus that was entirely distracted by the lady who’d shockingly appeared in his