“I’ll drive.” He looked at her. “Get me that address.”
“Yes, master,” she said as he stalked away—presumably to go pack for his trip.
As she headed down the hallway to her room, Lily fully intended to get Zach his address, and then get the heck out of his way. The threat he posed to Glynnis and David’s wedding plans was none of her business. Glynnis was a big girl; if she was old enough to get married, she was certainly old enough to stand up to her brother regarding her choice of husband.
This is actually a good thing for me, she assured herself as she tried to remember in which box she had just packed her address book. Heck, it’s a reprieve, extra time to find a new place to live without Mister Personality breathing down my neck.
She pushed aside the guilt that tickled the edges of her conscience. She and Glynnis had hit it off, and she truly thought David was good for the younger woman. But Glynnis’s problems with her brother were her own, and none of Lily’s.
“Lily!” The impatient shout came from outside, and she crossed the room to snap open the shutters. Zach stood on the parking apron outside the garages, glaring up at her window. As soon as he saw her, his hand slapped down on the roof of a black SUV with tinted windows. “Hurry up with that address!” he yelled.
Irritation shot through her as she stared down at his hard, belligerent face. He really was a bulldozer. She thought again of Glynnis and the fragile happiness she’d had the past couple months with David. He was wonderfully gentle with her—and the two of them would be no match at all for Zachariah Taylor. It was a crying shame, really. True love was hard enough to find without GI Joe roaring around smashing everything apart.
She glanced at her open suitcase and made a decision. Probably the worst decision of her life, but one she knew she would follow through on just the same.
“Oh, poop !”
5
Z ACH DRUMMED AN IMPATIENT TATTOO AGAINST the top of his Jeep. What the hell was keeping Lily with that address?
He was too edgy just to stand around cooling his jets this way; he had to act before his sister made a mistake it might take her years to recover from. Realizing Lily had wiggled her way into Glynnis’s life had been bad enough. But he didn’t even know how long his sister had been gone, and the lost time that little golddigger had cost him by keeping Glynnis’s news to herself could well make the difference between him getting to Beaumont’s house in time to stop this farce or not.
Considering what a control freak you are, I wasn’t exactly bowled over when Glynnis didn’t tell you her plans, whispered Lily’s voice in his brain, stilling Zach’s fingers on the rooftop. Then, slapping both hands against the hot metal, he pushed away and began to pace.
Bullshit. It had nothing to do with control; he justwanted to protect his little sister. Someone had to prevent her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
Experience was on his side, and this time the situation was even worse than usual. Glynnis was too bighearted for her own good, but no one had ever brought her to the point where marriage sounded like a good idea. Zach thrust his hands through his hair as he paced. Somehow this Beaumont guy had gotten her to that stage, though. Somehow he’d convinced her he was the man for her, the one she could trust to supply her with the happily-ever-after she’d always wanted. Zach had to save her from getting her soft, generous heart stomped into paste. For if she’d been crushed in the past when she’d discovered she’d been used by the people she’d trusted, what would it do to her to learn her true love was playing her for a fool?
Love . Zach made a rude noise. As if that was an emotion anyone could trust.
Turning to pace in the other direction, he saw Lily headed his way. “It’s about damn time,” he snarled, so busy trying not to notice the ultra-girly hip-swinging, breast-bouncing walk of
“Yes, master,” she said as he stalked away—presumably to go pack for his trip.
As she headed down the hallway to her room, Lily fully intended to get Zach his address, and then get the heck out of his way. The threat he posed to Glynnis and David’s wedding plans was none of her business. Glynnis was a big girl; if she was old enough to get married, she was certainly old enough to stand up to her brother regarding her choice of husband.
This is actually a good thing for me, she assured herself as she tried to remember in which box she had just packed her address book. Heck, it’s a reprieve, extra time to find a new place to live without Mister Personality breathing down my neck.
She pushed aside the guilt that tickled the edges of her conscience. She and Glynnis had hit it off, and she truly thought David was good for the younger woman. But Glynnis’s problems with her brother were her own, and none of Lily’s.
“Lily!” The impatient shout came from outside, and she crossed the room to snap open the shutters. Zach stood on the parking apron outside the garages, glaring up at her window. As soon as he saw her, his hand slapped down on the roof of a black SUV with tinted windows. “Hurry up with that address!” he yelled.
Irritation shot through her as she stared down at his hard, belligerent face. He really was a bulldozer. She thought again of Glynnis and the fragile happiness she’d had the past couple months with David. He was wonderfully gentle with her—and the two of them would be no match at all for Zachariah Taylor. It was a crying shame, really. True love was hard enough to find without GI Joe roaring around smashing everything apart.
She glanced at her open suitcase and made a decision. Probably the worst decision of her life, but one she knew she would follow through on just the same.
“Oh, poop !”
5
Z ACH DRUMMED AN IMPATIENT TATTOO AGAINST the top of his Jeep. What the hell was keeping Lily with that address?
He was too edgy just to stand around cooling his jets this way; he had to act before his sister made a mistake it might take her years to recover from. Realizing Lily had wiggled her way into Glynnis’s life had been bad enough. But he didn’t even know how long his sister had been gone, and the lost time that little golddigger had cost him by keeping Glynnis’s news to herself could well make the difference between him getting to Beaumont’s house in time to stop this farce or not.
Considering what a control freak you are, I wasn’t exactly bowled over when Glynnis didn’t tell you her plans, whispered Lily’s voice in his brain, stilling Zach’s fingers on the rooftop. Then, slapping both hands against the hot metal, he pushed away and began to pace.
Bullshit. It had nothing to do with control; he justwanted to protect his little sister. Someone had to prevent her from making the biggest mistake of her life.
Experience was on his side, and this time the situation was even worse than usual. Glynnis was too bighearted for her own good, but no one had ever brought her to the point where marriage sounded like a good idea. Zach thrust his hands through his hair as he paced. Somehow this Beaumont guy had gotten her to that stage, though. Somehow he’d convinced her he was the man for her, the one she could trust to supply her with the happily-ever-after she’d always wanted. Zach had to save her from getting her soft, generous heart stomped into paste. For if she’d been crushed in the past when she’d discovered she’d been used by the people she’d trusted, what would it do to her to learn her true love was playing her for a fool?
Love . Zach made a rude noise. As if that was an emotion anyone could trust.
Turning to pace in the other direction, he saw Lily headed his way. “It’s about damn time,” he snarled, so busy trying not to notice the ultra-girly hip-swinging, breast-bouncing walk of