ladder. High-bred manners. And breakfast in the
'morning room.' Excuse me. She smiled to herself as she moved out
the canvas door.
Dean's eyes hit her as she emerged first.
They narrowed. Then he saw Robby come out of the tree house behind
her. He couldn't hide his surprise. Surprise and, Kelly saw,
relief.
But of course he was relieved. He'd been
worried. He cared.
He was human.
She felt a little light-headed as she hopped
to the ground. This was stupid. So, Dean was human. Most people
were. Nothing to get excited about. Then she turned and found him
looking straight at her.
"Thank you," he said.
That was when, for an instant, just a
split-second, Kelly saw something she'd never expected to see.
Her Dean.
As if alarmed he could have been anything of
the sort, he threw the mask back up. Abruptly, he turned to Robby.
Scanning the boy, and apparently finding him undamaged, he
declared, "You're filthy."
"I'm hungry," was Robby's retort.
Kelly started shivering. Her Dean! Not
any more, but he had been there; in the eyes, the tone of
voice...the vulnerability.
"You'll bathe before you get anything to
eat," Dean told his half-brother sternly. "And then we'll talk
about this habit of running away."
Robby's brown-eyed gaze went to Kelly. "I
promised her I'd show her where the morning room is. I have to do
that first."
Dean stilled. He seemed transfixed by
something Robby had just done. Kelly, meanwhile, was transfixed by
a startling, new idea. Had her husband been telling the truth back
in that conference room in Las Vegas? Was at least a part of
him 'her' Dean?
Could it be true ?
"Ahem, well." Dean seemed to come out of his
brief distraction. He went stern again. "Fine. If you promised,
then you have to fulfill your word. But then you bathe." Dean made
this very clear. "No eating anything yourself until you're
presentable."
"Okay." Robby sounded like he would have
agreed to anything right then. Completely trusting now, he grabbed
Kelly's hand. "Come on, this way."
"Wait. My shoes." Kelly leaned the other way
to slip into her sandals. Furtively, she glanced toward Dean as
Robby pulled her in the other direction.
Dean was not furtive at all about the way he
was looking at Kelly. He wasn't a rock now, but a glacier, cold
enough to freeze lava. His eyes focused on her like twin lasers of
ice. If Kelly hadn't just retrieved Robby for him and
he hadn't admitted gratitude she'd have said he was
angry.
Enraged, even.
"Enjoy your meal," he told Kelly, in tones of
frost. Before she could reply, he turned and stalked swiftly
away.
"Well, I'll be a monkey's..." Kelly murmured.
It was as if that other man, the human one, had never been.
CHAPTER FIVE
Dean swept through the open French doors and
into his study. He paced the Aubusson rug, his hands clenched into
fists. If only an expenditure of energy would release some of the
fury he felt.
Being nice, ingratiating herself. To Robby!
Who did she think she was? Who the hell did that Kelly
female think she was?
Dean whirled toward a rustling sound by the
French doors. Troy halted on the threshold, his hands raised.
"Hey," he mock-begged, "don't shoot."
Dean exhaled slowly. "What?" He made it cool.
"Not joining the happy party?"
"Oh, why do that when I can enjoy your cheery
company?" Troy sauntered into the room.
Dean tried to even out his breathing and
stalked over to his desk. He made a show of looking for something
on its surface. "Pardon me very much if I don't believe you. You
want something, I presume?" His cousin, like every other male of
the family, had no visible means of support. He had plenty of
invisible means, however. Not that Troy didn't run into financial
trouble every couple of months, anyway.
And, indeed, Troy now heaved a deep sigh. "I
do want something."
Dean resigned himself to a beg for a couple
thousand dollars as Troy ambled toward the desk.
"I want somebody to tell me what's wrong with
me." Troy's voice went whimsical. "I'm
'morning room.' Excuse me. She smiled to herself as she moved out
the canvas door.
Dean's eyes hit her as she emerged first.
They narrowed. Then he saw Robby come out of the tree house behind
her. He couldn't hide his surprise. Surprise and, Kelly saw,
relief.
But of course he was relieved. He'd been
worried. He cared.
He was human.
She felt a little light-headed as she hopped
to the ground. This was stupid. So, Dean was human. Most people
were. Nothing to get excited about. Then she turned and found him
looking straight at her.
"Thank you," he said.
That was when, for an instant, just a
split-second, Kelly saw something she'd never expected to see.
Her Dean.
As if alarmed he could have been anything of
the sort, he threw the mask back up. Abruptly, he turned to Robby.
Scanning the boy, and apparently finding him undamaged, he
declared, "You're filthy."
"I'm hungry," was Robby's retort.
Kelly started shivering. Her Dean! Not
any more, but he had been there; in the eyes, the tone of
voice...the vulnerability.
"You'll bathe before you get anything to
eat," Dean told his half-brother sternly. "And then we'll talk
about this habit of running away."
Robby's brown-eyed gaze went to Kelly. "I
promised her I'd show her where the morning room is. I have to do
that first."
Dean stilled. He seemed transfixed by
something Robby had just done. Kelly, meanwhile, was transfixed by
a startling, new idea. Had her husband been telling the truth back
in that conference room in Las Vegas? Was at least a part of
him 'her' Dean?
Could it be true ?
"Ahem, well." Dean seemed to come out of his
brief distraction. He went stern again. "Fine. If you promised,
then you have to fulfill your word. But then you bathe." Dean made
this very clear. "No eating anything yourself until you're
presentable."
"Okay." Robby sounded like he would have
agreed to anything right then. Completely trusting now, he grabbed
Kelly's hand. "Come on, this way."
"Wait. My shoes." Kelly leaned the other way
to slip into her sandals. Furtively, she glanced toward Dean as
Robby pulled her in the other direction.
Dean was not furtive at all about the way he
was looking at Kelly. He wasn't a rock now, but a glacier, cold
enough to freeze lava. His eyes focused on her like twin lasers of
ice. If Kelly hadn't just retrieved Robby for him and
he hadn't admitted gratitude she'd have said he was
angry.
Enraged, even.
"Enjoy your meal," he told Kelly, in tones of
frost. Before she could reply, he turned and stalked swiftly
away.
"Well, I'll be a monkey's..." Kelly murmured.
It was as if that other man, the human one, had never been.
CHAPTER FIVE
Dean swept through the open French doors and
into his study. He paced the Aubusson rug, his hands clenched into
fists. If only an expenditure of energy would release some of the
fury he felt.
Being nice, ingratiating herself. To Robby!
Who did she think she was? Who the hell did that Kelly
female think she was?
Dean whirled toward a rustling sound by the
French doors. Troy halted on the threshold, his hands raised.
"Hey," he mock-begged, "don't shoot."
Dean exhaled slowly. "What?" He made it cool.
"Not joining the happy party?"
"Oh, why do that when I can enjoy your cheery
company?" Troy sauntered into the room.
Dean tried to even out his breathing and
stalked over to his desk. He made a show of looking for something
on its surface. "Pardon me very much if I don't believe you. You
want something, I presume?" His cousin, like every other male of
the family, had no visible means of support. He had plenty of
invisible means, however. Not that Troy didn't run into financial
trouble every couple of months, anyway.
And, indeed, Troy now heaved a deep sigh. "I
do want something."
Dean resigned himself to a beg for a couple
thousand dollars as Troy ambled toward the desk.
"I want somebody to tell me what's wrong with
me." Troy's voice went whimsical. "I'm
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