he
didn’t utter a word. But Darren had no problem chatting with this woman.
“She’s
not.” Taos took the plate she offered him and almost dropped it as she flashed
him one of those smiles. She held a powerful attraction for a man. His brothers
were already her slaves, but not him.
“Sure
she is,” Charlie piped up. “I’m not about to go back to your cookin’ after
this.”
“She’s not staying. We don’t know anything about her, not even her name.”
“Her
name’s Sammy,” the boy piped up. Every person in the room turned toward him,
except for Taos.
He
stared hard at the woman and slowly picked out the features that should have
been obvious: the straight blonde hair the color of golden silk, and those eyes.
Those deep, emerald green eyes.
It
couldn’t be!
Taos
scanned her appearance from head to toe. She was the spitting image of Claire.
Why hadn’t he recognized her? He continued to stare, his mouth slightly open. The
skinny little girl he had put on the train nine years ago had grown into an
extremely beautiful woman. His mind stumbled through his memory and settled on
last night. He looked away quickly.
What
was last night? Some kind of game to tease him and make him feel like an
idiot? It had worked, and his brothers were in on it too. They obviously knew
exactly who she was. He’d never hear the end of this. She had played him for a
fool all right, and he fell for it. He should have known better. He had learned
how dangerous a woman could be, even if it was Sammy. Nine years was a long
time, and he really didn’t have any idea who or what she was now. She hadn’t even
been here one day, and he’d already proved he was the same sucker he had been
with Sharisse. His eyes stared at her lips. Her tongue darted across them and
his gaze met hers. Heat built in his chest, part irritation, part . . . something
else.
“Well,
the cat’s out of the bag now, isn’t it?” Charlie polished off the last of his
bacon as he watched Taos. Charlie nudged Darren with an elbow and nodded a head
toward their brother. Taos realized that Samantha’s face glowed red—probably a
mirror image of his right now. Charlie wasn’t stupid, unfortunately.
“Now
this is interesting,” Charlie waved his fork as he talked. “I mean, I think
there’s more went on last night than you let on, Sammy.”
“Like
what?” Darren stuffed more bacon in his mouth.
“This
might be just what we need to liven things up around here.” A half smile played
around Charlie’s mouth as he forked down another bite, ignoring Taos’s hot
glare.
“So
what’s the story with that guy that’s after you?” Darren asked.
Samantha
sat at the table and started in on a flapjack of her own.
“What
guy?” Charlie’s attention focused on her, as did Taos’s.
“A
couple of weeks ago, Aunt Mattie’s investment advisor Ty Lawson died. His son,
John Lawson, took over his father’s business. But Ty’s death was very suspicious,
and I honestly think John had something to do with it. Anyway, he showed up at
Mattie’s saying that he was executing a power of attorney over her assets and
he slipped something into her drink.”
Taos
watched her closely as she spoke. She seemed to fidget under his gaze. Was it
because she was lying, or were her thoughts on last night too?
“Mattie
doesn’t trust John and has no intention of turning over her finances to him. I went
through and balanced the financial ledgers for her and realized that there was
quite a bit of money that had already gone missing. So I confronted John about
it.”
“By
yourself?” Taos’s sharp tone drew everyone’s attention.
“Well,
yes. I didn’t realize how dangerous he could be.”
“You
thought he killed his father, but you didn’t think he’d be dangerous?” Taos
snorted in disbelief. “Are you stupid?” Samantha did her best to bore a hole
through him with her glare, but he was unimpressed.
“Did
he h-hurt you?” Darren’s concern was
didn’t utter a word. But Darren had no problem chatting with this woman.
“She’s
not.” Taos took the plate she offered him and almost dropped it as she flashed
him one of those smiles. She held a powerful attraction for a man. His brothers
were already her slaves, but not him.
“Sure
she is,” Charlie piped up. “I’m not about to go back to your cookin’ after
this.”
“She’s not staying. We don’t know anything about her, not even her name.”
“Her
name’s Sammy,” the boy piped up. Every person in the room turned toward him,
except for Taos.
He
stared hard at the woman and slowly picked out the features that should have
been obvious: the straight blonde hair the color of golden silk, and those eyes.
Those deep, emerald green eyes.
It
couldn’t be!
Taos
scanned her appearance from head to toe. She was the spitting image of Claire.
Why hadn’t he recognized her? He continued to stare, his mouth slightly open. The
skinny little girl he had put on the train nine years ago had grown into an
extremely beautiful woman. His mind stumbled through his memory and settled on
last night. He looked away quickly.
What
was last night? Some kind of game to tease him and make him feel like an
idiot? It had worked, and his brothers were in on it too. They obviously knew
exactly who she was. He’d never hear the end of this. She had played him for a
fool all right, and he fell for it. He should have known better. He had learned
how dangerous a woman could be, even if it was Sammy. Nine years was a long
time, and he really didn’t have any idea who or what she was now. She hadn’t even
been here one day, and he’d already proved he was the same sucker he had been
with Sharisse. His eyes stared at her lips. Her tongue darted across them and
his gaze met hers. Heat built in his chest, part irritation, part . . . something
else.
“Well,
the cat’s out of the bag now, isn’t it?” Charlie polished off the last of his
bacon as he watched Taos. Charlie nudged Darren with an elbow and nodded a head
toward their brother. Taos realized that Samantha’s face glowed red—probably a
mirror image of his right now. Charlie wasn’t stupid, unfortunately.
“Now
this is interesting,” Charlie waved his fork as he talked. “I mean, I think
there’s more went on last night than you let on, Sammy.”
“Like
what?” Darren stuffed more bacon in his mouth.
“This
might be just what we need to liven things up around here.” A half smile played
around Charlie’s mouth as he forked down another bite, ignoring Taos’s hot
glare.
“So
what’s the story with that guy that’s after you?” Darren asked.
Samantha
sat at the table and started in on a flapjack of her own.
“What
guy?” Charlie’s attention focused on her, as did Taos’s.
“A
couple of weeks ago, Aunt Mattie’s investment advisor Ty Lawson died. His son,
John Lawson, took over his father’s business. But Ty’s death was very suspicious,
and I honestly think John had something to do with it. Anyway, he showed up at
Mattie’s saying that he was executing a power of attorney over her assets and
he slipped something into her drink.”
Taos
watched her closely as she spoke. She seemed to fidget under his gaze. Was it
because she was lying, or were her thoughts on last night too?
“Mattie
doesn’t trust John and has no intention of turning over her finances to him. I went
through and balanced the financial ledgers for her and realized that there was
quite a bit of money that had already gone missing. So I confronted John about
it.”
“By
yourself?” Taos’s sharp tone drew everyone’s attention.
“Well,
yes. I didn’t realize how dangerous he could be.”
“You
thought he killed his father, but you didn’t think he’d be dangerous?” Taos
snorted in disbelief. “Are you stupid?” Samantha did her best to bore a hole
through him with her glare, but he was unimpressed.
“Did
he h-hurt you?” Darren’s concern was
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