And the sixth woman... He sipped his whiskey and water as he watched Megan O'Riley. Now there was a package he thought might be full of surprises. In the looks department, she didn't take second place to the fabulous Calhouns. And her voice, with its slow Oklahoma drawl, added its own appeal. What she lacked, he mused, was the easy warmth that flowed from the other women.
He hadn't decided as yet whether it was the result of a cold nature or simple shyness.
Whatever it was, it ran deep. It was hard to be cold or shy in a room filled with laughing people, cooing babies and wrestling children.
He was holding one of his favorite females at the moment. Jenny was bouncing on his lap and barrag-ing him with questions.
Are you going to marry Aunt Coco?
She won't have me.
I will.
Jenny beamed up at him, an apprentice heartbreaker with a missing front tooth.
We can get married in the garden, like Mom and Daddy did. Then you can come live with us.
Now that's the best offer I've had in a long time.
He stroked a callused finger
down her cheek.
But you have to wait until I get big.
It's always wise to make a man wait.
This from Lilah, who slouched on a sofa, her head in the crook of her husband's arm, a baby in her own.
Don't let him rush you
into anything, Jenny. Slow is always best.
She'd know,
Amanda commented.
Lilah's spent her life studying slow.
I'm not ready to give up my girl.
Holt scooped Jenny up.
Especially to a
broken-down sailor.
I can outpilot you blindfolded, Bradford.
Nuh-uh.
Alex popped up to defend the family honor.
Daddy sails the best. He
can sail better than anybody. Even if bad guys were shooting at him.
Territorial, Alex wrapped an arm around Holt's leg.
He even got shot. He's got a
bullet hole in him.
Holt grinned at his friend.
Get your own cheering gallery, Nate.
Did you ever get shot?
Alex wanted to know.
Can't say that I have.
Nathaniel swirled his whiskey.
But there was this Greek in
Corfu that wanted to slit my throat.
Alex's eyes widened until they were like saucers. From his spot on the rug, Kevin inched closer.
Really?
Alex looked for signs of knife wounds. He knew Nathaniel had a tattoo of a fire-breathing dragon on his shoulder, but this was even better.
Did you stab him back and kill him dead?
Nope.
Nathaniel caught the look of doubt and disapproval in Megan's eyes.
He
missed and caught me in the shoulder, and the Dutchman knocked him cold with a bottle of ouzo.
Desperately impressed, Kevin slid closer.