The woman huffed. “No, let’s go back to the
motel and make our guest comfortable. George and I’ll return while
you watch the girl.”
“You planning to keep her now?”
“I don’t think we have a choice. We may need
her for leverage.”
“Do you really think Evie knows where it
is?”
“If David gave her something, she’ll know.
Even if she doesn’t know what it is. We could search, but I’d
rather not. It’ll be easier to get it out of Evie.”
“And if she doesn’t have it?”
“She has it.”
“But if she doesn’t?” the man insisted.
“Then she’ll get it for us. She’ll do
anything to save her baby sister.”
Sarah wrenched her gaze to the window, trying
to hold back the tears that threatened. One escaped. They didn’t
really know Evie if they thought she’d do anything for Sarah. Evie
could care less about her, no matter how she tried to be so nice
and attentive now. Let her leave town again, and they’d never hear
from her. Just like before.
No, Evie wouldn’t do a thing to save her
sister. And Sarah wasn’t sure what that meant for her right
now—except she was pretty certain it was a bad thing.
* * *
To hell with his conscience. Matt was ready
to sink into Evie Baker and not come up for air for at least ten
hours. There was something about being with her, something about
kissing her and feeling her soft skin beneath his fingertips that
made him feel grounded again. She reminded him of who he was. Of
the parts of himself he liked.
With Evie, there was no need for pretense.
She’d been his complement since they were children, and he was
surprised to find it hadn’t changed very much. Oh, they were
different, sure. But she still seemed to know him in ways that
surprised him.
He’d been so damn restless for the last two
months, his mind occupied with thoughts of everything he’d done
wrong, but right now he couldn’t think beyond getting this woman
naked and under him.
Which wasn’t going to be difficult,
considering she was only wearing a robe.
Her arms were around his neck, her body
arched into his as their tongues tangled in a hot, sensual duel. He
had his hands on her ass, pulling her against the hardness between
his thighs. Soon, he was going to carry her the few steps to the
bed and lose himself in the delights of her body. He’d worry about
the implications tomorrow.
And then the doorbell rang.
Shit
.
Still, he planned to ignore it.
But it didn’t stop, and Evie shifted
restlessly in his arms.
“Shouldn’t you get that?” She sounded husky
and breathless, and a shot of desire throttled through him.
“No.” He dipped his head to kiss her
again.
Except the bell kept buzzing. It took a
minute to penetrate the fog in his brain, but he suddenly knew who
it was. What he didn’t know was why.
When they were teens, his sister had loved to
punch the doorbell the minute he was rounding third base with a
girl he’d brought home. It was like she had radar and lived to make
his life hell.
But they weren’t kids anymore, and if
Christina was here now—during her dinner party, no less—punching
the bell with her trademark series of short, sharp dings, then
something was up. Something he couldn’t ignore.
Matt lifted his head, cursing inwardly six
ways to Sunday. Just when he’d shoved his conscience deep, just
when he was about to get up close and personal with Evie’s
delectable body, this happened.
Maybe it was a sign.
Evie gazed up at him with molten-hot eyes he
wanted to drown in. “Give me a minute.” He kissed her again. “Don’t
move from this spot.”
He left her there and strode to the door,
intent on getting rid of his sister as quickly as possible. Perhaps
Misty Lee had decided to dance naked on the terrace in front of all
the guests, or maybe Aunt Maybelle had finally collapsed in a faint
upon finding a giant dildo and a riding crop in her bedroom. With
this family, anything was possible.
When he whipped the door open, his sister
stood on the step in a pale pink silk gown, one gloved finger
poised over the bell. She looked apologetic.
“So you did hear the door.” Her smile was
teasing.
Matt frowned and shifted his stance to hide
the evidence of what he’d been doing. Or about to do. “What’s up,
Chris?”
She clasped her hands together. “Is Evie
Baker in there with you?”
“Yeah, why?”
One eyebrow lifted imperiously. “Are you
planning to invite me in?”
“That depends. What do you want?”
“I enjoy teasing you, Matt, but really, this
is something you’ll want to hear. I promise.”
Matt pulled the door wider, sighing. He
couldn’t get a break. “Fine.”
Chris went inside and sank onto the
overstuffed couch. “Heavens, my feet are killing me.” She slid her
feet from the mile-high shoes she was wearing. “I came to tell you
Evie’s mother called the house. She said you’d called her earlier,
but you weren’t answering your phone now.”
Damn it. He’d left it plugged in on the
kitchen island. And then he’d gotten just a little bit
distracted.
“I’ll call her now.” He was feeling annoyed,
and it must have shown in his voice because she arched an eyebrow
at him. But really, she’d needed to come down to the guesthouse for
this?
“You definitely should, but I can tell you
what’s going on.” Chris leaned forward, frowning. “Evie’s little
sister is missing. She was supposed to be at home this evening, but
when Norma returned from bingo, Sarah was gone. She said she
checked Sarah’s friends, but Sarah’s not with any of them. No one’s
seen her, and the police aren’t interested just yet.”
Before Matt could respond, Evie walked into
the room. His gut clenched. He should have known she wouldn’t stay
put. But that wasn’t what made his belly tighten.
No, it was the sight of her in his too big
T-shirt—which she’d knotted at her waist—and shorts. And since she
didn’t have any other shoes, she was wearing her high heels. He
thought his tongue would stick to the roof of his mouth at the
sight of those long, long legs.
Chris stood, smiling broadly. “It’s great to
see you, Evie. I’ve been intending to get over to the salon, but
I’ve been so busy since arriving.”
Evie’s wet hair hung in long ropes down her
back, and her cosmetic-free face looked so fresh and innocent. She
must have known how it looked to Chris, and yet she stood there
with all the grace of a debutante at a cotillion.
They shared a quick hug. “Please don’t
explain. You’ve been much too busy for visiting!”
Chris frowned. “I know, but I wanted to see
everyone. I really had no idea how much work I’d have to do once I
moved the wedding to Reynier’s Retreat.”
“But it’ll be worth it all. Reynier’s Retreat
is the perfect place for a wedding.”
Chris beamed. “Thank you. I thought so too.”
She reached out and squeezed Evie’s hand. “I’d so love to catch up,
but there’s something you need to know.” She slanted her gaze
toward him. “Do you want to tell her?”
Evie’s expression grew suddenly wary as she
darted a look between them. “Tell me what?”
“Your mama called,” Matt said. “Your sister
isn’t at home like she’s supposed to be.”
Evie’s brow furrowed. “She must be with a
friend.”
Matt shook his head. “Doesn’t appear to be.
But that doesn’t mean anything. I think your mama’s probably
worried because of the shooting at the lake. Anyone with a police
scanner has heard it by now.”
“But Sarah wasn’t there.”
“Not that we know of, no.”
Evie put a hand to her head. For the barest
moment, she looked as if she might crumple and he took a step
toward her. But she stiffened her spine and faced them both as if
someone had injected her with steel. He should have known that was
coming. Evie was never down for long.
“I shouldn’t have left her tonight. If I’d
just stayed home, none of this would have happened. She could
hardly sneak out with me there.”
Matt took her by the shoulders and forced her
to look him in the eye. Her eyes were haunted, guilty. It made
something in his chest tighten. She looked helpless, though he knew
she wasn’t. But in that moment, she made him think of the women and
children he’d seen in the burned-out villages sometimes.
We can’t save them all
. Colonel Mendez
had said that to him more than once after the team returned from
the field. But, damn it, Matt wasn’t prepared to accept that edict.
He would keep trying to save them, every last one, until the Army
wouldn’t let him anymore.
“There’s no point in beating yourself up over
what you might have, should have, could have done.” He squeezed her
shoulders. “What’s done is done. Now we need to go and find your
sister and get you both home so your mama can stop worrying.”
Evie took a deep breath as if she needed to
ground herself. “Right. Okay, she probably snuck off to a party
somewhere. Or out with a boy.”
“Sounds likely. Why don’t we call your mother
and see what she’s done and who she’s called?”
“I think I left my purse in your car. My
phone is there.”
“You can use mine.” Matt went and got his
phone and handed it to Evie. She dialed her mother, moving across
the room toward the windows along the side of the house.
Chris stood and smoothed her skirt. “I better
get back to the party now.” She shot a glance at Evie before
focusing on him. “So are you taking up where you left off?”
“What’s that mean?”
Chris gave him a look. “You know what it
means. But Matt, be careful.”
A current of irritation flared to life inside
him. “Careful? What are you talking about?”
“You. You’re the same dog you’ve always been,
and Evie’s just another woman who can’t quite resist your charms.
But she’s also the one you shouldn’t mess with, because you’ve
already done wrong by her once.”
Matt felt as if she’d jabbed him in the gut
with her spiked heel. “Thanks for the advice, though I don’t
remember asking for it.”
Chris smiled at him. Presumably to soften the
blow. “It comes free because you’re my brother.”
Matt frowned, though hurt swirled deep down.
The same dog you’ve always been
. “Go tell Ben what to do. He
signed on for it. I didn’t.”
Chris came over and tugged him down to her
level. Then she kissed his cheek. “Don’t do anything stupid,
Mattie.”
“Don’t call me Mattie,” he growled. “And I’m
not planning to do anything stupid.”
“Says you.” Chris slipped out the door and
closed it behind her.
Matt turned to find Evie still on the phone,
one hand to her temple as she spoke. She looked so vulnerable in
his shorts and too-big shirt, and he felt that same protective
instinct he always felt when faced with a woman in crisis. It was
probably nothing, just a teenager being a teenager, but he could no
more walk away before they’d found Sarah and gotten her back home
again than he could cease breathing on command. He wasn’t wired
that way.
When his mother had been dying, he’d felt so
helpless and useless. He didn’t feel that way anymore, or at least
not often. That was a big part of why he did what he did. He felt a
sense of accomplishment he’d never felt before. It was dangerous,
sure, but the rewards made it worthwhile.
Evie finished the call and turned to him, her
eyes full of concern. “Mama’s at home in case she shows up there,
but my aunt and cousin are out looking for her. I need to get my
car so I can help.”
Matt shook his head as he took his phone
back. “I said I’d help you.”
She looked determined. “You’ve done enough
for me tonight, Matt. Maybe you should go back to the party.”
He blinked. Did she want him to go? Was she
finished with him? “So this is it, huh? Thanks and good night?”
She shrugged and he wanted to kiss her again,
make her remember what kind of sparks had been zinging between them
just a few minutes ago. “I think I forgot why you were in
Rochambeau until Chris showed up. You’re missing her party and time
with your family.”
As if family time in the Girard household had
ever been something to look forward to after their mother died.
“I told you before that I already made my
appearance. So either I help you, or I’m lying on the couch with a
bag of chips and the remote.”
She rolled her eyes, and a current of warmth
began to filter through him. “You didn’t get abs like that eating
chips. Or watching TV.”
“Maybe I did.”
“Well if you did, I want to know the secret.”
She had both hands on her hips now, and she was smiling. He liked
it when she smiled.
Matt grabbed his keys. “Come on, let’s go. If
you’re lucky, I’ll tell you the secret while we’re searching.”
* * *
They didn’t speak as Matt backed out of the
garage and turned the car into the long driveway. Evie was worried,
but mostly for Mama. Her mother would be frantic until Sarah came
home again. She felt a twinge of anger at her sister, but she
pushed it down and concentrated on what she would say when they
found Sarah. She wanted to wring the girl’s neck, but she wouldn’t.
That certainly wouldn’t make things better between them, would
it?
Besides, she shared the blame for this. She
should have known Sarah wasn’t planning to stay home after everyone
was gone. Had she ever stayed put as a teen? On a Saturday? Hell
no.
She’d gone to parties with her friends. The
same kind of party where she’d walked up to Matt, bold as brass,
and asked him to be her first.
If Sarah was out with a boy…
Evie shivered and Matt turned to her.
“Cold?”
“Not really. Just a momentary chill.”
“You can set your own temperature.” He
pointed at the controls for the passenger.
Evie pressed the button to increase the heat
to her side and they lapsed into silence again. Her skin still
tingled from his touch. Her lips felt as if they were on fire. If
Christina hadn’t rung that bell, she had no doubt they’d be tangled
together in his sheets right now. Something she’d wanted badly when
she’d been wrapped up in his kiss.