Light filled the room, and her dragon clapped her hands together.“I like it here. So many wonderful things.”
“It is fun having an adventure without our brothers breathing down our back,”Sasha said with a smile.
“Yes! Quick, look at everything before Max returns. Everything,”her dragon said, sounding wildly excited.
Curious herself, Sasha ambled around the room. Here, too, were signs of neglect. The area didn’t require a spring-clean like the more formal ones, but her mother would’ve still tsked and chastised the servants. Books sat on a pile on the floor beside a faded chair.
“It looks comfortable,”her dragon said.
“True.”Sasha wandered on to study pictures on the wall. She recognized a younger Max and a very young Noel with a smiling couple. In another image, an older couple stood with them. They weren’t smiling as much as Max, Noel, and the couple she suspected were his parents. She drifted on to scan the tiny knickknacks and the bookshelf. The colorful books differed from those in her world.
“Pick up one. Let’s read it,”her dragon prompted.
Sasha picked two and sat on a chair. The first detailed the adventures of four bears. They wore clothes and went on escapades with their family.
“I love the pictures,”her dragon said.“Quick, Max is coming. Show me the pictures in the other book.”
Obliging, Sasha opened the second book, which featured a dog who liked to dig holes.
“We don’t want a creature like that near our herb garden,”her dragon said with evident disapproval.“If that dog came to our garden, I’d eat him.”
“Ah, you’ve found Noel’s books. He loves it when someone reads to him.” Max set a mug on the small table beside the chair where she was sitting. He added a plate with two small, flat rounds that smelled intriguing.
Max placed another mug and food beside the shabby chair. He flung himself down with a hearty sigh. “I expect you have questions,” he said.
“A few,” she admitted, although she’d bet her questions weren’t quite what he imagined since everything was new to her, and she was as curious as her dragon.
Max sighed again, his gaze going to the pictures on the wall. “My parents died in a motor vehicle accident six months ago. I lived in London at the time. Now, I work for an Edinburgh newspaper as a feature writer. Politics and current affairs,” he added.
Sasha nodded and added another question to her list.
“Their deaths left Noel alone.” His mouth twisted, and he sent her a wry grin. “You’ve probably already noticed the vast age gap between us. After I was born, my parents wanted more children, but Mum had several miscarriages. Then Noel came along—a total surprise for everyone. You’ll have noticed he has Down syndrome. He takes longer to learn things, but he’s such a cool kid. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with him.
“Everything was great until my parents died. That left Noel alone here. I couldn’t have that, so I returned to the family home and work remotely as much as I can. My problems grew bigger when my grandparents decided I wasn’t a suitable guardian for Noel. Grandmother petitioned the courts for custody of my younger brother, citing the fact I was a single man, and given my career, I didn’t have time for my brother.” Max snorted. “Noel might have Down syndrome, but he’s not as incapacitated as she made out to the court officers. He’s a good kid and loves life.”
“Your grandparents want to steal your brother away?” Concern filled Sasha at the idea of separating the brothers. It was easy to see they loved each other.
“My grandmother is the driving force behind the legal maneuvering.” Max pulled a face. “She never approved of Noel. But now, she thinks she can do better, and the social workers agreed with her.”
“What happens next?”
“I thought I’d given Noel a safe and stable home life by employing Sheryl and taking on assignments that meant I’m at home most nights. If my grandmother learns of Sheryl’s drinking and how she let Noel wander off, it will be another lever to use against me.”
Max’s shoulders slumped, and the shadows beneath his eyes denoted his fatigue.
“How do you know you can trust me?” Sasha asked, stating the obvious.
Given the circumstances he’d outlined, he was taking a risk by confiding in her—a stranger.
“I guess I don’t. Perhaps,” he said, “I shouldn’t have told Sheryl you’re my fiancée. If my grandmother learns Sheryl has left, she’ll be asking questions.”
“We have to help him,”her dragon said.“We can’t let the evil witch steal Noel from his brother.”
“What can we do?”she asked her dragon.
Max sucked in a huge breath, drawing Sasha’s attention. “The reason I’m telling you is that Noel likes you, and you brought him home. Your first thought was to protect him.” He paused, hesitating. “What the hell,” he muttered. “I know I’m asking a lot, and you might have other plans, but I wondered if you’d agree to the pretense of being my fiancée. If you’d be willing to look after Noel while I’m at work and help me persuade the judge I’m a decent person who is capable of looking after Noel. I can pay you for your time.”
Sasha stared at Max, attempting to read his true character. So far, she’d approved of his actions and had seen the genuine relationship between the brothers. The inebriated woman had allowed Noel to wander off. She’d placed him in danger. “What would you need me to do?”
