But he wasthere.And that was what mattered most.
43
Claudia just watched.Her brother was definitely hot for Auggie.Claudia would admit that she was beyond thrilled at that.Calloway was one of the best men she had ever known.Annoying though her brothers were, they were good men who deserved women who saw them for what and who they really were.She knew they had both struggled a bit about their identities asmenafter what their father had done.
Cal was hovering over Auggie—until she told him to sit down.Markie climbed right into his lap and started chattering at him about the two kittens living in their barn with the mother cat that had shown up a few days ago.The mother cat was nervous of people—but Junie was working to catch her and bring them inside.Markie was telling Calallabout it.
You had to watch that one, she liked to wander off.It was terrifying to even consider.Markie had very low vision, and a reckless streak a mile wide.That kid was just go, go, go, too.Cal was so easy with her, holding her and listening to her as she talked.Tobi was jabbering at him about how the cat had given birth just yesterday morning, too.Avril had gotten towatch.She was full of gory details, too.Cal just listened.The girls, always reluctant with men anywhere near them,likedCal.And he’d always been good with kids.
It filled her with real hope—something she hadn’t really felt in a long time.Made her believe in romance again.The way Cal and Auggie looked at each other—utterly beautiful.She was going to send Cloe some of the pictures she’d just taken when Cal and Auggie hadn’t been watching.The way Cal had been looking at Auggie as he’d held her—so beautiful, it almost made her want to cry.
But…Junie was about to assault a police officer, and Em was almost hopping mad.And like it or not, the only one of them who could fully control all three of those men in the room was her.“Okay, guys.Time to sit down and be good.Before Em and Junie blow gaskets or something.”
Claudia had just taken the baby and put her in the highchair when the sound of a large truck coming down the drive had them all pausing.
That was loud.And it didn’t sound like justone.
At first, she thought it had to be the rest of the Tylers.Auggie’s cousins were a sight to behold.And they were beyond protective.If they had learned that Bruce was out there last night, of course they’d be showing up.
One cousin, Mason, lived on a ranch just half a mile away now.He was in the process of buying it from Gil and repairing it.He was always showing up at the Nine Sisters, looking for food handouts—Em said—and would spend time repairing things if needed, like the back steps, Junie had told her.Maybe he had seen Zach’s Tahoe out there and called Joel to find out why.Joel was married to Auggie’s cousin, after all.Of course, Mason could have called the sisters directly…
Tyler men took a lot of getting used to.And they were so pretty to look at.
Not that she’d ever want a Tyler.
Claudia wasn’t certain she’d ever want a man ever again, at all.
She pushed those memories away, as Zach headed to the door to see who it was.Claudia was right beside them.
Her stomach sank, seeing the familiar dark SUV.
She knew who drove around in that.
To confirm, the SUV parked.And two mountain-sized dark-haired men stepped out.
“Great.Invaded.Weatherbys.Both of them.I wonder whattheywant now?”
Whatever it was, Claudia was going to meet them outsidefirst.
They weren’t coming inside and scaring the girls.That just wasn’t happening.
She hurried down the steps.And looked athim.The great and wonderfulRansom Weatherby, commander of the WHP Internal Affairs division.
They…hadn’t ever gotten along.Worse—she’d call him her second greatest enemy of all time.Maybe third, after Bruce Tyler, anyway.
He thought she was as corrupt and dirty as her father—and thought her brothers had to be involved in what their father had done, too, and had said as much—and she thought he was a conceited asshole.Period.
“Grady.Didn’t expect to see you here,” he said.
His brother was right there.She actuallylikedRex Weatherby.A little, maybe.She had worked with him before—mostly him using her as his driver, though.And note keeper.And errand girl.That kind of thing.
Well, not any longer.She wasn’t with the WHP.This was her county.“What do you two want?”
“I wanted to stop by, let the Tylers here know we’re going to be doing a search.For Bruce Tyler, and anyone who was involved in Morris Preston or Judge Fisher’s…organization.We understand the Tylers have land attached to their property.We want to start there.We heard he was seen out here last night.We should have had a search started immediately.”
Claudia had expected that to be one of the next steps.She just thought Joel would be the one in charge of that.“Notyet.Not until Auggie gets the kids off the property.Those are some seriously traumatized little girls inside.They don’tknowBruce Tyler was here.We aren’t going to tell them, understand?You are not setting back their recoveries.”
“We aren’t soft-footing this any longer,” Ransom said.“The longer we wait, the more likely he gets away.”
