Bear shakes his massive head. “Some of these guys want to work, but don’t even have proper boots. Kingston sent a few dozen of them money yesterday. This morning they’re shopping for work gear and getting ready to go.”
“Wow,” Jenna marvels. “Pre-paying them for the work is amazing.”
“Not even payment for the work yet. They said to think of it as a signing bonus.” Bear shrugs, and I swear he almost chuckles. Almost.
“Wait. How did I not hear about this?” I check my phone, but there haven’t been any texts from my brothers since early yesterday afternoon.
Bear clears his throat. “You were spotted driving around with this young lady. I guess they assumed you’d be busy.” He nods to Jenna. “Sorry for the intrusion, miss. But the other fourbrothers are all slammed with gathering supplies, meanwhile some important backup hasn’t happened for over a week.”
He pulls a small blue hard drive from his pocket, then smirks. “They said that since I’m family, I have the security clearance to hand you this.”
“Right. Be right back.” I take it downstairs and transfer the latest master copy of our algorithm from it onto my computer hidden in the basement. All five of us have a similar setup, and a random system to keep the data backed up securely.
On my way back upstairs, I hear Jenna laughing. “They pay for that, too? Isn’t that wildly expensive?”
Bear snorts. “Girlie-girl, you must have no idea about the fortune your new boyfriend has. The Wolfe family has always been…let’s call it comfortable. But those tech brothers…” I catch his eye in the reflection of the window, so he knows I’m coming up behind him. “They’re what Grandma would callunholy loaded.”
“Hey now.”
He pretends to be startled, which makes Jenna laugh. Then he chugs his coffee and takes the drive from my hand. “So I’m to give this to whichever of your brothers I run into next?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The chair creaks ominously as Bear stands up. “Nice to meet you, Jenna. Sorry to interrupt your morning.” He turns to me, and I’m shocked when he claps me on the shoulder. “The guys said this was all your idea. The roads need fixing, and those people need work. Good job, Kellan. Good coffee, too.” Bear lumbers off without another word.
Once his truck has disappeared down the driveway, Jenna asks, “You don’t hug your own cousin goodbye?”
“Ha! No. Those guys are not huggy types. Good men, but loners with a capital L. They live on the other side of the mountain, close to Rathlock.”
Jenna seems thoughtful as we scramble eggs and then take our breakfast out to the futon to watch the morning sun fully take hold.
All families are weird. I guess it’s going to take some time for her to get used to mine.
12
JENNA
Kellan’s family sounds quite strange. I mean, what family isn’t odd, in some way? But his kind of takes the cake.
At least they sound harmless. And he has a huge team to help with projects and can afford to help the town at the drop of a hat. Still, it’s kind of…intense.
Breakfast is a long, leisurely affair, interrupted by lots of kissing and funny stories. When I come back downstairs after taking a quick shower, I see that Kellan has thoughtfully plugged my phone into a charger on the kitchen counter.
He flashes me a guilty look as I unlock it. "I don't mean to pry, but are you getting a new computer or something? You have like five missed calls from Gallagher Computer Services. I can totally help with that, baby. I have connections all over the place."
Ugh. My lips twist. "No, thanks. That's my stepdad's company."
Kellan nods, grimacing slightly. "Is there anything I can do to keep him away from you? Or make you feel safer?"
He always knows the perfect thing to say. It’s as if he’s taken a course in how to be everything I need. Although it feelsincredible, it also sets off a little warning bell in the back of my mind.If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Now there’s a saying I wish my mother took to heart a bit more. She doesn’t even realize how pushy her new husband is. Is it that she refuses to see? Or is she so terrified of being alone that she doesn’t care?
"No… I think I'm fine. Thanks."
He kisses the top of my head on the way to the bathroom. "My turn to shower, now that you've gotten it nice and warmed up for me." He pauses, snaking an arm around my waist. “I just got a text to go downtown to meet with my brothers, otherwise I’d drag you back in there with me."
We fall into a soft, gentle kiss, as Kellan leans against the wall and pulls me against him. It's comforting to know that he's so intent on taking care of me, but I don't want to interrupt his work. I step back, reaching out to give him a quick smack on his toned, gorgeous butt. "Hey, if your brothers need you, what can I do to help?"
