The Call of Bravery. Janice Johnson Kay
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all but shimmered around him from a mixture of charisma and testosterone. She could see even Sorrel reacting to it, which worried Lia. That was one of the reasons she wanted to talk to him privately. The boys were another. He’d awakened their interest, which could be good for them or very, very bad.
Mostly, she wanted to know who he was. If that story he’d told at dinner was true.
When he’d first arrived, she thought he was cold. He had a tempting smile that didn’t reach his gray eyes. His expressions were fleeting and hard to read. He was an enigma, and she’d been forced to take him into her house. She didn’t see how she could prevent contact between him and the kids.
And then, what did he do at dinner but discombobulate her utterly. He’d talked to the boys as if…well, as if they were people. Not the way most adults dealt with children. He’d been kind and honest—she hoped—and known exactly the right thing to say.
Lia wanted to know how that could be. Jeff had told her his partner wasn’t married. “No kids,” he’d said, shaking his head as if baffled that a man wouldn’t want them. If Conall had the background he said he did, how did he know what Bren and Walker needed to hear?
Please, God, it wasn’t all an act designed to gain their confidence, to get them to talk to him. About her. What if he wasn’t with the Drug Enforcement Agency at all, but was really with Immigration? Or cooperating with them? She shivered and hugged her knees harder.
I’m paranoid. That’s all. Surely nobody would care all that much about what she was doing.
Still. Why, oh why, was it taking so long to find a place for Julia and Arturo to go? Didn’t Mateo understand how dangerous her situation was? The whole network could be at risk.
The deep sound of an engine made her stiffen. As she saw headlights turn into her drive, she was glad she hadn’t turned on the outside light. She’d have felt unbearably exposed.
It wasn’t too late to go in, before he saw her.
No. This was a good time to talk to him, to feel him out, and she had determined to seize it.
The Suburban rolled to a stop by the barn. A moment later it went dark and silent. The door slammed, and Conall strolled across the yard toward the house. One of the horses whickered softly and Conall’s head turned but he kept walking.
She knew the exact moment he saw her.
CHAPTER FOUR
HE DIDN’T SAY anything until he reached the foot of the steps. She could see him better than he could probably see her, as light shining through the living room window fell on his face as he stopped.
His voice was deep and quiet. “Enjoying some peace and quiet?”
“Something like that. I actually came out to feed the horses.”
“Kids okay?”
She liked that he asked, but didn’t trust him. “All asleep except Sorrel.”
His shoulders moved slightly. “Teenagers tend to be night owls.”
“She’s only thirteen.”
“She looks older,” he said thoughtfully.
“She, um, acts older than that in some ways. Younger in others.”
“Is that a warning?”
Lia frowned. “I suppose it is. She’s rather drawn to men.”
“Ah.”
She hesitated, unsure whether to say more. Sorrel was in counseling. Lia didn’t like exposing her kids’ problems to anyone unnecessarily. Surely neither of the two men, federal agents, would behave inappropriately toward a thirteen-year-old girl.
After a moment, she said, “What I really wanted to talk to you about is the boys.”
Hearing how aggressively that had come out, she winced. His expression had been reserved; now it closed completely. Bang. All access denied. She’d blown it.
“I’m sorry,” she said hastily. “That didn’t come out the way I meant it to. The thing is, they’re…vulnerable.”
“And I should have kept my mouth shut at dinnertime.” His tone was resigned. “Understood.”
“No.” She bent her head and bumped it on her crossed arms, then lifted it again. “It’s not that at all. Everything you said was…right. They opened up to you.”
He stared at her. She imagined he’d tensed, but couldn’t be sure. He was very, very good at hiding what he was thinking.
“Okay,” he said slowly.
“I don’t want you being nice to them if you don’t mean it.” She’d gone from belligerent to fierce and didn’t regret it. “If you keep being nice, they’re going to—” She had to swallow, and still her voice came out small and cracked. “Depend on you.”
“And I won’t be around for long.”
“It’s not that,” she said again. “I won’t be a permanent part of their lives, either.” Why did saying that out loud make her feel as if her heart was breaking in two? Kids came, kids left. That’s what she did. “They know you’re only here for a while. What would be bad is if you talk to them, spend time with them, and then blow them off.”
“I see.” He paused. “Let me think about it, okay?”
“Okay.” She hugged her knees harder. “Was what you told them true? About your parents and your brother?”
Still he didn’t move, his expression didn’t change. His eyes were too shadowed in the limited light for her to read them, assuming she could have.
“Yes.”
Lia nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, but sorry isn’t necessary. I haven’t been a kid in a long time.”
She wondered if he’d ever been a kid after his mom walked out. Or was he even before that? His couldn’t exactly have been an ideal family.
“Even so.”
“All right.” He finally put a foot on the first step. “You planning to stay out here long?”
“Maybe a few more minutes.”
“Do you mind if I sit down?”
Her pulse stuttered. “No, of course not.”
He settled at the top of the steps a few feet away, leaning against the post opposite hers. He stretched out his long legs, looking relaxed and comfortable. For some odd reason, Lia had a suspicion he was neither.
“Having us here must be a pain.”
“An inconvenience,” she corrected.
His mouth twitched. “Is that all?”
“A worry.”
His gaze suddenly felt more intense. “Why?”
Because I’m doing something illegal and I’m afraid you’ll notice? “Because I have to think about your influence on the kids, of course. Sorrel and the boys all have big problems. I know I can’t shield them completely, but I try.”
“So I’ve noticed.” He sounded amused. “The glare you gave me at dinner was a clue. Why wasn’t I supposed to criticize the movie?”
“Their mom gave them the DVDs. They’ve been watching them over and over.”
“Ah. Gotcha.” He thought about it. “There are worse movies they could be clinging to.”
“Bambi?”
He grunted; maybe laughed. “Yeah, that one would suck.”
They sat in silence for a minute or two,