not that you aren’t doing a good job—I’m sure you are—but she belongs with family.”
A smile quirked the corner of Liam’s mouth. “We don’t bite, Mrs. Wilder.”
Max silenced him with a glare.
“Let’s go, Max,” Callie said impatiently.
Max motioned her ahead and Callie gingerly walked by the two mountains and knocked lightly on Lauren’s door. A moment later it swung open, and Lauren was there with a disgruntled look on her face.
“I ate, okay?”
Then she stopped and her eyes went wide with surprise. “Callie! What are you … I thought it was them … Max?”
Callie pulled her petite sister-in-law into a hug and squeezed her fiercely. When she let her go, Max held out his arms and Lauren went into his embrace.
“Are you all right?” he asked her quietly.
She nodded as she pulled away. “Come in. Both of you.”
The two mountains took their positions by the door and Lauren closed the door with a sharp bang.
“Pains in my ass,” Lauren muttered as she turned away. “Now, what are you two doing here? Not that I’m not thrilled to see you.”
Callie studied her sister-in-law closely and didn’t like what she saw. Behind the façade of normalcy was an exhausted, shadowed woman with fear in her eyes. Callie’s heart ached for her.
There were deep smudges underneath Lauren’s eyes, and she looked much thinner than the last time Callie had seen her. Her arms and neck were covered by the long-sleeved shirt and scarf she wore, but Max had told Callie about the dark bruises that marred her skin.
“We came to take you home,” Callie said firmly.
Lauren’s lips twisted unhappily, but before she could launch a protest, Callie held up a hand to silence her.
“This is not up for discussion. Max and I both agree you need to be with family. My parents are dying to get their hands on you. My brothers will spoil you rotten.”
Lauren shook her head but Callie wasn’t giving up.
“You need us, Lauren,” she said softly. “Everybody needs their family. Especially when something terrible happens. I should know. I shut mine out when I should have been wallowing in all their love and support. Come home with us. I’m not leaving without you.”
Max spoke up for the first time. “She’s right, baby.” His voice was tender and coaxing. “And you know how fierce Callie is when she’s set her mind to something. She’s sick with strep throat and a hundred-and-four fever but hell if she wasn’t getting on a plane to come bring you home.”
Lauren smiled faintly. “My brother sounds afraid of you.”
Callie grinned. “That’s because he’s a smart man.”
Lauren’s expression grew more troubled. “I don’t know about this.”
Callie took her hands and squeezed. “There’s nothing to know or think about. There’s nothing for you here. Come home with us and heal. There’s no better place to be than surrounded by the Colters.”
Tears gathered in Lauren’s dark eyes and her lips trembled. Then finally she nodded. “Okay. I’ll come.”
C HAPTER 7
I ’M starting to get worried,” Dillon said bluntly.
He folded his arms over his chest and stared over the bar at his two brothers seated on bar stools. Seth and Michael had come into the pub during their lunch hour on the day the pub was closed.
Usually Dillon would be home. With Lily. Usually if Seth was free for lunch, he came home to be with Lily. If Michael wasn’t busy at his practice, he would be with her.
But today, they had agreed to meet at Mountain Pass, away from Lily. To discuss … her.
“She’s not herself,” Dillon continued, eyeing theunease on his brothers’ faces. It was an unease he distinctly shared. Something wasn’t right, and it was high time to figure out what the hell it was.
“No,” Michael said wearily. “She isn’t. She puts on a good front, but when she thinks we aren’t looking, she seems … sad. Worried.”
Seth leaned his forehead against the edges of his palms and blew out a
A smile quirked the corner of Liam’s mouth. “We don’t bite, Mrs. Wilder.”
Max silenced him with a glare.
“Let’s go, Max,” Callie said impatiently.
Max motioned her ahead and Callie gingerly walked by the two mountains and knocked lightly on Lauren’s door. A moment later it swung open, and Lauren was there with a disgruntled look on her face.
“I ate, okay?”
Then she stopped and her eyes went wide with surprise. “Callie! What are you … I thought it was them … Max?”
Callie pulled her petite sister-in-law into a hug and squeezed her fiercely. When she let her go, Max held out his arms and Lauren went into his embrace.
“Are you all right?” he asked her quietly.
She nodded as she pulled away. “Come in. Both of you.”
The two mountains took their positions by the door and Lauren closed the door with a sharp bang.
“Pains in my ass,” Lauren muttered as she turned away. “Now, what are you two doing here? Not that I’m not thrilled to see you.”
Callie studied her sister-in-law closely and didn’t like what she saw. Behind the façade of normalcy was an exhausted, shadowed woman with fear in her eyes. Callie’s heart ached for her.
There were deep smudges underneath Lauren’s eyes, and she looked much thinner than the last time Callie had seen her. Her arms and neck were covered by the long-sleeved shirt and scarf she wore, but Max had told Callie about the dark bruises that marred her skin.
“We came to take you home,” Callie said firmly.
Lauren’s lips twisted unhappily, but before she could launch a protest, Callie held up a hand to silence her.
“This is not up for discussion. Max and I both agree you need to be with family. My parents are dying to get their hands on you. My brothers will spoil you rotten.”
Lauren shook her head but Callie wasn’t giving up.
“You need us, Lauren,” she said softly. “Everybody needs their family. Especially when something terrible happens. I should know. I shut mine out when I should have been wallowing in all their love and support. Come home with us. I’m not leaving without you.”
Max spoke up for the first time. “She’s right, baby.” His voice was tender and coaxing. “And you know how fierce Callie is when she’s set her mind to something. She’s sick with strep throat and a hundred-and-four fever but hell if she wasn’t getting on a plane to come bring you home.”
Lauren smiled faintly. “My brother sounds afraid of you.”
Callie grinned. “That’s because he’s a smart man.”
Lauren’s expression grew more troubled. “I don’t know about this.”
Callie took her hands and squeezed. “There’s nothing to know or think about. There’s nothing for you here. Come home with us and heal. There’s no better place to be than surrounded by the Colters.”
Tears gathered in Lauren’s dark eyes and her lips trembled. Then finally she nodded. “Okay. I’ll come.”
C HAPTER 7
I ’M starting to get worried,” Dillon said bluntly.
He folded his arms over his chest and stared over the bar at his two brothers seated on bar stools. Seth and Michael had come into the pub during their lunch hour on the day the pub was closed.
Usually Dillon would be home. With Lily. Usually if Seth was free for lunch, he came home to be with Lily. If Michael wasn’t busy at his practice, he would be with her.
But today, they had agreed to meet at Mountain Pass, away from Lily. To discuss … her.
“She’s not herself,” Dillon continued, eyeing theunease on his brothers’ faces. It was an unease he distinctly shared. Something wasn’t right, and it was high time to figure out what the hell it was.
“No,” Michael said wearily. “She isn’t. She puts on a good front, but when she thinks we aren’t looking, she seems … sad. Worried.”
Seth leaned his forehead against the edges of his palms and blew out a
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