out who was who. At least with her half brothers. Travis and Kyle seemed the most easygoing. Craig had the hint of gray at his temples and Jordan was quiet.
"Do you work?" Travis asked.
Nick started to say something. Hannah elbowed him discreetly, afraid of what he would say. "Yes," she answered. "I'm a communications officer in
Southport
Beach
. That's in
Orange
County
, near Huntington Beach ."
"She's a cop, too." Kyle grinned. "We all are." He motioned to his brothers. "Except for Jordan . He's the black sheep of the family. He's a firefighter."
"That's great," she said weakly. As she'd suspected. Law enforcement officers. Except for Jordan . If the truth came out… She shook her head. She didn't even want to think about that.
"Dad was a cop," Craig said. He sat on the floor while his very pregnant wife leaned back in a wing chair. "Third generation."
"Where is my – your father?" she asked. The brothers exchanged glances. Hannah turned to Louise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask something inappropriate."
"It's all right." Louise patted her hand. "Earl Haynes moved to
Florida
some years back. He doesn't visit here. I haven't had contact with him for about sixteen years. The boys might have heard something."
Travis shook his head. "Not really. We aren't very close."
Hannah sensed undercurrents of tension in the room, but she didn't know what they were about. Obviously, Earl Haynes wasn't anyone's favorite person. Were they upset because of her?
Jordan sat with his wife on his lap. He played with her fingers. "What do you do, Nick?"
The panic was instantaneous. Hannah opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. Nick didn't have any such hesitation.
"I'm in real estate. I just finished up a project developing some residential houses on a cliff by Newport ."
"How long have you two known each other?" Louise asked.
Nick slid his fingers down Hannah's back, then picked up the hand resting on his thigh. He brought it to his mouth and kissed the back. Had she been standing, the moist heat from his mouth would have driven her to her knees. Damn the man for taking advantage of the situation.
"The time has gone by so quickly," he said. "It feels like it was only yesterday when we had our first conversation."
She wanted to slap him. She wanted to scream. She wanted to disappear and never be heard from again. He held her hand loosely, circling her palm with his thumb. If she protested, everyone would know something was wrong. No doubt Nick had worked that out, too.
"It was about five years ago," he said at last.
"How did you meet?" one of the wives asked. Hannah wasn't sure, but she thought her name might be Elizabeth . She had medium brown hair and pretty eyes.
Nick smiled at Hannah. "Do you want to tell the story, darling?"
At this moment in time, she could barely remember where she was, let alone come up with some tall tale about their meeting. "You do it so much better," she murmured. "Go ahead."
The slight smile warned her he was about to pay her back for not wanting to share personal information on the drive north. She sent up a quick prayer that it wasn't too awful.
"We met on a cruise. Actually, we were in port at the time, St. Thomas ," he began.
Someone sighed. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was very romantic," he continued. "The sea, the sand, Hannah throwing up in the bushes."
She straightened and glared at him. His smile was so sweet. He was loving every minute of this torture.
"I know you don't like me to tell the story, honey, but this is family. They can handle it." He glanced at her brothers. "Hannah's not much of a drinker. A couple of those umbrella drinks and she's under the table. Or in this case, over the bushes."
Hannah could feel everyone's attention on them. A heated flush started to crawl up her cheeks.
"I took her back to the ship and took care of her." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "For me, it was love at first sight. Hannah didn't see it that way. She resisted
"Do you work?" Travis asked.
Nick started to say something. Hannah elbowed him discreetly, afraid of what he would say. "Yes," she answered. "I'm a communications officer in
Southport
Beach
. That's in
Orange
County
, near Huntington Beach ."
"She's a cop, too." Kyle grinned. "We all are." He motioned to his brothers. "Except for Jordan . He's the black sheep of the family. He's a firefighter."
"That's great," she said weakly. As she'd suspected. Law enforcement officers. Except for Jordan . If the truth came out… She shook her head. She didn't even want to think about that.
"Dad was a cop," Craig said. He sat on the floor while his very pregnant wife leaned back in a wing chair. "Third generation."
"Where is my – your father?" she asked. The brothers exchanged glances. Hannah turned to Louise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask something inappropriate."
"It's all right." Louise patted her hand. "Earl Haynes moved to
Florida
some years back. He doesn't visit here. I haven't had contact with him for about sixteen years. The boys might have heard something."
Travis shook his head. "Not really. We aren't very close."
Hannah sensed undercurrents of tension in the room, but she didn't know what they were about. Obviously, Earl Haynes wasn't anyone's favorite person. Were they upset because of her?
Jordan sat with his wife on his lap. He played with her fingers. "What do you do, Nick?"
The panic was instantaneous. Hannah opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. Nick didn't have any such hesitation.
"I'm in real estate. I just finished up a project developing some residential houses on a cliff by Newport ."
"How long have you two known each other?" Louise asked.
Nick slid his fingers down Hannah's back, then picked up the hand resting on his thigh. He brought it to his mouth and kissed the back. Had she been standing, the moist heat from his mouth would have driven her to her knees. Damn the man for taking advantage of the situation.
"The time has gone by so quickly," he said. "It feels like it was only yesterday when we had our first conversation."
She wanted to slap him. She wanted to scream. She wanted to disappear and never be heard from again. He held her hand loosely, circling her palm with his thumb. If she protested, everyone would know something was wrong. No doubt Nick had worked that out, too.
"It was about five years ago," he said at last.
"How did you meet?" one of the wives asked. Hannah wasn't sure, but she thought her name might be Elizabeth . She had medium brown hair and pretty eyes.
Nick smiled at Hannah. "Do you want to tell the story, darling?"
At this moment in time, she could barely remember where she was, let alone come up with some tall tale about their meeting. "You do it so much better," she murmured. "Go ahead."
The slight smile warned her he was about to pay her back for not wanting to share personal information on the drive north. She sent up a quick prayer that it wasn't too awful.
"We met on a cruise. Actually, we were in port at the time, St. Thomas ," he began.
Someone sighed. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was very romantic," he continued. "The sea, the sand, Hannah throwing up in the bushes."
She straightened and glared at him. His smile was so sweet. He was loving every minute of this torture.
"I know you don't like me to tell the story, honey, but this is family. They can handle it." He glanced at her brothers. "Hannah's not much of a drinker. A couple of those umbrella drinks and she's under the table. Or in this case, over the bushes."
Hannah could feel everyone's attention on them. A heated flush started to crawl up her cheeks.
"I took her back to the ship and took care of her." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "For me, it was love at first sight. Hannah didn't see it that way. She resisted
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