idea what any of these people did for a living. Maybe they were rich enough that they didn’t have to do anything. Odd that they all still lived in the same house; brothers and sisters she could maybe understand, but cousins? It seemed the four children of the horrible Peter Witherspoon Senior—Pete Junior, Abigail, Louella, and Ben’s late father, John—had never left Witherswood. Instead, they had married and raised children there—at least all of them but Abigail, who was apparently unmarried.
The hunched-over waiters took her empty plate and replaced it with a slice of apple pie, a piece of cheese melting over the top of the crust and a large dollop of whipped cream smack in the middle. She didn’t think she could possibly eat it, but Ben told her to have a bite at least. Cook made an awesome apple pie.
She complied. And indeed it was wonderful.
Daphne looked over at Ben. He wasn’t as handsome as his cousin Donovan, but he certainly wasn’t unattractive. He had extraordinary blue eyes and a classic Roman nose and, like Donovan, was very fit. The short sleeves of the shirt he was wearing were completely filled by large, baseball-sized biceps. Ben’s blond hair was buzzed close to his scalp—a solution, Daphne surmised, to a slightly receding hairline.
Finally her eyes moved over to the last person at the table. The silent, withdrawn Gabriel. He ate slowly, deliberately, and never once lifted his eyes to the others at the table. It was hard to get a good look at him, since he kept his head down so much, but Daphne finally was able to see that, like the other men, Gabriel was a very attractive man. Like his brother Ben, he had blond hair, but kept it long—in fact, now that Daphne looked closer at him, she could see Gabriel’s hair was drawn back into a small ponytail behind his head. He shared with his brother another trait as well: those big arms. Clearly he’d kept working out his upper body despite being in a wheelchair.
Daphne wondered how Gabriel had become disabled. His defensiveness about being wheeled into the dining room earlier suggested to Daphne that it had not been a condition he’d been born with. He seemed, in fact, resentful of being in that chair, and perhaps it was that resentment that kept him so withdrawn into himself.
“Well, that was a fine meal,” Donovan announced. “Cook has outdone herself.”
“Yes, it was delicious,” Daphne said.
“If you need anything now, my dear,” Donovan said, “please don’t hesitate to call.”
Suzanne stood up and left the table without saying a word. Donovan winked at Daphne, then stood up and followed his fiancée out of the room.
“You’ll find my cousin is a bit of a flirt,” Ben said, walking with Daphne out into the foyer. Louella had stayed at the table for a second wedge of pie.
“Is he?” Daphne played clueless. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Watch out for him.”
This wasn’t Ben speaking. It was a new voice. Both Daphne and Ben turned around. It was Gabriel, wheeling himself out of the dining room.
“Tell her, Ben,” he said. “Tell her all about Donovan.”
Ben sighed. “She’s had enough family history for one night, I think.”
“Two words for you, dear brother,” Gabe said as he rolled past them, not making eye contact with either of them. “Kathy Swenson.”
Ben was silent as they watched Gabe continue on down the hall, until he turned at a far corner and disappeared from view.
“Who’s Kathy Swenson?” Daphne asked.
Ben smiled sadly. “The only girl Gabe ever loved. And Donovan stole her away.”
“Oh, that’s terrible.”
“We were all kids. Teenagers. More than ten years ago now.” He sighed. “But Gabe never forgets.”
Daphne did a little math in her head. If they were teenagers more than ten years ago, that meant Ben, Gabriel, and Donovan were all probably in their late twenties. That wasn’t really so much older than she was, but she still felt like a child.
“Listen, Daphne, may
The hunched-over waiters took her empty plate and replaced it with a slice of apple pie, a piece of cheese melting over the top of the crust and a large dollop of whipped cream smack in the middle. She didn’t think she could possibly eat it, but Ben told her to have a bite at least. Cook made an awesome apple pie.
She complied. And indeed it was wonderful.
Daphne looked over at Ben. He wasn’t as handsome as his cousin Donovan, but he certainly wasn’t unattractive. He had extraordinary blue eyes and a classic Roman nose and, like Donovan, was very fit. The short sleeves of the shirt he was wearing were completely filled by large, baseball-sized biceps. Ben’s blond hair was buzzed close to his scalp—a solution, Daphne surmised, to a slightly receding hairline.
Finally her eyes moved over to the last person at the table. The silent, withdrawn Gabriel. He ate slowly, deliberately, and never once lifted his eyes to the others at the table. It was hard to get a good look at him, since he kept his head down so much, but Daphne finally was able to see that, like the other men, Gabriel was a very attractive man. Like his brother Ben, he had blond hair, but kept it long—in fact, now that Daphne looked closer at him, she could see Gabriel’s hair was drawn back into a small ponytail behind his head. He shared with his brother another trait as well: those big arms. Clearly he’d kept working out his upper body despite being in a wheelchair.
Daphne wondered how Gabriel had become disabled. His defensiveness about being wheeled into the dining room earlier suggested to Daphne that it had not been a condition he’d been born with. He seemed, in fact, resentful of being in that chair, and perhaps it was that resentment that kept him so withdrawn into himself.
“Well, that was a fine meal,” Donovan announced. “Cook has outdone herself.”
“Yes, it was delicious,” Daphne said.
“If you need anything now, my dear,” Donovan said, “please don’t hesitate to call.”
Suzanne stood up and left the table without saying a word. Donovan winked at Daphne, then stood up and followed his fiancée out of the room.
“You’ll find my cousin is a bit of a flirt,” Ben said, walking with Daphne out into the foyer. Louella had stayed at the table for a second wedge of pie.
“Is he?” Daphne played clueless. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Watch out for him.”
This wasn’t Ben speaking. It was a new voice. Both Daphne and Ben turned around. It was Gabriel, wheeling himself out of the dining room.
“Tell her, Ben,” he said. “Tell her all about Donovan.”
Ben sighed. “She’s had enough family history for one night, I think.”
“Two words for you, dear brother,” Gabe said as he rolled past them, not making eye contact with either of them. “Kathy Swenson.”
Ben was silent as they watched Gabe continue on down the hall, until he turned at a far corner and disappeared from view.
“Who’s Kathy Swenson?” Daphne asked.
Ben smiled sadly. “The only girl Gabe ever loved. And Donovan stole her away.”
“Oh, that’s terrible.”
“We were all kids. Teenagers. More than ten years ago now.” He sighed. “But Gabe never forgets.”
Daphne did a little math in her head. If they were teenagers more than ten years ago, that meant Ben, Gabriel, and Donovan were all probably in their late twenties. That wasn’t really so much older than she was, but she still felt like a child.
“Listen, Daphne, may
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