there and enjoy the crick in your neck. I’m going to doze off on these wonderful feather pillows.” Kendall blinked, struck by a random thought. “Have you ever slept on a feather pillow?”
He laughed. “Sure. Every night. The military gives them out like candy. Every good grunt carries one.”
She tossed one of her pillows at him, catching him in the face. “Try it. You might like it. And if you get a good night’s sleep, maybe you won’t be such a crab tomorrow.”
“I’m a crab,” Sloan said, “because you won’t follow orders.”
She sat up. “Whose orders? Your orders? Jonas’s orders?” Jumping up, she jerked the pillow away from him and got back into bed. “I’m not leaving! Whoever is here—and I’m assuming you Callahans think someone is here or the families wouldn’t have left—they’re not after me, because I don’t know anything. I’m the safest of all, especially with you and all your siblings prowling around the place. I’m not going to abandon my friends, with whom I’ve been employed for some years and lived with often, just because you thought it was a great idea to fire me. But I don’t think you can understand the concept of loyalty. Because all you know is how to follow orders.” She gave Sloan a look of disgust. “I’m not a soldier. I’ve never followed orders a day in my life.”
“Tell me something I couldn’t figure out on my own.” Sloan’s tone was dry. He sounded as if he might even have a smile in his voice, which irritated her to no end.
“If anyone is in danger, it would be Fiona. She’s the keeper of the family history, and if there’s a reason to kidnap someone and hold them for information, don’t you think an elderly woman would be a prime target?”
Sloan looked at Kendall for a long moment. “I’ll be right back.”
“That’s what I thought,” she muttered, then turned back over, resting her cheek on the soft pillow. She made certain her leg was propped up, and then closed her eyes and released a long breath.
Now that the reason for all her frustration had left the room, she could finally relax. He was so full of himself, such an arrogant guy—and so handsome he made her nervous.
The thing was, she didn’t think she’d ever been so hot for a man in all her life. Which was just the way things went: the one guy her body responded to in years, and he had to be the one she couldn’t have. Anything between them was such an illogical fantasy that she couldn’t even understand her attraction to him. But the attraction was real, and mystifying. They didn’t even get along.
Yet he’d seemed pretty appreciative of her putting the pillow behind his neck, after he’d gotten used to the idea of someone worrying about his comfort. And he was committed to the idea of sleeping in that stupid chair, although it wasn’t made for long-term sitting or resting.
Maybe he was a tad more heroic than she wanted to admit. Sort of a rough hero. She’d never had a hero in her life before, besides her brothers, so the experience was new.
And unfortunately, insanely hot.
* * *
S LOAN RETURNED an hour later, after assigning Falcon to watch over Fiona and Burke for the night, to find Kendall sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes wide as she stared out the window.
“What is it?”
“I thought I saw something.” She turned a panicked gaze toward him.
He went to the window, peering out, careful not to reveal himself to anyone who might be scoping out the house. “There’s a lot of people here. My family, some workers.” He turned to her. “What do you think you saw?”
“A man. A big man.” Kendall’s eyes widened. “Tall, thin, hiding behind the bunkhouse before he walked toward the barns.”
She might have seen something. Then again, perhaps she didn’t know all the workers on the grounds. But it was just as likely that she did; Jonas said Kendall had been working at his two properties for the past year, along with her brothers.
He laughed. “Sure. Every night. The military gives them out like candy. Every good grunt carries one.”
She tossed one of her pillows at him, catching him in the face. “Try it. You might like it. And if you get a good night’s sleep, maybe you won’t be such a crab tomorrow.”
“I’m a crab,” Sloan said, “because you won’t follow orders.”
She sat up. “Whose orders? Your orders? Jonas’s orders?” Jumping up, she jerked the pillow away from him and got back into bed. “I’m not leaving! Whoever is here—and I’m assuming you Callahans think someone is here or the families wouldn’t have left—they’re not after me, because I don’t know anything. I’m the safest of all, especially with you and all your siblings prowling around the place. I’m not going to abandon my friends, with whom I’ve been employed for some years and lived with often, just because you thought it was a great idea to fire me. But I don’t think you can understand the concept of loyalty. Because all you know is how to follow orders.” She gave Sloan a look of disgust. “I’m not a soldier. I’ve never followed orders a day in my life.”
“Tell me something I couldn’t figure out on my own.” Sloan’s tone was dry. He sounded as if he might even have a smile in his voice, which irritated her to no end.
“If anyone is in danger, it would be Fiona. She’s the keeper of the family history, and if there’s a reason to kidnap someone and hold them for information, don’t you think an elderly woman would be a prime target?”
Sloan looked at Kendall for a long moment. “I’ll be right back.”
“That’s what I thought,” she muttered, then turned back over, resting her cheek on the soft pillow. She made certain her leg was propped up, and then closed her eyes and released a long breath.
Now that the reason for all her frustration had left the room, she could finally relax. He was so full of himself, such an arrogant guy—and so handsome he made her nervous.
The thing was, she didn’t think she’d ever been so hot for a man in all her life. Which was just the way things went: the one guy her body responded to in years, and he had to be the one she couldn’t have. Anything between them was such an illogical fantasy that she couldn’t even understand her attraction to him. But the attraction was real, and mystifying. They didn’t even get along.
Yet he’d seemed pretty appreciative of her putting the pillow behind his neck, after he’d gotten used to the idea of someone worrying about his comfort. And he was committed to the idea of sleeping in that stupid chair, although it wasn’t made for long-term sitting or resting.
Maybe he was a tad more heroic than she wanted to admit. Sort of a rough hero. She’d never had a hero in her life before, besides her brothers, so the experience was new.
And unfortunately, insanely hot.
* * *
S LOAN RETURNED an hour later, after assigning Falcon to watch over Fiona and Burke for the night, to find Kendall sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes wide as she stared out the window.
“What is it?”
“I thought I saw something.” She turned a panicked gaze toward him.
He went to the window, peering out, careful not to reveal himself to anyone who might be scoping out the house. “There’s a lot of people here. My family, some workers.” He turned to her. “What do you think you saw?”
“A man. A big man.” Kendall’s eyes widened. “Tall, thin, hiding behind the bunkhouse before he walked toward the barns.”
She might have seen something. Then again, perhaps she didn’t know all the workers on the grounds. But it was just as likely that she did; Jonas said Kendall had been working at his two properties for the past year, along with her brothers.
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