His Valentine Triplets
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Tina Leonard
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15.9K
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21
Harlequin🏙️ Contemporary
HarlequinChapter One
“Rafe is too smart for his own good.”
—Molly Callahan, recognizing the seeds of mayhem in her too-bright toddler
As Augusts in New Mexico went, it was a hot one. Rafe Callahan stared at Judge Julie Jenkins in her black robe in the Diablo courtroom and felt a bit of an itch. Was it the heat, or was he just thinking about what they’d done in July when his steer had gotten tangled in her fence?
“Counsel,” Julie snapped to his brother, Sam. “Why should I recuse myself from hearing State v. Callahan? Have you any substantive reason to assume that I could not hear proceedings in this matter fairly?”
“Judge Jenkins,” Sam said deferentially, “as you know, your father, Bode Jenkins, has brought suit against our ranch, invoking the law of eminent domain.”
“Not my father,” Julie said, her tone stiff. “The State handles matters of eminent domain.”
Yeah, Rafe thought, and everyone but Julie seems to understand that her father is in it up to his neck with every government official and thief in the local and state governments. Good ol’ Dad can never do anything wrong in his little girl’s eyes, and vice versa.
Julie’s gaze flashed to him, then away. Guilt. It was written all over her beautiful face. He knew what was under that prim black robe, and it was the stuff of dreams, a body made for the gods. He’d been lucky enough to find the chink in her sturdy armor—a testament to the fact that she couldn’t resist him, Rafe thought smugly.
He’d made her guilty. Julie knew very well that their night together meant she should step down from this case.
“Mr. Callahan,” Julie said to Sam, after sending another defensive glare Rafe’s way, “it seems to me that you have no good reason why I shouldn’t hear State v. Rancho Diablo.”
Sam, the crack-the-whip attorney assigned to saving the Callahan family fortunes, looked down at his notes, marshaling his thoughts. It was important that Julie not be the judge hearing this case, Rafe knew—as did all six Callahan brothers—because she was completely partial to her father. What good daughter would not be? But Julie seemed to have it in her mind that the case was purely New Mexico versus the Callahans, not Jenkins versus Callahans, Hatfield and McCoy style.
Ah, but he knew how to bring little Miss Straitlaced to heel. He hated to do it. She’d been a sweet love that one night, and a virgin, which wasn’t so much a shock as it had been a pleasure he’d remember forever. He got warm all over, and stiff where he shouldn’t be at the moment. There was something about those brown eyes and midnight hair that just undid him, never mind that she had enough sass in her to send up fireworks.
But this was war, unfortunately, and the Callahans needed all the help they could get to draw level with Bode Jenkins and his bag of crafty tricks. Rafe stood, and with Julie’s gaze clapped on him warily, leaned over to whisper to Sam. He could feel her eyes on him, as well as those of his brothers, his aunt Fiona and uncle Burke’s, and half the town, who’d come to hear today’s proceedings. Julie wouldn’t want to be embarrassed in front of the people who’d helped raise her after her mother died. But it had to be done.
So he whispered some nonsense in Sam’s ear about the price of pork bellies, all the while knowing that Julie thought he was telling Sam about their passion-filled sexcapade.
“Now act surprised,” he said to Sam, and his brother pasted a dramatic and appropriately shocked expression on his face.
Julie said quickly, “Would counsel step up, please?”
Sam went to Julie, as did the lawyer for the State, a slick Bode yes-man if Rafe had ever seen one.
“I’ll consider recusing myself,” Rafe heard Julie say, her tone soft yet tinged with anger. His ear stretched out a foot trying to hear every word. “But I’m not happy that you’ve indicated I don’t hear cases completely fairly. I’ve never been asked to recuse myself before, and I feel this is another case of Callahan manipulation, for which they are famous.”
Her accusing stare landed on Rafe, and he couldn’t help himself. He grinned. She stiffened, so cute in her judge getup, but completely naked to his eyes. It was as if she knew it.
After a long glare his way, during which time he noted her pink cheeks, and her full lips pressed flat with annoyance, she said, “Court will adjourn while I consider the motion. We will resume in one hour. And Mr. Callahan,” she said, her voice tight as she addressed Rafe, “I’d like to speak with you in my chambers, please. Counsel will not be required.”
“You’ve done it now,” Sam said in a low voice. “She’s going to eat you alive, scales and all. It’s your fault, too, for sitting there smirking at her.”
“I can’t help it,” Rafe said. “She just looks so stiff and formal in that robe. I remember tacking her hair to her desk in biology class, and chasing her on the playground. It’s hard for me to take her seriously.”
“She’s going to teach you the meaning of respect, dude. Good luck. I’m off to get a hot dog.” Sam sauntered away, his conscience clear, unconcerned about his brother’s impending misfortune.
Rafe sighed and approached the chamber of doom. “Judge?”
“Come in, please, Mr. Callahan, and close the door.”
She sounded like a vinegary old schoolteacher. Rafe sat down, and tried to arrange his face into the most respectful expression he possessed.
“Mr. Callahan,” Julie began, and he automatically said, “You can call me Rafe. I’m not a formal guy.”
She nodded. “As you wish. And you can call me Judge Jenkins.”
He nodded, reminding himself not to grin at her prissy tone. The fact was, Julie was in command of their futures at Rancho Diablo. If they could get her to recuse herself, they could probably get a more impartial judge to hear their case. This thought alone kept Rafe from smiling. He even tried his damnedest not to stare at Julie’s legs, shapely stems skimmed by the black robe, and elongated by high-heeled black pumps. Very severe, and very sexy. She wore her ebony hair in a no-nonsense upsweep, which made her look like a dark-eyed, exotic princess. She wore a lipstick that was a shade off red, and he wanted to kiss her lips until there was no lipstick left on her.
But he couldn’t. So he waited for her ire to recede.
“Mr. Callahan,” she began again, “you may be under the misapprehension that because we have had an engagement of a personal nature—”
“Sex,” he said.
Her full lips pursed for a moment. “You may be under a misapprehension that I will tolerate disrespect in my court.”
“No, Judge. I have the utmost respect for you.”
Her big brown eyes blinked. “Then quit smiling at me in the courtroom, please. You look like a wolf, which you may not be aware of, and it comes across as if you take this proceeding lightly.”
“I do not.” Rafe shook his head. “Trust me when I tell you that this proceeding is life-and-death to me.”
She nodded. “See that you try to maintain a more serious composure in the courtroom.”
“I will.” He nodded in turn, his expression as earnest as he could make it. “And you’re wrong, Julie. Just because I let you seduce me in a field doesn’t mean I don’t respect you.”
She gasped. “I did not seduce you!”
He shrugged. “You’re a powerful woman, Julie. Not only are you beautiful and smart, you’re sexy as hell. I couldn’t resist you.” He shook his head regretfully. “Ever since then, I’ve wondered if holding you in my arms was a dream.”
She glared at him. “You can be certain that I didn’t seduce you. You—you…” She seemed at a loss for words for once. “You seduced me!” she said in a whispered hiss. “This is what I’m talking about, Rafe. You Callahans always manage to twist things around!”
“Oh, Judge, it’s every man’s dream to be seduced by a gorgeous woman. Don’t burst my bubble.” Rafe smiled his most charming smile. “I wish I could seduce you, but I’m pretty sure you’re impervious to men.”
She blinked. “That didn’t sound very nice.”
“Maybe you’re just impervious to me.” He sat on her desk and swung a leg, considering his words. “That’s probably it.”
“I don’t even know how that happened that night. But,” Julie said, her voice low, “I’d appreciate you not bringing it up again, and particularly not in the courthouse.”
“But was it good for you?” Rafe asked. “That’s a worry that’s kept me up at night.”
Julie drew back. He gave her a forlorn look. “Good for me?” she repeated.
He nodded. “Did I make you feel good?”
She hesitated. “I guess so. I mean, considering it was you, I guess it felt as good as it could have.”
He tried not to laugh. She was lying like a rug, and in her own judge chambers, just down the hall from where she made people take oaths to tell the truth. “Ah, Julie,” he said, “there are nights when I wake up in a sweat thinking about how sweet you are.”
She appeared confused. Probably no one had ever said that to her before. But he knew she was sweet. He took her hand and tugged her close to him. “Seduce me again, Julie.”
“No,” she said. “You’re bad news, Rafe Callahan. My dad always says that, and it’s true. You’re really, really bad, and I should never have—”
He touched his lips to hers, stopping her words. “So why did you?”
“I don’t know,” she said, not pulling away from him. “I have no idea why I even let you talk to me, Rafe. I shouldn’t have done it, though, and I can tell you it will never happen again.”
“I know.” Rafe framed her face with his hands. “And it makes me so damn sad I just don’t know what to do.” He kissed her gently, then with more thoroughness as he felt some of the stiffness go out of her. “We geeks never get the beautiful girls.”
She blinked, pulling back. “Geeks?”
“Yeah. You know, those of us who think too much, when we should be men of action.” He moved his hands down her shoulders, down her arms, and began kissing along her neck. God, she smelled good. He had a stiff one of epic proportions sitting in his jeans, and the call of the wild firing his blood. “I’m guilty of thinking too much, when I should be going after what I want.”
He circled her waist, holding her to him, and kissed the hollow of her throat.
“Rafe—”
“Mmm?”
“Is this about the court case?”
He pulled back a moment. “Is what about the court case?”
“This.”
He looked into her dark eyes, completely confused. His mind was totally fogged by Julie, her sweet perfume, her sexy mouth—and then he realized what she was asking. “God, no, love. I compartmentalize much better than that.” He couldn’t help the grin that split his face. “I may be a thinker, but I’m not that good, sweetie. This is all about trying to get under the robe of the most beautiful girl in Diablo.”
Julie seemed to consider his words. Rafe was pretty certain he should strike while the iron was hot. Clearly, she was of two minds about letting him kiss her, and the fact was, he wasn’t about to let Julie out of his grasp. He remembered far too well how wonderful it had felt to be inside her. So he did what any normal, red-blooded man would do when faced with an uncertain female: he staked his flag on Venus. Pushing up Julie’s robe and dress and everything else that was in his way, he slid off the desk and kissed her soft tummy. She gasped, and he ran his hands under her buttocks.
“What are these?” he asked, staring at the darling little pink straps holding up her stockings. Julie looked like a Victorian saloon girl, and he was pretty certain he was so hard right now diamonds couldn’t chip him.
“Garters,” Julie said. “And a thong.”
“Pretty,” Rafe said, and moved the thong so that he could kiss her the way he wanted to. Gently, he licked and kissed and tasted her, and when her knees were about to buckle, he pushed her into her desk chair where he could kiss her to his heart’s content. He’d waited a long time for this moment, and when he could tell she was about to rip his hair out by the roots, he licked inside her, taking great pleasure in her gasping cries as she climaxed.
He wanted to just sit and look at her for a second, all disheveled in her black robe, but she shocked him by grabbing his belt. “Wait,” he said, “just a minute, Julie. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t—”
She cut off his words with urgent kisses. Okay, he wanted her to do everything. She was pulling at him, trading places with him, and the next thing Rafe knew, he was sitting in the tall-backed black leather chair and Julie was sliding down him, clutching his shoulders as if she was afraid he was going to disappear.
What could he do but give her exactly what she wanted? “Hang on,” he said, crushing her bare buttocks in his hands so that he could hold her tightly to him. He thought he was going to black out from the pleasure. Julie gasped against his neck, then tore off the judge’s robe and threw it on the floor.
“Let me help you.” Rafe undid the frilly white blouse she had on, tossing it away. That left a sweet ivory bra, but he was a pro with bras, and he had that hanging over a law book before Julie could realize that she now was seated on him wearing nothing but a soft peach skirt, pink garters and black heels. I’m living a dream, Rafe thought, taking in Julie’s breasts, which were beautiful, shapely, peach-nippled. He wanted to grab them, but his hands were full of her soft buttocks and he had her right where he wanted her, so when she rose on a thrust and wrapped her arms around his neck, and her breasts engulfed his face, he was profoundly grateful. He sucked in a nipple before it could get away, and Julie stiffened on him, giving him a very pleasurable jolt where it counted.
“Oh, Rafe,” she murmured. “Oh, God, don’t stop.”
He didn’t. He suckled, and thrust, and touched, and invaded. And when Julie tightened up on him, giving a tiny muffled shriek of pleasure as she came, Rafe held on for just a moment longer, making sure he’d never forget this moment, before letting himself surrender to the magic of Julie.
He was pretty certain he’d rested his case, and that the jury had found him more than irresistible.
TEN MINUTES LATER, RAFE tried to help Julie dress.
“I’ve got it, thanks.” She swept his hands away, fixing her robe and her skirt. He could tell she didn’t want to meet his gaze, so he pushed his white shirt into his dress jeans and straightened his tie.
Tidied up, Julie regained her professional demeanor. “This is awkward.”
“Not really.” Rafe stole another kiss, which he noticed she didn’t return. Well, of course, she needed time to process how much she wanted him. He grinned. “See you in court.”
Julie didn’t smile. “Remember, please. Respect, Mr. Callahan.”
“Oh, I do, Judge.” Taking her hand, he raised it to his lips. “I respect the hell out of you.”
She jerked away. Rafe saluted her and went to the door. Then he turned, catching her eyeing his butt just before she realized he’d found her staring. “Next time, this is going to happen in a bed.”
Her cheeks pinked. “There won’t be a next time.”
He smiled at her. “The thing is, as good as it is between us in all these hot locations you pick out, Julie, I could make you feel so much better in a private place where I can spend hours giving you pleasure you’d never forget.”
She gasped. “Go!”
He nodded, drinking in her straight posture with appreciation. She was a darling little thing, so prim and bad by turns. My God, he loved a woman with sass, one who said no but begged so prettily, too. He didn’t tell her that her hair was slightly mussed—actually, she looked like a Barbie doll that had gotten caught in a windstorm—and he didn’t tell her that her lipstick was shot. Nor did he tell her that somehow she’d forgotten to put her bra back on. It was still draped over a law book in the corner of her office.
“Thank you, Julie,” he said softly, meaning every word, and then he left her chambers and returned to sit beside Sam.
“Where the hell have you been?” his brother demanded. “I brought you a hot dog.”
“Thanks. I’m starved.”
“So, did she read you the riot act?”
“Pretty much.” Rafe bit into the cold hot dog, moaning with satisfaction.
“Did you apologize for pissing her off?”
“I did. I apologized the only way I know how. Is this soda for me?”
Sam nodded. “And did she accept your apology?”
“She did. She accepted everything.” Rafe chewed his hot dog happily, feeling like a new man, thanks to his encounter with Julie. “She’s a very generous woman.”
“I’ll say she’s generous if she accepted your dopey apology.” Sam sighed. “I hope you didn’t do anything to change her mind about recusing herself.”
Rafe froze. “Uh…”
Julie swept into the courtroom. Everyone rose as the bailiff instructed, then seated themselves again. Rafe swept his food out of sight.
“She doesn’t look happy,” Sam said.
No, but she does look satisfied. His little judge was going to flip when she realized she’d forgotten to put on lipstick. Her hair was pretty much blown out of its ’do. She looked gorgeous to him, but flustered, and Rafe grinned, thinking that next time he wasn’t kissing Julie Jenkins until she begged him to.
He snapped himself out of his sexual reverie, realizing that her gaze was on him, and she did, in fact, look annoyed again. It was the smile, he remembered, and he put on his most serious expression.
She didn’t seem impressed.
But she had been a few moments ago, and that had to speak well for the future. He hoped so, anyway. Next time, I’m going to figure out how those little garter things work, and spend about an hour kissing the judge where I know she likes being kissed the most.
“THOUGH THERE IS NO fundamental reason for me to recuse myself,” Julie said, “I will do as the defendants have requested. Let the record reflect that I do so with a good deal of misgiving for the request that was made of this court.” She pinned Rafe and Sam with a mutinous glare. “Court adjourned.”
“She’s really ticked,” Sam observed. “This will not be good for our neighborly relations.”
Rafe watched Julie sweep from the courtroom on a cloud of displeasure and irritation—with maybe a little embarrassment thrown in. He watched her go, fascinated by the woman he loved wrapped in a real good snit. What Julie didn’t know was that he loved her all the more for her spiciness and warmth, and now that she was good and mad at him, he was dedicated to getting her out of that black robe again. He had a one-track mind when he wanted something, and he wanted Judge Julie Jenkins badly.
They said the best sex was makeup sex—and if that was true, then he was all for making up as soon as humanly possible.
“THAT WAS UGLY,” SAM SAID as he and Rafe walked out into the sunlight. People left the courthouse and were milling around, chatting over what had happened in Julie’s court.
“Not ugly,” Rafe said, thinking about how beautiful she was. “The Callahans are free to fight another day.”
His brother shoved his briefcase into the front seat of his truck. “I’d like to know what Judge Julie was thinking that made her do a turnaround like that. She is not an easy judge to sway. Frankly, I was expecting a lot more fight. And what the hell was all that ‘act surprised about pork bellies’ crap? We don’t do pork at Rancho Diablo.”
Rafe shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now.” He got in the passenger seat and pondered how he might ever put his plan of The Seduction of Julie into place. As Sam had said, she was not an easy woman to sway—and she seemed to hold him in as much esteem as a rattlesnake.
If he didn’t know better, he would think she hadn’t enjoyed his lovemaking.
But he did know better. Judge Julie didn’t have a faking bone in her body, and the woman put on no grand act. He’d be forever thankful for his steer getting tangled in her fence in the first place. Okay, maybe making love in a field on a blanket he’d grabbed from his truck wasn’t a woman’s idea of My First Time, but by golly, he’d waited for years to hold Julie Jenkins, and he’d made the most of it. He’d had her sighing and moaning like crazy, a yearning cat under his fingertips. Today, he’d tried to make her second time something she’d remember with a heaping helping of must-have-more. “I’d just put it up to the fact that she’d heard of your reputation, bro, and went down before the fight.”
Sam shook his head. “There’s something funny about Judge Julie calling uncle that easily. Bode’s hired one of the best teams of lawyers around.”
Rafe clapped his brother on the back. “No one’s as good as a Callahan.”
And it’s true, Rafe thought. I’ve had it from Judge Julie’s own lips. Maybe not in those exact words. Maybe not in any words at all. But I know Julie Jenkins digs her some Callahan cowboy.
FOR A WEEK, ALL WAS SILENT. Rafe saw his brothers at mealtimes and at work, and everybody seemed preoccupied. He wrote it off to the heat. Jonas was moody, but what the heck. When one was a retired surgeon turned rancher, perhaps one got moody. Jonas had always been a brooding cuss, anyway, and as far as Rafe could tell, his oldest brother had been eyeing Sabrina McKinley for the past couple of years, and nothing had changed. If there was one thing guaranteed to put a man off-kilter, it was the unrequited desire for the love of a good woman. It could kill a guy. “Or at least the lust for a good woman,” Rafe amended out loud, earning a glance from Sam, who was studying a mass of papers almost as thick as the Bible. Rafe went back to considering the sales figures for Rancho Diablo, but his mind wasn’t on it. Sam works too hard. He’s been trying to save this ranch for nearly three years now, and I don’t think he’s even looked at a woman in all that time. Callahans should have it easier getting sex than we do.
“The problem,” Rafe said out loud, “is that we all work too hard. And we’re picky.”
“What, ass?” Sam said. “Do you mind taking your braying elsewhere? These briefs are eating me, and I can’t think with you chattering like a teenage girl.”
His brother definitely needed a woman. “You know, Sam,” Rafe said, “since I’m the thinker of the family, I’ve been thinking. And I think it’s time we got you out of the house.”
Sam glared at him. “Thank you, Sophocles, for that bit of news I can’t use.”
“Dude, this lawsuit has sucked you dry.”
“You have a solution?” Sam shrugged. “I’m not giving up on Rancho Diablo, no matter what barrel Bode Jenkins thinks he’s got us over.”
“Yeah.” Rafe considered his brother. “Nothing seems to be working, does it? Aunt Fiona’s Plan has gone off the rails. We’ve had weddings and babies out the wazoo around here, and our brothers have populated a small town all by themselves, and still we can’t convince the courts that we should have our own zip code free of Jenkins.”
“Do you mind, Hippocrates? Can I get back to this?” Sam waved some documents.
Rafe grunted. “I’m just saying maybe you ought to get some fresh air. Or get lucky, alternatively, if that’s in the range of your possibilities.”
Sam laughed, and it wasn’t a pretty sound. “And when, pray tell, was the last time a woman opened her door for you, Einstein?”
Rafe couldn’t brag. It would make Sam feel bad. He probably felt that they were brothers in bachelorhood. Of the six Callahan boys, only Sam, Rafe and Jonas were unmarried. No woman was going to throw her cap at Jonas, because he was about as much fun as a wart. Sam had an easygoing style, when he let himself hang loose, which wasn’t often.
Of the three of them would-be champions to Fiona’s Plan to get all the Callahans married—and then award Rancho Diablo to the brother with the largest family—Rafe figured he had the best chance. I have the highest IQ, I have the best hair, I fly the family plane and girls love geeky guys like me. “If you knew anything at all about Hippocrates, brother, you would know that he believed the body must be treated as a whole and not just a series of parts. Therefore, with your mind in overload over Rancho Diablo’s attempt to free itself from Bode Jenkins, you’re under too much stress. We’ve got to find you a woman.”
“Excuse me,” Sam said, “but I didn’t hear you tell me when you last saw a woman naked and welcoming you.”
Rafe didn’t reply. He didn’t want Sam to feel bad, and he would never let the cat out of the bag about the judge. Especially since Sam was pitting his wits against Julie’s father.
“That’s what I thought, genius.” Sam went back to glaring at the mountain of paper in front of him.
“Never say I didn’t try to help,” Rafe stated, and leaned back to continue studying ranch paperwork.
The bunkhouse door blew open with the speed of a rocket, crashing against the wall. Rafe’s jaw sagged as Bode Jenkins barreled into the room.
The old rancher was holding a rifle in his hands, pointing it at him.
“Jesus, Bode,” Sam said. “Put that popgun down before someone gets hurt.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Bode said, glaring at Rafe. “You dirty, thieving dog!”
“Are you talking to me?” Rafe stood, pushing Sam behind him. “What the hell, Bode?”
Fiona burst in behind their neighbor and faced him, before kicking him a smart one on the shin. “Bode, give me that gun, and cool your head. Whatever’s gotten up your nose now, it isn’t worth doing time in jail.”
Burke appeared and snatched the gun from Bode, who seemed to give it up without much fight. All the other Callahans filed in, glaring at the rancher, then glancing around the room to make certain everyone was in one piece.
“Do you mind telling us what’s going on?” Jonas demanded.
“I’ll tell you,” Bode said, his voice quavering. The man’s face was red, pinched with fury as he glared at Rafe.
“No, you won’t.” Julie winked and shoved a few Callahans out of the way so she could reach her father. “Dad, you’re going to give yourself a heart attack. Calm down.”
Rafe blinked at Julie, who was stunning in a summery sundress and sandals, with her inky hair swept up in a ponytail. There was just something about her that hit him like a fist to the solar plexus every time he saw her. He liked her in her judge’s robe, he liked her in a dress, and he loved her naked in the moonlight.
But something had her wound up tight. More than the court case. “What’s up?” he asked her. “What’s got Bode steamed this time?”
That got Julie’s laserlike attention. She practically stabbed him with her eyes as she sent him a particularly poisonous glare. “Now is not a good time for you to be speaking disrespectfully to my father. I just saved you from being shot, Mr. Callahan, so if you don’t mind, zip your lips.”
Well, wasn’t that a big dose of judgelike attitude? He grinned at Julie. She liked him, he could tell. No woman was that starchy around a man unless he rattled her love cage. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
“Bode, the next time you come running onto our property like a madman—and may I remind you this is not the first time you’ve acted crazy…” Fiona began.
Bode pinwheeled his arms with frustration. “You Callahans make me crazy. Why can’t you just git? This is my land, my property, but you’re like fleas. You multiply like fleas—”
His face turned redder, as if he’d just thought of something horrific. He glared at all of them, reserving his most potent fury for Rafe. “You—”
“Dad,” Julie said, “we’re leaving right now. Come on. There’s nothing here we want.”
Rafe watched her go, tugging her protesting father along with her. Of course there was plenty here Bode wanted. He wanted the ranch, he wanted their home, he wanted the Diablos and the rumored silver mine—
Bode whirled, punching his finger toward Rafe as he escaped his daughter’s clutches. “You’re not winning,” he told him. “You haven’t won.”
Julie dragged her dad from the bunkhouse.
“Damn,” Rafe said, “I believe Bode’s finally gone over the edge.” He sank onto the leather sofa. His brothers and Fiona and Burke gathered around. “I thought he had a caretaker over there to keep an eye on him.”
“Seton’s busy, I think,” Fiona said. “She’s been over here helping Sabrina with some things for me.” Their aunt shrugged. “Seton does have time off, and she chooses to be here with her sister. That has nothing to do with Bode’s visit, because he seemed mostly upset with you.” Fiona looked at Rafe. “Didn’t he say he was going to kill you?”
Rafe shrugged in turn. “I took that ‘you’ in the global sense, as in all of us. I don’t think he meant me personally. If he wants to kill anyone, it would probably be Sam, who is beating him all to hell in court.”
“Oh.” Fiona nodded.
“I swear,” Rafe said. “I didn’t do anything to the old man. We all agreed we’d abide by the law, and the decision of the courts, and I’m cool with that.” He held up two fingers in a V. “Peace, brothers. It’s all chill in the house of Callahan.”
Jonas snorted. “Yo, thinker, don’t do anything stupid. The man is tense, and next time we might not be around to save you.”
“Save me?” Rafe shook his head. “He’s crazy. Everyone knows it.”
“Everyone may know it, but that won’t save you if Bode decides to get crazy on you.”
Burke looked at Fiona. “Actually, that’s the most upset I’ve ever seen our neighbor. Thankfully, his firearm wasn’t loaded, although they say there’s really no such thing as an unloaded gun.”
“He is crazy,” Fiona agreed, “but he’d been quiet for a while. Which made me nervous in a different way. But now I’m really nervous.” She looked around the room at all the brothers. “Now is as good a time as any to tell them,” she said to Burke, and Rafe thought, oh, that didn’t sound good.
“It’s up to you,” Burke said, moving his hands to her shoulders.
Fiona looked down, allowing Burke to massage her shoulders, which was strange, for this independent woman rarely accepted anyone’s comfort. Rafe could tell his little aunt was struggling to put her thoughts in order. Bode’s untimely visit had put speed to something that had been on her mind. Rafe waited, feeling tense himself now.
“Burke and I believe that Bode’s ill feelings in this suit have largely been directed at me. I’ve been a thorn in his side for quite some time,” she said.
The room was so silent Rafe thought he could hear Sam’s heart beating beside him, which was really annoying. It should be my heart I hear beating. Sam’s always been one for attention. It’s why he’s a lawyer.
“Remember the Plan I put forth to all of you? How I put Rancho Diablo in trust for whichever of you married and had the largest family?”
They all nodded. A couple of his brothers looked pretty proud, because they figured they were in the lead. Rafe snorted. It didn’t matter. They’d decided among themselves that, whoever won it, they were going to divide ranch ownership between them equally, in spite of Fiona’s Plan. And once he got started making a family—when he finally decided to settle down—Rafe would make all his brothers look like beginners, anyway. There was such a thing as proper planning, which all men of deep thought knew. Strategy. Chess players understood the importance of strategy, for example.
“Well, after a great deal of thought, worry, prayer and yes, even strategic plotting, Burke and I have decided,” Aunt Fiona said, taking a deep breath, “to move back to Ireland.”
