her.â
âKatie, heâs right,â Brody said. âThis isnât your call.â
âI hate to interrupt.â Liam appeared in the doorway again. âBut Lenaâs here. In the kitchen. I offered her coffee and she asked about using the computer.â
Chad nodded. âI told her she could use the study. She needs to get online and the library is closed today. That wonât be a problem, will it?â
Katie gave him one last searching look. âNo. Iâll get her set up.â
âWhen youâre done,â Brody said, shifting his gaze between Katie and Chad, âand when youâre dressed, we need to talk. About Josh. Thereâs been no change and we need to start making some decisions.â
Chad nodded. âIâll find you in the kitchen.â
The bathroom door closed, leaving him alone with the realization that he meant those words. I like her. Their relationship might be a fraud, but he liked Lena. And heâd just locked them into this lie. It was too late to turn back now and tell the town, his family, and Eric Moore that it was a sham. Now they had to move forward with it, or stage a breakup. Either way, Âpeople would talk.
Chad rested his hands on the vanity and stared into the mirror. âI sure as hell better live up to my end of the bargain.â
A N HOUR LATER, Chad sat on the edge of his younger brotherâs hospital bed, wishing he could take a quick ride in his helicopter. He needed to clear his head, not dive into what promised to be the first of many serious conversations for the day. And he refused to skirt the second one. When he got back to the house, he wanted to talk to Lena and learn more about what sheâd seen and done while serving her country.
As much as he hated to admit it, Katie had a point. He couldnât hurt her. And to avoid going down that road, he needed to know if he could fulfill his side of their deal without pushing too far too fast. Sure, she could always say no, but that might not be enough depending on what had happened overseas.
âChad? What the hell, man? You look grim,â Josh said, sitting up in his hospital bed. Not much older than their little sister, Josh had the same red hair, green eyes, and pale skin. Chad and Brody had inherited their fatherâs brown hair and eyes, their skin not quite so pale. Although Chad suspected his baby brotherâs paleness was due to the weeks spent lying in a hospital bed.
Josh had traded in his hospital gown for sweats and T-Âshirt after waking from his coma, but he still wore the big white bandage around his headâÂa clear and present reminder that he belonged here. The other reasons, the ones not visible, those were the ones they needed to talk about today.
âDid one of the nurses turn you down?â Josh added.
âHeâs off the market,â Brody said from the chair beside the bed. âHeâs dating someone.â
Joshâs red eyebrows shot up. âChad? No shit. I thought you kept it casual. Never more than one night, afraid that every woman you date will walk out on you just like Mom abandoned Dad.â
The words stung. More than Chad wanted to admit. âYou canât remember what you had for breakfast or how the hell you landed in the hospital, but you want to play Oprah when it comes to my love life?â
Josh shrugged. âShort-Âterm memory loss, bro. I remember the things that matter.â
âI donât think who is in my bed should make that list. And for the record, I donât steer clear of relationships because Mom left.â Not entirely. âI just like women too much to settle down.â
He heard Brody shift in his chair and knew his brother was thinking back to this morningâs conversation in the bathroom.
âBut Lenaâs special,â Chad added.
âLena? The girl with the dog who moved into Ericâs place? I heard from some guys on the crew I was working
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