mass of ugly guilt for so long, she felt a strange and curious sensation. She felt…at peace.
The sun warmed the rock around her, and Chloe exhaled, stretching out her legs in front of her, leaning back on her hands behind her. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing until the tiny trembles had passed. When she opened her eyes again, it almost felt as if she was looking at the world with fresh eyes.
This was a pretty spot, with just enough trees, and the stream, to offer shade and refreshment on a hot summer’s day. She’d never been one for camping after—well, after . She hadn’t particularly been fond of it before, either, but she’d loved the time out in the country with just the four of them.
She’d loved fishing with her daddy, and hiking with her mom. She’d loved lying in the small tent with Carrie late at night when the stars and the lightning bugs came out. Mom and Dad would cuddle by the fire and just talk. Chloe couldn’t remember now any one thing that they’d talked about in particular. What she recalled more than anything was that sense that the world was safe, and everything was just right because they were all there, together.
Chloe heard the nickering of horses as they approached, but didn’t turn around. She didn’t have to, because she knew who’d just ridden up. She didn’t move. She simply waited.
It didn’t take the men long to find her, and to range themselves on either side of her. Grant sat down on her left, Andrew on her right.
She didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at them. Grant reached forward and brushed her cheek, catching a single tear on his finger.
“Did we do this to you, baby girl?”
“No. I was just sitting here, thinking about my momma and my daddy. Just missing them.”
“It would tear us up inside to make you cry, Chloe-doe.” Andrew’s words, soft and low, caressed her inner woman, a kind of emotional hug. “Thing is, sweetheart, we very likely will make you cry from time to time. We’re guys, and not always able to understand what you might need, or want from us.”
“The ‘Y’ chromosome flaw,” Chloe said. “It’s okay. You can’t help that. It’s a birth defect. I forgive you both for it.”
In her peripheral vision she could see the men exchange looks, and grin. Then Grant ran his hand down her back. In the next instant he scooped her onto his lap, situating her so that she faced Andrew, sitting beside them. He scooped her legs onto his lap.
These men were so gentle with her, so sensitive to her moods and her needs despite the crack she’d just made, that she sometimes forgot just how physically strong they were.
“You gonna tell us why you felt the need to come riding out here all alone, baby girl?”
“I just had to think on things for a bit.”
“I guess we should have told you that we’d hired that investigator,” Andrew said. “We probably would have, eventually. We just thought that, if the man didn’t have any success, and you didn’t know about it…”
“You were trying to protect my feelings, spare me the disappointment of failure.”
“We can’t know what you went through, Chloe,” Grant said. “We’ve never lost anyone who really mattered—well, except our grandparents, but that’s kind of a part of living. We’ve been lucky, because we’ve always been up to our asses in family.”
Chloe laughed. “That is lucky,” she said.
“We couldn’t not do something, love.” Grant stroked her back in a way that comforted rather than aroused. “Even knowing that the best we can hope for is that we find that son of a bitch, look him in the eye, and tell him that we know what he did.”
“That’s not true. I was thinking, I can always bitch slap him.”
“We’d help you do that if you wanted to,” Andrew said.
“Does Carrie know?” She looked up at Grant and then over at Andrew. He shrugged and met her gaze.
“I doubt it.”
“Someone ought to tell her. Because if they don’t,
The sun warmed the rock around her, and Chloe exhaled, stretching out her legs in front of her, leaning back on her hands behind her. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing until the tiny trembles had passed. When she opened her eyes again, it almost felt as if she was looking at the world with fresh eyes.
This was a pretty spot, with just enough trees, and the stream, to offer shade and refreshment on a hot summer’s day. She’d never been one for camping after—well, after . She hadn’t particularly been fond of it before, either, but she’d loved the time out in the country with just the four of them.
She’d loved fishing with her daddy, and hiking with her mom. She’d loved lying in the small tent with Carrie late at night when the stars and the lightning bugs came out. Mom and Dad would cuddle by the fire and just talk. Chloe couldn’t remember now any one thing that they’d talked about in particular. What she recalled more than anything was that sense that the world was safe, and everything was just right because they were all there, together.
Chloe heard the nickering of horses as they approached, but didn’t turn around. She didn’t have to, because she knew who’d just ridden up. She didn’t move. She simply waited.
It didn’t take the men long to find her, and to range themselves on either side of her. Grant sat down on her left, Andrew on her right.
She didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at them. Grant reached forward and brushed her cheek, catching a single tear on his finger.
“Did we do this to you, baby girl?”
“No. I was just sitting here, thinking about my momma and my daddy. Just missing them.”
“It would tear us up inside to make you cry, Chloe-doe.” Andrew’s words, soft and low, caressed her inner woman, a kind of emotional hug. “Thing is, sweetheart, we very likely will make you cry from time to time. We’re guys, and not always able to understand what you might need, or want from us.”
“The ‘Y’ chromosome flaw,” Chloe said. “It’s okay. You can’t help that. It’s a birth defect. I forgive you both for it.”
In her peripheral vision she could see the men exchange looks, and grin. Then Grant ran his hand down her back. In the next instant he scooped her onto his lap, situating her so that she faced Andrew, sitting beside them. He scooped her legs onto his lap.
These men were so gentle with her, so sensitive to her moods and her needs despite the crack she’d just made, that she sometimes forgot just how physically strong they were.
“You gonna tell us why you felt the need to come riding out here all alone, baby girl?”
“I just had to think on things for a bit.”
“I guess we should have told you that we’d hired that investigator,” Andrew said. “We probably would have, eventually. We just thought that, if the man didn’t have any success, and you didn’t know about it…”
“You were trying to protect my feelings, spare me the disappointment of failure.”
“We can’t know what you went through, Chloe,” Grant said. “We’ve never lost anyone who really mattered—well, except our grandparents, but that’s kind of a part of living. We’ve been lucky, because we’ve always been up to our asses in family.”
Chloe laughed. “That is lucky,” she said.
“We couldn’t not do something, love.” Grant stroked her back in a way that comforted rather than aroused. “Even knowing that the best we can hope for is that we find that son of a bitch, look him in the eye, and tell him that we know what he did.”
“That’s not true. I was thinking, I can always bitch slap him.”
“We’d help you do that if you wanted to,” Andrew said.
“Does Carrie know?” She looked up at Grant and then over at Andrew. He shrugged and met her gaze.
“I doubt it.”
“Someone ought to tell her. Because if they don’t,
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