Roan by Jennifer Blake

mouth. “There are actually four branches of Benedicts here, from the four brothers who left England in the late 1700s. Folks claim the guys had to leave, something to do with the death of their sister’s snake-mean husband. I guess the Benedicts took care of their own even way back then.”
    Tory raised a brow, since she couldn’t speak. Any insight into the life of the man she’d be spending time with over the next few days could be valuable.
    â€œThe brothers were freebooters in the Caribbean for a while, but didn’t take to the pirate trade. They landed in New Orleans and made their way up the Mississippi, settled around Horseshoe Lake. They each took a wife, though in their own sweet time. The oldest brother married a Scotswoman with red hair and a bad temper. My cousin, Kane, comes from that line. He’s an attorney in town who just got married a year ago to a woman with red hair, though she’s sweet as sugar cane, just like him.”
    The temperature probe beeped and was removed. Tory asked, “And the others?”
    â€œOne married the Indian woman who had guided them to the lake. That would be Cousin Luke’s side of the family.” Johnnie rolled her eyes. “Now if there was one of my cousins that I wished I wasn’t related to, it’s Luke. Talk about tall, dark and dreamy. We used to call him Luke-de-la-Nuit —Luke of the Night—though I guess that’s over now that he’s married to April. That’s April Halstead, you know. She writes romance novels. Ever read any of them?”
    The name was familiar; Tory thought she might have picked up one of her books at an airport newsstand. She nodded as she asked, “She lives here?”
    â€œShe likes the peace and quiet. Some folks do.”
    â€œWhat about you?” Tory asked. “How are you related to Roan?”
    â€œI was a Benedict before I married. Roan and I are actually from the same line. Our great-great-however-many-grandfather still had a little pirate left in his blood, I guess, because he kidnapped a Spanish woman from over towardthe Texas border, one he fell in love with at first sight. Story goes in the family that she was about to be married off to a man twice her age, so being kidnapped was a mighty convenient way of avoiding a family wrangle.” A conscious look appeared on her round face. “Not that I mean to imply anything about what happened to you.”
    â€œNo, of course not.” Tory gave her a wan smile.
    â€œStill, here you are, heading home with Roan on account of a kidnapping. Now wouldn’t it be something if…”
    â€œPlease!” The nurse was obviously a raving romantic.
    Johnnie sighed. “Sorry. I guess stuff like that only happens in April’s books.”
    It seemed best to get away from that subject as quickly as possible. “You haven’t mentioned the fourth brother?”
    â€œA rogue of the first water, that one. He found a Frenchwoman wandering in the woods. He never knew how she got there or where she came from and didn’t care. He took her home with him and kept her there for over fifty years. Cousin Clay’s from that line. He and Roan are good buddies.”
    â€œFascinating,” Tory commented, since it seemed something was expected.
    â€œWe were all quite a gang in our younger days, Kane, Luke, Roan, even Clay and his brothers from time to time. We were a little wild but we stuck together. We watched each other’s backs, kept each other from breaking our necks with dumb pranks. They were good times.”
    â€œBut none of you are all that closely related, right?”
    â€œFifth or sixth cousins, something like that, though some are related by way of other family lines. I mean, Turn-Coupe was isolated for a lot of long years. Intermarriage was common because there wasn’t much choice otherwise.” She moved to the end of the bed and scribbled on the chart hanging there.