Cody tumbled down the porch stairs.
“Good Lord, the man’s gone crazy.” Heather shut the door and locked it.
“That was interesting.” Emma gave Jean-Luc a pointed look. She’d probably heard his psychic commands.
He wondered briefly if Lui had heard him, but he doubted he’d said enough for Lui to trace.
“Is Bethany all right?” Heather rushed up the stairs.
“Ooh wee, I need a drink.” Fidelia waddled toward the kitchen, still holding her Glock. “I need a beer, that’s what I need. You want a beer, Juan, Emma?”
“No thank you.” He wandered back into the living room and rested his sword against the wingback chair.
Emma leaned against the entrance, smiling. “A cockroach?”
He smiled back. “The man deserved it.”
She nodded. “I’ll go back upstairs.” She paused, then added, “I think you’ve made quite an impression on Bethany. The toy mum who lives in the dollhouse has a new boyfriend named John. He’s a G.I. Joe doll who looks like he could beat the crap out of the Ken living in the closet.”
“Really?” Jean-Luc’s heart squeezed in his chest. Could he actually be welcomed into this family? He’d always wanted to be part of a family. His father had died when he was six, three years after his mother had passed away in childbirth. Roman and Angus were the closest he’d ever come to having real brothers.
He gazed about the living room and realized how truly lonely he’d been over the centuries. Heather appealed to him in many ways, but her family, Bethany and Fidelia, were touching his heart, too. How different his life could be if he had true companionship and love filling each night. Such a life made all his previous centuries seem empty and meaningless.
But could they accept him as he was? Could Heather love him?
“I’m so sorry you had to witness that scene with my ex,” Heather said as she entered the room.
He turned to face her. Zut, he’d been so deep in thought, he hadn’t realized that Emma had left and Heather had returned. He needed to stay more vigilant than that. “I didn’t mind.”
Heather sighed. “I don’t know what got into Cody.”
“Is Bethany all right?”
“Yes. Thank goodness.” Heather flopped down on the couch. “She was watching a DVD with the volume turned up, so she didn’t hear anything.”
“That’s good.” Jean-Luc sat beside her. Instantly, he heard her heartbeat speed up. A good sign.
She glanced shyly at him. “Where did Fidelia go?”
“To the kitchen for a beer.”
“I wish she wouldn’t drink and handle those guns at the same time.”
He extended an arm along the back of the couch. “The guns have trigger locks.”
“You bet. It was the one requirement I made before she could move in here.”
“You’ve lived in this area all your life, correct?”
She sighed. “Yes. I always wanted to travel, but it never happened.”
He made a mental note that he needed to take her to all the places she wanted to see. “Can you think of anyplace that matches Fidelia’s description? A place on the outskirts of town. Most probably abandoned.”
“With a stone cellar?” She tilted her head, considering. “The state park has an old stone building built during the Depression.”
“I’ll check it out.” He could leave Emma here with the women and take Robby with him.
“I’ll come with you.”
He blinked. “No. Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m already in danger. I fought Louie before and I did well. And I know where the park is.”
“I can look up the park’s location on the Internet.”
Her chin lifted. “I’m going. I’m not cowering here in fear. I’m at war with fear, remember?”
“There’s a difference between courage and bad judg—” He paused when his superior hearing detected a sound outside. “Someone is approaching your front porch.”
He jumped silently to his feet and grabbed his sword.
Heather stood and whispered, “Should I get my shotgun?”
“No.” He
“Good Lord, the man’s gone crazy.” Heather shut the door and locked it.
“That was interesting.” Emma gave Jean-Luc a pointed look. She’d probably heard his psychic commands.
He wondered briefly if Lui had heard him, but he doubted he’d said enough for Lui to trace.
“Is Bethany all right?” Heather rushed up the stairs.
“Ooh wee, I need a drink.” Fidelia waddled toward the kitchen, still holding her Glock. “I need a beer, that’s what I need. You want a beer, Juan, Emma?”
“No thank you.” He wandered back into the living room and rested his sword against the wingback chair.
Emma leaned against the entrance, smiling. “A cockroach?”
He smiled back. “The man deserved it.”
She nodded. “I’ll go back upstairs.” She paused, then added, “I think you’ve made quite an impression on Bethany. The toy mum who lives in the dollhouse has a new boyfriend named John. He’s a G.I. Joe doll who looks like he could beat the crap out of the Ken living in the closet.”
“Really?” Jean-Luc’s heart squeezed in his chest. Could he actually be welcomed into this family? He’d always wanted to be part of a family. His father had died when he was six, three years after his mother had passed away in childbirth. Roman and Angus were the closest he’d ever come to having real brothers.
He gazed about the living room and realized how truly lonely he’d been over the centuries. Heather appealed to him in many ways, but her family, Bethany and Fidelia, were touching his heart, too. How different his life could be if he had true companionship and love filling each night. Such a life made all his previous centuries seem empty and meaningless.
But could they accept him as he was? Could Heather love him?
“I’m so sorry you had to witness that scene with my ex,” Heather said as she entered the room.
He turned to face her. Zut, he’d been so deep in thought, he hadn’t realized that Emma had left and Heather had returned. He needed to stay more vigilant than that. “I didn’t mind.”
Heather sighed. “I don’t know what got into Cody.”
“Is Bethany all right?”
“Yes. Thank goodness.” Heather flopped down on the couch. “She was watching a DVD with the volume turned up, so she didn’t hear anything.”
“That’s good.” Jean-Luc sat beside her. Instantly, he heard her heartbeat speed up. A good sign.
She glanced shyly at him. “Where did Fidelia go?”
“To the kitchen for a beer.”
“I wish she wouldn’t drink and handle those guns at the same time.”
He extended an arm along the back of the couch. “The guns have trigger locks.”
“You bet. It was the one requirement I made before she could move in here.”
“You’ve lived in this area all your life, correct?”
She sighed. “Yes. I always wanted to travel, but it never happened.”
He made a mental note that he needed to take her to all the places she wanted to see. “Can you think of anyplace that matches Fidelia’s description? A place on the outskirts of town. Most probably abandoned.”
“With a stone cellar?” She tilted her head, considering. “The state park has an old stone building built during the Depression.”
“I’ll check it out.” He could leave Emma here with the women and take Robby with him.
“I’ll come with you.”
He blinked. “No. Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m already in danger. I fought Louie before and I did well. And I know where the park is.”
“I can look up the park’s location on the Internet.”
Her chin lifted. “I’m going. I’m not cowering here in fear. I’m at war with fear, remember?”
“There’s a difference between courage and bad judg—” He paused when his superior hearing detected a sound outside. “Someone is approaching your front porch.”
He jumped silently to his feet and grabbed his sword.
Heather stood and whispered, “Should I get my shotgun?”
“No.” He
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