Unstoppable Force (Force of Nature Series) by Kathi S. Barton Page B

me?” She nodded, but he could see the doubt in her
face. There was no real reason she should trust him and he knew it. It didn’t
hurt any less, but he did know it. He turned to his brothers. “What do we do
now? There has to be something we can do to keep her safe.”
    Austin nodded and looked at the door. There
stood the entire family, including Phil’s family. The vampires were smiling.
    “We’ve come to play too. I heard there
was going to be some sort of showdown and we want to help.” Hope Campbell sat
down in one of the big chairs and smiled. “You’re very Irish, aren’t you, dear?
I would bet that you’re as fully Irish as they come.”
    “My parents came to this country before
I was born. My father is in thermodynamics physics, and my mother is a chemical
engineer. They met on the way here and fell, I suppose, in love. I wasn’t
anything that they planned.” She turned away from Hope, but she pulled her back
around to look at her.
    “They are the ones that have lost, my
dear, not you. Had they not created you, then my new family would not have
found you. And now Connor and you will be very happy. You will be too once we
take care of this rabble.” Hope smiled at him then winked. “Connor, my dear,
your house is in need of completion. How much longer to do think to take on it
now?”
    “I’ve taken steps to have it completed
quickly. And I would like to thank you for helping me out with that.” He’d
heard she’d sent some of the vampires to work on the house in the middle of the
night to help out. “You’re an amazing woman.”
    “That I am. Now, what do we know of this
new person who has come into this thing?” Hope patted the empty seat beside
her. “Come here, Lou. Let us look the note over and see what the idiot wants.”
    It was well into the next morning before
they went to bed. Connor picked up Lou when she staggered for the third time
and was happy when she didn’t protest too much. He was putting her into the big
bed when she pulled him to her mouth and kissed him. Connor could no more turn
her down than he could have stopped breathing. Joining her in the bed, he took
her mouth again as he slid beneath the blankets with her.

 
    Chapter 10
     
    Lou waited in the kitchen for someone to
show up. The sun was just cresting the windows when Nancy came into the
kitchen. She didn’t say anything, but handed her a large tin and a glass. When
she sat down with her at the table, she had poured them both a glass of tea and
handed her a plate of cookies from the tin.
    “When Connor was small he used to raid
this can to see what he could get out of it before his brothers did. He was
partial to the oatmeal ones more than anything. You like chocolate chip? Have
one.”
    Lou took the plate offered and set it
down. She still couldn’t eat much of the sweet stuff, but she did break off a
small piece and nibbled on it. “I wanted to ask you something.”
    Nancy nodded as she ate another cookie.
    “It’s about Connor.”
    “I would think you’d know by now that he
isn’t going to let you go. If you are here to have me talk him out of that
notion then I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you.”
    Lou shook her head.
    “Then what can I help you with, dear?”
    “This man that’s coming. Why?”
    Nancy cocked her head.
    “Why do they all assume that they need
to help me? I can just go to him and no one will get hurt. Because you know as
well as I do that someone, if not a lot of people, will get hurt when he shows
up.”
    “More than likely. But we will protect
you.” Nancy got up and opened the refrigerator. “My own mate died some time
ago. He was a good man. Not the great men his sons have turned out to be, but
he was a good man. Here, put the bacon in the pan for me. I’ll get it baked
while we talk.”
    Lou took the ten pounds of bacon from
the older woman and began laying it in neat rows on the sheet. She wondered
aloud if she was to use it all and Nancy smiled at her and