crap. Obviously something horrible had happened, most likely Wallace- related, while Rachel had been wrapped up dreaming of Matt.
“Hi, Nikki, I’m sorry I missed you earlier.” Rachel stopped in front of her, hesitant yet longing to hug her because she seemed so small and lost.
“My fault. I was hiding in my room.” Nikki managed a faint smile. “Not from you,” she added quickly and drew in a shaky breath. “Thanks for putting me up. Really, I know y’all are busy. Do I pay now or when I leave?”
“Oh, my goodness, Nikki.” Barbara McAllister had no qualms about ignoring boundaries. She pulled Nikki into a hug. “You’re our guest. You and Matt are always welcome here.”
Nikki turned to Matt for help. “But—”
He was staring at Rachel, his face grim enough to make Rachel’s heart thud.
She broke eye contact first. “Forget it,” she said to Nikki. “Mom’s had practice arguing with four kids. She has final say.”
Nikki moved back. “This isn’t supposed to be charity,” she murmured.
“It’s not.” Matt finally weighed in. “I’m paying for Nik’s room.”
“I can pay for my own,” she said, and gave him a blistering look.
“Ah, Jesus.” He plowed a hand through his hair, then winced. “Sorry, Mrs. McAllister.”
She laughed. “Matthew, I have three sons.”
Rachel tried to look innocent.
Her mom arched a brow at her. “And this one.”
Nikki laughed a little at that.
Matt’s mood hadn’t lightened at all, and it broke Rachel’s heart. The problem had to be Wallace. For Matt it had always been his bastard of a father. She had a good mind to jump in her car and go give him a dressing-down that was late in coming. He had this great son who’d defended him all his childhood, who’d broken his back to earn Wallace’s approval, and the stupid idiot had never once...
“Rachel?”
She blinked at Matt. He was staring at her. So was everyone else.
“Rachel,” her mom repeated gently. “Why don’t you show Nikki to her room?”
“Sure,” she muttered, heat climbing her neck. “Of course.”
“Actually, if you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you,” Matt said. “I mean everyone. You, too, Hilda, if you have time. I assume the guys are out working.”
Rachel turned to see their housekeeper standing near the door between the dining room and kitchen. She’d been with them so long, she was practically family.
“Please, come.” Rachel saw the embarrassment in the older woman’s dark eyes, probably worried they thought she was eavesdropping, and motioned for her to join them.
Nikki glanced toward the back of the house, then toward the stairs. “We can’t talk out here.”
All the guests were gone, enjoying outdoor activities, but the foyer was airy and huge and it didn’t matter that they were alone in the house. It could feel intimidating for a personal conversation.
“We can go to Cole’s office,” Rachel said. “Or have coffee in the kitchen. No one else is home. Jamie ran into town an hour ago. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
Matt glanced at Nikki, who nodded. “The kitchen is okay, and if Jamie shows up, that’s fine.”
They settled at the table in silence. Hilda seemed nervous. Rachel definitely had a jitter in her belly. Oddly, her mother didn’t even seem curious, as if she already knew what Matt was going to say. Strange, really strange. She hadn’t seen or talked to him last night, or since he’d arrived.
Matt had taken the chair next to Nikki, and with a fond smile, reached over to squeeze her hand. Rachel had some nerve feeling jealous, but there it was.
“Nikki,” he said, “is my sister.”
“Half sister,” she corrected, giving Rachel time to close her mouth.
His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, and he looked at Rachel and Hilda. “No one else knows. Not Lucy or any of the Lone Wolf hands. Wallace just found out. We left him halfway into a bottle.”
After an awkward silence, Rachel knew she
“Hi, Nikki, I’m sorry I missed you earlier.” Rachel stopped in front of her, hesitant yet longing to hug her because she seemed so small and lost.
“My fault. I was hiding in my room.” Nikki managed a faint smile. “Not from you,” she added quickly and drew in a shaky breath. “Thanks for putting me up. Really, I know y’all are busy. Do I pay now or when I leave?”
“Oh, my goodness, Nikki.” Barbara McAllister had no qualms about ignoring boundaries. She pulled Nikki into a hug. “You’re our guest. You and Matt are always welcome here.”
Nikki turned to Matt for help. “But—”
He was staring at Rachel, his face grim enough to make Rachel’s heart thud.
She broke eye contact first. “Forget it,” she said to Nikki. “Mom’s had practice arguing with four kids. She has final say.”
Nikki moved back. “This isn’t supposed to be charity,” she murmured.
“It’s not.” Matt finally weighed in. “I’m paying for Nik’s room.”
“I can pay for my own,” she said, and gave him a blistering look.
“Ah, Jesus.” He plowed a hand through his hair, then winced. “Sorry, Mrs. McAllister.”
She laughed. “Matthew, I have three sons.”
Rachel tried to look innocent.
Her mom arched a brow at her. “And this one.”
Nikki laughed a little at that.
Matt’s mood hadn’t lightened at all, and it broke Rachel’s heart. The problem had to be Wallace. For Matt it had always been his bastard of a father. She had a good mind to jump in her car and go give him a dressing-down that was late in coming. He had this great son who’d defended him all his childhood, who’d broken his back to earn Wallace’s approval, and the stupid idiot had never once...
“Rachel?”
She blinked at Matt. He was staring at her. So was everyone else.
“Rachel,” her mom repeated gently. “Why don’t you show Nikki to her room?”
“Sure,” she muttered, heat climbing her neck. “Of course.”
“Actually, if you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you,” Matt said. “I mean everyone. You, too, Hilda, if you have time. I assume the guys are out working.”
Rachel turned to see their housekeeper standing near the door between the dining room and kitchen. She’d been with them so long, she was practically family.
“Please, come.” Rachel saw the embarrassment in the older woman’s dark eyes, probably worried they thought she was eavesdropping, and motioned for her to join them.
Nikki glanced toward the back of the house, then toward the stairs. “We can’t talk out here.”
All the guests were gone, enjoying outdoor activities, but the foyer was airy and huge and it didn’t matter that they were alone in the house. It could feel intimidating for a personal conversation.
“We can go to Cole’s office,” Rachel said. “Or have coffee in the kitchen. No one else is home. Jamie ran into town an hour ago. I don’t know when she’ll be back.”
Matt glanced at Nikki, who nodded. “The kitchen is okay, and if Jamie shows up, that’s fine.”
They settled at the table in silence. Hilda seemed nervous. Rachel definitely had a jitter in her belly. Oddly, her mother didn’t even seem curious, as if she already knew what Matt was going to say. Strange, really strange. She hadn’t seen or talked to him last night, or since he’d arrived.
Matt had taken the chair next to Nikki, and with a fond smile, reached over to squeeze her hand. Rachel had some nerve feeling jealous, but there it was.
“Nikki,” he said, “is my sister.”
“Half sister,” she corrected, giving Rachel time to close her mouth.
His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, and he looked at Rachel and Hilda. “No one else knows. Not Lucy or any of the Lone Wolf hands. Wallace just found out. We left him halfway into a bottle.”
After an awkward silence, Rachel knew she
Similar Books
