Hidden Away (KGI #3)(23)

A normal guy would ask her questions. And he was supposed to be a normal guy. Most men would be curious about a woman like Sarah. They might even try to cozy up for a vacation fling. He blew out his breath, remembering that Resnick had all but suggested it. The problem was, he wasn’t a normal guy. He was here on a job and he couldn’t feign casual interest.

But he wasn’t supposed to know anything about Sarah, and a normal guy would be a little freaked out by her seemingly bizarre behavior. Garrett? He understood it. Only too well.

Still it might seem strange if he didn’t try to pry a little.

He grunted under his breath. He hated this kind of shit. He didn’t do undercover crap. That was more Sam’s forte. He’d much rather go in, blow the shit out of the bad guys then go home and have a beer.

Well, at least he had the beer covered.

“I’m going to grab another beer. You want anything?”

She turned to look at him with those big eyes and his stomach tightened. Damn. He had to chill on this bizarre ... attraction. No matter what Resnick suggested, he wasn’t going to try to get into a woman’s pants just to get on her good side.

“No, I’m good,” she said.

He went inside and was greeted by Patches, who jumped onto the counter to watch as he pulled another beer from the fridge.

“You want some?” he asked the cat.

She eyed him balefully then turned with a swish of her tail and proceeded to ignore him.

He shrugged. Typical female.

He walked back onto the porch and sat back down by Sarah. She didn’t move away, which gave him an absurd thrill. He took a swig of his beer and stared out at the incoming waves.

“So what brings you here? Vacation?”

She gave him a startled look. Great. He’d caught her off guard even though it was the most innocuous inquiry he could summon. Maybe she hadn’t considered fielding such a question, but wasn’t it something anyone would ask her? She wasn’t going to blend in if she freaked every time someone got friendly with her.

“Yeah. Vacation. Needed some time away.”

He nodded. “I hear that. Where you from?”

She was growing more uncomfortable with each passing second, but she managed to smile though it was so fake she could be one of those beauty pageant queens whom Donovan liked to watch on television.

“All over, actually. I moved a lot as a kid.”

“Really? I lived in pretty much the same place my entire life. Except when I was in the military.”

“Oh? Where’s home?”

He didn’t miss the obvious way in which she turned the tables on him or her evident relief that she’d avoided his original question. But he went with it. He could play the dumb tourist as well as anyone.

“Tennessee. Little town on Kentucky Lake. My entire family lives there.”

She sighed. “It sounds nice. You have a big family?”

“You could say that. There’s my mom and dad. I have five brothers. I’m second oldest. I also have two sisters-in-law, one of whom is ready to pop out a kid any day now. Then there are my mom’s adopted chicks. Her most recent find is a surly-ass teenage girl who she’s determined to keep on the straight and narrow. My brothers and I have given up and wished Ma luck.”

Sarah chuckled. “Aren’t all teenage girls surly?”

“Hell, I don’t know. They’re all deranged, if you ask me.” He glanced sideways at her. “What about you?”

A slight grin flirted with the edges of her mouth. “I’m pretty sure I was deranged at sixteen.”

“Smart-ass. I meant what about your family?”

Her expression became more pensive. “I grew up in foster homes.”

He shifted uncomfortably. He already knew that but he wasn’t supposed to and now he had to sit here and play dumb. He was dying to ask her about Lattimer, and why, if she was his sister and he was so protective of her, had she grown up without all the benefits he had? Instead he offered a lame reply that said he didn’t really know what to say at all.

“Ouch. That had to be hard.”

“It wasn’t so bad. But it did involve a lot of moving. Most placements were temporary until something more permanent came along. The problem was that the permanent situations never were ... permanent.”

His lips twisted in sympathy. “That sucks.”

She shrugged. “It’s not like I was abused. I had food and clothes. A place to live. There were a lot of children far less fortunate than I was. I don’t spend my adult life lamenting my childhood. I had some good times.”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that. He liked her attitude. Shit happens and you deal. Only second to the Kelly motto, in his mind. No one f**ks with the Kellys.

“So how long are you here for?”

She frowned. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Ah. Extended vacation then. Must have really needed this one. Stressful job?”

Tension snaked across her face. “I’m sort of taking a breather right now. I’m thinking of a career change. Maybe something a little less ... stressful, as you put it.”

“Any ideas yet?”

She smiled ruefully. “No. Not really. Maybe teaching. Something with kids. I’m kind of tired of adults.”

“Oh hell, and you think teaching’s less stressful? My mom and my sister-in-law used to teach. I never figured out how they survived that with their sanity intact.”