Only His (Fool's Gold #6)(26)

“I’d forgotten what it was like to be around your family,” he admitted.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Not since that summer Ethan and I went to cycling camp with Josh Golden. We were sixteen.”

That made her all of ten. She hadn’t noticed him back then. He’d just been one of her brother’s boring friends.

“We’re louder now,” she told him.

“And bigger. I can’t get over Ethan’s family.”

She looked at the teenagers, who were laughing about something together. “I like that they stay in the room with us instead of disappearing into the family room to play with the Wii Mom bought them.”

“Both Montana and Dakota are engaged.”

“Uh-huh. Simon’s a surgeon and Finn is a pilot. Cargo and private tours. That kind of thing. He’s from Alaska.”

“We did a job there.”

“Is there anywhere you haven’t done a job?”

“Not really.” He glanced around the room. “I never had anything like this to come home to. My mom died when I was a baby. Dad hired a nanny and took both of us with him.”

“I can’t imagine living without my family. They’re everything to me.”

Tucker rubbed his jaw. “Your brother sure looks out for you.”

“You deserved it.”

He surprised her by laughing. “You’re right. I did. Have I apologized?”

“Yes, and you don’t have to again.”

Ethan walked over and joined them. “Everything all right here?”

“Stop fighting my battles,” she told him. “I can do it myself.”

“Sometimes a guy has to step in and take care of his own. Tucker gets that.”

Tucker nodded.

Ethan asked if Tucker planned to watch the pre-season football games this Sunday. While the guys talked football, Nevada thought about where Tucker might usually spend the afternoon. He’d always been on his own—odd man out. He wasn’t just dealing with a new school every couple of years, but a new country and a new culture, not to mention language barriers. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like not to have roots.

“Be careful,” Ethan was saying. “There are a million single women in town.”

“You’re exaggerating.” Tucker sipped his wine. “I’m not worried.”

Nevada grinned. “You should be. Until recently, we’ve had a man shortage. The ladies will be all over you. A strong, rich, construction guy.” She blinked her eyes several times.

Tucker laughed. “I can handle myself.”

Nevada turned to her brother. “Just think. In a couple of weeks, you’ll get to say, ‘I told you so.’”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Ethan laughed.

Tucker shifted uneasily. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Nevada said, before heading to the kitchen to help her mom.

“I KNOW THE WAY HOME,” she said four hours later, after a huge dinner.

“I’m not walking you home,” Tucker told her. “You’re walking me. If what you and Ethan said is true, I need the protection.”

“Oh, please. I think you can handle a few love-starved women.”

“Not at the same time.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “I’ve never been into the group thing. After the first five or six times, it’s not all that fun.”

“You’re not impressing me with stories like that.”

“What kind of stories do impress you?”

“Move across time like Kyle Reese in the first Terminator movie. That will get my attention.”

“I’ll work on it.”

The night was warm and clear, stars dotting the sky. There were still plenty of people walking around, so nothing about walking next to Tucker should have felt intimate. Still, she was aware of him close to her, of the breadth of his shoulders and the sound of his voice.

“Your family is great,” he said. “Your mom really has it together.”

“She’s good at managing a crowd.”

“She’s been alone a long time. Does she date?”

“She started this year. I can’t believe my dad’s been gone over ten years. That’s a long time for her to be by herself.” She glanced at Tucker. “Your dad never remarried.”

“True, but he wasn’t alone. He’s a big believer in the concept of a girl in every port. Or in his case, a woman at every job site. The man’s made a fool of himself over more women than I can count.”

“Does that bother you?”

Tucker shrugged. “I don’t get the volume. He never takes a break. But he loves to keep them coming. He’s pushing sixty and acting like he’s seventeen. Like I said, he’s acting the fool. But love does that.”

“Love doesn’t make people foolish.”

“It can.”

She knew who he was thinking about. “Only if you pick crazy artists.”

“She didn’t change my opinion.”

They rounded a corner and Nevada realized they were on her block. “I thought I was walking you home.”

“I’ll hide in the shadows,” he said.