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Josh nodded. “Great minds do think alike, brother.
“She’s nervous about meeting the parents.”
Josh waved the worry off. “I happen to know they’re going tofind a lot to talk about. Now before she gets back you should know yourbrothers spent the afternoon preaching something about wickedness causing theapocalypse, and the apocalypse is the bred heifers dying.”
“They’re not going to die. I got to them fast enough.” Thelast thing he needed was his bio brothers causing trouble right now.
“Do they think it’s the eighteen hundreds and Grim’s awitch?” Nic was smiling again, a grin lighting up her whole face. “Oh, or is itme? Am I the wickedness killing the cattle off?”
Josh moved into her space, his hands going to her hips.“Hey, if there is wickedness here, it’s almost surely me.”
“Yeah, but you’re the rich kid. Your wickedness will beoverlooked. Grim and me are the ones in danger,” she replied, but it was easyto see this conversation wasn’t bothering her.
She’d said she was an open book, and she was when it came toher emotional state. He could tell when she was nervous, when she was happy,when she felt safe.
“Then I’m going to have to protect you both,” Josh said.
He held her close and looked back at Grim, his gaze a vow.
They would both protect her. From everything.
* * * *
“So, Nicole, what is it you do for a living?”
Abigail Barnes-Fleetwood looked damn good for her age. Shehad auburn hair and green eyes and looked like an older version of herdaughter, who was sitting across the table from Nicole.
The elegant table in the stunningly luxurious house. Itmight be a ranch house, but these weren’t hard-scrabble ranchers. This was awealthy family, and their home showed it.
It was almost like she was back in Childswood,sitting in the dining room of her mother-in-law’s house. She’d been forced tosit there every holiday and listen to all the reasons why she wasn’t goodenough to be one of them. She wasn’t well educated. She wasn’t amusing orcharming or any of the other -ings that would makeher suitable.
She’d given them time to get used to her and then she’d toldMicah she would never step foot into his parents’ house again.
She’d spent two days in the hospital and was there at thenext mandatory dinner party.
She’d been asked a question. It was best to answer and notanger anyone. “I’m waitressing right now, but I start a job in Austin in acouple of weeks. I’m going to work in the marketing department of a smallcorporation.”
Nice. Neat. Easily malleable for most situations. She’d satup late at night constructing the reply. It was general enough to not temptsomeone to ask more questions. It sounded boring and normal, and most peoplelet it go.
“Which corporation? I know a lot of the Austin businessworld.” Jack Barnes sat at the head of the table. There was zero doubt the manwas the authority figure of the family.
She felt herself flush and her stomach churn. “It’s astart-up. I’m one of their first employees.”
“What does the company make? Or are they a serviceprovider?” Jack asked.
She forced herself to take a drink of the sweet tea she’drequested. It had tasted delicious only moments before. “They sell restaurantequipment.”
It was all she could think of. She’d heard Christacomplaining about the company that provided her refrigerators.
She knew absolutely nothing about buying or sellingrestaurant equipment.
Sam nodded as he scooped up some refried beans. “So you’regoing into sales.”
Nic felt like there was a spotlight on her, like she was aone-woman show and the audience would decide if she got another booking orclosed down all in one night. Of course they wouldn’t simply close her down ifthey figured out who she was. They would call the police and have her arrested.
“I think Nicole would be great at sales.” Olivia had beenplaying the role of cheerleader.
“Is sales what you did in Chicago?” Abigail asked politely.
