“Me too.” I headed outside and up the path.
The house smelled of peppercorns and baked potatoes when I entered the living room. I could hear Savannah in the kitchen singing her heart out to a country song. Cole and Mark were in deep conversation by the fireplace, and Mia was rocking Tabby to sleep.
I sometimes felt like the odd man out without a family of my own, but I just had to look around me, and I knew I had the best of both worlds. I was free as a bird to climb my mountains and do what I wanted. I knew warmth and love were all around me, and that was all I needed. Besides, I also got to play wild games with their little squirts.
“Have you washed up for dinner yet, Uncle John?” Livi popped out of nowhere like she often did.
Damn her father. Their games of hide and seek meant she knew all the hidey spots in the house.
“Not yet.”
“Surely you’re not wearing that to dinner. We have company.”
I looked down at my dusty pants and fisherman sweater and then over to my little-lady niece, who was less than impressed.
“There’s a lady guest in the house. You should brush your hair and at least change your shirt.”
“She’s right,” Savi chimed in from the kitchen.
“Fine,” I grunted and headed for the stairs.
“Oh, and Tripper ate Dell’s radio again!” Savi called after me.
“Maybe he should put it away next time,” I muttered back.
Chapter Four
Sloane
I pushed open the huge wooden entry door of Shadows’ main house. The sounds of voices had me curious. Who was all here? I recognized one voice I knew, Frank’s laugh as it rang out. Good, he was still here.
I was used to being around people I didn’t know. I was brought up in a constantly busy, constantly changing yet controlled household given who my father was, but I wished my mother was here to make small talk. I really should call her and let her know I was getting settled.
“Ms. Harlow,” Daniel flashed me his famous smile and escorted me to the bar, “you look lovely.”
“Thank you, Daniel.” I caught my reflection in the window. My navy-blue sweater hung off one shoulder, paired nicely with my white jeans and thigh-high black boots. The one thing I did love was fashion. Since most of the time I worked in a courtroom, I was excited I didn’t have to wear my usual business attire.
“What would you like to drink?”
Mark rubbed his hands together as he strolled up next to me, and another man joined him. “Would you like to try the famous Marcus Martini?”
“Or maybe a Tail of the Devil?” the smaller guy chimed in.
“Um…” I looked at Daniel, but he just shook his head like this was the norm.
“Both?” I joked.
“Ah,” Daniel laughed, “smart answer.”
Mark shoved the martini he held in my hand and made a show of waiting with bated breath for me to give it a try.
I took a small sip, then another larger one. “Okay, this is fantastic.”
“My job here is done.” He winked and snatched a baby from an older woman who hurried by. “Hello-rou wittle one.” His voice rose about three octaves. “Yes, you love your daddy, don’t you? Yeah, you do.”
“Oh, she’s yours?” My heart melted as the toddler giggled in his arms.
“Nope, he rents these kids and uses them to pick up chicks,” the small one chimed in with a shit-eating grin. “Name’s Davie.”
“Nice to meet you, Davie.”
“Trust me, the pleasure, I can assure you, is all mine.”
“Come on, Sloane,” Frank appeared out of thin air and pulled me away, “you should meet the girls. You’ll need some protection around here.”
“Savi. June. This is Sloane.” The lady who Mark stole the baby from had a lovely smile and looked a lot like Abby, then one of the prettiest women I had ever laid eyes on welcomed me with a warm smile. Then she looked down, and her mouth dropped open as she nearly cried over my boots.
“It is possible to have an orgasm over footwear? Because I think I just did.”
June burst into laughter and ran a hand down the smooth material of my boots.
“All right, then,” Frank covered his ears, “that’s my cue to get the hell out.”
“Hey, babe.” Cole came in, and Frank turned him around.
“Trust me, just don’t.”
Cole didn’t even look back. This place was pretty friggin’ hilarious.
“So,” Savi pulled me over to a stool where I could sit while she finished making a salad, “tell me about yourself.”
June waited until I was done with my martini before she replaced it with a deep-red wine. I took a sip and appreciated the smooth, velvety liquid as I swirled it around my tongue. Their booze collection was something else.
“I have a little brother who has three amazing sons, and they are my world. However, they’re moving to North Dakota soon because of my sister-in-law’s job.”
“That sucks.” Savi made a sad face.
“Yeah, it really does.”
“What drew you to become a lawyer?” June asked as she washed her hands free of the rosemary.
I shrugged. “When I was only sixteen, I watched a family friend get destroyed in court when all the evidence proved he was innocent. The prosecutor just ate his lawyer for lunch. It took everything in me to not jump in and state the facts that I knew were true.”
“When you were sixteen?” June asked through a laugh.
“I know it’s young, but my older cousin is a lawyer and always took me to court with her when she was studying for the bar. I ate it up and begged her to take me whenever she could. We would watch together. It fascinated me, and the challenge of digging for the real facts thrilled me. I couldn’t wait to be what I knew I was born for, to get at the truth of things. I don’t know, I think something clicked in me that I wanted to help those who couldn’t.”
“That’s very badass of you.” Savi clicked her glass to mine, and I was happy that my story impressed them. Normally, the spotlight wasn’t on me. “What about your parents?”
I skirted around the question. “Both my parents were in the military, but I didn’t want to be a JAG. I wanted something that was mine.”
“Were you up on the peak again?” I heard from behind me and turned to see who it was. It took me a moment, but then I saw a little of Frank in the woman and realized it was Mia. She was still just as pretty as I remembered.
“No,” John said as he walked toward us from the direction of the kitchen, looking completely different then earlier. He was in a dark gray dress shirt, unbuttoned at the neck with rolled sleeves. His jeans were dark, which complemented his shirt nicely. “My niece gave me shit for looking too Army while we had a lady guest in the house.” He smiled at me. “So, I showered and changed.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. He was wonderfully open and confident.
“Mia,” Savi stepped in, “this is Sloane. She is working with our district attorney for Blackstone.”
“Oh,” she flushed with a squeal, “the last time I saw you, we were ripping the heads off your brother’s GI Joes.” She laughed as she came in for a hug. “It’s really great to see you again, Sloane.”