Page 82 of Nothing to Fear

Benedict concurred. “We can afford excellent medical care. And take your pick of the Breckenridge trucks too.”

Astounded, she blinked, dazed by Darroch’s gaze. “You would really…”

“Never had a boyfriend offer to do you a favor? If we didn’t have money in the bank, would you expect me to help?”

“No! Never! I would never expect anyone to—”

“Your previous partner wouldn’t have helped?” Alice asked, perplexed.

“Jeremy?” That was a laugh. “God, no. He would never offer to pay for anything or give it away for free. He said it’s how the rich get rich, being frugal.”

Maybe that was too—she shouldn’t have said that. Wrong audience.

Darroch raised her eyes to his. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the Breckenridges are doing okay for dimes, and frugal doesn’t figure in our house. We can be pretty generous, if you give us the chance.”

His smile warmed hers. Physical help would make the world of difference, but that wasn’t the reason sentimentality bloomed in her chest.

“You actually care,” she whispered.

Had anyone ever…? So openly…? She couldn’t get used to this, if she started to believe being part of their family was an option… Imagine being accepted, supported…

“Yep, me and my fifteen brothers.”

She hadn’t met them all, but they cared about each other. That was enough for Darroch, for any Breckenridge. They took their support of each other for granted, because, she’d bet, it hadn’t failed them yet.

“At least three of your brothers are minors and four are in college.”

“Okay, so I have eight brothers,” Darroch said. “And BKS is nothing but muscle.”

That last part was for his nodding mother. “Acre will help.”

“He never turns down a chance to sweat,” Darroch said.

“Is all the furniture yours? In your apartment?”

“Not all of—”

“Would you trust Darroch with a key? Give him the authority to take care of the logistics?”

While she went to work and let the move happen in the background? She would leave for work from one place and go home to another, not a jot of effort required on her part.

“Of course I trust him, but it would be unfair to—”

“This is what real boyfriends do,” he said, kissing her hand again. “Authentic, regular boyfriends, not weirdos like Jeremy the Germ.” She pursed her lips to contain her laugh. “You want me to come with you while you sign the new lease tomorrow? Make sure this guy isn’t giving you a bum deal?”

Alice sighed. “All I teach them and they still think men are better negotiators. They forget how many hours I spent negotiating them into socks and snowsuits, never mind how many deals were struck over the consumption of green beans.”

Adorable. She could imagine little Darroch and Caber resisting the constriction of socks each morning before school. And how many times had they tried to persuade their mother they could brave the cold without outerwear in their haste to get the best spot for snowball fights?

All those kids and all that land, growing up in such potential must’ve fired their imaginations. No wonder they were confident and bold, the Breckenridge men had been given room to bloom their whole lives.

“Cherry?”

“Don’t you have work?” she asked. “I could never ask you to—”

“You’re not asking me, I want to,” he said. “Dad’s getting the hang of running the place without me. We need to take the training wheels off sometime.”

None of them could ignore that quip, especially when Benedict’s deadpan eyes rose from his phone screen.

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