Page 170 of Hidden Nature

“What difference does that make?” Drea repeated. “Nash is terrific. I already love him, especially since Theo’s told me Nash always, always looked out for him. Tried to protect him. You know they didn’t have a happy, healthy childhood.”

“Not know so much as surmised.”

“Nash always took the brunt.”

Sloan stopped while Tic found more spots to mark his territory. “Abuse.”

“Not physical, but in every other way. Our family? They already mean the world to Theo because all he had was Nash. That silly, adorable dog? Nash gave Theo that dog because he always wanted one and could never have one.

“He’s Theo’s hero, so he’s mine. I’m happy you’re with him because of that. And because it’s clear to me he’s making you happy.”

“Making myself happy first is—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Drea just flipped both hands in the air. “But you’d already done that. You’ve made yourself happy. You pulled yourself out of the hole someone else put you in. You’re doing work that satisfies you, and as a sergeant. You bought a house and you’re making it your own—just like Theo and I intend to do.”

Drea stopped, turned to face Sloan directly.

“Now you’re with someone I love as a brother, I respect as a man. So yay.”

“Okay.” This time Sloan pressed her cheek against Drea’s. “Yay.”

It might have struck her strange to lie in Nash’s bed while she knew her sister lay in Theo’s.

When, just sleepy enough, she snuggled in, she said exactly that.

“A lot stranger if we switched that around.”

It took her a minute. “Okay, yeah. They’re already looking for a house. I don’t know why I didn’t take that next, major step in my head, because of course they are. They both want exactly the same thing. A place of their own. A place to start their life together.”

“I’ve stopped being surprised at how often they’re both not only on the same page but on the same paragraph. If they decide to go from the ground up, they’ll be living here, most likely, for a while.”

“They both know that. Would it bother you? Drea moving in here.”

“Why would it?”

“It occurs to me you bought this place, this tucked-away place, and moved into it alone. Then Theo moved in. Now possibly—and I’m going to say very likely—Drea temporarily. That wasn’t your plan.”

“Plans adjust. Otherwise they’re rules.” Absently, hardly aware he did it, Nash ran his hand along her arm. “You had something on your mind when you walked over here tonight.”

“A lot of things on my mind. I’ll overthink about them later.”

But what she’d pushed away came back.

She left Joel pumping gas into the truck and walked toward the mini-mart. Behind her, Joel, the truck, the pumps faded away.

The glass doors stood open, and she walked through.

Inside the bright lights she heard no sound. This time, no one stood behind the counter.

But this time, five people stood between her and the person standing in front of the counter. The five people she’d pinned to her wall.

Janet Anderson, Arthur Rigsby, Zach Tarrington, Celia Russell, and the last picture she’d put up, Wayne Carson.

They watched her, she thought, with both pity and pleading.

They spoke, first Janet, then each one in turn.

“You have to find us.”

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