Page 57 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee
Finn’s face lit up upon seeing them.
“Brand,” he greeted. He gaveQuinn a warm peck on the cheek. “Glad you made it.”
She thrust the dish at him. “Dessert. I found it among my recipes.”
“Smells fantastic.”
They followed him over to a canopy where a large table had been set with several tempting desserts. At the bar, Finn fetched a beer for West and a bottle of green tea for her.
Surprised at his thoughtfulness, she thanked him. “How did you know?”
His look was grave. “Everyone knows you’re a green tea drinker, Quinn. You got Valeria started on the kick and a few others, as well.”
News to her. She wondered if she would enjoy the same things she had before losing all sense of time and place.
Finn held a bottle of beer and gestured to the crowd with it. “The food will be ready in about thirty minutes. Let me introduce you around,Quinn. Some of the Colton clan you’ve met before.”
Pasting a bright smile on her face, she followed him as he made introductions.
People greeted them, but they were strangers. They gave second looks at West, who stuck to her side.
Then friendly, pretty Valeria bounced over. She hugged Quinn. “Oh, I’m so glad you could come!”
Valeria studied West. “Hi. Nice to see you again.”
He nodded at Valeria, and then his expression softened for Quinn. “I see Brayden over there. Have to talk shop about the training center for a few minutes. Will you be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. I’ll take care of her.” Valeria made a shooing gesture. “Go talk your testosterone stuff.”
Amused, Quinn let Valeria lead her over to a group of people whom she didn’t know. Earlier, she’d decidedto overcome her fear of meeting those she didn’t remember by asking them questions about their interests. It was a good way to deflect attention from herself and to the person.
Everyone loved talking about themselves.
Everyone but West Brand.
These strangers were friendly and were talking about horses. Riding. She liked horses. Or did she?
At any rate, it was ordinary. Normal.Ranching talk. Holding her bottle of green tea, she smiled, nodded, listened. Asked questions when someone turned to her, as if wanting to know more about her.
Quinn didn’t want to talk about herself. Not even about her business because she feared she lacked the right answers.
Valeria excused herself to attend to the barbecue. When the talk switched to cooking and more glances flickedto her, she scanned the crowd for an escape.Please don’t ask me about my bestselling recipe for vegan or something else you liked. I have no clue. Right now I’m lucky I remembered to make dessert.
Smile and nod. She could do that much. But every few minutes, when it felt as if her face would crack, she scanned the crowd for West, needing reassurance. As long as his tall, muscled form wasnearby, she felt confident enough in this first public outing since the explosion.
And then suddenly, she could not find him.
* * *
West’s specialty as an FBI wasn’t only investigating bomb sites with his canine partner, but good old-fashioned police work.
Most people, he’d learned, never truly listened to what someone else said. While the other person talked, they were alreadyforming in their head a response. Or even interrupting.
Today at the barbecue, he had a perfect opportunity to listen to Shane, Brayden and Finn, his three targets on the Red Ridge police force. His FBI boss, Mike, felt certain the Coltons knew something about where Demi was, and were covering up the information to protect her.
Much as he hated leaving Quinn alone, he had his duties. Herein the informal atmosphere of food, family and fresh air, he brought up the subject.
One or two beers also helped to loosen tongues. West sipped his as he stood in a semicircle with the three Coltons near the fence.
