Page 42 of The Troublemaker

So there.

And the firmness of her breasts didn’t matter as long as she was up in a tower where he couldn’t reach her. So he needed to quit thinking about the firmness of her breasts.

He was going to find a wife. One that he chose. He wasn’t going to do this whole crazy inlovething his brothers had done.

And there were very good reasons for that. Reasons he was clear on.

But the problem was he kind of wanted to have his cake and eat it, too. He wanted a wife, and he wanted Charity. Right in the place she had always been. And that wasn’t going to happen. Because Byron.

Honestly.What a stupid name.

“What is the deal with Byron’s parents anyway? Who names their kid that? Were they insufferably into poetry?”

“I think so,” she said.

“Oh.”

For some reason, he hated that there was an explanation for the name. It just made him mad.

“They homeschooled all of their kids.”

He frowned. “How many kids?”

“Nine. They’re a very interesting family. Remember when I went to visit a couple of years ago? I met them then. His sisters are great, and his brothers are all very nice, just like he is. Everyone loves board games. At one point his mother and I were wearing matching dresses. Not on purpose. It was a little weird, though.”

Given how much Byron reminded him of Charity’s father, the whole thing felt a little bit strange. And he had to wonder how much of this was just her reaching for familiarity. She came back to the table and poured herself more tea, of which there was plenty in the pot. She hadn’t needed to go fill up that stovetop kettle, and he wasn’t exactly sure what had prompted her to do so.

Sunlight streamed in from the kitchen window and made her hair look like there was a halo around it. Sainted Charity. She was that to him.

Sacred.

The thought made him feel uncomfortable.

“So when does Byron get in?”

“In the evening.”

“Great. Well. I look forward to seeing him.”

He didn’t. Not at all.

“Okay. Well. I’m sure you’ll get to see him.”

“Good times.”

He couldn’t quite sort through what was happening inside him, but he knew he needed to go ahead and get himself that date as quickly as possible.

CHAPTER SEVEN

ITWASAtown hall day, which meant it was time to knock off work and head over to the Sullivans’ for the big family meeting that they had monthly at Four Corners Ranch.

It was always a good time. Even if there was a big fight.

Hell, it was a good time almost especially if there was a big fight. If Fia Sullivan and Landry King were in the same place for a long enough amount of time, there would be a fight. He knew that there was history between them. Really bad blood. But when it came to considering dating her, he didn’t mind that.

Sure, the Kings were insular, and it was entirely likely that if Landry got a burr in his saddle about it he might attempt to make Lachlan’s life miserable. Along with the rest of his brothers, one of whom was an actual cop, which could bite Lachlan in the ass.

But the joke would always be on Landry, because Lachlan was so conditioned to life being miserable, that it wouldn’t really signify.

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