After the Storm (22 page)

CHAPTER 21

HAVING
coaxed Eve back to bed so she could rest comfortably with Cammie, Donovan retreated to the kitchen to dig up the fixings for pancakes. He wouldn’t prepare them yet. He wanted to let Travis, Cammie and Eve sleep for as long as they would before disturbing them for breakfast.

He knew the moment Sean entered the main gate of the compound. An alert was triggered and the video monitors in the kitchen zoomed in on the vehicle, doing a retinal scan of the driver and confirming Sean’s identity.

A few moments later, Sean tapped at the kitchen door and Donovan motioned him inside. Donovan’s head came up when the alert sounded again and he saw Rusty’s Jeep pulling through the gate, pausing as she stared into the camera for the retinal scan.

Sean frowned. “What’s Rusty doing out so early?”

Donovan shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out shortly.”

Sean remained silent until Rusty came to Donovan’s door. Donovan met her and pulled her into a quick hug.

“Hey, kiddo. What brings you out so early this morning?”

Her expression was troubled, which immediately put him—and Sean—on guard. Sean looked intently at her, his gaze probing.

“Why are
you
here?” Rusty asked Sean, a note of defensiveness to her voice.

“I have information about Eve,” Sean said shortly.

“So do I,” Rusty said in a grim voice. “But I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sean countered. “You need to stay out of this, Rusty. I don’t want you getting involved. You could get hurt.”

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t spill, I don’t spill. And I think you’ll be interested to know that someone was nosing around the hardware store this morning.”

Sean immediately came to attention, but so did Donovan. He turned to Rusty, his expression brooking no argument. “Tell me,” he ordered.

Rusty sighed. “Some guy came into the hardware store this morning. Real smooth. Casual. Drives an expensive car. I got the license plate numbers so you can run them,” she said to Sean.

Sean nodded his approval, grudging respect in his eyes as he stared back at Rusty.

“What did he say?” Donovan demanded. “What did you tell him?”

“I’m getting to that,” Rusty said. “He looked completely out of place. Dressed in designer digs, you know? Expensive shades. Not a hair out of place. Looked styled, salon styled, I mean. And he had enough product to take a few layers off the ozone.”

Donovan simmered with impatience as he waited for her to get to the point.

“He asked real casual if I’d seen a woman and two kids, one a teenager and one a four-year-old. Called her by name. Called Travis and Cammie by name. Said that he was their father and that he was deeply concerned. That Eve was unstable and a danger not only to herself but to others, and that he feared what would happen if she wasn’t institutionalized and put back on her medication soon. Said he’d gotten a report that Travis had been spotted in the hardware store.”

Donovan frowned. Fuck. Not what he wanted to hear. He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced.

“I couldn’t very well deny that I’d seen Travis or he’d know I was lying,” Rusty said. “So I told him that yeah, a kid matching Travis’s description had come through several days before. Wanted to pick up a little extra cash so I hired him for a couple of days, paid him and then he split. I told him he didn’t show up for work and that I hadn’t seen him in days so I assumed he’d moved on. I even told the guy that he’d mentioned sisters because again, I didn’t want this guy suspicious that I was hiding anything. I figured if I was honest, I wouldn’t give him any reason to suspect that we were helping Eve, Travis and Cammie and that maybe he’d buy the story that they’d already left the area.”

“You played it smart, Rusty,” Donovan said.

Sean nodded. “You did the right thing. But I doubt I need to run the plates to figure out who he is. After what I dug up, it’s pretty obvious who he is.”

“What did you find?” Rusty asked, an anxious note to her voice.

Sean hesitated. “I’d rather not involve you, Rusty. I hate that you even had a run-in with this guy. You should have called me the minute he showed up. What if he’d hurt you? Or what if he hadn’t bought your story? You being alone with him in the store is bullshit. You ever pull a stunt like that again and I’ll tan your ass.”

Rusty snorted her displeasure. “I’m not a kid, Sean. I can handle it. And I want to know what kind of trouble they’re in. I like Travis a lot.”

Sean glanced at Donovan, and Donovan nodded that he should spill what he’d found out in front of Rusty. She needed to know what they were dealing with, especially if this asshole had already been to the hardware store. He would speak to his dad today and make damn sure that one of his brothers was there at the store and that Sean made regular drive-bys, and under no circumstances was Rusty to work the store alone anymore.

“It’s not good, Van,” Sean said. “She’s wanted for kidnapping. She’s reported as highly unstable. A history of mental illness and she’s believed to be a danger to herself and to Travis and Cammie. The father has gone public and it appears he has a lot of pull. He plays the grieving father very well. He lost his wife tragically and now he’s lost his children to a deranged woman.”

“What a load of bullshit,” Donovan said furiously.

“You get the real story yet?” Sean asked, cocking his eyebrow up at Donovan’s reaction.

“Yeah, I got it,” Donovan said through gritted teeth. “Eve thinks he killed her mother and I agree with her based on everything she’s told me. He’s a controlling, abusive asshole, and he was making moves on Cammie before Eve got her and Travis out of his grasp.”

“Son of a bitch,” Sean swore. “I’d like a shot at that motherfucker.”

“So would I,” Rusty said darkly.

Sean pointed a finger at Rusty. “
You
stay out of it. Understand? You leave this to us, Rusty. Do
not
get involved.”

“Whatever,” she muttered. “I’d still like to kick him in the balls.”

“So what are you going to do?” Sean asked. “What do you want
me
to do?”

Donovan sighed. “Hell if I know. Yet. I have to talk to my brothers about it. Him being here changes everything. If he knows they were here, then he’s a lot closer on their trail than Eve thought. He may or may not buy that they’ve already left, but at least if he discovered where they’d been living, the trailer is destroyed so he can’t think they would have remained here. Hell, he might even think they were killed.”

“Then he might stick around longer,” Sean said. “If he’s worried that they were hurt or killed in the storm, he’ll be scouring the local hospitals and he’ll likely pull in the local and county police. You know I won’t betray the fact that I know where they are, but I can’t say the same for other officers. You know I won’t let on to them, but if other officers discover information about Eve, then they’ll likely act on it accordingly. If that happens, you’ve got a problem.”

Donovan nodded. “Thanks, Sean. I don’t like you risking your job for me.”

“The day I start siding with abusive assholes and throwing innocent women under the bus in the name of
duty
is the day I hang up the badge,” Sean said, his tone serious. “If my job ever requires me to hand back over a four-year-old girl to an abusive father, then it’s a job I don’t want anymore.”

There was brief admiration in Rusty’s eyes as she glanced Sean’s way. But it was quickly wiped away by a look of indifference as she listened to the interchange between the two men.

“I’ll go,” Rusty said. “I made sure no one followed me here, just in case you worry that I ran straight here after the guy showed up. I waited a couple of hours. He showed up as soon as the store opened and I played it cool and didn’t leave until later in the morning.”

“I don’t want you back there,” Donovan said seriously. “I don’t want you in this asshole’s presence again. Go back to Mom and Dad’s for now. I’ll talk with Dad later today and let him know what’s going on.”

“I’m going to run too,” Sean said. “I just wanted you to know what I came up with so you could be on your guard. It’s going to be important to keep Eve and her siblings under tight wraps and make sure they aren’t out in public.”

Donovan nodded. “Thanks, Sean. And thanks, Rusty. I’ll talk to you both later.”

Rusty walked out of Donovan’s house, Sean on her heels. She’d parked next to Sean’s patrol car, and she paused in front of them both, turning to confront Sean.

He pulled up short when she turned to face him and took a step back as she stared him down.

“What’s your problem with me, Sean? Why do you still see me as a stupid kid with more brass than brains?”

He blinked in surprise, and then his eyes narrowed. “I don’t have a problem with you, Rusty. I just don’t want you in any danger.”

She rolled her eyes. “You still treat me like I’m some clueless kid. I’m not an idiot. I can handle myself. I didn’t confront the guy when he came in. I played it cool and then I came right over to tell Donovan what happened.”

Sean growled in frustration. “I do
not
see you as a kid.”

Before she could react, before she could even think about what he was doing, he yanked her roughly into his arms. She landed against his chest at the same time his mouth crashed over hers.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was filled with a myriad of things she could feel. Frustration. Anger. Desire. Lust. Need.

At first she tensed, caught completely unaware by the fact that Sean Cameron—a man who’d never made secret his dislike for her—was
kissing
her. And not just kissing her, but completely ravaging her mouth.

Whoa, but the man could kiss.

She melted into his arms, opening her mouth as he deepened the kiss. His tongue lapped hungrily over her lips and then slipped into her mouth, delving deep as they tasted each other.

Holy shit! Sean Cameron was kissing her! The mind boggled. She was completely and utterly incapable of thought. Of any response. All she could do was sag there in his arms, supported by his strong hold as he laid one hell of a kiss on her.

And then just as quickly as he’d lost control, he yanked away, swearing vividly as he put her at arm’s length.

“Goddamn it,” he bit out. “That should not have happened. I’m sorry, Rusty. I should not have done that. I had no right. It
won’t
happen again.”

Before she could collect her scattered thoughts, he stalked to his patrol car, slapping that Stetson she found so sexy on his head, got in and slammed the door before roaring out of Donovan’s drive. She stood there numbly, watching as he disappeared down the road toward the gate.

He’d kissed her.

She raised a trembling hand to her swollen lips, still feeling the imprint of his mouth on hers.

He’d
kissed
her. It was a thought that kept going round and round in her mind. Sean Cameron had kissed her.

Why?

And why the hell had she
let
him?

CHAPTER 22

DONOVAN
surveyed the occupants of his kitchen with deep satisfaction. Travis had wanted to get out of bed, already going stir-crazy at having spent so much time lying down. Even Cammie had been eager to get up, and so he’d set her up at his dining room table with the IV pole next to her so she could sit and eat with everyone else.

Eve sat between them, her face alight with joy and relief. Donovan took it all in, loving the way they looked in his house. His family. They were his. He’d already made that decision and there was no going back for him. He just hoped like hell that Eve would be on board.

He knew she was attracted to him, that she reciprocated at least some of his feelings. He also knew that things had happened at a whirlwind pace that he hoped hadn’t overwhelmed Eve. He’d been honest in that he would take it slow, but he’d been equally honest in that
slow
to someone else and
slow
to him were vastly different things.

He was exhibiting extreme patience because what his instincts screamed for him to do from the very first moment he’d laid eyes on Eve was to claim her. To take her to his bed, possess her, mark her as his, and never let her go.

Soon, though. Very soon. Tonight, if he had his way. He wanted to make love to her. To cement their growing relationship, such as it was. He wanted her to know how he felt about her, and words would only carry him so far. He wanted to
show
her.

“Okay, food’s ready,” he declared, carrying a stack of hot pancakes to the table.

He set it in the middle and forked up pancakes for both Travis and Cammie and then placed three on Eve’s plate. When her eyes widened and she automatically shook her head, denying that she could eat so much, he ignored her and issued a stern directive.

“Eat,” he said. “You need to catch up. All of you do.”

But he needn’t have worried that Travis and Cammie would suffer any such hesitancy. Travis dug into his pile with gusto. Donovan leaned over to help Cammie, cutting the pancakes into neat squares before drenching them in syrup. She beamed her delight back at him and then picked up her fork with the hand that wasn’t attached to the IV and began stuffing bites into her mouth.

Eve seemed delighted—and inspired—by her siblings’ enthusiasm and soon she followed suit, downing a good portion of her own plate. Donovan sat back, eating but mostly watching and enjoying the sight of his family enjoying a meal together.

Yeah, this was right. No matter his brothers’ warning—he understood their concern—Eve was right for him. He felt it to his bones. He’d known that his brothers had known from the moment they’d met their wives that they were the one. Perhaps Sam had been longer to come around than the others, but they’d all known, and maybe Donovan had never truly appreciated the scope or depth of their feelings, the knowledge that their woman was the one. But he got it now because he felt the same exact way, and if his brothers felt even a tenth of the intensity that Donovan experienced when he looked at or thought about Eve, then he well understood their drive to possess their women. He just wasn’t as stubborn as Sam and he wasn’t going to waste time trying to deny what he now knew his destiny to be.

“This is really good, Mr. Van,” Cammie said in a sweet voice. “Thank you for making us breakfast.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Donovan said, grinning over her attaching
Mr.
to his name. “But this counts as lunch. The morning is all gone now. But be thinking about what you’d like for supper. I have a pretty well-stocked pantry and you know what? If I don’t have the stuff on hand to make you what you want, I’ll be sure to get it. Sound like a deal?”

Cammie nodded vigorously, her mouth full of pancakes.

“I’d really like some fried pork chops,” Travis said wistfully. “Evie makes the best pork chops and mashed potatoes and gravy, but it’s been a long time since we could afford to have it.”

Then he flushed, color invading his cheeks as he realized all he’d said.

Donovan leaned forward, giving Travis a gentle, reassuring smile. “That sounds like a perfect dinner to me. But I don’t think Eve should tackle the kitchen just yet. I may not make them as good as she does, but I’ll do my best.”

“Oh I don’t mind,” Eve protested. “You’ve done so much for us, Donovan. I don’t mind cooking for us at all. It’s the least I can do.”

Donovan shook his head adamantly. Not that the idea of Eve in his kitchen preparing them all a meal wasn’t a very appealing prospect. But they’d have plenty of time to get to that. For now he only wanted to pamper and spoil them all. “You need to rest. I can handle supper. I just want you to sit back and do nothing and recover. It’s what I want all of you to do.”

“He’s right, Evie,” Travis cut in, his tone every bit as resolved as Donovan’s. “You shouldn’t be cooking right now. You’ve taken care of us for a long time. It’s time that someone took care of you.”

“Bravo,” Donovan softly agreed. “Very well said, Travis.”

Eve flushed, but pleasure shone in her eyes as she stared back at Donovan and then over to Travis.

“Will you be taking care of us from now on?” Cammie asked.

Though the question was asked innocently enough, Donovan could see the anxiety in the little girl’s eyes. As though she feared that Donovan would turn them out and send them on their way.

Even Travis glanced at Donovan, clear question in his eyes. There was a shadow there as if he feared the same, that he wondered if this was a temporary situation and that Donovan would hurt Eve.

Donovan reached for Cammie’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. But he included both Eve and Travis in his declaration. He wanted them all to understand exactly where he stood.

“Absolutely I’m going to take care of all of you from now on. And I’m glad you brought this up because there is something I very much wanted to discuss with you and Travis both.”

Cammie’s eyes widened and even Travis looked surprised. But then a guarded look entered Travis’s gaze, as if he feared the worst.

“I like Eve very much and I want her to stay with me. Forever,” he said, not mincing his words.

He wanted Eve to hear him say it when it wasn’t just the two of them and it could be thought he was speaking in the heat of the moment and saying things he didn’t really mean. By declaring his intentions in front of her brother and sister, she would realize, hopefully, that he was utterly serious and committed to making this work.

“But I want you both to stay as well. I want us to be a . . . family,” he said, gauging their reaction to his statement.

Travis looked surprised—and relieved. Cammie looked delighted.

“Do you mean that?” Travis asked hoarsely. “You want us all to stay with you?”

“Yes, I do,” Donovan said quietly. “I know I’m not your real father, but I’d very much like to be a father to both of you. I’d be proud to call you my own and I’d always love and protect you.”

“I don’t like my real daddy,” Cammie said sadly. “He scares me. He’s not a good person, Van. I want
you
to be my daddy.”

Donovan’s heart melted a little more and if he hadn’t already been solidly in love with the little girl, that would have sealed his fate.

“You don’t have to worry about your real father anymore, Cammie. I’m going to take care of you and your brother and Eve. I want us to be a family. A real family. And what you don’t realize is that I have a very large family and they’ll all love you too. You’ll have grandparents. Lots of uncles and aunts and cousins. I’ve already told you about Charlotte. She’s your age. And there are more babies on the way,” he added with a smile. “My brothers Sam and Garrett are both expecting a new baby early next year.”

“I love babies!” Cammie exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight.

Donovan turned his gaze on Eve, who’d remained silent through it all.

“And what about you, Eve?” he asked softly. “What do you want?”

At once, Travis and Cammie both turned pleading gazes on Eve as if they were afraid she would put a crashing halt to everything. It was manipulative for Donovan to have broached the subject with Travis and Cammie present, but he wasn’t trying to manipulate her emotions at all. He only wanted her to know that he was utterly sincere. He hoped she knew him well enough or at least had discerned enough about his character to know that he wouldn’t bring Travis and Cammie into it unless he was absolutely serious. He wouldn’t risk hurting them if he wasn’t certain of his feelings and intentions.

“I want you to be happy, Evie,” Travis said in a quiet, grave voice. “You’ve given up so much for me and Cammie. He hurt you. I know that. I also know what he tried to do to you. And I know how much you’ve risked to get me and Cammie away from him. So if this is what you want, you have my blessing. I don’t want you to give up your life because of me and Cammie.”

Tears gathered in Eve’s eyes. For a moment she remained silent, clearly overwhelmed by all that had been said. Cammie looked worried when Eve didn’t respond right away. She got up and clambered into Eve’s lap, putting her free hand to Eve’s cheek.

She patted gently, wiping away the tears that slipped down Eve’s face.

“Don’t cry, Evie,” Cammie said in a solemn voice. “Van says he’s going to take care of us. Everything will be all right, won’t it, Van?”

“Absolutely, sweetheart,” he said gravely, but he was looking at Eve the entire time he reinforced his vow.

Eve hugged Cammie fiercely to her, and then she reached for Travis’s hand, squeezing. The three of them presented a fragile image, but there was also determination. They were a unit. A solid, unbreakable family unit, one that Donovan wanted to be a part of.

Slowly, Donovan reached out for Travis’s hand and then he reached for Eve’s other, linking them all together.

“We’re a family,” Donovan said. “Going forward, you can count on me for anything. If anything ever frightens you, I expect you to come to me. If you have any concerns or just need someone to talk to, I’m always here. We have a lot to work out. There are a lot of things that have to be addressed and resolved. But we’ll get there. Together.”

“I’d like that,” Eve said softly, for the first time openly acknowledging—and accepting—what Donovan had asked her for.

Travis looked relieved. Cammie let out a squeal of delight and then launched herself from Eve’s lap into Donovan’s arms, forcing him to break his hold on Travis’s and Eve’s hands. He laughed as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

“I love you,” Cammie whispered next to Donovan’s ear.

For a moment he closed his eyes, a lump forming in his throat that rendered him unable to respond. He sat there, savoring the sweetness of a child’s unconditional love, and he vowed then and there that he would always return it. That not even the children he and Eve would one day have would replace Cammie or Travis in his love and affection. To him they would always be his first children and have a place accordingly in his heart.

“I love you too, sweetheart. I want you to always remember that, okay?”

Cammie nodded against his neck and then burrowed more deeply into his chest. She yawned broadly and went limp against him. He shifted her in his arms so he could hold her more securely and then returned his attention to Eve and Travis.

“What are we going to do?” Travis asked in a quiet voice. “About him, I mean. He’ll keep coming after Eve. He’ll want to punish her for what she did. We can’t let that happen, Van. He’ll kill her. Just like he killed . . .”

Travis broke off and hastily looked away but not before Donovan saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes. Eve’s eyes brimmed with sudden tears as well at the mention of their mother.

It made Donovan’s heart ache to know that Travis was well aware of how his mother had died. That he had to come to grips with the fact that his own father had taken away the most important person in Travis’s life.

“I don’t want you to worry about him,” Donovan said firmly. “What I want you to do is concentrate on getting better and looking out for your sisters. My brothers and I will take care of your father and ensure that he’s no longer a threat to any of you. Can you trust in that?”

Slowly Travis nodded.

“Now, this little lady here is almost asleep on me, so I’m going to put her down and then perhaps you need to consider getting some rest yourself. How is your pain? Do you need more medication?”

Travis shook his head and then hesitated a moment. He glanced at Eve and then back at Donovan before speaking again.

“Why don’t you put Cammie in with me? She’ll be fine there and she’s used to sleeping either with me or Evie. I know Evie needs to rest too.”

Donovan barely controlled his surprise. He could swear that Travis was paving the way for Donovan to have time alone with Eve by arranging for Cammie to sleep with him, and judging by the sudden rush of color in Eve’s cheeks, she suspected the same.

Still, Donovan wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He and Eve did need time alone. Not just to make love—which Donovan had every intention of doing—but to be able to discuss things that would otherwise upset Cammie were she to overhear.

“If you’re sure,” Donovan said.

Travis nodded. “And I’m okay. For now, I mean. I may need more medication tonight. It bothers me most when I’m lying flat and it’s hard to sleep.”

Donovan frowned. “You should have said something last night. No reason for you to suffer needlessly. I could have given you an injection so you could rest better.”

“It’s okay,” Travis said. “I’ll be fine. I’ll go lie down with Cammie now and she can sleep with me tonight after supper. I’m looking forward to those pork chops.”

Donovan smiled. “Okay, then let’s get you and Cammie to bed.”

Before they could move, a knock sounded at the kitchen door. Since the surveillance system hadn’t alerted him, he knew it had to be one of his brothers or his sisters-in-law. Glancing up, he saw Garrett through the glass window portion of the door.

Shit. Garrett could be very intimidating. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to scare Cammie and Eve shitless.

With a sigh he got up and transferred Cammie into the seat next to where he’d been sitting.