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"None of ed and got married Well, except Ethan, and he and Rachelcourtship with plenty of drarie in de story," Donovan said "Rachel is a schoolteacher, and she went on a mercy mission to South America in June after school let out Her plane crashed on the way hoht she died There were no survivors We thought her dead for an entire year when in fact she was being held captive by a drug cartel and they hooked her on drugs to control her"
Eve’s eyes rounded in shock "Oh my God Are you serious? How on earth did you find out? And how did you get her back?"
"We went in and kicked soht her back hoh tis that were forced on her She still doesn’t have everything back, but enough to res that happened before she left on that trip She and Ethan have had a rough road back together, but they’re strong--she’s strong She’s one hell of a survivor She just had twins a year ago"
"Wow," Evewhen you said you and your brothers kick so cartel? It sounds like so out of a movie"
Donovan’s lips quirked "That’s just the icing on the cake, honey The rest of my brothers all met their wives under less-than-ideal circumstances So maybe now you can see that the way you and I met doesn’t bother ht and she stared up at him, uncertain of what to say What could she say? She blurted the first thing that came to her mind
"But you don’t know me I mean, we justfroiant headache? It see all the taking and giving nothing in return"
He nudged her chin upith gentle fingers "That’s not true You’ve givenvery precious indeed Your trust, Eve And I knohat that cost you So believe iven ive to a man Her belief in his ability to keep her safe and protect her froain, not as hesitant or as slow as he’d been just moments earlier He brushed his lips across hers but quickly fused his ue This ti hi
She inhaled deeply, savoring the spicy ne or aftershave It was justhi the si in his ar but this er she and her siblings faced The very real threat of Walt and how far his reach extended Here seemed a million miles away from reality This was a reality sheof her to want to forget? Just for a little while?
"Just to let you know," Donovanto take it sloith you But my idea of slow and someone else’s is probably very different So consider yourself warned When I want so tilewhere this takes us I fully intend to have you in my bed--per wildly in her veins as she processed his solemn vow He hadn’t sounded unsure of himself at all No, he’d uttered those words with absolute confidence She licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry
"What about Travis and Cammie?" she asked in a low voice
Donovan sent her a look of genuine puzzlement "What about them?"
She cleared her throat "If weif youif we do this thing, where does that leave Travis and Cammie? I’d never leave them, Donovan I’d never abandon them And there’s so much unresolved I’m for all practical purposes a kidnapper"
Just saying the words sent a neave of terror coursing through her body She tre
"Even if you didn’therewith usit’s not like we can just pick up and play house I’o to jail for what I’ve done"
Donovan held up his hand and then gently pressed a finger to her lips to shush her "Listen to me, Eve Of course you won’t abandon Travis and Ca You’re a package deal And I want the entire package As for you being a cri to happen We’ll find a way to take your stepfather down And when that happens, you--and Travis and Cammie--and I will be a fa to say to that She didn’t even kno to respond to such a statement To such blind acceptance It baffled her that he would identify her as someone he wanted a future hen he’d known her only a few short days And that he’d accept baggage that n up for
And the way he said fa within her that she ached with it She wanted that God, she wanted that so much For Travis and Cas a four-year-old and a teenager had And children of her own It was all she’d ever drea his soleo But it seemed soimpossible All of it
She stared at him in bewildere question mark How did she feel about him?
CHAPTER 21
HAVING coaxed Eve back to bed so she could rest co up the fixings for pancakes He wouldn’t prepare them yet He wanted to let Travis, Ca them for breakfast
He knew the ate of the coered and the videoa retinal scan of the driver and confir Sean’s identity
A few moments later, Sean tapped at the kitchen door and Donovan motioned hiain 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
"Hey, kiddo What brings you out so early this ?"
Her expression was troubled, which iuard Sean looked intently at her, his gaze probing