"I knew it." With a heavy sigh, Shane flipped the top of the cooler and got out a beer for himself. "I just knew it."
Eyes bland, Devin studied Jared. "You asked Savannah to marry you?"
"No. I didn't get a chance to tell her—"
"Tell her." Now Devin grinned. "Typical."
"You might try to see my side of it," Jared grumbled. "I realized that's what I want. I was thinking about it, going over it, and then I see she's gotten the effects from her father. She hadn't told me it had come. There was a photograph of her with Bryan's father."
"Hmm..." Rafe's comment went for all of them.
"When I asked her about it, she got defensive."
"Hostile witness," Shane murmured, and earned a glare.
"She tossed it out," Jared continued. "Like it meant nothing."
"Maybe that's just what it meant," Devin put in.
"Look, the bastard got her pregnant, then abandoned her. Her father kicks her out. She's sixteen, for God's sake. It means something. But she won't come out with it. She won't tell me. What she does is start . accusing me of idiotic things. Then she says, get this, she says that I figure it was all right for me to sow wild oats or whatever, to get in trouble and kick some butt. But I expect her to be untouched or a victim, or words to that effect. It's insulting."
Rafe regarded the lip of his beer bottle. "It's true."
"The hell it is."
"Sorry, bro. You pass the bar, buy yourself a couple lawyer suits—"
"Do you want me to break your nose again?"
"In a minute. Anyway, after a while you decide it's time to get married, so you pick out an ice queen, one with no baggage, no secrets, no noticeable flaws. You know why?"
Temper percolating, Jared eyed him. "Why don't you tell me?"
"Because the image worked for you. It didn't take you long to realize the woman didn't, because you're pretty sharp most of the time. Now, Savannah, there's a woman with baggage, some secrets, a few flaws. The image is a little hard to tuck into a box, but the woman works."
He wanted to argue, to debate, to tear the hypothesis to shreds. And discovered he couldn't. So he swore instead.
"Kafka," he muttered as a light dawned. "Barbara read Kafka."
"Doesn't surprise me," Rafe said cheerfully.
Trying it all from a new angle, Jared took out a cigar. "The argument is still valid that if two people want to build a future together, they have to trust each other enough to share the past. I want the boy, too," he said, blowing out a stream of smoke.
"Are you going to let a photograph stop you?" Devin asked quietly.
"No. I'm not going to let anything stop me."
"Two down," Shane complained. "You know, women start getting ideas when your brothers get married."
"Live with it," Jared told him.
All of them glanced over at the sound of a car coming up the lane, fast.
So she'd come to her senses, he decided, proud of the fact that he'd given her the night to think it over. Now she was here, sorry she'd lost her temper, he imagined. Ready to sit down and discuss it all reasonably.
He rose, moved over to lean on the post opposite Devin. He'd be big enough to apologize, as well, he thought. And to explain himself more coherently. He was sure that years from now they'd laugh over the whole foolish mess.
He lifted the cigar to his lips, ready to welcome her, when she squealed to a halt at the end of the lane.