Jill Shalvis - The Detective’s Undoing

“Hello, Triple M,” Delia said, just as Maddie and Zoe came to a skidding halt, nearly colliding in the hallway. Delia waved and they waved right back before turning back to whatever they’d dropped to answer the phone.

The voice of Edna on the speaker stopped them all short.

“Jacob,” Delia said quickly. “Is he all right?”

“Oh, of course he is. Brought in a lizard not too long ago,” the older woman said dryly. “Lovely. Anyway, we got to talking. Jacob mentioned he might like to visit Idaho.”

“And bring his lizard?” Zoe asked teasingly.

Delia managed the introductions, hardly hearing a word that was said. She’d nearly dropped her load of towels in shock at the casually worded request from Edna.

With a sweet knowing smile, Maddie came forward and gently took the load from Delia’s arms. Zoe, not so gently, pushed the shaky Delia into the nearest chair, for which she was thankful since her knees were shaking.

Jacob wanted to come to Idaho.

Delia drew in a deep breath to remain calm. Or at least sound calm. “Anytime,” she said to Edna. “Come anytime at all. Actually, now works for me.”

Edna laughed. “Oh, wonderful. Do you have room for us next weekend?”

They had their hands full, most definitely, but they weren’t filled to capacity. Still, they were new at this, and her sisters might not appreciate the extra burden on such short notice.

Delia looked over at them. Both were nodding their heads, smiling their encouragement.

Their support caused such a rush of affection she could hardly put her words together. “We have room,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “We’ll always have room.”

“Then we’ll be there,” Edna said.

And Delia had to put her head down between her knees.

“They’re here,” Delia whispered, suddenly terrified, as she looked out the front window of the big house.

Zoe peeked past her. “Hmm. Pretty skinny, isn’t he?”

Maddie squeezed between them to stare, as well. “He’s just a baby! Oh, look at him, how sweet, pretending he’s not dying of curiosity. You know, I can have him fattened up in no time.”

Delia gripped the curtains, watching her brother hop out of Ty’s truck. Edna followed, with Ty’s help. “I hope she isn’t insulted that we sent Ty for her.”

“She knows we have a full house,” Maddie assured her. “She understands. Oh, look at Jacob’s face. He’s just the cutest thing.”

His eyes lit with excitement, Jacob turned toward the barn, then the horses in the corral.

“City boy,” Zoe said with a fond sigh. “We’ll have to fix that.”

Delia just soaked up the very welcome sight of him. Whether he admitted it to her or not, he’d told Edna he wanted to come.

She’d hold that knowledge close to her heart.

“You’re shaking,” Zoe told her.

“I am not.”

Maddie touched her arm. “Dee, it’s okay to be nervous.”

“I’m not.”

Zoe snorted. “You’re terrified. Of a little boy.”

Delia glared at her, but Maddie, ever the peace-maker, stood between them. “She’s teasing you, Delia, and if you weren’t so preoccupied, you’d know that and ignore her. Honey, look, we know this is difficult for you, and in Zoe’s sweet loving manner-” she lifted a daring eyebrow at Zoe when she snorted again “-she’s offering support. We’re offering support.”

Delia let her gaze fall back to Jacob. “Okay. I might be a little nervous.” She straightened and shot Zoe a look. “But I’m not scared, so just zip it or I’ll make you do my chores for a change. I doubt you’d last long making beds.”

Zoe grinned and swung an arm around Delia’s shoulders. “Let’s go greet our baby brother, okay?”

“Together,” Maddie said, hugging them both.

Grateful for their love and support, Delia opened the front door-just in time to see who else got out of Ty’s truck.

Cade.

And damn her traitorous heart, it gave a leap of gladness.

“It’s simple once you get the hang of it,” Delia said to Jacob as she assisted him into the saddle. “You just hold on here.” She handed him the reins and smiled up into his nervous-but-trying-to-be-cool face. “How does it feel?”

He lifted a shoulder, silent and slightly sullen.

“Okay, good.” Delia said, ignoring the attitude. She’d been the queen of attitude growing up, so she figured she could deal with it, knowing it was the only way he felt comfortable communicating for now.

Ty had saddled two horses so that she could take Jacob out on a ride. He’d offered to go with them, as had Zoe, but Delia wanted to do this alone the first time.

However, she couldn’t help but wish Jacob had picked something else for his first adventure on the Triple M. She also wished he’d let go of some of his resentment.

And yet he’d wanted to come.

“Let’s go,” she said, hoisting herself into Betsy’s saddle. “We’ll stick to the trails and keep to a walk.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re both beginners.”

Disappointment filled his face. “You’re a beginner, too?”

“Well…” It’d never been easy to admit her shortcomings. How could she tell him she was really a city girl, more accustomed to lights and sirens than the musical silence of the wilderness? All her own self-doubts threatened to drown her, but she managed to shove them aside. “Yes, I’m a beginner, but together we-”

“I wanna go with someone who knows what they’re doing.”

“I’d probably want the same thing.”

Both Delia and Jacob turned at the sound of Cade’s voice, and Cade had to smile at their twin looks of irritation. Like brother, like sister, he thought, pushing away from the fence and moving closer. “How’s it going, Jacob?”

“Fine.” Jacob eyed Cade’s faded jeans, blue chambray shirt and scuffed boots. “You look like a cowboy,” he said, smiling.

“Do I?” Cade had avoided meeting Delia’s gaze, but he did so now, and felt the usual punch to his system, not because of her beauty, but because something passed between them, something he was attempting to ignore. “How about some company?” he asked her.

“Can you teach me to gallop?” Jacob asked. “Can you?”

Delia’s face was unreadable; she was good at keeping herself closed off. Too good. But he thought he knew how she felt about him coming along.

She didn’t want him.

“’Cause I want to learn to race,” Jacob said.

Oh, boy. Tommy had been five when he’d died, and that had been eight years ago, but it felt like only yesterday he’d heard that whiny tone. Cade’s long-forgotten and rusty father skills resurfaced. So did a rush of pain at his loss.

“You can’t race until you learn what you’re doing, Ace. And for starters, you’ve got to keep your feet in the stirrups.”

Jacob blushed and muttered, “I didn’t know. And anyway, she’s just a beginner too.” He tossed his head toward Delia.

Delia’s hat shielded a good part of her face, but Cade had no trouble detecting how hurt she was by Jacob’s not-too-subtle criticism.

“She’s your sister and the one who invited you here,” Cade said carefully but with an unmistakable warning. He remembered this, too, having to correct and discipline. It wasn’t his place here, and as a result, he had no trouble sensing Delia’s unhappiness at both Jacob’s tone and his own interference.

Damn, he shouldn’t have come back. Hadn’t wanted to come back.

Liar.

But there was something about these hurting, proud siblings that drew him. The urge to help them was stronger than his own urge to run. “Are you unhappy here already?” he asked Jacob.

The boy shot a quick look at Delia. “No.”