Rochelle Alers - Twins For The Soldier

She blinked slowly. “But the land is a part of our legacy.”

“What legacy, Vivi? We are the last of the Wolfes and the exterior of the house is falling apart. I’ve told you that I’m going to stay long enough and help you get your business up and running and then I’m out of here. So if you want to hold on to the property, then you cannot continue to go down the same path.”

Viviana knew Lee was right. What once had been the grandest house in Johnson County was now becoming a shabby replica of what it had been. “I’ll think about it,” she said, not willing to give in that easily to her brother’s proposal to sell off the land that had been in their family for more than a century.

“Don’t think too long,” Lee said softly.

She ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. So much had happened over the past year to turn her life into a nightmare. Creditors were calling incessantly, asking for money she didn’t have, and three months ago, she had given employees and lodgers of the boardinghouse notice that she was going out of business. Viviana opened her eyes and gave Lee a long, penetrating stare.

“It is a lot to think about.”

A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I know it is, but gone are the days when the Wolfes had an active social calendar when they entertained friends and elected officials. And even if you do decide to marry and start a family I doubt if you’ll have enough children to fill ten bedroom suites like our relatives did in the past.”

“I doubt if I’ll ever marry and have children.”

Lee winked at her. “Don’t say ever , little sister.”

“Enough talk about marriage and babies. Do you want me to call Preston McAvoy’s office and set up a meeting to discuss filing for bankruptcy and setting up a new corporation?” she asked.

“Yes, and try and come up with several names for the new business. Meanwhile, I’ll cover the past-due taxes and utilities.”

Viviana pulled her lip between her teeth for several seconds. “Dad paid the electric bill.”

Lee sat straight. “I don’t want you to accept any more money from him.”

Viviana knew Lee didn’t want to talk about their father, but she did. When Emory offered to pay the delinquent electric bill she’d wanted to tell him that he was twenty years too late in his attempt to play the supportive father, but had held her tongue. Even if he hadn’t been able to provide for his family financially, she’d realized once she was older that he could have been there emotionally for them.

“I didn’t ask him. He volunteered.” She didn’t want to argue with Lee about their father. And she didn’t want Emory involved in something that had nothing to do with him. His name did not appear on any of the documents in connection with the main house, the guesthouses or the land. “I’ll make certain not to involve him again.”

Lee gave her a barely perceptible nod. “Thanks. You have a lot on your plate before the B and B is up and running, and that means prioritizing.”

“You’re right. I think we should take care of legal matters first.” Reaching for a pencil and pad she began jotting down possible names for the new corporation. Her hand stilled. “I did something I never thought I would do.”

“What’s that?” Lee asked, as he stood up and began clearing the table.

“I posted a photo of Marcus on a number of social media sites with a warning that he’s an identity thief. Hopefully someone will recognize him and call the authorities.”

Lee’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Scamming you probably wasn’t his first rodeo, and if he’s done this before then someone is sure to recognize him.”

Viviana pushed back her chair, stacked plates and flatware, and joined Lee in the kitchen. “That’s what I’m hoping.” She pressed her lips together when she recalled meeting Marcus for the first time. He was everything she wanted in a man, and then some, but that was before she realized he’d hustled her. “You’re probably right about that. Everything about him was so calculating and I...” Her words trailed off when Lee’s cell phone rang.

Wiping his hands on a towel, Lee picked up the phone and glanced at the display. “I have to take this.” Angela was calling him again. He tapped a button. “How’s it going?”

“Great. I just called to say I’m back in The Falls.”

Lee turned his back when he noticed Viviana staring at him. “I thought you were going to be away for two weeks,” he said under his breath.

“That was before my parents decided to fly to LA and take Malcolm and Zoe with them. My kids were beside themselves once they discovered they were going on a plane for the first time.”

“Can I call you back later, because I’m having dinner with my sister?”

“No problem. Call me whenever you get the chance.”

He smiled. “I will.”

“Who was she?” Viviana asked once he ended the call.

He set the phone on the countertop. “What are you talking about?”

“I know you were talking to a woman because your voice changed. Have you been holding out on me?”

“No. And for your information, Miss Busybody, the woman is Angela.”

“Angela Banks?”

“Remember she’s now Angela Mitchell.”

Viviana snorted under her breath. “It appears as if you haven’t wasted any time hooking up with your best friend’s widow.”

A frown appeared between his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I always thought Angela married the wrong friend.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, so get your mind out of the gutter because I have no intention of hooking up with her.”

Viviana held up her hands. “Don’t get me wrong, Lee. I happen to like Angela and wouldn’t mind having her as a sister-in-law and becoming an auntie to her adorable twins.”

Lee smiled when he should’ve told Viviana to stop meddling in his life. “I never figured you for a matchmaker.”

“That’s because I’m a true romantic at heart.”

He tugged on the end of her unbound hair. “Let me know when you’re ready to meet a nice guy and I’ll introduce you to one of my buddies.”

Viviana scrunched up her pert nose. “Nice, or even close to perfect, but no thanks. I need to concentrate on reviving the business before I even consider looking at another man.”

Lee dropped a kiss on his sister’s hair. “It’s going to happen, and when you reopen it will be better than before.”

Wrapping her arms around Lee’s waist, Viviana rested her head against his shoulder. “That’s what I always like about you. You’re always so optimistic.”

He wanted to tell her that optimism was what allowed him to survive dangerous missions. And whenever Lee went out with his team his sole focus was completing what he’d been ordered to accomplish and return alive. “Why don’t you go home before it gets too dark.”

She lowered her arms. “Don’t you want me to help you clean up?”

“No. Everything can go into the dishwasher.”

Viviana kissed Lee’s cheek and then gathered her tote as he walked her to the door. She smiled up at him. “You’re the best brother a sister could ever have.”

He winked at her. “That goes double for me when it comes to choosing a sister. Text and let me know when you get an appointment with the lawyer.”

“I will.”

Lee closed and locked the door behind her, and then returned to the kitchen to finish loading the dishwasher. On average, he and Viviana communicated several times a month, either Skyping or through text messages. He’d felt obligated to let her know that he was all right, because aside from their Aunt Babs he was her only other surviving relative. And they’d agreed to give each other power of attorney for all legal matters if he wasn’t available to sign in person. There were few things they hid from each other—the exception was his missions—and what he found odd was her not mentioning that her relationship with her latest boyfriend had ended nearly four months earlier. It was only when she received a notification that the property would be added to an auction listing that she was forthcoming, finally admitting she’d been too embarrassed to tell him that she had been scammed and faced losing the house.