Pride had stopped him for much too long. But now that things had gone so royally nuts, he’d been driven by circumstances to come back, pride or no pride. Though the problem that forced him to return to Merit Island made him furious, deep in his soul he was thankful for this chance.
“Sir?” The brawny sentry’s guttural prodding jarred Zack to the problem at hand. He peered at the scowling head man, who wagged his weapon in the direction of the house. “Let’s go.”
Zack nodded, then indicated his chute and rigging. “Would you mind having a couple of your sidekicks gather up my gear, Admiral? Parachutes are bears to re-pack once they get tangled in a rose garden.”
Zack’s attempt at a joke died a sober death. Apparently Jake had carried on the family tradition of hiring sentinels who’d had their sense of humor surgically removed. Indicating the mansion with a brisk nod, he offered, “I’m ready if you are, friend.”
“My Lord—Zachary?”
At the sound of his name, Zack turned, surprised to see his older brother, Jake, appear from the mansion’s loggia. He was jogging around the expansive gardens, which, Zack belatedly noticed, were in riotous bloom on this bright, still Sunday in mid-July. Some things never changed.
With a quick grin, Zack shifted to watch his brother’s rapid approach. Ignoring the gaggle of guards, Zack strode toward Jake. “Hey, old man,” he shouted, taking off his webbed gloves and tossing them into his discarded helmet. “Don’t give yourself a heart attack.”
The sentries seemed to grasp that the interloper who’d so outrageously parachuted onto Merit Island might not be there to pilfer from the emerald mine, after all. Stepping back, they allowed him through. Zack noticed fire-arms being holstered, adding greatly to his capacity for enjoying the afternoon.
Not far behind Jake, several other people appeared, hurrying briskly in his direction. One, Zack could tell, was his younger brother, Marc. Two of the others were women. The wives—Susan and Mimi—no doubt.
A white-haired man emerged from the shadow of the house, and Zack experienced a lurch in his chest. “Well,” he muttered, “if it isn’t the old tyrant himself.”
He didn’t have time to contemplate how his father’s greeting might go—icy aloofness or heated combat—for at that instant Jake punched his arm in greeting.
“Damn.” Jake grinned. “If it isn’t the prodigal himself.”
Zack was so happy to see his brother, he didn’t know how to react. A handshake seemed sterile considering the wealth of emotion he felt.
After a second’s hesitation, Jake stepped forward and clasped his brother in a comradely hug. “Blast it, Zack,” he said warmly, “It’s good to see you.”
Zack returned the embrace for a long moment before he could find his voice. “Yeah.” It was all he could say and keep his macho image intact. The only day in his life he’d shed a tear had been at his mother’s funeral, hating like hell the precious time he’d lost with her by leaving home. Feeling such intense emotion, good or bad, wasn’t something he relished, so he swallowed hard, choking back any reaction that might smack of soppiness.
As they separated, Marc, Mimi and Susan arrived. Zack noted that a couple of security guards were gathering up his chute and harness. The others had withdrawn as furtively as they’d arrived.
“Do my eyes deceive me or is it Zachary Merit, the tabloid’s hunk du jour?” Marc asked.
Zack eyed his younger brother with high dudgeon. “Very amusing, little brother.” He grasped him in a bear hug. “You deal with it for a month, and see how fast you retreat to the old Merit sarcophagus.”
When they drew apart, Marc planted his hands on his sibling’s shoulders and swept him with a look that Zack could only describe as doctorly. “You’ve grown into a tall son of a gun,” Marc mused aloud, then lifted a hand to Zack’s chin, brushing his thumb along to a thin scar that ran from his jaw, across his cleft, ending just short of his lower lip. “Hmm.”
Zack knew Marc had become a doctor, but he’d never expected to be the subject of his professional grimace. Though he experienced a twinge at the painful reminder of the freak accident that took his teammate’s life, he forced himself to laugh. “How long have I got, Doc?”
Pursing his lips, Marc dropped his hands. “Keep jumping out of planes, buddy, and—”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Zack glanced toward the slender redhead who’d spoken. He winked a brazen “how-do-you-do” and admired the pink color that rose in her cheeks. Susan was exactly as Jake had described, and he understood why his older brother was so crazy about her. “Yeah, Marc,” he prodded. “Introductions are in order.” His gaze swept from Susan’s beautiful blush to the striking blonde who had taken Marc’s arm. So this was the ravishing Mimi. From everything his brothers had said, Zack decided the married Merit men were damn lucky. He felt a surge of envy, and was jarred by it.
He eyed Jake, then Marc. “Though you both have been nauseatingly long-winded about the perfection of your wives during our phone conversations, could we get on with the formalities?” He grinned mischievously. “I have brides to kiss.”
As Susan and Mimi were officially introduced to their brother-in-law, Zack kept track of his father’s plodding approach. He wondered if the old man was intentionally delaying his arrival to build tension. If that was the case, it was working. His throat felt parched as he kissed his sisters-in-law on the cheek.
“They’re too good for you bums,” Zack kidded, trying to get his mind off his father’s psychological manipulations. “They’re beautiful and cultured.”
“And pregnant,” Mimi added, her cheeks flushing as she hugged Marc’s middle.
Even with his thoughts divided, Mimi’s remark came through loud and clear. Zack gave her his full, appreciative attention. She wore pink shorts, a white tank top and strappy sandals, looking trim and fit. He couldn’t tell she was expecting from looking at her. “Oh?” Bowing slightly in deference, he murmured, “May all your children look like you.” He cast Marc a glance and smirked. “Heaven forbid they should look like the doc.”
Mimi giggled. “Now, Zack,” she said with a cautioning smile, “I think you and Marc bear a striking resemblance to each other. Except you have Jake’s green eyes—and those dimples are all yours.”
Zack made a playful grimace. “My dear Mrs. Merit, comparing me to my homely brothers cuts me to the soul.”
“All three of you not only look alike, but you share a scary sense of humor,” Susan said with a laugh. “And speaking of look-alikes, Zack, you look a little like Darin DeBruin.”
Zack glanced her way, going along with her game, whatever it was. “The man is blessed,” he kidded. “Who is he?”
Susan’s smile grew incredulous. “He’s the actor playing you in the movie about you saving Senator Nordstrom’s daughter—you know, Out of the Blue. Haven’t you seen it?”
Zack winced at the reminder. “No, but I might be persuaded to—for a couple million bucks.”
“I figured that love story between you and Olivia Nordstrom in the movie was storybook fiction,” Jake cut in, “until your engagement was announced in the newspapers yesterday.” He drew Susan beneath a protective arm. “I gather the woman’s insane, considering she agreed to marry you. But on the upside, our stock jumped five points when the news broke that a Merit was engaged to the future first-daughter of our country. Congratulations, Bro.” He extended a hand.
Zack’s happy mood sprang a leak and he waved away the handshake. “Take my advice, and sell,” he muttered.
“What?”
“Don’t mention that woman to me.” He dragged a hand through