“Who got her all worked up?” Spence asked softly.
Patton shrugged. “I just asked her if she knew what the news was—”
“And I don’t,” their mother called from the kitchen.
Spence laughed and Patton shook his head. She’d always had ridiculously good hearing. It had made sneaking out of the house almost impossible as teenagers. Almost.
“We’re here,” Zach’s voice came from the front door.
“We?” Spence asked.
Patton shrugged, following Spence into the front sitting room. Their mother brushed past them both, making Patton the last one into the room. His younger brother Zach was holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and the hand of a very pretty young woman with the other.
“Mom, this is Bianca.” Zach was smiling. But it was the way he was smiling that drew Patton up short. His little brother was smiling like a kid in a candy shop with an unlimited budget. “Bianca, this is my mother, Imogene Ryan.”
Patton glanced at the young woman on his arm. His brother was clearly smitten, not that this was necessarily new. Zach was always getting a new girlfriend—his problem seemed to be keeping them. Then again, Zach had never brought one home before, so this would be interesting.
“Mrs. Ryan, it’s so lovely to meet you.” Bianca’s voice wavered—she was nervous.
“Oh, Bianca, please, call me Imogene.” His mother pulled Bianca into a hug. “Zach’s told me so much about you.”
Patton shot Spence a look. Spence shook his head, shrugging in answer. Apparently their mother was the only one who had heard about Bianca. Not that he and his brothers talked daily, but the family still had dinner together once a week. It seemed a little odd that Bianca had never come up in conversation.
“I figured it’s time for her to meet the family now that she’s agreed to marry me.” Zach’s voice was unsteady, his eyes bouncing between the three waiting members of his family.
Patton blew out a deep breath, stunned by the announcement.
Their mother was clapping her hands, hugging Bianca again then Zach. She chattered away, her excitement covering for his complete shock. Spence seemed to snap out of it, too. He exchanged an awkward handshake then a one-armed hug with Bianca before tackling Zach.
When both his mother and Bianca were staring at him, he pulled it together and stepped forward. “Nice to meet you,” he murmured, shaking her hand. “I’m Patton. And...welcome to the family.”
Bianca smiled, her tawny eyes wide. “You, too. I mean, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Let’s celebrate!” His mother was still on a visible high. “I made some fresh-squeezed lemonade and cookies—”
“I’ll get it,” Patton volunteered, heading into the kitchen.
A tray with the “fancy” crystal goblets and a plate of homemade wedding cookies waited. He eyed the cookies. His mother might not have known Zach had proposed, but she knew something was going on. Not that this surprised him. She normally knew what was happening before anyone else did. She was a born investigator and a master at deductive reasoning.
He shook his head and opened the refrigerator. His search for the pitcher of lemonade was derailed by a bottle full of olives. Green olives. An instant flash of Cady’s lips, her pearly white teeth tugging the skewered olive off the toothpick and into her mouth. He closed his eyes, his grip on the refrigerator door tightening. It wasn’t the first time in the last two weeks he’d been caught up in the memory of that night. Something about Cady had latched on to him tightly. It didn’t take much to stir the echo of her touch, the warmth of her body, the husky timbre of her sigh as if she was standing before him—staring at him with that saucy grin of hers.
He’d woken up in that hotel room, drained but exhilarated. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it hadn’t been an empty bed. She had been gone, but the all-consuming hunger hadn’t. He’d found himself thinking about her at work, while walking his dog, Mikey, and right before he fell into a restless sleep. Why he couldn’t get her out of his mind, he didn’t know. It was a damn good thing he didn’t know her last name, or he’d have tried to track her down by now. And that have would be bad, for both of them. Clearly, Cady was dangerous...an addiction in the making. He’d made a mistake, giving in to her. He knew better. He didn’t have time for distractions, not now. Not ever. He’d had enough of heartache in his life. When his father was alive and on the force, it had been Patton’s job to comfort his mother through hours of grief and worry. The thought of someone who cared about him going through that... Nope, he was just fine staying a bachelor—without complication or distraction.
Spence was at his side, staring into the open refrigerator. “It’s right there.” His brother pulled the pitcher from the refrigerator. He shot him a look. “What’s eating you?”
Patton sighed, pushing thoughts of Cady from his mind and the door shut. “Long week.”
“Every week’s a long week,” Spence said. “Doesn’t mean you need to let all the penguins out.” He nodded at the now-closed fridge. “You okay?”
Patton nodded. “Surprised.”
“That’s for sure,” Spence agreed. “But as long as Zach’s happy.”
Patton didn’t respond to that. Happiness was a fickle emotion. Especially when it revolved around another person. Sure, he wanted his brothers loved and cared for, but this was way too fast—especially with his little brother’s track record. “How long has he known her?”
Spence put the pitcher on the tray. “A month.”
Patton shook his head.
“Don’t get all cynical. Give her a chance.” He lifted the tray. “Mom’s a pretty good judge of character—”
“Spence, Zach’s talking about getting married to this girl. Marriage leads to kids.” Patton’s grin was reluctant. “Which has been Mom’s constant birthday and holiday wish for the past eight years. I’m thinking her judgment might be a little skewed this time.”
“Maybe.” Spence laughed, carrying the tray out. “But you might as well get over it and come get acquainted with your sister-in-law-to-be.”
Patton glared at the door. Zach was the golden boy, the only non-cop amongst them. Zach made more money than both Spence and Patton combined, racking up airline points and traveling on the fly. While Patton admired his little brother’s willingness to think outside the box and work hard to get what he wanted, his brother was also a player. He and Spence had been regaled with far too many of their little brother’s romantic exploits for Patton to buy into this sudden commitment. Not Zach’s normal MO. If this whole engagement fiasco went the way he suspected, a lot of people would wind up hurt.
He pushed through the kitchen door and joined the others in the sitting room to find conversation in full swing.
“What are we talking about?” Patton asked.
“Flowers,” Zach offered. “Bianca has a flower shop. That’s where we met,” he paused, squeezing Bianca’s hand. “She helped me put an arrangement together.”
“You own your own shop?” Patton asked.
“Bianca’s Jardin?” She smiled. “It’s small. On the corner of Hazelwood and Main—in Lassiter. It’s also a tearoom. Just high tea, a few days a week, but my cousin Celeste handles that part of it.”
He glanced back and forth between Bianca and Zach, asking, “You