True enough. One thing Taylor had learned in her five years as the Landrys’ housekeeper was that along with a Y chromosome came a healthy, hearty appetite.
Something that had been sorely lacking in the main house in the week since the bodies had been discovered. “How’s Sam?” she asked.
The other woman shrugged. “You know my husband. His idea of dealing with anything is to soldier on. Then again, I think he’s always suspected they were dead.”
Who didn’t? Taylor thought, though she felt it was better to keep that to herself.
“Cody is taking it the hardest,” Callie added, “though Shane is running a close second.”
“That’s to be expected.” Taylor continued labeling the containers as they talked. “Until they pulled the skeletons out of the old well and Cody had proof otherwise, I think he honestly believed he would find his parents on some remote island, sipping umbrella drinks. I think Shane just wanted them to come back. Understandable, since he’s the youngest.”
Callie sipped a glass of juice. “Maybe now this family can finally heal.”
“I hope so. Think they’re ready for more coffee?” Taylor asked, hearing the muffled voices of the Landry brothers, who were still huddled in the living room.
“Have you ever known a time when they didn’t want coffee?” Callie remarked. “I miss coffee,” she sighed. “I miss sleeping on my stomach and I miss being able to stand up with some semblance of dignity. Now I hoist myself out of a chair like bulky cargo being offloaded from a tanker. I’m supposed to be glowing. See any glowing here?”
Taylor patted Callie’s hand and chuckled. “Buck up. It’s almost over and soon you’ll have two beautiful babies to spoil.”
Callie’s pretty face brightened. “Kevin is so excited.” She smiled. “Sheldon the Child Wonder is a different matter. He’s already announced that the babies can’t come into his new room. Ever.”
“He’s two,” Taylor remarked. “Jealousy is normal at that age. He’ll be fine.” She felt confident in the advice offered, thanks to the experience she’d gained courtesy of the three afternoons a week she volunteered at the Family Assistance Center of Jasper. The center that didn’t have the budget to hire her even after she had her degree in hand. The university wasn’t an option, either. Their hiring freeze prevented even the hope of an opening any time in the near future.
Callie was grinning. “My friend the shrink.”
Taylor struggled to smile back. Barring an act of God, she’d have her Ph.D. in six weeks—an accomplishment that should have filled her with jubilation. Instead she found herself dreading the reality of what it represented. No more excuses. Time to go out into the real world. Alone. Again. She’d think about that later. For now, she was still, by default, a part of this family. Better to make the best of it while she could. “That would be ‘counselor.’A shrink is an M.D.”
“Between you and Molly, we’ll certainly have all our mental health needs covered.”
Taylor felt a stab of pain in her heart. So much for making the best of it. Molly was married to Chandler; she had a reason to stay. Taylor, on the other hand, had exactly five weeks and six days left in Landry Land.
Chapter One
“Tell me again why we’re doing this?” Shane Landry grumbled a week later as some pencil-necked lab tech with a long cotton swab headed in his direction.
“There were stains on the towels found in the well with Mom and Dad,” his brother Seth explained as he tipped his Stetson back off his forehead. “They were pretty degraded, but they might be useful, since initial testing revealed three distinct blood types.”
Shane opened his mouth to allowed the tech to scrape the dry end of the swab around the inside of his cheek. When that was over, he swallowed, hoping to rid himself of the cotton taste in his mouth. “How will samples from all of us help?” he asked as the man packed up his shiny chrome case and scurried out of the office.
Seth leaned against his desk. “I’m hardly an expert on the double helix. I’m guessing that if we all give DNA samples, then the lab will use our profiles to filter out Mom and Dad’s blood, hopefully allowing the crime scene guys to isolate the third sample. All I know is that Detective Rollins called and asked that we all do this. Since we don’t have anything to hide, I agreed.” Seth’s expression darkened. “We don’t have anything to hide, do we?”
A quick, guilty shiver crawled down Shane’s spine, but he answered, “No.”
Seth seemed to relax. “Didn’t think so. Anyway, it has something to do with the fact that it will take a lot of time to extract DNA from the…bones, so this is faster. The investigation is high profile and going nowhere, so Rollins is in a hurry to find something that might generate a lead.”
“I’m all for that,” Shane agreed. “You coming out to the ranch tonight? Taylor’s making a stew. She mumbled something about it when I saw her this morning. Not that I was paying much attention to her, mind you. I’ve found the best way to deal with Taylor is to ignore her whenever possible.” Seth smiled, prompting Shane to ask, “What?”
“Nice try.”
“What?” Shane repeated, feeling defensive.
“Give it up, Shane. You’re hot for the girl. And as my wife reminded me just last night, for the hundredth time I might add, you better do something before she rides off into the proverbial sunset. So no, we won’t be coming to the ranch. My wife is quite insistent that you two need time alone so you’ll have no choice but to acknowledge your mutual attraction. Hurry up, though, would you?”
The defensive shield evaporated, leaving a blend of fear and annoyance swirling in Shane’s gut. “Hurry up and what? It isn’t like she sends me anything other than the stay-away vibe.”
Seth’s head fell back as he laughed. “You may not be technically blind, but you are totally dumb, bro. Taylor’s perfect for you. You just have to find a way past her defenses. She’s smart, she’s pretty, she’s funny, she’s—”
“Sarcastic and she picks on me.”
“Part of her charm,” Seth countered. “Besides, we all pick on you because you make it so easy. Back to Taylor. Aren’t you curious?”
“Physically or intellectually?” Shane countered. “The physical part is a no-brainer. Any man with a pulse would crawl over hot coals to be with her. But she’s a freaking genius, Seth. She’s smarter than I am, she’s about to earn her third degree—a doctorate, for chrissake. I have absolutely nothing to offer her,” he admitted, frowning. Saying it out loud made him feel like more of an idiot. Her IQ shouldn’t matter, but to a guy who’d barely made it through high school, it sure as hell did.
“She takes verbal potshots at me. Only me. Has since day one, because the rest of you all have fancy educations.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “That’s stupid. Taylor isn’t an intellectual snob. Ever think she might be sniping at you and only you because you’re the one she has a thing for?”
“No,” Shane admitted candidly. “In five years she hasn’t dropped a single hint in that direction. You’re way off base, bro.”
“Have you?”
Over the messy pile of files, Shane fired a hostile glance in his brother’s direction. “We’re getting a little personal here.”
“You’re getting a little avoidance here,” Seth retorted, his tone and cadence mimicking Shane’s. “I’m just suggesting that you act while you still have a chance. Just exactly how long do you think Taylor will hang around after graduation?”
Shane didn’t want to think about that.