Not Without Her Family

HER BROTHER? He hadn’t seen that one coming.

She didn’t look much like the broad-shouldered, dark-haired Ward. Jack took in Kelsey Reagan’s slim legs, subtly curved hips and the tight black T-shirt hugging her small, round breasts. And was that a tattoo peeking over the waistband of her low-slung jeans?

His mouth grew dry at the idea of finding out, and he frowned. Focus, Martin.

He stole a quick look at her left ring finger. “Is Reagan your married name?”

“I’m not married.”

“Divorced?”

She raised both eyebrows. “Nosey, aren’t you?” Warmth crept up his neck but he merely shrugged. “Just curious.”

“If you must know, Dillon is my half brother. Different fathers.”

“And, as Mr. Ward’s sister, you thought illegal entry was a good idea?”

She sighed. “You’re just not going to let that go, are you?”

“I’m just doing—”

“I know, I know. You’re doing your job. I get it, okay? Just lay off the ma’ams,” she said as Jack’s sister Allie walked through the front door, “or else I might give you a reason to haul out those handcuffs you’re obviously dying to use.”

“Hey,” Allie called, curiosity clear on her face, “what’s going on?”

Ignoring his sister—and Kelsey’s loaded statement about him wanting to cuff her—Jack kept his gaze on the redhead. She reminded him of those modern art paintings his daughter had been fascinated with at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few months back. The sharp lines of Kelsey’s face shouldn’t have worked with her high cheekbones and narrow nose. But they did. In fact, her unique features made her face all the more interesting.

He frowned. He found her interesting in a totally professional way, he assured himself, nothing more.

“I need to speak to the building’s owner for a minute,” he said, stepping back. But it wasn’t far enough away to avoid her light, citrusy scent. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

Her emerald-green eyes narrowed. “I’ll stand.”

Intrigued by her stubbornness, he kept his mouth shut and walked over to where Allie stood, halfway into the bar.

“What’s going on? I thought you had the day off,” Allie said softly. She set two plastic grocery bags on a table, looking from him to the redhead and back again. “Who’s that?”

“I am off duty.” Jack turned so both the redhead and the exits were within his sight. “I came over to see if you wanted to have lunch.”

“You mean you came over to see if I’d cook you lunch.”

He almost grinned. “Only if you insist.”

Allie cuffed him on the shoulder. “That still doesn’t answer my second question. Who is she?”

“Says her name is Kelsey Reagan. Ring any bells?”

Allie glanced at Kelsey again. “No. Should it?”

“I just figured since you and Ward are such good buddies, you’d know the name of his sister.”

Allie’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me this Kelsey…”

“Reagan,” he supplied.

“Kelsey Reagan is Dillon’s sister?” At Jack’s nod, she continued, “He’s never mentioned her. Not to me, anyway.”

Jack didn’t miss the surprise on Allie’s face. Ever since Ward, the ex-con-turned-carpenter, started renovating The Summit, rumors had spread around town that he and Allie were lovers. But if that was true, surely she’d recognize the name of Kelsey Reagan.

Not that Jack believed the gossip. And not just because he didn’t want Allie involved with someone with Ward’s less-than-desirable background. No, he based his conclusions on the only thing he could count on. Cold hard facts.

While Allie had never bothered to deny or confirm it, the few times Jack had been around the two of them, he’d seen nothing to indicate their relationship was anything other than friendship. There were no long looks. No subtle brushing of hands. No sparks.

Nothing even remotely close to the flash that had, briefly, arced between Jack and Kelsey a few minutes ago.

He rubbed a hand over his face. “Upon entering the premises, I discovered Miss Reagan inside. She claims the door was unlocked—”

“It was unlocked,” Kelsey called. “And if you’re going to keep talking about me, you might want to either lower your voices or go into another room.”

Jack took hold of Allie’s arm and moved her farther away from the bar. “Is that true?” he asked quietly.

Allie shrugged out of her red leather jacket. “I didn’t lock the door when I left, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“How do you expect to run a business when you can’t even remember to lock the door?”

“I didn’t forget to lock it,” Allie whispered, “I left it open because I didn’t know when Dillon would be back.”

He glanced back at Kelsey. “I think it would be a good idea for you to check around, make sure nothing’s missing.”

Allie frowned. “Why? I only ran out for a few minutes.”

“In those few minutes, you could’ve returned to find half your stock gone and your cash register empty.”

“The stock’s still here,” she said, motioning to the bottlefilled shelves behind the bar. “Was she emptying the cash register when you found her?”

A headache began to form behind his eyes. “No. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t help herself to your petty cash.”

“It doesn’t mean she did, either.” She laid her coat on the table. “Remember that pesky little constitutional amendment? The one about a person being innocent until proven guilty?”

Spoken like the defense lawyer Allie was. Or had been until she’d chucked eight years of higher education, quit her job and returned home to buy this run-down bar.

Talk about your less-than-stellar career moves.

“Let’s save the debate on criminal rights for another time. Just do me a favor and check the cash register. Please,” he added, knowing Allie would balk at anything she construed as an order.

With a resigned—and to Jack’s mind, overly dramatic—sigh, Allie crossed the room and went behind the bar. Sending Kelsey an apologetic look, she opened the cash register drawer, glanced down and shut it again. She shook her head at Jack.

“I told you I didn’t steal anything,” Kelsey said with a smirk. And if he thought the smirk was sexy, no one had to know but him.