A Man of Means

He led her to the car and put her into the passenger seat. ‘‘There are five of us. The other three are coming up this morning to have a talk with the police.’’

‘‘I remember. You said that your brother was the attorney general.’’

‘‘He is,’’ he replied. ‘‘We tend to stick together.’’

Her eyes went to his hands on the steering wheel. He had nice hands, very lean and strong with neat, clean fingernails. He was a tough-looking man, like a cowboy.

‘‘How’s your face?’’ he asked unexpectedly.

She shrugged. ‘‘It still hurts. It will for a while, but I’ll be fine.’’

‘‘You should see that plastic surgeon.’’

‘‘Why?’’ she asked heavily. ‘‘My insurance won’t pay for cosmetic surgery, and there’s not much chance that they can do any major repair on tiny shattered bones.’’

‘‘You’re not a doctor. Stop giving yourself medical advice.’’

She stared at him for a long moment and started to speak, then lost the opportunity when he pulled up in the hospital parking lot, cut off the engine, and got out.

Rey waited for her and led her up to the floor where his brother’s room was located.

Leo wasn’t alone. Three other men were with him, one big and dark and missing an arm, the other lean and light-eyed and handsome, and a third big one with black eyes and a threatening face towering over both the others.

‘‘That’s Cag,’’ Rey indicated the black-eyed man. ‘‘Corrigan,’’ he nodded toward the light-eyed man, ‘‘and that’s Simon,’’ he finished, smiling at the one-armed man. ‘‘This is Meredith Johns. She rescued Leo.’’

‘‘Nice to see you and know who you are,’’ Leo said, alert now and interested as his dark eyes swept over the neat woman just inside the door. ‘‘Miss Johns, I presume?’’

She smiled self-consciously, because everybody was looking at her bruised face. ‘‘Yes,’’ she said.

Simon Hart frowned when he got a good look at her. ‘‘What the hell happened to you?’’ he demanded.

‘‘Her father,’’ Rey said for her. ‘‘She got in late and he beat her up.’’

Leo looked suddenly as intimidating as the other three. ‘‘Where is he?’’ he asked.

‘‘In jail,’’ Meredith said heavily. ‘‘For several weeks, at least, and he’ll have time to dry out.’’

‘‘Good.’’ Leo looked toward Simon. ‘‘Maybe you can find a way to get him into rehab before he gets out.’’

‘‘I’ll look into it,’’ Simon said at once.

‘‘And some counseling wouldn’t come amiss,’’ Rey put his two cents worth in.

‘‘I’ll see about that, too,’’ Simon replied. ‘‘Nice to meet you, Miss Johns. We’re all grateful for what you did for Leo.’’

‘‘You’re all very welcome,’’ she replied. She clutched her purse, intimidated by the group of brothers.

‘‘Come here,’’ Leo said, holding out his hand. ‘‘They’re big and they look tough, but they’re really marshmallows. You don’t have to feel threatened. I’ll protect you.’’

‘‘She doesn’t need protecting from us!’’ Rey snapped.

The others gaped at him. It wasn’t like Rey to act that way.

He cleared his throat. He didn’t want them asking themselves embarrassing questions about his attitude. He shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘‘Sorry. I didn’t sleep much last night,’’ he explained.

Meredith went to stand beside Leo, who took one of her small, cold hands in his and looked up at her with interest.

‘‘Have you seen a doctor?’’ he asked.

‘‘Your brother took me to the emergency room yesterday,’’ she said.

‘‘Rey. His name’s Reynard, but he’s called Rey,’’ Leo informed her.

She smiled. ‘‘You look much better today. Head hurt?’’

‘‘A bit, but my vision’s clear and I’m not disoriented,’’ he said, quoting the doctor. ‘‘I have a good prognosis.’’

‘‘That’s nice to hear. You were in pretty bad shape.’’

‘‘I’d have been in a lot worse shape, but for you,’’ Leo said. ‘‘I hear that you can’t work out in public for a while, until your face heals,’’ he added. ‘‘Can you cook?’’

She blinked. ‘‘Of course,’’ she said at once.

‘‘Can you make bread?’’

She frowned. ‘‘Bread?’’

‘‘More specifically, biscuits,’’ he added, and had the oddest expression on his face.

She shifted her purse in the hand he wasn’t holding. ‘‘Well, yes, those and rolls and loaf bread,’’ she said, as if everybody could do it.

Leo shot a glance at Rey, who was just staring at him without daring to say a word. He knew what was coming, and he couldn’t decide how he felt about it. He didn’t want to think about it.

‘‘How would you like a brief stay in Jacobsville, Texas, in a big sprawling ranch house where your only job would be to make biscuits every morning?’’ Leo asked with his best smile.

Rey and the other brothers were staring at her, waiting. She wondered why. And Rey was frowning, as if he didn’t like the idea at all. Probably he still secretly thought she was a hooker. He couldn’t seem to credit her with any sense of decency.

She thought about his attitude for a few seconds, and decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take the job, and show him that you really couldn’t judge a book by its cover. It wouldn’t hurt that arrogant cowboy to be taken down a step or two, and she was just the girl who could do it.

She smiled. It hurt her face, but what was a little pain for a good cause? She turned back to Leo. ‘‘Mr. Hart, I think I’d like that job very much!’’

Three

‘‘Good for you!’’ Leo exclaimed, animated and smiling. ‘‘You won’t be sorry, Meredith. Honest.’’

She smiled back at him. He was nice, like a big brother. She liked him already. ‘‘I can do housekeeping, too,’’ she told him. ‘‘I’ll earn my keep.’’

‘‘You’ll go on salary, of course,’’ he insisted. ‘‘It won’t be a holiday.’’