Don't Cry for Me

Quinn nodded. “It’s very quiet where I live. No sirens. No neighbors to hear me freak out in my sleep…just the critters and me.”

“Critters?”

“Raccoon, owls, deer and the occasional coyote, but nothing scary, honey.”

“I’m not afraid of anything on four legs,” she muttered, then sat for a moment, absorbing the concept of that much peace and quiet. The longer she thought about it, the calmer she became. Then she looked up at Quinn.

“It sounds like heaven.”

“We’re high enough up that I’d say we’re pretty darn close.”

Three

Ryal was in his woodworking shop staining a special order dining table when he heard Beth calling his name. He dropped the brush into a container of paint thinner and stepped outside. She was standing on the porch with their puppy, Rufus, at her side and Sarah on her hip, pointing toward their driveway.

He saw Beth’s SUV coming up the road and waved to let her know that he’d seen it, then headed toward the house at a jog. They would finally get to meet the guy who’d saved Quinn’s life.

When he reached the porch, Beth was grinning.

“What?” he asked.

“Look in the front seat,” she said. “And whatever you do, don’t make a fuss.”

Ryal turned. “Why would I…? I’ll be damned! He’s a she!”

Well aware of how the Walker brothers teased each other, Beth felt obligated to repeat herself. “Ryal! Do not make an issue out of this, especially in front of her. You don’t know what she’s been through or what condition she’s in. Understand?”

He tweaked her nose and then winked. “I’m not completely dense. Of course I understand,” he said, then jumped off the porch and went to meet them with Rufus at his heels.

* * *

Quinn was trying to see Ryal’s house from the perspective of a stranger, rather than a kid who’d grown up inside those walls, wondering what Mariah would think. Granted, Ryal had done some remodeling with the wraparound porch and a fresh coat of white paint after their parents moved out, but it was still a mountain house, simple in style and size. The fact that his brother was a master carpenter didn’t hurt, though, and since Beth had come to live there, the landscaping had taken on a softer, more feminine look. Flowers local to the area had been planted along both sides of the rock walk leading up to the house, and the bushes were trimmed, rather than allowed to grow wild.

He sneaked a glance at Mariah, trying to judge what she thought, and was surprised to see a slight smile on her face.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She pointed toward the house, and the man and puppy coming down the walk.

“Your brother looks like you.”

“Yeah, I guess he does. You can pretty much always find the Walkers in a crowd. We’re all pretty tall.”

Mariah’s eyes widened. “There are more of you?”

“Ryal and Beth have a daughter, Sarah, who’s a little over a year and a half. I have another brother, James, and his wife, Julie, and their two kids. And there’s my sister, Margaret—but we call her Meg—our mom, Dolly, and a whole lot of cousins.”

She couldn’t imagine. “It must be a good feeling to know who your people are and where you come from.”

“I’m ashamed to say I never thought about it, just took it and them for granted. But it is exceedingly good to know there are people who have your back,” Quinn said.

All expression was gone from her face, and he hated that he’d caused her one moment of pain. He reached for her hand.

“I have your back, Conrad. We all do. If you don’t believe it now, you will in the days to come.”

Mariah was saved from having to answer as Quinn pulled to a stop.

“Sit tight. I’ll help you,” he said, and quickly circled the car.

A cool breeze flowed past her as he opened the door. Mariah took his hand as he helped her out, then stood for a moment to get her bearings.

“Hey, brother, you made good time,” Ryal said, as Beth came down the walk behind him, carrying Sarah.

Quinn didn’t bother with chitchat. He knew they were surprised and curious, but he wasn’t going there, and the sooner they figured that out, the better.

“Ryal, Beth, this is Mariah Conrad. Mariah, my brother Ryal and his wife, Beth. The cutie Beth is holding is Sarah, and this very shy pup is Rufus.”

Mariah pushed a shaky hand through her hair and grinned at the puppy, who was licking everybody’s shoes.

“Nice to meet you. Thanks for loaning Quinn your car. It made the trip a lot easier for me.”

“We’re the ones who should be thanking you for saving Quinn’s life,” Ryal said. “He can be a pain in the ass, but we were grateful to get him home in one piece.”

Mariah was surprised that Quinn had credited her with his rescue.

“I wasn’t the only one there,” she said.

“You’re the only one I remember,” Quinn said.

Beth handed Sarah to Ryal and slipped an arm through the crook of Mariah’s elbow. “Why don’t you come into the house with me while they switch stuff from one vehicle to the other? It’ll give you time to freshen up and stretch your legs for a bit.”

Mariah glanced at Quinn. “Do we have time?”

“We have all the time you need,” Quinn said.

Beth led Mariah into the house at a leisurely pace, while Ryal and Quinn transferred things from the SUV to Quinn’s Jeep.

“You neglected to mention that Conrad was a girl,” Ryal said.

“And now you know,” Quinn said, as he transferred the quilt and pillows into the backseat of the Jeep.

“She really saved your life?” Ryal said.

“Pulled my ass out of a burning building.”

Ryal glanced toward the house. “She must be one tough lady.”

“As tough as she needs to be,” Quinn said, and tossed her duffel bag between the seats. “Did you get the stuff on my list?”