In Safe Hands. Linda Conrad

      They found a quiet alcove, and by some miracle, two empty seats. As Colin plopped both his duffel and himself down, he gave her a quick glance, then began studying his shoes. She could feel the silent grief rolling off him in waves. So he hadn’t trusted her. Big deal. If she’d been in his place, she probably would’ve done the same.

      Compassion colored her thoughts, making her heart go all mushy for the poor guy. She decided to give him a break—find a way to keep his mind off of dealing with the guilt.

      By talking his ear off. “I have two brothers of my own, you know.”

      He shot her a questioning look, and she figured she was on the right track. Give him something else to think about.

      “Oh yeah,” she rambled on. “Two big brothers. When we were kids, it was both a blessing and a pain to have them hovering over me all the time. They taught me to ride and rope and swim. The three of us are real products of our environment. Have you ever been to south Texas?”

      Without waiting for him to answer—without even taking a second breath—she babbled on. “After being separated for almost fifteen years, all of us are finally living within a few miles of each other. My oldest brother, Josh, he was a Ranger in the army. In Afghanistan. Did you say you were stationed in Afghanistan? You two might have met there.

      “Anyway, my other brother, Ethan, was in the Secret Service, guarding big shots like ambassadors, and even the President of the United States on occasion. Both Josh and Ethan are back home in Texas now, helping me with my new business.” Her voice softened. “Josh is married and Ethan is engaged. Both of them are in the process of adopting the kids that came along with the wonderful women in their lives. But that’s another long story. I don’t think you want to—”

      Colin lifted his head and raised a hand. “Take a breath before you faint, love.”

      Maggie elbowed him in the ribs. She drew in a deep breath and tried to calm down, but kept her eyes trained on Colin’s face. His expression seemed lighter, less sad.

      “What kind of accent do you have?” he asked. “I’ve been to a lot of places in the world, but I’ve never heard anything quite like it.”

      The idea hit her without warning. He needed to come home with her. Get out of this city and away from whatever danger stalked him. Colin should also take the opportunity to see his brother’s grave and meet his darling baby niece. Maybe if he did all that, it would make him feel a little less guilty about losing track of his brother, give him closure of a sort.

      And maybe…Well, if he saw that Emma was happy and healthy and living with people who adored her, maybe he would be more amenable to letting the baby stay where she was.

      “The accent’s a mishmash, same as me,” she answered airily. “My granddaddy and Nana Ryan came over from Ireland as a young couple and never lost their Gaelic lilts. I probably picked up a little of their accent when I lived with them.”

      She sighed and drew in air. “And my Abuela Lupe, my mom’s mother, speaks with a heavy Spanish accent. She’s living in Mexico now, but she lived with us at the ranch until my mom died when I was fifteen. I learned a lot from her, including how to speak Spanish.”

      She had his full attention now. He was staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

      “Look,” she began as she rose to her feet. “Why don’t you fly home with me today? You can meet the baby and my family and friends. See your brother’s grave.”

      He flinched at the mention of his brother.

      With unexpected tears filling her eyes, she had to force herself to continue. “Maybe you’d like to put another headstone on his grave. One with the right name and all.” Lordy, but she sure hoped he wouldn’t want to take his brother’s body back to England. She wanted baby Emma to be able to visit her daddy’s grave when she got old enough to understand.

      “Come to Texas with you?” Colin looked a little overwhelmed. But soon enough his eyes cleared and he too stood. “That’s a brilliant idea, Maggie, love.”

      “Well…great. Let’s go then.” She turned, but kept right on talking over her shoulder as she picked up her backpack. “We can take the Air Train from here. It’ll get us to the airport in enough time for—”

      Colin grabbed her arm, swung her around and pulled her close. Too close. It took her breath away.

      “Thank you for saving my life,” he whispered against her lips as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m not sure how you managed all of this yet, but I owe you a debt.”

      “Uh. No.” She could barely think while standing this close to the blue and silver highlights in his eyes. “You—”

      Breaching the gap between them, he stopped her words—her thoughts, her breathing—by lasering a kiss across her lips. A sudden rush of fire through her veins turned her world upside down, and the unflappable Maggie Ryan finally hit the wall.