married. We hardly played catch.â
âMy mistake,â said Devin.
âCouldâve taught you to rope steers,â Byron remarked.
âCare for a drink?â Lucas asked Devin, his manners belatedly kicking in.
âNo thank you.â She peered through the wall of windows and out into the yard. âAnd I donât need the sympathy vote. Iâm planning to beat you fair and square. Is there someplace out there I can go for a run?â
âHear that?â Lucas said to Byron. âSheâs going jogging. The woman appears to be a paragon of all virtues. I suppose youâre a vegetarian teetotaler, as well.â
Devin shot him a look of disdain. Then she caught him by surprise, snagging the glass out of his hand and downing a healthy swallow. âIâm not a paragon of anything,â she told him, handing the glass back to him, voice only slightly wheezy from the straight Scotch.
Byron couldnât seem to stop himself from chuckling. âThewoman definitely has spunk. Too bad there, Lucas. A shrinking wildflower would have made your life a whole lot easier.â
âI sleep better when I run,â Devin told him. âAnd since I donât have the luxury of my own bed, and since Amelia is likely to be up at 4:00 a.m., Iâd like to take a quick jog around the grounds if thatâs all right with you.â
âOne of the housekeepers can get up with Amelia,â Lucas offered.
Devin widened her stance and crossed her arms over her chest. âIâm not staffing out my niece.â
âI retract my earlier criticism,â said Lucas, holding her gaze. âYouâre not a paragon, youâre a purist.â
âIâm only trying to survive.â For a split second, a flash of unvarnished hurt traced through her eyes.
Lucas felt a shot of empathy. Devinâs sister might have broken his brotherâs heart, and Devin might blame Konrad for Monicaâs death, but theyâd both suffered a terrible loss. They shared that much.
Then she blinked, and the moment was gone, and she was his adversary once more.
He downed the remains of the drink. âIâll show you.â
âShow me what?â
âWhere you can jog.â
âJust point it out. Iâll find my way.â
But Lucas was already on his way to change. âMeet me on the pool deck. Downstairs, past the kitchen.â
Â
Devin didnât know why sheâd waited. It wasnât as if sheâd get lost on the estate. The extensive yard was well lit, and she was fairly certain it was fencedânot that she was planning to go out of sight of the big mansion anyway. There were lights on all the way up to the third-floor turret. Sheâd probably be able to spot it for miles.
The clear water sparkled in the outdoor pool, submerged lights illuminating its beautiful blue depths. She couldnât help but admire the tiered decks and the gardens surrounding the pool. The chairs and loungers were padded with burgundycushions. Both dining tables and occasional tables dotted the seating areas. Sun umbrellas covered many of the dining tables, while tall propane heaters were placed strategically throughout furniture groupings. It was obvious the Demarco family spent a lot of time out here.
Devin couldnât help feeling as though sheâs wandered into a five-star resort.
âReady?â Lucasâs footfalls sounded on the wooden steps that led from a sundeck to the pool deck. He wore runners, a pair of lightweight black shorts and a sleeveless gray T-shirt with a Seattle Mariners team logo across the front.
âI donât need a babysitter,â she informed him, trying valiantly not to notice the definition of his biceps and broad shoulders. Nobody had ever accused the Demarco men of being unattractive. With dark eyes, strong chins and straight aristocratic noses, both Lucas and Konrad often graced the cover of Seattle Entrepreneur. The
Carmen Caine, Madison Adler