Kimberly Nee - The McKenzie Brothers Read Online Free PDF

not act quickly enough, Dixon would sell it to another but stick the first with the forfeiture charge. Drew spent more time than he cared to recall haggling with the merchant. Eagleton did a great deal of business with Dixon Unlimited, so he’d never be rid of the man.
    He sighed sharply, knowing he had no choice but to go down to the harbor now, even at this late hour. It was the last thing he wished to do. Given the choice between haggling with a greedy merchant or holding a beautiful woman in his arms, the choice wasn’t difficult.
    He couldn’t contain his impatient sigh. “I am in the middle of something.”
    “I’ve no authority in the matter, Drew. You know that. Nor do I want the authority. I’ve dealt with Dixon far too often in the past. Since you are here, it’s your headache.”
    “A little revenge for my supposed desertion, Adam?”
    “Your family is worried about you,” he replied simply.
    Drew supposed he was right, but that didn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. “Very well. It’s my headache, as you say, so I shall deal with it at once.”
    “I’ve a carriage waiting. I’ll go with you.”
    “Excuse me a moment. There is something I need to take care of before I leave.”
    Drew returned to the dining room, where Heather looked up as he entered, a smile lifting the corners of her lips.
    “I’m afraid I am needed at the harbor. There is a problem with a cargo I’ve been trying to secure.”
    “Nothing serious, I hope.”
    “Nothing I can’t handle,” he assured her, crouching down beside her chair. “But, I am afraid I’ll most likely be coming in late. Don’t wait up. If you need anything, inform Mrs. Markham.”
    Disappointment darkened her eyes, but she nodded. “Of course.”
    He leaned down to plant a light kiss atop her head. “Tomorrow we shall dine in peace.”
    “Of course.”
    With that, he turned heel and strode from the room, the soles of his gleaming Hessians thumping soundly against the carpet.
    Adam was waiting for him in the carriage out in front of the town house. “I am going to break that weasel’s neck,” Drew growled, settling in beside him. “Interrupting a man’s evening meal like this over a worn-out matter.”
    Adam’s eyes glittered in the semi-darkness. “Yes, well, it’s all part and parcel with the responsibility of running Eagleton.”
    “Don’t even start, Adam. I am not a boy. I do not need to report back to my brother at every turn.”
    “Perhaps not, but is it too much to ask that you at least let him know you are alive?”
    Drew sighed, stretching his legs out before him, crossing his ankles. “Let’s not speak of it now, Adam. Give me the news from home instead.”
    “There is blessed little to report, I’m afraid. I was in Bridgeport over the winter. Keely is tottering around now. Speaks actual words, although they are garbled. Emma and Julian are well, planning to come down to Brunswick for a visit in July. Your brother is the same — although he is determined to sail over here himself and scour London for you. Fortunately, Miss Katherine has managed to rein him in and keep him in New Jersey. And Mary is Mary. Still most concerned with young men and fancy dresses.”
    “It’s nice to know some things never change.” Drew leaned his head back against the seat cushion. “Make certain to tell everyone I am alive and well and in one piece.”
    “Might I tell them when you are planning to return?”
    Drew decided it would be worth telling if it kept Garrett from storming into London in a temper, looking for his errant brother. “Yes, Adam. Tell them I’ll be home in the fall. I plan on sailing out in a few weeks.”
    Adam looked pleased. “Terrific. Then I have nothing to fear about returning myself. Your father is getting more difficult by the day.” He gave Drew a knowing grin. “I cannot say for certain, but I believe your mother has banned him from their bedroom because he’s been such an ogre these past few