“Kara, they were doing what they thought was right—” Eric started.
“Eric, let me make this simple. You’re my brother, I need you to take my side.” She stopped speaking and waited. Eric opened his mouth twice more, each time thinking better of it and closing it.
“You’re right. I’m on your side, always.”
“But, Kara, you can at least admit you understand where they were coming from, right?” Kara looked over at Dane in astonishment. “They had your best interests at heart.”
Kara knew she was going to start crying and wanted to do it in private, so she decided to finally answer Dane’s other issue.
“Okay, brother, I’ll go put on a bra now, since I’m offending your sensitive sensibilities.” She stormed off to her bedroom, where she immediately burst into quiet tears.
“Kara, please come back out. I promise Dane won’t talk about them again.” It was Eric.
“I promise not to be upset, even if you haven’t put on a bra. Please, don’t cry anymore.”
God, she loved them, even when they were the biggest pains in the ass.
“Can’t you go away?” She knew her voice was desperate.
“We really can’t.” Eric was speaking for the both of them again.
She left the bedroom and was confronted by two large chests. “Can you please move so I can go to the bathroom?” They quickly parted and let her go down the hall. She put a cold compress on her face, and then returned to the living room to see what they had to say.
“Are you really planning on marrying this doofus?” Dane asked.
“You haven’t met him.” Kara was so tired. She just didn’t have the energy to fight about this.
“Everybody knows. You’re forcing yourself to date him.” God, she hated small towns. She knew this hadn’t come from her parents, or from Leif. It had to have come from one of the women to their men, and then to Eric and Dane. “Butch and Sundance don’t even like him,” Dane said in disgust. Yep, she absolutely hated small towns.
“Not your business.”
“You’re our business, Kara. We love you. We want you to be happy,” Eric said in a soft voice. “We don’t want you to make a mistake. I understand now why you’re done with those that will not be named, but I don’t want you to go into a loveless marriage. I know you want kids, but do you want to raise children to think that it’s okay for their parents not to be in love?” Fuck, he had a point.
She raised her chin. “He’ll be at the opening on Saturday. Would you please do me the courtesy of meeting him? He’s a good man. I need you to see the man I know. He’s a good and decent man, that I truly believe I can make a very happy life with. He’s caring and loving. There might not be passion, but there’s a strong mutual respect. I think in time, passion and love can come. Please keep an open mind.”
“That’s a load of crap.”
Kara glared at Dane.
“I’ll keep an open mind,” Eric promised, “if you’ll keep an open mind about what I’ve said.” Eric then smiled and winked at her. “I would say we, but Dane hasn’t offered anything constructive to the conversation.”
Kara laughed for the first time. Eric picked up the pink box again, and suddenly she felt some interest in the contents.
“Hey, don’t hog those! We got enough for all of us,” Dane complained as she took the box into the kitchen. Kara got down three plates and poured three glasses of milk to go with the cinnamon rolls.
“You do know you’re an idiot, right, Dane?”
“Yeah, but I’m funny and handsome, and chicks dig that.” His siblings rolled their eyes.
Kara looked at Eric. “And you want to share a woman with this idiot. What does that make you?”
“Oh, I think he’ll have his uses.” Eric grinned.
* * * *
As the men got into the truck, Dane turned to Eric. “I don’t know if we are ever going to get off her shit list when Saturday rolls around.”
“Tell me about it,” Eric moaned.
“I still think it was the right decision.”
“She had some really valid points. They really fucked up with her. I guess I never saw it from her point of view. I always looked at it from the older brother point of view, and from the man’s point of view. They had to protect her, and they had to do what was right by her and their family. I always knew they were going to come back for her,” Eric said.
“I still can’t believe the amount of shit that those two men have gone through. It’s been so tough for them. Honestly, I can’t say I wouldn’t have made the same goddamn decisions,” Dane said, running his hand through the same white-gold hair as his sister.
“That’s it exactly. But when I heard her today…I just don’t know if they can win her back. I think we might have just sent them into a buzz saw come Saturday.”
“They had a right to know. I would have wanted to know if it was our woman.”
“I know, Dane, I know. You do realize we’re going into that same buzz saw, right?” Eric asked.
“Yep. But it was the right thing to do.” Dane started the truck, and they headed for the firehouse. “But the next six months of Sunday dinners are going to be fucking hell.”
* * * *
Eric and Dane arrived at the same time as Jim, which was unfortunate. There had been a fire, so it couldn’t be helped. They were dog tired, but they were at her house, with their truck and muscle, just like they promised. No matter how irritating they were, how much they poked their noses into her business, she could always depend on them.
She opened the gate so that they could drive into the back, close to her studio, so it would be easier to load up. Butch and Sundance ran up to her excitedly, since she rarely opened this gate, instead going through the house to come out onto the porch. They barked at the cars as they drove in. She told them to settle, and they stood by her side.
She had almost everything in boxes and crates. There were a couple of things that she wanted assistance with. She was pretty sure she could do it on her own, but why risk it when she knew help was available? She could tell that her brothers weren’t impressed with Jim’s Mercedes coupe. This surprised her somewhat, because both of them normally admired German engineering and powerful vehicles. Then she realized it was because of the need to assist with loading up things for her show. Damn, strike one.
“Jim, I’d like to introduce you to my brothers, Eric and Dane Johansen. Guys, this is the man I’ve been telling you about, Jim Peterson.”
“It’s great to meet you. Kara talks about you a lot,” Jim said as they all shook hands, smiling at one another.
“Kara, I’m sorry we’re late. Did you get the text?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, was it anyone I know?”
“It was Mr. Cloffet, out near Harley. We think that it was bad wiring. We were able to save part of the house, but it’s going to take about three to four months to repair the damage,” Eric said.
“He’s got a sister down near Bremerton.” Dane was quick to assure his sister. “So he’s going to be fine. He was fully insured. He said he’d been planning to remodel.”
“Didn’t he have a dog?” Kara asked.
“Yep, she’s fine,” Eric assured her.
“This really is a tight-knit community, isn’t it? It’d be tough for you to leave it,” Jim said. Both Dane and Eric sent him hard glances.
“I guess it would, but anything’s possible for the right reason,” Kara said. “Let’s get these things loaded. I really appreciate you all coming.”
“No problem, Kara, you know I wanted to be here to support you,” Jim said with a smile. As soon as she started walking toward the door of her studio, the dogs ran up to Dane and Eric, joyous to have their friends over for a visit. Jim went over to join the fun, and Kara watched as her babies strategically wiggled away from every stroke he tried to give them. “I don’t think they like me,” he said, laughing as he walked back over to Kara.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Dane co
ncurred.
“Butch. Sundance. Home.” Kara commanded. The two dogs ran to the covered area that was their outside home.
“Come on, Kara, they only wanted to play,” Dane whined.
“We have work to do,” Eric stated as he followed Kara into her studio. “Damn it, Kara,” he said, eyeing the large crates that had already been nailed shut. “You should have waited for us to help pack those, as well. You could have hurt yourself,” he admonished.
“For God’s sake, Eric, who do you think molds the glass, and blows the glass, and spins the glass on the end of a god damn stick? That’s when it’s really heavy. Anyway, those were the smaller pieces. I waited for you guys to help with the bigger pieces.”
“These are amazing, Kara. It’s like a real artist made them!” Jim walked around the studio, crouching down and admiring the different works, his fingers drifting over the textures. She pretended not to hear him, but winced as he rolled one of the larger plates so that he could view it in front of the window.
“Watch it Jim, you’ll damage the edges.” Dane’s voice was sharp.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to see it with the light shining through. It’s absolutely gorgeous, Kara.” He gave her a brilliant smile, and she was warmed by his praise. Dane bumped into her as he was carrying a crate toward the door.
“Watch it,” she scolded.
“No, he better watch it,” Dane murmured as he went out the door.
“Hey, sis, what crate does this one go in?” Eric asked, holding the huge plate that Jim had just been looking at. Kara rolled her eyes at her big brother. Really? She was asking in private Johansen speak, and he just continued staring at her.
“Here.” She pointed to a crate along the back wall and watched as he carefully placed the piece inside. He made sure all of the packing was firmly placed on all sides and nailed it shut. Jim went over to him.
“Do you need help lifting it into your truck?”
“Nah, I’ve got it.” Eric easily lifted it onto his shoulder. Show off.
“Jim, if you could pack these last-minute items into these boxes, I sure would appreciate it. I forgot about them. They’re really delicate, and they could break easily.” She heard Eric snort as he went out the door.
“We should probably take them in the Mercedes,” Jim said as he walked over to the table.
“That’s what I was thinking.” She looked up just in time to see Dane rolling his eyes. Damn that fire. She had planned for her brothers to be gone by the time Jim arrived. She’d worried that she might be a bit paranoid, but now she realized she was just being smart. Jim took a great deal of time and care in packing the small helix sculpture. It was a miniature replica of her showpiece that had already been crated and shipped two days previously to the gallery. That sculpture, along with two seven-foot-diameter glass chandeliers, would be the focal points of the show. Her agent was expecting her to make enough to cover her expenses for the next year or two from these three pieces alone. Kara thought Trixie was crazy.
By the time Jim finished packing the box, Kara looked around and saw that all of the crates were gone. She stepped out of the studio and found her brothers playing fetch with her dogs. As Butch came back with a tennis ball, he made a quick detour to relieve himself on the wheel of Jim’s Mercedes, then dropped the ball at Dane’s feet. Dane was howling with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Jim asked as he brought out the packed box.
“Nothing,” Kara quickly said. She gave her brothers the stink eye, daring them to say anything as she helped Jim load the box into the trunk of his car. “Jim, it’ll take me about a half hour to get ready, I hope you don’t mind waiting.”
“Not at all,” he said as he brushed some packing material off his suit trousers.
“You know she’s lying to you, man,” Dane said. “She wants to look good for tonight, so it’s going to take her a half an hour just on her hair. You should come with us, we’re going to go chill at McMann’s Pub.”
“They’re lying to you.” Kara got out quickly, praying that the desperation didn’t show in her voice. “I’ve got my clothes all picked out, and I’ve decided to wear my hair down tonight.”
“Honey, I think it would be great to spend some time with your brothers, and I don’t want to rush you. We’ve got a couple of hours before we need to leave for Seattle.” Jim came over and kissed her. She heard Sundance give a low growl. “That’s funny, I didn’t realize you had trained them as guard dogs. I think that’s great,” Jim said with a sunny smile. Kara gave him a weak smile in return and saw her brothers grinning over Jim’s shoulder.
“Well, you all have fun. Jim, I’ll text you when I’m done,” she promised. “But remember, you guys need to get there a lot earlier because you need to unpack,” she reminded her brothers with a fierce glare.
“Yes, ma’am, Trixie was very clear as to when we needed to be there, and we intend to get there a half hour before that.” Eric came over and kissed her forehead. “I promise not to ruin your big night, Kara.”
“Thank you, and don’t ruin anything else,” she whispered back.
“That I can’t promise,” he turned back. “Let’s take off. You’re going to love McCann’s, Jim. Do you play pool?”
Kara watched as they all drove off. Then she sat down on her porch and played fetch with the boys. “You both are in trouble. You know that, don’t you?” Neither of them seemed to care. None of the men in her life seemed to care that they were in trouble.
* * * *
“Kara, this showing is your best work ever. I’m proud of you, Munchkin.” Kara leaned into her papa, basking in his praise. Her mom beamed at her, snapping a photo of the two of them with her phone.
“Okay, now one with both of your fathers,” she said, motioning Leif, Sr. into the picture frame. Kara reached out so that she had an arm wrapped around each of the big men. She felt so blessed, surrounded by the family that loved her. It meant so much to her that her family finally appreciated her as an artist.
She saw Jim out of the corner of her eye. She had told him about her family, but now that he was confronted with it, she could see that he was looking more than just a little uncomfortable. She had been extremely clear in her explanations of her family, so it was not okay for him to be acting like this was a surprise. It was the first time that she’d reconsidered her regard for him. She was just glad that she was the only one who knew him well enough to pick up on the nuances of his behavior. Everyone else in her family was getting along with him. Even her two goofball brothers seemed to be doing better after the beer at McCann’s.
She noticed that Leif seemed preoccupied. He was smiling at Mom and the dads but not really making eye contact. Instead, he kept looking at his watch. She sidled over to him and grabbed his arm.
“Do you mind if I steal Leif away for a few minutes while I show him the Helix?” she asked her parents. She didn’t wait for an answer. She just dragged her big brother over to the sculpture.
“Okay, spill it. What the hell is wrong?” She watched as Leif ran his hand over the short strands of the white-gold hair that mirrored her own.
“Baby girl, this is your night. Let’s not get into my problems.”
“You’re absolutely right. So, why don’t you get the hell out of here!” She watched as the big, bad, special forces commander looked at her with hurt blue eyes.
“What do you mean? You’re kicking me out?”
“I mean something really has your panties in a twist, and you can’t wait to get out of here! So, it has to be pretty damn important. Leif, I love that you came to my show. But if there is something that you need to do, please, big brother, go do it.” She watched as he opened his mouth and then shut it.
He grabbed her up in a big hug. “I love you, Kara. You’re right, I’ve got to go. I wouldn’t if it wasn’t really important.”
“It’s about Isabella, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. She’s missing. Something’s really wrong. She’s been mi
ssing since Monday night and we just got a lead.”
“Then go.” She gave her big brother another hug and watched him leave. She said a prayer that the woman who seemed to mean so much to him would be all right. Then she returned to the party. She scanned the room, looking for her friends. Karen, Jesenia, Josie and Olivia were huddled into a corner, trying to get her attention. She saw that Jim was talking with the couple that he knew from the hospital again, so she joined the girls to see what they wanted.
“Something’s up,” Karen blurted out in her normal brash manner.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Josie cautioned.
“Oh, yes, we do! Those brothers of yours have been plotting. Jace and Dale are positive they are up to something, and they haven’t cracked, and Eric and Dane always spill the beans at poker. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Dr. Jim. They might be planning to kill him,” Karen said, her eyes wide.
“They won’t resort to murder,” Kara assured her friend. “As a matter of a fact, they went out for beers today and got all chummy, so everything is fine.”
“Nope, Jace and Dale always know. I haven’t been able to surprise them with a gift once. Something is definitely up,” Karen insisted.
Karen looked over at Olivia, who had two fiancés who worked with her brothers. Olivia had been suspiciously quiet. “Give, Olivia—what do you know?”
Olivia smoothed down her black cocktail dress. Kara realized she was taking a moment to decide what to say, which was a huge indicator of how big the news was. Holy hell, she wasn’t going to like this.
“Well—”
“Kara!” Josie and Jesenia both said simultaneously as they looked over her shoulder.
“Wait a moment, I want to hear what Olivia has to say. Come on, Olivia, ’fess up.” Kara watched as the normally cool and professional blonde looked past Kara’s shoulder and blanched.
Karen, who had been watching Olivia, turned as well and shook her head sadly. “I told you, Jace and Dale always know. I’m out of here.” She pulled Josie and Jesenia with her, who had continued to stare over Kara’s shoulder.
Claiming Kara [Fate Harbor 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 15