by Playing
Heather patted Kieran’s back gently, wincing as the baby gurgled and then spit up. Rebecca grinned at her. “Perfect. You’re a natural mother, my dear.”
Katherine sighed, slipping her forefinger into the tiny fist. “He is so precious,” she murmured. “May I hold him?”
“Certainly,” Heather replied, holding Kieran out for her to take. “You are his aunt, after all.”
Katherine gathered Kieran in her arms and kissed his forehead. “Oh, you are so adorable,” she cooed, rubbing noses with him. “And, soon you will have another little cousin to play with.”
At that, Rebecca and Heather gasped. “What?” Rebecca asked, eyes wide and glittering.
Katherine looked up with a devilish grin. “Heather wasn’t the only one expecting a little bundle of joy.”
Rebecca engulfed her in a fierce hug. “Oh, Katherine, how wonderful!”
Heather laughed as Rebecca began crying. “And when is the blessed event to take place?”
Katherine shifted Kieran to one shoulder. “October. But Garrett doesn’t know yet, so let’s keep this our little secret, shall we?”
Rebecca wiped her eyes. “Oh, he’ll be thrilled, Katherine. Absolutely thrilled. Another grandchild — oh such wonderful news!” She threw her arms about Katherine once more, this time eliciting a howl of protest from Kieran.
Katherine patted his back gently, soothing him at once. “I suppose I ought to keep this up. Practice whilst I can.”
“You’re welcome to get up every two hours with this little terror,” Heather replied as Katherine passed the baby back to her. “On second thought, it’ll come soon enough. Enjoy sleeping whilst you can.”
Rebecca looked surprised. “You could hire a wet nurse, Heather, so you might get some rest.”
“Oh no.” She shook her head as she nuzzled Kieran. “Drew suggested it, but I want no one else tending our child.”
The front door opened then and the McKenzie brothers filled the doorway to the drawing room. Drew elbowed his brother, saying, “I’m surprised we couldn’t hear the cackling from the street.”
“And where have you two been?” Rebecca asked, affixing them with a knowing stare. “Your father’s been going mad looking for you.”
“I had some business to take care of down at the harbor,” Drew replied easily, coming into the drawing room to lift Kieran to his shoulder. “How is my boy? How is my little man?”
Heather noticed his clothes were a bit wrinkled, a bit mussed, and he smelled a wee bit odd, so she said, “What is going on? What sort of business did you have?”
He leaned over to brush her lips with a kiss. “Nothing you need concern yourself with, love.”
She didn’t believe him, but saw the dangerous glint in his eyes and so decided to let the matter drop. “Very well.”
He cleared his throat, glancing over at his brother. “I don’t know about you, Garrett, but I could go for a bite. Shall we pop into the kitchen and see what’s available?”
He didn’t wait for a response, but passed Kieran back to Heather and left the room. Garrett shrugged at the questioning glances from his wife, mother, and sister-in-law, and said, “A man has to eat,” then hurried after him.
That night, when the house was quiet and Kieran put to bed, Heather curled up into the warmth of her husband’s body. “Time to confess, Drew.”
He draped an arm about her shoulders. “Confess to what, love?”
“What you were doing at the harbor? And don’t think for a moment you’re getting out of answering me.”
He laughed softly, wrapping his arms about her and rolling over to pin her beneath him. “As I said, nothing you need concern yourself with.”
“Drew.”
He ignored the warning tone of her voice as he covered her lips with his. She slid her arms about his neck, her fingers brushing through the hair at his nape. She was content to let him think the matter was forgotten for a moment.
When they parted, he whispered, “I had a score to settle with someone, that is all. I wanted to make certain no one ever so much as whispers another lie about you. It no longer matters where we met, or how we met, and I intend to make damn certain no one ever suggests otherwise.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes searching his. “I love you, Drew.”
“I love you, too, Heather.” He kissed her again. “All that matters is the future. Our future.”
Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears at his whispered sentiments. He was right. She no longer regretted ever having set foot in Coal’s. In fact, she owed Mr. Coal a huge debt of thanks. Had she not been there, she would never have met Drew and, despite all she had gone through to reach this point, she would do it all again.
She started to tell him, but one look into his beautiful cobalt eyes told her she needn’t bother. He already knew.
With that, she pulled him down for a lingering kiss. Sweeping her lips over his ear, she whispered, “Shall I say a few of your love phrases now, darling?”
He growled softly at her breathless words and leaned close to capture her lips in a fierce kiss. When he pulled away, she gave him a sly smile and murmured, “I love what you do to me, Drew. More, please.”
His laughter echoed off the walls as he leaned in again, whispering, “It would be my pleasure, love.”
About the Author
Kim fell in love with historical romance when she was sixteen, and blames it on Kathleen Woodiwiss, since it was her The Flame and the Flower that got her hooked. Not long after finishing it, she sat down to write one herself and now, many years later, she’s still writing them.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Kim still lives there with her husband, two children, a dog, and a handful of gerbils. When she’s not pounding away at the computer keyboard, she does crossword and Sudoku puzzles, knits, breaks wrestling matches between the kids, and occasionally, she gets to read. She’s also a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and the New York Rangers. She also loves Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones.
For more information about Kim and her books, visit her website at:
www.kimberlynee.com
Kim’s books are available at Musa Publishing, including:
The McKenzie Brothers 1: The Pursuit
The McKenzie Brothers 2: Playing with Fire
*The McKenzie Brothers 3: A Perfect Lady
*coming soon
Table of Contents
Cover
title page
Copyright Information
Warning
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
About the Author
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