Page 50 of Kidnapping Their Third

The kiss seemed like a promise for later. She was feeling well enough that maybe she’d be up to having some fun with the guys. After another nap.

Once he deemed her suitably moisturized, they wrapped her in a fuzzy blanket and carried her back out to the couch. Once again, she was arranged in Kimble’s lap, and Pike went to work combing out her hair.

“How do you know how to do this?” she asked. “Did you have long hair once?”

“No, but I took care of my sister’s hair when Mom didn’t have time,” he explained. “She had a sensitive scalp, so I learned to be gentle with the brush or comb. It got to the point where she’d ask me to do it instead of Mom.”

He sounded so proud that it made Cora mildly jealous. “Sounds like you and your sister were close.”

“When we were kids, we were best friends. I was Big Bear, and she was Little Bear. We did everything together. It was a lot of fun.” He sounded wistful, and Cora went from feeling jealous to sympathetic.

“You’re not close anymore?”

“Everything changed when she turned fourteen. She didn’t have time for her brother anymore. It was all about her friends, boys, and having the latest of everything. I remember I saved up for months to buy her a phone she wanted, except by the time I got it, she already wanted a different one. I couldn’t keep up so after that, I’d give her cash instead. That’s a gift she always likes.”

Kimble made a grumbly sound that Cora interpreted as disapproval. “Greedy.”

Pike froze. “She’s not greedy. I’m just a bad gift giver.”

“You’re perfect,” Kimble answered. “Always.”

It seemed Pike’s sister was a sore point between the two of them. Pike was a sweetheart, and she’d known plenty of people who had blind spots when it came to their family.

“Kimble’s right,” Cora murmured, turning her head so she could see Pike. “I can’t imagine you being a bad gift giver. Your sister is too picky.”

Pike scrunched his forehead a little. “Can we talk about something else?”

Cora’s phone rang shrilly, making her jump, Kimble growled, and Pike got up to retrieve it from the nightstand. She hadn’t gotten many calls, but she’d made sure the guys knew it was important that she answered the phone. She’d been avoiding calls from her family and sending texts instead. So far, no one had any emergencies that required her help.

The call was from an unrecognized number so it might be work related.

The moment she answered, she wished she hadn’t. “Perfection Connection Electrics, what—”

“You’re so sick you canceled your entire week but didn’t call me or any of your brothers?” her father yelled through the phone. Daniel might love her deeply, but one of the main ways he showed concern was with volume. Right now he was practically screaming.

“I’m not that sick,” she answered but winced when his volume didn’t decrease.

“You’re like me, you’d have to be on the verge of dying to hand that many jobs over to Santos. Are you at the hospital? Did you crash that shit van? I warned you about that vehicle!” He talked too fast for her to answer any questions. Cora let him voice one horrible outcome after another until he paused long enough for her to speak.

“Are you tired yet?” Cora asked when he had to pull in a breath of air.

“Tired?” he asked, confused.

“Tired from leaping to all those conclusions,” Cora explained, then snorted at her joke. She’d thought of it months ago and had been waiting for the perfect time to use it. Next to her on the couch, Pike laughed but Kimble didn’t look happy at all. She gave him a reassuring smile before focusing back on the call.

“Dad, I’m at home and being taken care of,” she rushed to say before he could start worrying at high volume again. “I’m sick but doing better. I took the whole week off because I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get over whatever I caught.”

“Did you even go to the doctor?” Daniel demanded. “I bet you didn’t. I’ve never known a more stubborn person than you.”

“Look in the mirror, you’ll find one,” she shot back.

“I’m coming over,” he announced. “You shouldn’t be alone. Do I need to bring groceries? Never mind, I’ll stop by the store on my way.”

“No.” Her one-word sentence was everything final, and her dad heard it.

“Fine, then I’m sending Ted. He’s a better choice anyway, he works at the hospital.”

“As an x-ray tech!” Cora protested with a laugh. “What’s he going to do here? There is an absolute lack of radiation equipment in my home.”

---