Page 27 of Sheltered by the Lawman

“What stuff?” The area between her brows scrunched.

“Playing cupid. It’s not like that.”

“Trust me, I don’t plan to ever play fix-up with you. After you broke Renee’s heart I learned a valuable lesson to never try and find a date for any of you Cade boys. I lost a good friendship over your shenanigans.” Her mouth twisted into a frown.

“First, it’s not my fault that she turned out to be a female octopus when the lights turned off. Second, I specifically remember you saying that you were glad I turned her down and walked away.”

“That’s not the point, bro. You and the rest of the Cade crew have always rained on my parades. I could never bring my friends around because you all thought you were God’s gift to women.” She sniffed loudly and gave her long hair a flip.

“Fine. I’ll never flirt with another female friend of yours again.” He held two fingers against his chest. “Scouts honor.”

She rolled her eyes. “About fifteen years too late, bro. So, tell me who the guest is. Prepare me for meeting her.” She plucked at a loose thread on the blanket.

“Her name is Monica.”

She blinked. “That’s all I get?”

“Yes. Stop snooping. You’ll find nothing.” She smiled widely and he realized his mistake. “Ma isn’t trying to play matchmaker either. I’ve already explained to her that Monica is a client.”

“Sure.” Kiersten winked. “We know Ma though.”

“How about we stop talking about me and figure out why Ma asked for you to come home.”

“She didn’t give me any clues. Has she been feeling okay?”

Cull’s heart lurched. “Why? Has she told you she hasn’t been?”

“No, but you’re the one who’s around most of the time.”

“I don’t keep tabs on her,” he said feeling a stab of guilt.

“You should. That’s what being unemployed gets you. Your Ma and Pa’s babysitter.”

He growled. “I’m not unemployed.”

“Oh, you call that bounty hunter thing a job?” She laughed and sat up, crossing her legs.

“Fugitive Recovery Agent. Don’t give me shit because you hate your job at the FBI.”

“Wait! That’s not fair. I don’t hate my job. I just sometimes disagree with what my supervisor says.”

“Yeah, sis, that’s called the Cade gene. How long you staying here?”

“A few days. Unless…”

Cull’s stomach sank. “Are you thinking Ma wants to speak to us about something important? Like there could be something wrong?”

Kiersten cocked her head. “She’s been acting different here lately.”

“How would you know? When was the last time you visited?”

“I’ve been busy. And thinking about having a baby,” she blurted.

He blinked three times. “You’re pregnant?”

“No…not yet.” All humor left her face. That told him she wasn’t joking.

“Whoa! Where did this come from?”

---