Page 73 of Between a Rock and a Hard Cowboy

“You mean you haven’t?” Eva shot back. “What happened to you, party girl?

Poppy scowled at that and said, “Get me one too, please.Withthe bourbon.”

“You got it.” Eva gave up on waiting for Wyatt and was about to go make the drinks when he came back into the room.

The man always had a look about him that was super serious. Like undertaker kind of serious. But now he looked even more so.

“What’s up, son?” William asked, no doubt noticing the expression on his son’s face as well.

Wyatt’s mouth dropped open then closed again before he said, “That was the FBI. They’re looking for Emmett.”

ChapterThirty-Eight

Once he got over the shock of the words he’d never thought he’d hear coming out of Wyatt’s mouth, Linc gathered his composure enough to ask, “Why is the FBI looking for Emmett?”

“They wouldn’t say,” Wyatt answered.

“Maybe one of the women he catfished finally pressed charges,” Poppy suggested. She glanced at Eva. “Maybe we should have. I guess we still can.”

Eva’s red brows rose high. “No. They’ve nailed him now. They don’t need our testimony too.”

“We can’t be sure,” Poppy said.

“I’m sure.” When Eva saw Poppy’s skeptical glance, she added, “It was only a matter of time before the snake did something to get himself into big trouble.”

Linc watched the exchange. He especially observed Eva and she did look pretty sure. The question was, why? How? Did she know something they didn’t know?

The FBI. That was a lot for Linc to wrap his head around. Things had moved far beyond just their family now.

What the hell had Emmett done that the FBI would be looking for him?

Amid all the tension radiating off everyone in the room, Eva seemed to be the only one not on edge.

Leaning on the counter, glass in hand, she said to Poppy, “I’ll pour us three egg nogs then we’re going up to Livvie. She’s gonna want to hear this.”

After a nod, Poppy glanced around at the stone-faced men in the room and said, “Uh, Darcy, do you want to help me bring some cookies up to Livvie?”

“Sure!” Darcy agreed, her eyes on the plate full she probably had visions of eating all herself.

“Okay, good. You carry the napkins. I’ll carry the cookies.”

Poppy’s instructions left Darcy’s anticipation visibly deflated but she took the stack of napkins anyway and said, “Come on, Bingley.”

When the girls were gone, Wyatt let out a breath. “What the hell?”

“You can say that again,” Ethan agreed.

Their father shook his head. “Can’t say it’s a surprise.”

“So what does this mean for the family vote about the will?” Ethan asked. He turned to Wyatt. "You change your mind yet about what kind of man Emmett is now that the FBI is calling you looking for him?”

Wyatt didn’t answer.

Their father’s gaze swept the room. “I think there’s one thing you’re all forgetting. He might not even still be in town.”

“You mean he might be on the run knowing they’re looking for him?” Wyatt asked.

“And if Wyatt’s PI couldn’t find him for almost a year—and damn, bro, maybe you need to get a better PI—but anyway, he could easily disappear again,” Ethan said, the excitement building in his voice.

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