Page 46 of Riding Danger

Of course he would pick up on that.

“Have you ever walked into her cottage close to dinner time? It's warm and cozy and while everything is in its place, it feels like home and smells like a dream. She’s got my son doing his homework and dinner cooking and that’s after a full day of doing her job. And don’t get me started on that. She’s so committed to keeping this town safe, it bleeds into everything she does. It scares me every time she holsters up, but she loves her job and she’s good at it. I am well aware I am never going to be good enough for her. That doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying.”

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Jason making a gagging motion. I had no doubt Theo was also rolling his eyes. But I kept my focus on Harry. His eyes narrowed. “You said trifecta, that means three. You’ve only mentioned two. What’s the third thing?”

“I’m sorry, Sir.” My face heated, but there was no way to avoid the question. “But I am not comfortable discussing that with my woman’s father.”

As was already established, I’d had a considerable amount of sex. And some of it was pretty good. There was a misnomer that easy tail was lazy tail. That wasn’t always the case. Sometimes that eagerness to please would work in my favor. But the sex with Shiloh was the best I had ever had.

Harry finished one pitcher of beer with us, then stood. “Let me have your keys.”

“What? Why?”

“So I can drive home.” He held his palm open. “Are you saying you don’t trust me with that overpriced gas-guzzler?”

“I can drive you home.”

“No. These two are going to get you drunk.” He made an impatient grab motion with his outstretched hand. “Consider it your welcome initiation or whatever. But I have a wife to go home to.”

I could feel the sulk take over my face as I fished my keys from my pocket and handed it over to the man I knew at that moment would always be my family. “Give my son another hug from me.”

Harry nodded in agreement and then looked over at the bar before turning to Theo and Jason. “You’ll keep an eye on what’s happening over there?”

“Already am.” Theo was scanning the bar with narrowed eyes.

I didn’t know who those men were, but they looked like trouble. They sat at the bar and it didn’t seem the conversation they were having with Maggie was friendly.

As Harry left the bar, Jason moved his gaze between the two of us. “I’d feel better if we sat at the bar. Those two look in fine form tonight.”

“Who are they?” I agreed we needed to be close in case there was trouble. But I was still completely in the dark.

“Those are Maggie’s ex brothers-in-law.” Theo stood and abandoned the pitcher that at most had one more serving in it. “Charles and Keith Ripper. Brothers to convicted felon Frederick Ripper.”

Those names meant nothing to me as I followed them to the bar. Theo chose the bar stool closest to the brothers. They looked to be about the same age as us, late twenties, maybe early thirties at a push.

The man sitting closer to the edge noticed us first. “Oh, look, Fred’s ex slut has called her guard dogs.”

My fists clenched at the same time Theo and Jason’s bodies stiffened. Neither of them liked a woman being spoken about like that. Least of all one who was as close to them as Maggie.

“Charles.” Maggie let out a sigh. “Leave them alone. They have just as much right as you do to be here.”

Theo raised a brow. “Just as much? I’d say we have more right. We’re your friends. They’re the assholes who tried to leave you destitute.”

I turned to Jason, hoping he would explain. He did not disappoint.

“The Ripper family has their fingers in all sorts of messy pies.” Jason didn’t even drop his voice as he started his explanation. “When they bought this place, they needed it as a way to launder money. And to keep things on the up and up, dear old Fred put this in his wife’s name. But the sale went through only after his arrest and the divorce was finalized. She got this and sole custody of the kids in the divorce settlement.”

“She stole this from our family.”

“Oh, please.” Theo stood from his stool. “She was entitled to half of everything that asshole had. We all know that she was entitled to a lot more.”

The vehemence in his voice gave me pause.

But Charles seemed to want the last word. “She was entitled to nothing.”

Theo shook his head and turned to Maggie. “I warned you about getting involved with this family.”

“So did everyone else.” Maggie’s glare at Theo was lethal. “But the only one who seems to hold it against me, is you. I made a mistake. That mistake gave me two precious gifts, but you don’t see that do you? You big oaf.”

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