Page 20 of Blame It On Midnight

“Since when do you like that thing?” Benton plopped onto a chair as Dallas scooped the little dog into his arms and walked over to the table.

“Vivian thinks she’s precious.”

“Vivian needs glasses.”

Dallas grinned at that, slowly scratching behind the dog’s ears. “She’s not so bad. She’s lived some and deserves a little bit of respect.” Lily raised her head, turned toward Benton, and growled.

“When she gives me respect and I’ll gladly give it back.”

“Beer?” At Benton’s nod, Dallas took the dog inside and was back, minus the dog, with two cold beers and a bag of chips. Sour Cream & Onion. Bent’s favorite.

The beer was cold, the chips fresh, and the magnificent quiet of this spot kept both men silent for a moment or two. Gradually, the tension fell away from Benton, and he glanced at his sister.

“How’s she feeling?”

Dallas cracked a smile. “Tired, hungry and horny?—”

“Whoa, I draw the line at sex talk. The image of you and my sister doing that isn’t something I want to think about.”

Dallas shrugged. “You asked.”

“Generally speaking is what I’m after. Not the details.”

“Well, generally speaking, she’s good. She’s had a touch of morning sickness, and she sleeps in the afternoon. Eats more watermelon and chocolate than a small heifer?—”

“I’m awake, boys, and despite being tired as hell, my hearing works just fine.” Vivian’s head popped up, and she slid out of the hammock, her long, dark hair blowing in the breeze as she made her way over to them. She dug into the chip bag and stuffed a handful into her mouth. Then proceeded to chew slowly and methodically. Kind of like a heifer, Benton thought with a smile.

“What’s so funny?” Vivian gave him a look.

“Nothing.” He took another pull from his bottle.

Vivian crawled onto Dallas’s lap and once she was settled, looked his way. “I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you last night. One minute you were flirting with two different ladies, and the next you were gone.”

Benton stretched his legs out. He didn’t take the bait. “I decided on an early night, and there was no flirting.”

“Michaela Dawson sure wanted some.”

“Michaela Dawson is a nice lady, but she’s nothing more than that.”

“It’s not Michaela I’m curious about.”

Dallas murmured something into his sister’s ear, but she batted his hand away.

“It’s the young one who’s got my interest. Kip’s sister. Do you want to tell me about her?”

Benton tried to keep the surprise off his face, but didn’t think he was successful. How in hell had Vivian zeroed in on Collins? He sat back and considered how much to share with his sister and Dallas, and in the end decided he might feel better about the situation if he could talk about it.

“I ran into Collins in Nashville when we all went there for Cal’s arena show.”

“Really.” Vivian lifted her chin. “You didn’t come to the after party.” She frowned. “But come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing Kip’s sister either.”

“No. I headed out to the strip and ended up in a bar and…” He sighed, “You know how the story goes.”

“No, I don’t.” Vivian sat up. “Please fill me in.”

He scowled at his sister and looked at Dallas.

“Hey, you’re the one sharing.” Dallas grinned and wrapped his arms around Vivian. The man was clearly enjoying things.

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