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MARCH 2015
“Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you! Look at all of you!”
As Penny hugs her brother and his fiancée, Kyra, her heart swells. The statuesque brunette with her beautiful curls and gorgeous blue eyes is absolutely perfect for Colt. And the mile-wide smile on his face? Priceless.
Kyra squeezes Penny affectionately. “It’s wonderful to meet you finally.” She turns to Colt holding her five-year-old son. She brushes her hand across the child’s dark hair. “This is Jackson.”
Tears well in Penny’s eyes. She’s gaining a sister-in-law and a nephew all in one. “Hi, Jackson.” The little boy laying his head on Colt’s shoulder rubs his eyes and mumbles his greetings.
Colt laughs. “Sorry, Sis. Little man didn’t sleep much on the plane.”
As the busy airport bustles around them, Penny leads them toward the baggage claim. “You need a car rental?”
“Not a bad idea. Unless you got a new vehicle?”
Colt arches his brow, and Penny shoves him. “Will you leave it alone? It’s a classic.”
“Last time I checked, POS wasn’t listed as a classic anything.”
“It has four wheels and the engine turns over,” Penny counters. “I’m a grad student, remember? It gets me to and from school.”
Kyra bursts out laughing. “You two are so cute together. I bet you had fun as kids.”
Colt nudges Penny. “I don’t know. Did we?”
Rolling her eyes, Penny sticks out her tongue playfully. “Only when you weren’t teasing me ruthlessly.”
Colton shifts Jackson on his hip. “Okay, Kyra, so one time my dear little sister made me rake up all the leaves in our yard—”
Penny shoves him. “That wasn’t my fault, you jerk! You got in trouble for breaking Dad’s car window playing baseball.”
Colt smirks. “Oh, yeah. Anyway, little miss Sunshine over there made my buddy and me piggyback her around the damn yard like fancy ponies in her kingdom.” Kyra’s tinkling laugh fills their intimate space, and Colt beams.
Penny sticks her hands in her pockets, her stomach tightening upon hearing her childhood nickname. It wasn’t Colt who had called her Sunshine.
“How old were you?” Kyra asks.
Penny shrugs. “Six or seven? Colt’s five years older than me.”
Kyra grips his arm. “Sounds about right. I’m the baby, too. My older brothers used to call me Princess. My mother died when I was young, so they were pretty overprotective.”
Colt hands Jackson to Kyra, and he grabs the bags. “So, where are we staying?”
“Mom’s. I told the realtor we’d be there all weekend. There won’t be any showings.”
“When do you have to be back to school?”
Penny sighs. Her TA position and her studies have taken a big toll on her this semester. The stipend and experience she receives is worth it, but she’s exhausted. “Next week. Spring break started yesterday, and I drove down after classes ended.”
“I can’t believe that rust-bucket made it.” He pauses. “How’s Mom?”
Penny shrugs. “About the same. Dialysis is keeping her alive, but the cancer is slowly eating away her organs. Radiation treatments aren’t doing much but making her sick. I don’t know why they keep giving them to her.”
Colton looks at Kyra grimly. He laces his fingers with hers and kisses the tips. “That’s why we’ve gotta get this done. Well, that and Sierra...”
Penny frowns. “Who?”
A somber look drifts over Kyra’s face. “You remember Colt’s murder case at the ski hill? The girl that was kidnapped and raped by that madman? She’s pregnant.”
Surprise sends shock waves through Penny, and tears wobble at her eyelashes. “That poor girl!” Fisting her hands in front of her belly, she swallows hard. For all the trouble it had caused, at least her rape hadn’t ended in such a grim fashion. “Is she alright?”
“As good as she can be, given the circumstances,” Kyra says. “She’s staying with us and getting therapy.” Kyra smiles. “She’s also trying to finish school. She’s tough as nails, that one.”
Penny nods. “Good for her. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.” Colt’s eyebrow arches and she shakes her head. Alright, on some level, she does. But she doesn’t want to think about that right now.
“Anyway,” Kyra continues, “She’s having the baby.” She glances at Colt who gives her a huge grin. “And we’re adopting it.”
“Oh my God!” For the first time in her life, Penny actually squeals. “That’s amazing! Congratulations to both of you.” She hugs her brother. “Does Mom know?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet. That’s the purpose of this visit... and to finalize the plans for our wedding. We’ve chosen the Bayside Resort at Lake St. Clair. It’s close enough to Mom’s nursing home she won’t have to travel far.”
“That’s admirable of you, Colt.” After everything they’d been through with their mother, he’d finally made amends with Miranda.
Kyra takes Penny’s hand. “My friend Cat is my Matron of Honor, but I’d love you to be a bridesmaid. I don’t have many girlfriends, and I want you to be a part of our special day.”
Warmth and joy spread through Penny. This is it. Her brother is getting married. “I would be honored. May fourth, right?” She bows and deepens her voice. “May the fourth be with you.”
Colt bursts out laughing as Kyra shoves him. “Jeez! She’s definitely your sister. That’s exactly what he said!”
Penny giggles. “Sorry, old family joke. No worries, Kyra. I’ll help as much as I can.”
“When Cat returns from her conference next week, I’ll be in touch. We’ll come to you since there aren’t many formal wear stores on the western peninsula. I grew up a few towns over from Marquette. Is Fiona’s Bridal still on Front Street?”
Penny presses her lips together. How would she know? She can’t even get a date. After frat boy Anthony Preston’s little prank and her roommate’s revenge, Penny had landed on the do not date list at NMU. Not that she’s been looking. She’s had too much going on with school.
She clears her throat. “I’ll check for you and send you a list of possibilities. Are you doing the bridal shower thing?”
“That’s Cat’s department. She mentioned holding it at the ski hill after the season ends.”
Penny winks. “I’ll be there.”
As they walk toward the car rental desk, Colt takes a duffle from Kyra. “Since you’ve got your girls lined up, I’d better let my best man know we’ve set a date.”
Penny grins. She likes David Cross. His wife Ellen is a sweetheart. They’d dined together a few times when Colt was with the Bureau. Although...
She nudges her brother. “Maybe David’s boys should sit this one out.”
Colt’s eyes narrow. He gives Kyra a sidelong glance. “No kidding. Cross’ boys are a handful.” He clears his throat. “But I meant Donovan.”
Every blood cell in Penny’s heart slows to a crawl as her sympathetic nervous system kicks in. Sweat beads across her brow. “Luke? Wow. I, er, didn’t know you guys still kept in touch.”
He shrugs. “He’s my best friend. We talk all the time.” He sighs. “I never mentioned it because I know how you feel about him.”
Kyra frowns. “Is that the guy we met the last time we were here? Tall, dark hair? Sexy blue eyes?”
Penny seizes her keys from her purse and backs away. She can’t acknowledge that perfect assessment right now. She swallows the lump in her throat. “Are you guys settled here? I’ll meet you at home.”
She turns to go. She can’t lose it. It’s taken her years to get rid of the negative feelings toward the entire Rochester Hills community. But Luke is still at the top of her do not talk about list.
“Pen, wait.” Colt stops her before she can push through the doors. “Are you okay with this?”
Closing her eyes, she tightens her fists and puts on her happy face. She has to be. This is her brother’s wedding. He has every right to have Luke by his side on his special day. She doesn’t want to ruin it for him.
She turns around. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. That was a childish reaction. That’s all water under the bridge, yeah?”
He draws her into his arms and hugs her. “He’s changed, too.”
Of course, he has. People tend to do that as they grow up. Jeez, can she even remember when she saw him last? She pats her brother’s back. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
She goes through the motions of finding her car, driving through the terminal, and exiting onto the highway without realizing she’s actually done it. Before she knows it, she’s turning into her childhood neighborhood.
As she parks in the driveway, she exits her car and stares at the house down the street. Memories, good and bad, swarm through her like mosquitos, and her blood tingles.
What is she going to do? In two months, her brother is getting married, and Luke Donovan will be there.
She has to get tougher skin if she’s going to survive this.