Love Under Two Jessops (34 page)

Jillian laughed. “See, this is why you shouldn’t be a hermit and live alone in the middle of nowhere. You miss the best excitement!”

Rebecca narrowed her gaze as she said, “Excitement can be
very
overrated. Trust me on this.”

“You just need to hone your sense of adventure, is all,” Jillian said. “Come, little sister, and I will fill you in on all the deets.”

When Jillian and Rebecca were out of hearing range, Andrew turned to his oldest brother. “It looks like your wife has pulled our baby sister out of her shell, at least a little.”

Robert nodded. “It does, doesn’t it? Jillian’s got a good heart and very good people skills. Still, I’d feel better if Rebecca had someone in her life to take her in hand, as it were.”

David laughed. “Good luck with that one, pal. For all of her many statements to the contrary you know she’s still in love with Greg.”

Chloe raised her right eyebrow. “Greg? Who’s Greg?” And she thought she gave a good performance of hearing “news,” even though Kate had told her Greg Benedict was indeed the “he” Rebecca had been thinking of when she’d asked about tattoos.

Grant slid his arm around her. “He’s the youngest of your sister’s older brothers-in-law.”

“I don’t think I’ve met him.”

“You probably haven’t,” Andrew said, “as I think the last time he came home was just in time for the triplets’ and Maggie’s engagement party.”

Grant shook his head. “Rebecca needs to get over him. He’s not coming home. And when he is home, they always seem to bicker.”

Chloe looked at Grant. “That doesn’t mean they don’t like each other. Sometimes, for some people, that’s what love looks like.”

“Exactly,” Robert said. “And I don’t think getting over him is what needs to happen here. As a matter of fact—” He stopped talking. He seemed to just then realize that this little cadre he was standing in the midst of wasn’t made up of only men.

While Chloe definitely was not a man, she
was
a caretaking older sibling. And sometimes the alliance lines between male and female needed to be crossed—in the interests of taking care of little sisters.

“I won’t breathe a word,” she said. “I promise.”

Robert looked at her for a long moment. Then, as if he’d come to a decision, he nodded. “I actually heard from Greg this morning. He’s on his way home with a friend, and they need to lie low for a while. I told him they could use the cabin.”

“But Rebecca’s living at the cabin,” Andrew said.

“Precisely!” Robert grinned, and Chloe found herself grinning right back at him. Then he shrugged. “Hey, it worked for the geeks and Penelope, and it worked for Chris, Daisy, and Rory. That cabin apparently has magical powers. I figured, third time might just definitely be as charmed.”

“Oh, my.” Chloe shook her head. It looked as if things were going to be getting interesting in Lusty.

Her men looked at Robert in awe, and David just shook his head. “You’re trying to compete with Grandma Kate,” he accused.

“No, I’m just discharging my duties as the eldest brother.”

Chloe only regretted that the cabin really was well outside of town, on a piece of Benedict land that wasn’t all that easy to access.

As for the rude surprise Rebecca was about to get, Chloe thought it was funny.
My soon-to-be sister-in-law is a big girl, and as capable as any woman of strength here in Lusty.
She’d be willing to bet that Rebecca would do just fine.

“
Now
?”

Chloe jerked her attention toward the back corner of the restaurant, where Devon Wakefield and Drew James were both on their feel. Devon had just asked that loud question and both men looked
beyond
panicked.

“
Both of you
?”

Jordan and Peter Alvarez-Kendall were also on their feet, and Peter had sounded as incredulous as had Dev. Both Julia and Tracy looked worried, and maybe a little uncertain. Then they looked at each other and began to laugh.

“Apparently, I’m about to attend a different sort of party,” David Jessop said.

“I’ll help you,” Robert said, “since it would seem there are two of them going into labor at the same time.” Then he raised his eyebrow and looked first at Grant and then at Andrew. “Brothers?”

Chloe didn’t wonder what Robert was inferring. Both Grant and Andrew were trained EMTs, as well as being firemen. She knew that under normal circumstances, Warren and Edward would help, but they weren’t here, and her men were.

“Are you
kidding
me? This is our engagement party!” Andrew said.

Chloe laughed. She couldn’t help it. She thought this turn of events was just about perfect.

“I can’t think of a better way to always remember this night,” she said, “than to help the next members of this wonderful family come into the world.” And because she’d learned a lot about family, Lusty style, since she’d moved to this small town, it didn’t surprise her in the least when everyone at
Lusty Appetites
followed the expectant parents, the doctors, and the firemen and headed on over to the clinic to do just that.

THE END

WWW.MORGANASHBURY.COM

Morgan Ashbury writing as Cara Covington

Morgan has been a writer since she was first able to pick up a pen. In the beginning it was a hobby, a way to create a world of her own, and who could resist the allure of that? Then as she grew and matured, life got in the way, as life often does. She got married and had three children, and worked in the field of accounting, for that was the practical thing to do and the children did need to be fed. And all the time she was being practical, she would squirrel herself away on quiet Sunday afternoons, and write.

Most children are raised knowing the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. Morgan’s children also learned the Paper Rule: thou shalt not throw out any paper that has thy mother’s words upon it.

Believing in tradition, Morgan ensured that her children’s children learned this rule, too.

Life threw Morgan a curve when, in 2002, she underwent emergency triple by-pass surgery. Second chances are to be cherished, and with the encouragement and support of her husband, Morgan decided to use hers to do what she’d always dreamed of doing: writing full time.

Morgan has always loved writing romance. It is the one genre that can incorporate every other genre within its pulsating heart. Romance showcases all that human kind can aspire to be. And, she admits, she’s a sucker for a happy ending.

Morgan’s favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and traveling—though she would rather you didn’t mention that last one to her husband. She has too much fun teasing him about having become a “Traveling Fool” of late.

Morgan lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, with a mysterious cat, and her husband of forty years, David.

For all titles by Cara Covington, please visit

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Morgan Ashbury, please visit

www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

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