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- Herausgeber: Lorhainne Eckhart, INC.
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Serie: The O'Connells
- Sprache: Englisch
Secrets and Lies in a Small Town
—“A new family series more suspenseful than the Friessens.” Karen L. Vine Voice
From a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author: Park ranger Ryan is shocked when Jenny, a one-night stand from years ago, moves to his Montana town with her troublesome daughter, Alison. But he can’t resist the pull he feels toward her — especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out…
“A story of family dynamics, teenage angst and rebellion, and secrets that can tear a family apart.” Rebmay
—“A new family series more suspenseful than the Friessens.” Karen L. Vine Voice
—“A wonderfully engaging romance. An angsty teenager, a new next-door neighbor who happens to be a former one-night stand, a mountain-side search that causes secrets to be revealed, a bit of intrigue with a few surprising twists and more.” Catlou
—“When Allison goes missing and Ryan decides to help Jenny, he has no idea that life as he knew it, would never be the same. This engaging story is about family, hope and second chances , with some mystery thrown in.” Y. Cruz, Reviewer
—“This is a page Turner as Jenny, Ryan and Alison become a family, fighting to overcome Jenny's former life, with a few twist and turns”. Wagbet
Park ranger Ryan is one of the six O’Connell siblings in Livingston, raised by an independent mom who has been a rock to him. He has a career he loves, and up until six weeks ago, he lived a comfortable life. When a new neighbor moves in and disturbs the quiet peace of the area, bringing with her a daughter who’s walking trouble.
Right now, the gorgeous Jenny isn’t too interested in making friends, but despite her cool façade, as Ryan gets to know her, he can’t fight an idiotic need to try to ease the pain he sees her trying to hide. At the same time, he knows deep down that both mother and daughter have a secret, and if he were smart, he would listen to his brother’s warning and walk away.
But Ryan can’t resist the pull he feels toward Jenny— especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out…
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Seitenzahl: 266
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020
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The Neighbor, The O’Connells
COPYRIGHT © Lorhainne Ekelund, 2020, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Editor: Talia Leduc
The Neighbor
THE O’CONNELLS
BOOK ONE
LORHAINNE ECKHART
Contents
Keep in touch with Lorhainne
About the O’Connells
The Neighbor
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
What’s coming next in The O’Connells
The Third Call
Other works available
Keep Me In Your Heart - Chapter 1
Keep Me In Your Heart - Chapter 2
About the Author
Series Available
Links to Lorhainne Eckhart’s Booklist
Keep in touch with Lorhainne
Sign-up for Lorhainne’s Newsletter & Monday Blog
Like Lorhainne on Facebook
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About the O’Connells
The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss. Raised by a single mother after their father’s mysterious disappearance eighteen years ago, the six grown siblings live in a small town with all kinds of hidden secrets, lies, and deception. Much like the contemporary family romance series focusing on the Friessens, this romantic suspense series follows the lives of the O’Connell family as each of the siblings searches for love.
The O’Connells
The Neighbor
The Third Call
The Secret Husband
The Quiet Day
The Commitment, An O’Connell Novella
The Missing Father
The Hometown Hero
Justice
The Family Secret
The Fallen O’Connell
The Return of the O’Connells
And The She Was Gone
The Stalker
The O’Connell Family Christmas
The Girl Next Door
Broken Promises
The Gatekeeper
The Hunted
The O’Connells Box Set Collections
The O’Connells Books 1 - 3
The O’Connells Books 4 - 6
The O’Connells Books 7 - 9
The O’Connells Books 10 - 12
The O’Connells Books 13 - 15
The O’Connells Books 16 - 18
The Neighbor
“A story of family dynamics, teenage angst and rebellion, and secrets that can tear a family apart.”
REBMAY
CLICK HERE TO ADD AUDIOBOOK NARRATION TO THE NEIGHBOR, NARRATED BY FERNANDO GONZALES & JESSICA OSBOURNE
Park ranger Ryan is shocked when Jenny, a one-night stand from years ago, moves to his Montana town with her troublesome daughter, Alison. But he can’t resist the pull he feels toward her — especially once Alison goes missing and the truth about her daughter’s real identity comes out…
Park ranger Ryan is one of the six O’Connell siblings in Livingston, raised by an independent mom who has been a rock to him. He has a career he loves, and up until six weeks ago, he lived a comfortable life. When a new neighbor moves in and disturbs the quiet peace of the area, bringing with her a daughter who’s walking trouble, Ryan is shocked to discover that the woman is a one-night stand he picked up at a bar years ago.
Right now, the gorgeous Jenny isn’t too interested in making friends, but despite her cool façade, as Ryan gets to know her, he can’t fight an idiotic need to try to ease the pain he sees her trying to hide. At the same time, he knows deep down that both mother and daughter have a secret, and if he were smart, he would listen to his brother’s warning and walk away.
When Alison goes missing, everyone in town believes she simply ran off or found her way into trouble, but nothing about her disappearance adds up. She simply set out on an afternoon hike into the park and never came back.
Jenny soon learns she’s not alone when Ryan takes matters into his own hands and sets off with her into the park to find her daughter. What he doesn’t know is that Alison is actually his daughter, too, and when he learns the truth and the real reason she left, the secret could end up dividing the O’Connell family.
Now Available on Audiobook!
ChapterOne
More or less, Livingston was a quiet town—except for the person next door, the supreme a-hole he had yet to meet.
Ryan O’Connell’s scale of assholes went from your average pain in the ass, to the lying, cheating dirty dog, to the class A supreme asshole who didn’t give a fuck about anyone and conceivably embraced being said asshole, considering the intolerable noise from next door.
Ryan wasn’t in the mood to deal with yet another asshole today as he dragged on a pair of gray sweats after toweling off from a cool shower in the August Montana heat.
The stereo thumped from the Kunkels’ house next door. Actually, scratch that. Althea Kunkel had been a sweet old busybody, always trying to fix Ryan up. She had been the ideal neighbor, though she had always invaded his privacy and his peace of mind, waking him at seven a.m. on Sundays with freshly baked cinnamon rolls. At times, he’d been forced to sneak into his own house after parking up the street so she wouldn’t know he was home.
She was now six feet under, and Ryan missed her.
Good neighbors were hard to find.
He would’ve given anything to have that meddling busybody back instead of the unnamed scumbag who’d recently moved in. Every night for the past three weeks, his new neighbor had incessantly cranked the music so loud that the thump of the bass bounced the only piece of artwork, a painting of dogs smoking and playing poker, that he had on his vibrant white walls. It had been a joke from his sister Suzanne, one of Livingston’s three fulltime firefighters, and he swore she hadn’t expected him to hang it in such a prominent spot in the house.
That was just one of those things they did on their birthdays, really digging in and competing to find the perfect gift the other would hate. But Ryan was determined always to have the last laugh, and he’d hung the painting in the living room for everyone to see. He liked dogs and found humor in it, and he could see how much it annoyed his sister every time she stopped by.
“Goddamn asshole,” he said under his breath as he jogged down his stairs, barefoot and pissed, ready to lay out the dos and don’ts of being a good neighbor as the annoying thump continued.
He pulled open his front door, wanting only peace and quiet, a beer, and an hour or two in front of his idiot box to watch the episode of Survivor saved on his PVR. He stepped out onto the covered porch, the sky dark except for the streetlights, and strode across his overgrown grass, taking in the rusty Hyundai parked in his neighbor’s driveway.
Across the street, Ham Johnson, bald and fortyish, with three kids and a wife who visited her sister in Idaho every other week, which was when his girlfriend would stay over, was standing on his front porch and watching. Yeah, Ham was just another asshole, but he lifted his hand in a wave and walked back into his house.
Ryan’s neighbor’s two-story craftsman was identical to his, with now wilting daisies in the flower boxes. He took in the lit house, the closed door, and the noise, which was nearly deafening as he stepped onto the front porch and fisted his hand. He lifted it to the screen and yanked it open with a barely audible squeak, then pounded on the door. “Hey, shut it down!” he yelled. He could be loud when he wanted to, but he was having trouble hearing himself, considering the music was still thumping.
It was a tune he knew well, “Bad to the Bone.”
“Fucking asshole,” he said under his breath, then pounded the door again with his fist, louder. He kept pounding until the music suddenly stopped, and he could finally hear his heart thumping, the pull of his breath, and a noticeable ring in the air as the quiet of night was no longer disrupted.
One, two, three… He heard the footsteps and then nothing, forcing himself to listen, as he thought for sure the asshole had stopped on the other side of the door. He waited for it to open when the light suddenly flicked off, not just the inside light but the porch light too, leaving him standing in the dark. Like, what the fuck?
“Hey, open the damn door!” he said and pounded on the door again. The neighbors’ dogs were now barking and doors were opening, as if he was now the problem. “You think I don’t know you’re in there? Like, what are you, two years old? Open the damn door.”
He was positive his neighbor was standing just on the other side, the fucking little coward. Now he had no intention of walking away. “Look, I’m not leaving until we talk and set some ground rules…”
The light flicked on, and he heard the deadbolt click and watched as the doorknob turned and the door opened. He was staring into the deep brown eyes of a girl who was maybe sixteen, seventeen. She had shoulder-length black hair and wore black eye shadow, a low-cut green army tank, and cut-off shorts that left nothing to the imagination. She also had a nose ring.
For a second, he was speechless. She said nothing.
“I live next door,” he finally said. “I’m your neighbor. Do you have any idea how loud your music was? It was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think.” He gestured next door with his thumb and took in the way she stared at him, her eyes lingering on his naked chest. Shit, he’d just stepped out of the shower and pulled on a pair of sweats. He hadn’t bothered with anything else.
“Sorry,” was all she said as she moved to close the door.
He slapped his hand on it. “Whoa, hang on a second. You know, it’s not as if this is a first offence. This had been going on every night. Who all lives here? Is this, like, some frat house or something?” He took her in and could see the teenage attitude emerging. She was likely going to tell him to go fuck himself.
“What’s it to you?” she said. Her eyes went right to his hand pressed to the door, holding it so she couldn’t slam it in his face. In that moment, he realized how she could’ve taken it.
“Look, is your mom or dad here?” he said. She hadn’t told him anything about who lived there, not that he could remember seeing anyone.
“Nope, just me,” she said and didn’t pull her gaze from him.
He had to fight the urge to laugh. “So you live here by yourself? A little young, aren’t you?”
She slid her hand up the door frame and cocked her hip in a teasing motion that had him pulling his hand away and stepping back. “Depends on what you like,” she said.
He wondered if his eyes bugged out, and he glanced over his shoulder. “Cut the crap, kid. Don’t…” he started, but just as he did so, he heard a car and saw the flashing lights of a cruiser as it parked out front. “You called the cops?”
She just shrugged, and he thought he saw the hint of a smile. In that second, he knew what the teen, whose name he still didn’t know, had done. This was a girl who could cause him some serious trouble. He should’ve called the cops first!
“Oh, I’m so glad you got here when you did, officer,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do. My mom’s not here, and this man won’t leave. He threatened me and scared me, pounding on the door…”
Ryan couldn’t pull his eyes from what seemed like an actress pulling off the perfect scene, and even her expression seemed to be that of a truly scared girl. He heard the creak of the step and took only a second to glance to the deputy now standing beside him, his hands on his belt. The man had the same O’Connell blue eyes he did, his dark wavy hair in the same cop cut he always wore. It was none other than his younger brother, who placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you for real, kid?” Ryan snapped.
“Well, aren’t you going to arrest him?” the kid said accusingly, and he wondered for a second if this was a joke. The look on her face was all the reality check he needed.
“Care to explain, Ryan?” said Marcus O’Connell.
Just then, Ryan spotted the headlights of a small Jeep Patriot that was pulling in behind the rusty Hyundai.
“Wish I could,” he said. “Came over because of the damn noise, a stereo, and now you’re here. She called the cops?” He couldn’t figure out when, maybe while she was avoiding answering the door.
“What’s going on here?” said a woman emerging from the Jeep. She had dark hair and wore a baggy sweatshirt and a jean skirt that stopped at her knees, and she was carrying what looked like a grocery bag. Damn, she looked familiar. “Alison, what’s going on? What did you do now?”
She was pretty—no, cute, slender. She had one of those faces that wouldn’t get lost in a crowd, and he saw the spark of recognition when she saw him. Nothing friendly. He had to rack his brain to figure out where he knew her from.
“I’m Ryan O’Connell. I live next door,” he said, and he actually held out his hand to the woman, who was now on the first step. For a second, he didn’t think she’d shake it, but she did. Small hand, firm grip—and untrusting eyes. She said nothing, and he didn’t miss the glance to his brother.
“Your music was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think,” he explained. “I came over here because it’s been a nightly thing. I take it you’re one of her parents?”
The woman pulled her hand from his and flicked her gaze to the teen in the doorway. Yup, definitely the angry mom look. “I’m so sorry,” she said, then looked to the teen. “I told you no loud music! I apologize and can assure you it won’t happen again.”
“Well, I’m not here about the noise,” Marcus said. “This young lady called 911 and said there was an intruder trying to break in, that she was home alone… We were just trying to get to the bottom of it when you showed up. I take it you live here?”
Ryan moved back and leaned against the post to watch.
“Yes, sorry. I’m Jennifer—Jenny, and this is my daughter, Alison.” She handed off the paper bag to her daughter. “You called the cops? What were you thinking?” Her voice squeaked, and he wondered whether this was something her daughter did often.
He glanced to his brother, who only shook his head. He wondered how many times Marcus had to deal with this kind of thing.
“He was being a dick, pounding on the door,” Alison said. She didn’t even try to pretend that she hadn’t just made up a big lie. Ryan had heard of neighbors from hell, but he’d never expected to have one. He stood with his arms crossed over his naked chest, still trying to think of how he knew Jenny.
“You don’t call the cops!” she said. “Seriously, Alison… Go unpack the groceries.”
“Just hang on a second, here,” Marcus said. “Calling 911 for kicks is a serious offense. At the same time, if I’m called out here because of noise, for example, your music cranked too loud, I’m going to fine you, because that’s a problem.”
Alison was holding the grocery bag and dragged her gaze to her mom, who appeared barely old enough to have a teenage daughter.
“I can assure you it won’t happen again,” Jenny said. “I will have a talk with my daughter and see to it that she behaves herself.”
He noted the edge in her voice. That was the same tone his own mom had used on each of them when they misbehaved, pulling them aside alone at home for a talk they didn’t want to have. There was fun mom, and then there was angry grounded-for-life mom. He could see this teen was getting the latter.
“So, then, the music…” he started.
Jenny lifted her hands, shaking her head. “It will stop, like right now, and I’m sorry for the trouble my daughter caused.”
Alison had already walked away, seeming completely unaffected at having a cop call her out. She was trouble with a capital T. He wondered if he should also give Jenny a heads-up on how her daughter had been toying with him and offering herself up to him.
“Is that all?” she asked. So much for any friendly neighborly talk. He was still trying to figure out how they knew each other and when they’d met.
“Guess so,” he said. “Music’s off, so the neighborhood should be happy. Oh, and you may want to keep your daughter on a short leash,” he added as he stepped away from the post and down the steps. He stopped at the bottom, taking in the withering look his brother dragged over to him. Finally, Ryan said, “I’m trying to place it. Seems we’ve met. You look familiar.”
She actually made a rude noise and crossed her arms. “So you don’t remember?” she said.
He could feel his brother taking him in. “I’m great with faces, but I meet a lot of people in my line of work as a ranger. We meet on the trail or someplace in town or something?”
She seemed unimpressed. “Or something,” she replied, and the way she said it oozed with sarcasm. She gestured to him. “Is this how you always dress, half naked, flaunting that perfect chest?”
Damn, her eyes were the same dark brown as the girl’s, and he didn’t miss the anger simmering below the surface.
“Just got out of the shower, and this is all I managed to pull on,” he said. “Word of advice, Jenny: We’re neighbors. It would be better to get along, and so far, you’re not off to a great start.”
He just couldn’t help himself, and he wasn’t sure what the amused grin on his brother’s face was about as Jenny narrowed her eyes, lifted her middle finger to him, and then stepped into the house and shut the door.
“Wow, you really have a way with women,” Marcus said with a laugh.
Ryan just stepped down and took in the house a nice old woman had once lived in. God damn it, did he miss her. “It’s a gift,” he said, then lifted his hand to his brother as he cut across the grass, still barefoot. “See you at Mom’s tomorrow.”
“Hey, Ryan, word of advice?” Marcus called out.
He turned, resting his hands on his hips, not saying anything, knowing his brother had something on his mind.
“Next time, call me first,” Marcus said. “Seen this before, and it ain’t pretty. Remember, your territory’s the woods, the park. Mine is this town. If a young girl calls the cops and makes up a story, a stupid schmuck could walk right into it and land in jail. It never ends well for the stupid schmuck, so don’t let that be you.” Marcus let out a sigh and shook his head. “She’s trouble,” he added. “Steer clear—and it’s your turn to bring the beer tomorrow.”
Ryan watched as his brother climbed into his cruiser, flicked off the still flashing lights, and drove away. He wasn’t sure what made him look back to the house next door, but when he did, he was positive the girl was watching him from the upstairs window.
ChapterTwo
“So what you’re saying is this isn’t your vehicle, and you didn’t know you had to have a license to operate it in the park, and insurance, and actual tires?” Ryan said as he took in the two good ol’ boys who had been ripping around the park in a souped-up pickup.
They had said their names were Bob and Darren. Bob shrugged, while Darren just stared at him with dark eyes as if still trying to figure out what his story was.
“Words, please, or do you not speak English?” Ryan said. “Again, I’m going to ask you one more time, any weapons on you or in the truck?”
“It’s not as if it’s a real road or anything,” Darren said. He had to be at least five inches shorter than Bob. “Got a pistol, is all, for protection. I’m entitled to have a gun.”
“And where is this pistol? You have it on you, or is it in the truck?” Ryan rested his hand on his heavy belt, feeling his holstered revolver. He’d lost count of the times he’d felt the need to reach for it. He was starting to get that feeling again.
“Glovebox, right? That’s where you said you shoved it?” said Bob, who seemed unusually nervous.
Darren just stared at him and nodded. “Yeah, that’s right, just a harmless little pistol.”
“You two weren’t also shooting out the window, were you? Or do you need a minute to change your story? Some hikers called in about a tireless truck screeching through the park, firing off a gun. I want both of you to lift your shirts and turn around right now,” he snapped and waited, not expecting an answer.
Darren lifted his grimy white T-shirt, and Bob followed. Ryan scanned their white bellies and gestured for them to turn around, his other hand resting on the butt of his gun. He took in the pistol shoved in the back of Darren’s baggy jeans and reached for it, pulling it out.
“Okay, link your fingers together, hands on your heads. Lie to me again and I’ll cuff both of you. You forget that you were carrying a gun, or were you planning on pulling it on me? If I search your truck, what am I going to find?”
“No, sir,” said Darren, shaking his head. His thick arms were sunburned, with a scratch on one forearm. “Listen, I just forgot it was there, is all. Thought I’d stuck it in the glovebox. Simple mistake. And it’s just junk in the truck, not mine. Borrowed the truck from a friend, so don’t know what all he’s got in there.”
Ryan checked the gun, seeing it was loaded with one in the chamber, and he didn’t miss the scent of gunpowder, a sign it had recently been fired. He emptied the bullets and tucked the gun in his waistband at the small of his back, feeling the midday sun beating down on him. Beads of sweat dripped down his spine, and his damp short-sleeved dark shirt clung to his back. “Right now, I want you both to pull your wallets from your back pockets and show me your IDs.” He didn’t pull off his shades as both did so.
“Told ya, though, I forgot my license,” Darren said. He was missing one of his lower front teeth. He appeared to be the older one, early thirties, whereas Bob was tall and lanky, mid-twenties, give or take. Ryan didn’t buy anything they were saying. It was just that feeling he got when he knew someone was hiding something.
“Right, and you think I haven’t heard that before? Open up your wallets. I want to see something with your names on it.”
They both gave an awkward shuffle, and he took in the truck. Both doors were open, but he had blocked their exit by parking his four by four across the trail. When people saw him standing in front of his rig, cutting off their escape, it was always the same. These assholes figured they could do whatever they wanted in his park, believing it was their personal playland. Only once had he had to pull his gun on a driver to get him to stop.
Darren opened his wallet first, and Ryan could see the cards that filled the slots. He pulled out a Montana license, expired, with the name Dirk Hoskins. Sweat lined his brow. His dark greasy hair hung to his shoulders, and it was thin and balding in front.
“Look, we weren’t causing no harm,” Bob said. “It’s not as if it’s a real road, anyway. Just having some fun and blowing off steam, you know.” He actually laughed as he said it, then pulled out an Idaho license with the name Ronald Steele.
Ryan glanced at the photos. Just the bugged-out expression in both showed the resemblance. “Hate to tell both of you this, but driving an unregistered vehicle in the park isn’t allowed. And your way of blowing off steam could have killed someone. Let me guess: You forgot your license was in your wallet? One valid, one expired. You’re both in deep shit.”
Darren, or rather Dirk, shrugged.
“So explain this to me, Bob and Darren. Why are your names listed on these licenses as Dirk and Ronald?”
Ronald swallowed.
“So which is it, is the license fake, or did you just lie to a federal officer and give me a false name?” Ryan said. The expressions on their faces said everything. “Okay, let me help you out here before you dig yourselves in any deeper. I’m going to run your licenses, and the best option is to be straight with me, because if you lie to me one more time, you’ll find yourselves cuffed and tossed in the back, then behind bars. I can come up with a dozen charges just off the top of my head.”
“Okay, okay, didn’t mean to lie, sir,” Dirk said. “We weren’t hurting nobody, just having some fun. It’s just the park, the trails, not a real road…”
“Hate to tell you this, but you can get in a shitload of trouble for driving in a park, and you do need to have a properly registered vehicle, with papers and insurance and a valid driver’s license. Then there’s shooting off a gun in a national park…” He took in both the men, wondering if they’d keep arguing.
“Well, sir, I’m sorry,” Dirk said. “We didn’t realize. Can you let us off with a warning?”
He just took in the men, seeing another two who fit on his asshole scale, then shook his head, opened up the back of his four by four, and gestured inside. “Nope. Climb in. I’ll give you a ride back to the station, where I’ll write up your fines. The truck will be towed in, and you can tell your story again before a judge.”
* * *
It was after five when he pulled up in front of the one-story bungalow where he’d grown up. Looked like some of his siblings were already there. He parked behind Owen’s white cargo van, emblazoned with the logo of his plumbing company. Suzanne’s work-in-progress red 1970 MGB was in the driveway behind Karen’s practical four-door Honda. He stepped out of his rig just as Marcus pulled up in his cruiser, and he reached for two cases of beer in his back seat, one the stout his sister preferred and the other the light ale he and Marcus always went for.
“Heard you nailed those assholes ripping up the park,” Marcus said. “Aren’t they the same ones who’ve been causing all that ruckus out there over the last few weeks?”
Ryan handed off one of the cases and shoved the back door closed. “Not sure, maybe. Should’ve seen their faces when they saw me standing there. Damn near crapped their pants. It was fantastic.” He laughed. “But at least now they’ll think twice about heading into the park.”
Especially considering the fines he’d slapped on them. Ryan and Marcus strode across the lawn, which had been littered with bikes more than a decade ago. His mom had just painted the front door a vibrant red.
“Just another asshole, right?” Marcus added.
Ryan wanted to roll his eyes, but he grunted instead as his brother headed first through the door. He could smell garlic from the roast beef he knew their mom was cooking. The game was on TV, and voices came from the kitchen as he took in his image in the mirrored coat closet that greeted everyone the minute they walked through the door. Yeah, his ranger’s uniform was dusty, and his mom would tell him he needed a haircut.
He wiped his black boots and went down the two steps into the front room, seeing his brother Luke on the sofa, his long dark hair tied back in a ponytail. His blue O’Connell eyes were filled with an odd watchfulness that followed Ryan’s every move.
“Toss me one of those beers,” Luke said.
Ryan rested the case on the sofa table, ripped open the top, and lifted out two of the cold ales. He handed one to Luke, who always sat in the same spot when they visited his mom: the corner of the sofa in the corner of the room, with the wall behind him.
“You go out today?” Ryan asked. Luke was home for nine days on leave from the military—special forces, he knew, but where exactly he and his team had been, he didn’t. That was what they didn’t talk about.
“Yup. Montana State is behind.” Luke gestured to the TV and downed half the beer. Okay, so they were still at that point. It would be another day or two before Luke would get off the sofa and have a real conversation.
“Hey, heard you had some trouble last night,” his mom said as she strode out of the kitchen in light blue capris and a blue tank top. She was still slim and stylish, with short dark hair. She set a stack of plates on the dining room table.
“Oh, and who did you hear that from?” Ryan said. It was a ridiculous question, considering Marcus just couldn’t help himself from sharing everything with their mom. He always had.
“Trouble? You, Ryan?” Suzanne added with a ton of sarcasm. She was in baggy shorts and an oversized T-shirt, carrying one of the stouts he’d brought.
“Just a problem with a neighbor that should now be rectified,” he said—that was, if the mom actually followed through and kept her daughter in line. But there was something about her that seemed so familiar. The thought had popped into his head a time or two already that day, and he’d racked his brain to figure out where they’d met.
“That’s not what Marcus said,” Suzanne called out from behind him, where she now sat beside Luke on the sofa. He turned to see she had her bare feet up on the coffee table.
“What the hell did Marcus say? Marcus, what the fuck did you tell everyone?”
His mom lifted a brow before she walked back into the kitchen, and Suzanne’s lips twitched as she lifted the beer to take a swallow. She was always messing with him.
