Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,24

problem. I'll do it."

Relief filled her gaze. "Great. I don't want to let my sister down, even though, to be honest, I'd rather be on the slopes. But family is family. Speaking of which, your brother is in your office. He said he needed to use your computer. I guess the internet is down at your mom's house. I didn't think you'd care."

"I don't. Thanks for letting him in." He smiled as he headed for the office, happy to know that his favorite member of the family was back in town.

Paul was sitting at his desk when he entered the room. He immediately looked up and gave him a big smile. Paul was a thinner, shorter version of himself with sandy brown hair and brown eyes that had always been filled with curiosity and intelligence. They were four years apart in age, but light-years apart in every other area. But he loved his younger brother more than he loved anyone else in the world. Their bond had gotten tighter when Paul had gone through leukemia as a child. For three years, they'd been afraid every day that they'd lose him. Thankfully, he'd recovered. Now he was six months away from finishing medical school.

"You're back," he said as his brother got up to give him a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Great," Paul replied. "Hope you don't mind me using your computer, but the internet went out at the house and Mom is freaking out about all the cakes and cookies she has to finish baking by tonight. When I asked her where the router was, she gave me a look that said keep on walking."

He laughed at his brother's words, knowing that when his mother got focused on something, there was no interruption allowed. Since she was apparently responsible for filling at least one-quarter of a baked-goods booth with three of her friends, she was under a lot of pressure. "You were smart to come here and stay out of the line of fire, although Mom can never get mad at you."

"We've had our moments. What's going on with you? If I can be blunt, you look like shit."

He ran a hand through his hair. He'd gotten in a quick shower at the cabin, but that hadn't covered up the dark circles under his eyes.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Paul queried.

"Not very much."

A grin spread across his brother's face. "What's her name?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well, then tell me, because this sounds interesting." Paul sat down and leaned back in the desk chair.

He took the chair in front of the desk. "I was with Hannah."

Disbelief ran through Paul's eyes. "No way. Hannah Stark? The one who can't stand you and tries to avoid you whenever she can?"

"That's the one. It wasn't planned. It was the result of a random and somewhat bizarre set of circumstances."

"Now I'm even more interested. What happened?"

"It started with a flat tire. I gave her a ride because she didn't have a spare. She was heading to her family's cabin at Wicker Bay, and I was going to the same location to check on Trevor Pelham."

"What's wrong with Trevor?"

"He's going through a bad breakup, and after losing his mom earlier this year, he's been a drunken mess. He said he was going up to the cabin to dry out, but when I got there, he wasn't there. Anyway, that's not the most interesting part of the story. Hannah went to her cabin to check on a hot water problem for her tenant, but the only one at the cabin was a four-year-old boy. He came with a note from the mother asking for someone to watch out for her child and not to call the police because he wouldn't be safe."

Paul gave him a look of utter disbelief. "Seriously? That's crazy."

"It gets crazier. The child is actually Hannah's nephew, the son of her sister, Kelly, who ran away fifteen years ago. Of course, Hannah was shocked by the realization that her sister had a kid and that she'd left him alone in the cabin."

"That's quite a story."

"We ended up getting caught at the cabin, because the storm was fierce last night."

"I know. I was lucky to arrive just before it hit. So, you and Hannah spent the night together."

"With a four-year-old chaperone," he said dryly. "Not that we needed one."

"Hannah still hates you?"

He wished he had a different answer. "Yes, but I think we took a step out of the past, which