pound down on his hatless head. “Well. I guess we help you figure it out, then.” He went back to speaking English.
Yeah. They might all be screwed up, but his brothers would try to cover him. No matter what. Trent grinned. “She is sexier than any woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, you have it bad. It’s time for you to admit it, brother.” Mac jumped off the back of the truck with a hammer in his hand. “She called me earlier and asked if I could speed up my process. I’m an artist, man.” He chuckled, his face protected by a black hat that matched his eyes.
Zeke snorted. “If she wants to leave, you have to let her.”
“I know.” Trent would never keep anyone prisoner after the life they’d led. “I’ve given her an out several times, and she hasn’t taken it. If she wants to go back to town, I’ll drive her. One way or another, I plan on taking care of whatever problem she’s having, and then I can let her leave knowing she’s safe.”
Zeke shook his head. “You don’t want to let her leave. We said we’d move here, work ranches, and start normal lives. That includes family, love, and all that crap for some of us. Definitely for you. Stop being a wimp, take your time, and charm her.”
Zachary strode down the fence line, already laughing. “You have no charm. Me? I’m from a long line of Russian royalty, and I’m full of charm.”
His twin threw a ball of twine at him. “We’re not from royalty, but you’re definitely full of something.” He cleverly mixed Russian, Gaelic, and English in his retort.
“We could be from royalty,” Zachary objected.
“You ain’t from royalty,” Austin said, going with a Kentucky accent.
Trent nodded. Nicely done. It was Trent’s original accent, and Austin had nailed it. One of the ways they’d survived captivity, the mind-numbing sameness of it, was learning each other’s languages. Learning about each other’s lives and losing ties to any one place. Until now. “It’d all be so much easier if she’d just let me handle everything.”
Austin picked up a posthole digger. “You could always let her know the real you, the truth about us, and then let her decide.”
Yeah, she wasn’t there yet. Trent shook his head. “She may be destroying my demons with that sweet laugh of hers, but I ain’t come close to destroying hers. She has to trust me first, and I’m struggling in that area.” It felt weird to fall back into his Southern accent, but he did it anyway. It was a game they’d learned to play, just to stay sane. Picking up the last guy’s language or accent.
Zeke rolled his eyes. “If she didn’t trust you, she wouldn’t be staying at your place.” He switched to French.
Austin’s gray gaze flicked his way. Zachary straightened. Trent paused.
Zeke said it again, his French flawless this time.
Mac relaxed and lapsed into French. “I always thought that Zachary would find a woman first. Would want to settle down as soon as possible.”
“Ditto,” Austin said, plunging the posthole digger into the damp earth.
Zeke didn’t look at his twin. “Nope. He’s a player, and he’s not going to settle down for quite a while.”
Zachary tossed the twine in the air and caught it easily, ducking then to grab another fence post and losing his constant smile. “I don’t want to be responsible for another human being besides Zeke right now. It’s easier to love them and leave them.” He returned to English, sounding as if he hailed from California. “I’d hold on too tight, and I’d lose her. We all know it.”
Zeke dropped to his haunches to help direct the post into the hole. “Trent, I think you can do it. I know you just met her, but she’s got you wound tight. Why not give it a chance?”
Trent reached for more barbed wire with hands covered by thick gloves. His brother had a point, and the closer he got to the stunning brunette, the more he thought they might have a chance. “I just want to keep her safe right now. So long as she stays within the perimeter of our land, she’ll be safe.”
Austin grunted as he twisted the post into place. “What if she doesn’t want to stay within the perimeter?”
Trent blinked. “We own over half a million acres. Why wouldn’t she want to stay within the perimeter?”
Austin paused and then nodded. “I guess that’s a good point.”
“Though”—Zachary pushed his hat up—“if you get her