husband was out of the picture, she wouldn't have to please anyone but herself.
"Before you go, I was hoping you could help me out," she was saying. "Or rather help your little brother."
About to push on around her, Cole stopped. Dates indicated that Guthrie had married Eloise when she was already pregnant with a boy the whole family had instantly taken into their hearts. Whenever Cole visited, his little brother would talk about becoming a fireman, or, if he wasn't brave enough for that, one of Santa's elves. Oh, to be that innocent.
Cole asked, "What's Tate want?"
Eloise collected an electronic gadget off a nearby sideboard. "Tate was a horror this evening when he couldn't get this to work. I had to send him to bed early."
Cole almost reached for the children's e-tablet then thought better of it. He wanted to help, but it was wiser to leave.
"Dad can fix it when he gets home."
She laughed. "You're funny. Your father working something like this out."
Cole scowled. "He's an intelligent man."
"But, honey, he isn't a young man." Her gaze stroked the expanse of his chest. "What we need here is someone who's up-to-date with all the latest." She held the gadget out again. "Tate will be so proud when I tell him big brother Cole took the time to fix this."
Cole set his jaw. He had no time for Eloise, but he loved Tate. Cole pitied him too for having a mother who placed the importance of painting her nails above anything her son might like to share. Last Christmas, while Tate had ripped open his presents and pored over the bike and Rollerblades Santa had left, Eloise had been a big no-show. When she'd finally scraped herself out of bed around noon, bloodshot eyes told the story of a boozy Christmas Eve. At the time Cole had wondered with whom. His father had looked fit enough to run a marathon, even if he didn't quite meet his eldest son's unimpressed gaze.
Reminding himself to think only of Tate, Cole took the device and perused the program keys. When, pretending to be curious, Eloise and her claws tipped too close for comfort, Cole lifted his gaze and issued a pointed look. Back off. At the same time, he caught movement near the archway. That woman - the new housekeeper - stood halfway hidden behind the connecting wall. Eloise followed Cole's line of vision and, taken aback, drew her robe's opening shut.
"Nancy, you go on to your quarters," Eloise said. "I won't be needing you anymore tonight."
With a curt nod, Nancy and her mustache slunk away. If Eloise wanted female help that her husband would find not the least attractive, she'd creamed the top shelf. And Cole didn't restrict that to looks. Nancy was downright creepy.
Attention on the tablet again, Cole fiddled until the screen lit up. After making certain the applications worked, he slid the device back on the sideboard. As he headed out through the foyer, a disappointed Eloise called out in her annoying Southern drawl.
"Your daddy will be back soon. Sure you don't want to stay awhile?"
Cole opened the door and kept right on walking.
Taryn Quinn didn't like to discuss family. He didn't particularly like discussing his, either. An out-of-control playboy brother, a big bad stepmom and a father someone wanted dead.
As Cole slid back into his car then ignited the turbo engine, he wondered again who was the mastermind behind the bullets this morning. His father was absent tonight. Did that mean this bodyguard he'd hired was on someone's trail? When this ugly situation was done with and the perpetrator behind prison bars, he'd certainly sleep a lot better. But for now...
It was late and he was sticky.
Keeping the revs down so as not to wake Tate, he rolled down the drive as his thoughts swung again to Taryn Quinn. She'd denied any romantic connections with her former boss and he believed her. But a woman like Ms. Quinn wasn't long without an intimate relationship, and after witnessing the fiery side of her nature tonight, it'd be easier if the terms "Taryn Quinn" and "supersexy" weren't tangled up together in his head.
Accelerating, Cole swung onto the wide tree-lined Pott's Point road and wondered. Was Taryn "taken" or was she "taking a break"? Could be she was a new age woman who, too busy for connections, preferred the advantages of a friend with benefits. If he wasn't certain she'd hurl something heavy at his head, he'd set aside his business-only-with-employees rule