Sean's Reckoning - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,53

the one apologizing?” Sean grumbled, even though he knew the answer as well as Hank did.

Hank grinned. “Maybe because she’s right. You set impossibly high standards for everyone else when it comes to family, but you don’t exactly apply the same rules to yourself. How many times have you even seen Ryan since you were best man at his wedding?”

“We’re both busy,” Sean said defensively.

“The man owns a pub,” Hank retorted. “You know where to find him any night of the week.”

Sean had no argument for that. “Deanna just took me by surprise. I had no idea that she was on the outs with her family. I assumed she didn’t have any, since she’d never mentioned them.”

“You don’t mention yours, but they’re out there,” Hank reminded him.

Sean scowled at him. “You are so damned annoying when you find a chink in my armor.”

Hank grinned. “We live to serve. Go after her. I don’t think I can stand an entire week of you two dancing around each other. Besides, it’ll ruin the romantic vibes.”

Sean glanced pointedly toward the door. “Speaking of romantic vibes, where is Ruby?”

“Hiding in her room,” Hank said. “Upstairs. She refused to take the one next door to mine on the first floor. She left it for you.”

“Sorry.”

“Me, too. The thought of looking up into your ugly mug if I call out in the middle of the night is not exactly the scenario I envisioned when we came out here.” His expression brightened. “But I’m confident I can get her to change her mind eventually. I’m impossible to resist when I really put my mind to it.”

Sean studied him curiously. “Is this just about sex? Is that all you were hoping for this week?”

Hank shrugged, looking more at a loss than Sean had ever seen him. “Hell if I know. That woman has more excuses for keeping me at arm’s length than any female I ever met.”

Sean chuckled at the confirmation that Ruby wasn’t sleeping with Hank. “She still has your undivided attention, though, doesn’t she? In my book, that makes her the smartest woman you’ve ever dated.”

Hank didn’t seem impressed by his analysis.

“What about you and Deanna? Anything going on?”

Sean wasn’t particularly happy at having the tables turned on him. “No,” he said succinctly. “Mutual decision.”

“Yeah, right,” Hank said skeptically. “If it’s mutual, it’s only because you’re scared. Are you finally in over your head?”

Sean thought about the feelings that welled up in him every time Deanna walked into a room. Some were familiar—attraction, heat, lust. And some were emotions that usually sent him racing in the opposite direction—vulnerability, protectiveness, a longing for the kind of future he’d never allowed himself to imagine before.

“Getting there,” Sean admitted aloud for the first time. He sighed heavily. “Guess I’d better go find her and apologize.”

“If you want to do it right, you can always send Kevin back up here. Ruby will be glad of the chaperon.”

Sean laughed. “Poor kid. He has no idea the heavy burden he’s carrying on his shoulders this week.”

“Probably best to keep it that way,” Hank said. “Or you’ll have something else you’ll need to apologize to Deanna for.”

“I think there’s enough crow on my plate for now,” Sean said, then headed off to get his first taste of it.

He found Deanna walking along the beach, shoulders slumped, hands tucked in the pockets of her light windbreaker. Kevin was running head of her, ducking in and out of waves as they splashed against the shore. The look on his face was one of pure joy. Whatever else came out of this week, Sean was glad he’d been a part of giving the boy this happy memory. As a kid, he’d always managed to get sick on the day everyone in school was supposed to talk about their summer vacation. He’d hated that he never had anything to talk about while everyone else shared stories about their weeks at camp or trips to the beach, to ball games or amusement parks.

Kevin looked up, spotted Sean and gave a shout, then began racing toward him. Sean saw Deanna’s shoulders stiffen perceptibly, but she stopped and turned to wait for Sean. Even if she wasn’t quite literally coming back to meet him halfway, it was something. He had to give her credit for not backing down from the encounter.

“I’m sorry,” Sean mouthed silently as he scooped Kevin high in the air and perched the boy on his shoulders.

Deanna’s serious expression didn’t acknowledge the apology, but some of the