of dark blue or almost black around the outside, and surrounded by naturally long lashes . . . They were beautiful. Exquisite even. Allie could have stared into them for hours, but curiosity made her turn her attention to the rest of him.
Magnus wasn’t just beautiful, he was big and built. He’d been wearing a full suit and a winter coat when she’d first encountered him and Tybo, but today he was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt that stretched lovingly over his wide chest and looked ridiculously sexy on the man. He was tall, towering over her by a head, and his shoulders were huge. They had to be at least twice as wide as her own, but probably more, she guessed.
He had big hands too, Allie noted as her eyes slid down his chest to where his hands rested on his hips. Somehow the pose just emphasized his slender hips, and she allowed her gaze to drop lower.
“Please do not point your hairspray there.”
Allie blinked and raised her eyes quickly to Magnus’s face at those husky words. He was smiling crookedly. She unthinkingly smiled back before he reached down and gently nudged her hand holding the hairspray up and away from his groin.
“Just in case you accidentally press the button,” he explained gently. “I would rather not have a wet spot there.”
Allie wasn’t sure whether to be upset that he didn’t seem worried about her weapon doing more than give him a wet spot, or embarrassed that her hand had moved with her eyes, making it obvious what she’d been looking at. In the end, she settled for exasperated with the bunch of them, and raised her hairspray and lighter again but turned it out toward the others as she scowled around the room. “So who are you people and why are Liam and I here?”
Rather than answer her, the room fell silent and then a cluck of irritation sounded from the doorway, drawing her gaze to the small blonde pushing irritably past the man named Lucian. It was the woman who had been outside with the boys, Allie realized. The white hat was missing now, but she was still wearing the white coat, though it was undone and hanging open as she crossed the room toward her with a look that was half exasperated and half welcoming.
“For heaven’s sake. I know men aren’t the best at communication, but I thought that between the four of them they could manage to explain things and reassure you so that you knew you were safe and among friends.” Pausing before her, the woman smiled widely and held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Katricia Argeneau Brunswick, but you can call me Tricia. I’m the wife of Teddy Brunswick, the police chief of Port Henry. I’m also a law officer myself, and mother of Teddy Jr., who your son helped make his first snowman just now. And you, of course, are Liam’s lovely mother, Allison.” Expression becoming more serious, she added, “You have done a brilliant job with him, by the way. He’s a wonderful boy, so sweet and polite.”
“I . . . Thank you,” Allie said finally and, after the briefest hesitation, slid the lighter into her pocket so that she could shake the hand Tricia was still holding out. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Tricia beamed at her as if she’d done something particularly clever in putting the lighter away. “The boys are waiting for me in the kitchen. I promised them cookies and hot chocolate to warm up. Care to join us so I can answer all those questions these primates haven’t?”
Allie noted the irritated expressions creeping over the men’s faces, and had the situation been different, she might have laughed. Instead, she merely murmured politely, “That sounds nice.”
“Good.” Tricia slid an arm through hers and urged her toward the door saying, “Come along, then. You’ll love Sam’s kitchen. It’s big and gorgeous. Makes me jealous every time I see it. I’m working on talking Teddy into enlarging and renovating ours. Teddy senior, not junior,” she added, and then confided, “I think it’s working.”
Allie found herself relaxing under the woman’s cheerful chatter. She knew it was purely to put her at ease, but it was working, she acknowledged as Lucian moved aside to let them out of the room.
Walking her up the hall at a meandering pace, Tricia grinned at the hairspray still in Allie’s hand and said, “I use that brand too. It’s good. Holds the curl well and