Special Forces Father - By Mallory Kane Page 0,72
and he only had eyes for her.
Kate heard Travis’s voice behind her. She turned and saw him standing inside the front door with Lucas. The two of them were talking with Paul Guillame. Kate excused herself and stepped closer. She heard a snippet of their conversation.
“Well, I should think not,” Paul was saying. “Senator Stamps was shocked to find out what Gavin Whitley had done.”
Lucas’s lip curled in faint derision. “And Darby Sills was clueless, as well, I guess.”
Paul waved a hand. “I think Darby Sills could fall into a pigpen and come out smelling like a rose. I’m just glad that the D.A. dropped the charges against Myron. He didn’t have to face prison or have to live with the stigma of being declared temporarily insane. Now the D.A. has Whitley’s huge kidnapping case to sink his claws into.”
Travis pulled Kate close when she walked up. “Well, Whitley and Woods and Shirley Hixon will all pay for their parts in the kidnapping.”
Kate nodded. “And Max is okay.”
“Oh,” Paul said. “Did you all hear? Claire is coming home.”
Travis said, “Aunt Claire? Why? I thought she was perfectly happy in Paris with— What was his name? The superwealthy French guy?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Paul said. “It’s Ektor Petrakis, the superwealthy Greek guy. And in fact, that is why she’s coming home. Ektor died.”
“Oh,” Travis said. “Sorry to hear that.”
“Yes, well, I never understood what she saw in him that would make her leave her family,” Paul continued. “I’ll be so glad to see her. She’s in her late seventies now, you know.”
Lucas excused himself. Travis started to introduce Kate to Paul, but he waved a hand. “Yes, yes, Kate. We met the other day when she interviewed me. Oh! There’s that lovely Rosemary. I need to speak to her. Later.” And he was gone.
Kate turned to Travis, shaking her head. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a family this large—anywhere. How do you keep up?”
He laughed. “It’s a sort of comfortable chaos. It’s been like this all my life.” He kissed her lightly on the lips.
“What did the doctors say?” she asked him.
A look of annoyance crossed his face. “I have to see a shrink for a few months, to be sure I’ve fully recovered from my traumatic experience,” he said wryly.
“No, I meant about your—wound,” Kate said, grinning. “Your posterior wound.”
“All right. I get enough ribbing from the guys. I’m not going to take it from you, too,” Travis said, trying not to smile. “So, the shrink thing. I don’t guess I can see you?”
“No,” Kate said, “but I can recommend someone.” She touched his cheek. “How are you?”
He smiled at her. “I’m good. Really good. Where’s my son?”
“He’s in the—” she gestured vaguely “—one of the rooms, playing with Dawson. You’d better watch that guy. He seems to be a Pied Piper around kids.”
“Yeah, he always was.” Travis turned his head and whispered in Kate’s ear. “So how are you doing?”
“Totally overwhelmed by your family. Didn’t you tell me none of your siblings or cousins were married when you joined the army five years ago?”
“Yeah,” Travis said on a laugh. “I’ve been trying to count the fallen ones.”
“Here’s my best guess,” she said. “All four of Michael’s children—Dawson, the twins, Ryker and Reilly, are married or soon to be, with Rosemary’s engagement to Detective Lloyd. In your family, Lucas is married. From what everyone is saying, Harte and Dani are about to be married, and—”
“And what?”
Kate, suddenly at a loss for words, just shrugged.
“And if we get married that’ll be seven out of nine, right? Leaving only Ethan and Cara Lynn.”
She nodded, her cheeks pink.
Travis slid his arm around her waist and whispered, “What do you say we find one of the unoccupied rooms on the second floor and go discuss our options.”
At that moment, Betty Carole called out, “Everyone? Everyone! Dinner’s ready. Come and taste Nicole’s creations. She has done a superb job.”
“I think I’d better start learning how to get along with your huge family, Travis Delancey.”
“Mommy!”
Kate turned in time to be pummeled with an armful of a four-year-old. Travis stooped and swept up Max before he could knock her down.
“Watch it, little man. Where do you think you’re going?”
Max looked at Travis, at Kate, then back to Travis. “These people are all yours?” he asked.
Travis put a hand on Max’s head. “They’re all mine—and they’re yours now.”
“Ours,” Max said. “This is a big family.”
“Very big,” Kate agreed.
“There’s lots of little families in big families.”
Kate met Travis’s