The Tycoon's Baby Revelation - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,16

sat down together at the small table, it was Pepper who jumped up several times to get something from the kitchen. Pepper was also the most creative of the three, he suspected. Sloane was the protector. Rayne was the cerebral one, and Pepper was the creative sister. Such different personalities and, if he looked closely, the only family resemblance was their impossibly bright, blue eyes. The first time he’d seen Sloane, he’d wondered if she was wearing blue contact lenses. But now that he knew her better, he’d dismissed that possibility. Sloane wouldn’t dare spend money on anything so superficial as colored contact lenses.

Even as he watched, his gaze was repeatedly drawn back to Sloane. With fascination, he watched as the three took hands at the table, each smiling and saying something. Pepper and Rayne then dug into the food, obviously famished. But Sloane…deeply introspective Sloane, closed her eyes, almost as if she were offering up a prayer.

With a grunt, Josh turned around, and headed home.

Wilma walked into the library with a cup of tea in each hand. She didn’t bother to knock since her friend and employer was expecting her. She handed one of the cups to Jefferson, then sat down across from him at the chess set.

“You were right,” she said as she settled in her seat.

Jefferson chuckled. “When it comes to people, when am I ever wrong?”

Wilma rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a jerk,” she muttered. “He drove all the way over here and sat in front of their house, just watching her.”

Jefferson’s eyes sparkled with triumph. “They’ll be good together,” he said softly.

Wilma’s eyes softened as she reached for her pawn on the chess board. “Is Sloane and Josh the next step in your evil master plan?”

He threw back his head, laughing at her quip. When his laughter finally died down, he nodded his head and said, “Yeah, I guess they sort of are.” Then he turned serious. “He works too hard. You’ve said so yourself.”

“I know,” she replied, having had this conversation many times before. “And I agree, the boy seems to be fascinated with her.” Josh might be twenty-five years old, but to Wilma and Jefferson, he was still a boy.

“I was worried that he might get caught up in Pepper’s charm,” Jefferson replied, moving his knight into position on the chessboard. “She’s a vivacious little thing, isn’t she?”

Wilma countered his move with her castle. “Why not Rayne?”

Jefferson shook his head and moved another pawn. “Nah!” he scoffed. “Rayne is too quietly determined. That red hair of hers is going to get her into trouble with the boys when she actually starts noticing them. But Sloane…” he smiled and leaned back in his chair. “There’s a quiet dignity about her that Josh needs. I knew from the first time you mentioned those three girls that Josh would be caught in Sloane’s web.”

Wilma grunted, taking a sip of her tea. “What ever will you do when you’re wrong about someone?” she asked, taking his knight in a swift move.

Jefferson grunted, examining the chess board carefully. “Dunno. Hasn’t happened yet.”

Chapter 4

Eight Years Later

Sloane stood in the small bedroom and looked around, her gaze lighting on the duvet cover that Pepper had made for her several years ago out of fabric scraps. It was a work of art, she thought. The curtains were the same, not matching, but somehow all the patchwork pieces worked together to form a cozy, warm, welcoming room that soothed her.

“Eight years!” she whispered, shocked. “How could eight years have gone by?” She let her fingers drift over the duvet cover, feeling the edges of the pattern that Pepper had so carefully constructed. “I was only going to be here six months,” she whispered to the empty room. “How did six months turned into eight years?” she sniffed, fighting the tears that were never far from the surface lately.

With a sigh, she shook her head, trying to dispel her sadness. This wasn’t a day for sadness, she told herself firmly. This was a day to celebrate! Pepper was graduating from college today and Rayne had just received her Master’s degree in chemical engineering the week before.

Neither of her sisters knew, but Sloane had also graduated from business school. She’d been taking classes on the weekends and in the evenings, first at the community college and then at the university downtown. It had taken her seven years, but she’d finally earned a business degree. She’d thought about doing the whole graduation-walking thing, but had