“Kathleen, surely you’re not going without looking at Ben’s paintings,” Melanie said, merriment sparkling in her eyes. “Isn’t that why you came tonight?”
Ben looked as if he’d like to strangle his sister-inlaw. Kathleen took her cue from that.
“Perhaps another time,” she said before Ben could utter a word. She smiled at him. “I would love to come back sometime to see your studio, if you’ll let me.”
He regarded her with a faint frown. “Sure,” he said, too polite to refuse outright.
“I’ll call to set it up,” Kathleen promised. She had no intention of doing that. She had a hunch she needed the element of surprise on her side. Meantime, though, let him get complacent, thinking that he’d have fair warning.
“There’s no phone in the studio,” Melanie chimed in.
“And Ben never checks his messages,” Beth added.
“You should probably just pop in whenever the mood strikes,” Melanie suggested.
Kathleen grinned. Obviously those two were on the same wavelength. They’d found a way to encourage her and warn Ben at the same time. Very clever.
“Perhaps I will,” Kathleen said. She gave him a pointed look. “If Ben doesn’t return my calls.”
He rolled his eyes. “I return my calls.” He gave his sisters-in-law a hard look. “At least to anyone important.”
The two women laughed, not the least bit insulted by the innuendo.
“I guess you put us in our place,” Melanie said, giving him a kiss. “Don’t be a stranger. I expect you to come to dinner soon.”
To Kathleen’s surprise, his expression softened and he rested a hand on Melanie’s huge belly. “I’d better hurry before this little one steals all your attention.”
“We’ll always have time for you,” Melanie told him. “And we’re counting on you to give the baby its first set of paints and plenty of free art lessons, just the way Destiny did for you. Mack’s going to teach the baby the finer points of football.”
“Even if it’s a girl?” Ben inquired skeptically.
“There will be no gender discrimination in this family,” Melanie retorted. “Right, Mack?”
“None,” Mack agreed at once. “And if it is a girl and she’s really, really good, I’ll make her the first woman in the National Football League. Who cares about a few cuts and bruises and broken bones?”
“Hold it,” Richard said, scowling at his brother. “Nobody gets to tackle any daughter of mine.”
Beth nudged Mack in the ribs. “You knew your brother would forbid it, didn’t you? Obviously you inherited Destiny’s sneakiness. You sound very broadminded since there’s absolutely no risk that you’ll ever have to pay up.”
“Hey, my offer was genuine,” Mack insisted, looking hurt that his wife would think otherwise. “Now let’s get out of here. We’ve got some kids at the hospital we want to see tonight. I promised them pie for dessert.”
Destiny stood up at once. “I have the pies all ready in the kitchen. I’ll get them.”
Melanie and Richard left as Mack, Beth and Destiny headed for the kitchen, leaving Kathleen alone with Ben.
“You have an amazing family,” she told him.
“They’re good people,” Ben agreed, then regarded her curiously. “What about your family? Were they together today?”
“Of course. It’s tradition.” She knew there was no mistaking the harsh edge in her voice, but she was unable to contain it.
“But you weren’t there,” he noted.
“I’d had enough of tradition,” she said succinctly. “I decided it was time to do my own thing.”
“Something tells me there’s a story there,” he said.
“Not a very interesting one,” she insisted, unwilling to air the Dugan family laundry to this man she barely knew.
He studied her so intently that she felt herself flush under his scrutiny.
“If you ever change your mind, I’m a good listener,” he said eventually.
Kathleen didn’t talk about that part of her past any more than she talked about her marriage. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said with no intention of following up on it. Why reveal intimate secrets to a man she wanted to represent, not to date? Not that she’d ever shared any part of her family history with anyone. Keeping quiet had been ingrained in her from an early age.
“But you have no intention of talking to me about that or anything else personal, do you?” Ben guessed. “It’s all about the art with you.”
“Yes,” she said, seeing little point in denying it.