Lacey’s eyes were huge in her face. Her very set, cold face. Dev wondered if only he saw that her knuckles were white where she gripped her hands together.
“Lacey DeMille, I’d like you to meet Maddie and Boone Gallagher—”
He never got a chance to finish. Maddie barreled right past that princess mask and threw her arms around the sister she’d waited so long to meet.
Lacey froze, and Dev moved closer, torn between protecting her and protecting Maddie’s generous heart. But then, finally, he saw Lacey’s hands rise and touch her sister’s back gently.
Maddie hugged her hard, tears streaming down her cheeks. Then she stepped back. “Let me look at you—I’m sorry, I’m just so—” She turned to her husband. “Oh, Boone, she’s here. Finally, finally, she’s with us. Dev, I love you, I’m going to cook anything your heart desires, you just have to say the word—oh, look, we have the same eyes. Boone, she’s got my eyes—”
Boone chuckled, but Dev saw a sheen in his eyes, too. He stepped closer and grabbed Maddie around the waist. “You’re babbling, sweetheart. Give her a chance to take a breath,” he said gently, squeezing Maddie’s waist.
Maddie still held Lacey’s hand as though she would never let go. Lacey looked poleaxed.
Boone was accustomed to gentling skittish horses. He sized Lacey up in an instant and took a different tack. His voice gentle and pitched low, he spoke to her. “Hello, Lacey. You must be tired. Would you like to sit down?”
Boone was a wizard with horses, and Dev could see Lacey respond to his calm voice. One look at her eyes told him Boone was right. She was both exhausted and stone-cold scared.
“I’m so sorry. I should offer you something to drink or—”
Boone grinned. “Don’t feel bad. Maddie knocked me for a loop the first day I met her, and I haven’t recovered yet.” He leaned down and whispered. “But she’s fairly harmless. Just watch out or she’ll have you eating tofu and calling it something that sounds good.”
A quick smile flitted across Lacey’s lips. “I like tofu.”
Maddie shot Boone a triumphant grin, then swooped close to hug Lacey again. “I promise I’ll stop doing this as soon as I’m sure you’re real.” She turned them both toward the sofa, wrapping her arm around Lacey’s waist, zooming past all the shyness just as Dev had foreseen. “You’ve been in the hospital. You sit down right here with me, and Dev can go get us something to drink, right Dev? Boone, you’ll help him? And then you’ll bring the photo albums and Grandmother’s diary?”
Boone turned to Dev and grinned. He pointed down the hall. “We’ve got our orders. This way?”
Dev glanced back, torn, but it wasn’t his place now. His job was done. “Glad to see nothing’s changed. Maddie’s still ordering us all around like we were her waitstaff.”
Boone paused. “She’ll thank you properly once she gets past being delirious.” He stuck out his hand. “I’ll thank you now.” When they shook hands, Boone clapped his free hand on Dev’s shoulder, and Dev saw the depth of the emotion Boone was trying to hide. “You’ve put a whole family back together.”
Dev felt his own throat tighten. He headed for the kitchen. “Maddie’s the agent of all this, her and Sam. I just did the footwork—not too damn well, as it turns out.”
Boone looked sympathetic. “Want to talk about it?”
Dev glanced back at the two dark heads so close together. “Not really. Nothing to say.”
Boone wasn’t a man to pry, but he nudged just a little. “You said you’d known her before.”
Dev shook his head and stared at the ground. “I should have told you how well. There’s a lot of bad history between her family—her adoptive family,” he corrected “—and mine.”
“Anything we can do to help?”
“Nope. I’m not sure there’s anything to be done.”
“The way you look at her reminds me of something I used to see in the mirror.”
Dev shot him a glance. “What’s that?”
“A guy who’s trying to convince himself he hasn’t fallen like a ton of bricks for a woman he shouldn’t want.” Boone’s blue eyes were full of humor and pity when he slapped Dev on the back. “I think I may enjoy watching this.”
“Thanks a lot. After what you went through when you thought Maddie and I were having an affair, I guess you think it’s funny.”
“I should, but I don’t. I remember only too well how it felt. You want to talk, I’ll listen.” He nodded toward the kitchen cabinets. “Let’s get finished and rescue Lacey before Maddie completely bowls her over.”