The Darkest Hour(34)

Frank had taken immediate exception and presented her with a sturdily  constructed bench in three days' time. Marlene had smugly told Rachel  that she'd saved the receipt and had never taken the bench out of the  garage. Her husband was predictable if nothing else.

Rachel smiled at the memory and hugged it close, savoring those pieces  of information that told her where she came from and where she belonged.

She was so ensconced in her memories that she didn't realize she was no  longer alone until someone to the left cleared his throat.

Startled, she sat forward, her head jerking warily around to confront her company.

A man stepped from the shadows, and she spied his uniform and the gun on his hip.

"Sorry if I startled you."

His soft drawl was more pronounced than that of Ethan or the other  Kellys. He had a hint of the Deep South. He also looked young, but not  too young. Maybe midtwenties.

She hadn't met him, but she assumed he was the sheriff's deputy the Kellys were so fond of.

"You're Sean?"

Then she realized her mistake. If he was Sean, no doubt she'd met him  before. She didn't know how much Marlene had told everyone. For all she  knew everyone knew she was stark-raving mad and had no memory of her  life before.

He smiled and stepped farther into the glow of the outside lamp. He had  kindness in his eyes, which surprised her given his profession. He had  muddy blond hair cut short, a lot like the military cuts the Kellys  wore. But he sported a goatee that framed his mouth and gave him the  appearance of age despite what she knew his to be.                       
       
           



       

"That's me," he said. "Had enough of the inside?"

She sighed and decided not to lie. "It's a bit overwhelming."

Sean gestured to the spot next to her. "Mind if I sit?"

She scooted all the way over in response, and he settled next to her.

"I'm not much of a crowd person myself, but Marlene would nail my hide  to the wall if I missed one of her get-togethers. Like you, I'm pretty  much a Kelly adoptee. She may not have given birth to me, but that  hasn't stopped her from arranging my life, mothering me endlessly and  adding me to every family gathering on record."

Rachel laughed. "She's quite something, isn't she?"

"She's the best," he said in a sincere voice. "But I'm more comfortable  with the people I meet on the job. I don't have to pretend to be social  when I'm arresting someone, and I don't have to worry about meaningless  chitchat and how-do-youdos."

The grimace on his face had her giggling again. "You poor thing. These things must be hell for you."

"Let's just say I was glad to see I wasn't the only one running for cover. Now, if asked, I can blame my absence on you."

"Oh nice," she said dryly.

He laughed. "So how are you doing? Had any problems with red tape I can help with?"

She twisted her mouth into a rueful grimace. "It's a lot easier to stay  dead than it is to come back from the dead. Ethan's tried to do  everything quietly. The last thing we want is for some human interest  story to be run. The driver's license wasn't too hard to arrange, but  the social security issue is a bit more difficult."

Sean patted her on the knee. "You'll get it all sorted out. In the  meantime if there's anything I can do, just let me know. I've known you  since I was in high school. You graduated two years ahead of me."

She winced. "Sorry I don't remember."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You'll get it back. And when you do, you'll remember you owe me five bucks."

Startled, she cocked her head to the side.

Mischief gleamed in his green eyes. "You lost a bet. You bet me Tennessee would beat LSU. As if that would ever happen."

"Ahh, Louisiana then? I thought your accent sounded a little different."

"Born and raised."

He went quiet and turned sharply, a frown replacing his smile.

"Rusty, is that you?"

Rachel turned in search of the young girl Marlene had taken in. Rusty  hadn't had much to say to Rachel since Rachel had arrived home, but  Nathan had hinted that she felt a little threatened by Rachel's  homecoming.

Rachel just wished there was something she could say or do to ease the  girl's fears. Marlene had been blunt about Rusty's situation.

Rusty stepped into the garden patio area from the walkway that led to the front of the house.

"Yeah, Copper, it's me."

"Who was that you were talking to?" Sean demanded.

His voice had gone from congenial and teasing to complete and utter  business. He might as well have been interrogating a suspect for all the  steel in his words.

"I didn't realize I had to get permission to have a conversation around  here," Rusty snapped. "Back off, donut man. I'm not drinking or smoking  or otherwise taking advantage of Marlene's hospitality."

Sean cursed under his breath, and his fingers flexed at his side. He  opened his mouth to speak, but Rusty disappeared back into the house.

"I swear that girl makes me nuts," Sean muttered. "She's so belligerent.  I'd love to teach her a little respect plus a few manners while I'm at  it. If I ever catch her talking to Frank or Marlene like that, I'll turn  her over my knee myself. Someone should have done it a long time ago."

"That age is hard," Rachel said, surprised by the need to defend Rusty.  "From what Marlene said, she's had it tough. Plus I've never heard her  be anything but respectful with Frank and Marlene. Everyone else, though  ..."

"Yeah, tell me about it. She really loves me since I'm a cop, and I get  the impression she's been a round or two with the police before. Marlene  told me she had a record but forbade me-in true mom fashion-from  running her. She doesn't want me to be influenced by Rusty's past. For  the love of God."

Rachel grinned at the disgust in Sean's voice. And then she realized how long they'd been outside.

"I should probably go back in. I told Ethan I was going to the bathroom."

"Ah, there's the search party now," Sean drawled as Garrett stepped outside.                       
       
           



       

"Everything okay, sweet pea?" Garrett asked as he walked over.

"Yep. Just talking to Sean and getting some fresh air."

Garrett shoved his hands into his pockets. "You mean you're hiding out here with this pussy who's here for the same reason."

Sean grunted. "Yeah, the exact same reason you've run outside like a damn girl."

Garrett grinned. "Too many damned people. Ma eats that shit up, but I swear it makes the rest of us crazy."

"So at what point is she going to figure out we've fled the premises?"  Rachel asked. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Marlene's feelings.

"Not to worry. Mom is well used to having to round us up. She usually  gives us ten minutes or so to get the crazed look from our eyes, and  then she'll come out all sweet-like but with a glint in her eyes you  know better than to ignore."

"And at that point, she drags us back inside by our ears," Sean finished.

"Sam should be making his appearance soon," Garrett said. "He got  snagged on his way out. We all left Ethan on his own fielding questions.  Poor bastard."

"Oh," Rachel said. "Maybe I should go back in. I didn't intend for him to get stuck answering questions about me all night."

Garrett shook his head. "Not to worry. He deserves it for the time he  sicced Aunt Edna on me at Thanksgiving. The woman talked my ear off for  damn near an hour while Ethan made his escape. The rest of the bastards  stood outside the window and laughed their asses off at me."

Laughter bubbled up and spilled from her lips. She could so picture it  in her mind, and the more she imagined it, the harder she laughed.

"So this is where you assholes are," Sam growled as he shut the patio  door behind him. "Although I don't think we're far enough away from the  house to do us much good. Mom will only let it go for as long as she's  preoccupied. The minute she notices we're gone, we're toast."

Rachel edged a little closer to Sean and then realized what she'd done.  Why the hell did Sam still intimidate her? By all rights Garrett should  scare the life out of her. Sam wasn't near as big or as scary-looking as  Garrett, but something akin to panic gripped her every time Sam got  close. Maybe it was because he'd been the first one into her hut that  night, and she'd been so convinced he was there to kill her.

No matter how stupid that seemed now, she couldn't rid herself of the  memory of him standing over her, big and menacing, holding a gun.

To his credit, Sam seemed very aware of her fear, and he always made a  point of being cautious around her. Even now, his eyes softened and he  didn't seem hurt by her overt unease.