Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“I didn’t think he would or he wouldn’t be living here.”
Renard made a scoffing noise.
“Guys, I’m fine.” She turned to Tanner and the others. “Renard helped me with the security light there was no need to call in the fucking cavalry.”
“What happened to it?” Jake asked.
“It broke.”
“It was smashed on the ground,” Renard added with a frown. “Seems strange.”
“Very strange,” Tanner agreed.
“Was it secured well? Could a strong wind have knocked it off?” Jake asked.
“I installed it myself,” Tanner told him. “It was secured just fine. What about a kid?”
“Or was it someone else?” Raid glanced across the street.
“Mrs. Gingers wouldn’t have done this,” Opal protested.
Jake ran his hand down his face. “If anything like this happens again, let me know. If you have any issues with her, I want to know. Understand, Opal?”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because it’s my job to keep everyone in this town safe. And that includes you. Now, I’m going to go chat with Mrs. Gingers. I don’t want any trouble from any of you.”
Turning, he strode back down the driveway.
“He’s such a spoilsport,” Beau said.
“Always trying to ruin everyone’s fun,” Tanner agreed. “Don’t know how Molly hasn’t died of boredom being married to him.”
“Well, we did offer to extract her from that situation and she refused,” Raid said.
“Extract her?” Opal asked. “Situation?”
“They mean they were going to kidnap her from her marriage,” Renard said dryly.
“Kidnap is such a strong word,” Beau said.
“That light shouldn’t have smashed,” Tanner said seriously. “You sure everything is okay, Opal? You want to come stay with me and Lilac?”
Crap. Crap. Crap.
The last thing she needed was the Malones circling wagons around her. She liked being on her own.
Or at least she liked to pretend that she liked being on her own.
Same thing, right?
“I’m good,” she told him. “I like living here even with the neighbor from hell across the street.”
“I don’t like it,” Raid said. “Maybe we should go talk to Mrs. Gingers.”
Alarm filled her. “No! Nope. You stay out of my business, Raid Malone.”
“Pretty sure your business is my business, since you’re one of us,” Raid countered.
“How many times do I have to keep telling you that I am not a Malone. You guys cannot tell me what to do.”
“She still hasn’t got it,” Raid said to Tanner.
“Nope, she sure hasn’t,” Tanner agreed. “She will.”
“Once you’re accepted into the family, it’s for life,” Beau told her.
“Accepted into the family?” she cried, throwing her hands in the air. “You realize you sound like the mafia, right? And how did I get accepted in when I did not consent?
“Oh, you don’t have to consent,” Raid told her.
“Yeah, where’d you get an idea like that from?” Beau asked with a grin. “If you got to consent, we’d never have anyone join the family.”
“So you’re saying that all of your wives didn’t consent?” she asked with exasperation.
They were so full of crap.
The three of them just grinned.
Wow, that packed a punch.
If they were free and she was a different woman . . . one who wouldn’t taint them . . . well . . . she might have melted in the face of all that sexy gorgeousness.
But she was made of tougher stuff than that.
She hoped.
“If you don’t stop staring at them,” Renard told her quietly, “then I’m gonna have to start messing up some faces.”
Oops.
She turned to give him a haughty look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He grunted.
“She thinks we’re cute,” Beau said.
“Well, of course she does,” Raid added. “She’s got eyes.”
“Guys,” Tanner said in a low voice. “Be serious for a moment. Opal, do you think someone broke that light on purpose?”
“Why would anyone do that?” she countered, trying to hide her unease.
“That isn’t really an answer,” Tanner told her.
“There’s no reason that someone would break the light so I don’t think that’s what happened. Everyone is acting like it’s a bigger deal than it really is. Okay? I’m fine.”
“Well, how come you asked Renard for help and not us?” Tanner asked.
“I didn’t ask him to do anything,” she said with exasperation. “The damn man doesn’t listen to a word I say. He just turns up and does what he likes. I had no say.”
“Really,” Raid drawled.
Beau shook his head. “Not sure I approve of this. Sounds suspicious to me.”
“No more suspicious than a woman wanting to marry not just you but your twin brother,” Renard replied.
“Ugh, she only really wanted me. Who would want Maddox? She just felt sorry for him.”
Dear Lord.
They were impossible. All of them.
“You know that being a Malone means that you have to get approval for anyone you want to date, right?” Raid told Opal.
“You know that I’m twenty-nine years old and I’ve dated plenty before you Malones decided that I was one of you. Which you did without my fucking consent, I might add.” She slammed her hands on her hips as she glared up at them.