Page 23 of The Risk

“Hell.” Lots of beautiful women—and he was only related to half of them. What weretheyall doing there?

“No kidding,” the brother next to him said. Grady tended to get antsy when their house was filled with people. “What are all those girls doing here tonight?”

“I don’t know.” But he was going to have to come up with an alternative plan. Because that many beautiful women would cause a ton of trouble. Especially in one night.

All three of his sisters were there, plus two blonde women—gorgeous blonde women—he didn’t recognize. And another woman beside them. One who looked familiar. “Isn’t that little bitty Hala Hanan next to Gia? Hudson’s baby sister?”

“Yeah. I think that’s her. Curly dark hair and still the size of a beetle bug.” And Grady wasn’t happy about it at all.

“Women don’t like being compared to beetle bugs, Grady. Something to keep in mind if you ever want one to go out with you again someday,” Gene told him. Grady was a bit stupid where women were concerned. He usually needed reeducating.

“I get plenty of dates, just fine.” Well, he did. Women liked Grady—until he turned all broody, anyway. “Besides, she’s just a kid. Not a woman, at all.”

Gene studied Hala. She was Greer’s age. That meant she was definitely an adult. Pretty and even a little sexy, in that cute kind of way some women had. “She’s full grown now. Guys are going to notice that.”

Sisters required close watching. No denying that. Gene was going to do better with his own. He suspected if he didn’t, they were just at the age where they were going to start getting into trouble of their own.

Grady just grunted.

Gene didn’t recognize the other two women. But Chantal obviously did.

She was on Gene’s porch now, in deep discussion with Genesis and the taller blonde woman. Gene studied the blonde. He thought he’d seen her around the hospital, maybe—and wow.Men would look at her instantly. In the past, she would have been the kind of woman he looked at. Wanted.

But now...

His attention was still pulled toward the gorgeous redhead right there, hugging the blonde now.

Fifteen minutes later, and Gene was beyond pissed and ready to go hunting—on theblonde’sbehalf. It was obvious she was afraid. Guthrie stitched her up right there at the kitchen island as Genesis told what had happened.

It wasn’t really a surprise, though. He had suspected it.

His sisters had been getting themselves into trouble already. Some stupid doctor at the hospital where Genesis and Guthrie worked had basically attacked Genesis’s blonde friend. And Genesis had gotten in the way. Now they were all hiding out at the ranch.

Probably so Gene and Grady and Gunn, who all lived there, too—could protect them.

They all needed damned keepers, no doubt about that. Every last one of them in his house tonight. Not that he was a sexist or anything, buthissisters and their friends just drew trouble like fireflies. He was sure of it.

Now the girls were camping out right there in Gene’s family’s living room. All of them, and they’d wanted Chantal there with them. The only one missing was his sister-in-law Ronnie, but she was home with her four devil daughter children and her pain-in-the-ass husband, George. Picking paint out for their nurseries or something before kid five—probably another daughter—made her appearance in a few months.

His sisters had just kicked Gene and his brothers out of their own living room. So they could have a slumber party, old-school style. They were going vintage or retro or something weird like that.

They’d even ordered Grady and Gunn to pull a queen mattress out of the guest room and into the living room floor, so the younger blonde—a sweet little thing the same age as Greer, who walked with forearm crutches—would have a better place to sleep.

This was definitely not what Gene had been hoping for.

All he’d wanted was a little kiss, damn it.

Well, it was still relatively early yet. He’d find a way.

Gene was a determined man, after all.

20

There wasa hot Hiller brother stalking her. Around her best friend’s living room. Chantal wasn’tinnocent. She knew exactly what was going through Gene’s head.

She was his target once again.

Her stomach tightened. His hand now rested on her shoulder, where she stood behind Genny’s couch. She was tucked right there in front of him faster than she could blink, while two of his brothers crowded close on the other side.