She held out a beringed hand. “We’ve just been waiting for you.”
He allowed her to pull him into the dining room where places had been set at one end of the long, mahogany table. His cousins were already there. But not his baby sister. “Where’s Delia?”
“Still sleeping,” Greer drawled, with a roll of her eyes.
“Give her a break,” Maddie said calmly. “She was out all night.”
“We were all out all night,” Ali commented. She was spreading something green and obnoxious-looking across a tiny triangle of toast, and she pointed the tip of her knife at Quinn. “Except you.” She waved the knife a little, taking in Penny, who’d silently come up beside Quinn. “And you, Penny. The both of you disappeared around midnight shortly after we ran into that friend of yours.” She was a cop in Braden and she gave him what she obviously figured was her cop stare. But then she ruined it with a grin. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d be a little suspicious what you’d gotten up to with our dear Penny.”
He pulled out a chair across from Ali while Penny hurried over to the buffet that was laid out with silver serving dishes. “And what do you figure I was up to?” He poured himself a cup of coffee from the silver urn sitting in the center of the table.
“He was probably down in the fitness center working out like usual,” Greer answered before her sister could. “As if he’s not already in great shape.”
“Yeah, well, great shape’s not all it’ll take to get me cleared for parachuting again.” For that he might need a miracle. He managed a smile as he looked at their grandmother. On the bright side, at least he now knew for certain that none of his cousins had been participants in his and Penny’s marital antics the night before. “Viv, how’d you sleep after all that champagne last night?”
“Like a baby. Champagne is practically mother’s milk to me.” She waved an indolent hand. Her attention was on Penny as she fussed with the buffet. “Penny, dear. We have you to thank for this resplendent display. Sit down and enjoy it.”
Quinn wondered if he was the only one aware of the tight set to Penny’s shoulders as she finally carried a minimally filled plate over to the table. She sat two chairs away from Quinn.
“For Delia,” she murmured when he raised his eyebrows questioningly. “When she gets here.”
Knowing his little sister, she’d sleep until it was time to get up and party at the next nightclub. He grabbed the handle of the fancy coffeepot and leaned across the empty chair to fill Penny’s cup.
She flicked him a quick look. Murmured a thank-you.
It was obvious as hell that she wanted to be anywhere other than there.
“So how did you know Mike Lansing?” Maddie asked him. “It was so loud in the club last night, I never got that quite clear.”
Quinn didn’t plan to let them all know how little he remembered of the previous night and he let the name sift through his mind. He was thinking up a plausible answer when Greer took up the reins.
“They served together back in Africa,” she said as she got up to refill her plate. “He was a PJ, too. Though, frankly, the guy seemed like a jerk to me. All he did was talk about himself like he was a divine gift to women.” She looked at Quinn. “Fortunately, once you and Penny were gone, he didn’t hang around long.”
Maddie was nodding as if it all made sense.
It was beginning to make sense to Quinn, too. Thank God. Even though it was a good ten years ago since he’d met Lansing, he remembered him.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t recall encountering the man at all the night before.
“Strictly speaking,” he corrected, “Lansing was a CRO.” He pronounced it crow. “Combat Rescue Officer.” Which had put him ahead of Quinn—who was enlisted—in the pecking order. Until Lansing had gotten booted out for dishonorable conduct, that was.
“I don’t like talking about all this military stuff,” Vivian said.
Which made Quinn want to smile, because they were barely glossing the surface of military stuff where he was concerned.
“So, tell me. What is on everyone’s schedule this afternoon?” Vivian raised her brows as she looked at all of them.
“Massage,” Greer said promptly.
“Then the pool,” Maddie and Ali said in unison.
Greer nodded. “That, too.”
“What about you, Penny dear?”
Penny looked like she wanted to be drawn into the conversation about as much as she wanted to be thrown into the lion’s den. “Whatever you need me to take care of this afternoon, Mrs. Templeton.”
His grandmother made a face. “The only thing I’m doing this afternoon is resting and making a few calls.”
He caught the way Penny took a closer look at Vivian. “Resting?”
“Yes.” Vivian’s voice was deliberately patient. “Just resting. Which means you can go about and play the same as my grandchildren. Visit the spa. The pool. Shop. Whatever you like.”
“You know that I didn’t bring a swimsuit.” Penny didn’t look at anyone as she focused on the roll that she’d been methodically shredding.
“Then go buy one, like I’ve been telling you to do since we got here,” Vivian said firmly. “Charge it to my room. I’m sure the girls would go shopping with you.” As if the matter was settled, she turned her attention to Quinn. “And you, young man? Aside from the way you seemed to loosen up last night, I haven’t seen you even visit the gaming tables. You’ll be the first Templeton I’ve ever known who doesn’t like to try his hand at a little gambling.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.” It would be one way to pass the rest of the day. If he hadn’t had an unplanned marriage on his hands, the casino might have held a little more appeal.
“Come to the pool with us,” Maddie urged. “It’ll be fun.”
“What kind of calls do you need to make, Vivian?” Ali started to prop her elbows on the table, then seemed to think better of it as she focused on their grandmother. She grinned. “You can rest at the pool, too, you know.”
Vivian chuckled. “Well, my dear Arthur would have been the first to agree with you. But I have some business to take care of with my attorney in Pittsburgh. I’m considering selling my estate there.” Her smile took in all of them. “Since I’ve come to the conclusion that none of my grandchildren will likely want to take up residence there, I see no reason to keep hold of the place.”
Quinn had gotten accustomed to his grandmother’s references to her last late husband. “Dear Arthur” had been a public school teacher. A regular guy. And even dead, he still seemed to be a guiding force in her life. So much so that to honor his memory, she’d tried mending the lifelong rifts with the family she’d had with her first husband by moving to Wyoming where everything had to be entirely backwater in comparison to the life she’d led in Pennsylvania.
“Are you
