then, he’d taken a lot more trouble to make sure that he’d seen his nephew and niece over the years; he knew that Morwenna always meant to.
She was just busy.
“Hey, little one!” Bobby said. He hiked her up on his hip. “Give Aunt Wenna a nice smooch right on the cheek there!”
Genevieve did; and she reached out with a cherubic smile. Morwenna took her, giving her a good hug and a kiss back. She looked at Bobby. Was there even a bit of gratitude in that glance?
Then Connor came flying out of the front, racing to them. He just gave Bobby a hug; Bobby opted not to pick him up. It might be against the boy’s dignity. Besides, at nine, Connor was tall and solid.
The car moved on into the garage.
“Didn’t know you were coming, munchkins,” Bobby said.
“We weren’t—then Mommy said we might have a better time with Daddy. And she said that we might really hurt Gram and Gramps if we didn’t come,” Connor said.
“Yep, she said that Connor and I were lucky to be loved by so many people,” Genevieve said.
Yes, Bobby thought, his sister-in-law—or ex-sister-in-law—would have said just such a thing, and meant it. She’d never known her own grandparents, and her parents had died the year before she’d met Shayne.
Shayne had emerged from the car by then and was walking toward them. “Hey, family,” he said. He was trying to smile.
“You got the kids!” Morwenna said.
“Yeah. Yeah,” Shayne said reflectively. Shayne, Bobby thought, was just as pretty as Morwenna—in a manly sort of way, of course. His brother was a good six foot three with the same dark hair and deep blue eyes. He was fit, and his posture was as straight as an iron girder. He had embraced being a physician, and lived well. Bobby had smoked on and off, over the years; he’d given it up last time because his brother had tortured him so much that the withdrawal was easier than listening to Shayne’s speeches.
“That’s great,” Morwenna said. “That was kind of Cindy.”
Shayne sniffed. “Yeah. Kind. She’s heading to Europe with the new love of her life. She decided that the kids might be a hindrance.”
“Hey!” Morwenna said, frowning. Shayne had the grace to wince, realizing that both his children were there, listening.
Shayne hunkered down by Genevieve. “Hey, guys, remember the rules at Gram’s house—you don’t come outside without someone here. What’s the other rule—do you remember, Connor?”
Connor nodded gravely. “Never take the side path out to the garage or shed in winter. Never. Never, never, never. The snow hides the slope and we could fall and get hurt.”
“Good,” Shayne said. “Now, Genevieve?”
Genevieve giggled. “Oh, Daddy! We know where the path is!”
“Genevieve, don’t come outside without an adult ever,” Shayne said. His voice had taken on an angry tone. “I’m serious.”
Connor came closer to his sister. “She knows, Dad. She just likes to argue lately. It’s a kid thing.”
Shayne nodded, looking at his son with gratitude.
Genevieve hugged him. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I wish Mommy was here, too. She makes good snowmen.”
Shayne nodded. “Yes, she makes good snowmen, but she is off on a trip, so we’ll have to make do with whatever Uncle Bobby and the rest of us can come up with. Now, run in and give big smooches and hugs to Gram and Gramps, okay? You’re going to be the best surprise for them!” Shayne said.
“Shayne,” Bobby said quietly. “You’ve got to be careful.”
“I know, I know. Sometimes I can’t help it,” Shayne said.
“Shayne, damn it. Bobby is right!” Morwenna said firmly. “Cindy is not a bad human being, and she was never a bad mother. I told you, she needed more time from you. She held down the fort when the kids were babies—I doubt if you ever changed a diaper—and—”
“Stop it, Morwenna! I changed plenty of diapers,” Shayne said. “You weren’t around much, so how the hell are you going to tell me what I did and didn’t do! I was working—”
“Come on, Wenna,” Bobby said. “Shayne was a good dad—you really do work a lot—”
“Better than you, who can’t even get the hell through school?” Morwenna interrupted angrily.
Before he could answer, they all froze in silence.
They’d heard … something.
“What was that?” Morwenna asked. She frowned, turning around. “We’re the only shack up here!”
“House,” Bobby said.
“Whatever. You have to head down to the lower peak just to get to the tavern,” Morwenna said.
“Maybe it was nothing,” Shayne said. “Or,” he added, giving her a rueful smile, “the voice of God, warning us not to go inside like squabbling children.”
“And lay off each other,” Bobby added softly. “We are supposed to be adults.”
“No … toward the trees,” Morwenna said, frowning.
The sound came again. It was definitely a groan.
“There is someone up here,” Shayne said. He started walking.
Morwenna ran after him, leaping like a rabbit through the snow. “Shayne, stop. Let me get Dad, and his gun.”
“Morwenna, let’s see what it is,” Bobby said.
“It’s a man—I can hear human groans,” Shayne said.
Bobby rushed past Morwenna and grabbed her hand. “Come on—he wouldn’t be groaning if he was dangerous!”
“It could be a criminal,” Morwenna warned.
“Up here? A criminal came all the way up here to groan by our shack? Please!” Bobby said.
Shayne was in the lead, striding through the snow, with Bobby—dragging Morwenna along—following.
Right at the copse that bordered the snow-driven path, there was a man half buried in the drifts. As Shayne hunkered down by him, reaching for a pulse, Bobby studied him.
He appeared to be about thirty, with tawny blood-matted hair and a face with aesthetic contours, although they were half concealed, since he was on his side in the snow.
Good profile, though.
“He’s alive,” Shayne said. “Steady enough pulse, though it’s slow.”
“We’ve
