Free That Summer Night (Callaways #6) by Barbara Freethy

"Now I know why Robert's betrayal cut so deep. You aren't just brothers; you're twins. There's a difference."
    "Is there?"
    "Of course. My brother, Colton, and I have always shared a deep connection. We're much closer to each other than we are to our other siblings."
    "Well, I don't have any other siblings, so I wouldn't know the difference."
    "Were you and Robert close when you were young?"
    "When we were really young," he admitted. "Once we hit school, Robert sped ahead. He wouldn't just jump one grade at a time; he'd skip two. I'd be struggling with basic math, and he'd be doing algebraic equations in his head. By the time we were ten, we were living very different lives. While I was figuring out high school, Robert was off to college at fifteen."
    "Very few people are as smart as your brother."
    "Apparently you come close."
    She gave a self-deprecating shrug. "My IQ is nowhere near Robert's level. But there's book smart and street smart, and I have a feeling you would beat your brother when it came to street smarts any day of the week." She cocked her head to the right, giving him a thoughtful look. "Did you ever want to go to college?"
    "Never. School was Robert's world, not mine."
    "Did you always want to be in the Army?"
    "No. I didn't know what I wanted to be. The Army seemed as good a choice as any at the time. In the end, it turned out to be the best possible place for me."
    "You were a baby when you enlisted."
    "I didn't think so at the time. In fact, I thought I had it all together, that I knew everything."
    "Funny how that hasn't changed," she said dryly.
    He smiled and tipped his head. "Fair point."
    "So you were in the Army a long time."
    "Sixteen years. I'd still be there if I hadn't almost gotten my leg blown off."
    She winced, her gaze narrowing with compassion. "What happened, Reid?"
    "I don't want to talk about it."
    She sighed. "You brought it up."
    "Now I'm dropping it."
    "There's a lot you don't want to talk about."
    "Then maybe you could do me a favor and stop asking me questions."
    Her response to his words was a smile, and that irritated him even more. Not only was she not taking him seriously, she was damned beautiful when she wasn't terrified for her life. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
    "You. You're like a grumpy bear who caught a nail in his paw and wants to bite anyone who tries to get close enough to take it out."
    He stared back at her. "Is that what you think? That all I need is someone to pull out the nail? Maybe someone like you? You can't heal me, Doc. So don't even think about trying."
    Her smile disappeared. "I wasn't trying to diminish your injury, Reid. I'm sorry if you took it that way."
    "It's fine." He picked up Robert's notebook. "Let's get back to business. What can you tell me about these sketches?"
    She hesitated, as if she didn't quite want to let the personal conversation drop, but in the end, she went along with him. "I don't know if I can tell you anything. I've seen Robert drawing, but he's never shared the illustrations with me."
    "Why don't you take a look at them now?"
    She hesitated. "Do I need to? You have the notebook. You know where to meet Robert. Do we need to decipher the sketches?"
    "I'd like to know what I'm heading into and I think this notebook holds a clue."
    "Does that mean you've finally decided to help your brother?"
    "First, I want to figure out why these sketches are important. If Robert is in trouble, I'd like to know what that trouble is before I get down in the quicksand with him."
    She stared back at him. "I suppose that makes sense."
    "Of course it makes sense. You don't go into battle without a plan."
    "I don't want to go into battle at all."
    "Then you shouldn't have told Robert you'd help him."
    "I couldn't say no. He's my friend." She paused. "Even if you won't make me a promise, I know you're going to help Robert, because he's your brother, your twin brother. No matter what he's done to you, he's blood, and you're a loyal man."
    He stared back