Free The Billionaire Boyfriend Proposal: A Kavanagh Family Novel by Kendra Little Page A

the expense of
other people in their life—something I knew all too well.
    Despite having a brother and sister, I never
really experienced the sort of sibling attachment the Kavanaghs
had. While I'd been closer to Wendy than Lyle, she'd always been a
little distant, her attitude so different to mine that I struggled
to understand her. There was never any rift between us, but we just
didn't have that closeness that the Kavanagh brothers had, or the
Denny sisters. I was envious of them.
    "Just one problem," Blake said. "I don't want
to leave you guys here alone. It's not safe."
    "You think Skull will come back?" I asked.
"During the day?"
    "Unlikely," Robbie said. "He and the gang are
creatures of the night."
    Blake shook his head. "I don't want to risk
it."
    "I have a solution," I said. "You go and do
your thing with your brothers and I'll take Robbie shopping."
    Robbie groaned. "Do I have to?"
    "Do you own any other clothes?"
    He looked down at his paint splattered
T-shirt and jeans. "No."
    "Then you have to. Also a haircut."
    He ran his hand through his shoulder-length
brown hair. "Okay, I guess."
    "I also think you should cancel classes until
we're sure Skull isn't coming back," Blake said. "You don't want to
be responsible for their welfare as well as your own."
    "You're right. I'll go call them now." I got
up, but he grabbed my hand.
    "Cassie…are you okay?"
    "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
    His gaze flicked to Robbie, now licking the
plate clean. "Just asking. These circumstances are trying at
best."
    Did he mean the circumstances of Skull coming
back or of him and me being forced together? I pulled free, shot
him a flat smile, and took the plate back up to the main house.
    I called all my students and canceled the
models, and tried not to think how much I'd miss having them
around. The house would be too quiet without their lively chatter
while they painted.
    I returned to the summer house and cleaned
out the fridge while Blake and Robbie pulled out rotten shelves
from the kitchen. I prepared lunch at the house around noon and we
ate it on the back porch, watching the butterflies dance from
flower to flower in the fall sunshine.
    "We'll get going," I said to Robbie after
he'd washed up the dishes. I knew Blake wouldn't leave until we did
and I didn't want him to be late.
    Blake reached into his back pocket. "Take my
credit card."
    "It's okay," I told him. "I can afford a few
things for Robbie."
    "Let me pay. Bazillionaire, remember."
    Damned Kavanaghs.
    Robbie snatched the credit card out from
Blake's thumb and forefinger. I held my hand out and he slapped it
in my palm with a sheepish grin.
    "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."
    Blake scowled. "If you do anything to
embarrass Cassie, I'll have you working on that summer house so
hard you'll want to join the army just for a break."
    Robbie laughed, not at all worried. "You guys
are good at this good cop, bad cop thing. Or is it Mom and
Dad?"
    I choked on my own tongue. Blake glared at
him and Robbie left through the back door, laughing.
    "He's got an attitude," Blake said.
    I recovered enough to answer him, but kept my
hot face turned away. "He's a pretty good kid considering all the
crap he's been through."
    Blake turned to me. "Hey," he said softly.
"Are we okay?"
    I nodded, but I felt anything but okay. In
some ways it would have been easier to get the cold shoulder from
him this morning, maybe a snippy response or a snide retort. But
that wasn't Blake's way. It never had been. When he was upset with
me, he always told me direct and without getting emotional, but
those times were so rare anyway that they hardly registered. Still,
having him hate me this morning would have been better. At least
then I could have easily kept him at arm's length.
    ***
    To my surprise, Robbie was careful not to
spend too much money. For all his cockiness, he refused to shop
anywhere expensive and insisted on buying only half of what I
suggested. We bought just enough clothing and other necessities