Free No Turning Back by Helenkay Dimon Page B

like the idea of living in filth, he made a quick calculation and went with it. “I’ll pay you. We can figure out a reasonable rate and any overdue balance.”
    “I’m happy to stay on.” She bent down to grab her bucket and when she straightened again her smile had returned. “But until you sell, I’ll do it at the old rate. It’s the least I can do.”
    Just what he needed. One more person beating the sell-the-house drum. “Since we might not sell, we’ll work out other arrangements.”
    Her smile faltered just as fast as it came. “What?”
    “We might live here.”
    “Oh . . . good.” She hesitated for a second as she got her sudden blinking problem under control. “That’s wonderful. This house needs life again.”
    Damn strange reaction. About par for the course in Sweetwater, but still, this woman was not just a random housecleaner. She had some sort of connection to the house, and wasn’t that just another pain in the ass he didn’t need. “You can start on the third floor.”
    She nodded and snuck one last look at Beck before disappearing through the doorway to the formal dining room. Neither brother said anything as her footsteps echoed through the quiet house. When her sneakers pounded against the stairs, Declan steeled his body for a new verbal battle with Beck.
    It only took a second after the floor above their head creaked before he jumped in. “Now what are you doing? We don’t even know that woman.”
    Declan had no fucking clue. He was operating on pure instinct here. That and the old adage about keeping your enemies closer.
    He went to the sink and dumped his coffee cup in there before turning back to Beck. “You have a trust issue.”
    “My reaction probably has something to do with having everyone in this town hate us. You’re not a little skeptical of having some woman show up on the doorstep proclaiming her wish to help? I’m guessing she wants something, like possibly our blood in a vial on her fireplace.”
    They stood only a few feet apart now. Declan could see the lines of worry on Beck’s forehead. It couldn’t be normal for a guy his age to have those tension lines. Made Declan wonder about what else Beck might be dealing with and not saying.
    “I’m thinking you should stop taking criminal clients. They’re making you paranoid.”
    Beck leaned against the island and crossed one ankle over the other. “Just trying to be practical. The list of Charlie’s enemies is long.”
    “But they’re not our enemies. We didn’t do anything.”
    “Tell them that.”
    Declan doubted Beck was thinking about Charlie and his cons right now. “Is that really the problem here? Really why she set you off?”
    Beck frowned. “What are you talking about?”
    “Nothing.” Talk about clueless. “She’ll clean. I’ll watch over her. We won’t live like pigs. These are all good things.”
    Beck exhaled long and loud, like the weight of the world had just been dumped right on his head. “No.”
    “No?”
    Beck shook his head. “You have enough to handle with dating Leah Baron—”
    “I’m not—”
    “—I’ll take care of Ms. Clarke.”
    Declan opened his mouth to launch into a denial about the dating but stopped. If Beck wanted to be near Sophie, Declan wasn’t going to stand in the way. Besides, it would be a pure pleasure watching Beck fight and deny his attraction. “Okay.”
    “That was almost too easy.”
    No kidding
. “Hey, when you win an argument, stop talking. Didn’t they teach you that in law school?”
    “Not during the parts I was awake for.”
    One victory down. Now all Declan had to do was win over Leah. Sure, no problem.

Chapter Seven
    Leah dragged a third box into her bedroom, stepping around the exercise bike she used as a very expensive pants hanger and the pumps she kicked off the second after she came home from visiting her dad. The same visit she hadn’t planned for and which lasted hours rather than just for an early lunch as she had