For one moment, Rafe caught himself wondering what it might have been like to have a woman like this one in his life. He had the distinct impression she would be a lioness when protecting Katie. He couldn’t blame her for that, Rafe thought, even as he shrugged. He didn’t want to be disrespectful, but damned if he’d explain himself to Katie’s grandmother, either.
“Long story short,” he offered, “I lost a bet so I’m working this job. Easier to work it as a nobody than one of the bosses.”
“That explains why you haven’t told your crew,” she said thoughtfully. “It doesn’t explain lying to Katie.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
She blew out an impatient breath and prompted, “And? So?”
One look in the woman’s eyes, so much like her granddaughter’s, told Rafe that she wasn’t going to give up until she had what she’d come here for. He didn’t like being put on the spot. Didn’t appreciate having to justify his actions. But, if there was one thing Rafe respected, it was loyalty and he could see that feeling ran deep in this woman.
So, though he wouldn’t explain himself thoroughly, he was willing to give her the bare bones. “I like her. She hates the Kings. So I’m not about to tell her I’m one of them.”
“Ever?” Emily asked, clearly dumbfounded.
“I’ll have to tell her eventually,” he acknowledged, “but in my own time and my own way.”
“And when is that, exactly?”
Looking into her eyes, Rafe wondered why he had considered this woman to be just a nice older lady. Katie’s nana had steel in her spine. He wasn’t used to this. Rafe couldn’t even remember the last time anyone had questioned him about anything. He was a King. He didn’t do explanations or apologies. And he didn’t, for damn sure, wither under a disapproving stare from a suburban grandmother.
Yet, that was just what he was doing.
“When I’ve convinced her that not all Kings are bastards,” he admitted. “When she likes me enough, I’ll tell her everything, prove to her she was wrong about us and then I’ll get out of her life.”
Emily blinked at him, then shook her head as if she hadn’t heard him right. “That’s your plan?”
“Something wrong with it?”
“Let me count the ways,” she muttered, with yet another shake of her head.
He didn’t care what she thought of his plan, he was sticking with it. But as he stood there, another idea occurred to him and he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before. Could have saved himself, and his brother Sean, a lot of trouble. Taking a step or two closer to Emily, he said, “You know which of the Kings treated her badly, right?”
She frowned so harshly, Rafe was instantly glad it wasn’t him this formidable woman was mad at. “I do.”
“Tell me,” he said shortly. “Tell me who he is. I’m trying to find out, but it’s taking me too long.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because—” Rafe’s mouth snapped shut. He took a breath and said, “I want to know who hurt her so I can hurt him back.”
“One of your own family?”
He heard the surprise in her voice and a part of him shared it. The Kings always stuck together. It was practically a vow they all took at birth. It was the King cousins against the world and God help anyone who tried to undermine them. The occasional brawls and fistfights notwithstanding, none of the Kings had ever turned on another.
“Yeah,” he said, realizing that cousin or not, Rafe really wanted to hit the guy responsible for Katie’s defensiveness. No matter who the King cousin—or brother—was, Rafe was going to make him sorry for hurting Katie.
“Again,” Emily said quietly, “I have to ask, why do you care?”
He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck and gritted his teeth in frustration. Rafe wasn’t sure himself why he cared so damn much, he only knew he did. The only possible explanation was that he didn’t like the idea of a woman like Katie hating the Kings. She was…nice. Frowning at that moronic thought, he grumbled aloud, “You ask a hell of a lot of questions.”
“I do indeed. So how about an answer?” she countered. “An honest one.”
Rafe met her gaze and wondered if Katie would be as amazing a woman as her grandmother when she was Emily’s age. He had to figure that she would. As the Kings were always saying, it’s in the blood. And a part of him wanted to be around to see Katie as a scary-smart old woman. He dismissed that thought quickly enough though, as he knew all too well that commitment and permanence weren’t in him.
Choosing his words carefully, Rafe said, “Honestly, I don’t know why I care so much. I only know I do. I don’t like knowing it was one of my family who caused her pain. And I don’t like knowing she hates the Kings because of that one jerk—whoever he is. So give me a name and I’ll take care of it and get out of Katie’s life all that much sooner.”
She gave him a slow, wide smile and shook her head firmly enough to have her short, silver hair lifting in the breeze. “You know what? I don’t think I will.”
“Why not?”
“Because, I’d rather watch you play out your plan,” she admitted. “My Katie can take care of herself, you know. That guy hurt her, but he didn’t break her. You know why? Because she only thought she was in love. You might want to remember that, Rafe.”
Confusion rose up inside him, but he swallowed it back. “Fine, I’ll remember.”
“Good. Now, I’ve got a hot date, so I’ve got to get a move on,” she announced and turned around to leave, only to whirl back to face him again. Pointing at him, she said, “Just one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
Her eyes narrowed and her voice dropped a couple of notches. There wasn’t even the glimmer of a smile on her face. “If you break her heart, I’ll hunt you down like a sick dog and make you sorry you ever set foot in Katie’s house. Sound fair?”
Rafe nodded, admiration for the older woman filling him again. Family loyalty he understood completely. And he found himself again envying Katie for having someone in her life who loved her so much.
He’d never known that himself. Oh, he had his brothers and cousins, sure. His mother, though, hadn’t loved him; she’d only used him as a bargaining chip, to squeeze Ben King for money. The elderly aunt who’d raised him hadn’t—she’d only done her duty, as she often told him. Rafe was pretty sure his father had loved him, as much as Ben King was able. Rafe wasn’t feeling sorry for himself. Things were as they were. And he’d done fine on his own.