Mac looked from one to the other. “I’d like to see the rockers. I’ve always got an eye out for quality furniture.”
“I’ll show you sometime. Right now, I’m more interested in lunch.” Trent reached into his truck and pulled out a small cooler. “C’mon, Mac, we’ll show you around.”
“Can I help you carry that?” The cooler looked heavy, and Mac knew that Trent had sustained a back injury in the plane crash.
Trent scowled. “Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
Annie rolled her eyes in response to her f
iancé’s curt tone. “He never admits that he needs help, whether he does or not,” she murmured.
“I said I’ve got it. Now, do you two want to eat or stand here running your mouths?”
Mac chuckled and held out his arm to Annie. “Shall we?”
She slipped her hand beneath his elbow and dimpled up at him. “Why, thank you, sir.”
Trent glanced over his shoulder. “Careful, Mac. I’m the jealous type.”
Aware of the dry humor in Trent’s voice, Mac responded in kind. “Don’t worry. I think of her almost like family.”
It was a sick joke, of course, and at the McBrides’ expense. But Mac had to entertain himself somehow.
Following Trent around the side of the big old white-frame, black-shuttered house with its wraparound porch, Mac steeled himself for what was to come.
The backyard was large and nicely landscaped, shaded by big, spreading trees and decorated with masses of colorful flowers. It was a warm, cloudless day, and the adults and children mingling around a large, smoking barbecue grill and several picnic tables were dressed in lightweight, brightly colored clothing. Quite a welcoming and domestic sight, Mac thought wryly. Like a scene from a Disney movie.
Probably because he was looking for her, he spotted Sharon immediately. She was standing beside one of the picnic tables talking with three other women. He identified the striking redhead as Trevor’s wife, Jamie. Though he hadn’t been introduced to her, he’d seen her entering the law firm enough times to know who she was. The fresh-faced blonde was Emily Davenport. He had seen her from a distance, though he’d made no effort to meet her before now. He didn’t recognize the cool-looking woman with dark auburn hair standing next to Sharon. He’d never seen her around town.
They were all very attractive, but the only one who made Mac’s pulse rate increase was Sharon. She wore her hair down in a smooth, glossy curtain to her collar. The bright sunlight brought out rich, warm highlights, and he could almost feel the silken strands in his hands again, almost smell the clean, fresh scent of her shampoo. She wore a sleeveless, scoop-neck white blouse that closed down the front with tiny buttons, and khaki shorts that revealed a modest, but delectable stretch of legs.
He found himself fantasizing about releasing the buttons of her blouse, stripping away her shorts to expose the parts of her he had so painstakingly explored in his bedroom only twenty-four hours earlier. He forced himself to clear his mind of those thoughts before he embarrassed himself.
She smiled when she saw him. He remembered the first time she’d visited the Garrett house, when she’d been surprised to find Trent McBride waiting in the kitchen. Mac had wondered then how it would feel to be on the receiving end of one of her bright, warm, generous smiles. Now he knew. It felt great.
Wade, Trevor and another man were gathered around the barbecue grill, holding beers and frowning intently at the sizzling meat. Trent glanced at Mac and chuckled. “They look like they’re performing brain surgery, don’t they?”
Spotting them, Wade handed his beer to Trevor and ambled their way. “Hey, guys. Annie, you look lovely as always.”
She smiled. “And you are as charming as always.”
“How’s that dumb mutt of yours?”
“Bozo is just fine, thank you. And he isn’t dumb,” she added firmly. “Just—unconventional.”
Trent snorted. “The mutt’s got the IQ of a bowl of oatmeal,” he muttered.
Annie pretended to be offended, but she was smiling. “Admit it, Trent, you like my dog.”
Trent shrugged ironically. “He and I have come to an arrangement. We’ll each share Annie—to a point.”
Wade turned to greet Mac. “Good to see you, Mac. Trent, give me that cooler and show Mac where we keep the beer.”
Having made his point by carrying the cooler this far, Trent relinquished it without argument. He led Mac to a large, ice-filled metal tub that held a variety of canned beverages. Sharon and her companions joined them there.
“Hi, Mac.”
He accepted a dripping can of cold beer from Trent, then turned to acknowledge Sharon’s greeting. “Hi, yourself.”