Wade held Mackenzie’s hand as he led her into his and Wyatt’s cabin. As agreed on earlier, his twin was absent. He kissed her on the cheek and opened the door. “Here we are, sweetheart.”
“It’s nice. Very nice.” Eyes anxious, she stared at him.
He needed to be cautious with her. One wrong move and she would be lost to him. That wasn’t going to happen. No way. “Would you like something to drink?”
“That would be nice.”
The scene at the club had worked just like he’d hoped, but she’d cooled off suddenly for no apparent reason. He’d driven straight to the cabin, all the while expecting her to demand they go to her place. No demand came. She seemed lost to her thoughts.
“We’ve got beer and whiskey. No wine. Sorry.”
“Whiskey sounds perfect,” she said, taking a seat on his leather sofa.
God, she looked good there. “Rocks or not?”
“Rocks, please. Wade, do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
“If you’re a cop, I mind. If not, ask away,” he joked, pouring their drinks.
“What do you know about Austin?”
He realized that was when she’d stiffened up at the club. Austin had sat down next to her. “He’s a tough one, hard to read.” He handed her the glass with the golden liquid, hoping it would relax her some. “You have a beef with him?” If she did, the bastard would pay dearly.
“No. Just curious.” She took a long sip on the whiskey.
“Slow down, doll. That’s pretty potent stuff you’re drinking.”
Mackenzie placed the glass on the coffee table, which would’ve been better dubbed the whiskey table in this cabin. She smiled. “I’m a big girl, cowboy. Whiskey is my second favorite drink.”
“And your favorite is?”
“Tequila.”
He sat down next to her, a silent dominance over her with his proximity. “Don’t have any, but I’ll make sure I have some for your next visit.”
She cocked her head to one side, adding to her already-intoxicating good looks. “Who said there’d be a ‘next visit’?”
“Oh, there will be, Mackenzie. Count on it. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Do you have any family?”
Once again, she tensed. What one of her nerves had he hit?
She gazed at him with those big gorgeous eyes of hers, taking another drink before answering. “I have family. Yes. A brother.”
Something about the way she said “brother” made him pause. The syllables were pain-filled in tone. “Are you estranged?”
“No.” She blinked and looked down at her drink.
He grabbed her hands. “Tell me about him. Is he ill?”
She shook her head.
It was clear she needed to talk about this but was having trouble voicing it. “Then what about him? Mackenzie, you can trust me. I promise.”
Tears flowed down her cheek. She lifted her glass and drained the contents in a single gulp. “May I have another?”
“Sure.” What burden did she carry? It was a very heavy one for sure. He took her glass and filled it up once again. Handing it to her, he ventured more guesses. “Is he in trouble with the law?”
“I just can’t tell you.”