“This is it,” Trevor announced as I climbed out of my car. “I’ll get everything opened up, and you guys can make yourselves at home.”
I nodded as he nervously headed toward his front door. I wasn’t sure what he was nervous about—we were the ones who were intruding on his space. As soon as he disappeared into the house, I turned to where my sister was gingerly climbing out of the car. The long drive must have made her achy because she winced as she stretched.
“He lives in the middle of nowhere,” she said, her voice scratchy after the hours of silence.
“Like a serial killer,” I replied.
“Or a hermit,” she shot back with a shrug.
“Is that better?”
Before she could answer, Trevor’s garage door rolled open and he strode out, carrying a wriggling black puppy.
“Jesus,” Miranda mumbled. “It’s like a freaking lumberjack calendar.”
“Sorry,” Trevor said sheepishly as he set the puppy down. “I let him out this morning, but my cousin hasn’t been here yet to let him out again.”
“You have a puppy,” I said dumbly. He’d told me during our long conversations that he wanted one, but I hadn’t known he’d actually gotten one.
“Oh, hey,” Miranda said softly as the puppy went straight to her. “You’re freaking adorable. What’s your name?” She crouched down, and I inhaled sharply at the grimace she tried to hide.
“He doesn’t have one yet,” Trevor replied, striding toward us.
“You haven’t named him?” I asked as the puppy jumped around Miranda like she was the best thing he’d ever seen.
“Any ideas?” Trevor asked.
“He looks like a bear,” Miranda said, getting slowly to her feet as the puppy went to look for the perfect spot to pee.
“Koda,” I said softly, watching as the little furball sniffed every tree and bush.
“Brother Bear,” Miranda said, her lips curving a little bit.
“Good choice,” Trevor replied. “I haven’t seen that movie in years.”
“Etta likes it,” I mumbled, shrugging.
“Henry liked it, too,” Trevor said nonchalantly. “He used to watch it even when he was a teenager.”
“That’s because Henry was a lost boy,” Miranda said.
I stiffened. I’d heard her use that phrase before.
“Lost boy?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah.” Miranda wasn’t looking at us, and I gritted my teeth because there was no way to stop her from saying whatever insulting thing was about to come out of her mouth. “He never grew up.”
Trevor made a choking noise in his throat.
“Jesus, Ranna,” I hissed, shaking my head in embarrassment.
“No,” Trevor said slowly. “That’s a pretty good description.”
My gaze shot to his, and I was surprised to find understanding there.
“I’ll never pretend he was perfect,” Trevor said, loud enough for Miranda to hear. “But he was my baby brother and I love him.”
“That’s how I feel about my little sister,” I replied through my teeth, glancing at Miranda. “Even when she’s unkind.”
“Sorry,” Miranda said, leaning against the side of the car. “It’s been a long day.”
“No worries,” Trevor replied before I could chastise her again. “You guys want to come in before it starts raining?”
My little sister started toward the house without another word. We watched her walk slowly inside, and I took a deep breath. It looked like we were definitely staying. Why was I so anxious about going into that house?
“Want me to grab Etta?” Trevor asked, resting his hand on my back as he passed me.
Oh, yeah. Now I remembered why I was so damn jumpy. Just that small touch, and my skin felt like it was on fire.
* * *
After a tour of the house and bathroom stops for all of us, I stood in the kitchen with Etta, unsure what to do. Miranda had closed herself into a bedroom the minute she’d seen it, and I was trying to give her a little while alone before I intruded. My normally chatty sister was anything but, and I had a feeling that she needed the quiet.
I wasn’t going to leave her alone for long, though, especially after the things I’d seen during that doctor’s exam earlier. This wasn’t the first time I’d watched Miranda retreat into her shell, but it was the first time since we’d reached adulthood. Whether it had been the luck of the draw, or the fact that she’d been younger than I was, she’d dealt with far more abuse when we were in the system than I had. I’d been placed with families who were mostly like the Harrises, but Miranda hadn’t been so lucky. When we’d reunited I’d barely recognized the sister I’d been separated from. It had taken years for our relationship to go back to what it once was. I’d always felt guilty for that.
“Are you guys hungry?” Trevor asked, coming in from whatever he’d been doing outside.
“Twevo!”
“Hey, sweet thing,” Trevor said, grinning at Etta. “Did you have a good nap?”
“Me no nap,” Etta argued, wrinkling her nose.