The Heart of Devin MacKade (The MacKade Brothers 3)

ng contest.”

“Yo!” Delighted with the assignment, Donnie took the information sheet, adjusted his hat and strode out, ready to uphold the law.

“I think he started to shave last week,” Devin commented.

“Petunias and poodles,” Jared said, and stretched. “I can see you’re busy.”

“Antietam’s a real naked city.” Devin got up to pour them both coffee. “Had us a situation down to Duff’s,” he added, tinting his voice with Donnie’s accent and emphasis. “Three cases of beer went missing.”

“Well, well…”

“Got two of them back.” After handing Jared the mug, Devin eased a hip onto his desk. “The other had been consumed by three sixteen-year-olds.”

“Tracked them down, did you?”

“It didn’t take Sam Spade.” Devin shook his head as he sipped. “They’d bragged about it right and left, took the beer out to the field near the high school and had themselves a party. They were sick as dogs when I caught up with them. Idiots. Now they’ve got B and E charges, larceny, and an appointment with juvie.”

“Seems to me I remember a couple of cases of beer and a party. In the woods.”

“We didn’t steal it,” Devin reminded him. “We left Duff the money in the storeroom—after we’d broken in and taken the beer.”

“A fine but salient point. God, we got drunk.”

“And sick,” Devin added. “When we crawled home, Mom made us shovel manure all afternoon. I thought I’d die.”

“Those were the days,” Jared said with a sigh. He sat back. Despite the trim suit and tie, the expensive shoes, there was no mistaking him for anything but a MacKade. Like his brother, he had the reckless dark good looks. A bit more groomed, a bit more polished, but reckless enough.

“What are you doing in town?”

“This and that.” Jared wanted to work up to what he had to tell Devin. “Layla’s getting a tooth.”

“Yeah? Keeping you guys up?”

“I forgot what sleep’s like.” His grin flashed. “It’s great. You know, Bryan changes diapers. The kid’s so in love with her, Savannah says the first thing he does when he gets home from school is to go find her.”

“You got lucky,” Devin murmured.

“Don’t I know it. You ought to try it, Dev. Marriage is a pretty good deal.”

“It’s working for you and Rafe. I saw him this morning, heading into the hardware with Nate strapped to his back. He looked real domestic.”

“Did you tell him that?”

“I didn’t want to start a fight in front of the baby.”

“Good call. You know what you need around here, Dev?” Still sipping coffee, Jared looked around the office. It was utilitarian, basic. Desks, wood floors, coffeepot, a ceiling fan that he knew squeaked when it was put into use in the summer, unpadded chairs, metal file cabinets. “You need a dog. Ethel’ll be dropping that litter any day now.”

Devin raised a brow. Fred and Ethel, Shane’s golden retrievers, had finally figured out what boy and girl dogs could do together besides chase rabbits. “Yeah, I need a puppy puddling on the floor and chewing up my papers.”

“Companionship,” Jared insisted. “Think how you’d look cruising around town with a dog riding shotgun. You could deputize him.”

The image made Devin grin, but he set his coffee down. “I’ll keep it in mind. Now why don’t you tell me what you came in to tell me?”

Jared blew out a breath. He knew how Devin’s mind worked, step by meticulous step. He’d let Jared ramble, but he hadn’t been fooled. “I had some business at the prison this morning.”

“One of your clients not getting his full television rights?”

Jared set his coffee aside, linked his fingers. “You arrest them, I represent them. That’s why it’s called law and order.”