Somebody's Lover: The Jackson Brothers, Book 1

day.
    Why had she said that? Taylor’s mind started working overtime. Connie hadn’t noticed something different, had she?
    Taylor suddenly needed to busy herself. “I’ll take these inside.” She hastily gathered empty bowls and stacked the dirty paper plates.
    “I’ll help you in a minute,” Evelyn said as she clapped for another well-aimed throw, this time by Taylor’s youngest, Jamey.
    Taylor headed for the house, but couldn’t resist one more glance at the game. At that moment, Jace looked up. At her. Even from this distance, she could see the smolder in his eyes.
    He hadn’t put last night out of his mind either.

    * * * * *

    “Will you look at that?” Connie mused.
    “What?” Evelyn pulled together the plates Taylor couldn’t carry.
    “That.” Connie nodded at Jace with her chin. “He’s been watching Taylor all day.”
    Evelyn looked. She didn’t see anything. Jace was helping Rina get ready for another throw, demonstrating the proper stance. “You’ve got a fertile imagination.”
    Connie’s eyes twinkled. “Fertile is right.”
    Evelyn felt a little catch in her throat. She loved Connie. She loved both her boys’ wives. But Connie sometimes got things set wrong in her head. Evelyn debated briefly about pulling Mitch aside tomorrow and telling him about the maybe-baby, but discarded the idea. That’s one thing she’d vowed she’d never do, get involved in her boys’ marriages, any of them.
    She ignored Connie’s little joke. “Jace is acting the same way he always does.”
    “No. He keeps watching Taylor. Whenever she’s not looking his way. And she’s doing the same thing.” Connie gave a sly smile. “Something’s going on there.”
    Taylor and Jace? Evelyn gave her youngest a long look. She used to wish he’d find a woman like Taylor. Someone who would settle his oats, calm him down a little. He was her baby, her wild boy, the one who had given her quite a few sleepless nights.
    Though he’d changed since Lou’s death. There were times he brooded over things that weren’t his fault, she knew. A mother who’d always been able to talk to her sons about anything, Jace’s guilt was the one thing she’d never been able to bring up with him. He’d walk out of the room rather than listen to her. It wasn’t something she could discuss with Arthur either. Arthur never talked about that day, and she certainly couldn’t bring up her worries over Jace. She’d been married to Arthur for almost forty years, but that was a subject over which she couldn’t predict his reaction. So she let sleeping dogs lie. Jace needed to deal with it on his own. He’d taken to treating Lou’s boys like they were his, coaching their little league team, taking them to father-son days at school or camp. He fixed whatever Taylor needed fixing around the house. He changed her oil when the car needed it, came over to mow the lawn. He did Lou’s jobs. Atonement? Probably. Yes, for sure.
    But something more with Taylor? That girl wasn’t looking for a husband or a man. She was fine with her boys and the family. No one would ever replace Lou for her. If Jace thought otherwise, he was in for a big heartache.
    “Hey, Jace,” Connie called. “Come here.”
    He ambled over politely, but darn if his glance didn’t stray to the screen door through which Taylor had disappeared, and might reappear at any moment. A shiver ran down Evelyn’s spine. She didn’t want her boy hurt, she didn’t want her family hurt, especially not Arthur. She didn’t think he’d be able to handle the day Taylor found another man. If that man were Jace? Heaven help them.
    But Taylor wasn’t interested in another. How many times had she said she was happy with her life the way it was? Selfishly, Evelyn prayed she meant it.
    Connie kicked her under the table, then smiled at Jace. “Did Taylor tell you her faucet’s leaking?”
    “No, Connie, she didn’t.”
    “Well, it is.”
    He nodded, his head tipped slightly. “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll take care of it as soon as I get a chance.” Then he backed away, giving Connie an odd, speculative look.
    He was a good-looking boy. All her boys were. Big, strapping, brown-haired boys. But Jace looked the most like Lou. Sometimes, when Jace came up the walk at the house, her heart would give a little leap. For a moment, when she forgot Lou was gone, the joy overtook her and she thought her eldest was coming home after a long time away. Then she’d remember,