The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (i am reading a book TXT) π

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- Author: Katherine Logan
Read book online Β«The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (i am reading a book TXT) πΒ». Author - Katherine Logan
βHow large is your family? Do you have many brothers and sisters?β TR asked.
Austinβs eyebrows knitted together. βI grew up believing I had one sister and four brothers, but when I got older, I discovered that my brothers were my uncles, my sister was my mother, and my father was my grandfather.β
In the torchlight, she saw shock register in TRβs eyes. βThat surely caused a scandal.β
βNah. The secret stayed in the family.β Austin took his white checkers and arranged them on the backgammon board. βI was mad at them because they lied to me, but I eventually got over it. Theyβre still the same people, and it didnβt change how much I love them.β
TR placed the black checkers on the board, and then they both rolled one die. TR had the highest roll, so he went first. The game moved quickly, and they were soon down to the same number of checkers on their home board. TR lost by one checker and asked for a second game. He won the second game and requested a third, but Austin stood and stretched.
βIβd like to walk a bit before I turn in, sir. But Iβd like to play another night.β He reached for Ensleyβs hand. βWill you walk with me, cousin?β
Austin caught her off guard. She didnβt want to be rude in front of TR, so she said, βSure,β and accepted his offer to help her up. βI know you want to catch up on what James Cullen has been doing, and we havenβt had a chance to talk.β
Her hand looked like a miniature in his foot-size palm, and when she stood, her head barely reached the middle of his chest. The difference in their sizes was stark. He was a giant redwood, she was a sapling, and he could easily block out all the light. She wasnβt sure if that thought had a deeper meaning or revealed something lurking in her subconscious. But she decided not to waste time thinking about it.
They strolled through the adjoining campsites, and even though his stride equaled three of hers, she managed to keep up with him. They detoured and walked through all the other camps. The men at each one gave Austin an appreciative nod. After making the rounds, he directed her back toward the river. It wasnβt until they reached the water that she realized what he had done.
βYou made a name for yourself today.β
βI didnβt intend to bring attention to myself, but when I saw what those assholes did to Mr. Roosevelt, I couldnβt help it.β
βWhatβd they do?β
βThey made fun of his glasses, and a guy from Texas called him Storm Windows.β
βWhatβd Teddy say?β
βHe told him to put up or shut up, fight or be friends.β
βAndβ¦β
βThe guy let it go. It took guts. So after watching the way Roosevelt handled it, I took his advice, more or less, and did it the only way I knew how.β
βAnd you did it brilliantly. But I think this walk through the campsites was about something else.β
βLike what?β
βYou were telling those men that Iβm under your protection and not to mess with me.β
βI saw the way they look at you, Ensley, and I wanted to knock the lustful smirks off their faces. I wonβt tolerate their disrespect. Tonight, though, not one of them glared at you. They all nodded and then looked away.β
βWas that a signal?β
βYep. They received my message. But I canβt promise the men will behave, but if anyone steps out of line, the rest will deal with him.β
βHow do you know? This is a different time.β
βMaybe, but men arenβt any different. They still act like jerks.β
βComing from you, thatβs a real ha-ha.β
He dropped his chin and gave her a half shrug. βLook, Iβm not a complete jerk. Pops made sure I always minded my manners and respected women. So I know I acted like an ass this afternoon. I wasnβt mad at you, but you were a handy target.β
She couldnβt hide her flash of surprise that heβd intentionally taken it out on her. βIf Iβd been a man, would you have been so obnoxious?β
βIt wouldnβt have mattered, even if you were a kid. Well, I take that back. I wouldnβt have done it to someone who couldnβt fight back.β
βAnd you thought I could? At five foot two?β
βI have a couple of aunts who arenβt any taller than you, and what they have in spirit and drive more than makes up for their short stature. And I knew it would piss off Remy and Tavis. But itβs not them Iβm pissed at. Itβs Pops and Elliott. They shouldnβt have done this to me. I can deal with almost anything except when people lie.β
That yucky rush of adrenaline a person got when they did something wrong and knew they were going to get busted surged through her once again, and she turned slightly so the moon wouldnβt illuminate her guilty face.
βI donβt think they lied to you,β she managed to say.
βSure they did. If you know something and donβt tell the person it affects, then itβs a lie of omission.β
βSounds like you havenβt gotten over the first big lie your family told you, so all lies since then are just dumped on top and compound the pain.β She picked up a handful of rocks to try to skip them by moonlight and threw one. It bounced once and sank.
βAre you a shrink, too?β His afternoon tone of voice was rising to the surface.
βNo.β She wasnβt even an amateur psychologist. But she had edited a book by a real one. The author explained that self-improvement, when done correctly, was the key to getting everything you wanted. Self-improvement would either light a fire under
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