If he had any idea of how far her relationship with her new neighbor had gone, he had the courtesy to keep his mouth shut.
She resisted the urge to tell him to go to blazes. "This is what I get for not moving to Wyoming when I turned eighteen."
"Piper," her father said, his tone reasonable, "if this were happening to one of us, you'd be here right now, listening, worrying—"
"Pissing us off," Andrew added with a small grin.
It was true. Sometimes, because she was the youngest and the only female and usually was the one on the hot seat, she forgot that she had interceded on her brothers' behalf countless times in the past. Meddled. Told them what she thought in no uncertain terms.
"If you didn't have the same protective streak we do," Benjamin said, "you wouldn't have taken on Hannah's latest cause."
Her father settled back in his old, overstuffed chair. He lived simply, in a small reproduction Cape Cod house off the water where he had raised his three children, Piper for the most part alone, with, they would argue, the help of her older brothers. A picture of her mother on her parents' wedding day stood on the mantel, as it always had. "Your grandfather never mentioned any Russian princess or treasure, Piper. Don't you think he would have known?"
She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm not saying I believe Hannah. I'm just doing as she asks. If there's no treasure, I won't find any. So far we've only checked under the wisteria."
Andrew pounced on her slip of the tongue. "We?"
"Clate's helped out on occasion, although he's as skeptical as you all are. I'm trying to keep an open mind."
Benjamin got to his feet, paced. Andrew had never sat down. "You think this crackpot who's calling you knows about the treasure?"
"I don't know. He just warned me off Clate's land. That's as specific as he's ever gotten."
"And of course you paid no attention," Andrew said sarcastically.
"I wasn't taking him seriously."
Benjamin groaned, exasperated. "Why the hell didn't you say something?"
"I was worried people would think it might be Hannah." She left it at that, letting them sort out what she meant.
They did. When realization dawned, Andrew bit off a curse, and Benjamin shook his head in amazement. "Because of this crazy spell to conjure up a man for you!"
"I know it's illogical and contradictory," Piper said.
Andrew grunted. "That won't matter with Hannah. Everyone knows how she hates to be proved wrong."
They batted around theories over a quick dinner. Then it was decided, after much argument, that Piper would go on about her business more or less as usual, with a few modifications for safety.
"If you didn't have the same protective streak we do," Benjamin said, "you wouldn't have taken on Hannah's latest cause."
Her father settled back in his old, overstuffed chair. He lived simply, in a small reproduction Cape Cod house off the water where he had raised his three children, Piper for the most part alone, with, they would argue, the help of her older brothers. A picture of her mother on her parents' wedding day stood on the mantel, as it always had. "Your grandfather never mentioned any Russian princess or treasure, Piper. Don't you think he would have known?"
She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm not saying I believe Hannah. I'm just doing as she asks. If there's no treasure, I won't find any. So far we've only checked under the wisteria."
Andrew pounced on her slip of the tongue. "We?"
"Clate's helped out on occasion, although he's as skeptical as you all are. I'm trying to keep an open mind."
Benjamin got to his feet, paced. Andrew had never sat down. "You think this crackpot who's calling you knows about the treasure?"
"I don't know. He just warned me off Clate's land. That's as specific as he's ever gotten."
"And of course you paid no attention," Andrew said sarcastically.
"I wasn't taking him seriously."
Benjamin groaned, exasperated. "Why the hell didn't you say something?"
"I was worried people would think it might be Hannah." She left it at that, letting them sort out what she meant.
They did. When realization dawned, Andrew bit off a curse, and Benjamin shook his head in amazement. "Because of this crazy spell to conjure up a man for you!"
"I know it's illogical and contradictory," Piper said.
Andrew grunted. "That won't matter with Hannah. Everyone knows how she hates to be proved wrong."
They batted around theories over a quick dinner. Then it was decided, after much argument, that Piper would go on about her business more or less as usual, with a few modifications for safety. Benjamin would return to the hospital to check on Hannah and pick up Liddy. If their aunt was released as expected in the morning, Liddy and Piper could pick her up.
"What?" Piper said, recalcitrant to the end. "You don't want Hannah and me alone together?"
Andrew got his keys out. "That about sums it up."
"Well, tough. You see why I don't tell you everything? Nobody around here knows how to mind their own damned business."