Loving You by Maureen Child

had been acting like the biggest ass in Northern California. He’d spent most of his time diving for the bottom of a bottle of scotch—and finding it. He’d alienated his family, fought with his twin, and, in general, managed to piss off everyone who loved him.
    Suddenly she remembered the night their older brother, Tony, had tossed Nick’s drunk butt into a jail cell, and instantly Carla’s insides twisted. That night, all he’d done was smash Reverend Michaels’s lawngoose. Had Nick gotten into some real trouble this time? Something serious? Her stomach churned into a tight knot of dread. If he needed a lawyer, then Carla needed to know why. How in the hell could she help her family if she didn’t know what was going on?
    â€œTalk to me, Nick,” she said flatly.
    â€œJesus, Carla,” Nick said, jerking his hands free of his pockets to throw them high in disgust. “This is none of your business.”
    She snorted a laugh that had nothing to do with humor and shook her head. “Oh, please. Like that’s ever stopped a Candellano.”
    Nick scooped one hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face, and in that one split second, Carla saw worry in his eyes. That sent a cold chill sweeping through her. Nick
never
worried. He went through life sailing by on his charm, his easygoing nature, and the fact that he could kick at a rock and have it turn out to be a diamond. In fact, blowing out his knee playing football was the first really bad thing that had ever happened to him. Which probably explained why he hadn’t handled it very well.
    Ordinarily, the world pretty much treated Nick like a king. And worry was something new for him.
    â€œFine,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Just for today, stop being a Candellano and remember you’re a Wyatt now, okay? Fight the inner need to jump in and tell me what to do.”
    Carla paid no attention to that—and she was pretty sure Nick had known even when he said it that she wouldn’t. He’d been her brother way too long to think she could be put off that easy.
    â€œNot gonna happen.”
    â€œI’m not talking to you about this, Carla.”
    â€œAnd no way I’m backing off. I want to know what’s going on,” she said, ignoring Nick’s refusal to speak. Heck, she’d find a way to make him talk, and they both knew it. For now, though, she shifted her gaze from her brother to her husband. Staring at Jackson, she narrowed her eyes and pinned him with a steely look.
    But her husband didn’t fold, which was only slightly irritating. After all, what woman wanted a weenie for a husband? Much better to have a stubborn man you could fight with than to have a man you could walk all over. Still, she felt a flash of annoyance when Jackson lifted both hands and said, “Sorry, Carla. Attorneyclient confidentiality—”
    â€œYour
client
?” she interrupted him, zeroing in on that one important word. So it
was
an official visit. Uneasiness danced through her veins. Great. That meant that for some reason, Nick
needed
a lawyer. That couldn’t be good news. “Why is Nick your client?”
    â€œBecause he wanted the best?” Jackson tried.
    â€œGood effort,” she told him, and promised herself to make his life miserable later. At the moment, though, she spun around to stare up into her brother’s eyes. “Do you talk to me or do I tell Mama that you’re Jackson’s ‘client’ and let her get it out of you?”
    A disgusted whoosh of air shot from Nick’s lungs as he scowled at his sister. “Pulling out the big guns is really sinking low this early in the fight.”
    â€œI go with what works,” she said with a shrug.
    That scowl deepened. But in spite of his best efforts, a chill swept along Nick’s spine.
Nobody
wanted to be on Mama’s bad side. Mama had raised four children with a firm hand and—as