The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

“It’s not completely dry, but if you want to call your cousin, you should go ahead and make the call.” He turned off the hairdryer, rolled up the cord, and put it away in the cabinet.

She eased up out of the chair and was tempted to turn around and kiss him but restrained herself. If she kissed him now, they wouldn’t stop with one kiss, and she refused to start something they couldn’t finish.

“Go get dressed,” she said, stepping away from the temptation.

“I’ll be back in five minutes. There’s an iPad on the desk if you want to FaceTime with your cousin and your friend.”

Guilt tightened her lungs, and she cleared her throat. “I’m not sure what to tell them. I’m a terrible liar, and they’ll see right through any attempt to obfuscate.”

“If you get tongue-tied over a lie, leave it to me. I’ve gotten pretty good at it lately.”

“I hope that doesn’t mean you’ve been lying to me.”

“Never. But you know I’ve been lying to the family. And I plan to use you to keep them from staying pissed at me.”

“So I’m your easy way out?”

“Not at all. You’re my redemption, and everyone will be happy for us.” Austin kissed the top of her head again before leaving the room, still wearing a towel and nothing else. It was a good thing the wing was a certified adult-only area.

She hurriedly dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt, then sat on the floor, stretching and breathing deeply, visualizing her phone call with George.

The next few minutes would be hell. She could wait for Austin, but she needed to do this herself or at least try. If she muddled it up, then she’d let him straighten it out.

She sat at the desk and FaceTimed George. He answered the call immediately. When he saw her, his jaw unhinged.

“Ensley! Where the hell are you?” He reached out as if he could drag her through the screen. “God, I’ve been going nuts for three days.”

The thought of lying made her throat constrict, and she’d likely choke on what she said next. “I’m sorry you’ve been so worried. I’m at MacKlenna Ranch outside of Denver,” she said, making it up on the fly. “And I’m fine.”

“Why’d you wait so long to call? The entire family has been worried sick.”

“The bottom line is that I’m in love with Austin O’Grady.” She didn’t choke on that, even though it surprised the hell out of her. But it seemed so right, so perfect, so natural.

A moment of silence before George’s jaw unhinged again, and then his entire countenance turned into a big-ass pissed-off face. She hadn’t seen that expression since she bested him in a Medora shooting contest.

“O’Grady? JC’s cousin? In only three days in Colorado?”

Austin walked in just in time to hear George’s questions. “Yep, George, that’s me. I kidnapped your cousin. I was pissed as hell that she rejected my manuscript, so I secretly brought her here and held her against her will until she admitted she made a mistake. In the process of shredding my book word by word, she discovered she’d fallen in love with the author, and I fell in love with the editor.”

Ensley couldn’t tell if George was buying this explanation or not, but when his pissed-off faced didn’t change, she had her answer.

“Where’s JC? He should have told me.”

“He doesn’t know about us. We went hunting the other day. I’m surprised Austin gave me a gun, but he did. A grizzly came out of the woods, and I didn’t have the gun nearby. Austin shot it, or I’d be dead.”

“No, you wouldn’t. You’d be safe in New York City.”

“George, I know it’s hard to understand, but Austin wouldn’t let me near a phone until I explained every objection I had to his manuscript. We talked for three straight days, and at the end of it, we realized our perceived differences didn’t hold up in light of how much we have in common.”

“You have never wanted to be around athletes. What happened?”

“Austin happened, and I discovered he had more than a pair of talented hands that could effortlessly nail a silky three-pointer from anywhere on the court.”

“Well, it sounds like you talked about more than his manuscript. I’ve never heard you say anything about a three-pointer.” He sighed. “I can’t forgive you yet, nor can I spare you the discomfort of explaining your absence to your uncle. So call Dad after we hang up.”

“It’s hard enough telling you. There’s no way I can call your dad.”

“Too bad, Ensley. You owe him an explanation. And I’m not letting you off the hook with Dad or Barb.”

“Gee, thanks, George. Don’t do me any favors.”

“What the hell, Ensley? After what you’ve put us through, it will be a hell of a long time before anyone does you any favors.”

Austin slapped his hand on the top of the desk. “That’s enough, George. You can be pissed off all you want, but what’s important here is Ensley’s happiness. And if she’s found it, then how she got there doesn’t mean shit. You can get over it, or you can become a distant relative. You decide.”

“Get off the phone, O’Grady. I don’t want to look at your face while I talk to my cousin.”

“George, look, I’m so sorry,” she said.

“The asshole kidnapped you, and I’ll have it out with JC.”

“He’s going back to the monastery for a while. You’ll have to wait.”

“He’s going again? Well, I’ll call him right now.”

“He can’t take your call, George. He’s not talking to anyone, and he’s flying out within the hour.”

“What the hell’s going on with you two? You’re both losing it.”

She took it as a rhetorical question and didn’t answer him. George had always been an unmovable object when it came to disagreements. But he was carrying it to an extreme right now. The best thing to do was to change the subject.

“What about Barb? Where is she?” Ensley asked.

“She just left