“They’d do better to finish college and settle down,” he grumbled.
“Did you?”
He studied his brothers. “Sure. I’m the poster boy for responsible.”
“Because you had to be. What were you like before your parents died and you were left with two thirteen-year-olds? Something tells me you were a lot wilder than they’ve ever been.”
She was right, damn it. He shifted. “I can’t remember.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
“I might have been slightly less responsible.”
“Slightly?”
He’d been crazy, he thought, refusing to admit it to her. He’d loved parties and women and defying every law of physics in his airplane. He’d gone beyond testing boundaries—he’d been reckless.
“That was different,” he said. “We didn’t know what could happen.”
“Meaning they do and should act accordingly? They’re twenty-one. Give them a break.”
“If they go back to college, I’ll give them a break.”
“Silly, silly man.” Her gaze was both amused and slightly pitying.
Under normal circumstances, that probably would have annoyed him, but he found he liked spending time with Dakota. Even when she disagreed with him, he liked hearing what she had to say.
He was aware of her standing close to him in the dark shadows of the back of the soundstage. They would see everything, and no one knew they were there. For a second, he wondered what he would have thought of her under other circumstances. If he weren’t here because of his brothers. If he didn’t have to worry about their welfare. If he was just a guy intrigued by an attractive woman with a killer smile.
But these circumstances didn’t allow for distraction. He’d promised himself that once he got his brothers through college, it would be his turn to follow his dream. After eight years of taking care of them, he’d earned it. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life flying cargo. But that thought was for later—after he’d gotten his brothers out of this mess and knew that they were safe.
On stage, Geoff shooed everyone out of view. The potential contestants were gathered together.
Dakota glanced at her watch. “Show time,” she murmured.
From what he’d been able to figure out, there would be a combination of live scenes and taped segments of the various potential contestants. Whatever it took to drag out the show, he thought grimly. He stared at his brothers, willing them to suddenly come to their senses. Neither of them noticed him.
The big lights went on, someone called “We’re live in five, four, three…” Cameras were moved silently, then the host began.
He welcomed the viewers, explained the premise of the show and started introducing the potential cast. Dakota reached for Finn’s hand and drew him through the darkness to the other side, where they had a better view of a wide-screen television.
She released his fingers and leaned toward him. “That’s the feed going out,” she murmured, her voice soft, her breath tickling his ear.
He inhaled a feminine scent—something floral and clean. Heat from her body seemed to slip across his arm, making him aware of her curves. For a second he considered pulling her deeper into the darkness and paying attention to her mouth instead of the screen.
Don’t go there, he told himself. Big mistake. He had to remember what was important, and right now that was the twins.
On stage, the host began calling names. Finn found himself stiffening. The first couple was older. Late ’50s early ’60s. He ignored them. A blond guy got paired up with a dark-haired, busty Amazon. At least that was something, he thought. The girl looked like she could take Sasha and Stephen together.
“I promised you some fun contestants,” the host said with a smile. “Here’s where it gets interesting.” He motioned for Sasha and Stephen to join him on stage.
“Twins,” he said with a grin. “Can you believe it? Sasha and Stephen.”
Finn watched his brothers carefully. They looked at ease on the stage. They smiled at the camera, chatted with the host. They looked like they belonged.
“Now which one of you is which?” the host asked.
Sasha, wearing jeans and a blue pullover, the same damn color as his eyes, grinned. “I’m the better-looking one. So I must be Sasha.”
Stephen gave his brother a shove. “I’m better-looking. We could take a vote.”
The host laughed. “You boys are going to do just fine. Now let’s find out if you made it on the show.”
Finn felt his fingers curl into fists. Tension swept through his body. If only, he thought. But he knew what was going to happen. It had been inevitable from the day his brothers had left South Salmon.
The host looked at the card in his hand. He turned it over and showed it to the camera. Sasha’s name was clearly visible. The audience, mostly bused in for the show, although a few locals had shown up, applauded. The host drew another card from his suit pocket. The girls waiting just behind him leaned toward the camera. A couple seemed ready to grab Sasha and run for the hills. A sentiment Finn could understand, although his reasons were different.
“Are you ready?” he asked Sasha.
Sasha grinned for the camera. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Then let’s get the two of you together.” The host turned the second card toward the camera. “Lani, come meet Sasha.”
A petite, dark-haired, beautiful young woman stepped toward Sasha. Her eyes were large, her smile welcoming. She moved with an easy grace that had every man in the room watching her. Even Finn noticed her beauty.
Sasha’s expression was comical as his eyes bugged out, and he leaned so far forward, he nearly lost his footing. He and Lani moved toward each other.
“Hi,” she said softly. “Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, nice to meet you, too.”
They stared at each other. If Finn didn’t know better, he would swear he was witnessing love at first sight. But he did know better. Or rather he knew his brother. Sasha would never let a girl stand between him and what he wanted.
“They look good together,” Dakota said. “Or should I not point that out? Are you dealing okay?”
“I’ll survive, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Not that you’ll like it?”
He glanced at her. “What’s to like?”
“You’re not really a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, are you?”
“What gave me away?”
“Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of those two,” the host said cheerily.
Finn had yet to meet the man. He didn’t know his name, but he knew he didn’t like him. He couldn’t imagine having to listen to him for ten or twelve weeks, or however the hell long the show lasted. Although disliking the host was the least of his problems right now.
Sasha and Lani linked hands and stepped to the side of the stage. The host put his arm around Stephen. “Guess you’re next. Nervous?”“More excited than nervous,” Stephen said.
The host nodded to the girls waiting behind them. “Got a favorite?”
Stephen smiled. Unlike his brother, he didn’t feel the need to charm the world. He’d always been serious. More studious. He had a sincerity the girls had always liked. If Sasha was the flash, then Stephen was the substance.
“Do I have to pick just one?” his brother asked.
The host chuckled. “You need to leave some for the rest of the contestants. How about if I pick one for you?”
Steven turned back to the camera. “Whichever one you pick is fine with me.”
The host called for quiet. Finn wanted to point out that no one was talking but knew his comments wouldn’t be appreciated. Once again the host removed a card from his suit pocket and held it up for the camera.
“Aurelia.”
The camera panned across the girls, then paused as one of them stepped forward. Finn frowned. It wasn’t that the girl was unattractive, or even badly dressed. She was just…different from the other girls. Less polished, less sophisticated. Plain.
She wore a navy dress that fell past her knees, low-heeled shoes and no makeup. Her long hair fell in her face, making it hard to see her eyes, not that she looked up as she approached. When she finally stepped next to Stephen and glanced at him, her expression was more one of horror than anticipation.
Finn studied her for a second, then frowned. “Wait a minute. How old is she?”
“Aurelia?” Dakota shrugged. “Twenty-nine or thirty. She was a year or two ahead of us in school.”
He swore. “There’s no way this is happening. I’m going to crush Geoff. I’m going to leave him bleeding and broken on the side of the road.”
“What’s wrong?”
He spun toward Dakota and glared at her. “Can’t you see it? She’s what? Nearly ten years older than Stephen. There is no way in hell I’m going to stand by while my brother is devoured by some cougar.”
The corners of Dakota’s mouth twitched. “Seriously? You think Aurelia is a cougar?”
“What else would she be? Look at her.”
“I am,” Dakota said. “You look at her. She’s mousy. She was always like that in high school. I don’t know her whole story but I’m pretty sure I remember she has an awful mother. Aurelia never got to do anything. She wasn’t allowed to go to school dances or football games. It’s kind of sad. You don’t have to worry—she’s not the type to trap him by getting pregnant or something.”
“Cry me a river. I don’t care about her past, I care about her being with my brother.” He froze. “Pregnant?” He swore. “She can’t get pregnant.”
Dakota winced. “I shouldn’t have said that. Stop worrying. She’s no danger to Stephen. Come on, Finn, she’s a nice girl. Isn’t that what you want for your brother? A nice girl?”
“Sure I want a nice girl, but I want a nice girl who’s his age.”
Dakota grinned. “It may seem like a big age difference now, but when he’s forty-two she’ll only be fifty.”
“You’re not making me feel better. I don’t think you’re even trying.”
Finn was done talking. Bad enough that his brothers had come to Fool’s Gold to be on the stupid show. Maybe he could learn to live with that, but he was not going to stand here and let his brother be set up for a fall.
But before he could stomp down to the front of the stage and disrupt the live broadcast, Dakota stepped in front of him.
“Don’t go up there,” she said firmly, staring into his eyes. “You’ll regret it, but more important, the boys will be humiliated on live television. They’ll never forgive you. Right now you’re an annoying older brother who wants to keep them safe. That’s a livable condition. I’m serious, Finn.”
He could see the truth in her eyes, and as much as he didn’t want to believe her, he knew he had to. But the thought of leaving his brother alone with that woman…
“He doesn’t have any money.”
“Aurelia isn’t after his money.”
“How do you know that?”
“She has a great job. She’s an accountant. From what I’ve heard, she does amazing work. There’s a waiting list to be one of her clients.” Dakota grabbed his arm again and stared into his eyes. “Finn, I know you’re worried. Maybe you have reason to be. It would have been great if your brothers had stayed in college like you wanted them to. But they didn’t. Please don’t make this worse by going out there and acting like an idiot.”
“I know you’re trying to help,” he said, realizing he sounded frustrated.
“Look at it this way. If she is as boring as I think she is, they’ll get voted off early.”
“If she’s not, he’ll be in trouble.”
She dropped her hands to her sides. “You’ll be here to make sure nothing bad happens.”
“Assuming he’ll listen.”
He glanced toward the stage. Aurelia stood next to Stephen. If her body language was anything to go by, crossed arms, averted gaze, posture so stiff it was as if she were made of steel, she really wasn’t happy about the situation. Maybe he would get lucky and they wouldn’t last a date. He was due for some luck.
“You’re quite the tough guy,” Dakota told him. “Is that an Alaska thing?”
“Maybe.” He took a deep breath and looked into her dark eyes. “Thank you for talking me off the ledge.”
“I’m a paid professional, it’s my job.”
“You’re good at it.”
“Thank you.”
He continued to stare into her eyes, mostly because he liked it. She was easy to be around. And his body couldn’t help but be aware of the smoothness of her skin, the shape of her mouth.
“I need to get going,” she said. “Can I trust you to stay here on your own?”
“Sure.”
“Have a little faith,” she said, stepping back. “It’s going to be okay.”
She couldn’t know that, he thought. But for today, he was going to believe her.
He waited until she had left before walking out of the sound studio. After pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed the number for his office in Alaska.
“South Salmon Cargo,” a familiar voice said.
“Hey, Bill, it’s me.”
“Where the hell are you, Finn?”
“Still in California.” Finn shifted the phone to his other ear. “Looks like I’m going to be stuck here for a while. They both got on the show.”