LITMIR.BIZ

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be my new uncle who buys me all the noisy toys!”

      Caleb snickered. Ian eyed Caleb with a smirk. Bri planted her hands on her hips. “Is that what Caleb told you, Tia?”

      Tia nodded her head proudly. “Yep. Uncle Caleb.”

      Caleb grinned. “Speaking of toys, I have something for you here.” He went to dig in his pouch pocket for the frilly doll he’d picked up for her. When he pulled it out, one of his blue camouflage kerchiefs slipped loose and fluttered to the ground.

      Bri’s eyes snapped right to it. She paled as she slowly looked up to stare at Caleb.

      Four disbelieving blinks preceded her stare shifting into a glare.

      He averted his gaze but felt his sister’s acrid gaze as she studied him. Somehow, she knew.

      After a minute of chatter from Ian and Tia, Caleb chanced a glance at Bri. She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked worried.

      Ian looked from one to the other, obviously picking up on the tension between siblings. “So, Caleb, I bet you’re hungry after the long flight. Let’s get you fed.” Ian motioned them in.

      Bri’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, just when was your flight in, Caleb?”

      He cleared his throat. “The details are sketchy.”

      “Not for her.” Bri shook her head and stomped away.

      Ian’s forehead crinkled. “What’s that about?”

      Caleb sighed, knowing he’d deluded himself thinking he’d have a chance to explain his side of the story before his sister found out the truth on her own. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

      Once inside, Bri cornered him. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

      He clenched his jaw, knowing the time had come to face the music. Or, in his case, the firing squad. Wordlessly, he nodded.

      “What were you playing at, Caleb?”

      “I wasn’t playing!” he protested. “I’d just gotten in. I had a costume ready because I’d planned to be in time for the ceremony, but my flight was delayed. I thought I’d be able to at least stop by the reception to congratulate Mitch and Lauren, and then I saw her there, crying...”

      “Her parents had informed her, moments before, that they are getting divorced after thirty years of marriage.”

      Caleb knew that, because Kate had shared it with him. Bri mentioning it meant Kate’s parents were still at odds. Caleb’s heart sank. “Poor Kate. I was hoping they’d reconciled.”

      “Reconciled what?” A voice sounded from the front door.

      Kate. Could he convince Bri to keep what he’d done a secret? Doubtful—she was too angry with him. His reckoning had come.

      Caleb pinned Bri with his gaze and leaned in. “Let me be the one to tell her. Please.”

      “Fine.”

      Caleb sauntered toward Kate like she was a human gallows. Bravery fled. He was certain she’d be upset or disappointed to learn the bandit she’d shared a special moment with was him. It would ruin his chance at being a friend for her. But there was no other option.

      Swift motion to his left drew his attention. Bri put a restraining hand on his arm and nibbled her lip like she wasn’t so sure now. “On second thought, Caleb, that thing we just discussed?” She sliced a hand across her neck. “Abort mission. I’ll explain later.”

      Kate approached, sweeping silky brown bangs from her eyes with choppy motions. “Wow. Welcome home, Landis. Should I leave? Feels like I walked in on a private conversation. Strange, considering I believe you were discussing my parents’ divorce when I walked in.” Kate sounded aggravated.

      Caleb couldn’t blame her. No doubt she thought Bri had been oversharing about Kate’s private business. He could clear up her confusion in no time at all...so why wasn’t Bri letting him?

      Bri stepped between Kate and Caleb. “I’m sorry. I should have asked you first before saying anything.”

      Kate shrugged, flipped hair over her shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. It’s only Caleb.” She retreated, buddy-buddy with Bri, to the counter, effectively blowing him off.

      It’s only Caleb? So that’s where he stood?

      He tried to remind himself her dismissal wasn’t supposed to bother him. After all, he’d spent the past three days thinking about why they wouldn’t work together as anything but friends.

      Tia skipped from the woodsy forest-critter-themed kitchen where Ian looked occupied cleaning up a baking mess out of earshot. “Miss Kate, can you be my taste tester?”

      “Ooh-rah! Cupcakes. My fave!” Kate leaned down to take a bite.

      With Kate distracted, Bri dragged Caleb outside onto her gleaming redwood deck. “You don’t need to tell her yet.”

      “Why not?”

      “I’m worried about her. She’s taking the news about her parents really hard—especially since her grandfather’s sick, too. She needs something to cheer her up. You signed your note BB, so she thinks you’re a benevolent bandit. I think the BB could brighten her days and give her something to look forward to.”

      Caleb shook his head. “BB meant Bri’s Brother. I was planning to tell her the truth—at some point. I didn’t want to lie to her. I just wanted...” He’d just wanted to help her. And she wouldn’t have accepted help or comfort from “only Caleb.”

      Bri clutched his T-shirt. “Please, Caleb. Don’t tell her yet. While she may not see or admit it, she actually needs the BB right now. The distraction, and the way you unwittingly made her feel, really helped her get through these past few days. I’m certain of it. Yes, she needs to know the truth, eventually, but not yet. She’s devastated enough with life. Let’s wait at least until her parents’ ordeal calms down.”

      “I don’t know, Bri. You really want me to continue tricking her?”

      “You don’t have to trick her at all. Just keep being the guy you were on the patio—the one who has made her smile just thinking about him for the past few days. That guy took her mind off her troubles—don’t you want to keep doing that for her? I asked God to send help for Kate. She refuses to burden me. God could be using you to keep her from going off the emotional deep end right now.”

      “You really think keeping the...the Benevolent Bandit around will make such a difference?”

      Bri shrugged. “Maybe. Isn’t it worth a shot? Kate’s dealing with so much right now—she needs something that’ll make her happy. On top of all her family issues, they have crucial inspections coming up at the trauma center. She needs her head in the game or they’ll lose vital funding.”

      “EPTC, they hurting?”

      “No, they’ve outgrown themselves and need to expand.”

      “They hiring? I was hoping to work part-time while I’m helping you with renovations and stuff. I’m here four months.”

      “I’m so glad. I’m sure they could use you at the center, especially since Mitch is gone for two months on a combined honeymoon-mission trip with Lauren. They’d already booked their flights when they received word of the inspection timeline moving up.”

      “I’m happy to help if I can.”

      Bri’s face lit up, and Caleb felt a sudden rush of foreboding. That smile from his sister always meant trouble. “If you really mean that, then you could do me a favor and be on the storybook ball fund-raising committee in my place. I don’t want to leave them shorthanded, but I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Organizing is right up your alley, not mine. Then I can focus on Tia, wedding plans and the lodge.”

      “Sure.

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