An Unexpected Affair by Elizabeth Lennox

Epilogue

“Danny, don’t you dare jump from up there!” Evie yelled at her ten year old son who was perched at the edge of the loft in her brother’s barn.  Montana was a wonderful place to raise kids, she thought.  But not dare-devil kids.  Every time she and her siblings got together, the cousins were like maniacs, trying to outdo each other with their crazy efforts. 

There had been a horse race earlier that morning and the cousins had raced over the fields at break-neck speeds.  It was only by the grace of God that none had been hurt. 

“Danny!” Kade’s deep voice rang out.  “Don’t you dare!  And if you’re up there, then where are the others?” he demanded. 

Evie’s heart pounded in fear, because Kade was right.  If Danny was up there, then the other cousins were too.

Sure enough, eleven little faces peered out over the edge of the barn’s loft.  All of them smiling.  All of them fearless.  They ranged in age from five years old to fourteen.

A moment later, Lincoln hurried into the barn.  “I heard that…” he looked up and noticed the laughing little faces.  “Get down from there!  All of you!”

Bessie, the next in line after Janus’ twins, peered over the railing.  “But Daaaad!”

Lincoln shook his head firmly.  “Don’t even start with me, Elizabeth Meyers!  Get down right now.  We discussed this after our last visit to Uncle Kade’s house!”

Janus strolled in and leaned against one of the wooden supports.  “Looks like they were…”

Evie spun around, her eyes flinty. “Not another word!” she snapped at her brother.  “This is your fault!”

Janus chuckled, tilting his Stetson back.  He only wore the Stetson when they were here in Montana.  Otherwise, he was the epitome of suave sophistication.  “What did I do?”

“You’re the reason for their dare-devil DNA!” she declared.  “We’ve been coming here for fourteen years and every year, the kids get wilder!”

Janus laughed, and bent down to catch his little daughter, Jillian, who was eight years old and best friend to the twins, Halley and Harrison who were the oldest of the group at fourteen. 

“We’ve figured out how to string a rope across the top.  Sort of like a zip line.”  This was from Richard, Lincoln’s youngest at ten years old.  He was exactly like his father, always trying to make something better, or create something new.  He surveyed the barn’s ceiling supports, following Lincoln’s gaze, mentally building a zip line. 

Janus and Kade understood exactly what was happening and began chuckling.  “Give it up, Evie.  The kids are going to do it.  We just need to make sure they don’t die in the process.”

Evie glared at her brothers, all three of them gazing innocently at her.  “Don’t do it,” she told them. 

“Evie!” Brock called out, walking into the barn.  “Hey Evie, Frankie said you were going to do something about the kittens?”  He eyed her sternly, his hands resting in his hips as he glared at her from the barn’s large doorway. “Make sure that none of them end up on the flight home.”

Evie’s eyes brightened at the reminder. “Right!”  But before she left the barn, she turned and pointed meaningfully at each of her brothers.  They maintained her gaze, looking at her with that same blank innocence. 

“Don’t do it!”

She walked out.

Brock turned, grinning at his brothers-in-law.  “What are we going to ‘not do’ today?” he asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Lincoln laughed, standing up and slapping Brock on the shoulder.  “We need some paper and rope!”

Evie sighed happily as she picked up a kitten.  “They are so darling!” 

Frankie snuggled another kitten under her chin.  “You know you want one.”

“I do,” she admitted, rubbing the kitten’s ears.  “But Brock said no.  He’s still grumbling about the puppy we brought back last year.”  Four sets of feminine eyes turned as a bull dog-pit bull mix, truly one of the most adorably ugly animals ever created, poked his head out from the barn to the back porch where the ladies were sitting. 

There was laughter as Bart raced across the yard, quickly followed by two more dogs that Frankie refused to let leave the ranch.  Evie smiled with love at her dog.  “He grumbles, but Brock loves that dog.  I’ve seen him sneak Bart treats when he thinks no one is looking.”

Evie nodded.  “I know.  He spoils that dog something awful!”

Kinsley walked out of the house, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she plunked herself down next to Evie on the stairs.  “What are we talking about?”

Frankie beamed.  “What to name Evie’s new kitten.”

Stevie snickered.  “You’re going to get her into trouble.”

Frankie shook her head, the sun glinting off her flaming locks.  “Not as much trouble as…” she stopped and looked around.

“What?” Kinsley asked, suddenly alert as well.

Frankie stood up, frowning.  “There are no kids here,” she whispered.  “And all of our husbands are…”

The women were already on their feet.  Evie hissed, “They were in the barn earlier.  Richard said something about a zip line!”

The women all stared at each other in horrified silence for a moment.  Then, as one, all four women raced across the yard to the barn.  As soon as they stepped into the barn, they knew it was too late.  “Whooo!” Daniel yelled gleefully as he zoomed across the top of the barn at full speed, suspended by only a wire and a harness that had been created out of leather straps. 

Janus laughed and came over to the edge of the loft.  “Who’s next?”

Frankie stepped up.  “Who built this?”

All four husbands stared at their wives, a look of guilty horror on their handsome features. 

Lincoln slowly raised his hand.  “I did.”

Frankie stared at him for a moment and no one moved, not even the dogs who had happily followed the women into the barn. 

Frankie’s stern expression morphed into a smile of delight.  “Good.  Then I’m next!” And with a whoop, she raced up the stairs of the loft, the other women right behind her, laughing excitedly.  The kids stood back, shaking their heads.  “It’s going to be awhile now that they’ve figured out what we’ve done,” Harrison groaned, Halley right beside him, leaning on the opposite side of the wooden support beam. 

The other cousins nodded their agreement, but they all laughed as Frankie zoomed across the ceiling. 

Such was life with the brilliant men and women in their clan. 

Message from Elizabeth:

I can’t tell you how much fun it was to write this story!  It wasn’t part of the original plan – so this story was truly unexpected.  The series was supposed to just be three brothers.  So Evie’s story was a pleasant surprise. 

I also apologize for “Stevie” and “Evie” as character names in this series.  I tried to find a new name for either woman – but once I’ve written the story, the name is part of the character’s personality.  So just couldn’t do it. 

So now that you know some of the quirks that happened while writing this series, would you mind leaving a review for Brock and Evie’s story? Click HERE to go back to the retail site’s book page.  Just a few words are extremely helpful!  Thank you so much! 

(As always, if you don’t want to leave feedback in a public forum, feel free to e-mail me directly at [email protected].  I answer all e-mails personally, although it sometimes takes me a while.  Please don’t be offended if I don’t respond immediately.  I tend to lose myself in writing stories and have a hard time pulling my head out of the book.) 

Keep scrolling for a sneak preview of “Heated Secrets”!  This is the first book in my latest series – and it’s pretty wonderful!  If you follow me on social media, this series (the 3rd book) has the issue I warned everyone about several months ago – the political one?  The one that I PROMISED would be great, even though it’s about a politician!  Trust me – I won’t let you down!  In this series, you’ll meet Lilly, Molly and Maggie – three women who didn’t know one another until they moved to Washington, DC and became close friends and confidants.  Enjoy!