Guardian Groom. Sandra Marton

stuck with it. He took a deep breath.

      “I’ve got my own mess to deal with. It seems some old pal of Father’s named him guardian of his twelve-year-old kid.”

      “And?”

      “And,” he said through his teeth, “until she turns twenty-one, I seem to have inherited her.”

      He saw the smiles begin to curve across his brothers’ faces, saw even Kyra try, and fail, to maintain a neutral expression. But what choice was there? He was an attorney, he lived and practiced in New York. The girl lived there, too—it was no contest, he thought grimly. The child was his burden by default.

      His brothers were looking at each other, their smiles rapidly becoming grins, and he glowered at them.

      “You guys think this is funny? Listen, we can always swap jobs. I’ll take on Hollywood, or Dallas, and one of you can—”

      “No,” Zach said quickly, “no, that’s okay, old buddy. I’ll deal with Hollywood, Cade’ll handle Dallas.” His lips twitched. “And I bet you’re going to make one hell of a terrific baby-sitter.”

      Cade suppressed a snort of laughter. Grant swung toward him.

      “This—this is not funny,” he choked, and then, suddenly, the grim look left his face and he burst out laughing. “Hell,” he said, “I can’t believe it, either.”

      Laughing, the three men moved into a tight circle, clapped each other on the back, then joined right hands as they had when they were kids.

      “To the Deadeye Defenders,” Cade said.

      “To the Deadeyes,” Grant echoed, and they grinned happily at each other.

      Cade stepped back. “Time to get started.”

      Zach nodded. “Yeah. I’ll see you guys before I leave.”

      They both hurried from the room. Grant was following after them when Kyra caught his sleeve. “Grant?”

      He looked down at her and smiled. “Hey, princess, I almost forgot you were here!”

      Kyra gave a short, sharp laugh. “Isn’t that the truth!”

      “Well, what is it, sweetheart?”

      “I wonder…” She hesitated. “I was wondering how you feel about this place. Is it important to you?”

      At first, the question puzzled him, but then he understood. Kyra was worried that her brothers might feel cheated because their father had left the mansion solely to her. Grant put his arm around her shoulders.

      “This house will always be important to me,” he said, “with you living in it.”

      “I don’t mean that.” Her tone was impatient. “This isn’t about me, Grant, it’s about you. And Cade. And Zach. I need to know if you care about the house, and the grounds, and—”

      “I’m certain they feel as I do,” Grant said in a kindly voice. “This place makes you happy, and your happiness is all that matters to us.”

      Kyra wrenched free of his arm. “Dammit,” she said, her face flushed, “sometimes you all remind me of Father!”

      Grant drew back. “What in hell is that supposed to mean?”

      “It means—it means none of you listens. You hear what you want to hear, what you think you ought to hear, what—” Kyra blinked. “Sorry. I must be tired. It’s been a long week.” She smiled, reached up, and laid her hand against his chest. “I bet you’ll be a fine guardian for this girl.”

      He frowned. “I’ll do my duty, of course.”

      “But if she needs a friend…”

      Grant laughed. “I am not about to be a ‘friend’ to this child. I will pay her bills, see to it that her future is secure—those are the responsibilities of a guardian.”

      Kyra sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. “I’m sorry I jumped on you a few minutes ago, Grant. I love you. I love all my brothers—and I always will.”

      Grant hugged her. “And we love you, princess.” He kissed her forehead, then made his way past her. When he reached his room, he closed the door and let out a long sigh.

      Kyra was sweet and wonderful, and he’d have willingly given his life for her—but did she really think he’d play big brother to—what was her name? Crista, that was it. Crista Adams.

      One of his law partners had a daughter Crista’s age; from what Grant had seen, the poor guy was adrift in a sea of orthodontia, acne, and adolescent angst.

      But he wouldn’t face any of those problems. As Crista Adams’s guardian, he’d simply be responsible for approving her expenses and signing the checks to meet them. Now that he thought about it—although he’d be damned if he’d ever admit as much to Cade and Zach—he was getting off easy.

      Crista Adams’s guardian, hmm? He zipped shut his weekend case, picked it up, and walked out of the room.

      What could be simpler?

       CHAPTER TWO

      GRANT generally liked Mondays. They put a clean start to the week ahead, but somehow this one already had the feel of disaster.

      Why wouldn’t it? he thought, glaring at himself in the bathroom mirror as he shaved. He was about to meet the child who had become his unwanted responsibility, like it or not.

      What had seemed a minor inconvenience last week in Denver was looking more and more like a catastrophe waiting to happen. A little judicious checking of guardianship laws suggested that he’d have to do more than sign checks. He might have to offer advice. Even guidance.

      Grant’s mouth thinned as he rinsed off his razor. What he knew about children could fit in a pea pod with room left over. And he didn’t know a damned thing about Crista Adams.

      He had phoned Simon Adams’s attorney right away but Horace Blackburn was out of the country, his holiday guarded with almost religious fervor by an iron-willed secretary who’d agreed to set up this meeting on her boss’s first day back only after Grant’s growing exasperation had become evident.

      But she’d steadfastly refused to release the Adams file so that he could, at least, familiarize himself with the simple details of his ward’s life.

      Grant splashed some cologne on his face and strode from the bathroom. Was the child living in her uncle’s house with a governess or was she away at boarding school? Was she a snot-nosed brat or a wellbehaved young lady? Had she been traumatized by the loss of her uncle?

      Did she expect her new guardian to take her uncle’s place?

      Jaw set, Grant undid the towel knotted at his hips and tossed it aside. The child would simply have to realize that her entire situation had changed, and if she couldn’t cope with that change, she’d be in for a rough ride.

      At eight-thirty, just as he was about to leave, the telephone rang. It was his driver, calling to tell him that his car had a flat.

      “No problem,” Grant said. “I can grab a taxi.”

      But it had started to rain. Finding a cab was impossible at rush hour on a rainy Monday. With a muttered curse, Grant gave it up and sprinted for the nearest subway station.

      The platform was crowded and he paced its length with growing irritation. When a train finally came shrieking into the station, the crowd surged forward as if it were the last train anyone would ever see. Grant set his jaw and shouldered his way inside.

      By the time he emerged on Wall Street, his mood had gone from bad to grim. Finding that he had at least another three blocks