Patrick's Destiny by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online Page A

tells me I’m going to regret that later tonight when I’m lying all alone in my bed.”
    “You would have regretted it more if you’d gone for it,” she assured him, drawing herself up in an attempt to look suitably intimidating. “I know a few moves that could have put you on the floor.”
    He caught her gaze and held it, barely resisting the urge to laugh again. “I’ll bet you do,” he said quietly.
    “Mr. Devaney…”
    “Since we’re old schoolmates, I think you can call me Patrick,” he said.
    “Maybe the informality is a bad idea,” she suggested. “You tend to take liberties as it is.”
    He did laugh again then. “Darlin’, when I really want to take liberties with you, you’ll know it.” His let his gaze travel over her slowly. “And you’ll be ready for it.”
    “Is that some sort of a dare?”
    “Do you want it to be?”
    “No, of course not.” She shook her head. “I really don’t know what to make of you. I expected you to be more…”
    “Difficult,” Patrick supplied.
    “Distant,” she corrected.
    “Ah, yes. Well, there’s still a little life left in thehermit. You’d do well to remember that, before you come knocking on my door again.”
    “I won’t be back,” she said emphatically.
    “You think soup and bread are sufficient thanks for me putting my life on the line to bail you out of a jam?” he asked.
    “Absolutely,” she said. “And your life was never on the line.”
    “That water was damn cold,” he insisted.
    “And you were in and out of it in ten seconds flat.”
    He gestured toward the outside. “You want to dive in and see how long ten seconds becomes when you hit those icy waves?”
    She shuddered. “No, thanks. I’ll take your word for it. You were very brave. I am very grateful. Let’s leave it at that.”
    Probably a good idea, Patrick thought, given the way she tempted him. Fortunately, before he could ignore his good sense, he heard voices and yet more footsteps on the dock. Apparently, no one in the whole blasted town could read, or else, like Alice, they were all starting to assume that the No Trespassing sign didn’t apply to them.
    Alice apparently heard the noise at the same time. “You obviously have company coming. I should go,” she said a little too eagerly.
    Given the choice between the company he knew and the uninvited guests outside, he opted for the familiar. “Stay,” he commanded. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is.”
    But when he stepped onto the deck, he saw not one or even two people who could be easily dismissed, but three, all dark-haired replicas of the man he’d come to hate—Connor Devaney.
    “Patrick Devaney? Son of Kathleen and Connor?” one of them asked, stepping forward.
    Patrick nodded reluctantly, his heart pounding. It couldn’t be that these three men who looked so familiar were really his brothers. Not after all these years. And yet, somehow, he knew they were, as surely as if they’d already said the words.
    “We’re your brothers,” the one in front said.
    And with those simple yet monumental words, his past and present merged.

Chapter Four
    A part of Patrick wanted to slam the door and pretend he’d never seen the men on the other side. He wanted to go on living the life he’d made for himself without family ties, without complications. These three men represented all sorts of uncomfortable complications.
    Too late now, he thought, looking into eyes as blue as his own. He could already feel the connection pulling at him. It was an unbelievable sensation, knowing that three men he’d spent the past few years wondering about were now right here on his doorstep. He had yet to decide if that was good or bad, miracle or disaster. More than likely he wouldn’t know for some time to come. The only way to tell would be to hear them out, see what sort of baggage they’d accumulated, thanks to being abandoned by their parents, and learn what their expectations were of him.
    He scanned their faces