Chapter 2

"He can be, but he would never hurt you."

Larkin nodded, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, my God, you've got to come. Brylee fell and skinned her knees, and she's bleeding, and it's awful, and it hurts her, and she needs us." Her words rushed out.

Darin lifted Larkin off his lap and frowned in concern. "All right, take me to her." He turned to Gage. "You want to come with us?"

Gage stood. "I don't mind if I do." He was anxious to meet the other young lady.

The three found Brylee sitting and hugging her knees on the concrete around the pool.

Darian squatted beside her. "Let me see, honey."

Brylee shook her head as the tears fell from her eyes.

Gage's heart twisted in his chest at the tears on her face. The woman was beautiful and small. She looked to be of Mexican descent with her dark hair and eyes and light tan skin. Her hair was long. He just couldn't tell how long with it in a tight braid that ran down her back.

"Why? Brylee, my daddy won't hurt you. He's going to make it better," Larkin told her friend.

"It will hurt when he touches the scrapes.?

"I promise I'll be very gentle," Darian told her.

Gage squatted down on the other side of her to get her attention. "Hi, sweetheart."

Brylee wiped her eyes and stared at him. "Who are you?" she asked with wonder.

"I'm a friend of Darian's."

"Darian said he was nice," Larkin explained to her friend.

"Are you a prince?" Brylee asked as she continued to stare.

Larkin snorted and then giggled.

Gage grinned. "No. Sorry." Gage saw Darian examine the scrapes on the girl's knees and continued to distract her. "Are you a princess?"

Brylee giggled and shook her head. "No, I'm a ragamuffin."

"What's that?" Gage asked, curious.

"It's what Mrs. Paulson called us."

"Who's Mrs. Paulson?" Gage asked.

"She was one of the foster moms Larkin and I had."

"She was really mean to us," Larkin told Gage.

"I definitely want to hear more about it, but tell me why she called you that."

"Because we were dirty inside and out because we didn't know our fathers, and no one wanted us."

"She was wrong," Gage said in a gruff, angry tone.

Brylee shook her head. "No, she wasn't. No one tried to adopt us because we're retarded."

"I hate that word, Brylee," Darian told her in a firm voice. "You know that."