A New Hunter Novel Unusual Circumstances

“So? How do I look?” Brett Hunter stood in the doorway of Dillon’s home in Lansing, modeling his uniform as Rylie Hunter looked on, a big smile on her face.

“You look like the poster boy for the Police Academy,” Dillon growled, though softly as he held his children in his arms. Rayne, his daughter, had the blonde hair of her mother but her baby blue eyes were changing slowly to the amber color of her father. She would be golden and lovely when she grew up, of that he had no doubt. His son, Chase, had the dark hair of the Hunter clan and also showed the slight hint of amber in his baby blue eyes. Dillon couldn’t be prouder of the two then he was.

But now he was grumpy. “I can’t believe that I give you this cushy job, almost running my agency here in Michigan and you throw it away for a job in law enforcement. What’s wrong with you, boy?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Brett asked. “You’d think the time we spent with Mackenzie and Gideon would have taught you something, Dillon. To tell you the truth, if Mac hadn’t stood up to you the way she had, I don’t know if I’d have been able to leave the agency. This is something I’ve always wanted to do and with the background you’ve given me, Dillon, I have a head start on getting my detective’s badge. You know us Hunters, we either become cops or we marry them.” He rubbed at a small smudge on the gleaming badge that decorated his chest. “Can’t you wish me well and leave it at that?”

Rylie moved toward him, her body once more lithe and firm after having the twins. She rose on tip toe, feeling Dillon’s eyes on her as she kissed Brett’s cheek. “He’s behind you, Brett. You know he is.”

“Yeah, I can feel the knife he’s pushing into my back,” Brett grumped. But he managed a smile for his cousin in law. “I just don’t know how you handle him and his high handed ways twenty-four/seven.”

“It takes patience and training,” Rylie joked, reaching up to smooth down his collar and twitch at the knot on his tie.

“It’s a clip-on, Rye,” Dillon said, rising with the sleeping babies in his arms. “They don’t let cops wear big boy ties.” He handed Chase to his wife, watching her deftly maneuver the baby to her shoulder before handing her Rayne. “I’ll be up in a second to help you put them down for their naps,” he said, his eyes softening as he gazed with love at the three people who made up his world. “I just need to speak to Brett for a minute, okay?”

Rylie narrowed her blue eyed gaze at him. He could read the warning in her eyes and flinched. Play nice or sleep on the couch, he could almost read it. He nodded. He’d play nice because in his heart, he only had Brett’s best interests.

He waited until Rylie left the room. “Brett,” he began, looking down at his cousin. “I only want what’s best for you, if you think that joining the police department is it, well then I’ll have to respect that. Just remember, Rylie and I are here for you if you ever need us for anything, that includes your old job back, okay?”

Brett nodded. “Don’t hold your breath though,” he warned Dillon.

“I am proud of you, you know,” Dillon said as he watched the younger man turn away and head for the door.

“What was that?” Brett asked, his eyes wide as he turned back around. “You’re going to have to repeat that. I don’t think I heard you straight.”

“Don’t be a smart ass,” Dillon growled. “Uniform or not, I can still knock your ass down.”

“Yes sir,” Brett teased, ducking backward as Dillon took a step forward. “I’m going to be late,” he said, grabbing the keys of the car that he’d used as Dillon’s assistant off stand in the entryway. “I’ll call later,” he promised. “Tell Rylie I said thanks and I’ll be quiet coming in so I don’t wake the twins.”

Dillon sighed as he watched his tall cousin head out the door, his duffle in his hand, ready to take on a new world, or at least his little corner of it. “A cop,” he said, disgust in his voice. “He had to become a cop.”

“Watch it, buddy,” Rylie said, wrapping her arms around her husband from behind. “You married one of those, remember?”

“There’s a difference, you’re a fed, not just a patrol cop.”

“Brett won’t be a patrol cop long, Dillon.” She ducked under his arm, coming around to lean against his chest and let him hold her weight. She sighed tiredly, resting her head against his neck and feeling his lips touch her temple. “He’s got the bug, and he’s got the experience to climb the ladder quickly. He saw some of the worst of life working at your agency, being on the streets will take the rest of that innocence away.”

“You sound like you think that is a bad thing,” Dillon said as he watched Brett back out and take off in a cloud of dust.