But Wade was nowhere in sight.
“Oh, Tori, you came,” Molly said, rounding the dining room table to greet her.
“She was just standing in the snow. What did you tell her about us, Ma?” Heath broke away from Tori’s side to carry the wood over to the brother by the fireplace.
“You hush,” Molly chided and accepted the poinsettia Tori offered. “This is beautiful. Thank you. I told you that you didn’t need to bring anything, dear.”
“You told me I didn’t need to bring any food,” Tori corrected with a smile for her warm welcome.
“You’re very sweet. Merry Christmas to you.” Molly leaned in to give her a big hug. “Ken,” she said as she pulled away, “could you introduce her to everyone while I find a place for this and check on the turkey?”
“Sure thing.” The tall, lean frame of Ken Eden ambled toward her, a friendly smile on his face. “Hey there, Miss Sullivan. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too. And call me Tori, please.”
Ken nodded. “Now, you met Heath. He’s the youngest and most troublesome of the group.”
“I heard that!” a voice shouted from the general direction of the fireplace.
“He also has excellent hearing. This is Xander.”
“Xander Langston,” Tori said, reaching out to shake the man’s hand. Molly had mentioned one of her sons was a politician, but Tori didn’t connect the pieces until she saw the man she recognized from television news and advertisements. She’d had no idea Xander Langston was also one of the “Eden boys” until she saw him standing by the couch.
Xander smiled, greeting her with a polished finesse that practicing politics must have perfected. “Welcome, Tori. Sounds like you’ve heard my name before. Are you a registered voter?” he asked with a touch of humor in his light hazel eyes that let her know he was trying to be funny.
“Not here. My previous residence was a PO box in Philadelphia, but I’ll be changing that.”
“Excellent. I hope spending time with my family doesn’t negatively influence your vote.”
“Stop campaigning, Xander.” The young woman from the dining room came over, shoving the congressman aside with her shoulder. “Sorry, he has trouble turning it off. I’m Julianne.”
“This is my baby girl,” Ken said, his blue eyes brightening at the sight of his daughter. “She’s the most talented artist you’ll ever meet.”
“Daddy,” she chided in a tone very much like her mother’s. “I’m glad you could join us tonight, Tori. We need some more estrogen in this house.”
Tori shook her hand. The Edens’ only daughter was quite beautiful and looked very much like she imagined Molly had appeared when she was younger. She had long golden-blond hair, light green eyes and a smile that lit up the room. A person’s eyes just naturally went to her.
“Brody, quit playing with the fireplace and come meet our guest.”
The last of the brothers put down the fireplace poker and made his way over. There was a reluctance in his movements that made Tori wonder if this brother was a part of Wade’s plot. He’d made a point of mentioning that all of the children wanted the land back. The others didn’t seem to look at her or treat her differently than any other dinner guest.
Then she saw it. As he stepped into the shimmering light of the Christmas tree, the previously darkened side of his face was illuminated. Tori sucked in a surprised breath and stiffened her whole body to keep from reacting inappropriately. Almost the entire left side of Brody’s face was horribly scarred; the skin puckered and twisted into a horrible mask. She couldn’t even imagine what kind of injury would leave a mark like that.
She noticed that Brody had deliberately hesitated at the edge of the group, almost giving her time to react and process everything before he greeted her. He’d apparently lived with this, and people’s reactions, for quite some time. She felt the sudden urge to put him at ease. As quickly as she could, Tori made eye contact and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Brody.”
He reached out and shook her hand, nodding gently to himself. “Nice of you to come,” he said, the corners of his mouth curving up in subdued welcome. The unmarred side of his face was quite handsome. She could tell that if he really, truly smiled, it would be very charming. He had beautiful dark blue eyes with thick coal-black lashes that his injury hadn’t touched. His gaze was initially wary, perhaps anxious at meeting someone new, but the smile eventually made its way into his sapphire depths.