Steve stood at the water’s edge, and he stepped forward and smoothly relieved Devin of Amelia.

“Looked like fun out there,” he commented. He held Amelia aloft for a minute, grinning at her and babbling nonsense.

The baby smiled back, cooing a few sounds of her own and reaching for his nose. Steve propped her, bulky life jacket and all, against his shoulder, and Devin couldn’t help contrasting his easy manner with the baby against Lucas’s awkwardness.

Lexi stripped off her life jacket and started work on the ropes.

“I thought you might need some help,” Steve explained to Devin.

Devin stripped off her own life jacket then took Amelia from Steve’s arms and unzipped hers. “Help with what?”

“I assumed you were picking up a few more things from the house. For the baby. Maybe for you.”

“How did you know I was here?” It was disconcerting to have him show up out of nowhere.

“He pumped the staff for information,” came Lucas’s unexpected voice.

Devin looked up in surprise to see Lucas striding across the beach, his shoes off, slacks rolled up a few turns and his suit jacket slung over his arm. “He’s been spying on you,” Lucas told Devin.

“What about you?” Steve challenged.

“They’re my staff,” Lucas returned.

“Did you two come together?” asked Devin. She wasn’t crazy about having any of the Demarco family invading her home turf. It wouldn’t be much of a sanctuary if her problems kept following her out here.

“No,” they both answered simultaneously.

“Well, I don’t need help moving,” she said, finishing the exchange with Steve.

Then she turned on Lucas. “And you. There’s no reason for you to be here, either.”

“I wanted to make sure you were coming back.” There was a wealth of awareness in his flat, frank stare. He knew the kiss had disconcerted her. And he’d obviously guessed that’s why she had fled.

Well, he was in for a surprise now. She was over the kiss, and she was going to ignore any lingering attraction she might have for him. From now on, he was the target of her investigation, nothing more.