“She’s all right, Lisa. She had a good long cry and she managed to get some sleep.” She’d also wrapped herself around him. She’d held on to him while she’d cried, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt as good as he had when she’d needed him.

Remy and Lisa both stopped, staring at him.

“Lila cried?” Remy asked.

“Lila rarely cries. Never in front of anyone but her family.” Lisa glanced back at the bedroom. “Well, there was the once, but that was more like a total breakdown, and she had her reasons for it.”

“Well, she had a good cry last night, and I think she’s feeling better now.” He wasn’t going to tell Lisa that her sister had a nightmare. He probably shouldn’t have told her anything, but she seemed so worried. “Are the rumors already flying? What exactly is being said?”

He knew the way the gossip mill worked in town. A big event like this would be talked about for years, and it would take that long for some people to get the facts right. Oh, it would start out with eyewitness accounts, but it would roll downhill from there.

Remy chuckled as he sat down at the small bistro table. “Well, the way Sera told it, Janice had a heart attack while she was driving and Rene was in the way. The baby choked on a teething biscuit and Lila saved the day. My momma heard it a bit differently.”

Delphine Dellacourt Guidry was one of the town’s eccentrics. “Good lord. Tell me.”

Lisa looked far more cheerful now that she knew her sister was all right. She pressed the button to start the coffeemaker. “Janice tried to run Rene down because he wouldn’t marry Hallie all those years ago. Hallie was forced to marry an outsider because Rene spurned her. Janice saw him on the street walking by and her rage flashed through her and she was out of control. In that particular scenario, Lila and Rene made an obvious connection and that’s why she saved him first. There also might have been mention of some hoodoo Rene worked to make himself attractive to all women. I think he should have used the hoodoo to make his bones a little stronger.”

“She saved him first because she got to him first. Tell me they’re not matching Lila up with Rene.” That wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter that Rene was a better match, damn it. He didn’t care that Rene was incredibly wealthy and could give her a life of ease. Or that Rene was arguably handsomer. And younger. And without a kid who would need help for the rest of her life. Lila was his. He’d seen her first and he’d gotten his hands on her first, and Rene could deal with it.

Not that Rene wanted Lila. Or Lila wanted Rene. Damn rumors.