She raised her head again and looked at him. "Why couldn't I fall in love with you?"

He smiled, then kissed her cheek. "Not a good idea, kid. I'm not one of the good guys. You're better off with Cal or Walker."

Penny didn't think so but it didn't matter. She and Reid could only ever be friends. The heart, ever a contrary organ, had apparently decided she could only love one man. Even if that man was destined to forever be breaking her heart.

CAL DROVE AROUND until sunset, then returned to his house. He wanted to go see Penny, but first he had to figure out what he wanted to say to her. Until then, he had a feeling showing up there would only make things worse.

She was right about him, he thought as he turned onto his street. She always had been. In the past, he'd been okay with that but this time he wanted things to be different. He wanted to be different.

He headed into his driveway and saw two other cars there. As he glanced toward the front door. He saw Reid and Walker on the porch, having what looked like a heated conversation.

"What's up?" he asked as he climbed out of his car and walked toward them.

Reid glared at him. "You made Penny cry," he said, his voice a low growl. "n.o.body makes Penny cry."

"So what does that mean?" Cal asked. "You're here to make me pay?"

"You got that right."

Cal shrugged, not the least bit worried about taking Reid on in a fight. His brother might be the same size and in great shape, but Cal had some repressed anger on his side.

He turned to Walker. "You gonna help him?"

Walker shrugged. "No. I'm here to make sure you don't both kill yourselves."

Cal knew fighting wouldn't change anything one way or the other, but in that moment, he didn't care. He wanted to lash out at someone and if his brother was willing to be a target, then that was good enough for Cal.

He stepped onto the lawn and beckoned Reid. "Bring it on, little brother."

For a second he thought Reid wouldn't react. Then his brother came flying at him.

Their bodies collided with a force that rattled every bone in his body. They both went down. Cal got to his feet first and was ready to defend himself when Reid came out swinging.

Cal ducked, got in a good punch to the gut that reverberated back to his elbow. Reid clipped his jaw, which made Cal stagger back a step. A couple more hits by each of them and he was rethinking his plan. He hadn't been in a fight since he was thirteen years old and he'd forgotten how much they hurt.

Still, he liked the raw emotion pouring through him, the need to destroy that blocked out every other thought. He got in a one-two punch before Reid nailed him with a shot that reminded him his brother had a thunderbolt for a right arm.

Lazily, Walker strolled over and stepped between them.

"That's enough," he said calmly. "You're both going to be regretting this in the morning."

Cal touched his mouth and winced as he felt blood and rapidly swelling flesh.

The anger had drained out of him until he was left only with pain and a sense of loss so strong, it nearly drove him to his knees.

Penny. He'd screwed things up so badly with her, he didn't know how to recover.

"I've lost her," he said as he sank onto the damp lawn. "Haven't I?"

Reid sprawled next to him. "You screwed up on a ma.s.sive scale," he said. "Naomi wants your b.a.l.l.s."

The part of him in question tightened into his body.

"What does Penny want?" he asked hoa.r.s.ely.

"To not love you anymore."

Reid couldn't have hurt him more if he'd shot him. "She has to love me," Cal whispered. She was all he had.

Walker crouched in front of him and touched a sore spot just above his eyebrow. "You're going to need st.i.tches for that." He looked at Reid. "Your knuckles are pretty bad, too. Let's go inside and I'll patch up the two of you."

Cal looked at Reid. "I'm sorry."

His brother grimaced. "I'm not the one you should apologize to."

"I know. But I'm still sorry."

Reid shrugged, then stood. But instead of turning to the house, he held out his hand to Cal.

"You might be an a.s.shole," he said as he pulled Cal to his feet. "But you're still my brother."

They looked at each other and Cal knew that things were right between them. If only the situation with Penny were so easily resolved.

He took a step and had to hold in a groan. Blood dripped down from the cut beside his eyes and from his lip. His body ached and he felt about a hundred and fifty years old.

But before he could make it to the porch, a car pulled up. Cal glanced over to see if by some miracle, Penny had come to see him. Right now he would be happy if she were simply willing to yell at him some more.

But she wasn't the one who stepped out of the vehicle. Instead Lindsey opened the pa.s.senger's door and got out.

She was too thin and wearing a scarf over her head, but he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

"Lindsey," he called. "What are you doing here?"

She glanced from him to Reid and Walker. "Um, is this a bad time?"

"No."

"But you're..." She squinted. "Have you been fighting?"

He groaned. Talk about perfect timing. "Yeah, well, my brother and I had something we had to work out."

Lindsey's eyes lit up. "Brothers. Both of them?"

He nodded. "This is Reid and this is Walker."

"Wow," she breathed. "Uncles."