When he went to pass the bowl of silky sausage gravy to her brother without taking any himself, she quickly pinched his thigh.

His gaze jerked to her.

"My momma worked all mornin'," she muttered, her voice low. "Don't you dare hurt her feelings by not eatin'."

He glanced at her plate, lips thinning, then spooned a small amount on the half pieces of his biscuit.

From then on, he was at least considerate enough to try the foods she placed on her own plate.

Thankfully, breakfast went by without too many problems. Falcon flirted with Momma and Aunjenue equally, keeping both women laughing while Daddy and the boys discussed the farm. Raeg ate silently, as did Summer. His declaration that neither he nor Falcon claimed her shadowed her mind no matter how many times she reminded herself that this was something she was already well aware of.

She'd already made her plans anyway. She didn't need them sticking around too long and messing up not just her head but her heart as well.

It proved the suspicion that her daddy truly did read minds though, she thought heavily. No one could have known the sexual tension that fired between her, Raeg, and Falcon when others were not around.

Yet, her daddy knew.

Thankfully, breakfast ended. As everyone rose from the table, Summer joined Aunjenue and their momma in gathering the dishes and moving them to the sink.

"Falcon, Raeg, put those dishes right straight down." Her momma's firm voice had Summer turning, watching, as they slowly lowered their plates and cups to the table, their gazes moving to Summer questioningly. "Aunjenue, fix these two young men another cup of coffee. They can wait for Summer on the front porch."

The subtle order wasn't lost on Falcon or Raeg.

Both men glared at Summer.

"What should we do on the porch?" Falcon finally asked her mother charmingly. "It would be quite boring out there."

Raeg slid him a hooded glance; whether he agreed or disagreed, Summer wasn't certain.

"Summer's gentlemen callers take coffee on the porch with her daddy after breakfast." Her momma was firm despite the pretty smile she flashed. "Aunjenue, get that coffee. Summer, come help me with the table."

That first mention of Summer's gentlemen callers had Falcon and Raeg both pinning her with their gaze.

Restraining her smile, she merely lifted her brow and reached for the nearest plates and cups.

"Daddy's waitin' for ya'll," she told them softly. "Mind your manners though," she suggested, meeting both their gazes warningly. "And don't forget, I know many ways to kill you and dispose of your lifeless carcasses if you get me in trouble. Hear me?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Dishes in hand she turned toward the sink, the sound of the screen door smacking smartly closed a second later. She shot Aunjenue a little wink as her sister stared back at her in awe.

Not that she wasn't well aware that Raeg and Falcon both would make her pay for the fact that they had to endure a much longer interrogation by her daddy now that breakfast was over.

That was just her daddy though. She contented herself with the fact that it shouldn't get worse than what she'd heard earlier. Not being claimed by the men who spent the night wearing her into exhaustion with the pleasure they gave her was about as hurtful as it could get after all.

"You are in so much trouble," Aunjenue snickered as she eased over to the sink where Summer was placing dishes in the hot sudsy water her momma had run to wash them in. "They don't even know about the parties yet, do they? Let alone why-"

"Shh," Summer hissed, glancing quickly behind her. Falcon and Raeg both were far too sneaky for her peace of mind. "I'll figure it out."

"Yeah, I can't wait to see how you do that one," Aunjenue snorted, on the verge of laughter. "Can I sell tickets?"

She was in so much trouble.

Thankfully, no one mentioned the upcoming parties, or "socials," as her momma was calling them. And when she stepped out onto the porch, her daddy wasn't frowning and her brothers weren't gloating, so she decided Raeg and Falcon might get to live another day.

"I'm going home, Daddy." Stepping next to him, she leaned down and kissed his cheek as he patted her shoulder fondly.

"See you later, baby girl." He nodded, his gaze somber and filled with worry. "Caleb and Bowe can walk over with ya'll, make sure the house is still secure."

Her brothers were rising the second those words came from their daddy's lips, as did Raeg and Falcon.

"Tell them to be nice to me or I'm sending them back in body bags," she informed him, knowing her brothers for the troublemakers they were.

"Be nice to her boys," he ordered them firmly. "Let her get used to bein' home before the three of you start drivin' her crazy."

That was the best she was going to get, and she knew it.

Glancing over at them, she caught their promised looks of retaliation and reverted back to the childish habit of sticking the tip of her tongue out at them before giving them a smug smile.

"Love you, Daddy."

Raeg remained quiet after Summer stepped onto the porch. Even when she stuck the tip of her tongue out at her brothers with childish glee, he managed to keep his shock hidden.

Never, in all the years he'd known her, had he seen this side of the woman he'd been so combative with. She'd infuriated him, drove him insane with the need to fuck her, made him crazy with her mysterious smiles and the knowledge that she was hiding something important, something no one ever saw, away from the world.

This woman resembled the Summer he knew in looks only.

The loving daughter-even though that father of hers likely deserved very little of her devotion-and the playful sister. There was a vulnerability he was seeing now that he'd never seen before.

Returning to the house with her, her brothers trailing behind them, Raeg left her in Falcon's care as he and her brothers checked the house carefully. Despite the closeness of the two houses, the tree line separating them made it impossible to watch Summer's house from her parents'. That made it harder to be certain no one had managed to slip past the security Caleb had installed.

They were playing a waiting game, and Raeg knew the odds were not in their favor. They had no idea when Dragovich would strike, where he would strike from, and how much help he'd have, if any. They were currently vetting all the employees who worked on the farm, but several of them were actually part of Caleb's Special Forces team, and Summer's brother had already vetted the others extensively before he hired them.

Which meant absolutely zero. Just because a man hadn't been offered a bribe to betray a friend didn't mean he wouldn't take it once offered. That was a lesson Raeg had learned the hard way.

Once the house was checked thoroughly, and after a few teasing insults thrown out to their sister, the brothers left as Falcon disappeared upstairs for a video conference.

At least, that was his excuse.

Surprisingly enough, Summer kicked off her sandals and padded barefoot into the kitchen where she pulled a covered baking dish from refrigerator, pushed it into the oven, and set the temperature.

Raeg watched her silently, uncomfortable returning to his room and leaving her downstairs alone. God only knew the trouble she'd get into if he left her completely to her own devices.

"Momma put us a chicken casserole together this morning and had Caleb bring it over." She grinned, turning to him. "At least we won't starve this evening."

At least they wouldn't have to make the trek back to the other house to eat, he thought with some relief.

"You really don't know what to think about my family do you?" Leaning on the center island, she stared at him in amusement. "All those balls and dinners you go to in DC, and my family just about makes you shake in your boots."

Her humor at his expense really wasn't appreciated.

"Your family is different-" He had to stop there. Hell, what did he know about families, his wasn't exactly conventional, now was it?

His lips quirked rueful as her smiled widened, her violet eyes shining with mirth.

"They're not what I expected," he amended, hating the thought of taking that bright, fun-filled laughter from her eyes. "You're different here. It was unexpected."

She wasn't hurt as she had been earlier, that shadow of betrayal wasn't filling her eyes and he didn't want to see it again.

"I'm at home here." She looked around the kitchen with a fondness that maybe he should have expected. "I bought the house from my brother and then had it completely remodeled." Her gaze met his once again and the shadows he'd always glimpsed in her eyes in DC weren't there now. "It's my home."

And it felt like a home. Despite the fact that the atmosphere of the house had seemed lonely the night before, today it seemed anything but. There was a sense of peace here now, a settled feeling that was hard for him to put his finger on.

His mother always said a house reflected the owners, a home reflected those who shared it. Summer loved her home, and she loved being there, he realized.

"Even the kitchen?" he arched his brow, hiding the grin that wanted to tug at his lips. "You know Falcon's on to you, right? He knows who makes those damned crumb cakes."

Summer straightened at the information, her eyes narrowing on him in promised retaliation. "Who told? You? I bet god-daddy told you, didn't he? And I bet you told Falcon. You're a snitch, Raeg. You know that, right?" She was only barely holding back her laughter.

"Never try to con a con, Summer," he snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he shook his head at her. "Falcon's been on to you since long before you went to work for him. He just lets you think you're getting away with your shenanigans."

Her eyes were sparkling with laughter now, her face filled with happiness. He'd never seen her like this. Never seen so much warmth and joy filling her face and her eyes, warming him from the inside out.

A little pout formed at her lips though teasing humor filled her eyes. "You're lyin' to me, surely. He would have said something."

She and Falcon shared that warmth of spirit, he realized. The teasing charm and sense of drama, yet, he realized, he didn't feel left out of it, and he didn't feel that his brother possessed a part of her he didn't. It felt right somehow. The two of them needed someone to keep them out of trouble when they were together. He would have been good at that, he thought somberly. He would have enjoyed it. If he could have had the chance to do it.

"He likes playing with you," he answered rather than allowing her to sense the darkness of his thoughts.

Acknowledging how much Falcon enjoyed playing with Summer over the years had been hard for him though. It had taken a while for him to realize how much he enjoyed watching her and his brother playing, teasing each other.

Her lips twitched. "I like playin' with him too."

There was a softness, a sudden hint of vulnerability in her expression.

"You like fooling us," he said, hating the ache in his chest. "Playing games."

She straightened at the accusation, and he told himself that wasn't a shadow of pain he'd caused that flashed through her eyes.

"Games? You think that's all I am?" she asked, anger flashing in her dark eyes. "You think I play with Falcon because I like games?"

He wasn't going to answer that question. He couldn't. Damn her though, if it wasn't games, then what was it? And why the hell did he have to say anything about it, take that laughter from her eyes when he'd been determined not to.

"Your whole family seems to excel in them, Summer," he pointed out, remaining calm, that feeling of being off-balance, of not understanding something and wanting to himself, bugging the hell out of him. "You play the happy, loving family, but that's not the truth either, is it?"

Her nostrils flared, the pout on her lips tightening to a thin line.

"Why don't you just tell me what the truth is, then, Raeg?" she suggested with silky heat. "What do you think you know about me and my family?"

They were facing off again, and despite his regret, despite the fact that he didn't want to hurt her-he never had-by God, he wanted the truth for a change.

"You've run back here every chance you've had for as long as I've known you." He flattened his hands on the counter and leaned toward her. "But I was there that night Davis Allen and Margot brought you back to DC, beaten half to death because your father was passed out drunk when you were attacked. And you act like he never betrayed you. That he didn't leave you defenseless. You fucking idolize him and I want to know why."

Her chin jerked up, her eyes darkening until they looked like bruised violets. Her delicate nostrils flared, and the pain he saw in her eyes was because of him, not because of her family.

"He didn't leave me defenseless, Raeg." There wasn't so much as a hint of that accent in her voice now. "Whoever attacked me got a knife buried in his balls because Daddy taught me how to protect myself." Her face flushed, anger burning hot and bright inside her along with a glimmer of pain that had him wanting to kick himself. "You don't know me and you don't know my family." She pointed her finger to him furiously, the slender digit shaking with whatever she was feeling. "And as far as I'm concerned, you don't even deserve the chance to know any of us. Why don't you just go back where you belong and leave me and my family alone!"

Before he could stop her, she turned, stalking through the doorway on the other side of the kitchen, through the dining room, then up the stairs.

"Fuck!" The curse slipped past his lips as he shoved his fingers through his hair and pivoted on his heel, intent on returning to the living room.

As he turned, he glimpsed the figure standing on the porch, the tall, broad form of Summer's father as he stared silently through the open kitchen window.

Raeg hadn't known he was there. Had no idea the older man had managed to slip up onto the porch.

Dark blue eyes stared at him emotionlessly from an expression carved in granite.

Cal didn't say a word, just turned and, with military precision, moved across the porch and down the steps to the walkway leading back to his own house.

Wonderful.

This was just fucking wonderful.

Chapter.

SIX.

The bastard.

Deceitful. Conniving.

He'd just been waiting to slice her open with that one. To rip into the happiness she was feeling and make certain he destroyed it.

She slammed the bedroom door behind her, so furious she was shaking.

He had no idea what had happened all those years ago, or how hard it was for her to come home, to understand what had happened that night and to accept it. Still Raeg hadn't cared a damned bit to cut her open and watch her bleed with it though, had he? He hadn't even asked for an explanation, just made all his accusations like they were the only truth that could possibly exist.