M att stayed by her side the entire time they were walking into the small dive he and his brothers had never bothered eating at before. The Tylers were apparently well known. It just went to show how they could have lived almost next door to the Tylers the women’s entire lives and not know they existed .

They had traveled in completely different circles, apparently .

That was going to change .

Joel noticed Matt’s interest first, and when he, Matt, and Nate were waiting at the counter to pick up their orders, Joel called him on it. “Staking a claim ?”

Nate looked between the two of them. “ Excuse me ?”

“Not you. Matt . The wind blows in that direction?” Joel leveled a look at him. “It a serious one? Not that I don’t trust you, but Phoebe freaks whenever her sisters are involved. Especially Pip. They are all extremely protective of her .”

“Because of Gunderson. I know most of the story. Pip’s told me .”

Joel nodded. Matt saw the confusion on Nate’s face. Matt filled him in quietly. “Gunderson got pissed at Perci, took it out on Pip by assaulting her at a dance. From what I heard, Phoebe hit him over the head with a potted plant literally in the nick of time, and Pan kicked his dick into his throat, while Perci dealt with her twin .”

“Shit. I wondered why they seem to overprotect her at times. Why Perci is almost rabid about knowing where her twin’s at.” Nate’s eyes held compassion. “She going to be ok tonight ?”

Joel paid the cashier and took the white bags of food for him. “To be honest, Phoebe’s seriously worried. Pip’s the sweet one of the four, apparently. The most vulnerable .”

“Not any longer.” On that, Matt was one hundred percent clear. He was going to be standing there between Pip and anything that threatened her ever again. She’d been quiet in the truck on the drive over, but he’d understood. She was nervous, trapped in the truck cab with him. He’d kept the conversation on Wind Lover as much as he could. Until she’d relaxed and was speaking more freely with him .

He was seducing her using the mare and foal as a cover. But he was determined and would do what it took .

“Thought as much,” Joel said .

“You serious about her? Don’t think those girls are the kind a real man toys with.” Nate threw a glance over his shoulder at the table where the four sisters and Levi waited. Matt followed his gaze. His brother and Pan were discussing something between them animatedly. No surprise. They were both business people at heart, and each had some wildly different theories on things. Plus Levi, the biggest player of the Masterson brothers, had it bad for their housekeeper. And apparently didn’t know what to do about it .

Matt empathized .

“Very serious. More serious than I’ve been about a woman in years.” Matt knew his brothers understood his meaning when he continued. “I don’t plan on letting her out of my sight tonight. If there are any problems, I plan to be there right next to her .”

And he intended to start now .

* * *

P ip forced herself not to hyperventilate the closer Matt drove to the Masterson Community Center. She’d not been inside the center since that night four years ago. She had just not wanted to be there .

Her family had understood, and hadn’t pushed her. But tonight ...

Phoebe had asked them to go. Had wanted everyone to show support for Joel after what had happened with Rutherford. Half the town had liked the man who had tried to kill them all, and some were questioning Joel’s position as sheriff. It was Phoebe’s way of daring those few people to say something to those who had paid the greatest cost for Rutherford’s actions. The man could have killed Phoebe, and Joel, Phoenix—even Pip, Perci, Matt, and Nate—with the way he’d been shooting at them all .

He’d cut up a squirrel and left it on their porch for her seven-year-old brother to find. When Phoebe had told her people were doubting that ever happened, Pip had had to force the anger back .

Parker would never forget that day. None of them would. Anyone who dared to question them, well...Pip had no problem telling them what she thought .

For her family, Pip would do just about anything. For her family .

“Heavy thoughts?” the man driving the truck asked. Pip looked over at him. Matt was a beautiful man, wasn’t he? He was probably the most handsome of his brothers, though he wasn’t the tallest. Nate was; Nate was huge and burly and the size of a small mountain .

Matt was six-foot-three or so, though, and very strong. It was hard to miss. “I just don’t always like crowds .”

“I don’t particularly, either .”

“Phoebe wanted us all to go. Because of what people are saying about Joel.” She wanted his opinion on what the town was saying. He was a part of the town in a way she and her family most definitely were not .

“What are they saying? I haven’t heard anything .”

“Someone is stirring up trouble for him, I think. Saying things like Tom Rutherford got a raw deal. That kind of stuff.” Pip had a scar on her forehead. They’d first thought it was from hitting something in the flood water that day. But she didn’t remember that. She did remember something cutting her forehead right before Matt had lifted her over a rock when Rutherford had been shooting at them. “My scar. I think it’s from a bullet .”

Matt looked at her right eyebrow. “I know it is. It’s why I grabbed for you first, instead of Phoebe that day. You were right in that bastard’s line of fire. I watched it happen. Anyone says anything to you about Rutherford, you send them right to me. I’ll tell them exactly what kind of deal he got. With the devil .”

“I wish we knew where John Rutherford was.” Tom Rutherford’s younger brother had been in the wind for more than three months now. Pip was always aware that he was still out there somewhere. And Joel had killed his brother. Hard to forget that. She wouldn’t, until the police had him .

“The state police will find him eventually. I don’t doubt it. I get the first dance tonight, right?” He smiled at her, looking far too handsome in that moment for any woman’s own good .

The Masterson brothers were some of the prettiest she’d ever seen. Maybe not all of them were handsome in the classical sense, but they were rugged, strong, masculine, and best of all--heroic .

Matt and Nate hadn’t had to come out there to help her and Perci find Phoebe that day. But they had .

She’d tried to tell herself it was because of their brother .

But it had been her that Matt had covered with his own body that day. Her that he had dragged out of the river. And Phoebe. While Nate had protected Perci, who had been tied to a tree and without real cover. Nate had covered her sister with his own body, too. Because he and his brothers were good men .

Not like Rutherford. Not like Gunderson .

“I don’t know how to dance. Not really .”

“I don’t think many people in Masterson do. But I wouldn’t mind trying, with you. At least you won’t laugh at me if I fall flat on my face.” He grinned as he looked at her .

She couldn’t imagine him ever falling flat on his face in anything. He was just too confident for that. “Of course not .”

“Good .”

Matt parked his truck next to his brother Levi’s. “Stay there; I’ll help you down .”

She did. Not because she wasn’t capable of climbing down by herself but she was in heels. Something she definitely wasn’t used to. He opened the door and lifted her down to the gravel .

Pip wrapped her fingers around his strong arms and let him hold her. Just for a second .

Until Perci was at her elbow and it was time to go in .

The panic returned .

Warm fingers wrapped around hers. Pip looked over. Matt was holding her hand. Holding her close to his side .

Just like Joel was holding Phoebe. Safe, close, protected, valued. Because Joel cared about her sister, loved her. Pip darted a glance at Matt’s face .

He was busy talking to Levi behind them; he’d held her close without thinking about it. He’d just done it .

What did that mean ?

Perci nudged her and Pip glanced at her twin. There was a look in Perci’s eyes that told her they were going to have to talk. And fast .

* * *

M att knew exactly what he was doing. Masterson was a small town. Rumors that he’d entered the dance with one of the Tyler sisters would hit every corner of the small community center quickly. He had no doubt they’d been seen in the parking lot , too .

Everyone would be assuming there was something between them. Exactly as he’d wanted .

He’d planned it that way, to be honest. He wanted everyone to know he and Pip were together. Not only for the satisfaction of knowing other men would respect that claim but for the fact that it would hopefully keep people from bombarding Pip .

He and Pip were a few feet behind Joel. The rest of their group came in behind them. Nate and Perci were snipping at each other again. Pan was laughing at something Levi had said .

It was normal, typical. It was family .

His family. Yes, there were four Tylers added in to the mix, but Matt didn’t mind in the least .

In fact, he was damned proud to be with them .

Matt pulled the woman he wanted closer to his side .