Justin reluctantly gave them the keys to a cabin that he said was an old staff place, underlining the fact that he expected Rob to stay one night and one night only. Rob imagined that Sam had a lot to do with the decision and thanked him for it.

But all Sam did was stare at him with accusation in his eyes.

“Don’t mess with Justin,” he said when the kids weren’t listening.

“I promise,” Rob said, and he meant it.

The kids chose a room, wanting to sleep together, and after Rob had checked all security and locked them in, Fentanyl was enough to let him rest.

But, when Rob woke to darkness, feeling like there was someone in the room with him, he wasn’t surprised to see Justin on the window sill, a gun in his hand, backlit by the moon and shadowed in the small bedside light next to Rob.

“One night, that’s all,” Justin repeated his earlier words.

“Justin—”

“One night.”

“What if I need more time? What about the boys?”

“I don’t want you here.”

The words didn’t hurt. How could they? Justin didn’t need him hanging about reminding him of the remnants of a terrible life.

“I get that—”

“What the hell is going on with you?”

“Nothing. This is a vacation. Thinking time is all.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“You forget I know when you’re lying.”

“Are you going to use that gun?”

“Are you going to stop lying?”

He deliberately turned his back to Justin and pulled the sheet up over his shoulder. “Good night, J.”

“You leave tomorrow,” Justin replied. “You and the kids.”

Rob knew when Justin had gone; he just had the sense of it.

How long could he keep his secrets to make this work? He didn't sleep again and gave up even trying a little after dawn. He sat for hours with coffee on his porch staring up at the mountains.

Nothing like a bullet killing me slowly to make me appreciate all the simple things I hadn't done before.

Like looking at mountains, or listening to rivers, or watching reruns of old TV shows from his childhood.

I’m getting sentimental. Sitting here feeling sorry for myself, wallowing in self pity, won’t get things done.

He’d hardly slept at all, worried about the room, the cabin, and Justin’s less than friendly welcome and predawn visit. It had taken him a long time to prioritize the issues in his head and come up with a workable solution.

Then he gave himself time to worry about the kids and the shape of their future.

And now it was ten a.m., and Rob had tried everything to get Bran and Toby to move from their bedroom. They hadn’t come out this morning for food, so the day hadn’t really started. And he needed to get it started, going up to see Justin and convincing him that letting him and the boys stay was a good thing.

Anyway, breakfast was nothing special, just some of the last few energy bars that Rob had picked up last night at the gas station and cartons of orange juice.

“Come on kids, up and at ‘em.”

“We’re okay here,” Bran said from his position on the bed, although Toby didn’t seem as if he agreed, not until his brother spoke for him.

That wasn’t healthy, right? Toby hadn’t expressed a single thought that he hadn’t passed by his brother first. They probably needed counseling or support from someone who wasn’t an absentee uncle. He pushed a hand through his hair and then gripped it, unsure what to do next.

They ate the cereal bars for a really late breakfast, washed down with orange juice, and finally Rob reached the limit of being able to sit around watching the kids stare back at him with accusation in their eyes.

“We could go for a walk." He waited for Bran to argue. “Get out of the cabin, maybe go find some real food?”

Ignore the fact that Justin wants us gone today.

“No, thank you, Uncle Rob,” Bran replied.

“I know,” he ignored Bran. “We can go see the horses; I promised you horses.” Every kid liked animals, right? “And fresh air, we need that, right?”

Bran considered what he said, then nodded. “We won’t go near horses, but we should probably get some air.”

Jeez, Bran sounded so grown up, older than his eight years. Then Bran helped Toby off the bed. Surely Toby didn’t need his big brother to help, but Rob could see he was leaning on Bran and kept checking with him. Toby was a healthy five-year-old boy. Shouldn’t he be bouncing from bed to bed? Or was he genuinely this needy at five? What had Toby seen in his life? Did he feel as if he had no place in the world? Or was it something else?

I have no fucking idea.

He breathed a huge sigh of relief when they moved, having spent the last hour thinking the two of them would stay in their room forever. Unless he got them out of the cabin, he’d never be able to start working on finding someone to take the kids. Or persuade Justin to let them stay by showing him what good kids they were.

Then he had another worry to consider. Should he supervise what they were wearing? Was that what he needed to do first? He guessed that is what responsible adults did, so he crossed to their bags and peered inside the first one. Bran moved so fast that he stumbled backward, Bran getting right in front of him.

“That’s my bag,” he said with force and determination.

“Sorry, I was just looking for uhmmm, clothes, and things."

Bran crossed his arms over his chest, and it reminded Rob of when Suzy had been that age, fiercely independent and utterly focused. He moved away and raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. He’d faced down terrorists, royalty, even the president, but one small boy, and he was on dangerous ground.

“I’ll be in the uhm… out there.”

He left them, picking up his phone, the key to the cabin, and retrieving his weapon. He didn’t have anywhere to leave it, apart from the lockbox in the car, which was a shit place if the car was stolen at all. So, at the moment the gun was on top of his closet. Super-high up so that even he had to stretch to reach it. He hoped that Justin might have an internal lockbox or a safe for him to keep it in. Rob trusted Justin with his gun. Actually, Justin was the only one he’d ever trusted with anything that Rob thought valuable.

His gun. His life. The missions they’d run together.

Justin was solidly his to lean on. Or at least he had been until he found out he’d been lied to by the men who’d hired him, and that his life had been destroyed.

Any friendship they might have had was finished when Justin became the hunted one, and it was Rob’s job to find him. How quickly their team had unraveled, turning up lies and errors, showing that he and Justin had sometimes been used to kill people for political or monetary gain without their knowledge. Hell, he’d been sent to kill Justin just to stop him talking, and how fucked-up was that?

With the gun tucked into the back of his jeans, he at least felt like he had a backup. Against what, he wasn’t sure, but it felt familiar and gave him confidence, in a world where he didn't truly fit.

“What’s that?” Bran asked as Rob pulled his thick T-shirt down to cover it. He couldn’t have got more than a glimpse, certainly wouldn’t have seen it was a gun.

“Nothing,” he lied. “Are you ready to go?”

By the time they were out, it was nearer to lunch than breakfast, and on the spur of the moment, he decided that they needed to stay out of the cabin for as long as possible. That way he wouldn’t have to deal with Bran’s accusing expressions or Toby’s tears. He considered getting them in the car and going for a drive, but no. Small space, just the three of them? Not happening. Anyway, the point of this visit was to get the kids to connect to everyone here so they wouldn’t feel abandoned when he left. Driving off the ranch wouldn’t serve any purpose.

Wide open spaces. A picnic maybe? That sounded like the kind of thing that would give them all space, get them used to the ranch, maybe hook up with some of the people who lived there. They could play somewhere, do things that kids did. Maybe run around some, and Rob could consider the plans he needed to make for them.

He could engineer things so that they accidentally met up with Justin and Sam. Which reminded him that he needed to start writing notes on his thoughts as he met the others here, and he should do it soon if he only planned on staying a week. He'd already decided Justin would make a good dad. The man was a mess of ethics and family love, and had a desperate need to do the right thing. Where Rob lacked compassion, Justin had too much. Except when it came to letting him, and the boys stay more than a night.

What could Justin do? Change the locks on the staff cabin? Put all their belongings in a pile next to the car? Would he even do that?

“Food. Actually, a picnic. Sounds good?” he asked the kids, watching Bran frown, and Toby glance up at his brother with a hopeful expression on his face, his big brown eyes full of excitement. Had Rob managed to do something right with his nephew for the first time?

“We love picnics,” Bran finally offered somewhat reluctantly, and Toby nodded.

Rob crouched in front of them. “What kind of things do you like to eat?” He couldn’t just go in and get loads of junk. He might not want to be their dad, but he wasn’t messing with their nutrition either.

“Ham,” Bran announced.

“What about you, Toby?”

His nephew stared at the ground, and Bran moved a little, drawing his attention. “He likes cheese and ham, and chips.”

Toby refused to meet Rob’s eyes, but he nodded vigorously. Someone needed to get through to the little boy, a mother figure or something. He recalled that one of Justin's friends was married to a woman who happened to be a mom. She’d have an idea of what to do with Toby. He added that to his mental list and took them into the small shop next to the restaurant, Branches. He didn’t recognize the assistant in there, but his name badge said Edgar, which seemed like an old-fashioned name to give someone who had to be only eighteen or so.

“Morning,” Edgar said with a grin. “What can I get you?”

Bran and Toby stayed by the door, but the fridge was right there with drinks, and there was a shelf of chip bags neatly arranged in rainbow order, so it wasn’t difficult. He picked up chips and sodas, with a healthy amount of water, and exchanged small talk with Edgar.

“Do you have any sandwiches or rolls or something?”

“They do that kind of thing at Branches,” Edgar said helpfully.

Branches. An excellent chance to find someone in there to start the delicate negotiation over who was going to take in Bran and Toby.

Hope pricked at Rob when he saw that Justin was in Branches, drinking coffee at the counter, talking to Sam, who Rob knew enough to smile at, after their late night arrival.

He went right up to the counter, taking the stool next to Justin. Bran and Toby were on his heels, waiting patiently.

“Hey.”

Justin side-eyed him, and half nodded instead of actually engaging in conversation. A simple ”Hi” might have been nice, but they’d never done the polite shit, spending any time together working up plans or figuring out kill angles.

“You’re still here,” he said.

“And we’re staying.”

“One day is all I said you could—”

“Can I get some filled rolls or something?" Rob ignored Jason and spoke directly to Sam. “Two with ham, one with ham and cheese."

Sam took the order, and with a quick glance at Justin, he went back into the kitchen, keeping the door open so he could see them.

What had Justin told Sam about him?

He turned to talk to Justin.

“Leave me alone,” Justin snapped before he could say anything else.

Sam arrived back, and hell, that was the fastest sandwich making he'd ever experienced. He placed those and a see-through container on the counter.

“There’s some pasta in there as well. Help yourself to forks from the takeout area.” It seemed Sam was now waiting for him to leave. Justin shifted on his stool as if he was making a move as well, and Rob didn’t have time to wait any longer. He had to get things started now while he still could.

“Justin, you’ve met Bran and Toby," he blurted and leaned down to shuffle them closer to Justin. Bran balked a little, then allowed himself to be moved, along with his brother.

Justin looked down at them, a half smile on his face. The smile was a new one to Rob. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever seen Justin genuinely smile, even if this particular half grimace was a little forced to start.

“Hi,” he said.

“They wanted to talk to you,” Rob said, and had three pairs of eyes turn to him. Bran was confused, Sam raised an eyebrow, and Justin frowned.

“Horses,” Rob said quickly. “The kids would like to learn to ride.”

“We never said that.” Bran was loud.

“This isn’t a fucking vacation with extras,” Justin muttered under his breath at the same time.

“It will be fun,” Rob said to Bran and then more directly to Justin, “I can pay.”

Justin shook his head, then stood and leaned close. “Fuck’s sake, Rob. Why did you even come here? One night and you should be gone.”

“I'll book a proper cabin; I'm not looking for charity. Hell J, I have money—”

“We don’t need your money." Justin was loud, and a couple of chairs scraped behind them, likely other patrons wanting to take a look at whatever was going down. Toby let out a squeak, and Bran gripped his hand and backed away.

Sam placed a hand on Justin’s. “Dial it down.”

Rob waited for Justin to snap back and yank his hand away from Sam's touch, but he didn't. Instead, he turned it over and laced their fingers. He never thought he'd see the day where Justin could be calmed by another person’s touch.

“My money is as good as the next person’s,” Rob insisted and waited for Justin to tear him a new one.

All he did was sigh heavily. “Hurry up and leave,” he said. Then leaning over to kiss Sam gently, he walked out of Branches, stopping briefly to say something to Bran who was now just outside the door.

“Sorry,” Rob apologized to Sam, again, but a customer paying their check interrupted any chance of small talk, and Rob needed to go out to Bran and Toby anyway. Justin was long gone.

“What did he say to you?” Rob asked Bran.

“He asked how long we’re staying. I told him we didn’t know.”

“Okay.”

Bran looked at Rob, and there was an adult expression in his eyes, full of something that seemed a lot like an accusation. “Do you know?”

They'd moved away from Branches, and he'd missed something. “Know what?”

“How long we’re staying.”

“A long time,” was all Rob could offer because if he had his way, Bran and Toby were staying here forever.

They headed past the horses and into the trees beyond the owners’ accommodation. He knew they were on the wrong side of the river. This was private, and the signs said so, but something Justin had once said about the lake up on the mountainside had him thinking this was an excellent direction to take. Anyway, it would take him past the owners’ houses, and he could maybe meet some of them and at least start a conversation.

After all, the one with Sam and Justin didn’t go so well.

He glanced back at Bran and Toby following him like a duckling after a momma duck, holding hands, Bran all serious and staring ahead, Toby’s eyes still wide, checking everything out, cataloging every new experience. Compassion poked at him. What kind of life had they had for the past year? And what about before? Had Suzi been a good mom? His sister had always been the flighty one, living for the moment, but some man had managed to get her settled into at least having kids, he guessed. Both their birth certificates gave the name of Richard Hastings as the father, but he was long gone, dead at twenty-eight from sepsis after surgery on his appendix. What must it have been like to lose their dad, even if Bran had only been four at the time and Toby a babe in arms? And then their mom?

And now Bran and Toby didn’t have a dad or a mom, and all they did have was one fucked-up uncle who was losing his shit over what to do with them.

Someone else who will leave them.

Eyes forward, he carried on past the last house, coming to a gently flowing creek that ultimately would lead to the river below. They were maybe forty feet above the river here, and the water was in a broad basin that was deep in the middle and calm. The day was hot, the water cold, and the itch to get in there was strong.

“Afternoon folks, can I help you?” a voice came from his left, and Rob schooled his features into complete innocence as he turned.

“Hi,” he said and felt Bran bump into him. Toby moved closer.

“I think you took a wrong turn,” the man said and moved out of the sunlight, closer to them. He was tall and gorgeous, in worn jeans and a plaid shirt, a cowboy hat on his head. “No problem, I can help out. Were you looking for the horses?” He gestured down the hill to the stables. They’d gotten to that point, but neither Bran or Toby had seemed interested on getting close to the horses, hence they’d moved on.

“I'm a friend of Justin's,” he said calmly focusing on the reaction from the big cowboy. “Rob. And these are my nephews, Bran and Toby.”

“Hi. Sam said Justin had friends staying. Nice to meet you. I’m Nate Todd,” the cowboy said and extended a hand for Rob to shake. They took the measure of each other briefly, and then Nate smiled. “You walking up to the lake?”

Nate Todd. The oldest of the three Todd brothers. It was the middle brother, Gabe, who Rob wanted to meet, the married one with kids. That was another family Bran and Toby would be better off with. Still, he might have to go through Nate to get to Gabe, and he still had Sam and Justin on his list as priority parents.

“Justin always said it was a cool place for kids.”

There, lie a little and turn the conversation back to Bran and Toby. Just as he hoped, Nate crouched down to their level, removing his Stetson and offering his hand to Bran who shook it, and then to Toby who didn’t let go of Bran but gave his other hand.

“You’re going to love the lake,” he said. “You like horses?”

Bran wrinkled his nose and then shrugged. “They’re kinda scary.”

Nate nodded with a serious expression on his face. “Some of them are, but we have a couple of smaller ones that love children. You should come to visit. Ask for Nate.”

“Yes, sir,” Bran answered and then gave Nate a cautious smile. Which was more than Rob had ever received. Nate had a way with children, and Rob knew he was in a relationship with someone called Jay. They’d make another set of potential parents, he was sure of it.

“We could do that now,” he said, ignoring the fact he’d promised a picnic and a visit to the lake.

Nate shook his head. “Sorry, guys, I’m booked out now, but I’ll be there after dinner tonight if you want to come up.”

He stood, put his hat back on, winked, and then left, walking down the hill and whistling tunelessly.

His plan to interact with Nate was thwarted. They carried on up the hill, but this time he held back a little, so he was walking at Bran and Toby’s slower pace while they strolled ahead holding hands. Both were in jeans that looked clean, but Toby’s were a little short in the leg, and Rob resolved to buy some more, along with whatever else they’d need that fit them. He added this to his mental list. Just after adding Nate’s name as possible dad material.

When the path opened up to the glacial lake, he could see precisely why Justin had talked about it when they’d had downtime. He'd always sounded so wistful about Crooked Tree, and the lake and the horses. He’d often said his soul would only be entirely happy if he could go home.

Not that Justin had ever planned to go home and so went about life with dedication to his country and a hole in his heart. Rob had never entirely understood Justin; they were so different. But he had understood that beauty was something that other people could carry inside themselves. The lake was stunning, the soaring mountains reflected in the water, rock formations tumbling haphazardly on one side. Isolation and peace.

Only they weren’t at the lake alone. A man standing with his back to them stared at the water. He must have heard them arrive, and turned to face them, and Rob would have recognized him anywhere.

The EMT from the crash scene.

Army.

The EMT recognized Rob right back, but he didn’t smile in welcome.

“What are you doing here, Navy?” he asked.

This was Rob's first proper look at the competent, hard man who was masquerading as an EMT in this backwater county. He was built, broad, apparently worked out, and his bright blue eyes were gorgeous.

“Army,” Rob said back, pushing down the shot of lust he'd felt at first seeing the man who'd tried to order him out of the car. Stupid because even with his reasonably accurate gaydar, two alphas did not end up fucking. Nope. Shame because Army was one hot dude in board shorts and a bright pink T-shirt with a unicorn farting rainbows front and center. That pretty much confirmed the sexual spectrum status of him right there.

It might be a good idea to exchange proper names instead of defining each other by their respective theaters of war.

“Rob,” he introduced himself, and Army turned back to stare over the lake.

“I would shake your hand,” Army said, “but I am not moving from this spot until the kids are back on dry land.”

For a second Rob got confused and thought the man was talking about Bran and Toby, and then he glanced past him to the two small figures near the rocks at the center of the lake. They were swimming vigorously, and a sharp stab of envy speared him. He hadn’t chosen to be a SEAL lightly; he’d love swimming as a child, spent hours in the sea near his home on the Chesapeake.

Being in the water was good. It was healthy and fun, and maybe next time he came up here with Bran and Toby, they could bring things. He was good at swimming, and it would tire them out. Perhaps he could get Justin in the water with them or Nate or anyone.

The silence was weird. He could ignore the man watching the children, or he could try and channel a real-life 'normal' persona again. Decision made, he walked the five steps between them and extended his hand, which the EMT took.

“I’m Aaron by the way,” tall, blond, and sexy said.

Aaron’s hand was warm, his grip firm. They held brief eye contact, sizing each other up. But it wasn't long enough, and he stared at the children heading back from the rocks to shore, a good thirty feet. Both of them strong swimmers. Rob guessed if they’d grown up there, then it was like where he had spent his childhood, water on the doorstep, swimming from an early age.

“I thought this place was private,” Rob said.

“I know the family,” Aaron explained. “Special dispensation. You?”

“Justin's friend,” he said and couldn't quite meet Aaron's eyes, because 'friend' was a step too far for Justin, given his reactions thus far to Rob being there.

“Uncle Rob?” Bran asked and tugged on his shirt. Jeez. Jeez, he’d forgotten all about them after one look into Aaron’s thoughtful sapphire gaze.

Rob crouched by him to hear better. “Yes?”

Bran stared up at Aaron pointedly and then back at Rob. Great. He was being shown social skills from his eight-year-old nephew. He needed to up his game to care for his new charges and find them their forever home. That started with not lusting over gorgeous men who had a specific way about them. That would have to change, from today. Of course, going to his knee was the wrong thing to do, his back protesting. Although no one would know, if they were watching him that he was in any pain at all. He was excellent at hiding his shit.

“These are my nephews Bran and Toby.”

Aaron copied him, eyes still half on the water, crouching and holding out his hand. “Hi guys, you like swimming?”

That was a stupid question; all kids loved swimming. Rob remembered the hours he would spend in the local lake, then the pool, feeling more at home in the water, splashing around with friends, and holding his breath longer than any of them.

“Toby can’t swim,” Bran said. “I can, but Toby is scared.”

If Aaron was surprised by that, he didn't give anything away, but Rob wasn't just surprised; he was shocked. Hadn't his sister thought to teach Toby? Every kid needed to learn how to swim for god’s sake.

“But you like the water, right, Toby?" Rob gestured at the beautiful lake under the warm sun. Who couldn’t love a place like this? He’d seen it on his last fact-finding mission here before approaching Justin that previous time, and right now part of him had longed to walk into the water and never come out.

Bran answered for him. “He doesn’t know.”

Toby dropped his gaze and mumbled something, and Aaron leaned in.

“What was that, Toby?” he asked gently.

“I like baths,” Toby said.

“And Momma tried to take Toby to lessons, but her car broke, and then she was ill, and we never went back," Bran explained.

Rob was quietly horrified at the casual way they mentioned their mom being ill, and also that Toby had never learned to swim.

"We need to get you some swimsuits, and I can show Toby how to swim.” Swimming was like learning to ride a bike, a rite of passage for every kid. That was one thing he could do before he left. The kids wouldn't form any attachment to him just because he taught them to swim.

Bran glanced at the water dubiously, then back at his uncle. Rob felt as if he was under a microscope, being judged and found wanting. This was a test. Did Bran trust him enough to think he could take care of them?

“Maybe. But you gotta hold onto Toby the whole time.”

There it was again, that inbuilt fathering complex that the kid shouldn’t have at his age.

“I will.”

He wanted to offer Bran his finger, do some kind of pinkie swear. That’s what kids did, right?

He’d laugh you out of Montana.

They were interrupted by the arrival of the children who’d been swimming, clambering up natural stone steps that led from the water to the small, pebbled shore. Aaron had towels and efficiently wrapped the two of them up, with laughter and smiles. Then they bundled over to Rob, Bran and Toby like excited puppies, with Aaron not far behind.

Within five seconds, Milly and Jake, as they introduced themselves, had asked the other two to play. They had a den, apparently, and a picnic.

Bran glanced up at him as if he was asking permission, but there was also fear in his eyes. Wait. Was he seeking reassurance? From him?

"What if there are snakes?" he asked, oh so very seriously. “Toby won’t like snakes.”

“You want me to check it out?”

Bran nodded, and it seemed as if it was on Rob to make sure the den was safe. He should’ve felt wrong for that. He wasn't here in Bran’s life to be someone he could rely on, but something in his expression reminded him so much of Suzy.

Rob, I’m scared of the water. Help me.

Rob shook his head to clear the memories of them on the shoreline, him trying to teach his sister to swim. That first time had been so good, holding her up as he showed her how easy it was to move through the water. She’d looked at him with adoration on that day, the kind of hero worship that had made him feel like the strongest kid on the block.

Seemed like he’d gotten used to being the one in charge, the hero for saving the day, way too early in life.

“The den is just there.” Aaron interrupted his memories, and pointed to a rock with some branches laid on it. The whole construction appeared sturdy enough, and Rob walked over with all four kids in tow. He speedily checked the stability and whether any wild critters had taken hold. Inside was a mini palace, with blankets, a big icebox container, and cushions. And certainly no snakes of any sort. Not even under the pillows and covers.

“We do this every Sunday,” Aaron explained. “We cart everything up here, and they make a den.”

“It’s safe,” Rob confirmed to Bran and Toby and watched carefully as the four children went inside. His nephews sat quietly while the other two began raiding the icebox, but they at least took the offered snacks.

“Drink?” Aaron reached into the den and pulled out two bottles of water, offering one to Rob, which he took gratefully. It was warm, and even though it was late afternoon, it was still the kind of weather that everyone needed to keep hydrated, and he'd already drunk the water he'd bought himself.

“Thanks,” Rob took a long drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and caught Aaron staring at him. There was no doubt there was something in his expression that spoke of hunger. He made sure to let his gaze linger, to confirm that, yep, he was interested.

Who wouldn’t be interested in Aaron, the paramedic? He was precisely the kind of guy that Rob found attractive. It was just a pity they weren’t in some random club. Then they could fuck and get it over with. Of course, they’d need to decide who was in charge, and of course, that would be Rob because no one told him what to do. Aaron quirked a smile and unscrewed the cap to his water. A few drops fell onto his hand as he drank.

Is it just me or is watching a guy drink and finding it sexy a serious lust marker?

He coughed to clear his throat and wished he could shove his hands down his pants to rearrange his thickening cock. Thank god his jeans were worn and a little loose on him.

“So what do you do when your two are playing in there?” He needed to get the conversation back on track and away from thoughts of sex.

Aaron gestured with the Kindle in his left hand. "Sit and read mostly.”

Rob ran out of questions and then recalled the one he should be asking. “The guy in the accident, is he okay?”

Aaron smiled then, and it was a gorgeous, soft, sexy smile. He had cute dimples, and his sapphire eyes shone.

“He’s doing well. My brother said he’d got all the information he needs, said he asked you questions but wants a written statement, yeah? He thinks it was a brake issue on the semi as it was coming off the ridge.”

It hit Rob then why there was something familiar about Aaron. Give him dark hair, make him taller, and it was evident that Aaron was related to the sheriff who’d asked him questions at the wreck.

“The sheriff, right?”

“My little brother, and yeah, I know he’s like five inches taller than me and built big, but yeah, baby brother.”

They fell into silence, Aaron clambering up to sit cross-legged on a rock and Rob deciding that it was safe to stare at the water.

“You were a fucking idiot; you know that,” Aaron said.

Rob turned to face him. “It needed two of us idiots to get it done.”

Aaron shrugged. “I get paid to deal with that.”

“You know damn well you don’t get paid enough to put yourself in harm’s way.”

Aaron laughed at that, resting his hands on his knees. “It’s not always car crashes, you know. Sometimes it’s ferrying old man Ester from home to clinic and back. My other brother is the one who puts himself in harm’s way. Jason, the firefighter. You met him on the scene."

“So. Paramedic, firefighter, cop? You’re one of three adrenaline junkie brothers?”

“One of five, although second in the lineup is Eddie. He’s not an adrenaline junkie by any stretch of the imagination. Then there is big brother, Saul; he runs Carters. You should check it out.” Aaron tipped his face up to the sun’s rays as it dropped behind the clouds. The air was still warm, but the breeze off the lake was a reminder that the temperature would likely drop later, here in the shadow of the mountain.

“Check what out?”

“Carters bar. It’s outside of town, not far, got some rooms out the back, a clean place to eat, drink, and fuck. Could be the best place to meet other guys to scratch that itch you got going on there.”

Rob stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don't even know you, and you don't get to tell me where I go to fuck someone.”

Or get fucked.

They were far enough away from the kids to talk freely, but even so, his sex life was not up for discussion. He knew what he wanted. Some nameless hookups that filled what was left of his time here while he still could, but it wouldn’t be on his doorstep.

“Just trying to help,” Aaron gave one of those I-don’t-care-what-you-do shrugs.

“Is that where you go then?” Rob wanted to get to Aaron as much as Aaron was trying to mess with him.

“Me?” Aaron was comically horrified. “I grew up at Carters. I’m not going to hookup in the family home.”

“You grew up in a brothel?”

Aaron’s expression became guarded, and he sat forward, uncrossing his legs and letting them dangle over the edge of the boulder. He was coiled and ready to leap. Rob didn’t have to be a former SEAL to recognize the thinly veiled aggression that sat beneath the surface of Aaron’s otherwise benign expression.

“My brother gave us a home, and he offers anyone a safe place to meet. Alongside being a family pub, a place to dance, to socialize, it’s a hub for the town and not a brothel.”

“Whatever you say, Army. If it quacks like a duck…”

Aaron jumped down from the rock, and Rob had a moment to envy that the man’s knees were still up to that kind of maneuver before he was right up in Rob’s face.

They faced off for a few moments, and Rob could see the darker irises of blue around Aaron’s eyes and the way his blond hair was loose, not gelled back as it had been at the scene of the accident. It fell onto his forehead and gave him a don’t-care kind of appearance.

“What a damn shame,” Aaron murmured, so close that Rob felt the breath of his words across his face. “That you’re so hot” he paused, then deliberately leaned even closer, pressing his thumb to Rob’s lips “but also such an asshole.”

He stepped back then, and thank god he did because Rob was swaying toward him, imagining Aaron on his knees, and losing the tight control he had on his libido at the simple touch of him. He could imagine himself on his knees, sucking Aaron off, Aaron's thumb opening his mouth wider.

Jesus. What is wrong with me?

Aaron collected his two, the makings of the den. All four children complained they wanted to stay, even Bran and Toby.

"You know I promised your dad to get you back." Aaron smiled and hugged, and Rob didn’t move the entire time.

“Later,” Aaron said, and then with a sketchy wave, they walked back down the hill.

Which left him, Bran, and Toby standing there, all three of them looking a little lost.

“We should get back too,” he said with a smile, but Bran had gone back to wary and quiet, and Toby was sucking on one ear of his bunny. He held up the bag of sandwiches he was still clutching. “Or do you want to eat here?”

Bran reached for Toby’s hand and shook his head. “Let’s go back before it’s dark.”

Rob didn't explain that it was a long time until dark. He just followed them down the hill and thought about Aaron and the children, and just what the hell he was doing with what was left of his life.

Nothing much of any importance, it seemed.

By the time they reached the bridge, he felt renewed determination to get his nephews their forever home and for him to get the hell out of Dodge.

That was going to have to wait though because Sheriff Carter was standing by his car, evidently waiting for him.

“Sir,” the sheriff said and stepped closer.

That didn’t sound like a good start; not so much the words but the tone which held accusation.

“Sheriff,” he replied, then touched Bran’s shoulder. “You go ahead, boys. Wait for me at the door.” Then he looked back, ready to face down whatever was causing issues.

“Permits check out,” Sheriff Carter began. “I just have something I need to clear up.”

“Go on.”

He paused for a moment, then sighed. “You’re a friend of Justin’s,” he said.

“Is that a statement or a question?”

“I’m aware of the career that took Justin from his family for so long. I assume that he knows you from that time.” He held up a hand to stop Rob talking. “I get that it’s classified, but there are families here on the ranch,” the sheriff began patiently. “Do I have to worry?”

Then he merely stared at Rob.

“No.” That was all Rob could give, and it was about the only real truth he had in his arsenal right now.

“Okay then,” Ryan seemed to take his words at face value. “I have a report for you to check.” He handed over the board, a pen, and the statement, which Rob read from beginning to end, then signed.

The sheriff thanked him, and Rob threw out something about the kids not being able to get in, and it would be dark soon.

God knows why he added that last part because the sheriff cast a look at the blue sky and frowned.

So Rob left and hurried after the kids before the sheriff asked him what the hell he was talking about.

It was safer that way.