After Kat’s middle-of-the-night critter adventure and the subsequent bestowing of rewards, Cal napped off and on for a few hours, but mostly he lay in the dark listening to Kat’s little sleepy noises. He rolled to face her to watch her sleep (because no, that’s not creepy at all, Calhoun) and worked on devising a script for what he wanted to say to her that didn’t make him sound insane.

He’d just about decided what he was going say when the rooster next door greeted the morning and Kat woke up with an unladylike snort. She sat up in the bed and kept trying to turn off the nonexistent disco-rooster alarm until Cal took the phone from her hands and whispered, “It’s off, darlin’.”

“Do I have to get up yet?” she muttered, obviously still mostly asleep and looking completely adorable.

“Nope. Lie back down, and I’ll run and get us some breakfast.”

Cal kissed her on the nose, and she grinned at him before flopping back and instantly falling asleep. He kissed her again and rolled out of bed. After he dressed and scribbled two hasty notes, he put one on the pillow, telling her where he was going to search for breakfast. He gave her another kiss, then tiptoed downstairs and left the other note propped up on the kitchen island. He debated leaving a third note on the cheese in the refrigerator but decided that would be overkill, so he slipped out the door and headed to the doughnut shop.

He spent a solid hour looking for the Krispy Kreme store that he swore was downtown, only to discover that it had closed and the closest shop was seventy-five miles away. As much as he knew she would enjoy the yeasty goodness of a doughnut, he wasn’t driving to another state to get them. Besides, they would be cold by the time she could sink her teeth into one, and that completely defeated the purpose of getting a doughnut from an actual shop.

Resigned to having a doughnut-less morning, he headed to the local market and picked up some groceries. While making small talk when checking out, the proprietor told him about an Amish bakery. Cal paid for the groceries and headed to the other side of town. Once there, he procured cinnamon buns, apple fritter bread, and coffee and headed back to the homestead.

By now, the sun had fully risen over the mountain, and Cal was enjoying the early morning drive with the windows rolled down and the radio playing. Realizing home was a hell of a lot closer if he cut across, he turned onto a small side road, only to be diverted by construction. Cal muttered as he drove, keeping a close eye on crossroads that would lead him back to Kat. Recognizing a familiar street name, Cal made a left turn and then a right onto a formerly unnamed road, where he found himself in front of a mailbox bearing the street number of his childhood home.

He slowed to a crawl and eased the car onto the shoulder. His breath caught somewhere in his throat, and a knot formed in his belly. What was this feeling? Was it a feeling? Panic? Anger? Elation? Or was it the complete absence of anything, a void that just might consume him from the inside out?

He stumbled out of the car, not bothering to close the door, and staggered to the middle of the yard. He had known the house was going to be leveled, but he didn’t realize how complete the destruction would be. Nolan had coordinated all the salvage work of the house, citing the fact that his schedule was more flexible than his brothers’. Of course, everyone knew the youngest Harper was the only one whose memories of the house weren’t completely toxic.

Cal ran his hands through his hair. Once again, Nolan was doing the emotional heavy lifting so his brothers wouldn’t have to deal with it. He’d been doing that for years, and both Cal and Tobias selfishly let him shoulder the burden.

“You had to come see it, too. Just to make sure.”

Cal turned and saw Tobias standing on the edge of the yard, his truck parked behind Cal’s Nova.

“How long you been here? I didn’t even hear you drive up.”

Tobias pushed off from the truck and walked to the center of the yard to stand next to his younger brother.

“Long enough to see you pull over. I was trying to get up enough nerve to come look.” Tobias seemed almost angry as he looked over the space where the house once stood. “Damn, Nolan. I feel like shit for making him deal with all this.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. We owe him, big-time.”

Tobias nodded. “You managed to run that girl off yet?”

Cal huffed a laugh. “No, and if I have anything to say about it, she won’t be.”

“You realize you kind of sound like a serial killer, right?” Cal snapped his head toward Tobias, whose eyes were still fixed on all the rubble. But then Tobias shocked him by emitting a snort of laughter. “I mean, she’s a tall woman, but there’s no way your ass is going to fit into a skin coat or anything.”

“Jesus, Toby, you are one warped individual,” Cal said with a snort of his own. “But seriously, man. I want to make sure she stays around for a long time.”

Tobias scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot. “You need to. And I need to apologize for being a jackass at dinner. My doing that was uncalled for. I could make excuses, but . . .”

“Nolan told me She dropped by the studio.”

“Oh yeah, She did. Made a fuckin’ scene, crying and carrying on. Brennan threw her off the property—walked her out to her car and said if she showed up again, he would call the cops.”

Cal laughed with surprise. “Really? Mick seems to be pretty easygoing.”

“Yeah, he is until he isn’t. I found that out when I tried to thank him for kicking Candy out, and instead of saying, ‘You’re welcome,’ he gave me what for and told me to go home and figure my shit out.”

“You said her name.” Cal goggled because Tobias hadn’t said he ex-wife’s name for at least ten years.

“I did.” Tobias sucked in a deep breath. “Man, I was pissed. I was halfway home before I realized I was about to blow the best chance I’ve had at starting fresh, and it would’ve been all my damn fault, and only mine. There were a lot of different ways I could have handled Candy, both at the studio and in general. What are you doing right now?”

“Man, you gotta stop switching subjects on me.” Both brothers laughed this time. “I was gonna go home to fix my Kat some breakfast and tell her a lot of stuff and hope she doesn’t run screaming from the house. I stayed up half the night rehearsing what I was going to say.”

“Can I horn in for a few moments to apologize?”

“You need to. And if you ever say something like that again, I will kick your fucking ass, Tobias.”

Tobias nodded. “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

´*•.¸(*•.¸ *¸.•*´)¸.•*´

Kat eyed the kitchen clock and wondered if Cal had been eaten by the horrible hissing creature he’d prodded out the door. She shivered at the thought of that hairless tail and opened the refrigerator to check if any food had appeared in the last three minutes. Of course, it hadn’t. Kat sighed and, for the millionth time that morning, kicked herself for not listening to Suki, who had given her a hard look when she’d turned the rental in. Oh well. It’s not like Kat had any idea of where anything was.

She heard the front door open. “Cal?”

“Yeah, darlin’. Sorry it took me such a long time . . .”

Kat didn’t hear the rest of what he said because she was too busy stripping and hoisting herself onto the island. She really didn’t have a seductive bone in her body, but her imagination had gotten the best of her. She arranged herself in what she hoped was an alluring pose so that when Cal walked into the kitchen, he’d be surprised.

“There’s someone who wants to see—whoa!”

Kat’s grin froze on her face when Cal halted in the doorway so suddenly that Tobias crashed into him.

“Goddang, Cal, what the hell are you—oh!”

Tobias had the good manners to slap his hands over his face but seemed to find something incredibly hilarious. Kat scrambled for her clothes and managed to fall off the island, landing on the hard tile floor with a thump.

“Darlin’, you okay?” Cal appeared in her view, also barely concealing his laughter as he tried to help her up. Kat swatted him away, determined to at least put on her tank top and sleep shorts before standing.

“Yes, I am fine. Nothing hurt but my already nonexistent dignity,” she grumbled as Cal helped her up. “Hello, Tobias. What a lovely unexpected visit.” She crossed her arms, suddenly aware of exactly how thin and tight her T-shirt was.

Tobias’s deep laugh reverberated through the empty kitchen. “Calhoun, your girl’s all right, man.”

“What? Does this mean you don’t think I’m a gold-digging cunt anymore?” Kat’s gaze lasered into Tobias. “Listen, I am hungry, and I’m mortified, and I do not need any of your cranky attitude, Tobias Harper.”

Tobias roared with laughter while Cal gawked at her.

“Holy shit, Kat. You gotta warn me before you spout off like that,” Cal sputtered.

Kat shrugged a shoulder. “I go for maximum impact.”

“I have lots of experience with gold-digging cunts, and you might be a lot of things, but to answer your questions, no. I don’t think you’re one of those.” At her blush, Tobias snickered and dismissed her embarrassment with a wave of his hand. “I didn’t ever really think that. I was just being an asshole, and you didn’t deserve it. So, if we can start again . . .” Tobias extended his hand. Kat seemed to consider not shaking his hand, but then she grinned and gave him a big bear hug.

He let her hug him for a few moments, then patted her on the back and extricated himself from her embrace. “Okay, woman, that’s enough.” Kat grinned at him and then let him go and went back to nestle into Cal’s side.

The rest of the morning was spent chatting and eating cinnamon buns and drinking coffee. Kat tried to clean up the few dishes they’d used, but Tobias had taken charge of that detail as well. Once again, she had that warm, scary feeling in her chest, like she couldn’t contain her emotions.

“You okay, darlin’?” Cal had stopped drying the dishes and stood close to her, murmuring the question in her ear. Kat could only nod, lest she burst into tears.

Tobias cleared his throat. “I’m gonna scoot now. I gotta get things organized for the show tonight. Hemlock Creek Tavern, eight o’clock. Be there, or I’m gonna have my feelings hurt.”

Tobias winked at Kat, who gave him another hug. “Thank you, Tobias,” she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Cal, walk with me,” Tobias barked after Kat had let go of him. “Bye, Kat. See ya tonight.”

Kat busied herself in the kitchen, trying to not eavesdrop, but she was insanely curious. What she heard just made her feel all the emotions yet again. “Don’t be a chickenshit, Cal,” she heard Tobias say. “You need to let her know she’s your queen.” They talked a bit more, and then the front door opened.

“Remember to wear your raincoat,” was the last thing Kat heard Tobias yell before she heard Cal groan and the front door shut.

Son of a ham sandwich.