She turned toward the door. It was the first time someone had come to the house with just her there. She didn’t know why she was concerned.

Obviously whoever was visiting had the code to the gate to get in, so there was nothing to worry about.

When she peeked out the side window and found Sherman standing outside, she immediately unlocked the house and threw the door wide open.

“I’ve missed you,” she said, not hesitating as she threw her arms around him.

“I was going to say the same thing, young lady. I thought you promised to call me when you were free for a visit.”

“Oh, Sherman, I’m so sorry. I’ve been busy with work, and well . . .” She trailed off.

“What are you hiding from me?” He was on instant alert.

“It’s nothing. But I did want to ask you what is happening with the cottage. There are guys there, but they don’t seem to know what they are doing. And then no one will be there for days at a time. One time I even saw three men sitting out there on the cottage porch drinking beers,” she finished in a hushed voice.

His cheeks flushed, and she figured he was probably upset. She didn’t want to get anyone fired, but she also thought it fair to let him know what was happening.

“I will have to check in on that,” he finally murmured. “Now tell me what it is that you’re hiding. I know it’s something.”

Should she tell this man she was dating his nephew? What if he thought she was using Cooper? That would break her heart. Still, the way he was looking at her made her feel like she had to confess.

“I’ve sort of been dating Cooper, if you could call it dating, but I probably shouldn’t say we’re dating. It’s more just . . .”

She trailed off. Had she really just been about to tell Cooper’s uncle that she and Cooper were friends with benefits? What in the heck was wrong with her?

“Cooper sure talks about you an awful lot,” Sherman said with a secret smile she couldn’t quite understand.

“Yeah, well, we are living under the same roof,” she easily explained.

“Are you happy with him?” Sherman asked as he moved into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda and some chips and then sat down.

“Yes, but it isn’t anything serious,” she said, not wanting this conversation to get back to Cooper and freak the man out.

“Any time two people are in an intimate relationship, there’s nothing casual about it,” Sherman assured her, making her squirm in front of him. The only thing holding her in place right now was that she had convinced herself it was nothing serious.

“That’s not what I meant exactly,” she hedged.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, missy, and you know there are many forms of intimacy. Don’t mistake what you have with my nephew as casual.”

“He holds himself back,” she said, feeling as if she were tattling.

“There’s been a lot that’s happened in his life. There’s reasons for that, but he’s opened up a lot since meeting you. I’ve seen him blossom in the past month or so,” Sherman assured her.

“He doesn’t talk about his past. I don’t know a heck of a lot about him, actually,” she said with frustration. “Besides the fact that he’s a pilot and has pilot brothers and one who is gone.”

“The boys had a very difficult time when they lost their father six years ago. It wasn’t easy on any of them, and they had to do some growing up,” Sherman said with a sigh.

“Six years ago?” she asked.

“Yes. Why?”

He’d immediately clued in to her uncomfortable shuffle on her seat.

“No reason,” she said, not making eye contact. Had Cooper’s father died before they’d had their night together? If she had the courage to ask him, she just might know. “What’s happened with his family?”

“I’m not one to gossip,” Sherman said before smiling.

They both knew that was as far from the truth as a polar bear living in Arizona.

“I won’t say a word to anyone,” she promised, holding her fingers up and sealing her lips.

Sherman smiled as he got a bit more comfortable. This might be a long story.

“The four brothers were once so close, but life has a way of sweeping our feet out from beneath us,” he said with sadness.

“Please tell me what happened. I want to understand.” Anytime Ace’s name was mentioned, Cooper became instantly distant. She wanted to know why.

“I’m warning you it’s a long story . . .”

“It’s a good thing I have nowhere to go,” she replied.

“Well, it begins when Bill and I were just kids,” Sherman said.

“I wish I could have met him. He sounds like a smart man, and a great father,” Stormy said.

“Yes, he was a great man. And he saw a pattern starting to form with his boys. A pattern that terrified him . . .”

His eyes became distant as he slipped into the past and began speaking. “A long time ago, Cooper’s father and I lived a privileged life. We knew only excess, but excess doesn’t make for a happy life, at least not when you live under the abusive hand of an alcoholic father and a mother too weak to stand up for herself, let alone us. Of course, in those days, people kept to themselves and the help didn’t dare intervene or stop the beatings. All they could do was console us and cover our bruises with fine clothing. As children, we needed an escape, a place to freely wander and explore, to be children, free from the oppression of our drunken father and his plans to shape us into the rulers of his financial empire.” He paused, seemingly looking into the past by the glaze in his eyes.