It was two days until Christmas and the roads finally cleared up. He was hoping the stores would be opened so he could surprise her with a gift. He tried his father’s phone, but it went to voicemail. Well, he would try before he left town. Thankfully he found a jewelry store that was still open.

“Mr. Kane, what a pleasure it is to see you. I hope your holiday is turning out well. Mac said you had a visitor with you.” Mrs. Felding was a sixty-three-year-old busybody, and she would spread her gossip to all the other old ladies in town.

“Yes, my girlfriend has arrived. I need something special for her. Do you have anything for a woman who is smart, beautiful, and just amazing?”

“We have a lot of things, but probably not as expensive as you are used to buying for your women.”

“I don’t normally buy gifts for women, only my mother and sister and now my girl. I want something beautiful, but not something that looks like it’s too much. This is our first of many Christmas’s together and I want to start it off right.”

“Oh, you are such a good boy. You men are always busy chasing women. I didn’t think you would be so sweet.”

“Well, the right girl can change everything for a man like me.” He wasn’t going to correct her that women chased him not the other way around, but who cares, all he needed was something sweet for his Rose. Then it hit him.

“Mrs. Felding, do you have anything with a rose on it?”

“Oh yes, we do have some pretty rose jewelry over here.”

He was looking at the case for a long time before deciding on a matching locket and ring set. He had to wait until they did the engraving he wanted added, but thankfully that would not take long. As he admired the craftsmanship of the gift in his hand, after getting into his truck, his phone buzzed.

Hey son we just pulled up to the house sorry I just turned on my phone after the flight. It seems there was something you forgot to mention. I suppose our surprise backfired since we are the ones with the shock.

Shit! He needed to get back to the house and explain. After the incident his family hated Landry, rightfully so.

“Wow Rose, what are you doing here?” Matthew Kane said as he looked at the cute daughter of the bastard Landry. She had been baking, maybe her cousin Reed was here, too. They knew that Spencer was friends with Reed.

“Bro, who is this?”

“Danielle, Mom, this is Rose Landry. Dad, you remember Rose, right?”

“Yes, I do. I am just confused as to why you are here and where is Spencer?”

“Um, my car went off in a ditch less than a week ago and Spencer gave me a place to stay for a while. I was supposed to be visiting Reed, but I must have gotten the timing wrong because he was out of town. Spencer went into town just about an hour ago. I am not sure when he will be back. I don’t think he was expecting you so soon. I was making some breakfast if you would like some.”

God, she felt like a complete fool. His family would understandably hate her and here she was taking over their cabin and having wild passionate sex with their son.

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your Christmas holiday,” she was nervous as they stared at her confused.

“Don’t worry, baby girl. They won’t bite, not when they know you are my girl and promised me a date when you grew up.” He had his hand wrapped around her waist and was about to kiss her cheek when in walked a fucking ballistic Spencer.

“Get your fucking hands off her, Matt.” The family turned to see an angry Spencer standing there ready for a fight.

“Rose, come here.” Damn it! Why did he have to be bossy in front of the others? She was going to have to change her panties after that. His stern demand was such a turn on. She walked over to him and he pulled her into her arms and kissed her in front of everyone. All jaws dropped.

“So, all this time you have been hiding your relationship with Rose and making up the excuse that you were impotent to hide it?” Matt said a little upset. He really liked Rose. He had a crush on the young girl and had sworn he told his brother that last year.

“No, but thanks for sharing my private problems. Rose and I met the night I arrived here.” Her mother smiled at Danielle, sharing a secret woman thing.

“Rose, you said breakfast was about done? Come, let us go and get it set up for the men.” She grabbed her and Danielle’s hands and dragged them into the kitchen.

“Do you want to explain to me, bro, how it is you stole my girl?”

“Stole your girl? She was never your girl. I would have heard that you wanted a Landry and would have told you that you were crazy and told you to run.”

“Dad, Ryan, don’t look at me like I am a hypocrite. I was hit with whatever it was she had over me before I even knew her name.”

Spencer was feeling bad, he didn’t know his brother truly wanted her.

“I told you about her before this shit went down with her dad. I said I had to wait a little longer when she was legally old enough to be in my bed.” Spencer glared at his brother.

“Don’t worry, bro, I don’t want to ruin your chance at a normal life. I will concede, but should you ever treat her wrong, I will be there to pick up the pieces.” The brothers hugged and Spencer apologized.

“I am sorry. I had no idea, really, I didn’t. I wouldn’t have thought twice about a minor back then. Then I went limp and I couldn’t stand to hear you guys mention any woman in front of me.”

“Well, she is a good girl, and if you plan on marrying her, that bastard is not invited. I guess this means we will have to drop the charges then.”

“No, the hell it doesn’t.”

“You don’t think it will upset her that you are trying to lock her father up?”

“No, she won’t be upset, because he is a bastard.” He explained to them how he met her and the text messages. They were shocked and angry.

“So, you think he sabotaged her car, too?”

“I don’t know. I am still waiting to hear back from Mac, but I have my suspicions. He is a real piece of work, but what I don’t understand is why he would try and use me as the bait. I know that I have been with a lot of women, but I am not picking up every chick I meet.”

“The thing is, bro, I think the plan was for me.” He looked sheepishly at Spencer.

“Explain.” He already knew the answer to it because of his conversations with Reed and Rose, but he wanted as many details as possible. 

“Well, out of us brothers, I am the only one who met her before and I kind of told her father that I was interested in her, but she wasn’t old enough.”

“When did you tell him that about her and why?”

“It was before all of the investigations had started. I was really into her and he and Reed brought her around more than once. So, he saw my reaction and asked me if I was interested in her. At first I thought he was testing me and about to kill me if I said yes, but it seemed as though he wanted me to take her.”

“Well, that is not going to fucking happen. She is mine,” Spencer was practically spitting fire. His brother already called dibs on his Rose and what if she liked him, too? Would she leave him for Matt? She had just reassured him the other day, but seeing Matt about to kiss her brought his doubts and insecurities to the forefront of his mind.

“Calm down, Spence. I am not going to steal her, although…”

“Don’t even think about it, son, Spencer looks certifiable right now.”

“Fine, I will leave it alone for now. Why is everyone on his side?”

“Because he needs her and because you moved too slow,” Ryan, the second oldest added laughingly.

“But that doesn’t explain why he sent her up here, unless he thought you would be here. Do you think someone told him you would be up here?”

“Well, you know there was this chick following me around lately, Beth the intern. Well, I told her that I was going to our family cabin early before my family came for the holidays. I was lying just to get away from her. She had been following me like a puppy dog lately and it was getting on my nerves.”

“I wonder if she works for him. Could she have been the one to help him set us up?” Ryan said.

“She started with us about a month before it happened and came back this semester for school, so it is possible. I will be looking in to it when we get back to the city. If she is involved, I am going to find a way to make her pay,” Matthew was pissed. Not only had she tried to sabotage their family and company, but she caused Spencer to end up with Rose. He was trying to suck up the disappointment, but it was a painful pill to swallow.

They joined the girls when Dani walked in the room and told them to get their bratty butts in the dining room for breakfast.

The moment Spencer spotted Rose, he smiled brightly at her and she returned the sentiment with a room of delighted onlookers. He walked up to his Rose and kissed her on her cheek, “Baby, it smells fantastic, but I am still glad you didn’t get to cook for me our first night.” He planted a loud smack of his lips on her mouth. Rose stood there with her mouth slightly open in shocked wonder.

He gave her a small spank on her ass and scooted her to the dining room. Everyone followed them and gave little smiles and kissy faces. Despite his upset, even Matthew had to smile at his brother’s obvious happiness.

They all sat down and started to dig in to the delicious smelling French toast and eggs with bacon. “Rose, this smells great.”

“Thanks, Matt.” Spencer was trying not to reach over the table and whoop his brother’s ass.

The family dug in and feasted on Rose’s delicious breakfast. They all complimented her on it and told her that she would have to make breakfast on all the family get-togethers. She was happy and overwhelmed by the welcome she received so far. She knew they did not fully trust her, particularly the women, but she had asked if they would take her into town so she could purchase a gift for Spencer.

After breakfast the men took everything to the kitchen and cleaned up. Rose had been shocked by that, then Spencer’s mom, Racheal told her the reason.

“When the boys were growing up, Richard decided that it was too much for me to cook, clean, and care for the kids, but I never wanted a nanny or housekeeper. So, he would help with the dishes and clean up on nights I would cook. As the boys grew up, he had them help as well. They even learned to cook so that they wouldn’t have to do the dishes. It has helped them a lot. Any women they marry should be grateful that Richard taught them to respect the woman of the house and always help when they can.”

“That is wonderful and if I ever have children, that will be something to teach them.” She looked saddened by something, so Danielle stepped in and asked a question that Rose’s statement had provoked, “So you don’t think it would be something Spencer would teach them? Do you not plan to stay with my brother?”

She didn’t want Spencer hurt and this female was one of the Landry’s and they were not to be trusted, especially the men. A lesson she learned the hard way.

“I am sure that he will teach his children that, but I don’t know that I will be their mother. Spencer and I just met and although he says he is not letting me leave, I don’t know if I can believe that. It’s too soon to trust in forever. When people who are supposed to love you unconditionally can cast you aside, why couldn’t someone you just met bail on you?”

Racheal Kane, the understanding and caring matriarch, watched this young girl reveal her inner pain and fear in love and trust. What had her bastard father done to her?