"Scrambled or over-easy?” Cassie asked as she tossed a piece of butter in the cast iron skillet.

Luke looked up from his paperwork on the kitchen table. "Either way. I'll have it however you're having it. Four of them. I've gotta run up the road to meet the guy about your brother's contract when I'm done with breakfast. Wanna come?"

"Yes."

At that moment, the phone rang. Luke jumped up and checked the caller ID. "Speaking of the devil…"

"It's Neil?" she asked.

"Yup," Luke replied, and then answered the phone. "What's up, man? I've been trying to call you since yesterday. Ah…I see…did you at least get your cell phone replaced?…A storm rolled through last night so that probably wouldn't have been a good idea…so, uh…you think you're going to wait another day or two? Right….right…"

Cassie zoned out from the conversation and continued with breakfast. After barely eating supper last night due to their extracurricular activities, they had both worked up an appetite.

She cracked four eggs into a bowl and then two for herself. The sausages were already sizzling on the grill and she gave them another toss in the pan over the fire.

Luke slipped beside her still chatting with Neil on the phone.

"Yeah, she's right here. You want to talk to her?"

Cassie swallowed. She was glad to hear from her brother after not seeing him for a few days, but she wasn't ready to tell him how much had changed since he dropped her off on Luke's property.

"Hey Neil," she said into the phone.

"Hey yourself, kid. You okay up there?"

"Yeah, I'm doing just fine. We're just about to eat breakfast."

"You and Luke, you mean?" he asked.

"Who else?" Cassie asked.

"I'm glad you two are getting along. I suspect that's what kept you out of trouble. Luke says you haven't been giving him any smack, which is unheard of with your sassy-ass self."

"Maybe it's you I have an issue with," she joked. "How's the meeting going?"

"Oh, it went well. We've got another contract, so I'll be busy for the next six months."

Cassie passed Luke the bowl of stirred eggs and he poured it in the pan.

"Are you still in Maine?"

"I got back yesterday actually. I couldn't get out that way because of the storms rolling through here. I wish I could meet the roofing guy but Luke says you both have it under control."

"Yeah, Luke has everything under control. He’s great,“ she said, glancing up to smile at Luke who was tending to their eggs at the stove.

"So…um…I may not get out there tomorrow either. My schedule is all fucked up now. Are you sure you're doing okay?"

"Yeah, don't rush back. I'm perfectly fine."

"Hmm, last time we talked, you weren't too happy about staying in the mountains and now I can almost see you smiling through the phone. I know you, kid sis. You're happier than usual. Have you got good news or something?"

"I just love how peaceful it is out here, that's all. They haven't caught the bad guys yet so I guess you don't have to come pick me up anytime soon," she told him.

"And Luke? Don't you think he deserves a break? That guy has done so much for us. I'd hate to—"

"Everything's fine. Quit worrying," she said.

There was silence on the other end and then…

"I was just thinking about something Luke said a while a back." His voice was lowered as if he wanted to make sure Cassie was the only one who heard him. "Not sure what triggered the memory but I just wanted to make sure that nothing strange is going on or anything with him."

"You're just paranoid, brother. Everything is fine. I'm going to eat breakfast now. Do you want to talk back with Luke?"

"Uh…no…I'll call him back later."

"Alright then. Suit yourself. Bye."

"I'll drop by there as soon as I can. See you later, kid sis."

Luke took the phone from her and returned it to the cradle. "Your brother suspects something."

"Did you hear all that?" she asked, fishing out some plates for their food.

"I can't help it."

Cassie grinned. "Right. Wolves have excellent hearing."

"I'm going to tell him. About everything," Luke said. "It wasn't something I wanted to get into with him on the phone.

"I'll be with you when you do," Cassie said. "He gets a little agitated when I tell him I'm moving away, but we're not too far from Aspen Valley so he won't be able to use the long distance excuse anymore."

"Yeah, but that's not what I'm really worried about."

Cassie closed the distance between him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "What is it then? He has no problem with shifters. He knows better than that. We weren't raised that way."

"I know. It's just that I kept this a secret for so long. There's also the issue about how I've mated you when I was supposed to be looking after you."

"I'm an adult. We both consented. If he doesn't understand right away, he will eventually," she told him. "I don't want to leave here.”

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "I don't want you to leave me either."

"So, what are we worrying about? Let's have breakfast and then get to work."

Luke grinned, picked up their plates, and then gestured toward the kitchen table. "I'll take your lead."