Sam’s eyes bore into Faith’s. Her mind whirled and spun. One date.
Vivian looped her arm into Faith’s and said, “Come on. I want to dance. Sorry, Braden. It’s girls’ night. We gave you double time. You’re lucky we aren’t kicking your ass.”
They dragged Faith down the beach toward the bar. She looked over her shoulder at Sam, still standing in the same place she’d left him, lifting his hand in a half wave—and she thought she saw a tiny piece of herself back there, too.
Chapter Seven
“FINALLY.” SHANNON SLIPPED off her barstool and embraced Sam. “I thought you were going to blow us off.”
He kissed his youngest sister’s cheek. “Would I ever do that?”
Shannon raised her dark brows. Sam, Cole, Ty, and Shannon were dark like their father, while Tempest and Nate took after their fair-haired mother.
Sam went around the bar and kissed their mother’s cheek. “Hey, Ma. You look nice.” He loved his mother’s style. She dressed like she was either on her way to a beach barbecue or a bohemian concert, with long, breezy skirts and colorful tops.
His mother, Maisy, reached up and stroked his cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’m glad you’re here.”
Sam patted his father, Thomas “Ace” Braden’s, back. “How’s it going, Pop?”
“I’ve got most of my kids under one roof—that makes it a great day.” While his mother’s hair was a wild nest of curls, his father had never veered away from his tight military cut. “Ty and Tempe are in the kitchen getting sandwiches. They’ll be out in a sec. Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure. Just Coke, thanks.” He climbed atop a barstool and turned his attention to Shannon. “So you’re going back to Uncle Hal’s? How did your project go from a few weeks to a few months? Does it really take that long to research foxes?”
Shannon had been staying at their uncle’s ranch in Weston, Colorado, the last several months, while working on a project monitoring red foxes in the mountains.
“So many questions. I didn’t miss that while I was away. You know how it is,” she said evasively as Ty and Tempest came through the kitchen doors carrying trays of sandwiches.
Sam looked at Shannon with a question in his eyes, and she smirked, making him wonder what the heck she was up to. “Does this have anything to do with Steve Johnson?”
“Oh, please. Steve? He’s a recluse. Totally not my type of guy.” She waved a dismissive hand, but the flush on her cheeks told a different story.
Sam and their brothers had always watched out for Shannon and Tempe, and he hated knowing she might be dating a guy he couldn’t…What? Warn to be good to his sister? Christ, he was as bad as Cole was with Faith. Still, he’d been doing it for so long he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “You two looked pretty cozy at Rex and Jade’s wedding. Just be careful, okay? We’re not there to kick the shit out of him if he crosses any lines with you.”
“You do realize I’m an adult, right? What you just said is the best reason for me to go out with him.”
“Shannon,” he warned. Damn it. She’d always marched to her own beat, much like him, but now he had an inkling of what Cole must have felt like at the wedding. Man, did this feeling suck.
She ignored him, moving on to a conversation with their father.
“Hey, Sammy.” Tempest set a tray of sandwiches on the bar and came around to hug him. She tucked her long blond hair behind her ear as she climbed onto a barstool beside him. “I’m working on a new song focusing on imperfect beauty. I think you’ll like it, given your insistence that all things are uniquely beautiful.”
Tempest was a music therapist, and she was always writing new songs. She was the quietest and most cautious of Sam’s siblings. She was also the one who took his beliefs most seriously.
“I’d love to hear it when you’re done.” Seeing Tempest sparked an idea. “Hey, Tempe. Do you know any therapists who would consider donating sessions to women who are going through a hard time? Or maybe offer a discount?”
Her eyes rolled quizzically over his face. “I can ask around. Why?”
He wasn’t about to open that can of worms. “For a friend.”
“Sure. I’ll ask around.” She leaned closer. “More importantly, is it true you’ve got the hots for Cole’s assistant?”
Sam glared at Ty.
“Dude, it wasn’t me.” Ty laughed.
“I heard that, too,” Shannon said. “Was it supposed to be a secret? Jewel told me that you left Whispers with Faith last night. I think Chelsea told her, so if it was a secret, it’s not anymore.”
“Christ,” Sam mumbled. “I didn’t leave with her. We went for a walk on the beach.”
“A walk. Is that what they’re calling it now?” his father teased, which made everyone laugh, and made Sam stew.
“What’s so funny about going for a walk? And no, Pop, that’s not what they call it now. It’s not like that with Faith.” Sam’s jaw was so tight he feared it’d crack.
“Dude, you don’t do walks.” Ty shook his head.
“Cole’s assistant Faith?” their mother asked with a spark of delight in her eyes. “She’s such a sweet girl, Sammy. Be good to her.”
“Yes, Faith. And, Mom, have I ever not been good to a woman?”
“Of course not, honey,” his mother said. “I just meant, well, she is Cole’s employee. You should be careful. That could get sticky.”
“Didn’t Cole tell you to back off at the wedding?” Tempest asked. “That’s what he told me.”
“Isn’t anything sacred in this family?” That’s the problem. Everything in their family was sacred. They protected one another and those they loved as if their lives depended on it. Cole obviously felt like Faith was family, as he did with all of his loyal employees.
“Honey, we’re just watching out for you,” his mother assured him.
“For her, Mom,” Shannon corrected. “Sammy doesn’t need looking after.”
Sam gritted his teeth, unsure why he was suddenly bothered by their honesty when he’d heard it forever. He didn’t like hearing his name tied to Faith needing to be looked after—unless he was doing the protecting.
“You’re right, Shannon. I don’t need looking after, but I’ll look after Faith, don’t you worry.” Sam took a bite of his sandwich, mulling over, well, everything, while his family looked at him like he was from another planet. “What?”
Ty and Tempest exchanged a glance Sam couldn’t read.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve said something like that, honey.” His mother reached across the bar and touched his hand. “You just took us by surprise.”
“I’ve never heard you say anything like that.” Shannon smirked.
Tempest looked at Sam, holding his gaze as she said, “You were too young, Shan.”
Sam needed to change the subject. Nothing good ever came from reliving the past. He was a firm believer that if a person wasn’t moving forward, they weren’t living, and hell if he was going to be that person.
“Where’s Nate?” he asked.
“He and Jewel went to Krissy’s dance recital, which reminds me. You’re coming to her big recital, aren’t you?” his mother asked.
“It’s almost two months away, but don’t worry. I wouldn’t miss it.” Krissy was Jewel’s fourteen-year-old sister. The Fishers were like family to them. They’d lost their father in a boating accident, and a few years later they’d lost their eldest brother, Rick, in the war. Rick was Nate’s best friend, and Nate carried the added burden of having given the order for Rick to go on the supply run that had taken his life. Though Nate had loved Jewel for years, survivor’s guilt had nearly stolen her from him, too.
“Good,” his mother said. “We’re having dinner here afterward with Jewel’s family.”
The conversation turned to Shannon and her return to Colorado. She told them about the project she was working on and caught them up on their cousins from Colorado.
“Uncle Hal still has great barbecues,” Shannon said. “It’s fun to see our cousins from Trusty, Colorado, too. I still can’t believe so many of them are married, having babies, or engaged.”
“It’s about time.” Maisy glanced warmly at each of her children. “Your generation is so focused on getting more, more, more. I worry the whole idea of family will fall through the cracks.”
Tempest waggled her finger at her. “Mom, we get together almost every week for lunch or dinner. How can you worry about that? We all love family.”
Their mother reached for their father’s hand. “Not our family, honey. Your own families. Nothing is more wonderful than coming home to the person you love, or having a family of your own.”
Their father pulled her in for a kiss. “Your mother wants grandchildren.”
Maisy laughed. “Is that so bad?”
“Don’t look at me,” Ty said, giving Sam the no fucking way look.
Sam was busy trying to figure out how to get Faith to go out with him and was only half listening to the conversation.