“I can imagine.” Rye’s shoulders, which had been bunched around his neck for hours, finally settled into a more normal position. “You really won’t want to keep him here more than a day.”

Rachel could feel him calming down now that he knew his brother was out of real danger. If Max was bitching, then he was okay.

“They could sedate him,” Stefan said helpfully. Rachel looked at the handsome artist. From what Stella had told her, he was very famous and very reclusive. He was quiet every time he came into the diner. This was the first time Rachel could remember seeing him smile.

“They would have to,” Callie remarked. Rye’s admin looked very comfortable with the two men, each of whom had a foot and a hundred pounds on her.

“He’s all right, then?” a soft voice asked. Rachel turned around to see a gorgeous brunette with large blue eyes looking at the little crowd. She was stark white, as though all the blood had left her body, and there was a sheen of tears coating her eyes.

“Yes.” Rye’s face lit up, and he opened his arms. The young woman rushed into them. He wrapped her in a bear hug, kissing the top of her hair. Rachel had no doubt who the girl was.

“You must be Brooke.” Rachel took in the young woman who was Rye’s and Max’s baby sister. She looked like a willowy female version of them.

Rye kept an arm around his little sister’s shoulders and reached out to grab Rachel’s hand with the other. “This is Rachel Swift. Rachel, this is our sister, Brooke Harper.”

“Rachel is Max’s girlfriend.” Stefan enunciated each word as he looked at Brooke.

Brooke glanced from Stefan to Rye and back again. “What do you mean Max’s girlfriend? I thought you always took the cover role.”

Rye seemed eager to avoid his sister’s question. He turned to the doctor. “How long do you think it will be before we can see him?”

“Oh, a couple of hours,” the doctor informed them. He told the group to wait, and they would be called in one at a time to see him.

Rachel felt Brooke’s eyes on her as they settled in to wait.

* * *

Rachel felt very alone and awkward any time Rye got up to go somewhere. After the doctor came out to announce that Max had come through his surgery, Rye decided his appetite had come back. Neither one of them had eaten breakfast that morning, but Rachel still couldn’t stand the thought of food. Rye ambled off toward the cafeteria with Callie in tow. Rachel immediately wished she had gone with him. All during the long morning, Rye had been the one supporting her. He’d held her close while she cried and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they waited. She’d found herself holding on to his hand even after Max had been declared in the clear.

It was easy to depend on Rye Harper. He wasn’t in his uniform, so she was forced to see past the trappings of his office. Rye wasn’t anything like Tommy. He didn’t use his position to get things or intimidate people. He served the people around him, and they loved him for it. She could even forgive him for running a trace on her. If she had the resources, she would probably do the same for someone she cared about.

“So, you’re dating Max.” Brooke Harper sat on the sofa across from her, looking directly at Rachel. Now that her brother was all right, she was calm and collected.

The nineteen-year-old beauty tapped her foot impatiently against the carpet. She was dressed in jeans and a chic silk shirt. Though Rachel was thirty, she found herself strangely intimidated. Stefan Talbot was doing nothing to help her out. He sat beside Brooke. The look on his aristocratic face told Rachel he was concerned.

“I don’t know if we’re dating.” Rachel forced herself to look Brooke and Stefan in the eyes. She might be intimidated, but she wasn’t about to let them know. “I suppose it’s casual.” It wasn’t. Her heart was fully engaged, but they didn’t need to know that, either. It seemed to Rachel like she was about to get the “leave my brothers alone” lecture.

Brooke’s laugh was anything but humorous. “Bullshit. If it was a casual relationship, then Rye would be the cover. That’s the way they work in the outside world.”

Rachel knew she probably looked confused. Stefan leaned forward in his seat. His hazel eyes were serious as he explained some things to her. “When Max and Rye are at home in Bliss, they’re completely open about their relationships with women. It’s different in the outside world. When they leave the county, Rye tends to pose as the current female’s boyfriend, and Max is the supportive brother.”

Brooke’s arms came across her chest. “Rye is always the boyfriend. Max is always the one in the closet. He likes it that way. Max doesn’t want the responsibility.” She turned a saucy stare to her older companion. “A little like some other people I know, or has Jen finally gotten you to top her?” The last was said to Stefan with the long grin of a baby sister who knew way too much about the older men in her life.

“None of your business, Brooke,” Stefan said in a tone that allowed no disobedience.

Brooke seemed completely unfazed by his authoritative tone, but then, Rachel couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t about to let the artist tell her what to do, either. Stefan Talbot oozed authority and not in the huggy way Rye did. Rachel could tell he was a man who would be in charge of everything in his life.

“As it happens,” Stefan continued as though Brooke hadn’t mentioned his personal life at all, “Max has turned around on the whole idea of responsibility. You know they stopped sharing about a year ago?”

The last bit was spoken to Brooke, but Rachel found herself leaning in. She wanted to know what had happened.

Brooke nodded. Her glossy golden brown hair shook. “Max was brooding. He always does that. Then Rye finds a girl, and Max comes back.”

“Well, Max found a girl this time, and he’s not sharing,” Stefan said with a shrug.

Brooke’s mouth dropped open. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Did you see the way Rye looked at her? He couldn’t keep his hands off her. And Max won’t share?” Cold blue eyes turned to Rachel. “Or is it someone else? What’s wrong, city girl? Are we country folk too sexually liberated for you?”

There was something about her mocking tone that just set Rachel on edge. Deep inside, Rachel knew that one of the reasons she’d survived on the run for so long was the complete suppression of her personality. She’d become an automaton on the run. She’d become sweet and passive. She’d tried to be completely unthreatening. It was a reaction, she supposed. Tommy had always said that her forceful personality was the very thing that made him want to break her to his will. It hadn’t been hard to act sweet. She was sweet, for the most part. But now Brooke Harper was pushing all the buttons that brought out her alpha self. Rachel took a firm hold on her inner bitch and tried to be patient.

“Max is the only one who asked me out.” Rachel could feel her face flushing.

“Max believes you could never handle a ménage relationship,” Stefan said. To Rachel’s ears, it was said with an air of superiority.

“She’s obviously just some pretty girl who wants to play around with Max.” Brooke turned to Stefan, dismissing her entirely. “She isn’t even smart enough to go for Rye. Rye would buy her stuff and treat her like a princess. She’s the idiot who goes after Max.” Brooke glanced back at Rachel. “Let me tell you, sister, the first time you piss Max off, you’ll go running back home to your uptight mama.”

And just like that, her inner bitch won. Rachel watched as Brooke actually leaned back a little. “First of all, I am not your sister, and if I was, I would put you on your ass right now. You are a rude little girl who has no right to talk to people the way you just spoke to me. You don’t even know me, but you’re judging me, aren’t you? Your brothers would be ashamed of the way you just spoke to me. I haven’t done anything except spend time with Max. I care about your brother, and I care about Rye, too. He’s a good man who doesn’t need his bratty little sister running around behind his back causing him grief.”

Brooke opened her mouth to speak, but Stefan quickly covered it with his hand. “No, sweetheart, she’s summed you up nicely. Please continue with your tirade, Ms. Swift. I am utterly fascinated. She called you sexually stifled. Please address this accusation.”

“Screw you, Talbot,” Rachel said heatedly. He seemed amused, and she didn’t like being an object of entertainment for him. “I am just as sexually liberated as the next woman. I don’t care that Max and Rye like to share. I wish to hell they would. That shower scene this morning would have ended more pleasantly.”

Rachel felt her face go red. She shouldn’t have mentioned that.

“Shower scene?” Brooke’s prior distaste had been replaced with an almost expectant look of curiosity.

Stefan smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “Did you hop in with the wrong brother, sweetheart? How close did Rye get to the promised land before his conscience took over?”

Rachel sighed and sat back down. Her anger deflated as she thought about how lonely Rye had looked this morning. “It was a mistake. We quickly corrected it. Max and I are together. I’m going to honor what he wants.” Even if it kills me.

Brooke sat forward and looked Rachel directly in the eyes. “I know my brothers. They won’t be truly happy unless they’re in a ménage. They need each other in ways the rest of us can’t understand. Our parents were gone by the time I was seven. Rye and Max raised me. They’re halves of a whole. They can try to find a woman and live on their own, but I think they’ll be miserable. Do you want them to be miserable? If you can’t handle it, then I think you should leave.”