Jack stepped back into the house. Nathan stamped the snow from his boots at the top of the steps and walked inside. Jack smiled at his back and closed the door.

Kate lay with her ear to the bedroom floor, straining to hear the voices below.

Could it be Jack's father?

Tommy pulled at her arm. "Look at my elephant." Kate sat up and watched him rubbing a stubby purple crayon outside of the outline.

"Tommy, could I have a picture to color?"

"Okay."

Kate ripped out a page from near the back.

"Hey!"

"It's all right, Tommy. Look, this way we can color at the same time." Kate picked out a sharp red crayon and wrote, We need help. Jack is dangerous. Call the Police. Do NOT try to do anything on your own. She let out her pent up breath.

"You didn't keep in the lines," Tommy said. "Oh, you're writing."

"I'm not writing. I made a mistake, I'll throw it away." She folded the piece of paper over and over until it was small enough to it in the pocket of her jeans.

Nathan walked into the house in front of Jack, taking in the toys, the decorated tree, the crackling fire and the fading smells of breakfast. The domesticity shocked him. He turned to see Jack slouching against the kitchen sink.

"Surprised to see me?" Nathan asked.

Jack shrugged. "You always turn up where you're not wanted."

"Well, I'm surprised to see you. I'd just about convinced myself Steven lived here."

"Why would you think that?" Jack's gaze never left him.

Nathan stared him down. "Because the last time I saw you, you didn't have a wife and child."

Jack laughed. "You nearly had a wife though. How's Alison?" Nathan knew better than to snap at that worm. "Does your father know you're here?"

"I wrote and told him."

Nathan glanced around the room. "This is cozy." He walked over to a framed photograph propped up on the hearth. He didn't recognize the woman. Tall, thin and very young, with a not-there look in her eyes. "Are you going to introduce me to your wife or are you afraid I'll whisk her away from you?" Jack's eyes hardened. "Oh, I wouldn't let you do that." He walked to the foot of the stairs. "Kate, come down, honey, and bring Tommy. Watch your step, darlin'."

"I can't believe you conned anyone into marrying you," Nathan muttered but the appearance of the pale woman and little kid at the bottom of the stairs proved him wrong.

"This is my wife, Kate, and our son, Tommy. Kate, this is my brother, Nathan.

This is your Uncle Nathan, Tommy."

Nathan walked and held out his hand. "Half-brother. Good to meet you." Kate held out her hand and Nathan shook it firmly.

"Good to meet you, too," she said.

She looked thinner than in the photograph. Nathan felt her grip tighten twice on his hand before she released him. There were raw marks on her wrist and dark smudges extending down from her knuckles. His gaze rose to hers.

"Eczema," Jack said. "Flares up in cold weather."

"You might not be living in the right place." Nathan nodded toward the winter wonderland outside the window.

"We're a bit worried Tommy might get it too, aren't we, Kate?" Jack put his arm around her waist.

"I hope not," Kate said.

Nathan dropped down to Tommy's height. "Hi."

"I'm Tommy Thompson. I'm three years old," he said, holding onto Kate's leg.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Tommy Thompson." Nathan held out his hand and the child shook it.

"He's cute." Nathan stood again.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Very cute. Takes after me." He kissed Kate on the cheek.

"So how long have you been married?"

"Not long." Jack squeezed Kate's shoulder.

Kate let out a strange sounding cough. Nathan glanced at her. She looked white.

"I've got a scooter," Tommy said. "Daddy bought it for me."

"What color is it?" Nathan asked.

"I'll show you." He raced off to get it.

"Could I make you a drink? Hot chocolate or coffee?" Kate asked.

"Coffee would be great, thanks."

Tommy came zooming out of the bedroom, circled the kitchen table and made for the other room. "I can go really fast, watch."

"Be careful of the fire," Kate said. "Remember what we told you."

"Okay."

"Do you want a hot chocolate with marshmallows?" she asked.

"In a minute, Mommy. I have to win this race." Nathan drew Jack to one side. "Yours?"

Jack smiled.

"Do you take milk and sugar?" Kate asked.

"Neither, thanks," Nathan answered and then lowered his voice again. "Yours or just hers?"

"Our own flesh and blood. Ask Kate if you don't believe me." She brought the drinks to the table and the three of them sat down. Jack dragged Kate and her chair across the floor, bringing her closer, then slung his arm across her shoulders. Nathan didn't miss the wince. Something was wrong.

"Sweetheart, Nathan wants to know how we met." Jack rubbed her back.

"Hoopers," Kate blurted.

"What's that?" Nathan asked, though he knew the place.

"It's a residential center for emotionally disturbed teens," Jack said. "I admit it. I was a fucked up kid. Kate, too. That's why we're perfect together." Tommy scooted to a halt by the table and Jack picked him up, setting him on his lap. "Love at first sight, wasn't it Kate?" She nodded. "An instant reaction to one another." Jack launched a pretend cuff to her chin. "Real instant. Problem was, she was sweet sixteen, and told me she was seventeen. I should have known she'd lie. You didn't go to Hoopers unless you're bad. Kate was pregnant when she left but didn't tell anyone. By the time it became obvious, it was too late to do anything about it, so I guess we should have called you Lucky." Jack ruffled Tommy's hair.

Nathan watched the child reach for Kate's arm and Jack pull him back.

"Second degree felony, Jack. You could have gone to prison-two to twenty." Nathan wanted the words back as soon as he'd said them. If they were married, what right did he have to make comments like that?

"Guess I'm lucky as well." Jack smirked.

Nathan kept his eyes on Kate.

"I've got a sister," Tommy said. "Her name's Kirin."

"No, you don't, Tommy. Not yet. We're working on it, aren't we, Kate?" Jack slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her head toward him for a kiss on her forehead.

"Can I make a snowman?" Tommy wriggled down from Jack's lap.

"Later."

"No, now. You promised."

"Later," Jack snapped.

Tommy stomped off to his room, muttering to himself.

"How did you two get together again?" Nathan asked.

"You can guess what Nathan does for a living, honey. All these questions." Nathan didn't like the look in Jack's eyes.

"What do you do?" Kate asked.

Nathan saw her hand shake as she picked up her drink.

"I'm a private investigator."

The liquid sloshed out of her mug.

"He's paid to spy on people fucking one another behind their partner's back." Jack laughed.

"That must be horrible," Kate said.

"Oh, I don't know." Jack sniggered. "Guess it relieves sexual tension when you don't have a woman of your own. Do you give yourself a hand job while you're watching them, Nathan?" There was silence until Jack spoke again. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some free time. I wanted to see where my mother died. I thought the place would be empty."

"You out here yesterday?" Jack asked.

Nathan nodded.

"Kate must have just missed you. She likes to go for walks around the lake." Tommy came back to the table and started work on his coloring book. Kate pressed it flat for him.

"Are you from San Antonio?" Nathan asked her.

"Yes." Kate's focus stayed on the coloring book.

Nathan tried to process what was happening. The woman was too quiet, too pale and Jack hadn't answered his question about how they'd got back together.

Nathan found it difficult to believe he'd never once seen Jack with Kate in all the time he'd been watching him.

"What made you decide to come out here now?" Jack asked.

"Impulse," Nathan replied. Until he worked out what was going on, his real business with Jack could wait. "What made you decide to live at Echo Lake?" He addressed Kate, but it was Jack who answered. "Mom loved it here. She used to sit in front of the fire and tell me and Steven she was the happiest and luckiest woman in the whole world." Jack's eyes glittered with malice. "You know, Nathan, I can't figure out why she never told us about you. All those years and she never once mentioned your name." Jack rocked his coffee cup on the table.

"Mommy's got Daddy's name on her back in case she forgets it." Tommy looked up from his drink, a ring of brown chocolate around his mouth.

Jack burst out laughing. "That's right. We were screwing around with some of Tommy's markers yesterday."

"What else shall I color, Mommy?"

Kate turned over a few pages and pressed the book open at the outline of a tractor. "What about that?"

"How are you going to support yourselves out here?" Nathan asked.

"We have this great plan, don't we, darlin'? We're going to start a camp for physically challenged kids. Echo Lake has good fishing and it's safe for swimming. Kate and I have spent hours working out what we need. We figured seven cabins, one cookhouse and one rec. room, minimum. We'll need wheelchair accessible paths and there'll be a trail for blind kids. If we can get the right backing, and Dad's support, we'll start building in the spring." Nathan wanted to laugh, but managed to hold it in.

"What do you think?" Jack asked. "Do you reckon my father will support us?" He took a drink of Kate's hardly touched coffee. Tommy went back to his scooter.

"It's a great idea," Nathan said. "I should imagine he'd be impressed."

"I haven't told him yet. I want to surprise him. I've asked him to come out for the holiday. He should get to know Tommy. He's missed too much of his life already."

Kate slid her hand on the table, exposing her bruised skin. Jack pulled her fingers under his.

"How long have you been back together?" Nathan looked at Kate.

Jack spoke. "We started seeing each other again when I came out of Ashlands.