It was the perfect opening to something Emma had thought about for weeks. "I know how we can fix that."

"How?"

"Open a restaurant next to your B-and-B."

"Oh yeah right." Alaina laughed while she looked at each of the triplets. Her laughter quickly died when none of them laughed with her. She looked back at Emma. "You aren't serious."

"I think it's a great idea," Dax said. "Lanville needs a really good restaurant, a place with cla.s.s."

Rye folded his hands across his stomach. "And with Emma running it, you know the food would be amazing."

Emma's heartbeat galloped at the thought of actually running her own restaurant. It would be so different than running the kitchen in Alaina's bed-and-breakfast. More work, yes, but so much more rewarding.

"I have all kinds of ideas," Emma said to Alaina. "Colors, linens, wall hangings. I could easily expand the B-and-B's menu-"

"Wait a minute." Alaina held up a hand to stop the conversation. "Y'all are getting way ahead of me. I've never thought about opening a restaurant."

"You build it, I'll run it, and Kelcey will keep the books. She'll add them on top of the ones for the B-and-B."

"Kelcey should not quit that amazing job to work for me."

"Kelcey is sick of that amazing job. She works way too many hours without the pay she deserves."

"She makes a hundred grand a year!"

"And her boss makes four times that much when all he does is pile the work on Kelcey's desk so he can play golf."

"Emma, I can't pay her that much."

"She doesn't expect you to, just like I don't expect you to pay me what I'm making now. When your business grows, we'll get raises." Emma grinned. "And really nice Christmas bonuses."

Alaina looked at Rye. "What do you think?"

"I agree with Dax. It's a great idea."

Blowing out a huge breath, Alaina ran her hand through her hair. "Can Coleman Construction do it? There's still so much work to be done on the house."

"Yeah, we can do it. We'll divide up the labor, hire some more workers." He waggled his thumb back and forth between him and his brothers. "One of us will be in charge of it. I think it should be Griff."

Emma looked at Griff in time to see him almost choke on his swallow of wine. "Why me?"

"Because even though you do every aspect of construction, just like Dax and I do, your main job is as an electrician. You've done all the wiring in Stevens House. That leaves you free to be in charge of Alaina's restaurant. You'll be right there on the property if we need you for something."

"I second that notion," Dax said. "Majority rules."

Emma grinned at the sick look that crossed Griff's face. "Guess we'll be working together for the next few months, Coleman."

Alaina covered her eyes with one hand. "I'm crazy. I'm absolutely insane to do this." She uncovered her eyes and looked back at Rye. "Can I do this? Legally? Can I build a restaurant next to my bed-and-breakfast?"

"Your land is zoned commercial, so I don't see why not. I'll start working on the permits and stuff tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this?" Alaina asked Emma. "Are you absolutely sure you want the work of running a restaurant?"

Emma looked at Griff. They would work together during the day, and f.u.c.k each other blind at night.

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure."

Chapter Four.

So much for my plan to seduce Griff, Emma grumbled to herself. She'd used every "come hither" action she could think of. Nothing worked, at least not on Griff. She'd seen Dax discreetly adjust the fly of his jeans a couple of times when she was bent over the pool table. She knew the position gave everyone an excellent view of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Dax apparently appreciated the view. Griff didn't. He remained unaffected, his face completely emotionless.

Maybe she should seduce Dax after all.

The eleven ball glided toward the corner pocket, but stopped right on the edge. Emma huffed out a breath. Griff would probably run the table now. He'd already won two games, the b.u.m.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he lined up his next shot. His remaining three b.a.l.l.s dropped into the pockets one, two, three. Emma ground her teeth when the eight ball sailed perfectly into the side pocket.

"That's three wins," Griff said.

Emma didn't like to give up. "Best four out of seven."

Lips twitching again, Griff shook his head. "You're good, I'll admit that. But I don't think you can beat me."

"No one can win every game."

"Griff can," Dax said.

"There's a first time for everything. Rack the b.a.l.l.s, Coleman."

"Accept your defeat gracefully, Emma."

"Bulls.h.i.t. I don't do graceful. I play to win." She gestured toward the table. "Let's go."

Rye laughed. "She isn't giving up, Griff."

Griff shrugged one shoulder. "She must like losing."

"There's nothing more irritating than a c.o.c.ky man, Coleman. Rack the b.a.l.l.s."

"Before I watch you get slaughtered again," Alaina said, rising from one of the comfy armchairs, "I need chocolate."

"Gee, thanks, Lainy."

Alaina grinned. "I calls 'em as I sees 'em. I'll get the brownies."

Emma handed her stick to Rye. "I'll help you while Griff racks the b.a.l.l.s."

d.a.m.n, she is something.

Griff watched Emma's denim-clad a.s.s as she walked out of the room with Alaina. Feisty, independent, sa.s.sy...all the characteristics that made her a h.e.l.l of a lot of fun.

The way she looked made all his male hormones stand up and cheer.

Ignoring the way her blouse gaped to expose her b.r.e.a.s.t.s when she bent over to make a shot hadn't been easy. Ignoring the way her jeans cupped that perfect a.s.s as she made a shot right in front of him hadn't been easy either. She oozed s.e.x appeal.

Ten months without s.e.x was a long time.

"You're crazy, bro, do you know that?" Dax asked Griff.

Griff paused while gathering the b.a.l.l.s from the pockets. "Why?"

"Emma is hot for you. If you wiggled one finger, she'd be all over you."

"I don't want her all over me."

"Why not? s.h.i.t, man, you should go for it."

"Leave him alone, Dax," Rye said firmly.

"No." Dax frowned at his oldest brother. "It's time for him to let Jana go and get on with his life."

This was the second time in two days Dax had implied that Griff should let Jana go. Griff had had enough of his brother trying to tell him how to live his life. He rounded on Dax, fists clenched at his sides.

"Shut the h.e.l.l up. You don't know how I feel."

"I know you loved her. h.e.l.l, Griff, we all loved Jana. And I know ten months isn't a long time to grieve. But it's time to move on."

"Who the f.u.c.k are you to tell me when it's time to move on?"

"I'm your brother and I love you! I want you to be happy again."

He made it sound so simple, like Griff could simply snap his fingers and all the pieces of his heart would go back together. "How am I supposed to be happy? Huh? Tell me that, Dax. I lost my wife! Jana was the only woman I ever loved, the only lover I ever had."

"I know that-"

"You don't know s.h.i.t. You've never been in love. You go through women more often than I change my shorts!"

"Okay, that's enough," Rye said, stepping between the two angry men.

His vision swimming in red from rage, Griff pushed Rye aside and stepped right up to Dax, their noses almost touching. "You don't know what it's like to love someone, to devote your whole life to her. You don't know what it's like to lose her because some f.u.c.ked-up kid decided to rob a bank to pay for his next hit!"

His anger, his grief, overwhelmed Griff. The words tumbled out of his mouth, words he'd never meant to ever say.

"You don't know what it's like to lose your child!"

Griff didn't realize what he'd said until he saw the shocked looks on his brothers' faces. His throat tightened up, making it impossible to say anything else.

"Jana was pregnant?" Rye whispered, the shock as evident in his voice as it was on his face.

Griff dropped his head and stared at the floor. After a long moment, he nodded.

"Oh, Jesus," Dax breathed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rye asked.

Griff swallowed, trying to make his voice work again, then drew in a deep breath and blew it out. Raising his head, he looked into his brothers' sympathetic faces. "We were going to on Thanksgiving. Since Jana had had one miscarriage, we wanted to wait until she was through the first trimester before we told anyone."

"Mom and Dad didn't know either?" Dax asked.

Griff shook his head. "We didn't tell anyone."

Rye clasped Griff's shoulder. "How far along was she?"

"Almost three months."

Griff's voice gave out on the last word. His brothers' faces blurred. Pain filled his chest, squeezing his heart, his lungs.

His soul.

A strangled sound came from his throat. His knees buckled and he sank to the floor. Strong arms wrapped around him, Rye on one side, Dax on the other. Griff gripped his brothers' arms and hung his head. Tears poured from his eyes, tears he hadn't been able to shed when he lost Jana and their baby. His body shook no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

"Let it out, bro," Dax whispered, his voice husky, rough. "Just let it out."

Griff had no idea how long his brothers held him while he cried. He felt completely drained when the last tear fell from his eyes. Drawing in a shaky breath, he lifted his head and looked at Rye and Dax. Both his brothers' eyes were wet with tears.

"Can you get up?" Rye asked.

Griff nodded. With his brothers' help, he managed to make his shaky legs work well enough to stand. He wiped the last of his tears from his face and lifted his head. He saw Alaina and Emma standing a few feet away. Both of them were crying.

He gazed at Emma long enough to see her mouth form the words, "I'm so sorry," before he looked away.

"I, uh, I think it's time for me to go home."

"No, don't." Alaina stepped closer and touched his arm. "Why don't you stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Rye said. "You don't need to be alone."

Griff looked back at Emma. "You already have a guest."

"Hey, no problem," Emma said. "You can sleep in the guest room. I'm short. I can sack out on the couch in the living room."

Being alone held no appeal at all, yet Griff didn't want to inconvenience Emma. "It isn't right for you to give up the bed for me."