It wasn't him, he told himself. It was this damn town.

Dakota took Hannah from him. The baby stirred and murmured a protest before falling back asleep. For a second, staring at her sweet face, he felt himself grow more calm. Rational thought took over. Then he looked at the television screen where his brother was making out with some cougar, and the rage returned.

"Don't go out there mad," Dakota told him. "I know you're not happy about this."

"Not happy?"

He did his best to keep his voice level, more for the sleeping baby than because he didn't want to shout. Right now yelling sounded pretty damn good. As did throwing something or maybe putting his fist through a wall. Of course, if he put his fist through a wall, he ran the risk of breaking something and right now the only thing he wanted to break was Geoff's face.

"If I can't imagine hating her, how am I going to kill her?"

"Are you talking about Aurelia?" Dakota's eyes widened. "You can't kill anyone. Not only is it wrong, it's not in your nature."

"It could be. I'm very capable of protecting my own. I knew she was a cougar. I knew it and I should have done something right away. She was so sweet the last time I talked to her, pretending she cared about Stephen going back to college. It was all an act."

"You're going to protect your brother from the woman he's probably in love with? That makes sense. Finn, sit down. Take a breath. This isn't the end of the world."

"She's nearly ten years older than him. Her life is established. What is she doing with my baby brother?"

"I'm sure she's asking herself the same question. I don't know Aurelia well, but I've met her several times. I saw her in school. She's not aggressive. She has a horrible mother and lives a very small life. I'm sure she's as upset about this as you are."

He deliberately looked at the television screen where the couple in question was still kissing. "Yeah. I can see she's really broken up about it."

Dakota shifted the baby in her arms. "Maybe she's not upset right now, but I'm sure..."

"She wants something from him. Whatever it is, she's not going to get it. She's using him. She's probably been planning this from the beginning."

Dakota didn't look convinced. "Don't do anything rash."

He ignored her request. "Are you going to tell me where she lives?"

"No. And you shouldn't go looking for her or your brother until you've calmed down."

"That's not going to be for a very long time." He started for the door, then turned around and came back. He kissed Dakota on the cheek and Hannah on the top of her head, then stalked out.

Once outside of Dakota's house, he paused, not sure which way to go. He had no idea where Aurelia lived. He'd have to start with Stephen.

He moved toward the center of town. His brothers shared a room in a small motel opposite the park, just off the lake. Fifteen minutes later, he was knocking on the door to the motel room, but no one answered. No doubt Stephen was hiding from him. A smart move, considering Finn's mood.

He started back across the parking lot, only to see Stephen and Aurelia approaching. The couple was holding hands and came to a stop when they saw him.

He stood his ground, waiting.

About forty feet separated them. Stephen whispered something to Aurelia, then the two of them walked closer. As they passed under a streetlight, Finn could see that Aurelia had been crying.

The information didn't change anything, he told himself. She was a good actress. Too bad she hadn't been paired with Sasha. They could have found fame and fortune together.

"Obviously we have to talk," Stephen said when they were close enough to have a conversation.

"We can have it out here or in your room." Finn glared at Aurelia. "Or we could go back to your place and you could tell me your plan."

Aurelia's eyes widened. More tears slipped down her cheeks. "It's not what you think," she whispered.

"Do I look like I believe that?"

"Don't," Stephen told him, then led the way to the motel room. After using his key, he pushed open the door.

Aurelia went in first. Finn followed.

The space was small. Two double beds, a long dresser with an old television sitting on top, a chair in the corner and the door leading to an even tinier bathroom. The digs weren't impressive, but then Geoff didn't feel the need to pamper his contestants.

"I know you're upset," Stephen began.

"You think?"

His brother ignored that. "Despite how angry you are, you'll treat Aurelia with respect. If you don't, this conversation is over."

"You're going to make me?"

Stephen stepped between him and Aurelia. "Yes."

There was quiet determination in his brother's voice. A strength in the way he stood. Finn was careful not to let his surprise show. Neither of his brothers had ever tried to stand up to him before. They preferred to sneak off rather than confront him directly. Maybe Stephen was finally growing up.

"All right," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "Tell me why I shouldn't believe the worst."

Aurelia and Stephen looked at each other. Finn was aware of silent communication between them, but he couldn't interpret it.

"We never meant for this to happen," Aurelia said quietly.

"You came on the show," Finn reminded her. "It's a show about meeting someone. Obviously, you wanted to meet someone. I agree that you probably had no control over who you were matched with."

He could feel his fragile control slipping. The anger returned and with it the need to lash out. "Look at him," he demanded. "He's twenty-one. He's still a kid. His running away to be on this show proves that. If you think there's anything to be gained, any money, you can forget it."

Stephen stepped between them again and put his hand on Finn's chest. "Don't," his brother growled. "Don't push her, don't threaten her, don't make this end badly."

On the one hand, Finn appreciated Stephen's maturity. On the other hand, this was the wrong time for it to show up.

"Stop," Aurelia said. She stepped between them and separated them, holding them at arm's length. "You're family. Try to remember that." She looked at Stephen. "Please let me do this. Finn doesn't mean anything bad. He's worried about you and that's a good thing."

"I'm worried about you," Stephen told her. "I don't want him to upset you."

Aurelia shook her head. "It's not him. It's what's happening around us." She turned to Finn and dropped her arms to her sides. "You're right. I did come on the show looking for something. A lot of it was about my mother, which I'm not going to get into now." She managed a slight smile.

Her whole face changed when she smiled, Finn thought. She went from plain to pretty. There was an intelligence in her eyes. He could see why Stephen found her so appealing. But that didn't make the relationship right.

"I should have thought this through," Aurelia admitted. "When they first put me with Stephen, I was so embarrassed. He's younger and attractive and outgoing. Everything I'm not. But I was afraid to walk away. It would just be another rejection. I also wanted the twenty thousand. I want to buy a house of my own."

She clutched her hands together in front of her waist. "I know you can't understand. You've always been successful. Look at what you've done with the family business and with your brothers."

She glanced at Stephen, then back at Finn. "I've never had the courage to stand up for myself. I've always been so afraid. Being around Stephen has shown me who I can be if only I'm willing to take the risk. He's taught me to be brave. I didn't know I could be."

"I'm sure this would be very compelling to someone who gave a shit," Finn told her. "But I-"

"I wasn't finished," she told him firmly, staring directly into his eyes. "I would appreciate it if you would let me finish what I have to say."

"All right," Finn said slowly, surprised she was willing to take him on. He was pretty sure he had intimidated her, so this act of courage was unexpected. It was possible it made him like her a little.

"I'm not a cougar. I wasn't looking for a younger man. I don't know what I was looking for, and maybe that's the problem. I never thought I would find anyone. I never thought I was good enough. But I am. I deserve love as much as anyone else."

She raised her chin slightly. "It was never my intention to be caught in a passionate embrace on television. I apologize for that and any embarrassment it may have brought your family. But I don't apologize for loving your brother. I don't apologize for caring about him and wanting the best for him."

She drew in a breath. "I know he's too young. I know he has a lifetime of experiences waiting for him and I shouldn't get in the way of that. God has nothing if not a sense of humor, because I can't help being in love with him."

Finn had been with her right up until she said she was in love with his little brother. But before he could speak, Aurelia turned to Stephen.

"Your brother is right. You don't belong here with me. Go home. Finish your degree. Get a job doing what you love. Live your life."

She sounded sincere, Finn admitted, if only to himself. Under any other circumstances, he would've believed her and been impressed as hell.

Stephen moved toward her. Finn knew what was going to happen. His brother would yell and stomp and pout until he got his way, his actions proving that he wasn't ready to be in a relationship. But it turned out Finn was wrong.

Stephen cupped Aurelia's face in his hands. "I know that's what you believe. I know you think being with me only hurts me. But you're wrong. You are everything I have ever wanted. I will go to college and finish my degree. I will get a job. But I'm going to do it here. With you. There is nothing you can say to make me go away. I love you."

Finn could feel the emotion between them. He felt like an outsider caught staring at something intimate.

Stephen turned to him. "I was wrong to run away. Coming here the way I did only reinforced your idea that I wasn't a man. I was acting like a kid and I deserve to be treated like one. I'm sorry for screwing up. I'm sorry you had to come after me. I know you have a business and responsibilities. But I didn't think of any of that. I only thought of myself."

Finn wouldn't have been more stunned if Aurelia had morphed into a squirrel and started dancing. "It turned out okay," he said roughly.

"Not yet, but it will." Stephen faced Aurelia again. "I want to marry you. I know it's too soon, so I'm not asking. I'm just letting you know where I think this is going. I'm going to finish school and get a job. I'm going to keep on seeing you. A year from today I'm going to ask you to marry me. And on that day, I'll expect an answer."

Finn waited for the fury, but there wasn't any anger. There wasn't even a mild annoyance. If he had to name the emotion surging through him, it was regret. Not because his brother had grown up, but because he, Finn, didn't have anything close to what Stephen had with Aurelia. His kid brother had won the prize.

It wasn't that he wanted to be in love. Not exactly. What he wanted was something different. Still, he couldn't escape the sense of having missed out on something important.

"I'll get out of your way," Finn said.

"You don't have to go," Aurelia told him. But she was looking at Stephen as she spoke.

"You two have a lot to talk about."

He thought his brother might want to make sure things were okay between them, but Stephen was too busy kissing Aurelia. Finn backed out of the room, stepped onto the walkway and closed the door behind him. One brother's situation solved, another to go.

He walked down the street, wondering what to do about Sasha. How to get him- He stopped by Morgan's Books and stared blindly at the display in the window. There was nothing to do about either of his brothers. Dakota had been right all along. His job was done. He'd parented them as best he could, and keeping them safe forever wasn't an option. He had to trust they were ready to make their own decisions. It was time.

DAKOTA STARED at all the clothes spread across the bed. It was as if a department store had exploded in her mother's bedroom.

"I didn't know you owned this many things," she said, putting Hannah into her playpen. "When was the last time you cleaned out your closet? Are those leg warmers? Mom, the eighties were a long time ago."

"You're not funny," her mother snapped. "If you think this is humorous, you're wrong. I'm in crisis here. A really, really big crisis. I feel sick to my stomach, my head hurts, I'm retaining enough water to sink a battleship. I'm a woman on the edge. You need to respect that."

Her mother sank onto the bed where she sat on several outfits, crushing them.

"I'm sorry," Dakota said, trying to keep the humor out of her voice. "I won't be funny again."

"I don't believe you. But that's not the point. I can't do this." Her mother covered her face with her hands. "What was I thinking? I'm too old to do this. The last time I dated, dinosaurs roamed the earth. We didn't even have electricity."

Dakota knelt in front of her and pulled her hands away from her face. "I happen to know nearly all the dinosaurs were extinct and there was electricity. Come on, Mom. You know you want to do this."

"No, I don't. It's not too late to cancel, right? I can cancel. You could call and tell him I have some kind of typhoid fever. Imply that it's very contagious and I'm going to be shipped off to one of those federal medical facilities in Arizona. I hear the dry air is very good for typhoid fever."

Just then, Dakota heard voices in the hall. "Are we too late?" Montana called. "I don't want to miss the fun part."

Montana and Nevada entered the bedroom. They looked around at the array of clothing and accessories.

"I didn't hear about a tornado on the news," Nevada said cheerfully. "Was anyone hurt?"

"I can see I raised you girls with too much freedom and affection," their mother snapped. "I should have repressed you more. Maybe then you'd treat me with more respect."

"We love you, Mom," Nevada said. "And we respect you. I didn't know you had this many clothes."

Dakota chuckled. "Don't go there. She'll bite your head off."

Montana lifted Hannah from the playpen and cuddled with her. "Who's a pretty girl? We're going to ignore all those sniping grown-ups, aren't we?"

"I was telling your sister that I can't do this," Denise said. "I can't go on a date. We were discussing telling him I have typhoid fever."

Nevada rolled her eyes. "Right. Because he'll never guess you're lying if you say that. Come on, Mom. It's one evening. You need to get out there and see if you're interested in dating. Right now it's just a theory. If it's horrible, you never have to go again. Besides, you're making us all nuts. None of us are dating." She glanced at Dakota. "Well, Dakota might be. No one can pin her down on her relationship with Finn. For all we know, they're running off to the Bahamas tomorrow to get married."

"You're getting married?" her mother asked.

Dakota sighed. "Don't pretend to be distracted by something you know isn't true. Nevada is right. Try the date." She carefully avoided asking what the worst was that could happen. That question never went well.

"Who's the guy?" Montana asked, still holding Hannah.

"A friend of Morgan's," Denise said.

"We like Morgan," Nevada said. "That's a good sign."

Denise stood and pressed her hands against her stomach. "His friend may be nothing like him. He may be a serial killer. Or a cross-dresser."

"At least you have enough clothes to support his habit," Montana offered.

Dakota and Nevada laughed. Their mother glared at them.

"You're not helping," Denise informed them. "I'm going to have to ask you three to leave. Hannah can stay. She's very supportive." She looked at the little girl. "Never have daughters. Trust me. They only break your heart."

Nevada walked to the bed and stared at the clothes strewn across it. After a second she reached into the mess and withdrew a white-and-blue floral print wrap dress.