He rolled his head from side-to-side. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Now if he could only do that a few dozen more times. Harboring this kind of tension around his brothers, especially pain-in-the-ass Reid, wouldn't bode well for his mother's happiness. Or his.

Britt made sure his equipment and weapon were secure before settling into a ground-eating jog. The rapid pace compelled him to keep his mind on the space before him, rather than on the desperation he'd seen in Randi's almond-shaped eyes.

Barbara had assured him that her daughter wanted no part of Sagebrook. So what had been the cause of Randi's despair? Her reaction seemed volatile, something far different than a daughter grieving for the loss of her mother.

He couldn't allow himself to care. Right now, the wolves needed someone to protect their habitat. And that someone was him.

A while later, Old Blue rumbled toward his mother's dream home, Tupelo Hill. A large, white, in-need-of-a-good-paint-job house with an immense wraparound porch. For years his mother had gazed longingly at this home while making do with a three-bedroom, one-bath house for a family of eight.

When the baby boy billionaire saved the town, Jonah had also fulfilled his mother's long-held secret wish by gifting her with the enormous five-bedroom, four-bath house. Of course, his mother had protested the purchase, claiming the home was far more than she and Evie needed. True, but that was before Jonah, Reid, and Grif had set up residence there.

For a short spell the country house had busted at the seams with Steeles. His mother, in her element, had happily cooked and cleaned for her grown-up boys, and his brothers were content to let their sixty-year-old mother do it.

Luckily for them, Grif and Reid hadn't overextended their welcome. They were Carlie Beth's and Brynne's problems now. With Evie away at university, she couldn't be labeled a burden to their mother. His little sister had always been self-sufficient anyway, like him.

Jonah was another story. If Britt found out his mother was washing the little shit's underwear, the two of them were going to have words. Or fists. Whatever it took to make him grow up.

All three Steele brothers lined the porch, each with a longneck in their hands. Shaggy-headed Jonah rocked in a chair, his pale face plastered six inches from his phone. Sleek and unshakeable Griffin cradled his two favorite girls-Carlie Beth and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Aubrey-under each arm, swaying in the porch swing. And hell-raiser Reid lounged on the wide porch railing, his broad back propped against a support beam and one denim-clad leg stretched out before him. An I'm-going-to-fuck-with-you glint sparked in his blue eyes.

"Well, well, well, look who made it after all."

"Not tonight, Reid," Grif warned.

"Hey, Britt!" Aubrey said with a big grin.

"Hey, Aubrey. Come and give your almost uncle a hug."

She pounced on him like Tigger, all long legs and skinny arms and twitching tail. Aubrey had taken to him, more so than his younger, more dynamic brothers. Few adults knew what to do with him, which made his connection with Aubrey, an awkward boys-are-my-world teenager, all the more puzzling.

Setting her away, he said, "You look real pretty tonight." He nodded toward Grif and Carlie Beth. "Got a heartbreaker on your hands."

Carlie Beth smiled and Grif groaned.

"Bro," Jonah said without looking up.

"Jonah." He dropped into the rocker on the opposite side of the door, close to trouble. He knew how to deal with Reid's nonsense. When it came to the genius gamer, he had no idea.

"Is Brynne coming?" Carlie Beth asked.

"Nope." Reid pulled a hefty swig from his longneck. "One of the shop girls called in sick, Brynne has to close up. She sounded tired. I told her to go home afterward."

"Shop girls?" Britt asked with a pointed look.

"What the hell else do you want me to call them? They're girls and they work at Brynne's clothing shop. Shop. Girls."

"Employees, staff, ladies...Take your pick."

"Oh, thanks, Mom."

"I know. I never let you have any fun. Deal."

"Aubrey, let's go see if Grammy and Evie need any help." Carlie Beth ushered her daughter inside, but not before sending Reid a bad uncle glance.

"Ballbuster, that one," Reid said.

"If your pie-hole had any manners, she wouldn't have to bust anything." Jonah's thumb slid across the five-and-a-half-inch screen with dizzying speed.

"The vampire speaks," Reid said. "Do you even know what day it is?"

"Fuck you Friday."

Reid barked out a laugh and nearly fell off his perch. Once he recovered, his laser focus zeroed in on Britt.

Here we go.

"Why are you so long in the face this evening?"

"Reid," Grif warned again. "Mom's been looking forward to tonight all week. Don't start your shit."

"What? Are you his protector?" Reid asked in his typical take-it-too-far way.

"No, I'm yours."

"I'm merely voicing some concern over my big brother's grumpy mood."

Britt knew better than to engage Reid while tension continued to coil in his neck and back like an anaconda crushing the organs of its prey.

Ignoring Reid, Grif asked Britt, "How was your conference?"

"Good keynote speaker and the field excursions were interesting. The five days could probably have been cut down to three, though."

Of the three brothers, Britt was closest to Grif. They shared the same level-headedness and take-charge attitude. However, their careers were worlds apart. Grif's revolved around sports and making money. A lot of it. Those with that kind of mindset rarely understood the value of safeguarding the natural environment. Something that often swallowed up money rather than making it. Eco-tourism being the one exception.

"Any issues here?" Britt asked.

"Much better now that no one is trying to kill Brynne," Reid said.

After finding a woman who could put up with his dipshit ways, Reid had almost lost Brynne in a drug scheme. Although Britt knew crime existed in every dark corner of the world, he hadn't been prepared for its close proximity to those he loved. Seeing Reid, fearless in ways he couldn't fathom, afraid for Brynne tore at that space in Britt's heart that was brother, father figure, protector.

Reid eyed him. "So fierce, Tarzan. Do we need to find you a Jane?"

"This is gonna be so great," Jonah said to his screen.

Britt stopped rocking, his hands wrapped around the arms of his chair.

"Oh-ho!" Reid taunted. "Could it be the ape-man's found a Jane?"

Grif cursed.

Jonah pointed his phone toward the oncoming storm.

Britt sprang forward, clamping his arm around Reid's neck in an unbreakable band before the troublemaker knew what hit him. He hauled his brother into the house amid a plethora of curses and fist slams. "I'm thirsty. Let's see what Mom has to drink."

Britt cut the corner short, ramming Reid's shoulder into the doorjamb. The ladies weren't in the kitchen, which suited Britt fine. He wasn't interested in humiliating Reid-much-he just wanted to teach the little pecker a lesson in moderation.

He crowned his captive with the refrigerator door before grabbing a longneck.

"Sonofabitch! I'm going to rip your balls-"

"Reid," Joan Steele called from the dining room. "Language, young man."

"I am going to kill you for this," Reid said quietly, so only Britt could hear. Then he raised his voice. "Sorry, Mama."

"Don't forget Evie and our guests," Mom said. "I didn't raise heathens."

"Sorry, ladies."

"Britt," she said. "Not in the house. And be careful of your brother's injured knee."

Rather than release his squirming brother, Britt tightened his hold and retraced his steps. "Just needed to get something to drink, Mom."

Jonah stood in the open door, still recording. He pressed his back against the screen door to let them through. The moment Britt stepped outside, he released his brother, who nearly tumbled off the porch in his haste to get away and right himself.

Angling his head toward Jonah, Britt warned, "That had better be for your own amusement."

"Seriously? This video gem could get me a million likes in less than an hour."

Britt did not break his Do and Die stare.

"Shit, man. We've got to get you into the twenty-first century."

"Tarzan-"

A pillow to the head cut off Never Learn Reid's next taunt. "If he doesn't finish kicking your ass," Grif said, "I will."

Lean arms curled around Britt's waist from behind. He peered over his shoulder to find an impish Evie smiling up at him.

"Take pity on the Green Beret," she said, her sapphire blue eyes twinkling. "He's lost when not hunting bad guys."

Britt's dark mood lifted at the sight of his baby sister. Some people had the ability to brighten a room-or a heart-just by making an appearance. That was his Evie. Other than the occasional annoyance with her brothers, she never appeared anything but happy. Never had a harsh word for another person. Never let life defeat her.

"When did you get home, Squirt?"

"Fifteen-twenty minutes ago. I would have been here sooner, but my friend Kathy got dumped by her quarterback boyfriend. She was a mess. I fed her chocolate and gave her a book to read."

Jonah snorted. "One about how real men should act?"

"Don't mock, boy genius"-she released Britt, but didn't move from his side-"until you've sampled the wares."

"I've read one. A bunch of Romeo and Juliet nonsense. I'll stick with action-adventure."

"Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not a romance." Evie's blue eyes sparked. "Most action-adventure movies have an underlying love story."

"Do not. They're about the chase and blowing shit up."

"Indiana Jones and Marion, Katniss and Peeta, Han Solo and Princess Leia, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Neo and Trinity, Four and Tris, King Kong and Ann Darrow." Evie ticked off on her fingers. "Every one is about a guy and a girl fighting evil forces while giving in to their growing attraction."

Reid's eyebrows shot up and his hand swiped the air toward Evie in an age-old gesture of "What the hell?" Britt ignored him. Explaining the nuances of when to use and when not to use "girl" to a bonehead would require more energy than he cared to expend.

Jonah eyed her with disbelief while his computer circuit of a brain analyzed each movie Evie named-and found she was right. "Dammit, Evie. Why'd you go and ruin them for me? King freaking Kong? Seriously?"

"Time for you to break free of la-la land."

For a moment, Jonah appeared to want to pounce on Evie and show her he spent as much time in the gym as he did with his video games. But his hard gaze flicked to Britt, then back to Evie, then to his telephone, taking the self-preservation path.

Britt bumped Evie's shoulder with his. "I have a present for you."

"You do? What?"

Glancing around, he found his brothers watching them. "Let's take a walk."

He led Evie to the side of the house where an old tire swing hung from a gigantic oak tree. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his photo album. "Take a look."

She peered at the screen, saw the frozen image. "You got them?"

He winked, then nodded toward the phone. "Hit play and find out."

She did, and the screen came alive with wolf pup antics. Evie followed the pups, her excited expression transforming into one of wonder. Although she'd assisted him, Deke, and Barbara before, this was her first glimpse of the pups.

No one else in his family knew about his work with the red wolves. Only Evie. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others. The Steeles were notorious for keeping family secrets within the clan, but none of the others had the same affinity for the environment as Evie.

Being able to talk about his work with someone who did more than nod at his words was...Hell, he didn't know what it was, but he liked it.

"Oh, my gosh. They're amazing!" She handed him the phone. "When can I see them in person?"

"Soon. Let's give them time to acclimate to their new world before visiting again."

"Gah." She whacked his shoulder. "I knew you would torture me."

"My favorite pastime."

She sent him a dirty look. "I'm still amazed by how this breeding pair found each other."

No one would have guessed that any of the unaccounted-for wolves from the defunct Great Smoky Mountains National Park reintroduction program would have survived and remained true to their species. The odds had been stacked against them to a suffocating degree.

But the Steele-Shepherd breeding pair had beat the odds. Clobbered them, in fact. No doubt the two were several generations removed from the original reintroduction group. But somehow, they-and their ancestors-had managed to retain their purebred red wolf status. Truly amazing and inspiring. Britt wondered how many more might be roaming the Eastern Tennessee-Western North Carolina landscape.

"Me, too."