Operation Unleashed. Justine Davis

      “You don’t know the half of it,” Quinn Foxworth said, his tone wry. Alyssa looked up at him, and saw nothing but bemusement and appreciation there. Except when he looked at Hayley, and she saw a loving warmth she’d never seen in a man’s eyes before.

      Certainly never in her husband’s. At least, not directed at her.

      As if her thought had conjured him, a vehicle turned the corner, fast enough to make the tires squeal a little in protest. Hayley and Quinn looked, but Alyssa didn’t, she knew who it was. And his mood probably wouldn’t be any better now than it had been this morning. Worse, in fact, now that she’d called him home from work for what turned out to be nothing.

      She glanced at Luke, who was on his knees beside the dog, hugging him fiercely. She thought about sending him inside, but before she could decide, the dark blue pickup stopped in the driveway with a final bark from the tires and it was too late.

      “I’m thinking you should handle this one,” Hayley said quietly to Quinn. “He doesn’t look happy.”

      “Drew never looks happy,” Alyssa said. Only when she heard the words spoken did she realize how sad they really were.

      She tried to imagine how the man who erupted from the vehicle must look to them. Certainly a million times more intimidating than her annoyingly fragile looks. Drew was tall, lean, and after years of hard work looked as powerful as he was. There wasn’t a touch of softness about him, except perhaps in the unexpectedly vivid green eyes. Where Doug had had a refined face, a soft, sweet smile and a ready, carefree laugh, his brother’s jaw was strong, his face uncompromisingly masculine, his smile rare and his laugh almost nonexistent. She thought she remembered, years ago, that he had smiled, even laughed, as readily as anyone. But it had been so long she wasn’t sure anymore.

      He quickly gave the newcomers—including Cutter—a suspicious once-over. But the moment his gaze came to rest on Luke, some of the tension visibly drained out of him. He truly did love her son, Alyssa thought. She couldn’t deny that. She’d always known it. It was, after all, why she was here.

      Drew crouched beside the boy. “You’re all right?” he said. Luke looked up at him, his mouth tight as he nodded.

      Drew let out a breath as if he’d been holding it. They were a contrast, Drew’s dark hair glistened with rain, while Luke’s even damper hair was a darker shade of his father’s dirty blonde.

      Luke looked up then. “Am I in trouble? For running away?”

      Something pained flashed in Drew’s eyes. “If you’re in trouble for anything, it’s for how you scared your mother. And me.”

      Luke’s eyes widened. “You? You’re never scared.”

      “I love you, buddy. That gives you the power to scare me.”

      “Oh.”

      Drew straightened up, gave Luke a moment to think about that before he went on. “Something you want to say to your mother?”

      It was more suggestion than question, and Luke didn’t miss it. With a heavy sigh the child released his hold on Cutter’s fur and straightened. He turned and looked up at her. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

      She didn’t know whether to hug him again or order him to his room and lock him up until he was twenty-one. Or thirty.

      “How did you sneak out so quietly?” she asked instead. Luke usually made enough noise to cover for a battle invasion.

      “I waited until you were in the bathroom. You had your purse and makeup and stuff, so...”

      Alyssa felt color creep up her cheeks and barely managed not to look at Hayley and Quinn. That made it sound like she was a woman who cared more for her appearance than taking care of her child, when in fact she’d gone in there because she knew she was going to start crying again, and she didn’t want Luke to see that. His witnessing the latest argument was bad enough.

      “I didn’t mean to make you mad,” Luke said.

      “You didn’t. You scared me, too.”

      “I’m sorry.”

      “Promise me you’ll never do that again.”

      The boy studied the well-muddied sneakers that had been nearly new when he’d put them on this morning. “I promise.” He looked up. “Could I play with the dog a little?”

      Alyssa glanced at Hayley. “He’s welcome to for a few minutes,” the woman said. “But we won’t take up residence, I assure you.”

      Alyssa smiled. She could like this woman.

      Luke looked at Drew. For an instant Alyssa wondered if he’d withhold the threat to punish the boy. But even as she thought it she discarded it as unfair. Drew was stern, perhaps, stricter than she, but he wasn’t mean.

      “For a few minutes,” he said.

      Luke darted off with Cutter at his heels. As they went the dog looked back over his shoulder at his people, and Alyssa had the oddest feeling the glance was making them uncomfortable. Even the impressive Quinn, who was reminding her more of Drew with every silent moment.

      “He certainly messed up those new shoes,” Alyssa said, her adrenaline-fueled relief finally ebbing and leaving her a bit shaky.

      “He’s a boy,” Drew said. “It’ll happen.”

      Drew had never worried much about that, either, at least, not like she did. He didn’t like waste, but he didn’t consider normal boy wear and tear on things waste. She’d been afraid of the cost of things when they’d first settled in here, he could be so intimidating, but it had been clear from the beginning that Luke was his soft spot.

      “I’m a little confused,” Quinn said, looking at Drew. It was the first time he’d spoken in some time, and as Drew turned to look at the man Alyssa could see the assessing going on. It always happened with Drew, that quiet appraisal. She would have put it down to some primal male thing, except that he did it with women too, in a non-sexual way. It was one of the many, many ways he differed from Doug, who had taken pride in never judging anyone.

      Of course, in the end he’d paid the ultimate price for that lack of judgment.

      “Luke said his mom is his mom, and called you his dad, but said you’re really his uncle,” Quinn said.

      “None of our business, honey,” Hayley said softly.

      “If it’s true, no. But if Luke ran away because something more than a family spat is going on, then—”

      “Oh, no,” Alyssa exclaimed. “No, you mustn’t think that! Drew would never, ever hurt Luke.”

      “It’s all right, Lyss.”

      Drew had apparently drawn his conclusion about Quinn Foxworth because he nodded in approval. And he met Quinn’s gaze head on.

      “I appreciate your concern. Alyssa and I are married, but Luke is my nephew, technically.”

      “And you’re raising him.”

      “Yes. I’m the only father he’s ever known. My brother sure as hell wasn’t up to the task.”

      And there it was again. Alyssa felt the old, familiar jab of pain at the cold, dismissive tone in his voice as he spoke of his brother. It was always there, it seemed, just sometimes closer to the surface, as it had been this morning, sparking the argument that had sent Luke running.

      “Drew, please, not now,” she said softly, looking over to where Luke was romping with the dog, who now seemed nothing more than the perfect child’s companion.

      His jaw tightened, but with a glance in the same direction, he nodded. His tone was neutral when he turned back to the pair before him. “Thank you for bringing him home.”

      “Thank Cutter,” Hayley said. “He found him.” She looked at Alyssa.