A Callahan Outlaw's Twins. Tina Leonard

banked by dark spools of canyons.

      A small, gray-haired woman stood at the door to greet them. She wore green rubber boots appropriate for walking in mud or to the barns and a pink apron with red hearts fashioned into the fabric. The apron looked as if it might have been made by small hands in a school project. Sloan thought it had probably been made by one of the many children he’d been warned were here, a veritable army all their own.

      But on this cold early morning the ranch was silent except for workers he could see in the distance.

      “Come in,” the woman said. “I’m your aunt Fiona. Welcome to Rancho Diablo.”

      Sloan and his siblings went into a grand foyer in which a massive iron chandelier hung overhead. He glanced at the others, who shrugged at him.

      “It’s not home,” Ashlyn said, “but it’s not bad, either.”

      “Follow me,” Fiona said cheerfully. “I’m sure you’re cold and hungry. The chief says I can only keep you here an hour before you must depart.” They trailed after her into a large kitchen where the fragrance of eggs and coffee and toast permeated the room. Sloan’s stomach rumbled to get at the food.

      He glanced at Kendall. Now that they were in a well-lit room, he realized the dirt mark on her skirt was huge. That spot was never coming out without professional assistance. Of course, the spot only made him realize what a really nice fanny she was packing.

      “I have to admit that the chief pulled a shocker on me. Still, we’re always delighted to have family about. Rancho Diablo is a family place.” Fiona looked around the room with a smile. “In the future, Kendall will be your liaison. Anything you need, you let her know. Grab a plate and tell me your name as you fill up,” the older woman said. “This is dine and dash, I’m afraid. We’re just lucky it’s the darkest part of the year. It gives you a little more time.”

      Sloan’s gaze went to Kendall’s. She raised a shoulder as if to say, “You blew your shot with me, dude. Don’t look my way.”

      His brothers and sister wasted no time taking their plates and introducing themselves to Fiona and her husband, Burke, as they went by in the line. Sloan went over to talk to Kendall, hoping to make amends.

      “Let me pay for cleaning the skirt.”

      She wrinkled her nose. “Don’t worry about it.”

      “Stubborn.”

      “You should talk.” She gestured toward the food. “One thing you’ll learn about being around this branch of the Callahan family tree—if you’re hungry, you’d best get to the front of the line. The men in this group eat. Last one in line gets a short stack.”

      He grinned. “I’m not used to eating a lot.”

      Her gaze floated down his body. “You’re thin,” she agreed. “All the same, this is the only food you’ll get for a while.”

      “It’s fine. There’s always something to eat.”

      “Not unless you like snake.” She grabbed a plate, handing it to him. “I don’t eat snake, so I’m going to eat your share if you don’t get a move on.”

      He didn’t have to be told twice. He let Fiona fill his plate, murmured his thanks and seated himself at the long table with everyone else.

      “This is very nice of you,” Ashlyn said. “Thank you, Fiona.”

      “I don’t understand,” she replied, “why you can’t just stay on this ranch.” She studied the group. “Jonas! Why can’t they stay here? Why is the chief complicating things? If we need protection, shouldn’t they be here? We certainly have the room,” Fiona muttered. “It’s twenty-nine degrees outside, for heaven’s sake, well below freezing.”

      Jonas pulled up a chair near his aunt, shrugged at his cousins. “If I had a dime for every time someone tried to figure out the chief, I’d be a wealthy man.”

      Fiona sniffed. “You are a wealthy man, don’t be an ass. Now,” she said, staring straight at Sloan, “wouldn’t you rather stay here than out in the cold?”

      He gulped his coffee. “Ma’am, I’m just following orders.”

      Fiona frowned. “Good soldier.”

      Kendall met his gaze, blinking. A good soldier probably wouldn’t keep staring at the pretty ranch employee.

      “It’s okay,” Ashlyn said hurriedly. “We’re used to surviving in remote locations. We wouldn’t feel right staying here. It’s not our assignment.”

      “Assignment!” Fiona glanced around the table. “You’re family! Burke’s never going to rest knowing you’re all out there sleeping on the hard ground. He’s going to think he needs to join you.”

      With an under-her-breath murmur, Fiona cracked more eggs into a bowl. Sloan tried not to shovel food into his mouth. He was hungrier than he wanted to let on, and this was the best food he’d had in a long time.

      Kendall brought a basket of muffins to the table, sliding in next to him.

      “Chocolate chip or blueberry? Fresh-baked, so take your pick. Then pass the basket.”

      He did exactly as she told him, although with Kendall sitting next to him, his attention was on her instead of the muffins.

      Okay, so she was hot. He’d seen hot before. The worst thing he could do was mess up a mission by thinking the woman next to him was hotter than the muffin he’d just deposited on his plate. He passed the basket, gulped some orange juice. “Thanks.”

      “Don’t thank me, thank Fiona. She was suffering last night, worrying about your family out there in the cold.” Kendall didn’t look at him. “We baked muffins this morning to take her mind off things. It was the only way I could calm her down. Anyway, we had no idea you were coming here until the chief showed up, so please feel free to share any details you’d like to.”

      Fiona stopped stirring to listen. Jonas glanced over with curiosity. Sam, Rafe, Creed, Pete and Judah had draped themselves over different spots in the kitchen, surreptitiously eyeing their new cousins. Sloan felt the men looking at them, trying not to stare, but the tension was thick as canyon dust.

      “Sure,” Ashlyn said. “I’m the youngest. I’d like to say it was hard being the youngest, and the only girl in a family of men, but I’m harder on them than they are on me.” She smiled. “I’ll do the other introductions, because my big brothers are modest and you won’t get much out of them.”

      Polite laughter from the other Callahans met his

      sister’s words. Sloan was just glad for the chance to eat, if Ashlyn was going to do the chatting. Kendall picked at a biscuit and sipped some water, and Sloan thought she seemed anxious about something. Then again, maybe she was one of those women who didn’t eat much and ran on nervous energy. He gazed at her, trying to define her aura. She glanced at him, and he realized she’d thought he was staring at her. Which he was, but not because he was attracted to her or anything. Definitely not.

      Although she was quite beautiful, in a polished, cosmopolitan sort of way. Silver water to his family’s rough stone darkness.

      “That’s Galen over there,” Ashlyn said. “He’s the oldest, thirty-five. He’s a hard-ass and a daredevil at times, but he’s a great guy to have at your back.”

      “Easy, sis,” Galen said. “They don’t want a bio on us.”

      “It’s not name, rank and serial number,” Ashlyn retorted. “This is long-lost family.”

      Silence met Ashlyn’s comment. Sloan cleared his throat.

      “Jonas is eldest at Rancho Diablo,” Kendall said. “He’s my direct boss, and something of a nerd. He has a darling wife named Sabrina, whom he worked very hard to win.”

      Sloan examined the eldest