Colton's Rescue Mission. Karen Whiddon

      “What about your mother?” Utterly intrigued, she leaned forward.

      “Cordelia?” His mouth twisted. “She dropped me off on Whit’s doorstep when I was five. She has… substance-abuse issues. My grandparents basically raised me. And Cordelia has been out of the picture ever since I got legal custody of Seth.”

      “That’s a lot to take in,” she mused. “You must have been so young yourself and yet still took on trying to raise your little brother.”

      He shook his head, his expression distant. “I didn’t have a choice. I simply couldn’t leave him in that environment.”

      She wanted to tell him how much she admired him for that, but kept it to herself. Remy clearly was a good, honorable man, and men like him weren’t comfortable with compliments on actions they considered to be second nature.

      They finished their drinks in companionable silence while the snow continued to fall outside. She liked the way Remy put her at ease without even trying.

      “Would you like another cider?” he finally asked.

      “I think I’m done,” she said and stretched, even though she was reluctant to move. “Thank you so much for helping me.”

      Wearing a pleased expression, he nodded. “We’ve solved your immediate problem. But I’m still worried about Seth.”

      “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she began.

      “Oh, he will, once he thinks about things rationally and calms down. But that’s not what I meant. I love him—he’s family I didn’t even know I had until fifteen years ago. But he’s had his share of troubles since we reconnected. He’s not always successful in conquering his demons.”

      Intrigued, she grabbed her empty cup and stood. “You know what? Let’s both get another drink. On me this time. That’s a story I’d really like to hear, if you don’t mind sharing.”

      “I don’t mind at all.” His steady gaze touched on her and she felt it like a caress. “Though I have to say, I’m surprised Seth never told you.”

      She was, too, though she didn’t voice that thought. “I’ll be right back.”

      Instead of a line, only one other person waited at the counter. She placed the order and paid, waiting just a minute until the drinks were ready.

      “Here you go,” she said, placing Remy’s coffee on the table in front of him. She waited until she’d gotten settled back in her seat before she took a sip of her own hot cider drink. “Seth didn’t really talk much about his past. He always said he liked being an enigma.”

      Though Remy raised one eyebrow at that statement, he didn’t comment. He drank his coffee, appearing contemplative, as if trying to figure out the best way to tell his story.

      She waited patiently, enjoying the warmth of the room, the scent of fresh-roasted coffee, the delicious drink and the intriguing man seated across from her.

      “When I was five years old, my birth mother dropped me off on my dad’s doorstep,” he began. “Whit Colton has always been a playboy. Still is, even though he’s well past fifty. He had no time for a son, but he made sure to take care of me financially, for which I’m grateful. His parents were delighted to have a grandchild to coddle, so they took care of me and loved me.”

      He looked down, wrapping his hands around his coffee cup.

      Unable to help herself, she made a sound of sympathy and reached across the table to put her hand on his. “That must have been hard on you. You were so young to go through such a thing.”

      Remy grimaced. “It wasn’t easy. For years, I was convinced I must have done something wrong for my mother to send me away like that. And when my father didn’t seem to want to have much to do with me, well, that reinforced my belief that it was all my fault.” He released a ragged breath then went on. “As a consequence, I became very, very well behaved. Straight-A student, outstanding athlete, all of that. My grandparents cheered me on, encouraged me and treated me as if I mattered. Despite their belief in me, I always felt something was missing. So when I was twenty, I set out to find my birth mother.”

      Vanessa gasped. “Did you have any luck?” Then, as she realized what that meant, she shook her head. “Of course you did. I’m guessing that’s also how you found Seth.”

      “Exactly. My mother, Cordelia, was an ex-model, which is how she met Whit Colton. She became a drug addict, probably before she dumped me off on Whit.” He took a deep breath, his gaze faraway, as though he was lost in his memories. “Though she’d gotten married to Seth’s father, he also had drug problems and, worse, anger issues. She’d neglected Seth the way she’d neglected me, except he spent his entire life in that environment. Seth’s dad was abusive, verbally and physically, which in turn caused Seth to take out his anger on others, even animals. Though he was only fifteen, he started to have problems with drugs and alcohol too.”

      Stunned, she covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s horrible. I had no idea. Seth never mentioned any of this to me.”

      Remy shrugged. “He says he prefers not to look back at the past. I’m sure he didn’t want your pity.”

      Pity. She considered Remy’s choice of word. Maybe he was right. But then again… “Knowing about this might have helped me understand him better. The anger issues. The times he got falling-down drunk.”

      “Well, now you know.” Remy’s matter-of-fact tone didn’t fool her one bit. Raw emotion shone from his eyes. “I couldn’t leave my half brother there. He wouldn’t have stood a chance. I took over legal custody of him, even though I was only five years older.”

      “His parents let you? Just like that?”

      “No.” Remy drank his coffee. “I got a loan from my father and paid them to relinquish custody. Not surprisingly, they were eager to waive parental rights for some cold, hard cash.”

      “Yikes.” She winced. “But this was a good thing, right? I’m assuming you must have brought him to your grandparents.”

      “No. I enrolled him in rehab and sent him to counseling. Once he was off the drugs and had learned to deal with his rage, then I brought him home. I loved him the best I could, as much as he would let me. Things were rough between us for a while, but then seemed to settle down.” He sighed. “But you’ve seen him. Something is…off. He’s back to binge drinking. And that anger still lurks right under Seth’s skin, ready to erupt at the slightest provocation. I worry about him constantly.”

      Vanessa wasn’t sure what to say. She settled on going with the truth. “Well, that explains a lot. The night I broke up with him, he punched a hole through my wall. He told me to consider myself lucky it wasn’t me.”

      Remy’s jaw tightened. Fists clenched, he turned away, his breathing harsh. She watched as he clearly struggled to get himself under control. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, slowly moving to face her. “I wish I could have been there to protect you.”

      She took a deep breath. “He scared me to death. And then the way he’s acted since I came here… While knowing about his past helps me understand why he behaves the way he does, I still think it’s best if I don’t see him again. At this point, I don’t think we can even be friends.”

      To her surprise, Remy smiled. “Maybe it’s time you make some new friends.”