by Regina Kyle
“What you guys doing out here?”
They both cussed and scrambled to their feet as Finn O’Roarke walked into the clearing. He’d come to the ranch two weeks ago and was still feeling his way. He was only a little younger than Damon and Cade, but he seemed more like a kid.
Cade found his voice first. “Damn it, Finn! Don’t ever sneak up on a guy like that. I could’ve knifed you!”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “You’re not supposed to be out here. House rules.”
“Hell, we know that,” Damon said. “But we had business to attend to.”
“And now you’re blood brothers.” In the flickering light, Finn’s expression revealed longing mixed with hesitation.
Cade was a sucker for that look. He remembered all too well how it felt to be an outsider who didn’t have the nerve to ask to be included. He glanced at Damon. They’d been talking about this for a long time, before Finn ever showed up. They’d decided being blood brothers would be cool, maybe even cooler than if they’d had the same parents.
But now here was Finn, who would probably be thrilled to be part of it. Cade couldn’t blame him. It had to be hard to show up at a foster home and the other guys were already friends. Cade lifted his eyebrows and hoped Damon would get the silent request.
Damon sighed. “Yeah, fine.”
Cade looked over at Finn. “You want to be a blood brother with us?”
“I wouldn’t mind.” His attempt to sound casual was a total failure.
“You have to cut your hand. Or let me do it.”
Finn’s jaw tightened. “I’ll do it.”
Cade wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. Finn didn’t know that Damon had been too scared to cut his own hand, but Cade wasn’t about to rat on his new blood brother. He handed the knife, handle first, to Finn.
“Where do I cut?”
“Here.” Cade held his palm out.
“Okay.” The kid might seem young, but he had balls. He made the cut. “Now what?”
“Press your hand to mine while I say the words. Then do it again with Damon. That way you’re bonded with both of us.”
Finn was a whiz at following directions. In seconds the thing was done.
The flames had nearly gone out, but Cade was taking no chances they’d start a forest fire. He scooped up a handful of loose dirt. “We need to smother it real good.”
Finn and Damon helped him pile more dirt on it. They made a pretty big mound. Starting a fire in the woods would get them all sent away, possibly to some juvenile detention center. Cade couldn’t speak for the other two, but he sure as hell didn’t want that. Thunder Mountain Ranch was his best bet, and he knew it.
Finn threw another handful of dirt on the fire. “I heard what you said both times, but what does it actually mean, being in this brotherhood thing?”
Damon groaned. “Now you ask.”
“That’s okay.” Cade felt the need to stick up for the kid, who was braver than he looked. “He wasn’t in on the planning stages.” He turned to Finn. “It means we won’t lie or steal, and we won’t let anybody get bullied.”
“All right. That’s cool.”
“And we’re brothers, so of course we’d give our life for each other.”
Finn sucked in a breath. “Really? Like dying?”
“Hey, it probably won’t ever be necessary, but that’s the bottom line. Mostly it means we’ll stick together. Watch out for each other. Be friends forever.”
“Oh.” Finn smiled. “I’m okay with that.”
The moon picked that moment to come out from behind a cloud and shine down on them again. It seemed like a sign to Cade, but he didn’t want things to get too mushy. “Yeah. Me, too. And now we’d better get our asses back in the house before Rosie and Herb catch us.”
As they left the grove of trees, he glanced at Damon and Finn. Brothers. He’d never had any, but now he did. That felt damned good.
Copyright © 2015 by Vicki Lewis Thompson
ISBN: 978-1-474-02948-3
TRIPLE TIME
© 2015 Regina Kyle
Published in Great Britain 2015
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited
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