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Burke was going to be an uncle. He’d already started a retirement account for the kid and had ordered two top-quality car seats for Amber and Gray’s vehicles. He’d figure out other ways to help soon.

Knox shared the new security code every time they changed them, so Burke let himself into the inn. He hoped to capture Amber at the desk, but the lobby was empty.

A quick look around had him smiling at the evidence of Amber in action. From the elegant reception desk to the gift shop showcasing local artisans to the eclectic wall decor, it was welcoming and homey.

After resetting the security system, he followed the sound of laughter and voices through the lobby and living space to a swinging door. Jolie’s laugh told him he’d found at least part of his family.

He swung through the door and found a big, bright room with plenty of windows filled with more than a dozen people, including his siblings.

“Burke!” Jolie spotted him first. She shoved back her chair and rounded the table as the others turned to spot him.

Jolie threw herself at him, and years of practice had him catching her easily. Her voice shook. “You’re here. I’m so happy you’re here.”

Lawson and Knox joined the group hug, then made room for Amber, who looked ready to pop out the baby any time.

He hugged her carefully. “You look amazing, Amber. How’s my niece or nephew doing in there?” His sister and Gray had decided to keep the baby’s gender to themselves for now.

Amber squeezed him tightly. “Sprout’s better now that you’re here. You’re staying, right? At least through Christmas? Tell me you’re staying.”

He pulled back from the hug with a grin. If he’d had any doubts about his plans, they’d flown away after seeing his family. “I’m staying.”

Tears flowed down Amber’s cheeks while Jolie squealed and reached in for another hug. His brothers slapped him on the shoulder, as did Gray, before pulling Amber into his arms. The man leaned down to whisper something in her ear and wipe her cheeks with his thumbs.

Burke was glad they’d found each other. He’d always be grateful to Gray for saving Amber back in Chicago. Now, he was grateful to the man for giving his sister everything she’d dreamed of having.

Then Burke was surrounded by the other people who lived on the farm. After a few minutes of hugs and back-slapping with his friends and shaking hands with the ones he didn’t know, he realized another person sat at the long table.

His heart stuttered and his gut twisted. Rissa. Rissa Quinnell sat at the inn’s dining table with his family.

Her expression was carefully blank, and she kept her gaze averted from his. Why hadn’t they told him she was part of the group? He wasn’t prepared for this. “Rissa? What are you doing here?”

Amber gasped softly, and Rissa’s face tightened.

Shit. He hadn’t meant it to be an accusation, just a question. Apparently, it hadn’t come across that way. Now he had another mess to fix.

Chapter 4

$64,000 Question

“Rissa? What are you doing here?”

Rissa put every ounce of her willpower into controlling her reaction to Burke’s arrival and his question.

Thankfully, the group’s attention had been on him since he’d walked into the room, giving her time to pick her jaw up off the floor and compose herself.

Here was her first best friend. Her first love and her first kiss. Her first heartbreak.

It wasn’t his fault that he’d had to move to his grandfather’s. She’d known that then and had accepted it, just as she’d accepted that he’d been grief-stricken and heartsore.

Then he’d taken on the mantle of caregiver along with his grandfather. He’d taken on the responsibility of ensuring his siblings coped with their parents’ deaths as well as possible.

As a teen, Burke had also taken on as many jobs as he could. He’d started and finished college early and enlisted in the army to earn more money than he could otherwise. She knew he’d been incredibly busy and dealing with his own grief, but his withdrawal from their friendship still hurt.

Rissa hadn’t owned a cell phone as a kid. The little money her father had left after buying his booze went to food. She’d used the school and library computers to send Burke emails and the occasional video chat when they could manage it.

Over the years, the time between her messages and his replies had grown longer and longer. When she realized he hadn’t responded to a half-dozen in a row, she finally took the hint and stopped bothering him.

Now he was here, and she had to deal with it. Her contract with the school was for the following week. She wouldn’t break it, but she’d find somewhere else to stay once Lawson looked at her engine and confirmed her diagnosis. She wouldn’t let Burke run her off like a coward, but she’d need to wait until she had the parts.