Protector (Copper Mesa Eagles Book 3) by Roxie Noir, Amelie Hunt

Garrett said. “The Bible’s also got the story of Cain and Abel.”
    Ellie just rolled her eyes in the passenger seat. In the back of the Jeep, Garrett could hear the red rear view mirror clunking around whenever he went around a bend.
    Soon, he could see the big farmhouse through the trees, the tall red sandstone mesa lurking behind it.
    “This is us,” Garrett said. His voice sounded nervous to him, almost high-pitched.
    Nearly ten years , he thought.
    For a moment, he couldn’t remember why he’d stayed away.
    “This is gorgeous,” Ellie said. “That’s the mesa the mining company tried to destroy?”
    “Yup,” said Garrett. “Copper Mesa. Pretty as hell, but there’s fuck-all to do.”
    She laughed.
    “I promise no one will make you live here,” Ellie said as Garrett put the Jeep in park.
    They paused for a moment before getting out.
    “You’ll be fine,” Ellie said, and put her hand on the side of Garrett’s face. Garrett put his hand on hers and laced their fingers together.
    She was right there, and every cell in his body screamed kiss her .
    Instead, he pulled her hand from his face and kissed her knuckles. Ellie frowned, uncertainty coming into her big brown eyes.
    “If I kiss you now I’m not gonna think about anything else for an hour,” he said.
    Ellie blushed.
    “Sorry,” she said.
    “Don’t be sorry,” he said, pressing her knuckles to his lips again. “But you drive me to distraction .”
    “Then stop being distracted and get out of the car,” she teased.
    “You’re a harsh taskmaster,” Garrett teased.
    Ellie trailed him up the porch steps. The front door was open, just a screen door between him and his childhood home.
    Shit, where do I knock? Garrett thought. There’s still no doorbell. Just on the frame, or...
    Before he could knock anywhere, a small child wearing just a diaper careened into view, making a high-pitched noise.
    When it saw Garrett, it stopped dead and stared, mouth open.
    “Violet, get back here,” a woman’s voice called. “I swear, you’re allergic to clothes...”
    Then a woman with wild, curly red hair came into view, grabbed the toddler, and then looked up and yelped.
    “Oh!” she said. “Oh my god, I didn’t see you there,” she said, lifting the kid to her shoulder. “Jesus, I’m sorry. Can I help you?”
    Garrett cleared his throat and opened his mouth, his stomach roiling.
    He really, really hoped it was Seth’s wife and kid, not some stranger.
    Before he could get any words out, the woman stepped closer, looking at his face intently.

    * * *

    When Jules herded them into the kitchen, Seth was just standing there, drying his hands on a dishtowel, barefoot and wearing an old t-shirt.
    He looks the same, just older , Garrett thought.
    “Hey,” he said.
    “Hey,” Seth said, and enveloped his little brother in a giant bear hug.
    After a moment, Garrett closed his arms around his brother and let the other man hold him tight.
    “You didn’t mention you were coming,” Seth said.
    “It was kind of spur of the moment,” Garrett said.
    Seth finally released him, patting him hard on the arm, looking him up and down.
    “You look like you did okay,” said Seth, finally.
    Then he seemed to notice Ellie, standing off to the side.
    “Seth,” he said, shaking her hand.
    “Ellie,” she said, sounding very professional.
    “Girlfriend?” Seth asked.
    “I’m a private detective working on a case with Garrett,” Ellie said quickly, turning a faint shade of pink.
    Seth nodded, but Jules, still holding the squirming Violet, raised her eyebrows and looked skeptical.
    “Well, welcome to Obsidian,” Seth said. “Dinner’s in twenty minutes, you got time to stay?”
    “What’s for dinner?” Garrett asked.
    “Why, did you come all this way to turn around if it’s meatloaf?” Seth asked, grinning.
    “ Your meatloaf, yeah,” Garrett said.
    “I’ve improved that recipe a lot,” said Seth, and Garrett laughed, then looked at the