“I don’t want Carl coming back here,” Tobias said. “He doesn’t treat his father right, and he can’t control his temper. I’m afraid something really bad will happen.” Something far worse than what had already happened—both to Uriah and to Atticus—last night.

“Well, if Uriah will listen to anyone, he’ll listen to you. He loves you like a second son.” Maddox’s gaze shifted back to Harper. “I’m sorry to barge in like I did, but it was very nice meeting you.”

She smiled even though Tobias could tell she was still a little uncomfortable. “No problem,” she said. “You, too.”

Tobias followed his brother out onto the stoop, so he was the only one who saw the incredulous look Maddox shot him—a look that said, Holy shit! Harper Devlin?

“I’ll call you later,” Tobias said.

Maddox stepped off the stoop, but Tobias called him back. “And, if you don’t mind, I’ll take my extra key now.”

A look of chagrin came over Maddox’s face as he retrieved it from his pocket. “Right. Here you go. Sorry about that.”

Tobias had to smile as his brother walked down the drive. He went back in prepared to apologize for the intrusion, but Harper didn’t seem upset. “Your brother is almost as handsome as you are,” she said when he’d closed the door.

“Are you kidding me? He’s nowhere near as handsome as I am!” he joked, and she laughed.

Tobias thought of the kiss Maddox had interrupted but was more relieved than he was upset. Harper wasn’t in a position to start a relationship. He wasn’t the right person to start one with. And she wasn’t the type of woman who could just knock him off balance; she could completely wreck him, and he knew it. He’d been sailing along fairly nicely the past few months. He didn’t want to crash and flounder on the rocks. He’d made enough mistakes in his life, and he’d paid a heavy price. “I’ll make eggs and toast. Sound good?”

“Yeah, I’m hungry. Do you have any coffee?”

“I do. Starting it now.”

She lifted the blind on the living room window and peered out. “The rain has cleared up.”

“Great. What would you like to do today?”

She picked up her phone and tapped the screen. “I need to check in with my sister and my girls.”

“And then…”

“Then I’m up for anything—anything that means I won’t have time to think.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “So it’s still my job to provide a distraction?”

She studied him for a moment. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Good. Because you’re proving to be quite adept at it.”