Silas gave him another pat, getting up. “I’ll get the beer.”

Isaac sat down across from him on the other couch, making himself comfortable. “Grab me one, too.” Isaac threw a smirk in his direction. “And can you get me some more of that strawberry truffle? Make sure you put plenty—”

Matthew didn’t let Isaac finish what he was about to say. He couldn’t. A fist was blocking his airway.

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Matthew looked at the time on his cell phone. Was eight too early? Unable to take pacing around his trailer another second, he went outside.

Taking a steadying breath, he made his way to Silas’ house. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he unloaded the dishwasher that Fynn and Ezra had started last night. It would be one of the jobs which would be given to Alanna once she started work. The simple job was one that had become habit for all the brothers when they stopped by the house. They all pitched in to do the main house chores so Silas could come into a clean house. Their older brother did the majority of the work on the mountain, only pulling them off their pursuits when he needed their help.

Pouring another cup in a thermos, he started a new pot. Silas would start the first pot of the day when he woke up, normally around six. Throughout the day, several other pots would be made by whomever emptied the last.

His brothers and he all had their own coffee pots, but it was a habit to come by Silass’s—his tasted better. He didn’t know why, since they had the same coffee setup as Silas.

Glancing at the time on the coffeemaker, Matthew carried his coffee cup and the thermos outside, heading toward Jody’s trailer. From the smoke coming out of the workshop, Isaac was finishing up the order for an iron gate they were scheduled to set up on Monday.

His heart started pumping hard as he approached the trailer where Alanna was staying. Placing the extra thermos in the crook of his other arm, he ran his hand over hair. He had gotten a trim just the day before yesterday. Alanna preferred men with shorter hair.

Knocking on the door, he anxiously waited for her to answer. When she didn’t answer immediately, he frowned, knocking again. He was about to pull out his cell phone to call her when the door was jerked open to reveal a groggy Alanna holding a shoe in her hand.

“Sorry. I overslept.” Craning her neck to look over his shoulder, she held the edge of the door, as if ready to shut it in his face. “I hope your sister hasn’t been waiting for me.”

“Ginny is under the weather, so she called and asked me to show you around. She should be feeling better by the time we make it to her house.”