The parlor door swung open, but Lori didn't bother to look. "If you came in here to lecture me, you can forget it. All of you should remember to close both doors if you don't want me to hear you, especially when it gets heated." She swirled around holding her skirt so it wouldn't go near the burning logs in the fireplace.

Brad stepped into the room, spotted the book lying on the floor and picked it up. "I'm sorry Lori, but living with Aunt Emily, or any of our other relatives, isn't an option." He set the book on the table by the sofa.

Her voice, filled with sarcasm, sassed, "But marrying someone for the sole purpose of staying is acceptable?"

"You're smarter than that. We don't want you to marry anyone yet." He stood staring at her face as she sighed. "You've been seeing quite a few suitors for some time now, haven't you? Perhaps they haven't asked for your hand, but when they hear of you moving away things could change. I wanted to know if that's an obstacle." When she only stared at him with new insight, he asked, "Well, are you serious about any of them?"

With five brothers ordering her about, the idea of making a vow to obey a husband for the rest of her life wasn't something she would readily agree to. She would need to have a whole lot of trust and confidence in him for that, and she hadn't met anyone to fit that description. With brothers, she didn't feel guilty when she chose to ignore their dictates—at least some of the time.

"Brad, I'm definitely not getting married." He nodded as if that were the end of it and started to leave. "Wait! I think I deserve to know when this discussion happened."

He turned back to stare at her while he thought. "Here's what you may not know. While we were away at school, Thomas and I decided to go out west to start a ranch. You were barely five at the time. But before we had a chance to go, dad died. There wasn't a choice but to postpone our plans until Frank could take over the responsibilities here. That's when we made a pact. Once we had the ranch operating, all of you would join us. They've wanted to do this for years, but you needed more time to explore wearing petticoats."

Brad's eyes lit at the sound of her laughter. "Most young women in Texas go away to finishing schools, or so I've heard. But you accomplished the background necessary while living at home, where you could be cared for. You have to understand we didn't know what we were doing. It was guesswork. But we didn't want you going away where strangers, who didn't love you, would be telling you what to do. We didn't trust anyone enough for that. Now we know we were right not to. That tutor we hired fed you rules that had no truth..." He noticed her eyebrow cock waiting for him to answer her question.

"Okay, I regress. The first thing we had to do was get a house built for all of us. Then two years ago the winter hit the ranch hard, and last year's drought just about crippled us. We would have lost the entire herd if it weren't for our foreman. Thomas and I discussed it and decided to ask for help. There are wild horses out on the range, and we need help in rounding them up and training them. Now that Dad's business has been sold, we can build another windmill and an irrigation system that will stave off the water problems we have in west Texas.

"As to why they chose not to discuss the situation with you, it should be obvious. We knew you would react this way, and before you ask any of them to stay here with you, you should know the decision to move to the ranch was unanimous."

Lori looked down at her folded hands in thought. "I expected as much. The only time you haven't stuck together was when you left. I wanted to go with you then."

He stepped in front of her and tilted her chin up to look at him. "Kitten, it comes down to the same thing. They were thinking of you, and they were right. The years in Texas haven't been easy ones.

"By staying here, you had security, friends, and Aunt Emily to help you. But none of us wanted to stay here and be shopkeepers forever. Perhaps, if father had lived, one of us would have stayed, but we've always wanted to run a ranch together. Don't ask us to give up our dreams so you can stay here. It's your turn to do a little giving—for us." Brad gave her chin a knuckle tap before dropping his hand to his side.

She felt like a two-year-old whining about not getting her way. He was right and she knew it. But knowing that didn't make it easier. This home had been the only one she had ever known. She took a sad look around the room. "I should have gone to finishing school like you wanted me to. Then they could have joined you sooner."

His tender expression immediately became stern. "That, young lady, took place four years ago and I just explained why Frank hired you a tutor. Raised without your mama, you needed someone to teach you how to be a lady and give you an education regarding such things. Hiring a tutor accomplished the same thing."

Brad tilted his head as he studied her confused expression. "I can understand why you don't like the idea of moving, but you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and remember we gave you two options about this move, not three. You can either marry because you're in love with one of those young bucks chasing after you, or go with us. And since you've admitted you don't want to get married, you better start packing."

The finality of his words left a dull ache in her heart. "What will you do about this house?"

He shook his head. "Lori, it's the family that makes a home, not the timber. We need to sell it, Kitten, and Jacob has already taken care of it."

"May I return to visit my friends?"

"The round trip by train, including any kind of lengthy visit takes almost a month. Then you have to factor in the weather and the ranch. Since you're too young to make a trip by yourself without a chaperone..."

She gasped. "I'm twenty and that's not too young." His stern glare would have made a gunslinger back down so she relented. "Do you have an age written in stone when I can travel alone?"

The tension in his face relaxed. "Thirty ought to do it if you aren't married by then." He moved beside the mantle of the fireplace and rested his elbow on top while struggling with his grin she'd likely object to, especially when he watched her eyes roll with disgust.

"That's incredibly considerate, Brad."

Her dry tone broke his struggles with the effort to keep a poker face. "What makes you think, young lady, adventure doesn't run through your veins? It wasn't too long ago you were begging me to take you with me when we left. Wouldn't you like to see the place?"

Her annoyance turned into a forced pout as she whirled her skirts around to step to the settee. "I can't admit to that yet! I'm still upset. Ask me later."

"I'll do that." A smile spread instantly across his face at the way she spread her skirts to sit down.

Curious, she glanced up and found Brad staring at her while waiting to hear more. "Is there any truth in what Bo said about women being abducted?"

Brad's eyes shot up towards the ceiling as he shook his head in annoyance. "You're not that gullible. Though, you should remember that the west isn't a tame place to live."

"With five brothers, you would think I'd have all the protection I'd need."

"Lori, we're not always around and the west doesn't exactly breed gentlemen. Most take what they want. Do what they want." He shrugged at the appalled look on her face. "Look, you may as well hear it now. Texas is riddled with all kinds of threats such as rattlesnakes, cougars, wolves, and other wild animals. Once we arrive, I don't want you to forget that. Whenever you go out, I want you carrying a rifle or wearing your six-shooter. And before we leave, I want to see how fast you are with both."

Her eyes glittered with humor. "Aren't you afraid?"

Laughter barked out of him. "You wouldn't shoot me. I'm your favorite brother."