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Ethan Climbed out of his dreams and rolled out of bed It was still dark, but he habitually started his day before night yielded to dawn It suited him, the quiet, the simple routine, the hard work that would follow

He'd never forgotten to be grateful that he'd been able to h the people responsible for giving him both the choice and the life were dead, for Ethan, the pretty house on the water still echoed with their voices He would often find hi up fro to see his le from sleep, her eyes half blind with it

And though she'd been gone nearly seven years, there was a coe

It was more painful to think of the man who had become his father Raymond Quinn's death was still too fresh after a mere three months for there to be coly and unexplained His death had coht on a dry road, on a March day that had only hinted of spring The car was traveling fast, with its driver unable—or unwilling—to control it on a curve Tests had proven that there had been no physical reason for Ray to crash into the telephone pole

But there was evidence of an emotional reason, and that lay heavy on Ethan's heart

Ethan thought of it as he readied hi his hair, still damp fro to tagy mirror, his quiet blue eyes sober as he scraped lather and a night's worth of beard from a tanned, bony face that held secrets he rarely chose to share

There was a scar that rode along the left of his jawline—courtesy of his oldest brother and patiently stitched up by his ht as he rubbed a thumb absently over the faded line, that their mother had been a doctor One of her three sons was usually in need of first aid

Ray and Stella had taken theers And had made them a family

Then months before his death, Ray had taken in another

Seth DeLauter belonged to them now Ethan never questioned it Others did, he knew There was talk buzzing through the little town of St Christopher's that Seth was not just another of Ray Quinn's strays but his illegitimate son A child conceived with another woer woman

Ethan could ignore the talk, but it was inore the fact that ten-year-old Seth looked at you with Ray Quinn's eyes

There were shadows in those eyes that Ethan also recognized The wounded recognized the wounded He knew that Seth's life, before Ray had taken hih one himself

The kid was safe now, Ethan thought as he pulled on baggy cotton pants and a faded work shirt He was a Quinn now, even if the legalities hadn't been completely worked out They had Phillip to deal with that Ethan figured his detail-s with the lawyer And he knew that Caed to form a tenuous bond with Seth

Fuht with a half sry tomcats spit and cla that Caht just settle down some

Ethan preferred a settled life

They had battles yet, with the insurance co to honor Ray's policy because there was suspicion of suicide Ethan's stoain His father would never have killed hihty Quinn had always faced his probleht his sons to do the same

But it was a cloud over the family that refused to bloay There were others, too The sudden appearance in St Christopher's of Seth's mother and her accusations of sexual e where Ray had taught English literature That hadn't held—there'd been too many lies, toothat his father had been shaken There was no denying that shortly after Gloria DeLauter had left St Chris again, Ray had gone away, too

And he'd returned with the boy

Then there was the letter found in the car after Ray's accident An obvious blackmail threat froiven her reat deal of money

Now she had disappeared again Ethan wanted her to stay gone, but he knew the talk wouldn't stop until all the ansere clear

Nothing he could do about it, Ethan reave a quick knock on the door opposite his Seth's groan was followed by a sleepydownstairs He had no doubt that Seth would bitch again about getting up so early But with Cam and Anna in Italy on their honeymoon, and Phillip in Baltiet the boy up, to get him headed over to a friend's house to stay until it was time to leave for school

Crabbing season was in full swing, and a waterman's day started before the sun So until Cam and Anna returned, so did Seth's

The house was silent and dark, but he h it easily He had a house of his o, but part of the deal in gaining guardianship of Seth had been for the three brothers to live under the same roof and share the responsibilities

Ethan didn't mind responsibilities, but he missed his little house, his privacy and the ease of what had been his life

He flicked on the lights in the kitchen It had been Seth's turn to clean it up after dinner the evening before, and Ethan noted that he'd done a half-assed job Ignoring the cluttered and sticky surface of the table, he moved directly to the stove

Si, stretched lazily out of his curl His tail thu the retriever with an absent scratch on the head

The dreaht in just before waking He and his father, out on the workboat checking crab pots Just the two of theht and hot, the water ht now, even the smells of water and fish and sweat

His father's voice, so well reulls

"I knew you'd look after Seth, the three of you"

"You didn't have to die to test that out" There was resenter he hadn't allowed himself to admit while awake