“You’ll get used to it,” Rusty said nonchalantly. “It’s just a way of life around here. I guess for someone outside the family our setup appears bizarre, but it’s just another day for us. In fact, it feels weirder when nothing is going on and we actually lead normal lives.”

“Something tells me you have a lot of stories you could entertain me with,” Zoe said, lifting an eyebrow in her direction.

Rusty laughed. “Boy, do I. I’ll tell you all about them sometime. For now, let’s get you settled in.”

The sound of a door opening and Rusty’s sudden joyous smile made Zoe turn in the direction of the front door. An older woman rushed out and Rusty dropped the suitcases on the ground and ran into the woman’s arms. Zoe had never seen Rusty so excited before.

“My baby’s home!” the woman she assumed was Marlene said as she enfolded Rusty in a fierce embrace.

A second later, an older gentleman also appeared and Rusty rushed into his massive embrace just as she’d done with Marlene.

“Glad to have you home again, girl,” the man said gruffly.

Zoe couldn’t control the surge of longing or the sudden tears that burned her eyelids. It was obvious these two people loved Rusty every bit as much as she loved them. What must it feel like to have such unconditional, abiding love? She suddenly felt completely alone and unworthy, casting her gaze downward, no longer able to take in the sight of all the things she’d longed for—and had been without—her entire life.

“Mom, Pop, I told you about my friend who’s come to stay with me for a while,” Rusty said, heading back toward Zoe to grab her hand. “This is Zoe Kildare.”

She pulled her toward the older couple, and Zoe was surprised to see the sincere, welcoming smile on Marlene’s face and the instant affectionate expression on Frank’s.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, dear,” Marlene said, shocking Zoe by pulling her into a hug every bit as fierce as the one she’d given Rusty.

For a moment Zoe held on, drowning in the sensation of what a mother’s hug must feel like. God, she never wanted to let go. Almost as if sensing her need, Marlene tightened her arms around her and simply held her for a long moment. Then she stepped back and Zoe was at once swallowed up by Frank’s huge arms as she was pressed against the barrel-chested older man.

“Any friend of Rusty’s is considered family,” he said in the gruff tone Zoe had already come to associate with Rusty’s adoptive father. “Stay as long as you like. Marlene will be thrilled to have another person to fuss over.”

Rusty sent her a smug “I told you so” look while Zoe could only stand there in utter befuddlement, unsure of how to react to their unreserved welcome.

Marlene grabbed her hand as Frank went to gather the bags. “Come inside, dear. You must be hungry and thirsty after your drive.”

“Just go with it,” Rusty whispered as she and Marlene passed them. “Marlene feeds everyone, and trust me, you’ve never tasted anything as good as her cooking.”

Rusty led her up the staircase to a bedroom at the far end and the two women entered.

“This was the only modification to the original house,” Rusty said with a soft smile. “Originally there were seven bedrooms, the master and then one for each of my brothers growing up. When I came along, only Nathan and Joe were still living at home, though they were rarely here because they enlisted in the army. They saw little point in buying their own place when they were only home on leave for short periods of time, so they stayed here. When I came along, Marlene just gave me one of my brothers’ old rooms, but when they had the house reconstructed, she insisted on giving me my own bedroom even though there are now six unoccupied bedrooms in the house.”

Zoe looked at her in confusion and Rusty laughed.

“I know, right? As I said, Joe is the only unmarried son left but he lives in my oldest brother’s former home on the lake outside the compound. Everyone else has their own homes with their wives and children, but Marlene was adamant that everything stayed the same, everyone had their old bedrooms, right down to the way they’d been decorated with old trophies, awards, memorabilia, et cetera. It’s kind of cool when you think about it. She said she always wanted a place for everyone to come ‘home’ to and gather for holidays and remember old times and happy memories. It was very important to her. And, well, I can’t say I blame her. All her children have left the nest, and this is her way of holding on and keeping the family together and those memories alive. She wants her grandchildren to see where their fathers grew up, show them pictures and the things that belonged to their dads when they were younger. I guess you could say this house is a tangible link to the family history.”

“I think that’s beautiful,” Zoe said, trying to disguise the ache in her voice.

“And,” Rusty said, drawing out the word, “you’re bunking with me. Not because there’s a shortage of rooms, mind you.”

The two burst into laughter before Rusty recovered and continued on.

“But because I want to be close to you at night.” Her tone sobered as did her expression. “You’ve had a hell of a scare, girlfriend, and you haven’t even had time to deal with it much less process it. I need to be close so that if you have nightmares or wake up screaming, Marlene and Frank won’t be alerted and we won’t have to lie our way out of a sticky situation. I realize I’m lying by omission to them, and I hate the idea of lying to them at all. I’d never betray their trust after all they’ve given me.”