Chapter 2

Looking at the woman across from him Nick could not remember ever seeing someone as beautiful as she. Not that her features were arresting or even striking, it wasn't the individual beauty of each of her features, rather it was the way that they melded. When he had first seen her this morning lying next to him in his, hers, their bed he was intrigued. Her hair was brown but not quite. He could see reds and blondes in it. Her eyes were greenish gold, a combination of color that he had never seen before. Her skin looked soft, silky and he almost reached out to touch it but the movement from one of her brothers stopped him.

He didn't want to give them any more reason to shoot him then they already had. The eldest had directed him to get dressed and follow them downstairs. When he rose out of the bed to put his shirt on he saw the look that passed between the brothers. Yes, his pants were on but they hung low on his hips, not disguising his reaction to finding a beautiful woman in his bed. One of the brothers had started toward him but the restraining hand on his arm changed his mind.

Now sitting here waiting Nick went over the happenings of last night. The truth was difficult to believe even he knew it. Putting himself in the brothers' place he wondered how he would have reacted if Audra had been in bed with a man that he did not know from Adam. Probably not as calmly as they had to his presence in their sister's bed. Smiling a bit at the thought of exactly how he would have reacted, Nick noticed Sam watching him.

"I was just thinking of how I would have reacted if I found my sister in a strange man's bed", Nick said.

"And how would that have been Mr. Barkley?", Sam asked.

"Nick please, and I would have reacted a bit more violently than your brother's did", Nick observed softly.

"Well, Mr. Barkley your lucky that James is here. If he had not been then my other four brothers would have had you strung up before you had a chance to explain", Sam whispered.

"I take it James is the calmer of your brothers then?"

Smiling a little Sam answered, "Not calmer just less likely to anger quickly. But when he does get angry look out. I have only seen him lose his temper four times in my life and believe me you do not want to experience it."

"In that respect he is like my elder brother Jarrod. Jarrod rarely loses his temper. I think it comes from being a lawyer but when he does you definitely want to say out of his way."

Looking over at her brothers speaking quietly amongst themselves Sam turned back to Nick.

"The blonde is Clint, he is the youngest of the boys. He has a temper but he never dwells on his anger. The brown- headed one sitting next to Clint is Thomas, he is two years older than Clint.

He can be stubborn, sometimes so stubborn that nothing anyone says to him can change his mind. The one standing is Luke. Stubborn, hot headed or so James is always telling him. But Luke has a code of honor that few people can live up to. And last is Gabriel. Like James he does not anger quickly but when he feels that his family has been wronged he can be the most dangerous."

Nick looked over the five men that sat at the table across the room. At any other time Nick would have been pleased to make their acquaintance but the circumstances at this moment were far from being ideal. Turning to Sam, Nick saw the vulnerable look on her face for a split second before it was replaced with a look of calm. That look of vulnerability made up Nick's mind.

Standing Nick walked over to the five men. Seeing him walk toward them the brothers rose as one, some hands clenched in anger. Taking a deep breath Nick calmly announced, "The wedding will be this evening."