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“She wants us to get along,” Ben said in a tone of voice Shane supposed his mother fell for, but Shane didn’t. Not for a second. There was nothing conciliatory in this man. Nothing kind. The measure of a man was how he respected family—which Ben clearly didn’t. The measure of a man was in his dedication to right over wrong, but, most of all, that he would work his ass off till the job was done. That was what a man did. That’s what Shane’s father had taught him every second of every day.

Shane had learned that lesson in a loss so severe and irrevocable, he couldn’t stand anyone who hadn’t had to learn that lesson.

Shane grabbed the post driver. “Ben, I didn’t get along with you before you started sniffing around my mother as if that’d get you out of a hard day’s work. I don’t know why I’d start now.”

“Because your mother wants it.”

“My mother also wanted to paint the living room pink. I disagreed on that. I’ll disagree on this.”

“I don’t have kids, let alone grown ones. I don’t know how this is supposed to work, but I do love your mother.”

Shane shook his head, giving the post driver a satisfying jerk against the post. “I don’t believe that.”

“What would it take to get you to?”

He brought the post driver down with another jerk. “There’s nothing you could do that would prove it to me.”

“Then maybe I’m not the problem.”

That hit a little hard, but Shane shook it away. Ben was after a fight. An argument he could use against Shane in the future. Shane would be honest, but he wasn’t going to get drawn into a knock-down-drag-out.

“If that’s what you want to think.” Another satisfyingthwackon the post kept him from saying anything more. An argument with Ben wouldn’t solve anything, because Shane was sure he was right, and Ben wasn’t going to come out and admit he was in this for all the wrong reasons.

Lovedhis mother? It didn’t make any sense. His mother was good, hard working, and kind. Shane had never seen Ben be any of those things.

“I told your mother I’d talk to you. Try to smooth things over.”

“I’d rather you told my mother you were a lazy, no-account who forged his references to get this job.” Shane glanced over his shoulder, satisfied that Ben looked a little taken aback by that. “You think I haven’t figured out at least half the shit you spout is lies? You think I’m just some bent-out-of-shape kid pissed because Mommy’s getting married? You don’t know a thing about me, or this family.”

“I know your mother loves me. She’s not going to give up on marrying me just because you kids don’t get along with me.”

Shane heaved a sigh. “Noted.” He wasn’t trying to change his mother’s mind. He was trying to show her the truth. He had no doubt once Mom had all the facts, whatever facts Ben was keeping hidden, she’d realize she was making a mistake.

“I’ve told your mother everything. Whatever lies you think you’ve got on me, she already knows.”

As if Shane hadn’t already told Mom every lie he’d uncovered. “Well, then I guess you have nothing to worry about.”

“Maybe I should go have this conversation with Gavin.”

Shane narrowly resisted the urge to whirl around, to connect fist to jaw. But as he wasn’t his impulsive younger brother, he took a deep breath instead. He laid down the post driver slowly and carefully. He turned to face Ben, straightening to his full height and looking the man directly in the eye.

“Why? So you can get what you really want? Someone to haul off and hit you so you can go cry to my mother and make us the villains?”

“You don’t know me, boy.”

“Ditto.”

“You ain’t got no right to step between us like this.”

“Last I checked Mom was still moving up the wedding, still marrying you.” Shane allowed himself a small, victorious smile. “That hasn’t changed . . . has it?”

“No.”

“But you’re worried.”

“Like hell I am.”

Shane shrugged lazily, more than a little gratified Ben’s formerly lackadaisical posture was now ramrod straight, that “screw you” curve to his mouth a flat line. “First time you’ve come at me directly. I’ve got to assume it’s because you’re worried about something.”