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That earned her a threatening glare from their mother and a warning wag of her finger. Nick took the opportunity to glance behind them and spot his sister’s truck coming over the ridge. He couldn’t make out Matt in the backseat, which probably meant the man was dozing. Sure enough, he watched one of his sisters turn around, and a second later, a head popped up between the seats. Nick snorted softly, recognizing the tuft of hair that always stuck up on the back of Matt’s head when the man fell asleep.

His mother sighed. “And there’s your father.”

Sure enough, as Maria turned the vehicle onto the path toward the main family garage, his father emerged from one of the utility sheds. He was wiping his hands with what had probably been a white cloth once and watching them closely.

“Fiddling with that damned boiler again, no doubt,” she grumbled.

“Well, if I can convince you guys to loan this place out for a bunch of kids, he’ll have no choice but to change it. Safety laws and all,” Maria said brightly.

Nick covered his smile as their mother frowned suspiciously. He could see she wasn’t thrilled at the idea of strangers running around the property, but the thought of forcing the boiler tobe replaced was probably tempting. Nick had no doubt Maria wouldn’t be shy about tugging on their heartstrings either, as he was pretty sure the kids she was thinking of weren’t trust-fund kids like them. More likely, they were a large group of kids who had grown up like Matt, with little or no family support, a rough home life, and probably under the poverty line.

“Coming up here for a couple of weeks of the year would probably be an experience for them,” Nick agreed as Maria brought the car to a stop. “The kids you work with don’t get a whole lot of good experiences.”

Maria smiled, shaking her head. “They don’t.”

He hopped out of the truck before his mother could accuse him of colluding with Maria. With a groan, he reached up, letting his back muscles stretch. Far too many hours sitting for his taste.

“Sounds like you’re gettin’ old,” his father’s voice quipped.

Nick grinned, turning to face him. “If I’m getting old, what does that make you?”

“Older than dirt.”

“Mmm, and Mom?”

“Lovely, no matter how many years God has seen fit to keep her here.”

Nick snorted. “Spoken like a man whose wife is within earshot.”

“I said I’m ancient, not senile.”

His mother appeared, swatting his father’s side. “William Engel, you behave yourself, or you’re going to spend the night with that boiler of yours.”

“I was looking over the generators, Kimberly. Wanted to make sure there weren’t gonna be any problems with ‘em since we’re havin’ so many people around,” he told her.

“And I’m sure the boiler wasn’t on that list,” she said suspiciously.

His father wrapped a thick arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her head. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, ya know that?”

She did her best to glower, but Nick could see the twinkle in her eye. “Don’t you try to butter me up, Will.”

Maria appeared, lugging Nick’s bag. “Yeah, save it for when you’ve got her alone.”

That was the moment Nicole and Emily appeared. They wrinkled their noses, shaking their heads at Maria.

“And that can get listed under things I never want to think about,” Nicole said.

“Or hear,” Emily added.

Matt appeared behind them, bag over his shoulder, looking rumpled. “I probably could have done without hearing it too.”

His father brightened immediately. “Matthew, it’s good to see you, son.”

Matt gave him a small smile. “Same to you, sir.”

Nick could see the amusement on his father’s face as he approached, taking Matt’s hand and shaking it. The formality lasted all of five seconds before Matt was drawn into a big bear hug, earning a startled squawk.

Emily grinned as she stepped around them. “Ever feel like there might be a favorite around here?”