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Ever. But it still felt like a lie when he kept his gaze steady and said, “I understand.”
    “Well, I’m never going to get this gunk off my face, so you all are just going to have to live with it…” Amanda came out of the kitchen doorway, still rubbing at her cheek. She stopped midswipe, eyes widening as she looked between him and her brother. “Am I interrupting something?”
    Locke’s piercing gaze bored into him for a few seconds longer before he finally backed off, making some kind of noncommittal grunt Cole was more than happy to not translate. The brothers all hopped from their various places to follow Locke to the dining room like ducklings. Cole watched, though he’d certainly seen it enough times in his years around this family. Part of it was probably because not a single one of the brothers even considered not going where Locke led. The other—the main part, Cole bet—was that Locke was heading toward the food.
    “What’d you do?” Amanda’s elbow nudged his ribs conspiratorially. “I haven’t seen him growl at someone like that since my Uncle Ruckus tried to make off with one of his boats.”
    Cole sighed, wishing he could let it turn into the relieved groan he deserved. He also wasn’t going to ask about Uncle Ruckus. That was a brain bludgeoning in the making. “Believe me, you don’t want to know.”
    Amanda gave him a strange, sideways glance. Not a bad look, exactly, just a certain gleam in her eye that had an equally strange alarm going off in the back of his head. Her lashes lowered, a slow blink as she turned her attention to the dining room where her brothers were sitting.
    She frowned, lines of consternation wrinkling her brow. “What are they doing?”
    It took a second to realize what was bothering her, and Cole had the most unexpected urge to laugh. “I believe in most countries it’s called waiting.”
    “For me ?”
    He shrugged. “Why not you?”
    “They never wait for me . Usually, by the time I get down to the table, there’s hardly anything left.”
    He’d seen that plenty of times, but he’d also seen the absolute command Locke had at the table. “Not always. They know how to wait.”
    “For Locke ,” she murmured.
    And that’s what was getting her. Locke, silently, patiently, waiting for her . Five other faces all stared at the two of them.
    “Come on.” He nudged her with his elbow the same way she had earlier. “Your brothers are going to pass out and die if you don’t let them eat soon.”
    “I’m tempted to wait just to see what happens,” she murmured, but she was already moving forward.
    “No, you’re not. It’ll turn into the Donner party, and then we’ll have to run for our lives.”
    Her laughter burst out of her then, which she quickly stifled as he led her to her seat. The seat next to hers was suspiciously open, but if Amanda thought anything of the fact that in ten years, he’d never once been allowed to sit anywhere other than between the elder twins, she didn’t even falter as she sat.
    Cole took his new seat after darting a dark look at the men around him. Locke was unfazed, and the younger twins had the good sense to look at their empty plates but the other three all but snickered. Rat bastards, every one of them.
    Locke reached his hands out, and after a small grimace passed over each of the brothers’ faces—ha!—they all took hold of one another. His challenging glare remained on Cole for several silent seconds before the big blond lowered his head and said grace.
    Cole should have been paying attention to the prayer, but he couldn’t quite slide his mind from the soft, warm feel of Amanda’s palm against his. Damn Locke and his games.
    For years, he’d successfully steered his brain from taking a natural interest in Amanda. Not touching her in anything but a brotherly way helped considerably. Like handing her dishes from the dishwasher or passing her cards during a game. Sure, he hadn’t been able to restrain every