Family Man

brother.
    Luke hoped it was Katy.
    It turned out to be Matt. His hands were bunched into fists at his sides, and his face was rigid with anger. There was sharp accusation in his eyes.
    “You're sleeping with my sister,” Matt said.
    Luke stepped back and held the door open. “Come on in, Matt.”
    Matt took one step into the tiny hall. His shoulders were stiff with the tension of issuing a challenge. “You're sleeping with her.”
    “Did she tell you that?” Luke led the way into the kitchen. Matt followed reluctantly.
    “She didn't have to tell me. I figured it out for myself after you two got back from Seattle. Jesus. What do you think I am? Stupid?” Matt slammed his hand against the refrigerator door. “You think because I'm only seventeen I don't know what's going on?”
    “No. I just figured it wasn't any of your business.” Luke sat down at the table and pushed aside some notes he had made.
    “She's my sister. I gotta look out for her. She's real smart about a lot of stuff, but she doesn't know much about guys. Not guys like you, at any rate.”
    “What's wrong with me?”
    Matt ran his fingers wildly through his hair and flung himself down onto the other chair. “I told you once, you're not exactly her type.”
    “And I told you I'd take care of her.”
    “I know, but I saw how she was yesterday after the two of you got back.” Matt broke off, glowering. “Are you going to tell me you're not sleeping with her?”
    “No. I was just reminding you that I gave you my word I'd take care of her, and I will.” Luke studied Matt's impassioned expression. “What was wrong with your sister yesterday? What got you so concerned all of a sudden?”
    “She cried, dammit. Katy almost never cries. But I saw her. She was in her room.” Matt shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “She doesn't know I saw her.”
    “You think Katy was crying because of me? Because of something I did?”
    “Yes.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    “She's my sister,” Matt ground out. “I know her better than anyone. The last time she cried like that, all by herself in her room, was when that dumb Nate Atwood ditched her and started dating Eden.”
    Luke's mouth tightened. The comparison with Atwood was an unpleasant one. “Matt, I promise you I am not going to treat her the way Atwood did.”
    “No, you're going to treat her worse than he did. She's going to be more torn up about you. At least Atwood didn't seduce her. She told me that when I asked her.”
    “You're kind of a nosy younger brother, aren't you? What the hell gave you the right to ask her a question like that?”
    “Because I was gonna do something if he had,” Matt declared.
    “Like what?”
    “I dunno.” Matt looked sullen. “Something. Katy said I wouldn't have to do anything to him regardless of whether or not he had seduced her because Atwood was going to be punished enough as it was.”
    Luke slanted Matt a wary glance. “Yeah? How?”
    “She said he would get everything he deserved when he married a Gilchrist.”
    Luke drummed his fingers in irritation on the table. “That sounds like something Katy would say, all right.”
    There was silence in the kitchen for a while. Zeke padded in with his dish. He surveyed the tableau of the two males glowering at each other across the width of the kitchen table. He put down his dish and rested his head on Matt's knee, offering silent sympathy. Matt absently stroked his ears.
    “Why did you come here, Matt?” Luke asked quietly.
    “To tell you not to hurt Katy.”
    “How do you suggest I avoid that now?”
    Matt looked briefly uncertain. Then he scowled again. “You should at least ask her to marry you. Then she wouldn't feel like you were taking advantage of her.”
    Luke absorbed that. “You want me to ask her to marry me?”
    Matt straightened in the chair, looking newly determined. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you should.”
    Luke felt oddly lightheaded. “All right. I will.”
    Matt eyed him with vast skepticism in his young eyes. “You will?”
    “Yes.” A deep certainty filled Luke as he met Matt's gaze. “As her brother I guess you have a right to know what my intentions are. I give you my word they're honorable.”
    “Yeah?” Matt was clearly taken aback by Luke's readiness to do the right thing.
    “Word of honor,” Luke said solemnly. “But you had better know up front that the problem here is not my intentions. It's your sister's