Family Man

pick and choose his battles.”
    “I didn't exactly choose this one,” Matt muttered.
    “Another thing a man has to learn is how to avoid a fight that isn't going to be worth the effort or serve a purpose.”
    “I couldn't avoid this one,” Matt said. The sullenness had crept back into his tone.
    “And when he does get into a fight,” Luke continued calmly, “he has to know how to limit the damage as much as possible. He gets in and finishes the job quickly. Above all, he stays in control of the situation and of himself.”
    “Yeah?” Matt scowled in the shadows, half intrigued and half defiant. “How's he supposed to do that?”
    “He trains for it, just like anything else.”
    “How am I going to train myself to control situations like the one I was in tonight?”
    “The same way I did,” Luke said. “The local gym probably has a martial arts instructor. Tomorrow morning we'll go talk to him. If he looks like he knows what he's doing, we'll sign you up for classes. If he doesn't look any good, I'll give you some instruction myself.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yeah,” Luke said. “Sound okay?”
    “Holy shit,” Matt breathed. “Katy's gonna blow her stack when she hears this.”
    “Why?”
    “She doesn't approve of violence.”
    “Don't worry. I'll handle Katy.”

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN
    L uke stood at the kitchen window and watched Katy make her way down the cliff path to the beach. She was dressed for an early morning walk in a pair of faded jeans that fit her sweetly curved rear like a glove. She wore a bright yellow sweater to ward off the chill of the cloudy morning, and a slouchy white twill hat was pulled down low over her fiery hair.
    Luke contemplated the pleasant view of Katy's derriere until it disappeared from sight. Then he collected his black windbreaker from the hall closet and summoned Zeke.
    “Come on, boy, we're going for a walk.”
    Zeke dutifully picked up his bowl and padded out of the cottage behind Luke.
    The morning air held the promise of rain later in the day. The clouds were gathering out over the sea. Luke made his way down the cliff path, Zeke at his heels.
    A few minutes later he and the dog were on the rocky, uneven beach. The retreat of the morning tide had left a number of interesting little pools in the gray sand. Zeke paused at the first one and dropped his dish to nose around the rocks.
    Luke kept moving, his eyes on Katy's vivid yellow sweater and tight jeans. He caught up with her halfway down the beach, aware that she had not yet realized he had joined her.
    “You and I have some unfinished business,” Luke said as he fell into step beside her.
    Startled, Katy came to a halt and whirled to face him. Her smile was tentative. “I didn't see you.”
    “I know.” He was hungry for the taste of her. He bent his head and took her mouth in a kiss that was far too brief. He deliberately broke it off before he lost control of it. He had other objectives this morning, he reminded himself.
    Katy touched his arm. “I want to thank you for what you did last night. I probably would have handled Matt all wrong.”
    “I doubt it.”
    “No, I mean it.” Her brows drew together in a small, regretful frown. “It's hard to know what to do in a situation like that. There have been so many times when I wasn't sure what to do.”
    “Katy, you've done a fine job with Matt.”
    She sighed. “Sometimes he seems like an alien creature to me.”
    “He's a male.” Luke smiled. “Men and women often feel like alien beings to each other.”
    “I suppose so. Looking back, there have been so many times when I wish I had done things differently. There were times when he needed a man's guidance, and I had to fumble through as best I could. Now he's almost a man himself, and I can feel him getting ready to leave.”
    “It's time, Katy.”
    “I know it's time, but I'm scared for him. When something like last night happens I realize that there are so many things I haven't been able to teach him. So many things I didn't know myself.”
    Luke cupped her face in his hands. “Honey, listen to me. You can't possibly teach him everything. He wouldn't listen if you tried. Some things he needs to learn on his own. That's life.”
    “I know, but—”
    “He's a good kid. You've done a fine job. Matt is going to be okay.”
    “I hope so,” she whispered. She stepped closer and leaned her head against Luke's shoulder. “I hope I haven't messed up too much along the line.”
    Luke wrapped