Putting the car in Park, he saw Ginny’s brothers unloading the supplies from Knox and carrying them into the house.
“There are other emotions that can do the same thing.” Reaching over the console, Ginny laid a hand over his that was resting on the steering wheel.
“None than I’m interested in.” Pulling his hand away, Reaper got out of the car, walking to the back of the pickup truck where Silas was standing. “You need any help?”
Silas used one of his feet to shove a box toward him. “You can take that one.” Hopping off the back of the tailgate, Silas took a large suitcase that Viper had packed for him.
Reaper kept a safe distance from the porch, waiting for Ginny’s brothers to come back out before entering the house. A broad-shouldered man, who he hadn’t seen at the hotel, came outside. Waving to Ginny as she got out of the car, he started to jump off the porch when a quiet word from Silas, who was coming up the steps, waylaid the man’s exuberant attempt at a welcome.
“Ezra!” Ginny laughingly waved back to the man who Reaper assumed was another brother.
A younger boy came outside to sidle next to Ezra.
“Is that you, Fynn?” Ginny pretended the porchlight was blinding her, placing a hand over her eyebrows to peer closer at the boy.
The young boy laughed. “Yes.”
Ginny blew kisses in his direction, making the boy giggle despite him manfully trying not to.
“Has Ezra been sneaking you his protein shakes? I almost didn’t recognize you.”
The boy beamed up at her. “I’ve been working out with him,” Fynn bragged, raising his arm to show Ginny his muscle.
“Wow.” Looking impressed, Ginny circled her hands together to make the circle of a grapefruit, exaggerating the size of the nonexistent bicep. “I can see the potential.”
“You can?”
Reaper’s heart dropped at the love and hero worship apparent in the kid’s expression.
“I can,” Ginny professed with a ring of truth in her words, not faking her reaction. “The girls at school will all fall in love with you.”
Reaper saw an inexplicable expression cross the boy’s face.
Ginny gave Silas a questioning glance at her little brother’s forlorn countenance as he settled a hand on Fynn’s shoulder, letting him know without words that he was there; a brotherly bond on display with the simple gesture.
“We were worried about you when you didn’t answer our calls,” Ezra admonishment, taking Ginny’s focus off Fynn. “Silas and Matt were going to head out in the morning to see what’s going on. Glad you finally called and saved them a trip.”
“I’m sorry, Ezra … all of you. I should have called. I changed my number. I was going to call and got sidetracked.”
“We can discuss this later,” Silas averted the questions that Ginny’s apology invoked. “Ginny and her guest are tired and don’t need you keeping them up with all your questions. Ginny, you introduce Reaper to everyone before they take off. I’ll go inside and put the food on the table.”
Becoming the center of attention, he felt all of Ginny’s brothers eyeing him. Then, as if in a long-ingrained habit, the brothers formed a line. They were a variety of different sizes and complexions.
Ginny pointed to the left side, giving the man a cheeky grin. “That is Matthew, and the one next to him is Isaac. They’re the hunters in our family and why our freezers are full. Don’t ask him to go hunting. He doesn’t believe in killing animals.”
Reaper couldn’t hold back his eye roll this time—neither could the two brothers.
The brothers had similar brown hair, yet they wore it differently. Matthew’s wore his high and tight while Isaac’s was tied back. Matthew was a couple of inches taller than his six-foot brother, Reaper estimated. Their piercing gazes vetted him, not shying away from his as he looked them over. From their appearance, they didn’t seem much younger than him. Their complexions were tan and weather-bitten, as if they spent most of their time outdoors.
Feeling as if he was under a microscope at the intense way they were staring back at him, it was apparent that Ginny’s comment about his lack of desire to kill was being taken with several grains of salt.
“This is Jody.” Moving down the line, Ginny pointed to a honey-haired man with coffee brown eyes. His expression was the friendliest of the group standing in front of him. The same height as his older brothers, Jody was heavier built than Matthew and Isaac; more brawny and bigger chested than all his brothers, as if he could drive a steel spoke into the ground with little effort. Whatever Jody was doing to develop his upper body strength, it didn’t involve weights or time at a gym.
“Jacob looks the most like our father.” Going to the next brother, Ginny brushed away a swatch of her hair that the wind had blown across her face.