Matt turned to Steve, "You didn't invite her up here?" 

"I had no clue she was coming. It shocked the shit out of me when she showed up out of the blue."

"Why didn't you send her home?" 

Steve looked at Matt, incredulous. "When was the last time you tried to make your sister do anything?"

"A while ago, I haven't been around her very much in a few years," Matt rolled his eyes. "How hard can it be?"

Steve stepped back, motioning with one hand for Matt to go ahead of him, "See for yourself." 

Matt narrowed his eyes. "Don't think for a moment that I don't know you're sleeping with her, I can smell her on you. I knew the instant you opened the door."

Steve shrugged. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince Matt there had been nothing more than a few kisses between them, or that all they’d done was sleep on the same couch. "Whatever, you try telling her what to do, see if that gets you anywhere," he headed back to the kitchen, leaving Matt standing alone in the front room. 

* * *

In the kitchen, Steve washed his hands before going back to the table and resumed what he'd been doing. 

"Is Jade's brother staying for dinner?" Rebecca asked. 

"I don't know," Steve said. 

"Did you invite him?" Rebecca wanted to know.  

Steve knew she’d probably heard every word they’d both said. Asking him was her way of telling him he should, "I didn't invite him here, why should I invite him to dinner?"

"Steve Romero, I thought you had better manners." She looked at him with her hands on her hips. 

"My mother tried to teach me better, but I've got this strange habit of treating others like they treat me. Besides, he hit me," he said sullenly. 

"You deserved it, you're sleeping with my baby sister," Matt said from the arched entrance to the kitchen. 

Jade glared, "Whom I sleep with, or don't, is none of your business, Matt." 

"I disagree," he stepped into the room so he could see her better. 

"If you're just here to cause problems, you can leave. Now." Jade didn't bother with niceties. 

"I don't know," Matt said, watching them closely.

"Would you like to join us for Thanksgiving dinner?" Rebecca invited, seeing that no one else was going to. 

Matt looked at the Karyn for the first time since he arrived, "I don't know, Ma'am. I wouldn't want to intrude more than I already have." 

"Not at all, we always host a big dinner for anyone without anywhere to go. One more is no big deal." 

"Then I'd love to." 

"Where are you staying?" she asked. 

"I don't know, I hadn't planned on staying," he looked at Jade. "I was just going to gather my sister and take her home."

"Then you can stay here on the ranch, I'd offer you the spare bedroom, but my husband, Nick, and Steve would have a fit and JV’s using it. Steve has an extra bedroom, or you can stay in the bunkhouse with the hands. Be careful though, some of them are human and don't know about shifters."

Matt scowled, "Why does Steve get a say in who stays in your home?" 

Rebecca smiled at him, a little confused, "Because he's our Shaku. He's in charge of making sure that I'm safe when Nick's not around."

Matt looked back to Steve, realization dawning. "That explains why you answered the door." 

Steve nodded and finished peeling the potato in his hand, then dropped it into the bowl with the others. He picked up the bowl of peeled potatoes and carried them to the sink. After turning on the water to run over them, he turned to look at Matt again, "It does. Now, you think you can behave this afternoon, and not upset Jade or Rebecca, or do I need to run you off?" 

Matt looked back and forth between Steve and Jade for a moment, obviously thinking about something, "I'll behave. Staying will give me a chance to watch the two of you. See if there's something between you I can live with, or if the two of you are jerking me around for the hell of it."

Jade peeled the last of her potatoes, dumped her bowl of skins into the one Steve had used, then added the last potato to the bowl in the sink. Picking up a towel, she dried her hands as she went over to her brother. Before he had a chance to figure out what she was up to, she kicked him hard in the shins. 

"Hey! What the hell was that for?" 

"For being an ass," she turned away. "Watch it or I'll do it again." She ignored him as she pulled out a large pot and started cutting potatoes and dropping them in the pot. 

After getting the potatoes on to cook, she dried her hands again and went to stand in front of Steve. 

"Let me see." 

Steve pulled a chair close and sat so she could look at his lip, but his eyes never left the other man. 

"It's not too bad," she placed her fingers lightly on his lip and closed her eyes. 

The sting faded, replaced by heat and a slight tingle. 

A moment later, she opened her eyes again, "How's that?" 

He stretched and moved it, testing the lip, "Much better, thank you." He gave her a quick but thorough kiss to prove it.

Jade shot Matt an angry look as she turned and went back to work.