Roman rolled to his left then to his right. He fluffed the pillow. Punched it down. Finally gave up and came to his feet. After seeing Flynn and Zoya together all night, he couldn't sleep. What the hell was wrong with him? In two months, he'd get married, so why was he being so attentive to her? And on top of all that, she'd been eating it up. Talking. Dancing. Laughing. What the hell had gotten into her?

She couldn't have a decent conversation with Roman but she'd turned into someone else entirely with his step-brother. She'd looked so damn beautiful; she'd taken Roman's breath away. His jaw ticked in annoyance. He wanted to be the one making her smile and laugh, carefree as she clung to his arms as he twirled her around the dance floor. Ophelia had pestered him relentlessly about Zoya.

Coffee, Roman needed caffeine. Once he had some, he'd feel better. He glanced at the clock. Six-forty-five.

Roman went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, pulled on his jeans and a clean t-shirt, and headed to the kitchen. When he got to the end of the hall, voices came from the front porch. He strolled to a good vantage point and peered out. Shit. Zoya was cutting Flynn's hair. What the hell?

He froze in place as he watched her run her fingers through the strands, divide a section, and clip. As she moved around his chair, he spread his legs wide for her to stand closer. Damn it. All he had to do was lean forward, and he'd be resting his face in the valley of her breasts. Fucking Flynn, he thought, remembering the way Zoya's fingers had pulled at his own curls and her nails had scraped his scalp.

They were talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. He wished he could. She'd fallen into an easy friendship with Flynn and that bothered Roman. A lot. Maybe because his relationship with her was strained at the moment. But he intended to change that. As soon as his family left, he'd get the whole mess straightened out.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zoya caught a glimpse of Roman. "He's watching us."

"Good. Let him get an eye full. I'll spread my legs apart and you move in closer."

She frowned down at him. "What's the use? It didn't work last night."

"Oh yeah, it did. He didn't have three sentences to say all the way home. He was pissed."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because Roman deserves to be happy and I think you make that happen."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah. You do. When he calls, you're all he talks about."

"Really?" She grimaced at the sound of her voice, but she couldn't hide her surprise.

"Yeah, really. His dad was a lousy husband, but a decent parent. At least to me and Ophelia, and neither of us are his real kids. Not so much with Roman. They haven't spoken in years. So, given that wrecked relationship, losing his mother at a young age, his fiancée dumping him, and the time he spent behind bars, he's afraid to love anybody."

Zoya stepped back, eyed her work and ran her hands through his hair one last time. "That's better."

"You want to hear something crazy?"

"What?"

"I don't want to go home."

"Then don't."

He whispered a laugh. "Damn. I wish it was that simple."

Later she cornered Ophelia outside the house, away from everyone. "If I hire you as my lawyer, you can't repeat anything I tell you. Right?"

Ophelia narrowed her eyes. "Is this about Roman?"

Zoya shook her head. "No." Not in the sense Ophelia thinks. But Roman trusted Ophelia, so that meant to Zoya she was trustworthy.

"Then, yeah."

She pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her pocket and handed it to her. "You're hired."

"Okay. So what do you need to tell me?"

"Nothing right now. But there may come a time when I do. Just in case that happens, you'll be there for me, right?"

"Of course. I'm your lawyer."

Roman wanted to ask Flynn what he and Zoya had been talking about, but decided not to. None of his business. If she'd taken a liking to his step brother, then that got the pressure off him and things could get back to normal. According to Ophelia, Flynn needed to break his engagement anyway, so if his interest in Zoya made that happen, Roman should be happy. Should be. But he wasn't. Not by a long shot.

He poured his second cup of coffee as Flynn came in from the porch all chipper, and it pissed Roman off.

Taking a mug from the cabinet, Flynn filled it and turned to face his brother. "You're up early."

Roman scowled. "So are you. Nice haircut."

Flynn ran his fingers through the strands. "Thought I'd take advantage of Zoya's skills. She did a good job."

"Yeah."

He raised an eyebrow in Roman's direction. "What's wrong with you? Who pissed in your wheaties?"

"Fuck you, Flynn."

"Whoa. What's this about?"

"You know damn well what it's about. She has no experience with guys. You're giving her the wrong impression."

"What? That I want to be her friend? Because she's clear about that."

"You don't know her like I do. She takes things the wrong way sometimes. You could hurt her."

"Well, I promise I won't." Flynn rolled his eyes. It was obvious how Roman felt for Zoya, and the other way around, and the two of them were too stupid to just admit it to themselves, much less one another. If it wasn't amusing to watch Roman come to a resolution about caring for someone other than family, he'd probably smack him upside the head.

"If you do, you'll answer to me," he growled.

"Noted." Flynn deadpanned. "Now what's up for today?"

"If Ophelia ever comes downstairs, I thought we'd go knock down some cans. You brought your pistol, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Lia, too."

"Great. Later, we can drive to Breaux Bridge. They have a steak house that's gotten rave reviews."

"Sounds good. What if Ophelia wants to invite Zoya?"

He frowned. When had Ophelia and Zoya even talked? But because O was relentless, he knew it was likely that she'd invite Zoya solely because of Roman. "Fine by me."

"Are you sure?"

"Just spit it out, Flynn."

"Last night you didn't seem happy about Zoya being there. So what's going on?"

Roman drained his cup and set it on the counter with more force than he intended. "We've had a misunderstanding. Nothing that can't be fixed when she comes back home."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to take a quick shower. By the time I'm done, maybe Lia will have finished getting ready. Why do girls around here even bother? In this humidity, she'll sweat makeup off in an hour." Flynn placed his mug next to Roman's and started down the hallway.

Roman called after him. He was in a shitty mood and wasn't ready to give Flynn a free pass. "When do you plan to break the news to me about the wedding?"

Flynn stopped in his tracks, then turned around. "I've been waiting for the right time. I guess Lia said something already." He frowned. "Of course she did," he mumbled.

"Let me go on record that I don't give a shit, but I gotta say, she sounds like a real bitch. So why are you marrying her?"

Flynn ran his hand over his jaw, then thinned his lips into a tight line. The DeRoux siblings never beat around the bush, and it wasn't the first time he'd been verbally bitch slapped by one or both of them. Neither understood finesse.  "I'm not sure anymore. Currently in the process of trying to work that out."

Worry lines formed above his eyes, misery plain, so Roman nodded and dropped it. Flynn didn't move for a minute, clearly waiting for Roman to say more, but he didn't. No need to add to his problem.

Flynn took a deep breath, then disappeared down the hall and into the bedroom, leaving Roman to deal with his own guilt. Truth was, he didn't want Zoya to go with them. Last night had been so awkward; he'd wanted to leave. Having her around while she focused on Flynn put Roman in a foul mood. He wasn't jealous. Only concerned. She'd read too much into his kindness and he didn't want the same thing to happen again just because Flynn was being nice to her.

Okay, he was jealous. The way she'd laughed and danced was a different side he'd not seen. At least Flynn didn't seem to know what happened between them, but if Lemon kept making subtle remarks, it wouldn't be long until everyone knew. All he wanted was for Zoya to come home so he could try to fix it, for things to stop being awkward between them.

When Flynn came from the shower, Ophelia still hadn't come down yet, and Flynn didn't want to go shoot guns without her. The weekend wasn't turning out the way Roman planned or hoped.

"Would it bother you if Lia and I stayed a few extra days?"

The question surprised Roman. He didn't think they were having much of a good time. Well, maybe it was just Ophelia. He knew she was missing Roxanne; the two had been inseparable since they'd met years ago. Even Roman couldn't have kept them apart. At least he slept better knowing Ophelia wanted to make something out of herself and have a career before she settled down, and that Roxanne looked at Ophelia like she hung the moon.  "You're welcome to stay as long as you like. But I thought your bride had you on a tight schedule."

He shrugged. "She does, but I need more time away from her to help me sort out things."

"If you break it off with her, what will happen to your job offer?"

"Goes down the drain."

"You couldn't still teach at the university?"

Flynn hung his head. "No, and Céline's dad can fix it where I won't be able to work anywhere in Baton Rouge. I have a lot to consider. My future depended on my marriage. And before you start in on me, I know it was a stupid mistake."

"Maybe so, but marrying someone you don't love would be worse."

Flynn chuckled. "Zoya quoted Oprah and said doubt means no. She also mentioned something about finding someone perfect."

Roman fisted his hands. "What'd I tell you? She takes things wrong."

He held up his hands. "Settle down. She wasn't talking about herself. She's not interested in me, you idiot. Don't you see what's happening? She's interested in you. Only you. If you're not careful, you're the one who'll hurt her." Flynn pushed his hands through his hair, annoyed and exasperated with Roman, with the whole fucking thing. Roman could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes.

Those words stabbed like a hot poker because they were already true. But as hard as Roman had tried to make things right, he couldn't bring her around. And how could he if she wouldn't come home? That's what he needed. Her. Here. Where he could explain how he cared about her, but how wrong he was for her. But he couldn't do that without telling her he knew she was Dove St. Clair. His snooping would hurt her even more. No, he wanted her to trust him enough to let him in on her secrets.

"I know. And I'm trying not to, but it isn't working out so well." He considered telling Flynn everything he knew about her, but decided against it. Going behind her back would be a mistake. "I'm just... no good for her." He sighed, defeated.

Flynn groaned, wondering how Roman could be so intelligent, but also such a fucking idiot sometimes. "It's not about what you think she deserves. It's not your decision. She gets to decide what she deserves." He scrubbed his hands over his face. "I'm only going to say this once. You deserve some semblance of happiness, and if you think she can make you happy, then you should stop being an idiot now and just talk to her."

Roman and Flynn spent most of the morning sitting on the back porch, reminiscing about visiting Charamel. Just before noon, Ophelia showed up.

Roman laughed. "It's about time you made an appearance. We thought you might have stabbed yourself with an eye pencil and bled out."

Ophelia rolled her eyes, plopping down onto a faded wicker chair. "I was on Skype with Rox for a while. And then Lemon called."

"You got plans with her tonight?"

"Yeah. Is that okay? I know I came to visit you, but..."

Roman cut her off. "It's fine, O. Hang out with your friends."

"Thanks."

"Hey," Flynn said. "I guess if I wanted to stay longer, you'd be good with that?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"Maybe until Wednesday."

She shrugged, already composing a text. "Works for me."

Once Ophelia changed, she was ready for target practice, so the three of them drove to the back of the property. Roman hadn't been there since arriving in Arcadia. Dilapidated remnants of the deer stand he'd built years ago barely clung to an old oak tree. While his lolo looked over his shoulder, Roman had killed his first buck from there. It's the only one he ever shot. Somehow, seeing the beautiful animal lying dead turned him against the sport.

He still hunted ducks, quail, and squirrels, but couldn't bear the thought of killing another deer. He'd gotten the Remington 243 for his fifteenth birthday. Damn, it'd been just as many years ago. A lifetime.

Old hay rounds lined the back fence, perfect for mounting targets. Roman parked the truck, and Ophelia got out first, followed by Flynn. "I have the paper targets. Ordered just for us." He passed them to Flynn.

He unrolled the package and laughed. "You've got to be kidding. Zombies?"

Ophelia cocked her head. "The apocalypse can happen anytime. Besides, the two of you did serious damage to my psyche with all those movies. But I'll be prepared and probably save both your asses."

Roman belly laughed. "I'd forgotten how funny that was."

"Funny, my ass. You tied me to a chair and forced me to watch a trifecta of horror."

"What were they?"

"Oh, I'll never forget. Shaun of the Dead, Land of the Dead, and Dawn of the Dead. I didn't sleep for weeks."

Flynn pinched her cheek. "Poor baby."

Ophelia slapped his hand away. "Just put up the damn targets and let me show you two how it's done." She unzipped the gun case and pulled out her weapon.

"Let me see that," Roman said. "Looks a little pathetic up beside my Smith and Wesson."

"I have you know the Sig Sauer Mosquito is the most popular twenty-two on the market right now."

Flynn stepped forward and hoisted his pistol in the air. "Maybe so, but you can't go wrong with a Ruger."

Flynn took the sheets and Roman grabbed a bag of cans and put them in place, then joined Ophelia again, who was stretching her arms and popping her fingers.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Ophelia glared at Flynn. "Loosening up."

"To pull a trigger? We're doing target practice, not running a marathon."

Roman couldn't remember when he'd enjoyed an afternoon more, just listening to Ophelia and Flynn bicker.  When Flynn said they might stay longer, Roman had secretly wished they'd stay forever. There was plenty of land to build on. Ophelia could open a small private practice in Breaux Bridge, and Flynn could probably get a job at a local university.

God, he'd missed them. So damn much. They'd visited him in prison, alternating months, and that's all that had kept him going. And Charamel. She'd written every week and for the first year rode the bus to visit. After that, he'd asked her to stop because the round trip was too much. Plus, he hated she had to see him in that place.

By five o'clock, Flynn and Ophelia conceded to Roman. He'd always been a good shot, but he'd not practiced in years, so winning surprised him. As they came to the edge of the woods, he looked at Flynn.

"I'll take Ophelia home so she can get ready for her girl's night. Why don't you get out and swing by to check on Zoya?"

She was probably okay, but Roman couldn't help himself. He needed to make sure and figured she'd rather see Flynn.

"Will do."

Roman brought the truck to a halt. Flynn climbed out and headed toward Mariana's.

Zoya had just finished spreading fresh hay for her nightly bed when a shadow passed through the light beaming across the opening. She whirled around. Homer barked.

Flynn stood in the doorway. "Hey."

"What are you doing?"

"Just wanted to check on you. You doing all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He grinned. "No reason. But you're here all by your lonesome, so something could happen. Did you hear all that shooting?"

"Yeah. Roman texted earlier to warn me."

Flynn shook his head. "Damn thoughtful of him, don't you think?"

She propped the pitchfork against the wall. "Yes."

"He's actually the one who sent me. He wants you to come back to the house."

"Did he say that?"

"Well, not exactly in those words, but he does. You don't have to wait for Mariana to return. You can still milk the goats. Like I said before, I'll even help you."

"No. I don't think so."

"Come on, Zoya. He's pretty miserable without you there. What do you say?"

She turned to look at him. "I'm never going back to Charamel's. On Monday, I'm leaving Arcadia."

Yikes. Do you think Zoya really will leave? Do you think Flynn will tell Roman about this?

And Flynn's staying a few more days... maybe there's a Mariana/Flynn reunion on the horizon?

TEASER: "She's not coming back."