"Let's get to the car first," he said briskly. "I'm ready to go home."
They exchanged glances, but they followed him back to the car. Ethan filled them in on the conversation as they left California behind and headed into Oregon.
Chapter One
"For God's sake, Ethan, get up!" Isabelle cried as she tugged at his arm.
Her brother groaned as he stubbornly refused to look at her. "Isabelle, I'm telling you right now, if you don't get out of my room, I'll—"
"You'll what?" she demanded. "Nothing, that's what, now get up!"
Planting her hands on her hips, she scowled at him as he opened one emerald-colored eye to peep up at her.
"What are you doing here anyway? Go back to your own house," he grumbled as he rolled over and buried himself beneath the sheet.
She reached down and ripped the sheet off.
"Hey!" he yelled as he tried to pull the sheet back.
She refused to relent as they were caught in a tug of war she was determined to win. "Ethan Joseph, get out of this bed right now!"
He scowled ferociously at her. She didn't back down as she met his look with one just as ferocious. "What do you want?" he snapped.
"Kyle and Cassidy climbed up a tree; they refuse to come down."
"Get Ian," he grumbled as he finally managed to wrench his sheet back.
She instantly grabbed it again. "Ian is with Mike, David, Doug, Jack, dad, and Aiden, so forget about Aiden too. They got out of bed this morning, unlike some people, and went to town to get more wood for the new house."
Ethan groaned as he threw his arm over his eyes. "They're immortal, tell them to jump."
"Ethan!" she cried in exasperation. "They can still break bones, and what if they accidentally stake themselves on the way down?"
She knew he was trying to stifle a laugh at the image her words conjured. The only thing holding him back from doing so was knowing his brother and sister as well as she did. The possibility of them accidentally staking themselves was good. With a loud groan, he threw the sheet aside and swung his legs out of bed. Isabelle smiled smugly as she stepped back.
He didn't bother to look at her as he tugged on his jeans and a T-shirt. "How do they manage to get themselves into these messes?" he muttered.
"The same way we did."
He groaned as he shook back his tousled hair. "Who dared them to go up the tree?" he grumbled.
"Julian."
"Of course," he groaned.
Isabelle waited for him to slip his sneakers on before heading outdoors. She led the way down the path through the woods before veering off on another path leading further into the forest. They spent many hours playing in these woods as children, and Isabelle knew the trails like the back of her hand.
"Does mom know?" Ethan demanded.
"Like I was going to tell her, she has enough on her mind right now."
"Huh?" Ethan asked tiredly.
Isabelle shook her hair back as she cast a scowl over her shoulder at him. "Never mind," she muttered.
Ethan stuck his tongue out at her. Isabelle forced herself not to laugh as she made a face at him. They may be adults now, but he was the one person who could always bring out her childish side, and she loved that the most about him. She turned down the path leading to the tree house.
The distinct chant of, "Jump! Jump!" drifted to them.
"Ah, hell!" Ethan muttered as he broke into a run.
Isabelle was right on his heels as they burst into a small clearing. Willow and Julian stood at the base of a huge sycamore, looking up into its high, leaf-filled branches as they continued to shout at their younger siblings. Cassidy scooted down a branch, trying to adjust her hold as she started to slide sideways. Kyle, the less daring of the twins, had a death grip on his branch.
"Don't you dare jump!" Ethan bellowed, causing even Isabelle to start.
Willow and Julian spun around to gaze guiltily at them. Cassidy let out a yelp as she jerked in surprise. With horrifying clarity, Isabelle realized Cassidy wasn't going to keep her hold on the branch as she slid perilously. Ethan rushed forward, catching her just before she hit the ground. He grunted under the weight of her tiny body, his knees hitting the ground from the force of the impact.
Isabelle rushed up to them, a little breathless as her heart hammered with dread. Cassidy lay for a moment, her tiny face scrunched up. Then, one dazzling blue eye popped open, and she warily looked up at Ethan. She twisted her head, her long sandy blonde hair covering her face as she looked at the ground just inches beneath her. She turned back and burst into a brilliant grin as she easily hopped out of his arms.
"Thanks!" Cassidy cried.
"Don't mention it," Ethan grumbled, shaking his head as he rose.
"Good catch," Julian said in awe.
Ethan wiped the dirt off the knees of his jeans. "Show off," Isabelle teased. He scowled at her before smiling. She lifted her head to peer through the thick branches at Kyle. "How are you going to get the other one?"
"Think they could both fall out alive?" he asked hopefully
"Do you think a snowball could survive in Hell?" she retorted.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too," he mumbled unhappily.
She slapped him on the back. "When was the last time you climbed a tree?"
His face twisted thoughtfully. "Ten years, maybe."
Kyle was clinging to his branch, his face white as a ghost.
"Jump, Kyle; it's fun!" Cassidy urged her twin.
"Don't you dare jump!" Isabelle yelled at her brother, shooting Cassidy a silencing look.
Cassidy smiled back as she hopped from foot to foot, not the least bit ashamed. "Well, it is!" she protested.
"And if I hadn't caught you?" Ethan demanded.
She shrugged, refusing to be intimidated by her older siblings. "It would hurt, but I heal fast!"
Isabelle shook her head and
