He dialed 911 and told the operator where the fire was.

Fire was spreading rapidly over the floor, gathering fuel as it devoured hay. Beams lay crossed on one side.

That’s when he saw Eliza lying under one of the beams, flames beginning to lick at her legs. Brandon hefted the beam off her and threw it aside. Sparks flew and the fire heightened.

Willow neighed in terror, kicking the stall door. Brandon lifted Eliza and ran with her out of the stable, the sounds of Willow’s screaming haunting each stride.

Placing Eliza gently on the ground outside the corral, he bent to check for breathing. Worry swallowed every thought and emotion in him. The beam that had fallen on her was big. Had it hit her head, or had she been knocked out when she struck the ground? He couldn’t lose her now. He’d already lost her once.

Dear Reader,

Continue the journey in Vengeance with Eliza Harvey-Reed and Brandon Reed. It’s no accident that they share a common last name. Eliza is in love with her husband’s brother…and her husband is one of three murder victims. I invite you to follow this intriguing homicide investigation in a town erupting with drama and excitement.

Eliza and Brandon do engage in a scandalous affair, so I let love play a guiding hand in writing this story. The cost of losing a husband and brother is great, and takes great love to overcome. I particularly enjoyed writing the ending. I hope you’ll find the twists and turns as satisfying as I did—and may you find yourself reaching for the next book in the continuity!

Jennie

About the Author

Two-time 2009 RITA® Award nominee and a golden Quill winner for Best First Book for The Secret Soldier, JENNIFER MOREY writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Project manager par jour, she works for the space systems segment of a satellite imagery and information company. She lives in sunny Denver, Colorado. She can be reached through her website, www.jennifermorey.com, and on Facebook.

A Rancher’s
Dangerous
Affair
Jennifer Morey

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For Mom.

Chapter 1

September 5th

Eliza Harvey-Reed always felt better when she was busy planning parties. Just a day into her vacation and she already missed the hustle and bustle of Effervescent Events. She’d made a name for herself in Hollywood and had a reputation for delivering flawless, flamboyantly entertaining service. Fun. Exciting. Newsworthy. That was her business. She’d rather be back in California than in her hometown of Vengeance, Texas, climbing out of the rental car to visit her husband’s brother, the object of a teenage crush she’d never quite forgotten.

Except, to her, it had been more than a crush. She hadn’t realized how much more until he’d ended their relationship. Things had grown hot and heavy between them. He had begun to rule her world. She’d had so much ambition back then. Still did. He had begun to feel like an anchor, a hot, hard, sexy anchor, but an anchor nonetheless. And then he’d dumped her. Out of the blue. She hadn’t seen it coming. If there was to be any dumping going on, she had thought it would have been her. He’d begun to matter more than he should.

Sometimes she wondered if his rejection had elevated him to some unnatural level of importance. People always wanted what they couldn’t have. More expensive cars. Bigger houses. Better vacations. More chocolate. When denied these things, they became suspiciously more important. Brandon Reed had become too important.

Walking toward the front porch of the Reed Ranch house on a wide stone circular driveway, Eliza noticed her husband, David, look behind him again. He kept doing that. When they’d turned onto the long dirt road leading to the ranch, he’d checked the rearview mirror more than once. When he’d gotten out of the car, he’d checked the road. Now he was doing it again.

Her long, dark brown hair waved in the slight breeze as she looked toward the road. No cars. No people. No animals. It wasn’t dark yet. A winding dirt road disappeared over a hill several hundred yards away. The expensive copper fence lined one side; a carpet of green grass rolled to the edge of a thick stand of trees.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

His austere profile only stoked her concern. “Is Brandon expecting more company?”

“No.”

“Are you?”

“Enough, Eliza.”

That meant leave him alone. He’d changed since they’d run into each other at one of her parties and followed impulse to a quick Vegas wedding. He never talked to her about anything that bothered him. She tried to get him to open up, but he always responded with short answers. If there was one thing she’d learned about him in the short time they’d been married, it was that David Reed could keep secrets. Had those secrets gotten him into trouble?

His dark brown eyes scanned the surroundings again. A couple of inches shorter than Brandon’s six-two, he was handsome and blonder but not as rugged as his brother. Why she always made those comparisons, she’d rather not examine.

“You’re acting like Bruce Willis in one of his Die Hard movies.”

“I’m not in the mood, Eliza.”

“Did you piss off a hacker or something?” She couldn’t help her sarcasm. He was nothing like Bruce Willis.

He scowled at her before stepping onto the porch. This was how they spoke to each other now. Why had she married him, anyway? She was afraid the answer was just on the other side of the door.

Brandon Reed had captured her heart when she was sixteen. Try as she might to capture his all those years ago, she’d never succeeded. Absurdly, she thought marrying his brother would trip him up. Get him to realize what a mistake he’d made letting her go. Well, all she’d gotten was a terse congratulations over the phone and a question on where her next party was. He may have been jealous. He may have been unaffected. Eliza had no idea which. With him, reactions were never easy to ascertain. The man wore his personality like a sunken ship, hidden treasure locked away in a deep abyss. He and David had that in common. Except Brandon’s mysteries lured her more than David’s.

David froze at the door.

Eliza turned. At the top of the hill, a car had appeared. Instead of driving to the house, it made a U-turn and vanished. Who was that? Someone who was lost? Or was it David who’d attracted them here?

“Is someone following you?” she asked.

Turning his grim face away from the road, he opened the door without responding.

“You’ve been acting weird lately.” Inside, she put her purse down on a table against the wall, vaguely aware of another purse there.

“No, I haven’t.” He quietly closed the door.

She faced him. “David. Talk to me. What’s going on with you? Is someone after you?”

“Eliza,” he complained, stepping past her with an admonishing look.

“Just tell me.”

He ignored her.

Sighing with exasperation, she stepped from the new marble flooring of the entry to the hardwood floor of the living room. Earth tones and splashes of red accents popped out at her. The exposed vaulted ceiling extended to a formal dining room. Brandon must have hired someone to do the decorating. She couldn’t picture him doing it. A lot of years had passed since she’d seen him, but he couldn’t have changed that much.

As she heard voices in the kitchen behind a partial wall, Eliza’s heart jolted with shock. There was a purse on the entry table. Brandon wasn’t alone. A woman was in the kitchen with him. Why was she nervous about seeing him, regardless of whether he was with another woman or not? She was married. There was no chance for them. There never had been. So why did she still put so much importance on him?

The woman laughed, flirtatious, warm and soft. Eliza’s stomach soured with more churning. “We should have called to let him know we were early.” They weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.

David stopped, turning toward her. “Don’t like it that he’s with someone else, huh?”

“Why would that bother me?”

“You tell me.”

She smirked. He’d started accusing her of marrying him to spite his brother shortly after their wedding. She’d fantasized about making Brandon jealous, that’s all. There had never been a time that she actually believed he would be. If only that were possible. Brandon didn’t care about her.

“They might want to be alone,” she said.

“Maybe you’d like to be alone with him.”

Now he was going too far. “Is that why you cheated on me four months after our wedding?”

“Yes.” He started toward the kitchen again.

His cruel reply dug deep. He hurt her when he talked to her like that. Did he really think she was still pining for his brother? Why had he married her then? Brandon was her first love. They were kids when they were together. She’d never forget him because he’d been her first. That didn’t mean she still wanted him.

Maybe this was about more than David’s insecurities where his brother was concerned. David shared her enthusiasm for parties, but he overindulged. Women. Alcohol. Drugs. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was one of her famous Hollywood clients instead of a sports journalist and husband.

Eliza crossed the living room behind David, hearing dishes clanking and the soft tone of the woman’s voice. The dread she’d felt ever since boarding the plane in L.A. intensified.

She wished David would have done as she had asked and taken her to a hotel. She’d planned a big birthday party for her brother tomorrow night and had a lot of loose ends to tie up. She’d rather do that than face Brandon with his latest lover.

The dread wouldn’t ease. Normally, when she visited Vengeance, it was for business. She only squeezed in enough time to see her brother, and those visits she always kept deliberately short. Ryker Harvey never missed an opportunity to point out how lucky she was to have escaped this town. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t happy. He had a really great wife and two adorable children. He ran an auto repair shop in town and had a stellar reputation. Everyone loved him. What more could he possibly want?

She hoped her party would smooth things over between them. He hadn’t seemed very excited the last time she’d spoken with him.

“Always partying,” he’d commented blandly just before he’d thanked her.

Eliza entered the kitchen behind David. A news program broadcasted from a small television hanging in the far corner. Brandon’s deep chuckle ended abruptly when he looked up and saw them, those golden-brown eyes going hard as he spotted her. His thick, shaggy, dark blond hair was a little on the messy side, and stubble peppered his jaw. He’d aged but in an appealing, masculine way. Rugged. Just like she remembered.

The woman he was with had long dark hair like Eliza’s and beautiful blue eyes. Eliza’s were blue-green. Brandon’s tall, muscular body dwarfed her, his broad shoulders sloping and his biceps bulging as he held the woman around her tiny waist. Eliza was slightly taller than her. Did Brandon prefer smaller women? Not that Eliza was big. She had a nice shape.

He stepped back, and the woman’s smile slipped as his hands left her. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

David walked farther into the kitchen, stopping next to the long island. “We decided to come a day early. Eliza has a lot to do before her brother’s birthday party tomorrow night.”

Brandon continued to stare at Eliza.

“We’re planning to attend,” the woman said, leaning against him, angling her head as though trying to capture his attention.

“Eliza,” Brandon said.

“Hello, Brandon.”

The woman with him straightened, eyes taking on the threat that Eliza must present. “I’m Jillian Marks. Brandon’s girlfriend.”

“Sorry,” Brandon said. “Jillian, this is my brother, David.”

The woman extended a dainty hand to him.

“And this is Eliza Harvey.”

A flash of malice crossed through Jillian’s eyes as she extended her hand.

“Reed,” David corrected.

Eliza removed her hand from Jillian’s, wondering why her husband bothered with the name correction. He’d proven how much he cared for her when he’d slept with someone else. Unless he was jealous of Brandon and that was why he’d cheated on her. Eliza didn’t know what to do about that. Had her inability to let go of Brandon really driven him away before they’d even had a chance to get started? She couldn’t even feel guilty about that. Brandon didn’t want her. Why was David worried?

“You’re married,” Jillian said, smiling at Eliza.

“Mr. and Mrs. Reed,” Brandon said tersely.

“Could have been you, big brother,” David said snidely.

Brandon didn’t respond. His face became a blank mask as he looked at David.

“You and Brandon were…”

“In high school,” David finished her deduction.

While Jillian’s eyes went cold, David moved in a circle, checking out the huge, elegant kitchen equipped with every modern amenity imaginable. “The place looks good. Selling a lot of beef?”

It was a poor attempt to sound cordial.

If Brandon took offense, he hid it. “Record year.”

“Brandon is a smart businessman when it comes to cattle.” Jillian hooked her arm with his and smiled flirtatiously up at him. It was all a forced show, a defensive reaction to Eliza and what her presence meant.

Brandon didn’t return the smile. In fact, he moved away. Her arm slipped free of his, and her smile flattened.

“You always were good at taking care of yourself,” David said, fingering a bowl of fruit on the kitchen island as though making sure it was real.

Brandon ignored the barb and moved another inch or two away from Jillian. How long had they been seeing each other? Long enough for Brandon to feel cornered, it would appear.

Seeing the way David distastefully regarded his brother, she wondered if she was the sole cause of his unrest. When they were kids, she’d thought they had a normal relationship. Brandon was the older brother and acted that way. But Brandon was also taller, made more money and had stolen Eliza’s heart when she was a teenager. He had everything that David didn’t. And now he thought she still had feelings for Brandon. Though she’d tried to convince him he had nothing to worry about, he didn’t believe her.

That was the only reason she hadn’t left him after she’d caught him between an entertainment reporter’s legs. She still wasn’t over what he’d done. She wasn’t sure she could stay married to him. And she definitely hadn’t had sex with him since. He believed she loved Brandon and not him. Did that give him the go-ahead to cheat on her when she denied his accusations?

“Do you have anything to drink?” David headed for the kitchen entry without waiting for Brandon’s reply.

He’d had enough to drink on the plane already.

“You know where the wine is,” Brandon said drily.

David left the kitchen, no doubt planning on getting more than one bottle. Why was he drowning in alcohol lately? Was it his perception of his older brother and Eliza or something else? The car on the hill gave her some insight, but he wouldn’t talk to her. They’d never talked, not the way they should as a married couple. More and more she thought their marriage was a sham, the result of blind impulse. While a deeper part of her had reasoned he was the next best thing to Brandon, reality hadn’t been kind. The mistake she’d made expanded and bloomed. As much as it hurt, she was better off alone than marrying the wrong man.

Realizing she was still staring at the empty doorway David had gone through, Eliza turned and caught Brandon watching her. His gaze drifted down her body before going back to her face. He seemed neither hurried nor concerned what she or Jillian would think of such blatant inspection. He hadn’t looked at her like that since she was a sophomore in high school; only now he was a man, not a boy. A warm rush swept over her, an instant reaction. He’d always been able to do that to her.

David entered the kitchen with three bottles of red wine and saw them. His steps faltered as he pinned Eliza with an accusatory look. Brandon glanced at Jillian before busying himself with retrieving wineglasses. She missed it, her glaring gaze on Eliza. David passed his wife on his way to the kitchen island, where he put down the bottles.

Eliza wandered past the kitchen island and stopped before the table, trying to dismiss the significance of the way Brandon had looked at her. What did it mean? Had he seen something when she’d been lost in thought? Did he know she wasn’t happy?

She spotted a newspaper on the table. The headline read Darby College Professor Melinda Grayson Missing.

“Here you go, darling.” David handed her a glass of red wine.

She smirked at the way he’d said darling and took the glass, holding the paper in her other hand.

“What are you—” He stopped short when he read the headline. “Professor Grayson is missing?” he took the newspaper from her.

“I heard her housekeeper reported it,” Jillian said.

David turned with the paper and kept reading as he strode slowly to the kitchen island, putting down the paper. “It says she might have been on her way to the grocery store when she was taken.”

Eliza followed him and put her glass down. David had placed the three bottles of wine on the counter. Brandon and Jillian had yet to pour wine into their glasses.

“She didn’t leave willingly,” Brandon said. “She had all her material ready for the semester.”

“Who would kidnap her?”

David’s concern didn’t pass by Eliza. If Melinda wasn’t so much older than him, she’d wonder if he’d slept with her. Then again, ten years wasn’t all that much. Melinda was in her early forties.

“Probably someone who didn’t like her views,” Jillian said, nearly sneering. She obviously didn’t like Melinda.

“Did you go to Darby?” Eliza asked. The woman had to be around twenty-five so it was more than possible.

“Yes. And I hated Melinda’s class.”

Melinda was known for her controversial teachings. She was a feminist who thought men were superior and women’s movements had the wrong approach to gaining equality. Porn stars were true feminists because of the control they had over men. Sociopaths improved society. That sort of thing.

But Jillian’s tone hinted at deeper emotion. Brandon and David caught her animosity along with Eliza. Brandon said nothing as he assessed her, and David abandoned the newspaper to do the same.

“That sounds like motive to kidnap and hurt her,” David said.

Jillian’s chin rose an inch. “Just because she wasn’t my friend doesn’t mean I’d hurt her.”

David let it pass, lifting his wine for a drink.

Eliza saw how Jillian slid a self-conscious glance toward Brandon, as though anxious that he’d think less of her for voicing her opinion of the great Melinda Grayson. The sign of insecurity said a lot about the state of their relationship. Eliza almost felt sorry for her. Brandon must be close to running.

Brandon could tell Jillian wasn’t happy that Eliza and David were here at his ranch. Or maybe it was only Eliza she wished would disappear. Sitting at the kitchen table with the third bottle of wine empty, most of which his brother had consumed, he listened to Eliza talk about the Friday parties she used to plan during high school.

“The whole school loved you,” David said.

Brandon watched how Eliza remained stiff with the affectionate comment. He hadn’t missed how distracted she’d been when she and David had arrived. Something was going on between them. He hated the ray of hope that shot through him the instant he realized it. Why did he always have to fight his attraction to her? She was a stunning woman, but she hadn’t changed. She was still the Friday Party Girl. It was what had led to their breakup. It was what had taken her to Hollywood. She frequently appeared in entertainment news and had so many friends it made him dizzy. He often wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t always put her social life ahead of him.

Maybe that was what had come between her and David. His brother shared Eliza’s passion for a good time, but it was easy for her to forget a man in the process. He’d tried to warn his brother, but he was already headed down the same road as Eliza. Both of them lived for the party. Except for that nagging feeling that she’d somehow changed. The way she dressed. Her hair. Her makeup. All of it was more subdued. Why?

He stifled another ray of damn hope.

Eliza had been the kind of girl who stood out in a crowd. Intentionally. Brandon had been the opposite. Still was. They had never meshed that way. He preferred his secluded life on the ranch. Eliza would never thrive here. She may have matured over the years, but she was still Hollywood’s hottest party planner. She shined the brightest when she was the center of attention. She’d wilt away in the silence of Reed Ranch.

“Remember the one you threw at the park?”

Brandon was drawn back into the discussion. Jillian had been awfully quiet. He dreaded finding out why. He was afraid he already knew.

“Which one?” Eliza laughed.

Did she laugh because she was no longer that girl, or did the memory delight her? Either way, he was entranced. Unwillingly.

“The one that you couldn’t break up by ten.”

“Oh, yeah.” She nodded with the recollection. “You weren’t there, were you?”

His face lost its animation. “Yeah. You didn’t talk to me, though.”

Eliza turned away, rigid with whatever thoughts pressed her.

“I remember that night.” As soon as Brandon spoke, Jillian fidgeted beside him, pursing her lips and averting her face. He couldn’t reassure her. He had to be honest. And if he was honest, he’d admit he didn’t feel enough for her to pretend Eliza didn’t matter to him. She did. She just wasn’t the right woman for him. She was a friend. But Jillian wasn’t the right woman, either. Looking right at Eliza, he continued, “Two of the boys were angry that you kept telling them to leave.” he had stayed to make sure she was okay. He’d done that a lot with her. As wild as she was, she’d needed someone to look out for her.

Her striking blue-green eyes lifted, and he found himself back in time with her. Bumping into each other at the Smokin’ Burger. Kissing her on her front doorstep. Beating up boys for her…

“He was always rescuing her,” David said to Jillian, not hiding his derision.

“Maybe we should talk about something else,” Eliza said.

“That’s supposed to be your job now,” Brandon said to David. “You staying out of trouble?”

Eliza averted her head, and that sparked his curiosity.

“Stop being my big brother, Brandon. I can take care of myself.”

He had his doubts about that. Taking in Eliza’s profile, he’d bet she wasn’t helping matters. David loved to party and that was her specialty.

“We should get to bed,” Eliza said, pushing back her chair to stand.

“It’s not that late,” David protested.

“Come on, David.” Eliza took his hand and coaxed him to stand.

Reluctantly, he did, meeting Brandon’s reproving look in defiance as he slipped his arm around Eliza. Refusing to let it get to him, he stood and so did Jillian. He didn’t understand why Eliza was affecting him so much now.

“Good night,” she said to him and Jillian, lingering the longest on him.

“Good night,” he answered.

Jillian said nothing.

Brandon watched them leave the kitchen, David swaying a little against Eliza. He wished he was the one taking her to bed. He’d already shown them to their room, one that was far away from his. He’d be damned if he was going to sleep anywhere near enough to hear them. And that frustrated him. Aside from the alcohol David depended way too much on, he was his brother and Eliza was his wife. The two of them together shouldn’t bother him.

Turning to Jillian, he saw how she still watched him the way she had all evening. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Jillian didn’t move when he took a step toward the living room.

“Can I talk to you first?”

There it was. She was going to grill him now. “Sure.”

She breathed out an uncomfortable laugh that he thought might be staged. “I don’t quite know how to say this.”

“Just say it.”

Slipping one of her hands around his biceps, she moved closer. Brandon had to smother the urge to shrug her away from him. How his sentiments had changed so rapidly bothered him.

She tipped her head up to look at him shyly. “I think it might be good if Eliza and David stay in town tomorrow.”

Her shyness contradicted her statement. “They’re staying here. David is my brother.”

“I know, but…”

“What’s wrong, Jillian?” He struggled for patience. Was she so insecure that she’d ask him to kick his own brother out of his house?

Sliding her hands over his chest, she leaned against him. “I can tell she still has feelings for you.”

Had it been that obvious? Had David noticed? He must have. A tide of guilt overcame him. “She’s married to David.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. She could still try and take you from me.”

Take him from her? Alarm bells buzzed in his head. That was taking insecurity to a new level. Brandon stepped back. “I don’t belong to anyone.”

“But, Brandon…” She angled her head coyly and manipulatively.

“We talked about this, Jillian.” He cut her off before she could continue. “I don’t want to settle down with anyone. I thought you were okay with that.”

“I am.” She crowded him some more, clinging, her hands touching too much.

He stepped back farther, feeling a familiar suffocation encroach. Women who demanded too much of him never lasted. Usually he saw this coming a lot sooner and ended the relationship before anyone got hurt. But Jillian was good. She’d snaked her way close to him and now she was striking.

“You better get going,” he said.

Something akin to panic flared in her eyes, and then she quickly recovered. “Sweetie, I know you’re afraid. So am I. But it will be all right. We’re perfect for each other.”

Perfect for each other. This was beginning to feel rather warped. “I’m not afraid. I just don’t want a serious relationship. I told you that.”

“You can’t stay single your whole life. At some point you’re going to have to get married.” She reached for him yet again.

This time he caught her wrists and stopped her. “Maybe we should take a break for a while.”

Now anger flowed into her pretty blue eyes, eyes that had enchanted him when he’d first met her. She jerked her wrists free. “You’re breaking up with me?”

“No. Let’s just take a break.” A permanent one. He’d just let her down gently. It wasn’t his style to use women. He made sure they understood what he was after. He must have missed the signs in Jillian. She definitely wanted more than he could give.

“I’m not an idiot, Brandon. I know when a man is trying to get rid of me.”

He bent his head momentarily, trying to think of what to say.

“It’s okay, Brandon. I understand. We don’t have to take a break. If you’ll just give it some time…You’re only confused because your old girlfriend came back.”

“She’s married,” he repeated.

“That doesn’t matter. I saw the way you looked at her, and her at you.”

That was ridiculous. But inside, her words mocked him.

“Please, Brandon.” He let her put her palms on his chest. “Please don’t give up on us.”

“There is no us.”

She stared up at him, finally believing him. This was it. He was finished.

“What did I do to scare you away?”

“Nothing.” Suffocate him. Try to control him. And the way she’d gone from angry to pleading…

Something wasn’t right about her. She was a little too desperate.

“I’m sorry.” He moved away from her, backing into the living room. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tears swelled in her eyes.

Damn it.

“Brandon. I love you.” She came for him again.

He turned and strode toward the front door, hearing her stumble after him, sobbing, “Brandon.”

It made him ill. How could she possibly love him? They’d only dated a few times. He never allowed a relationship to last longer than a few months. Anything longer than that led to more. It had happened once. He’d gotten too close, too far out of his comfort zone. It had ended badly. If he ever settled down, it’d be with a woman who didn’t crowd him like that.

He could not be crowded.

After handing Jillian her purse from where she’d left it on the table in the entryway, he opened the front door. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

She stood there crying. “I don’t understand why you’re breaking up with me.”

“Sometimes I don’t understand it myself.”

Sniffling, her tears eased. “Then you aren’t sure.”

No, he was sure. Especially when she kept doing that, misconstruing his words and hanging on to hope that he wouldn’t end it between them. She’d probably had other experiences like this and that was why she was taking it so hard.

Reaching for him, she took his hand. “Let’s go up to bed. By morning you’ll feel better.”

He removed his hand from hers and backed up against the open door, giving her room to pass.

She looked through the open space and then back at him. Her eyes cleared of tears and anger seeped back into them. “You can’t do this.”

He angled his head. Really? Was she going to snap on him?

“You can’t be loving one minute and then let me down the next!” She marched right up to him and pointed at his face. “Before that bitch arrived, everything was fine. Now you’re telling me to leave?”

How had he missed this crazy streak in her? “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

The anger melted away. “Oh, Brandon.” She pressed her body against his and began kissing him. “I knew you were just confused.”

Whoa. Brandon grasped her arms and forced her away. “You need to leave now.”

“But—”

“Please, Jillian, just go.”

“No.”

He moved her so that she was outside his door and shut it.

“You bastard!” she screeched, pounding the door. “I knew you were hiding something from me about that bitch. Let me back in there! I’ll make sure she knows where you belong!”

Holy cats! The woman had lost it. Was she referring to Eliza? She’d questioned him about her. Maybe someone in town had let her in on the history between them. That he’d broken up with her, and she’d moved away with a broken heart. Had seeing him interact with her tonight triggered this bizarre tantrum?

A few seconds of silence passed.

“Brandon?” Jillian pleaded. “Please don’t do this. Please let me in. I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect you to do this tonight. It started out so good, and…Brandon?”

He didn’t respond.

The doorbell rang. Rang again. When he didn’t answer, she knocked. Pounded.

“Brandon?” she called louder.

She pounded for about a minute longer before she finally gave up.

“This isn’t over,” she growled from the other side of the door.

There had to be something wrong with her. She was unnaturally angry. Violently jealous of Eliza. What would she do next? Would she come after him? Or Eliza….

Chapter 2

Was that yelling she heard? And someone had pounded on the front door. Who was it? Was someone here for David? Alarmed and worried about Brandon and Jillian, Eliza checked on David. He’d passed out as soon as he lay down. He hadn’t even undressed or gotten under the covers.

In her nightgown, she left the guest room that was on the first level and made her way down a long hallway, opposite the kitchen. Stepping into the living room, she saw Brandon looking out the front window.

After a few seconds, he turned and saw her, his unwelcoming face impassive the way she remembered him. She had always wondered what lived beneath that thick wall. Glimpses of a softer man had sneaked out when they were kids. Maybe that was what kept her from being able to forget him and move on.

She stepped closer, searching for Jillian. “Is everything okay?”

He took in her knee-length nightgown with spaghetti straps and scooped neckline as she stopped before him. “Yes. Jillian just left.”

“Is she okay?”

“You should go back to bed.” He started for the stairs leading to the upper level.

“Who was at the door? Was it someone looking for David?”

Stopping, he turned and angled his head shrewdly. “Why would anyone be looking for David here?”

“Who was at the door, Brandon?” she insisted. Why did he not want to tell her?

She moved toward him. He undressed her with his eyes as he once again took her in, spending too long on her scooped neckline, which was demure enough to be proper. It didn’t hide the movement of her breasts, however. She supposed she should have put on a robe, but the urgent yells and pounding had made her skip that step.

“Jillian,” he finally answered. “She was upset.”

Upset? “What was she so upset about? And why was she on the other side of the door?” Recalling the way she’d glared at her, Eliza had a pretty good idea already.

“I’d really rather not talk about it.” He headed for the stairs again.

“Did you break up with her?”

With a hand on the railing, he turned his brooding gaze on her. “Go to bed, Eliza.”

“Was she getting too close?”

He sighed in annoyance and came back to her, standing close. “She didn’t want you and David to stay here.”

There was only one reason for that. Jillian was jealous. And then she’d gotten angry. Had he kicked her out? He must have. That by itself didn’t surprise her. Jillian’s reaction did. Eliza was married to David. Brandon wasn’t interested in her that way. What had Jillian seen? What had David seen? Were they both overreacting or was there some merit to this?

“She was that mad when you told her we were staying?” she asked.

Slowly, he nodded, his worry showing. And something else.

“You did break up with her, didn’t you?” Her original conclusion had to be correct. “She was getting too close.”

“Eliza, damn it.” He turned again.

Why had he broken up with her tonight, though? She’d heard them in the kitchen before Brandon was aware of their arrival. They’d sounded so infatuated with each other. What had happened to turn him off so quickly?

“You do that all the time, Brandon. When are you going to get over that? Why are you so afraid of commitment anyway?”

“I’m not afraid. I know when it isn’t going to work…unlike you.”

That gave her a jolt. “What is that supposed to mean?” And why was he so defensive?

“David shows up at one of your fancy parties and you think he’s the one. Well, all you’ve done is make matters worse for him. He had problems before he ran into you again. All you’re doing is compounding them.”

Why was he so angry? She’d nailed him with the truth and now he was retaliating by bringing it all back onto her. She had to breathe to calm her shock and the aftermath of the insult. “That’s not fair! He asked me to marry him.”

“Yeah, and I can see why. With you, the party never ends.”

“You’re going to stand there and blame me for the way David has been behaving lately?”

“Lately? What’s changed? He’s still as wild as ever. More so. I was close to getting him back on track when he met you at that athlete’s party and you two started having such a good time together.”

David must have told him everything. She certainly hadn’t had the opportunity to have a close and personal talk with him.

Eliza folded her arms. “So it was all me. David had nothing to do with it. He didn’t have to make any decisions on his own. He just had to do what you told him.”

Brandon glanced down to where her breasts had plumped. “Go back to bed.”

She refused to move. He was always the one walking away. Not her. Eliza wasn’t a quitter. When it came to relationships, Brandon was, and she had a flaming impulse to find out why.

He’d caused her enough grief in her life. Maybe it was time to get to the bottom of it and put an end to it once and for all. Maybe then she could leave him in the past where he belonged.

Eliza left the guest room. She was glad she had to prepare for her party. It kept her mind off Brandon, or more appropriately, her desire to mine through his rock-hard heart to learn what was in there. Uncover the layers, as it were. There had to be some. Many. All of which he kept hidden, especially from women.

David had protected him. Both brothers looked out for each other in different ways. When Eliza had asked about Brandon’s inability to stay close to anyone, he’d answered vaguely, guarding Brandon’s privacy. Which only made her more curious. What was so important to hide?

She checked her watch. David wasn’t here at the ranch. He wasn’t answering her calls, either. While that worried her, she’d waited too long already. If she didn’t leave now, she’d be late. She’d only come back here to shower and change. The house was quiet. Brandon hadn’t come in from the stable yet. Good. She’d enjoy her evening without both men. Because she was pretty sure David wasn’t going to show up. He’d taken one of Brandon’s ranch trucks and gone God only knew where.

Opening the driver door of the rental car, Eliza stopped when she saw an envelope with her name on it.

Dropping her purse into the rental, she picked up the envelope and tore the paper, slipping out a card with a pretty red flower on the front. Opening it, she read, “You made a big mistake this time.” It was a blank card except for that.

An eerie chill chased along her skull and arms. Recalling how David had looked around when they’d first arrived, she did the same now. The sun was low in the sky. Birds chirped. A slight breeze toyed with the curls she’d put in her hair before putting it up.

Someone had come here and delivered the card. She and David had left the car doors open when they’d arrived.

Who had written it?

If someone was after David, it didn’t make sense to send it to her. Could Brandon have put it there? He held her responsible for David’s recklessness.

“Going early?”

Jumping, she turned. Brandon stood there. Wearing jeans and a long-sleeved, patterned green shirt, boots and a cowboy hat, he made her swoon. The low sun cast him in shadows.

“I need to make sure the caterers set everything up.”

She felt him take in her sparkly party dress and her carefully coiffed hair. She always looked her best for her events.

“What’s that?” He indicated the card.

Why would he ask if he had been the one to put it in the rental? “A card. Someone left it.”

Frowning, he stepped forward, taking the card from her and reading what was inside.

“Did you write that?” With him so close, the words came out a little too sultry.

His eyes lifted. “You think I wrote this?”

“You think I married David to—”

“I didn’t write it.” He handed her the card. She didn’t want it. She tossed it into the rental, and it sailed over to the passenger seat next to her purse.

Nor was she ready to get into the car and stop looking at him.

His brow creased. “Isn’t David going with you?”

“David hasn’t been home all day.”

Home. This wasn’t their home… .

“Maybe you should wait for me.”

He was going to her party? “You want to go?” She was afraid she sounded a little too animated.

“That note is suspicious.”

So he’d go to make sure she was okay. “Just like old times,” she teased. “Are you going to beat up some boys for me again?”

He chuckled, a rare sound from him. She breathed through the spark it caused.

“Just like old times, you’re going to drag me to one of your parties.”

“Who’s dragging?”

Still smiling, he didn’t reply, only touched her with his gaze all over her upper torso and face.

“You look beautiful.”

Tingles seeded and spread. “Thank you.” David never told her she was beautiful.

“It’s really good to see you again.”

Was he really talking to her like this? Eliza felt her face heat from all the tingling arousing her.

“It’s really good to see you, too.” She wished he’d have said this to her years ago. How could he, when she’d avoided him until now? Married to his brother, this felt a little dangerous. Alluring. Tempting. She was back in time to when she was a teenager. She loved it.

His boots scraped against the stone driveway as he stepped closer. His knee bumped her inner thigh, almost as if he’d nudge her legs apart.

Eliza put her hands on his chest as he leaned in. Her heart raced. Heat scorched her. Instantly out of control.

He kissed her, openmouthed and hungry. His arms went around her, and her body was deliciously pressed against him. He devoured her mouth, and she gave him everything he asked for.

Then he tore away from her, swearing gruffly.

He moved back, breathing erratically like her, dark eyes brooding with fiery lust. She was certain she looked the same. He had her so hot right now she might have a hard time driving.

What had just come over them?

Angrily, he turned and strode toward the house.

The guests were already arriving, and David hadn’t even called her yet. Where was he? She was beginning to worry. Who had followed him to the ranch? Was he on the run from that person? Is that why he was staying away? Maybe she should have paid more attention to that. Her husband could be in trouble and all she’d been doing was thinking about Brandon. She still couldn’t believe he’d kissed her!

It had been incredible. A kiss had never felt so good. Even when he’d kissed her as a teenager, and those had been potent enough. She thought she’d die. She’d have gladly taken whatever he was willing to give. He could have led her into the house and she’d have gone. He could have thrown her on the hood of the car. In the backseat. Hell, standing right there in the driveway!

It was appalling, shameful and exciting at the same time.

She looked around the banquet room. Everything was perfect. Elegant and color coordinated. She smiled. This was her favorite part. Before people dug in to the impressive display of food. Before the white-linen tables were obscured in the crowd. Before dishes littered every surface. The early conversations. The first glasses of libation. The end of the night would come, but right now, right here, the fun was just beginning.

Senator Merris entered with his wife, he in a suit and she in a conservative cocktail dress. He saw her and waved. Average height and thin, he kept his white hair short. His wife was something of a mousy thing, always in her husband’s shadow. A few years younger than his sixty-two, she tried hard to look young, but the look came across boyish. Short, dyed blond hair, minimal makeup and jewelry and rare smiles.

Eliza headed toward them. “Senator.” She greeted his wife, too.

“I see you’ve created another marvel.” He leaned in for a brief hug. “Your brother will be happy.”

She hoped so. “Thank you.”

“The entire town will show up for this one. With an open invitation and you the host, they’re all expecting you to bring Hollywood to Vengeance.” He glanced around. “And it appears you’ve succeeded.”

“The only thing missing are the stars.” She laughed at her quip.

So did he. His wife barely cracked a smile.

“Your party planning company is one of the best, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see one tonight.”

“I’m lucky that way.” Word of mouth and a few mentions on entertainment programs had boosted her business.

She did have Roy Greenwood playing tonight. The American Idol sensation was sure to be the real reason attendance would be high. And Eliza had planned it that way.

“Either that, or a natural.”

She angled her head at his generous praise, certain he was doing it so that she’d keep giving him discounts on the events she planned for him.

Over his shoulder, she spotted Brandon walking into the banquet room and endured a rush of passion and shock. He’d actually come to her party. In a dark suit and dark pink-and-gray tie, he put a hitch in her next breath. Was he really concerned about the card she’d received? Or was he here for her? Excitement obliterated guilt for a moment or two.

Greeting him would be torture, but if she ignored him that might seem suspicious. He was her brother-in-law.

A cocktail waitress stopped near the senator, and Eliza excused herself, wandering toward Brandon, greeting people on her way.

He saw her, and those brooding eyes darkened.

“This is a far cry from my Friday parties.” She hoped to lighten the air between them.

He scanned the opulent room. “I can see that.” And then his gaze roamed over her black sparkly cocktail dress again, dipping low in front and ending just above her knees. Her Jimmy Choo shoes brought her closer to his six-two height.

“Nice suit,” she said, then immediately regretted it.

She was married to his brother and flirting shamelessly. After that kiss, how could she not? If he weren’t her husband’s brother, she’d probably have an affair with him.

“Did David make it back to the ranch?”

“No.”

She checked the door and the thickening crowd. He’d been doing this a lot lately, abandoning her for his own agenda. Withdrawn and disinterested. Neglecting her. She was afraid that was directly related to her unresolved feelings for Brandon.

“Did he know you were coming?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen him.”

Her brother wasn’t there, either. Since he was the reason for the party, she’d be embarrassed if he didn’t show. Another check at the door produced Ryker. Her mood brightened. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about explaining why her brother didn’t show up at his own birthday party. He and his wife looked stunning. Six feet tall with brown hair and green eyes, Ryker was handsome in khaki pants and a white golf shirt. Aegina looked incredible in her little black dress, red hair up in a stylish clip and green eyes brighter than Ryker’s.

Behind them, her mother appeared. She was plump around the middle in a layered and flowing blue dress, and her graying hair was short now. She’d come out of her severe depression after losing her husband but was a quieter version of the mother Eliza had once known. She had her occasional bubbly moments, but losing her husband had devastated her. Her mother never really seemed to move on. Once you loved someone that deeply, there were no replacements.

Seeing her, Ryker led his wife and their mother over.

“Happy birthday.” Eliza hugged him, and he stiffly hugged her back.

“You could’ve stopped by the house. The kids keep asking why we had to leave them at home.”

It was a deliberate jab. “I’ll make it up to them.”

“Eliza, look at you. You’re my beautiful girl.” Her mother came in for a hug.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

She always said that. Over her shoulder, Ryker smothered a glare.

“Stop it, Ryker.” His wife elbowed him. “Eliza went to a lot of trouble planning this fabulous party for you.”

Sidling between Brandon and Eliza, her mother took in the room in delighted amazement. “Wow.”

“She’s come a long way,” Brandon said.

Eliza wondered what he meant.

“Where’s your husband?” Ryker asked derisively. He had always thought David was selfish and now he was married to Eliza, who was equally selfish in his opinion.

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. The truth was too complicated.

Brandon noticed her sinking mood. “I’m going to get a drink. Would you like anything?” he asked everyone.

“A pinot grigio.” Aegina Harvey was full of life. “I can’t pass up a night without the kids!”

“I’ll have the same.”

This was the brightest Eliza had ever seen her mother since her father died.

“I’ll go with you,” Ryker said.

Brandon waited for Eliza to answer. “Nothing for me.”

That gave him pause, and then he went with Ryker to one of the four bars. She was glad for the reprieve from both of them.

“He’ll get over it, Eliza,” Aegina said. “He goes through this every time you come here to visit.”

Her mother hooked her arm with Eliza’s. “I keep telling him to change his attitude.”

“Why does he blame me for leaving Vengeance?”

“You knew what you wanted at eighteen,” her mother said.

“And Ryker didn’t figure that out for himself until it was too late,” Aegina added.

That wasn’t enough for Eliza. “He wanted to be a doctor. He always talked about it growing up.”

“Yeah, but notice how he never did anything about it?”

Aegina’s tone caught Eliza’s attention. She glanced at her mother, not sure she should say anything more. Her mother did it for her.

“He feels he was forced to stay in Vengeance because of me. Responsibility isn’t part of his vocabulary.”

“He moved in with me before you did,” Aegina pointed out.

Ryker had fallen in love, and that was why he had stayed. Then why did he resent Eliza?

“He didn’t have the gumption that Eliza had. He didn’t go to college because he didn’t want it badly enough. That’s why I don’t move out of the carriage house, you know. He’s so confused he doesn’t even know he’s in denial.”

Eliza laughed a little and so did Aegina.

“Maybe that’s why he doesn’t love me anymore,” Aegina said.

Though she joked, Eliza could see she was serious. “He loves you. He must. Why else would he have stayed?”

“At first he may have believed he loved me. But as soon as he realized everything he gave up, that all changed.”

This was new, alarming news. Didn’t Aegina believe Ryker was only going through a phase? One that had lasted ten years…? “Are you two okay?”

She snagged a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. “Oh, yeah, we’re fine. What do you expect after a decade of marriage?”

“Love.” The kind her parents had before her dad had died. the kind Eliza never planned to have. She loved David, but he was more of a pal. Pals were safer.

Unless they were Brandon Reed…

She caught the faraway look in her mother’s eyes and knew the talk about love had sent her back in time. Eliza never wanted anyone to catch her looking like that.

Ryker returned with the wine. Brandon wasn’t with him.

A quick survey found him talking to a stacked brunette just south of the bar. Why that chafed her, she’d rather not explore.

With a scowl, her brother handed their mother her wine and then his wife’s, watching in disgust as she drained the champagne glass with one hand and took the pinot with the other.

The band started playing. Many in the crowd cheered. Even Eliza was impressed with the turnout. If only Brandon could appreciate it as much as she did.

“When are you going back to Hollywood?”

Ryker sounded as though he couldn’t wait for her to go. “We planned a week here.”

“Can you handle being away from all that excitement for so long?”

“It’s not excitement, Ryker. It’s my job. My business.”

“You have a fascinating job. You get to meet rich and famous people,” Aegina said, sipping her wine and taking in the party.

“She craves that. Don’t get too close to Eliza. She’ll leave you in the dust without a backward glance in her pursuit of good times and lots of money.”

“You’re not exactly slumming it,” Eliza’s mother interrupted. He was being unfairly harsh.

“In Vengeance, Texas.”

Aegina drank some more, but Eliza caught the hurt in her eyes.

“You have a wife and family here.”

Ryker drained his whiskey and placed it on the table next to Aegina’s empty champagne glass. “I’m going to go mingle. It’s my birthday party after all.” He zeroed in on Eliza. “Or is that what this is all about?”

“Of course it is. What else would it be?”

“Another way for you to be the life of the party.” With that, he walked off.

“If he’s so damn unhappy, why the hell doesn’t he divorce me and move to the East Coast like he’s always complaining he would have done?”

“Because he loves you,” Eliza said.

“He loves his kids, too,” her mother added.

“He loves you, too, Mom.”

“Oh, I know that.” Her mother swatted the air with her hand.

Aegina grunted contemptuously. “He accuses you of being selfish. What does that make him?”

Eliza had never thought of it that way. Her brother always made her feel guilty for leaving him here. And he was doing the same to his own wife. She tied him to Vengeance the same as his mother. Or at least that’s how he’d calculated it in his mind. “Selfish.”

Aegina shook off the slight sheen in her eyes. “You aren’t selfish, Eliza. You went after your dream and got it. That’s admirable. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”

“Hear, hear.” Her mother lifted her wine and then sipped.

Eliza’s first impulse was to agree. Something kept her from letting it carry her away. Why had she gone to Hollywood, and why had she worked so hard to be among the best event planners in the country? Moreover, why hadn’t she spent more time here in Vengeance, with her mother and her brother?

The answer was standing across the room, a woman jabbering away while all he did was stare at her. For a moment, she slipped into that gaze, so full of impossible fantasies. If only…

The woman followed his gaze, and Eliza recognized Jillian. Her face tightened with jealous intimidation. Covering it before saying something to Brandon, she managed to capture his attention. He said something back that made her smile. And then he took two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed her one. She beamed even more. The woman had it bad for him. The poor thing.

As she sidled closer to him, she looked across the room at Eliza, pure triumph and a dash of warning. If that wasn’t a hands-off sign, Eliza didn’t know what was. Brandon better be careful. If he kept leading Jillian on like that, she might do more than pound on his door and yell.

Chapter 3

The party was a hit. The whole town would be talking about it tomorrow. Eliza would probably be in the local paper. The Vengeance High School bad girl was back with a bang. Good thing his stupidity wouldn’t be printed. How could he have allowed that kiss to happen? Brandon was still cursing himself, and guilt came at him in waves. How could he do that to his own brother? A brother who was missing and could be in trouble while they enjoyed a party.

Watching her direct the cleanup, Brandon knew deep down why he’d kissed her. He’d watched her all night—to make sure Jillian didn’t try anything. But as the night had gone on, something else entirely drove him. The Eliza he remembered thrived on being the center of attention, and tonight she’d done it without stealing her best friend’s boyfriend or dancing on the bar with a beer in her hand. She’d changed. Matured. Brandon had to commend her for turning her bad habits into a lucrative career.

Her brother had left hours ago, when people had first begun to leave around ten. He’d practically had to drag his wife with him. She’d wanted to stay with the rest of the diehards who hadn’t left until midnight. This wasn’t a nightclub. It was a birthday party for a thirty-seven-year-old. One David hadn’t shown up for.

Something had to be driving him away from Eliza. After witnessing her hosting this event, he wasn’t as convinced she was the main cause. David hadn’t come to Brandon for help, and that could only mean bad news. What kind of trouble had he gotten himself into this time? And did the note Eliza had received have something to do with it? Brandon didn’t think so. Jillian might have sent it. He couldn’t be sure, though. He’d been busy all day around the ranch and hadn’t seen anyone drive up. It could have been anyone.

But Jillian was his first bet. She’d shown up here tonight as though nothing had happened. He’d been civil with her because they were in public. He was afraid that had encouraged her. She’d left happy, sending him bedroom eyes as she waved goodbye around eleven. Crazy woman. If he hadn’t been there, would she have gone after Eliza? He wouldn’t take the chance.

Checking his watch, Brandon had an idea of where he’d find David. Unless something had happened to him. Hopefully, he was all right and only drinking his troubles away for the day. Or gambling again.

When all that was left was the hotel staff, Eliza finally noticed him. Or maybe she had noticed him and hidden it by pretending to be busy until now. That kiss had to be weighing on her, too.

She approached him and stopped a few feet away, keeping her distance. “What are you still doing here?”

He’d have to make extra sure he never touched her again. “I think I know where David is.” He pushed off the bar and started for the door.

“Where?”

“The Cork. We have about an hour before they close.”

“How do you know he’s there?” She walked with him toward the exit.

“I don’t. It’s worth a try, though. He goes there every time he comes to town.”

“He spends all afternoon and night there?”

“It’s a favorite nightspot. I’m hoping he’s there.”

Outside, she walked beside him. “I’m not so sure I want to find him.”

Because he’d kissed her or because David hadn’t shown up tonight?

“We need to make sure he’s all right.” He opened his big diesel truck’s door. “We’ll get your car later.”

Reluctantly, she climbed up into the cab and he shut the door, annoyed that he was aware of every curve in that dress of hers.

He drove away from the hotel. The tension was palpable between them. He could almost feel her thinking about that kiss, just like him, and at the same time wondering why David had disappeared all day. If something had happened to him, Brandon wasn’t going to like the guilt trip that would surely follow. While he and Eliza had been groping and hot for each other, David could have been running from gangsters, gambling debt collectors.

He had to get his mind off that. “I noticed you didn’t drink at all tonight. Did you quit or something?”

“I never drink when I work.”

“It was your brother’s birthday party.”

She shrugged. “I don’t drink much anymore.”

That was new. She hadn’t drunk much the night before, so she must be telling the truth.

“What made you come to the party?” she asked.

He’d rather not tell her he came to protect her from Jillian. Even when she was in grade school he’d had the instinct to do that. Apparently that had never gone away. He was glad she was staying at his ranch so that he could keep an eye on her.

“Curiosity.” What he’d intended to be a lie turned out to be partly true. That was the other reason he’d come here tonight. To see if she’d changed at all. She had, and he worried he liked it too much.

She smiled. “Did you think I’d still be dancing on bar tops?”

He chuckled, that old attraction coming back. Only now it was a lot stronger. He fought the building desire that threatened to set aside reason. Eliza may have grown up, but she was still a party girl.

Parking in front of the brick-and-white-trimmed bar, Brandon saw his work truck the same time Eliza did.

All her animation fled. “There’s your truck.”

She both looked and sounded so deflated, and it seemed as though more than catching David drinking had triggered it. Why was she upset? Because their moment of reuniting would come to an end? Or did finding David here instead of with her hurt her that much?

Why? She didn’t actually love him, did she?

“Why did you marry him?” he asked out of annoyance.

After shooting a look at him, she didn’t respond. She didn’t have to. They both knew she’d married him to spite Brandon. Now David was out of control and she and Brandon were fighting this damn attraction that he had thought they were both over. Why couldn’t she have married someone else? Someone who wasn’t from Vengeance. An actor or something. Then she’d have her limelight that she craved so much and she wouldn’t have to come for family visits.

He stepped out of the truck. When she didn’t do the same, he came around to her side and opened the door. She kept staring at the front entrance to the Cork, as though dreading what she’d find inside.

He couldn’t resist her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you. We’ll get him and bring him home.”

“It isn’t that.” She lowered her head and then lifted it to meet his gaze, her eyes full of sorrow.

“What’s wrong, Eliza?” he asked softly.

After a brief hesitation, she began, “He’s been acting strange lately.”

“Drinking too much?”

Again she hesitated. Whatever troubled her, she didn’t want to say. She was humiliated and would rather not go into the bar. Did she know about David’s gambling problem? It didn’t seem so. And there was no gambling at the Cork.

“He’s probably with another woman,” she said at last.

David? He’d never known his brother to be unfaithful to any woman. Was it only her insecurity, or had he really gone off the deep end?

Cheat on Eliza? She was stunning and beautiful. Who could David prefer over her?

“David wouldn’t cheat on you,” he said.

Her eyes disagreed with him and made his brow crease in question.

“It’s not just that,” she said self-consciously, not wanting to talk about it. “H-he…keeps looking over his shoulder…taking his cell phone outside to talk. Like he’s afraid of something.”

While that wasn’t the real reason she’d rather not go into the bar, it was another thing that troubled her about David. Alarm somersaulted through Brandon. David’s gambling debts had mushroomed in the past few months, ever since he had married Eliza. Except she didn’t seem to know about that.

“What’s he afraid of?”

“He won’t talk to me about it. I try, but…”

He was too busy screwing other women. He could swear that’s what she was thinking. It was so unlike his brother, the Casanova who lured women by charming them into believing he was a gentleman. Was it all a facade? He was a little conceited….

“Do you want to wait out here?” It might be better for her.

“No. I have to face this.”

When she started to step out of the truck, he helped her with his hands on her hips and she put hers on his shoulders. He lowered her, and she stood right there for a second too long. A second was all it took to feel enough of her to want more. He moved back, and Eliza marched to the entrance.

She opened the door before he could do it for her. And then she stopped short when she saw David sitting at a booth—right beside Jillian.

Brandon did the same. This he hadn’t anticipated. Catching him with a woman was one thing, but Jillian…

What was she doing here with his brother? She wouldn’t try to sleep with David, would she? Would David sleep with her?

There were a few other patrons in the bar. An old man who paid his tab to the bartender, talking to the young man as if he was a regular. A handful of tables were occupied. Laughter and an Elton John song playing from the jukebox filled the air. Willa Merris and another gradeschool teacher sat at the booth beside David and Jillian, deep into some discussion. Willa’s long strawberry-blond hair gleamed under the dim bar lights. Her father kept her in upper-class social circles and it was odd seeing her here. At this low-end bar.

Not as odd as finding his brother with Jillian. Had she deliberately arranged this? Why?

Jillian lifted her dark drink and sipped. As she lowered her glass, she caught sight of Brandon and her eyes popped open wide.

He stopped with Eliza at the booth.

“Well, look who’s here,” David slurred.

Eliza folded her arms indignantly, but the sexy cock of her hips in that slinky dress diffused her seriousness. “Is this why you didn’t show up at my brother’s party?”

“I thought you’d prefer it that way.” Scorn dripped off him like the alcohol swimming in his blood. “Did you two have a good time?”

What did he mean by that? “Why haven’t you been back at the ranch?” Brandon asked.

“Three’s a crowd, brother.”

As in him, Eliza and David? Did he actually believe…?

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but there is nothing going on between me and Eliza.” He had to know Brandon had no intention of pursuing her. He couldn’t call her wild anymore, but she still craved the spotlight. His mind hadn’t changed about her.

“I saw the way you looked at her last night.” He drained his drink.

Seeing Eliza had taken him aback. He’d forgotten just how striking her beauty was. He’d rather not think about kissing her. Not knowing how to respond, he decided it was better not to.

Instead, he met Jillian’s discontented eyes and wondered how long it would be before the she-snake in her struck.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

She passed David an uncertain glance. “I ran into him when I left the party. David was just arriving.”

“She told me you were there.” David’s drunken reproach landed on Brandon.

“He drew his own conclusions,” Jillian quickly added. “And then invited me to accompany him here. I agreed, but only to make sure he made it all right. He’d already had something to drink, so I drove his truck. My car is still at the hotel.”

That was more explanation than he needed. She was covering her tracks. She hadn’t intended for Brandon to find out she was here…with his brother. Her uncertain look earlier had him suspicious. What had they been discussing when he and Eliza had arrived?

The news relaxed Eliza. She lowered her arms. David wasn’t with Jillian to sleep with her.

“Jillian’s been quite a chaperone,” David said. “I’ve been sitting here with her trying to figure out why you broke up with her. I mean, I could understand if you knew she—”

“Maybe I should drive you back to Brandon’s ranch now,” Jillian interrupted, turning from David to Brandon. “Then maybe you and I can talk.”

They had nothing to talk about. Or did they? What had David been about to say? She was obviously hiding something. And he didn’t believe she was here by coincidence.

“I’ll drive him home.” Brandon would like to question her, but his drunk brother was his first priority. “You take his truck, and I’ll arrange to pick it up tomorrow.” Eliza moved forward and extended her hand to David. “Come on, David. You and I can talk about this tomorrow…when you’re sober.”

“I don’t need to be sober.” He waved her hand away. “And I’m not going back to the ranch.”

“David…” Eliza was clearly mystified. “Why?”

“I’m doing you a favor, Eliza.” Pain and resentment laced his tone. “Go home with Brandon. That’s what you wish for.” He turned to Brandon. “It’s what you both wish for.” And then more somberly, “You belong together anyway.”

“That’s enough, little brother,” Brandon said. He’d had enough of this nonsense. “Let’s go.”

He took hold of his brother’s arm to help him up from the booth.

David yanked free. “If I go anywhere, it’ll be with Jillian.” He turned to her. “Right, sweetheart?”

Jillian turned a narrow-eyed, warning look to David. Was David threatening her? Why had he called a woman he barely knew sweetheart? Had he discovered something about her? Once he had David alone and sober, he’d be sure and ask.

“Brandon, come back to the ranch with us,” Eliza said.

Brandon shot a look at her. David went utterly still.

“I—I mean…David,” she corrected.

David smiled without humor, calculating and cruel. “You see? You’re even saying his name instead of mine now.”

“You drank too much,” Brandon said. “You’re overreacting.”

“It was an accident. It doesn’t mean—”

“Come on, Eliza, let’s not pretend what this marriage is all about,” David cut her off. “We both know it’s him you’ve always wanted. I only married you so I could see what all the fuss was about.”

Eliza drew in a sharp breath just as the jukebox went silent with the last notes of piano music. She gripped Brandon’s jacket sleeve. David’s insensitivity was hurting her. Why was he acting this way? It couldn’t be that he truly believed his own brother fancied his wife.

“Brandon doesn’t want Eliza,” Jillian said to David. “She’s married to you. Besides, Brandon and I are seeing each other.”

The woman really grated his nerves when she did that, talking as though he hadn’t broken up with her and she hadn’t gone crazy on his front doorstep.

“He doesn’t care about you,” David said and sneered. “He doesn’t care about any woman. Except maybe Eliza here. Other than her, all he cares about is himself and that ranch of his.”

Eliza’s face had gone pale. “That isn’t true.”

David got up from the booth and staggered to her, making a show of running his gaze down to her hand still gripping Brandon’s sleeve and back up again. “Yes, it is.”

Jillian slid out of the booth and hooked her arm with David’s. She said to Brandon, “I’ll drive him home.”

“I don’t want to go back to the ranch. Let’s go to your place.”

“David—”

“Now,” David growled, making Jillian’s head flinch ever so slightly.

This was not the brother Brandon had grown up with. This man Brandon felt like punching. The way he’d just given Jillian another order kept him from acting. It was as if David had something on her, whatever she had stopped him from saying earlier.

David rounded on Eliza, cold eyes scathing. “I want an annulment. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to marry you.” And then he began walking toward the door, his arm around Jillian’s waist.

Jillian looked back apologetically at Brandon and mouthed, “I’ll take him home.”

They left through the door. David didn’t want to be anywhere near him or Eliza. What bothered Brandon was that all it had taken to send his brother walking was seeing Eliza with him. The friction hadn’t been there after they’d first been married. Clearly David had worried his wife still felt something for his brother. Seeing them together had confirmed his suspicion.

Beside him, Eliza silently cried.

Anger boiled up hotly in him. He had sound reasons for letting Eliza go all those years ago. She may not be as wild as she once was, but she still put her parties ahead of anything else, just as he’d predicted. David hadn’t seen that about her. He was accustomed to women falling all over him. He was a good-looking man. And now he thought Brandon and Eliza wanted to be together.

When had David become so vulnerable? Since he’d started gambling and drinking and doing drugs? Or since he’d married Eliza, the one and only woman who didn’t worship him? That had to be it. He must have discovered that her parties came first. She didn’t care about him as much as he needed her to. It wasn’t that she wanted Brandon more. In the morning, he’d make sure David understood that.

As David and Jillian left the bar, Eliza turned to him, still crying. Brandon took her into his arms, all his conviction to stay away from her vanishing. She buried her head against his chest and cried while everyone in the bar watched. In grade school some boys had bullied her and he’d comforted her after chasing them away. Now she was a grown woman with grown-woman tears pouring out of her.

Would she be this upset if she didn’t love his brother? He hoped she did. How terrible would it be if David was right about them? Seeing her for the first time in years had struck him intensely. More intensely than he’d anticipated. He thought he was long over her. Seeing her stirred up too much old chemistry.

Sparing her any more of this public display, Brandon guided her outside. At his truck, he lifted her onto the seat, her legs over the side. He brushed her heavy, silky dark brown hair away from her face. It fell back down, swooping across her face. He tipped her chin up a bit.

She sniffled and those sad eyes met his. “He doesn’t think our marriage is real.”

Was it? Brandon would have guessed not. But Eliza obviously had believed it was. Despite her unspoken motive to make Brandon jealous or otherwise regretful for ever letting her go, she’d intended to stay with David. Maybe she really did love him.

“He’s been drinking. People say things they don’t really mean when they drink.”

“I should have known better,” she said. “I shouldn’t have married him.” She wiped tears from one cheek and then the other.

He wished she hadn’t married him. None of this would be happening if she hadn’t. “It was a little impulsive.”

She wiped another tear with the back of her hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

Was that why she was crying? Her sweet sincerity cracked his resolve. He was tall enough to be eye level with her. He touched her damp cheek and let his hand rest on her shoulder, wanting to comfort her.

“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” He’d set him straight.

With his deep murmur, Eliza’s sniffling stopped and she blinked away the last of her tears. “You will?” Her gaze drifted softly over his face.

“Of course.”

She was his brother’s wife, and he’d do all he could not to get between them. Looking into her blue eyes, the energy shifted. He slid his hand to the base of her head. In the warmth of the moment, she leaned closer. Relentless desire made him close the distance.

Their lips melded together, slow and tender. She ran her fingers into his hair, and he both heard and felt her breath.

He wrapped his free hand around her waist and pressed her torso closer. She responded by parting her legs to make more room for him. He kissed her harder, fisting some of her hair and tugging her head back so that he could kiss her neck.

“Brandon.”

He wanted her so much. Kissing her mouth again, he drank in the sound of his name.

Headlights shone as a car passed in the street.

Brandon pulled back. Eliza’s beautiful eyes were droopy with desire. Her breasts were crushed against his chest. His hardness lodged against the heat between her legs.

“Damn it,” he hissed, pushing back and walking to the front of his truck, where he paused to pound the hood and lean over with his hands braced there, head bent, furious with his loss of control.

How could he vow to talk sense into his brother one second and get between the same brother’s wife’s legs the next? This persistent attraction had to stop. And yet he felt powerless in its grasp. When he was kissing Eliza, the world retreated to an untouchable place.

He lifted his head and saw Eliza watching him, her hand over her mouth, equally appalled.

Having showered and dressed more than an hour ago, Eliza sat curled in a chair near one of the windows in the guest room. There was a beautiful view of a rolling, tree-lined pasture through the giant bedroom window. Cattle grazed beneath a partly cloudy sky. The scene of such peace clashed with the confusion singeing her on the inside.

David hadn’t come back to the ranch last night. It was after lunch already. He was probably still with Jillian. Punishing his wife and brother.

And how could she fault him? Twice now she’d kissed Brandon. She hadn’t been back in Vengeance three days and already she was carousing with another man. David didn’t know what she’d done. He didn’t have to. He accused her of being stuck on his brother. She was, in a way, but things were different now. And then not. Brandon still wouldn’t want her, but Eliza wasn’t an over-the-moon adolescent anymore.

While she didn’t fully understand why Brandon had allowed the second kiss to happen, the way he’d looked at her through the windshield of his truck would be permanently scorched into her memory. One more to add to the fantasy that was Brandon. He desired her. Passion had never been their shortcoming. But what they’d done was wrong. David was Brandon’s brother.

Would David even care? He wanted an annulment. Their marriage hadn’t meant enough to him to call it a divorce, and she had no right to be angry with him.

Their marriage was going sour because of her Brandon fantasies. For years she hadn’t been able to keep them away. Every once in a while they transported her to a fictional world, one where he was with her. She secretly yearned for him. Everybody wanted what they couldn’t have, right? That was her only problem. Had it truly led to the poor state of her marriage? She found it difficult to accept.

There had to be more to it than just her. David had cheated on her. The disrespect he’d shown her by having sex with another woman less than six months into their marriage hinted at deeper problems. Eliza hadn’t had an affair with Brandon and she wouldn’t.

Even as the thought came, the truth taunted her. Both times she’d kissed Brandon, the invitation for sweet passion had ruled. David had not entered her conscience, not even the peripheries of it. And his declaration to seek an annulment hadn’t pained her much. Her failure in marriage had. So had the cause of David’s change of heart.

Other than an ego wound, his infidelity didn’t hurt her. What hurt her was the truth behind why she’d married him. She’d entertained the possibility that doing so would get back at Brandon for rejecting her. It hadn’t seemed so big back then, just an innocent triumph, one only she would enjoy. Now it rocked her, how shallow she’d become. That she would minimize marriage so much. Six months ago, she’d rationalized that it was better than loving someone who didn’t love her back. And David had the added bonus of being Brandon’s brother, the next best thing to perfection. Except he’d turned out to be far less.

That pained her. She truly hadn’t meant to hurt him. She hadn’t really believed her feelings for him mattered that much. As long as he loved her it would be enough.

She’d been mistaken. Kissing Brandon proved it. The deep, raw feelings he stirred were so much more powerful than they had been years ago. That frightened her like nothing else could. Love had to be reciprocated, and Brandon would never feel the way she did for him, now or ever. He wouldn’t allow it.

She was in a loveless marriage, still yearning for a man she could never have. It was disheartening, not having the ability to lock him out of her heart, move on without him, forget him forever. Be happy. As always, happiness eluded her. Her company filled that void. Her success. Her popularity. Marrying David was supposed to be fun, like running her company was. What a fool she’d been.

Despondent, she got up from the chair. She had to do something. She couldn’t keep waiting for David to return so that she could face the pitiful demise of her faux marriage.

Outside, she headed for the stable. She’d been gazing at this beautiful land all morning. It was time to explore.

The stable was empty, but there were horses in separated corrals. A pretty palomino whinnied and bobbed her head, white-streaked mane flowing. Eliza brought the communicative mare into the stable to saddle her. When her father had been alive, they had lived on a farm. Eliza missed those hardworking days when nothing plagued her, when the world was full of optimism and death was something that happened to other people.

As she climbed atop the big horse, it dawned on her that she hadn’t been riding since her father had died. Reining the well-trained palomino out of the stable, she headed for the emerald hills of Brandon’s ranch.

When the ranch buildings disappeared from view and she topped another hill, she stopped the palomino. In the valley below, Brandon finished closing a pasture gate; the cattle he’d just herded with two of his ranch hands were inside. The clouds overhead were gathering into what might develop into a thunderstorm. Eliza considered turning back.

Brandon saw her just before he mounted his big red horse. Saying something to the two other men, he reined his horse in her direction. The two other men rode away in another direction. It was probably too early to quit for the day, so he was probably going to catch up with them after he talked to her.

Eliza wasn’t sure how he’d feel about her taking the liberty of riding one of his horses without asking. She was too impulsive to wait for permission.

Watching him send his horse into a gallop as he approached, Eliza felt a surge of anxiety. It wasn’t wise to be alone with him in any setting. as he drew nearer she saw his flat-lined mouth. Was he annoyed? Had he approached her out of courtesy?

His horse blew out a long breath of air as he stopped beside Eliza and her horse. The way his gaze wandered all over her wasn’t deliberate. It seemed involuntary.

“I forgot you grew up on a farm,” he said.

He’d forgotten her, so that didn’t surprise her. “I’ll take care of her when we get back.” And had he said that to cover up his unwanted interest?

“Willow is one of my best horses. She loves to get out and run.”

Eliza smiled. “I can tell.” She patted the mare’s neck and received an answering bob of her head along with a nicker.

He watched her, fondness for her practiced ease on a horse smoothing out his mouth into an ever-so-slight curve of amusement. “You look good on her.”

“Minus riding pants.” She extended her leg a little to show him her fashionably holey jeans and expensive loafers.

He chuckled, at home on his land and at peace. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him this relaxed before. Riding in nature did that for her, too. It had been too long.

“As long as you’re out, I might as well show you around.” He turned his horse.

Ignoring the nagging voice in her head that warned of the temptation driving them both to do something they’d regret, Eliza prodded Willow forward to walk beside Brandon. “What’s there to see other than a bunch of cows?”

He feigned insult. “Those are prime-grade Wagyu and Angus cattle.”

“I’ll remember that the next time I eat steak at the Prime House.” The restaurant was the kind that would meticulously age the meat bought from ranchers like Brandon.

Nothing but the sounds of the horses walking leisurely along, the squeak of leather saddles and chirping birds passed for a few strides.

“Where’s David?” Brandon finally asked. “I didn’t want to wake him this morning.”

“He isn’t back yet.” She was careful not to look at him, instead trying hard to stay immersed in the beauty that surrounded her.

“He’s not?” Worry laced his tone.

Maybe she should be, too. “He must still be with Jillian.”

Brandon took some time to think. “I’ve never known him to cheat on a woman.”

Only now had he taken up that pastime. With her. “That’s nice. He cheats on me and no one else.”

“He’s never been married before.”

“Oh, well there you go… . That explains it.” She let her hand slap gently down onto her thigh, the motion triggering Willow into a trot. “Whoa.” She pulled on the reins, slowing the frisky palomino into a walk.

“You both rushed into it.”

A blunt explanation and an accurate one. She almost thanked him for including David. “It would have worked if he’d have stayed faithful.”

“Maybe.”

“I was committed.”

He glanced at her, doubtful and then not. Uncertain. Because of their kisses. She hadn’t been committed then, had she? If she could kiss Brandon the way she had, how could she say she was committed to a marriage with his brother? Is that what he’d concluded after last night?

“He would have stayed closer to home if he had a wife who wanted the same,” Brandon said.

“I did.”

He didn’t believe her.

“Everything would have been fine if we hadn’t come here,” she told his frowning profile.

“Stay away from his family? That’s no marriage.”

That made her mad. She wasn’t the only one to blame for this. “I didn’t ask for a cheating husband, and I wasn’t the only one involved in our kissing.”

“No, but you didn’t want commitment, either.”

Her jaw dropped down. “You’re not being very nice.”

“You didn’t. You never did.”

“Commitment? Of course I did.” He had gall saying that, the king of isolation.

She listened to the horses’ hooves crunching over a dry, rocky patch. Anything to keep her cool.

“You’re committed to event planning. A husband is only a prop to you.”

She couldn’t believe this. “Not everyone finds true love. You of all people should know that.”

He turned his head toward her, more of a pounce with that direct gaze. “Your events are a surrogate to true love. You never give it a chance.”

“I gave you a chance,” she shot back. And look at the reward she got for that.

“I didn’t have a chance in hell with you.”

Taken aback, she stared at him, unable to zero in on just one comeback. What was he saying? That he’d have loved her if she hadn’t put so much energy into event planning? That was ridiculous.

“If I hadn’t walked away, you would have,” he said.

Once again, his words rang true. At the time he’d walked, their relationship had reached a feverish pitch. Overwhelming, powerful emotion had gripped them. She could never get enough of him and could sense him struggling with the same. It had frightened her as much as it had frightened him. They were young and didn’t know what to do with so much feeling.

But he attributed her partying to their demise. “What was I supposed to do? Not make a living?”

“I’m not saying it didn’t work well for you. It did.”

Work well for her?

“I just wish you would have chosen someone other than my brother to fill the void in your personal life, what there is of it.”

The way he said it came across as harmless, the sound of his casual voice, the way he looked out across the land, a satisfied man on a ride. All the while his meaning hit hard. She was about to lay into him, then stopped herself. That note had been painfully accurate. So had David when he’d said he wanted an annulment. They’d both made a mistake getting married.

“You don’t know anything about my personal life before I married David,” she said quietly.

“I don’t mean to judge you. I just call it the way I see it.”

And for the most part he was right. The irrational side of her unwilling to agree, she faced forward. He termed it wrong. Filling a void wasn’t what anyone aspired for when seeking a life partner. Some found love with less trouble than others, stumbled into it. Some searched doggedly and found it. No matter how, they found it. Eliza hadn’t been so lucky. She’d thought she’d found her true love the first time Brandon had kissed her. To discover Brandon hadn’t felt the same had been the shock of her life. She’d been so sure. And He’d turned on her. He’d abandoned her.

She had no animosity toward him. He’d been totally honest back then. He’d told her the truth. She’d dated many men after him. It was the ones who lied to escape a relationship that were the worst experiences, the ones she wished she could erase from memory. Men like that were too conceited. They treated her as if the truth would hurt more, as if losing them was so terrible. What was wrong with just saying they weren’t interested? It happened. She’d had no interest in some of the men she’d dated, too. That’s why men and women dated. To find the perfect match.

Maybe that was why she could never get over Brandon. He had a true, pure heart. He had honor and integrity. Even when he was fooling himself into solitude, he was a man to respect.

She looked over at him, her gaze drifting down his trim and muscular shoulders and arms, to flat abs and thick thighs straddling the horse. The candy that was always out of reach, denied her. She was denied her perfect match. All the men she’d wanted hadn’t wanted her. Brandon had been one of those men, one who didn’t want her. That was why she’d agreed to marry David. Didn’t he see that?

“I was ready to share my life with a man when David came along,” she finally said. She’d given up on finding her perfect match.

“Were you?” In her peripheral vision she was aware of him turning his head, waiting patiently for her to respond.

“Yes.”

“You married my brother.” Disbelief dripped from his tone.

She’d married David to fill a void and to spite Brandon. Because she wasn’t over him. She’d never be over him. So, yes, parties were a surrogate to love. If he couldn’t see the real and true reason for that, then she wasn’t going to explain it to him.

Lightning flashed and thunder followed not long after.

“I think you’re running from it,” Brandon said, briefly noticing the lightning.

From love? She returned her gaze to him. “That’s priceless coming from you.”

“I’m not confused over what I want.”

“Yeah, well, love isn’t what you want.”

“I’ll take love—if it’s right.”

“What’s right for you, Brandon? Someone who doesn’t challenge you? Someone who won’t pry you off this land, even for a night out?”

“I go out.”

“You’re so quick to ridicule me for making a career out of party planning—look at you. You’ve made a career out of being a loner. There’s no bridge over the moat around your cold heart. No wonder Jillian turned to your brother. I bet she wasn’t the first one!”

“Jillian didn’t turn to him.”

“Why was she with him then?” She was probably still with him. “She doesn’t have to sleep with him, or even love him, to use him to get to you.”

“Sounds just like you, except you slept with David.”

Eliza stopped arguing, stunned that he’d voiced his jealousy.

“Yeah, it bothered me that you married him.”

“Why?”

He scowled at her as though she should know.

She didn’t. How could she? Unless he still had feelings for her. And Eliza could not allow herself one crumb of hope that he did. She could not endure another heartbreak over him. The original one was still wreaking havoc on her life.

An outbuilding came into view. It was a yurt, and not just any yurt. It was designed much like a cottage, a warm and welcoming refuge in bad weather. With a quick check on the sky, she wondered if they were going to need it. There was even a small barn for horses. The charm went against her perception of Brandon. To her he was a hard worker with a great capacity for love that he shut himself off to. Why did he shy away from love so much? There had to be a reason.

She dismounted near the stream and let Willow drink. Brandon did the same.

“How come you never got married, anyway?” Willow’s ears twitched with the sound of her voice and her whiskers moved as she drank.

“I haven’t met the right one.”

Such a simple answer, one that stung but also didn’t dig deep enough into the truth. “Have you ever thought you were close?”

“Why do you ask?” he sounded wary.

Thunder rolled in the sky again. Willow lifted her head and perked her ears.

“You accuse me of using parties as a surrogate. I’m just curious as to what your excuse is.”

“I have none.”

When he didn’t meet her eyes and instead scanned the land ahead, Eliza was sure she was onto something. Something about love scared him. It made her think of the day her dad had died.

She’d been a sophomore in high school. Ryker had come to her classroom and interrupted the teacher, telling her it was an emergency. Several possibilities sprang to mind, none of them involving her father in a tractor accident. Their dog had died. A horse had been seriously injured. One of her grandparents had fallen to old age. Never had it crossed her mind that either of her parents had died.

She’d gone with Ryker to the hospital, only to find their mother hysterical and in tears. She’d had to be sedated. The next week had been surreal. The funeral. Her mother’s grief-stricken lethargy. her sorrow had been all-encompassing. Eliza and Ryker had talked about their concern. Would she die, too?

Ryker had stepped in and taken care of her from the start. He’d taken care of his little sister, too. She could imagine the burden that had caused. She also had seen how the deepest love could destroy a person. Seeing the destruction of her mother’s heart and soul, Eliza had feared falling in love. After Brandon had rejected her, she’d sworn off it altogether.

Had Brandon experienced something similar in his past? Remembering his mother had committed suicide when he and David were young boys, she wondered if that had played any kind of role in influencing him as a man. He’d grown up with only a father, one who’d gone to prison. What had his mother’s life been like in those early years?

“Why did your mother kill herself?” she asked.

He swung his head to look at her, no doubt wondering where that question had come from. That brooding look that was his trademark descended. “Any woman who was married to my father probably would have killed herself.”

She felt raindrops on her skin. “She did it because of him?” Talk around town had painted Brandon and David’s father as a 24/7 drunk. The hit-and-run that had sent him to prison had confirmed it. “Because he drank?”

He mounted his horse. “Come on. Let’s go into the yurt until this passes.”

Scowling up at the sky for the interruption, she climbed up onto Willow and followed Brandon across the stream. At the yurt, they put the horses in the barn. The anticipation of being alone with Brandon kept her edgy and a little too excited. If her cavorting with him had ended badly in her teens, it was sure to end worse now if she allowed anything to happen. As easy as that kiss in the driveway had been, waiting out a thunderstorm in a remote yurt was pure folly…and enticement.

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