His Brother's Bride-To-Be

“You must have needed it. I just came to tell you that after you’ve had a chance to freshen up, you should come over to the main house. We’ll have a drink and you can meet Stephen.”

“Stephen? I thought you said he wasn’t coming home until tomorrow.”

“He finished his business early, so he flew home this afternoon. He’s looking forward to meeting you.”

I’ll just bet he is…As soon as the thought formed, Jill was ashamed of herself. She had no right to judge Elliott’s brother before she’d even met him. Just because Caroline had behaved as if Jill were a viper didn’t mean he would.

“You’ll like him, sweetheart.”

Jill smiled gratefully. Elliott was such a dear. “I’m sure I will.”

Elliott gave her a shoulder hug. “Now, go on. Get ready.”

“Before I do, do you know where Jordan is?” She felt guilty for completely abandoning him.

“He’s fine, Jill. Quit worrying. He and Tyler are playing a video game. And before you ask, I showed him all over the parts of the ranch within walking distance—warned him what might be dangerous, what he shouldn’t touch, where he shouldn’t go unless I was with him.”

Giving her a kiss on the cheek, Elliott left her then, and Jill headed toward the bathroom.

She knew she was only postponing the inevitable, but she drew a bath and stayed in the tub as long as she possibly could, then took an even longer time dressing and putting on her makeup. When she was finished, she inspected herself in the mirror. She’d chosen a silky cream-and-russet-print skirt and matching russet summer-weight sweater that complimented her hair and hazel eyes. She’d kept her makeup subtle—just a touch of mascara, faint taupe eye shadow, lipstick in a shade called Nectarine—and her hairstyle simple. Non-threatening, she told herself in a flash of brief amusement.

Suddenly, she was mad at herself for stalling. Don’t be a wimp. Get out there. Put your head up in the air and walk into that room proudly. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You love Elliott, and he loves you.

She heard low male voices as she entered the house. The voices stopped when her footsteps drew near.

Taking a deep breath, Jill entered the living room.

“Darling!” Elliott jumped up from one of the sofas in front of the fireplace and walked over to her.

Another man stood, too.

“Come meet my brother,” Elliott said, taking her arm and leading her forward. His voice rang with pride as he made the introductions. “Jill, this is my brother, Stephen. Stephen, this is Jill.”

Jill turned and got her first good look at Elliott’s brother, who was tall, with thick brown hair and deep blue eyes.

For a moment, he seemed taken aback. Then, with a quizzical smile, he said, “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”

At the sound of his voice, everything in Jill went still.

No! she thought wildly.

It couldn’t be.

It simply couldn’t be.

Afterward, she had no idea what she’d said at that point. She must have said hello. She must have smiled. She must have acted like an ordinary person. But at the time, she was in such a state of shock, she’d never be sure.

Elliott’s brother.

The thought pounded through her.

Elliott’s brother was the man she’d last seen almost eleven years ago. The man she’d known as Steve. The man she’d never, not in a million years, have imagined she’d ever see again.

The man who was Jordan’s father.

Chapter Three

Stephen felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach. When Elliott’s fiancée had first walked into the room, Stephen had only thought how beautiful she was. It wasn’t until Elliott brought her forward to introduce her, and Stephen had looked into her eyes, that he’d been shocked to realize she wasn’t a stranger.

That in fact, the woman who had captured Elliott’s heart was the girl he’d never been entirely able to forget.

J. J.

His J. J.

The beautiful nineteen-year-old with whom he’d spent five passion-filled days and nights at Padre Island during spring break when he was a twenty-two-year-old college senior.

He’d met her on the beach. She’d been with a group of girls; he’d been with some of his frat brothers. He still remembered the instant attraction that had ignited between them, an attraction that had only grown as the days went on. He also remembered how stung he’d been by the way she’d left without a word to him.

It had happened on Friday. They’d been together Thursday night, and after walking her back to her cottage at sunrise, they’d made arrangements to meet later that afternoon. But she hadn’t shown up, and when he went to her cottage to see what had happened, one of her roommates said she’d been called home.

“Did she leave a message for me?” Stephen had asked.

The girl shook her head. “No, sorry.”

Stephen almost asked if she knew J. J.’s home address or phone number, but something stopped him. Later, he wasn’t sure if his hurt feelings had prevented him asking or if, on some level, he’d already known it was probably best to just forget about her.

After all, he was going back to Harvard and then would stay on for law school. And she was in college at Southwest Texas State University. Even that summer they would be thousands of miles apart, because he’d been offered a job as an aide in the Washington, D.C., office of a senator he greatly admired. And he knew she had a job lined up, too. So even though he’d felt regret, he’d told himself there was no point in trying to contact her again.

But he hadn’t banked on just how hard it would be to forget her. Throughout the summer, at odd moments, she’d pop into his mind and stubbornly stay there. This happened most often when he was on a date. Somehow none of the girls he met that summer compared to J. J.

Many times over the years he’d wondered about her. Wondered if she ever thought of him the way he thought of her.

But he’d never tried to find her. Hell, all they’d really had together was a one-week summer romance and some great sex. Nothing more. Maybe it could have developed into something else, but that time was long gone. He was resigned to never seeing her again.

But now here she was. In the flesh. And even more beautiful than she’d been as a girl.

His brother’s bride-to-be.

Stephen’s mind teemed with questions, yet how could he ask them? He knew she’d recognized him, too—he’d seen the knowledge in her eyes for one startled moment—but she hadn’t acknowledged it, and under the circumstances, he didn’t blame her. He doubted they would succeed in pretending they were simply casual acquaintances. He frantically searched his mind for something innocuous to say.

“Elliott tells me he met you in Austin?” he finally managed.

“Yes,” she said faintly. Her face was pale.

“Like I told you, it was love at first sight,” Elliott said, beaming. “At least, on my part.”

Stephen hoped his smile disguised the turmoil going on inside of him. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of a rejoinder.