“I’m gonna talk to my dad for a sec.” Rex kissed Jade and went to his father’s side.
“Hey, Dad.” He leaned his forearms on the fence, just as his father did.
“Son.”
“I’m sorry about lying to you. I never meant to hurt you or to disrespect the family.” He touched the silver charm that he now wore above his T-shirt.
“I know you didn’t, son.” His father looked out over the pasture, and after a minute or two, he said, without looking at Rex, “You know how I told you that your mother wanted me to tell you something?”
“Yeah.”
His father nodded, then put an arm around Rex. “She said you were doing the right thing.”
Rex looked into his father’s eyes. “I don’t know if you’re delusional or not, Dad, but right this second, I’d like to believe you’re the sanest man alive.”
His father let out a laugh and slung an arm over Rex’s shoulder as they walked toward the driveway, where Earl and Jane were stepping out of their car.
“Thank you, Dad. I know it’s not easy to welcome the Johnsons back into your life. I don’t know what that Richter guy did to Mom, but I respect your need to protect her, and I’m sorry to have put you on the spot like that with Jade.”
“You know I’ll love Jade as much as you do. She made a difference in Hope’s health, and I appreciate that you cared enough about Hope to risk our relationship and bring Jade by to help her.” They walked in silence for a minute, and then his father stopped walking and looked into Rex’s eyes. “Son, you’ve never let me down a day in your life, and I wish I could say the same for myself, but I can’t. Fifteen years is a long time to wait for the woman you love. I’m sorry.”
Savannah charged up the driveway with a suitcase in her hands. Treat, Max, and Josh were right behind her. “I have to leave earlier than anticipated.”
“Oh Jesus. Don’t tell me you’re running back to Connor Dean,” her father said as he took her into his arms.
“No, Dad. That was a call from my office. There’s a new client coming into New York City, and they need to meet me tomorrow afternoon,” Savannah assured him.
“Before you go, Vanny, Max and I have an announcement.” Treat stood arm in arm with Max, both flashing enormous smiles.
“She’s pregnant?” Savannah asked.
Max put her hand on her stomach. “No. Gosh, way to make me feel self-conscious.”
Treat and Rex laughed. They pulled Earl over to where they stood. “We came to a deal that we think will work for everyone. Earl has agreed to sell Max and me the parcel that he’s selling off, and he’s offered us first right of refusal for any other parcels that he might want to sell.”
“And last night Dad, Earl and Jane, and Jade and I came to an agreement about the unoccupied property, which will no longer be unoccupied. When Treat and Max build, Jade and I will be building our home as well.” Rex kissed Jade’s forehead.
Savannah jumped up and down. “So I’ll have two sister types living right by Dad that I can visit? This gets better by the second.”
“Give them your biggest news, Treat,” Josh urged.
“You suck at keeping secrets,” Treat teased.
“What? I didn’t tell them.”
Treat put his arm over Josh’s shoulder and pretended to punch him in the stomach. “I love you, bro.”
Max sighed. “I’ll tell them.” Her eyes lit up. “We’re getting married! We finally set the date for next spring!”
“Yes!” Savannah yelled, and hugged Max.
“And Josh is designing my wedding dress. Nothing too fancy,” Max said.
“Of course not,” Josh said, winking at Savannah.
“Oh, Max! I’m so excited for you.” Jade hugged Max.
In the past few hours, Rex had watched Jade and each of his siblings, as well as his father and Max, get to know one another, and he could tell by the smile on her face that Jade was just as thrilled about being included in their family as he was.
Hal slung an arm casually over Jade’s shoulder. “Now let’s see if Rex’ll make an honest woman out of you, too.”
Rex beamed. “One day. You’ll be the second person to know.” He blew a kiss at Jade.
Riley’s red Camry pulled into the driveway. She stepped out with a wide smile. “I’m sorry. I had no idea that there was a family gathering going on. Josh asked me to bring by my portfolio.”
Rex cast a curious glance at Josh.
Josh leaned in close to him. “I learned from your mistake.” Then louder, he said, “Riley, welcome to our home. Come on into the yard.”
Rex and Jade laughed. “What have we done?” he asked.
The End
Please enjoy a preview of the next Love in Bloom novel
Friendship on Fire
The Bradens, Book Three
Love in Bloom Series
Melissa Foster
Chapter One
RILEY BANKS HURRIED down Thirty-Seventh Street in her red Catherine Malandrino dress and Giuseppe Zanotte leopard-print, calf-hair pumps. It was the week after Thanksgiving, and Manhattan was buzzing with the feverish zeal of the holidays. Riley slowed her pace to catch her breath. Tomorrow I’ll find the courage to take the subway. Maybe. She tugged her coat tighter across her chest to ward off the chilly air and silently hoped that nobody would figure out that she’d purchased her outfit on Outnet.com, an online designer outlet store. She felt like such a hypocrite, heading to her first day at her new job as one of world-renowned designer Josh Braden’s assistants wearing discounted clothing. The thought turned her stomach—but not as much as showing up in her hometown jeans and cowgirl boots would have. She was a long way from Weston, Colorado, and she’d spent the last few weeks gathering discount designer clothes and practicing omitting “y’all” from her vocabulary.
She stood before the thick glass door of Josh Braden Designs and took a deep breath. The sign above the door read, JBD. This is it. She closed her eyes for a split second to repeat the mantra she’d been playing in her mind like a broken record for weeks; I’m educated, knowledgeable, and eager. I can do this.
A warm hand on her lower back pulled her from her thoughts.
“Have any trouble finding us?” Josh Braden stood beside her with a friendly smile and perfectly shorn, thick dark hair. His black Armani suit fit his lean, muscular frame perfectly. A few years earlier, he’d been named one of America’s Most Eligible Bachelors. Back then she hadn’t given the magazine cover a second thought. He was in New York, and she was back in Colorado, so far removed from him that she’d still thought of him as Josh Braden, the boy she’d had a crush on for too many years to count. Now, standing on the streets of New York City beside the man whose name rivaled Vera Wang, she felt the air sucked from her lungs.
His deep voice sent a shiver right through her. Not only had she had the good fortune to be reconnected with Josh when he was back home visiting his family, but during his visit, the two of them had also spent a few days getting reacquainted. Riley hadn’t been sure if it was her crush going haywire or if there was something more real blossoming between them, but those few days had each felt a little more intimate than the last. And while their lips never touched and their bodies remained apart, she’d felt like they were always one breath away from falling into each other’s arms.
“Uh…ye…no.” Oh God, please kill me now.
Josh smiled, lighting up his brown eyes. “Nervous?”
At five foot eight, she was a full seven inches shorter than him. She wondered what it might be like to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him on those luscious lips of his. Stop it! The way he held her gaze brought goose bumps to her arms. Stopitstopitstopit. She envisioned him at seventeen; he’d reached his full height by then, thin but well muscled, with testosterone practically oozing from his pores. She’d wanted him then, but those schoolgirl feelings didn’t come close to the desire that begged to be set free now. She cast her eyes away and took a deep breath, trying to ignore
her thundering heart. The last thing she needed was to become one of those girls who swooned every time her boss appeared. She was here to build a career, not a reputation.
“A little,” she answered honestly.
He pulled the heavy door open and waited for her to walk through before placing his hand on the small of her back once again. Josh spoke softly, his mouth close to her ear as he guided her through the expansive lobby.
“Think of this as Macy’s back home. There’s the customer service area.” He nodded toward the elegant mahogany and granite reception desk.
Her heels clacked across the marble tile as they passed the desk.
“Good morning, Chantal.” Josh smiled at the blond woman behind the desk, who looked like she’d come straight from an eight-hour session at a local salon. Her hair glistened, and her green eyes were perfectly shadowed to match her emerald-green blouse.
Riley reached up and touched her shoulder-length brown hair, feeling the little confidence she’d mustered being whittled away. If the receptionist is that perfect, what are the other employees like?
“Good morning, Mr. Braden,” Chantal said with a practiced smile. “Good morning, Riley.”
You know my name? Riley pushed past her rattled nerves, forcing her mouth to obey her thoughts, and felt the grace of a smile. “Good morning…Chantal.” She pulled her shoulders back, reclaiming a bit of her lost confidence. She knows my name!
“Chantal is an assistant in the design studio. She fills in for our receptionist when she steps away from her desk. I’m sure you’ll see her in the design studio later,” Josh explained.
Riley felt like she was in a dream as she walked beside Josh through the elegant offices. She’d spent years dreaming of what it might feel like to work in New York City, and more specifically, in a design studio. After graduating with a degree in fashion design with a 3.8 GPA and winning two design awards, she’d longed to move to New York City and land a job in the design field. After several months of applying for positions and receiving enough rejection letters to wallpaper her bedroom, Riley had given up and settled into her life in Weston, working at Macy’s and designing clothes no one would ever see. Riley had come to accept that working in the fashion industry had more to do with connections than skills. She’d given up that dream until Jade had begun dating Rex, one of Josh’s older brothers, and she’d worn one of Riley’s dresses on their first date. One recommendation from Rex, and Josh had eagerly reviewed her portfolio. A few days later, Riley was having lunch at his father’s ranch, and the next thing she knew, she had a job offer and was packing to move to New York City. Now, as she walked beside Josh, Riley wondered if he was thinking about the time they’d spent together as much as she was.
They rounded a hall and Riley stifled a gasp. Racks of designer clothing lined the walls; dozens of fabric samples were strewn across long drawing tables, and sketches littered an entire wall. The combination sent her pulse soaring. Men and women milled about, talking quietly and fingering through the samples. A woman wearing jeans, her jet-black hair cut short, pulled a rolling cart filled with clothes across the floor. A man scurried around her with a notebook in hand, talking into an earpiece.
Without thinking, Riley grabbed Josh’s arm—as if he they were back in Weston at a farm show and he were Jade. “Oh my goodness. This is amazing!” she exclaimed.
He laughed, and several eyes turned in their direction.
Riley cringed. She must have looked like an excited child seeing Santa for the first time.
“I’m sorry,” she said, frantically patting down Josh’s suit sleeve. “I just…I’m so sorry.” God, I’m an idiot.
“That’s the kind of reaction I’d hoped for,” he said.
She let out a relieved sigh as a tall, auburn-haired woman appeared at Josh’s side and locked her green eyes on Riley, then drew them down her dress, over her curvy figure, all the way to her heels.
“This must be Riley Banks?” She extended a pencil-thin arm in Riley’s direction. “Claudia Raven, head design assistant.”
Claudia’s forced smile and threatening gaze reminded Riley of Cruella De Vil. There was no mistaking the way she pressed her right shoulder into Josh’s back. Riley thought she saw him flinch, but his eyes never wavered from her, his smile never faltered, and she realized that she must have been projecting her own bodily response onto him. Every ounce of Riley’s cognitive thought screamed, Run! Run far and fast. She wanted to flee from the awful woman who, by the look in her evil eyes, already hated her. The woman who silently staked claim to Josh. Instead, Riley forced a smile and took her hand in a firm grip.
“I’m honored to be working with you,” she said, and tucked away any lingering thoughts about Josh. She needed a career, not a Fatal Attraction situation.
JOSH STIFLED A FLINCH at the feel of Claudia against him. She’d made no bones about being open to sleeping her way to the top, and while at first he’d found her innuendos comical, recently he’d begun to loathe them. But she was a dedicated worker and had been with JBD for five years, the last two as the head design assistant. She hadn’t slept her way to that position. Josh had better scruples than that, even if to an outsider Claudia might appear to be the “right” kind of woman for him. He couldn’t deny that she was attractive, intelligent, and she knew the design business inside and out. But Josh had seen the other side of Claudia—the manipulative, competitive-to-the-point-of-nasty side—and those were qualities that Josh was not looking for in a lover. As the niece of one of his oldest supporters, Josh felt trapped by loyalty to keep her on staff
He was impressed by Riley’s steely, though professional, reserve. He doubted that Claudia or anyone else could tell that her smile was forced. They couldn’t know that the way her lips pulled tightly at the corners was different from the casual, natural smile Riley usually possessed. And they wouldn’t notice the underlying discomfort in her hazel eyes, the discomfort that Josh recognized and longed to soothe.
He couldn’t seem to remove his hand from her back. The feel of her curves beneath his palm were refreshing. The women he’d dated were usually pencil thin. Going out to dinner equated to watching skeletons graze on leafy greens, with fake smiles plastered on their artificially plumped lips and dollar signs in their eyes. Then again, Josh’s dates had primarily been setups from business colleagues who believe he needed to date the “right” women for his social status. Over the past year or so, he’d become disenchanted with those expectations, and he’d taken to dating fewer and fewer of them, but that was a thought for another time.
“I can take her from here,” Claudia said, pushing between them.
Josh reluctantly removed his hand. He looked into Riley’s eyes again, remembering how he’d been drawn to her when they were teens. The way her eyes had always been like windows to her emotions. Even back then he’d known when she was happy or sad, angry or bored. He had an urge to put his arm around her and soothe away the worry that lay there, but just behind that worry, he saw excitement mounting, and he knew she’d fare just fine—at least he hoped she would.
“Riley, I’m glad you’re here.” Josh ignored the narrowing of Claudia’s eyes and the iciness that surrounded her like a cloak. “If you need anything, just let Claudia know. She’ll take good care of you. Right, Claudia?” He took pleasure in nudging Claudia out of her villainous stare.
“Thanks, Josh. I appreciate everything. I won’t let you down,” Riley said.
“Shall we?” Claudia grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
Josh headed for his office, thinking about Riley. Her designs were damned good—fresh and stylistic in a way that was different from the typical New York trends. He’d have brought her on as a junior designer if he hadn’t believed that she needed to first learn the down-and-dirty side of the business. Claudia’s designs, on the other hand, left much to be desired, as did her people skills, but as head design assistant, he knew she was the cream of the crop. Organized, efficient, dedicated, and never missed a
deadline. Claudia kept the staff in line, even if a little heavy-handedly. He hoped she’d put away her claws long enough to teach Riley the ins and outs of the fashion world.
If not, he thought, I just might have to do it myself.
(End of Sneak Peek)
To continue reading, be sure to pick up the next
LOVE IN BLOOM release:
FRIENDSHIP ON FIRE, The Bradens, Book Three
Love in Bloom Series, Book Six
“Contemporary romance at its hottest.
Each Braden sibling left me craving the next.
Sensual, sexy, and satisfying."
— Bestselling author, Keri Nola, LMHC (on THE BRADENS)
LOVE IN BLOOM is a nine-book series
Check online retailers for availability
SNOW SISTERS
Sisters in Love
Sisters in Bloom
Sisters in White
THE BRADENS
Lovers at Heart
Destined for Love
Friendship on Fire
Sea of Love
Bursting with Love
Hearts at Play
COMING SOON
THE REMINGTONS
A five-book addition to the Love in Bloom series
Acknowledgments
There are so many friends I’d like to thank for reading the early versions of Destined for Love and helping me work out the kinks and assisting me with bringing my work to my readers. A hearty thank-you to Shanyn Silinski, who was an incredible resource for all things ranch and horse related. Shanyn, even though much of what we discussed did not make it to the page, know that it all helped me to define and refine Rex and Jade’s world.
Destined for Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 2) Contemporary Romance Page 22