by Brenda Novak
Kyle smiled even though Riley couldn’t see it. “You really love that girl,” he said, and he could understand why. He’d taken a special liking to Phoenix, too—wished he’d written to her while she was in prison so he could’ve offered some emotional support. What she’d been through was terrible—to be convicted of something she didn’t do. Yet she’d stood tall and weathered those tough years completely on her own.
“She’s the one for me,” Riley said. “I can’t explain why she’s different from all the other women I’ve dated, but she is.”
“I’m happy for you.” He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. He was happy for Brandon and Olivia and their perfect marriage. He was happy for Riley and Phoenix, happy that they were finally getting together—something that would’ve happened years ago if life was fair. He was happy for Callie and Levi, too, who were expecting their first baby, and Eve and Lincoln, who’d had their first child a few months ago. Everyone had something to celebrate.
If Noelle could find another love interest, maybe he’d have something to celebrate...
“So you’ll do it?” Riley asked.
He tried to imagine standing at the altar with Riley and Phoenix and felt ill equipped, but how could he say no to one of his best friends? “I can honestly say that performing a marriage is something I never pictured myself doing. But sure. Thanks for asking me.”
“Glad you’re willing. And you have my promise that I’ll do anything you ask me to when you get married.”
“Are you expecting that to happen soon?” he joked.
“You never know, man. You could be married right now if you weren’t so damn picky.”
His father told him basically the same thing. But in his mind, he wasn’t being picky, he was being careful. He’d rather be a confirmed bachelor for the rest of his life than make another mistake. The last one had been a pain in his ass for six years.
He thought of Noelle calling about her water heater, and the money for her boob job and for her utility bill. She was still a pain in his ass. He should never have married her—but he had the sneaking suspicion that if he hadn’t, she would’ve gone ahead and had the baby, forging an even stronger bond. His mistake had been letting her seduce him in the first place. It all went back to one drunken, foolish night when she’d claimed to be on the pill...
“I’m fine the way I am,” he insisted.
“Noelle put the fear of God into you. And I can see why. She’s freakin’ psycho. We knew she was trouble before you married her, and if she hadn’t been pregnant, you wouldn’t have done it. Nothing like that will happen again.”
Anything could happen. That was why he was being more vigilant. “I was an idiot to let her trap me.”
“She’s an extreme example. Forget about her.”
If only he could. If only she’d allow it...
“What about the girl you brought to Ted’s Halloween party this year—Danni Decker?” Riley asked. “She seemed cool.”
“For one thing, she lives in the Bay Area. For another, she has a high-powered investment job.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“We’re too similar. She’d never give up her job to move here. And I wouldn’t move there. So why would I pursue a relationship with her, when it’s bound to end with both of us miserable? Besides, she doesn’t want children, and that’s a deal breaker for me.”
“You’re looking for a homemaker?”
“Not necessarily a homemaker—but a woman who’s willing to be a mother. Most of all, I want someone who’s satisfied with who I am, what I do and where I live.” No way was he ever going to be happy with a wife who constantly nagged him to leave Whiskey Creek. He’d already been down that road.
“I guess that’s not asking too much, but...you’ve got to get over Olivia first, Kyle.”
This was the second time in a day that someone had called him on his true feelings for Olivia. But Noelle taunted him whenever she could. Ironically, she claimed it was his feelings for Olivia that had broken up their marriage, but she’d known he had feelings for Olivia when she approached him at the bar. He’d dated Olivia for two years before she put their relationship on pause and moved to Sacramento to pursue her wedding planning business.
“I’ve been over Olivia for ages,” he said, but he’d been claiming that ever since she’d married Brandon.
Riley didn’t respond.
“You still there?” Kyle asked.
“I am. I’m just... Never mind.”
Riley was skeptical. He knew nothing had changed, but Kyle couldn’t admit that, not without doing his brother a disservice. He wanted to be over Olivia; he just wished he could get his damn heart to cooperate. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I don’t need a woman.”
“I still wish you could find someone. Marriage doesn’t have to be what you had with Noelle.”
Problem was...he had yet to meet any viable alternatives. Most of the women his age were already in relationships, like Olivia and even Lourdes. Or they were entrenched in a career somewhere else. Or there wasn’t any spark.
“Who would’ve thought Phoenix and I would wind up together?” Riley said. “You’ll find someone—the person you’re meant to be with.”
Not as long as the woman he was meant to be with was married to his stepbrother. “Like I said, it’s fine even if I don’t.”
“I’m exhausted. I’ve got to go. I’ll tell Phoenix and Olivia you’ll perform the ceremony. They’ll both be glad to hear it.”
“I’ll do the research tomorrow, right after coffee at Black Gold.”
“Sounds good. I appreciate it.”
Kyle started to hang up, but Riley stopped him. “Kyle?”
“Yeah?”
“Before I go, can I ask you something?”
He sighed. “Does it have to do with Olivia? Because I’m pretty much done with that subject.”
“I just want to know why you invited her and Brandon to join us for coffee. I’ve always wondered. I think everyone has.”
“What can I say? He’s my brother.” There was no escape. And it was his fault things were the way they were. Why shouldn’t Brandon be included? He’d done nothing wrong.
“It can’t be easy to see them so often.”
“Noelle’s the one who makes my life hard,” he joked, hoping to lighten up the conversation.
“Is she still pushing to get back together?”
Kyle thought of her offer to provide him with sex and grimaced. “She still calls me far too often.”
“Maybe she’ll move. She’s been talking about going to New York or some other big city for years.”
“Sometimes I’m tempted to give her the money so we can both be happy. I’m thinking London would be nice.”
Riley chuckled. “Except she’d only come back as soon as her pockets were empty.”
“That’s why I don’t actually do it,” he said. “Have a great night.”
“See you in the morning.”
Kyle disconnected, plugged his phone in to charge and tried, once again, to get some sleep. But he could hear muffled sounds that led him to believe Lourdes was in another heated conversation with Derrick. He didn’t envy her the upset or the arguments—or the doubt and suspicion that were eating her up.
Obviously, love didn’t work for everyone.
Maybe he really was better off alone...
5
“Oh, my gosh! You have Lourdes Bennett staying at the farmhouse?”
Kyle blinked in surprise. He’d just walked into Black Gold Coffee to meet his friends, twelve of whom were crowded around their usual tables in the back corner, when he was confronted by this question. It’d come from Callie Vanetta-Pendleton, the woman he’d suggested Lourdes stay with, but he didn’t look a
t Callie. He shifted his gaze to Riley. “You told them? What happened to ‘don’t tell anyone—she’s trying to keep a low profile’? And ‘this is Riley, the friend I can trust with my life’?”
Riley flinched. “I don’t recall that bit about trusting me with your life.”
Dylan and Cheyenne were there with their one-year-old. So were Addy and Noah and their little girl, Emily, who was slightly older than Dylan and Chey’s boy. Eve had shown up without her husband and baby, since she ran the B and B her parents owned in town, even though they now lived in Placerville. Ted and Sophia, Callie’s husband, Levi, Riley and his fiancée, Phoenix, rounded out the group—along with Brandon and Olivia, of course. As always, Kyle was hyperaware of their presence, as well as whether or not he’d be sitting close to them. He figured, since he couldn’t put Olivia behind him, he’d be conscious of details like that forever. “Maybe not, but that’s what I was thinking.”
A sheepish expression appeared on Riley’s face. “Sorry ’bout that. But if it’d been something important, something more than an interesting development that didn’t affect you much either way, I wouldn’t have breathed a word. And these guys are the only ones I’ve told. You can trust them as much as you can trust me, right?”
“Now I’m hoping I can trust them more!” Taking great care not to focus on Olivia, Kyle pulled out a chair and slid it to the left so that once he sat down, their knees wouldn’t touch.
Callie had gone silent the moment she realized she’d gotten Riley in trouble. But at this, she leaned forward. “Your secret is safe with me, with all of us. I’m just excited. I’m a huge fan of Lourdes Bennett’s. Do you suppose she’ll ever come into town? Maybe I can arrange to bump into her.”
“I’m sure she’ll have to buy groceries at some point,” he told her. “But she really wants to go unnoticed, Callie, so be careful about approaching her.”
“Why is she here?”
It was Olivia who’d asked this question, so he had to look at her, but he did his best to seem impassive. With her wide blue eyes and honey-blond hair, he still found her one of the prettiest women he’d ever seen. “She’s sort of having a difficult time. I don’t think she’d want me to say much more than that.”
“Wow. Sounds like she’s already told you what’s going on—and you’re protective of her,” Brandon said.
Kyle scowled. “I’m just trying to give her the space and privacy she requested.”
“Is she here by herself?” Callie asked.
Grateful for the distraction, he moved his attention away from Brandon and Olivia as he nodded.
“Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “Don’t tell me she and Derrick have broken up.”
“You know her boyfriend’s name?” Kyle said. “You really are a fan.”
Callie pressed a hand to her swollen stomach. He got the impression her baby was moving, but she didn’t say so. She was too caught up in his news. “Anyone who follows her on Twitter knows Derrick’s name. For a while there, they were talking about getting married. She even posted a few pictures of various engagement rings she liked. But he hasn’t given her one yet—not that she’s revealed, anyway. What’s going on?”
Kyle shrugged. “Every relationship has its ups and downs.”
Eve frowned at him. “Really? That’s all you’re going to say?”
“I’m trying to be discreet.”
“With us?” Callie acted wounded.
He sighed. “They’re having some problems, okay? Just like you’ve guessed.”
“Is that why she came here?” Callie asked. “To get away from him?”
Shit. He’d already said too much. “No. She’s here on business, to write her next album. She needs peace and quiet. So...let’s all keep our mouths shut.”
Callie shifted again. She was obviously at the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy. “Is this a country album?”
“Of course,” he replied. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because her last one wasn’t, and it didn’t do very well.” Cheyenne lifted her chubby baby from his carrier. “As far as I’m concerned, it was too much of a departure from what made her famous.”
“I haven’t heard it,” Kyle said, and several others, mostly the guys, said the same.
“It was more...pop,” Cheyenne explained as Dylan helped her ready a bottle.
“I didn’t like it as much as her other work, either,” Addy agreed. “And I love pop music. Lourdes Bennett is just more...authentic as a country artist, if that makes sense.”
“You listen to her, too?” Kyle asked.
“Don’t you?” she replied.
“I’ve heard a few of her songs on the radio, but it’s not like I’ve ever downloaded them onto my iPod.”
Addy wadded up a napkin and dropped it on her empty side plate. “Is she as pretty in person as she is in her pictures?”
“I think so.” That was the truth, but Kyle said it nonchalantly so he wouldn’t give away how strong his feelings actually were on that subject. Then, eager to avoid all the attention he was receiving, he checked the order line at the register. It had been winding out the door when he arrived. He still needed to get his coffee and a muffin but had been trying to outwait the rush.
“She must really be something.” The tone of Addy’s voice said she wasn’t fooled. “And she’s staying at the farmhouse? That’s very close to your place.”
“I suggest you see if she needs dinner out occasionally,” Noah chimed in, catching on to the implication.
“Or, better yet, you might want to bring dinner in,” Dylan joked.
The line hadn’t shortened. If anything, it’d gotten longer, and Kyle wasn’t willing to wait, not when he could have Morgan bring him a cup of coffee once he started work. “Why hold off until dinner? She’s at my house right now, not the farmhouse. I could bring her breakfast.” He knew better than to get them excited but couldn’t resist having a little fun.
Eve put her coffee down so fast it sloshed over the side. “So she did break up with her boyfriend.”
“No.”
“Then what’s she doing at your house?” Riley asked.
“She was sleeping when I left,” he replied, pushing the joke a bit further.
“Holy shit!” Brandon exclaimed. “You spent the night with Lourdes Bennett?”
“Kyle, you should be more careful!” Eve warned. “You don’t want an angry boyfriend to come calling.”
Having provoked the reaction he’d been looking for, Kyle lifted a hand. “I’m just messing with you guys.”
Brandon did a double take. “So she’s not at your house?”
“She is, but strictly for practical reasons. We couldn’t get the heat to come on in the farmhouse yesterday, and I didn’t want her to freeze to death. So I let her stay in one of my spare bedrooms.”
“She agreed to that?” Noah asked. “She went home with you?”
He shrugged. “I offered to get her a room at Eve’s B and B but she wouldn’t hear of it.”
“What’s wrong with my B and B?” Eve demanded. “It’s the best in town—no matter what A Room With A View has done to steal my business.”
“It had nothing to do with your B and B,” Kyle said. “She wouldn’t go to A Room With A View, either. She doesn’t want to be seen in public, needs a break from all that, like I told you.”
Brandon clapped him on the back. “Lucky you. She’s rich and famous. I say you help her forget this Derrick dude. Sweep her off her feet.”
Of course Brandon would say that. He had to be tired of trying to ignore the fact that his brother was in love with his wife.
Ted Dixon, a bestselling novelist who took a more measured approach to everything, moved the sugar packets closer to Levi. “Do you like her?”
“I do. Surprisingly, she’s as n
ice as she is pretty.” Kyle couldn’t help wondering if Olivia cared that he was admiring another woman. He was ashamed for even having that thought; it was the kind of thing that had made him start avoiding family events. He’d once believed that, with time, he’d get over her, and all the weirdness would go away. But after six years, the feelings themselves hadn’t gone anywhere. He just felt worse for having them.
Dylan dusted the crumbs of his muffin from his hands. “Then I’d say she’s fair game.”
Kyle waved them off. “She’s only staying in town for a few months. And I’m sure she’ll stick with Derrick in the end. He’s perfect for her.”
“In what way?” Eve asked. “You haven’t met him, too, have you?”
“No, but he works with her, understands the music business, supports her career, doesn’t mind the travel. I want...something else.” He stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles, hoping he’d said enough to put an end to the subject. “Don’t we have some things to go over for the wedding?” He grinned at Riley. “Like who’ll be performing the ceremony?”
“Riley said you’re doing it,” Brandon replied, and, fortunately, the conversation moved on from there. They discussed other aspects of the wedding, how to make the most of the “winter wonderland” theme, how they’d all help set up and when they should schedule the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Once they’d hammered out those details, Noah said he’d heard that Baxter would be moving back before Christmas for sure, so they used Noah’s phone to call him and put him on speaker. He told them his last day of work was supposed to be the fifteenth, but even if he didn’t get moved right away, he could easily make the bachelor party on the twenty-third—good news.
Fortunately, no one mentioned to Baxter that Lourdes Bennett was in town, so Kyle didn’t have to swear yet another person to secrecy.
As soon as they hung up, he stood.
“You getting your muffin?” Brandon jerked his head toward the cash register to signify that the line was shorter.
“Yeah,” Kyle said, “but I’m getting it to go. I’ve got a lot to do.”