The Forbidden Brother

by Joanne Rock

  Cody chuckled. “It’s always a win when you don’t end up being dragged by your boot through the dirt. But they’re just cheering for his good ride, and because he gets to compete again in the second round of the finals tomorrow.”

  The dust and the noise rose as the cowboy pumped his fist and the rodeo clowns worked to distract the bull.

  “Tomorrow?” She shook her head. “I would think one ride like that in a lifetime was enough.” Smiling, she patted her chest. “I don’t think I could take the adrenaline spike every day.”

  “They train hard for this, though. No one ends up riding a bull unless they love the sport.” Cody led her out of their row of seats, wanting to show her more of Frontier Days than just the rodeo. There was a whole carnival waiting outside, with live music and plenty of attractions. “Carson competed for a long time until he broke so many bones our father threatened to give Creek Spill to someone else unless Carson quit the sport.”

  “And that worked?” Jillian frowned, glancing up at Cody. “I only met him briefly, but he didn’t strike me as the kind of man who would respond well to an ultimatum.”

  “He didn’t. But by the time he was healed up and ready to start training again, his fiancée left him for another guy on the tour. Carson decided it wasn’t worth circulating in that world again.”

  “How awful.” She took Cody’s hand as they wound their way out of the arena. The temperature outside had dropped, but was still mild.

  Midway lights flashed red, green and blue in every direction and a big wooden ride on a pendulum swooshed past them overhead. The scents of funnel cakes and hot turkey legs was heavy in the air.

  “Though it may have saved Carson from hurting himself even more. I think he’s got screws holding him together.”

  “Still, it has to hurt to see a dream die like that.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

  “Sooner or later, he would have had to come home and face the reality of running the family business anyhow.” Cody had pulled his brother’s weight for too long as it was. He rubbed a hand along Jillian’s back, feeling the delicate curve at the base of her spine. “Are you warm enough?”

  “I’m fine.” She nodded, but she looked chilled. “I don’t think that pursuing a dream means you’re not facing reality. Some people might argue that our dreams are the most important reality we have. They anchor us and make life worth living.”

  He’d touched a nerve. “It’s different for Carson.”

  “Because he’s not a cancer survivor?” she quickly retorted. “That doesn’t make his dreams any less important.”

  “Wait.” Cody drew a deep breath and hoped she would, too. “I didn’t mean to suggest that. Selfishly, I’m glad Carson’s focus is back on our business. And for his sake, I’m relieved he’s still in one piece, because you saw how dangerous bull riding can be.”

  She nodded stiffly, accepting his answer.

  “I know my parents aren’t supportive of my new direction in life, because they perceive it as irresponsible. So I can’t help but empathize with your brother.” She rubbed a hand along her arm again. “And I am getting a little chilly.”

  He nodded, looking up and down the midway at the shops, grateful for the change of subject. “Let’s keep walking.” He picked up the pace.

  “Sometimes I think being cold is psychosomatic. You know what it’s like when you wake up from surgery and the drugs are making you cold?” She glanced up at him as they neared the vendors showing their wares. “They slow your heart rate or something? It’s like that, where I feel like I’m chilled on the inside.”

  He imagined that her surgeries to remove tumors had been scarier than most, especially with the added fear that they might not be able to excise all the cancer. He hated that she’d been through that. Hated that he couldn’t do anything to change the past for her. But he could do one thing for her now, at least. Looking around the carnival, Cody spotted what he needed. He led her toward a big, well-lit display from a local Western clothing supplier. He brought her to the women’s flannel shirts and held up a red one.

  Smiling, she looked down at herself with the shirt in front of her. “Doesn’t it clash with my hair?”

  “I like you in bright colors.” He enjoyed seeing the vivid splash of hues all around this vibrant woman. He grabbed another one, which was purple and blue. “How about this?”

  He could tell by her expression she liked it. There was a little flicker of interest in her eyes, maybe. He wondered when he’d started to notice those small details about her.

  “Purple is more me,” she admitted, unbuttoning it to try it on. She went to a full-length mirror hanging on one of the posts holding up the display and slid her arms into the sleeves. The shirt fit perfectly.

  Cody popped off the tag and gave it to a hovering saleswoman in a crisp white Stetson.

  “I can get it,” Jillian protested. “I want to pay my own way.”

  “Not a chance. You’re my guest.” He passed over the cash and told the woman to keep the change. Then he returned to Jillian’s side and watched as she buttoned up the shirt. “If you want the full rodeo experience, you need a souvenir.”

  “The full rodeo experience?” Smoothing the collar down to her satisfaction, she turned from the mirror and faced him. “In that case, thank you.”

  Her hazel eyes were more gold tonight, reflecting the lights of the carnival midway. He couldn’t deny the pull of attraction, the desire to get closer to her. Their fast and furious time together in his office Friday night hadn’t eased his need for her in the least. Now there was a new element to his feelings for her, too. The urge to protect her.

  “We’re not done yet.” His gaze dipped to her lips, and he remembered how she tasted.

  “We’re not?” Her voice softened as her eyes locked on his.

  Even more than he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to shield her from any more blows life tried to deal her. To make her smile.

  “Not by half.” He lowered his head to speak into her ear, inhaling the scent of her hair. “It’s not a rodeo without a turkey leg.”

  * * *

  Two hours later, Jillian looked out the passenger-side window of Cody’s pickup truck, warmed by her new flannel shirt and the cowboy in the driver’s seat. She hadn’t necessarily expected to share the adventures from her list with another person, but she had to admit that attending the rodeo with Cody McNeill had been fun. She’d tasted the funnel cake, a turkey leg and even a few bites of a caramel apple that had been out of this world.

  Or maybe everything had tasted delectable because of the company she kept. Because she’d been thinking about kissing him every time he offered her a bite.

  Now, as the truck rumbled up the long driveway of the White Canyon guest ranch, she wondered how the night would end. She knew they couldn’t take things any further than the front seat of his truck would allow. Not with his half sister watching over the foyer.

  Of course, Jillian couldn’t allow their attraction to sway her into making another bad decision, anyhow. She had thought a night with him sounded sexy and exciting when she was thinking solely of her life adventures and how much this man reawakened her senses. But that had been before she knew him better. Before she realized how much “adventure” was out of character for this fiercely practical, responsible rancher.

  He wouldn’t be kissing her senseless again anytime soon. Not when he viewed their encounter at Wrangler’s as a deception on her part. After all, he’d accused her of trying to circumvent him by seducing his “twin.”

  “Everything okay?” he asked her as he pulled up to the White Canyon. “You’ve been quiet the whole ride home.”

  He parked the truck and pocketed the keys. Landscaping lights around a few prominent cottonwoods illuminated the walkway to the wide front stairs of the guest ranch.

  “Just thinking about what’s next,” she
admitted, shifting to see him better as she slid off her seat belt. “Debating if I should give up asking you to film at the Black Creek or—”

  “Yes,” he told her flatly. “That’s not happening.”

  Frustration that he hadn’t even given her a chance to get out the rest of her proposal and plead her case simmered.

  “Then you should know your brother already offered to house the production crew at the Creek Spill.” She didn’t even realize she’d made up her mind to accept that offer until she heard the words roll off her tongue. But what choice did Cody give her?

  She’d have to find a way to talk the film executives into the alternate location.

  “You already spoke to Carson about this?” His blue eyes narrowed as he stared at her from across the dim truck cab. “Without telling me?”

  “You knew I was interested in filming up here,” she reminded him. “And that I had planned to speak to Carson at some point—”

  “I remember you were plotting to intercept Carson all along. Even before I landed in your path Friday and confused things.” His jaw flexed and a shadow crossed his expression. “I imagine my twin was very accommodating.”

  She didn’t appreciate his implication or his tone, since she wasn’t the kind of woman to pit brother against brother. Yet even through the crackle of frustration, she felt the pull of this man in the small, enclosed space. Remembered the way it had felt to be pressed against him, peeling off each other’s clothes. To distract herself from those thoughts, she stared out at the night sky full of stars.

  “Scarlett approached him before I did. Apparently, she thinks a film shot here will boost the profile of the other McNeill businesses besides ranching.”

  “Of course she does. She met an actor on a flight to LA a few months ago and it reignited her old hope of trying her luck in Hollywood.” Cody shifted in his seat, his voice a rumble that vibrated through her. “I’m sure she sees a film in Cheyenne as a way to brighten up her otherwise boring life. She’s a typical twenty-five-year-old.”

  Jillian told herself this wasn’t her family and she had no reason to weigh in with her opinion. But in light of her own journey, she found it too hard to keep her feelings to herself. She was probably more let down than she should have been that a man who attracted her so much could feel that way.

  “Maybe Scarlett’s already seen the way your brother lost out on his bull-riding dream, and she doesn’t want to become the next McNeill to sacrifice her future to the good of the ranch.” Levering the truck door open, Jillian didn’t wait for Cody to help her out. “Not everyone wants to spend their whole life playing it safe.”

  She shouldn’t want a man like Cody—someone so bound to an idea of what was right that he couldn’t appreciate the idea of being happy. Before he could argue with her anymore, she said a terse thank-you and good-night, and exited the truck.

  Only to have him catch up to her halfway up the walkway. He matched her fast gait, opening the door to the guest ranch for her.

  “Who says I want to play it safe?” He stared down at her in the porch light, his gaze intense.

  Missing nothing.

  She’d stopped too close to him. The nearness of his body communicated a whole different set of messages than the conversation they’d been having.

  Attraction. Hunger. Desire.

  “When it comes to the film—” she struggled to keep a thought in her head as she glanced up at him, breathing in the warm hint of spice from his aftershave, a scent she could almost taste on her tongue in her memories “—you won’t risk anyone’s safety.”

  “Correct.” He somehow managed to hold the screen door open for her while simultaneously blocking the threshold, his broad shoulders taking up all the room. “I won’t risk anyone else’s safety. But that doesn’t mean I won’t consider a gamble of my own.”

  Her mouth was too dry for conversation. All she really wanted was a kiss. To lose herself in this man. It made no logical sense, since she was frustrated with him and all the ways he was thwarting her career. But she couldn’t deny the heavy pulse of blood in her veins. The tingle of anticipation on her skin.

  “I don’t understand.” She shook her head, her hair teasing her oversensitive skin as it brushed her cheek and bare collarbone. “You aren’t gambling a damn thing.”

  Her voice sounded breathless. She felt light-headed.

  He backed her up a step, letting the screen door close behind him as he slid his hands around her waist. The sensual impact of that touch flared hot inside her.

  “On the contrary.” He leaned closer, his lips hovering just above hers. His voice got softer as he breathed the words over her mouth. “I risk my sanity every time I’m next to you, Jillian.”

  Seven

  You’re insane.

  Scarlett reread her sister Maisie’s text as she packed her suitcase for the trip to Los Angeles.

  Her flight had been easy to arrange on short notice. It helped that her grandfather had a private plane, a Learjet that he had made available to her, since no one else in the family needed it for the next few days. Her father had tried to warn her that Malcolm McNeill was only attempting to buy her affection, but Scarlett didn’t think that was the case. She’d been spending afternoons with her grandfather and his new girlfriend, Rose, learning more about the rest of the family that her father had turned his back on before she was born. Scarlett had met a few of her cousins, including Gabe McNeill, the youngest son of Donovan’s brother, Liam. Scarlett had even flown to Martinique this winter to spend some time with Gabe and his new wife, Brianne.

  That trip had brought her closer to the rest of the family, including Rose, a feisty former singer in her eighties, who was Brianne’s grandmother. Malcolm treated Rose like royalty, but not just by spending money on her. Yes, he’d bought himself and Rose matching, high-end smartphones, but just so they could download all the apps their family members used and figure them out together over a pot of tea in the afternoon.

  It was adorable. Unlike Maisie’s texts.

  Why insane?? Scarlett texted back, as she studied the contents of her wardrobe critically. Because I’m doing something I want to do instead of what the family expects??

  She didn’t have to wait long for Maisie’s reply.

  Because you’re surprising him. He ghosted you last year, babe. What makes you think he’s going to be happy to see you now?

  Scarlett’s stomach twisted. It was her own fault for sharing that private pain with her sister in a moment of weakness. She should have never confessed that story to Maisie, of all people, who’d never doubted herself for an instant.

  I don’t care if he’s happy. I plan to tell him in no uncertain terms what I think of him.

  Of course, Logan might not be pleased to see her. But even worse was the fear that he might not remember her at all. Scarlett’s worst nightmare was being forgettable, a fear her older sisters would never understand. Madeline and Maisie were born secure. They were both smart and beautiful, and had received full-ride scholarships to top-tier universities. They shared the McNeill good looks. And, most important, their father acknowledged them, appreciated their contributions to the family businesses in his own gruff way.

  Scarlett looked like their mother—pretty in a way that would fade over time, her beauty a fiction created by silk and bows, accessories and makeup. She was the daughter her mother had wanted and her father hadn’t. The baby. The “one too many,” according to whispered arguments she’d overheard as a child.

  Not that it mattered anymore. Scarlett had stuck around Cheyenne after college more for her mother’s sake than to honor her dad’s insistence she give something back to the family. Her mom had been deeply unhappy for years, and Scarlett felt no one else noticed.

  Perhaps that was why she so fully identified with her mother. No one would notice Scarlett either if she didn’t make the effort every da
y to rise above her average looks. To paint a cat’s eye on her lids and swirl glitter in the shadow she used under her brow bone.

  Sifting through the outfits of every color in her wardrobe, Scarlett pulled out a dress raided from Madeline’s closet long ago, a gold lace stunner from the Halloween when Maddy had dressed as a flapper. Scarlett could picture the fringed hem going well with white leather go-go boots and her dark hair piled on her head in a modified beehive.

  She might not be beautiful, but she knew how to look hot.

  She was packing the outfit in tissue paper for her trip when her phone chimed again.

  That’s more like it. Want some backup?

  Scarlett felt tempted. But how much satisfaction could she take in her big moment if she needed her sister to hold her hand? No. Better to tell him off on her own.

  Steeling herself, she texted back, I’ve got this, and slid her cell phone into her purse.

  Scarlett swallowed her fears and zipped up her overnight bag for tomorrow’s trip. She wasn’t settling for being the also-ran McNeill anymore. She would go to LA and finally step out of the shadows of her successful family members.

  And make Logan King eat his sorry heart out.

  * * *

  Kissing Jillian tonight had not been in Cody’s plan.

  He’d intended only to keep her close for a few more days until he could convince her to get a blood test. After the mishap with the condom, he needed to rule out any chance of pregnancy. Then she’d leave town for good, especially now that his brother had interfered and offered Creek Spill for the filming. Her work was almost done here.

  But being with her made Cody want her again. Simple as that. The attraction was as automatic as breathing, happening on its own whether he willed it or not. He could tell the same was true for her, because she’d stormed out of his truck a minute ago and now here they were, inches apart on the front porch of the White Canyon Ranch, unable to keep their hands off each other.

  She reached for his face, her fingers trailing down his cheek and along his jaw, her green eyes following the movement before her gaze tracked back to his.