by Melody Anne
“Is it from your father?” Rebekah asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Hunter looked at the letter, front and back, a frown on his face. Rebekah was afraid to know what was in the jewelry case, but she was also hopeful. This was the end of the treasure hunt, but Hunter’s father had obviously meant it to be the beginning of his son’s journey in life.
“I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “It’s not signed, just like everything else.”
“You can choose to believe it’s from him,” she told him.
He gave her the semblance of a smile. “It doesn’t sound like something he would write,” he told her.
“I don’t believe that. It sounds like there were many layers to your dad that you weren’t able to see when he was still alive. It seems he loved your mother very much and he only wants you and your brothers to have the same thing,” she said.
“I don’t know,” he repeated. She desperately wanted to hold him.
Hunter set down the letter and picked up the jewelry box. He opened the lid and found an antique wedding ring inside, the diamonds glittering in the sun, taking Rebekah’s breath away. Their gazes met and she didn’t know how to read the look in his eyes.
“This was my grandmother’s,” Hunter said. He ran his finger over the center diamond. Rebekah held her breath. She knew in that moment if he wanted her forever, she was his.
But she saw the shutters close over his eyes and she knew this wasn’t where his journey was going to take him. He wasn’t ready for it. She’d learned more from this treasure hunt than he had. For him, it really had been about getting to the end. For her, it had made her realize she’d never fallen out of love with him, that she wanted a future with this man that included roots and babies.
But she could wait forever and still never have it.
“It’s okay, Hunter,” she told him. A few more tears slipped.
“Becka,” he said. Her name came out as an apology. She hurt so much right now, but what she hated even more was that he was hurting too. He’d never meant for things to go this far. He loved her as much as he was capable of loving. At least that she would be able to carry with her during all the lonely nights sure to come.
“It’s okay,” she repeated. She leaned against him and kissed him for a final time. “You found what you needed to find. I’m glad I was here for you. I’m going to let you absorb it all.”
He grabbed her and kissed her hard before letting her go. Rebekah was barely holding it together. She stood and walked back to her bike. She had to see him one final time though. She turned and he was gazing at the ground, looking lost.
“Goodbye, Hunter.”
He looked up and their eyes met. She saw the finality of his decision in his eyes. She couldn’t look anymore. She put on her helmet, got on her bike, and she rode away from him. It was over. The journey was over.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hunter was back in town after only a month. And it had still been too long for him to be gone. His heart hadn’t been in the project he’d been working on and there hadn’t been a single image captured that he’d found good enough to publish. He’d felt lost and out of sorts. Only when he’d landed in California, jumped in his vehicle, and began the familiar drive to the bar his brother Knox worked at in Santa Monica, did he begin to feel normal once more.
He’d told all his brothers he would be there. He guessed it would be a surprise to find out who showed up. When they had all learned of their father’s death, they had met up at The Wake for their aunt to pass out their legacies. Hunter hadn’t been able to make it that time. He decided from here on out that his family would be a priority for him and not much was going to stop him from seeing his siblings anymore.
The Wake was crowded for a Friday afternoon. Maybe the bar was serving a good lunch special. It had been a while since he’d been in there, but some greasy fries didn’t sound too bad. He made his way through the crowd and found three out of six of his siblings sitting at what had become the family table.
Gabe was there with a burger and fries in front of him and Hunter sat next to him, reaching over and scooping up a handful of the fries.
“I guess what’s mine is yours,” Gabe said as he looked at Knox with a brow raised.
Knox understood what Gabe wanted. “Yes, I’ll have more brought out,” Knox told him with a laugh before getting up and placing the order.
“I love it when he obeys,” Gabe said with a laugh.
“Don’t get used to it. He’s been in a mood the past couple weeks,” Luke told them.
“What’s new about that?” Hunter asked. His handful of fries was empty and he hoped like hell it didn’t take long for more. He hadn’t felt much like eating during the past month, but being back home had wetted his appetite.
“You can all shut up or get out,” Knox said when he returned with a round of beers.
“What happened to the Bushmills 21 single malt?” Gabe grumbled as he accepted a beer.
“It’s a working day, isn’t it?” Knox pointed out as he looked at Gabe’s immaculate suit.
“One whiskey doesn’t hurt anything,” Gabe said.
“Yeah, but we never stop at one,” Luke said with a laugh.
“True,” Hunter and Gabe chorused.
“Damn, it’s nice to be in the same room with you two. I forgot how much you used to do that,” Knox said.
“Do what?” both Gabe and Hunter said before they realized exactly what they’d been doing. Knox and Luke laughed while Hunter shrugged.
“I can’t help it if my twin admires me so much he wants to be just like me,” Hunter said as he stole more of Gabe’s fries.
“I’m the older brother. I think it’s the other way around,” Gabe pointed out.
Hunter’s food arrived and Gabe stole some fries back while Hunter picked up the burger and took a bite before replying.
“It’s three freaking minutes and you never let it go,” Hunter said.
“I think this is an argument we’re going to be hearing until the day you die,” Luke said with an eye roll.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to last at least three minutes longer than Gabe,” Hunter assured them all.
“So what did you want us here for?” Knox asked. The bar began clearing out, which must mean lunch was over. Hunter was grateful for the dimming of the chatter.
“Can’t I just want to see my brothers?” Hunter asked.
They all looked at him as if he had a screw loose.
“It’s not something that’s occurred … ever,” Knox pointed out.
“Maybe things have changed,” Hunter told them. “I just wish the rest could have made it.”
“They come more often now,” Luke pointed out. “It’s just that we’re all close by.”
“Or that you don’t have lives,” Hunter said.
“I just closed on a multimillion-dollar deal,” Gabe pointed out.
“And I just finished filming in a place you wouldn’t even know how to find,” Luke told him.
“I’m pretty much here,” Knox said with a grin. “And I like it. The ladies are always around.”
“I never shared with you what Dad left me,” Hunter finally said, putting all kidding aside. The smiles dropped off his brothers’ faces as they looked at the letter he placed on the table.
“That’s yours, Hunter. You don’t have to share,” Luke said, though it was more than obvious he wanted to know what it was.
“I think part of our problem has been in not sharing,” Hunter admitted. “I allowed Becka to walk away from me after receiving this,” he said before pulling out the ring. “And this.” He opened the box and set it on top of the letter.
“Is that Grandma’s ring?” Knox asked.
“Yeah. Think the old man was trying to tell me something?” Hunter questioned.
; “Yeah, maybe a little,” Luke said in a quiet voice.
“Why did you let her go?” Gabe asked. Now that Gabe was all whole and in love, he obviously couldn’t imagine doing something so foolish.
“Because I’m an idiot,” Hunter admitted.
“Are you going to do something about it?” Luke asked. Knox was unusually quiet during the exchange.
“I don’t know if it’s too late,” Hunter said.
Knox grabbed the letter and was the first to read it. Once he did, his other brothers pounced and read it as well. Hunter waited for them to finish, then they all looked at him. He could swear they were as emotional as he was about it, though none of them would dare to admit to that.
“Is it from Dad?” Knox asked quietly.
“I don’t think we’ll ever know,” Hunter told him.
“We can choose to believe it is,” Luke said with a sigh.
“I will,” Hunter admitted.
“Now what?” Knox asked. It was silent for several moments after those words were spoken. Then Gabe smiled.
“I think you need to go and get the girl,” Gabe told him.
“She loves you, Hunter. I saw it when you came to the resort,” Luke said.
“What if she says no?” Hunter asked, hating that he sounded so weak.
“Then you change her mind,” Knox said with a smile.
Hunter sat back for a moment and then he laughed. Leave it to his brothers to make such a complicated situation so simple. He leaned back and grinned as he finished his beer.
“I think it’s time to get the girl.”
He stood up and walked from the bar, his brothers catcalling behind him. He had a new mission — and this one ended with the treasure in his arms and in his bed for the rest of his life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rebekah hadn’t known it was possible to feel any more miserable than she had ten years before, when Hunter had walked away from her. Yes, this time she’d been the one to leave, but it was because she’d known he wanted her to. And he hadn’t tried to stop her.
It had been a month since she’d last seen him and the pain of loss still sat with her night and day. It was difficult for her to come to school, to teach classes, to see young students so in love and so naïve about the real world. She wanted to tell them pain was coming, but just barely managed to keep herself from shouting it out.
On this particular day her classroom seemed much more restless than normal, with students whispering to each other and sneaking glances at their phones. It was on days like this that she wondered what the point was of trying to teach a bunch of kids who had no desire to learn.
She tried telling herself she loved her job. Normally she did love it — very much —but after her adventures with Hunter, it had been difficult to resume her day-to-day life. At least she’d lost the glasses that annoyed her so much. If her students didn’t take her seriously, that was their problem.
She didn’t seem to be having issues with that anymore. Maybe it was because in the last few months she’d grown up more than she had in years. Heartbreak had a tendency to do that to a person.
“We have a test coming up next Monday so you might want to start paying attention,” Rebekah told her classroom.
The murmurs quieted as she focused on the projector in front of her. She needed to jot a note down for the class she’d just scolded for not listening, but she had no idea what to write. Maybe a lack of sleep and surviving on caffeine alone had finally fried her brain. It was a real possibility.
She heard the beat of quiet music playing over the speaker system, and she looked up in irritation. Had one of the tech students decided to play a prank again? The volume rose, and the class began to giggle.
When Rebekah recognized the song, she looked around, wondering if this was someone’s sick idea of a joke. Tears popped into her eyes and then the doors at the top of the classroom opened and Hunter was standing there, a rose in his hand as the music from “Down on Bended Knee” played.
She couldn’t hold back her tears as he sang along with the music, walking down the stairs, her classroom chattering as all the kids watched this beautiful man moving toward her, his own eyes glistening.
Can somebody tell me how to get things back to the way it used to be …
He moved closer. She wasn’t sure her own legs were going to hold her up. What was he doing? What was he saying? This was just a song, but it was all about asking for forgiveness, asking her to come back to him. Was that what he wanted?
As the song came to its final verse, he reached Rebekah and dropped to his knee before her while the class looked on. There was a hush as the students took in the show. Then Hunter opened his mouth and sang the final verse.
… I’ll never walk again until you come back to me, I’m down on bended knees …
The music faded away and Rebekah didn’t see the students staring at them, didn’t hear their whispers, didn’t see the harsh light of the university classroom. All she saw was Hunter in front of her, a rose in one hand, his grandmother’s ring in the other, a plea in his eyes.
“I’ve messed up so many times in my life, but the worst mistake I’ve ever made was letting you go — and I did it not once, but twice,” he told her. He cleared his throat and continued. “I have nothing without you, nothing at all. I should have never let you walk away, but I promise if you take me back, I’ll never break your heart again. I’ll cherish you, take you on adventures, and be there for you every moment of every day.”
He laid the rose at her feet and reached into his jacket, pulling out what looked to be a hastily drawn treasure map. There were trees and buildings and a very poorly drawn chapel in the corner with a big X on it.
“Take this final treasure hunt with me. Be my wife,” he said.
“Hunter …” She had to stop and take several breaths through her tears. “I don’t know if this is what you really want,” she said. She couldn’t go through another heartbreak with this man. It would kill her.
“I promise you it’s all I want — all I need,” he told her. “We’ve both suffered enough. Let’s just love each other.”
Rebekah could try to fight this, could list a hundred reasons why it wouldn’t work. But the reality was, she loved him, needed him, and didn’t want to live her life without him.
“I love you,” she told him.
There was a sigh in the classroom that barely registered in Rebekah’s love-riddled brain.
“I love you, Becka, more than anything else in this world,” he told her.
“Yes … yes,” she said, dropping to the ground with him.
Hunter pulled her into his arms and kissed her, taking the last of her pain away. They didn’t stop until an eruption of happy applause broke out from her students. She looked up, her cheeks red as she realized what a public display they’d just made. She smiled at Hunter as they both stood. He slipped the ring on her finger, and she was glowing as she turned to face her classroom.
“Well, I guess class is dismissed early and everyone just earned an automatic A on the test on Monday because I won’t feel like grading,” she said.
Another cheer arose in the classroom and Hunter laughed as he looked down at her. She was so overjoyed she could barely contain it.
“How about we go to your office and make this deal official?” he said with a wicked look in his eyes.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said, her heart filled with joy.
He picked her up caveman-style, much to the joy of the class, and Rebekah’s heart was so full she thought for sure it would burst. It had taken a long time, a treasure hunt, and a heck of a lot of heartache, but finally she’d found the adventure and the treasure that would last a lifetime.
Author Note
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed the third book in this exciting and fun new co
llaborative series 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. I really enjoyed working with bestselling authors: Barbara Freethy, Ruth Cardello, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Roxanne St. Claire and JoAnn Ross in bringing you seven incredible love stories!
If you are new to my books, I hope you will begin the journey with my Anderson Series, first book “The Billionaire Wins the Game.” This is where a meddling father has a great time finding true love for his unwilling sons.
For more information on all my series, check out my website at www.melodyanne.com.
If you don’t want to miss out on all the new and exciting collaborations I’m working on, please sign up for my newsletter HERE.
Do you want more Brannigan brothers? Knox’s story is coming next from USA Today bestselling author Christie Ridgway. Here’s the blurb …
Knox
When super-wealthy father of seven Colin Brannigan dies and leaves each of his sons a bequest, Knox Brannigan believes he scored big and best with his legacy—a vintage Indian motorcycle. He’s made a life out of rebelling against his father’s focus on high-powered business and high-powered people, but this time Knox follows the old man’s edict and takes it for a spin up the Pacific coast. When the machine breaks down he brings it to the shop listed in the owner’s manual—the closest place in California that can find the right part and repair the bike. It means three days of loafing at a rundown surfside motel, but that means three nights of getting under the skin—and with hopes, the clothes—of the lovely but disapproving owner of the yoga studio next door.
Erin Cassidy practices yoga to discipline her heart, mind, and body. But all three go wild in the presence of confident, charming, and much-too-handsome Knox Brannigan. She knows his type. He claims to be a part-time bartender but Erin’s sure that’s code for fun, flings, and never settling down. After being burned before, she set strict guidelines about the men she lets into her life. Knox, with his sexy smiles and laid-back attitude breaks every one of them. It’s only three days, she tells herself. If only they weren’t followed by those three steamy nights…