His Brother's Bride-To-Be

Chapter Two

Jill, nervous but trying to look as if she wasn’t, watched as Elliott, with a big smile on his face, walked over to meet the cool-looking blonde standing in the open doorway. She wore slim-cut jeans, layered tank tops in plum and white, and what looked like four-inch heels. She was very thin, almost brittle-looking. Her grayish-blue eyes held not a hint of warmth as they swept over Jill and Jordan.

Jill swallowed, and her heartbeat accelerated. She told herself she was a grown woman, that she shouldn’t be intimidated by Elliott’s daughter, that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that, given time, she would win Caroline over.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Elliott said, giving Caroline a hug.

She returned his hug, but her attention remained riveted on Jill and Jordan. Elliott reached for Jill’s hand and led her forward. “Caroline, this is Jill…and this handsome guy is Jordan.”

“Hello, Caroline,” Jill said. She projected the warmest smile she could muster. “It’s so nice to meet you.” She stuck her hand out. “Elliott’s told me so much about you.” She immediately wished she could take the last words back; she almost expected Caroline to answer, Well, he told me nothing about you!

“Hi,” piped Jordan, blue eyes bright with curiosity.

“Hello,” Caroline said. She didn’t smile in return, and for a moment it looked as if she would ignore Jill’s hand, too, but she finally gave it a brief shake.

To fill the awkward silence, Jill looked around. “It’s so beautiful here.” The rolling landscape dotted with shrubs and wildflowers, the river a few hundred yards away, the distant hills, the endless blue sky—Jill already itched to capture the scene with paint.

“Not as beautiful as it used to be,” Elliott said ruefully.

Jill knew he hated what he called the invasion of the oil derricks, although from here only the myriad buildings that were part of the working life of the ranch were visible. He’d told her the derricks and other equipment associated with the drilling operation were concentrated in the northwest quadrant of his property, which was very large—some thirty-two thousand acres in all.

“Where are the horses, Elliott?” Jordan said.

“I’ll take you over to the stables to see them after we get you and your mother settled in,” Elliott said, grinning at him. Putting his arm around Jill, he added, “Now that you’ve met Caroline, I’ll drive you around to the guesthouse, okay?”

“Okay,” Jill said, doubly grateful, now that she’d met Caroline, that she would have her own private place here.

Throughout this exchange, Caroline had said nothing. Turning his gaze back to his daughter, Elliott said, “Caroline, tell Marisol we probably won’t want dinner before eight. We ate a late lunch.”

“Eight?” She seemed about to protest, but finally just shrugged. “Marisol won’t like it.”

“Marisol will be fine with it,” Elliott said firmly. His tone brooked no further discussion.

Jill didn’t know where to look. Caroline’s attitude told her more clearly than words that Jill had her work cut out for her if she hoped to win over Elliott’s daughter. In fact, the situation was even worse than Jill had imagined. Caroline wasn’t just wary or reserving her opinion of Jill until she’d had a chance to get to know her. It was obvious she considered Jill an enemy.

She hates me.

Jill bit her lip. She knew Elliott would say she was attaching far too much importance to Caroline’s actions today, but she didn’t think so.

Maybe I should have let Elliott ask her to move. Because unless I can win her over quickly, I’m not sure the two of us can survive here together, even for the summer.

By now Jill and Elliott and Jordan had piled back into the truck and Elliott drove around to the back of the house where Jill saw another house—this one a small frame cottage sitting about sixty feet away, close to the bank of the river. The cottage was painted pale yellow, with red shutters. It even had a front porch with a swing. It was utterly charming.

“Oh,” Jill said. “Elliott, it’s so pretty.” She was delighted, and when Elliott unlocked the front door and they walked inside, she was even more delighted.

They entered a kitchen/living room combination. Branching off from this main room were two bedrooms, a good-size bathroom with both tub and walk-in shower, and a sunporch that faced the river. The entire house was warm and hospitable, filled with solid maple furniture, lots of chintz, hardwood floors, and bright area rugs.

“This is the main bedroom,” Elliott said, opening the door to an inviting room with a queen-size bed, a rocking chair, a small desk, and a matching walnut dresser and chest of drawers.

“And this will be Jordan’s room.” Grinning, Elliott opened the other door.

“Oh, Elliott,” Jill said when she saw the maple bunk beds, the matching chest of drawers and desk, the laptop computer, the TV set, and the bookcases with books.

“Cool!” Jordan said. He immediately plopped down at the desk and opened the computer. “Is this mine?” he asked excitedly.

“It certainly is.”

“Awesome!”

Jill rolled her eyes. The words cool and awesome seemed to be the only ones in Jordan’s vocabulary right now. “Elliott,” she murmured. “You shouldn’t have.” She tried to quash the guilt she felt over his generosity, and she was only partially successful.

“Except for the TV and computer, most of this stuff came from the room Stephen used as a boy.”

The half brother. “Does he live on the ranch, too?”

“Not anymore. A few months ago he bought a place in town. This used to be his house, you know.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize…” Then a thought struck her. “He didn’t move because of me, did he?”

“No, of course not. He doesn’t even know about you yet.” He smiled. “You’ll meet him tomorrow.”

Another hurdle to face, Jill thought in trepidation. If Elliott’s brother hated her, too, life here at the ranch really would be unbearable for her.

I’ve got to win them over. I’ve simply got to. Because if I don’t, I won’t have a choice. Marriage to Elliott will be impossible.

Stephen’s pre-flight routine was set. Carefully following a checklist, he went over the interior of the plane to make sure all switches were off and the parking brake was set. From there, he examined both sides of the airplane to make sure there was no external damage. In the back, he looked at the hinges, nuts and bolts, then studied the general condition of the rudder, the elevator and the stabilizer. Next came the flaps and ailerons, then the tires and wheels, the landing gear and the brake lines.

When he reached the fuel tank, he took off the cap and checked the fuel level. After that, he opened the cowling, checked the oil level and all the hoses and wires. He carefully examined the engine, the throttles, the spark plugs. As he checked each item, he marked it off his list.

The first time Elliott had watched Stephen do all this he’d said, “Do you think something’s wrong?” His inference was that something must be wrong if Stephen had to inspect so many things.

Stephen had just smiled. “No, but thorough checks of everything before you get up in the air prevents problems. It’s the main reason flying is so safe.”

Elliott had nodded, reassured.

Today Stephen found everything in order, and after loading his gear and receiving the okay from the tower, he taxied to the lone runway of the small county airport and was soon in the air. It was a gorgeous summer afternoon, with clear skies—perfect flying weather.

After climbing at fifty-five knots to his cruising altitude of ten thousand feet, Stephen kept his air speed at a hundred knots and settled back to enjoy the flight. He figured he’d get to McPherson’s, the private airport where he kept his plane, in less than an hour and a half, which would put him at the ranch about five.

He wondered if he should have called Elliott to tell him he’d be back earlier than planned. Then again, what did it matter? Elliott wouldn’t care.

For the rest of the uneventful flight, Stephen thought about Elliott and how much he owed him. Stephen had been only five years old when his parents—his and Elliott’s mother, Felicia, and her second husband, Stephen Alexander Wells, for whom Stephen had been named—had been killed in an automobile accident while on vacation in England where they’d been visiting friends. Elliott and Adele had taken Stephen in, and made him feel loved and secure.

Caroline had even been happy; she’d been six, and although she was spoiled, she liked having Stephen to boss around and play with. It had only been later, when she decided her father was spending too much time with Stephen, that he might even prefer Stephen over her, that she’d become so possessive and contentious.

Most of the time, Stephen ignored her. He let her comments roll right off him. Sticks and stones, he’d told himself. Besides, going into battle with her would only have upset Elliott and wouldn’t have changed a thing.

But today, thinking about the past twenty-eight years, Stephen made a vow. If he saw that this new intended wife of Elliott’s was the real deal and that his brother was truly happy, he would do everything possible to make sure Caroline didn’t spoil things. If, on the other hand, Caroline was right and the fiancée really was a gold digger, then he might have to join forces with Caroline to drive the woman off.

It was almost four-thirty before he landed, a half hour later than he’d hoped to arrive. Torn between going to his house first so he could have a quick shower and a change of clothes before dinner, and seeing Elliott first, he decided he’d go home and simply give Elliott a call telling him he was there.

“Stephen!” Elliott said. “I thought you weren’t coming back till tomorrow.”

“I finished up early.” Stephen gave his brother a quick rundown on his trip, then said, “Caroline told me your news.”

“I’m sure she did.” Then Elliott’s voice lightened. “I can’t wait for you to meet Jill. Were you planning to come out for dinner?”

“If you want me.” Jill. So that’s her name.

“Of course I want you. Bring Emily, too.” Stephen had been dating Emily Lindstrom, who owned a dance studio in High Creek, for the past year.

“Emily’s still in Sweden. She won’t be back until Saturday afternoon.”

“If she’s not too tired, bring her out Saturday night, then. I thought I’d have a small party to introduce Jill to our friends.”

“Okay. What time do you want me tonight?”

“Dinner’s at eight. But come to the house early. We’ll have drinks and talk.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I have to admit, I was surprised about your engagement. You’re a sly fox. You never said a word.”

“I know. I’m sorry. But I…Well, I wasn’t sure about Jill and I wanted to wait until I was.”

“Oh?” So Elliott had his own doubts about the woman. That doesn’t sound good.

“No, it’s not what you think. I was always sure about my feelings for her. What I wasn’t sure about were hers for me. And I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me if she said no when I asked her to marry me.”

“I see.”

“Listen, when you meet her, you’ll understand.” His voice softened. “She’s wonderful, Stephen. I keep pinching myself. I still can’t believe she loves me.”

She’d better love you. She’d better not be the kind of woman Caroline thinks she is. “Tell me about her. How’d you meet her? And when?”

“It was on a trip to Austin in January. I—” Abruptly, he broke off. “What are you doing now?”

“I was thinking about taking a shower.”

“How about if I take a run into town? I’d rather talk to you in person.”

“Sounds good.”

Stephen took a quick shower and by the time he’d changed into khakis and a dark blue shirt, Elliott had arrived. The brothers hugged—something they did whether they’d been apart months or just days.

“Want a beer?” Stephen asked, heading for his small kitchen.

“Sure.” Elliott sat on one end of the black leather sectional sofa that took up the major part of Stephen’s living room.

Rejoining him a few seconds later, Stephen handed him a cold Dos Equis and sat across from him. “Now, tell me all about her.”

Elliott’s smile lit his entire face. “She’s special, Stephen. Really special. You’ll see. The moment I set eyes on her, I knew it.”

It gave Stephen pause to see how happy his brother looked. He hadn’t looked this happy since before Adele got sick. Jesus, he would kill this Jill if she hurt Elliott.

Stephen listened quietly as Elliott told him how he’d been walking from his hotel to a nearby restaurant during one of his business trips to Austin and how he’d spied this watercolor painting in the window of a gallery and how it had immediately caught his eye. “You know, the one I gave Caroline for her birthday. The mission.”

Stephen nodded. He did remember. He’d really liked the painting himself.

“It’s Jill’s painting,” Elliott said proudly. “When I went into the gallery to inquire about it, she was working there. She sold it to me.”

“So she’s an artist?”

“Among other things. She also teaches art at several elementary schools—well, she did. She gave her notice last week. She’s really talented.”

For some reason, that information made Stephen feel better about the unknown Jill. Although he knew a teacher could be just as devious as anyone else, at least she’d been working in a respectable profession.

“Anyway, she’s wonderful. I never believed in love at first sight, but that’s exactly what happened.” Elliott smiled sheepishly. “You probably think it’s ridiculous…a man of my age acting like a lovesick kid.”

“Of course it’s not ridiculous. And what do you mean, a man of my age? Hell, you’re in the prime of your life, Elliott.”

Elliott hesitated. “She’s a lot younger than I am.” His voice turned defensive. “She’s only thirty.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Caroline also told me that.”

Elliott’s expression changed. He sighed. “Caroline.”

“She’s not happy.”

“I know she’s not, but she’ll have to get over it,” Elliott said firmly. “Because Jill is here and I intend to marry her. We’re planning a September wedding.”

Stephen wanted to ask what they were waiting for if this Jill had already quit her job, but he decided he’d better not look a gift horse in the mouth. After all, if he determined the woman was bad news, at least he’d have some time. To do what, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he’d do whatever it took to keep his brother from being hurt.

A knock woke Jill, who had stretched out for a nap after unpacking. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Six-thirty! Jumping up, she walked out to the living room and opened the door.

“I was just about to call out the cavalry,” Elliott said, grinning. “I knocked a couple of times.” He looked fresh—he’d obviously showered—and had changed into gray dress slacks and an open-necked white shirt. His salt-and-pepper hair was still wet and his blue eyes shone with love as he studied her.

Jill made a face. “I fell asleep.” She pushed a strand of hair away from her face. She could just imagine how rumpled and messy she looked.

“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.

“Well, here you all are.”

All three turned at the sound of Caroline’s voice.

“I didn’t know you were having drinks,” she continued with a frown.

“We’ve just started,” Elliott said. “Join us. What would you like? And Jill? What can I get you?”

“Um, a glass of white wine?” Jill said.

“I want something stronger,” Caroline said.

Although it was clear to Stephen that Caroline was not going to make much of an attempt to be pleasant, he welcomed her addition to the group. Knowing Caroline, she would dominate the conversation, taking the pressure off him.

Elliott walked over to the bar, and Caroline followed him. Jill, whose gaze flicked to Stephen, then quickly away, looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there.

My God, she was beautiful with that cloud of golden-brown hair and those unbelievable tawny eyes with their thick eyelashes. Stephen couldn’t take his eyes off of her. No wonder Elliott was so smitten. She still had that light dusting of freckles across her nose, he saw. He’d been entranced by those freckles.

Looking at her profile, he remembered how, after they’d made love, he would trace the lines of her face. Her skin had been incredibly soft and warm, and she’d always smelled like fresh flowers.

He swallowed. This situation was going to be impossible. How was he going to wipe those memories out of his mind when he was around her? How was he going to treat her the way he knew Elliott would want him to treat her?

“Here you go, darling,” Elliott said, walking over and handing Jill her wine.

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him.

Caroline rejoined them, a martini in hand. Eyes on Jill, she took a large swallow. “Are you feeling better now?” she asked.