Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Look for these titles from Rhonda Laurel
Title Page
Copyright Warning
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
Also by Rhonda Laurel
More Romance from Etopia Press
Look for these titles from Rhonda Laurel
Now Available
The Blake Boys Series
For the Love of the Game (Book One)
MVP (Book Two)
The Blake Legacy (Book Three)
Texas Heat (Book Four)
Love Notes and Football (Book Five)
The Perfect Storm (Book Six)
Slow Burn (Book Seven)
Cowboy’s Heart (Book Eight)
The Hollywood Heat Series
Star Crossed (Book One)
Hollywood Rush (Book Two)
Ebb Tide
Shutter
“Masquerade” Halloween Heat IV
In Print
The Rhonda Laurel Collection
“Masquerade” Halloween Heat MF
The Blake Boys Collection
The Blake Boys Collection II
Cowboy’s Heart
The Blake Boys Book Eight
Rhonda Laurel
Etopia Press
Copyright Warning
EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The
unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime
punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded
from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other
means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright
infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI
and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000
(
).
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious
or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely
coincidental.
Published By
Etopia Press
136 S. Illinois Ave. Suite 212
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Cowboy’s Heart
Copyright © 2015 by Rhonda Laurel
ISBN: 978-1-941692-67-7
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied
in critical articles and reviews.
First Etopia Press electronic publication: March 2015
~ Dedication ~
To Tate and Isabelle: thanks for shining light in dark places.
CHAPTER ONE
As soon as the gates to the Twelve Horseshoes ranch opened, Tate McGill felt like a
piece of himself had been restored. He drove through the gates and down the long drive
to the cabin. A few days here would recharge his batteries, and then it was off to Las
Vegas for the last leg of his tour. The event was even more special because the Blakes and
Reeds—his fiancée’s family—were all getting together for the week. But for now, all he
could think about was that Isabelle, the love of his life, would be here waiting for him.
He hadn’t seen her in over a week, and it was driving him crazy. He was anxious to start
planning their wedding after the tour was done.
He hopped out of the truck and headed for the house. Inside, everything was quiet.
“Izzy, baby, surprise, I’m home.” Candlelight bathed the dimly lit room, and soft
jazz oozed out of the sound system. The coffee table had an assortment of finger foods
sprawled about, and his favorite beer was chilling in an ice bucket. Tate dropped his bag
and guitar case by the door and went in search of her.
He turned in time to catch her as she bounded down the stairs, jumped into his
arms, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hey, welcome back!”
Tate laced his fingers in her hair and kissed her hard. A week away from her felt
more like a year.
“Hey yourself. Did I interrupt something?” He raised an eyebrow and looked around
the room.
“I knew you were coming home. Although Rowdy may be disappointed tonight. He
likes sleeping on your side of the bed when you’re not here.” The ranch pooch spent
most of his time following Isabelle around.
“And how did you know I was coming home? I didn’t know myself until six hours
ago.”
“I could hear it in your voice when we talked last night.” She rubbed her nose again
his cheek.
“We have a routine already, and we aren’t even married yet?”
“I like knowing you’re predictable. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”
Isabelle ran her hand through his curly locks.
“What has my beautiful fiancée been up to while I was away?”
“I helped Teri-Lyn work on the outfit she’s wearing to your concert.”
“Outfit?” His eyes widened.
“She has her very own Tate’s Angel T-shirt.” She laughed. “We glammed it up a bit.
I don’t think there’s a rhinestone left in the state of Texas. It looks cute on her.”
Tate looked in the direction of the dining room table, which was littered with papers.
“What’s that?”
Isabelle went over to the table and opened an old shoebox. “I went through some
more of Lila’s things. I found these old letters and some note pads filled with unfinished
songs. I organized everything so you could take a look.”
“Thank you, baby.” His mother had been a brilliant songwriter before she died.
That’s where he’d gotten his rhythm and timing. Her lyrics were soulful yet had a
simplicity that embodied what country music was all about. Somewhere coded into his
DNA was the musical talent that she’d passed on to him. It made him hope that this
connection between them could wipe out some of the bad memories of his past. Perhaps
finishing some of the music she’d started could help him find closure.
“And I had my weekly music lesson with the kids. They’re playing at a museum
benefit next month. If you’re not too tuckered out from touring I thought we could go
and support them in person.”
He loved how giving she was of her time. She molded young minds who participated
in Classic Music Rocks, a music program that raised money to supply instruments to
underprivileged kids. She’d been recovering from a broken arm when they met, and after
extensive physical therapy, giving music lessons to the kids was a way to both
rehabilitate her arm and keep her connected to the music she loved.
“That sounds like a great idea. Maybe we can take them out to eat afterward. I know
how much you miss seeing them in person instead of video conferencing.”
“I do. How was the plane ride?”
“Long.”
“I figured as much. I have a pot roast in the oven. It should be done in a half hour.”
“We can eat later.”
Isabelle smiled as Tate took her hands and led her upstairs to the bedroom. He
didn’t waste any time undressing, and by the time she’d kicked off her shoes, he was
completely naked. He gave her an appreciative look when he noticed she’d set the same
soft lighting as downstairs and had placed rose petals on the bed and the floor.
“I think you hold the speed record for getting naked.” Isabelle giggled as he undid
the buttons on her blouse.
“Only when I’m inspired.” He nipped at her bottom lip.
She wiggled out of her jeans and panties and tumbled into bed with him, ready to
get hot and heavy. He grew still and gazed at her with those haunting, piercing blue eyes.
“You are so much more than I ever thought I deserved.”
“That’s not—”
Tate covered her mouth with his, drowning out her response. He deepened the kiss
as he caressed her breasts with a feathery touch. She loved the feel of his strong
calloused hands.
Isabelle ran her hands over the corded muscles in his arms and chest, enjoying the
feel of his smooth skin. He was raw sex appeal, strength, warmth, and comfort wrapped
up in a delectable package, but he was also a gruff, hardworking cowboy. There were so
many layers to the man. It amazed her that he didn’t know how awesome he was and
why she was grateful to be in his life.
She playfully stroked his rock hard erection, and he throbbed in her hand. He
entwined his hands with hers, holding them above her head as he thrust inside her. The
harder he pumped into her at that angle, the more he brushed her clit, creating a manic
friction that drove her wild. She tightened her legs around his waist, hoping to pull him
closer to her, if that were even possible. The low guttural growl he uttered was music to
her ears. He increased the momentum until they were both primed for the ultimate
release. He yelled out her name as their bodies brought the love they shared to
completion.
* * *
Isabelle reached out for Tate the next morning, but his side of the bed was empty.
She could hear him singing downstairs. The smell of bacon would normally send her
scurrying down to the kitchen, but today it was as appealing as three-day-old fish that
had been left out in the sun.
The chronic nausea she’d felt for the last couple of weeks wasn’t abating, and after
taking eight pregnancy tests, it was time to end the denial. She was going to have a baby,
and that was that.
Still, she thanked her lucky stars she had a man who loved to cook. And he liked to
have fun with it. One day she got the surprise of a lifetime when she came home from
shopping and he was at the stove, wearing nothing but an apron, his cowboy hat, and a
smile.
She pulled the covers back and went into the bathroom, hoping the somersaults in
her stomach would stop. She glanced at the sticky note attached to the mirror as she
slathered cleanser over her face, and gasped. She’d been trying to pin down the number
of days since her last period and had jotted it on the sticky. Had Tate seen it? She and
Tate left notes all around the house, a hazard of being creative musical minds. Perhaps
he didn’t pay it any attention. Surely Tate wouldn’t know what the number meant, but
she still crumpled it up, threw it in the toilet, and flushed it.
She had to be out of the house in an hour if she was going to be on time for her
appointment. She looked down when she felt something gooey on her hand. She’d
squeezed half the toothpaste out of the tube.
She could hear Tate’s melodic voice coming up the stairs, so she cleaned up the
mess, ran her toothbrush across her teeth a few times, and hopped back into bed.
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead.” Tate came into the room and placed the tray in front
of her. “One egg over hard, two pieces of bacon, and a slice of honeydew melon.”
She bit her lip hoping she’d disguised the wince. The melon was the safest bet on
the plate, so she went for it. “What a nice surprise. What did I ever do to deserve this?”
He kissed her hand. “You’ve been loving me and being so patient about the tour. I
promise the second I’m done we’ll set the date for our wedding.”
“I did it for purely selfish reasons. Once your tour is finished I get you all to myself
for a while.” She leaned in for a kiss and nearly knocked over the tray. “Oops!”
“No worries.” Tate put the tray on the nightstand and pulled her into his arms.
“Oh, no you don’t. I have to be somewhere in an hour.” She moved away.
“Where?”
“I have some things to pick up for the trip, and I have a stop to make at the craft
store.” She averted her eyes.
“But—”
“I promise to make it up to you tonight. I’ll wear that outfit you bought me for your
birthday.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Tate’s eyes lit up, so she took the opportunity to scoot into the bathroom and get
ready.
* * *
Isabelle scooted out the front door, got into her electric-blue Mini Cooper, turned on
the radio, and pulled out of the driveway. After a short ride through the ranch, she made
a right turn out of the gate and headed for the highway that would take her to Dallas.
Soon she’d get the final confirmation: she was pregnant. She knew she was, but it was
exciting and scary to think she was going to be a mother.
What worried her right now was Tate. How would he react to the news? They loved
each other, but she knew his abusive father had left him wary about having kids, for fear
he’d repeat the cycle of violence inflicted upon him. It was a ridiculous notion—Tate was
the most gentle, patient man she’d ever known—but she knew it plagued him.
There was so much going on right now with the tour wrapping up and all the new
material he was working on for the next CD, telling him they may be expecting a baby
was liable to be an added stress he didn’t need right now. He was already nervous about
meeting her parents, particularly her dad. The colonel, as they called him, always
referred to Tate as “that cowboy.”
The mid-morning traffic wasn’t so bad, but still she hated highways, preferring the
long country roads that surrounded the ranch. The ring of an incoming phone call cut off
the song playing on the radio, jutting her out of her thoughts.
She looked at the display. It was her cousin Morgan calling. She hit the button on the
mini touch controller. “Hey, Morgan. Are the boys napping?” Isabelle didn’t hear the
usual ruckus of the kids in the background, which usually meant Morgan’s kids were
sleeping.
“Why do you ask? Because you don’t hear the sounds of a country being invaded?”
Morgan laughed.
“Well, yeah.” Isabelle giggled as she turned onto the highway, headed for Dallas.
“My babies are officially notorious.” Morgan sighed. “Actually the boys are
spending the day with Tyler and Michelle. That would usually have me on edge, but Jake
knows how to call home if anyone gets arrested. Seth is having lunch with a few of the
guys from the team.”
“Wow. You’re home alone? Please tell me you’re doing absolutely nothing.”
“I wish. At Seth’s request, I’m sifting through these dreaded prison brochures. He
wants to make a few appointments before the new season starts.”
“You mean you’re perusing school pamphlets, so you can select a great school for
Jake to attend in the fall?” It was time for Jake to start school, and Morgan had run out of
stall tactics.
“Same difference. Some of these private schools are nuts. Who makes a toddler wear
a blazer and a polo shirt?”
“Aw, that sounds precious. And scary. Then precious again.”
“Never mind me, how are you? Did Operation Stork commence yet?”
“I’m on my way to the doctor now. I hated lying to Tate though. He thinks I’m going
to the craft store.” She winced. She put on her blinker as her exit came into view. She was
almost there.
“Well, we all know you can spend hours in there. But I don’t know why you don’t
just tell him. He’s going to be over the moon when he finds out.”
“Is he?”
“Of course he is. Tate loves you. You know he loves kids. He’s crazy about the boys.
You said he’d gotten a lot better dealing with his past, thanks to couples counseling.”
“He has. But he still…struggles with things.”
“But he’s made tremendous progress. He doesn’t cringe anymore when you ask him
to look through Lila’s old boxes.”
“No, he doesn’t. But now is not the best time to tell him. He’s so busy with the tour,
and his next CD… If I am pregnant, I want to tell him at the perfect time, not in one of
those eye-of-the-hurricane moments. Meeting my dad qualifies as one of those
moments.”
“Have you talked to your parents lately?”
“I talked to my mom a couple of days ago. She’s so excited to meet Tate. I just wish
some of that enthusiasm would spread to my dad. Were you able to find out anything
from Sydney?”
If anyone could get the skinny on how her father was coming to terms with the
relationship, it was Morgan’s feisty stepmother Sydney. She kept her ear to the family
grape vine and talked to Isabelle’s mom regularly.
“She said whenever someone brings up Tate, he starts cleaning all his guns.”
“Great.” Isabelle pulled into the parking lot. “You didn’t say anything to Seth, did
you? He’ll tell Tate for sure.”
“No, I didn’t, but I can’t wait too long. He knows something’s up and has been
employing some pretty seductive tactics to get me to squeal.”
“Well, take a cue from your oldest son and be delightfully evasive.” It was clear, even
at five years old, that Jake had the Blake charm down to a science.
“Izzy, you and Tate are going to be wonderful parents.”
“Thanks, Morgan.” She parked and took a deep breath, trying to settle the butterflies
in her stomach—or were they 747s? “Well, I’m here. I’ll call you as soon as I leave.”
She disconnected the call and walked into the office building. Isabelle gave the
nurse her name, then went over to the refreshment bar and poured herself a glass of
lemon water. The assortment of pastries looked delicious, but she played it safe and
nibbled on a biscotti.
She scrolled through the photo album on her phone and found a picture of Tate on
his horse, Thunder. He looked so happy. The sadness she used to see in his eyes was
fading. She hoped this news would bring him enough joy to make it disappear
altogether.
“Ms. Reed, we’re ready for you now,” the nurse called out to her.
Isabelle smiled and followed the woman into an exam room. Morgan was right. The
likelihood that eight pregnancy tests were incorrect was ridiculous. In a week the secrecy
would be over, and she could share the news with Tate and the family. The Blakes would
be elated, but she still wasn’t sure how her father would react.
* * *
With Isabelle off doing whatever it was women did at the craft store, Tate returned
to his cabin with Rowdy in tow and tidied up the house. He figured it would be a good
time to return a few business calls. He got in touch with his manager, Cyril, who said the
band was in Las Vegas and ready to rehearse as soon he got into town. Cyril was worried
about the filming of the last show for a documentary special, which was going to air on a
cable network in the fall. He was a perfectionist, but he was great at the little details that
Tate sometimes overlooked. This would be his first recorded special, and Tate had laid
down a few conditions, one of which was that Isabelle was not to be filmed.
Sure, news of his engagement was a big deal these days, but he wanted his
relationship with Isabelle to remain private and out of the tabloids, especially since the
latest scandal. Singer Lucinda McCann’s declaration that she’d dedicated her latest song
to him had brought on a flurry of gossip. Of course, it was true—she’d dedicated the
song to him after their brief affair before his engagement to Isabelle. But Lucinda’s
“coincidental” reveal of Tate as the source of her inspiration just after news of his
engagement to Izzy didn’t help anything, except maybe Lucinda’s career. Particularly
since Lucinda insisted she’d been in love with him and he’d dumped her. Perfect fodder
for a country song.
Izzy had taken it in stride, even when it seemed like every cousin she had called her
with a thousand questions. Being in the limelight wasn’t easy. There was a general sense
of disappointment when a celebrity found love, especially one with the reputation for
being a playboy, and people were just reacting to it. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get
away squeaky clean from his rogue past, but now he had to defend the right to have a
private relationship with the woman he loved.
The next call he made was to Kate Cavanaugh, the president of his record label,
Atlantis Blue. Cowboy’s Heart had gone platinum, thanks to the hit single “Isabelle’s
Smile.”
“Tate, how are you?” Kate answered. “Did you and Isabelle set a wedding date yet?”
“As soon as the tour is finished, we’ll set a date and send you and Chris an invite.”
“Great. It would be nice to get out of Cali for a while. Congrats on the success of the
tour. Have any ideas for the next CD?”
“I know the single with Lana McNeal got a great response, but what I’ve been
working on lately takes me back to…well my roots. I was thinking of incorporating some
of it into the new CD.” He was sure he could finish some of Lila’s songs and make them
work. In fact, he was determined to.
“I like it. I’d hoped your collaboration with Lana wasn’t a one-off, but as I told you
before, I’m not here to dictate what you record. You have great instincts, and I think you
know your fans. There was a lot more depth to your latest CD. I say keep digging.”
“Thanks, Kate. We’ll talk again after the tour.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kate said. “Anything for the man who brought the Dirty
Rascals to my attention. My country division is blossoming nicely. By the way, my guy
that scouts classical talent begged me to ask if Isabelle would be interested in recording
a CD of her own. She has great talent. Maybe the two of you could do a track together? If
she’s interested, have her give me a call.”
“That would be awesome for her. I’ll let her know.”
A few minutes later he ended the call. Rowdy stood up on his hind legs and
whimpered, a not-so-subtle hint that he wanted a treat, so it seemed like a good time to
get something to eat for himself. His appetite had tripled due to the stress of the tour,
and it ramped up again as the last tour date in Las Vegas neared. He wasn’t sure what
kind of response he’d get when he announced to the band that he would be taking some
time off to plan a wedding.
Rowdy gulped down the treats in ferocious gulps and wandered off. Tate laughed
when he opened the fridge and pushed the milk aside to find one of his brother Seth’s
boys’ toy trucks. The boys spent just as much time at the cabin when they were on the
ranch as they did at their own place. His nephews gravitated to Izzy, and she loved
teaching them about music in between all the spoiling. Her Classical Music Rocks kids
adored her too.
He piled roast beef and turkey onto a hoagie roll while he pondered their wedding.
He wanted to give Isabelle the perfect day to remember. Armed with the gigantic
sandwich and a beer, he made his way back to the living room.
As he passed the dining room table filled with papers, the stacks of envelopes tied
with pink ribbons caught his eye. The flowery handwriting looked familiar. He set his
sandwich and beer down on the table and flipped through the stacks of letters. One of
the dates on the postmarks went back as far as twelve years. There was one letter
addressed to Teri-Lyn with no postmark on it. It was in Lila’s handwriting. He reluctantly
opened it, and pulled out the pale yellow sheet of flowery stationery. The date in the top
right corner of the letter was a few days before she’d been hit by the car.
Dearest Teri-Lyn,
How’s our boy?
He closed the letter. A lump rose in his throat, and he found it hard to breathe.
These were Lila’s last written words, and he wasn’t ready to read them.
CHAPTER TWO
The entire fiftieth floor of the Magnus Hotel and Casino had been reserved for the
Blake family, and Regency security was stationed everywhere. As soon as Tate and
Isabelle reached the hotel room, she was in heaven. The lavish suite boasted three
bedrooms, a full kitchen, a grand piano in the living room, and a balcony. There was a
great view of the strip and the mountainous background in the distance.
“This is amazing. I wish we could stay locked away all week.”
“Like Tyler and Michelle? They got here two days ago.” Tate laughed.
The Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob of the room a couple doors down coupled
with the stack of dishes waiting to be carted off by the room service confirmed that Tyler
and Michelle had indeed arrived early.
“I’m so glad they’re happy.”
“And they have the right idea.” Tate grabbed Isabelle’s waist and was backing her
toward the bedroom when his phone rang. It was Cyril.
“Cy, I just got in… Yeah, I know we have a press conference this afternoon, I’ll be
down in a few minutes.” Tate hung up and ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe
this.”
“Duty calls. I’ll put our things away, maybe do a little shopping, then I’ll meet you
downstairs for dinner with the band.” Isabelle kissed his pouting lips.
“Are you sure you’re going to be all right wandering around by yourself? Regency
reserved private vehicles for the family. So if you want to—”
“Stop worrying about me. I want you to focus on your concert and enjoy getting to
know my folks. They’re going to love you.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Isabelle ran a hand over his cheek. “Don’t worry.”
“I have a surprise for you.”
Isabelle couldn’t believe her eyes when Tate went out into the hall and retuned a few
minutes later with a man who looked like three football players crammed into one huge
body. He had to be three hundred pounds easy, at least six five, and he looked like he
could bench press the giant statue in front of the hotel.
“Baby, this is Luther. He’s going to be escorting you around town this week.” Tate
flashed his most boyish smile, but Isabelle wasn’t fooled for a minute.
“Absolutely not!”
Tate winced. “This is a big town, and it would be better to have someone with you
when you go out.”
“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.” She threw her room key on the table, sat on the
edge of the couch, and removed her sandals.
“I know you don’t like it, but it’s necessary. I can concentrate on the performance if I
know Luther is looking after you.”
“Couldn’t you find someone a little more…less conspicuous? He sticks out like a
lion at a rabbit farm. No offense to you, Luther.”
“None taken.”
“Please? If you do this I’ll wear that”—Tate came closer and lowered his voice
—“edible thong you bought me for Valentine’s Day.”
“OK. And I want a full photo shoot to commemorate the moment.” She rubbed her
hands together in wicked delight. She gave the bodyguard a once over. “But just for the
day.”
“Great.” Tate kissed her and bolted before she could change her mind.
Isabelle turned around to get a better look at her new protector. She didn’t think
there was much that could get past the man. She noticed he had a white, spiral cord
leading up to his ear like the guards in the hallway.
“So how does this all work?”
He clasped his hands behind his back. “I keep close to make sure no one accosts
you. Just pretend I’m one of your girlfriends and we’re hanging out.”
“Luther, my girlfriends don’t look like they can compact a car with their bare
hands.”
He laughed. “Fair enough. How about this? Think of me as a very visible deterrent to
anyone who may want to get too friendly. Do you want to go anywhere special?”
“Suddenly I have the urge to stay in the room.” She bit the inside of her cheek.
“I’ll put in a call to room service if you’re hungry. What would you like?”
“I’ll have some cheddar broccoli soup and a turkey sandwich if they have it.” She
placed her hand on her stomach. She’d been feeling nauseated the whole trip but didn’t
want to alert Tate. It must have been the baby who wanted to eat.
She went to the bar to see if there was any ginger ale in the fridge while Luther took
her bags into the bedroom. All she had to do was stave off the symptoms for a week, and
then she could tell him the good news.
Isabelle ate her lunch and unpacked, but she still felt like venturing out, even if it
meant being seen in public with Luther. She went into the bedroom, ran a brush through
her hair, put on her sandals, and informed her bodyguard they were going shopping at
the mall located underneath the main floor of the casino. She was looking for something
a little less formal to wear to dinner that night with the band. She felt as if she stuck out
like a sore thumb in her coordinated outfits compared to the band, who looked like they
were ready for a night of fighting at the Bright Star.
A pretty floral dress in a boutique window caught her eye, so she went in to get a
better look. She liked the dress and a few other things, and Luther was saddled with a
bundle of clothes by the time she got to the dressing room.
“What do you think?” She walked out of the changing room wearing the dress
displayed in the window.
“Very chic. It complements your skin tone. You should pin your hair up when you
wear it.”
Her eyes widened. “Thanks.” She did a half turn in the three-way mirror, and Luther
was right. Taking that as a sign that he had good taste, she paraded out in a dozen outfits
for critique. His observations were on point, and she soon felt like she was tootling
around with an editor from a fashion magazine, not a burly security specialist who
sneered at the man who tried to make small talk with her in the elevator on the way
down. By the time she left she’d racked up a nice bill and a new respect for her
bodyguard. Maybe having him around wasn’t so bad.
She perused a few more stores, picking up a few things for Tate. Satisfied she’d
gotten everything she needed, she went back to the room.
Her cell phone rang. She retrieved it from her purse and answered as she sat down
on the couch. “Hey, Morgan.”
“Hi, Izzy. How’s Vegas?”
“Hot. I think it’s a hundred and twelve today.”
“Oh, joy,” Morgan groaned. “I’m going to have the keep the boys in the pool all
week.”
“We have the entire floor. How cool is that?”
“That is cool. The family does that for Super Bowl week too. Have you seen Tyler and
Michelle?”
“No, but I did see the Do Not Disturb sign on their door. It would be cruel to
interrupt their fun. How’s the packing going?”
“Almost done. I’ve only re-packed three times now. Good times.” Morgan laughed.
“Is the morning sickness subsiding?”
“No.”
“It gets better, I promise. Where’s Tate?”
“He went to meet with the band and left me with a bodyguard that looks like the
entire defensive line of Seth’s team rolled into one person. No offense, Luther.” Isabelle
looked up at the bodyguard, then turned her attention back to Morgan. “Did you settle
on a school for Jake?”
“We’ve narrowed it down to a few choices. We have three appointments when we get
back from Vegas. You wouldn’t believe the waiting lists these schools have. It’s nuts.”
“Oh no. What are you going to do?” Isabelle snagged a bunch of grapes off the fruit
platter on the coffee table and began nibbling.
“Nothing, a few of them have said they’d love to have Seth Blake’s son enrolled in
their school. Is it sad that I want to scream, don’t take my baby away from me?”
“No, it just means you love your son very much. We can drown our sorrows in ice
cream when you get here.”
“Absolutely. And maybe we can do some sightseeing with the boys. I can’t wait to
see you!” Morgan squealed. “We haven’t vacationed together since college when we went
to London that summer.”
“We’re going to have so much fun. Give Seth and the munchkins my love.”
Isabelle ended the call. The rest of the family would be arriving in a few days, and it
was going to be great having everyone she loved there, celebrating a successful tour for
Tate and the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. If only her father would stop
referring to Tate as “that cowboy,” everything would be fine.
Isabelle took a shower and changed into a pair of blue jeans and her new white
peasant shirt with pretty flower embroidery on the collar, confident that she’d made the
right choice.
Luther escorted her downstairs to the concert hall where Tate’s concert would be
held. The acoustics in the massive auditorium were going to be great for Tate and his
band. The instruments sounded sharp and crisp and could be heard from the
refreshment stand.
“Tate’s lady is here!” someone shouted out.
Isabelle waved hello to the roadies and a few of the band members moving about on
the stage as she walked down the aisle. She ascended the stage steps and peeked behind
the curtain, but no Tate.
“Hey, beautiful. You get prettier every time I see you.” Roosevelt Dewey, Tate’s bass
guitarist, flashed her a devilish smile as he approached.
“Hi, Dewey.” Isabelle gave him a hug. “Do you ever turn off that charm?”
“That depends. When are you going to leave Tate and run away with me?” Dewey
grinned.
“Stay away from my woman, Dewey.” Tate walked onto the stage and put his arms
around her.
Dewey held up his hands. “I was just giving the pretty lady a compliment. I still
don’t know how you talked her into marrying you.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Tate turned to Isabelle. “Did you enjoy your day?”
“Yes, even with Luther watching my every move. I have to admit it wasn’t that bad.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Told you.” Tate gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Dewey, don’t you have something
to do?”
“I suppose I do. We’re due at the restaurant in a half hour, so no sneaking off to
cuddle or whatever it is you two do.” Dewey laughed and walked off stage.
“How did the rehearsal go?”
“The band is ready; we have some things to fine tune. I like the feel of the
auditorium. We’ll do another dry run and work out some kinks after my television
interview tomorrow morning, then I’m free for the rest of the day. We can do whatever
you like.”
Isabelle pulled tour brochures out of her purse. “I’d say do some sightseeing, but I
was hoping we’d do that with my parents.”
“I was thinking of taking a tour under our sheets.” He kissed her on the neck.
“Be serious.” She giggled. “I was thinking of visiting Old Vegas, the Hoover Dam
and maybe a beginner’s hiking trail at Red Rock Canyon.”
“I’m serious. I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”
“And you will. My parents like to take nature walks. That’s why I suggested the Red
Rock. They’re known for their hiking trails. We could make a day of it.”
“I didn’t bring any hiking boots with me.” Tate hunched his shoulders.
“I noticed you conveniently forgot to bring them when I unpacked your bags. But no
worries. I bought you a pair today.”
* * *
Isabelle was losing steam at dinner as the group continued to have a good time well
into the night. They were talking and laughing, but she caught herself falling asleep
twice. She loved how animated Tate got when he was surrounded by his band. He’d been
with them for a long time and they were more like a second family. They loved each other
and made great music together. She’d been afraid they wouldn’t take to an outsider, but
Cyril and the gang welcomed her with open arms. Dewey was a little sore that he’d lost
his wingman; he and Tate had done a lot of catting around together. But he eventually
got over it, wished them well, and even asked if Isabelle had a sister at home just like
her.
It was time to go before she did something embarrassing like bang her forehead on
the table. Isabelle leaned into Tate and said, “You know what? It’s been a long day. I
think I’m going to go up to the room.”
“OK. Let’s go.” Tate moved his chair back to stand.
“You stay.” She caressed his hand. “I’m going to take a long soak in the tub.”
“I hope it wasn’t something we said.” Misty, one of Tate’s backup singers, sipped on
her martini.
“No, the time zone change just has me a little off.” Isabelle turned to Tate and
kissed him. “Goodnight, everybody.”
By the time she made it to the room and said goodnight to Luther, who said he’d be
posted outside the suite door, she was desperate for that hot bath. She undressed and
slipped on a robe, put her hair up into a floppy ponytail on her head and grabbed the
book she had in her tote bag. She lit unscented candles in the bathroom, giving a soft
hue to the room. As she tugged on the belt of the robe, she let it fall off her shoulders
and looked in the mirror.
It was subtle, but she noticed her breasts and hips were fuller. She wondered if Tate
noticed. Their connection seemed deeper when they made love, and he held her closer
when they slept. Maybe unconsciously he knew. Isabelle ran a hand over her belly. She
exhaled as she sank into the tub and closed her eyes. The travel and the worry about Tate
meeting her parents faded beneath the bubbles as she drifted away into aquatic bliss.
She felt a kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes to find Tate standing naked near
the tub.
“Hey, what time is it?”
“A little after eleven.” He eased into the tub.
“I thought I told you to take your time.”
“You leave me at the table with an image of you taking a bubble bath, and you
thought I’d stay?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Isabelle moaned as Tate took her foot and began giving her the best message ever,
making her forget what she was going to counter with in response. The circular pattern
Tate was making with his thumb on the bottom of her foot felt so good. When he began
to sing softly to her, she felt so cozy and happy that she drifted back to sleep. A few
minutes later her eyes flew open.
“Did I fall asleep on you?”
“Yes, you did.” He kissed the sole of her foot.
“I’m so sorry.”
“No worries. I’ve never seen you this tired. Even after a day with Rowdy and the
boys.” He laughed.
“What about that time you took me for a picnic at the west side of the ranch? We
were out there for hours.” She grinned.
“Well, you were tired for a different reason.”
Isabelle pulled her foot from his hands, parted the bubbles, and moved over to him.
She encircled his waist and laid her chin on his chest, just above the water. “Is that a
submarine down there, sailor, or are you just happy to see me?”
“Why do you think I’m at full salute?”
“I was thinking of having the bride’s maids wear lavender. What do you think?”
Isabelle caressed him under the water.
“Whatever you want is fine with me.” Tate’s breath hitched, and his eyes rolled back
into his head.
“No.” She shook her head. “You have to live with the cummerbunds.”
“Darlin’ I am so happy you said yes that I’d be willing to get married in my birthday
suit,” Tate uttered in a low, guttural tone.
“I just want everything to be perfect.” Isabelle made slow circles on his crown.
“You are perfect.”
The first time she saw him naked was in Seth and Morgan’s bathroom. She
remembered how proud he was of his body, and he had good reason to be. His ranch
duties and a stringent workout regimen contributed to that chiseled chest and abs. She
felt safe every time he wrapped his sculpted arms around her. Tate was a sensual man,
and after being with him for some time, she had a greater understanding of his insatiable
sexual appetite. It was more than just desire; it was the raw emotional connection they
shared when he brought her body to pleasurable crescendos.
Isabelle closed her eyes and let herself feel how great it was to be one with him, until
Tate lifted her up and brought her down onto his cock. Her body had been feeling more
sensitive the past few weeks, and each time he thrust upward she could feel it a
thousandfold. Isabelle gripped his head. He caught her nipple with his mouth as she
moved forward. The water began to move about wildly as they found their rhythm. Tate
pressed his knees against the tub to get traction and steady her.
“I love you so much,” he groaned.
“I love you too.” She gripped the edge of the tub and sank further down on him.
Tate had a rule about making sure she climaxed first before he finally gave into his
own, and he never disappointed. When he came, her body was still convulsing. Isabelle
wanted to stay exactly the way they were, but Tate insisted on getting her out of the cold
water. He dried them both off with the plush ivory towels, got one of his T-shirts for her
to sleep in, and carried her to the bed. They lay together for a while in silence, neither
sleeping but too sated to talk. She hoped the baby would have his loving heart and zest
for life. If he wasn’t ready to be a dad, she would be patient. That’s what you did when
you loved someone.
* * *
The next morning they went over his itinerary for the day as Isabelle helped Tate get
dressed for his appearance on the local morning show. She felt like taking it easy today,
but she promised Tate that if she went out she would take Luther with her. He told her
the bodyguard would be right outside the suite door when she was ready to go.
There was a knock at the door. She assumed it was Tyler and Michelle finally coming
up for air but got the shock of her life when Luther opened the door and announced that
her parents were there. They had arrived a whole day early.
“Mom, Dad what are you doing here?” Isabelle gave them a quizzical look as she
gave them both a hug while keeping an eye out for Tate on the television.
“I thought we were invited. How’s my Peanut?” Colonel Reed kissed her on the
cheek. “Have you lost weight?”
“I’m fine Dad.” She put her arm around her mother’s shoulders. “I thought you
were coming tomorrow?”
“We finished up with things early and thought we’d just go ahead and get on the
road.” Cecelia Reed gave her a tight smile and shot her a we’ll-talk-later look.
Her father looked around the suite. “Where’s that cowboy?”
“Tate’s about to give an interview on a local morning show. He should be coming on
any minute.” She picked up the remote and turned up the volume, giving them a good
view of her engagement ring.
“Your ring is gorgeous.” Her mother examined it, seeing it in person for the first
time.
“It’s too flashy,” her father grumbled. “Subtlety must be lost on the man. He left you
here all alone?”
“I’m not a child that needs looking after, and I don’t think anyone could feel alone
with Luther around.” She pointed to the television when Tate’s face appeared on screen.
“Look. Tate’s interview is starting.”
The host began gushing over Tate and had given him three hugs before she let him
sit down. It wasn’t a big deal anymore seeing a woman fawn over him, and she couldn’t
blame them. Up close, those handsome features of his seemed even more handsome, and
those baby blues sparkled like precious gems that drove women wild.
“Does he always flirt during an interview?” Colonel Reed folded his arms over his
chest.
“He’s being cordial, not flirting. Trust me, they’d have to go to commercial break if
he were really flirting with her,” Isabelle quipped.
Her mother giggled at that, but the colonel didn’t find it amusing. The interview
went on for ten minutes before finally winding down, and it looked like Lucinda’s lyrical
love letter wouldn’t be mentioned, but the host sprung it on him at the last minute.
Tate laughed it off and said they were old friends, and that he was happily engaged
to be married. He sang a song, and the host wished him continued success.
“Who’s this Lucinda girl?” Her father glared at her.
Isabelle scooted over to the bar to pour them some iced tea. “She’s a singer Tate had
a thing with a long time ago. She wrote a song about…their time together.”
“Did you know about this?”
“Yes, I knew about it. Lucinda is milking this because having her name tied with his
is good for her career. She’s pretending to be lovelorn over him so she can cash in on his
former bad boy image.”
“Why is he touring with her?”
“He’s not. She’s a last minute replacement for the group, the Dirty Rascals. Their
lead singer came down with laryngitis. I suggested to Tate that they get Lucinda to prove
that he’s not avoiding her. Lucinda may think it’s cute now, but come Saturday I’ll be
with Tate, and she’ll be regretting the attention.”
“That’s a pretty good strategy.” Cecelia nodded.
“Thanks, Mom. So how are things? How was the move to Arizona?”
That was the one thing she didn’t miss about military life. She gave her mom credit
for rolling with the punches all these years, but she was happy to get off the travel train.
She gave it a go in Georgia until her marriage to Ned ended, and she was happy to be
planting roots at the ranch with Tate.
“Great. We were able to get a lovely house off base, and I signed up at the nearby
gym.” Cecelia beamed.
“Mom, you work out? That’s great.” Isabelle turned to her father. “Dad, were you
able to get any golfing in at Jacob Springs?”
“No, not yet. It was awfully nice of Morgan and Seth to give us that membership.”
He smiled.
Finally, that loving smile she’d known since she was a little girl appeared. “We’re
family, and I think Jake would want his great uncle to enjoy the property in style.”
“We have had lunch there. The food was delicious, and the staff was so courteous,”
her mother added.
“Well, if you stay put for a while maybe Tate and I can come for a visit and play a
round of golf with you.”
“The cowboy plays golf?” Colonel Reed balked.
“Yes, he and his brothers play golf. He’s pretty good. I’m still learning.”
“So have you heard any more news about an opening with the Dallas Symphony?”
Cecelia asked.
“Not yet. But in the mean time, I’m still working with my Classic Music Rocks kids.
I’ve been gradually taking over operations since the director left. So that keeps me busy,
and the kids are really good. I think they have the potential to really go far if they want.”
“Peanut, there are other states to play music in besides Texas.” Colonel Reed shook
his head.
“That’s true, but there’s one really good reason to stay, and you just heard him
sing.” She bit her lip.
Isabelle casually picked up her cell phone and sent Tate a text. She figured the least
she could do is give him a head’s up, and she wouldn’t be upset if he pretended to have
an extended rehearsal.
* * *
Tate was happy that everyone was hyped about the last performance being the
centerpiece for the documentary. They’d been touring for what seemed like an eternity,
but he had mixed feelings about seeing it end. Isabelle came on the road with him when
she could, but he knew it was a rough life. Sure she was a military brat, but after hearing
her talk about how nice it was to stay put after moving around all her life, he preferred
she stay at the ranch.
He opened Loulabelle’s case and saw the letter from Lila to Teri-Lyn. He still hadn’t
mustered up the nerve to read it. He was still grappling with the fact that Lila and Teri-
Lyn corresponded all those years.
“Tate, your beautiful flowers are here. Isabelle is going to love these.” Cyril’s
assistant came into the dressing room and put the huge bouquet on the table.
“Thanks, Stephanie. Have you seen Cyril?”
“He’s out front talking to the lighting director.”
Tate grabbed Loulabelle and headed out. He caught up with Cyril near the stage.
“How are we doing?” Tate glanced at his watch.
“Fine. Just fine. I want to test the lighting again, but I know you have plans with
your lady. Dewey said he’d stand in for you.” Cyril looked over his clipboard.
“That was nice of him.” Tate scratched his beard.
“Not really, he ordered the finest bottle of tequila the hotel had to offer and charged
it to your room. So, you nervous about meeting your future in-laws?”
“Terrified. Do you get along with your father in-law?”
“Not a Christmas goes by that Tommy doesn’t tell me how I ruined his daughter’s
life the day I slipped a wedding band on her finger. And that’s before he starts drinking.”
“Is that why you’re always trying to talk me into Christmas gigs?” Tate raised an
eyebrow.
“You’re my saving grace. Now you get out of here and get in some quality time with
Isabelle before your entire family descends on Las Vegas.”
* * *
Flowers in hand, Tate put on a baseball cap to conceal his trademark golden locks
and slipped out a side door that the fans hadn’t yet discovered. He was game for
whatever Isabelle wanted to do, but he was hoping to spend the rest of the day in bed.
He felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket. Whoever it was would have to wait. He
had a date with his woman.
The elevator couldn’t reach their floor fast enough. Tate walked into the suite,
handed her the flowers, then pulled her close and planted a kiss on her.
“Baby, I’m finally done for the day. We can do whatever you want, but I wouldn’t
object if we went into the bedroom and—”
“Tate, look who’s here…a day early.” Isabelle gestured with her head to the left side
of the room.
When he saw the look her father was giving him, he released his hold on her waist.
Isabelle caught his hand and laced her fingers with his.
“These are my parents, Lucas and Cecilia Reed.” Isabelle smiled.
Tate went over to the Reeds and extended his hand. “Mr. and Mrs. Reed, so nice to
meet you.”
“What’s with the formalities?” Cecilia gave him a bear hug. “We watched your
interview, it was great. I can’t wait until your concert on Saturday. I’m going to wear the
Tate’s Angel T-shirt Isabelle sent me in the mail.”
Tate extended his hand again to Isabelle’s father. “Colonel Reed, Isabelle’s told me
so much about your impressive military career.”
“How about I shake the hand that wasn’t on my daughter’s backside?” Colonel Reed
glared at him.
A lump formed in Tate’s throat. It was going to be the longest week of his life.
“Well, we’re going to get unpacked. We’re just a few doors down in a beautiful
suite.” Cecelia smiled.
“Sure you don’t want to stay in the suite with us? There’s plenty of room,” Isabelle
squeaked.
Tate did a double take at Isabelle, which he was sure the colonel saw.
Cecilia pulled the colonel toward the door. “I know you don’t want to hear your
father’s snoring, which hasn’t gotten any better over the years. Poor Tate wouldn’t be
able to get a wink of sleep. Let’s grab lunch in an hour and catch up on family gossip.”
The colonel gave Tate one last glare before he left. When the door closed, Tate let out
a sigh of relief. Tate ran a hand over his face. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad was
that?”
“Think of it this way: there’s no reason to be nervous about an introduction
tomorrow.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and a consoling hug.
CHAPTER THREE
Tate hadn’t felt this nervous behind the wheel since he took his driver’s test. The day
of sightseeing with Isabelle and her parents had started after breakfast and had included
the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Red Rock Canyon. There were three Regency
specialists shadowing them today in addition to Luther. Better to be safe than sorry when
the whole family would be wandering around Nevada.
Tate wasn’t surprised that he didn’t receive a warm reception from the colonel, but
he took comfort that Isabelle’s mother was nice. The man hardly said five words during
dinner last night. He watched Tate like a hawk, particularly whenever he touched
Isabelle. He suspected today’s jam-packed itinerary was a way to keep him and Isabelle
from spending any time together. She and her mother were chatting away and apparently
didn’t see the death stares her father was sending him from the back seat, which Tate
couldn’t avoid seeing in the rear view mirror.
They were headed to Red Rock Canyon, and the day wasn’t getting any shorter. The
ladies tried to include them in the conversation, but he kept his eyes glued to the road,
afraid to make a wrong turn that would land him in the doghouse with his future father-
in-law. As the Red Rock Canyon sign came into view, Tate let out a sigh of relief.
“It took forever to get here,” Colonel Reed grumbled.
“I was just keeping to the speed limit, sir,” Tate replied and took Isabelle’s hand.
“Daddy, Tate is a safe driver.”
“It was a smooth ride, don’t mind him.” Cecilia patted Tate on the arm.
As they walked toward the entrance to the visitor center, Tate leaned into Isabelle
and whispered, “Why was this a good idea again?”
“It’s a chance to get some fresh air and bond with my parents.” Isabelle smiled at
him.
They walked around looking at the outdoor exhibits, but Tate wasn’t paying
attention to anything except Isabelle sashaying around in her pretty yellow sundress. She
completed her adorable look with a big floppy hat and sunglasses. He’d hoped they
would get to swim in the pool, and more importantly, he’d get to see her in a bikini. J.J.’s
new house had a pool, and he jumped at every invite to join him and Sam for a swim.
“Say cheese.” Isabelle pointed the camera at him.
Tate gave her a goofy smile. “How many pictures are you going to take of me?”
“It’s your fault for being so photogenic.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Are you
having fun?”
“Would you be upset if I said I’d rather be back in the hotel room in bed with you?”
He scratched at his beard.
“Heck no.” She slipped her hand around his waist. As if on cue, her father burst out
of the visitor center door.
“I have a trail brochure. You ready for a hike, cowboy?”
* * *
When Tate indicated he was fine with the first two trails the colonel pointed out, he
continued to look for something more challenging. But it was clear they were too long
and rugged for the women. Isabelle was content taking photos and talking to her mom.
He was glad one of them was having fun.
“You two can go ahead. I’ll sit here and chat with my daughter.” Cecilia put on her
gardening hat and perched herself on a boulder.
“OK, you ready, cowboy?” Lucas grabbed bottles of water out of the car and threw
one at him.
“Yes, sir.” Tate nodded.
Tate wasn’t surprised that the colonel kept up a good pace; he looked like he was in
pretty good shape for his age. Every time Tate tried to make polite conversation, he’d
speed up. There had to be something they had in common, and he was determined to
find out what it was. About a mile into the trail they stopped for a water break.
“This must be strenuous exercise for you.” Lucas gave him a speculative sidelong
glance.
“Not really. Back on the ranch I sometimes work ten hour days.” Tate looked around
at the scenery. The colonel didn’t have a snappy comeback for that. Surely, he wasn’t
expecting to hear that Tate knew something about a hard day’s work.
“Isabelle boasts about that fancy ranch. She sent me a picture of that horse you
bought her.”
“Actually, my dad bought her the horse, Concerto, for her birthday.”
“You think you can win her heart by giving her fancy things? The horse, that
outrageous engagement ring, and who knows what else you got her. I taught her better
than that.”
“I’m sorry if you think I’m trying to buy her affection, but that couldn’t be further
from the truth. She’s an independent woman, and she doesn’t need my gifts, but the
thing is, I want her to have the best of everything.”
Lucas didn’t respond and started moving again. They trudged on a few more miles
before deciding to double back. He wondered how many family dinners he’d have to
suffer through in the future. Finally, they were approaching their starting point. He could
see Isabelle and her mom talking. The colonel stopped and looked at him.
“She’s liked horses ever since she was little girl. I always promised to buy her one,
but we moved around a lot. She really loves that horse,” Lucas said and walked the rest
of the way alone.
“How was the trail?” Isabelle came over and kissed him.
“I’m happy I came back alive. For a minute I thought I was going to be victim to an
unfortunate accident,” Tate said in a low voice so only she could hear.
When they went back to the hotel, the colonel said he was taking a nap before
dinner. Despite how her father was behaving, Isabelle was happy to see her mom, and it
showed. With a knowing smile, Tate gave her kiss and went to the room to work on some
songs so the ladies could spend time together.
* * *
Isabelle felt like a kid again waiting for her family in the lobby of the hotel. This
week was going to be great. It was a family reunion of sorts, and she hoped the
reinforcements would ease the tension between Tate and her father. A limousine pulled
up, and Teri-Lyn and John Jacob got out with the boys. Rental cars carrying the rest of
the Blakes pulled up behind the limo. The bellman opened the door so she could greet
them.
“Hi, Everybody!” Isabelle opened her arms and knelt down so she could hug Jake,
Connor, and Colby. “I see you’re traveling in style.”
“I thought the boys would get a kick out of riding in one of these.” John Jacob
smiled.
“I’m so glad to see you.” She gave Teri-Lyn a bear hug.
“Is everything all right?” Teri-Lyn looked her in the eye.
“It is now.” Isabelle gave her a tight smile. She couldn’t pull anything over on that
woman’s momma-bear radar.
“How’s my favorite cousin doing?” someone said behind her.
“Morgan!” She embraced her cousin then looked over her shoulder. “And the man
she procreates with, Seth.”
“Hey, Isabelle. You look great. This desert air agrees with you.” Seth put an arm
around her shoulder.
“Thanks. I missed my favorite troublemakers.” She hugged the boys again. “Jake, I
hear you’ll be starting school soon. Are you excited?”
“Yes. Grandma said it’s going to be fun.” Jake smiled.
“How’s Tate doing?” Morgan interrupted.
“Excited. The band sounds great.” Isabelle made her round of greetings as J.J., Sam,
Channing, and Bo got out of their SUVs.
“So what’s going on?” Morgan pulled her to the side.
“My parents arrived a day early.”
“Did your father pull any weapons on Tate?” Morgan winced.
“Yeah, the worst one of all—the interrogation stare.”
“I remember that stare. He could get anyone to confess in under fifteen minutes.”
“He’s being rude to Tate.”
“No worries. We’re here now.” Morgan hugged her again.
“I could really use one of your pep talks. Can you come to my room before the family
dinner tonight?”
“Of course. I just need to get the boys settled.”
* * *
An hour later it felt good to put her head on Morgan’s shoulder and complain about
her father’s behavior. Her cousin reminded her that the Reed men were insanely
protective of the women in the family and that they’d gone through this type of thing
their whole lives. A few hugs and a sleeve of crackers later, Morgan said she had to get
back to the room. She was doing pretty well not telling Seth about the pregnancy, but he
had been asking a bunch of questions on the plane. Damn those inquisitive Blake men
and their powers of deduction.
By six o’clock all the Reeds had arrived and were checked into their rooms. Isabelle’s
Uncle Curtis and Aunt Sydney were already planning what tours they were going to take
with the concierge as soon they walked into the hotel. Robert was able to make it after
moving some things around on his schedule, but his wife, Alicia, wasn’t able to come.
Isabelle did a double take when she saw Robert’s teenage daughter, Avery, who was
almost unrecognizable. The teen had blossomed into a young woman since the last time
Isabelle saw her. The braces had come off, she’d switched out her glasses for contacts,
and she had those trademark Reed woman hips. Morgan told her that Avery and Robert
had been clashing lately, and now she knew why. Robert wasn’t happy about his little girl
growing up.
As soon as her cousin Jared came into the lobby, she couldn’t help but notice a
group of women staring at him. He’d had that effect on women all his life, even though
he never paid much attention to it. He was six foot two, handsome, intelligent, had these
deep brown bedroom eyes, a killer smile, and was one hell of an architect. She saw him
often on the ranch since he’d begun working on projects with Blake Enterprises and was
surprised at his natural affinity for ranch life. He wasn’t on the hunt for companionship
these days; his divorce had knocked the wind out of his sails. But it was nice to know
singles Jared, Channing, and Bo planned to hang out together and have some fun while
in Vegas. Even though Jared was committed to bachelorhood these days, it wouldn’t be
long before some lucky woman snatched him up.
* * *
Tate came back to the suite just in time to take a shower and get ready for the dinner
party they were hosting for the family. All was going well until Cyril called and said he
needed to meet with Tate. Lucinda McCann’s band had arrived in town, and Tate made a
point of greeting his opening act when they arrived.
“Go. Cyril said it would take a few minutes.” Isabelle adjusted his tie. “You look so
handsome in this suit.”
“Yeah? I look even better out of it.” He started backing her against the bed.
“We don’t have time for seduction. Get out of here.” She maneuvered around him
and pushed him toward the door. She opened it to find Cecilia and Teri-Lyn on the other
side chatting.
“I guess introductions aren’t necessary?” Tate gave them both a kiss on the cheek.
“No, Sydney introduced us earlier. We went for coffee.” Cecilia beamed.
“Good. I have to take care of something downstairs, but I’ll be right back.” Tate
smiled and exited.
“Your mom and I were talking about the wedding.” Teri-Lyn put her arm around
Isabelle.
“You and Tate are going to announce the date after the concert, right?” Cecilia
replied.
“That’s the plan. I’ve narrowed down a few dates that don’t conflict with Seth and
Tyler’s schedules,” Isabelle said. It was sometimes difficult to plan things when you had
a professional football player and race car driver in the family.
“Cecelia, I’d love to get together with you and show you a few bridal books I brought
with me. Let’s have lunch tomorrow. I’ll see if Sydney can make it, and we’ll make a day
of it,” Teri-Lyn said.
“That’s a great idea,” Cecelia said.
“Let me go see what my grandbabies are up to.” Teri-Lyn walked over to her
grandsons who were playing with the grand piano while Seth fed them appetizers.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Isabelle’s mother said to her. “You got lucky in the mother-in-
law department.”
“Don’t I know it.” Isabelle sighed. “Thanks for being so nice to Tate. He’s a good
guy and—”
“You don’t have to sell me on Tate. I can see why you fell in love with that gorgeous
man. I think you’re good for each other.”
“I’m so glad to hear you say that.” Isabelle clutched her mother’s hand. “So where’s
Dad?”
“He said he had to make a call, but I think he’s just stalling.”
“Mom, is he all right? I know dad can be a bit…abrasive, that’s his style, but I think
he’s putting a little extra effort into his animosity toward Tate. He wasn’t this uptight
when I married Ned.” Isabelle bit her lip.
“That’s the thing. With everything’s that’s come to light about Ned, I think your dad
feels like he didn’t do his due diligence as a father. He took Ned’s behavior toward you
very hard.”
“It wasn’t his fault.” Isabelle blinked. Would that part of her life ever be over?
“No, it wasn’t, and it wasn’t your fault either. I’m just happy my baby doesn’t have
any more broken bones or worse.”
“I’ve moved on with a good man,” Isabelle said.
“I know. But I’m afraid Tate’s past is working against him.”
“He’s not like that anymore.”
“I can tell he’s crazy about you. I think your father can too. You’re his little Peanut
and that’s never going to change. Don’t worry. Things will work out.” Cecilia gave
Isabelle a big hug.
“Thanks, Mom.” She squeezed back.
“Guess what? Your aunt Deborah called and said we may be running into Charisma
and Lamont in Las Vegas.”
Oh no. Isabelle’s stomach clinched. Having her snarky cousin and her on again, off
again wide receiver boyfriend, who also played on Seth’s team, in town was not a good
thing. “What? Why?”
“She said they’d already scheduled this vacation, which I don’t believe. It’s nothing
more than Charisma’s ego being bruised about not being included. And of course your
aunt threw in a backhanded comment about being snubbed as well. I told Deborah that
Charisma showing up uninvited won’t put her in anyone’s good graces.”
“She crashed one of Morgan and Seth’s dinner parties. I don’t know why she wants
to be around us anyway. All she does is snipe at me and Morgan.” She rolled her eyes.
“Charisma has always been jealous of the relationship between the two of you. I
remember she was a manipulative, snotty little girl who was always trying to do things to
make you mad at each other. Now she’s trying to one up Morgan at every turn. And I
don’t like that Lamont. He’s always making backhanded comments about Seth. If you’re
not loyal to your quarterback, clearly you’re not trustworthy.”
“And he has this weird fixation on Morgan. Seth is going to knock his lights out one
of these days.” Isabelle took a prosciutto-wrapped fig off a passing waiter’s tray.
“I don’t care what shenanigans they have planned. I’d like to see Lamont get past
Luther.”
“You’re right. Regency has all the bases covered.”
“Look at Morgan’s boys. They are so adorable. I hope you and Tate don’t wait too
long.” Cecilia beamed and went over to Seth and the boys.
Isabelle wanted to blurt out, you’re going to be a grandma too! But she had to stick to
her plan. Teri-Lyn had been giving her strange looks for the past few weeks, so she tried
to stay out of her line of sight. Sydney’s presence only compounded the maternal eagle
eyes in the room.
There was a knock at the door. It was her dad.
“Dad, you look nice.” Isabelle kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you, Peanut.” He looked around the room. “Where’s that cowboy?”
“He had some things to take care of for the tour, but he’ll be back soon. In the
meantime, enjoy your time with your family. I can’t remember the last time you and
Uncle Curtis were in the same room.” She gave him a tight smile.
“Isabelle.” John Jacob walked into the suite and kissed her on the cheek.
“Dad, I’d like you to meet John Jacob Blake, Tate’s father,” Isabelle said.
John Jacob extended his hand. “Glad to meet you. Looks like we’re going to be in-
laws.”
“That’s what they tell me,” the colonel murmured.
The men shook hands, but Isabelle began to feel uncomfortable when after a few
minutes neither man would let go. She couldn’t take it anymore, so Isabelle gently pulled
their hands apart.
John Jacob smiled. “I just want you to know how much we all love Isabelle. Tate is
lucky to have her come into his life.”
“I wish I could say I feel good about this, but I don’t. Your son has quite a
reputation as a ladies’ man.”
Isabelle swallowed hard. So much for pleasantries.
“Past tense. He’s a one-woman man now.” John Jacob’s jaw ticked.
“Who’s to say he’ll stop his wild ways just because he met my daughter? That
remains to be seen. Those entertainment types lead wild lifestyles, and your son has
done enough things to fill a tell-all book.” Colonel Reed folded his arms over his chest.
“What man alive hasn’t done a few things in his past that he wished he could
change?” John Jacob took an equally combative stance.
“I don’t want my daughter to find out down the road that he hasn’t changed.”
Isabelle didn’t know what to do. Her father wasn’t backing down and John Jacob,
who was usually the pinnacle of cool, looked more than peeved. As if he were reading her
mind, John Jacob smiled at her and gave her a pat on the shoulder.
“My son would not have asked your daughter for her hand in marriage if he wasn’t
serious and committed to having a life with her. I raised him better than that. I can
guarantee it. How about we go over to the bar and have a drink?”
Isabelle watched as John Jacob ushered her dad to the bar. J.J. and Sam entered the
suite.
“How’s my favorite engaged couple?” Isabelle asked, grateful for the interruption.
“Sorry we’re late. I had some business to take care of earlier that ran late.” Sam
yawned. “It’s been a long day.”
“I thought you two had a mutual no-work deal for this vacation?” Isabelle raised an
eyebrow.
“We were fine until Channing ran into trouble.” J.J. shook his head.
“Channing struck up a conversation with a woman by the pool today who happens
to be a reality TV star. One of my colleagues figured out who she was after the fact. I had
to…persuade the film crew not to use any footage they may have of him. She’d already
been posting on her social media sites that she was hanging out with Seth Blake’s hot
younger brother.”
“I’m going to kill him. You’re supposed to be on vacation, not keeping him out of
trouble, as usual.” J.J. looked around the room for his brother.
“You will not. Yes, we are on vacation, but I am still in charge of security for this
family.” Sam caressed his cheek.
Isabelle bit back a smile when the simple gesture from Sam made J.J. happy again.
“And you thought your troubles were over when Tyler settled down with Michelle.”
Isabelle giggled.
* * *
Tate eased back into the party, hoping his absence hadn’t been noticed by Isabelle’s
dad. He searched the crowd and found her sandwiched between Morgan and Michelle.
He loved everyone one in the room, but he wanted to kick them all out and spend the
rest of the night in bed.
Seth approached him. “You ready for the big night?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Misty says hello, by the way. One of these days you have to
tell me what transpired between you two.” Tate laughed. His backup singer just couldn’t
get Seth out of her system, even though he was married with kids.
“I swear I didn’t do a thing.” Seth sighed.
“I don’t believe you.” Tate raised an eyebrow.
Bo approached, nibbling on a shrimp. “He’s broken so many hearts he can’t keep
track.”
“Not so loud. The boys don’t take too kindly to hearing I dated someone other than
their mother.” Seth laughed.
“Bo, I hear you have a wild week planned?” Tate asked.
Tyler joined the group. “Bo, I expect to see you, Channing, and Jared tomorrow
morning at ten. You have one hour of my time, then I’m back to my room.”
“What’s going on tomorrow?” Seth asked.
“I’m coaching the nerd brigade on how to pick up women.” Tyler laughed.
“You can’t be serious?” Tate scratched at his beard.
Michelle came up to him and gave him a hug. “Tate, I see you have Loulabelle out.
Does this mean you’re going to sing us a song?”
“Yes, I am, Michelle, if you and Tyler promise to stick around and listen to it.” He
winked at her.
“You’ve got forty-five minutes.” Tyler put his arm around Michelle’s waist.
Tate strapped on his guitar. “Can I have your attention everyone? Tonight I’m going
to sing for you something I’ve been working on the past few months. It’s something Lila
started, and I finished it. I thought it would be nice to share with the people that mean so
much to me. It’s called ‘Sharing a Breeze.’”
Tate began to sing Lila’s words. The song chronicled the moments they’d shared on
their battered porch, not saying much at all. Those were the rare moments before Joe
came home yelling, which Tate remembered as happy times with his mother. She said if
he listened closely, the breeze would hear his prayers and answer them.
He looked to his right to see that Isabelle had scooted close, her eyes closed,
enjoying the music. He drifted away into the lyrics of the song, and it wasn’t until
Isabelle put her hand on his did he realize he was finished. For a moment, he was back
on that porch enjoying the breeze with a woman he’d never really gotten to know.
The family applauded and asked for an encore. He selected something upbeat to
lighten the mood. The boys were dancing with their grandmas, and everyone’s spirits
shifted into a happy place again. He saw Isabelle looking at him, and he winked at her,
hoping to put a smile on her face. He knew she worried about his ongoing struggle with
his memories of Lila.
* * *
Two hours later when the last guest left, Tate scooped Isabelle up into his arms and
sank down on the couch.
“It’s been a long night.” She loosened his tie. “I’m sorry the party lasted so long. I
know you have another interview in the morning.”
“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look when you’re tired?” He ran a hand over
her ruby-painted lips.
“Tell me again.” She kissed him.
“I think the evening was successful. Your father called me by my name once, but I
think it was an accident.” Tate kissed her neck.
She’d thought for a second that her dad and John Jacob were going to pull pistols
and duel. But after they shared a drink, her father did ease up on Tate just a little bit.
“I count that as some sort of progress.” She giggled at the friction from his facial
hair against her skin.
“Let’s get you something to eat. You must be starving.” Tate retrieved the room
service menu from the coffee table.
“What?” Isabelle blinked.
“Aside from that shrimp you shared with Jake, you barely ate anything all night. I’m
sure there’s something on this menu you’d like.” Tate picked up the phone and called
room service.
The minute she bit into that shrimp she thought her cover would be blown for sure.
She was being nosey trying to figure out what her dad and John Jacob were talking about
by the bar and wasn’t paying attention to what Jake was offering her.
Tate spouted off waffles and some other of her favorites to the person taking the
order, and suddenly she was hungry.
“Baby, can you have them bring some hot sauce too? I want to put some on those
waffles.”
“Uh…OK.” Tate asked for the hot sauce.
“I’m glad things worked out with booking Lucinda. Lucky for you she could fill in
for the Dirty Rascals. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was responsible for Roscoe’s
laryngitis.”
“That was a great idea to suggest Lucinda. Her management group asked if I was
sure I still wanted to go through with it when I went downstairs, like they were ready to
leak a new fake scandal to further her music career.”
“Is her broken heart ballad still going strong on the charts?” Isabelle rolled her eyes.
“I have no idea. I’m sorry about all this.”
“Sorry for what? You didn’t make her write the song.”
“Yeah, but I kind of inspired it.” He looked at her for a long time. “You ever think
being with me is…too much trouble?”
“Loving you has been one of the greatest joys in my life. And I won’t let anyone, not
crazed, lovelorn singers or stubborn fathers, diminish that.” She nestled closer to him.
She loved him and that was all that mattered. When the food came, Tate and Isabelle
pigged out on the couch and talked about their wedding. By the time they retired to bed
for the evening, they’d agreed they wanted something simple and elegant in the
backyard of the cabin, and that it would be cool if they could get Rowdy into a doggie
tuxedo.
CHAPTER FOUR
Tate got off to an early start while Isabelle languished in bed for another hour.
During all the partying last night she’d forgotten to ask anyone if they had plans for the
day. She wasn’t nauseous when she woke, so Tate’s ordering breakfast wasn’t considered
a hostile act. She danced around the suite as she nibbled on a piece of cantaloupe,
thankful the baby was giving her a reprieve today. There was a knock at the door. She
opened it to find Morgan, Michelle, and Sam dressed in nice tops, shorts and sandals,
looking like they were ready for a day of fun.
“Hey, ladies!” She ushered them into the living room. “What’s going on?”
“We came to steal you away for the afternoon,” Morgan said.
“Hey, weren’t you taller?” Isabelle said to Sam. Even without the high heels she
wore, she was still a good four inches taller than the group.
“I’m trying casual footwear this week. Besides I feel like a giant when I’m around all
of you.” Sam laughed.
“Maybe you could siphon off some of that supermodel height to the rest of us.”
Morgan giggled.
“Michelle, nice to see you could tear yourself away from Tyler.” Isabelle waggled her
eyebrows.
“Tyler’s out with the guys.” Michelle raspberried the group. “I have some hot
gossip.”
“So do I. If you get a cold chill at night it’s not because the temperature has
dropped, Charisma’s in town.” Morgan poured herself some orange juice at the bar.
“I was going to pretend I hadn’t heard that.” Isabelle leaned back into the couch
cushions.
“Are you kidding me?” Michelle sat on the edge of her seat.
“Yeah. I hope your gossip is better than that.” Isabelle nibbled on a piece of
cantaloupe.
“I saw Channing’s dream girl in D.C.! We were having dinner with him two weeks
ago, and she came into the restaurant,” Michelle said.
“Cassidy, is it?” Sam asked.
“Yes. She’s pretty, and from what I can tell, she’s into him too. They were both very
casual about it, but you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.” Michelle bit into a
strawberry.
“I bet if Emma stopped dropping in whenever she felt like it, he’d have asked
Cassidy out by now. We have to break the Winterbourne spell over this family,” Morgan
quipped.
The ladies nodded in agreement.
“So Michelle, did Tyler and Derek bury the hatchet yet?” Sam bit into an apple.
“In a manner of speaking.” Michelle focused on the wall.
“What’s the problem?” Isabelle said.
“Derek came into the store, and Michelle let him down easy. He told her that if Tyler
made one misstep he’d be back to swoop down on her like a condor looking for supper.”
Morgan moved to avoid Michelle’s pinch.
“What? Why is juicy news just reaching my ears?” Isabelle huffed.
Morgan continued. “It was over before it started. Tyler didn’t like the fact that Derek
kept dropping by the bookstore even though Michelle told him she and Tyler were now a
serious item. Tyler told Derek he was going to knock some of his teeth out and that he’d
finally look like a professional hockey player. Seth had to step in at that point and make
them have dinner together at the Slap Shot. We weren’t privy to the details, but an
uneasy truce was made.”
“I don’t know how you manage to host a cooking show and work at the bookstore
while managing your man problems.” Sam suppressed a laugh.
“Morgan may have been a tad dramatic about it.” Michelle rolled her eyes.
“Sure she was.” Isabelle giggled. “So what would you ladies like to do today?”
“I say shopping and lunch,” Michelle replied.
“I thought you’d need the spa to work out all those over-used muscles.” Morgan
flashed a cheesy smile.
“You’re one to talk. You and Seth are in the Guinness Book of World Records under
longest sex-a-thon.” Michelle threw a pillow at her.
“The man is a ball of energy. I can’t help it.” Morgan shrugged. “But Tate and
Isabelle should take the gold in the sex Olympics. Every time I call they’re in bed.”
Sam laughed, and they all looked at her.
“Sam, I hope you don’t think anyone believes that gone fishin’ sign you and J.J. put
up on your front door. I remember a five-day marathon last month.” Morgan pointed a
finger at her. “You two should have enough fish stockpiled to feed the whole ranch
twice.”
“Tyler does this one move where…I can only describe as him being some kind of
human corkscrew.” Michelle picked up a slice of cheese from the tray.
Sam’s smile fell. “Does he do a little move at the end and when he’s gearing up for
the big finale, and you have to hold on for dear—”
“Life?” Morgan and Isabelle said in unison.
They all fell quiet for a moment.
“Ladies”—Michelle looked around—“I think we’ve all been McBlaked.”
“They are so busted,” Isabelle mused.
“Seth does the ‘McBlake’ when he’s in baby-making mode. Like I don’t know he’s
making an extra effort to make sure his boys reach the target.” Morgan sipped her orange
juice.
“I didn’t think men shared sex secrets.” Sam looked at her ringing cell phone.
“Are you kidding? They gossip more than we do. Why do you think they have so
many poker games?” Isabelle chuckled.
“It’s the office, I have to take this.” Sam answered her phone and walked out of the
room.
“Do we confront them?” Michelle asked.
“Let’s put this on the back burner for now.” Morgan rubbed her chin.
“Well, we’re letting the day get away from us. Are our plans still on?” Isabelle stood.
“Absolutely. I need to stop at a pharmacy. I have to pick up a few things,” Morgan
said.
“I need a drink.” Michelle pushed off, headed to the bar, and grabbed a cranberry
juice.
Sam came back into the room.
“Sam, how does shopping and lunch sound?” Isabelle said.
“I’m going to have to take a rain check. Duty calls.” Sam grimaced.
Isabelle shook her head. She totally got why Sam and J.J. bickered about work all the
time. Being a bodyguard was ingrained in her being, and it was hard to let go. “Sam, we
want you to join us. I thought you said you weren’t working this week?”
“I’m not, but a client’s daughter ran away from her boarding school, and Regency
tracked her to Las Vegas. She used one of her credit cards at a poolside bar in a casino
down the strip fifteen minutes ago. If I can snatch her up now, I can save a lot of
manpower.”
“Can’t someone else do it?” Morgan bit her lip.
“She’s a slippery one. We sort of have a rapport. But the window on taking my advice
is closing. She’s partying, who knows what frame of mind she’ll be in by the time they
catch up with her.”
“Is she dangerous?” Isabelle’s eyes widened.
“Only to herself. I can handle her just fine,” Sam said in a reassuring tone.
Morgan stood. “Let’s go get the little brat and send her back to her parents so we can
get on with our day.”
Sam shook her head. “Ladies, it’s bad enough I will have to incur John’s wrath once
he finds out what I’m doing. I don’t want the entire Blake family mad at me.”
“Nonsense. We were going to lunch anyway. We can have it there at the poolside
restaurant after we capture her.” Michelle rubbed her hands together as if she were
devising a plan.
“This is a family-themed week. You’re family. J.J’s out playing a round of golf with
the guys. He’d be pretty upset if you aren’t spending quality time with your future sister-
in-laws,” Isabelle chimed in.
Sam gave everyone a stern look. “OK, this will be a simple extraction. I don’t want
anyone doing anything crazy. Nothing physical. Got it?”
“Do you need handcuffs? I have a pair in my room,” Michelle mused.
“Extraction, I like that.” Morgan’s eyes lit up.
“We make a pretty good team. Look at how well we kidnapped Tyler, and everything
turned out all right.” Isabelle grabbed her purse.
* * *
Tate dropped by Isabelle’s parents’ suite with the intention of asking the colonel to
have drinks with him, but he was relieved when Cecelia said he’d gone out with his
brother Curtis. The tension between them hadn’t lessened the last two days, and he was
just about out of ideas. He needed…a big hug and comforting words from his mom. Tate
was happy when Teri-Lyn said she had some free time; he missed having their weekly
talk on account of all that was going on with the concert. He gave the band an extended
lunch break so he could take a stroll with her down the strip. They stopped in front of the
Bellagio to watch the fountain show. One look in his eyes and she could tell something
was wrong.
“I’ve never seen you so frazzled. How’s everything going? Lucas warming up to you
yet?” Teri-Lyn linked her arm with his.
“No.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. Your father and I are here to support you.”
“How was the atmosphere last night?” The parents had gone to dinner and a show.
“The night started off rocky when one of the audience performers tried to engage
with Lucas, and it didn’t go over well. The rest of the night was a staring contest between
him and your daddy. Cecelia and I had a good time. She’s a sweet woman. I see where
Isabelle gets her grace and beauty.”
“She told me she’s been a fan of mine for a long time.” He laughed.
“She means it.”
Tate rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t want Isabelle to feel like she has to choose
between me and her father.”
“What makes you think she has to?”
“The writing’s on the wall.”
“The week isn’t over yet, so don’t go rehearsing lines from Romeo and Juliet just yet.
Lucas will come around.” She gave him a shot in the arm.
“Can I show you something?”
“Of course.” She smiled.
“This is for you.” Tate retrieved the letter Lila hadn’t had a chance to mail from his
back pocket. “I found this in Lila’s things. She didn’t get a chance to send it.”
Teri-Lyn clutched the letter, and her eyes teared up.
“I also found a bunch of letters from you that go back years.”
“She kept them. Bless her heart.” Teri-Lyn shook her head.
“How long had you and Lila been writing each other?”
“We started corresponding the first time you came to live with us.”
Tate felt like someone knocked the wind out of him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it was something between two friends. Your mother and I had a lot of
history, that’s why she trusted me with you in the first place. No matter what she was
going through, she always thought of you. Writing to each other helped ease some of the
pain of having to let you go to keep you safe.”
“I had no idea she—” The lump in Tate’s throat wouldn’t let him continue.
“Loved you so much?”
“Well, yeah.” Tate blinked.
Teri-Lyn gave him back the letter. “I think you should read this. I have every letter
your mother ever wrote me and I’ll give them to you when we get back to the ranch.”
He shook his head. “Life is full of surprises.”
“Both you and Isabelle deserve a future that isn’t riddled with the past. Maybe
reading those letters will put things in context for you.” She sniffed. “Now, how about
that ice cream?”
“You got it. There’s a place two blocks away that lets you put unconventional
toppings on like anchovies and pepperoni.”
“That sounds more like a pregnancy craving. When I was pregnant with C.J. I put
ketchup on everything.” She laughed.
Tate stopped in his tracks. “Pregnancy cravings, eh? Ever try hot sauce on waffles?”
“No, but that sounds like a pregnant woman who loves spicy stuff.”
* * *
When Tate got a text from Tyler asking him to drop by Channing’s suite, he found
Channing, Bo, and Jared all dressed up and ready to hit the town. The evening entailed
drinking, gambling, and club hopping. It all seemed innocent enough; besides, the men
were determined to ditch their nerdy personas and cut loose. Tyler had refused an
invitation to be their wingman tonight but was coaching the men on the best strategies
for picking up women. After a twenty-minute speech riddled with racing lingo and
making a lot of squiggly lines on a dry erase board, Tyler called a time out.
“Would football analogies work better? Do I need to get Seth in here to explain
this?” Tyler said.
“No!” Bo yelled. “We’ll never get out of this suite if he starts talking football.”
“It would be simpler if you just came with us,” Channing huffed.
Tyler shook his head. “I’m not getting involved in any shenanigans that will prevent
more romantic evenings with Michelle.”
“Good boy.” Tate smiled at his brother’s decision to err on the side of caution. He
was taking his relationship with Michelle very seriously, and it made him think before he
did something crazy these days.
Tyler paced back and forth. “Now you remember what I told you. This is supposed
to be a fun, no-strings weekend. Don’t go telling every woman you meet your life story.
And if she asks where you’re staying just say down the strip unless you want her staking
out the lobby for the rest of the week looking for you. In the event you get lucky, keep it
covered at all times.”
“Keep what covered?” Bo gave him a quizzical look.
“They’re not ready. I think they need more coaching. Tate, help me out.” Tyler ran a
hand over his face.
Tate laughed to himself. He was looking at three of the smartest men he knew, but
they were all clueless when it came to women. They could design buildings, run a billion-
dollar corporation, and argue the law, but they would be catnip to savvy women looking
to bag a rich prince. Poor Channing and Bo had never become quite the hounds like the
rest of the Blake men had, and Jared had been flying below the radar since his divorce.
“Boys, don’t make a mistake that you wouldn’t want to follow you home.” Tate
quoted the exact words from John Jacob’s birds and bees talk.
“Huh?” Channing scratched his temple.
“I think Tyler and Tate are trying to say that we shouldn’t use poor judgment and
spend all our lunch money on the first pretty face that sweet talks us.” Jared chuckled.
“Right! Jared, you’re in charge of the wallets,” Tyler said.
“Jared should be the quarterback tonight,” Tate said.
“Why does Jared get to be the quarterback?” Channing raised an eyebrow.
“Because he’s the only one who understands what’s going on,” Tate quipped.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re not looking for love tonight? Just a pleasant evening
gambling and playing the field.” Jared looked at Bo and Channing, who nodded in
agreement.
Sam’s radar must have been up because her partner Kendrick knocked and entered
the room, dressed like the guys. “Gentlemen, I will be your primary security specialist
tonight. Let’s go have some fun.”
“Is a security detail really necessary?” Channing asked.
“Sam said it’s either me or her, and J.J. wasn’t happy about the prospect of her
escorting you around tonight.” Kendrick laughed.
Tate wished them well as they filed out of the room.
“Is this wise?” Tate looked at Tyler.
Tyler scoffed. “Are you kidding me? How much trouble can three nerds get into?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Isabelle slathered on the sunblock and checked her bag for poolside essentials. In
addition to helping Morgan with the boys, she was going to try to catch up on some
reading. She shook her head when she saw the boys coming out of their suite looking like
undiscovered sea creatures. Morgan must have put every floating device within a five-
mile radius on them.
“They’re going to hover above the water with all that stuff on.” Isabelle squeezed the
dinosaur floatie around Jake’s waist.
“They’ll be fine.” Morgan stuck her tongue out.
They stopped by Robert’s suite to get Avery, who came to the door in tears wearing
her new bathing suit.
“What’s wrong?” Isabelle put her arm around her.
“Daddy said I can’t wear my bathing suit down to the pool. I have a cover up. He’s
such a kill joy.” Avery rolled her eyes.
Isabelle and Morgan looked at Avery. The teen had curves galore.
“Over my dead body!” Robert yelled.
“Let’s see the cover up,” Morgan said. As soon as Avery went into her room, she
motioned for Robert to come to the door.
“She’s not wearing it.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“Wow. Déjà vu.” Isabelle bit her lip. She remembered the ruckus the Reed men
made when she and Morgan were fifteen and wanted to wear swimsuits to the lake.
“You pulled this crap on us once upon a time, and I spent a good ten years trying to
piss you off even more. You would think you learned something from it. She’s growing
up. You making a big deal about her body is going to make her hit that rebellion button
her hand is already hovering over. Now relax. She’ll be with us and I will watch her like a
hawk,” Morgan said.
Avery came back wearing her cover up. She looked like daddy’s little girl again.
“That’s really cute,” Isabelle said to break the tension.
“We were just explaining to your dad that you’re a young lady, and you know better
than to flaunt your bits all over the place. He’s not giving in, he just trusts you to be the
lady he raised.”
Robert and Avery were both happy, and the teenager even managed an apology to
her dad and gave him a hug. Isabelle tried to fight back a smile. Morgan had just
managed to appease both father and daughter. Damn she was good. Isabelle and Morgan
settled in a cabana by the kiddie pool, watching Avery and the boys splash around.
“Looks like Avery inherited the Reed hips.” Isabelle removed her hat.
“Yeah. She’s so stinkin’ cute that Robert isn’t going to get a wink of sleep for the
next ten years. Not to mention the rest of the men in this family. A boy smiled at her in
the gift shop, and Jared, Seth, and Channing were drawing straws over who was going
break his legs.” Morgan shook her head.
“You handled that like a pro. I’m impressed.”
“You’re going to be my new apprentice. I will teach you how to navigate all those
personalities that will be floating around the cabin.” Morgan looked around to make sure
no one in the family was in earshot, then leaned over and rubbed Isabelle’s stomach.
“Hey, baby, it’s your aunt Morgan. I can’t wait to meet you. Your mom and dad are pretty
talented, so you’ll probably be some kind of curly-haired music prodigy. But the ranch is
football country, so your cousins may ask you to toss the ball around every now and
then.” She looked up at Isabelle. “How many little Tates do you think you’ll have?”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about more than the one that’s growing
in my belly.”
“I know you’re an only child, but think about broadening those horizons.”
“That’s what cousins are for, to keep only children company.” Isabelle laughed.
“How about you let me tell Tate about the first one, and then we’ll go from there?”
“OK. I’m going to get us some non-alcoholic drinks.” Morgan jumped up.
Isabelle watched as Morgan walked over to the cabana bar. Curvy women did run in
the family. She ran her hand over her hips; she could tell she’d filled out a little. Had Tate
noticed?
* * *
Three hours later Isabelle took the twins by the hand and ushered them back to her
suite. Morgan and Jake were having such a good time in the pool, she volunteered to take
the boys when it became obvious their energy was waning and they needed a nap. She
could tell Jake’s impending schooling left Morgan wanting to spend as much time with
him as she could. Her little boy was growing up, and she was a little sad about it.
The twins were getting a bad rap in the family for being precocious, but they were
good with her. After giving them a quick shower and something comfortable to wear, she
put them in her and Tate’s bed hoping they’d fall right asleep. They didn’t, and asked for
everything from juice to a story. She gave them a snack and finally got them to settle
down as she read one of their favorite books. While she read she thought of the baby
growing inside her, and thinking about how wonderful it would be to read to him or her
made her feel all warm inside. She couldn’t wait to be a mom and hoped that Tate would
be equally excited about being a dad. It scared him to think he could be anything like Joe.
She thanked God that man was no longer in Tate’s life.
* * *
Tate put Loulabelle in her case and was ready to head upstairs to talk to Isabelle.
Since the hot sauce and waffles, he’d noticed her appetite had done a one-eighty from the
birdlike rations she’d been eating for the past month. His momma’s comment about
pregnancy cravings kept playing over in his mind, but that was absurd. Isabelle would
have told him if she were pregnant. But then he rethought it. There was so much going
on right now, and he knew she was determined to make things run smoothly for him.
But a baby would be big news. How would she be able to keep that to herself? Maybe
she thought it wasn’t the right time to tell him, if she should tell him at all. Suddenly
images of the colonel trying to persuade her to dump him and go home with her parents
flashed in his head. He needed to have a talk with her.
He absentmindedly exited through the main door, and the fans were waiting for
him. He autographed the memorabilia of a group of bubbly, chatty girls and declined a
very tantalizing offer from the brunette wearing the mini-skirt, reminding her he was
engaged to be married.
“Ladies, I don’t do that sort of thing anymore.” He smiled.
“What a shame. Does that mean you don’t want to party with us tonight?”
“I’m having dinner with my fiancée and going to bed early.” It felt good to say that.
He was ready to leave when an older woman with blond hair stepped in his path.
“Tate McGill, I’m a big fan. I made this trip to Las Vegas just to see you in concert.
Would you sign this for me?” The woman held out a CD.
“Sure thing. I hope you enjoy the many things Vegas has to offer while you’re here
for my show.” He smiled at her. It always amazed him how dedicated his fans were to
travel so far to hear his music. “What’s your name?”
“Dee Dee Culpepper.” She smiled.
“Nice to meet you Dee Dee, and thanks for making the trip all the way out here.
Where are you from?” Tate scrawled his name on the CD cover.
“I’m from Texas, just like you.” Dee Dee grinned.
“Is that right? Well, we have a few Texans in Vegas this week. My family is here.” He
smiled.
“I know. I saw them.”
The hairs on the back of Tate’s neck stood up. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was
harmless and who was crazy, but it suddenly didn’t feel right talking to her. “Ma’am, I’m
going to have to ask you to back up,” the Regency rep said sternly and stepped between
them.
“Here you go.” Tate handed her the CD and turned to leave.
“Wait, I’m not a stalker or anything. I was hoping you’d know who I was. I’m your
father’s fiancée.”
“I don’t know who you are. My father has been married to the love of his life for over
thirty-five years,” Tate shot back. The nerve of this woman to insinuate John Jacob would
mess around on Teri-Lyn.
“I meant your biological father, Joe. He’s here in Vegas too. We came to see your
concert. He wants to make amends and I was hoping you’d sing at our wedding.”
Tate froze. “Joe McGill has been many things to me, but he has never been a father.”
“We would love it if you and your fiancée Isabelle would join us for dinner here
tonight in the hotel.”
“I have nothing to say to Joe, and if you knew him well you’d know why.”
* * *
The boys were getting kind of quiet, which was a good sign. Soon nestling
comfortably between the two devils became too much, and Isabelle drifted off to sleep
with them. An hour later she felt the familiar stubble brushing across her cheek.
“Hey.” Isabelle smiled.
“Hey, yourself. How did these two con you into taking a nap with them?”
“I volunteered. Jake wasn’t tired, and the boys were, so Morgan and I split the
difference.” She extended her hand so he could help her out of the bed.
Isabelle shut the door, hoping the boys would finish their nap. One look into Tate’s
eyes and she knew something was wrong.
“What happened?” She searched his face.
“I just met some woman downstairs who claims to be Joe’s fiancée.”
“Joe McGill?” So much for just thinking how wonderful it was that he was out of the
picture. “What did she want?”
“She said he’s in town for the concert and wants to make amends. They want to have
dinner with us tonight.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe it. She doesn’t sound like she knows the real
Joe if she said that.”
“I don’t know what he’s told her, but I’m sure it’s all a bunch of bullshit.” Tate
clenched his teeth.
She caressed his arms. “Those are Joe’s lies, whatever he told this woman. You don’t
have to get involved with him, and you definitely don’t owe her any explanations.”
“It’s like the Bright Star incident all over again. He wants to destroy any place where
I find happiness.”
“No, it’s not. You have Sam and a team of armed security people to handle
situations like these. Does John Jacob know he’s here?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head.
“I think you should tell him.”
“Yeah, maybe I should.”
“When you get back we can take the boys for a treat at the mall. We can stop off at
Seth and Morgan’s room and get Jake too.” Isabelle kissed him and watched him walk
out the door. She felt for him. He was having the worst luck this week.
* * *
Tate knocked lightly on the door, hating himself for intruding. He was beginning to
think he was better off handling it himself when the door opened.
“Hey, superstar.” J.J. ran a hand over his face. “Come on in.”
“I hate to barge in on you like this.” It was clear he’d interrupted something. J.J.’s
clothes were disheveled, and he had lipstick on his cheek.
“No worries. We were just taking a nap.”
“In the middle of the day?” Tate raised an eyebrow.
“It wasn’t that kind of nap.” Sam laughed as she came out of the bedroom and
wiped her mark off J.J.’s face.
“What’s up?” J.J. asked.
“I was hoping to talk to Sam about something. I’d like to get a professional opinion
before I do something stupid.” He sighed.
“Of course.” Sam ushered him to the couch. “What’s going on?”
“I was approached in the lobby by a woman named Dee Dee who’s claiming to be
Joe’s fiancée. She said he’s in Las Vegas and wants to meet with me and Isabelle for
dinner.”
“What! The nerve of that jackass. I’m going to tell Daddy—” J.J. headed to the door,
but Tate stopped him.
“Wait. I thought about that too. He’d go after Joe, and I don’t want to ruin his
vacation. I suspect Joe’s angle is to create some sort of scene with one of us and get some
media coverage. I just want him to go away.”
“Let me make a call.” Sam went for her cell phone.
J.J. fixed Tate a drink, and the two of them watched as Sam sprang into action. She
spouted off some instructions to a Regency employee on the phone, and within minutes
she got a call back. She scribbled down some notes on a pad and then called her partner
Kendrick and asked him to come up to the suite in a half hour.
“Here’s the skinny. Joe is staying at a low-end hotel down the strip with the woman
Dee Dee. Apparently they’ve been dating for six months, and they work at the same
trucking company. My guess is that he’s trying impress Dee Dee and may not have gone
into detail about the true nature of your relationship with him. The motel room is in her
name, that’s why Joe’s name didn’t make a blip on Regency’s radar.”
“A blip?” Tate looked puzzled.
“Ever since Lila’s funeral, Regency has been keeping an eye on him at John Jacob’s
request. I’ll talk to Joe tonight and escort him and Dee Dee to the city limits.”
“I can’t let you do that, Sam.”
“I want to make sure Joe understands, in no uncertain terms, the urgency in which
he needs to leave town,” she replied.
“I agree. Samantha Jane should go.” J.J. nodded.
“You can’t be serious.” Tate whipped his head around to J.J.
“I may not like the dangerous element of what she does, but she’s good at her job.
Besides, I’m going with her.” J.J. grinned.
“Why does this entire family think they’re junior crime fighters?” Sam shook her
head.
“I just want to keep you safe,” J.J. countered.
“I know.” She caressed his cheek.
Tate let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” That would be one
less explosive landmine lying around Las Vegas for him to step on.
“Anything for family. Don’t worry about a thing.” Sam gave him a hug.
“Sounds like there’s no need to tell Daddy.” Tate nodded.
“I’m afraid not. My boss has Joe flagged. You can’t say his name without having to
give a detailed report. He promised John Jacob he would monitor Joe personally.”
“Come on, we can let Momma and Daddy know that it’s already handled, and that
there’s nothing to worry about.” J.J. patted him on the back.
As they walked down the corridor to their parents’ room, Tate stopped and looked at
J.J. “Just when I’m ready to move on, Joe pops up to remind me I’m his son, and there’s
nothing I can do about it.”
“You have a bright future ahead of you with Isabelle. Concentrate on making a life
with the woman you love.”
“You’re right.” Tate shook his head.
“One more thing.”
“Sure.”
“Can you please get married so I can get hitched to Samantha Jane? She refuses to
discuss a date until you and Isabelle walk down the aisle,” J.J. said.
Tate laughed. “I promise you by the end of the week, Isabelle and I will have a
wedding date set.”
CHAPTER SIX
When Isabelle’s father called and invited her to lunch at Nico’s, a steakhouse in the
casino, she was elated. It had been a rocky few days trying to get him and Tate to agree
on anything. She was sure if she got her dad alone she could persuade him to be a little
nicer. She made the long trek across the casino floor, lamenting the fact that he probably
picked the restaurant furthest away on purpose. Luther still shadowed her, as ordered,
despite the fact that the casino was filled with family. As she got closer to Nico’s she
could see her cousin Jared standing in front as if he was waiting for someone.
“Jared, do you have lunch date too? I’m meeting my dad here.” She hugged her
cousin.
“In a manner of speaking.” He put an arm around her shoulder and escorted her
into the restaurant. “Izzy, I want you to know I was totally against this.”
“Against what?” Isabelle’s smile faded when Jared stopped short at a table where
the Reed men were seated.
“Hi, Peanut.” Her father stood and gave her kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t hi Peanut me. You brought me to the Reeds’ lion’s den.” She folded her arms
across her chest and turned to her uncle. “Uncle Curtis, I can’t believe you’re a part of
this. You’ve spent time with Tate and his entire family.”
“Izzy, your dad is just concerned about you. Please sit down?” Her uncle Curtis held
out a chair for her.
Isabelle sat down on the edge of the chair. A wave of nausea rolled through her
tummy, but she had to focus on the ambush. She wanted to strangle all of them. Lucas
started his speech by listing his reservations about Tate. In addition to his Internet
searches, her father had hired a private detective to check him out. The P.I. only got so
far before a Regency specialist appeared in his office one day asking why he was
investigating Tate. The investigator eventually relented and gave them her father’s name
after the specialist gave him what her dad called a veiled threat about snooping around
the Blakes. That convinced her father that the country crooner definitely had something
to hide.
“The man has a reputation for being a pervert. He’s been known to sleep with two
and three women at a time. You know how many hits his name gets on the Internet when
you do a search for ‘Tate McGill one night stands’?” Lucas pulled an envelope out of his
jacket pocket and scattered clippings of some of Tate’s exploits about on the table.
She knew about it. Those colorful facts of his past were the reason she’d shied away
from him when they met. But they’d built a relationship on trust and complete candor.
She demanded it, not wanting to be sidelined by some sort of salacious information that
may pop up.
She listened with an open heart, even when she wanted to scream and run out of the
room. As outrageous and blush-worthy his antics were, he simply wasn’t that man
anymore. But her father was dangerously close to crossing the line.
“Jared, Robert, back me up on this. You’ve known Tate and Seth for a while now.
What’s your opinion of him?”
Robert took a deep breath. “Tate’s a good guy. But I know why your father’s being
cautious. Fathers do that for their daughters.”
“I’ve never seen him be anything but an absolute gentleman with Izzy,” Jared
added.
“Ned was a gentleman too, but he turned out to be an asshole.” Her father pounded
his fist on the table. “An innocent man doesn’t send a hit squad to shut someone up
who’s investigating him.”
“They aren’t a hit squad, they’re security. The Blakes are a powerful family. John
Jacob takes security very seriously.” Isabelle’s jaw ticked.
“So the daddy’s hiding something too?” Lucas retorted.
“You don’t understand. They are protective of Tate for another reason,” she huffed.
Regency was diligent about keeping his abusive past out of the media.
“I don’t care. I don’t want another low life getting his hands on my daughter,” Lucas
barked.
“I can’t believe this.” Isabelle stood. “Not only won’t you give Tate a chance, but you
don’t trust my judgment. Just because Ned ended up being a nightmare doesn’t mean
you get to question my decisions for the rest of my life. You raised me to think for
myself, but all of you have been bullying me my whole life. It’s out of love, but it’s
bullying just the same.”
“I love you, and I only want to protect you,” Lucas said.
She wanted to tell her father that he’d better have a change of heart, because he was
going to be tied to Tate forever. But for now she just wanted to get out of there.
“That’s the worst part of it all. You love me, but maybe you should try respecting
me.” Isabelle walked away in tears.
* * *
Tate came back to the room from a radio interview to find Isabelle bawling her eyes
out.
“Baby, what’s the matter?” He pulled her into his arms.
“I really don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go to sleep. Will you join me?”
“Of course.” He wiped tears from her cheeks.
Isabelle slipped on one of his T-shirts and got in the bed. By the time he removed his
clothes and joined her, she immediately cuddled next to him and went to sleep. He ran
his finger over the bags under her eyes. This week had taken a toll on her. Each day was
something new that was driving a wedge between the two of them. He loved her, but he
didn’t want their relationship to cause a rift in her family. He wondered if Lucas had
issued her an ultimatum about him.
The next morning he wanted to talk to her about what happened with her dad, but
his father, John Jacob, summoned him to a meeting. He thought it was an odd time to get
together and discuss business, but he was excited about attending his first Blake
Enterprises board meeting.
He thought he’d get to chat with her after the meeting, but the ladies came by to
take Isabelle to breakfast and take in some sightseeing, so their talk would have to wait.
Tate caught sight of Seth and the boys coming down the hall as he exited his room.
“Good morning Uncle Tate!” the boys yelled.
“Good morning. How are my little shareholders doing? You boys are getting big.”
He scooped up Colby, who was reaching to be picked up, and tickled him. “You know
what the meeting is all about?”
“I have no clue. Maybe it was just a way to lure Tyler out of his room.” Seth
chuckled.
“Oh, to be young and perpetually h-o-r-n-y again.” Tate laughed.
They heard raised voices as they went into the conference room. J.J. and Channing
were already there eating breakfast. Tyler was drinking orange juice and sporting a goofy
look on his face.
“What’s all this commotion about?” Seth started fixing plates for the boys.
“I was just telling Tyler that too much s-e-x will make you go blind,” J.J. mused.
“I didn’t believe that lie it when you told me that when I was sixteen, and I don’t
believe it now.” Tyler threw a muffin at him.
“Channing, on the other hand, should have the vision of a hawk,” Seth mused.
“I’ve decided to become disciplined and not let Little C.J. run my life. You know, I
even think better these days.” Channing chomped down on a bagel.
“Really? Glad you can concentrate because you look like you’re ready to break a
board over your forehead.” Tate took a bite of the piece of bacon Connor had in his hand.
“No worries. Me, Bo, and Jared are going out again tonight.” He grinned.
John Jacob entered the room. “Morning boys. I know this seems like a peculiar time
for a meeting, but I thought I’d seize this opportunity. I don’t know when I’ll see all of
you together any time soon.”
John Jacob began talking about profits and bottom lines. For a retired person he was
very well versed in the goings-on of the company. The man had built an empire on blood,
sweat, and tears and still managed to raise a family with Teri-Lyn. He didn’t like
attention and didn’t do many interviews. Most of the Blakes’ philanthropic efforts went
unnoticed by the press because John Jacob made sure of it. He told them a long time ago
he was fine with the high profile lives they led and encouraged them to sow their wild
oats. But he insisted noble acts not be publicized out of respect for the people and causes
they were trying to help.
The reality of what was going on around him became clear when he opened the
binder and viewed the mechanics of the company for the first time on paper. Each of the
Blake men, including him, had an equal share in the company. Thinking he had no place
in family business, he’d given them his voting proxy a long time ago for what he thought
was a small portion of shares on his father’s part to make him feel like part of the family.
Now he felt like an idiot. He should have taken the responsibility more seriously when
he realized how John Jacob had integrated him into the business. He regretted all those
times he’d ignored J.J. and Seth when they talked shop.
When the rest of his brothers filed out of the conference room after the meeting
ended, Tate stayed behind.
John Jacob sat back down in a chair. “What’s got you down? I would have thought
after my inspirational speech that everyone would be a in a good mood. Did Joe try to
contact you again?”
“No, he didn’t put up a fuss at all when Regency asked him to leave town. It’s not
that. I guess I’m wallowing in my own ignorance. I didn’t…expect to find out what I did
today.” Tate shook his head.
“I know you have other things on your mind, like your music career and getting
hitched soon.”
“You don’t know how much it means to me to be a part of this family.”
“I do. Just as much as it means to have you as my son. Maybe I don’t tell you boys
enough, but I love you and I’m damn proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Tate blinked furiously. “I love you too. I wish Lucas felt even one
quarter of that way about me and Izzy being together. His apprehension about us is
tearing her apart. I’ve done everything I can think of, and the man just won’t let me
forget my past.”
“Do you love that woman?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then don’t give up.”
* * *
Isabelle woke to the smell of bacon and eggs. Today was the big day. Tate’s concert
would begin at eight, and if all went well, she’d be telling him he was a daddy by
midnight. She would deal with her father’s objections another time. Right now she
wanted to enjoy the moment and be by his side. What mattered today was Tate having an
upbeat attitude for his recorded performance. This moment in his career would be
committed to film, and she wanted him to look back fondly on this crazy week years from
now. She put on her bathrobe and went into the living room to see what she could do to
make his day stress-free.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He kissed her.
“I thought we were having breakfast with the family downstairs?” Isabelle ran a
hand through his hair.
“I called and told them we couldn’t make it. I thought we’d eat alone and talk.”
“Today’s your big day. Excited?” She smiled.
“No more than usual.” He stuffed some pancakes into his mouth.
“Everything is going to be fine.” She caressed his hand.
“I love your enthusiasm, babe. This has been one hell of a week. Your father hates
my guts, and Joe shows up trying to play father of the year. A light falling on my head
tonight would complete the pattern.”
A wave of nausea came out of nowhere, and the bathroom seemed so far away it
might as well have been in Nova Scotia, so Isabelle darted to the nearest garbage can and
puked her guts out.
“Isabelle, are you all right?” Tate came toward her, but she waved him off.
She wanted to answer but another wave of nausea was coming, so she ran to the
bathroom.
“What’s wrong?” Tate followed her in and held her hair away from her face as she
leaned over the toilet bowl in agony. A few minutes later it was over.
“I’m fine. I promise.” She shook her head as she rinsed with mouthwash repeatedly
then splashed some cold water on her face.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Yes.” She laced her fingers with his and led him into the bedroom. “Just keep in
mind I planned to do this looking much better than this, but here goes. We’re going to
have a baby. I know it’s been a crazy week, and I wanted to tell you at the perfect time.
I’ve known since last week, and I didn’t want to keep it from you, but I thought you’d be
too distracted to perform, and you were already being tortured by my dad and—”
Tate silenced her with a tender kiss.
“Does this mean you’re happy about this?”
“Does this mean you’re not leaving me?” He caressed her cheek.
“Of course not. Where would you get a crazy idea like that?” She furrowed her
eyebrows.
“I know your dad doesn’t want you with me. He’s made that clear.”
“I was heartbroken when he ambushed me at lunch, and it hurts to think that I’m
not daddy’s little girl anymore. But life goes on. I’m not living my life to make him
happy.” She bit her lip.
“I know things haven’t gone well with your dad this week, but I promise, for the
sake of the baby, I’ll try harder. You’re going to need your parents, and I’m sure I can
figure out another way to gain his respect.” Tate put his hand on her belly and kissed her
again.
It was nice that he wanted to keep trying even though she knew it wasn’t going to be
easy. But it wasn’t about her dad anymore. They were a family now, and there was no
room for discord.
“No. You’ve done everything possible to extend an olive branch. I’m tired of
placating my dad. Come on.” Isabelle pushed off the bed and tugged on his hand.
“Where are we going?” Tate ran a hand through his hair.
“Downstairs to the family breakfast. If Lucas Reed wants a war, he’ll get one.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Isabelle and Tate got dressed and went down stairs in search of the family. Isabelle
marched up to the parents’ table in the private banquet room where the family was
dining. She was just about to launch into her speech when she turned and saw that goofy
look on Tate’s face. She gave him a nudge. Her words would have a hell of a lot more
impact if he weren’t standing there grinning. But who could blame him. He’d been
smiling all the way down to the restaurant.
“Dad, you owe Tate an apology,” Isabelle said.
The room went quiet.
“I beg your pardon, young lady?”
“You’ve been treating him like crap all week, and it’s time you stopped.” Isabelle
folded her arms over her chest.
“I’m not apologizing for what I said. I’m surprised the cowboy has enough time to
make music and live that crazy lifestyle. Now he wants to settle down and marry my
baby. That two bit gigolo can tell it to someone else,” Colonel Reed huffed.
“You don’t talk about my son like that.” John Jacob threw his napkin onto the table.
“You’ve insulted him at every turn this week, and I’ve had enough of it. My son is a good
man who loves your daughter. Everyone can see that but you. He doesn’t deserve this
nonsense you keep bringing on him.”
“A good man? I’ve done some digging on your son. His exploits are all over the
Internet. Now he wants to take up with my daughter, pretending he’s changed his ways.”
Isabelle caressed Tate’s arm.
“That couldn’t be farther from the truth. He’s kind, patient, and has a good heart. He
makes me very happy. In fact, if someone could come up with her a word exponentially
better than happy, I would be that word.”
“I thought Ned was a good man too, and he treated you badly.” Colonel Reed
clasped his hands together.
“Tate is not Ned. He’s sensitive and caring, and he’d had a pretty hard life until the
Blakes adopted him. That’s what Regency was protecting, the abuse he suffered as a
child.” Isabelle sniffed.
“But I didn’t protect you from that asshole Ned. Then you made me promise not to
wring his neck. I’m sorry, but I didn’t keep it, I went to Georgia and put a hurting on him
he’ll never forget.”
“You said you wouldn’t.” Isabelle’s eyes widened.
“There’s no way a man puts his hands on my daughter and doesn’t have to pay the
consequences. I don’t think I can take it again if I let someone else hurt my little girl. I
failed you once as a father, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“You didn’t fail me. I didn’t want you beating Ned to a pulp because it would have
spurned legal consequences and he’d still be in our lives. I didn’t want that for you, Tate,
or anyone else I loved.”
Curtis spoke up. “Lucas, I know you are trying to do what you feel is right, but I’ve
never seen Tate treat Isabelle with anything but love and respect.”
“No offense, big brother, but you didn’t have this problem with Seth. I don’t expect
you to understand,” Lucas huffed.
“Uncle Lucas, you can’t be serious,” Morgan spoke up.
“What?” Lucas looked at his niece.
“Boys, cover your ears,” Morgan said to her sons then turned her attention back to
her uncle. “Seth had his share of women. I can’t turn on my television without seeing
some skank he dated before—”
Seth coughed. “Baby, I think you’ve made your point.”
Morgan gave him a look and continued. “My point is, the family was so busy being
nice to their favorite quarterback I guess they overlooked his glamorous dalliances.”
“I knew about it,” Curtis interjected. “As a matter of fact I used to find his prowess
entertaining until he popped up on my doorstep married to my daughter. But one look at
the man and I knew he loved her. Tate looks at Isabelle the same way.”
“You never told me you had any concerns,” Lucas said to his brother.
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t have them. But he had a great effect on my daughter.
She got her nose out of a book and started enjoying life. She has kids now. For a while I
thought she’d turn into to some kind of spinster cat lady.” Curtis flinched when his wife
Sydney hit his arm.
“For sure.” Robert nodded.
“It was a close call.” Jared hunched his shoulders.
“Shut it, both of you.” Morgan glared her brothers. “I would have to say Seth and
Tate run neck and neck for the title of reformed playboy. Then there’s Tyler and Jared.
Don’t get me started on them.”
“Please don’t,” Tyler and Jared said in unison.
“I love Seth, and I like to yank his chain about his past exploits because I know he
loves me. I love Tate too. They’re cut from the same cloth. They were raised by a man
who taught them how to treat the women they love. You’re hurting Isabelle by not giving
Tate a chance.”
“Colonel Reed,” a voice called from the end of the table. It was Sam. “I followed
Isabelle back to Georgia at the request of John Jacob to make sure she was OK. I had a
chat with Ned, and he got the message about leaving her alone, but your daughter was
mighty damn courageous all on her own. You would have been proud of her.”
Isabelle’s eyes locked with Sam’s. She’d felt like Sam looked familiar to her the first
day she met her, and now she knew why.
“Sam’s the reason Ned didn’t press charges against you for battery,” John Jacob
said.
“If you don’t want to be in my life anymore because I’m with Tate, I can accept that.
But it would be an awful shame if you didn’t get to know your grandchild.” Isabelle
placed her hand over Tate’s, which was on her belly. “I guess John Jacob will have to pull
double duty in the grandpa department.”
“Fine by me,” John Jacob said.
“My baby is having a baby?” Colonel Reed uttered.
Cecilia, Teri-Lyn, and Sydney clapped in delight.
“Yes.” Isabelle nodded and put her arm around Tate’s waist. A wave of relief
flooded over her. It felt so good to have it out in the open. She knew her dad was a tough
cookie, but she knew the caring man who raised her was in there somewhere, underneath
that gruff exterior.
The colonel glared at Tate for what seemed like an eternity, then finally came over to
them and said, “Why haven’t you married my daughter? You’ve been engaged for a
hundred years.”
“Sir, I wanted to marry Isabelle the day I proposed, but she wanted to wait until the
timing was perfect.”
Isabelle began to cry when her father gave Tate a big bear hug. And when Tate
realized the colonel wasn’t trying to kill him, he relaxed and accepted the embrace.
“I think a baby on the way is perfect timing.”
“I would say so too.”
“You take care of my daughter, you hear me? She’s everything to me.” Lucas held
out his hand to Tate.
“I will sir. Nothing is more important to me than her happiness.” Tate smiled and
shook his hand.
The family joined in on the celebrating, everyone excited about the new addition to
the family. Isabelle looked at Tate, and she could see the love and happiness in his eyes.
This was the happiest day of her life, and it was only going to get better tonight.
* * *
When Avery went on her social media page to download shots of Las Vegas, she
immediately came to Isabelle and Morgan and informed them of the news circulating on
the family page.
One of the cousins insinuated that Lamont had publicly ditched Charisma and went
off with another woman in Sin City. Charisma hadn’t updated her status, which she did
religiously, so the quiet on her social media page about her daily activities made the
family worry. They rounded themselves up to go to the hotel and kick Lamont’s ass, but
Isabelle’s mom suggested Isabelle and Morgan go check up on Charisma instead.
If there was nothing wrong, then there’d be no harm, no foul, that her cousins
dropped by for a visit. What surprised her the most was that Morgan agreed with the
plan. Isabelle couldn’t understand why Morgan would reach out to Charisma of all
people. Morgan said the idea of that jerk wide receiver Lamont Brayer thinking he could
mistreat a Reed woman stuck in her craw. Sydney called and got the hotel information
from Deborah, who for once sounded genuinely concerned about her daughter. The
cousins set out, accompanied by two Regency specialists, to get to the bottom of things.
“Are you sure this is a good idea? What if she doesn’t want our help?” Isabelle
asked as they approached Charisma’s hotel room.
“No, it’s probably not. And if she doesn’t, she’s a big girl.” Morgan knocked on the
door, but there was no answer.
“Luther, are you sure this is the right room?” Isabelle bit her lip.
Luther gave her a stoic nod. “Do you want me to knock the door down?”
“Let’s try one more time.”
Morgan knocked on the door again. This time they could hear someone moving
around inside. Isabelle expected her cousin to prance to the door in some slinky outfit,
instead of a puffy eyed mess with bed head, still in her pajamas.
“Isabelle? Morgan? What are you doing here?” Charisma’s eyes widened.
“We heard you were in town with Lamont. Can we come in?” Isabelle asked.
“OK.” Charisma ushered them inside and tried to clean up a bit. There was men’s
clothing strewn about the hotel room. Apparently Lamont was a pig.
“Where is my husband’s arch nemesis?” Morgan quipped.
“Lamont’s been at a private poker tournament for the past two days. What’s up?”
Charisma mumbled as she tried to straighten her hair.
“We have something for you.” Isabelle reached into her purse. “I don’t know what’s
been going on with you and Lamont, and it’s none of our business. Here’s a ticket to
Tate’s concert tonight and one standard issue Tate’s Angel T-shirt. The family would love
it if you could make it.”
“Thanks.” Charisma’s eyes widened. She seemed to be at a loss for words, so she
looked at the ticket as if she were looking for a secret code. “Will I be able to see you
guys from my seat?”
“That ticket is for the family’s private box. There’s plenty of room for you there.”
Isabelle nodded.
“And…” Morgan went into her handbag and got an envelope. “Here’s a key card to a
room on our floor at the Magnus for you. Again, it’s none of our business, but you don’t
have to put up with Brayer’s crap. If you can pack right away, there’s a family mixer in
two hours before the concert starts. Someone from Regency is outside to help you move
your things.”
“Thanks,” Charisma stammered. “I can get my things together in fifteen minutes.
I’ll see you at the mixer.”
Isabelle and Morgan got on the elevator and pressed the button. They stood in
silence for a moment.
“That was a nice gesture.” Morgan put her arm around Isabelle.
“It must be the pregnancy making me all goody-two-shoes-y.” She sighed.
“Yeah, the twins had me doing all kinds of humanitarian crap when they weren’t
playing soccer in my womb.” Morgan laughed.
“Morgan?”
“Yes?”
“I’m having a baby.” Isabelle sniffed and put her head on her cousin’s shoulder.
“Congratulations.”
“I have you and Seth to thank for bringing Tate into my life. If it weren’t for you we
never would have ever met.” Isabelle wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Since you put it that way, I get first dibs on babysitting detail. I’m going to spoil
your kid rotten.” Morgan laughed.
“You are a nut. You have three rambunctious kids, and you want to babysit?”
“To tell you the truth, I love babies. Seth may be more vocal about his desire to have
more kids, but I love the idea of adding to our family too.” Morgan hunched her
shoulders.
Morgan’s phone pinged. It was Avery informing her that Charisma had just posted
that she was going to Tate’s concert with the family.
“That didn’t take long,” Isabelle quipped.
“Charisma bounces back pretty fast. I think that’s why she doesn’t remember half
the crap she’s pulled.”
They erupted in laughter.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The knock from Cyril on the dressing room door meant it was show time in five
minutes. Lucinda McCann’s opening set was forty-five minutes, with an additional
fifteen for an encore. Tate was too busy watching Isabelle sleep on the couch to be
plagued by the usual last-minute jitters. She was absolutely radiant, like she’d been the
past month, but now he knew why. The baby was changing her already. He preferred to
leave her sleeping, but she told him she’d never forgive him if she didn’t get to see his
performance live.
“Izzy, it’s time for me to go on stage,” Tate whispered into her ear.
“OK. Knock ’em dead cowboy.” She sat up and stretched her arms over her head.
“You know…” Tate put his knee between her legs and laid her back down on the
couch. “I could make them wait another…half hour for me.”
“You will do nothing of the sort. And get up before you wrinkle your nice concert
clothes.” Isabelle ran a hand through his hair and laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“Between your curls and mine, our child is going to have the curliest hair on the
planet.”
“I can’t wait.” He kissed her hand, gently pulled her off the couch, and led her out of
the dressing room.
Tate walked out onto the stage, and the crowd went wild. The last thing he wanted to
do was perform when the woman he loved was sitting on a stool behind the curtain
waiting for him. Isabelle insisted on sitting there instead of in the private box with the
family, so he got her a pair of earplugs and gave her a kiss.
“Hello, Las Vegas!” Tate bellowed, and the crowd erupted again. He loved the
feeling of connecting with his fans. It was overwhelming, and yet it paled in comparison
to knowing the love of his life was only a few feet away from him, and she was carrying
his child. Tonight he wouldn’t worry about his past, or whether he’d be a good father.
Tonight he was going to revel in the greatest moment of his life.
“This is a special night for me and the band. As you know, this is the last
performance on my Cowboy’s Heart tour, and it’s even more special because I promised
my fiancée Isabelle that we’d set a wedding date after this concert.”
The crowd yelled and cheered.
“But tonight is even more special because I found out today I’m going to be a
daddy.” Tate smiled and blew a kiss at Isabelle.
The band approached and gave him hugs and that only stirred the already restless
arena.
“So I have my whole family here, and the woman I love, and about a thousand
wedding chapels per square block in this town.”
Tate went over, retrieved Isabelle from the stool, and brought her center stage with
him.
“So, I thought it would be a good idea if we get married tomorrow. So what do you
say?”
“Yes.” Isabelle laughed and threw her arms around his neck.
Tate kissed her for what seemed like an eternity until Dewey hit a few chords on his
guitar. When they came up for air, Isabelle covered the microphone attached to his shirt.
“You are crazy.” She sighed.
“Crazy about you.” He ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t want to wait another
minute to be married to you.”
“Are you getting sentimental, or are you scared of my father?” She raised an
eyebrow.
“He finally thinks it’s a good idea for us to get married, so I want to get it done
before he changes his mind.” He chuckled.
“How are we going to pull off a wedding by tomorrow?”
“This is Vegas. And I already have our mommas on it. They assured me everything
would be in order.”
“I think you better get back to work. I don’t think these people paid to watch us
make out on the stage.”
“Now that would be quite a performance. I love you.” He kissed her.
“I know. Now give these people more than their money’s worth. They just shared a
very special moment with you.”
Tate rubbed her belly then bent down and kissed her stomach for good measure.
The crowd started chanting his name as Isabelle left the stage. As soon as the lighting
cue came up, Tate started playing his guitar. The music pulsed through the air, and he
was in heaven. He was getting married tomorrow.
“My first song of the night is going to be my single that’s been topping the charts
recently. It’s called ‘Isabelle’s Smile.’”
* * *
The family and the band were still partying when Tate and Isabelle slipped away for
some alone time. They barely made it into the suite before they stripped each other
naked. Tate didn’t say a word as he picked her up and led her into the bedroom. He laid
her down on the bed and gazed into her eyes like he’d done a thousand times before. But
tonight was different. The way he held her was firmer but still amazingly gentle. She
remained perfectly still as he kissed every inch of her body, sending sensual ripples
through her.
He parted her legs and teased her as he kissed her folds while inserting a finger into
her. Before she could let out a good gasp, he probed her with his tongue. She grabbed
onto his blond curls and pulled him closer, her body rocked as he manipulated her clit.
Just when she thought he was getting to the good part, he lifted up and thrust into her
gently, not with his normal ferocious enthusiasm. She loved that he didn’t hold back
when they made love. It was the intensity that made her breathless as they picked up a
rhythm, and he delved deeper inside, stretching her to her core. She gripped him with
her thighs and ran her nails down his back, begging him to go faster. Tate kissed her
mouth, then trailed kisses down her breasts and took a hard nipple into her mouth. The
sensation was a thousand times more pronounced that it had ever been before. She cried
out when he released it and turned his attention to the other one.
She didn’t think it was possible, but he went even deeper within her. Isabelle
grabbed his ass as he began to spasm. He put his hand between them and massaged her
clit until the fire was uncontrollable in her too. When Tate climaxed, he cried out, and the
bed shook. He lay on top of her careful not to put his weight on her, his forehead pressed
against hers. Physically spent and delightfully happy, she drifted off to sleep feeling his
heartbeat against her chest.
A few hours later she woke to find the bed empty. Tate was sitting on a chair
watching her.
“What are you doing all the way over there?”
“Just admiring the view.” Tate smiled.
“I’d rather have you in bed with me. We have an early day tomorrow.”
“I was thinking of taking some time off.”
“I know. You said after the tour wound down you would take a couple of months off
before working on your next album.”
“I was thinking maybe a year or two. With the baby coming I think it’s better if I
stay home for a while.”
“Come here.” She held out her hand to him.
Tate climbed into bed and nestled close to her. As soon as he was settled he planted
a tender kiss on her lips. She always liked the way he kissed her, it always seemed so full
of hope and promises.
“I love you, Izzy.” Tate ran his hand over her belly.
“I love you too. That’s why what I’m about to say is coming from a place of love. I
don’t want you to think you have to stand guard over me and never leave my side while
this baby grows inside me. We’re going to have a good pregnancy and a healthy baby. I
can feel it. And I can’t have you driving yourself crazy. I don’t see you staying away from
your music for such a long time. You love it; it’s a part of you. Since you found Lila’s
uncompleted songs, it’s important now more than ever to explore them and continue her
legacy. Finding those songs has made you happy in a way I’ve never seen. You’re
embracing the past for the first time with love and forgiveness. I can’t let you abandon
that to put all your focus on me and the baby.”
“I wouldn’t be sitting around the house. I’ve been thinking about spending time at
Blake Enterprises and seeing what I can do there to help J.J.”
“I think it’s nice you want to participate in the family business. Great even. But I
hope you’re not laying down your guitar because you think you need to be something
else. I love my country western crooner just fine. It’s something to be proud of, and I’m
going to make sure our children grow up in a house full of music.”
“I don’t want anything seeping in from my time with Joe. I want to have the kind of
relationship with our child that I have with John Jacob.” He sighed.
“I know that. The baby knows it too. So how about a compromise? Take time off to
rest and enjoy being a new dad. Spend some time at Blake Enterprises, but don’t let go of
your passion for music.”
“I want to be with you every step of the way.”
“And you will be.” She kissed him.
* * *
The ladies came to their suite bright and early and kicked Tate out. He was
instructed to go to J.J.’s room, which was abuzz with the sounds of the men getting
ready. Tyler was squirming in his suit, Seth was fiddling with his tie, but J.J. looked well
put together. It was the three men on the couch who concerned him.
Tate stopped in his tracks. “What the hell happened to you three?”
Channing, Jared, and Bo were slouched down on the couch looking like road kill.
Channing was sloped over on the cushions, Jared was sipping on a drink, and Bo had an
icepack on his head.
“Do you have to shout?” Bo rubbed his temples.
“We went to this new strip club, Exotic Delights, last night,” Jared grumbled.
“I had to whip these party animals up some of my morning-after mix when they
came begging at four a.m.” Seth chuckled.
“Yeah, Seth, thanks for waking Morgan up so she could read us the riot act.”
Channing gave him a thumbs up.
“Had a wild night?” Tate raised an eyebrow.
“We went the strip club only to find out it’s a male club. The women thought we
were the entertainment mingling with the crowd. We thought it was a joke at first until
someone pushed Bo against a bar stool and ripped his shirt off.”
“You’re looking at the new Vegas male revue, the Naughty Nerds,” Tyler chimed in.
Tate doubled over in laughter.
“That is not funny, McGill.” Bo winced as he peeked from underneath the ice pack.
“I blame Jared’s tight muscle shirt. Clearly it was a stripper shirt,” Channing mused.
“Well, if you had reined in that studly cowboy routine, we could have gotten out of
there without incident,” Jared fired back.
“What about my glasses? I never got my glasses back,” Bo added.
“Can you see anything?” Tyler squinted at him.
“I have my contacts in,” Bo replied.
“You can actually see your face. You’re a good-looking guy, I don’t understand why
you wear those glasses,” J.J. said.
“Oh my gosh, Taffy told him the same thing last night,” Channing quipped.
“Clearly it’s a defense mechanism,” Tyler drawled.
“Please tell me no one got married last night to a stripper with a heart of gold.” Tate
looked at the three of them.
“Nah. Although Bo went missing for a while. Kendrick tried to call for backup, but
by that time, a group of women had taken him into a side room. He grabbed a pool cue
and a stool and managed to push them back. Regency came in and got us out of there
shortly after that,” Jared replied.
“I feel so…used,” Bo mumbled. “Those women weren’t interested in anything but
my body.”
“And that’s a bad thing because…?” Seth mused.
“Yeah, we’ve scheduled another tutorial tomorrow morning.” Tyler played with his
cuff link.
“Now that picture of me with that celebutante doesn’t seem all that bad,” Channing
said.
“No, it’s still bad. Sam had to get pretty crafty to delete those pictures off her
phone,” J.J. snarled.
“Poor Sam didn’t really get a vacation this week, did she?” Tate winced.
“No, but the upside is we get to set a wedding date since you and Isabelle are
getting hitched today.” J.J. grinned.
“Let’s toast.” Seth began dispensing champagne glasses to everyone. “To my brother
Tate as he embarks on the wonderful journey that is marriage and fatherhood. I hope
you and Isabelle have many years of wedded bliss and a house full of kids.”
“Here, here.”
* * *
Tate’s nerves dissipated as soon as the doors opened and he saw Isabelle in her
wedding dress. She looked beautiful in the strapless white satin gown. He was going to
be a father. Each time he said it, the statement hit him like a ton of bricks all over again.
Crystal, one of his backup vocalists, was happy to sing the wedding song he picked
for the occasion. He’d been working on a song Lila had started titled “Second Chances”
and thought it was an apt theme. He was getting a second chance at a life without the
pain of the past. Tate looked over to see Teri-Lyn wiping tears from her eyes with John
Jacob’s handkerchief. His normally stoic father looked misty-eyed too.
He took Isabelle’s hand as she finished her walk down the aisle with her father. It
always felt so good holding her hand. Today was the first day Colonel Reed didn’t look
like he wanted to throttle him. Tate was surprised when Colonel Reed extended his hand.
He shook it and nodded, acknowledging the peace offering. Despite all the turmoil this
week, he knew that he loved his daughter and didn’t want to see her hurt again.
They looked into each other’s eyes, making promises of love and happiness even
before the reverend began to speak. He wondered if somehow the baby knew what was
going on. Instead of taking the traditional stance, he pulled her close with one hand and
placed the other on her stomach.
“I love you so much,” he whispered in her ear.
“I love you too.” She kissed him.
* * *
“Mr. and Mrs. Tate McGill,” Tyler announced as they entered the banquet room.
Everyone applauded.
“Sorry we’re late. I couldn’t decide what to wear.” A pink sheen spread across
Isabelle’s face. She hoped the family would swallow the lie and not point out the obvious
fact that she and Tate had been fooling around in their room for the past hour while the
family mingled and snacked on appetizers.
“The bride gets to do whatever she wants today.” Morgan handed Tate a champagne
glass. She turned to Isabelle with another glass. “Apple juice. You get the same stuff the
boys are drinking since you’re knocked up now.”
“You look pretty, Aunt Isabelle.” Jake smiled and tugged on her sleeve.
“Thank you, Jake.” Isabelle gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Everything looked so good Isabelle couldn’t decide what to eat first. Everyone was
talking and laughing, including her father, who was having a lively discussion with John
Jacob and her Uncle Curtis. From the sound of it, they’d stayed up playing poker all
night and talking. Her mother, Teri-Lyn, and Sydney were passing baby catalogs back
and forth, looking for ideas for the nursery.
Isabelle’s marriage to Ned seemed like a million years ago. The pain from the
experience had lessened as she’d begun to heal emotionally. Abuse was no longer a
taboo subject for her or Tate. She acknowledged in their couples therapy sessions that
before the broken arm, there had been some arm-grabbing in the past. They gave each
other the courage to acknowledge that even though something bad had happened to
each of them, they were nobody’s victims.
Isabelle smiled when she saw that Sam had her head on J.J.’s shoulder. It must have
been exhausting being in charge of the security of this family.
“Congratulations, you two.” Channing approached them.
“Thank you, Channing.” Isabelle kissed him on the cheek. “Michelle tells me your
friend Cassidy is very pretty.”
“Did she?” Channing laughed nervously.
“You should tell her.”
“Tell her what?” Channing gave her a curious look.
“That you like her.” Isabelle held up her hand. “Before you protest, I can recall a few
conversations we’ve had about her at the ranch. I also see how your face lights up when
you talk about her.”
He shrugged. “Well, I’ll be back in Texas full time and she’ll be in D.C. working for a
prestigious law firm.”
“Says the man whose family owns a fleet of private planes.” She gave him a nudge.
She looked around the room and saw everyone enjoying themselves. Bo had struck
up a conversation with Charisma, of all people, and Morgan had conspicuously nestled
between them. Her cousin looked much better than she did when they went to her room,
and she would be flying back with the family. Someone from Lamont’s entourage came
looking for her but ran into Luther instead. Lamont returned to the hotel with his
friends, but they were denied access to the fiftieth floor. Heated words were exchanged,
and Luther offered to twist them all into pretzels if she said the word, but Seth and a few
of the guys went downstairs and had a chat with his teammate Lamont. He didn’t go into
what was said, but Lamont got the picture and left the hotel. Isabelle wondered how
Lamont would react to Seth when they started training camp. She was glad that Morgan
suggested they go get her. She just hoped Charisma could see that she could do better
than Lamont.
“I have an announcement to make,” J.J. bellowed. “Now that my baby brother has
married his beautiful bride, Isabelle, Samantha Jane and I have set a wedding date. After
cross matching schedules of everyone in the family to make sure all of us will be in
attendance, we have set a date for three months from now.”
Isabelle smiled as the family gathered to congratulate the couple, but Sam stopped
them. Isabelle had a feeling there was something bigger coming.
“And…” Sam covered J.J’s hand with hers. “We’re pregnant.”
“Hot damn! There’s going to be two more babies in the family!” Teri-Lyn said
happily.
Seth looked at Morgan and smiled. “Another baby sounds nice.”
“We’ll table the discussion for later,” Morgan said to her husband.
J.J. looked like he’d just won the Super Bowl again and couldn’t stop kissing on Sam.
Sam managed to get away from the group and came over to Isabelle.
“I wanted to wait to talk to John when we got back to Texas. This time is for you and
Tate to celebrate.” Sam patted her hand.
“Are you kidding me? It’s the best news ever.” Isabelle hugged Sam.
Sam continued. “I apologize for not telling you about Georgia. I was just—”
“Doing your job.” Isabelle finished her sentence. “I felt like someone was watching
over me. I’m glad it was you. You take great care of this family, Sam. We’re lucky to have
you.”
Morgan approached. “I am so happy for the two of you. This family just keeps
getting bigger.”
“So Morgan, do you have any advice for two new mothers-to-be?”
“Get ready to pee, a lot.” Morgan smirked at their stunned faces. “Yes, ladies, sexy
time is over. Seth caught me sleeping on the toilet one night and—”
“Maybe we should find out as we go,” Isabelle said.
“But I will tell you this. When it’s all said and done, and you feel like total crap after
the delivery, you’ll have this precious being in your arms and it’ll be worth falling asleep
on a thousand toilets to have them.”
“I look forward to it.” Isabelle smiled as Tate, J.J. and Seth huddled in a corner
talking.
“I don’t like it when they huddle,” Sam murmured.
“Probably discussing plans for a future football franchise. Nervous?” Morgan put
her arm around Sam.
“We’re in for some serious revising of our agreement.” Sam sighed.
“Love has no steadfast rules. I say go for it.” Isabelle smiled as she gazed at Tate.
“J.J. has never been happier since you came into his life. I think he’s ready for all of
it and he’s going to be a madman trying to convince you to cut back on your work
duties,” Morgan said.
Michelle came over and hugged the women. “Looks like you both got McBlaked.”
“Maybe you’ll be joining the club soon?” Isabelle waggled her eyes as her.
“Oh no. Tyler and I are just fine juggling our hectic schedules to have quality time,
and it’s wonderful. The sex is outrageous, and I get him all to myself for a while. And I’m
content with being crazy Auntie Michelle.”
“And you play that part very well.” Morgan stuck her tongue out at her.
Isabelle started crying. “I’m so happy to have all of you in my life.”
“I know. It’s really touching how everyone has been so nice to me.” Sam started
tearing up too.
“Morgan is more like a sister to me, but I feel like I have two more.” Michelle waved
a hand in front of her eyes to hold back her tears.
Music began playing. Tate came over to Isabelle. “What’s wrong?”
“No worries. Tears of joy all around,” Morgan quipped.
“Let’s dance.” Tate pulled her into his arms.
They swayed to the music for a while before Isabelle spoke.
“You’re still going to love me if I get huge?”
“The bigger the better,” he mused.
“What?” She snapped her head back.
“Seth is teaching me pregnancy lingo, but for now just know everything I say is
meant as a compliment.” Tate laughed.
“OK.” Isabelle laughed too.
“I promise to give you plenty of foot rubs, massages, and to tell you every day how
much I love you and how grateful I am that you came into my life.”
“How about feeding me ribs on the couch?”
“I think I can do that.” He nuzzled her neck.
“Will you sing to me?”
“That’s my favorite thing to do.”
Colonel Reed came over to the couple. “Tate, if you don’t mind, I’d like another
dance with my daughter.”
Isabelle tried to suppress a smile when Tate’s face lit up in response to her father
using his name.
“Yes, sir.”
Tate left the dance floor feeling optimistic after the colonel said his name. It was a
small victory, but he’d gladly take if it meant they were on the road to a better
relationship. He made his way to the bar after being kissed on by every female relative in
the room. All the love flowing made him feel good. He was going to be a dad. He needed
a scotch to calm his nerves.
“There’s my boy.” Teri-Lyn beamed as she came toward him and gave him a hug. “I
am so happy for you.”
“Thanks, Momma.”
“Lila would have been so proud of you for marrying such a wonderful woman like
Isabelle.” She squeezed his cheeks. “Are you excited about being a dad?”
“I’m terrified.” He downed the scotch the bar tender set in front of him.
“All new parents feel that way. Didn’t I tell you everything would work out?”
“Yes, you did. And Daddy and Colonel Reed didn’t even have to come to blows.” He
put his arm around her.
“That would have been a sight, but I’m glad that particular crisis was averted.
They’re just two strong-willed men who love their children. That fire is what I love about
your father. He’s always done what was necessary to protect this family. And you’ll do
the same thing to protect Isabelle and the baby.”
The baby. He was having a baby with Isabelle.
“There’s the father-to-be. How you feelin’?” John Jacob motioned to the bar tender
to get him a scotch as well.
“Like I won the lottery. Twice.” Tate grinned.
“When we get back to the ranch I want to talk to you about a few things. J.J. and I
have had our eye on a few properties and I’d like to give one to the baby.”
Of course he did. John Jacob had given Jake a golf resort for his first birthday, and
his twin brothers Connor and Colby had each received a hotel.
“That’s very generous of you. Thanks. Daddy, how would you feel about me
spending some time at Blake Enterprises every now and again? Maybe help out when I
can?”
“You already have an office. Might as well use it.” John Jacob motioned to Isabelle
and her dad on the dance floor, where they were joined by Jake, Connor, and Colby.
“How are things coming along with Lucas?”
“He hasn’t glared at me all day.”
“All I’ve ever wanted for you was to be a good man that stood his ground and owned
up to his mistakes as well as his successes. I knew when the time was right you’d settle
down with the woman of your dreams.” He patted Tate on the back.
“I learned from the best.”
CHAPTER NINE
Isabelle may have been able to talk Tate out of retiring from music, but she couldn’t
stop him from remodeling the cabin. Jared designed an extension that damn near
doubled its size. She was happy he nixed the idea of a whole new house. She liked the
cabin. It felt like him, and with a few touches of color and some furniture, it felt like her
too.
The whole family got together again when J.J. and Sam had a beautiful wedding in
their back yard. Sam’s family was able to attend, and the Blake family welcomed them
with open arms. Sam fussed about looking like a tent in her wedding dress when she
really looked stunning. She was a few months behind Isabelle, but the two of them
bonded over their expected bundles of joy. They shopped and talked, and Isabelle had to
admit it was nice to share the experience with someone. Teri-Lyn was on cloud nine, with
two pregnant daughters-in-law and spoiling the boys when they visited. John Jacob even
bought her a vehicle big enough to transport all of the grandbabies. Every once in a while
she’d catch Morgan with that look in her eyes and knew it wouldn’t be long before she
and Seth added another football player to their roster.
Each day they woke to her growing belly and talked about their plans for the future.
Tate fawned over her, but she didn’t mind; he was happy and excited about being a dad,
and that’s all she wanted. He was good about the ice-cream runs to a gourmet shop in
Dallas and her craving for ribs four times a week, and in the evenings he would ride her
around the ranch in the golf cart, which had a calming effect on the baby. She was very
emotional too these days. He sang her one of Lila’s finished songs, and she was so
touched she cried for an hour.
They both agreed they wouldn’t pressure the baby to pursue music but agreed it
would be awesome if their kid would be some sort of child prodigy. The baby kicked up a
storm whenever Tate played his guitar or Isabelle practiced her violin, they were both
pretty sure it wouldn’t be an issue.
Tate and the colonel were working on building a relationship of trust and mutual
respect, and her parents had even visited the ranch a few times. Cecilia loved spending
time with her daughter and helping her to get the nursery ready. Isabelle loved that her
father accepted that she was happy.
Tate was finally able to go through all of Lila’s things. There were no more boxes
lying about. She would live on in the songs she’d started and that he finished, his next
album was sure to be a hit. A piece of his soul, his past, his pain, was enmeshed in those
lyrics.
Finally the day had come. The extension on the cabin was complete. There were
three additional bedrooms, a playroom, and a new soundproof recording studio. Tate
could get more work done at home, and it wouldn’t take him away from his family so
much. Isabelle walked through each new room, and tears fell as the magnitude of their
happiness hit her.
“Hey, we can change anything you like.” Tate comforted her in his arms.
“No, it’s all wonderful. This was a great idea. We are going to have such a great life
here.”
“We already do, and it’s only going to get better.”
A cool breeze blew on the porch as he and Isabelle sat enjoying the sunset. Tate
went into the house to get a blanket for her and saw the letter on the coffee table. After
the long talk with Teri-Lyn, Tate knew it was time to read Lila’s last letter.
“Thanks babe,” she said as he wrapped the blanket around her.
“You’re very welcome.” He kissed her cheek.
“Thinking about reading that today?” She motioned to the letter.
“I know it sounds silly, but I just can’t do it.”
“How about I read it to you?” She took it from him.
“Sure.”
Isabelle cleared her throat and began to read.
Dearest Teri-Lyn,
How’s our boy? Imagine my surprise when I read the last letter to find out that Tate met
someone! I know it’s premature, but if he’s trying to keep the boys away from her, that’s a very
good sign that he’s smitten, he just don’t know it yet. Looks like our son is growing up. I hope he
can find it in his heart to love someone despite what he saw me and Joe going through. He would
have soured on love a long time ago if it weren’t for you and John Jacob. Sometimes I feel like I
never had a chance at life, with my own family being so screwed up. Then I met Joe and went
from bad to worse.
I’ve only done two things right in my life: having our boy and letting him be raised by you. I
know they just met, and I hope all is going well for him Philadelphia. I had one of the girls at
the diner look her up on the symphony Web site on her smartphone. She’s very pretty and has
kind eyes. Eyes that look like they can see past the painful mask he wears and see the real Tate.
He deserves all the happiness I was never able to give him and more.
It seems like only yesterday we were best friends. My friendship with you has been one of the
greatest joys of my life. We may have gone our separate ways, but you were always there for me,
even when I wasn’t making the right decisions. Thank you for keeping your promise that you
would love him as your own. Fingers crossed for a happy ending with Isabelle.
Your Friend,
Lila
“Isn’t that nice? Lila was rooting for us?” Tears streamed Isabelle’s cheeks.
“Yeah, it was.” He put his arm around her and rubbed her belly.
“You were always in her heart. Don’t ever forget that.”
Tate closed his eyes. Happy memories came flooding back. The way she smiled. Her
throaty laugh. Those beautiful blue eyes he got from her. Tate embraced Isabelle. They
stayed that way for a while, enjoying the warm feeling that surrounded them. Tate knew
his mother was there in spirit, with her arms around both of them.
“I love you, Momma,” Tate said as another breeze blew by, hoping it would carry his
message up to her in heaven.
* * *
Isabelle went into labor one night at Teri-Lyn’s kitchen table after her third helping
of ribs. Tate remained perfectly calm, even though he was freaking out on the inside and
drove her to the hospital with the family in tow.
Matthew Jacob McGill, or Curly as the family nicknamed him, was born in the wee
hours of the morning after a long, tiring night they thought would never end. It was only
when Tate sang him one of the lullabies he’d written that the boy was finally coaxed from
his mom’s belly.
Tate was so overjoyed when he held his son for the first time and looked into his
beautiful blue eyes that he cried right along with Isabelle.
“Matthew Jacob, you are going to have such a good life on the ranch with your
momma and me. And there’s a whole slew of crazy relatives in the waiting room who
can’t wait to welcome you into the family.”
“I like that name, Matthew Jacob. It has a strong, yet gentle, ring to it.” Isabelle
smiled.
* * *
Their whole world had changed in the month since Matt was born. Isabelle’s parents
visited often, giving the colonel and Tate a chance to start over. They always came armed
with presents to add to the baby gifts already piled up on the dining room table that had
yet to be opened. It was a work in progress, but Isabelle’s parents loved her enough to
give the relationship a chance.
Jake and the boys wanted to know when cousin Matt would be able to play with
them. It touched her heart that they were already protective of him, including him in
their fun.
Isabelle finally got that call from the Dallas symphony, and after much
consideration, she passed on the position. She did, however, take a job with a smaller
symphony in another city that was closer to the ranch and had a less aggressive schedule.
Tate was seated in the front row of every performance, cheering her on. She took Kate up
on her offer and was slated to release her own classical CD in six months.
“I can’t believe he’s growing already.” Isabelle smiled as their son tried to focus his
beautiful blue eyes upon waking from his nap. She could tell the subtle differences in
him from day to day. And she knew that look. He was ready to eat. “And he has his
daddy’s appetite.”
“He’ll be eating barbecue and doing ranch work in no time.” Tate picked up their
son from his crib and held him for a while.
“How about we let a tooth or two come in before you go lighting up the grill?” She
shook her head.
“I’ll give him six months, and he’ll be walking, talking, and playing the guitar.”
“And singing at the Bright Star?”
“You know it.” Tate kissed her.
Her cell phone pinged; it was an update from Sam. “I was right. Sam ate too much
spicy food last night. She is not in labor.”
“J.J. probably needs a stiff drink right about now.” Tate laughed.
“Sam isn’t going to give birth before her due date. I told you that was a sucker’s bet.
But if she’s right on time, I win the ranch pool.” She touched her son’s cheek. “Matt, I’m
going to feed you and change your clothes because Grandma and Grandpa are coming
over for a visit.”
Teri-Lyn and John Jacob were coming to dinner tonight, so Isabelle wanted to make
sure Matt was ready for some spoiling from his grandparents. They’d volunteered to
babysit every day since Matt came home from the hospital. She picked up a few odds and
ends around the nursery. There were so many toys and clothes and gifts around the
house that sometimes it was hard to find the baby in the middle of it all. Tate had even
gotten their son a guitar that looked like Loulabelle.
“Babe, can you get the blue-striped Onesie that your momma bought to match
Matt’s eyes? I think she’d like to see him in that.” Isabelle smiled as Tate handed over
their son so she could breastfeed him.
“Need anything before I start dinner?” He kissed her and the baby.
“No, we’ll be down as soon as he’s done.” She smiled.
Tate took one last look at his family before heading downstairs to the kitchen. He
never thought it was possible to be so happy. The painful past melted away, and as it
dissolved he’d found Lila again. After reading the correspondence between her and Teri-
Lyn, a place in his heart opened up after being angry so long. Fate had sent him to the
Blakes, just like fate had sent Isabelle to him. He looked forward to a wonderful life filled
with love and kids, and with the only woman who heard the music in his heart.
END
~ About the Author ~
Rhonda Laurel is a contemporary interracial/multicultural romance writer whose two
great loves are writing and landscape photography. She uses both as a vehicle to convey
the complexity of the human spirit and the beauty of the world around her. Ebb Tide, For
the Love of the Game and Masquerade were released in 2012. Shutter, Memories of You, Star
Crossed, MVP, California Bored and Tourism and The Blake Legacy in 2013. The print
anthology, The Rhonda Laurel Collection, featuring Ebb Tide, For the Love of the Game and
Shutter released June 2013. Texas Heat, Love Notes & Football and The Perfect Storm, books
4, 5 and 6 in The Blake Boys Series released in 2014.
The author is happily building her backlist.
Discover more about Rhonda Laurel here
http://www.facebook.com/authorrhondalaurel
http://www.twitter.com/rhondalaurel
Also by Rhonda Laurel
The Blake Boys Series
For the Love of the Game
The Blake Boys Book One
Rhonda Laurel
This quarterback is making the greatest play of his life…
Quiet bookstore owner Morgan Reed can’t wait to lie on the beach on her much-
needed tropical vacation, but getting tackled by a tall, green-eyed stranger playing touch
football isn’t exactly what she had in mind. Neither is falling for said stranger, or going
along with the eccentric islander who sends them off with a mock wedding. But all’s fair
when it comes to vacation romance, and Morgan has plenty of time to get back to reality
when she gets home.
When he slams into the beautiful Morgan on the beach and sends her to the
infirmary, superstar quarterback Seth Blake insists on helping her recover—if she agrees
to share his bungalow with him. Seth is nothing less than smitten, and the best part is
that the beauty has no idea who he is.
But when he finds out that their little “wedding” was the real thing, Seth finds
himself in a sticky situation. Especially when Morgan finds out the man she fell for isn’t
at all who he made himself out to be…
MVP
The Blake Boys Book Two
Rhonda Laurel
The game has just begun…
Morgan Reed-Blake discovers that being the wife of MVP quarterback Seth Blake has
its perks…and its challenges. Thrust into Seth’s high-profile world, she must wade
through the celebrity, status, and the ghosts of girlfriends past. So when Seth takes
Morgan home to his ranch in Texas and introduces her to his family and friends, she’s
not surprised when his high school sweetheart comes to call. Morgan suspects she wants
to rekindle the flame, and how can she blame her? Distraught over the changes their
relationship has caused for Seth, Morgan wonders if maybe he’s better off without her.
Pro quarterback Seth Blake is elated that his wife Morgan is giving their “fake”
marriage a real chance. But he doesn’t anticipate running into the woman who broke his
heart years ago. He hasn’t told Morgan about the complicated relationship with his ex,
but as he guides Morgan through the maze of his celebrity lifestyle, can he convince her
the past is in the past? The MVP does not accept defeat, and he’s determined not to lose.
But winning Morgan might be the most difficult game of his life…
The Blake Legacy
The Blake Boys Book Three
Rhonda Laurel
Two lovers. Two dreams. One hell of a hard decision…
NFL quarterback Seth Blake is having an unbelievable hot streak—he’s won his third
Super Bowl title the same day his wife Morgan gave birth to their son. Life couldn’t be
better for the new father and MVP. His contract with the Philadelphia Titans expires in a
year, giving him a chance to make a professional dream come true: to play in his home
state for the Texas Wildcats and return to his much-missed Twelve Horseshoes Ranch—
this time, for good.
Morgan Reed-Blake has never been happier. She’s got the best husband, the cutest
baby, and she’s successfully juggling career and family. Her bookstore is expanding, her
charitable organization is growing, and she’s been offered her dream job on the literacy
council. Everything in her Philadelphia world is coming up roses. Until Seth’s contract
with the Titans expires, and his dream of returning home comes close enough to touch…
and the powers that be in Texas start romancing Seth in earnest. Morgan and Seth both
have dreams. But a choice has to be made…
Texas Heat
The Blake Boys Book Four
Rhonda Laurel
Isabelle Reed is having a bad year. The classical violinist is struggling with a divorce,
and a broken arm has left her unable to play. So when she receives a wedding invitation
from her cousin Morgan, her heart just isn’t in it. Going to the wedding will mean seeing
everyone from back home, and seeing everyone back home will mean facing the music
about her divorce. Unable to miss her cousin’s wedding, she bites the bullet and takes off
—and lands right in the arms of Morgan’s brother-in-law, country western music star
Tate McGill. She’d heard about the singer and his bad-boy reputation, but there’s
something about those storm-filled eyes that made her yearn to look deeper. Even
though she should know better than to risk being the subject of a song on his next
album.
Country western singer Tate McGill is living the good life. He’s surrounded by
beautiful women, hit music, and a great family. But he gets more than he bargained for
when he agrees to babysit his nephew Jake for his brother Seth Blake, and finds a
beautiful woman in his way. Isabelle Reed is talented and strong-willed, and she’s a
natural with little Jake. But she’s keeping a secret from Tate, and he’s determined to find
out what it is...
Love Notes and Football
The Blake Boys Book Five
Rhonda Laurel
New baby. New adventures. Love deluxe.
Philadelphia Titans quarterback Seth Blake couldn’t be happier. Toddler Jake is
growing like a weed, and Seth’s wife Morgan is expecting another baby. He’s just signed
a new contract to play football for five more years and has a plan for retirement. Things
couldn’t be better...until an unexpected family crisis turns the world upside down for
them all.
Morgan Blake is ecstatic to become a mom again. The bookstore owner is happily
balancing work life, homelife, and love life while preparing for their new arrival. But the
family is keeping a secret from her. And the secret will threaten the very happiness she’s
worked so hard to find.
The Perfect Storm
The Blake Boys Book Six
Rhonda Laurel
Sometimes you have to tear everything down and start over…
Private security specialist Samantha Jane Carson gets the surprise of her life when
she arrives at Blake Enterprises for the annual security audit. Instead of her usual
contact, she’s greeted by the company president himself, the sexy and elusive J.J. Blake.
It’s her job to know everything about the Blake family, and J.J.’s recent divorce is the talk
of the town. Women are lined up to become the next Mrs. Blake, and who wouldn’t want
to be? J.J.’s gorgeous, rich, and has stormy green eyes that hold women captive.
J.J. Blake is making some major changes in his life. Freshly divorced from ex-wife
Eden, he’s building a new house, coming to terms with the injury that ended his NFL
career, and is ready to start fresh—without romance complicating things. His friends and
family encourage him to get back into the dating pool, but he’d rather not be sucked into
those rough waters again. Work is the obvious diversion, and he opts to handle the
security audit himself for some good old-fashioned guy/tech work. But when Sam Carson
walks into his office, J.J.’s brought up short. The “Sam” he was expecting turns out to be
Samantha—beautiful, smart, and a tough-as-nails ex-cop in a polished, professional
package. And she’s just the kind of woman who could drag him under…
Slow Burn
The Blake Boys Book Seven
Rhonda Laurel
Tyler Blake is making quite a name for himself in the racing circuit and has
everything he’s ever wanted—fame, the support of his family, and hot women clamoring
for his attention. But he can’t get a certain bookseller out of his head. The passionate
night he spent with Michelle Bradley on the eve of his brother’s wedding still haunts
him. He’s too busy living the dream to want commitment, but when he hears Michelle is
seeing someone, it bothers him more than he’s willing to admit.
Michelle Bradley is making some major changes in her life. Fed up with months of
pursuing the elusive Tyler Blake, she’s ready to throw in the towel. The night she spent
with Tyler might as well never have happened, because he doesn’t seem to know she’s
alive. But when a cooking class inspires Michelle to funnel her passion into the fine art of
cuisine, she finds a new outlet: writing a food blog. Until a glimpse of Tyler on television
kissing a woman after a big win sends her into a tizzy. With the help of the Blake women,
Michelle kidnaps Tyler and takes him to a secluded cabin so they can have it out once
and for all. She hopes the fabulous meal she’s prepared will entice him to stay, at least
long enough for dessert…
The Hollywood Heat Series
Star Crossed
Hollywood Heat Book One
Rhonda Laurel
When Hollywood’s sexiest secret explodes, stars are born.
Music mogul Kate Garrison’s husband is a leading Hollywood director. He also
happens to be a cheat. When he’s caught having an affair with an actress, Kate becomes
the talk of the town—and not in a good way. So when she stumbles into Hollywood’s new
golden boy, Chris Cavanaugh—in the men’s room, of all places—the gossip mill starts
working overtime. Especially since Chris is starring in her husband’s next film.
Chris Cavanaugh couldn’t imagine a woman would have such an effect on his life.
But amid the gossip and Hollywood politics, his only option is to ride out the media
storm and play house. He never expects to actually fall for her, but when illusion begins
to look more and more like reality, Chris has his hands full keeping his career intact and
his eye on the target of making the Hollywood A-list. So why does spending time with
Kate suddenly seem more important?
Hollywood Rush
Hollywood Heat Book Two
Rhonda Laurel
High stakes. High Passion. Winner takes all.
Atlantis Records mogul Kate Garrison is elated to have married her soul mate, actor
Chris Cavanaugh, a crazy counterpart to her uptight nature. After a scandalous meeting
that set the paparazzi on fire, and a whirlwind courtship and wedding, she and Chris
return to their Hollywood life of movie sets and power struggles. She’s busy with the new
business ventures she inherited, which include another record label and part ownership
of Pinnacle Studios. As she struggles to adjust to her new elite position in Hollywood,
not everyone is happy with her new-found power. And in Hollywood, power is something
everyone wants a piece of.
Chris Cavanaugh’s luck keeps getting better and better. He married the woman of
his dreams and his talent is finally getting recognized. The movie roles and award
nominations are pouring in. Now if he could only convince himself that he deserves all
the attention. But rumor has it that Kate’s pulling strings behind the scenes to launch her
husband to stardom, now that she owns a majority stake in the movie studio. And
rumors like that could threaten everything they have...
Ebb Tide
Rhonda Laurel
Simmering passion at play.
Natalie Griffin is an attorney who is practical, smart and good at her job. Legalese is
the least of her worries, for much of her time is spent keeping her employer, playboy
extraordinaire Evan Darchon, out of trouble. Natalie has managed organize everything
for him--his company, his home, and his women--but if she could teach him to control
some of his wilder impulses, her job would be a heck of a lot easier.
But what about her impulses? Her cool, controlled demeanor is the perfect
complement to Evan’s wild side, but she craves the carefree way he makes her feel. His
attraction is obvious, but can either of them afford to rock the boat of their professional
relationship?
Shutter
Rhonda Laurel
Photographer Antonio De Soto’s life is out of focus. Everyone in his family thinks
it’s time for him to settle down. He doesn’t want to be strong-armed into domesticity,
even if he does feel the bachelor lifestyle is starting to wear thin. So when his friend
invites him to do a pictorial on the community theater, Antonio’s prepared to do his
thing and follow his normal womanizing M. O. Instead, he finds himself sparring with
the resident artist, Lucy Marceloni. Lucy’s dime-store analysis of his love life—and him—
leaves him angry and shaken, but it’s too close to the truth to dismiss. The quirky artist is
not his type, but their passionate fights generate a deeper heat between them he can’t
ignore…
Lucy wants a man who’s sensitive and intellectual, the exact opposite of Antonio De
Soto. The moment she meets the handsome photographer she pegs him as arrogant and
self-centered, but that doesn’t protect her from the sizzling chemistry between the two of
them. Being drawn to the rogue’s charm and subtle seduction tactics is the last thing she
wants. Working with him on the community theater fairytale production could prove to
be more than she can handle...
“Masquerade” Halloween Heat IV
Rhonda Laurel
An Anthology of Erotic Contemporary Romance
Four erotic stories of contemporary romance with just the right amount of Halloween
spice to warm up those cool autumn nights.
“Party Games” by Mina Carter
“Punished by the Cowboy” by Sue Lyndon
“Unmasked” by Brooklyn Wilde
“Masquerade” by Rhonda Laurel
More Romance from Etopia Press
Midnight Diamonds
The Rivers Brothers Book One
Cynthia Hampton
Three Talented Brothers. Three Passionate Loves. The Rivers Family—A New Series full of
romance, passion, and music.
Life is looking good for Justin Rivers. After winning a country music contest, a top
agent from Nashville wants to make a deal, and making it big could help Justin win back
his family’s respect after the tragedy he’s caused.
Life stinks for Silver Madison. She loves her teaching job, but the school has been
threatened by a vicious scandal, and she’s just been jilted by her fiancé.
So when Silver catches the eye of the up-and-coming country star, romance—and the
paparazzi—are the last things she needs. But as much as she tries to avoid the limelight,
she can’t avoid Justin’s touch—or the passion that sizzles between them. Justin’s
determined to protect his family and win Silver’s trust, but when a vengeful talent mogul
and a crooked manager get involved, scandal carries Justin and Silver into the national
spotlight. Silver’s school can’t take any more bad press, and Silver’s career is on the line.
But when a woman appears claiming to be Justin's wife, Silver’s not sure if her heart take
any more, either…
Nowhere to Run
Jeanne Bannon
What’s a girl to do when she falls in love with the man whose mission it is to bring her
down?
With the murder of her only sister, Sara, just a few months past, Lily Valier—a
woman of beauty and substance—tops the sheriff’s list of suspects in small town Maine,
and for a very good reason. Dear old Dad had willed his fortune to Sara and only Sara,
leaving Lily to fend for herself. However, with no murder weapon or witnesses, the
evidence against Lily is only circumstantial.
Enter P.I. Aiden O’Rourke, black-haired and blue-eyed, charged with gaining Lily’s
trust and learning her secrets, all to finally get the goods on her. Things move fast and
feelings run deep, yet when Lily discovers the truth about Aiden, everything begins to
come apart.
Aiden’s torn. Despite his feelings for her, Lily is the most logical suspect, with a
great big fat motive. Except something’s not quite right. Aiden trusts his instincts and
they’re screaming at him to have a look at a former suspect with far more to hide than
first appeared. With little left to lose, Lily decides to stand her ground, and staying put
has its consequences when the murder weapon finally turns up—and it’s Lily’s gun.
What happens to love, when trust is betrayed?
Letting Evil In
Ellie Eden
When Michael goes on a photographic assignment to Brazil and fails to return, Kristi
and her son fly to Rio de Janeiro, desperate to find him. Instead she finds that during the
cold New Jersey winter, her husband has spent his time in steamy chat rooms with Nara,
a young woman desperate for attention and involved in the Rio drug world.
As she searches for Michael in exotic but crime-ridden Rio, Kristy finds herself way
out of her league. She turns to Italian-Brazilian Federal Agent Tony Lamazzo for help. As
the harsh truth of her marriage brings a dose of reality to her life, she finds the
temptation of getting closer to the strong, capable—and totally hot—Tony difficult to
resist. She’s in Brazil on the Day of Dead, a day when Brazilians go wild. Why shouldn’t
she go wild with Tony, for just one night, before returning home to start the new life
alone she’ll have to learn to make for herself?
But when her son vanishes too, Kristi doesn’t know where to turn. Michael’s affair
with drug-dealing Nara has exposed them all to the murderous wrath of a ruthless drug
lord, and while she longs to trust Tony, she can’t trust his powerful and politically
corrupt family. But in the dangerous slums and rainforests of Brazil, the danger mounts
for both Kristi and her son, and a cold-blooded enemy has an agenda of his own. If she
trusts Tony, she might save her son. Or it might just get them all killed…
Document Outline
- Table of Contents
- Look for these titles from Rhonda Laurel
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- About the Author
- Also by Rhonda Laurel
- More Romance from Etopia Press
Wyszukiwarka
Podobne podstrony:
The Blake Boys 9 Tempting Fate Rhonda Laurel
The Blake Boys 4 Texas Heat Rhonda Laurel
The Blake Boys 10 Executive Desires Rhonda Laurel
The Blake Boys 2 MVP Rhonda Laurel
The Blake Boys 3 The Blake Legacy Laurel Rhonda
The Blake Boys 7 Rhonda Laurel Slow Burn Rhonda Laurel
The Blake Boys 6 The Perfect Storm Rhonda Laurel
Open the Eyes of My Heart
24 Genesis the rebirth of my heart [Genesis odrodzenie
The Lost Boys 1 5
11 Dancing with the big boys
698 The Backstreet Boys I Want It That Way
the vincent boys 01 the vincent boys abbi glines
The Cuckoo s Boys Robert Reed
Elise Title The Fortune Boys 01 Adam i Ewa
The Bad Boys 2 Up to Me
33 1 3 094 The Beach Boys Smile Luis Sanchez (retail) (pdf)
Stormy Glenn The Katzman s Mate 04 Heart Mate
Lynn Hagen Cowboy Heart
więcej podobnych podstron