Big Sky Secrets Read online

Page 29


  Casey’s eye twinkled with amused mischief. “Is he pressing charges?” she asked.

  Brylee laughed, but it was a ragged sound, brief and harsh against the tender flesh of her throat. “No,” she answered, “I don’t think so. But I still feel extra stupid.”

  Casey frowned affectionately, and the joy didn’t leave her eyes. Baby Preston, cosseted inside a lightweight blue blanket, stirred against his mother’s chest. “Now, why on earth would you, of all people, feel stupid? You’re one of the smartest women I know, Brylee, and that’s saying something, because I know some sharp ladies.”

  Remembering, Brylee blushed again. “I thought I was alone,” she confided. “I was...hugging a tree.”

  “Oh, horrors,” Casey teased. “Not that.”

  “He thinks I’m a flake, Casey.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “Not in so many words, but still. I was hugging a tree. And I feel like an idiot.”

  “Why? Trees are excellent company. What’s wrong with hugging them?”

  “You’re being deliberately kind,” Brylee accused, but with affection. Casey was the sister she’d always yearned for, and one of her closest friends in the bargain.

  “Excuse me.” Casey grinned. “I happen to like trees myself—they’re good people, so to speak. I like to hug them when I get a chance. Unless there’s a reporter hiding up there in the branches, anyway.”

  Brylee laughed, and this time, there was more sincerity in the sound. “I probably looked foolish, that’s all,” she said, moments later, when she was more reflective.

  “And you care what Zane Sutton thinks of you?” Casey challenged mildly. “That’s interesting. Also, encouraging. Walker will be thrilled to hear it.”

  “Don’t you dare tell my brother,” Brylee said, knowing the request was hopeless. Casey and Walker didn’t have secrets, not from each other, anyway.

  “Are you attracted to Zane, Brylee?” Casey pressed, still smiling mysteriously. “Because if you are, I can get you a date with him. We’re friends, Zane and I—we did a movie together once.”

  Sometimes, like now, Brylee forgot that her sister-in-law was a major celebrity, a famous Country-Western singer and sometime actress. She’d sung for kings, queens and presidents, racked up dozens of prestigious awards. Still, Casey was so salt-of-the-earth that it was easy to forget how well-known she actually was.

  “The last thing in the world I want is a date with Zane Sutton,” Brylee said. “So forget the whole idea, please.”

  Casey grinned. “Whatever you say,” she replied, with a note of slyness in her tone that unnerved Brylee a little. “But Zane is an old friend of mine, like I said. So don’t be surprised if he turns up at our supper table one night real soon.”

  “Give me advance notice,” Brylee responded, “and I’ll make other plans.”

  Casey laughed. “You’re as stubborn as your brother, you know that? Maybe even more so, if such a thing is possible. Do I really need to point out how many women there are in this world who would fall all over themselves for a chance to spend just one evening with Zane?”

  “Invite one of them,” Brylee suggested briskly, as Snidely curled up at her feet.

  Casey handed over the baby, a warm little armful that filled Brylee’s heart with love and a bittersweet yearning. “Hold your nephew for a few minutes,” she said. “I’ve had to pee for the past half hour.”

  With that pithy—and typical—announcement, Casey disappeared into the house, headed for the nearest bathroom.

  Brylee gathered her nephew close, lightly kissed the downy top of the baby’s head and whispered, “Your mama is right. She is the luckiest woman in the world.”

  * * *

  ZANE STOOD AT the edge of the woods for a few moments, solemnly surveying his “new” home—the long one-story stone house, with its big porch and many chimneys. The windows were tall and set deeply into their casings, the inside sills wide enough to sit on, and the place had a quietness about it that had charmed him, even when he’d only seen pictures on a real estate website. In person, the effect was even stronger.

  Those were the things he liked about the place.

  The things he didn’t like were more numerous: as he’d told Brylee out there in the woods, the structure needed a lot of work. The grass in the yard was seriously overgrown, of course, after being neglected for so long, and speckled with dandelions and other less comely weeds. As for the picket fence, weathered and falling over here and there, well, a coat of paint wasn’t going to do the trick.

  Slim, spotting him, rose and ambled on over to offer a greeting.

  “We’ve got our work cut out for us, boy,” Zane said, shifting his gaze to the barn. It was large and, like the house, made of stone. Unlike the house, it was in remarkably good shape. Maybe he and Slim ought to move into one of the stalls, or the tack room, while the renovations were going on.

  Just then, he heard an engine, and turned to see a van pulling in down by the teetering mailbox, sides emblazoned with the electric company’s logo.

  “Let there be light,” Zane said dryly, but his mind was still on Brylee Parrish, and her blatant belief that he’d change this ranch into some kind of flashy showplace.

  Tennis courts? Indoor swimming pools? Media rooms?

  He hadn’t even had those things in Tinseltown.

  A nice condo? Sure. An expensive car that could almost fly? You got it.

  By Hollywood standards, though, he’d lived modestly, and all he really wanted, even now, was a place to keep his horse—he’d missed being able to ride Blackjack whenever the mood struck him, back there in California, gotten downright lonesome for the animal’s company, in fact. The barn, four sturdy walls to keep out the wind and a solid roof over his head completed his current aspirations, as far as living arrangements went.

  The van pulled to a stop in what passed for a driveway, dust billowing up around the vehicle in a cloud, and a balding man with a belly and a clipboard got out, grinning from ear to ear.

  Zane drummed up a grin of his own. Put out his hand, because that was what people did in the country whenever they met up, and he’d missed the ritual.

  The new arrival—the stitching on the pocket of his work shirt said his name was Albie—shook Zane’s hand enthusiastically. “When I told my wife I’d be turning on the juice for none other than Zane Sutton himself today,” Albie beamed, “she made me promise to get your autograph and tell you she loved all your movies.”

  Zane’s expression, though friendly, might have seemed a touch forced, to anyone more observant than Albie. “Thanks,” he said, and left it at that.

  Copyright © 2013 by Linda Lael Miller

  ISBN-13: 9781460323762

  BIG SKY SECRETS

  Copyright © 2014 by Linda Lael Miller

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com

  r>

 

 


    Angelfire Read onlineAngelfireMoonfire Read onlineMoonfireThe Yankee Widow Read onlineThe Yankee WidowThe Cowboy Way Read onlineThe Cowboy WayCountry Strong--A Novel Read onlineCountry Strong--A NovelForever and a Day Read onlineForever and a DayThe Black Rose Chronicles Read onlineThe Black Rose ChroniclesMontana Creeds: Logan Read onlineMontana Creeds: LoganMy Darling Melissa Read onlineMy Darling MelissaSkye Read onlineSkyeMcKettricks of Texas: Tate Read onlineMcKettricks of Texas: TateSpringwater Seasons Read onlineSpringwater SeasonsA Lawman's Christmas Read onlineA Lawman's ChristmasSierra's Homecoming Read onlineSierra's HomecomingParable, Montana [4] Big Sky Summer Read onlineParable, Montana [4] Big Sky SummerOne Last Weekend Read onlineOne Last WeekendA Stone Creek Collection, Volume 2 Read onlineA Stone Creek Collection, Volume 2Tonight and Always Read onlineTonight and AlwaysFletcher's Woman Read onlineFletcher's WomanA Snow Country Christmas Read onlineA Snow Country ChristmasThe Last Chance Cafe Read onlineThe Last Chance CafeThe Man from Stone Creek Read onlineThe Man from Stone CreekWanton Angel Read onlineWanton AngelMcKettricks of Texas: Garrett Read onlineMcKettricks of Texas: GarrettMemory's Embrace Read onlineMemory's EmbraceMcKettrick's Luck Read onlineMcKettrick's LuckPirates Read onlinePiratesBig Sky River Read onlineBig Sky RiverWillow: A Novel (No Series) Read onlineWillow: A Novel (No Series)The McKettrick Legend: Sierra's HomecomingThe McKettrick Way (Hqn) Read onlineThe McKettrick Legend: Sierra's HomecomingThe McKettrick Way (Hqn)Glory, Glory: Snowbound with the Bodyguard Read onlineGlory, Glory: Snowbound with the BodyguardTwo Brothers Read onlineTwo BrothersDeadly Deceptions Read onlineDeadly DeceptionsBig Sky Secrets Read onlineBig Sky SecretsGarrett Read onlineGarrettA Creed in Stone Creek Read onlineA Creed in Stone CreekMegan Read onlineMeganMcKettricks of Texas: Austin Read onlineMcKettricks of Texas: AustinKnights Read onlineKnightsHigh Country Bride Read onlineHigh Country BrideMore Than Words Volume 4 Read onlineMore Than Words Volume 4Glory, Glory Read onlineGlory, GloryDaring Moves Read onlineDaring MovesLily and the Major Read onlineLily and the MajorCourting Susannah Read onlineCourting SusannahBanner O'Brien Read onlineBanner O'BrienBig Sky Mountain Read onlineBig Sky MountainLinda Lael Miller Bundle Read onlineLinda Lael Miller BundleMcKettrick's Pride Read onlineMcKettrick's PrideA Stone Creek Collection Volume 1 Read onlineA Stone Creek Collection Volume 1A Wanted Man Read onlineA Wanted ManBig Sky Country Read onlineBig Sky CountryThe McKettrick Legend Read onlineThe McKettrick LegendChristy Read onlineChristyMcKettrick's Heart Read onlineMcKettrick's HeartResurrection Read onlineResurrectionArizona Heat Read onlineArizona HeatSecondhand Bride Read onlineSecondhand BrideSnowflakes on the Sea Read onlineSnowflakes on the SeaMontana Creeds: Tyler Read onlineMontana Creeds: TylerCAROLINE AND THE RAIDER Read onlineCAROLINE AND THE RAIDERA Proposal for Christmas: State SecretsThe Five Days of Christmas Read onlineA Proposal for Christmas: State SecretsThe Five Days of ChristmasYankee Wife Read onlineYankee WifeLinda Lael Miller Montana Creeds Series Volume 1: Montana Creeds: LoganMontana Creeds: DylanMontana Creeds: Tyler Read onlineLinda Lael Miller Montana Creeds Series Volume 1: Montana Creeds: LoganMontana Creeds: DylanMontana Creeds: TylerThe Christmas Brides Read onlineThe Christmas BridesMcKettricks Bundle Read onlineMcKettricks BundleThe Rustler Read onlineThe RustlerHere and Then Read onlineHere and ThenOnly Forever Read onlineOnly ForeverOnce a Rancher Read onlineOnce a RancherThe 24 Days of Christmas Read onlineThe 24 Days of ChristmasBig Sky Wedding Read onlineBig Sky WeddingEmma and the Outlaw Read onlineEmma and the OutlawPrincess Annie Read onlinePrincess AnnieWild About Harry Read onlineWild About HarryThat Other Katherine Read onlineThat Other KatherineA Lawman's Christmas: A McKettricks of Texas Novel Read onlineA Lawman's Christmas: A McKettricks of Texas NovelJust Kate: His Only Wife (Bestselling Author Collection) Read onlineJust Kate: His Only Wife (Bestselling Author Collection)The McKettrick Way Read onlineThe McKettrick WayPart of the Bargain Read onlinePart of the BargainTaming Charlotte Read onlineTaming CharlotteHoliday in Stone Creek Read onlineHoliday in Stone CreekOne Last Look Read onlineOne Last LookAlways a Cowboy Read onlineAlways a CowboyBatteries Not Required Read onlineBatteries Not RequiredA McKettrick Christmas Read onlineA McKettrick ChristmasFor All Eternity Read onlineFor All EternityThe Marriage Season Read onlineThe Marriage SeasonCorbin's Fancy Read onlineCorbin's FancyThe Creed Legacy Read onlineThe Creed LegacySpringwater Wedding Read onlineSpringwater WeddingDeadly Gamble Read onlineDeadly GambleAustin Read onlineAustinCreed's Honor Read onlineCreed's HonorA Creed Country Christmas Read onlineA Creed Country ChristmasEscape from Cabriz Read onlineEscape from CabrizThere and Now Read onlineThere and NowThe Bridegroom Read onlineThe BridegroomState Secrets Read onlineState SecretsBridget Read onlineBridget