Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Brianna Steel, though? She was born for elegance. She may be a cowgirl at heart, but she’s just as much at home in a classy restaurant.
We choose to go with the chef’s menu for the evening—smoked salmon with capers, red onion, and lemon; Scotch broth soup with lamb, barley, and vegetables; pan-seared duck breast with orange sauce, fondant potato, and wilted spinach; and Cranachan parfait with toasted oats and raspberries. Our waiter recommends a light Burgundy with dinner, and Brianna orders a Highland single malt when he asks for her cocktail preference.
I have a beer.
I’m done trying to be something I’m not. Scotch is for those nights when I’m pulling my hair out.
The food is all delicious, and we don’t converse a lot during dinner.
When we arrive back at the hotel, we head to the bar for a nightcap.
Maddie is there, and seated with her is—
I groan. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brianna
I drop my mouth open and race toward Maddie’s table. “Oh my God! Dave! What are you doing here?”
My cousin David Simpson, son of Aunt Marj and Uncle Bryce, rises with a smile on his handsome face, his blue eyes sparkling.
“Hey, Bree.” He grabs me in a bear hug.
I pull back and echo my question. “What are you doing here?”
“I decided Brock and Donny couldn’t have all the fun. I came to join the Rake-a-teers in the UK.”
“Donny and Brock are no longer Rake-a-teers,” I remind him. “And Donny’s not even here.”
“Yeah. Maddie just filled me in. I’m sorry to hear about Dragon.”
Jesse hasn’t said anything so far, but the tension is flowing off him in waves. He’s behind me, and I can still feel his rigidity.
“Have you seen Brock yet?” I ask.
Dave shakes his head. “Nope. He and Rory had already retired when I got here. So I guess we’re off to Glasgow tomorrow for a concert.”
Finally Jesse speaks. “We know the schedule, Simpson.”
Oh, God. Here we go again. I finally had Jesse in a happy place, and now he’s going to go all alpha on Dave for having the gall to actually sit and have a drink with his youngest sister.
Big brothers are a pain in the ass sometimes. I should know.
Dave moves to Jesse and holds out his hand. “Hey, Jess. I hear the tour has been a huge success so far.”
Jesse takes Dave’s hand, though I can feel his reluctance.
“Yeah,” Jesse snorts out. “Except for the part where our drummer OD’d and we had to replace him.”
“But he’s okay,” Dave, always the jovial optimist, says. “And I hear you got a killer replacement.”
“That your cousin’s paying for.”
Dave ignores that comment, and I give him a subliminal thank-you.
Jesse, Jesse, Jesse… I thought you were lightening up.
Of course, it was the non-lightened Jesse I fell in love with, and nothing has changed. I’ll love him for all time, despite what he thinks may happen.
“I guess congratulations are in order.” Dave stays standing. “Why don’t you two join us?”
It hasn’t escaped my notice that Maddie hasn’t said a word to me.
“Sure,” I say.
Jesse says nothing, but he does hold out a chair for me. Dave finally sits back down after I’m seated. All the Steel men are gentlemen to a fault in a lady’s company—even mothers, sisters, and cousins.
Jesse takes a seat.
“So you two are an item,” Dave says again. “How’d Donny take that news?”
“He doesn’t have a damned thing to say about it,” Jesse says. “He’s marrying my sister.”
“True enough. And Brock’s got Rory. So that just leaves beautiful Maddie here…” He meets Maddie’s gaze and smiles that gorgeous Dave Simpson smile.
Dave is widely considered the best-looking of all the male Steel cousins. He looks exactly like Aunt Marj—dark hair and fine features—but with Uncle Bryce’s sparkling blue eyes.
Again, Jesse goes rigid.
But Maddie…
Maddie’s got this gorgeous smile on her face—a smile I haven’t seen since we were on the plane and she was basking in the pampering of our first-class seats.
Only this time, it’s directed at a person, not a service.
And it’s fuller and more radiant.
Surely she’s not thinking…
Hell. Maybe she is. Both her sisters snagged a Steel. Why shouldn’t she?
Why shouldn’t she indeed?
Perhaps I can help it along.
“So what are the two of you doing?”
Dave nods to his beer on the table. “Having a drink.”
“When did you get here?” I ask.
“About an hour ago. Flight was awesome, though I had a two-hour layover in London. But the first-class lounge was a great respite. I ate there, and I’m still full. When I arrived, I saw Maddie walking to the elevator, and she very sweetly agreed to have a cocktail with me.”
“You call that a cocktail?” I glance at his beer and laugh.
“I call it a Scottish ale, lassie,” Dave says in a really bad brogue, which makes Maddie erupt in laughter and Jesse give her an evil eye.