Also by Catherine Bybee
Contemporary Romance
Weekday Brides Series
Wife by Wednesday
Married by Monday
Fiancé by Friday
Not Quite Series
Not Quite Dating
Not Quite Mine
Not Quite Enough
Paranormal Romance
MacCoinnich Time Travels
Binding Vows
Silent Vows
Redeeming Vows
Highland Shifter
The Ritter Werewolves Series
Before the Moon Rises
Embracing the Wolf
Novellas
Soul Mate
Possessive
Erotica
Kilt Worthy
Kilt-A-Licious
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Text copyright © 2014 Catherine Bybee
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle
www.apub.com
ISBN-13: 9781477849262
ISBN-10: 1477849262
Cover Design by Crystal Posey
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013911841
To David and Libby
When God needed to create two people to help others…he created the two of you. For all you do!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
After a year of practice at being Michael Wolfe’s wife, Karen didn’t hesitate when he walked up behind her, slid his hands around her waist, and kissed the side of her neck.
“There you are.”
She smiled up at his gorgeous face and sighed. He really was one of the most beautiful men she’d ever met. Too bad he was gay.
“I’m not hiding,” she said and leaned into him for the benefit of those watching.
“The caterer is going to serve in thirty minutes.”
They did the domestic part really well, better than most married couples who were actually into the vows for the long haul. “I’ll go check and make sure everything is ready.”
He kissed the top of her head before she excused herself from the small gathering of friends she’d been talking to and headed back inside the house. Karen circulated through her and Michael’s one-year anniversary party and greeted Hollywood’s royalty by name. She couldn’t help but wonder if the same crowd would be present in six months at their divorce party. She knew, without a doubt, that her name would be removed from the automatic invite list while Michael’s would remain in stone. That’s what happened when you were scheduled to divorce one of the most sought after names in the business. Of course, only a handful of people in the room were expecting the divorce. Everyone else would hear about it via a tabloid or entertainment newscast when the time arrived.
The Spanish-influenced home sat in Beverly Hills with amazing views of the city. There were over two hundred guests at the party, testing the limits of the house. Thankfully, the Southern California weather graced them with a mild evening and allowed guests to mingle inside the home and out.
Karen weaved around the guests, paused to accept a fake Hollywood hug or two, and made her way into the kitchen. The catering manager stood in the center of the chaos giving orders and shuffling her staff around with quiet tones and an evil eye. “Vera, how is everything running?”
“Everything is set for the top of the hour, Mrs. Wolfe.”
Karen never corrected the use of her husband’s name, though she’d never legally changed hers to match.
“And the wine?”
Vera lifted her chin and offered a smile. “Just as your husband selected.”
“Good.”
“However, we had a slight problem with quantity.”
Karen frowned. It didn’t matter to her, but Michael’s preferences were discriminating.
“Did you check the substitute with Michael?”
Vera kept smiling, but her eyes fluttered with what Karen thought were nerves. “He wasn’t available. Perhaps you’d like to see what I selected?”
“Of course.”
Karen walked behind Vera as they stepped out the back door of the house to the catering supply truck, where Vera instructed one of her staff to open a wooden crate. Inside sat six bottles of Pinot Noir all elegantly labeled and presented as expected. But if there was one thing Karen had learned after living with a wine connoisseur for a year, the covers of these books didn’t always match the insides. She knew Michael’s taste and didn’t hesitate in making a decision for him on this account.
“I don’t recognize the label.”
Vera gave a quick shake of her head. “No worry.” From her apron, she removed a corkscrew and made quick work of removing the plug from the wine. Vera made a grabby motion of her fingertips, and one of her employees handed her a glass.
With a flourish, Vera poured the wine and handed a small sample over for Karen to taste.
During the time Karen and Michael had spent in France, she’d learned enough about wine to pass a simple tasting. She swished the wine around the glass and didn’t notice any problem with the color of the liquid. In truth, she had always felt this part of wine tasting was the second most useless. Red wines were red, and white were always white. Karen lifted the wine to her nose, scented a little citrus and berry, and then let the wine hit her tongue.
Full-bodied and sweet. No need to spit it out. Spitting out the wine was the most useless of wine tasting practices in her opinion. Spitting out perfectly good wine defeated the purpose. “This will be fine,” she told Vera, who appeared to hold her breath as Karen gave her opinion. “Be sure that the first bottles served are what Michael ordered.”
Vera gave a swift nod and a motion of her hand while others moved around them to place the wine inside the house. They both turned to walk inside when a lone figure approached from behind them. “Mrs. Wolfe?”
With a practiced smile, Karen turned around and forgot to breathe. The hair on her arms stood on end as a mixture of sensation traveled over her skin. There was something familiar about the six-foot-three man with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. His jaw was as rugged as Michael’s and held a day’s worth of stubble, something Michael sported for some of his roles but preferred to shave off at first chance.
Thinking of Michael brought his image to her mind, and the realization hit
that the man in front of her could quite possibly be his double. Only this man didn’t have the laughter in his eyes or the easy smile on his face. No, there was something hidden behind his gaze that made her pause. This man was gorgeous, and if she were one to believe in instant attraction, her body responded to him with a fierceness she didn’t think possible. Maybe this was what the women gazing at Michael experienced that she did not. This wild thrill of discovery that led to possibilities only the big screen could fulfill.
Instead of letting her imagination get the best of her, Karen flattened a hand over her stomach and attempted to act unaffected. “Do I know you?”
The sex-personified blue-eyed man stepped toward her. It took effort for her to hold her ground.
Sensing her unease, he held still, looked around the both of them as if noticing the caterers running about and guests arriving behind him, and said simply, “Zach Gardner.”
The smile on her face stayed. The name tickled at the edges of her consciousness. Memories flashed behind the veil of her mind until she narrowed her focus. “Michael’s brother?” she whispered.
Zach gave a small nod and swept his eyes down her frame. When his eyes met hers again, he masked whatever he’d been thinking, then he smiled and said, “And you’re the wife none of us have met.”
Not a lot shook Karen. She’d managed the role of Michael’s wife under the ever-present scrutiny of paparazzi, producers, actors, and fans…but the man standing in front of her did what no one else could. He made her question her decision to marry.
Karen stepped forward and ignored the frown suddenly on Zach’s face. “We didn’t know you were coming.”
“So you do know Mike has a family.”
“Of course.” No one called Michael, Mike. Somehow, family always made you remember where you were from.
Karen fidgeted under his stare and something in his gaze hesitated. It was as if he knew he was coming across harsh and blaming her for his brother’s absence. But Karen knew Michael wasn’t as close to his family as he once was.
“He’s had a grueling schedule this last year.” She made excuses for Michael, knowing that part of the reason his family had not been brought into their marriage was because it wasn’t scheduled to last. His deception was meant for Hollywood, not his family. In reality, Karen had half expected someone to show up before now.
“Everyone’s busy.”
Which Karen translated as Zach not giving a shit about Michael’s schedule or his excuses. They were Michael’s to excuse, and Karen didn’t want to step between him and his family.
“I’m sure Michael will be excited to see you.” She started to walk past Zach to show him the way inside.
“Looks like my timing is bad.”
It would have been easy for her to suggest that unexpected and unannounced visits had a way of having bad timing, but she refrained. “Not at all.” Since they’d never met in person, and she had no way of knowing if Zach knew her name, she presented her hand. “I’m Karen, by the way.”
Zach took her hand in his and an unexpected hot current shot up her arm. Now that was bad timing!
A zip of chemistry was just fine, thank you very much, but not with her temporary husband’s brother. Oh, no, that wasn’t fine at all!
Surprise passed over Zach’s eyes before he pulled his hand away rather abruptly. “And I feel as if I owe you an apology.”
“What for?” For coming off as an abrasive, albeit sexy, ass? Oh, yeah…maybe he did.
“I’m a little shocked to find a real person behind the pictures we’ve all seen.”
“A real person as opposed to what?”
Zach shrugged. “My brother is seen with someone new at every film premiere. I think we assumed you weren’t real…but I can see now that you are. Doesn’t excuse my rudeness. My beef is with my brother, not you.”
Karen felt a warm smile fill her face and something in Zach’s eyes softened. “Was that an apology?”
“Half-assed, but yes.”
Seemed Zach and Michael had that in common, the ability to apologize without actually saying the words. Though Michael was getting better.
“Apology accepted. Now c’mon, Zach, let’s go find your brother.” She didn’t leave any room for discussion as she walked around him and into the house.
A couple of heads turned as the two of them walked into the kitchen. She couldn’t help but wonder if the help thought the man beside her was Michael’s twin, or stunt double, which Zach could easily pull off. If Karen remembered right, Zach was Michael’s older brother by at least a year. There was an older sister and two younger sisters. All of whom still lived in the small town in Utah Michael had grown up in and moved away from shortly after high school.
Samantha, Karen’s friend and sometimes colleague, intercepted the path to Michael’s side. “There you are. Michael’s looking for you.” Samantha eyed Zach with a slight smile.
“We’re looking for him, too. Samantha Harrison, this is Zach Gardner, Michael’s brother.”
“Of course. The family resemblance is hard to miss.” Samantha shook Zach’s hand.
“A pleasure.” His words were dry, as if he’d like nothing better than to disappear.
“Where did you see Michael last?”
“In the courtyard. C’mon, I’ll show you.”
Thankful for Samantha’s presence, Karen offered her practiced smile to Zach and led him through the house and out the massive doors to the courtyard where even more guests mingled and eyed the new guest.
Michael stood with his back to them.
Karen tapped his shoulder and caught his eyes before he looked beyond her. “Michael. Look who I found.”
In a split second, confusion mixed into recognition, and then the most surprising thing happened. Michael lost some of his polish. “Jesus, Zach.”
Karen stood aside and watched the two brothers offer smiles, handshakes, and man hugs.
“It’s been too long,” Zach said.
“Too damn long.”
Both men smiled at each other as if they’d never shared a cross word or years apart.
Samantha tucked beside Karen and whispered in her ear, “He’s crashing the party?”
Karen kept smiling. “Just showed up.”
“Well this is going to be interesting.”
That was what Karen worried about.
Michael turned toward the small crowd. “Everyone, this is my brother, Zach.” Michael took a moment to offer a few names to Zach, but it became quickly apparent the man wasn’t going to remember most of them. Or if he did, it was because of their fame and not the brief introduction. “And you’ve met Karen.”
Zach once again took her in with his blue gaze. “I’ve met your wife.”
Zach allowed Mike to lead him around and introduce him to his friends, though Zach didn’t think there were many people in the house his brother could actually count on. He wasn’t sure what he thought it would be like walking into his brother’s world. He knew the level of success his brother had achieved, but he’d never experienced it. The plastic Hollywood scene was light-years away from the life they’d grown up in. Maybe that was the appeal. Lord knew growing up in a small town in Utah had its drawbacks.
Like never finding a woman as stunning as the one Mike called his wife. Zach had seen pictures, right before their mother went on a tear about having never met Karen. None of the pictures did the woman justice.
Her eyes were the shade of blue seldom seen outside of an ocean. Her blonde hair was too pure to come from a bottle, and despite all the activity around her, she didn’t seem to let any of it affect her. Zach understood his brother’s attraction and that had happened exactly never. Not once could Zach remember them both having the same girl in their thoughts.
He pushed Mike’s wife out of his mind and remembered why he took this little trip to his brother’s.
It was their youngest sister, Hannah, who prompted Zach to jump on the back of his motorcycle and take the road trip t
o LA. Mike could be Mr. Hollywood with everyone else, but his family missed him. Their mother was pissed, their father ready to disown the youngest male in the Gardner line, and the girls were convinced that Michael Wolfe wasn’t blood related after all. But Hannah had practically begged Zach to drag Mike home.
“Hon?” Karen captured Mike’s attention. “The caterers are ready to serve.”
Michael placed his arm over Karen’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “Thanks.”
Zach had seen the move from Michael before. It certainly appeared as if Karen and Mike’s marriage was happy.
“Can you excuse us for a second, Zach?”
“It’s your party, I’m just crashing.”
Mike waved at the disc jockey, who turned down the volume on the music playing in the background.
Zach had found a beer and sipped it now as he watched his brother welcome his guests and thank them all for coming. When he drew Karen next to his side and thanked her for being his wife, Zach found himself looking away. He noticed Samantha, Karen’s friend, watching him before she diverted her gaze.
A few guests started mumbling to his right, catching Zach’s attention. “Wonder how long it can possibly last.”
“It’s hard to get sick of your spouse when he’s never home. Hasn’t he been on location nine of the past twelve months?”
Zach sipped his beer and continued to eavesdrop. “At least. And he’s headed out next month for another three.”
He spared a glance and recognized an anorexic actress he’d seen, but couldn’t name, talking with an older woman who appeared to love her Botox.
“I hear he’s scored over thirty million on his next film. I’d let my husband travel wherever the studio wanted him to for that.”
Disgusted, Zach forced his attention away from the gossiping movie stars and circled the edges of the courtyard.
Samantha caught his attention and brought him into her circle of friends, who were all chatting after Mike and Karen started the line at the buffet.
“Zach, I’d like you to meet some friends of Karen and Michael’s. My husband, Blake Harrison. His sister Gwen and her husband, Neil MacBain.” Zach shook the men’s hands, happy he didn’t recognize any of them.
The Weekday Brides 04 - Single by Saturday Page 1
