Always a McBride

by Linda Turner

  Closing her eyes, she grabbed the first hanger her fingers touched and told herself she would wear it regardless of what it was. When she opened her eyes to discover that it was one of her favorite blouses—and one of the most feminine ones she owned—she hesitated. It was a soft, gauzy material, with frilly cap sleeves and a little bit of lace at the neck, and it looked good with anything, including jeans, which she’d intended to wear tonight to Joe’s. It was, however, also a date blouse, something that she felt pretty and feminine in and men generally noticed. The question was, did she want Taylor to notice?

  When she hesitated, she knew she was in trouble. She had to be losing her mind. He was cold and unfriendly and angry. Why would she want a man like that to notice her? Afraid to go there, she pulled the blouse off the hanger and hurriedly slipped it on. This was ridiculous. It was just a blouse. She wasn’t going to beat herself up wondering if she’d made the right choice.

  By the time she came downstairs ten minutes later, she was sure she was ready to face Taylor. She’d tied her hair back in a neat ponytail and applied a minimal amount of makeup. She didn’t even wear lipstick—lip gloss was all she needed for dinner with friends. Then she found Taylor waiting for her in the parlor.

  She took one look at him and felt her mouth go dry. After seeing him last night when he’d managed to look incredibly handsome even dripping wet from a thunderstorm, she’d thought he couldn’t possibly find a way to look any better. She’d been wrong. He’d showered and shaved, and sometime over the course of the afternoon, he’d found the time to get his dark hair cut. It was his clothes, however, that created such a change in his appearance. Instead of the expensive business clothes he’d worn last night, he’d changed to khakis and a white polo shirt that, while still of high quality, were much more casual.

  He almost looked approachable, she thought. Now if he would just relax and smile.

  For a moment, she thought he was going to do just that. The corner of his mouth twitched as his eyes met hers, and she found herself holding her breath. Then he obviously thought better of it. Lifting a brow at her, he merely said, “Ready?”

  Disappointed—and more than a little annoyed with herself for being so—she should have said of course, she wasn’t ready! He looked too good, smelled too good, and in the small confines of her car, neither of them would be able to move without the other being aware of it. It was time to call the whole thing off.

  But when she opened her mouth, she was horrified to hear herself say, “Just let me lock up.”

  It won’t be so bad, a voice in her head assured her. It’s not that far to Twin Pines and all you have to do is concentrate on the ranch and your driving. You’ll be there before you know it, and tomorrow, he’ll have a rental car and won’t need you to act as his chauffeur anymore. So just grin and bear it.

  That was good advice. Or so she thought until she slid behind the wheel of her Volkswagen Bug a short while later and he joined her in the passenger seat. His shoulder brushed hers as he reached for his seatbelt and just that quickly, everything changed.

  Her heart thumping, Phoebe told herself she imagined the sparks that seemed to jump between them. But her eyes locked with his and she couldn’t, for the life of her, look away. Why hadn’t she noticed before how big he was? She’d known he was tall, of course, but his shoulders were much broader than she’d first thought, and he had a presence about him that somehow made her feel safe and protected.

  Stunned—and more than a little alarmed—she told herself that this was crazy. She hardly knew the man! How could he possibly make her feel safe when she didn’t even like him?

  Afraid even to try to figure out the answer to that one, she reminded herself that she wasn’t looking for a man. Not at this point in her life, when she wasn’t sure where she would be this time next year. And when she was ready to get back into a relationship, she assured herself, she would never be attracted to a man like Taylor. He might be incredibly good-looking, but there was a reserve to him, a coolness, that had No Trespassing stamped all over it. He wouldn’t be an easy man to get to know…or to love.

  So why was her heart pounding like a locomotive on a downhill run? She felt as though she’d never seen him before, and suddenly she had this crazy need to touch him. And she didn’t know why. It was something about the way he sat, the way he stretched out his long legs as far as he could in the small car, the way he moved with an animal grace that was so sensuous. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  Alarmed, she almost changed her mind about taking him to the McBrides right then and there. But they were already in the car, and what excuse could she possibly give him? She was attracted to him? She didn’t think so!

  The scent of his cologne teasing her senses, she quickly distracted herself from his closeness by saying the first thing that came into her head. “What do you do when you’re not writing? Are you the kind of person who’s bored easily? I hope not, since you’re staying at least a month. There’s not much to do around here. Of course, there are the mountains. You can go hiking and camping if you like. And Aspen’s not that far.”

  “I’m not here to sightsee,” he growled. “I don’t have time to be bored. All I want to do is work.”

  From the moment she’d met him, Phoebe had suspected that anyone as intense as he was had to be a workaholic. Obviously, she was right. Whatever Taylor Bishop chose to do, she didn’t doubt that he would be successful. But she pitied the woman who gave him her heart. In all likelihood, he’d be so busy working that he wouldn’t notice.

  And that was just one more reason not to get involved with the man.

  Still, she couldn’t resist reminding him, “You know what they say about all work…”

  Taylor wasn’t really surprised by her attitude. He’d seen her kind before. She dressed like a hippy and had probably been raised by flower children of the sixties who encouraged her to float through life smelling daisies. That didn’t pay the rent, he thought grimly. And she wasn’t going to get very far working in a bed and breakfast, either—if you could call that work. She would never understand the value of real hard work or his need to prove himself.

  Knowing that, he should have seen her as a means to an end, nothing more, and not given her a second thought. But she was a difficult woman to ignore. When he should have been focusing all his attention on the upcoming meeting with the McBrides, she was all he could think of. And it had nothing to do with the fact that her scent was alluring or that she looked touchably soft in a blouse that was about as substantial as a whisper. It was just Phoebe…her smile, her total lack of artifice, her feminity. Dammit, why did she have to be so pretty?

  Chapter 4

  Scowling, he was still pondering that question fifteen minutes later when they arrived at the entrance to Twin Pines, the McBride ranch. Tension crawled up his spine, tightening the muscles of his back one by one. He’d expected some kind of grand, impressive entrance, but other than two pines trees that stood side by side to the left of the gate, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. There was a cattle guard flanked by two old fieldstone columns and a long drive that cut through a pasture to disappear into the trees on the horizon.

  “That’s Merry’s office and house over there,” Phoebe said, nodding to several rock-and-log buildings that he hadn’t noticed fifty yards to the right of the entrance. “Joe’s place is a couple of miles down the road, and the others are scattered further back. It’s a big place.”

  “Where’s the homestead?”

  “About a mile from Joe’s. Sara and Janey lived there together for years, but then when they both got married, they had some decisions to make about the house. Janey and Reilly wanted their own place, just like all newlyweds, but they were also aware of the fact that Sara and Dan weren’t getting any younger. In the end, they decided it would be better for everyone if they stayed at the homestead.”

  “So they’re all just one big happy family,” he retorted.

  If Phoebe noted his
sarcastic tone, she gave no indication of it. “Actually, they are,” she replied. “That doesn’t mean tempers don’t get short sometimes, but they all seem to find a way to get along. And all the kids are thrilled that Sara has Dan in her life. As a wedding present, they’re remodeling the east wing for them so they’ll have their own separate space. They’re going to be so surprised when they get back from their honeymoon.”

  They were going to be surprised, all right, Taylor thought grimly. Especially Sara. But then again, maybe now that she had remarried, she wouldn’t care that her first husband was not the man she’d thought he was. Either way, it was time she and her children were told the truth. If they didn’t like it, that wasn’t his problem.

  “Most families don’t get along that well,” he said as he spied the two-story house and outbuildings in the distance. “I’m surprised that they’re all able to live on the ranch peacefully.”

  “They’re a great family,” she assured him. “You’ve already met Merry. The others are just as nice. Sara and Gus did a good job raising them.”

  While you were growing up without a father in California, a voice in his head reminded him. Yeah, they’re a great family.

  Phoebe, of course, didn’t know that, so he couldn’t blame her for thinking the McBrides walked on water. She and the rest of Liberty Hill, however, would know the truth soon enough. It was just a matter of time.

  They drew up in front of Joe’s place then, and Taylor was surprised to discover that the house was just an ordinary two-story home that couldn’t have been over twenty-two-hundred square feet. He’d been expecting something a little more elaborate than an ordinary ranch house. After all, the McBrides owned thousands of acres and were one of the original founding families of the area. He’d thought all his brothers and sisters would be living in high-dollar houses and driving new pickups. Apparently, he’d been wrong.

  “Looks like everybody’s here,” Phoebe said, nodding toward the vehicles in the driveway, all of which were at least a couple of years old. “I hope Janey made banana pudding. I thought my grandmother’s was good, but Janey’s got hers beat by a mile. C’mon. You’re going to love it.”

  Food was the last thing he was interested in—every nerve in his body was on alert—but Taylor knew neither Phoebe nor the McBrides would ever guess that he was so uptight about the evening to come. He was a damn good lawyer, and he knew how to hide his emotions when he found himself in an adverse situation. Granted, he might not be in a courthouse, but he was definitely walking into a trial, and he knew next to nothing about his opponents. He wouldn’t be able to drop his guard for so much as a second.

  Escorting her to Joe McBride’s front door, he stood behind Phoebe as she knocked, his heart slamming against his ribs with an emotion he couldn’t put a name to. Would Joe or Zeke McBride look like his father? Would they favor him?

  Stiffening at the thought, he swore silently at himself for not thinking about that sooner. He should never have met all his siblings when they were together in one group—if he favored them, one of them was bound to notice. Then what was he going to say? It was too soon to tell them who he was—Sara wasn’t here, and he wasn’t ready. But he might not have any choice. On edge, ready for anything, he tensed as the door was abruptly pulled open. It was showtime.

  All of his life, whenever he’d stood before a mirror, he’d wondered if there was anyone in the world he looked like. It was a lonely feeling. His mother had always said that he was nearly the spitting image of his father, but he’d had no pictures of Gus McBride—or his mother’s family, for that matter. He didn’t know who he looked like—which was why it was so disconcerting when he found himself face to face with Joe McBride. At first glance, they didn’t appear to look anything alike, but he saw himself in the eyes of this man who was his brother.

  Whatever Joe McBride was, he was nobody’s fool. That much, at least, was instantly obvious. Taller than Taylor by an inch or so, he had the hard, weathered look of someone who spent his days working in the sun. His square-cut face was tanned and chiseled, his shrewd brown eyes as sharp as a barbed wire fence. In a single glance, he looked him over, then turned his attention to Phoebe. Only then did he smile, and the transformation in his face was amazing. With nothing more than a smile, his entire demeanor changed.

  “Well, if it isn’t Miss Chandler, queen of the vending machines,” he teased. “Long time no see. You’re looking good.”

  “So are you,” Phoebe said with a grin. “Angel must be between pictures. I heard you’re a bear when she’s gone.”

  “Myrtle’s been talking about me again,” he retorted, not the least apologetic. “Okay, so I get a little grumpy when my wife is off kissing some other man. I’m not jealous.”

  “Of course you’re not,” Phoebe agreed with twinkling eyes. “Why should you be? You’re the one she comes home to.”

  “You’re damn straight.” Glancing past her to Taylor, he said, “You must be the writer who’s staying at Myrtle’s. Merry told me about you. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Joe McBride.”

  “Taylor Bishop,” Taylor replied, stiffly shaking the hand he held out to him. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

  “Not at all,” Joe assured him. “The more the merrier. Though you must be wondering what kind of family we are since my wife goes around kissing other men. She’s an actress,” he explained, and there was no denying the pride in his eyes. “Angel Wiley. You might have heard of her.”

  Taylor couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d been hit over the head with a two-by-four. “You’re married to Angel Wiley?!”

  “Did somebody mention my name?” Stepping to her husband’s side, Angel Wiley gave Taylor a sweet smile that had been seen on movie screens around the world. “You must be Taylor. Hi, I’m Angel. Joe’s keeping you talking on the doorstep, isn’t he? Please, come in and meet the rest of the family.”

  Taylor normally took pride in the fact that he wasn’t a man who was easily impressed. He didn’t care what someone did for a living—he was more interested in the kind of person they were. The McBrides were nothing like he’d expected. Within seconds, he was surrounded by them. They greeted him with friendly smiles and handshakes, then drew him into the gathering as if they’d known him for years.

  At first, he thought they had to be crazy. He was a stranger—all they knew about him were the lies he had told them. Didn’t they realize what a risk they were taking by inviting someone they didn’t know into their home? But as Merry introduced him to her husband, Nick Kincaid, the sheriff, and he met Zeke and his wife Elizabeth, who both had their doctorates, and Janey, a nurse, and her husband, Reilly Jones, a heart surgeon, he realized that these were educated people who were all successful in their careers. And even though Joe had never made it to college, he’d made Twin Pines one of the most successful ranches in the state. He and the others hadn’t gotten where they were in the world by being stupid. They sized him up with a quick look and accepted him for who he said he was.

  He wasn’t normally a dishonest man, and though he’d thought he could pull off this charade with ease because he was only seeking justice for being denied a father all these years, he discovered that he wasn’t comfortable with the lie. Not when he was a guest in his half brother’s home and taking advantage of his hospitality. For the first time in his life, he was surrounded by family, and all he wanted to do was tell them who he was.

  Guilt pulled at him, angering him. Dammit, this wasn’t supposed to happen! He wasn’t supposed to like them! That wasn’t why he was here. He just wanted them to know what kind of man their father had been. And he couldn’t tell them until Sara returned from her honeymoon and he could confront her with the truth. In the meantime, he planned to keep his silence and remember what he was there for.

  They didn’t make it easy for him. They were so damn likable! And then Janey caught him off guard by saying the one thing he’d been dreading. Seated across the table from him, she studied him with intelligent brown ey
es, then frowned in confusion. “You look awfully familiar. I know you said you were from San Diego, but are you sure you don’t have relatives living around here somewhere? You just look so familiar.”

  “Are you holding out on us?” Zeke teased him. “Is that why you decided to focus your book on Liberty Hill? Tell the truth. You’re related to Abner Hawkins, aren’t you? You’ve sort of got the look of him.”

  “He does not!” Merry retorted with a grin, then confided, “Trust me, Taylor, nobody thinks you’re related to Abner. Zeke is just pulling your leg.”

  Not the least repentant, Zeke just grinned. “When Abner hears you’ve been talking about him, he’s going to be hurt, sis. You know he’s had a crush on you for years.”

  Merry just rolled her eyes, and Taylor couldn’t help but grin with the others. “Why do I have the feeling that I’ve been insulted? Just what does this Abner character look like?”

  “Don’t ask,” Nick advised, chuckling.

  “Trust me,” Janey added, struggling to hold back a smile, “you don’t look anything like Abner. But you do look familiar.”

  The need to tell the truth pulled at him again, this time stronger than before, but the words wouldn’t come and the moment was lost. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I guess I just have one of those faces that everyone seems to know. I don’t know how you could know me. I’m sure we’ve never met before.”

  When she continued to study him with a frown of puzzlement, he told himself he was doing the right thing even if it didn’t feel like it. When the time was right, the McBrides would know who he was, and that was only fair. In the meantime, he was keeping his identity to himself.

  Ruefully accepting his explanation, Janey laughed at herself. “I guess my imagination is playing tricks on me. So, are you hungry? We’ve got enough food to feed an army. C’mon, everyone, let’s eat.”

  She didn’t have to tell them twice. Everyone headed for the dining room, where the table and buffet were loaded down with casseroles, grilled chicken, ribs and what looked like every kind of dessert known to man. Grabbing plates from the buffet, they quickly served themselves and found seats at the table. As Joe said grace, Taylor sighed quietly in relief. The subject of who he was and who he might be related to was, at least for the moment, dropped. That didn’t, however, mean he could drop his guard. His half brothers and sisters were an intelligent group. If he didn’t want to give himself away before he was ready, he’d have to watch every word he said.