A Bride for Liam Brand

by Joanna Sims

  “That’s fine.” Kate nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

  She finished working with Solomon and moved on to the next horse on her list for training. Riding boarded horses, keeping them exercised and making sure they picked up their cues to trot or canter, was a big part of how she made a living.

  “What’s his name?”

  Sarah had been watching her work with the Friesian from across the yard. She hadn’t gotten too close to the round pen, but the teen’s interest in her work with horses seemed like a possibility to make a connection.

  “Solomon.”

  Sarah pushed away from the wall, her features so like her father’s, that the teen tugged at her heart.

  “Can I ride him?”

  “Not this one.” Kate handed Solomon’s lead to one of the stable hands. “Rinse him off, cool him down and then turn him out in the north pasture.

  “I don’t own him.” Kate finished answering Sarah’s question. “I can show you the horses you can ride. Your father’s horses are here too.”

  That was when Kate first saw a spark in Sarah, a point of connection. She could work with this. Kate saddled up one of her horses and let Sarah ride. The girl had a great seat in the saddle, and Kate told her so over lunch.

  “I rode all the time when I lived at Sugar Creek,” Liam’s daughter reminded her. “I don’t get to ride in Seattle. Ever.”

  The conversation ended there. Kate had never been one to beat around the bush, and she had a feeling that Sarah was someone who appreciated cutting to the chase.

  “You don’t like me,” she said.

  Sarah stopped chewing, looked up at her, surprise in those bright blue eyes so like Liam’s own bright blue eyes.

  “No.”

  “Because I married your dad?”

  Sarah shook her head. “No. I don’t care about that anymore.”

  Kate raised an eyebrow and waited.

  “I don’t know.” The teen frowned into her plate.

  “I know you want to move back to Montana,” Kate said. “Do you think now that your father is married to me that you can’t move back to Montana?”

  A shrug was all she got, but Kate knew, instinctively, that this the reason behind a big chunk of the resentment Sarah was feeling toward her.

  “Are you finished?” she asked the teen.

  A nod.

  “Help me clear the table. I want to show you something.”

  After they cleared the table, Kate rolled out the new house plans on the table for Sarah to see.

  “This is the house your father and I are going to build.”

  Sarah tried to act like she wasn’t interested; Kate could see that she was.

  The horse trainer pointed to one of the rooms in the house. “Do you know what this is?”

  A shake of the head. “Nope.”

  “This is your room.”

  That got the teen’s attention. “My room?”

  “That’s right,” Kate said. “Your father and I want you to have a place with us. I can’t guarantee that we can get your mom to agree to let you live with us full time. But we are going to try.”

  Sarah stared at her, unblinking, and then ran her finger over her bedroom on the house plans.

  “We want you to be with us, Sarah,” Kate said. “Do you understand? Triple K is your home too.”

  * * *

  Liam wasn’t sure what he was going to find when he arrived back at the ranch. He had hoped that Sarah and Kate would find some common ground upon which to build a relationship if he gave them some space and time.

  He expected to find Sarah holed up in Callie’s room on her computer and Kate in the barn with her horses. He did not expect to see the two of them, standing at the top of the hill where they were going to build their dream home.

  Liam shifted into Park, turned off the truck and leaned forward so he could get a better look out the windshield.

  He wasn’t imagining it—his daughter and his wife were standing together on the site where they planned on breaking ground in a month.

  “What’s going on up here?” Liam had decided to leave his truck parked and hike up the hill.

  “Hi!” Kate had a genuine, easy smile on her face. “We’re making plans for the new house.”

  “Kate says I can paint my room any color I want.”

  “Other than black,” Kate corrected.

  “Other than black,” Sarah amended.

  Kate put her arms around his waist, kissed him quickly and then said, “I hope you don’t mind that I ruined the surprise. I showed Sarah the house plans.”

  “What do you think?” he asked his daughter, whose face had lost its scowl.

  Sarah gave a little nod. “It’s pretty cool.”

  “Yeah,” Liam agreed. “It is pretty cool.”

  His daughter kicked a clump of dirt, walking in a circle where her room would eventually be.

  She stopped, looked at him directly in the eye and asked, “Are you really going to try to get mom to let me live with you?”

  Liam caught Kate’s eye; he understood why she had talked to Sarah about this before he’d had the chance. The timing was right, and she did it. If it helped heal their relationship, then he was glad.

  “Come here.” He held out his free arm; when she reached his side, he put his arm around her shoulders. “Do you know what I know about your mom?” Liam asked his daughter. “I know that your mom loves you more than anything else in her life.”

  Sarah frowned at him, but he persisted.

  “It’s true, Sarah. And if your mom thinks that it’s best for you to live here full-time, or at least for the summer, she’ll say yes. And I’m going to give convincing her one heck of shot, Sarah. That’s what I can promise. Can you live with that?”

  His daughter nodded, and for the first time in a long time, Sarah leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder.

  “It’s going to be another beautiful day.” Liam gazed out at the clear, blue Montana sky.

  Standing there with his wife and his younger daughter at his side, Liam realized that all of his wishes had been granted. He was a husband, a father; he was building a home with the woman he loved; one day, they would be surrounded by their children and grandchildren. He finally had a family of his own. Perhaps he didn’t deserve it, but God had, indeed, been good to Liam Brand.

  * * * * *

  If you loved this story,

  be sure to look for the next book in

  THE BRANDS OF MONTANA series,

  available August 2018

  from Harlequin Special Edition!

  And in the meantime, check out these other

  emotional romances by Joanna Sims:

  A WEDDING TO REMEMBER

  THANKFUL FOR YOU

  MEET ME AT THE CHAPEL

  HIGH COUNTRY BABY

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  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE SINGLE DAD’S FAMILY RECIPE by Rachael Johns.

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  The Single Dad's Family Recipe

  by Rachael Johns

  Chapter One

  As Eliza Coleman stared at the door of the new restaurant at McKinnel’s Distillery, she forced a smile to her lips. The action ached a little because her facial muscles were rusty from neglect. But today she needed to put the last couple of years in a box and at least feign a little positivity. No way Lachlan McKinnel would want to employ a sad sack as head hostess for his “exciting new venture,” the phrase he’d used to describe his new restaurant in the online advertisement she’d read.

  She hadn’t actually been looking for employment in Oregon but she hadn’t not been looking either. Living on her grandmother’s couch in her tiny apartment in New York wasn’t terrible—she adored Grammy Louise—but lately Grammy had been trying to coax her up off the couch and out of the house. She’d even suggested coming along to her salsa class or signing up for online dating.

  Eliza shuddered at the thought of both. The last time she’d been on a date was almost six years ago and she’d married that guy. Did people even go on dates anymore? From what her girlfriends told her, hookups were the name of the game now. And she wasn’t interested in them either.

  At first, getting a job had appealed only marginally more than Grammy’s other suggestions—at work, Eliza would have to interact with people—but the more she’d thought about it, the more it seemed like a not-too-bad idea. Work would at least help pass the long hours during the day and she couldn’t live on her savings forever. On a whim, she’d decided to look far and wide because the idea of getting away from everything—going someplace where no one knew her—held a certain appeal.

  And that search had brought her to a little mountain town called Jewell Rock. Her plane had touched down only hours ago in nearby Bend and she’d rented a car and driven straight here, not even pausing to find breakfast, despite the loud complaints of her stomach.

  She stood in front of the door, her hand trembling as she lifted it to the handle. Her last actual job interview had been almost as long ago as her last date and the whole concept of selling herself terrified her, but then again, what did she have to lose? After everything she’d already lost, a job in a place she’d never heard of a week ago wasn’t the be-all and end-all.

  Trying to ignore the debate going on inside her head, she checked her smile was still in place and then pushed open the door. As she stepped inside, her jaw almost touched the polished wooden floorboards. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting but it wasn’t mahogany paneling, flocked wallpaper and Gothic-type mirrors that made her feel as if she’d just stepped back in time. It felt strangely warm and welcoming, like nowhere had felt for a very long time.

  Behind the brass-railed bar were floor-to-ceiling whiskey bottles as if someone had traveled the world and returned with a bottle from each city. If Eliza didn’t know for a fact this building was a recent addition to the boutique distillery, she’d have been fooled into believing it was circa 1950s—like the rest of the establishment.

  As the door thumped shut behind her, she stepped further into the restaurant and inhaled deeply. The scent of bourbon filled the air but there was also a hint of something sweet that made her empty stomach rumble. Placing a hand against it, she silently willed it to settle, as the last thing she needed was loud gurgling noises emanating from her stomach while Lachlan McKinnel interviewed her.

  “Hello!”

  It took a second for her to realize the deep-voiced greeting was coming from off to her right. She turned to see a man with thick golden-blond hair, wearing black trousers and a chef’s white shirt, standing in the doorway to what was clearly the kitchen part of the restaurant. A very good-looking man. The thought took her by surprise and she blinked as he smiled warmly and walked forward to close the gap between them.

  “Eliza?” he asked as he paused in front of her and offered his hand.

  She realized she’d been standing there frozen and mute, just staring at him. There was a reason for this—he was much taller and better-looking in person than he’d appeared from the images she’d found online—but it wasn’t a good reason. She wasn’t here to gawk and drool over her potential boss, she was here to impress him. Here to nab herself a job and a new life about as far from New York City and her past life as she could get without leaving the country.

  “Um, yes, hi.” She shook his hand and silently cursed herself for sounding so staccato. “You must be Lachlan.”

  “I am.” His handshake was firm and she felt a surprising little jolt inside her. Eliza put it down to the fact she hadn’t so much as touched a man in almost a year. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  She nodded as he let go of her hand. Smile. Act happy. Pretend to be someone else if you have to. “You, too,” she answered chirpily, hoping her tone didn’t sound as awkward to his ears as it did to hers. “And this place is gorgeous. I can already imagine it full of people. Did you design it?”

  His lips quirked a little at one side and she realized he was the one supposed to be asking the questions, but hey, she tended to talk when she was nervous. “The concept was mine but I had a lot of help from my brothers and my sisters. Mac, specifically, handled the construction side and Sophie and Annabel had a lot of input on the interior.”

  “Obviously a talented family,” she said and then immediately regretted the words. He probably thought she was sucking up or, worse, flirting with him. A cold sweat washed over her at the thought.

  But he chuckled. “Don’t tell them that, or they’ll get big heads. Now, shall we get started?”

  “Yes, good idea.” The sooner they got down to business, the less likely she was to say something stupid.

  He led her over to one of the tables—she noticed her résumé waiting there—and held out a chair for her to sit down. As she lowered herself onto the seat, her breath caught a waft of his sweet-and-spicy scent. She couldn’t tell if it was an actual aftershave or if he’d been cooking and the delicious aromas of his creations lingered on him.

  “Can I get you a drink? Coffee? Whiskey?” He winked as he said this last word, yet at the same time she didn’t think he was entirely kidding. It might not be afternoon yet, but this was a whiskey distillery.

  She played it safe. “Surprise me.”

  He nodded once and then retreated behind the bar. The urge to turn her head and watch him was almost unbearable but she resisted, choosing instead to take in more of her surroundings. Her eyes were drawn to an old grandfather clock that stood between the doors leading to the bathrooms. It was beautiful and fit right in with the rest of the decor. She could just imagine glancing at it to check the time when she was working.

  “It’s a beauty, isn’t it?”

  Eliza snapped her head to the bar at the sound of Lachlan’s voice and saw him, too, admiring the old clock.

  “My grandfather bought it out from Scotland. It was his father’s, and it’s over a hundred years old. Never misses a beat.”

  “It’s gorgeous,” she agreed as he turned back to what he was doing.

  A few moments later, he returned to the table and set a glass mug in front of her with what looked (and smelled) like coffee in the bottom and cream on the top. �
�You told me to surprise you, so I thought I might as well try you out on what I hope will be our signature drink.”

  She drew the mug toward her, picked it up and inhaled deeply, the strong concoction rushing to her head and making her mouth water. “This isn’t just coffee, is it?”

  Lachlan grinned, shook his head and placed a second mug down on the table. Then he discarded the tray on the table beside them, pulled out the chair opposite her and sat. “I don’t plan to offer our patrons just anything here. Go on, taste it!”

  She felt his intense gaze boring into her as she took a sip and relished the quick burn of whiskey as she swallowed. It likely wasn’t a good idea to drink on an empty stomach, but she welcomed the little bit of Dutch courage right now. Something about him set her on edge—she told herself it was simply that she needed this job, so she wanted to impress him, but that wasn’t the full story.

  She’d been around so many chefs in her life she thought herself immune to the uniform, but the way her pulse sped up around Lachlan McKinnel said otherwise. And he wasn’t even wearing the whole kit and caboodle. Not good. Her hormones needed to calm their farm because whatever ideas they might suddenly have, she wasn’t planning on acting on any attraction, but especially not with someone she worked for.

  “It’s good,” she said as she set the mug down on the table again.

  “Just good?” The smile he’d been wearing since she arrived drooped a little, making her feel as if she’d kicked a puppy.

  “No. Of course not.” She rushed to reassure him. “It’s fantastic. The best coffee I’ve ever tasted. I could get addicted to this stuff.”

  As if to prove her point, she lifted the mug again and took another sip.

  He threw back his head and laughed long and loud. “It’s okay, I was just kidding. I’m not that pathetic that I need constant reassurance, but I’m glad you like it.”

  Eliza hadn’t laughed in what felt like forever and appeared to have lost the ability to recognize a joke or playful banter. She summoned that smile back as she lowered the coffee to the table again, not wanting him to think her some straitlaced grump who wouldn’t be able to sweet-talk the customers.