Love All Out - Part 3 (A Stepbrother Romance) Read Online Free Page A

You should be there, Renee.” I was surprised by how much I meant those words. After accepting that Renee and Daddy’s marriage was inevitable, I’d grown awfully fond of Renee.
    “Thank you for saying that, Willow.” She looked at me, her eyes soft and growing wet. “You don’t know how much it means to me that you want me there. But with the trespassing and all the new people on the ranch, I think it’s best if I stay home. I took your mother’s white suit to the cleaners on Friday. Cole told me that’s what she wore when Aces High won Preakness, so I assumed you’d want to wear it as well.”
    “Thank you so much, Renee. You were right. I just hope that the suit fits me after all of this food you’ve been feeding us,” I teased.
    “James and I will fly out Saturday morning,” Daddy added. “I’ll probably come home late Saturday night. I’m with Renee. I’ll be nervous about being off the ranch until the trespasser is behind bars.”
    “Okay… if you’re sure,” I agreed. I mopped up gravy with my last bite of biscuit and laid my fork on my empty plate.
    Daddy looked down at his watch. “It’s a quarter to nine. We should probably head down to the equipment barn and make sure the ATVs are gassed up before the security guys get here.”
    Renee and I cleared the dishes from the table and we all filled travel cups with coffee before heading out to the barn. We walked down the driveway and James’s phone let out a loud chime. Mine did the same a few moments later. I pulled it from the pocket of my jeans and looked down at the screen. My stomach twisted in knots when I saw Bradley’s name next to the text message: Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. James’s cabin. Tomorrow. Four p.m. Be there or everyone will know your secret.
    I swallowed nervously, slid my phone back into my pocket, and glanced at James. His jaw was clenched and he walked with his hands balled up in fists.
    “Is everything okay, kids?” Renee asked, look at both of us in turn.
    “Fine,” I said quickly. “That was just a good luck message from one of my old college friends. I’ve been getting a lot of them since the Derby.”
    Renee turned to her son and raised an eyebrow.
    “My message was from Lucas,” he told her. “There’s a rodeo in New Mexico next week and he wants me to ride with him. I’ll message him later and tell him I’m too busy.”
    Renee and Daddy easily accepted that our simultaneous messages were unrelated, and we walked the rest of the way to the barn in silence.
    ***
    We spent the next three hours hauling David and Steve, the men from the security company, around the ranch on the ATVs. Daddy and Renee took David on one ATV, leaving me, James, and Steve on the other. James and I did our best to keep up the appearance that we were a happy blended family. But inside, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t imagine that James felt any better.
    “Well, you have a beautiful place here,” Steve said as James slowed the ATV to a stop in front of the house. “But it’s a daunting bit of ground to cover, security wise.”
    Daddy pulled his ATV up next to ours and Renee called out a game plan. “Why don’t we all go inside and talk about our options over lunch?”
    David and Steve were both overweight and drenched with sweat. It was obvious that they weren’t used to being outside for extended periods of time and they looked relieved that it was time to retreat to the air conditioning. I’d have gladly stayed out in the hot sun if it meant having a few minutes to myself, but I knew Daddy expected me to sit in on the rest of the meeting. We piled out of the ATVs and walked into the house. As much as I wanted to be anywhere else, I had to admit that the cool air felt good against my wet, hot skin.
    “The wash room is just down the hall, if you’d like to mop up a bit,” Renee told the salesmen.
    “Thank you, ma’am,” Steve replied. He stepped into the room and closed the door while David waited