Chapter 3
Corbin had vowed hell would freeze over before he touched a Holiday sister again.
Well, hell had frozen over.
And it didn’t look like it was going to thaw out anytime soon.
As much as he would love to order Belle off his ranch, he couldn’t do it. Not when she was injured and it was raining cats and dogs. But he wasn’t about to be nice either.
“Can you walk?”
“Yes, I can walk.” The words were snappish. She was pissed. Had she really thought he’d hand over her family’s ranch just because she had apologized? It only confirmed the Holidays’ arrogance.
“Good. Because I’m sure as hell not carrying you into the house.” He turned and headed for the door, grabbing his shirt and hat on the way and pulling them on. He didn’t know if she followed and he didn’t care. Okay, maybe he did care. Once they were out in the storm, he couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder.
Her head was lowered against the driving rain and she limped as if every step caused her pain. With a muttered curse, he turned around and lifted her up in his arms, bending his head so his cowboy hat shielded her face from the majority of rain.
“I said I can walk,” she grumbled.
He trudged toward the porch, ignoring her. What he couldn’t ignore was the way she felt in his arms. For a tall woman, she weighed practically nothing. One arm curved around his shoulders while the other was folded in front of her, her hand clutching his shirt as if he planned to drop her. Her lemony scent filled his lungs every time he took a breath.
When they got to the porch, Mimi was holding open the door. “I was just coming to look for you. Belle?”
Belle lifted a hand and smiled weakly. “Hey, Mimi.”
Mimi didn’t look at all upset to see her granddaughter in Corbin’s arms. In fact, a smile spread over her face as she motioned them in. “Come on in here, you two. You’re soaked to the skin.” Once inside, he started to put Belle down, but Mimi stopped him. “Take her to the laundry room, Cory, and I’ll bring y’all some towels.”
Sunny was the only one he let get away with calling him Cory. Which reminded him of why he’d gone out to the barn in the first place. The thought of his sister being out in the storm caused a stab of fear to slice through him.
“Did Sunny come back?”
Mimi nodded. “She got caught in the storm, but she’s fine. Hank found her and she’s changing into some dry clothes as we speak. Which is what y’all need to do.”
Relieved, Corbin followed Mimi’s orders and carried Belle to the laundry room. Darla was cooking something at the stove in the kitchen. She stopped when she saw them and hurried after them.
“Corbin? Belle? What happened? Don’t tell me you two were out in this nasty storm. And why is Corbin carrying you, Belle? Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing, Mama.” Belle sent him a pleading look. “Corbin is just a gentleman and didn’t want me walking through puddles.”
He sat her down on the bench by the door. “She was thrown off a horse and might need to see a doctor.”
Darla gasped and hurried over. “Oh, sweet Lord, Belle. What were you doing on a horse in the middle of a thunderstorm?”
Belle shot him an exasperated glare before she answered her mother. “It wasn’t raining when I started out from the Remington Ranch. And I’m fine. I don’t need to see a doctor. But I do need to call Cloe and make sure Lady Grantham gets home.”
“I’ll call Cloe once I make sure you’re okay. Lift your arms and legs and wiggle your hands and feet.”
Belle rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid who needs to do the hokey pokey before you know I’m okay. I’m an adult woman who knows if something is broken. Besides a bruised behind, I’m fine, Mama.”
Since Belle’s physical health wasn’t any of his business, Corbin should have kept his mouth shut. He didn’t. “Then why were you limping?”
She glanced at him. “If you ever take a spill from a horse, you’ll understand.”
“A sore butt does make walking and sitting difficult.” Mimi came into the room carrying towels. She handed one to Corbin and then one to Belle. “It’s not the first time Belle has fallen off a horse, Darla. I’m sure she’s fine. Although she needs to get out of those wet clothes and into a hot shower.” She glanced at Corbin’s open shirt and her eyebrows lifted. “It looks like you already started getting out of yours.”
Before Corbin could do more than self-consciously hold his shirt closed, she clapped her hands. “Well, don’t just stand there dripping water on the floor, Cory. Get those boots off, towel off, and get upstairs.”
Again, Corbin found himself following her orders. While he hung his hat, toed off his boots, and dried his hair, Darla and Mimi carefully removed Belle’s boots and fussed over her. He couldn’t help feeling a little resentful. Not for himself, but for his sister. Sunny had never had a mother figure fuss over her.
Which probably explained why Corbin did.
When he was as dry as he could get with his wet shirt and jeans still on, Corbin tossed the towel in the washing machine and headed out of the room. Whatever Darla was cooking smelled delicious. Since he hadn’t eaten lunch and was starving, he couldn’t help stopping to peek into the pot on the stove. The chicken and dumplings bubbling away in thick gravy made his mouth water. So did the cherry pie sitting on the counter cooling.
He glanced behind him to make sure no one was watching before he quickly snapped off a piece of crust and popped it into his mouth. It melted against his tongue like flaky butter and he snapped off another piece before he headed for the stairs.
There had to be over twelve steps that led to the second floor. All he could think about was how difficult it would be climbing them with a bruised butt. When Belle came limping around the corner, he muttered a cussword before he lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.
“Would you stop it? I can walk.”
“Not well.”
“What’s going on?” Sunny stood at the top of the stairs. Her hair was wet and Tay was cradled in one arm. The sight made him smile. It had taken a while for Tay to get used to his sister. He was glad they were getting along. Although the kitten started meowing and wiggling to get down when she saw Corbin.
“Belle got tossed off a horse.” He put Belle down and took Tay from his sister.
Sunny looked at Belle with stunned surprise. “And my brother came to your rescue?” She glanced at him. “One of the meanie high school girls?”
Corbin had never slugged his sister and he never would, but there were times, like this one, when he wanted to.
He scowled and she laughed. “Sorry, big brother, but I’m just a little surprised. I thought you would hate the Holiday twins forever.”
“He didn’t have a choice,” Belle said. “He was the only one there when it happened.”
“Ahh.” Sunny nodded. “Then that explains it. No matter how big of a meanie you are, my brother can’t ignore a damsel in distress.” She looked at Tay cuddled in his arm. “That cat is the perfect example. Tay scratched the hell out of him when he first got her and still he couldn’t toss her out in the cold.”
“She didn’t scratch the hell out of me.”
“That’s not what Jesse told me.”
“You and Jesse talk too much.”
“And you don’t talk enough.” She hooked an arm through Belle’s and pulled her down the hall. “Speaking of talking, I need all the details. How did you get tossed off a horse and what was my brother doing there when he’s terrified of horses?”
Corbin watched them walk away and knew he was in trouble. Sunny had never had a filter. Which meant Belle would get to hear more about his life than he wanted her to. But there was nothing he could do about it. He had never been able to stop Sunny from being Sunny.
He headed for the bathroom.
He ran out of hot water halfway through his shower. He figured that had to do with Belle taking one at the same time. An image of a naked, soap-slick body popped into his head, but he pushed it right back out.
After he stepped out of the shower, he realized he had forgotten to bring clean clothes with him. He wrapped a towel around his waist and then peeked out the door to make sure no one was in the hall before he hurried to his room. He slipped inside without running into anyone and then almost jumped out of his skin when he turned and saw Jesse reclining on the bed with a pudgy pug snoring softly on his chest.
“Geez, Jess! You scared the shit out of me.”
Jesse scowled. “You know what scares the shit out of me? Your cat. She attacked poor Buck Owens like a disgruntled tiger when all he wanted to do was say hi.”
Corbin’s muscles tightened. “If that dog of yours hurt Tay—”
“Relax. I wouldn’t let Buck hurt her. Not that he would. Unlike your pet, he’s a sweetheart.” He tousled the pug’s ears and the dog woke up and licked his face as he laughed.
“Tay is a sweetheart when she wants to be.” Corbin glanced around. “Where is she?”
“She’s with Mimi. For some reason, that woman has the magic touch.” Jesse sat up and Buck jumped to the floor and started sniffing around. “So how did moving day go?”
“Not well,” he grumbled as he closed the door and walked to the dresser. “There’s no Wi-Fi and Belle showed up in the middle of a rainstorm and got tossed off the horse she was riding.”
“So I heard. Liberty completely lost it until she discovered her sister was okay.” He paused. “I’m glad you were there to help her. All I can say is I’m proud of you, Whitty. I know it wasn’t easy for you since you’re still not over what happened in high school.”
“I’m over it!” he snapped as the door opened and Liberty walked in. He had pulled on his boxer briefs, but that was all. He couldn’t help holding the T-shirt he’d just taken out of the drawer in front of him like some blushing virgin.
Liberty didn’t look at all embarrassed to walk in on a man dressing. “Oops. I didn’t realize you had taken my room.”
“I didn’t take anything,” he said. “This is the room your mother gave me.”
She held up her hands. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” She glanced down and smirked. “Or should I say boxers.”
Jesse laughed. “Stop teasing, Libby Lou. Can’t you see you’re embarrassing Whitty?”
“Sorry, Whitty.” She didn’t leave. Instead, she crouched down to greet Buck who was wiggling around with excitement. “Hey, my sweet boy.”
“What am I?” Jesse said. “Chopped liver?”
She moved over to the bed and looped her arms around his neck. “You are my sweet man.” She kissed him. And not a short kiss.
Corbin rolled his eyes. “Do you mind? I’m trying to get dressed. And what are you two doing here at the ranch? I don’t remember inviting you.”
Jesse and Liberty broke apart and Jesse grinned. “We sorta invited ourselves.” He exchanged glances with Liberty. “We have a big surprise we’re going to announce at dinner.”
Corbin hated surprises as much as he hated being surrounded by Holidays.
But not more than thirty minutes later, that’s where he found himself, sitting at the big harvest table in the kitchen, surrounded.
Besides Hank, Darla, Mimi, and the twins, there was the oldest sister, Sweetie Mae, who had been just as popular in high school as Liberty and was now a songwriter for a Nashville recording company. She was there with her husband, Decker Carson, who was the town sheriff. The second oldest Holiday sister, Cloe, was there with her husband, Rome Remington, whose family owned one of the biggest ranches in Texas. The two younger sisters, Hallie and Noelle, were the only Holidays missing. According to Darla, the storm had kept them from traveling from Austin and Dallas to share in Liberty and Jesse’s surprise.
They hadn’t missed anything. The surprise was ridiculous.
Jesse had bought a whorehouse that had been as famous as the Chicken Ranch. Corbin could understand Jesse being intrigued by the house and its sordid history, but he could not understand him wanting to turn the old mansion into a bed-and-breakfast. Jesse didn’t make bad business choices. His bank account proved it. So did all the knowledge he’d imparted to Corbin. Without Jesse’s help—and his money—Corbin’s company, Oleander Investments, wouldn’t be nearly as successful.
As he listened to Liberty go on and on about the bed-and-breakfast, he realized Jesse wasn’t the one who had come up with the idea. Liberty had. It looked like she was controlling Jesse like she controlled her sister.
Jesse didn’t seem to mind.
Nor did he seem to mind being surrounded by Holidays. He complimented Darla’s chicken and dumplings and teased Mimi about being the prettiest gardener in Texas. He joked around with Hank and volunteered to help him and Rome brand some new calves.
But mostly Jesse watched Liberty with a besotted look on his face.
“I can’t wait for y’all to see the plans,” Liberty gushed. “Each room is going to be decorated for a Holiday sister. Hallie’s will be decorated in black and white with orange accents for Halloween. Noelle’s will be red and green for Christmas. Sweetie, yours is pink and red for Valentine’s Day. Cloe’s is green for Saint Patrick’s.”
Jesse butted in. “Liberty’s is a firework show of color.” He winked at her. “Because my gal is like a firework. Brilliant and stunning.”
Liberty laughed. “You left out explosive.” She looked at Belle and smiled brightly. “And yours, Belly, is going to be a patriotic red, white, and blue.”
Belle didn’t look impressed. She looked as annoyed with the bed-and-breakfast idea as Corbin.
After her shower, she’d pulled her wet hair back in a ponytail and put on Wilder Wildcats sweats that he remembered her wearing in high school. Unlike her sister, Belle had never worn short skirts to show off her long legs. Or tight shirts and sweaters to define her full breasts. She’d never worn a lot of makeup to emphasize her green eyes or draw attention to her full lips. She’d been the quiet twin who seemed happy to live in her sister’s shadow.
Which made him even more positive that the twin switch hadn’t been her idea. She was just lying to cover Liberty’s lie. A lie Liberty continued to perpetuate. She had convinced Jesse she knew nothing about a twin switch and Jesse had fallen for it.
But Corbin knew the truth. He blamed both twins for the deception. Liberty for coming up with the plan and Belle for executing it.
Although he blamed Belle the most.
She had borne witness to the infatuated fool who had showed up at her door all spit polished and holding a bouquet of thorny red roses he’d pilfered from Mrs. Stokes’s garden. The fool who tripped over his feet as he walked her to the truck Mr. Crawley had loaned him for his “big date.” The fool who didn’t realize he had been duped until the date was over.
He had told Belle he’d figured the farce out right away and only stayed on the date because he’d wanted to see how far she’d go. But that was a lie. The truth was he’d been so wrapped up in his dream of dating Liberty that he hadn’t known about the switch until after Belle had gone inside—after she had beguiled him with her lemony scent, her contagious laughter, and her mind-altering kisses.
As he stood there feeling happier than he’d ever felt in his life, Darla Holiday’s voice had drifted out the window.
“You didn’t tell me you had a date, Belle Justine. Who is that young man?”
“No one, Mama,” Belle had answered. “Just a boy.”
Corbin’s happiness had wilted like the single rose petal lying on the porch floor.
Yes, he blamed Belle the most.