Barbara Dunlop - Millionaire in a Stetson

She stepped into a pair of comfortable jeans, then slipped her arms into a flannel shirt. She didn’t even bother with a bra or socks. The lifestyle in Lyndon Valley was exceedingly casual.

The weather was sultry warm tonight, so she knew she’d find Caleb, Mandy, Reed and Katrina relaxing on the back deck.

If Caleb and Mandy were lucky, little Asher would be asleep, and there’d be time for an iced tea and some adult conversation. The river would rush by, and the crickets would chirp, and the scent of pine would flow down from the hillsides. On nights like this, Niki couldn’t seem to imagine going home.

As the picture bloomed in her mind, her resolve to come clean began to waver. Maybe the confession could wait. After all, it had been three months already, what was another few days or weeks?

She had a deep-down fear of being rejected by her brothers, and she hadn’t formulated a plan of what she’d do if Reed and Caleb kicked her out. Returning to D.C. and resuming her studies at GW was out of the question.

She was genuinely afraid of the men who saw her as a potential blackmailer. Not that she’d even think of blackmailing anyone. Even if she needed the money, she’d never commit a crime. And she would have happily told them all that—if she’d had any earthly idea of who they were. She remembered a few first names, but otherwise her mother had kept her romantic entanglements to herself and never shared the details with Niki. Perhaps her mom had been trying to protect her even then?

Yes, Niki was safest if she kept silent. But on the other hand, she shouldn’t take the easy way out. Reed and Caleb had been so kind and so generous, they deserved to know exactly who they were helping.

She squared her shoulders in determination, leaving the bedroom and making her way to the staircase that led to the main floor. She tried to imagine how the conversation would go. Reed was a big, imposing man, but he was unfailingly fair and gentle. Certainly he’d been sympathetic to Niki so far, and she’d never once seen him raise his voice at Katrina or anyone else. Caleb was thoughtful, smart and doggedly determined. He worked hard and expected the same of the people around him.

Both of her brothers had high standards for themselves and everyone else. And she was fairly certain her behavior wouldn’t have met those high standards. Would they merely be disappointed? Would they understand on any level? Would they be angry?

She shuddered at the thought of making either of them angry. Nor did she want to disappoint them, either. But their understanding might be too much to hope for under the circumstances.

Maybe if she’d been honest with them from the start. But back then they’d been strangers to her. And she hadn’t dared share her secret with anyone in the world.

Now, as she cut the corner on the living room, she tried desperately to muster her courage. But as she pulled open the glass door to the deck, a heavy weight settled over her chest. Her heart struggled through deep beats, and her palms turned moist.

It was almost anticlimactic to find Katrina alone outside. She was lounging in one of the comfortable, padded chairs that overlooked a few lighted staff cabins near the river. The hills were black, and a million stars were scattered in the sky.

“Where is everybody?” Niki asked, half relieved, half distressed at having to wait even longer to bare her soul.

“In the barn. Lame horse. The vet’s out there.”

“Is everything okay?”

“It’s not serious,” said Katrina. “Just interesting.” She paused. “For them.”

Despite herself, Niki couldn’t help but smile at Katrina’s grimace. It was no secret that while the rest of the Terrell and Jacobs families were horse crazy, Katrina was afraid of the animals.

Katrina pointed to a bottle of merlot on the table in front of her. “Join me? I’m on Asher duty.” She glanced up at an open, second-floor window.

“Sure.” Alcohol sounded like a good idea. Maybe putting off the confession wasn’t the worst thing in the world. There was every chance it would be easier after a glass of wine.

Katrina rose, selecting a second glass from the table and pouring the deep, red liquid.

Then she turned and paused on Niki’s expression. “Everything okay?”

Niki’s stomach tightened. “It’s fine. Why?”

Katrina handed her the glass. “For a second there, you reminded me of Reed.”

“You think I look like Reed?” Niki sure hoped not. While Reed was a ruggedly handsome man, he was all male, totally masculine.

“Every once in a while, I can see it around the eyes, and the way you purse your lips. He does that when he’s worried.” Katrina considered her for a long moment. “It reminds me that he inherited some things from his father.”

“I really don’t see a resemblance between us,” Niki responded honestly.

She’d searched each of her brothers’ features on more than one occasion, and she’d never been able to identify any similarities.

Katrina eased back down into her chair, gesturing for Niki to take the seat next to her. “It’s more an expression than a specific feature. But don’t tell Reed he looks anything like his father.” She tossed back her hair and took a sip of her wine.

Niki followed suit, letting the warmth of the alcohol flow through her stomach and send an almost instant shot of relaxation into her veins.

“I doubt I’d get the chance,” said Niki. “They never say much about Wilton.”

She hadn’t wanted to pry, and aside from pointing their father out in a couple of pictures, and having initially expressed their complete and utter disbelief that he might have cheated on their mother, both Reed and Caleb had kept their thoughts to themselves.

“They never will,” Katrina said softly, her eyes clouding.

“I take it you know why?”

“I do. It’s complicated. They had a very strained relationship.”

Niki was sorry, if not completely surprised to hear it. There was obvious tension whenever Wilton was mentioned.

“Does it hurt them to have me here?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“What?” Katrina seemed surprised by the question. “No. Of course not. This is your home.”

Niki gave a sad smile at the irony. “It’s not my home. I’m little more than a stranger to you all.”

“No more a stranger than I am,” said Katrina.

“You were born here,” Niki returned. “Your sisters and brothers are here.”

“So are yours.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

The idea that Katrina could ever be considered a stranger to the Jacobs and Terrell families was preposterous. Even if she had spent many years at boarding school in New York City, Katrina had been the youngest Jacobs daughter her entire life. Everybody knew her. Everybody loved her.

“I spend most of my life away from here,” said Katrina, continuing to sip her way through the glass of wine.

Niki was grateful, but she wasn’t buying it. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. Well, maybe a little bit. It’s obvious something’s wrong. Are you feeling bad because you don’t know much about Wilton?”

“I don’t need to know much.” Niki downplayed her curiosity. She desperately wished she knew more about her father, good or bad.

“The negativity and complexity have nothing to do with you.”

“Whatever it is, I can handle it.” The assertion was out of Niki’s mouth before she realized it put Katrina in an awkward position.

“I’m sorry,” she quickly added. “I didn’t mean—”

“He was a cold, brutal man,” Katrina told her. Her expression somber.

Brutal? “He beat them?”

“By today’s standards, absolutely. But mostly, he was just plain nasty. He worked them into the ground, no empathy, no sympathy. Because of his temper, their mother died of pneumonia.”