âMaybe I inherited the bad-marriage gene,â Liam said.
âI know the feeling.â
âThatâs why youâre still single?â
âOne reason.â The truth sat on the tip of Brookeâs tongue, ready to be told. What was it about Liam that made her weaken her guard? Sheâd nearly opened up to him. She shook her head. No way did she know him enough to trust him. âItâs my opinion that men cause destruction and ruin where ever they go.â
âFunny, thatâs my opinion about women.â His slow grin made her heart skip a beat.
Good thing her heart wasnât in charge. She was. And she wasnât going to let his stunning smile weaken her defenses any further.
âI know thatâs not fair.â Liam winked. âBut thatâs how it feels.â
So hard to ignore that wink. She let it bounce off her, unaffected. Sheâd gotten as close to him as she was going to.
Best to remember she worked for him, she was leaving as soon as the trial was over and the last thing she wanted was a man to complicate things.
JILLIAN HART
grew up on her familyâs homestead, where she helped raise cattle, rode horses and scribbled stories in her spare time. After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel. When Jillian isnât working on her next story, she can be found puttering in her rose garden, curled up with a good book or spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
Chapter One
As Brooke McKaslin stepped foot outside onto the porch, a full moon peered over the stand of tall evergreens bordering the neighborhood. A touch of a chill hovered in the May evening. She slipped onto the top step and drew the edges of her cardigan sweater closed, remembering too late she was missing a button.
Night settled in a peaceful way. Somewhere a frog croaked from the ditch on the other side of the trees. Two or three streets over a car engine, in obvious need of a muffler, roared to life. Other than that, the neighborhood remained quiet. Golden light on curtained windows shone from nearby trailers where folks were cozy. She shifted on the step, as restless as she always felt when she came to Bozeman to visit.
It didnât help that her life was in turmoil. Sheâd just lost her job in Seattle because of cutbacks, leaving her financially strapped. Her stomach knotted at the inadequate amount in her savings account. Best not to think about that now. Sheâd come to Montana to lend her support to the family rallying around her younger sister, Brianna. Last year Bree had been critically injured in a violent robbery. A terrible time.
God had been graciousâBree had survived and recovered fully. Now she would be a key witness for the prosecution in the upcoming trial. No one should go through that experience without family. Brookeâs personal problems? They paled in comparison.
She breathed in the scent of lilacs from the bushes next door, drawing in the sweet, cool air. It felt good to have a moment to herself. She loved her family, but they wanted her to move to Montana permanently; they wanted her to put aside her past and be the girl they once knew.
Truth was? She did, too. The faint drone of the TV mumbled through the walls. Sheâd left her half sister, Colbie, and Colbieâs mom, Lil, calling out questions to Alex Trebekâs answers. No doubt they were still at it. She smiled, wishing she could have a regular life. That she could be that girl her family remembered, the one who believed in the good in people, the girl who had always known freedom.
Overhead stars glimmered like dreams far out of reach. She wondered how far away heaven was through the vast mystery of space. Did God see her sitting here worrying about her sister? She hoped He had heard her prayers.
Something crackled in the fenced yard next door. Twigs snapped. Bushes rustled. A bear tromping through underbrush couldnât make that much noise. Curious, she craned her neck to see if it was man or beast, but she couldnât see a thing. Just the tall fence and blooming lilacs.
âOscar! Come back here,â a man called. âBad dog!â
His words held no sting but a hint of laughter as something scrabbled against the wooden fence. Paws appeared over the top followed by a snout and two short, floppy ears. A dog carrying something bulky in his mouth popped over the top rail and launched into the air.