Ever After (Nantucket Brides 3)

“Are you in love with my brother?” the girl asked.

“I think she is,” Jamie said. “She can’t stay away from me even at night.”

Hallie was coming awake. “Stop that!” She batted at his head and twisted around to face him. “For your information, I’m in bed with you because—” She broke off, her eyes so wide they nearly touched in the middle.

“Good morning,” came a deep male voice.

Jamie rolled onto his back, his eyes closed. “Tell me that’s a recording and he’s not really here.”

Hallie’s first thought was to get out of bed, but she had on only a beat-up old T-shirt, and besides, Jamie’s heavy leg with the big brace on it was half thrown across her.

She managed to sit up, a child on each side of her, and they looked across the wide expanse of Jamie. What she saw were two truly gorgeous young men. They were both over six feet, broad shouldered and slim. They had on cotton shirts and trousers with a crease down the front. Their faces were like something off a runway show: chiseled, with long aristocratic noses, lips like on a Greek sculpture. One had thick, coal-black hair and eyes that were almost as dark. In the right clothes he would look like a pirate. The other one was equally handsome, but his hair was lighter, his eyes a golden brown. In a movie he’d play Captain America.

“Are they real?” she whispered to the little girl.

The men smiled, eyes twinkling.

“I guess,” the girl said, unconcerned. “They’re bad on horses, but that’s because they’re—”

“Let me guess,” Hallie said. “They’re Montgomerys.”

The young men laughed. “Our reputation precedes us.”

The darker one said, “I am Adam and this is my cousin Ian.”

Jamie finally opened his eyes. “I thought you weren’t going to be here until next week.” He sounded annoyed.

“Aunt Cale wanted to see the old house they bought,” Ian said, smiling at Hallie, who was trying to comb her hair with her fingers.

“Who’s here?” Jamie asked.

“Everybody!” the little boy said as he stood up on the bed. “I’m Max and this is Cory. Jamie and Todd are our brothers.”

Hallie took Max’s hand so he wouldn’t fall off the bed. She was still looking at the young men, smiling at them, when another man entered the room a

nd she started blinking rapidly. He was a bit shorter than the others, but still tall, and built like a bear. His T-shirt clung to muscles that seemed to ripple even when he was standing still. As for his six-pack…she wasn’t sure but he just might have a twelve-pack.

Finally, she looked up at his face. “Sweet” was the only word she could think to describe it. Short dark hair that had a bit of curl in it, blue eyes, a cleft chin.

Max yelled, “Raine!” and launched himself off the bed.

Without breaking his look at Hallie, the man caught the boy, then nestled him in the crook of his right arm. When he held out his left arm, the girl used Jamie’s stomach to push off. Raine caught her, then held both children, who snuggled up to him, faces buried in his strong neck.

All Hallie could do was sit on the bed and look across at them. There were the two elegant, lean men on the left, and on the right was the big man holding the two beautiful children. And Jamie was stretched out on the bed.

“I think I’ve died and gone to Heaven,” she whispered.

“Out!” Jamie yelled as he sat up. “The lot of you, get out!”

None of them so much as moved. “Are you and James a couple?” Adam asked.

“No, not really,” Hallie said. She motioned at the bed. “This happened because we, uh…I mean, we…” She didn’t want to embarrass Jamie about the nightmares, but neither did she want them to think there was an attachment when there wasn’t. And all in all, the beauty of all four of the men was making her a bit incoherent.

“Out!” Jamie growled. “This minute.”

With dazzling smiles, the three men left, and the children followed them.

When they were alone, Jamie turned to her. “Why are you in bed with me?”