“Enough of this nonsense. It’s almost time for the guests to arrive,” Hattie announced, clapping her hands together in a gleeful gesture. “Look alive, boys,” she barked, tapping Caleb’s foot with her cane.
“Yes, ma’am,” Caleb said, sitting up straight. His brothers hid their laughter behind their hands. They all had the habit of reacting to Hattie’s reprimands. At this point it didn’t bother Caleb. He knew Hattie was old-school and meant no harm whatsoever.
“Has anyone seen Jacques?” Hattie asked, looking around the room as if her man were going to pop up out of thin air.
A chorus of nos ensued.
Jacques was Hattie’s boyfriend, or paramour, as she liked to say. He was also her chauffeur and majordomo. A jack-of-all-trades, so to speak. He was a good man who was in love with Hattie and treated her well. Caleb’s own parents’ divorce had been traumatic and life-altering as an eight-year-old. Nothing in his life so far had shown him that true love was attainable. At least not for him. So why not focus on becoming the next Idris Elba?
Suddenly, Jacques was standing in the entryway, looking dapper in a black tuxedo, a red cummerbund, and a crisp white shirt. Hattie let out a sharp whistle of approval at the sight of him, which caused a huge grin to overtake Jacques’s face. He made a beeline to Hattie, leaning down to press a lingering kiss on her lips. Their love story was opening up Caleb’s eyes about the meaning of love and relationships.
“Get a room,” Landon muttered, looking away from the couple and wrinkling his nose.
“Jealous?” Caleb asked, jabbing his little brother in the side. He tended to tease Landon about being perpetually single, since he’d never had a significant other. Maybe Landon wasn’t finding the ribbing so funny these days, judging by the fierce expression on his face.
Landon glared at him and rammed his elbow into Caleb’s side, causing him to let out a grunt of pain.
“That hurt,” Caleb said. When had Landon gotten so buff? He must be lifting weights in his spare time.
“Good to know,” Landon said, a smile of satisfaction spreading over his face.
“Come on, boys,” Hattie said, her tone full of disapproval. “I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight in the happy couple’s honor. After all, you’re representing the Stone family.”
Representing the Stone family was of the utmost importance to Hattie. Ever since arriving in Moose Falls, he’d felt the weight of her expectations on their shoulders.
The doorbell pealed, heralding the arrival of the first guest. Within seconds servers were in place, holding trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. A harpist was gently playing in a spot next to the fireplace. Caleb stood up from the couch and moved toward the entryway, ready to greet their guests as they trickled in to the great room. He loved the rush of excitement pulsing in the air. Caleb thoroughly enjoyed working a room and socializing. Moments like this allowed him to shine. Schmoozing was good practice for his future in Hollywood. He was more determined than ever to make a big splash as a professional actor.
Caleb reached for a bacon-wrapped scallop from one of the serving trays and popped it into his mouth. He had the feeling this was going to be a long night. As the rooms began to fill up, Caleb found himself feeling a bit out of sorts, which was unusual for him, since he loved parties and being in the spotlight.
With Xavier getting hitched, nothing in their lives would ever be the same again. He felt it acutely. True was the perfect woman for his brother, and Caleb thought they made a great pair, but at the same time it felt as if he was losing something. He and his two brothers had always beenthe Three Musketeers—all for one and one for all. That dynamic would shift now with Xavier becoming a husband and a surrogate father to True’s younger brother, Jaylen.
Suck it up, buttercup, a voice buzzed in his ear.This is life. He’s your brother, and he also happens to be your best friend. Be supportive. Stop acting as if the sky is falling in.
Caleb looked around the room, determined to distract himself from his feelings, and caught sight of a flash of red—all curves and hips—snapping photos with a professional-looking camera. Her vibe was intense as she zeroed in on the guests to take their pictures. She looked vaguely familiar but he couldn’t immediately place her. She was walking on the highest heels he had ever seen, and for a moment he held his breath as she appeared a bit unsteady on her feet.
Why did women put themselves through such torture? Especially at the risk of falling on their butts. But she was defying the odds by staying upright. He couldn’t look away from her. The woman was smoking hot with a curvy figure and long auburn hair. Her skin was the color of mocha. She was radiant.
Easy there. Remember your vow.
Women were off the agenda, especially while he was here in Moose Falls. He still wasn’t over the public humiliation of being branded “the Love Rat” on a reality television show. Caleb had believed that starring on the show would give him a leg up in Hollywood. Instead, he had been caught in a love triangle and had his dirty laundry aired for all the world to see. Or at least the show’s seven million viewers. His version of events had never made it on-air, and he’d been left to twist in the wind by the woman he’d fallen in love with. That betrayal still burned, and he couldn’t even fathom the idea of pursuing another relationship.
But there’s no harm in looking. Surely that couldn’t get him in any trouble, could it?
He was in Moose Falls for about another eight months, and working at Yukon Cider without any extracurricular activities was getting old. All work and no play made Caleb a very dull boy. He smiled directly at her, giving her his million-dollar grin. Caleb then raised his champagne glass to her. It was his go-to move at social gatherings, and usually women responded quite well to his flirty vibe. He wasn’t used to being subtle when it came to women. And if history was any indication, they loved his swagger.
Wait for it,he told himself. She would be swarming him at any moment now.Ten, nine, eight, seven…
She gave him an icy look followed by an eye roll. She then turned her back on him and faced a completely different direction.Ouch!
Shock washed over him like a bucket of ice-cold water. He wasn’t used to a woman responding to him with no interest. This had to be a first. Had he lost his touch?
Why did the Stone brothers have to be so freakin’ hot?Sophia Brand asked herself for the tenth time that evening as she walked around taking pictures of the guests. Especially the middle brother, Caleb. Things would be so much easier if he were cross-eyed and homely instead of looking like Webster’s definition of the word “fine.” Super fine, in fact. Honestly, jaws in Moose Falls had dropped the moment these three men arrived in town.
No wonder Caleb had made hearts melt all over the country during his stint on reality television. Thankfully, she knew enough about him from watchingLove Him or Leave Himto never see him as anything other than a complete jackass. That had made it easy for her to resist his come-hitherlook from across the room. She wasn’t going down that road with him… or anyone else, for that matter.
The Love Rat. She stifled a snort. And, boy, had Caleb earned the nickname by hooking up with the twin sister of the woman who had selected him as her final pick. What a disaster! He had cemented his bad boy reputation in reality show history with his antics. She almost felt bad for him. Even at his brother’s engagement party, Caleb was trying to flirt up a storm.
This wasn’t her first time seeing Caleb Stone in action. About a month ago he’d winked at her from across the room at Northern Exposure when she was talking to True. The gesture had been overly flirtatious and downright cheesy. Maybe if he’d walked over to her and introduced himself, she might have been receptive, rather than getting the ick. Maybe she hadn’t been fair in her assessment of him. After all, as a huge reality TV junkie, Sophia had known all about Caleb before he’d ever stepped foot in Moose Falls.
