His Destiny Bride

“What about your brothers?” she asked, her voice soft now. “Do any of them know you went to the party last night?”

“No, but that’ll change soon enough.”

“Why?”

“My kids were the ones who insisted I needed to get out. Have some fun. And you know my fam—ah, they’ll find out.”

“Well, everyone knew I was going. I talked about my costume all week.”

Nolan dragged his hand through his hair. Damn, this was too complicated to think about, especially when he was hungover and in desperate need of the coffee Katie had mentioned earlier. “We don’t have to pretend like we never saw each other.”

“Just that we never ended up...you know.”

Yeah, he knew.

He also knew that unless they put a screeching halt to whatever this was, or could be, they’d only be asking for trouble.

A lot of trouble.

There was enough upheaval at the headquarters as it was. Add the fact that he and his daughter were barely speaking. And Katie’s breakup with that jerk at the end of the summer still had to be hurting—

Whoa, wait a minute. Is that what last night was about? Looking for someone—

Nolan pushed away that thought before it could fully form, chalking up the vile taste in the back of his throat to the amount of booze still in his system. “We don’t want to screw things up—to change anything. It wouldn’t do any good if we—”

Damn, this was coming out all wrong. His frustration spilled out in a growl. “I’m trying to do what’s best for both of us. Keeping what happened last night just between us is the right thing to do. Agreed?”

She opened her mouth, the tip of her tongue darting out to lick at her lips. The simple action had the blood rushing from his pounding head southward.

He shifted the heavy overcoat in front of him. He needed to get out of here soon or he was going to forget all the crap he’d just said and—

“Agreed.”

Her quiet acceptance should’ve made him happy, but her soft tone, and the fact she kept her gaze lowered and centered on the bed, bothered him.

More than he was going to admit, which made no sense at all because he’d gotten what he wanted. Which meant he should get out of here. Now.

“So, I’ll see you...ah, at the office. On Monday.”

“Right. Monday.”

“Katie, I’m—”

“Don’t.” Her green eyes blazed. “Apologizing is the worst thing you could do right now. Worse than sneaking out on me.”

He should’ve known she’d figured out that had been his first idea.

And he wasn’t going to say he was sorry. How could he when everything in him wanted to go right back to that bed and be with her again?

“I didn’t plan on this—” Nolan backed up to the door. He reached behind him and twisted the knob. “I don’t want you to think—I’m not—I just wasn’t expecting it to be you.”

Katie turned away, biting hard at her bottom lip. She remained silent for so long he wondered if he should just get out of here.

Then she raised her head, and tossed those beautiful red curls back over one bare shoulder. “That’s okay. I wasn’t expecting it to be you, either.”

Chapter Three

A shot of rum didn’t go with today’s festivities. Nolan didn’t care. He needed something stronger than punch or champagne mimosas.

The Murphy family log home was teeming on this chilly yet sunny November afternoon with what he guessed was most of the female population of Destiny. Katie included.

His vantage point at the bar on the far side of the large living room allowed him to keep an eye on her while watching the time-honored rituals associated with a new baby on the way. Or two babies, as was the case today.

The dual baby shower for Fay and Laurie, his sisters-in-law, was in full swing despite the half foot of fresh snow outside. Katie had stepped in to help complete plans for the event after his mother fell on a patch of ice last week and broke her arm. But Katie would’ve been here anyway.

She was friends with Fay and Laurie. Friends with everyone in his family.

Friends with him.

At least they had been.

But since they’d accidentally slept together two weeks ago, she rarely looked at him.

Hell, she hardly spoke to him unless it was work related. Even then, she used the fewest number of syllables possible.

Something he wasn’t used to, because Katie talked. A lot.

She liked to repeat herself, rearranging her words while saying the same thing, all to get her point across. Usually because it took him and his brothers a few pseudosmacks to the back of the head to acknowledge she was right.

So her silence, especially today when she hadn’t yet uttered a sound in his direction, bugged the crap out of him. He debated if he should corner her.

Demand to know how long she planned to treat him like a polite stranger.

It seemed like a good idea.

Then again, his last good idea was to spend the night with a bewitching creature who turned out to be—

“A beer. My kingdom for a beer.” Adam’s words cut into Nolan’s thoughts as he joined him, setting a glass of punch on the bar’s smooth surface. “Ah, I see the captain is enjoying a bit of the Captain.” He grinned. “You going to do that straight or add some soda for taste?”

Nolan stashed the booze away and grabbed a can of diet yuck and a cold beer for his brother from the minifridge below the counter. “Add some soda. And stop calling me the captain.”

“Hey, you pulled off that pirate guise better than Johnny what’s-his-name. After seeing the pictures, you got to expect the nickname’s going to stick for a while.”

Yeah, it would. His brothers would make sure of it.

“So, you never did share any details of the bash at the Blue Creek. How was it?”

Nolan added enough soda to his glass to be respectable. “I told you. I told everyone. It was—”

“Fine. So, I heard,” Adam cut him off. He leaned in close, dropping his voice. “Who’d you hook up with that night?”

He took a quick swallow, keeping his poker face—thankfully he was the king among his brothers at cards—firmly in place. “What makes you think I did?”

“You didn’t?”

“Did I say that?”

“You haven’t said anything...yet.”

Setting his glass back on the bar top, Nolan returned Adam’s stare.

There was less than two years’ difference between them, but the man took his role as the eldest brother seriously. Always the protector, ready to knock heads together or defend any of the family if needed.

He’d also been away for most of his adult life, serving in the military.

Now retired, Adam had planned to center his life on his ranch, which butted up against the family’s land, until he found out Fay had become pregnant with his child after a one-night stand. He had rejoined the family business, and after a bumpy start, he and Fay were happily married with a son, A.J., not quite a year old, and another baby on the way.

“Well?” Adam offered a raised eyebrow.

Nolan thought about the agreement he and Katie had made that morning, but that was before she refused to look him in the eye. To talk to him. Before they started skidding around each other like a pair of new foals sharing the same barn stall.

Maybe he could get a little brotherly advice and still keep their secret.

“Yeah,” he admitted, still not sure he should be doing this. “I met someone.”

Adam nodded. “I figured as much.”

“How’s that?”

“Fay sent me on a late-night run for mint ice cream and corn chips.” He held up a hand. “Don’t ask. I spotted your truck in the Blue Creek parking lot.”

“So?”

“So, four in the morning and yours was one of only a half dozen vehicles still there. You’re not dumb enough to bring a date back to your place. Not with your kids around. You end up at hers?”

Nolan nodded, remembering how Katie explained the room at the boardinghouse. Had she dragged him back to her apartment, he would’ve figured out fast who Harley Quinn was.

Would that have stopped him from being with her?

Her bright yellow floral-print dress caught his eye from across the room. Katie walked among the guests, chatting while balancing a tray of goodies, pretty as a sunny spring day. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail that bounced when she moved, and matching yellow heels made her legs look fabulous.

Yeah, she loved her high heels.

He once asked her not long after she started working for them how she managed to keep her balance in those things. She’d said she took a special class in college. Squeezed it between Global Business Ethics and Corporate Law for Entrepreneurs her senior year.

He’d felt like a louse, but she’d laughed and waved off his apology.

She’d then proceeded to point out a missed loophole in one of their biggest contracts, saving them a sizable amount of cash.

“Hello?” Adam rapped a knuckle on the wood counter. “Earth to Nolan.”

“Yeah, I’m here.” He watched her offer the tray to a group of ladies. The move allowed that waterfall of red hair to slide over her shoulder. Just as it had that night. After the wig came off.

Only he hadn’t known the color of his companion’s hair then.

“And yeah, we ended up at her...place.”

“You going to see her again?”

“See who?” Bryant joined them. “Don’t tell me Nolan’s got himself a new girl.”

Nolan groaned. “Tell me why my dating life is so interesting to you guys?”

“Hey, you’re the only one left,” Bryant said. “Who knows when Ric will get home again and Liam and Dev are happily solvent on the other side of the ocean.”

“Stop talking like a finance guy.” Adam took a sip of his beer.

“I am a finance guy. What’s wrong with being solvent?” Bryant gestured his desire for a beer, too. “It’s important for a couple to be financially secure, especially once they decide to start a family.”

“You score points with the missus with all that money talk?” Nolan asked, getting his brother a cold one.

“Thanks to doctor’s orders, I’m not scoring much of anything these days.” Bryant grinned. “I’m okay with that.”

Nolan knew that to be true. Laurie had suffered through a rough miscarriage a year ago. She and Bryant were over the moon about this pregnancy and were taking every precaution the doctors handed down. He and Adam were the celebrating dads-to-be today even though their wives got all the attention.

“No worries,” Adam said. “Nolan’s getting the job done.”

“Halloween party, right?” Bryant asked, lifting the bottle to his lips.

Adam answered before Nolan could open his mouth. “I was about to find out if he plans to see her again.”

“See who?”

“Who is the question. He never told me her name.”

“Well, don’t let me interrupt your girl talk. Go on. Spill.”

Nolan stared at his brothers’ grinning faces. This conversation was getting away from him. Fast. He needed to come up with a diversion, but his mind was a blank.

Except for Katie.

Story of his life for the last two weeks.

He had projects up to his eyeballs. The kids were at each other’s throats. Mom’s accident threatened to derail her complex holiday plans for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Still, he couldn’t concentrate on anything but what had happened between him and Katie.

This had to stop. He had to find a way to fix things. Now.

Only once he let his brothers in on the truth, they would either kill him for dipping into the company office pool or bust his chops based on nothing but sibling code.

He was so screwed. “Forget about it.”

“No can do. Come on, who was she?” Adam pushed.

“No one.”

“No one important?” Bryant asked.

Nolan’s fingers tightened on his glass. “I didn’t say that.”

“So she is important. Or could be. Maybe we can help.”

Now he was confused. “Help with what?”

“You’ve been an SOB for the last week and if you can’t get help from your bros—” Bryant shrugged “—who can you turn to?”

“I haven’t been an SOB.”

“Yeah, you have,” Adam and Bryant said in unison.

“Hell, even Dad thinks you’ve gone off the deep end,” Adam continued. “You’re either snapping our heads off or shutting down completely. With everyone. Even—”

“Fine.” Nolan tossed back his drink, the rum burning his throat. “It’s Katie.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished for them back. Especially when the blank expressions on his brothers’ faces said they had no idea whom he was talking about.

“Forget I said—”

“Katie?” Bryant asked. “Katie who?”

At that moment the object of their discussion turned, her gaze catching and holding Nolan’s.

She stood on the other side of the room, near the dining room table covered with gifts. Too far away to hear, but something made her glance his way, her facial expression the same as it’d been since that night. Cool. Professional.

No matter, the stiff set of her shoulders said plenty. Someone called out to her and she turned away.

“Yeah, who’s Kat—” Adam started, then stopped. His head whipped to the crowd of ladies then back. “Wait a minute. You mean...” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “That Katie? Our Katie?”

Bryant’s brows were dipped in confusion for a moment longer before understanding dawned. “Whoa, Katie? Are you nuts?”

Yeah, he was. Especially for opening his big mouth.

“Jeez, she’s practically family.”

He turned to Adam. “Don’t say that.”

“She’s been like a sis—”

“I really wish you wouldn’t say that.” Nolan cut him off, pushing aside his desire for another shot. He instead went for a beer and got two more for his brothers. They looked as if they needed them.

“What in the world made you pick her?” Bryant asked, matching his tone to Adam’s. “Of all people?”

“I didn’t exactly pick—we sort of ran into—hell, she was in costume,” Nolan growled. “So was I. She was drinking. I was drinking. It was late. It was dark—”

“Spare us the details.”

“I didn’t know—she didn’t know. It wasn’t until the next morning we realized what happened.”

“How could you not know?” Adam demanded.

Before Nolan could explain anything else, there was commotion at the entryway. Devlin and Tanya came into the room, loaded down with suitcases and presents, surprising everyone.

Thankful for the interruption, Nolan swallowed half his beer as his folks welcomed home another of their wayward sons. Soon, Tanya joined Fay and Laurie just as they were about to start opening the gifts.

Devlin spotted his brothers and headed their way, but stopped to give Katie a big hug.

A flash of something hot filled Nolan’s gut. Don’t be stupid!

Still, the burn didn’t fade, especially when his brother left a lingering kiss on Katie’s cheek.

“Hey, guys, surprised to see me?” Devlin asked with a big smile when he joined them.

“Believe it or not, you showing up isn’t the biggest surprise today.” Adam shot Nolan a hard glare. “It’s good to have you home.”

“You back to stay?” Nolan asked. He got his brother a cold root beer, as close as Dev got to the real thing since getting sober over a decade ago. “For good?”

“Sure are. Tanya finished up her schooling early and we wanted to be here for Thanksgiving.” Devlin nodded his thanks for the drink. “When we heard about today, we hoped to make it back in time.” He held out his hand to Adam. “Congrats again, Daddy.”

Adam returned his handshake.

Devlin repeated the gesture with Bryant. “You, too, Pops. Geesh, two more rug rats to add to the family. So, what else is new around here?”

Nolan stared at Adam, knowing what he’d told him and Bryant was about to be shared with another brother.

Needing more privacy, he gestured to the leather couches in a nearby alcove. His brothers followed and got comfortable. The laughter and feminine chatter were muted now even with the sliding pocket doors remaining open.

“What’s going on?” Devlin asked. “Did someone die?”

“Not yet.”

Nolan sighed and ignored Adam’s veiled threat. He laid out what had happened two weeks ago between him and Katie, keeping the details light for both her sake and his.

“Dude...” Devlin flopped back against the cushions. “Even I didn’t go there. Not that the thought didn’t cross my mind, but still. She’s practically family.”

Nolan braced his elbows on his knees, his eyes locked on the beer bottle hanging from his clenched fingers. “Would you guys please stop saying that?”

“I guess this explains why every time we called from London you were working out of your home office instead of here,” Dev continued, jerking his head toward the rooms connected with the family business farther down the hall.

“And why our office manager’s been quieter than usual,” Bryant added. “Laurie said she thought Katie might still be hurting from her breakup with the deputy.”

“That was months ago.” Nolan hated the idea she might still be hung up on Jake. “She’s over him.”

He waited for his brothers to argue that fact, but silence filled the air for a long moment. Nolan let it go on, knowing he’d given everyone a shock.

Hell, if any of them had made this same announcement he’d be pissed, too. More so. Not that he had a right to be.

“So, what’s next?”

He looked up when Bryant spoke and found three sets of eyes all mirroring that same question. “Nothing. We...decided things would go on the same. Like before.”

“Good.”

Nolan turned to Adam, not liking the steely glint in his eyes. “Good?”

“She’s been through enough in the last few months.”

“I know that. What happened was a—” Mistake. Nolan held back the word, the taste of it sour in his mouth. “A surprise. To both of us. And yeah, things are a little awkward, but it’ll go back to normal. Eventually.”

Because that’s what they’d agreed upon. What they wanted.

“It’s the right...answer,” Nolan said.

“Is it?” Devlin asked. “If she’s interested and you’re interested—”

“I’m not. Never have been.” Nolan cut him off, ignoring the way his heart pounded in his chest. Li-ar. Li-ar. It didn’t matter. The last thing any of them needed was for his stupidity to wreak havoc with the family and the family business.

He cringed at the F word again. “Katie’s always been...just Katie.”

“Until now.” Adam set his beer on the table with a thud. “You changed that. Changed everything.”

“Not on purpose,” Nolan replied. He could see his brother wasn’t going to let this go.

“Well, you better purposely find a way to fix things with her. Fast. Before we lose—” Adam stopped, his gaze intense. “What?”

Nolan pulled in a deep breath. “She offered to quit. That morning.” His brothers started to protest, and he made a slashing motion, cutting them off. “I told her to forget it. She’s too valuable to the company.”

“Damn straight.”

“Look, neither one of us wants to make anything of this. She’d be mad as hell if she finds out I said anything. Keep your mouths shut. Okay?”

His brothers nodded in agreement, Adam going last.

Nolan set his beer on the table, not interested in it anymore. “It’s going to take time. To get beyond...whatever this is. Sorry if I cast a gloom on the baby-making pride you guys got going on.”

“Not all of us,” Devlin pointed out, reaching into his jacket for a small velvet box. “I’m not at the baby stage yet. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around this.”

“What—what the hell is that—are you serious?”

Nolan’s words overlapped Adam’s and Bryant’s when Devlin shared the diamond ring he’d found in a store in London and his plan to surprise Tanya with a Thanksgiving Day proposal.

“And don’t tell the folks,” Devlin warned, stowing the box away. “About this, or that Liam is planning to bring Missy and Casey back for Christmas. He tagged along on the ring shopping, so Missy should be sporting a sparkler on her finger when they arrive.”

“Well, it seems Mom’s going be surrounded by babies and weddings next year,” Bryant said. “She’ll be over the moon.”

“And pestering you and Liam for more grandchildren not long after the I dos,” Adam added before glancing back at Nolan. “Guess this makes you and Ric the last single Murphy brothers.”

“That’s fine with me.” Nolan leaned back, more relaxed now than he’d been all day, glad the topic of conversation had moved away from him and Katie. “Don’t forget, I did my part already by providing the first round of grandchildren.”

Besides, he’d decided a long time ago he and marriage weren’t a good fit. Not after those unhappy years with his ex-wife in Boston.

Now there was a union that never should’ve happened. And probably wouldn’t have if there hadn’t been a need for a hasty wedding.

He didn’t regret his marriage entirely because of Abby, Luke and Logan, but fatherhood was a far better fit than being a husband.

“So, three and out?” Devlin asked.

“That’s right. Messy diapers and 3:00 a.m. feedings are in my rearview mirror.” Nolan grinned. “I’m busy enough with work, and while I’m not happy with the arguing, at least my kids can feed themselves. I’ll leave the happily-ever-afters and babies to you guys.”

* * *

Katie bit hard on her bottom lip and hurried back to the party on tiptoes.

She’d slipped out to her office to hunt up a couple of notepads and pens to keep track of who gave what gift to the mommies-to-be.

Overhearing Devlin sharing with his brothers his plans to propose to Tanya stopped her in her tracks.

She was genuinely happy for the two of them. If anyone deserved to find true love and happiness, it was Devlin. He’d gone through a tough time recently. A helicopter he’d been piloting had crashed, stranding him and Adam in the forest with Devlin badly hurt. It’d taken him a long time to get better, and Tanya had been a big part of his recovery.

And hearing Nolan’s familiar I’m-happy-the-way-I-am mantra wasn’t surprising.

Not really.

Listening to him say aloud what he’d often said in the past, in one way or another, reaffirmed what she’d always known.

He considered his life complete.

Lead architect in his family’s successful business. With five brothers he loved and who were his best friends. Single dad to three great kids.

A happy bachelor.

Her long-held, silent crush on the guy wasn’t heading anywhere. No matter how attracted she might be to him—and had been from the moment they met—there would never be anything between them.

Well, nothing more than one stolen night of passion.

Girl, get over it!

Another familiar refrain, one she’d repeated daily to herself over the last few weeks. Getting back to normal—whatever that might be—was harder than she’d thought it’d be.

That morning after Nolan left, she’d cleaned up the room and hurried home, determined to live up to the agreement they made. To make sure everything stayed the same. Between her and Nolan. Her and the Murphys. Her and the job she loved so much.

Easier said than done.

Yes, her actions had been dumb that night. Not just dumb, but careless, too.

Hey, it wasn’t the first time she’d been stupid in her never-ending search for—

Nope, don’t use the L word.

What happened that night had been a combination of lust, booze and foolishness. She’d been lucky the man she’d fallen into bed with had been someone like Nolan.

To think one night of amazing sex would lead to something was crazy. He’d made his feelings clear. They should go on with their lives as if nothing happened.

So being in the same room with him today—even with fifty-plus other people—should be easy. Easy to continue with her pleasant but business-is-business demeanor. It’d worked at the office. Mainly because he’d holed up in his place next door, working from there most of the time, instead of at the main house.

Like that wasn’t a big enough hint he meant what he’d said.