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  Chapter 1

  ANGELINA Ford pushed her sunglasses up her nose and balled her fists, tightly clenching them as she stared out the window at the sunny Texas day outside. She was used to being anxious about coming home; it was a running family joke that she got the hell out of Dodge as soon as she could. But this time … She swallowed and blinked away tears.

  No crying. No feeling sorry for myself.

  She slowly released her fingers and took a long, deep breath as the beautiful post and rail fences marking the start of River Ranch came into view. She had less than two minutes to compose herself before she arrived, and she wasn’t going to let anyone in her family know that anything was wrong. Not yet.

  Her father had been so excited when she’d called and said she was coming home for Father’s Day. He’d had their family jet sent to Los Angeles for her, and a car waiting on the tarmac to drive her to the ranch. He might be unwell, but over the phone, his voice had still sounded remarkably strong. And thanks to his excitement over her arrival, he hadn’t seemed to notice the tremor in her voice.

  But it wasn’t her dad she was worried about fooling. She had three siblings to hide the truth from, and her sister was going to be the one to notice something was wrong.

  “We’re here.”

  Angelina nodded to the driver. “Thank you.”

  She got out, stretched her legs, and looked up at the big, imposing house in front of her. It was beautiful; even as a child she’d never taken it for granted. She simply hadn’t ever expected she was going to have to move home again.

  The driver took her bags from the trunk and placed them on the veranda, and she stood as he went back to the car, watching it disappear down the long, manicured driveway. The trees rustled as she stared at them, leaves trembling in response to the gentle breeze, and Angelina shivered along with them. It was like she was eighteen again, standing on the doorstep, bags at her side. Only this time, her journey wasn’t starting; she wasn’t that confident, naive girl believing she could achieve anything. This time, she was arriving back home with her tail between her legs, her dreams crashing around her faster than she’d been able to save them.

  “Angie!”

  Within seconds, Mia had flung the door open, Angelina’s niece flying down the steps with her arms outstretched and catching Angelina around the legs. The little girl’s warm body collided with hers so fiercely, with so much love, that it took every inch of willpower not to let her tears fall.

  “Hey beautiful,” she murmured as she lifted Sophia and cocooned her in her arms, loving the feel of her pudgy fingers around her neck. “When did you get so big?”

  Angelina looked up before Mia spoke, knowing what she was going to say before the words even came out of her mouth.

  “If you came home more—”

  “I wouldn’t notice how much she’d grown every time,” Angelina quickly finished for her. “Yeah, I know. But Christmas wasn’t that long ago, was it?”

  She put Sophia on her feet and touched her head, smoothing her curls gently and realizing how much she missed her niece when she was gone. If only she were brave enough to tell Mia that it wouldn’t be so long between visits now.

  “How’s Dad?” she asked.

  Mia smiled and opened her arms up, drawing Angelina in for a long, warm hug. Angelina inhaled the scent of her sister’s familiar shampoo mixed with perfume, the same fragrances she’d had since they were teenagers. Mia had always made her father laugh, saying how she either smelled of horses or flowers; she was either out riding in filthy clothes, or dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and smelling every inch the rich heiress. The house had always been full of the scent of Mia’s shampoo after she’d spent an hour in the shower, and as much as they’d fought sometimes, Angelina had always loved going past her little sister’s room and looking in on her.

  “I’m great, thanks for asking,” Mia teased. “And Dad’s, well, who knows? He wouldn’t say even if he thought he was about to die.”

  Angelina pulled back, quickly blinking. But not fast enough to avoid Mia’s detection.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” She brushed at her face at the same time as Sophia caught her around the leg again.

  “Nothing, I’m fine.” Angelina smiled and kissed her sister’s head. “Something about your perfume reminded me of Mom, that’s all.”

  Mia squeezed her around the waist, staring into her eyes as if she was making sure everything was actually okay. “There’s something about Dad being so unwell that makes me think a lot about Mom too. Come on, let’s get your things inside.”

  She felt bad lying to her sister, but then, it wasn’t really lying. Ever since her life had started to crumble, she’d thought about their mom almost constantly, wondering what she’d say, wondering if it would be different coming home to a mother’s warm arms instead of feeling like she’d let her father down. It wasn’t that he wasn’t warm, but he was notorious for his business success, and she’d always been so proud when he inevitably declared at every family event that the apple never fell far from the tree. He was as proud of her business successes as she was, and she’d gone toe-to-toe with her brother Cody, proving that she had all of the same business acumen as he did. If not more. It had been a competition between them all their lives that went beyond sibling rivalry sometimes.

  She had this nagging feeling that if her mom were still alive, maybe she wouldn’t have spent her entire adult life trying to impress her dad.

  “How much luggage did you need to bring? Are you staying a month this time?”

  Angelina laughed and collected the heavier of the two cases. If only Mia knew.

  * * *

  The first thing she’d done after she had gotten settled was look in on her father, but he was resting and she didn’t want to disturb him. Now, she was sitting in the kitchen, nursing a glass of wine as she sat with her sister and Lexi, her brother Cody’s fiancée.

  “I can’t believe you’re still looking after Dad,” she said to Lexi, holding up her glass as the other two clinked glasses. “You do know we can employ someone else, right? You don’t have to keep doing it.”

  Lexi snorted and then burst out laughing. “Someone else? He refuses to let me find a new nurse for him, and honestly, I don’t mind. He’s good company, and I’d never leave him.”

  Angelina smiled as she watched her. No wonder Cody had fallen so hard for her—she was gorgeous, fun, quick to smile, and the type of woman who’d managed to deal with her dad perfectly by completely charming him. She’d been his nurse since before she’d reunited with Cody, and it didn’t sound like she had any intention of giving up that work, even though she was studying to be an architect as well.

  “Where are you guys living now?” Angelina asked, searching her brain, certain she should know the answer. There were so many things she’d either forgotten or not paid attention to over the past six months, and this was obviously one of them.

&nb
sp; Lexi didn’t miss a beat, though, clearly not worried about Angelina’s lack of memory. “We’re still living in the apartment at the moment, just while the new house is being built. Cody isn’t overly impressed because he wanted to rent somewhere, but I like it there, and I’m close to Walter when he needs me.”

  Angelina laughed. “Cody living in the apartment? I love it. I don’t think he even liked living there when Dad converted it for him and Tanner to use as teenagers.”

  “She stays here a lot actually,” Mia interrupted. “And Cody is like a bear with a thorn when he comes stomping over here looking for her, or so Dad says. I think it’s a combination of their current accommodations and having to share her that he’s struggling with.”

  They all laughed, and Angelina had a mental image of her burly brother, all grumpy about not having his girl with him. He was too used to always getting his own way. Just like I am.

  “How’s he adjusting to living back here?” she asked, lifting her glass and taking a long, cool sip of the crisp Sauvignon Blanc. “Aside from the living situation and having to share you.”

  “Ahh, I’d say it’s been a bit of an adjustment,” Lexi replied, and Mia erupted into laughter.

  “Meaning?” Angelina asked.

  “That he’s had trouble with not working hundred-hour weeks,” Lexi told her.

  “And that he quizzes Tanner about business operations here like he’s the CEO,” Mia said with a giggle. “There’s not a lot of love lost between our brothers right now, that’s for sure.”

  Angelina refused to let her smile fade, feeling like the Cheshire Cat as she tried to keep her composure. Hundred-hour weeks had always been her life too. It was what terrified her most, coming out of a corporate, high-stress environment and suddenly having … She gulped and took another sip of wine, desperate to numb her thoughts, to shut her mind the hell up.

  But it didn’t work.

  Nothing. That’s what I have.

  Cody might have moved from New York to Texas, but he still had his work. His business was still growing; he’d just had to figure out a different way of operating so he could have his girl and his career.

  Even thinking about her bank balance with its usual six zeros made Angelina shudder. She only had her personal account now, and her funds were dwindling. Fast.

  “So, how’s work?” Mia asked. “I can’t believe you’ve gone, what, an hour without mentioning it. Are you sick? Do we need to take your temperature?”

  Angelina smiled. “Maybe I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.”

  Mia laughed, and soon, even Lexi was joining in. Was she usually that bad talking about work? She stared into her wine and took another long sip. Yeah, I am.

  “The day you’re not obsessed with work and getting out of Texas as quickly as you arrive, is the day I’ll eat my hat.”

  Angelina almost smiled. It sounded like her sister would be eating her hat sooner than she realized. She finished her wine and stood, needing to do something. She smoothed her pants, fingers skimming across the smooth black fabric. She glanced down, admiring her silk shirt; she was dressed in her usual uniform of luxurious neutrals. She was going to stand out like a sore thumb if she stayed in River Ranch for long, that was for sure.

  “Who’d like me to cook tonight? We could have everyone over.”

  Her sister looked at her like she had rocks in her head. “You? Cook?” she asked, sounding scared. “We can always get—”

  “Yes, me,” Angelina said firmly. She needed something to do, and dinner would be the perfect thing to keep her busy. “You organize everyone; I’ll get the food. Where does Dad keep the car keys?”

  Mia was silent, but Lexi pointed to a kitchen drawer. “In there. Although I’ve been using the Range Rover, so it’s probably not as immaculate as usual…”

  Angelina shrugged. She didn’t care. She just needed to get out of the house.

  “Take the Maserati,” Mia said. “It’s like heaven on wheels.”

  She grinned and found the keys. The Maserati, fast and furious. That was exactly what she needed right now to blow all the cobwebs out of her brain.

  * * *

  Logan stepped out of his car, flexing his ankle and wishing to hell it wouldn’t seize up every time he drove his truck. He walked into the store, smiling at the older lady behind the counter. It was starting to become a daily habit, and he bet she wondered why he didn’t plan out his groceries for the week. He ran out of milk on a daily basis, he never had anything for dinner, and he could never think of what to cook. Which was why he ended up grilling steaks almost every night. And although he’d told himself he’d never take good food for granted ever again if he made it home, he already was.

  “Darlin’, you ever thought of buying one of our salads to have with your steak?”

  He tried not to laugh. So she had noticed that he purchased almost the same identical items every time he shopped.

  “What do you recommend?” he asked.

  She smiled at him as if he’d just told her she looked beautiful. Which she did, for a woman who was old enough to be his mother. He made a mental note to tell her that when she’d finished her spiel on the salads.

  “Well, I’m partial to the potato salad, but if you’re on one of those fancy Keto diets or whatever they are, you might not be allowed them. That why you eat so much meat, darlin’? You having to go high on the protein?”

  He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m not the dieting type.” He shrugged. “I’m not that adventurous in the kitchen.” There was no need to tell her he actually couldn’t cook.

  He swore she was going to hug him, so he braced for it. Thankfully it never came, but she did pat his hand.

  “Maybe you could try chicken one night. You can cook it just the same as you do the steak on the grill. And I’d start with the potato salad, then be adventurous and try the noodle ones or even a roasted vegetable.”

  Logan nodded. “I might go down and take a look. Thanks.” His stomach was starting to rumble just thinking about something different than his usual steak-and-more-steak fare.

  “You be sure to tell me what you think of it next time you’re in,” she said.

  He smiled. “I will. And, June, is it?”

  She positively beamed. “Yes.”

  “You look lovely today.”

  He turned as she blushed, pleased he’d put a smile on the woman’s face.

  “Logan Brody, still charming the ladies, I see?’

  Logan froze as a silky, feminine voice caught his attention, before spinning around and coming face-to-face with the last person on earth he expected to see in a grocery store in Texas.

  “Angie?” he said, shaking his head as he stared at the most beautifully groomed, not-a-hair-out-of-place woman he’d ever seen. She looked like a supermodel who’d walked straight off the pages of a magazine. “Wow. Look at you.”

  “Don’t trust a word he says,” Angelina said over her shoulder to June, who was watching them. “He once charmed the pants off almost every woman in town.”

  Before he had the chance to scold her, or point out that he’d never quite managed to charm the pants off her, she was crashing into him, her arms around his neck as he hugged her back. She smelled like … He grinned. She smelled like money, that’s what it was. Old money. In other words, she was dripping with it.

  Her shirt was silky against his hands, and he cringed when his rough fingers snagged against it. But man, she felt like heaven. All soft and warm and … He pushed the thoughts away. It’d been way too long since he’d held a beautiful woman in his arms, but Angie was his friend, and she’d probably smack him around the head if she even knew what he was thinking. He cleared his throat.

  “It’s been…”

  “Way too long,” she finished, her smile huge as she stepped back and stared at him. Her blond hair fell over one shoulder as she toyed with it. “When did you get back?”

  He moved to pick up his basket, the familiar prick of discomfort finding
its way into his shoulders at the mention of him coming home.

  “I’ve been back a few months,” he said. “Would you believe that my folks are traveling the world, and they even bought a condo in Florida?”

  Angie laughed and just like that, his tension disappeared. “Florida? What the hell would your dad do with himself there?”

  “Keep my mom happy,” Logan answered dryly. “Or at least that’s what he tells me whenever he calls. Apparently she put up with ranching for years, and now it’s his turn to follow her.”

  She touched his arm, her fingers warm and almost protective against his shirt. She’d always been like that, his fiercest and most loyal best friend from his childhood. Angelina was beautiful, the kind of gorgeous that made most boys tongue-tied and stupid around her. When he’d first approached her, overconfident and used to girls chasing him, he’d expected her to flash him that amazing smile of hers and fall into his arms. Instead, she’d glowered at him and told him to try harder. Just like that, she’d called him out on his bullshit, and he’d realized that he didn’t need to date her, he was happy hanging out with her. Their friendship had weathered every storm—girlfriends, boyfriends, fights, and one drunken kiss—although that had been a long time ago. Before they’d both moved away and became email friends, although in the past couple of years they’d fallen out of contact and it had been too easy to let it slide.

  “What are you doing home, anyway?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Father’s Day.”

  “Since when is that one of the two holidays you come home for?” he teased. Angelina liked coming home to Texas as much as a cat liked having a shower.

  “Hey, it’s not so strange, is it?” she said, but he saw the way her gaze darted left, suddenly avoiding him. He decided not to push her on the subject.

  “I thought people like you had their shopping done by servants,” he said, waiting for her to look up and shoot him the filthy look he knew was coming. “What brings you to this common part of town?”