A Bride for the Black Sheep Brother

Fifteen


Until she saw the resort through Cooper’s eyes, she hadn’t realized how much she had accomplished. It about killed her, because she still knew that this was a mistake; there was just nothing she could do to convince Cooper of it. Still, if she blocked out how miserable this was going to eventually make him, if she pretended this was just a business move and not deeply personal, then she could appreciate the amazing changes in Bear Creek Lodge.

The only renovations they’d done to the building itself were to demolish the ancient registration desk and pull up the carpet to restore the original hardwood floors.

All the other changes were staging. She’d moved out the aging lobby furniture and replaced it with only a few clusters of chairs. A small stage had been set up in the corner for the band she’d hired. Buffet tables had been set up where the registration desk had once been. The rest was lighting, lighting, lighting. It was amazing how you could manipulate the beauty of a room by highlighting its best features and casting its bad ones in shadow. Portia took comfort knowing that when the guests arrived this evening for the exhibition kickoff, they would have to look very closely to see the toll that the past sixty years had taken on the once-glorious lodge. It was small comfort, but she took it where she could get it.

In fact, things appeared perfect as Portia strolled around the room, surveying everything. The guests would start arriving in the next thirty minutes. The caterers was already putting out appetizers. The band—a popular cover band from Provo—was already set up in the corner.

Cooper walked up to her, stopping to survey the room. He stood close, but pointedly didn’t touch her. There was space between them that hadn’t been there before. An immeasurable gulf of misunderstandings and cross-purposes.

Part of her yearned for his touch—nothing romantic or sexual—just something comforting. But he didn’t reach for her and she didn’t budge in his direction, either. She’d dressed in a pair of navy palazzo pants and a flowing top with just a little bit of shimmer to it. Her hair was swept up into a relaxed twist. She hoped that she looked cool and wealthy. Like the perfect hostess for this event, even if she didn’t feel like it on the inside.

“Everything looks just right,” he said, his tone cold. “I knew you could pull it off.”

She turned to look at him. “We haven’t pulled it off yet. We still have the rest of the evening to get through and tomorrow. And that’s just the beginning, right? After that, we have to see if you’ve convinced any investors that this is a safe bet. Or if you can sway the board. There are still a lot of ifs in play.”

Cooper looked around the room, his gaze taking on a possessive glint. “No. There aren’t. This place looks amazing. No one who comes here is going to have any doubts that this is meant to be.”

Her stomach soured and she knew he was right. He was so determined—so focused—it was impossible to believe that he wouldn’t succeed. Even though this was the last thing he needed.

* * *

The party was in full swing a few hours later when Cooper looked up from talking to one of the investor types to see the last man he would have expected walking through the front doors—his brother Dalton. Laney was on his arm. Dalton paused just inside the door to help her out of her coat, which he handed to the attendant. Laney looked lovely in a vibrant yellow dress. Once her coat was off, they both stepped aside to reveal Griffin and his wife, Sydney, right behind them.

Jesus. It was like a Cain family reunion  .

Who the hell had invited them?

Before the thought could even settle in his mind, Portia crossed to their side. She gave Laney and Sydney hugs and brief air kisses. And then Dalton gave her a real hug. Somehow the sight of that made Cooper’s gut twist with jealousy. Not the superficial jealousy that he’d felt about Drew and Stevey, but something deep and dark. Something rooted in a lifetime of resentment.

By the time he reached them, Portia was shaking Griffin’s hand with a friendly smile.

“Dalton. Griffin.” Cooper nodded. “I didn’t realize you’d been invited.”

“I invited them,” Portia said smoothly.

“You did?” Cooper turned to look at Portia, who smiled back innocently.

“Yes. Did you know, Cooper, that Sydney’s youngest brother has an interest in snowboarding?”

“I did not know that,” he said through a tight smile.

“Trust me, it’s not something I encourage.” Sydney laughed. “But we all wanted to see what you’ve been up to.” To Portia she added, “After all the praise you heaped on this place, we’re hoping it was a real showstopper.”

“And what do you think?” Portia asked with a smile.

“It’s amazing,” Laney said. “I can see why you’re so enthusiastic.”

He shot Portia a look, trying to read her expression. Had she invited Dalton and Laney before or after she’d decided this whole project was a crappy idea? Had she invited them to support him or prove a point?

The band was playing a song from the sixties. The kind of classic anyone would love to get up and dance to, and the crowd was eating it up.

“You should go dance,” Portia said. She pulled out her phone, where she somehow had the queue of songs listed. “The next song is a jazz ballad. It’ll be perfect. After that, I can fill you in on the fascinating history of the building and tell you all about Cooper’s plans.”

Right on cue, the band drifted from the dance classic to a sultry jazz standard.

Portia smiled at him as if she hadn’t just fed him to the wolves. “Perhaps you’d ask me to dance, Cooper?”

He wanted to tip his head back and howl with frustration. He wanted to storm out, find a board somewhere and get lost in the icy snow. To walk away from her and everything she represented, everything he couldn’t have. Because he couldn’t have her, no matter how much he wanted her. Instead, he took her arm and led her out onto the dance floor, relishing the feel of her body against his even as his anger threatened to boil over. But he tamped that all down, and grasped her hand in his. He let his fingers rest at the small of her back, just where her blouse hung loose, so that his fingertips grazed her bare skin.

“That was a nice trick,” he said. “You invite them here just to prove a point?”

She met his gaze coolly. “Yes, but probably not the point you think.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. What point are you trying to make? That I don’t have what it takes to open this hotel? That in the end, I’ll always be outclassed by Dalton and Griffin?”


“See? I knew you were going to misinterpret things.” Despite her chiding words, she smiled up at him. There was something sad and heartbreaking about her smile. “I invited them here because you hadn’t seen them in years.”

“Thanks to Hollister’s stupid quest and their weddings, I’ve seen more of them in the past year than I ever have.”

“I hardly think meeting against the backdrop of Hollister’s ridiculous challenge counts as fertile ground for a healthy brotherly relationship.”

“That’s assuming I want that kind of relationship.”

She stopped dancing. They were in the middle of the dance floor, and other couples moved around them seamlessly in time to the music. “I think you’ve spent so much of your life resenting them just because they’re Hollister’s sons that you no longer know what you want, let alone what you need.” She continued to meet his gaze unflinchingly. “You need friends that appreciate you for who you are. You need a family that loves you. The thing is, you already have those things. They’re right there. You just refuse to acknowledge them.”

“And this seemed like a great idea? To drop this on me right now?”

She tipped her head slightly to the side. “No. Not at all. But when else do I have? You and I are over after this weekend. This is my last chance.”

“You think you know exactly what I need? Just like you think you know what I should do with Beck’s Lodge?”

“No. I don’t care what you do with this place. I love this building, but I only care about what you need. Make it into a hotel or don’t. But you know what I think you do need? You need more people in your life who care about you. Either way, I don’t want to be your excuse for not having a relationship with your family.”

“I don’t need a relationship with them.”

“Yes. You do. Everybody needs family. And you’re the one who told me you’ve stayed away from yours for years because of me. I’m not okay with that. I don’t want to stand between you and your brothers.”

He dropped his hands from her body. “So. That’s what this is about?”

“Your relationship with the Cains? That’s what this has been about for a while now.”

“No. That’s not what I meant.” A few of the other couples had noticed that they weren’t dancing, so he stepped closer to her and pulled her back into his arms. This time, he felt only cold anger as he held her. “You just can’t resist fixing people, can you?”

She frowned, looking off-balance for the first time tonight. “I don’t...I don’t know what you mean.”

“You think I want to be another one of your charity projects? Like the heiress you’re so determined to protect? Like Caro? Like those foster kids you plan to adopt?”

“I don’t... That’s not what this is.”

“Are you sure?” Doubt flickered through her gaze and just like that his anger dissolved into something softer but no less painful. How could he still be angry with her? “You are so damn sensitive. You care so much about other people. You can’t help it. But I am not another fixer-upper. I will not be an object of pity for you.”

He dropped his hands from her body and this time he walked away. He was done dancing.

She must have been done, as well, because at the end of the night, when the last busload of guests went back down the mountain to the hotel in Provo, she went with them. And she didn’t come back the next day.