Czytaj książkę: «Nashville Secrets»

One

Mary McKenzie sat on a bench in the downtown Nashville park, with a view of the river, waiting for Brandon Talbot to appear. He walked his dog here every Sunday, just after daybreak. She hadn’t met him yet, but she knew all sorts of things about him.

Brandon was a classically handsome, highly successful attorney, oozing with sophistication. He was also the man she was supposed to seduce. Not to the point of sleeping with him. Heaven help her, she would never do that. But it would be a seduction just the same.

Maybe she would get lucky and Brandon wouldn’t show up. Or maybe he would have one of his glamorous lovers with him. That would certainly get her off the hook.

She glanced up and saw him in the distance, just him and his canine companion, a Siberian husky with a silvery coat. Should she abort this insane mission and go home?

No, she thought. If she quit now, she would be excusing the pain his lying, cheating, country superstar dad had caused her mom, as well as what Brandon himself had done.

Mary returned to the book she was pretending to read. Typically, she liked to read. It was one of her favorite pastimes. But for the past few Sundays, she’d been using it as her cover while she spied on him. A lone girl with her nose buried in a book, a persona that actually fit her quite well.

She waited, trying to time her approach so it seemed natural. Finally, she closed the book and put it in her bag. She stood, as if she was preparing to leave the park.

As she headed in Brandon’s direction, she wished that she didn’t find him so attractive. The last thing she needed was a crush on the enemy.

She adjusted her cardigan over her blouse. The early-morning air was a bit chilly. The month of June could be funny that way.

She kept going, getting nearer to Brandon. He was wearing a gray pullover, sweatpants and pricey sneakers. By now, she could see the logo on his shoes.

Once they were close enough to make polite eye contact, she lifted her gaze, and he nodded a silent greeting. If Mary didn’t know better, she would mistake him for a good guy. His demeanor was friendly. She tried to seem friendly, too.

Seizing the opportunity to speak to him, she said, “I’ve seen you here before, and I’ve been meaning to tell you how beautiful your dog is.” She’d been practicing that line for weeks, readying herself for this moment.

Brandon smiled, so composed, so freaking gorgeous. He stood tall, with lean muscles, jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. Mary’s heart was pounding so hard, she feared it would pop out of her chest and roll straight into the river.

“Thanks,” he replied. “His name is Cline.”

She already knew the dog’s name. She’d seen tons of pictures of him on Brandon’s Instagram. “I’d love to have a husky. But I share an apartment with my sister. It’s a cute little place, but there’s barely room for the two of us, let alone a big dog.” Mary decided her best course of action was to mix lies with the truth, and their cozy apartment was the truth. “Is it okay if I pet him?”

Brandon nodded. “Sure.”

She knelt to stroke the husky’s thick fur. He stood patiently, highly trained and wonderfully behaved. “Look at those eyes. They’re so blue.” Like his master’s, she thought. But she wasn’t about to say that. She rose to her feet, coming face-to-face with Brandon again. “Cline is an unusual name.”

“It’s for Patsy. She’s my favorite singer.” He smiled again. He had straight white teeth and a jawline to die for. “So I figured Cline was the way to go.”

She forced a smile. She had a gap between her two front teeth. Some people thought it was trendy, considering the models who’d become famous for flaunting theirs. But Mary wasn’t model material. At five-three, with natural red hair and a light dusting of freckles, she was only mildly pretty. Her sister disagreed. She insisted that Mary was the ultimate girl next door, created for secret male fantasy. Of course, Alice had a vivid imagination. In fact, it was Alice who’d concocted this seduction plan. Mary never would’ve hatched it by herself. She wasn’t a femme fatale. She wasn’t even sure how she was going to get Brandon interested in her.

Before she got lost in anxiety, she returned to their discussion. “I like some of Patsy Cline’s songs. My grandmother used to listen to her.” Her mother used to play those old records, too. Mama loved Patsy’s music. But she was being cautious not to bring Mama into this.

Brandon knitted his eyebrows. Suddenly he was looking at her in a troubled way. Then he asked, “Do you know who I am?”

Good God. Mary struggled to maintain her composure, but all she could muster was a dumbfounded blink. Why was he being suspicious of her? Was it his lawyer’s instincts, his ability to sniff out liars? Even Cline was cocking his head, taking a cue from his master.

Determined to hang tough, she found the phony will to say, “I’m sorry. But am I supposed to know who you are?” She quickly added, “Are you a politician or something?”

A light breeze stirred his hair. He wore it combed straight back, expertly cut and groomed. “Is that what I look like to you?”

“Sort of. But it was just a guess.” She was still worried about why he suspected her of knowing his identity. Nonetheless, she spoke casually. “So are you going to tell me who you are?”

He shrugged. “I come from a famous family.”

“You’re not related to the Kennedys, are you?” She stayed on the political vein, trying not to veer too far from what was supposed to be her first impression of him. “A nephew? A cousin?”

“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m Brandon Talbot. I’m an entertainment lawyer, and my brother and father are country musicians. Tommy and Kirby Talbot.”

“Oh, wow.” She acted surprised. “You’re related to Tommy Talbot?” It was easier directing the conversation toward him. Tommy wasn’t part of the ordeal with her mom. “He’s superfamous, especially in this town.”

“And my father is considered a legend.” He laughed a little. “Sometimes he’ll even be the first to say it.”

Dang, she thought. He was making jokes about his dad’s ego, and her mind was drifting back to the past, to that fateful summer, eight long years ago, when Mama had taken a trip to Nashville hoping to become a published songwriter.

Lo and behold, the almighty Kirby had noticed her peddling her songs around town. And while he was charming her into bed, he promised to buy them. After their short-lived affair ended, he ghosted her. Mama returned to Oklahoma feeling like a tramp and a failure. Only she hadn’t given up. She’d continued to reach out to Kirby, trying to get him to make good on his promise. He’d treated her like a crazed fan instead, even filing a restraining order against her, which was where Brandon came into it. He was the attorney who’d drafted the order, making Mama out to be a stalker.

Nothing was ever the same again, and no matter how hard Mary had tried to hold her family together, it didn’t work. Mama spiraled into a horrible depression, and Alice became a moody child who eventually grew into a rebellious teenager. Mostly, though, what Alice wanted was to get back at Kirby, and Mary vowed that someday she would help her do it. So after Mama died this year, they’d put their plan into action.

Initially they considered suing Kirby, but since they didn’t have any proof that he had promised to buy their mother’s songs, it didn’t seem like a viable option. But taking it to the court of public opinion did. They decided that they could sell their story to a celebrity gossip site and expose Kirby for the bastard that he was. They changed their minds when Kirby’s brand-new biography hit the stands. Once they read the book, they discovered that it was filled with scandalous tales, far juicer than anything they could tell the press.

Alice concocted a new plan that involved Brandon. From what she uncovered, some of his friends on social media commented that he needed to find “a nice girl” and settle down. Mary assumed the remarks were made in jest. But Alice believed it was an avenue worth pursuing. If Brandon was becoming intrigued with everyday girls instead of the socialites who were typically draped on his arm, Mary could win him over. Then, once he was hooked, she could dump him, the way his dad had done to their mom. Afterward, they could contact Kirby and tell him who they were and why they’d duped Brandon, teaching both father and son a lesson.

And now here Mary was, looking into Brandon’s vast blue eyes and trying not to drown in them.

She blinked and said, “Doesn’t your dad have a biography that was just released?” She tried to sound uncertain. But damn if her heart wasn’t pounding again. “I seem to recall hearing something about it. Or am I mixing him up with another country star?”

“No, you definitely heard right.” He patted Cline’s head when the dog turned to look at a boat that went by. “It’s making all kinds of buzz. The bestseller lists, too.”

She downplayed her interest in it. “I get most of my books from the library. Or the classics, anyway. I like to read those in hardcover.” She shifted her bag for effect, letting him know there was timeless literature inside. “Otherwise, I use an ereader.” She hesitated before she asked, “Did you think I was a fan, trying to talk to you because of your family?”

He nodded. “That happens to me a lot. And it’s gotten worse since Dad’s book came out. But mostly it’s Matt who’s been bearing the brunt of it. He’s our half brother in Texas. He was Dad’s secret kid when we were growing up.”

She’d read about how horribly Kirby had treated Matt. Kirby hadn’t been a particularly good parent to Brandon or Tommy, either. He’d been drunk or stoned for most of their lives. Supposedly he was clean and sober now. But according to the book, even when Kirby was at his worst, Brandon had a favorable relationship with him—unlike his brothers, who’d butted heads with their dad. These days they were working on being one big happy family. She couldn’t imagine what that was like. Mama had lost her zest for living long before she’d died.

“Who are you?” Brandon asked.

Mary started. “I’m sorry. What?”

“Your name, what you do for a living.”

“Oh, right.” She needed to stop being so jumpy around him. “I’m Mary McKenzie.” She didn’t have to worry about her last name ringing a bell with him. It was different from her mother’s. “I work at Sugar Sal’s. It’s a specialty bakery.”

“I’ve heard of that place, but I’ve never been there. I do have a sweet tooth, though. It’s one of my vices.”

She didn’t want to think about what his other vices might be. “I’ve only worked there for three months. I worked at a bakery in Oklahoma City, too.”

“Is that where you’re from?”

“Yes.” She wasn’t going to trip herself up by pretending to be from somewhere else. Lots of people were from Oklahoma City, not just the woman he and his father had trashed. “I’m just settling into Nashville.”

He smiled his perfect smile. “Well, welcome to Music City. What brought you here?”

If he only knew, she thought. But she had a ready-made answer. She and Alice had concocted a story ahead of time. “My sister met a guy online. He’s from Tennessee, and they started a long-distance relationship. She moved here to be near him, but it didn’t work out. Alice is only nineteen, and she’s already had a slew of boyfriends.” That part was true. Alice thrived on male attention.

“That explains why your sister came here, but what about you?”

“I needed a change of scenery.” She wished he wasn’t staring so intently at her. His eyes were unnerving. The dog was staring at her, too. To keep her words flowing, she prattled on. “I’m a pastry assistant, but I’ve been taking continuing education courses to become a certified pastry chef. I’m almost done, so now I’m trying to help Alice figure out what she should do.”

“Where do her interests lie?”

“She hasn’t made up her mind, but she’s leaning toward something in fashion. Design, maybe. She’ll be starting community college in the fall. She can be a bit flighty, so I hope she sticks with it.” Mary wasn’t going to lie about her sister’s personality. If Brandon ever met her, he would see it for himself. “Sometimes I worry about how much time she spends online and her penchant for partying. I convinced her to delete her accounts when we moved here. I wanted her to have a clean slate, but that didn’t last very long. She opened new ones and started partying with new people here.” In actuality, Alice had deleted her old pages to erase her former presence online and make her and Mary’s past less traceable. But Alice’s social life was still wilder than it should be.

Brandon nodded as if he understood. Then he said, “I know what it’s like to worry about a sibling. Tommy used to be flighty, too. Mostly it was his daredevil ways that scared me.”

“It’s tough to say what will happen with Alice. Maybe she’ll become a successful designer someday. She’s actually pretty talented in that regard. She just needs to learn to apply herself.”

“I’m familiar with the fashion industry. My mother used to be a model. She runs a beauty products empire now. Her name is Melinda Miller.”

“She’s your mom?” Mary feigned ignorance, pretending not to know who Kirby’s ex-wife was. “I’ve seen her infomercials on TV. Gosh, you really are from a famous family.” She made a joke. “Not quite the Kennedys, but...”

He laughed at her silly attempt at humor.

A second later, they both went silent. In the next awkward moment, she searched for something to say.

She finally murmured, “I hope it doesn’t seem weird that I told you so much about my sister, about how troubled she is and her boyfriends and whatnot. I’m not usually so open with strangers.”

“Me, neither. We’ve certainly covered a lot of ground.” He sent her a teasing wink. “But I think I’d rather hear about your boyfriends.”

Mary’s cheeks turned hot. He was flirting, and she was standing there like an imbecile. Should she tell him that she was single? Well, of course she should. The whole point was to get together with him if she could.

She went for the truth, letting it sputter off her tongue. “My love life isn’t very exciting. I’m twenty-five, and as far as actual boyfriends go, there’s only been one significant relationship. And even he didn’t matter as much as he should have.”

Brandon moved closer to her. “You’re still young. You’ve got plenty of time to meet someone who matters. Now, me? I’ll be thirty-seven this year.”

“I’ll bet you’ve had lots of girlfriends.” She already knew that he did. His online profiles were filled with beautiful women.

He shrugged. “I’ve had my fair share, but not like Tommy. Women used to throw themselves at him. He’s married now, with a baby on the way. It’s the happiest he’s ever been.”

“That’s good.” She’d read about Tommy and his wife, Sophie, in the book. Matt’s relationship with his fiancée, Libby, was showcased, too. Libby was also the author of the book, the biographer Kirby had hired to tell his story. “I guess entertainment lawyers don’t have groupies, then?”

“No, I can’t say that we do.” He moved closer still. “But it’s an intriguing idea.”

Mary’s throat went tight. With the “intrigued” way he was looking at her, you’d think he was picturing her as his sweet little groupie. She could actually feel the air growing thick between them. And now her mixed-up mind was running rampant, and she was imagining what kind of lover he would be.

A powerful one, she thought, who would make her sigh and melt and moan—right at his feet.

Panic set in. “I should let you go.” She was overwhelmed by the hunger, the heat, the dizzying urge to share his bed. “You came here to walk Cline, and I’m taking up all of your time.” Before she blew it completely, she added, “Maybe I’ll run into you next Sunday.” She was supposed to be setting a honey trap, not darting off like a scared rabbit.

“Sure. I’d like that.” He spoke softly, fluidly, as smooth as the Tennessee whiskey he probably drank. “I’d like it very much.”

“Me, too.” Her heart pounded unmercifully inside her chest. She’d just caught a whiff of his summer-fresh cologne. Or maybe it was the scent of a finely milled soap lingering on his skin.

“I’ll be here, same place, same time.” He rattled his dog’s leash. “Same husky.”

“Okay.” She cursed her pounding heart. She’d captured his interest, doing what she’d set out to do. But for now, she needed to escape with her emotions intact. “Bye, Brandon.”

“Goodbye, Mary.”

She walked away, doing her best to stay calm. But even as she departed she sensed that he’d spun around to watch her, as aroused by her as she was by him.

* * *

As soon as Mary entered their apartment, her sister rushed to greet her. “What happened? Did you talk to him?”

“Yes.” And she was still trying to get a handle on the lust-tinged way he made her feel. She removed her sweater and draped it over a dining chair. “I was so nervous I don’t know how I got through it.”

“You have to tell me everything.” Alice grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the sofa.

They sat side by side. Thank goodness the sliding glass door to their itty-bitty patio was open. Mary needed the air.

“So?” Alice pressed.

“Can I have a minute? I need to catch my breath.”

“But I’ve been waiting here for hours.”

“All I’m asking for is a minute.”

“Whatever.” Alice rolled her heavily lined eyes. She went through phases, and currently she was on a cowpunk kick, where she’d patterned her style after a vintage trend derived from cowboy and punk rock influences. At the moment, she wore a skintight Western ensemble and gothic jewelry. Her bleached platinum hair was short and spiked. But no matter how outlandish she looked, her beauty remained evident. Mama had been gorgeous, too. Mary had always been plain by comparison. Yet she was the one who’d just had an encounter with Kirby’s devastatingly handsome son.

“Time’s up,” Alice said. She pointed to the clock on the cable TV box. “It’s been at least a minute.”

If Mary wasn’t so frazzled, she would have laughed. Her sister was one of the most impatient people she knew.

She started with saying, “He seemed to like me.” Just thinking about him was making her breathe harder and faster. “He’s even more striking up close. It was different than checking out his pictures or spying on him from a distance. Looking into his eyes was just so...real, I guess.”

“So he’s hotter than you anticipated? And he seemed to like you?” Alice waggled her brows suggestively. “You shouldn’t have any trouble getting him into bed.”

“I’m not...” Mary frowned, steeped in her own forbidden desires. “I already told you that even if he took an interest in me, sex was off the table. I couldn’t possibly—”

“You’re such a prude.” Alice shook her head. “But you’ll just have to hold his attention in other ways.” She leaned forward. “So tell me the rest of it.”

Mary expounded on the beginning of their conversation, before she’d started fantasizing about being his lover.

Alice listened and said, “I’ll bet you were really scared when he asked you if you knew who he was.”

“I was petrified.” So afraid he’d figured her out.

“It sounds like you handled it just fine. I knew you’d be a natural at presenting yourself as a nice girl.”

“It didn’t make me feel very nice.” For now, she just felt confused. “What if we have him pegged wrong? What if he isn’t responsible for what happened? He might not have even known that his dad was lying about our mom. If he filed the restraining order because he believed that Mama was a stalker, then he was just doing his job.”

Alice gaped at her. “You can’t be serious.”

She hated to think of Brandon as a bad person now that she’d met him. Or maybe she just hated to think of herself being attracted to someone so cold and calculating. “I’m just covering all of the bases.”

“Come on, Mar. Don’t make him out to be innocent in all of this. Attorneys are known for being shrewd.”

“I just want to be sure, that’s all.”

“I don’t have any doubts, and I guarantee when it’s over, you’ll be convinced that he’s as ruthless as his dad.”

“You’re probably right.” But now that the wheels were in motion, she needed to figure him out, to know for certain. “At least I’ll be seeing him next week.”

“You should bring him some pastries. You can bake something special just for him.” Alice waggled her eyebrows again. “A little sugar to tempt his palate.”

“He did say that he had a sweet tooth. But I’ll have to think about what to make.” She had no idea what his preferences would be. “I should bake some doggy biscuits for Cline, too.”

“Oh, that’s perfect. It’s exactly what a nice girl would do. Bring extra treats for that blue-eyed beast of his.”

Mary jumped to the husky’s defense. “Cline isn’t a beast. He seemed really gentle.”

“Maybe so, but that doesn’t make his master a good guy.” Alice frowned, her distain for Brandon obvious. “If he falls for you, I wonder if he’ll post pictures of you on his Instagram. Or maybe selfies of you and him and the dog.”

Mary didn’t want to think that far ahead. Yet she couldn’t help but recall how intensely both Brandon and Cline had stared at her. “In person their eyes are almost the same color.”

Alice squinted. “It’s too bad you’re not going to seduce him all the way. Sex would make the revenge that much sweeter.”

“Not for me.” She feared that sleeping with him would be dangerous to her soul. Not just because of the way he made her feel, but because of her charade, too. “That would be carrying it too far.”

“Okay, so you’ve got your morals. But it’s not as if you’re a virgin or anything.”

“That’s not the point.” Her sex life wasn’t the issue. Or her lack thereof, she thought. She’d slept with only one guy: the boyfriend who’d barely mattered. “Brandon isn’t my type, anyway.”

“I didn’t know you had a type.”

“Well, if I did, it wouldn’t be with a lawyer who might dominate me.”

Her sister looked stunned. “Oh, my God. Did he say something kinky to you?”

“What? No. I didn’t mean it like that.” She tried to explain, without admitting how deeply he aroused her. “He just seems as if he’d be as powerful in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom, or wherever he does his best work.”

“That’s quite an observation.” Alice leaned back on their floral-printed sofa—the one they’d bought during her boho phase—and lifted her booted feet onto the coffee table. “And seriously, who are you trying to kid? You totally want to shag him.”

“Can we change the subject, please?” Mary couldn’t bear to sit here and listen to this.

“Well, I’m all for it. As long as you make him suffer once it’s over.”

What part of changing the subject didn’t her sister understand? “I don’t want to keep talking about this.”

Alice readjusted her position, lowering her feet to the floor. “You brought up the domination stuff, not me.”

“And you’re making a bigger deal out of it than it is.”

“All right, but no matter how attracted to him you are, just remember that we’re doing this for Mama. So whatever you do, don’t fall for him for real.”

“I would never do that.” Mary knew better than to develop feelings for a man she didn’t even know if she could trust.