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“Well, I’m not leaving you here,” Trey growled, his square jaw growing thicker by the second.
She gazed up at him and then at Troy, torn between admiration and exasperation. Her brothers were good-looking, damn good-looking, without an ounce of fat on them. They were made of hard, honed muscle that wrapped their arms and legs like steel and they were every bit as rigid.
Her smile was bittersweet. “Trey, you don’t have a choice.” She’d once enjoyed fighting with them, stirring her brothers up, trying to get a rise from them, but things were different now. The stakes were far higher. “This is my home—”
“That’s absurd,” Troy interrupted roughly. “Home is the Lazy L ranch, home is Dad, Brock, the kids.”
She shook her head, aware of Wolf standing there, just behind her shoulder. She was grateful to have him with her and even more grateful he was letting her handle this her way. “Not anymore.”
Trey cleared his throat, making a rough sound of disgust. “You’re telling me the ranch isn’t home?”
She looked from Trey to Troy and back. The twins had the same jaw, the same high cheekbones, the same blue eyes as clear as the Montana sky. “I’m sorry you’ve had a wasted trip. But tell Dad I’m fine. Tell him I’ll try to come home for Christmas—”
“You’ll come to Montana and tell him yourself,” Troy interrupted brusquely, folding his arms, pulling the fabric of his white dress shirt even tauter. The snug fabric shaped the width of his chest and the thick biceps and triceps in his arms. “And while you’re there, be sure to explain just how it was that you nearly died, because we know all about it. We know you were rushed to the hospital, had your stomach pumped and kept for a day under observation.”
Alexandra felt Wolf’s warmth and presence. She wasn’t sure if he’d taken a step toward her or she’d taken a step back, but she could feel him there—his size, his strength, his fierce personality—and again it reassured her. All her life her brothers had trampled over her wishes, but this time having Wolf in her corner settled her. Gave her confidence. “What you heard, what you read in the paper was a mistake,” she said carefully. “It’s not what really happened.”
“So you didn’t try to kill yourself?” Troy demanded, voice dropping to a husky growl. “Because that nearly broke Dad’s heart. He loves you more than the five of us boys put together.”
Troy might as well have stabbed her with an ice pick, she thought, lips parting in silent protest as tears filled her eyes. The idea of her dad worrying about her, suffering because of her, was more than she could bear. “I’ll call him,” she said softly, her voice breaking. “I’ll call him tonight.”
Trey loomed over her. “You’ll go home tonight and you’ll talk to him in person. Properly. The way you should.”
She felt rather than saw Trey’s finger jabbing at her, emphasizing his disgust. She swiped away a tear, livid with him, both of them, realizing all over again why she’d left home. She loved her brothers and hated her brothers and couldn’t understand how any relationship could be so complicated. They protected her and disciplined her and talked at her until she felt absolutely trapped.
She angrily wiped away another tear. “I never tried to kill myself. The media got it wrong. Somebody was being funny and put something in my drink.”
Troy and Trey exchanged thunderous glances. “What kind of lifestyle is this?” Trey snapped. “You’re too thin, too tan, too made-up. You’re not Alex at all.”
“I am,” she protested.
“You’re not,” Troy said more gently. “You’re some Hollywood paper doll. But that’s not who Dad raised you to be, and Mom wouldn’t be proud either.”
Every word her brothers said hurt, but this last, this condemnation that her mother wouldn’t have approved, cut her to the quick. She looked away, eyes closing, stunned by the depth of her pain.
She couldn’t do this anymore, couldn’t take this anymore. She turned to Wolf, put her hand on his forearm. “I want to go,” she whispered. “Can we please just go?”
His narrowed gaze swept her tear-streaked face. “Of course. Whatever you want.”
But before they could take two steps, Trey reached out, grabbed Alexandra’s arm. “And what will I tell Dad?”
Wolf swiftly knocked Trey’s hand from Alexandra’s arm. His features contorted. “Don’t touch her like that again. She’s a woman, not one of your cows.”
Trey’s expression darkened. “She’s my sister, and I love her and I want what’s best for her.”
“If you want what’s best,” Wolf answered evenly, “then tell your father she’s happy and doing well in Los Angeles with me.”
“With you,” Troy repeated icily.
“And just who the hell are you to make decisions for Alexandra?” Trey asked, hands knuckling to fists.
Alexandra knew the twins were formidable opponents. Just like armored tanks, they rolled right over their opposition, and she sensed they were going to roll right now.
“Your sister’s fiancé,” Wolf answered quietly. “We’re engaged to be married.” He looked from one to the other. “Didn’t you know?”
“Engaged?” Trey could barely get the word out, and Alexandra couldn’t meet his eye, too shocked to think of a single thing to say.
Wolf, her fiancé? Engagement? Oh, how quickly this had escalated.
Troy pointed to her bare left hand. “There’s no ring.”
“It’s still secret,” Wolf said, smiling faintly. He seemed to have no problem with the story and looked downright amused by her brothers’ sudden tailspin.
Alexandra struggled to think of something to say, but her mind was strangely blank. Everything had been fine until Paige spilled the drink on her gown, but that one spilled drink had consequences she couldn’t have dreamed of.
Ruined dress. Lethal cocktail. Headline news. Now an engagement to Wolf. Amazing how fast one problem had snowballed into this!
“Secret,” Troy was repeating, lower lip curling. He might have moved from Montana to Seattle and exchanged horses for fast cars, but he was still a very tough cowboy underneath. “What kind of bullshit is this about a secret engagement?” he demanded, rocking back on his heels. “Why keep it quiet? Are you ashamed of her?
“Where we come from, Shanahans are respected, and so Alexandra has always been respected,” he continued. “Maybe this is Hollywood. Maybe you think you’re so special you can treat Alexandra any way you want, but you’ve got another think coming. Alexandra’s a good girl, the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet, and she deserves to be treated right.”
The entire time Troy was talking, Wolf was looking at Alexandra, one black eyebrow half cocked. She struggled to maintain a pinched, if not terrified, smile.
As Troy fell silent, the corner of Wolf’s mouth tilted in a dry smile. “The only reason it’s secret is that I haven’t had a chance to ask your father for Alexandra’s hand yet.”
“You’re going to ask him?” Troy asked bluntly.
“Yes,” Wolf answered.
“When?”
Wolf’s brows drew together. “That’s really none of your business, is it?”
“I hope you’re serious,” Trey growled, “because Alexandra doesn’t deserve to have her heart stepped on.”
Alexandra would have laughed if the situation weren’t so serious. It’d been four years since she left home, but Trey and Troy were still the same. They used to threaten the local guys if they came near her. Little Alexandra was too good to be touched. Little Alexandra was a nice girl, a sweet girl, a virgin. She shuddered inwardly, remembering.
If she didn’t have any experience when she came to Los Angeles it was because her brothers had made sure that no man came near her. Apparently Dillon had put a bounty on the head of anybody who tried to get too friendly with his baby sister. And in her brother Dillon’s mind, anything past first base was too friendly.
Trey reached into his pocket, drew out his wallet. “How much would it take to get rid of you? Five millio
n? Ten? What do you want?”
Alexandra blanched, the blood draining from her face. “Trey.”
“Name your price,” Troy echoed.
“My price?” Wolf’s hard, cynical expression bordered on incredulous. “You think I can be bought?”
“We’re willing to try.” Troy wasn’t the least bit apologetic. “We want you gone.”
“That’s pretty obvious. But my relationship with Alexandra has nothing to do with you, and the only one who has a say in how we proceed with our engagement—” Wolf paused, looked pointedly at Alexandra “—is your sister.”
They were all looking at her now, waiting for her to respond. Her mouth dried and she licked her lips, trying to find her voice. Maybe it didn’t matter that she couldn’t find her voice, because she didn’t have the foggiest idea of what to say.
“Is it true?” Trey asked roughly. “Is this your dream man? This is who you want to marry?”
Alexandra’s gaze clung to Wolf’s. They’d find a way out of this one later—they’d have to—but for now she’d do anything to keep her brothers from dragging her back to Montana. Montana wasn’t home anymore, hadn’t been home for years. “Yes.”
“So when’s the wedding?” Troy persisted.
“Soon,” Wolf replied, taking Alexandra’s hand in his and kissing the back of her fingers. “We’d planned to elope, marry on location in Zambia.”
“Zambia?” Troy spluttered.
“Marry Alexandra in Africa?” Trey thundered. “That’s not going to happen. No way. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”
Troy’s square jaw hardened, his blue eyes splintering with cool shards of light. “If you’re going to marry her, you marry her here, where her family can attend. Do you understand?”
