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Madeline searched for her sister Michelle.
When she saw Michelle and Brodie all cuddled up away from the crowd of people milling around their parents’ backyard, she didn’t know whether to smile or gag.
They were so sickeningly in love.
Getting a grip on her emotions, Madeline pranced over with a determined smile plastered on her face. She was happy for Michelle, so she wouldn’t be bitter. Not when her sister glistened with hope and love and peace after such a horrible couple of years.
Last spring, Michelle had escaped to the tiny beachside community of Driftwood Bay, where their Uncle Jaybo owned a sweet little cottage. She’d run away to escape the loss of her young son and the end of her marriage. But Michelle’s grief had changed to joy when she’d fallen in love with Brodie Stevens.
Thank you, God.
“Maddie!” Michelle hopped out of Brodie’s lap to greet her, but she kept her hand in his, a sure sign that they were connected.
“Hi,” Madeline said, her gaze moving from Brodie to Michelle. “I met Sam. He’s ... interesting.”
Michelle’s blue eyes sparked with a knowing fire. “He’s not a talker.”
“I could tell.”
Brodie got up and tugged Michelle close, his always stormy eyes centered on Madeline. “I had to threaten him to get him to come up here.”
“How do you threaten a man like Sam Hinson?” Madeline asked, remembering Sam’s nice biceps and what looked like rock-solid abs. “He’s built like a linebacker.”
“I threaten and then I run,” Brodie replied, in good shape himself. “And I used the best friend, wingman, best man angle.”
“You guilted him into being in the wedding, the same way Michelle guilted me?”
“Something like that,” Brodie replied with a grin.
“Have you been crying?” Michelle asked, her cat-like gaze moving over Madeline’s face.
“No.” Madeline said, pushing at her hair. “Just allergies.”
“It’s February,” Michelle retorted. “No ragweed around.”
“Dust and dry leaves.” Madeline gave her sister a glaring stare. “Let it go.”
Brodie dropped back and scanned the crowd. “I feel the need to find something liquid. Parched throat.”
He winked at Michelle and took off like a roadrunner.
“You have no tact,” Madeline said to her sister. “Clearly, getting engaged has addled your brain.”
“I know when my sister’s been crying,” Michelle quipped. “What’s wrong?”
Madeline tugged her by the arm. “Let’s go check the bottled water supply.”
When they’d made it to the big refrigerator in the garage, she turned to Michelle. “I was having a moment down by the river. Evan called today. He’s raising the rent on my building.”
Disgust colored Michelle’s face. “That jerk. He’s sitting in a mansion in Dallas and he has the nerve to make you pay more—.”
“He can get away with it and he knows it,” Madeline said on a low note. Embarrassment shrouded her like a fishnet. “It brings him pleasure to see me in pain, especially since I had to swallow my pride and ask him if I could rent the apartment over my boutique so I’d have a place to live.”
“Well, I’d like to see him in pain,” Michelle said, shaking her head. “One fine day, sister.”
“Anyway, I’m okay,” Madeline lied. “I had a good cry and then I turned and ... there was Sam.”
“Oh, now this is getting good,” Michelle said, grabbing a six pack of water to take back outside. “Sam is my friend. Be gentle with him.”
“I don’t plan to be anything with him,” Madeline countered, but she couldn’t help the little shiver of anticipation that moved through her. That little quiver of awareness proved she was still alive and still very much a woman no matter how much of a shell she’d become.
She just wasn’t ready to get involved with another man. Even the amazingly good-looking man walking toward her at this very moment.
“Let me take that,” Sam said, grabbing the shrink-wrapped water bottles from Michelle, barely glancing at Madeline. He obviously didn’t want to get her stirred up again.
Michelle let him help but hurried to keep up with him. “I hear you met my sister Maddie.”
“Maddie?” He finally glanced back, looking all cool and casual, his gaze moving over her and away. “Yeah, we met.”
“So?” Michelle’s hopeful blue eyes always did him in.
“So what?”
“So ... isn’t she adorable?”
“I’m right here,” Madeline said, trying to catch up. “Right behind you.”
“And you’re adorable. Right, Sam?”
Sam set down the carton of water on the drink table and turned to give Madeline a long, slow appraisal, his green eyes full of mirth. “I reckon she’ll do in a pinch.”
Then he nodded and stalked away.
“I guess I made a real good impression on him,” Madeline said, her ego bruised. But by the way he’d looked at her, as if measuring her for shark bait, she had to wonder if he’d been burned by love himself.
“He likes you,” Michelle said with a soft smile. “He’s just shy.”
“Right.” Madeline wasn’t buying that. “There’s shy and then, there’s brute-force rude.”
“He’s not rude,” Michelle insisted. “Sam is one of a kind. He’s a hero, a warrior. The strong and silent type.”
“And so not my type.”
“Give him a chance.” Michelle took her by the hand. “After all, you’ll be with him for the next few days.”
“Not if I can avoid him.”
“Who’s avoiding who?”
Their younger sister Melissa walked up, her inquisitive expression and exotic blue-green eyes reminding Madeline of a cat looking for a bird.
Michelle filled her in. “Maddie’s got the hots for Sam Hinson.”
“I do not!” Madeline insisted, even though she was sweating in spite of the cool February night.
Melissa searched the crowd and zoomed in on Sam standing with her father and Brodie. “Nice,” she said, drawing the word out while she twirled a strand of honey-blonde hair around one finger. “He’s got that brooding bad-boy thing going on. Dark, sun-streaked longish hair, beautiful heartbreaker eyes. Built to last.”
“And again, so not my type,” Madeline repeated. “That’s more your type, though. Go for it.”
“I’m engaged, too,” Melissa reminded her, even though she’d postponed the wedding twice now and currently wasn’t speaking to her bespoken groom.
“And I want to stay single forever,” Madeline retorted, even though she was glad Melissa wasn’t interested.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Melissa said with an impish grin. Then she leaned in. “You know, Maddie, weddings are the best events for scoping out men.”
“I’m not here to scope. I’m here to do my maid-of-honor duties.”
“And you look so thrilled.” Melissa nudged her. “That includes being nice to the best man.”
“The best man to help you get your groove back,” Michelle whispered.
Melissa giggled and high-fived Michelle.
While Madeline gritted her teeth and tried not to throw up.
It didn’t help that each time she glanced over at Sam, he was glancing over at her.
And ... she was enjoying it.