Suddenly, she turned and stared at the closed closet door with mounting fear. Slowly, she reached for the knob, her hand trembling. As the closet door came open, she froze. Her eyes widened in new alarm.
A half dozen new outfits hung in the otherwise nearly empty closet, the price tags still on them. As if sleepwalking, Allie reached for one of the tags and stared in shock at the price. Hurriedly, she checked the others. She couldnt afford any of them. So where had they come from?
Not only that, the clothes were what she would call classic, the type of clothes shed worn when shed met Nick. The kind of clothes shed pleaded with him to let her wear.
I want other men to look at you and wish they were me, Nick had said, getting angry.
But when she and Nick went out and she wore the clothes and other men did look, Nick had blamed her.
You must have given him the eye, Nick would say as they argued on the way home. Probably flipped your hair like an invitation. Who knows what you do while Im at work all day.
I take care of your daughter and your house.
Nick hadnt let her work after theyd gotten married, even though he knew how much she loved her wedding planning business. Women who work get too uppity. They think they dont need a man. No wife of mine is going to work.
Allie had only the clothes he bought her. Shed purchased little since his death because the money had been so tight. Nick had wanted to know about every cent shed spent, so she hadnt been able to save any money, either. Nick paid the bills and gave her a grocery allowance. He said hed buy her whatever she needed.
Now she stared at the beautiful clothes hanging in her closet. Beautiful blouses and tops. Amazing skirts and pants and dresses. Clothes Nick would have taken out in the yard and burned. But Nick was gone.
Or was he? He still hadnt been declared legally dead. That thought scared her more than she wanted to admit. What if he suddenly turned up at her door one night?
Was that what was making her crazy? Maybe she had done this. She had yearned for clothing like this and hated the clothes Nick had bought her, so had she subconsciously...
Allie stumbled away from the closet, bumped into the corner of the bed and sat down hard on the floor next to it. Her hand shook as she covered her mouth to keep from screaming. Had she shoplifted these clothes? She couldnt have purchased them. Just
his brother had fallen head over heels for Lily. He was happy for him.
No, what worried Jackson was nailing down the last of the plans before the wedding for the opening of a Texas Boys Barbecue joint in Big Sky, Montana. He had hoped that all of the brothers would be here by now. Laramie and Austin hadnt even flown up to see the space Tag had found, let alone signed off on the deal.
From the time the five brothers had opened their first restaurant in an old house in Houston, theyd sworn they would never venture outside of Texas with their barbecue. Even as their business had grown and theyd opened more restaurants and finally started their own franchise, they had stayed in the state where theyd been raised.
Jackson understood why Tag wanted to open one here. But he feared it had nothing to do with business and everything to do with love and not wanting to leave Montana, where they had all been born.
Before the wedding had seemed the perfect time for all of them to get together and finalize the deal. Hayes had come here last month to see if the restaurant was even feasible. Unfortunately, Hayes had gotten sidetracked, so now it was up to the rest of them to make sure Tag was doing the best thing for the businessand before the wedding, which was only four days away.
He hoped all his brothers arrived soon so they could get this over with. They led such busy lives in Texas that they hardly ever saw each other. Tag had said on the phone he was anxious to show him the building hed found for the new restaurant. Tag and Hayes had already made arrangements to buy the building without the final okay from the other brothers, something else that made Jackson nervous.
Jackson didnt want this move to cause problems among the five of them. So his mind was miles away as he started to step into the dim darkness inside the barn.
The cool air inside was suddenly filled with a terrified scream. An instant later, a black cat streaked past him and out the barn door.
* * *
JACKSON RACED INTO the barn not sure what he was going to find. What he found was a blond-haired woman who shared a striking resemblance to the little girl whod been singing outside by the corrals.
While Nat had been angelic, this woman was as beautiful as any hed ever seen. Her long, straight, blond hair was the color of sunshine. It rippled down her slim back. Her eyes, a tantalizing emerald-green, were huge with fear in a face that could stop traffic.
She stood against the barn wall, a box of wedding decorations open at her feet. Her eyes widened in even more alarm when she saw him. She threw a hand over her mouth, cutting off the scream.