Page 43

Liam frowned at him. “What?”

“You know the old saying, you can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but—”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, I do not fall into the all-of-the-time category. You think I don’t know—that I’m not aware—that all of us, everyone in this family has paired off in the last year and a half except—”

“Me. I know. But thanks for pointing it out.”

“And did you think that invitation to the Brody’s kid’s baptism in New York City fell out of the sky?”

Now he turned to Will in shock. “What?”

“No, I mean you were out driving cattle or something that day when I happened to talk to Jess when he called the house and he wanted you to come to the baptism, but he didn’t imagine you could drag yourself away from the ranch. I told him, yes, you could. And you’d love to come.”

“Wait. You got me invited?”

“No. Not at all. But we all wanted you to get outta here. Out from under all the work you’ve been putting in. See what’s out there. Outside of this place. And look what happened.”

He burned a look at his brother. “Next you’re gonna tell me meeting her was a setup.”

“No, no. That was… a total—what do they call it? A kismet thing. But taking you to that dinner at her house was Jess’s wife’s idea. She adores Emily and thought… why not?”

Either way, it seemed the universe—and his family—had conspired for them to meet. His head was spinning.

“All I’m saying,” Will went on, “is don’t put imaginary roadblocks in front of you and her. Like what might have happened this morning, or her not beingcountryenough for this place.”

“An expiring visa is not imaginary.”

“Minutia. That could be overcome with a job.”

“A job she can’t get here. And you’re one to talk about roadblocks, after you and Izzy nearly broke up over the roadblock you put in front of her, lying to us about your real relationship.”

Will sent him a grin. “This is one of those big brother ‘do as I say not as I do’ moments. Or maybe it’s a learn what I had to learn the hard way. But you and Emily… I say keep open to what’s possible. And if you want her, little brother, fight for her.”

*

“Don’t hate me,”was the first thing out of Emily’s sister, Muriel’s mouth when Emily answered her cell phone after saying goodbye to Liam. “It wasn’t exactly my fault.”

Emily’s heart sank, imagining the worst. “You’ve flooded the apartment?”

“Um… no?”

“Set fire to it?”

“Not that either.”

She didn’t like the sound of this. “Don’t make me guess. What have you done, Muriel?”

“Do you want the really bad news or the qualified good news first?”

“Let me have it. Bad first.”

She heaved a sigh. “I… may have mentioned to Malcolm that you might have… possibly fallen in love with a… a cowboy. And that you’ve gone to Montana to find your happily ever after.”

Emily clutched her forehead. “Oh, Muriel—”

“I know. I know. But in my defense, he goaded me into it. And I got carried away by the romance of your whole adventure. Because Mal was ragging on you to me as usual, and I was trying to defend you and… oh, it really was an accident.”