Page 31 of Backed By You (Montgomery Brothers of Montana #3)

Rhett

The slam of the front door tells me two things: Levi is home and he’s in a sour mood.

I focus on the bacon sizzling in the pan in front of me. “Hungry?” I call out, flipping the bacon and hissing when the grease pops, landing on my wrist. I swipe it away and drop the lid over the pan with a clang .

“Have you seen this shit?” my brother hollers from down the hall, grumbling something under his breath about the family group chat I set up at Ma’s request a few months ago when Beau returned home.

It’s usually pictures of the grandkids, updates on Sunday dinner attendance, or weather-related, but every now and then, big news drops in the ol’ Montgomery text chain.

The side chats are where the real family drama lies.

“Yep,” I say, knowing he’s referring to the engagement announcement Beau shared—his second message ever sent in the chat. His first was, Who is this?

Beau told me a few weeks ago about his plan to propose to Callie when he used ‘helping Rhett’ as an excuse for why he was gone half the day. In reality, he was picking up the custom ring from a jewelry shop in Billings.

Levi comes around the corner from the living room, appearing in the archway connecting to the open concept kitchen we just finished last spring. He tosses his hoodie over the back of the couch and plops onto a bar stool at the end of the island.

His blond hair flops and he sighs, “I’m going to die alone.”

If it’s not one brother, it’s another.

I roll my eyes and return them to the stovetop. “Relax.”

“How can I relax? Brit won’t answer my calls.”

My jaw tightens and I spin a glare on my beloved, yet moronic, brother. “She’s going to put a restraining order on your ass if you don’t dial it back.”

He huffs dramatically. “You can’t restrain love, Rhett.”

“She’s not the one, man.” I shake my head, asking, “BLT?” I transfer the bacon onto a paper plate and set the pan to the side, turning off the stove before heading for the fridge.

“Sure,” he says, rising to grab the bread from the far counter.

I return with the lettuce and sliced tomato leftover from yesterday’s lunch. I even grab a few slices of cheese for Levi—knowing he’s sad and prefers a BLT with cheese, making it more of a BLT+C.

He’s a strange one when it comes to his dairy products.

“How the hell are you okay with all of this?”

I raise a brow and glance at him. “With what?”

“Butch, Duke.” He ticks off a finger with each name. “And now Beau . Fuckin’ Beau is getting hitched before me, or you. It’s bullshit.”

I shrug a shoulder and slide his plate to him, then pick up my sandwich and take an oversized bite.

It’s after ten o’clock at night and this is the second thing I’ve eaten all day.

Work has been crazy with everyone trying to fit in last-minute renovations before the trifecta of the holiday season hits.

“It is what it is,” I mumble around a mouthful.

He takes his plate to the island and sits. “I hate that saying.”

I do, too, but it’s the truth.

I swallow and grab two longnecks from the fridge. I pop the tops and hand one to my brother. We drink and eat in silence, neither of us wanting to dive into all the reasons why we’re single, why I’ve stopped dating altogether, and why Levi can’t seem to stop searching for his elusive The One .

We finish eating, and the second I start to clean up, Levi is making himself scarce. “Thanks for dinner,” he says and promptly yawns. “What time do you need me to meet you at the resort tomorrow?”

The urge to tell him not to bother is on the tip of my tongue. I love my brother to death, probably more than the rest of ‘em, but sometimes…his priorities aren’t in line with the growing company we’ve had since we were sixteen: Montgomery Construction we know each other well enough to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses. When to push and when not to. I don’t hold any of them against him.

Although, his desperate need to find love is getting out of hand these last few months.

“You got it.” He stretches and heads for the stairs. “Night, bro.”

“Night,” I say, scraping the grease off the pan into the trash before washing it.

I’m just turning off the lights to head up when my phone vibrates in my pocket. I groan, “Fuck.” Fishing it out, I glance at the name on the screen. Brow furrowed, I answer. “Hello?”

“Hey, Rhett,” Callie rushes out on the other end. “I’m so sorry to be calling you this late, but it’s an emergency.”

I straighten and head for the door. “What’s going on? You guys all right?” I tug on my boots, bending to stuff the laces in the sides before grabbing my keys off the hook.

“We’re fine,” Beau grunts, revealing I’m on speakerphone.

I pause, hand on the doorknob.

“Everyone is fine,” his fiancée says. “Sorry, I probably should have led with that.”

“What—”

“My friend, Shea. She just bought a fixer-upper in town; it’s right down the road from you,” she tells me. “And she, um, well, I’m not sure what the heck she did, but now there’s water running down the stairs. We think it might be a pipe or the bathroom or—I have no idea; I’m not a plumber.”

I tilt the phone away from my face and take a deep breath. Neither am I , I want to argue, but instead—being the brother always on call—I say, “What’s the address?”

Get ready for the next Montgomery looking for love in

Restored by You,

Book Four: Montgomery Brothers of Montana!