brides for brothers 03 - cowboy groom by judy christenberry Page B

would’ve had to eat by himself if he hadn’t.”
    Megan patted her shoulder, a gentle smile on her lips. “Sweetie, Brett has more friends in Casper than there are people in Rawhide. He could’ve had companions for lunch until next Christmas.”
    Before Anna could say anything, Janie asked, “And you ran into Sylvia at lunch?”
    Anna nodded. At Janie’s exasperated prodding, she told them about Sylvia’s reaction to Brett’s appearance with her and then added a description of the scene at the senator’s house.
    Her words stunned the other two. Megan and Janie exchanged a surprised look and then turned to stare at her.
    “I swear that’s what happened.”
    Janie’s shoulders slumped, and she sighed. “She must really love him, then. Otherwise, she would’ve pitched a holy fit about him offering to leave her behind.”
    “That’s what I figured,” Anna agreed, feeling as depressed as Janie looked.
    “Then, for Brett’s sake, we’ll have to get along with her,” Megan said, determination in her voice.
    “Yeah,” Janie agreed, not quite as determined.
    “Yeah,” Anna echoed, her heart breaking.
    “W E’RE DELIGHTED you’re here, Sylvia,” Jake said as he set down the luggage. “Welcome to the family.”
    “Thank you so much, Jake. I’m delighted to visit. I’ve heard so much about your wonderful hospitality.” She smiled warmly at his brother, and Brett breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been having some doubts about his engagement after the events of the day. But Sylvia must have just been in a bad mood.
    “Get washed up, sweetheart, and we’ll see what Red saved us for dinner. I know you must be hungry.” He smiled and turned to follow Jake from the room.
    “Wait a minute, Brett. Can’t we…talk?”
    “Now? Aren’t you hungry?” He was. Lunch seemed a long time ago.
    Sylvia stepped closer and slid her hands around his neck, leaning against him. “You haven’t even kissed me today.” She pouted and lifted her mouth to his.
    Brett eyed her lips, covered with bright red lipstick, shiny, as if he’d slide right off if he touched them, and he thought of Anna’s soft pink lips. Sylvia’s were thinner, more—more precise. Disconcerting as his thoughts were, he kissed her.
    When he pulled away, Sylvia complained and tried to pull his head back down.
    “Anna will be waiting on us for dinner, Sylvia. We’ll have some time later.”
    She leaned her body into his, and Brett was surprised when his didn’t respond as it had in the past. He must be more tired than he thought.
    “Where’s your room? I thought maybe we’d share a room while I was here. You know, conserve heat, ” she added, writhing against him.
    He shrugged off her invitation with a grin. “It’s summer, Sylvia. No one would buy that line.”
    “It’s the nineties, Brett. Your family would understand if we slept together.” She pulled his head down for another kiss.
    Brett accommodated her, but what enthusiasm he’d had was waning. He was a nineties man, true, but he still preferred for the man to do the chasing. And so far, it seemed to him, now that he came to think about it, that Sylvia had done all the pursuing.
    He hadn’t mentioned to his brothers that Sylvia had proposed to him. He told himself it really didn’t matter. After all, he’d enthusiastically accepted.
    Thinking about that moment, he realized his enthusiasm wasn’t what it had been. Was he that fickle? He hadn’t changed his mind, had he?
    “What’s wrong, lover?” she asked, pouting again. “Don’t you want me?”
    He noticed her lipstick wasn’t as bright as it had been. That probably meant he was wearing part of it. “Do I have lipstick on me?”
    “Of course. Don’t you like my brand?”
    The response that rushed into his head wasn’t lukewarm or halfhearted. Nor diplomatic. He substituted that response with a more appeasing one. “I don’t think lipstick is appropriate for any man, sweetheart. Even an engaged