Journey of the Bride by Mary Fox Page A

better? If so, you really aren ’ t as smart as you pretend to be. ” Brandon ’ s words, though bitter, weren ’ t filled with the same animosity they had been earlier.
     
    Paul sighed. “ Look, Brandon. Elizabeth was interested in one thing, and one thing only: money. Our family had a lot of it, so she decided to convince you to marry her. Then she met her current husband, a man of more wealth and social standing than yourself. She left you. End of story. ”
     
    “ I loved her though. ” Raw emotion spilled out of Brandon ’ s throat, making him choke on his words. It showed on his face as he looked at Paul.
     
    “ I know. ”
     
    “ I loved her. ”
     
    “ I know. ” Paul shook his head. “ But she didn ’ t love you. You need to see that, to understand it, to get over it. ”
     
    Brandon hung his head, his shoulders falling and his arms hanging limp at his sides.
     
    “ What about Courtney? ” Paul asked after several minutes of silence. During the silence, most of the hired hands returned to their work, sensing the end of the fight that had occurred only moments before.
     
    “ What about her? ” His hands twitched. Talking about Courtney left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn ’ t certain how he felt about her exactly. He didn ’ t love her, at least he didn ’ t think he did, but she had changed his life in the short time she ’ d been on the ranch. The biggest thing was that she hadn ’ t made any objection to his words. When he ’ d told her to leave, she had. He could see how much he hurt her every day she ’ d remained, but she hadn ’ t said a word to him about it.
     
    On more than one occasion, he had noticed her watching him. He had also noted how her eyes grew softer when she did, how her shoulders drooped and her hands fell to her sides, as if in defeat. Had she wanted to stay? Had she wanted to remain despite his effort to push her back toward the life she deserved?
     
    “ Do you remember what she said to you? ”
     
    Brandon looked up at him, confusion plain on his face. What was Paul talking about? What had Courtney said to him?
     
    “ Remember? When you told her about Elizabeth? ”
     
    Brandon turned away, searching his memory for the conversation they ’ d had. He ’ d been so angry with Paul. It had blinded him in a lot of ways. He didn ’ t know what his brother was talking about now. What had Courtney said? He remembered it had stunned him, remembered that he ’ d never thought of what she ’ d told him before, but what had she said. It had to deal with his feelings toward Elizabeth. He didn ’ t love her. He didn ’ t love Elizabeth. If he had, he would have gone after her when she left him. Courtney hadn ’ t known Elizabeth though, and truth be told, she didn ’ t know him.
     
    Then again, maybe she ’ d been right about him after all.
     
    Satisfied that Brandon remembered, Paul nodded his head when his brother looked at him. “ Do you love Courtney? ”
     
    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He remembered the touch of her skin on his though. He remembered the smell of her hair. He remember the taste of her mouth. She ’ d been warm and loving. She ’ d been soft and yielding to him. She had given him everything, and he ’ d sent her away. What kind of a man was he?
     
    “ I don ’ t know, ” he answered honestly. He shook his head and frowned at Paul. “ I just don ’ t know. ”
     
    A deep frown crossed his older brother ’ s face as he looked at him with unyielding eyes. “ Well, you need to decide soon, ” he told him.
     
    “ Oh? Why ’ s that? ”
     
    Brandon ’ s blood ran cold with Paul ’ s next words. “ Because she ’ s getting married, and only you have the ability to stop it. ”
     
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
     
    Courtney paced the floor back and forth, not certain who to be angry at more — herself or her father. Somehow, in her conversation with Talbert a couple of days before, she ’ d