My Stallion Heart (The Stallions Book 7) by Deborah Fletcher Mello Page A

suddenly, our inner Stallion circle isn’t just ours anymore. It’s just a lot to take.”
    “Sounds like you’re the one who’s feeling some kind of way.”
    Mark’s broad shoulders pushed up. “Maybe. Maybe I am.”
    John nodded. He reflected on his brother briefly as Mark dropped into his own thoughts. When he finally spoke his tone was low and even. “You and Luke are both entitled to feel however you want. Just remember one thing. Noah and his family have to be feeling some kind of way, as well. So don’t make the mistake you made when we found out about Phaedra being our sister. You put a lot of distance between you and her and it took some time for you to give her a chance. You missed out on a lot of love but when you finally allowed yourself to open up, it turned out to be the best thing for you both.”
    Before Mark could answer, the conference room door swung open. John turned just as his own likeness stepped through the entrance. A wide smile pulled at his full lips.
    The Stallion bloodline ran deep. Noah Stallion stood tall, his build almost identical to Mark’s, his features a reflection of John’s. He had the same rugged good looks of all the brothers, their chiseled features and haunting eyes. His complexion was a warm caramel brown, not the more-cream-than-coffee skin tone of their cousin Travis, or the Hershey’s dark chocolate of John and his brothers.
    Nathaniel and Nicholas Stallion and their two sisters, Naomi and Natalie, followed on his heels. Travis eased into the room behind them. There was no mistaking the Stallion family resemblance, all of them looking as if they belonged one to the other
    Noah greeted him with a wide smile of his own, his hand extended. “You must be John,” he said.
    John nodded. “I am. And this is my brother Mark.”
    “Nice to meet you, Mark.”
    There were handshakes and hugs exchanged as the two families introduced themselves. Luke, Phaedra and Matthew joined the commotion before everyone had made their way around the room. Then there was silence, nervous energy flowing through the space with a vengeance as they all stood staring at one another.
    “Why don’t we sit down,” John said, breaking through the quiet that filled the air.
    “Did you all come alone?” Naomi questioned, looking across the table at the four brothers, the cousin named Travis and Phaedra, the only female in the group.
    John shook his head. “No, our families are here. We arranged for banquet space for dinner and I thought it would be a lot less chaotic if we had a chance to talk first.”
    “What about your families?” Phaedra questioned, looking from Naomi to Natalie.
    “None of us are married,” Naomi answered. “Well, Nathaniel’s almost married.”
    “Like hell I am!” Nathaniel exclaimed.
    The men all laughed.
    “Sounds like there’s a story there,” Mark teased.
    “Someone’s going to write it one day,” Naomi commented. “And I plan to give them the low-down filthy dirt to make it a best seller.”
    Nathaniel rolled his eyes skyward. “Forgive my sister. She actually thinks we all want her up in our business.”
    Mark snapped his fingers. “We’ve got one of those!” he said, gesturing with his thumb toward Phaedra.
    “Yes, you do,” Phaedra said, her tone unapologetic. “And you love it.”
    Naomi nodded in agreement. Natalie giggled as silence drifted back between them.
    John broke through the quiet as he changed the subject. “We were all very sorry to hear about your mother passing.”
    Noah nodded. “We appreciate that. Our mother was...well...” He shrugged.
    “I think what my brother is trying to say is that our being here, like this, now, speaks volumes about the woman our mother was,” Natalie interjected. “We grew up believing she didn’t have any family.”
    Travis nodded. “We’re just as surprised as you guys are.”
    “I don’t ever remember my father or Travis’s dad mentioning that they had a sister,” John added.
    “From