Love All Out - Part 2 (A Stepbrother Romance) Read Online Free Page A

gotten married, had two family meals, made plans to sell my childhood home, strong armed me into a job, and essentially told you to get out and build your own house.”
    “Point taken,” I agreed. “How long will it take your nana to get here?”
    “I’ll call her this week,” James promised. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned back in his chair. “It’s kind of nice… having a conversation without you yelling at me, I mean. You know, Willow, I meant what I said this morning. I really would like it if we could be friends.”
    I stood up and shook my head as I walked towards the door. “We may have a common goal right now, but we’ll never be friends.”
    “Why not?” he called after me.
    I turned and stared at him with narrowed eyes. “Because you’re only nice to me when we’re alone. I’ll take responsibility for the part I played in this, James. I knew what kind of man you are and I slept with you anyway. I let myself believe that you could actually have feelings for me. I know that I was wrong, but you didn’t have to rub it in my face.”
    “Willow, Katelyn wasn’t my date last night. We ran into each other. She’d heard about my accident and she was so relieved I was okay, she kissed me. I didn’t want to push her away and embarrass her in front of everyone. And in all fairness, I had no idea you’d be there.”
    “You didn’t expect me to be there, because you didn’t invite me,” I reminded him. “And you’re free to kiss whoever you’d like. But that shit eating grin you gave me when I found the two of you together crossed the line. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? It was like you were happy you’d put me in my place.”
    James stood up and moved towards me. “Willow, I’m sorry. Please, let me explain.”
    I held up my hands to stop him. “There’s no need, James. Really. Nothing you could say would change anything and I don’t want to hear it anyway. We both made mistakes, there’s no reason to dwell on them. Let’s just focus on breaking up this engagement so we can both get on with our lives.”
    I stomped out of the stables and this time, James didn’t follow me.
     
    ***
     
    Over the next few days, Daddy and Renee showed no signs of slowing down with their wedding plans. On Monday, Daddy had all the furniture from his bedroom and the living room moved to one of the staff cabins. On Tuesday, he took Renee shopping in Grand Junction. On Wednesday, delivery men filled the house with new furniture. Renee officially moved in on Thursday.
    The house was filled with her bubbly sweetness and I felt like I would drown in it if I didn’t escape. I welcomed her to the ranch one last time, and then set off for James’s cabin.
    I took long, deep breaths of the fresh mountain air as I followed the path that connected the main house to the staff houses behind it. James had moved in to the same cabin he and Renee had lived in after his accident. Daddy signed a plot of land over to him as well, but I was certain he’d never build on it. I kept telling myself that the engagement would be over soon, and my life would get back to normal.
    James stepped out on his porch as I neared the cabin. He had on tight Wranglers, boots, and his white cowboy hat. His bare, chiseled chest gleamed in the sunlight. The site of him made me forget the reason behind my visit.
    James stared at me for a moment. His lip curled up in a cocky grin when he realized I was distracted by his body. “Hey there, Willow. Did you come to help me get settled in? I’d suggest we christen my new place, but as I recall, we’ve already done that.”
    My eyes darted to the ground and my cheeks burned hot with embarrassment. “I had to get out of the house… our parents are acting like teenagers,” I mumbled.
    “And you came here? Isn’t Matt down at the barn?” James pressed. “I’m flattered.”
    “Don’t be,” I quickly replied. I put one hand on my hip and used the other to shield my face from the