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Catch a sneak peek of upcoming release THE STALKER!

Sneak Peek

Can’t wait till release day? Book 13 in The O’Connells romantic suspense series is coming soon, but you can grab a sneak peek of THE STALKER today!

Dark secrets are resurrected in this new O’Connell novel.

Alison Sweetgrass-O’Connell believes she’s forever a misfit and will never fit in.

After struggling to recover from a teenage crush that dealt her a crippling blow, Alison watches from the sidelines in the small town of Livingston, Montana, which hasn’t been friendly to her. Silently, she believes everyone’s seemingly perfect lives have a dark side. And soon her beliefs prove true.

Alison meets young, attractive med student Bennett Warren, new to Livingston. Suddenly, Bennett is showing up everywhere she is—and then, in her good fortune, he turns out to have rented the apartment right next door.

At first, she’s convinced it’s fate, and maybe there is hope for her, but a suspicious turn of events has her fearing she’s being stalked by someone who knows one of her secrets, something no one should know.

She tries telling herself she’s imagining things, but she soon realizes someone has been inside her apartment, going through her very personal belongings. She finds herself looking over her shoulder, not knowing who she can trust. When she confides in Bennett, she’s convinced he thinks she’s crazy, too.

Then Alison comes across evidence that has her questioning not only her sanity but also the real reason Bennett showed up in Livingston—and even more disturbing is the possibility that him moving right next door to her wasn’t entirely coincidental.

Chapter 1

Did anyone else slip out of bed in the morning planning to kill someone?

As Alison stared at the list of names in her journal, she underlined Belinda Lee’s again in red, picturing her perfect smile, perfect body. Belinda wrapped every guy around her finger, and every one of them had believed everything she’d said. She’d thrown Alison under the bus with lies and more lies to save her own skin.

It seemed her entire life had been a series of people believing she was an easy target, a scapegoat who would never fight back.

Her pen hovered over the page again. She had to remind herself that Cassie Arnold—scratch that, Cassie Baker—shouldn’t be on the list. She crossed out her name and then circled the two columns, which contained the names of everyone who had hurt her with lies and stories, targeting her just because of who she was: someone who could never fit in.

But Cassie had never done that. Her only crime had been falling in love with Brady.

There was a knock at her bedroom door, and she closed the red hardcover book and shoved it in her bedside table just as the door opened. There was her dad, Ryan. She wondered whether she would still feel like she did now, as if life was against her, if she’d been raised by him instead of Wren, a man who’d loved her but hated her mother.

He had been twisted, sick—likely why she was the freak she struggled not to be today.

“You could wait until I say to come in, you know,” she told him, wondering if sarcasm and nastiness dripped from her voice.

Her dad raised a brow, and then there was a tug at his lips. Of course, he was fighting some amusement at her expense. “Then you’d never answer,” he said. “Figured you were either sleeping or ignoring the world. I see it’s the latter. Everything okay, kiddo?”

There it was, the fatherly concern she had to remind herself was normal. He lingered in the doorway, his hand on the frame, dressed in his ranger uniform, already packing his gun.

“Fine,” she said. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Oh, maybe the fact that she was still stuck in her misery since seeing Belinda Lee just the day before. She had walked into the Bluebird, the bustling restaurant Alison had worked her ass off at for the past year, doing all the shit jobs to try to get the coveted evening waitress position, where the tips were high and the hourly pay was a dollar more. Belinda had walked in and landed the job after just five minutes with the manager. It had been just one more kick to the head.

“I thought you and I could snag breakfast together this morning and talk and catch up,” Ryan said. “Your mom is across the street with Charlotte. The two of them are working on Marcus’s campaign.”

Right, her uncle was running to keep his job as sheriff. It seemed her dad was ready to poke his nose into her business.

“I’m not really hungry,” she said. “I have work.” In six hours.

Her dad angled his head and stared at her with those deep O’Connell blue eyes. He seemed at times to know what she was thinking and feeling. But maybe that was just her imagination. He didn’t move or look away, though.

“Pretty sure you work the dinner shift,” he said. “It was a big deal last week when you no longer had to work the breakfast and lunch crowd for a pittance, as you put it, of tips. You’re in the big leagues now. Or has something changed? Are you back working the early shift?” He

crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorframe with seemingly no intention of walking away.

She tried to figure out what to say. She didn’t much like being caught in a lie, and she wished her grandma were around to talk to and just make her feel better. But she was just someone else who had left her.

“Fine,” Alison said. “But I’m not ready to eat breakfast. It’s too early.”

“Nonsense,” Ryan said. “Get dressed. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” He gestured toward her as he took a step past the doorway. She knew she was frowning, but he didn’t seem to notice. “We haven’t had much time to talk, and it’s time to check in, since you haven’t been around for family night this week. If left to your own devices and given space, you’d continue to be stuck in your head, miserable, gathering enough rope to hang yourself, as I can see from your face now.” He glanced to his watch and then back to her. “Say, ten minutes, downstairs. I’ll warm the truck.”

“What? Wait, you mean we’re going out?” Now she was sitting straight up, alarm tightening her chest. She was wearing a baggy nightshirt on her messy bed, and her image in the dresser mirror revealed bed hair and unwashed makeup from the night before.

“Yeah, breakfast out,” he said. “You have time. We’ll talk, catch up, and you can tell me everything that’s going on in that head of yours. Namely, you can explain why I’m hearing second-hand that you applied for an apartment rental at the Carlyle and didn’t bother saying anything to your mom and me. So come on, get up, and clean up and get dressed. You have ten minutes. See you downstairs.” Then her dad tapped the door frame and was gone, walking away.

She listened to the creak on the stairs, a sinking feeling in her stomach as she said, under her breath, “Shit.”

“Yeah, I heard that,” Ryan called out. “Ten minutes, Alison. Get your butt in gear.”

She wondered now how much more he was listening to when she thought he wasn’t. As she climbed from bed, she was stuck on one question: How had he found out about her applying to rent an apartment? She hadn’t told anyone when she spotted the for-rent sign, called the number, and filled out an application that didn’t include her parents’ names for references, yet he seemed to know even though she had yet to hear back from the building manager about whether her application had been approved.

Right, just one more person who was messing with her.

***

“You know there’s no shortage of restaurants,” she said. “Did you have to bring me to the place I work?”

At least they were in a corner. She fought the urge to run her fingers through her wet hair, which was still damp from the quick shower she’d grabbed. She’d thrown on white sweatpants and a matching bulky and comfortable hoodie, and when she’d finally gone downstairs, her dad had been standing at the bottom, checking his watch.

“Hey, stop complaining, considering I’m the one who had to wait for you,” Ryan said. “When I said ten minutes, I didn’t mean for you to take a twenty-minute shower and then try on everything in your room while I waited downstairs. I thought you’d throw something on, brush your teeth, wash your face, and we’d go.”

Alison reached for a packet of sugar and tapped it before ripping it open to pour into the steaming coffee Nan had brought as soon as they sat down. Nan was the waitress who had trained her, an older woman close to retirement, with hair she’d let go pure white and a smile that

always warmed her. She’d reminded Alison that customers liked a happy waitress, not one with a chip on her shoulder. She stirred in the sugar and then tapped her spoon on the edge of her mug, fighting the urge to roll her shoulders, very aware that her boss, Chad Hargrave—older, married, and balding—was walking their way.

“It wasn’t twenty minutes,” she said. “I’m not a guy, who can get out of bed and throw on the first thing he sees. I’m a girl. It takes me more than ten minutes to get ready.”

She didn’t have to look up to know that Chad was now standing there, but she lifted her mug to drink as she took in the man who had welcomed Belinda with open arms.

“Hey there, Alison,” Chad said. “Listen, we’re kind of short staffed, so I need you to start earlier today. Then I’m going to put you back on the lunch shift for the rest of the week. Okay?” He patted her back and smiled at her dad, then didn’t wait for a response before walking away.

She felt her jaw slacken, her appetite disappearing, and she squeezed the handle of her mug, firming her lips, wondering how that had just happened.

“Why didn’t you speak up?” Ryan said.

She dragged her gaze back to her dad, who lifted his mug, took a swallow of coffee, and then closed up the laminate menu and slid it to the edge of the table.

“And say what, no?” She could feel her attitude with a dash of anger. Why did she feel as if there was a “Kick me” sign taped to her back?

“Well, for starters, didn’t you say the dinner shift is what you wanted?” Ryan said. “You make more tips there, but now you’re suddenly working a shift you don’t want again. When you work for someone, you don’t have a lot of say, but you do have a voice. If you don’t speak up, you’ll get walked over. So is this a permanent demotion? Just saying, you have to use your words and talk and communicate instead of going right to that place of having a chip on your shoulder and being angry at the world.”

She rested her elbows on the table, holding her coffee mug between both hands. Nan was running plates out from the back, wearing blue jeans and a faded blue shirt. The breakfast and lunch crowd were casual, but for the dinner shift, they were a little more on the dressy side.

“I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, but he’s my boss,” Alison said. “I’m pretty sure if I said no, the next thing he’d say is ‘Pick up your check. You’re fired.’”

She wasn’t sure what to make of the amusement in her dad’s expression as he shook his head and said, “Now you’re being overdramatic. Words matter, and you have to speak up. Talking isn’t your strong suit, I know. You hold things in, Alison. You get pissed off and think the world is out to get you, but it isn’t. What you give out is what you get back. Well, at least you can show up for family night now, and we can keep tabs on you again, check in and find out what you’re doing, talk…you know, like families do. And maybe you can explain why you’re suddenly renting an apartment and moving out.”

She took a swallow of the bitter coffee that needed something else, more sugar, maybe cream. She put the mug down on the table. “It’s called being an adult. It’s time to have my own life and place. I didn’t know I’d been approved to rent the apartment. I applied and was told they’d get back to me. So how did you find out?”

She wondered for a moment if her dad would answer her question. He glanced over to the side as Nan hurried past and said, “I’ll be right back to take your order!”

Ryan pulled in a breath and leaned back, nodding. “Being eighteen doesn’t make you an adult,” he said. “There aren’t many people I don’t know in this town, and since you didn’t put any references down on your application, my phone was suddenly ringing. I went to school with Trish Huckman, who manages the Carlyle. She was wondering why you signed the application

as Alison Sweetgrass, not O’Connell. Everyone in this town knows you’re my daughter, but you’re still using Wren’s last name? I don’t like the kinds of questions that raises. As you know, people create problems that aren’t there. They come up with their own version of the truth.”

She had hesitated, since she usually wrote Sweetgrass-O’Connell. She had even wondered, for a moment, if he’d understand.

“A habit, I guess,” she replied. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

She stared at her coffee. Sometimes letting a lie roll off her tongue was easier than explaining why she did the things she did. When she flicked her gaze back to her dad, he was staring at her and leaning back, and his blue eyes held an edge of hurt. Okay, now she felt like shit.

“It is a big deal, Alison,” he said. “You’re my daughter…” He let out a sigh, and she knew he was taking it personally. “Alison Sweetgrass-O’Connell is your name. You’re an O’Connell. Or do you have a problem with being my daughter? I thought we were past this.”

She didn’t know what to say. She wished she could go back and undo that moment and write her full name. Wren hadn’t exactly been father of the year, yet she was still holding on to that piece of him even though she would never walk away from her family here.

“No, Dad, there isn’t. You’re being ridiculous. It was just a blip and meant nothing. I wasn’t thinking…”

She stopped talking. His gaze lingered with that dark look she knew well. It was just who he was. She never knew when he’d call her out, but she didn’t think he’d let this slide.

“Okay, the truth?” she said. “I wanted anonymity, to do this myself and not have it get back to you or Uncle Marcus or anyone in the family. But, apparently, I can’t even do that right. So everyone knows about me. Not sure how I like that.”

She thought of Trish, the woman who’d shown her the one-bedroom apartment, and felt another knife in her back.

Her dad didn’t say anything for a second. Then he pulled in a breath. “This town knows about all of us. We’ve been in the spotlight for too long, and it seems everyone knows how to connect the dots between us. Trish wanted a reference. Since you’ve never rented a place before, it makes people nervous. I vouched for you. You’ve got the place if you want it, but why the rush? You’re just starting out, just finished high school. You have your own room in a roomy house, and you’re just starting to put money away. It’s not as if we’re at each other’s throats.”

She didn’t know how to explain the feeling that it was time to move out, to move on to her own life. “Dad…seriously, it’s time. I just want to have my own place, to be responsible for myself. It has nothing to do with the house being too small. I just want to make decisions for myself, be on my own, pay my own way, walk through the door to something that’s just mine. It’s not that you’d never see me.” She thought of the way her dad poked his nose in her business. At times, she wanted it as much as she didn’t. “If you’re trying to talk me out of it…”

He lifted his hand and shook his head. “I’m not talking you out of anything. I just wanted to touch base and understand. You know this doesn’t mean you get to skip family night.” He leaned back in the chair, resting his arm over the back of the empty one beside him. She understood what he was saying, and she didn’t know why she wanted to be okay with it.

“I promise I’ll be there,” she said. The smile burst like a bright beam of sunshine in her stomach and pulled at her face, and her dad gestured to her.

“That there is something I want to see more of, that smile. And one more thing.” He leaned across the table, looking to the side, and she held her breath a second, wondering what was coming next. “If your boss touches you like that again, that good ol’ boy pat on the back, you tell

him to keep his hands to himself, because if he doesn’t, it’ll be me who’s in his face. Use your words and set your boundaries, or I will.”

She didn’t know what to say. Her dad was serious. Every time Chad did that, she tried to tell herself that it was normal and shouldn’t bother her like it did.

“Okay,” she finally said.

He frowned. “Okay what? You’ll speak up, or you want me to have a word with him? Because I will. You want me to fight your battles or teach you to fight?”

The answer was on the tip of her tongue as she dragged her gaze over to her boss, who strode out of the back with an apron around his waist, carrying three plates to a table. She knew how he looked at her and everyone else. Her boss was just one more asshole whose name was on her list.

“I’ll tell him,” she said. “But when he fires me, I’ll tell him it was your idea.”

Her dad laughed and shook his head. “Ah, Alison, Alison… That’s my girl, jumping to the worst-case scenario. But, just FYI, he won’t fire you. He can’t, because if he does, it won’t just be me he’ll have to contend with—it’ll be all the O’Connells, and I think you know well, darling daughter, that we look after our own. And one other thing: Just remember, when you move out, you can always move back home.”

The O'Connells

The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss.

The Neighbor

The Third Call

The Secret Husband

The Quiet Day

The Commitment

The Missing Father

The Hometown Hero

Justice

The Family Secret

The Fallen O’Connell

The Return of the O’Connells

And Then She Was Gone

The Stalker

The O’Connells Family Christmas

The Girl Next Door

Broken Promises

The Gatekeeper

The Hunted

A Christmas of Betrayal

Audiobooks

Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook!

And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading on Kindle and listening on Audible without losing your place.

Find THE NEIGHBOR at Audible here

New Releases

10/31 The newest O’Connells release is here!

New Release

The newest addition to The O’Connells series is here! AND THEN SHE WAS GONE, Book 12, is now available at all online retailers.

The moment Brady told his family he was engaged, his fiancée was nowhere to be found.

Six months ago, Brady’s true love, Cassie Arnold, walked into his hometown and his life. Everything was perfect, including their plans for their upcoming wedding—but one night, when he came home, Cassie was gone.

How could she just vanish?

Brady turns to his sheriff brother, Marcus O’Connell, and is stunned by what he discovers. Not only is there no trace of her, but it’s as if she never existed.

As they dig deeper into the days before Cassie vanished, Brady is stunned to learn of a series of mysterious phone calls, and he realizes his bride-to-be and her seemingly perfect smile were hiding dark secrets, including an unsolved murder at her family’s cabin in a hometown he’s never heard of.

Brady soon suspects that to find Cassie, he may also have to figure out what really happened the night of the murder—and why Cassie kept it all a secret.

Stay Home & Read Saturday

Stay home and read each Saturday with a FREE eBook! Don’t miss today’s free read, THE ONE (The Wilde Brothers, Book 1).

She’s lost everything. He believes she’s despised him all his life. A tragic mistake could be their only redemption.

“WOW! Real life drama with joys and sorrows as if it was happening to you…parts can be tear jerker moments…you won’t want to put down once you start.” ★★★★★ Jon, Amazon Reviewer

Click here for your FREE read!

Audiobooks

Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook.

And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.

Find THE NEIGHBOR at Audible here

New Releases

A new box to binge!

New Box Release

Now you can binge The O’Connells in a brand new boxed set! That’s right–join Iris, Owen, Marcus and the rest of the O’Connell clan in this special set featuring The Hometown Hero, Justice and The Family Secret. Pick up THE O’CONNELLS, BOOKS 7-9 at your favorite eRetailer today!

The Hometown Hero(Book 7)
In this shocking O’Connell family novel, a brother’s secret is exposed, opening up old wounds and creating a scandal that could rock the community.

Justice (Book 8)
What will happen when the secret Marcus has been holding on to begins to unravel, and someone uses it as leverage?

The Family Secret (Book 9)
Raymond O’Connell was the love of Iris’s life—from the day she met him, to the day a year later when she married him, to the tragic night before she never saw him again.

Need to catch up with The O’Connells? Check out these other boxed set offerings, also available everywhere.

THE O’CONNELLS, BOOKS 1-3

The Neighbor (Book 1)
Jenny Sweetgrass packs up her teenage daughter, Alison, and moves to Livingston, Montana, hoping for a fresh start—that is, until Ryan O’Connell knocks on her door.

The Third Call (Book 2)
When dispatcher Charlotte Roy passes along a call to bad-boy deputy Marcus O’Connell, they learn a six-year-old child is in danger. Can they save the girl from a desperate situation?

The Secret Husband (Book 3)
Could the mysterious circumstances surrounding a murder be the reason Karen’s hasty marriage ended so badly?

THE O’CONNELLS, BOOKS 4-6

The Quiet Day (Book 4)
Suzanne discovers that trusting the wrong man could leave her life hanging in the balance…

The Commitment (Book 5)
What will Marcus need to do to keep the child he and Charlotte now consider theirs?

The Missing Father (Book 6)
Luke’s questions about his father’s disappearance have brought trouble back with him onto US soil, all the way to his hometown—and ultimately, his quest might put his family in the line of fire.

Coming Soon

The moment Brady told his family he was engaged, his fiancée was nowhere to be found.

Six months ago, Brady’s true love, Cassie Arnold, walked into his hometown and his life. Everything was perfect, including their plans for their upcoming wedding—but one night, when he came home, Cassie was gone.

How could she just vanish?

Brady turns to his sheriff brother, Marcus O’Connell, and is stunned by what he discovers. Not only is there no trace of her, but it’s as if she never existed.

As they dig deeper into the days before Cassie vanished, Brady is stunned to learn of a series of mysterious phone calls, and he realizes his bride-to-be and her seemingly perfect smile were hiding dark secrets, including an unsolved murder at her family’s cabin in a hometown he’s never heard of.

Brady soon suspects that to find Cassie, he may also have to figure out what really happened the night of the murder—and why Cassie kept it all a secret.

LORHAINNE'S STORE

All Other Retailers

Audiobooks

Click here to see my titles currently available in audiobook!

And did you know… if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.

Find THE BUSINESS PLAN on Audible here

New Releases

And Then She Was Gone – Sneak Peek

And Then She Was Gone

Author: Lorhainne Eckhart
Series: The O'Connells, Book 12
Genres: Mystery Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Sagas
Tags: hard-boiled, mystery thriller, new adult & college, police procedural, romantic suspense, sagas, small town and rural

The moment Brady told his family he was engaged, his fiancée was nowhere to be found.

More info →

Chapter 1

How was it possible that Brady had woken up one day and become part of something bigger, something that still didn’t seem real?

It was his nineteenth birthday today, and he wasn’t sure what to expect as he walked down the street with his hands shoved in his lightweight black down winter jacket. He took in the familiar sidewalk, one he’d walked a hundred times, and the heavy clouds in the darkening sky. The unusual cold predicted an early snow any day.

As he arrived at Marcus’s two-storey craftsman, he looked across the street to Ryan’s. The two brothers lived in a neighborhood where all the homes were similar. Welcoming light drifted out the living room window. He took a second to look around at the vehicles of his family, reminding himself they weren’t strangers. Harold’s new KIA, Tessa’s older Buick, the sheriff’s car his brother drove, and Charlotte’s Subaru were all in the driveway.

He breathed out fog. It was cold tonight.

“Hey, birthday boy. What are you doing standing out there? Get your ass in here.”

Brady hadn’t expected Luke back yet, and although his older-model pickup was nowhere to be seen, there he was, standing in the open door, wearing blue jeans and a faded T-shirt. It seemed he’d packed on even more muscle. He held a beer, sporting the beginnings of a beard, and his shoulder-length hair was hanging loose. So he was letting it grow back out.

“I didn’t know you were back,” Brady said. And where had he been? No one else asked, but he always did.

“Just got here,” Luke said. “You didn’t think I’d miss your birthday, did you? Kind of expected you to still be at my mom’s place, but you were gone. You walk over?”

Brady stepped up onto the porch, hearing laughter and voices inside. His ears were stinging from the cold. “I stopped for a haircut,” he said, though he wished he hadn’t. He only ever went to Iris’s place to change these days, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d even slept there.

“Short and neat for your birthday, or is it a girl you’re trying to impress?” Luke said. “Get in here before you let all the heat out.” He ran his hand roughly over Brady’s head.

As Brady stepped inside the warm house, he thought of the girl whose smile had him taking a second and third glance in the mirror to check how he looked and how he dressed. “It was time for a cut, you know—but I probably should’ve asked where not to go.”

Luke leaned on the railing, his expression puzzled, eyebrows knit. Amused? He wasn’t so sure, but he knew Luke was ready to listen, as always.

“Brady, it’s about time you got here,” Ryan called out with a smile from the kitchen, the place everyone gathered.

Brady pulled off his coat. Luke was still watching him with that heavy, patient gaze. He knew Luke had many depths to him.

“So where, pray tell, did you go, and what happened? Give me the scoop.” Luke tossed his coat behind him on a chair as Brady kicked off his sneakers, which had seen better days.

“That place across from the diner, at the edge of downtown.”

“Not Clarissa’s?”

The way his brother said it had him hesitating a second. “Blond, heavyset, cakes the makeup on?”

“That’s her, the very same. Let me guess: She pumped you for all the dirt on my mom…”

There it was again, that uncomfortable feeling he’d had the moment he figured out she knew who he was and was getting too familiar with him.

“How’d you know that?” Brady said. “Yeah, she knew who I was and asked about every one of you, then gave me a blow by blow of your entire lives from her perspective, even though I didn’t ask.”

Then there was the moment the conversation had shifted to Raymond, when she’d said how sorry she was to hear he was dead, and he’d wanted her to hurry the hell up so he could get his ass out of that chair and leave the salon before he said something he knew he couldn’t.

“That’s why she gets her hair done the county over when she’s here,” Luke said. “But you look good—almost too pretty.” Luke rubbed his hair again roughly, playfully, the way he did too many times, and then had them walking into the kitchen.

Marcus was holding Cameron, who had just started walking. His first birthday was only a month away, around the corner, another big celebration, he was sure. He had dark hair and the O’Connell blue eyes Brady didn’t. He wondered if he’d ever feel the close bond that seemed to exist naturally between his other siblings.

“About time you got here, kid. Was about to send out a search party for you,” Owen said as he walked over with an open beer and slipped it to him.

Brady stared at it for a second, not missing the twitch of Owen’s lips, and he didn’t hesitate any further before lifting it to his lips and taking a swallow. “Thanks,” he said.

Ryan gave him a smile, and Suzanne rolled her eyes, whereas Marcus angled his head and just shook it. He wondered for a moment whether Marcus would take the beer from him.

“Just FYI, kid, this is a one-time pass,” Marcus said, sounding much like his dad. “I’ll pretend I’m not seeing it, but one beer only, understand?” He gave a pointed look to Owen.

Alison was keeping to the background, her hair hiked high in a ponytail, her eyes coated with smoky shadow. The auburn shirt she wore was cut low in a V. He only nodded before he had to pull his gaze away. The tension still lingered. He wondered if it always would.

“I see you got a haircut, cleaned yourself up,” Ryan said, Jenny leaning against him. “Since dinner isn’t ready, we should give you your birthday present early…” His eyes flickered with the sort of teasing his brothers seemed ready and willing to dish out more and more to him as of late.

He heard the back door and spotted Harold, his blond hair in the same cop cut he always wore. The barbecue was smoking out back, and he was wearing only a navy sweater.

“The barbecue is ready. You want me to throw the burgers on?” Harold said, then walked over to him. “Hey, kid, happy birthday. I see we’re now encouraging underage drinking.”

He knew Harold was teasing, and Suzanne only shook her head from where she was dumping a premade salad into a bowl. She wore a baseball shirt that accentuated her tall, lanky frame.

“He’s nineteen, everyone,” she said. “He’s legal to drink somewhere. And remember when you were sixteen, Marcus and Ryan, what happened to Mom’s bottle of vodka?”

There was silence for a second as Marcus slid his gaze to Suzanne. Another layer was being peeled back, another secret. He figured Marcus and Ryan had a bunch of exploits they’d never share.

Suzanne crumpled up the salad bag and tossed it into the recycling bin under the sink. “By the way, Karen texted. She and Jack are coming tonight. Maybe we should hold off on the birthday gifts until they get here?”

Marcus handed a fussing Cameron, who was rubbing his eyes, off to Charlotte. “No, this gift is just from the brothers,” he said. “You and Karen can add your gift when she gets here. Come on, Brady.”

Marcus had his hand on his shoulder and was steering him into the living room, directing him to Charlotte’s rocking chair by the window, and everyone seemed to follow them. Charlotte had gone upstairs, carrying Cameron, whom he could hear crying now, and Eva and Alison had gone with her.

“You got me a gift?” Brady said.

Marcus rested his hands on the back of the sofa and looked over to him, whereas Luke took the easy chair, and Owen sat on the sofa across from him and rested a foot on the coffee table, dressed in the same blue jeans he’d worn at the job site and his usual five o’clock shadow, because shaving was something he did only every few days.

“Yes. Let’s start with the fact that words matter,” Marcus said. “You’re nineteen, which puts you squarely in that age category I remember well, where you operate from hot emotion and say the first thing that comes to mind. Your mouth is and will be an issue and can land you in a ton of hot water, so learn to dial it back, way back, so you don’t have to wish you could go back and say nothing instead. Think first before you say anything. That will save you from landing in a world of trouble with the kind of words that can’t be taken back.”

Brady just stared at him before looking over to Jenny and Ryan. The way she looked down on him, he wondered whether he had done or said something he shouldn’t have. At the same time, he was still looking for the gift. Had they hidden it? He leaned forward and looked around Luke.

“Okay, fine,” he said. “Watch what I say. Got it—but I’m pretty thoughtful, I think…” He lifted the beer and took another swallow, still not believing that Marcus was looking the other way and letting him drink.

“Be a damn good brother,” Ryan cut in, gesturing toward him before crossing his arms.

Brady just blinked, wondering what this was. “Okay…check. I didn’t think I was a terrible brother. Is there something specific you’re getting at in a brotherly way that I’ve missed? Is this the buildup to the gift?”

Across from him, Owen was giving him everything with that heavy gaze. Tessa sat on the arm of the sofa beside him, her blond hair pulled up in soft, wavy curls that couldn’t be tamed. “Your gift is advice from your brothers,” Owen said, “so listen up. We’re a family. Being the youngest, you didn’t grow up with us, so you don’t know how things work. You’re getting a crash course since you’ve been with us for only almost a year. Family comes first. If you get a call that your brother has found himself arrested and is in jail, you bail him out, no questions asked. Right, Ryan and Marcus?”

Brady realized he was serious. “What! Wait, one of you got arrested?” he said.

Ryan lifted his beer and shook his head, but the expression on his face said everything. “Yeah, at seventeen. Good thing Mom isn’t here. We never told her about it.”

He wondered if his eyes bugged out.

Marcus was still leaning on the back of the sofa, shaking his head. Brady was seeing his brother, the sheriff, through completely different eyes these days. Maybe he was human after all. Meanwhile, from the way Suzanne stared, he was pretty sure this was the first she was hearing of the arrest, as well.

“You’re serious!” she said. “Holy shit, I never had any idea. Does Karen know?”

Marcus shook his head and let out a rude noise. “No one was supposed to know about it. Remember to take it to your grave. Pretty sure those were your words, Owen.”

“Hey, you’re the one who had the brilliant idea of setting Brady straight on how we work as a family,” Owen said. “At least I haven’t shared all your secrets.”

Marcus grimaced as he stood up and then pulled a hand over his face. “I sold the ’72 Chevy I was rebuilding—I loved that car—to bail your ass out,” he said, gesturing to Ryan.

Suzanne was still staring in horror, while Harold seemed amused. Luke and Owen were shaking their heads. It seemed Brady had no idea of the escapades that went on in this family, among his siblings, whom he was still getting to know.

“Yeah, but the only reason I landed in jail was because of you,” Ryan said. “I was just the one who got caught holding the spray cans.”

“Only because I’m faster,” Marcus said. “I could never figure out why the charges suddenly went away. Guess now we know.”

“Dad,” Ryan said.

“Never got the bail money back, though.”

Harold let out a laugh and shook his head as if this wasn’t the first time he’d heard something along these lines. Brady wondered at times whether Harold understood the siblings better than he ever would.

“Dad did say he was watching,” Suzanne said. “Do you suppose he made sure the charges were dropped and your bail money disappeared to teach you a lesson?”

He spotted headlights outside. Karen, maybe. He missed her, considering she and Jack were now in Missoula, which meant she could no longer stick her nose in every part of his business. He never thought he’d miss that.

“Maybe,” Marcus said. “It’s likely, since Dad seemed to know the details of what we were doing.”

“And what, exactly, were you doing?” Suzanne asked. “You never really answered us, Marcus, when Dad brought it up last year, saying he’d been watching. He mentioned a string of robberies.”

Marcus shifted his stance. Brady could see he was uncomfortable in the spotlight. Something seemed to pass between him and Ryan. They really did seem like partners in crime.

“Dad was right: I was a little shit,” Marcus said. “But now I’m not. End of story. Let’s move on, because this is about Brady.”

“He broke into several stores,” Owen cut in. “One was to steal the spray paint, and you lifted some parts for the Chevy, stole some camping gear…what else was it?”

Brady looked over to Ryan and then Marcus, who just cleared his throat. Jenny smacked Ryan’s chest, but her amused expression said this was no surprise to her.

“And you knew?” Suzanne said.

Owen made a face and shrugged. “Who do you think helped Marcus get the money for his car and went with him to the cop shop to get Ryan out? You forget how I had to keep an eye on all of you.”

“Okay, we’re getting off track here,” Marcus said. “The point is, Brady, you get yourself in a jam, you call. You don’t try to figure it out yourself. We all are your first call, and that makes you ours. If we call you for help in any way, it’s no questions asked. You just show up.”

Brady wasn’t sure what to make of that. On the sofa, Tessa shook her head, and Owen lifted his gaze to her, resting his hand on her thigh.

“Fine, got it,” Brady said. “So if I get myself arrested, I’ll call you, but seriously, I’m not planning on it.”

“That’s good,” Owen said. “Keep your nose clean, stay out of trouble—”

“And be a damn hard worker,” Luke jumped in, cutting Owen off.

“When you believe in something, you stand up for it,” Owen said. “You do right by your family, and you know who your family is. We have your back, and it goes both ways. You don’t go off half-cocked alone, like Luke,” he added, looking over to him.

Luke seemed to be quite comfortable, but he never really knew what his brother was thinking. Maybe he needed to take their advice and check in with Luke, who hadn’t let on how he was since splitting with Rosemary. He really did hide what he was thinking.

“Hey,” Luke said, gesturing with his beer and taking them all in. “We all need time alone sometimes, but know I’m one call away and always have been. No questions asked, ever. You know that, all of you. Lost count of the jams and scrapes I’ve found myself in, cleaning up after you all.”

“If you’re hurting, scared, screwed up, or confused about anything, you come here, to us,” Marcus said. “You get stuck in your head at times, Brady, and you wear your heart on your sleeve. That’s good sometimes, but others it isn’t.”

“And you always do your best,” Owen said. “There’s no shame in doing average hard work, the kind you’re doing. You’ve got a trade under your belt now, and you’re set. You finish the job, no complaints.”

Brady was working for his brother now in his plumbing business, apprenticing, because he hadn’t come up with a better option. That day almost a year ago, before Iris and his dad had left again, Owen had simply pulled up in his plumbing van and said, “Get in!”

“You never gave me a choice,” Brady said. “I finished high school and thought of taking a few courses at college, but when I couldn’t get in, you said I had to do something instead of sitting around, so you made me carry your tools and watch over your shoulder, crawl into holes, get dirty every day… Have I complained yet?”

Owen didn’t seem impressed. His older brother didn’t say much but seemed to always have his eye on him, telling him where to go, which job site to be at, and what to do. He wondered when he should start looking for something else, but what? He had no experience and had never worked before, because his dad had always moved him to some new city or state before he could get too comfortable.

“Well, you just make sure you don’t start complaining,” Owen said. “Anyway, when it comes to family, we stand beside each other, all of us, no questions asked until after.”

He heard a car door outside.

Marcus went over to the window and glanced out. “Karen and Jack are here,” he said before striding back over to the sofa and resting his hands on his hips, dragging his gaze over to Brady. “So I’ll leave you with this, young man: I stand up for what I believe in because it matters to me. I screwed up a lot. I had a head full of steam, and, as Owen has pointed out too many times, I was hell on wheels. But I was proud of that when I was your age. I still cringe, thinking back on what I did and what I said, but I cleaned up my act and got my shit together after a lot of years. Even though I’m proud of being, as people say, just an average guy, I’m always there for my family first. I’m a damn good brother, husband, father. If you get in trouble, I’m your first call, because I’m there, standing beside you no matter what. All of us are.” He walked around the sofa and rested his hand on his shoulder. “You may not have the same last name as us, Brady, but you are an O’Connell, so don’t forget that.”

He heard the door open, then his sister’s voice.

Marcus was still staring down at him. “So why don’t you tell us about this girl you’ve been seeing?” he said.

Brady wondered for a second whether he was being followed. “What?”

“That’s another thing about us,” Marcus said. “We know everything that’s going on, and we’re in everyone’s business. You think we don’t know about that cute waitress you make eyes at every day at the diner? You stop in almost every day for lunch and take her out, and you think word wouldn’t come back to us? Yet we haven’t met her, so I figured it was time to sit you down so you understand how things work here.”

What the hell was he supposed to say? This was his family, and they obviously knew about Cassie, but there was something appealing about keeping his love life separate from the O’Connells. He realized they were all staring at him, waiting for him to say something as he fought the urge to squirm under their scrutiny.

“I see you’re having some trouble, Brady, so let me help you out,” Marcus said. “Are you messing around with her, or is it serious?”

There were times brother Marcus became sheriff Marcus, and he felt the cop staring down on him now.

“Can I plead the fifth?” he said, squeezing his beer.

Marcus took a step back and shook his head. “Nope. So let’s say you bring her around tomorrow night so we can meet her.”

He wondered what would happen if he said no. No one said a word, and Marcus didn’t move.

“Fine,” was all he said.

Marcus stepped back and gestured to Luke, who reached behind his chair and slid a wrapped box over to him, saying, “Your other gift, young man. Happy birthday.”

As he reached for the box, all he could think was that he’d been pulled into the most unusual family. He glanced up to Alison, who was following Charlotte and Eva down the stairs. There she was, the reason he hadn’t brought Cassie around and was still dancing in the shadows with her.

Awkwardness still lingered with Alison, but maybe Marcus was right. It was time to move on.

The O'Connells

The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss.

The Neighbor

The Third Call

The Secret Husband

The Quiet Day

The Commitment

The Missing Father

The Hometown Hero

Justice

The Family Secret

The Fallen O’Connell

The Return of the O’Connells

And Then She Was Gone

The Stalker

The O’Connells Family Christmas

The Girl Next Door

Broken Promises

The Gatekeeper

The Hunted

A Christmas of Betrayal

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The newest addition to The O’Connells series is here! THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS, Book 11, is now available at all online retailers.

Will life ever return to normal?  

That’s the question everyone in the O’Connell family has asked since their lives were turned upside down by a murder charge. With their father now back from the dead, the O’Connells are coming to grips with the idea that justice isn’t equal. But despite the pending arrival of a new grandchild, and the fact that the family is settling into a new identity, trouble seems to always be one step away. This time, it could come from within, as a shadowy new enemy has found its way into the close-knit family and could ultimately destroy the bond the siblings share, forcing them to finally cut their losses and walk away from one another.

******

The O’Connells Series

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Sneak Peek

Here’s you final peek at my upcoming release! THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS will be released tomorrow, but here’s an exclusive look at Chapter 5.

Chapter 5

“Careful, come on, watch your step,” Marcus said as he helped Charlotte up the steps to their house. As he unlocked the door, taking in how quiet the street was in the early morning, he couldn’t remember ever having been so tired, even though he’d pulled a lot of all-nighters before.

The sun was just starting to rise, though thick, heavy clouds hid the light. He glanced across the street to Ryan and Jenny’s, seeing a light on in the house and knowing someone was up, but he hoped they wouldn’t come running over right now. At the same time, he needed to check on Eva.

“I’m doing the best I can, Marcus, considering I can’t see my feet anymore,” Charlotte said.

He opened the door and flicked on the light, following her in, seeing how tired she appeared. She had outright refused to stay in the hospital. There had been no labor, but since her water had broken, the doctor had agreed with her that waiting at home, where she’d be more comfortable, was a great idea. She would rest, but for how long? A few hours, maybe. They’d reassess in twenty-four if labor still hadn’t started.

He closed the door and reached for Charlotte’s coat as she struggled to pull it off, and he tossed it over the curve of the dark wood railing. She sat down on the step and reached down to take off her shoes.

“I’ll get that,” he said as he squatted down and pulled off her black slip-ons, the only ones now that didn’t hurt her feet.

“You’ve been really quiet since we left the hospital,” she said.

He took in her plump face, her full lips. He loved her so much, even though he’d had to fight the urge to wrap his hands around her and shake her when she’d said no to staying in the hospital, since that was all he had wanted her to do.

She could be so damn stubborn.

“What do you want me to say, Charlotte? I would be more comfortable with you staying in the hospital. I said that to the doctor and you, but you both overruled me.”

“You heard the doctor. There’s no labor,” she said, resting her hand on his arm as he pulled off her last shoe and dumped it on the floor. “You also heard her say this sometimes happens, water breaking first, and there’s no cause for alarm right now because the baby’s heartbeat is strong and everything looks good. She checked me. She’s the professional, and she’s right: I am more comfortable at home. I’m going to have a shower, go to bed, and get some rest, and when labor starts, then we’ll go to the hospital, not before I need to.”

She sounded way too calm for a first-time mom. He was having a hard time understanding why he was so rattled. He was a sheriff, after all. He should’ve been the calm one, not her.

He stood up, and her gaze followed him as he reached out for her hand and pulled her up too, then leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips before her hand slid over his chest and pushed.

“I know you’re angry,” she said. “It’s just something you can’t hide with me. I’m tired, and when labor starts, I kind of want to be rested instead of feeling this bone tiredness I’m feeling right now…”

“And you can’t do that in the hospital?” he said.

She was shaking her head as she turned on the stairs and started up, and he dumped his own coat over hers on the railing and followed her, seeing that she was having trouble walking up. He could sense that she wasn’t about to concede. She could really dig in and stop listening to any argument he had when she’d made her mind up about something. It was just her personality, something he loved about her, though it frustrated him at times.

“Resting in a hospital? Seriously, Marcus, there’s nothing restful about being in the hospital, with the lights and noise and someone coming in constantly and checking on you and poking and prodding just when you drift off, and that’s if you fall asleep. No, I want my own bed, our comfortable bed, and a few quiet, undisturbed hours. Besides, I’m hungry, too. If you could make me some toast while I shower… Oh, and could you call Ryan and Jenny and see if they can keep Eva for a while longer? I miss your mom. She was always here for Eva, helping me out. I guess I just secretly wished she’d be here now.”

Right, how could he forget? He followed Charlotte into their bedroom, taking in the bed he’d made that morning, or had it been the morning before? “I forgot to mention this in all the excitement, but my mom called last night. That’s who I was talking to when your water broke. She’s coming back and wanted it to be a surprise. She wants to be here when the baby’s born, only I don’t think it’ll be for a few days yet. She doesn’t want me telling anyone, though, so you’re the only one in the loop.”

He heard the knock downstairs as he took in the way Charlotte’s face lit up. She had a beautiful smile even when she was tired. “That’s great news,” she said. “Okay, I’ll shower, and you go answer the door. Who do you think it is?”

He rested his hand on the doorframe as Charlotte pulled off her sweater and tossed it on the bed. His baby would be there anytime, and maybe that was why he was suddenly feeling that this was all too real. “I don’t know,” he said. “Likely Ryan or Jenny. I’ll go talk to them and make you some breakfast.”

Marcus strode down the stairs as there was another knock on the door, and he pulled it open to find Ryan dressed in his ranger’s uniform, with a heavy coat overtop. Across the street, his pickup was running, evidently warming up from the cold that had settled in. A few flakes of snow were starting to come down.

“You’re home,” Ryan said. “Jenny said she saw you pull up. What happened?” He stepped in and closed the door behind him.

“No labor,” Marcus said. “The doctor said she can rest here at home until it starts, even though I’d prefer her in the hospital.”

He started into the kitchen, hearing the shower now going upstairs, and he pulled a loaf of bread from the freezer and rested it on the counter. The coffee pot was clean, and he pulled open the cupboard and took out the coffee and filters, then glanced to his brother, who was standing off to the side, his expression amused, he thought, or maybe it was commiseration.

“So I take it you want us to keep Eva?” Ryan said.

Marcus only nodded as he filled the carafe with water and dumped it in the reservoir, then flicked the switch. “If you could. Charlotte’s going to bed and getting some sleep, and I need to check in with Harold and make sure everything’s being handled at the office. I may have to stop in, as well. No, I should stop in, but I don’t want to leave Charlotte alone. Oh, and I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Mom called last night, and she’s on her way back. She wants to surprise everyone, but I told her we’ve had enough surprises in this family for a lifetime, and I’m not about to keep another secret. Just don’t tell Alison or Eva. She really wants to surprise them. And what happened with Brady? I take it Luke took him home.”

He wasn’t sure what to make of the way his brother glanced away, unsmiling, his jaw set. Okay, something was going on, something he’d missed. Ryan glanced to the door and then back to him before he nodded. “It’s great that Mom will be home…”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming. Something going on with Luke that I should know about?”

There it was again, in his expression, the way his eyes seemed to flash with the kind of untethered anger Marcus had seen in his brother only a few times before.

“You know what?” Ryan said. “You have Charlotte to think about. There’s nothing you need to worry about right now. We’ll talk after. Tell me, when you say Mom’s coming home, does that mean she’s alone?”

Marcus braced himself for a talk about their dad, which they had avoided so far. “Nope,” he said. “Good old Dad is working out logistics and stuff. She does sound happy, though.”

Ryan shrugged, and Marcus wasn’t sure what to think. They’d all had their struggle with the Raymond O’Connell situation and the fact that it seemed he was suddenly back in their lives. “Well, good,” Ryan said. “She deserves to be happy. Listen, we’ve got Eva, don’t worry. Just wanted to check in, and I would be remiss in not saying that if you want Jenny or Alison here, one can come over this morning. If you need to take off, just call. Alison has the day off today, and Jenny isn’t working. Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ve got an early meeting, but call Jenny anyway and let us know if labor starts or if you need anything.”

Ryan started to the door, and Marcus followed as he opened it and stepped out, then hesitated. The flakes of snow were starting to thicken. “Today will be a fun one, by the looks of it. Think the forecast called for a few inches of snow. I can send Alison over now, you know, seriously.”

It wasn’t lost on Marcus how Ryan hadn’t said anything else about their mom or good old Raymond or Luke and whatever was going on with him.

“I’ll call Jenny if I need her,” Marcus said. “If you don’t mind, could you let everyone know we’re home and the baby is taking its time? I don’t want a ton of calls filling up my voicemail, which I haven’t checked yet.”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, I’ll call Suzanne, since she has too much time on her hands, and tell her to ring up everyone and tell them to back off.” He started down the steps.

“You know, Ryan, you may as well tell me now what’s going on with Luke. Is it something I need to worry about? Because you’re about the worst at hiding anything.”

Ryan stopped at the bottom step and turned around, seeming to consider it. “You’ll likely hear about it later,” was all he said, which did nothing to settle anything for Marcus.

“Now you’re being cryptic, so if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather just hear it now.”

Ryan glanced away again, still considering, and then back to him. “Fair enough,” he said. “We met Luke’s lady last night, Rosemary.”

From the way he said it, Marcus wondered for a moment whether he really did want to hear this. “Yes, I remember, pretty girl. If I recall, that’s the first time Luke has brought a woman home to meet us.” He could feel a smile tugging at his lips. Had she said something that upset someone, or had there been a disagreement or something?

“Well, what you don’t know is who her brother is,” Ryan said.

His smile disappeared, and a knot tightened in his stomach. Yeah, maybe he didn’t want to know right now, but he said, “I guess you’d better tell me.”

“The man who held a gun to Mom and Eva, the one who broke into your house. Ben was his name, right? Well, Rosemary is his sister.”

He stared at Ryan for a second. His brother was standing there, waiting as Marcus tried to get his brain on board with what he’d just heard.

God dammit! He was going to seriously hurt Luke.

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Get your next glimpse of THE RETURN OF THE O’CONNELLS! The newest addition to the series is on the way, but you can preview Chapter 3 now.

Chapter 3

“Sorry about this,” Luke said, pulling Rosemary aside, as chaos had ensued.

Marcus was on the phone with Charlotte’s doctor, and Jenny and Tessa were in the living room with Charlotte, with Owen and Ryan lingering in the background. Charlotte had changed and appeared far too calm now—in his mind, anyways.

Then there was Karen, who was working on her second glass of wine. Something was definitely off with his sister. Jack said something to her, and he could see the lingering tension between them. Alison, Brady, and Eva wandered into the living room, too, uncertain.

He should talk to Brady.

“Don’t apologize,” Rosemary said. “This is exciting. Your sister-in-law is having a baby today.” She ran her hands over his arms and down, though it wasn’t cold in the house. “You know what? Maybe this was fate stepping in. So that’s the little girl.”

Luke glanced over to see that she was watching Eva, and he knew she was having some trouble with the fact that it had been her brother who pointed a gun at her and terrorized her the way he had. Maybe this had suddenly become too real for her. He knew well the kind of dangerous territory he was wading into, so was that just her way of pointing out to him that maybe this wasn’t a good idea, her meeting his family? Would they understand?

“They have no idea who I am, do they?” she said. She’d dressed the part today, casual but put together, with wide-legged slacks and a black long-sleeved knit sweater. Her hair was long and loose, with soft waves he loved running his hands through. He wondered now about the wisdom of what he was doing.

“They know you’re someone who means a lot to me,” he said. “That’s all they need to know.”

The hint of a smile touched her lips, and she crossed her arms, the tension lingering. It had taken a lot for him to convince her to come.

“So, you two…” Suzanne said, approaching them. “Rosemary, nice to meet you, even under the circumstances. I didn’t get a chance to grill you on my brother and how you know him or how long you’ve known each other—you know, the usual third degree.” She glanced between them teasingly. Harold appeared amused as he approached behind her.

“Don’t worry about answering, Rosemary,” Harold said. “It seems you’ll be able to slide in under the radar without the usual O’Connell grilling about every personal detail, considering Charlotte’s now taken center stage.”

He could see that Rosemary was at a loss for what to say, and Suzanne didn’t appear too inclined to let it drop, as she stared long and hard at Rosemary.

“No, seriously, how did you two meet?” she said. She was doing what he would’ve expected from Karen, who was still in the kitchen, where Jack had taken her wine from her and set it on the counter.

“We actually met in Geneva,” she said, and he looked over to her, wondering why. The truth was something she couldn’t share.

“It was a while ago,” Luke said, jumping in. “She was a girl in the bar. Couldn’t take my eyes off her. The rest is history, so to speak. The end.”

She nodded, her arms still crossed, and he worried for a moment about what she might decide to add.

“I didn’t bring Rosemary here for the third degree, Suzanne,” he continued. “Besides, what’s going on with Karen and Jack?”

Suzanne turned and glanced over her shoulder. He wasn’t sure, by the expression on Harold’s face, whether he might know what was going on.

“I haven’t had a chance to pull Karen aside and talk,” Suzanne said. “She’s been like this since we got here not long ago. Some bad news, is all I can think. I haven’t seen her this off in a while. You know she and Jack have been trying for a baby.”

He just stared for a second. Rosemary was taking in everyone, glancing over to Karen and her husband. He wondered whether he should step in, knowing how Karen was. She held everything in, kept secrets that no one would ever expect.

“No, I didn’t know that,” he said. “She’s drinking, so apparently something’s amiss.”

“Yeah…” Suzanne breathed out just as Marcus walked over, pocketing his phone.

“I’m taking Charlotte in to the hospital now,” he said. “Her doctor’s going to meet us there. Her water broke, but she’s not having any contractions yet.” He seemed rattled. “Ryan and Jenny are going to take Eva, but can you take Brady? Jack asked if he could stay the night, because something’s going on with Karen. He didn’t elaborate, though.”

“No worries,” Luke said. “I’ve got Brady. You just take care of your wife and that little baby who’s about to make an appearance.”

Marcus was already walking away, and now Jack somehow had Karen walking toward them. Charlotte was at the door, and Jenny helped her put her shoes on. Marcus was holding her coat. Everyone was so quiet, focused on her.

“Marcus, the bag I packed is upstairs,” she said. “Don’t forget it.”

“I know where it is,” Alison called out.

“Go get it,” Marcus said, and she ran up the stairs past them.

“I’m so sorry about this, Rosemary,” Charlotte said, still unusually calm. “It’s nice to meet you. We’ll see you again, won’t we?”

Marcus had his hand on her back after shrugging on his own coat, and Alison raced back down the stairs, carrying an overnight bag, which Marcus reached for.

“No, don’t apologize,” Rosemary said. “This is such a happy time for you. Go, go.”

Near them, Jack was quietly helping Karen on with her coat after she’d pulled on her high-heeled boots.

“Just give me a second,” Luke muttered, setting a hand on Rosemary’s arm. She didn’t nod as she glanced up to him, and he saw the awkwardness there. Yeah, he’d get her and Brady out of there…and then what? He’d have to touch base with the kid and figure out a way to keep Rosemary from bolting.

Ryan opened the door from outside and called out, “Warmed the car for you.”

Luke had stepped over to Jack and Karen. Jack was pulling on his own coat, and as Luke approached his sister, he saw something in her expression that she couldn’t hide. He glanced only a second at Jack, who seemed on edge, before turning back to her. “Hey, what’s going on with you?” he said. “Everything okay?”

Karen pressed a hand to his arm. “So that’s the girl, is it, Rosemary?” she said. “You should bring her by tomorrow. We can talk, and it’ll give me a chance to find out more about her. You said she’s from…?”

He was about to say something, but when he glanced over, Jack shook his head, and Luke realized there was way more going on than he knew. “Indiana,” he replied. “There’s time. Are you two heading home?”

Karen said nothing before touching his arm again and stepping over to Suzanne and Rosemary.

He gave everything to Jack now. “What’s going on? Something’s wrong.” He gestured with his thumb to his sister.

“Yeah, she just dropped a bombshell on me before we came in. I’m taking her to the hospital. She told me she was pregnant and lost the baby. That was all I knew before we walked in here. Listen, you can take Brady, right, since Marcus has to go?”

Luke just shrugged. “Yeah, of course I can. You go take care of my sister, and let me know if I can do something. And thanks for looking out for Brady, keeping him with you. Anything going on I need to know about?”

Jack was pulling his keys from his pocket. “He’s struggling a bit. I know he hasn’t talked to Raymond at all. Never asked about him, either. Karen tried to bring him up and have a talk last week, but he was very matter of fact when he shut it down. In school, he’s brilliant, and he announced he’s likely done with his courses. You might have a better chance of getting in his head and finding out what’s what. Oh, and I told Marcus already, but my name has been tossed out for governor. Karen and I will have to close up shop here. She’ll likely go kicking and screaming, as it seems all the favors I asked are now being called in. Karen’s right, though. We should have you over so everyone can have at Rosemary and grill her and pull out all her secrets. You know how you all are in this family.”

He knew Jack was trying to keep things light, but he wondered if his stance would change if he only knew who Rosemary’s brothers were.

Then Jack stepped away and somehow maneuvered Karen to the door and out. Suzanne and Harold were back in the kitchen, and he thought Tessa and Jenny were washing up dishes or something, while Owen and Ryan were in the living room. It was just him and Rosemary standing in the open hallway.

“You know, maybe we should take this as our cue to go…” Rosemary said.

“Hey, you two, come in here,” Owen called out.

Rosemary stiffened, but he reached for her hand and strode with her into the living room.

“So is everyone staying?” he said. He could see headlights outside the window as Marcus and Charlotte pulled away, followed by Jack and Karen. He realized Brady was sitting in a chair in the corner, staring at his phone and thumbing over it as if it held all the answers.

“There is dinner in the oven,” Ryan said.

“That’s not dinner,” Owen cut in. “Suzanne is apparently on a vegetarian kick and made a meat-free lasagna out of zucchini. I think you should order pizza.” He turned to take in Rosemary, who was still standing beside Luke, before dragging his gaze back to him. “With all the excitement, Karen and Suzanne didn’t get a chance to grill you on details. At least now we can all sit back and listen. So, Rosemary, how did you and Luke meet, how long have you known each other, and where do you live?”

He was surprised Owen had asked, considering he had never been a chatty guy. But then, Luke had never brought a woman home before, either.

Rosemary pulled in a breath, and he could feel her unease, so he cut in and said, “Does it matter? We’re just…”

“Actually, I think your family needs to know,” Rosemary said. “Just tell them the truth, everything, because it will come out eventually.”

He didn’t have to look over to his brothers to know they were intrigued, curious, and Rosemary now had all their attention. Even Brady had put down his phone and lifted his gaze, listening to everything.

“What truth?” Ryan said. “What are you talking about?”

“Rosemary, no,” Luke said. “This isn’t how to handle this, and it’s completely irrelevant. They don’t need to know.”

There was something about Rosemary that he knew well, though: She took a lot of convincing. He could see how bothered she was and how seeing Eva had hit too close to home for her.

“I disagree, Luke,” she said. “If it were irrelevant, you and I wouldn’t be standing here, debating this, and I wouldn’t feel absolutely shitty about being here.” She looked right at Owen then, even as Luke went to reach for her arm. “What Luke didn’t tell you is that my brother was the one who broke into Marcus’s house and held a gun to your mother and that little girl over there. Yes, he’s dead, but I feel responsible, even though Luke reminded me I wasn’t the one who held the gun. But there it is. Ben Schwartz was my brother. I live in Indiana. We met in a bar.”

All Luke could do now was take in what he could only figure was shock. Owen had a sort of ominous expression he’d never seen before as he slowly slid forward and then stood up. Ryan followed, and for a minute, he feared the worst.

“Well, I guess you’re right about one thing, Rosemary: You shouldn’t be here,” Owen stated so matter of factly, leaning in with passion and anger. He narrowed his gaze at Luke. “You surprise me more than anyone, bringing the enemy here. I’m just glad Marcus and Charlotte left. Seriously, Luke, for you, this is hitting below the belt. I’d never expect this from you.”

Rosemary didn’t reach for him but stood stoically, taking it as if this was her lot.

“You’re out of line,” Luke said. “It’s not her fault. You can’t blame her or hold her responsible for something she didn’t do.”

Ryan stepped closer just as Eva came running in, and he reached for her and lifted her. “You should take your lady and go,” he said, then turned and took Eva out of the living room.

Luke realized maybe he’d been wrong about his family. He merely nodded and glanced down to a shaken Rosemary. “Let’s go,” he said.

Brady was standing there, evidently unsure of what to say or do.

“You too, there, young man,” he said. “You’re with us. Grab your things.”

He waited only a second as Rosemary and Brady went to the door to put on their shoes and coats, the silence thick and uncomfortable. He turned back to Owen, feeling the kind of distance he’d never experienced before. “You know what, big brother? Just remember what it felt like when everyone in town turned against Mom, against Marcus, again all of us, convicting us of something we hadn’t done. Be mindful you don’t join a witch hunt against Rosemary. She didn’t do anything. She’s not responsible for what Ben did.”

“What are you doing, Luke?” Owen said. “I hear you that she didn’t do it, and I get it, but still. It was her brother, her family. You really surprise me. That was our mom and little Eva. He would have killed them. You can’t be involved with her.”

“Or what, Owen? Come on. Say it.”

Owen seemed to consider something as he glanced away, then shook his head as if working out a kink. “No, Luke, I’ve said enough, more than I should’ve had to. What the hell are you thinking? I’m going to say this for everyone in this family: You need to go now, and don’t bring her back.”

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The O'Connells

The O’Connells of Livingston, Montana, are not your typical family. Follow them on their journey to the dark and dangerous side of love in a series of romantic thrillers you won’t want to miss. Raised by a single mother after their father’s mysterious disappearance eighteen years ago, the six grown siblings live in a small town with all kinds of hidden secrets, lies, and deception. Much like the contemporary family romance series focusing on the Friessens, this romantic suspense series follows the lives of the O’Connell family as each of the siblings searches for love.

Here's your final peek at my upcoming release! THE FALLEN O'CONNELL will be released tomorrow, but here's an exclusive look at Chapter 5!

Thirty-five years ago, Raymond O’Connell didn’t exist, at least not until the moment Iris walked into his life. His very existence had been a secret, a carefully cultivated lie, except for the fact that he loved Iris and the six children he’d never planned on having. He’d become careless, living a life that belonged to someone else.   

Becoming Raymond O’Connell had made him forget who he really was, and when he fell in love with a fantasy he knew he couldn’t have, he put his family in danger. Ultimately, he found himself covering up a murder to protect the woman

he loved, and that act forced him to walk away and return to the shadows of a secret life that he couldn’t find his way out of.  

When he returns to Livingston with a son in tow, what he doesn’t expect is to be dragged from the shadows to protect a family that suddenly has a target on their backs. Soon, Raymond finds himself becoming part of a bigger, deadlier plot—one that could leave someone in his family, someone he’s sworn to stay away from, dead.  

The choice he’ll have to make to protect the O’Connells could come at a heartbreaking cost. Can Raymond choose between the son he has now and the family he walked away from?

Raymond's story is now available for pre-sale at these eRetailers:

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****

Chapter 5

It had been a really long day. Alison had cried her eyes out, and the wedding had been somewhat subdued after Raymond and Brady’s hasty departure. The food Tyrell and Michelle had cooked up had been amazing, though Iris had spent what should have been an enjoyable feast picking at her food and sitting with her granddaughter, who was nursing a broken heart.

She stood with her, her arm around her shoulders, after Ryan told her who Raymond and Brady really were. She’d been unable to answer the one question Alison had asked her while everyone was eating: Why was Raymond there now with Brady, anyway, if he’d walked away all those years ago? Why had he come back?

The fact was that he lived not even a block away and had been there for months. Even Iris had to wonder what that was about. Despite everything she didn’t know about Raymond, she did know when something was up.

It seemed her granddaughter knew more than she did, yet all Iris could do as she sat with her and swallowed her own misery was tell her she had no idea what went on in the mind of Raymond O’Connell or why he did the things he did.

Her heart went out to Brady, too, who hadn’t chosen any of this. She couldn’t help wondering who his mother was, the other woman—and there it was, another moment of fury and jealousy she’d never expected to feel.

“Well, that was just a shit-kicker of a day, wasn’t it?” Luke said as he came into the kitchen, where she’d just filled the kettle and plugged it in. It was nearly midnight, and it was pitch black outside. She should get some sleep, but she was too unsettled and needed some time to quiet her thoughts before bed.

She lifted her hand, taking in Luke as he pulled at his tie. Her heels had been dumped at the door, so she wore just her stockings on the cold floor. She wasn’t sure what it was about him that was different. Maybe she expected him to be as angry as Marcus and Ryan or even Owen, who hadn’t wanted to have a conversation about his dad. Suzanne and Karen, too, had been in a constant huddle, likely talking about Raymond in ways she would rather not know.

“I would say I’m sorry, but I had no idea he was still in town,” Iris said. “He told me very clearly that he was leaving.”

Luke leaned against the island, his brow furrowed. He wasn’t smiling. “You talked to him and saw him before today?”

She inhaled. Right, she hadn’t told her kids about that night he’d shown up in the backyard in the dark while she was home alone. “Once,” she said. “He showed up the night after the charges were dropped, when you were at Ryan’s. I’m not sure why he came by, maybe to say goodbye, to say he was sorry. I have no idea, Luke, but he told me then about Brady. I was so furious at what he’d done. So yes, I knew, but I never expected this to happen. He was supposed to leave. When I saw Brady today at Ryan’s, and I saw that Alison had invited him as her date, I swear I wanted to kill your father for a moment. I knew Brady didn’t know. Today was unavoidable, but it seems that with Raymond, there’s a trail of repercussions, of lives destroyed. At least it’s out in the open now, and maybe he’ll leave us, and we can get back to…” She paused. Back to what? “I suppose whatever our new normal is,” she finished, then gestured as the kettle whistled. She pulled the plug.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“You expecting someone?” she said to Luke, who instantly went on alert, pushing his hand out to her.

“Stay here,” he said and walked into the living room.

She realized he had a gun in his hand. Geez, had he been carrying it all day? He flicked on the outside light and then let out a breath, and she didn’t miss the way he relaxed. She strode into the living room carefully, her hand on her chest.

“It’s Brady,” he tossed out over his shoulder after tucking his gun in the waistband of the back of his dress pants. As he pulled open the door, she took in the young man standing there, still in his dress pants and nice shirt, with no coat. He looked cold and miserable.

“I’m sorry to just show up here,” Brady said.

“Nonsense. Come on in,” Luke replied.

Iris took in the tall gangly boy, whom she could see Luke was trying to make sense of. “You have no coat?” she said. “It’s freezing out there. Where’s your dad?”

Brady stood so awkwardly in the entryway, and she thought for a moment that he was too embarrassed to look at her. “I didn’t know where to go. I remembered Alison showing me that her grandma lived here. I thought it would be okay if I stopped by?” His hands were in his pockets, and she thought he was shivering. As he stepped down into the living room, she could see by his face that he’d been crying. Maybe he was waiting for her to tell him to leave.

“You know what, Brady? Come on in,” she said. “You look cold. Luke, can you grab a sweater for Brady?”

Luke pulled a hoodie from the closet and strode down and handed it to him. Brady shrugged it on.

Iris lifted her gaze to her son, unsure of what to do. “Come on, Brady, sit down. Does your dad know where you are?” She rested her hand over his shoulder, rubbing it.

He sat on the sofa, hunched over, and shook his head. He put his hand over his face for a second and then pulled it away. There was such misery there, and she took in his eyes, not the same O’Connell blue as her children’s.

“No, I don’t want to talk to him,” he said. “I’m so angry at him. How could he have lied to me? I really liked Alison, and now I don’t know what to feel. I didn’t know he had a family before me. He just told me today that he walked away from you all eighteen years ago. Did he do it because of me? I never knew any of this. I’m almost eighteen. That’s all I can think of…”

Okay, this wasn’t good. She sat down on the sofa beside him and reached over, then gently squeezed his arm. It was the only thing she could think of doing. “Look, this is kind of a mess, this situation, but this isn’t your fault. At the same time, you have to call your dad and tell him you’re here. He has to be worried.”

“My mom’s right,” Luke said. “Look, kid, it’s a shitty situation, but how about you give me your dad’s number, and I’ll call him and tell him you’re here, and then everyone can stop worrying?”

From the way Brady looked up to Luke, she didn’t think he’d tell him. “So you’re my brother,” was all he said. Iris looked over to Luke and wasn’t sure if there was amusement behind the way he winced.

“It seems I am, kid,” Luke said. She knew he was waiting as he pulled out his cell phone.

Brady dragged his gaze over to her. “And you were married to my dad?”

Wow, that was a question she didn’t know how to answer, considering she gathered Brady knew nothing about his dad’s exploits or who he really was. She suspected Raymond had kept many other secrets.

“Yes, and he left one night, walked out on us,” she said, and the boy just nodded. “But that’s between your dad and me. It has nothing to do with you.”

Brady shrugged and then gestured toward her. “How can you say that? You should be angry with me. You have every right to be angry with me. So, my mom, did you know her?”

The way he said it had her shaking her head and then looking up to Luke, who was watching the boy in a way that seemed conflicted.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t,” Iris said. “In fact, I didn’t know about you. This has been a big surprise for all of us.”

“Come on, kid,” Luke said. “What’s Raymond’s number? No matter how angry you are at him, I need to call him and tell him you’re all right.”

She found herself looking from Luke to Brady, trying to pick out the similarities. The way he was sitting, she thought, was like Marcus. There was so much of her kids that she could see in him. Brady just lifted his gaze to Luke with that pure stubbornness she was familiar with.

“Brady, come on,” she said. “Luke is right. It doesn’t matter how angry you are with your dad. There’s nothing worse than not knowing where your kid is. I would know; I raised six, with all the problems that go with them, all the attitudes and arguments and taking off and worries. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. We all make mistakes, but he’s still your dad, and—”

“And, what, I have to forgive him?” he snapped, cutting her off.

Luke stepped forward. “Hey, enough, Brady,” he said, gesturing toward him so sharply and matter of factly. “I get that you’re angry, and you have every right, but maybe one day you will forgive him. You need to remember something. Whatever happened, let me ask you this: Has there ever been a time that your dad hasn’t been there for you?”

She wasn’t sure Brady was ready to listen or that he was going to answer. He looked down at his lap, and for a minute, she thought he was slipping into that mute, stubborn, silent teenage mood. What the hell was she supposed to do?

“Brady, come on,” she said. “Give your dad’s number to Luke so he can tell him you’re okay. You have to be hungry. I’ll make you a sandwich, and we’ll talk.”

And then Raymond could pick him up, take him home, and straighten out this mess.

This time, when Brady looked over to her, she saw the same O’Connell stubbornness that Luke and Suzanne had, the way his mouth went tight. He stared up at Luke. “All right, you can tell him I’m okay, but that’s all.”

Iris hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, and as she let it go, it sounded too much like relief.

Then Brady pulled his gaze from Luke, giving everything to her, and said, “But you can also tell him I’m not coming home.”

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The O'Connells

THE FALLEN O'CONNELL will be released in two days, but you can read Chapter 4 now!

he loved, and that act forced him to walk away and return to the shadows of a secret life that he couldn’t find his way out of.  

The choice he’ll have to make to protect the O’Connells could come at a heartbreaking cost. Can Raymond choose between the son he has now and the family he walked away from?

Raymond's story is now available for pre-sale at these eRetailers:

ALL OTHER RETAILERS

****

Chapter 4

“Just so you know, we like these folks,” said Tyrell Green’s wife, Michelle, as she stepped over to Raymond, who had offered to help by shucking corn from, evidently, a late fall harvest. “Karen is a saint. If it hadn’t been for her, our son would be in a supermax in another state, and we’d never get to see him. He’d be doing more time than he is.”

There was just something about the way she said it, the way she looked at him. He realized she was giving him a warning, even though he knew she had no idea who he was.

“So Karen was your son’s lawyer?” he said, though he suspected there was more to the story.

He could hear the wedding in the next room, and he didn’t think he’d ever forget the way Marcus and Karen had stood in that hallway, staring him down as they waited for Iris to walk into the living room. It was as if they thought he was there to ruin something, which was the one thing he wasn’t about to do.

There was just something about being here, knowing all his kids were under this roof at the same time. He could feel everything he’d firmly held in his control slipping, and that was something he never allowed to happen.

“Karen took on his case when no one else would,” Michelle said. “She didn’t take much, either, though we gave her all we could. She’s still fighting for him, too. When she called because Jolene Harris screwed them over after promising to cater this, we closed up the diner and came, because that’s what you do for people you care about.”

By the way she said it, he figured she wasn’t done making her point, but he took some comfort in knowing that there were people in this town who had his kids’ backs. “What, you mean another caterer was supposed to be here and canceled?”

Tyrell cleared his throat, pouring marinade over potatoes that had been cut up in a roasting pan, then covered it with tinfoil. “Michelle, it don’t matter what happened, so let’s not talk badly about folks,” he said.

Michelle’s expression turned heated, and she rested her hands on her hips, giving him everything. “It does matter! The folks here treated this family horrible, and you even said that we should reach out and see if we could do something for them. When Karen called, we dropped everything to come. You and I both know that Jolene Harris is a loud, mouthy bitch who has trash-talked this family. She should be ashamed of what she did. Yes, she was supposed to be here, catering Ryan’s wedding. Iris paid her, from what Karen said, and it sounds like she had no intention of even showing up. I’ve seen a lot of nastiness from people, growing up. Some people do it because they think someone’s done something to deserve it, but we know, from going through what we did with Lawrence, seeing people we knew turn on us… We understand how friends disappear and suddenly see you as guilty even though you didn’t do anything.”

Raymond sensed this woman could go on and on, and he continued to shuck the corn in the sink.

“Michelle, put the potatoes in the oven and check the ribs,” Tyrell said, interrupting. “We need to get the slaw done, and those meatballs, did you get them on yet?”

“Oh, I put them on in the slow cooker…” She started across the kitchen to the table, where the slow cooker was plugged in along with another heated serving dish, alongside some bottles of liquor.

“Don’t pay Michelle no mind,” Tyrell said. “She’s just in the O’Connells’ corner. You know, when Lawrence went away, it was Iris who showed up on our doorstep with a casserole. Didn’t expect it, but she just wanted us to know there were people in our corner, too. We never forgot that. He was arrested over in Bozeman. Even Marcus tried to step in for him. Lawrence was in the wrong place at the wrong time, you know. Not that this is any of my business, but I seen the way Marcus looked at you, not too friendly. So thank you for helping, but if you’re thinking of causing any problems here, don’t.”

Okay, he’d been duly warned.

He could hear laughter and cheering and knew that his son was now married. Though he’d stayed out of sight and out of the way, he wished he could’ve watched. He wiped his hands and took in his jacket, which was resting over the back of the chair, then glanced back over to Tyrell, who was a few inches shorter than him, staring at him with those dark eyes, as if he knew his secrets.

“Sounds like they’re married now,” Raymond said, stepping away from the sink. “In case I didn’t say it, thank you for showing up. I think now would be a good time for me to grab my son and slip out.”

Tyrell nodded, then stepped in to finishing shucking the rest of the corn.

Raymond reached for his coat, but just then, he spotted Owen and a gorgeous blonde, whom he knew had to be Tessa, coming his way. Owen said something to her, and she hung back as Owen strode right over to him. The way his firstborn looked at him was anything but friendly.

“Just what the hell are you doing here?” Owen said. “I can’t believe you had the nerve to show up.” His voice was low, and he pulled his hand over the back of his dark hair, which had the same slight wave it had always had. He was tall, just like Raymond. All his boys were. He spotted Brady with Alison, lingering, laughing, talking, and there was Iris, watching them closely.

“Didn’t have a choice,” Raymond said. “Did you talk to your mother?”

Owen glanced over his shoulder, and he spotted Marcus coming their way, and Luke too. Everyone was dressed to the nines. Great, it seemed he was about to be cornered, and the possibility of slipping out quietly was slipping away.

“What is this about?” Owen said. “Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on? So Mom knows you’re here and she just let you stay?”

Marcus and Luke were right there now, and Raymond just nodded to them, never expecting this kind of hate to be staring back at him from his kids. He wished it could be so different.

“Why are you still here?” Marcus said. “You were leaving town, remember?”

Luke said nothing, just studying him as if he were a puzzle he needed to figure out.

“I’m here for my son, who insisted on coming,” Raymond said. “The plan was to leave, but Brady wouldn’t agree.”

Ryan was there in the background, and Jenny, his bride in a white dress, and Alison, who seemed over the moon. He knew the minute Ryan saw him.

“Brady is your son?” Luke said in a low voice. “Right, of course he is. Wow, you really screwed the pooch big time on this one, Pops. He’s here with our Alison, so you’re going to destroy two more kids’ lives.”

Ryan stepped over. The expression on his face was murderous, and could he blame him? No.

“Congratulations, Ryan,” he forced himself to say.

He expected his son to yell at him to get out, but Ryan only nodded.

In the living room, Brady was lingering, and Raymond knew he was starting to pick up on something. He didn’t remember ever seeing him appear so confused, but he didn’t have a clue how to get him out of this house without telling him the truth, because he had to be wondering now. Raymond would be left with no choice but to tell him why nothing could ever happen between him and Alison, and then Brady would be angry—no, furious.

“This is my wedding day,” Ryan said. “I can’t believe you’d show up here. Why? No, don’t say it. I know why. Brady is your son, right? You didn’t even think of what this would do.”

Raymond pulled in a breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “I need to have a word with Brady, Ryan, and then we’ll be out of here. Again, I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

It was Luke who stepped back and walked over to Brady. Whatever he said to him had him walking over, and the expression on his face was one Raymond had never seen before.

“Dad, what the hell are you doing here?” Brady said. “Mr. O’Connell, I’m so sorry for this…”

Ryan only rested his hand on Brady’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about it, Brady. You need to go talk to your dad.” Then he patted his shoulder again and stepped away.

Raymond gestured to the back door, then pulled it open, because this conversation was one he wasn’t going to have in front of everyone.

Brady glanced back and called out, “Alison, I’ll be right back.”

Raymond looked over to a family he was trying to figure out how to make things right with, and he saw a girl who was about to be devastated because of this secret he’d kept. His granddaughter. He fought the urge to say he was sorry.

As they stepped out, Tyrell looked over to him, and for just that one moment, Raymond swore the man knew exactly who he was and what he was about to do. He forced himself to pull the door closed behind them.

Brady turned on him. “Seriously, Dad, this is too much. You can’t just show up here like this. This is Alison’s parents’ wedding. You’re interfering with their day and mine. Is this because I’ve stood my ground and won’t leave? Like, are you seriously trying to ruin my life?”

He lifted his hand to calm his son, who had every right to be angry and was going to be a whole lot more. “No, the last thing I want to do is ruin your life,” he said. “It’s quite the opposite. I’m here so you won’t ruin your life and do something stupid because of something I should have told you.”

Brady dragged both his hands over his head in the way he did when he was frustrated. Raymond remembered it was something Owen had done, too, when he was young. Why he thought of that now, he didn’t know.

“This is about Alison again?” Brady said. “I cannot believe you, Dad. You have no say in who I date or see, and you don’t get an opinion on Alison—”

“She’s my granddaughter,” Raymond said, cutting him off. He couldn’t figure out how to explain this, so he went right to ripping the bandage off. There was no way to tell him nicely.

“Excuse me?” Brady said, and Raymond wasn’t sure whether his expression was shock or if he actually hadn’t heard him.

“Eighteen years ago, I had another family,” Raymond said. “I walked away from them, and I never told you about them. I had a wife and six kids, whom you’ve just met. I never planned on telling you, and I wish now I had, because the last thing I ever wanted was to see the hurt I can see now in you. That’s why I pushed. That’s why I wanted to leave. It’s not because I didn’t like Alison; it’s because she’s family. Ryan, Marcus, Luke, and Owen are your brothers, and Karen and Suzanne are your sisters.”

Brady just stood there.

“I’m so sorry,” Raymond finally said. “Say something.”

Brady opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He dropped his gaze to the ground, and it seemed as if time stood still. When he slowly lifted his gaze back up to him, staring at him, it was with an expression he’d never expected to see on his son’s face. Instead of saying anything, Brady started to walk away. Raymond reached for his arm only to have Brady snatch it away as if he were going to hit him.

“Brady!” he called out.

“No! Stay the fuck away from me. Are you kidding? How could you do this to me? Just stay away from me, because right now, I hate you.”

Instead of going back into the house, Brady started running around front to the sidewalk, and then he was gone up the street. Raymond figured he’d find him locked in his room at home.

When he looked to the back door, feeling like the worst person ever, he spotted Ryan stepping out of the house and walking his way.

“I’m so sorry, Ryan, for bringing this here, for ruining this day for you,” he said.

“Stop,” Ryan said, sounding so calm, though there was an edge to his voice. “You ruined our lives years ago. But this… Just go, please.”

Instead of saying anything else or apologizing to a son who would likely never forgive him, Raymond only nodded. The O’Connells would never be part of his life again.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking, and this time, he didn’t look back.

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he loved, and that act forced him to walk away and return to the shadows of a secret life that he couldn’t find his way out of.  

The choice he’ll have to make to protect the O’Connells could come at a heartbreaking cost. Can Raymond choose between the son he has now and the family he walked away from?

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****

Chapter 3

Iris’s phone was buzzing, and she took in the caller ID, a private number. She considered it for only a second before answering as she pulled open the back door.

In the kitchen, Ryan was all smiles, a groom ready to marry his bride. Jenny was still upstairs, but the moment for her to come down was likely anytime. Iris had finally had to force herself away from Brady and Alison, realizing her granddaughter was head over heels for a young man it was impossible for her to have those feelings for.

“Hello?” was all she got out.

“Iris, it’s Raymond. I understand Ryan is getting married today, and I have to warn you that—”

“Brady’s here,” she said, cutting him off, feeling the bite in her words as she pulled the door closed behind her. “I presume that’s why you’re calling. Why are you still here? You told me you were leaving. This is my son’s wedding day. Do you have any idea what you’ve done, what you’re doing to those kids, my granddaughter…?”

Then she spotted him. He was walking up the side of the house just as she stepped around the corner. He looked way too good for a man she was furious with. He pulled his cell phone away from his ear and hung up.

She strode toward him, glancing at the side window of the dining room and hoping no one was looking out. “You can’t be here,” she whispered loudly. “Why are you here?”

He let his gaze linger for a moment on her before he reached for her arm and had her walking back into the yard, out of sight. She didn’t miss the way he glanced back over his shoulder, still holding her. She yanked her bare arm away, lifting her hands and brushing back strands of her dark hair from her forehead. It had been freshly cut at a salon in Bozeman, not a far drive, but at least no one had known who she was.

“I’m here because Brady refuses to listen,” he said. “I tried to leave, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He actually put his foot down because he wants roots all of a sudden.”

She just stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “You had no trouble walking away from me and my children.”

“Our children,” he said.

She found herself pulling back further, not sure what to make of his expression. She thought she hissed, and she had to fist her hands. “You may have fathered them, but that’s all you did, Raymond. You left. Remember, you have a new life, a son with someone else—a son who’s here right now. Do you know my granddaughter has romantic notions about your son? I’ve never seen her so head over heels, and let me be really clear: This isn’t a childhood crush. Right now, they’re in there holding hands, and she’s probably looking for a way to sneak off with him to make out and do the kinds of things they can’t be doing, considering they’re related. Him being in there only confirms what I already suspected. Brady has no idea, because you didn’t tell him. Now, how do you think he’s going to react when he finds out? Alison is going to be devastated. You really have messed this up, Raymond, but then, isn’t that what you do?”

She’d expected something from him: anger, annoyance. She was holding nothing back, but there was no way she was using kid gloves now, considering her granddaughter was involved.

Raymond glanced into the distance and said nothing, then lifted his gaze over her head to the house. This man she’d thought she’d known well at one time was in fact a stranger she knew nothing about. Maybe that was why she felt the need to pull her arms over her chest. She shivered, welcoming the chill, then heard a car door in front and voices. It had to be Tyrell Green and his wife, who were saving their asses.

“You need to take him home now,” Iris started, but then, behind her, she heard the door slap closed.

“Hey, Mom, the Greens are here. I could…”

Iris turned to see Karen stepping out of the house. Her expression was amused as she made her way over.

“There you are,” Karen said. “I didn’t know you were out here talking with…”

She could feel the way Raymond gave everything to her, and her daughter suddenly hesitated. Maybe she had now realized or had some idea.

“Hello,” was all she said, and Iris couldn’t pull her gaze from her, seeing the way her brow knit as she took in the two of them as if trying to figure out a puzzle. Iris couldn’t get her tongue to move. She couldn’t get one word out of her mouth, which had suddenly gone so dry.

“You look gorgeous, Karen,” Raymond said. Now, why did he have to say that?

“I’m sorry, have we met?” Karen said.

Iris lifted her gaze to Raymond, wishing so many things, one of which was for him to leave before he could ruin Jenny and Ryan’s day.

“Mom, say something,” Karen said. “Who is this?”

Iris had to breathe, very aware that Raymond hadn’t pulled his gaze from Karen. She could see he wasn’t going to make this easy. “Someone who shouldn’t be here,” she finally said. “I’m sorry, Karen, but this is—”

“Dad…” Karen said. From the way she breathed his name out, Iris could feel her emotion, her heartache. She pressed her hand over her heart and didn’t pull her gaze from Raymond.

“Hi there, darlin’,” he said. Of course, she remembered what he’d called her, and she could feel her nails digging into her palms over the fondness in his voice.

“Look, he was just leaving,” she said quite abruptly. “He just needs to fix a situation here.”

Karen shook her head and then seemed to gather herself as she looked between her parents. “I thought you left,” she said. “I heard you were here. Luke and Marcus saw you. I just have so many questions to ask you, why you left, why you came back, why you’re here now…” She dragged her gaze over to Iris. “Did you know he was still here?” she said, sounding so accusatory.

“No, your mother didn’t know I was here,” Raymond said. “I just showed up because my son is here.”

Of course, Karen was confused. Iris could see it in her expression as she dragged her gaze back and forth between them. “Well, of course, all your sons are inside, and one of them is getting married today. Did you know about the wedding? Is that why you’re here?”

Raymond glanced over her head to the back door, and she hoped no one else would come out. “Only just found out, which is why I’m here—but I’m talking about my other son, who’s here right now but shouldn’t be.”

“Brady is who he’s talking about, Karen,” Iris finally said, cutting in, mainly because Karen was looking at this man as if considering inviting him in.

Karen glanced over to her so quickly. The shock, the horror, the alarm… Yeah, she could see the moment she got it. “Brady…Alison’s Brady, inside, is your son?” Her expression seemed completely rocked, her voice filled with the kind of passion only she had.

“Yes, afraid so,” Iris said. “Seems Brady is Raymond’s son, so you can see the problem, considering that makes him your half-brother, and neither he nor Alison has any idea.”

Karen hissed and pressed her hand over her chest again. “No…!” She whispered loudly, then pulled in another breath. “No, that’s not fair.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Iris said. “So now we need to get Brady out of that house and away from Alison. Raymond is having trouble leaving, as it seems his son also has feelings for Alison and is refusing to move. Raymond has never told him anything about us, or we wouldn’t be in the situation we are now.”

When Iris dragged her gaze back to Raymond, she could see he had a few things he likely wanted to say to her, by the way he stared at her long and hard. But then, she had no idea where exactly she and her children ranked against his other family, Brady.

“You seriously think he can just walk in and ask Brady to leave without everyone wondering why?” Karen said. “Then there’s Alison. There’s no way she’ll take that lying down. This just isn’t okay, another problem… How the hell are we going to fix this? Ryan and Jenny are getting married. This is their day and Alison’s. No, no, no…we’re not ruining this for them.” She lifted her hands and tapped her fingers to her forehead, just something she did when getting ready to really dig in her heels.

“No, I agree,” Iris said. “This is my son’s wedding day, and I will not have Alison upset right now.”

“I agree it’s not the right time,” Raymond replied, crossing his arms over his jacket. His dark jeans fit better than they should, she thought.

“So then you’ll leave, and we’ll make sure the kids don’t get a moment alone, and then…”

“No, I’ll stay,” Raymond said, cutting her off.

Karen was as thrown as she was, she thought, but Raymond kept glancing around. What the hell was he looking for? She found herself looking over her shoulder and then back to him.

“That’s impossible,” she said. “You can’t stay.”

Then the door squeaked open again, and this time she turned to see Alison in the doorway, looking out. “Grandma, the wedding’s going to start,” she called, then stopped and took in Raymond. “Oh, hey there, Ray. Didn’t know you were coming to my parents’ wedding. Brady didn’t say anything.”

Iris thought she made a strangled noise.

“Hi, Alison, great to see you,” Raymond said. He forced a smile that seemed far too relaxed, then gave everything to Iris. “Your grandma was just mentioning the wedding. Didn’t mean to intrude. I just had something important to discuss with Brady.”

“Oh, but the wedding is going to start,” Alison said. “You can stay. I’m sure my mom and dad would like to meet you. Grandma, Aunt Karen, Dad said to tell you to come in, because Mom’s ready to come down the stairs. Everyone else is in the living room.”

“Right,” Karen whispered to her and wrapped her hand around Iris’s arm.

“Okay, we’ll be right there,” Iris called.

As her granddaughter went back inside, Raymond dragged his hand over his face.

“You need to go,” she said quite forcefully, but all he did was shake his head.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s a little late for that,” he replied, then turned to Karen, who she knew was on the fence with all of this.

“Dad?” The door squeaked again. “What are you doing here?”

Okay, this really wasn’t the time. Iris could feel this spiraling into something way out of her control. Raymond lifted his gaze to Brady, who looked dashing. Seeing the two of them together, she could see the resemblance, and the resemblance to Luke, Marcus, Ryan, and Owen. How much longer before everyone else figured it out, too?

“I told your dad to stay for the wedding,” Alison said, appearing behind him. “Come on, Grandma…”

She felt Karen touch her arm, could feel the ground not quite as solid as it had been before. She glanced in horror at her daughter, who just patted her arm as she stood beside her.

“Maybe this won’t be as bad as you think,” Karen whispered, forcing a smile for Alison, who was still standing in the doorway with Brady. From the expression on her face, Iris knew her granddaughter was expecting some kind of disaster.

“Okay, let’s go in. Save me a seat,” she said to Alison as she headed up and reached for the open door, and Brady and Alison started into the house. She turned, taking in the horror that had crept back into Karen’s expression. Raymond was standing at the bottom of the porch steps. “Let me be very clear: You will not ruin my son’s wedding day. So help me… As soon as Ryan and Jenny are married, I want you out of here with Brady. Do I make myself clear?”

Karen said nothing as she stood between them, and Raymond’s eyes, the color she had always thought of as O’Connell blue, flickered with something she hadn’t seen in a long time.

As Karen slipped past her inside, she could hear voices, music. Raymond lifted his hand and reached for the door, holding it, angling his head and really looking long and hard at her. He was a man who didn’t cower under anyone.

“I hear you, Iris, but let me be very clear, as well: I’m not leaving here without Brady. I’m not here to ruin my son’s wedding, but if we keep standing out here, discussing this, who else do you think is going to come outside?”

She stepped in, feeling Raymond right behind her.

In the kitchen, the Greens were already cooking. She took in Tyrell, whose short dark hair was tinged with more white than she remembered. His wife was curvy, her dark hair pulled back, and she tossed an easy smile Iris’s way, with dimples in her plump dark cheeks, just as she put a large tin roaster covered with foil in the oven.

Iris dreaded what else was going to happen, so she turned to Raymond and said, “Help Tyrell in the kitchen. Stay out of sight. As soon as they’re married, I’ll send Brady in, and you figure out a way to get him out of here. Then you’ll both leave.” She kept her voice low and stood right in front of him, having to look way up.

All he did was look past her and jut his chin toward the living room. “You’d better go,” he said.

When she turned to see who he was looking at, she realized it was Marcus, standing there with Karen, and the expression on his face, the way he looked past her, straight at Raymond, was anything but friendly.

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