to me?”
“Uh, actually I wanted to say a proper hello to Isabelle.” She flashed a smile at her almost-sister-in-law.
Isabelle smiled back, then cut to the chase. “What do you think of Ty?”
“Gorgeous.” That much was true. “So, how do you know him?” she asked casually, curious whether Matt knew Ty and Isabelle had been intimate.
“Through Jack. They’ve been friends forever. To hear them tell it, they tore up most of Texas.” She giggled, then must have worried she was hitting the wrong note, because she sobered abruptly. “Ty’s very sensitive. He lost his wife seven years ago, and he’s never gotten over it. But I think he’ll settle down again when he finds the right woman.”
“Has he had any girlfriends since his wife died?”
“Only me. We dated for a few months, then decided we were better off as friends.”
So Matt was okay with it. She felt a little bad for putting Isabelle on the spot, but she’d do worse to protect her brother. Even pretend she could stand Tyrell Brown.
Isabelle cleared her throat and got back on message. “He has a huge ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Cattle and horses, fifteen cowhands. He runs the whole thing from horseback. And he’s brilliant too. He even has a Ph.D.” She nodded along, trying to pull Vicky in. “His wife was passionate about abused animals, so he’s planning to use this big verdict he won to start an animal rescue ranch in her memory. Isn’t that sweet?”
Yes, it was. She hated to admit it, but the man was interesting. A study in contrasts—philosopher cowboy, monogamous womanizer. Sensitive jackass.
“Sounds like quite a guy,” she said, and Isabelle smiled, so obviously pleased with her matchmaking that Vicky found herself smiling back. Damn it, she loved Isabelle. If it made her happy to think that Vicky and Ty were hitting it off, then the least she could do was fake it for four days.
“I have to talk to Mother,” she said, though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
Matt rubbed her arm. “Want me to tag along?”
“No, I’ve got this.” She grinned. “Go enjoy your last premarital sex.”
“H ere?” Adrianna froze, her lips half glossed. She stared at Vicky in the bureau’s mirror. “Tyrell Brown is here?”
Vicky had seldom seen her mother stunned, but really, who could have envisioned a coincidence like this?
“Yes. And he asked me to pretend I don’t know him.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.” She explained the situation, watching Adrianna’s eyes narrow in the mirror.
“Does Matt know they were lovers?”
Vicky nodded. “Everything’s on the up and up in that respect. Tyrell’s just trying to spare them the stress of knowing that we’re adversaries. He thinks it’ll ruin the wedding for them. And I have to agree with him on that.” Although she hated to agree with him on anything.
Adrianna angled her head, a calculating look. “What’s he willing to do to keep us quiet?”
Victoria stared. “What do you mean, what’s he willing to do? Like, settle his case to avoid the appeal? Are you kidding?”
Adrianna blinked at her. “I didn’t say that.”
“But you thought it. God, Mother. That’s beyond unethical. It’s criminal.”
“Oh please.” Adrianna finished glossing her lips. “It was just a passing thought. And don’t tell me it didn’t cross your mind too.”
“It most certainly did not.” Vicky stalked to the window, stared out at the castle’s battlements, simmering.
“Well.” Adrianna capped her lip gloss, fluffed her platinum hair. “If I’m going to cooperate with this charade, I want something from someone. Since you’re not willing to squeeze Brown, then you’ll have to bribe me.”
Victoria turned slowly. “Bribe you not to ruin Matt’s wedding?”
Adrianna eyed her in the mirror. “Perhaps I’m uncomfortable deceiving my son.”
Vicky dismissed that with a snort. “This is a new low, Mother. Threatening Matt’s happiness to
“Uh, actually I wanted to say a proper hello to Isabelle.” She flashed a smile at her almost-sister-in-law.
Isabelle smiled back, then cut to the chase. “What do you think of Ty?”
“Gorgeous.” That much was true. “So, how do you know him?” she asked casually, curious whether Matt knew Ty and Isabelle had been intimate.
“Through Jack. They’ve been friends forever. To hear them tell it, they tore up most of Texas.” She giggled, then must have worried she was hitting the wrong note, because she sobered abruptly. “Ty’s very sensitive. He lost his wife seven years ago, and he’s never gotten over it. But I think he’ll settle down again when he finds the right woman.”
“Has he had any girlfriends since his wife died?”
“Only me. We dated for a few months, then decided we were better off as friends.”
So Matt was okay with it. She felt a little bad for putting Isabelle on the spot, but she’d do worse to protect her brother. Even pretend she could stand Tyrell Brown.
Isabelle cleared her throat and got back on message. “He has a huge ranch in the Texas Hill Country. Cattle and horses, fifteen cowhands. He runs the whole thing from horseback. And he’s brilliant too. He even has a Ph.D.” She nodded along, trying to pull Vicky in. “His wife was passionate about abused animals, so he’s planning to use this big verdict he won to start an animal rescue ranch in her memory. Isn’t that sweet?”
Yes, it was. She hated to admit it, but the man was interesting. A study in contrasts—philosopher cowboy, monogamous womanizer. Sensitive jackass.
“Sounds like quite a guy,” she said, and Isabelle smiled, so obviously pleased with her matchmaking that Vicky found herself smiling back. Damn it, she loved Isabelle. If it made her happy to think that Vicky and Ty were hitting it off, then the least she could do was fake it for four days.
“I have to talk to Mother,” she said, though it was the last thing she wanted to do.
Matt rubbed her arm. “Want me to tag along?”
“No, I’ve got this.” She grinned. “Go enjoy your last premarital sex.”
“H ere?” Adrianna froze, her lips half glossed. She stared at Vicky in the bureau’s mirror. “Tyrell Brown is here?”
Vicky had seldom seen her mother stunned, but really, who could have envisioned a coincidence like this?
“Yes. And he asked me to pretend I don’t know him.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.” She explained the situation, watching Adrianna’s eyes narrow in the mirror.
“Does Matt know they were lovers?”
Vicky nodded. “Everything’s on the up and up in that respect. Tyrell’s just trying to spare them the stress of knowing that we’re adversaries. He thinks it’ll ruin the wedding for them. And I have to agree with him on that.” Although she hated to agree with him on anything.
Adrianna angled her head, a calculating look. “What’s he willing to do to keep us quiet?”
Victoria stared. “What do you mean, what’s he willing to do? Like, settle his case to avoid the appeal? Are you kidding?”
Adrianna blinked at her. “I didn’t say that.”
“But you thought it. God, Mother. That’s beyond unethical. It’s criminal.”
“Oh please.” Adrianna finished glossing her lips. “It was just a passing thought. And don’t tell me it didn’t cross your mind too.”
“It most certainly did not.” Vicky stalked to the window, stared out at the castle’s battlements, simmering.
“Well.” Adrianna capped her lip gloss, fluffed her platinum hair. “If I’m going to cooperate with this charade, I want something from someone. Since you’re not willing to squeeze Brown, then you’ll have to bribe me.”
Victoria turned slowly. “Bribe you not to ruin Matt’s wedding?”
Adrianna eyed her in the mirror. “Perhaps I’m uncomfortable deceiving my son.”
Vicky dismissed that with a snort. “This is a new low, Mother. Threatening Matt’s happiness to
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