Free All Night Woman: A Contemporary Romance by Abbie Zanders

to write for a few romance magazines.  It was something I could do from home while you children were little, and it paid quite well.”
    “Why did you stop?” Holly asked.
    “People weren’t as accepting then about that kind of thing as they are now.  I was part of the PTA, and secretary of our church’s Auxiliary...”
    “Mrs. Grayson, would you consider being a beta reader?”
    Miles stopped chewing.  Beside him, Adam did the same.  Only their father didn’t seem at all fazed by the question.  “Go on, Bev,” he encouraged around a mouthful of buttery roll.  “You know you want to.”
    “I would be honored,” Beverly said, her blue eyes beaming.  “If you’re sure.”
    “I’m sure,” Holly said, looking equally pleased. 
    Damn it, Miles inwardly lamented.  Weren’t mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law supposed to hate each other on sight?  His mother had never smiled at his ex-wife, Mandy, like she was smiling at Holly, even after Mandy had given her her first grandchild.

    “Miles, can I talk to you for a minute?”
    Miles turned his gaze away from the snowy mountain vista and tucked his hands farther into his pockets.  For as cold as it was, the lack of wind made it fairly comfortable.  Unable to keep his mind on the conversation inside, he had sought refuge on the wrap-around porch.  At least this way, he could allow his thoughts to wander without schooling his expression and having to deal with the concerned looks his brother had been shooting him all day.
    “Sure.”  So far he had avoided any direct one-on-ones with Holly, but it was bound to happen eventually.  Might as well get it over with.
    “You don’t like me very much, do you?” she asked quietly.
    He didn’t deny it.  “It’s nothing personal.” 
    “But you think Adam is making a mistake.”
    She was the second woman in two days to say as much.  Was it that obvious?  Clearly he had to make a better effort to conceal his personal feelings on the subject.
    Miles didn’t say anything.  There really was no good way to answer that.  If he said no, it would be an outright lie, and Holly was too sharp not to pick up on it.  If he said yes, he came off as the bad guy.
    “I guess I can understand that,” Holly said after a couple of minutes passed by in heavy silence.  “You’re his brother and you care about him.  But I love Adam, Miles, and Adam loves me.”
    “It’s not that I don’t believe you,” Miles said carefully, “but you two barely know each other.”
    “Sometimes you just know.”
    “Is that the woman talking, or the romance writer?”
    Rather than take offense, Holly laughed.  “You know, until I met Adam, I was the world’s biggest cynic when it came to things like true love and soul mates.”
    “And five minute men?” he added.
    She had the good sense to blush.  “You’ve been talking to Liz, I see.”
    He shrugged.  He’d been doing a hell of lot more than that.  Five minute man, indeed.  Though he hadn’t been looking at a clock, he was fairly certain he’d done better than that.  Which just went to show that as far as being a measure of true love, such a notion was complete and absolute nonsense.
    “It’s more than that, Miles,” she said softly.  “You have to know that.  Or maybe you don’t.  All I can say is, I love Adam, and I’m going to do my damnedest to make him happy.  Whether or not you can accept that is up to you.”
    Again, he said nothing.  Maybe things would work out, maybe they wouldn’t.  He didn’t have a crystal ball, but at least for now, she seemed sincere.  He could respect that.  And, in truth, he had never seen Adam happier.  Brandon seemed to like her, too, but that didn’t really tell him anything.  Miles had yet to hear his son say a bad word about anyone. 
    “Miles, did anything happen last night that I should know about?”
    Holly’s question blindsided him.  He turned to look down at her – she really was a short little