Free A Not-So-Innocent Seduction by Janice Maynard Page B

get her to trust him. On the surface, her personality was open and sunny. But dig a little deeper and you found a woman who resembled a house of mirrors. Just when he thought he had a clear idea of who she was, he ran into a dead end.
    Glancing at the clock, he decided it would be okay to call his night-owl brother.
    Dylan answered on the second ring. His voice was louder than usual, obviously struggling to be heard above the noise in the bar. “What’s up? Didn’t I just have dinner with you a few hours ago?”
    “I’ve changed my mind.”
    “About what?”
    “I wasn’t sure before, but now I want you to invite Zoe Chamberlain to sing at the Silver Dollar. The sooner the better.”
    “What’s the emergency?”
    Liam laughed roughly, digging the heel of his free hand into his eyes one at a time. “I wish I knew. Our beautiful guest is in some kind of trouble. I don’t know more than that. But I want to hear her sing. Is that a problem?”
    “Of course not. I’ll call in the morning and tell her we’ll put together a set for tomorrow night. Will that do?”
    “Yeah. Thanks, Dylan.”
    His brother’s voice was wry. “You picked up the pieces when I was a mess. The least I can do is lend a hand with your new girlfriend.”
    “She’s not my girlfriend,” Liam said automatically. He wasn’t sure how to categorize what he felt for Zoe, but he was pretty damned sure their situation was nothing as simple as that.
    “Well, whatever she is, I hope she can sing. My regulars have been known to harass the few duds I’ve had.”
    “If she says she can sing, I believe her. I plan to bring her down to the saloon and stay with her. What time are you going to tell her to be there?”
    “We’ll need a few minutes to talk about songs. Do you want to grab a burger while you’re here, or is that too plebeian for your refined palate?”
    “You’re such an ass. And yes. A burger sounds great.”
    “Seven o’clock, then. After we eat, I’ll take her in the back for a few minutes and work on the set list.”
    Liam cleared his throat. “I think dinner will be just Zoe and me. No offense.”
    A second of silence stretched to two and then three. Dylan’s response, when it finally came, was hushed. “Ho-lee shee...it. Has my mighty brother fallen for a tourist?”
    “Mind your own damn business. And just for the record, I’ll be joining you in the back .”
    “Message received. But you don’t really think I’d poach on your territory, do you bro?”
    “Do you remember Pamela Fletcher back in middle school?”
    Dylan chuckled. “Point taken. But I’ve matured since then.”
    “Says who?”
    “Ask anybody. I’m an upstanding businessman.”
    “An upstanding businessman with an eye for the ladies.”
    “I’ve reformed, I swear.”
    “In all seriousness, Dylan, help me keep an eye on Zoe. Some guy was here at the hotel today asking about her. Pierre told him flat out that no such person had checked in.”
    “Go, Pierre. He takes his job seriously.”
    “We all do. And apparently this unwanted visitor gave off enough of a bad vibe for Pierre to be suspicious.”
    “Does Zoe know about the visitor?’
    “Yes.”
    “Be careful, Liam. You can’t always save the world.”
    Liam winced, feeling something a lot like hurt. “Am I really such an insufferable prig?”
    Dylan’s voice lowered to a more normal level. Presumably he had stepped into his office, because the background noise disappeared. “That’s not what I said, or what I meant. You’ve sacrificed for all of us, and we’re damned grateful. But sometimes you take on too much responsibility. You need to lighten up and live a little. If this Zoe gal is too complicated, find somebody else. But get laid and quit worrying.”
    “I can’t believe I’m taking relationship advice from my baby brother.”
    “You could do worse. I’ve survived the pitfalls. I’m a cautionary tale.”
    “I don’t think anything is going to happen with