Free 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys by 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys (mf) Page A

plain wicked."
    "I guess Carter thinks so, too," he found himself telling her when he'd had no intention of sharing his brother's nutty scheme with anyone. "He's got some crazy idea about giving me half of Sloane Electronics."
    Phoebe's eyes grew wide. "So that's why he came home."
    Rand didn't know. His brother made no bones about wanting the lithium on Luna Island for Sloane Electronics, but then he wanted to give half of the company to Rand. Or so he said.

    "When did Carter tell you that?"
    "He called." Actually, he'd called multiple times, but Rand hadn't picked up the subsequent calls on his cell.
    "I'm glad."
    "I don't trust people named Sloane."
    Phoebe's eyes filled with understanding, going warm with compassion. "That's hardly a surprise after the way both your grandfather and dad behaved."
    "The old man made damn sure Hoyt never married my mom."
    "And Hoyt did nothing about it."
    "That's for sure."
    "That kind of pressure wouldn't have worked on a man like you. You would have told your grandfather to take a flying leap and built your own company."
    Which was essentially what he had done.
    "But your dad stayed in a marriage he didn't want for the sake of money and appearances. It's pretty obvious he never loved Carter's mother. A man doesn't have affairs when he loves his wife."
    Rand tended to agree, no matter what current psychobabble stated. "He didn't love my mother either."
    "No. He would have married her otherwise."
    "Mom thought he did. She felt bad for him and accepted a shadowy place in his life until the day she died."
    "You refused to stay in the shadows," Phoebe said perceptively, her grip on his wrist tightening momentarily.
    "That's right. I gave him a choice, publicly acknowledge me or be publicly denied by me."
    "He chose to acknowledge you."
    And to this day, Rand didn't know if that was because he was afraid of the scandal Rand might have caused or because he'd wanted a real bond with his oldest son. But all he said was, "Yes."
    "You aren't responsible for the choices of your father."
    "I finally figured that out." About the time he married Susan, but then he'd lost her, and he'd come to accept that love had too high a price to pay.
    His mother had paid dearly for her love of Hoyt Sloane. Rand had paid for that love throughout his childhood, too. Susan and their baby's death had been the final blow to a heart that turned to stone from the battering.

    That night in bed, Phoebe curled into Rand's sleeping body and ached for the boy who had been denied so much and the man who had lost so much. She loved him with an unstoppable love, but after their discussion in the restaurant, she realized how little hope she had of him ever risking his heart on love again. It hurt, but she couldn't blame him. All he knew was the losing side of love, something she understood all too well. He wouldn't give her a lifetime, but she had three more days with him, and she would make the best of that time.
    For now, she had him, and she was going to revel in that, not ruin what time she had left as his woman, grieving for what would not be.

    If he did dismiss her from his life, she would have memories to warm her lonely bed.

    Phoebe listened to the third message from Carter Sloane on her answering machine. They'd arrived back in New Hope in the early morning hours. Before going to his office, Rand had dropped her at her apartment so she could check on things. He expected her to be back at his place when he got home from the office, but it was not even late morning yet, and she had the whole day ahead of her without him.
    She had wanted to cling when he had left, but she couldn't very well demand he take more time off from work just because their days together were over half gone.
    Feeling depressed and trying really hard not to, she picked up the phone to dial Carter's number. He said he wanted to meet her for lunch to talk about Rand. She believed him. Apparently, Carter had realized he needed his brother, even if Rand