Free The Comeback by Abby Gaines Page B

Tex-Mex feast that would appeal to everyone, Amber watched her mom’s interactions with him like a hawk. But she was pleasant to everyone else.
    It’ll take time, Brady told himself. But we’ll win her over. They had to, for Julie-Anne’s sake.
     
    A MBER SIPPED HER BEER , smiled politely in response to something Zack Matheson—her stepbrother—said, and wondered how soon she could get out of here. She needed to take a long walk, clear her head. Zack seemed nice enough, and so did his brothers, but who really knew? More importantly, whoknew what Brady Matheson was really like? If he was as gruff as his demeanor suggested, there was every chance Amber’s mom had made a terrible mistake. Again.
    Amber eyed Julie-Anne, saw the nervousness in her jerky movements as she passed around the plates of food. Was her mom merely worried about this reunion, or was her anxiety due to something more sinister?
    I should have come home sooner. Julie-Anne’s announcement of her engagement to Brady at the end of last year had set off alarm bells, and Amber had begun the process of extracting herself from her contract with her eco-adventure tour company employer. Then, in January, Julie-Anne had e-mailed that the engagement was off. Out of consideration to her employer during the busy New Year period, Amber canceled her trip. Only to learn a couple of weeks later that Brady and Julie-Anne had run off to Las Vegas to get married.
    Did he browbeat her into it?
    Julie-Anne had e-mailed to say how ecstatic she was, but Amber wasn’t convinced. It had taken a while to get out of her commitments, but she was here to see for herself. If she discovered Brady was anything like Julie-Anne’s first husband, Billy Blake, the man Amber could scarcely bear to acknowledge as her father…
    “Amber, will you be looking for work here in Charlotte?” Brady asked.
    She couldn’t gauge his tone, and that worried her. If Brady was like her father, he was smarter about hiding it than Billy had been. “I’m not sure how long I’ll stay,” she admitted.
    She’d been traveling for years, it would be hard to settle. Even if, sometimes, she craved to be somewhere called home.
    “You’ll have to come by Matheson Racing,” Zack said. “Have Dad show you around. He started the team thirty years ago, back when he was racing himself, so as tour guides go he’s pretty inspiring.” His cheery tone seemed forced. Gaby—his girlfriend?—gave him an encouraging smile.“Thanks, son.” Brady sounded surprised at the compliment. He turned to Amber. “I’d be happy to show you around the team headquarters.”
    “Uh, I’m not sure what my plans are.” As if she would be so frantically busy in this town where she no longer knew anyone that she wouldn’t have time to visit the team. Still, it was more polite than, No way am I setting foot in that place.
    The conversation moved on; Amber was content to observe.
    Julie-Anne started gathering empty plates. “I’ll serve dessert.”
    Brady stood. “I’ll help you, sweetheart.”
    Amber leaped to her feet. “I’ll help, Mom.”
    Julie-Anne looked from her husband to her daughter. Amber had the ridiculous urge to put up her hand and beg, Pick me. This time, pick me.
    “It won’t need three of us,” Julie-Anne said. “Amber, I’d love it if you could help.”
    Amber couldn’t help shooting a look of triumph at Brady as she followed her mom to the kitchen. Childish, she scolded herself.
    “Darling, you’re coping wonderfully,” Julie-Anne said as she pulled the peach cobbler, Amber’s childhood favorite, from the oven. “I know the Matheson men can be overwhelming when you get them all in one room.”
    “Any more testosterone and I’d be in danger of growing hairs on my chest,” Amber agreed.
    A tiny joke, but Julie-Anne laughed more heartily than it warranted. “So…what do you think?” she asked.
    She meant of Brady, but Amber chose a wider interpretation. “Zack seems harmless,” she