Free The Other Brother by Lucy Felthouse Page A

as well as him—she opened it. There he stood, in all his black-haired, green-eyed, high-cheekboned glory. Dressed in a charcoal-colored suit and shiny black shoes, he was a million miles away from the grungy college student she remembered.
    “Patrick, is that really you?” Her words were moronic. But she couldn’t take them back. “Please, come on in.” Moving aside to let him pass, she closed the door. When she turned around again, he stood directly in front of her, a grin on his handsome face.
    “How the hell are you?”
    For an awkward moment she had no idea whether they should shake hands or hug. Eventually, he made the decision for them and opened his arms wide. “Come here.”
    She paused for a millisecond, feeling odd. It would be even more odd if she didn’t embrace him, so she gingerly clasped her hands behind his back.
    Inhaling a breath at the tight squeeze he gave her, she regretted it when the spicy scent of his cologne wafted up her nose, onto her tongue, and down her throat. Then her sense of smell had to contend with the subtler notes of a similar spicy shampoo and shower gel. All were delicious, and all made her want to stay wrapped in his arms, sucking in his comforting, masculine scent forever.
    Pulling away, horrified, she wanted to slap her own face. What a ridiculous notion. Patrick—her dead fiancé’s brother, for heaven’s sake. She’d obviously been without a man for too long. He watched her with a strange expression and she offered him a wan grin.
    “I’m surprised to see you. What are you doing here?”
    “Here, or in New York?”
    “Both! Come on, sit. Can I get you a coffee?”
    “Yes, that would be great. Black, no sugar, please.”
    She grimaced. “Ugh. Okay, coming right up.”
    After pouring the coffee—hers with plenty of milk and sugar—she headed back to the living area, placed the mugs on the table, and sat in the chair at a right angle to the one he occupied.
    “This is a nice place you’ve got here.”
    Melodie shrugged and looked around the sparsely-decorated apartment. “You’re being nice. It’s a dump. I can’t afford anything else. Though, admittedly, it would have been much tidier if I’d known you were coming.”
    “I’m sorry. I should have called first. Being nearby, I thought it would be crazy not to stop by on the off chance you were here.”
    “It’s all right. As long as you know my place isn’t usually in this state.” She took a sip of her drink. “So, what are you doing in New York, then?”
    “I just moved here for work.” Cradling his mug, he settled back in the chair.
    “Oh? What are you doing? Still the veterinary stuff?”
    At twenty-eight, they were the same age, and he had gone to college around the same time she had. She’d stayed local to be near Sean—near him when he came home on leave, anyway—but Patrick had headed out of state to get the required qualifications to become a vet.
    “Yeah. I specialized in mixed-practice veterinary medicine and am employed at the Central Park Zoo.”
    “The zoo? Wow, that’s so cool. Like, really cool. How long have you been there?”
    “Less than a day. I came straight here from a meeting. They offered me the position. Which is damn lucky, as I’ve got a twelve-month contract on my new apartment.” He grinned.
    “What? Talk about flying by the seat of your pants. But, congratulations! You should be celebrating. Let’s celebrate.”
    They leaned toward each other and clinked coffee mugs.
    “So,” she said, punctuating her words with a sip of coffee, “A new life. Here in New York.”
    “Yeah. It’s so exciting. It’s such a great place. I mean, home is great too, obviously. It’s not the same anymore, though. You know?”
    “Yeah, I know.” Christ, did she. When Sean had died, the sun switched off for her. To know he would never come home again or go anywhere again. She’d never hold him, kiss him, marry him, have his children, grow old with him….
    She’d known the