Free Tenacious Love (Banished Saga, Book Four): Banished Saga, Book Four by Ramona Flightner Page A

“Let’s hope there’s a reporter, so we can send a photo to our parents.”
    Lucas nodded to the man standing watch at the door a moment before it was flung open. A loud voice intoned, “Lucas Russell,” and the threesome sauntered into the ballroom. A hush fell over the room as Clarissa saw members of Butte’s elite strain for a view of them, and then the chatter slowly began its crescendo.
    “Sauntering in late …” one voice hissed.
    “With two women,” another whispered fiercely as the trio walked past.
    “Well done, lad,” murmured a man with a deep baritone.
    Clarissa blushed but nodded, trying not to laugh. “Lucas, you must tell them the truth,” she whispered in his ear.
    “Why? People love the thought of a scandal much more than the boring truth. Besides, you keep whispering in my ear, and no one will believe you’re my cousin,” Lucas murmured.
    She swatted his arm and then laughed. She shared an amused glance with Savannah, realizing she hadn’t felt this free in spirit in months. Not since … Her mind shied away from the thought, and she focused on the ballroom. On Lucas.
    He smiled vaguely at those in the room and maneuvered his sister and his cousin so that they’d receive a glass of champagne. “Drink it,” he muttered before they could protest. “Butte’s far from a dry town, and you need to fit in. The ilk of Carrie Nation isn’t all that welcome here.”
    Clarissa took a dainty sip and saw Savannah frown as she did the same. After a few minutes Lucas was separated from them by fans and patrons of the arts. Savannah and Clarissa stood there, a large swath of space around them as though surrounded by an impenetrable moat. “I never thought spending time with Lucas would paint me as a fallen woman,” Clarissa murmured.
    Savannah snorted. “Ironic, considering we’re both married with children.” Her eyes clouded after she said that. “And that we are truly related.”
    Clarissa glared at a man, swaying subtly as he approached them.
    He appeared confused by their frigid welcome but walked away.
    “I wonder how Lucas survives these events every day.”
    “He would find almost anything worthwhile as long as he could perform.” Savannah stiffened as she watched the crowd surrounding Lucas. “Rissa, is that …” Her voice broke off as she frowned.
    “What?” Clarissa followed her cousin’s gaze and froze, her fingers going numb as her glass of champagne tumbled to the ground, splintering on the marble floor. She barely noticed the commotion around her as waitstaff rushed to clear the shards of glass while she stared into eyes she thought she’d never see again.
    “It can’t be,” Clarissa mouthed, a tear coursing down her cheek.
    A broad-shouldered man, with brown hair shot with gray, excused himself from his associates near Lucas and approached her. His brown eyes, lit with an incandescent joy, made them appear like molten chocolate.
    “Patrick?” Clarissa croaked.
    He beamed as she said his name, and he reached out a hand to clasp her shoulder.
    She stroked a hand down his arm, her gaze taking in the subtle changes wrought by his thirteen-year absence. “Where have you been?” she asked, batting him on an arm in frustration.
    He laughed, and another tear slipped out as she remembered their youth. “Here and there and everywhere in between.” His deep voice was raspier, quieter. “I never thought to see you here in Montana, Rissa.”
    “Did you think I’d remain in Boston, living the life deemed appropriate by our stepmother?” She cleared her throat to forestall any more tears. “When you left, with only a note, I thought Da’s heart would break.”
    Patrick’s mouth tightened at her words, before he forced a smile. “Well, I needed to begin again.”
    She saw a flicker of something in his eyes but was prevented from questioning him further when Savannah interrupted them.
    “Patrick, I can’t believe it’s really you,” Savannah murmured, gripping his