Free One Night With a Santini by Melissa Schroeder Page B

rarely true.”
    “Gee, thanks. You are the bestest friend I have ever had.”
    Wendy ignored the sarcasm. “Didn’t you use protection?”
    “Of course we did. Every time.”
    A beat of silence. “How many times were there?”
    “None of your business.”
    Wendy tsked. “You’re being awfully rude to a person you called for help.”
    “Okay. Three…yes, three.”
    “Total?”
    “For that night, yeah. Just three or maybe four. Dammit, I can’t remember.”
    “Please tell me he has a single brother.”
    “Three in fact, and one is a fraternal twin who owns a ranch.”
    “Holy moly, a cowboy? Hmm, I like that. I’ll be there in thirty. I was on my way home, so I’ll swing by the drugstore and get one.”
    “Thanks.” Then what Wendy said hit her. “You’re on your way home? Where were you last night?”
    “No comment.”
    “Wendy.”
    “Let’s just say I did something kind of stupid, but I’ll get over it—and I am sure he will too. Oh, there’s the store. Good bye.”
    She clicked the phone off and frowned. Wendy wasn’t a bragger about her sex life, but she had never tried to hide anything from Kaitlin.
    Shaking her head, Kaitlin rose to go downstairs, but her phone rang. When she saw the number, she rolled her eyes. Damn Declan.
    “Hi Mama.”
    * * * *
    They were just finishing up the breakfast of sticky buns and fresh fruit when the doorbell rang.
    “I’ll get it,” Kaitlin said, practically jumping up out of her chair.
    He heard a woman’s voice before she appeared. She was a little taller than Kaitlin, with long golden brown hair and smiling brown eyes.
    “Well, I think I might want to rethink the sibling thing if I could have a brother bring me goodies in the morning.” Her gaze landed on Brando. “You must be Brando Santini.”
    He stood, waiting for her to make her way to the table. Declan gave him a strange look.
    “Yes. And you must be Wendy.”
    Her smile widened. “That I am. I call dibs on one of those sticky buns, but I need to talk to Kaitlin for a second.”
    He nodded and watched them as they practically ran out of the room.
    “Well, I was pleasant during breakfast, but you and I are going to have a chat, Santini.”
    “Really? You call asking me when I was leaving being pleasant?”
    “I didn’t hit you.”
    That much was true. Brando glanced at the stairs wishing Kaitlin would hurry up. He looked at her brother and sighed. He took his seat again. “Hit me.”
    “Believe me, I would like to hit you. More than once, but my sister would be upset.”
    “Are you going to ask me if my intentions are honorable?”
    Declan studied him for a moment. “No, I don’t think I need to. Just so you know, I get to make the wedding cake.”
    He smiled. “Deal.”
    * * * *
    “Well?” Wendy asked from the other side of the door.
    Shoot, shoot, shoot. She was staring down at the little window and the definitive proof that she was pregnant. Damn . Damn. Damn . Her heart tripped a few beats. She opened her mouth a couple of times, but only a squeak came out.
    She opened the door and Wendy saw her face.
    “Oh, boy,” she said.
    Kaitlin walked over to the bed and sank down on it. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Brando knew something was wrong. Throughout Saturday, Kaitlin had been as sweet as usual, but he knew she had worries. It was as if she were going through the motions. He hoped that it had nothing to do with him or with his interaction with Declan.
    Truth was, Declan was on his side. He didn’t know the man too well, but the moment he told him he wanted to marry Kaitlin, Declan had treated him like one of the family.
    His worry now was that Declan had told someone else in the family. If her family was anything like the Santinis, there was probably a lot of gossiping. He would hate it if Kaitlin found out from someone else in her family. He knew there was a chance she was skittish about marriage. With one failed