Free Always a McBride by Linda Turner

of. And it had nothing to do with the fact that her scent was alluring or that she looked touchably soft in a blouse that was about as substantial as a whisper. It was just Phoebe…her smile, her total lack of artifice, her feminity. Dammit, why did she have to be so pretty?

Chapter 4
    S cowling, he was still pondering that question fifteen minutes later when they arrived at the entrance to Twin Pines, the McBride ranch. Tension crawled up his spine, tightening the muscles of his back one by one. He’d expected some kind of grand, impressive entrance, but other than two pines trees that stood side by side to the left of the gate, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. There was a cattle guard flanked by two old fieldstone columns and a long drive that cut through a pasture to disappear into the trees on the horizon.
    â€œThat’s Merry’s office and house over there,” Phoebe said, nodding to several rock-and-log buildings that he hadn’t noticed fifty yards to the right of the entrance. “Joe’s place is a couple of miles down the road, and the others are scattered further back. It’s a big place.”
    â€œWhere’s the homestead?”
    â€œAbout a mile from Joe’s. Sara and Janey lived theretogether for years, but then when they both got married, they had some decisions to make about the house. Janey and Reilly wanted their own place, just like all newlyweds, but they were also aware of the fact that Sara and Dan weren’t getting any younger. In the end, they decided it would be better for everyone if they stayed at the homestead.”
    â€œSo they’re all just one big happy family,” he retorted.
    If Phoebe noted his sarcastic tone, she gave no indication of it. “Actually, they are,” she replied. “That doesn’t mean tempers don’t get short sometimes, but they all seem to find a way to get along. And all the kids are thrilled that Sara has Dan in her life. As a wedding present, they’re remodeling the east wing for them so they’ll have their own separate space. They’re going to be so surprised when they get back from their honeymoon.”
    They were going to be surprised, all right, Taylor thought grimly. Especially Sara. But then again, maybe now that she had remarried, she wouldn’t care that her first husband was not the man she’d thought he was. Either way, it was time she and her children were told the truth. If they didn’t like it, that wasn’t his problem.
    â€œMost families don’t get along that well,” he said as he spied the two-story house and outbuildings in the distance. “I’m surprised that they’re all able to live on the ranch peacefully.”
    â€œThey’re a great family,” she assured him. “You’ve already met Merry. The others are just as nice. Sara and Gus did a good job raising them.”
    While you were growing up without a father in California, a voice in his head reminded him. Yeah, they’re a great family.
    Phoebe, of course, didn’t know that, so he couldn’t blame her for thinking the McBrides walked on water. She and the rest of Liberty Hill, however, would know the truth soon enough. It was just a matter of time.
    They drew up in front of Joe’s place then, and Taylor was surprised to discover that the house was just an ordinary two-story home that couldn’t have been over twenty-two-hundred square feet. He’d been expecting something a little more elaborate than an ordinary ranch house. After all, the McBrides owned thousands of acres and were one of the original founding families of the area. He’d thought all his brothers and sisters would be living in high-dollar houses and driving new pickups. Apparently, he’d been wrong.
    â€œLooks like everybody’s here,” Phoebe said, nodding toward the vehicles in the driveway, all of which were at least a couple of years old. “I