Free MONTANA HOMECOMING (Montana Book 2) by Soraya Lane

make it seem like
dinner with Scott was no big deal, then she could have asked her sisters for
their opinions, but she had, and there was no way she wanted them to start
making a fuss.
    This was Scott . Scott who'd seen her grow from a gangly kid into a woman, who'd kissed her as a shy fifteen year old, who'd seen
her sitting in her backyard only hours ago, wearing hardly any make up and
hardly any clothes.
    She sighed and reached for her favorite pair of skinny
jeans. Then she played with the edge of her bra, wondering if it had been
stupid to wear something black and lacy. Nonsense, she admonished herself. She was wearing it for herself, not Scott, and it
was making her feel sexy as hell.
    Screw it. Amanda grabbed a low cut t-shirt with jewels over the
shoulders, her black leather jacket and a pair of platform heels that gave her
at least four inches. Now she'd almost be able to look Scott in the eye, and
she felt good. She put her lip gloss in her purse and took a moment to take a
deep breath, rolling her shoulders back and forth.
    So what if she hadn't been out with a guy in over a year?
Scott didn't know that and neither did anyone else. The only thing she had to
do now was make it past Blake and she'd be fine.
    "Where are you off to looking so gorgeous?"
    Damn. Amanda shut her bedroom door behind her, feeling all of
sixteen years old, like she'd just been caught sneaking out.
    "Um, just dinner with a
friend."
    Blake leaned against the wall, towel slung low around his
waist and a pissed off look on his face. He'd gone from smiling to scowling in
less than ten seconds.  
    "No," he said, shaking his head and crossing his
arms. "No fucking way are you going out with Scott dressed like that. "
    She laughed. There was nothing else she could do. "So
if I was wearing an old shirt and baggy pants you'd approve?"
    He looked furious. "Amanda, I'm serious. I have my
reasons for not wanting you to see him, okay? I'm not trying to be a jerk here, I just need you to listen to me."
    She crossed the distance between them and kissed her
brother's cheek, squeezing his hand at the same time. They'd been through so
much as a family lately, and as annoying as he was, he was her brother and
whatever crazy stuff was going through his head, he genuinely thought he was
looking out for her.
    "It's just dinner, Blake. Believe me when I say I need
to let my hair down and just enjoy a night out with a friend. It's nothing more
than that."
    He didn't say anything, but his eyes told her everything
she needed to know.
    "If you're not home by midnight…" he started.
    "Yes, dad," she replied with a laugh, for once
not having to fight emotion at the mention of her father. "I'll turn into
a pumpkin at twelve, I know."
    "Just make sure he brings you home," Blake said,
giving her a long stare before walking back down the hall to his bedroom.
    What was it about being home that actually made her feel
like she'd stepped back in time? For the past ten years she'd lived alone,
except for a couple of bad decisions that had seen her temporarily move in with
a boyfriend. She had a loft apartment in New York that she adored, a day to day
life that her family had little knowledge about, yet now she was back her
brother was telling her who she could and couldn't see, and her sisters
practically knew what she was thinking every second of the day.
    It was crazy and intrusive, but it was also nice. Something
she'd been missing without realizing it.
    "Mom?"
    Her mother was crossing from their living room into the
kitchen, and she called out to her as she ran down the last flight of stairs.
    "Amanda, you look beautiful."
    "Thanks." Her mom's smile was infectious.
"Are you sure you don't mind me heading out?"
    "Sweetheart, I have Blake and Charlotte. You don't
need to babysit me the whole time you're home."
    Amanda put an arm around her mother, wishing she wasn't
already wearing her heels because it only made her mom seem even smaller beside
her.
    "I just want you to know