Free One Winter's Night by Brenda Jackson

family together.”
    He felt her touch. Knew the moment she’d reached out and touched his arm. He needed the contact right then. Sad memories seldom came his way and when they did, they were too painful to dwell on. He’d been close to his mother, close to his father and aunt and uncle.
    “Hey, you okay?”
    He glanced over at Alpha. “Yes. Memories can be a bummer at times.”
    “Yes, I know.”
    He wondered if she was talking from experience. He had noted the indention on the third finger of her left hand where a ring used to be. Had she been married at one time? Deciding to change the subject, he said, “I thought about it and ran it over with the family. We’re cool with the party being a black-tie affair. The reason I hesitated in making a decision was because I didn’t want any of the employees to incur any unnecessary expenses if they didn’t have to. But Dillon reminded me that this will be the company’s fortieth holiday celebration so we need to be classy about it.”
    A huge smile touched her lips. “I was hoping that would be your decision. I like class and already have a lot of ideas on how to make the night special.”
    He nodded. “And they like the theme—One Winter’s Night.”
    “That’s great!”
    When they came to a traffic light she opened her messenger bag to pull out several documents. “I have another presentation for you when we get to our destination. Now that you’ve decided on the attire, the menu can be planned accordingly. I’m working with Foods by Jerlon as the caterer.”
    “I’ve attended several parties he’s catered, and everything he’s prepared is delicious.”
    For the next half hour they covered more details about the party. It was only after discussing the budget that she lifted her gaze from her notes to look out the window. “We’re a long way from town, aren’t we?”
    He glanced over at her. When had the sight of a woman with her hair in a ponytail ever turned him on? “Not too far.” He slowed the car to make a turn off the highway onto a two-lane road. A huge marker said Westmoreland Country.
    She glanced over at him after reading the marker. “Westmoreland Country?”
    He chuckled. “Yes. My great-great-grandfather settled here eighty-something years ago on over two thousand acres. Dillon, being the oldest, inherited the family home and the three-hundred acres it sat on. The rest of us got a hundred acres each once we turned twenty-five.”
    “So all of you stay around here, close together?”
    “Close enough. Being on a hundred acres gives you privacy, at least most of the time, but there’s still Bailey.”
    She raised a brow. “Bailey?”
    “Bailey’s my cousin and was the youngest Denver Westmoreland when my parents, uncle and aunt died. She likes to think she can boss all of us around. She hasn’t reached twenty-five yet so she figures she can bum sleeping space wherever she wants. Usually she hangs out at Gemma’s place since it’s vacant now that Gemma is living in Australia.”
    “Is Gemma another cousin?”
    “Yes.” He decided it probably would be beneficial if he gave her a rundown of everyone. “On my parents’ side there’s Dillon. Then Micah, who works as a scientist for the federal government. He got married in June, and he and Kalina are expecting. Right now they’re living in Alexandria, Virginia.”
    Riley slowed down when they reached another school zone. “Then there’s Jason who’s married to Bella.” He chuckled. “She’s from Savannah, and her first winter here was hard on her, too. Then there’s me and my younger brothers, Canyon, Stern and Bane.”
    She lifted a brow. “No sisters?”
    “Nope. I think my parents were hoping Bane was a girl, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
    He then told her about his cousins, naming each one individually and the spouses of the married ones. Usually the last thing he talked about whenever he was on a date with a woman was his family. But he felt comfortable