The Owner's Secret (A Secret Billionaire Romance Book 4) Page 9

  “How would I know that?” he asked, turning to gaze at Melody with the strangest expression in his eyes. “I’ve never met her before. You’ve rarely spoken of your family.”

  “There’s nothing to speak of really. I figured you’d meet at the wedding.”

  “Crystal, I didn’t even know you were engaged,” Melody said, trying to figure out why her sister and Britt were staring at each so forcefully. “When did it happen? When’s the wedding?”

  “As soon as we can set a date,” Crystal said, turning her full stare onto Britt’s face. “I even have a ring. See? Isn’t it stunning?”

  The enormous diamond caught the chandelier’s light when Crystal held out her hand, her long fingers elegant, the nails painted a burgundy red.

  Melody swallowed past a dry throat, trying to figure out the subtle meanings behind her older sister’s words. “Wait. You two know each other already, don’t you ...?” her voice trailed off. “You—and Britt—I’m trying to wrap my head around this—”

  That’s when her breath caught and she nearly choked. Tears threatened, burning at the back of her throat. Melody pulled on the bathrobe ties as hard as she could, wanting to punch a wall really, really hard.

  Britt took two steps toward her, shock and disbelief written all over his face. “I’m sorry for the confusion, Melody. Let me explain. Crystal is—was my girlfriend. The ring on her finger is the one I gave her ten days ago when I proposed—” he broke off, the expression in his eyes helpless and panicked.

  “I’m trying to understand this,” he said, glancing furiously between the two of them. “You two are sisters? It seems impossible. I—I—don’t know what to say. What are the odds of that?”

  Chapter 13

  Melody’s throat was so dry, no words would come. Please don’t let me cry, she prayed desperately.

  Crystal fixed a hard stare on her. “Yes, what are the odds that you’re here with my fiancé? This house is in the middle of nowhere. How did you get here? How do you know it even exists?”

  “Mirry,” Melody replied in a low voice, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from spilling over.

  Eyes swimming in tears, she caught the pained expression on Britt’s face.

  He was engaged to her sister! To Crystal! That was the moment Melody knew she was falling for the guy. She’d been daydreaming about him too much today. She should have known a man like Britt would have a girlfriend. Any girl would fall in love with his charm, his kindness, and his deep, soulful eyes.

  But the man didn’t just have a girlfriend, he was engaged—to her own sister!

  This week couldn’t get much worse.

  “Mirry?” Crystal echoed sharply.

  “It’s a long story,” Melody said shortly.

  “Where is Mirry?”

  “I told you she’s in the hospital in New Orleans. She has pneumonia, she’s very ill.”

  Crystal’s eyebrow arched. “She’s so ill you left her there and ran all the way up to White Castle. How very odd.”

  Melody’s patience with her sister’s sarcasm began to wear thin. As the youngest of the three sisters, she was always questioned and blamed when things went wrong. And she was the only one of them that cared about their grandmother who had raised them, who took her to appointments and made sure she was eating healthy and getting out for walks and shopping, and called the neighbors to check on her.

  She was sure her face was blistering red, and her voice was shaking, too. “I’m not going to stand here and let you throw insinuations at me. Yes, I had to leave her at the hospital. In case you haven’t watched the news recently, New Orleans is flooded. I lost my bookstore and my apartment. Granny’s house is filled to the ceiling with brown water and debris. We were rescued through the window and she’s in the hospital in ICU, and I had nowhere else to go.”

  “Where’s Vince? He could have helped you.”

  “Vince abandoned me.”

  Crystal’s face finally flushed. “Oh. I’m sorry,” she said stiffly.

  “Mirry told me to go to White Castle. Over and over again. I have no idea why. I thought it was an abandoned house with rats and a dirt floor, but it was a place to get away from the flooding until I figured out how to get a car and get back to the city. Since my own car probably got washed away.”

  Her sister paced the floor, face fuming and obviously discomfited by the way her baby sister was fighting back, but Melody had done nothing wrong. Despite the deep and rising attraction to Britt, she hadn’t flirted with him, and he had been a perfect gentleman.

  Crystal was practically accusing her of running off with her boyfriend.

  Britt touched Crystal’s shoulder. “Don’t assume anything. Nothing is going on here. Besides, you turned down my proposal—and now—”

  Crystal cut him off. “Not now, Britt.”

  Gritting her teeth, Melody said, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get my clothes out of the dryer and get dressed. Then I’m going for a walk. I think you two have some talking you need to do and I will leave you to it.”

  She spun on her heel and headed for the stairs, but her legs wobbled and she had to grab at the bannister to steady herself.

  Britt’s deep voice spoke behind her before she got too far. “Are you all right, Melody?”

  “Perfectly fine,” she said airily.

  “Just promise you won’t fall into any mud holes—and that you’ll stay far away from the raging Mississippi.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she said, a half-smile lifting her lips.

  “What does that mean?” Crystal asked, glancing between the two of them, her eyes snapping.

  “Private joke,” Britt told her.

  Crystal gasped in outrage and Melody couldn’t get to the laundry room fast enough. She fell against the warm dryer, holding her hands over her face while the tears finally spilled.

  She needed to get out of here, the sooner the better. She needed to forget about Britt Mandeville. Despite his earlier explanations, he belonged to her sister. And even if they had broken up, how could she and Britt ever get past this awful rift? Even if Britt were interested in her, Melody couldn’t steal her sister’s fiancé. It wasn’t done, especially in the South. She’d be labeled a husband-stealer—and worse—forever more. And Crystal would never forgive her.

  Thoughts of Britt holding her, gazing at her, fixing her meals, and touching her hand, rained through her mind like a hundred stinging darts.

  Melody shook her head, trying to erase it all. Britt was just a considerate and polite gentleman, nothing more to it. Besides, Crystal was the one wearing a rock the size of a boulder on her finger.

  The dryer buzzed and Melody pulled her clothes out, loving the feel of the soft, hot jeans and the deep purple blouse that fitted her just right around her hips and bust line.

  She’d been drenched in the clothes last night, a drowned cat, a sweatshirt yanked over her head. Just a shapeless wet mass. But Britt had told her she looked like an angel. He was crazy, but the thought made her smile.

  “I have to stop thinking about him,” she told the dryer wearily, slipping into her clean clothes. “He’s lost forever and it’s over.”

  “What’s over?” Britt’s voice said, breaking into her reverie.

  Melody’s chin jerked up. He was standing in the doorway of the laundry room, hands on either side of the doorjamb, leaning through with a soft smile on his lips.

  She let out a startled cough. Good grief, she was glad she’d already dressed and wasn’t in the process of disrobing. How could she have forgotten to close and lock the door?

  “Is everything okay?” he asked. “You just turned white as a sheet—and that’s pretty white when you already have perfect porcelain skin.”

  Melody was sure she was blushing clear to her roots, her neck going splotchy.

  “And … now you’re blushing.”

  Her hands flew to her cheeks. “Is it that obvious?”

  “When you have skin like yours, I imagine it’s
hard to hide,” he said with an easy smile.

  “I was just headed up to my room.”

  “I came down to check on you when you disappeared for so long.”

  “I was purposely hiding out, giving you two time to talk. I’m just going to bed now.”

  “But we never ate dinner.”

  “We didn’t?” Melody tried to get her bearings, but it was hard when Britt gazed at her the way he did, leaning close, his eyes burning holes of desire into her soul.

  “It’s only seven. I’m grilling shrimp and catfish. Thought it’d be the easiest and with the generator on again, I have the salad makings. Figured we’d better eat the fish before it goes bad.”

  She nodded. “But I’m not really hungry. Honestly, I’m beat. You two eat, I’m going to hit the sack and curl up with a book.”

  “Don’t let your sister drive you away, Melody,” he said softly.

  She gave a strangled laugh. “Have you seen my sister—she turns heads in every room she enters.”

  “So do you, but I’m not sure you’re even aware of it,” Britt said, not letting her off the hook.

  “You’re just being nice.”

  He dropped his arms from the door and came closer, too close for a laundry room. “Are you calling me a liar?”

  “No—of course not.”

  “Just so you know, I am never just being nice. I say what I mean, what I think. I’m not insincere.”

  “I believe you, but Crystal thinks you’re engaged,” Melody said pointedly.

  “We actually broke up a week ago.”

  “Not according to her, and she’s still wearing your ring.” Melody chewed on her lower lip and Britt’s eyes dropped to her mouth. “I’m going to let you two talk privately. Figure out your relationship and engagement and wedding plans—without me. It’s for the best. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Skirting past the broad-shouldered caretaker standing in her path, Melody tried not to brush up against him as she slid past the washing machines and shelves full of detergent.

  Her eyelids fluttered when she caught the scent of cologne on his skin. His presence was powerful and magnetic. Ripples of warmth and masculinity radiated from him and Melody had to steel her resolve not to throw herself against him.

  When she reached the door, Britt said, “Sleep well, Melody. I’ll see you in the morning, right?”

  She gave a small shrug. “I can’t make any promises either. I hope Crystal can drive me to the hospital.”

  Britt gave a small humph as if he didn’t believe her sister would do any such thing.

  She turned to wag her finger at him. “That’s not very nice.”

  “I’ve cared for Crystal for a long time, but her true colors have slipped out lately. I’m just sorry I didn’t see them sooner.”

  “Goodnight,” Melody whispered, rushing past him and then racing up the two flights of stairs to the guest room. She closed the door and locked it, allowing a huge sigh to escape while emotion stung at her eyes.

  Frustrated, she brushed the tears away. “I am stupid, stupid, stupid.”

  After dressing for bed, she jumped under the mountain of soft covers and pulled a book from the bedside table.

  The night was warm, a moist, heated humidity after the storm. Voluminous black clouds still filled the evening skies, but were beginning to dissipate as the storm lost strength and traveled north.

  When stars began to peek through the night sky haze, Melody opened the balcony doors to let the breeze stream through.

  Downstairs on the back patio came the faint sound and smell of sizzling meat, the soft laughter of Crystal, the murmur of her voice mingled with Britt’s.

  A sharp spasm traveled up her stomach and lodged in her heart. A mix of emotions pressed down on her mind with an ache she was afraid to scrutinize too closely. Her sister had been seriously dating someone, but never mentioned him to Melody. Then she got engaged and didn’t bother to call her. Her sister who lived only an hour from New Orleans.

  Of course, Crystal spent a lot of her time traveling for work. Baton Rouge was often just a way stop in between—or to see her boyfriend, Britt Mandeville, it appeared. How often had she visited Britt at White Castle and not taken the time to come see her and Mirry?

  Melody stared at the ceiling while the words on the page grew blurry. Pushing the book across the big bed, she paced the room, too worked up to settle down.

  Were Britt and Crystal actually engaged? The body language and dialogue between the two of them had been lost in the confusion of Crystal’s arrival and Britt’s shock to find out she and Crystal were related.

  Actually, they didn’t act engaged. Britt hadn’t even embraced Crystal. Despite flashing that obnoxious diamond, her older sister strutted about the foyer in her high heels accusing Melody and Britt of cheating behind her back.

  The whole thing was insane.

  “Why did you send me here, Granny Mirry?” she moaned, running her fingers through her hair. “Because you knew Crystal was about to get married and she needed my help? Or something else entirely?”

  That was the biggest question of all, and she wouldn’t be able to ask her grandmother until she could get back into the city and Mirry woke up from her semi-comatose state.

  Britt was just a side story. An ex-history teacher turned plantation caretaker.

  The room turned dark and Melody lit a couple of lamps.

  The sound of grilling was long over, the sizzling aroma of the garlic shrimp no longer drifting into the house as of about an hour ago. They had probably had an intimate dinner together and renewed their relationship.

  Now that the shock was over, Melody was starving. She’d have to sneak down to the kitchen later and get something from the fridge. But she’d wait until after they had gone to bed.

  A steely resolve took over while Melody gazed at the night sky. She’d put her own research mind to good use. After all, she loved research, loved Louisiana history, and even had a huge section in Books on the Mississippi.

  All she had to do was get to the parish courthouse and find out who the past owners of Nottingham were.

  That should clear up the mystery over her grandparents’ picture in the ballroom.

  Chapter 14

  A light tap came at the door and Melody jerked awake. The Tiffany lamps on the mantle and the one on the nightstand were still burning. She rubbed at her eyes, bumping an elbow into the corner of the book she’d been attempting to read earlier.

  Her eyes darted to the clock on the bedside table. It was after midnight.

  “Who is it?” she croaked out.

  “Your sister, who else?” came the reply. Crystal knocked again, harder. “Come on, let me in, Mel.”

  Melody rolled over, her neck stiff and her legs in slow motion as she swung them over the side of the bed.

  How long had she been asleep? What was her sister doing at her door at this time of night? The lighting down below on the main grounds was now dim. Only a few nightlights along the pathways remained, presumably for guests who liked to take midnight strolls.

  Her stomach rumbled. She’d fallen asleep before she could sneak downstairs to the kitchen, and she was starving.

  Unlocking the door, she let it fall open and then fell back onto the four-poster bed. Her head was groggy, like she’d been drugged. She hated being woken up from a dead sleep.

  Her older sister pushed through, as if she’d injected herself with adrenaline, and stared around the guest room, then back at Melody. “You look terrible.”

  “Duh. I was asleep. What do you want?”

  “Just wanted to talk.”

  “Can it wait until morning?”

  “No. Britt and I just finished our evening together and I thought I’d come up here because I have to go home tomorrow. I have a flight to New York. The airports are back up and running. At least in Baton Rouge. Most roads are still closed into the city. Britt and I were just watching the news.”

  “How nice,” Melody said,
sarcasm lining her voice. “Are you here to lecture me?”

  Crystal sank onto the bed without being invited, her back ramrod straight, her demeanor irritated. “Honestly, what the heck are you doing here?”

  Scooting herself into a sitting position, Melody stuffed three pillows behind her back and curled her knees up to her chest.

  “You look like you’re sixteen in that baby doll nightgown, little sis,” Crystal said.

  “I’m not a fashion model like you are,” Melody said shortly. “Is that what you woke me up to tell me?”

  “Of course not, but I am jealous of your great legs. Don’t you dare walk around the house in that. If Britt sees you I will kill you.”

  Melody’s temper spiked. “I’m too tired for a lecture so knock it off. I do not have designs on Britt Mandeville. But you could have called your own sister and told me you were seriously dating someone. That you got engaged? What the heck??” she added, repeating her sister’s words back at her.

  “I’m very busy,” Crystal said shortly, playing with one of her long platinum blonde curls.

  “A text takes ten seconds. Besides, you’re not the only one with a hectic life. I do run a bookstore singlehandedly. So what’s new with your career?”

  “My agent just got the contract for a gig with Vogue magazine. And I got a part on Broadway as an extra.”

  “Congratulations, that’s wonderful. I know you’ve been going back and forth, but aren’t you mostly there? As in New York, of course.”

  Crystal leaned back against one of the bed posts. “That’s why Britt’s proposal came out of the blue. He was so excited to show me this old house.”

  “He’s spent a lot of time fixing it up. I’m sure he’s proud of it.”

  “What does he care?” Crystal blew at her bangs impatiently. “He’s just the caretaker. It’s his other secrets that are juicy.” She winked at Melody and wiggled her shoulders in a sexy move. “I sort of blew a gasket when he said we were going to live here.”

  “I’d love to live here,” Melody confessed, then quickly used her hands to erase the sentiment. “I’m not implying anything by that! I suppose it would be difficult to commute with your job. White Castle is an hour from the closest airport.”