“Fine,” she said with dramatic exasperation. “I’ll stay a bit longer.”
“Don’t make me twist your arm or anything,” Gideon teased.
The return of some of the playfulness that had captured her attention at their families’ summer solstice party made it easier to reach into her brother’s fridge and pull out the pitcher of lemonade. She grabbed three glasses and filled them.
“No arm twisting necessary,” she said as she handed a glass to Gideon and nodded her head toward Owen’s deck.
The men followed her outside, and she perched a safe distance away on the railing while they took seats at the glass-topped table to enjoy a cold lemonade on a sultry night. Erin studied Gideon covertly, but he seemed to have pushed his worries away for the time being, and she let out a breath. As much of a relief as it was to see him smiling again—even if some of the twinkle was missing from his eyes—she couldn’t quiet the sympathy triggered by his vulnerability. It was the same ache she’d felt deep in her soul watching her brother suffer.
Sighing, she took a long drink of lemonade. I hope I don’t end up regretting not walking away when I had the chance.
* * *
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Also by Suzie O’Connell
Sea Glass Cove
The Abalone Shell
The Driftwood Promise
Northstar Romances
First Instinct
Mountain Angel
Summer Angel
Twice Shy
Once Burned
Starlight Magic
Wild Angel
Forgotten Angel
Last Surrender
Two-Lane Wyoming
The Road to Garrett
About the Author
Suzie O’Connell is the USA Today bestselling author best known for the Northstar romances. The series is the product of a love affair with Southwestern Montana that began with a two-week adventure at her stepsister’s rustic cabin in her teens. That love affair shows no sign of abating.
She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember, and her love of writing and of Montana pushed her to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Writing from the University of Montana-Western. What else would you expect from a self-professed mountain-loving nerd?
When she isn’t writing, you’ll probably find Suzie in the mountains with a camera in hand and enjoying the beauty of Montana with her husband Mark, their daughter Maddie, and their golden retriever Reilly.
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For more information about Suzie and her books, find her online:
www.suzieoconnell.com
suzie@suzieoconnell.com