Nashville Secrets. Sheri WhiteFeather

tousled. He had hazel eyes and features similar to their father. Brandon resembled their mom, except that his hair was black and hers was blond. Their parents had gotten divorced ages ago, but Mom had forgiven Dad for his indiscretions, and they’d become friends again.

      “What’s going on?” Brandon asked.

      “I had a meeting in the area and thought I’d stop by.”

      “Was it with the producers of the show?” His brother had signed a megadeal to appear on Music Mentors, a popular reality show on a major network.

      “Yep. We’ll be filming soon.” Tommy moved farther into the loft. “As long as I’m here, I was wondering if you’d want to have dinner with Sophie and me?” He patted his stomach. “Chef has been trying to fatten me up. You know, so my pregnant wife doesn’t feel bad.”

      As far as Brandon could tell, the father-to-be hadn’t gained an ounce. But the last time he’d seen Sophie, she was beautifully round. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m going out this evening.” Brandon strode to the bar to pour his brother a glass of sparkling berry-flavored water. Tommy never drank alcohol. Growing up with an alcoholic father had turned him off to it. Brandon drank in moderation, a cocktail here and there, a glass of wine with a meal. He didn’t have an addictive personality. But their old man sure did.

      He handed Tommy the water.

      “Thanks.” His brother took a swig. “Where are you going tonight?”

      “I have a date.” Brandon thought about Mary’s natural red hair. Or he assumed it was natural. To him, it didn’t look dyed. So far, he’d seen it only in a braid. He hoped that she wore it loose tonight. If she let him kiss her, he was going to do his damnedest to run his fingers through it. “She isn’t my usual type, though.”

      Tommy looked at him curiously. “So what type is she?”

      “She’s a pastry chef assistant, but she’s working toward getting her certification. She’s originally from Oklahoma, shares an apartment with her younger sister and likes to read at the park. She seems sweet—you know, unassuming. I never even noticed her until she approached me about my dog.”

      “Really?” Tommy widened his eyes. “My aristocratic brother is going out with a commoner? Boy, would I love to be a fly on the wall to see that.”

      Brandon blew out a breath. “Why is everyone making such a fuss about me getting interested in someone from outside my social circle?”

      “What do you mean, everyone? Who else knows about her?”

      “I mentioned her to Doreen. She could tell that I’d met someone. But I encouraged her to go after David Norton, anyway.” When Tommy gave him a blank look, he added, “The retail billionaire who just opened the new cancer research center here.”

      “Oh, yeah. That guy. I can see Doreen with him. But you with someone who approached you at the park?” his brother teased. “Now that’s epic.”

      “I don’t know. Maybe it is.” Brandon glanced around his loft, wondering what Mary would think of his place. He collected modern and contemporary art, and he’d just acquired a trio of abstract nudes he’d hung in his bedroom. They were erotic in nature, and he’d never bought anything like that before. But after he’d met Mary, he’d felt compelled to have them. The way he felt compelled to have her, too?

      “So what’s the difference this time?” Tommy asked.

      Still lost in thought, Brandon frowned. “What?”

      “Why are you interested in someone like this?”

      He thought about the paintings again. “It might just be sexual.”

      Tommy finished his water and put the empty glass down. “You’re having fantasies about a good girl.”

      “Yeah, and it makes me feel like a shark.” A predator circling for blood. “Hell, I shouldn’t even be telling you this.”

      His brother didn’t seem concerned. “At least you’re opening up your horizons.”

      And lusting after a woman who’d had only one boyfriend to speak of? Maybe he shouldn’t try to kiss her tonight. Maybe he shouldn’t even plan on seeing her again after this. “She hardly knew anything about our family when I first met her. But she asked me if I wouldn’t mind if she read Dad’s book. I told her it would be okay, so she’s supposed to finish reading it before our date.”

      Tommy scoffed. “Did you warn her about what a jerk our father can be?”

      “He’s not a jerk anymore.” Their dad was trying to make amends for his wrongdoings, for all the times he’d lied to their mother, or ignored him and Tommy or left Matt out in the cold.

      His brother squinted. “It’s amazing how you never fought with him, not once.”

      Because Brandon was the son who’d behaved, the one who never caused any trouble. The peacekeeper, as the family liked to point out. Tommy had been trouble on wheels. And Matt? His only crime was being born on the wrong side of the blanket. Dad had hurt a lot of people, but he was different now.

      “I’m going to take off,” Tommy said. “Have fun on your date, and bring your new lady friend around sometime if you two become an item. I’d love to meet her.”

      “It’s just one night. One dinner.” After that, he didn’t know what he was doing. “I’m not even picking her up at her apartment. She wants to meet me at the restaurant.”

      “She sounds independent.”

      More like cautious, Brandon thought. He changed the subject, letting Tommy get out the door. “Give Sophie a hug from me.”

      “Will do.”

      He watched his brother leave. Tommy had married his dearest childhood friend. Initially he was only supposed to be her baby’s sperm donor. But during the course of their arrangement, they’d fallen in love.

      Brandon had never come remotely close to being in love. Nor did he see it happening to him. Of course, that’s what Tommy used to say, too. They’d grown up in a mixed-up situation, where love and marriage never made much sense. Yet in spite of that, both his brothers were creating warm and stable families of their own. So maybe Brandon was wrong about his future, and the possibility existed for him, too.

      He shook away the thought and went into his bathroom to take a shower and get ready to see Mary. This was definitely not the time to think about love. Or sex, he reminded himself. He needed to get through this date with a suppressed libido and a clear head.