Chapter 1
Luke Horville opened the decrepit wooden door leading out of Harrisburg's one and only honky-tonk, Te Cher's. The medium blue-colored building had offered Harrisburg's only means of entertainment since the late 60s. It was a small place in a Cajun town forty-five minutes northwest of Lafayette, Louisiana. The main residents of the one-stop-sign town these days were the old-timers who stubbornly refused to give up their family homes to move to larger towns, having been left behind by the younger ones seeking better job opportunities. Harrisburg was a community built by the farming efforts of the Cajun people who'd settled the prairie and marshes generations ago. But when many of the small family farms failed, the town had suffered and been reduced to a shell of the pleasant family-oriented place it had been in its glory days.
Luke stepped out of the bar and into the unusually mild summer air, sent by his new wife, Jessie, to find his sister, Carrie. She was part of the wedding party and the traditional Cajun wedding dance was about to commence.
What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Without a sound, holding the door ajar, he watched in surprise as his sister, who stood just outside the bar, brought a cigarette to her mouth and pulled in a long, frustrated drag. When had she started smoking again? And why? The last time he'd seen her with a cigarette butt between her lips was when they were teenagers.
"Carrie?" Luke asked, pulling the dark blue wooden door closed behind him.
Carrie's dark eyes flared wide when she saw him coming towards her. She coughed, choked, and hurriedly dropped the cigarette to the dirt-packed ground, smashing the glowing tip with a satin-covered shoe.
"Luke! What's wrong? Is it Corey? Damn this thing!" she cursed and tried to push down the sheer lavender shawl that went with her bridesmaid's gown.
"Wrong?" he asked, unable to prevent a grin as he observed his sister's agitated movements. Only for her family would Carrie consent to wear such a feminine getup.
She scowled at him for his unabashed amusement, her black-eyed gaze burning with irritation. "It's your fault I'm in this damn girlie outfit, buddy! Don't press your luck!"
Luke moved to stand next to her, looking out toward the dirt parking lot across the street, filled with the cars and trucks of family members and friends. Te Cher's was located right off of one of the main roads, which together with two other main streets formed a triangle around the parking lot and grassy open field, which was usually transformed for celebrations, such as Mardi Gras.
It was better he didn't look at her or she might lose what little control she had on her temper. He shrugged, keeping his back off of the dusty old building so as not to get his black tux dirty. "Hey, sis, I didn't force you to say yes when Jessie asked you to serve in our wedding," Luke reminded her, trying to keep his tone neutral. "And Corey's fine. He's strong."
"Hmm, right," Carrie admitted, reluctantly. Corey was Carrie's twin; he'd been shot by someone hired by Jessie's ex-Dom in his fight to maintain his lost control over her. Actually, they were lucky Corey had survived. He'd been in a coma for several long, frustrating weeks, and though he'd finally regained consciousness, his recovery was taking longer than they'd all hoped. Which could be why Carrie was being so protective of him.
Luke looked down at his sister, watching her expression. Carrie had inherited the dark complexion and tall stature the Horville's were known for, which actually made her off-the-shoulder lavender bridesmaid's dress look good on her. "You don't think so?" he asked with a slight frown.
Since Corey and she were twins, they could sense things about each other that the rest of the Horville siblings could not. She had another rare gift, one she'd spent many years downplaying: premonition. Whenever she dropped vague hints about her gut feelings, he and his brothers usually did not dispute her assertion that something was about to happen or change. She'd always denied the strength of her ability, just putting it down to simple female intuition. But his family had learned to take her 'feelings' seriously.
She shrugged and looked away from his gaze. "Maybe we should go back in, huh?" She turned as if to pass in front of him to go into the bar.
Luke put a restraining hand on her upper arm. "What's up with the smoking? I haven't seen you smoke in years."
Carrie grimaced. "I needed something to calm my nerves."
Ah, so that was it. Luke had a feeling he knew where these particular sets of 'nerves' were coming from. Tanner Sandoval. His wife's brother and the new manager of the main Horville Paint and Body shop. "What'd he tell you?"
"Who?" she asked faintly, as if trying to deny what they both knew.
"Cough it up, sis," he told her, not releasing her when she tried to retract her arm from his hold.
"Oh, all right, he told me to quit smothering Corey," she admitted huffily, her shoulders dropping, finally stopping her fight to make him let her go. "As if that was any of his business," she complained. When she turned to look at him, Luke could see her worry for their brother in her eyes. That wasn't the only thing he noted. Irritation at Tanner for telling her how to treat the sibling she loved so much, in her usual stoic way.
Since Tanner had come into their lives, Carrie had been acting more than a little out of character. Normally, nothing ruffled her feathers. His sister was nothing if not logical, usually analytical in her thinking. But once Tanner showed up, she'd shown more emotion than she had as long as Luke had known her. Not in a good sense, either. Sometimes it seemed just Tanner's presence set his sister off.
"Why do you let him rile you?" It was a question he'd been tempted to ask her before now; but knowing her private personality, he'd suppressed his brotherly curiosity.
"Damn it! I don't know," Carrie told him with a slight frown, as if she wished it were one question she could answer for herself.
Well, they couldn't delay any longer; everyone was waiting for them. "Come on, then. It's time for the wedding dance to start." They'd have to revisit this subject later.
Following her older brother's tux-clad figure, Carrie stepped back into the barroom of Te Cher's. Luke looked as out of place in the formal tux as she felt in her own wedding garb; but he was handsome. All her brothers were. Carrie felt the unexpected tears of pride sting her eyes. In Luke; in the fact that he'd turned his life around. And for marrying a woman who they all knew was his soul mate, Jessie Sandoval. Well, no longer Jessie Sandoval. Jessie Horville now.
All of the patrons, who were not part of the wedding party, stood around the bar, and turned to watch the two of them making their way into the dancehall. Carrie grimaced at the sound of her lavender satin-covered shoes clicking on the old scarred wooden floor as they walked past the ogling onlookers. What were all these men looking at anyway? Did she look so odd in her bridesmaid's dress? Probably.
As she and Luke passed between the square wooden columns, her gaze searched the gathered friends and family. First for her brother, Corey, then as if against her will, for the man she'd served with in the wedding.
There Tanner stood, with two of the teenage cashiers from the Horville Paint and Body shop fawning all over him, giggling and twittering like the kids they were. The handsome brute! Women--and girls--just fell under his spell without a struggle. With his classically blond good looks, he looked more as if he belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine, rather than the manager of a small family enterprise. His appealing green eyes, slightly sloping nose, strong jaw, and brows only a shade darker than his thick, honey blonde hair combined to make a striking face. An unforgettable face. But it was his well-defined lips that caused the most distraction when she tried to discuss business with him. Many a time she had to tear her gaze away from his face to regain her focus. As for his body, she was certain no woman would complain. Dressed in a tux as he was today, his allure was nothing short of lethal for the female sex.
Other women may have succumbed easily to his charm, but not her. Tanner Sandoval had rubbed Carrie the wrong way from the moment they first met. The day he'd come to Lafayette looking for his missing sister, demanding answers and trying to bully her, making her feel any number of things she'd never felt before. Not that she could define what those feelings were. Wariness? Uneasiness maybe?
Although he looked attentive to what the young girls were telling him, Carrie felt his eyes on her as she walked onto the dance floor. From the look he gave her, she was sure he noted her looking at Corey. Damn him! Why should he make her feel guilty for worrying about her brother? She'd almost lost him to an assassin's bullet. So sometimes she was a little overprotective, so what? Tanner always put her on the defensive when he gave her his 'advice'. For some reason, every suggestion he offered, well intentioned or not, made her feel like she needed to explain herself. There was just something about him.
Without missing a beat, Tanner smiled indulgently at his captive audience, before saying something that caused the two girls to twitter with delight--one even looked like she was blushing--before he started in Carrie's direction.
His intention was clear.
He was coming over to do his duty as her escort in the wedding party. His green eyes twinkled with mischief--at her expense probably. What had he told the girls before heading in her direction? Sorry girls, duty calls? Or some other sarcastic excuse for having to leave them in order to walk with her in the wedding march.
If she could put aside her dislike for him, she would have to admit that during their short acquaintance, he'd shown no signs of being purposely cruel to anyone. When he reached her, his lips quirked in a knowing smile. Did he know how much he bothered her? Possibly. He probably reveled in her response to him.
When he offered her his arm without a word, Carrie frowned. Her irritation with herself was plain for him to see, she was sure. Why did her heart insist on quickening when Tanner was within touching distance? Why did her skin suddenly feel over-warm in his presence?
"It's not a snake, you know," Tanner assured her with a wicked smile and an accompanying sparkle in his eyes.
She knew that. Her head snapped up, so she might glare at him. "Don't be silly!" she shot back, trying to keep her voice low to prevent anyone from overhearing them. She refused to start any trouble at her brother's wedding.
"You accuse me of being silly? You've been avoiding me since we got here."
That was true, of course.
"You know why," Carrie insisted, and put her hand on Tanner's proffered arm. She felt a tremor shoot up her arm and on through her body at the contact. Had his arm muscles flexed when she touched him? Although she was tempted to look down at her hand, that encircled his black tux-covered arm lightly, she forced herself to gaze straight ahead. She wouldn't think about the firm, muscular arm beneath her suddenly sensitized fingertips, nor would she think about the trembling in her belly in response to touching him.
He escorted her to their place in the wedding party.
"Yes, I know why," he agreed, as the French band started the Cajun wedding march.
The flower girl and ring bearer started the circular trek around the dance floor, followed by Luke and Jessie, then the rest of the wedding party. One of their brothers escorted Jessie and Tanner's mother, and a slow moving Corey appeared with Luke and Carrie's mother, Verna. Still recovering, his noticeable limp was one of the reasons Corey had not served as a groomsman. They were warned it would take him a long time to get back the full function of his legs. Despite the nurses' use of passive range-of-motion exercises during his coma, Corey still suffered some atrophy of his leg muscles. But thanks to physical therapy, he was making steady progress.
"Stop looking back," Tanner warned her.
Carrie whipped her head around and glared at him. "I just want to make sure he's all right," she insisted.
He smiled in understanding, which just aggravated Carrie more. "Do you think you're doing him any good?" Tanner asked. "He knows you're worried about him. How can he help but know?" He spoke barely above a whisper, since her brother, Jubal, and his wife Lizabeth were in front of them, and her other brother, Jonas, and his wife Nikki, were behind them.
This was an argument they'd had countless times since Tanner had taken over as manager of the main shop, after Luke had returned to his first love: his art detailing of bikes, cars, and trucks. That was how Luke came to meet Jessie. When she'd come to work in the detailing department.
Carrie had tried everything in her power to keep her relationship with Tanner strictly professional, but for some reason he insisted on giving her advice about her personal life. Especially her overprotective attitude toward Corey. It didn't help that Luke had taken to Tanner immediately, probably because of the help he'd been to Luke in finding Jessie. Helping to save her life.
With his charming ways, Tanner had been accepted easily into the family. Now that Luke and Jessie were married, Carrie had no doubt the rest of Tanner's family would be accepted. For some reason, this must've made him feel he was in a position to advise Carrie on her personal life. Like a brother. Only Carrie did not, nor would she ever, look upon Tanner as a pseudo-brother.
"Come on, Carrie. Lighten up. Can I see that smile you insist on hiding from me all the time?" Tanner requested with a devilish grin.
"I ... eh ... I..." Carrie stammered, speechless at his playful request.
He laughed out loud, causing the others to glance toward them in inquiry. He lowered his voice and admitted, "Was that all it took to leave you speechless, Carrie Ann?"
When he teased her, he always called her by the name of the girl in reference to the old 60s tune of the same name, Carrie Ann. She was actually tempted to smile every time he did it.
Before she could say another word, the wedding march finished. Since Tanner and Jessie's father was no longer alive, Jessie danced the first dance with her oldest brother, Robert, while Luke danced with Verna.
The band even extended the song, so Luke could dance with his new mother-in-law, Linda. The lady seemed very choked up, weeping a little, maybe because her husband was not there to see their only daughter marry.
Once the initial dance was over, it was time for Luke and Jessie to take part in their first dance as man and wife. No one in the dancehall could deny the deep love between the couple moving as one out on the dance floor. Carrie had never seen Luke look at a woman the way he did Jessie. And Jessie gazed up at him as if he was the sum total of the perfect man. Perfect for her, obviously.
"Can you believe they fell so quickly?" Tanner asked next to her.
"No. I never thought Luke would fall that fast. Like a bolt of lightning hit him."
"I've heard it can happen that way sometimes," Tanner mentioned in observation, as the two of them watched the slowly moving couple on the dance floor. "How about you? Have you ever been in love, Carrie?"
Carrie was so surprised at the intimacy of his question; she didn't know what to say. Since when had her love life become of interest to him? Most times, they were so at odds with each other they could barely be civil.
"Not seriously," she admitted, but turned her face away from the probing green gaze that went so well with his honey blond hair and tanned skin. Tanner was as tall as most of her brothers, which even made the five feet eleven inch Carrie have to look up to gaze into those disturbingly attractive eyes. Damn him!
"Not seriously? What exactly does that mean?" Obviously, she'd piqued his interest. That was the last thing she'd wanted to do!
Quickly, Carrie scanned the dance floor, looking for a means of escape. Had Luke had an unmarried older brother, said brother would have dancing with a broom to look forward to during the next song, thus pronouncing his unmarried state, and usually coming up with antics to set the wedding guests howling with laughter.
Finally, the money dance began. The married couple's family and friends pinned money on the bride's veil and the groom's tux. Before she was forced to answer Tanner's question, Carrie rushed toward Luke, as if he were her lifeline.
"Me, please," Carrie waved her hand at Luke as she skidded to a halt on the cornmeal-sprinkled floor, done to make it easier for the couples to slide in the turns and spins of the French jitterbug dances.
Luke's eyes were knowing as he grinned at her, then looked behind her to where she'd left Tanner standing on the edge of the dance floor. She knew Luke would have something to say about her running from Tanner. Carrie grimaced, but moved forward as her cousin, Berty, stepped aside with a laugh to let her have the first few minutes of the dance. It was a short respite, but long enough for her to regain her composure, before she had to face Tanner and his probing questions again.
Carefully, she pinned the bills she'd been holding since the march to her brother's lapel, as she felt him gazing down at her. "Running, little sister?" he asked.
Carrie gave a rude snort. "Ha! That'll be the day when I run from the likes of Tanner Sandoval!" She did keep her voice down, though.
Luke opened his arms and Carrie moved into them. "You know I love ya, don't ya, sis?"
Of course, she knew he loved her. Though it did surprise her that he'd given into the infrequent urge to tell her so. Sometimes she blamed herself. She'd never been an emotional girl. But she knew her brothers were aware of how much she cared for them, just by how protective she was of the lot of them. That had always been her way of showing affection.
Swallowing, Carrie moved to the music while held safely in her brother's arms. "Of course, Luke. And ... eh ... I love you, too."
She felt the gentle rub of one of his large hands on her back. He must have realized how hard it was for her to express her feelings. "Are we going to have to move Tanner?"
Carrie stumbled. Her feet would have slid right out from under her if Luke had not held her steady. "What?" Black eyes, so similar in color to her own, gazed back at her.
When she meant to pull away, Luke held her close to prevent her from making a scene. "Well, I had hoped you and he would have come to terms by now. But it's like you can't even stand to be in the same room with him."
Did it really appear as though she couldn't stand to be near Tanner? It wasn't for the exact reasons her brother suspected. Yes, he aggravated her, but he also intrigued her. Not that she would admit that to another living soul. Ever. Nor could she admit it to the brothers she adored. She was surprised she could even admit it to herself. Never before had she felt so ... well ... alive, as she felt in Tanner's presence. That's why his disapproval of the way she protected Corey stung so much.
If Tanner had any inkling of feeling for her, he would understand her motivation. Being that he didn't, told her he really didn't have feelings for her. Besides, she'd been bitten once by making the mistake of getting involved with someone she worked with, and had vowed never to do it again.
Shaking her head, Carrie told him, "No, Luke, that's not necessary. I'll just do my best to keep out of his way."
"Why? Why do you need to keep out of his way?" Luke moved surprisingly well for a man not keen on dancing. "Tanner is a great guy. I'd have seen through him by now if he wasn't."
"I don't know," she admitted. "We just rub each other the wrong way, for some reason."
She could feel Luke's head turn toward where she'd last seen Tanner. Luke twirled her, so she could see him, too. Lo and behold, there he was with his adoring fans--the two twittering cashiers from the shop, hanging on his every word.
"Did you just growl?" Luke asked in surprise, looking down into her face.
"What! Of course not!" she insisted in a hushed voice.
"Well, I'll be damned!"
"You'll be damned what?" Carrie narrowed her eyes at him.
"All this time, I thought you hated his guts," Luke stopped moving as cousin Berty moved back in for her turn to dance with him.
Before she could deny his words, he threw her an infuriating and understanding brotherly grin, before turning to accept Berty's offering and whirling her away for her turn, leaving Carrie stunned and speechless.
What the hell was he talking about? She had not growled, had she? Oh Lord, damn Tanner and his smooth talking ways. She was not jealous that those college girls were fawning over him.
Bewildered by what Luke had said to her, all she could think about was getting away from Tanner. There was no way in hell she wanted him to think she had any type of romantic inclinations toward him.
As usual, the first person she turned to when she was feeling bewildered was Corey. She moved toward where he sat at the first table next to the stage. Presently deserted with the exception of Corey, it was reserved for her immediate family to sit and rest their feet, or talk between dances. Corey watched as Luke and Jessie danced with the next guests. Carrie's heart hurt to see the brother she loved still looking gaunt and not himself yet. She'd always thought of him as a big, lovable teddy bear. But during his recovery, he'd lost weight and though he'd regained some, she knew he'd not made it back to his usual two hundred twenty pounds.
She walked behind him and squeezed his broad shoulders, leaning over to give him a sisterly peck on the top of his head. "How ya doing, baby brother?" She always teased him about the fact that she'd been born a few minutes before he had, evoking the privilege of being the older.
Corey glanced up in surprise. Even with him, Carrie had never been outwardly demonstrative of her feelings. Her action was out of the ordinary and they both knew why. He watched as she sat next to him, before assuring her, "I'm fine, Carrie. I'm a big boy now and capable of fighting my own battles."
She really did deserve that. Carrie had to stop smothering him. She couldn't help it, though. She'd had the scare of her life when she thought he might die. Looking over, she caught Tanner's gaze as he moved over for his turn on the dance floor with Jessie. He was frowning at her. She was certain she would hear about it the next time they were alone.
"I know you're right, Corey. I'm sorry." She reached over, and in another uncommon action, she squeezed his nearest hand. "Will you forgive me if I promise to try harder?"
Corey did chuckle at her attempt to appease him. He even turned his hand upward to give hers a returning squeeze. "All right," he assured her. "Here, I think you could use this." He poured her a strong drink from the setup they'd ordered for the table.
Maybe she could use one, just to settle her nerves. It seemed she'd had much more need for nerve settling since Tanner Sandoval entered her life.
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