Forever After (Montana Brides) Read Free Page B

Roy Scotson stood in the entranceway, commanding everyone’s attention the same way he lived his life; loud and with maximum impact.  
    The white stone columns of the house were every bit as imposing as the seventy-six-year-old standing with his shoulders back and an impatient gleam in his eyes. He wasn’t a man who took kindly to being told what to do, or waiting for a runaway granddaughter to make an appearance. Nothing short of death would slow her bossy, old-fashioned, and totally loveable grandfather down.  
    “Hi, granddad. It’s good to see you.” Moving up the stairs, Nicky hugged him tight, smiling to herself as his wiry grey hair crinkled against her cheek.
    He leaned back, spearing her with a look that meant business. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, girl. I’m counting on you to get this mess sorted before anyone gets wind of our problems.”
    “I’ll do my best.”
    He squeezed her shoulder. “That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”  
    His raspy voice stirred unpleasant memories of life in the Scotson household. Her parents marriage had ended when she was fourteen-years-old. After a messy divorce her mom had taken her to Seattle. As a teenager, returning to Bozeman to visit her father had been the low point of Nicky’s life. She’d missed her mom, her friends and the life she’d made thousands of miles away.  
    After her stepmom and her children arrived on the scene, the carefree days of not worrying about what she was wearing were over. No matter how hard she tried, she’d never felt comfortable in Maureen’s world of high fashion and expensive accessories. And she’d tried really hard.  
      “I’m surprised you want me to help out, Granddad. What happened to all those male managers with steel running through their veins?”
    Her grandfather glared at her. “Don’t get sharp with me young lady. It’s one of those idiots that caused this mess. Maybe more than one.” He led her inside and stopped in front of the staircase. “If I can’t trust the men I handpicked to realize there was a problem before it got this far, then I sure as hell wouldn’t trust them to find the culprit.”  
    “Move out of the way, you two. This suitcase weighs a ton.” Cody staggered up the stairs, cursing women and their clothes the whole way.
    “I’ve got to go and get changed, granddad. I’ll see you soon.” Nicky kissed his cheek, and followed Cody.
    She caught up with her brother just as he threw her case on the bed.  
    “Here you go. One remodeled bedroom, for one remodeled sister.”
    She looked at her old room. The cream walls had been replaced with powder puff blue. Gold brocade curtains fell in soft folds around the windows, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. “I can’t fault Maureen’s taste. It’s beautiful.”
    Cody grunted. “She damn near drove me insane with her twitter about colors and fabric. Every time I came near the house she wanted me to paint another strip of color on the walls to compare samples. I’m going on vacation next time she decides to redecorate.” Flexing his hand, a slow grin washed across his face. “Damn case nearly cut my circulation off.”  
    “That might account for the brain dysfunction, then,” Nicky laughed.
    “Very funny.” Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Tell me about Sam. What’s going on between the two of you?”
    “Nothing,” she growled. “He’s employed me for six weeks to do an efficiency audit at head office.”
    “Efficiency, my ass. I’ve known him for seven years. There’s something going on, and it hasn’t got anything to do with efficiency models.”
    Walking across the room, Nicky unzipped her suitcase. Squashed between three pairs of shoes and four dresses was a pair of black pants. She yanked them out, frowning at the other suitcase beside the bed. “You’ll have to ask Sam because I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced up at