Carter Bravo's Christmas Bride. Christine Rimmer

      He laughed. Because it was funny, right? And then he said, “You have a great holiday, Ma.”

      She granted him her coolest smile. “Thank you, darling. I will.”

      He turned on his heel then. This time, he didn’t pause or turn back. He strode fast through the front room and into the giant foyer, where he collected his coat from Estrella and got the hell out of there.

       Chapter Two

      Not only was Carter’s mother a manipulative nutcase; his best friend had checked out on him.

      Carter sat between Paige and Dawn at the long, white-clothed table in his half sister Clara’s formal dining room and wondered what was the matter with Paige. She’d hardly said two words to him all afternoon. At some point between the time she’d left the breakfast table that morning and two forty-five in the afternoon, when he picked her and Dawn up to bring them to Clara’s, Paige had gotten dressed, combed her hair and put on makeup. But her eyes still had that strange vacant look.

      If someone spoke to her directly, she would lurch to life and pretend to be interested. But as soon as the focus moved elsewhere, she’d settle back into the weird funk she’d been in for days now.

      Twice, he leaned close and asked her if she was okay. Both times, she lied. “Fine,” she said the first time. “Great,” she answered later.

      He left her alone after that. They could talk about it when they got back to her place.

      For now, he enjoyed his family. The food was always good at Clara’s house. Plus, Clara was a truly sweet woman and happily married to a banker from Denver named Dalton Ames. They had a six-month-old daughter, Kiera.

      Carter liked hanging around Dalton and Clara. Just seeing them together made him smile. They’d had some difficulties when they first started out, but they’d worked through them and come out strong on the other side.

      Same thing with his brother Quinn and Chloe Winchester, who was now Chloe Bravo. Truthfully, Willow might be full of crap about a lot of stuff, but she was right about Quinn and Chloe. Quinn and Chloe had that thing—whatever it was. They shared that special connection, same as Dalton and Clara.

      And then there was his cousin Rory and her fiancé, Walker McKellan. Rory Bravo-Calabretti was an honest-to-God princess from the tiny Mediterranean principality of Montedoro. She’d moved to Justice Creek last winter. She and Walker, who owned a guest ranch not far from town, were getting married on Christmas Eve.

      And yeah, Rory and Walker had it, too. Same as Clara and Dalton. Same as Quinn and Chloe.

      Hanging around at Clara’s house on Thanksgiving, watching those three couples interact with each other, Carter could almost start to think that love and forever were actually possible.

      At least for other people.

      Once the meal was through, they all helped to clear the table. Then a little later, Dalton turned the game on in the great room. Some of them—Carter included—gathered around the big screen mounted over the mantel.

      Most of the women headed for the kitchen area, which shared the high-ceilinged great room space. Carter could hear them back there, bustling around, laughing and talking over each other, having a fine time. He heard Paige’s distinctive husky laugh. Apparently, whatever was bothering her didn’t stop her from having fun with his sisters.

      Dawn came and sat on the sofa arm next to him. He glanced up at her and she sent him a quick smile. Then Quinn’s daughter, Annabelle, who’d recently turned five, wandered over. She was the cutest kid, with a plump little pixie face. Chloe must have done her hair. It was curled and held back with big sparkly barrettes. She wore one of those puffy, lacy dresses that little girls liked to wear, complete with white tights and shiny black Mary Janes. She whispered something to Dawn.

      Dawn said, “Absolutely,” and swung the little girl up on her knee.

      Annabelle leaned back in Dawn’s arms as if she belonged there. She caught Carter watching her and said, “I like Dawn, Uncle Carter. She’s very pretty.”

      “Yes, she is,” he agreed.

      Dawn, who’d always been good with kids, cuddled Annabelle closer.

      Carter felt a little better about everything, with the two happy girls sitting next to him. He liked his family—his mother excluded, at least at the moment. He liked that Dawn felt comfortable here at Clara’s with his siblings and half siblings.

      Now, if only he could get Paige to get real about whatever was bugging her. Once they had that out of the way, he could tell her all about the stunt Willow had just pulled and break the bad news that they needed to find another property for the expansion.

      After the pie and coffee, Carter drove Paige and Dawn home in the ’61 Lincoln he’d taken out of the shop for the day. He was looking forward to being alone with Paige so they could talk.

      “Gotta hurry.” Dawn was out of the car the second he pulled up to the curb in front of their house. “I’m meeting Molly at the Gold Rush in twenty minutes.” The Gold Rush was the movie theater on Golden Drive. She leaned in the rear door she’d just jumped out of. “Thanks, Carter. It was fun.”

      Paige said, “Home by—”

      “Midnight, promise,” Dawn finished for her and pushed the door shut.

      Carter started to turn off the engine, but Paige said, “I’m really tired. And me and my Visa card have a shopping date tomorrow.” Bravo Custom Cars would be closed. It was a BCC tradition to give everyone both Thanksgiving and Black Friday off. Paige went on. “Nell and Chloe and Jody are picking me up at three a.m.” Nell and Jody were his sisters. “We’re driving into Denver to check out the deals. I need sleep to get ready for a day of serious shopping, so I think I’ll draw a hot bath and call it an early night.”

      He turned off the engine and shifted in the seat to face her. “You mean you don’t want me to come in.”

      She cleared her throat. “Well, as I said. I’m tired and it’s going to be a long—”

      “Stop it. Tell me what is going on.”

      “What are you talking about? There’s nothing—”

      “Paige, you’ve been dragging around like the world’s coming to an end for two or three days now, all the time constantly telling me there’s nothing wrong. What’s up?”

      “Nothing. Really.”

      “Come on. It’s something.”

      “Nope. Uh-uh. Nothing. Like I said, I’m just really tired.”

      He gave in. “Fine. Great. Later, then.” It was only a ploy. He honestly expected her to hesitate, to say she was sorry for brushing him off, to ask him not to be annoyed with her—something. Anything.

      But she only chirped out a quick “Night, then. And thanks. I had a great time,” and leaped out of the car.

      He watched her run up the front walk and disappear into the house. He just didn’t get it. Paige told him everything. In detail. Way too much detail, as a rule.

      What could be bothering her that she couldn’t talk about it with him?

      * * *

      The next morning, Carter decided he would walk Sally alone. He was kind of pissed at Paige for shutting him out. Why in hell would he want to walk her damn dog for her?

      And she was in Denver anyway, right? She wouldn’t be there to eat any breakfast he cooked for her.

      But then what about Dawn? Paige hadn’t mentioned whether Dawn was going, too. What if Dawn was home alone? She’d need breakfast.

      And what about poor Biscuit? Biscuit liked his morning walk with Sally.

      So