LITMIR.BIZ

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Madaris tightened his hold on the wineglass and met the intense gaze of the older woman staring back at him. She was his great-grandmother, Felicia Laverne Madaris—the first, since she’d had the honor of having a granddaughter named after her.

      The elderly woman stood as straight as she could for someone in her nineties. She was quick to tell anyone that her cane was strictly for appearances’ sake and not because she ever used it, although most people knew better.

      You would think that since it was his cousin Blade’s wedding day—an event his great-grandmother had worried might never happen given Blade’s reputation as one of Houston’s most notorious bachelors—she’d be happy. Reese couldn’t help thinking, Why isn’t she in the middle of the ballroom floor doing a happy dance? Instead, she was harassing him about his best friend, LaKenna James.

      He knew his great-grandmother wouldn’t give up until she’d gotten an answer. “Yes, Kenna’s moving in with me for a while,” he said. “She found out that her condo won’t be finished for another month after she’d already packed up her stuff to leave Austin.”

      A smile touched his great-grandmother’s lips. “That was nice of you to offer her a place to stay.”

      He shrugged. “I’d do anything for Kenna. You know that.”

      Felicia Laverne Madaris nodded. “Yes, I know. The two of you have a special friendship. I just hope it will survive the coming months.”

      He lifted a brow. “The coming months?”

      “Yes. Since Blade is no longer Houston’s most eligible bachelor, you are,” she said.

      “Which means?”

      “You’re a Madaris. And although you work for a living, most people know you don’t have to. Whether you want to admit it or not, you’re pretty wealthy. And thanks to your uncle Jake, you all are.”

      Reese took a sip of wine and acknowledged that what his great-grandmother had said was true. Thanks to his uncle Jake Madaris who was one of the area’s most prosperous ranchers and a savvy businessman and investor, Reese, along with the rest of the Madaris clan, was extremely wealthy. If Reese never worked another day in his life, he would still be able to live comfortably. But the bottom line was he did work for a living and he enjoyed it.

      “I still don’t follow you, Mama Laverne. What does my being a bachelor with money have to do with anything?” he asked.

      His great-grandmother shook her head. “Blade has been the most eligible single Madaris man for so long that now you and your cousins have to assume the obvious.”

      “Which is?”

      “Women will turn their sights toward another Madaris—you, Lee, Nolan and Corbin, but especially you.”

      He lifted a brow. “Why especially me?”

      “Because you’re the oldest Madaris bachelor, even if it is by just a few months. And because you’re a loner, you date whenever it pleases you and not according to anyone else’s timetable. They’ll see you as a challenge—not only in pursuing you, but as the ultimate catch in marriage.”

      A scowl quickly appeared on Reese’s face. His great-grandmother was right about him in that he only dated when it pleased him. He was more than comfortable being serially monogamous—dating one woman at a time. He didn’t want any woman in his pocket and didn’t intend to be in any woman’s pocket either. In other words, he liked being in control. Unlike Blade and his older cousin Clayton, who had both enjoyed having plenty of lovers before they’d finally settled down, he was never interested in getting involved with a bunch of women just for the sake of doing so.

      He had a habit of being up-front with any woman he dated. He much preferred relationships to one-night stands and casual affairs. However, the length of time the relationship lasted depended on how well he and his partner connected.

      He had dated Alyson Richards for close to a year before she began showing signs of jealousy toward Kenna. That was the one thing he did not tolerate from any woman—Kenna would always be in his life. Whoever came between them was wasting their time, he thought.

      He glanced across the room to where Kenna was dancing with his uncle Jake. She was his best friend and had been since college, and he refused to put up with any woman who had a problem with that. He refused to be a trophy for any woman who pursued him just for the thrill of it or for the Madaris status—that wasn’t going to happen.

      “Just thought I’d warn you,” said his great-grandmother, her voice interrupting his thoughts. “You also need to consider how being the most eligible bachelor in Houston is going to affect Kenna.”

      His gaze moved from his uncle Jake and Kenna back to Mama Laverne. “Affect Kenna in what way?”

      “Kenna being your best friend is one thing. But now that she’ll be living under your roof for a while, it will cause a stir. She’ll become the envy of every single woman in town.”

      Reese couldn’t help but laugh. “Really, Mama Laverne, I doubt women will start coming out of the woodwork. Besides Kenna’s and my relationship is strictly platonic. You and the family know that, and frankly it’s nobody else’s business.”

      “That might be the case, but I can see some women trying to drive a wedge between you and Kenna.”

      Reese shook his head, thinking their friendship was too rock solid for that to happen. “Thanks for the warning, but don’t worry. Kenna is the closest friend I have and she always will be.”

      “Yes, and that’s a good thing as much for Kenna as it is for you,” his great-grandmother added.

      He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t resist. “And why is that?”

      Resting both hands on top of her cane, she responded, “Because Kenna is a nice-looking girl who will be new in town. There will be plenty of men vying for her attention. There will probably be just as many men checking her out as there will be women knocking at your door.”

      She paused a second, glanced around and said, “Well, I might as well mosey on over and chat with May Lois to see what she’s been up to.”

      Reese pondered his great-grandmother’s words. After all, Felicia Laverne was the matriarch of the Madaris family. She had outlived her husband, whom she readily admitted to being deeply in love with. She had raised seven sons and buried only one of them. She was close to her sons, and their wives, her grands and great-grands. She was a good mother—the best.

      But she had one major flaw. She had a tendency to stick her nose where it didn’t belong when it came to family. She knew it. They knew it. But she had a heart of gold that couldn’t be traded for anything in the world. Since it was her only flaw, the family figured they’d overlook it.

      After the song had ended, Reese glanced across the room and found Kenna again. She was back on the dance floor, this time with his brother Luke.

      For some reason his great-grandmother’s comment about Kenna being hotly pursued once she moved to Houston seemed to annoy him. Over the years she’d had a number of steady boyfriends, a few hits and a few misses. Some he’d liked and some he hadn’t liked. But he knew for a fact that she hadn’t been head over heels in love with any of them. She’d guarded her heart after her college boyfriend Terrence Fairchild had played around on her with another girl on campus. At the time Reese had been involved with someone else, but that hadn’t stopped him from providing Kenna with the shoulder she needed to cry on.

      Although she’d dated steadily after that, it was years before Kenna got involved in a serious relationship again. That guy was Lamont Cotton, whom Reese hadn’t much cared for. She and Lamont had been involved for eight months before they’d gone their separate ways. Then she began dating again, but didn’t get serious with anyone until Curtis Purcell. She’d mentioned last month that she and Purcell had split, but she hadn’t said why.

      Personally, he didn’t need to know the details. What

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