Tempting the Best Man - By J. Lynn Page 0,7

side, she found him smiling at her. Not a full smile that showed off those dimples, but a small, private one. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said with a slight shake of his head.

The moment Madison stepped inside the cozy atrium of Belle’s Vineyard, her family attacked her. Bone-breaking hugs were given by first cousins, second cousins, a few people she didn’t even recognize, and an uncle. Hugs that lifted her clear off her feet and left her a little dizzy.

But when she saw her brother beyond the atrium, standing before several long tables covered in white linen, a wide smile broke out across her face and she took off.

Mitch was tall, like their father, and his brown hair was clipped close to his skull. With his all-American good looks and sweet disposition, he usually had a legion of women swooning at his feet. Many of them included her friends. The single ones were no doubt mourning this weekend, but he’d only ever had eyes for Lissa.

He caught her halfway and spun her around. “We were starting to think you were boycotting the wedding.”

“Never!” She laughed, clasping his arms. Not since Christmas had she gotten to see her brother. He and Lissa had moved to nearby Fairfax and with their busy careers, it left little time for family reunions. “I’ve missed you.”

“Now come on, don’t start crying on me already.”

She blinked. “I’m not crying.”

“Good.” He enveloped her in another massive hug. “I think you may’ve grown about two inches.”

Laughing, she wiggled free. “I stopped growing, like, ten years ago.”

“Try twenty years ago.” Her father’s booming voice carried from the head of the table. This bear of a man was probably aghast that one of his offspring could’ve auditioned for the Lollipop Guild.

Over Mitch’s shoulder, Lissa waited with a welcoming smile. Pulling free of her brother, Madison approached the slender blonde and gave her a tight hug.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Lissa said, pulling back. Tears filled her gray eyes. “Everything is perfect now. Come, your mom is saving you dessert.”

Trailing after her, Madison glanced over her shoulder. Mitch had his hand on Chase’s shoulder and they both were laughing. A heartbeat passed, and Chase looked up, his eyes meeting hers.

Madison looked away and nearly ran straight into Chandler. Bigger and brawnier than all the Gamble brothers, he was easily the most intimidating. All three brothers shared the same strong features and extraordinary blue eyes, but Chandler was larger than the other two by a good three inches.

“Careful, squirt,” he said, easing past her. “Don’t want to run over one of the bridesmaids.”

Squirt? “Thanks, Godzilla.”

Then he had the gall to ruffle her hair like she was twelve.

She swung on him, missing by a mile, which was impressive considering how bulky he was.

Chandler laughed as he joined Mitch and his brother. So far, she hadn’t spied the middle brother. Chad was a notorious prankster and no one was safe when he was around.

Megan Daniels sat beside Madison’s father in the large, domed room, and it was hard to believe that her mom was approaching her fifty-sixth birthday. There wasn’t a single gray hair in the mass of her auburn waves.

“Sit, honey.” She patted the seat next to her. “I saved you some cheesecake.”

Without being told twice, Madison took her place and dug in, listening to the flow of conversation around her as everyone else settled back around the long tables. Every once in a while, a cousin twice removed would appear and then some of Lissa’s family. Her parents seemed nice and got along with Madison’s.

Mr. Grant, Lissa’s father, even smiled when Madison’s dad launched into the next wave of generators that could keep a 1,200-square-foot bunker running.

Her mother rolled her eyes. “You know your father likes to talk shop.”

Yeah, but most people’s shoptalk didn’t revolve around an apocalypse.

With everyone occupied, she swiped the last two cookies off a platter and practically swallowed them whole. If this was considered “brunch”, Madison thought she might just have a new favourite meal.

“It was really nice of Chase to volunteer to pick you up, honey.” Her mom’s eyes twinkled. “He wasn’t even here for ten minutes, but he left right away to get you.”

Madison almost choked on the cookie. “Yeah, really nice of him.”

Her mom leaned in and lowered her voice. “You know, he’s still single.”

Clearing her throat, she was thankful Chase was nowhere near the table. “Good for him.”

“And you used to have the biggest crush on him. It was so cute.”

Madison’s mouth dropped open to deny