After the Music by Diana Palmer Read Free Book Online Page B

"Yes, but I'm only keeping it warm for Jess.
    "Jess and I are going to get married next week," Al said.
    Sabina perked up at that. She beamed, then almost cried at the look of happiness on their faces. "Marvelous!"
    "Once we've actually done it, there's not a thing big brother can do to me," Al said. "Besides that, there's this tricky little loophole in the trust-if I get married, I inherit the trust immediately." He looked gloriously happy. "Thorn will never be able to tell me what to do again. And Jess and I can stop worrying about Thorn's matchmaking attempts.
    "So I'm to divert him, is that it?" she asked.
    Al nodded. "We'll be in Beaumont at the ranch for several days, but with Mother and me to run interference for you, it will be okay. He's in and out of the ranch because of his responsibilities and while he's working I'll sneak out with Jess to make the arrangements."
    Sabina was thoughtful. Of course she wanted to help, but crossing Thorn this way could backfire. She hadn't forgotten the way she'd felt in his arms, and she didn't like being vulnerable. He probably knew how he affected her. She wouldn't put anything past him, especially if he thought the engagement was for real. He'd stoop pretty low to save his brother, and she was uneasy about the tactics he might use...
    "We leave tomorrow morning, you know," Al reminded her.
    "Yes, but what about the performances...?"
    "We've got a vocalist to fill in for you," Al responded quickly. "I'm sorry, I know you don't like that, but Thorn did mention that if you were going to be at the ranch, it wasn't, practical for you to commute back and forth for the week_"
    She felt a burning sensation. "Will I have a job to go back to?" she asked.
    "Of course," Al said. But he didn't look that confident. He swore softly. "Damn, Sabina, I'm sorry. I'm not up to Thorn's weight. My God, who is?"
    "I'll discuss it with him while we're at the ranch," Sabina said. She even managed to laugh. She couldn't blame Al for being himself. Her protective instincts were what had drawn her to him in the first place. He was like a baby brother. And she loved Jessica too much to pull out now. She could handle the oil baron. She'd just be a decoy, after all. "I'd better go pack!" she said with a smile. "Now, Jess, don't worry about a thing. I'll make sure big brother doesn't take a single bite out of your intended."
    Jess got up and hugged her warmly. "I love you," she said fervently. "Please be careful." She looked at Sabina, and her eyes said it all. "You're much more vulnerable than anyone realizes."
    Sabina straightened. "Don't worry, I believe in self-preservation. See you in the morning, Al!" she called.
    "You're a pal," he told her, and he meant it.
    "I'm a nut case," she muttered to herself as she left. She had a feeling this was going to be the worst mistake of her life-like prodding a cobra with a straw.
    Chapter Three
    The Thorndon ranch was just outside Beaumont, Texas, surrounded by white fences and huge oak and pecan trees. The house was a two-story Victorian model, gleaming white, with intricate gingerbread woodwork and a huge front porch and a lawn that was glorious in spring. The trees were bare now, because it was late autumn, but Sabina could picture it in warm weather with flowers all around. She'd seen a house like that in a storybook at the orphanage when she was a little girl, and she used to dream of living in one. Her eyes were wide and sad as she studied the sleek lines of the Rolls-Royce parked in the driveway. The oil baron's car, no doubt, she thought bitterly. He had so much, and she'd had so little all her life. Her mother's lover must have been just such a man....
    "This is home," Al told her, stopping his Mercedes-Benz just as a solitary rider came into view against the backdrop of the trees. Wearing a tan sheepskin coat and a creamy white-brimmed hat, the rider sat astride the most magnificent black stallion Sabina had ever seen.
    The rider was coming toward them at a