Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers) by Reeni Austin Read Free Book Online Page A

something.” His eyebrows rose. “We may have a higher price range than we thought.”
    Katie stifled her groan. “Daddy, I told you I don’t want that.” She thought about her sister, Chelsea, and how often she complained that Daddy and Mom reminded her of that big down payment “gift.” And Katie was in no mood to hold her tongue. “Daddy, I’ll feel like I owe you for it for the rest of my life. Please, just keep your money.”
    Mitch scoffed. “Speak for yourself.”
    Then he and Dwayne burst into laughter.
    Lisa spoke up from across the table. “Sweetie, it’s only fair. We did it for Chelsea. We can do it for you, too. Unless you’d rather we spend that money on the wedding instead.”
    “ No.” Dwayne put his elbows on the table, leaning forward. “Now, I know girls always want a nice, big wedding, but after it’s all said and done, it just ain’t worth it.” Dwayne grunted and looked at Mitch. “You wouldn’t believe what I spent on her sister’s wedding. If anything I should’ve put my foot down then and said we’d give her a bigger down payment on her house instead. That’s the better way to do it. You can have a perfectly nice wedding for a lot less money without feeding half the county at the reception.”
    Katie said, “It’s okay, Daddy. I don’t want a big wedding like that. It was too much hassle.”
    Mitch nodded. “Yeah, we’ve talked about one of those getaway weddings. That’s what my cousin in Tennessee did a few years ago. They were gonna have a big church wedding but after they added up what everything was gonna cost, they went to Cancun instead. Said it was less than half the price and they got a nice vacation out of it.”
    “ Hmm,” Dwayne said, with a thoughtful nod. “Sounds like a good idea after that fiasco with Chelsea’s wedding.” He sighed. “So much money. Seemed like I wrote checks for weeks. A deposit for this, a deposit for that.”
    Lisa smiled at her husband. “It’s whatever Katie wants, dear. Let’s just be glad...” Lisa glanced at Katie, then reached for her glass of water, opting not to finish her sentence.
    But Katie knew that look on her mother ’s face. It was meant to inflict guilt for the years Katie had spent in college, using her inheritance from her grandmother to get three undergraduate degrees at three different colleges that she would probably never use. That’s what Katie had been doing for most of her life since high school: learning. A perpetual student, her parents called her. And since then she had heard the speech a thousand times: “We’re just glad you’re finally out of college.” Katie was sure the offer of a down payment on a house was about more than Dwayne keeping his daughters under his thumb. It was about helping them find a place to live so they would be more likely to raise their families nearby. Katie’s final degree—in business administration—came from a private college four hours away in Fort Worth. Her parents were unhappy when Katie briefly considered staying in Fort Worth for a man she was dating, but the relationship ended and she moved to San Antonio after graduation to work at the restaurant.
    Katie looked at her mother. “Thanks. But I actually don’t mind the idea of a getaway wedding. It’s like you’re already on your honeymoon when you get there.”
    Dwayne let out a sigh of relief and reached for his water. “Good. I wish Chelsea’d had the sense to do that.”
    Katie laughed as Mom rolled her eyes. Daddy could complain all he wanted, but Katie knew the wedding was mostly their idea, not Chelsea’s. Appearances, appearances. Lavish wedding, big write-up in the tiny local “Turnbrook Times” newspaper. Politicians and friends of the family the girls had never heard of were invited. It was all for show.
    Already angry, and growing tired of her father ’s complaints, Katie decided to test the waters. What would Daddy possibly say, in public? Especially in front of Mitch? She cleared