Taking Chances: A Donnelley Brother's Novel by Alannah Carbonneau Read Free Book Online Page B

that.
    I knew better than to subject myself to that kind of torturous existence. I knew from my experience as Michael’s little sister. He’d been one of those guys the world drooled over. Girls blushed in his presence, getting all starry eyed and fluttery. And guys upped their macho-ness a notch or two. I had a feeling that this man, Collin, wasn’t too different from the way my brother had been.
    Had been...
    Collin’s deep voice pulled me back to the presence. “I live here.” His green eyes glanced over the land. “Been living here my whole life.”
    My eyes widened. “Your whole life?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Wait!” I paused. “Are you one of the brothers ?”
    His smile returned. Yes, it was the lady-killer smile. Thank freaking God I was immune to that brand of grin, because if I weren’t, I would be toast. Crispy, burnt toast.
    “I guess you could say that.” He pointed ahead. “What cabin are you staying in?”
    I didn’t know if I should tell this man which cabin I was staying in. It was pretty reclusive and I didn’t want to put myself into a troublingly dangerous situation. But then again, I didn’t get the stalker; he might kill me in my sleep, vibe.
    Deciding I was safe with honesty, I replied. “The one closest to the water, I think.”
    The green of his eyes darkened and his jaw twitched, a muscle jumping in his carved cheek. “Interesting.”
    I cocked my head, taking a step toward the cabin I’d rented. “Who rented that cabin out to you?”
    “Reese checked me in.” I answered before stopping to glare up at him. “Why are you so interested in who checked me in? What does it matter?”
    “It’s just that cabin doesn’t normally get rented out.”
    And then I pieced it together. Collin was the brother who lived in the house down the road from my cabin. He was used to having all that land and privacy to himself. It was no wonder he was slightly disgruntled about my renting out that particular cabin. He was really going to find a mood when he realized how long I would be staying in that cabin.
    “She did say something like that.” I shrugged. “But I prefer water to horses.”
    This made him look almost relieved and for the billionth time, I felt confusion muddle my thoughts. “You were given the choice on which cabin you wanted to stay in?”
    “Sort of.” I nodded.
    “What does that mean?”
    “Well, the cabin I’m in right now was decorated for me - so I’m assuming that although I had the choice, it was kind of already made for me.”
    His brows rose. “The cabin was decorated for you?”
    I nodded, feeling my mood dim. “What’s with the interrogation? Seriously, first Logan and now you! Does it run in your blood, or something?”
    Collin’s brow lifted slowly. “Logan interrogated you?”
    “I thought he interrogated everyone.”
    Collin rubbed his hand over his face. “Come on.” He waved to the path. “I’ll walk you to your cabin.”
    My back straightened. “I don’t need you to walk me to my cabin. I’m perfectly capable of walking myself.”
    He grunted. “I’m sure you are. But being that I’m going that same way, we may as well walk together - unless you want to walk ahead. By all means, baby, you’ve got a great ass.”
    And he was back. The cocky man who, first thing in the morning I’d shoved my face into his crotch, was back. The cherry-stinging blush in my cheeks and painful beating of my heart wouldn’t let me forget it.
    “Whatever.” I huffed as I continued down the path.
    Ahead of me, three dogs walked slow enough to keep a steady pace. I studied the dogs for a moment, not quite knowing what else to look at with Collin walking beside me - his presence both demanding and nerve-wracking.
    There were two Sheppard crosses. One was clearly crossed with a Husky as the tail was so puffy, I decided it could be nothing else, and the other was quite butch, that I decided it was a Rottweiler. The two Sheppard’s were taller than the third dog