Page 48 of Hunted Hearts
Juliette felt a strange pinch of self-consciousness. She’d been told all her life she was beautiful, a porcelain doll with a violin, and while the comparison had been flattering at first, it often made her feel like she existed behind glass. Willow, with her earthier beauty and easy warmth, feltrealin a way Juliette sometimes wished she could be.
And yet, this was Theo’s sister. Hisonlysister. That made Juliette’s pulse quicken, because what if Willow hated her?
“Sure,” Juliette said softly, smoothing a hand over her own soft alpaca wool sweater her mother gave her for her last birthday.
Willow’s smile held, but the lines between her brows didn’t ease. “My brothers want to see you.”
Her heart tripped. “What for?”
“That’s as much as I know. They’re waiting for us in the conference room.”
“Conference room?” Juliette’s brows pinched. The ranch had a conference room?
There was so much she didn’t know about this place. And she knew even less about the family dynamics, which made her twist her fingers.
Willow gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “Come on. One thing to remember is that my brothers may look mean, but they’re all really soft teddy bears.”
That pulled an unexpected laugh from Juliette. “I’ve seen your brothers. Are we talking about the same people?”
Willow’s chuckle had a musical lilt all of its own. Juliette found herself throwing glances at her companion’s profile. The woman oozed confidence from the tips of her long lashes to her feet in thick cotton socks that looked like they belonged to one of her male relations. She found herself wondering where their parents fit into this big happy ranch family.
The walk through the house felt longer than it should have, her feet whispering against the hall rug.
The deeper they went into the maze of the home, the quieter everything became, until all Juliette could hear was the faint hum of the furnace and the slow, measured creak of the floorboards.
They rounded a corner and entered another hallway leading to a set of glass doors.
The conference room was unlike any space Juliette expected to find in a Wyoming ranch house. Sleek and modern, anchored by a long walnut table and chairs large enough to accommodate the men who sat around it.
Screens glowed faintly on the far wall, rolling data that looked more like it belonged on a government op than a cowboy retreat.
All of the brothers were each seated in a way that made it feel less like a casual chat and more like a briefing. Theirexpressions were tight, controlled, but Juliette felt the heaviness in the air the second she stepped through the door.
Her gaze snapped to Theo’s. His stare was already trained on her, a weight that anchored her more than she was willing to think about right this moment.
He stood and pulled out a seat for her.
Denver coughed. “Paint…peeling…”
Theo snapped his head around to pierce his brother in a glare that she didn’t understand.
“‘Thus with a kiss, I die.’”
MoreRomeo and Julietquotes. But Juliette felt too wound up to acknowledge they were trying to tease them.
She caught Denver’s smirk as she settled in the seat, and Willow sat beside her.
Her nerves weren’t going to let her stay silent for long. She looked straight at Theo when she asked, “What’s going on?”
No one answered immediately, and she scanned the solemn faces, each as rugged and handsome as the last. Talk about good genes in this family. A portrait of the Malones would make any of the paintings of her aristocratic ancestors look like a bunch of family pets.
Colt cleared his throat, but it was Carson who spoke first, his voice gentle. “We just need to ask you a few questions, Juliette. About the charity you’ve been working with.”
Juliette blinked. The charity was the furthest thing from her mind, and it took a moment to get her bearings about the subject.
She nodded, her pulse kicking up. “I found it two years ago. With my great-grandmother’s history—working with children during the war—it felt like a way to honor her. To pay it forward.”
“Can you tell us more about that story?”
