Page 85 of Caught Up In You (The Monroes 2)

“The way Anna stormed out of here I’m assuming she didn’t like what you had to say.”

Laughing, Braxton pushed off the cushioned table. “Not really. Is there a good crowd out there?”

“Pretty good.” Liam’s mouth tipped into a smile. “Chelsea would’ve loved this.”

“Yeah, she would’ve. I know she’s somewhere laughing her ass off at the three of us.”

Zach came up behind Liam, Sophie at his side. “Everything okay?” Sophie asked.

Braxton nodded. “Everything is fine. Let’s get out of here and make Chelsea proud.”

Braxton followed his family out into the wide open two-story foyer. There were people walking around with wineglasses, several were already holding the “champagne” pamphlets and a couple of ladies were oohing and aahing over the pencil sketches. Sophie’s sketches were definitely appealing. Simple, clean, and classy artwork. Chelsea would’ve loved having her best friend’s sketches hanging on the walls.

As the evening progressed, Braxton was surprised at how many people came through the doors and how long they lingered. The interest was evident; now if all of that interest turned into bookings and happy clients, they’d be golden.

Soon the spacious home started feeling cramped, but on the cozy side. With all the ladies holding their half-empty wineglasses, chatting, laughing, and checking out every aspect of the resort, Braxton knew they’d done something spectacular. He’d give absolutely anything for his sister to be able to see her dream come true. She would have loved how her brothers came together and actually pulled this off.

He overheard some of the new employees discussing the historical aspect of the home and the utter geek in him smiled. The house was pretty damn cool.

But as he mingled, answered questions, and greeted guests, he realized he hadn’t seen Cora for a while. Braxton excused himself from a group of elderly ladies and searched the room. When he spotted Sophie, he made his way through the crowd.

“Have you seen Cora?” Braxton asked once he reached Sophie.

“Not for a while. I brought her here, but I was hoping you’d be taking her home.”

Sophie’s smile was that of a nosy sister. “I already planned on it. If you’ll excuse me.”

He barely made it a few feet before he was stopped by another group of ladies asking about the history of the home, wanting to know more about Chelsea’s vision and how soon they could book a weekend getaway. Braxton spent at least thirty minutes with them and by the time they’d walked away, he was pretty sure they’d be booking the cottages. Sophie had set up a small station at the old secretary in the parlor to take reservations for those who didn’t want to wait and book online or call later. Braxton steered the wom

en toward that area and left them in Sophie’s hands.

As he passed through the foyer and headed back through the house, he still didn’t see Cora. The patio area was lit up with various sizes of evergreens. Sophie had put clear lights on anything that would stand still. She wanted the perfect Christmas ambiance and she’d nailed the decorating perfectly, much better than he or his brothers would’ve done.

Where the hell was Cora? He’d gone over nearly the entire house and hadn’t seen a sign of her anywhere. A niggle of worry started to take root. Had she gotten overwhelmed and gone for a walk? Did something happen that scared her?

Braxton didn’t know what happened, if anything, but he wasn’t going to stop until he found her and made sure she was okay. It wasn’t like her to just disappear.

* * *

Cora opened the bathroom door and ran smack into someone. Gripping Heidi’s collar, Cora stepped back. “Excuse me.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

The harsh female tone shocked Cora. “Pardon?”

A fingertip pushed Cora back another step. “Don’t use the innocent act. I know what you’re trying to do to Braxton, getting him to play on your handicap, but we are going to work things out. You’re nothing but a distraction.”

Anna.

“If you and Braxton have things to work out, then you need to talk to him, not me.”

“Oh, you’re the stumbling block,” Anna laughed. “He has a soft heart and you’re using that to try to keep him. It won’t work.”

Heidi let out a low growl. Cora tightened her grip on Heidi and eased her back. Heidi wouldn’t bite or hurt anyone unless there was a real danger, but clearly the wise dog didn’t like this visitor.

“I’m not using anything and he’s not a piece of property,” Cora retorted. “Whatever issues you have, they don’t involve me.”

“They do when you’re in my way,” Anna said from what sounded like between clenched teeth. “I’m giving you fair warning that I always get what I want and Braxton and I had planned a future together. I made a mistake, but he’s forgiving. Our bond is something you’ll never have.”

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