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“I like to dabble in it. There’s a lot to learn here.” She looked at the mansion as they pulled up before the white marble steps. Tall, white pillars graced each side and a long verandah stretched from one side of the house to the other. “It’s magnificent. It resembles a mansion from one of my favorite old-time movies. I can’t believe I own it.”

  “And that you do,” Terry said as he banged the brass knocker.

  The door opened. A tall man dressed in jeans and nothing else but a kerchief around his neck and wearing a straw cowboy hat faced them. Topaz was stunned. Who is this? The foreman? The man was drop-dead gorgeous. He sent flutters down to her stomach, down her belly, all the way to her pussy. He had dark chocolate brown eyes that held what? Anger? His gaze swept her from head to toe and back again to rest on her face. She met his gaze, felt that probing black stare as if he were trying to enter her brain. Her panties grew damp and she shifted uncomfortably.

  “Topaz, meet Chad Douglas, the oldest of the Douglas boys.”

  Her heart fluttered strangely. Douglas boys? Daddy John had sons? Then why did he leave everything to me?

  “I hope you realize you’re not welcome here!” Chad said.

  “Now, now, Chad, calm down. You know Ms Fiero owns this house now and everything in it. She has every right.”

  “Not for long she won’t!”

  Topaz watched as Chad stepped aside, still eyeing her angrily. She felt hurt at his attitude but understood his anger. Why on earth did Daddy John disinherit his son? Or…sons? Apparently, there were more members of the Douglas family.

  Resolutely, she stuck her hand out. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Topaz Fiero.” The man from God’s Heaven didn’t take her hand.

  “No need for introductions, though I’m surprised. We were expecting our father’s whore, not his daughter.”

  He might as well have slapped her in the face. “I didn’t know Daddy John had sons. He loved my mother and I don’t appreciate you calling her a whore.”

  “You’ve read the will haven’t you?”

  “No. She hasn’t. I’ve got a copy here for her,” Terry said, pulling a document out of his jean pocket and handing it to Topaz. “I’m sorry. I should have faxed you a copy so you’d be prepared or at least told you when we spoke on the phone. John has three sons who inherited a piece of John’s other investments, a large sum of money, a yearly allowance and the right to remain on the property for life.”

  Oh my God! If she wanted to stay, she had to share the house with John’s sons, who, and rightfully so, were furious at her. Maybe she should hand it all over to them. It hardly seemed fair. Then Chad’s words finally took root, his father’s whore. No one on earth had the right to call her mother a whore! No. John had left her everything for a reason. Maybe his sons were losers, drunks or whatever. It was hers, all hers and after what Chad said, there’s no way in hell she’d hand it over to them. “Your father left everything to me and I intend to live here. We’ll have to learn to get along,” she told him, his anger helping her instantly to make up her mind.

  “Now, Chad, don’t cause any trouble. Let the little lady through so she can go shower and unwind from her trip.”

  “You could have warned us Father had a bastard out there,” Chad hissed.

  “I didn’t know she’d be this young,” Terry said. “John never said. All he told me was the name and address of this little gal.”

  “You said he confided his reasons to you. Didn’t they include that this gal is his bastard daughter?”

  “No. And I can’t tell you what his reasoning was. He made me swear not to reveal it until later. I guarantee I had no idea how young she was until I saw Ms Fiero at the station.”

  Two other men sauntered into the lobby. “So she’s arrived has she?” one of them asked.

  “Yes, come and meet your new sister,” Chad said sarcastically. “This is Topaz, our father’s bastard daughter from Texas. Topaz, meet Sam and Johnny, Junior.”

  Topaz gazed at the two men who now stood beside Chad. If she thought she’d died and gone to Heaven before, now she was ready to swoon. The three brothers looked very much alike. Tall, handsome beyond words, black haired and built. Oh, goddess, are they ever built. The only difference between them was their skin coloring. Sam wore a red body shirt that left nothing to the imagination and Johnny a black one. Chad had the lightest skin of the three. They had the same dark eyes. Their hair was a slightly different length, but the same color. They could have almost been triplets. There couldn’t be more than a year between each brother. She saw no resemblance to Daddy John who had been fair and blue eyed. They had to look like their mother.

  “Hi. Guess we’re going to be all living together in this house, huh?” It was so bloody lame. She just didn’t know what to say, especially with her panties getting wetter by the minute and her heart doing somersaults.

  “This is Topaz?” Johnny asked. “A sister?”

  Johnny seemed softer natured and quite confused. “I’m not your sister.”

  “Oh. Then who—”

  “Your father loved my mother. I don’t know who my father is.”

  “Well, folks, I have to get back to work. Take care of the little lady here. Be nice to her. None of this is her fault,” Terry said. He put his hat back on his head and left.

  She was left alone with the three brothers. “Could one of you show me to my room, please? I’d really like to freshen up.”

  “Find it yourself. Plenty to choose from,” Chad said brusquely.

  “I’ll show you,” Johnny offered eagerly.

  “Thanks.” As she bent to pick up her bag, he jumped forward to carry it for her. Their hands brushed as he grasped the handle and it was as if electricity had set off a spark that ran right up her arm. She yanked her hand away. “Thank you.”

  “Follow me,” Johnny said, sending her a disarming grin.

  “Johnny, meet us in the den. We need to talk,” Chad said in a stern voice.

  Even though Chad was madder than hell and showing nothing but disdain and disgust for her, she couldn’t help but let his voice thrill her.

  The other brother, Sam, had been very quiet all this time. When he spoke, his voice was an echo of Chad’s, deep, vibrant. “Nice to meet you, Topaz. I’ll see you at dinner,” Sam said. But the expression in his eyes didn’t match the greeting. He gazed at her with suspicion.

  Again, her blood was set afire. No man had ever been able to get her going. She’d warded off so many advances, gone out with a number of young men but felt nothing. Now, she was faced with three angry brothers, three men who didn’t trust her for a second, who resented her big time and wanted her out of the way and they were turning her on beyond belief. Except Johnny. He wasn’t quite as aggressive as his brothers and was rather sweet.

  While following him up the wide staircase, her imagination ran overtime. The movie, her old-time favorite, Gone with the Wind, came to mind. Scarlett in that big mansion. Scarlett running up and down those beautiful stairs. Scarlett falling down those stairs. And then the end scene where Rhett leaves her. These men were as handsome as Rhett Butler, if not more so and their bodies to die for. Oh Lord, Daddy John, what were your intentions when you left all of this property to me?

  “This is the nicest guest room in the house,” Johnny broke into her thoughts.

  “Guest room? I’d like to see the master bedroom, please?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, Chad wouldn’t like—”

  “It’s not up to Chad now, is it? Please show me to the master bedroom?”

  “Father hasn’t used that room since our mother passed away so many years ago. It’s probably dusty and full of cobwebs. Chad—”

  “Please show it to me?” Topaz already knew she could wind Johnny around her little finger as he, with just a little reluctance, led her to a different wing and stopped before double oak doors.

  “This is it.”

  When Johnny opened the doors, she gasped at the beauty of the room. It was large. Against the
far wall was a huge canopy bed with two fairly large night tables on either side. A chair stood on each side of the bed. There was a big dressing table, mahogany closets and at the far end a fireplace with two easy chairs facing it. Royal blue velvet drapes covered the windows matching the color of the duvet and satin bed sheets. Johnny rushed to open the drapes. Rich Persian rugs covered much of the hardwood floor, the colors all complimenting each other. The room had no cobwebs. It smelled clean and the bed looked like the sheets had just been replaced. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere.

  “This will do just fine,” Topaz murmured. “The room has been well taken care of.”

  “I didn’t know. After my mother passed away, none of us were allowed in this room. I’ll ask the maid to remove that painting,” Johnny said, shifting uncomfortably.

  She followed his gaze and looked at the large painting on the wall of a young bridal couple. It was obviously a young Daddy John and his bride. She saw the resemblance to their mother immediately. John’s wife had long black hair and very dark eyes. She could have been Mexican or Spanish. “No, leave it here. I have no resentment toward your mother.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No. Why should I? He must have loved her very much.”

  “Topaz, how old are you?”

  “I’m twenty-two.”

  “Are you really my father’s daughter?”

  “I’ll be damned if I know. I don’t think so. My mother said he wasn’t. I’m as much bewildered by all of this as you.”

  “How long did you know my father?”

  “As long as I can remember. When did your mother pass on?”

  “Not long after I was born. I’m twenty-six. Sam is twenty-seven and Chad’s almost twenty-nine.”

  She held her hand out to him. “Thank you for helping me. And, also, for being nice.” When he took her hand in both of his, she felt like drawing him to her, to hold him. He had such a boyish quality to him, one that made her want to fuss over him, to hold him and soothe his anger and to have him kiss her…to feel those sexy lips on hers.

  “You’re welcome, but you realize I’m going to get into deep shit for this,” he said and squeezed her hand. “I’d best get going. Chad wants us to meet in the den,” he said, sending her a grimace.

  “I heard. And that’s probably all about me,” she retorted.

  “Probably. I’ll see you later then, at dinner. Oh, it’s at seven. Tonight it will probably be in the official dining room instead of where we usually eat.”

  “Where do you usually eat?”

  “In the kitchen. We don’t stand much on formality around here, unless there’s a big dinner party or something.”

  “Well, I’ll eat in the kitchen, just like you. So please inform your brothers of that? Thanks again for your help.” Without realizing, he was still holding her hand. Reluctantly, she felt him withdraw. She loved the feel of his calloused hand. At least one of the three brothers made her feel somewhat welcome and wanted. There was an innocence about him that she found adoring and she felt he had a very soft heart, that he had accepted his father’s decision and didn’t really resent her like his brothers did.

  After Johnny closed the door behind him, she explored the rest of the master suite. It had a beautiful adjoining bathroom with a sunken tub, also, all in shades of blue. Oh, she could use that right now, but it was late afternoon. No time for soaking in a luxurious hot tub. A shower would have to do.

  Dressed in just jeans and a t-shirt, she went downstairs to find the kitchen. But when she got there, all she found was the cook and some kitchen help.

  “Mizz, dinner is in the dining room this evening,” the cook told her, a robust black lady with a shining round face and a very friendly smile. “My name is Corky. I’m the cook. Once, I was a nanny as well, until the boys got older and then Master John discovered my cooking skills.”

  “Hello, Corky. I’m Topaz. Where can I find the dining room?”

  “This young girl here is Tiffy. She does a bit of everything but mostly helps me in the kitchen. Tiffy, go show the young lady where to go,” Corky told a young woman and at the same time muttering to herself about the ‘boys’ who had no manners.

  Topaz’s heart sank into her shoes. Official dinner in the dining room and she was just dressed in jeans. She didn’t even own any fancy clothes.

  When Tiffy opened the dining room doors for her, she need not have worried. The Douglas brothers had not bothered to change. It was a beautiful room, fancy enough to belong in any movie. When Johnny stood to pull out her chair for her, Chad gestured him to sit down. The three brothers sat at one end of a very long table that could have easily seated at least fifty people. Her place setting was at the other end.

  Without further ado, she picked up the cutlery, her plate, her glass and walked to where they sat and promptly set her plate down next to Sam’s.

  “We didn’t invite you to sit at this end,” Chad told her.

  “I’ll damn well will sit where I please in my own house,” she snapped. This man might be hotter than hell, but he brought out the worst in her.

  “Enjoy it while you can. It won’t be yours for long,” Chad bit back at her.

  Topaz clamped her lips tight although her temper was slowly going from simmer to boil.

  “Let’s eat. I’m starving. Bickering isn’t going to get us anywhere,” Sam said while lifting the lids off some of the dishes on the table.

  She hadn’t felt hungry until the aroma of a pot roast drifted toward her. “It smells delicious.”

  “Corky is one of the best cooks in town. We’re lucky to have her,” Johnny said, passing a platter of freshly baked buns to her.

  “What do you mean ‘lucky?’ She’s been here all our lives. She wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Sam said.

  “Well, I mean we’re lucky she’s such a good cook. Many of our neighbors have tried to entice her away.”

  “She’s always got a home here if I have anything to say about it.” Chad threw her a venomous glance.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t plan on changing anything,” Topaz told them while dishing up some mashed potatoes and pot roast.

  “You won’t be here long enough.”

  “Fine, Chad, but can we at least be civil while I’m here?” Topaz asked, although inwardly seething. The man infuriated her. Made her so angry, she wanted nothing but to just smack him right now. Sure, I understand his anger, but does he have to be so damn rude? The will isn’t my fault.

  Vaguely, she wondered if they’d win if they contested it and made a mental note to ask Terry about that. She’d taken leave of absence for three months from her nursing job, having had no intention of staying on the ranch. But that had changed now that she was here. All thoughts of selling were gone. She’d fallen in love with the Douglas Ranch at first sight and she’d take Daddy John’s three sons along with it. They’d not get her down. No way. Daddy John had left her a fortune so she had the money to fight them tooth and nail to keep the ranch.

  “Christmas is almost here. How does the Douglas family usually celebrate the holiday season?”

  “We’re still in mourning and not much in the mood for Christmas,” Sam said.

  “Your father would want you to continue life,” she said, feeling his sorrow.

  “True, but he heaped something on us that we hadn’t expected. It’s kind of hard to deal with right now.”

  “So, do any of you have a lady friend? Engaged?” Topaz asked, changing the conversation and trying to make small talk.

  “Been there, done that,” Sam said.

  “We all date but haven’t found the right woman, Topaz,” Johnny told her.

  “Like it’s any of your business,” Chad snapped.

  Topaz met Chad’s angry gaze. She tried to read behind those black pools, but they were hard as steel right now.

  “Dinner was delicious.” Though she was tempted to take another helping, she felt very unwanted and fought the urge. She’d had enough to eat to still her
hunger and the tense atmosphere was a tad too much right now. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m really tired and would like to go to bed early.”

  “There’s dessert,” Johnny said.

  “I’ll pass on that. Goodnight.” As she stood and turned to leave the dining room, she felt three pairs of eyes boring into her back. Closing the door softly behind her, she let out her breath. “Phew, that was uncomfortable. Topaz, you’ve got your work cut out for you to win the hearts of these men.” I can’t believe I just told myself that. What am I thinking?

  Chapter Two

  “Johnny, you’re too nice to her,” Chad chastised his younger brother as soon as Topaz was gone. “We want her gone, don’t we?”

  “She’ll be gone when we win the case against her. Why do we have to treat her like shit while she’s here?”

  “Terry told me it could take months, years. Do we want her here during all that time? If she feels unwanted, unwelcome, maybe she’ll go back to where she came from.”

  Sam finished the last of his pudding. “I agree with Johnny. We don’t have to treat her so crappy. She seems nice enough.”

  “Not just nice. She’s drop-dead gorgeous,” Johnny muttered. “And sexy as hell. As if you haven’t noticed, Chad. You’re not made of stone.”

  “I’m not blind,” Chad retorted. “Yes, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and she’s sexy, but I won’t let her get to me. She can use those wiles on other men. We need to stay far away from her.”

  “Why?” Sam asked. “We might as well have some fun with her while she’s here.”

  “Dammit, Sam, she could be our sister. She says she doesn’t know who her father is, but she called our father Daddy John. Don’t you think that’s odd?”

  “He’s not her father. She told you, and she told me again later when I took her to her room,” Johnny said.

  “Well, we’ll see what the investigation turns up.”

  “Did you already make that call?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, after our discussion this afternoon. The PI said he’d get on it right away.”

  “Would be cheaper to just plain ask her about her life,” Sam suggested.