Chase lifted his hand and glanced down, before meeting first Rick’s, then Roman’s gaze. Then he did the job the way he always did, without backing down. “Looks like you’ll be needing a drink about now, baby brother. You’re the sacrificial lamb in Mom’s quest for grandchildren.”
Rick heaved a heavy sigh that was nothing compared to the ball of lead sitting in Roman’s stomach. Chase walked up beside Roman. “If you want out, now’s the time. No one’s going to hold it against you if you don’t want to do this.”
Roman forced a grin, emulating Chase at eighteen. “You think scoping out women and making babies is a tough assignment? By the time I’m through, you’re going to wish you were me.”
“Make sure she’s a babe,” Rick said helpfully, but no real humor tinged his words or tone. He obviously felt Roman’s pain, though his own relief at not being the chosen one was tangible.
Roman appreciated the attempt to lighten his mood, even if it didn’t work. “More important that she doesn’t expect too much,” he shot back. Any woman he married had to know up front who he was and accept what he wasn’t.
Chase slapped him on the back. “I’m proud of you, kid. This is a once-in-a-lifetime decision. Be certain you can live with her, okay?”
“I don’t plan to live with anyone,” Roman muttered.
“Then what do you plan?” Rick asked.
“A nice long-distance marriage that doesn’t change my life much at all. I want to find someone who’s willing to stay at home and raise the kid, who’ll be happy seeing me whenever I can make it back.”
“You’ve got enough baggage as it is, is that it?” Rick asked.
Roman scowled at him. His attempt at mood-lightening had gone too far. “Actually, we had a damn good life while growing up and I want to make sure anyone I marry can provide the same thing for my kid.”
“So you go on the road, the wife stays home.” Chase shook his head. “You’d better watch your attitude. You don’t want to scare potential candidates off too early in the search.”
“There’s no chance of that happening.” Rick chuckled. “There wasn’t a girl in high school who didn’t lust after the kid, before he left for a life of adventure.”
Despite the situation, Roman laughed. “Only after you graduated. Yours were big shoes to fill.”
“That goes without saying.” Rick folded his arms over his chest and grinned. “But fair’s fair. I had to walk in Chase’s footsteps, and they were huge. Girls loved his strong, silent bit. But once he graduated, they turned their sights on me.” He tapped his chest. “And once I was gone, the field was open for you. And they were all interested.”
Not all. Without warning, the memory of his high school infatuation resurfaced, as it often did. A beautiful girl with jet-black hair and green eyes, Charlotte Bronson had made his teenage hormones run wild. Her stinging rejection lived within him, as sharp now as it had been back then. He considered her the one who’d gotten away, and he’d never forgotten her. Though Roman would like to label it a teenage crush and leave it there, truth dictated he admit his feelings had run deep.
Not that he’d admitted it aloud to his brothers then, nor would he now. A man had to keep some things private.
Last Roman had heard, Charlotte had moved to New York City, the fashion capital of the world. Though he shared a rent-controlled apartment in the same city, he’d never run into her, nor had he looked her up. Roman was rarely in town long enough to do more than sleep one night, change clothes, and head out again to his next destination.
He hadn’t heard any gossip from his mother lately, and curiosity won out now. “Charlotte Bronson back in town?” he asked.
Rick and Chase exchanged surprised glances. “She sure is,” Rick said. “Owns a little business on First.”
“And she’s single,” Chase added with a smile at last.
Roman’s adrenaline kicked in hard and fast. “What kind of business?”
“Why don’t you stop by and see for yourself?” Rick asked.
The notion tempted him. Roman wondered what Charlotte was like now. If she was still as quiet and sincere as she’d been way back when. If her jet-black hair still hung down her back, tempting a man to touch. He was curious to know if her green eyes were still expressive and open, providing a window to her soul for anyone who cared enough to look.
He’d cared and had been shot down for his effort. “Has she changed much?”
“Go have a look.” Chase added his prompting to Rick’s. “You can call it your first chance at scoping out potential candidates.”
As if Charlotte would be interested. She’d walked away with ease after their one date and let him move on, apparently without an ounce of remorse. Roman had never believed her proclamation of disinterest, and he didn’t think it was his ego talking. The sparks had been strong enough to light the entire town, the chemistry so hot an explosion had threatened. But sexual attraction wasn’t the only thing they’d shared.
They’d connected on a deeper level, connected enough for him to share his dreams and hopes for the future, something he’d never done before. Revealing such an intimate part of his soul had left him open for hurt and made her rejection that much more painful, he realized now, thanks to the adult wisdom he’d lacked in his youth.
“Maybe I will look her up.” Roman remained deliberately vague. He didn’t want to give his brothers any more indication of his renewed curiosity in Charlotte Bronson. Especially when he needed a different kind of woman, one who’d agree to his plan.
He let out a groan, recalling why this conversation had begun in the first place. His mother wanted grandchildren. And Roman would do his best to give them to her. But that didn’t mean he could provide a spouse with all the strangling emotions and expectations a typical marriage entailed. He was a man who needed his freedom. He wasn’t a husband for all seasons. His potential wife would have to want kids more than a husband and enjoy being on her own. An independent woman who adored children would do just fine.
Because Roman intended to get married, get his wife pregnant, and get the hell out, while doing his damnedest not to look back.
* * *
Sunshine shone through the plate-glass storefront window, bathing Charlotte in incredible warmth and heat. A perfect setting for the tropical display she was setting up. She tied the back of a string bikini around the mannequin that would be featured prominently in the window, and turned it toward her assistant. “So what do you think?”
Beth Hansen, also Charlotte’s best friend since childhood, chuckled. “I wish I were built so fine.”
“You are now.” Charlotte glanced at Beth’s petite figure and enhanced breasts.
Yorkshire Falls was a small town, four hours from New York City—far enough to remain a small town, but close enough to make travel to the big city worthwhile if the reason was good enough. Apparently bust alteration was good enough reason for Beth.
“And you could be. You don’t even need to use too much imagination.” Beth pointed to the mannequin. “Take a look at her and imagine yourself like this.” She outlined the curvaceous shape with her hands. “An uplift would be a start, but an extra cup size would do even more to attract male attention.”