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One legendary clan
International supermodel Natalie Stallion has come a long way from her humble Utah roots. Called back from London to settle her mother’s estate, she has conflicting feelings about reuniting with her estranged siblings. And when a nor’easter strands her with a sexy stranger, she decides to take advantage of the delay. But sharing a fleeting moment in time with world-famous designer Tinjin Braddy leaves her with regrets for what might have been.
Haunted by the memory of that sizzling goodbye kiss at the airport, the continent-hopping playboy doesn’t expect to see the siren in stilettos again. But their lives and careers are about to collide at a Stallion family reunion. And now high-level espionage threatens Tinjin’s entire business empire. With suspicion—and irresistible desire—igniting, can Tinjin trust Natalie with his future and his heart?
“So you don’t have to leave?”
“No. I don’t. And since you desperately want to spend time with me, I think I’m going to stay.”
Natalie smiled. “There is nothing desperate about me, TJ. Don’t get it twisted.”
She tossed a glance over her shoulder. Her family had moved to the foyer, the goodbyes lingering as everyone tried to get in one last word and comment. She turned back to Tinjin and moved against him, tipping up on her toes as she pressed her palms to his chest. “Thank you,” she said, her soft voice brushing warmly against his ear.
Tinjin wrapped his arms around her. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back as he relished the feel of her.
He placed a gentle kiss against her cheek, allowing his lips to linger there for a minute longer than necessary. Her breathing eased as she relaxed against him. He dropped his cheek to hers, the warmth of her skin sending a swift chill down his spine.
Natalie slid her arms around his torso and hugged her chest to his. He wrapped his arms around her back, his hands resting against the silk of her dress.
Dear Reader,
The Stallion family is officially back! After all your emails and messages and Facebook postings, I heard you loud and clear. But you know I couldn’t give you a Stallion story without throwing in a twist or two. And what better twist than a new branch on the Stallion family tree?
My Stallion Heart welcomes back Tinjin Braddy, the brother of Tierra Braddy, wife of Stallion cousin Travis from my book Promise to a Stallion. Once again, it’s all about family, friends and faith because there would be
no Stallion story without the foundation they were all raised on.
I greatly appreciate you all. I am humbled by your support. Thank you for all that you do to show me, my characters and our stories your love.
Until next time, please take care of yourselves, and may God’s blessings continue to be with you.
With much love,
Deborah Fletcher Mello
DeborahMello.blogspot.com
My Stallion Heart
Deborah Fletcher Mello
www.millsandboon.co.uk
DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO has been writing since forever and can’t imagine herself doing anything else. Her first romance novel, Take Me to Heart, earned her a 2004 Romance Slam Jam Emma Award nomination for Best New Author, and in 2009, she won an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for her ninth novel, Tame a Wild Stallion. She continues to create unique story lines and memorable characters with each new book. Born and raised in Connecticut, Deborah now considers home to be wherever the moment moves her.
To Morgan Parsons
May you find the love you crave
And be blessed with much joy and happiness.
Now and always.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Introduction
Dear Reader
Title Page
About the Author
Family Tree
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Copyright
Chapter 1
The prestigious Westminster flat was an interior designer’s dream come true. Eggshell-colored walls were lined with exquisite abstract artwork. Ornate sculpture sat on top of marble pedestals. The decor was upscale and expensive. Subtle jazz played softly throughout the space and the sound of fingernails tapping against a computer keyboard resonated in the background.
The house phone rang three times, then clicked to an answering machine on a glass-topped table. The taped greeting suddenly drowned out all the other sounds.
“It’s me. I’m not answering, but then you already know that. If I need to tell you what to do, don’t waste my time.” BEEP.
A woman’s voice resounded loudly from the other end of the line. “Natalie! We’re headed to the pub for a pint of ale. Take a break and come meet us. I know! I know! You have a deadline. Well, screw that. If you don’t show up I will personally ring your doorbell at 3:00 a.m. and kick your skinny ass for ignoring your best friends—”
The answering machine beeped a second time, cutting the woman off midsentence. Across the room Natalie Renee Stallion was seated at an antique cedar desk typing diligently on her laptop. Amusement shimmered in her dark eyes. She smiled, her grin wide and full, as the telephone rang a second time, the machine picking it up again. Her best friend shouted at the device, her deep alto voice echoing about the room.
“Why don’t you have a machine that will let me speak until I’m finished? Even better, pick up the damn phone and talk to me because I know you’re there. I know you’re ignoring me. Hello? Hello? Natalie?”
Francesca “Frenchie” Adams sighed into her receiver before she continued. “Like I said before, Natalie, be there or I will wake your behind up. Love you. Bye. Call me on my cell if you have to,” Frenchie said just before being disconnected a second time.
Natalie continued to type. The third time the phone rang it surprised her because she wasn’t expecting any other calls and definitely not on her house number. Curiosity came over her. The male voice on the other end caught her completely off guard. Her fingers stalled against the keyboard.
“Natalie, it’s me. Noah. Your brother. When you get this, please call me back. You need to come home.”
There was a pause and she could hear muffled voices encouraging him.
“You really need to come home now,” he said before disconnecting the long-distance call.
A feeling of dread suddenly washed over Natalie’s spirit. She took a deep breath and then a second. Her expression changed, the easy lift to her mouth turned into a deep frown. She drew a hand through the length of her hair, twisting the silky strands into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She stared toward the telephone for a brief moment before she resumed her typing, wanting to ignore the call that had just interrupted her.
An hour later she was still distracted, curious to know what had moved her estranged brother to even think about her. It had been years since she’d last seen him or any of her siblings. Natalie imagined that too much time had passed for any of them to just pick up where they’d left off, starting over as if nothing had happened. Because much had happened since they’d all parted ways. But Noah had said it was urgent for her to come home. For Natalie, home was London. Nothing about Utah remotely felt like a place where she belonged. At least, that’s what she’d spent years trying to convince herself of.
She heaved a deep breath and pulled her cell phone into her palm. Rising from her seat she crossed the room to the answering machine and replayed the message. She jotted down the telephone number Noah had left. With another deep breath she dialed it, then waited for him to answer.
It was close to midnight when Natalie climbed into her car and pulled into the late-night traffic. Across town she drove past the entrance of the Trafalgar Tavern. A crowd of partygoers was still straining to get inside. Natalie paused for a quick moment, peering through the driver’s-side window for a familiar face. When she saw no one she recognized, no one there to change her mind, she sped off, guiding her Jaguar XF toward London’s Heathrow airport. For the first time in twelve years, Natalie Stallion was headed back home.
* * *
“So, exactly when did we get this aunt?” Luke Stallion questioned. He looked from one brother to the other.
“And how come she had to die before we found out about her?” their sister Phaedra Stallion-Boudreaux asked.
Brothers Matthew, Mark and John Stallion all shrugged their broad shoulders. The three men turned to their cousin Travis Stallion who’d come bearing the bad news.
Travis’s wife, Tierra Braddy Stallion, changed the subject before her husband could answer. “I smell bacon. Do you think you can feed me and my family while Travis fills you all in?”
John chuckled ever so softly. “Sorry about that,” he said as he slipped an arm around the woman’s shoulder and gave her a quick hug.
Tierra laughed. “You should be. You invite us to family breakfast and then don’t want to feed us. What kind of mess is that?”
John’s wife, Marah, suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Especially since the food is ready,” she said, a bright smile filling her face, “so come and eat. And you all know the rules. Leave any talk of business right here in this room. We won’t be having it at the breakfast table.”
“They weren’t talking business,” Tierra said as she cradled her infant daughter in her arms. Her toddler son leaned against her pants leg, his thumb in his mouth as his wide eyes darted back and forth.
Marah looked from one stunned expression to the other and shook her head. “Do I even want to ask?”
Luke pushed past the others. “Well, you might not want to, but I have a lot of questions,” he said as he led the way into the oversize kitchen and dining area.
There was a crowd already gathered for breakfast as Travis and his family followed Luke. Matthew, Mark, Phaedra and John brought up the rear.
The women greeted Tierra warmly, hugs and kisses filling the room. Family friend Vanessa Long eagerly pulled Tierra’s baby from her arms. “Look at this sweetie pie!” Vanessa exclaimed as she leaned to show the new baby to her own little boy. Toddler Vaughan Long eyed his mother and the infant without interest, his attention focused on two pieces of sausage clenched between his palms. Tierra and Vanessa both laughed as Tierra leaned to kiss the little boy’s forehead.
“When did you get here?” Marah’s twin sister, Marla Barron, questioned. She was seated at the large oak table, preparing a plate of food for her own child.
Tierra took a seat beside her old friend, pulling her son into her lap. “We drove in this morning. Lorenzo, did you say hello to Auntie Marla?” she chimed as little Lorenzo hid his face in her chest.
Travis joined the conversation as he took his own seat. “My boy’s still sleepy. He’s not speaking to anyone this morning. Usually, we can’t shut him up!” he said with a warm laugh. He glanced around the table. “Where’s Edward and Juanita?” he questioned, referring to Marah and Marla’s father and his wife.
“On a cruise to Alaska,” someone answered.
Travis nodded. “Must be nice.”
John took the seat at the head of the table. “I wanted all of us to go but we couldn’t coordinate everyone’s schedules.”
“Tierra, did you meet my husband, Mason?” Phaedra suddenly asked.
Mason Boudreaux extended his hand in the woman’s direction. “I don’t think so. The last time you were here I think I was out of the country.”
“Mason is also Katrina’s brother,” Matthew Stallion added as he leaned to kiss his wife’s cheek.
Katrina nodded.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Tierra said as Mason leaned to give her a hug.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well,” Mason responded.
Travis shook his head. “This is why we need to have a family reunion.”
“That and we’ve suddenly got family coming out of the woodwork,” Luke said as he reached for the platter of scrambled eggs.
His wife Joanne eyed him curiously. “Who’s come out of the woodwork this time?”
“We have an aunt,” Luke answered.
“And more cousins,” Mark Stallion interjected. His wife Michelle passed him their daughter, Irene, who eyed her father with large, dark eyes and a bright smile. “Cousins I can take,” the large man continued as he settled the little girl in a booster seat and slid her close to the table. “As long as no one tells me I have another sister I’m good.”
Phaedra chuckled softly as the table fell silent, everyone remembering the family breakfast where she’d announced her familial connection to the Stallion name.
Luke shrugged, pointing an index finger toward Travis. “So give us the dirt,” he said as he took a bite of French toast saturated with syrup.
The former staff sergeant shrugged his broad shoulders. He sighed. “We’ve always had an aunt,” he started as he proceeded to fill them all in, everyone eyeing him intently. “Her name was Norris-Jean. She’s actually the oldest out of the Stallion siblings.”
“I don’t remember my father or Uncle Joseph ever talking about her,” John said. He leaned back in his chair, his arms folded over his broad chest.
“Neither did I,” Travis continued. “From what I’ve learned she was much older and had left the family home when the boys were still very young. There was some kind of falling out and our grandparents disowned her. She moved to Utah and never kept in contact with anyone. No one knows why, though.”
Vanessa laughed as she pulled Tierra’s baby to her shoulder. “You people got a lot of skeletons in your closets!” she exclaimed. “Sisters, aunts, cousins. If you keep this up we might find out I’m related to you by blood!”
Mark cut an eye at his old friend and nodded in agreement. “Right!” he said with a hearty chuckle.
Luke laughed. “Oh, hell no!”
“How’d you find out about her?” Matthew questioned.
“She passed away last week and her children have been going through her papers. It seems she kept a diary. Her oldest son, Noah, contacted me, looking for my father,” Travis said.
John Stallion glanced around the table as the family continued talking, everyone shooting questions in Travis’s direction. Excitement fueled the air, energy like a firestorm through the space. It hadn’t been too long ago that their requisite family breakfasts included only him and his three brothers. He’d married first, his wife Marah and her family adding to the mix. In a short period of time he’d seen his brothers and his cousin Travis marry, their small clan growing with wives, babies and extended family.
Last year they’d discovered they had a biological sister named Phaedra, the news completely throwing all the brothers for a loop, and now the Stallion family tree had suddenly sprouted a whole new branch. John’s head moved slowly from side to side as he pondered the implications. Minutes passed before he refocused on the conversation.
“I told Noah that we would love to meet him and his family and he suggested we all fly to Salt Lake City for his mother’s memorial service,” Travis was saying.
“What do you think?” Luke asked, directing the question toward his oldest brother.
Everyone at the table was suddenly staring at John, awaiting his opinion.
He met the looks they were giving him and nodded. “I agree. I think we should. They’re our family.”
“Can everyone get away?” Marah asked, looking around the table.
“Well, transportation won’t be a problem,” Mason stated. “We can use my plane.”
John nodded just as his newly adopted daughter Gabrielle suddenly rushed into the room. The miniature hurricane tore around the table, her deep laughter moving them all to smile. Matthew and Katrina’s teenage son Collin raced behind her.
“Where have you been, Gabi?” Marah questioned, eyeing her daughter with a raised eyebrow. She tossed her nephew a questioning stare.
“Sorry,” the teenager gushed. “She didn’t want to leave the playroom. I had to chase her and then she kicked me!” He leaned to rub his bruised knee.
Katrina laughed. “Tell your uncle John he’ll owe you combat pay on top of your babysitting salary.”
Gabrielle jumped into her father’s lap, a bright smile filling her face. She rolled her eyes at Collin and licked her tongue out at him. John grinned as he pressed a damp kiss to her rosy cheek. “Did you kick your cousin Collin?” he asked, his gaze narrowing.
The little girl’s eyes widened. She shook her head. “No.”
Everyone around the table laughed.
“That’s not funny,” Marah admonished. “Y’all are bringing her into some bad habits, laughing when she does something wrong. She thinks she’s being cute.”
Matthew laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Marah. When Luke was her age he used to tell lies, too.”
“I did not!” Luke chimed in as he reached for another slice of bacon.
“Yes, you did,” Mark said teasingly. “And John used to wear your behind out! Gabi better straighten up!”
John shook his head, his attention still focused on the bundle of energy in his lap. “We don’t kick people, Gabi, and we don’t ever tell Daddy lies. You always tell Mommy and Daddy the truth, do you understand?”
Gabrielle blew a deep sigh as she dropped her head against John’s broad chest.
“Now tell Collin you’re sorry,” her father scolded, “and if you kick your cousin again Daddy’s going to give you spanks.”
The little girl pouted as she tossed her cousin a look. “Gabi sorry, Collin,” she muttered softly. She turned her attention back to her father. “Gabi wanna go pane ride. Go pane ride, Dada?” she questioned, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.
John’s gaze reached out to each of his family members. There was a moment of pause before he finally answered. “Yes, baby girl. We’re all going to do just that.” He gave her a tight squeeze before she jumped out of his arms.
She scurried to Marah’s side, her arms outstretched. Marah lifted the little girl onto her lap. “Go pane, Mommy! Dada said we go pane!”
Marah laughed. “We’re going to eat breakfast first, munchkin! Then we’re going on a plane ride so you can meet your new cousins.”
Vanessa laughed. “More Stallions! Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed as everyone around the table laughed with her.
Chapter 2
Tinjin Braddy navigated his way through John F. Kennedy Airport with his carry-on bag over his shoulder and his cell phone in his hand. As he stood in front of the flight display monitors, frustration painted his expression. The arrival and departure board looked like a grade school chalkboard gone awry. The word Canceled appeared over and over again, much like a punished student’s white chalk repetitions. He shook his head as he put his cell phone to his ear and called his personal assistant.
“Yes, sir, Mr. Braddy?” the young woman answered, anticipation ringing in her tone.
Tinjin sighed into the receiver. “I’m stuck in New York, Raina. There’s nothing coming or going for at least another eight hours.”
“Oh, my,” Raina muttered. “Would you like me to arrange for a hotel, Mr. Braddy? Something close to the airport?”
“No. I’ve already tried. Everything is booked solid. A major snowstorm has literally shut down the eastern seaboard.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, sir. Is there anything I can do?”
Tinjin blew another sigh. “I’ve been trying to call my sister but she’s not answering and my cell phone battery is about to die. Would you please keep calling until you reach her, explain my situation and tell her I’ll get to Salt Lake City as soon as I’m able? When I can find someplace to charge my phone I’ll call her but it’s a madhouse here right now.”
“No problem, Mr. Braddy. And I’ll stay close to the phone in case you need me.”
Tinjin smiled. “Thanks, Raina,” he said, then he disconnected the line. Taking a deep breath he looked to his left and then to his right. People were crowded together, everyone at their wit’s end as they tried to figure out what to do and where to go. Babies were crying, mothers were pacing, fathers were cussing and not one soul seemed happy to be where they were.
His British Airways flight from London had landed an hour ago, the plane’s tires hitting the icy tarmac just minutes before all flights were diverted to other locations. The wintry nor’easter was predicted to leave some twenty-plus inches of snow in the New York area, and with half of that already on the ground no plane was scheduled to depart until further notice.
Not how he’d anticipated starting his weeklong holiday. Tinjin was suddenly wishing he’d gone to Bermuda as he’d initially planned instead of agreeing to join his sister and her family in Salt Lake City, Utah. But his baby sister, Tierra, always had a way of wrangling him to do what she wanted and her appeals for him to spend time with his toddler nephew and the new baby had been hard to resist. He loved his family and since relocating to London had missed them terribly. Despite the inconvenience he looked forward to spending some quality time with the people he loved most.
Pausing in reflection, Tinjin considered his options. With a plan in motion he headed in the direction of the terminal train and pushed his way on board. He needed to get himself from terminal seven to terminal eight. Once that was accomplished he figured he could find a fairly quiet corner to wait out the storm.
* * *
Natalie made her way to the mezzanine level at JFK’s terminal eight. In the reception area of American Airlines’ Admiral’s Club she presented her membership card to gain admittance. Inside, the few gathered were nowhere near as frenzied as the masses in the holding pattern by the gates, and the level of noise dropped substantially. The catchphrase Membership Has Its Privileges rang through her mind. She heaved a deep sigh of relief as she maneuvered her way to a quiet corner by one of the only windows in the room and dropped down to the cushioned seat. Kicking off her six-inch heels she sighed in relief, twisting her ankles in small circles.
She was past the point of being annoyed. Totally exhausted, she found herself wishing that she had just stayed in London. But her brother Noah had been adamant about her returning to the family fold long enough to honor her recently deceased mother. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes and she swiped them away with the back of her hand. She took a quick glance around the room and when she was certain that no one was paying her an ounce of attention she fell back into her thoughts.
Natalie had been seventeen years old when she’d left home, leaving everything she knew and trusted behind. She was desperate for a new beginning, hopeful that destiny would lead her where fate intended her to land. Life in Utah had not been easy and Natalie had wanted much more than the abject poverty that had been her childhood existence.
The family had been dirt poor, her single mother raising five children on a housekeeper’s minimum-wage salary. The Stallion siblings had known little of their father, and bitterness rang in their mother’s tone whenever one or the other ventured to question her about the man. Only Noah, barely sixteen years old at the time, had been bold enough to seek him out, begging for a shred of help for their family. When he was met with bitter rejection and their mother’s wrath, it had kept the rest of them from ever considering the idea again.