mode. “Is he all right?”
Jen waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, certainly, sweetie. This is a daily occurrence with that seven-year-old. He’s a walking accident waiting to happen.”
Houston finally closed the door behind him. “How long until dinner?”
“That depends on how long it takes you to fire up the grill,” Jen said.
Houston’s expression turned stony. “We’re having a barbecue?”
Jen looked at him as if he’d grown a second eye. “Of course. It’s Labor Day weekend, sugar. I brought the burgers and all the fixins’ plus a few hot dogs. I even have one of those fake patties for Paris. Your mama will be here in a bit with the apple pie.”
Funny, Jill hadn’t given much thought to the holiday. In fact, she hadn’t remembered the date when it came right down to it. “That sounds great. I’m on the road so much, I can’t remember the last time I celebrated a holiday.”
“Well, that ends today.” Jenny waved Jill toward the lengthy hallway to the right. “I’ll show you to your room while Houston gets after that grill. Otherwise, we won’t be eating until midnight.”
As the enthusiastic stepmother began leading her away, Jill shot a glance over her shoulder at Houston. He sent her a sympathetic look before disappearing from the foyer.
So much for being rescued, Jill thought as she followed Jenny down the corridor, which seemed to run the length of the house.
Jenny paused at the end of the hall and opened a door. “Here we are. Your accommodations for the evening.”
Jill walked into the tastefully appointed room to find her bags waiting at the foot of the queen-size bed covered in a rich purple satin comforter. She didn’t peg Houston as a purple kind of guy, but then she doubted he had anything to do with the decor.
“I decorated this room,” Jenny said, upholding Jill’s conjecture. “In fact, I decorated all the boys’ places, otherwise they’d be covered in cowhide and wood.”
“You did a great job.”
“Just wait till you see the bathroom,” Jenny said as she practically skipped across the room to open another closed door.
Jill came up beside her and peered inside to see a white Cararra marble tile shower with matching countertops on the vanity. As impressive as it was, she had to admit it looked a lot like other bathrooms she’d known in her lifetime.
Determined not to disappoint Jenny, Jill turned and smiled. “It’s very beautiful. I’m extremely impressed by your eye for decorating.”
“Oh, thank you, sugar. Now before we go back out into the crowd, we need to have a little chat.”
She could only imagine what that might entail. “Go ahead.”
“First of all, you need to know you’re going to be immersed in testosterone tonight. The Calloway men are a virile bunch. They can hang their jeans on the bedpost and get a woman pregnant.”
That created quite a visual in Jill’s mind. “Believe me, I deal with that every day in my job. Not the jeans thing, but the testosterone.”
“Well, just so you’re forewarned.” Jenny grinned. “I can’t wait for you to meet Paris and Dallas. You know, Paris worked for Dallas in exchange for marrying him.”
Jill would swear she’d read that scandalous novel before, and although she wished she had more details, she decided not to prod. “Interesting.”
Jenny sighed. “Oh, sweetie, it was. But then they fell in love, married and had a precious little boy eight months ago.”
“What a wonderful story.”
“And when it comes to Austin and Georgie, that was a love story decades in the making. They were high school sweethearts torn apart by family feuding and unavoidable circumstances.”
“Obviously it all worked out.”
“Yes, but not before they reunited for one magical night and conceived Chance. Of course, Austin didn’t know about him for a good six years.”
She’d read that book, too. “That must have been quite the bombshell.”
“It almost tore them apart for good. Thankfully we banded together and talked some sense into the boy. And now they’re living in wedded bliss as Romeo and Juliet, without the poison and dagger.”
Jill was suffering from serious information overload. “I can’t wait to meet them all, too.”
Jenny hooked her arm through Jill’s. “Then let’s get to it.”
Jill pondered what she’d gotten herself into. Correction. What she might be getting into if they came to an employment agreement. Right now she only worried about getting through the introductions.
They made their way through the masculine great room, complete with black leather sofas and, unsurprisingly, cowhide chairs as well as a large stacked-stone fireplace grounding the room. The kitchen was all Jill expected—high-end appliances, concrete countertops and a butcher-block island the size of Rhode Island. She wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see a butler. Oh, wait. That would be her family home.
“Just go on out back, sugar,” Jenny said as she opened the huge stainless refrigerator. “I’m going to season the burgers and I’ll join you in a few with some of my special drinks.”
“Sounds great.”
After walking through a set of French doors, Jill entered a backyard that could best be described as resort-like, right down to the pergola and the pool. She found Houston lighting the grill built into a second kitchen built out of stone, a barbecue master’s dream.
When Houston glanced at her over one shoulder, he smiled slightly. “Did Jen give you the grand tour?”
She pulled back a cushioned wicker chair from the round glass table nearby. “Yes, she did. She also gave me a recap of your brothers’ love stories.”
He lowered the lid on the grill and faced her. “I can only imagine what she said.”
“Let’s just say it was enlightening.”
“No surprise there. Where is she now?”
“She’s getting the burgers ready and making some kind of special drink.”
Houston raked back the chair across from her and sat. “I have to warn you about that. Drink it slow and don’t have more than one.”
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