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  In Deep

  Copyright © Brenda Rothert 2015

  Published by Silver Sky Publishing Inc.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

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  Regina Wamba, Mae I Designs

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  Cover Photo by: Shutterstock

  Interior Design and Formatting:

  Christine Borgford, Perfectly Publishable

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  In Deep

  Books By Brenda Rothert

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

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  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Standalone books

  Unspoken

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  Lockhart Brothers

  Deep Down

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  Thank you for reading In Deep.

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  On the Line Series

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  THE MOMENT I SAW her, my gut should’ve told me that I was looking at a truly exceptional woman. That behind her frumpy façade was a smart, sexy gem I’d be damned lucky to even have a chance with. But I didn’t get it. There was no gut feeling, no magnetic pull, so I blew her off and graced her with my usual dismissive, arrogant self. And damn, would I regret that later.

  MY BROTHER REED GRINNED at me with amusement as I set an unwieldy moving box on the ground.

  “That one too heavy for you, princess?” he asked. “Need me to get it?”

  “Fuck off,” I growled. “I was just losing my grip.”

  I picked up the box again and followed him through a side entrance of Grieves House, the old Victorian mansion Reed and his wife Ivy had bought last year and renovated into a home for pregnant teenagers. They’d done a spectacular job and right now we were moving the belongings of Ivy’s friend, April, who was to be the new house mom for the girls.

  “This one says ‘miscellaneous odds and ends’,” I said, lowering my brows as I read the neat, feminine print on the box. “Who spends time labeling everything when they’re moving? I just throw my shit in boxes and then dig through ‘em when I need something. Eventually, they all get unpacked.”

  “Just set it by the closet in her bedroom. Her room’s downstairs,” Reed said. “April and Ivy will be back soon and we can ask her if she wants anything moved.”

  I grunted and headed for the door to the basement. “Where’d they go anyway?”

  “To the diner. Ivy was anxious to introduce April to Margie and Gene.” He opened the basement door for me. “You’ve met April, right?”

  I headed down the stairs with Reed behind me, answering him when we’d made it to the largest bedroom in the recently finished basement.

  “I saw her at your wedding, but I never spoke to her.”

  Reed rolled his eyes in disapproval. “That’s because you were too busy with Marcie Lawson. Only you would bring a date in a skin-tight leopard print dress and hot pink heels to our wedding.”

  “Is that what she was wearing?” I scrunched my face in thought. “Huh. I don’t even remember getting her out of that dress after the reception, but I know I did.”

  “That’s because you were drunk.”

  I arched my brows at him. “You know what I didn’t get her out of? The shoes. That, I remember.”

  “Jesus, man, you need to up your game. April’s most definitely in a classier league than Marcie. She’s a great person. Pretty, and smart, too. You guys should go on a double date with me and Ivy.”

  I made a low sound of doubt in my throat. “She’s not my type, man. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings.”

  “Your type’s a whore, Mason. And you’re thirty years old. When are you gonna grow up?”

  I shrugged. “Since when do I have to answer to you and Austin and Kyle? You’re all just jealous because you’re married with kids. Besides, Mom and Dad got the grandkids they wanted.”

  “Don’t bring Mom and Dad into this. You’d be surprised how great it is to date a woman you can actually have an intelligent conversation with.”

  “Look, I’m sure April’s very nice,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “And maybe I could stand to choose a woman with . . . a little more substance. But I have to feel a strong attraction to a woman, you know? And, April’s . . . I don’t know, kinda mousy. With the glasses and cardigan and long skirt. She looks like a librarian for fuck’s sake. You know how I am. I’d run over her before she even saw me coming.”

  Reed nodded slightly in acknowledgement, at the same time looking disgusted. “She’s actually quite pretty. You’d know that for yourself if you’d paid attention to anyone other than Marcie at our wedding. But I guess you’re right. The last thing Ivy and I would want is you using April.”

  My skin tingled with defensiveness. “Hey, I’ve never used a woman who didn’t want to be used,” I said with a smirk.

  My brother groaned and gave me a dirty look and we silently agreed to disagree. The older we got, the less often we came to blows over our differences. But I missed the old days, when we always settled things with our fists.

  I PRESSED MY LIPS together, silencing my indignation. Mousy? Librarian? Who the hell did Mason Lockhart think he was?

  If only I was the kind of woman who’d fly out from behind the corner I was hiding around and defend myself. Poke a finger against his chest and show him just how unmousy I was.

  But I wasn’t that kind of woman. His words hurt because of the spark of truth they held. My cheeks were flaming with embarrassment as I managed to sneak into another room to hide from view so they wouldn’t see me. I’d die of shame if Reed and Mason saw me, or if they knew I’d accidentally overheard their conversation.

  I’d been waiting to meet Mason and thank him for helping move my stuff in. Ivy and I got back early and I had headed down to my room to start unpacking. But I heard the brothers talking as they headed to my room and I didn’t want to interrupt so I managed to make myself scarce. But I still heard every word of their conversation. Fat lot of good that had done me. Now I knew Reed’s brother thought I was a frumpy, mousy bore.

  But, seriously, did Mason Lockhart think people got dressed up for moving day? I’d just pulled a U-Haul
truck from Seattle to Lovely, Missouri, stopping at motels on the way. Today I’d completed the last leg of the journey and judging by the dark skies it looked as if I arrived in the nick of time. I’d be willing to guess that snow was in the forecast. This morning, after I’d showered and looked through my stuff for my hair dryer and clean clothes, I hadn’t been able to find exactly what I wanted.

  And that was why my long curly hair was wound into a bun and I was wearing a random, longish skirt. But the cardigan? That was totally on purpose because it was soft and warm. Mason Lockhart could piss off if he didn’t like it.

  I’d seen him at Ivy and Reed’s summer wedding. The Lockhart brothers were pretty much impossible to miss. They were the quintessential tall, dark and handsome man—times five. Other than Reed, I didn’t know any of them. Except, possibly, Mason. I doubted I’d ever forget his name now.

  “April?” Ivy called as she came down the stairs to the basement. I cringed and rushed out from the empty room I was standing in.

  “Hey, I just got down here,” I said, hoping it sounded believable. “I was hoping to say a quick hello to Mason.”

  “Did you get a chance to meet him at the wedding?”

  “No, not formally. You pointed him out to me, though.”

  At that moment Reed and Mason walked out of my bedroom and I lit up with a smile as I looked at Reed.

  “Thanks again for moving my stuff in,” I said to him.

  “Glad to help out. You already know how happy we are to have you here.”

  A moment of silence passed and I knew I was expected to acknowledge Mason, as well, but, stubbornly, I just looked at Ivy instead.

  Reed cleared this throat. “April, this is my brother Mason.”

  He clapped his dark-haired brother on the shoulder. I turned and gave him a once over.

  “So this is your little brother?” I said. “Great to meet you, Mason.”

  “You too. And I’m actually older than Reed.”

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know that. I guess I just assumed you were younger because you’re smaller—in the physical sense.”

  Mason’s eyes bulged. “I’m not littler than Reed.”

  “Well, unless I need glasses, you do look shorter than him.”

  Mason scoffed and scowled at the same time. “By an inch. And I’ve got ten pounds of muscle on him.”

  “Mason,” Reed said, glaring at his brother, “let’s go get the rest of the stuff.”

  They left the room and Ivy took my arm.

  “Don’t mind Mason,” she said. “He can be confusing. He goes back and forth between being brooding and lighthearted so much I can’t keep track.”

  I was eager for a change of subject.

  “This house is incredible. I had no idea, Ivy, the scope of the work you put into this place until I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “It is pretty cool, isn’t it? We got really lucky. This place was built a hundred years ago by a railroad magnate who was originally from Lovely. We bought it from a real estate investor in New York.”

  I glanced around my basement bedroom, which had creamy yellow walls and plush, brand new beige carpet. Sun filtered in through blinds on a window set in a large window well.

  “This doesn’t feel like a basement in a hundred-year-old house,” I said.

  Ivy laughed as she led the way out of the room. “I’ll have to show you a picture of the basement from before the remodel. The contractor lowered the floor and completely renovated everything.”

  “It turned out beautifully.”

  “Thanks. Wait ‘til you see the old parts we were able to preserve. The entire third story is a ballroom.”

  Once we were upstairs, she guided me through the enormous, newly renovated kitchen, fitted with white cabinets, stone countertops and stainless steel appliances. The adjoining dining room had a long, dark wood table with twelve chairs and modern art on the walls. The living room had two couches, a couple of large chairs, a television hanging over the fireplace and several bookcases full of books.

  On the second floor were five fully furnished bedrooms, three with two single beds in each room and two containing just one bed and a white wood crib. Two large bathrooms and a small lounge finished off the floor.

  “I love this,” I said, running my fingertips over the wood frame of a photograph of a sprawling oak tree. “This place really feels like a home. You did a great job with it.”

  She smiled proudly. “Thanks. The girls seem happy here.”

  “When will they be here? I’m so anxious to meet them.”

  “All three of them will be home from school in an hour or so.” She took my arm, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Come see the ballroom.”

  A dark wood staircase brought us into a cavernous room that made my mouth drop open in awe. The floors were the same wood as the staircase, and the walls were adorned with intricate lanterns and carved wood moldings. Three crystal chandeliers were spaced evenly across the tall ceiling.

  “It’s . . . incredible,” I said softly, walking across the floor to examine the dark eggplant-colored curtains hanging over a window. “Velvet. So pretty.”

  “Doesn’t this room just make you want to dance?” Ivy spread her arms wide and twirled around the middle of the massive room.

  “If I knew how, it definitely would.”

  Her gaze flicked to mine. “You don’t know how to dance?”

  I shrugged. “Nope.”

  “Reed and I are planning to take lessons from Miss Dee Dee when her next session starts. You should come with us!”

  I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Three people can’t dance together.”

  “But I’m sure Miss Dee Dee has male students in need of a partner.”

  I cringed hard. “That sounds absolutely awful. You guys dance, and I’ll hang out with Noah.”

  “He’s coming with us. His little friend Ava from preschool is coming, too.”

  I melted a little. “Noah dancing? I’ll come just to watch that. But not to dance. I’ve got two left feet.”

  “April.” Ivy gave me a pointed look. “You’ll never meet Mr. Right if you don’t put yourself out there. The man of your dreams could be waiting at Miss Dee Dee’s Dance Depot.”

  “I seriously doubt that.”

  We both headed back toward the top of the stairway. “Well, we’re having dinner at Reed’s parents’ house this weekend and I want you to join us.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. “I won’t take no for an answer. Grace is already expecting you. She’s making a Texas sheet cake.”

  “I do love Texas sheet cake,” I conceded. “Does Reed have any other brothers who are single?”

  “Here in Lovely, there’s just Mason. What’d you think of him, other than your comment about his height?”

  I held back a snort. “I think he’s arrogant and shallow. He’s a big no for me. Can we move on to Reed’s friends?”

  “Mason’s actually really—”

  I cut her off. “Nooooo.”

  “You never know if you don’t give people a chance.”

  “He doesn’t even want a chance, and he and I are like night and day, Ivy.”

  She gave me a questioning look, but I turned and walked down the stairs before she could ask me to elaborate.

  Anyway, I needed to settle into my new job and home before I even began to consider my social life. And when I did, I wouldn’t be thinking about Mason Lockhart.

  TONIGHT’S FAMILY DINNER HAD a cloud over it. We’d all gotten a phone call from Mom letting us know Kyle’s divorce had been finalized and that we shouldn’t bring it up at dinner since his sons would be there.

  As we all headed into the dining room to sit down I nudged my elbow against Kyle’s arm. “Hey man, you good?” I asked.

  He nodded, his lips set in a grim line. He’d been with Kim since high school, but she’d turned into a train wreck over the past few years. And even though he’d had a hard time accepting her reque
st for a divorce a few months ago, I saw relief in his expression today.

  “I’m here for anything you need,” I said. “Anything at all.”

  “Thanks, Mason.”

  Other than my youngest brother, Justin, who was away at law school in St. Louis, I was the last of the Lockhart boys who was still single and had no kids. I expected to help Kyle with Jordan and Eric now, because Austin and Reed had families of their own. In fact, I actually looked forward to getting closer to my nephews. They’d had it rough when Kim’s drinking problem escalated, and Kyle had been too busy with his work as a surgeon to be much help.

  I found an empty seat at the table, trying again to catch April’s eye. I hadn’t realized she was coming to dinner tonight, and I’d done a double take when I walked in and saw her sitting in the living room.

  She was wearing jeans and a sweater and her long, dark curly hair spilled down past her shoulders. I could see what Reed meant now; April was pretty.

  I wanted to talk to her, but she wouldn’t spare me as much as a glance. I’d have to make do by listening to her and my mom chat over dinner.

  “So, how are you settling in at Grieves House, April?” my mom asked. She’d made the pasta with sausage and vegetables that I loved, and I spooned it onto my plate as April spoke.

  “Oh, I love it there. The girls are all great and the kitchen is a dream.”

  Mom’s ears perked up. “You like to cook?”

  “I do. Mostly I bake. The double wall convection ovens in the kitchen are incredible. I baked six loaves of bread yesterday.”

  I snickered like a twelve-year-old and I couldn’t seem to keep my mouth closed. “You’re getting recruited to help with Mom’s bake sales in three . . . two . . .”

  “She might want to help,” Mom cut in, giving me a pointed look. “They’re for the hospital foundation, and it’s a good cause.”

  “I’d be glad to help,” April said. “Anytime. Just let me know.”

  Mom gave her an appreciative gaze that bordered on adoring.

  “How old are you, April?” she asked.

  “Twenty-eight.”