Luke (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 1) Read online

  Luke

  7 Brides for 7 Brothers

  Barbara Freethy

  Also Available

  7 Brides for 7 Brothers

  Luke: Barbara Freethy (#1)

  Gabe: Ruth Cardello (#2)

  Hunter: Melody Anne (#3)

  Knox: Christie Ridgway (#4)

  Max: Lynn Raye Harris (#5)

  James: Roxanne St. Clair (#6)

  Finn: JoAnn Ross (#7)

  The Callaway Series

  On A Night Like This (#1)

  So This Is Love (#2)

  Falling For A Stranger (#3)

  Between Now and Forever (#4)

  Nobody But You (A Callaway Wedding Novella)

  All A Heart Needs (#5)

  That Summer Night (#6)

  When Shadows Fall (#7)

  Somewhere Only We Know (#8)

  If I Didn’t Know Better (#9)

  Tender Is The Night (#10)

  Take Me Home (A Callaway Novella)

  Closer To You (#11) Coming Soon!

  LUKE – 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

  © Copyright 2016 Barbara Freethy

  All Rights Reserved (V1)

  ISBN: 9781943781249

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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

  For information: [email protected]

  Sign up for Barbara's Newsletter

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  Meet the Brannigan brothers—seven sexy brothers who bring the heart and the heat! From bestselling authors Barbara Freethy, Ruth Cardello, Melody Anne, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Roxanne St. Claire and JoAnn Ross comes a brand-new contemporary romance family series: 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. You won't want to miss a single one!

  LUKE – Barbara Freethy

  Luke Brannigan lives for the adrenaline rush, which makes his job as a filmmaker of extreme sporting adventures the perfect career choice. He loves to travel the world, risking life and limb to capture the most amazing shot. Some might say he's running away from something…or someone.

  When Luke's billionaire father Colin Brannigan dies unexpectedly, Luke is shocked to receive title to the mountain lodge where his parents first met. Having been estranged from his father for years, Luke has no idea why his dad picked him to inherit this very personal piece of property…until he realizes the pretty blonde manager is Lizzie Parker, his former college girlfriend.

  Luke and Lizzie have an emotional and heartbreaking past, but will they have a future? Will love be Luke's greatest adventure yet?

  One

  "Winds are picking up," Luke Brannigan muttered, as he adjusted the camera on his helmet and prepared for his jump off the infamous Kjeragbolten boulder on the mountain Kjerag in Norway, one of the most extreme base jumping locations in the world. He'd been planning this jump for weeks. It would be the centerpiece of his next documentary film on extreme sports, but unfortunately the weather was starting to threaten his ambitious plan.

  "I'm sure you're still jumping," Pete Ramsay said knowingly, as he readied the drone that would film Luke's free-falling jump off the mountain. "The word abort is not in your vocabulary."

  Pete knew him well. Once he had his eyes set on a goal, he rarely backed down. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had bailed out of anything, but he had a churning feeling in his gut. In fact, that feeling had been there for days, and he didn't quite know what it was all about, but he didn't have time to figure it out.

  "Now or not today," Pete said, tension in his tone, as their gazes met.

  "Let's make it now," he said decisively. "I'll see you at the bottom. Get ready to buy me a beer."

  "You've got it. Good luck."

  "I don't need luck. I'm prepared." He double-checked his rig and then climbed down onto the infamous boulder that hung between two cliffs some four thousand feet above a deep abyss. He looked up at Pete, held up his hand and counted down on his fingers: three-two-one.

  Then he jumped.

  He'd free-fallen many times before, but it was impossible to get used to the exhilarating terror-filled adrenaline rush, the speed of flight, the magnificent view, and then the feeling of incredible calm and clarity. Nothing else mattered. He was on a cloud. He was in the heavens and his real life was far, far away.

  It was such a spectacular feeling that he wanted to hold on to it, to keep flying forever.

  But the wind was stronger today, and he could feel it pushing him back toward the cliffs. He had to fight to stay free of the perilous rocks. With his brain once again engaged in saving his own life, he launched the chute that would stop him from dying.

  The parachute yanked him back up into the sky, and then he had only a few seconds more to enjoy the ride. The wind blew him a little off course, but he managed to find solid earth to set down on.

  When his feet touched the ground, he waited for the usual mix of joyous relief and intense sadness that often accompanied his adventures: relief that he'd cheated death once again and sadness that the experience was over, that nothing that felt that good could last very long.

  But today he felt—different. He didn't know why. He didn't feel nearly as good or even as bad as he normally did. Instead, he just felt…tired.

  Shaking his head, he repacked his chute and told himself he just needed a break. He'd been working on this film for the past seven months, traveling all over the world to both capture and perform some of the most incredible death-defying feats in the world.

  Normally, he liked waking up in a different city each day, but the transient quality of his life was beginning to get stale. It was ironic that boredom was setting in when it was the very thing he tried to avoid by moving around so frequently.

  A fellow jumper landed not too far away from him, interrupting his thoughts. As she pulled off her helmet, her blonde hair fell free, and for just a split second his heart squeezed in anticipation, but it wasn't Lizzie's face that he saw. It wasn't her sky-blue eyes that met his. It wasn't her sexy mouth, her sun-warmed skin with the freckles that dotted her nose in the summer.

  This woman was a stranger—just another adrenaline junkie like himself.

  She gave him an exhilarated smile. "That was amazing," she said.

  "It was," he agreed, watching as a man landed not too far away and quickly ran over to join the woman. The two embraced, and he felt another tug at his heart.

  There'd been a time when he'd thought that might be him and Lizzie…that they'd travel the world together. What a crazy thought that had been.

  Frowning, he shook his head. Damn! What the hell was wrong with him?

  He and Lizzie had broken up ten years ago. He'd been twenty then, and he'd just passed his thirtieth birthday last week. Maybe that's why he felt so unsettled. His twenties were gone. It was a new decade.

  A better decade than the last one, he told himself firmly, as he walked toward the parking lot. Pete would hike back down the mountain, which would take a few hours. In the meantime, he'd go back to the hotel and run through the film he'd shot until they met up for dinner and that beer Pete owed him.

  He was just getting into his car when his phone rang.

  The area code for Calabasas, California gave him a jolt. Calabasas was home—or at least the home he'd grown up in…he hadn't actually been to the house there in years. But
it wasn't his father's number flashing across the screen.

  He answered with a short and automatically wary, "Hello?"

  "Luke, it's Aunt Claire."

  "Is everything all right?" He knew even before she replied that everything was not okay.

  "No," she said heavily.

  His gut tightened. "What's happened?"

  "It's your father, Luke."

  "What about him?"

  "I don't know how to say this without it hurting, so I'm just going to give it to you straight." She drew in a breath. "Your father is dead."

  His blood roared through his veins so loud he wasn't sure he had heard her right. His dad was only sixty-seven years old, and he was always healthy, always strong, and always bigger than life. He couldn't possibly be dead.

  His stomach churned. His head spun, and he had to force himself to take a breath.

  "Luke, are you there?" Claire asked, worry in her voice. "I'm sorry to just dump it on you like that. I'm still in shock myself."

  "I don't understand. How did it happen? When? Was it an accident?" He had a million questions, but he'd start with those.

  "He passed away four days ago. It wasn't an accident; your father had cancer. It was a rare and aggressive cancer. He only got the diagnosis a month ago."

  He started shaking his head in confusion. "He got diagnosed a month ago?" he echoed. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

  "No one knew, honey. Your dad said he was taking an extended vacation at his property in the Bahamas. He went there the day after he saw the doctor, and I didn't find out until a week ago when he called me on the phone and swore me to secrecy. He only told me because he wanted me to make sure his wishes were carried out after he passed. I thought about breaking my promise to him and calling you and your brothers, but he was quite adamant that he did not want anyone to watch him die. You know your father. He lived his life on his terms."

  He let out a breath, her words jumbling together in his head. "What were his wishes?"

  "He wanted to be cremated, and he wanted everything to be done before anyone was told about his death."

  "That's crazy," he muttered. "You're saying none of my brothers knew he was sick? No one was there when he died? He was alone?"

  "He had hired a couple of nurses on the island and the doctor checked on him each day. He said that after he spoke to me, he was going to call his lawyer, Trent Harper. Trent would take care of the logistical arrangements. But he wanted me to be the one to call you and your brothers and his other friends."

  "Who else have you spoken to?"

  "You're the first one I've been able to reach."

  "So you're saying there's not going to be a funeral of any kind?"

  "No. Your dad said he wanted to be remembered as he lived and not as he died. He didn't want some sad ceremony in his honor. He wasn't being selfish, Luke. He was trying to protect all of you."

  He wasn't quite as sure of his father's motives as his aunt was. But he was still trying to process the fact that his father was gone. Colin Brannigan was a billionaire, a media industry tycoon, a celebrity, a man with a booming laugh and a love of storytelling, and who lived a fast, loud life. How could a man like that just be gone?

  "I'm so sorry, Luke," Claire added. "I know this is a shock. I'm happy to tell you everything I know, but it isn't much. I do have something for you from your dad. Will you be coming home any time soon? It's something I'd like to give you in person."

  "I guess," he muttered. "I'm in Norway right now. I'll get a flight tomorrow."

  "Call me when you get into town, and we'll meet. Maybe we can get some of your brothers there as well."

  "All right."

  "I'm sorry again."

  He was sorry, too. But he was also pissed. How could his dad die without telling anyone he was sick? It didn't seem that generous to him.

  His phone rang again. This time it was Pete.

  "I assume you made it," Pete said.

  "I did. It was a great ride."

  "So we're on for dinner?"

  "Actually, no. I need to go home."

  Silence followed his words, then Pete said, "Did I hear you right? You need to go home? You—the man who told me you don't even know where home is anymore? What's happened?"

  His chest felt too tight to speak the words. "I'll talk to you about it later."

  "Are you all right, Luke?"

  "I honestly have no idea."

  * * *

  Luke arrived in Los Angeles a little after five on Tuesday, the first of September. It was a beautiful Southern California day, not a cloud in the sky, temperature in the eighties, and a shitload of traffic on the 405 freeway. He tapped his fingers impatiently on his thighs as the taxi slowly made its way toward the Santa Monica exit.

  He'd been traveling for almost twenty-four hours, and while he needed a shower, a shave, and at least a few hours' sleep, all that would have to wait. He had to meet his aunt first. He needed to learn more about his father's death and find a way to come to terms with it all.

  The shocking news still didn't seem true. He was used to being away from his father and the rest of his family for months at a time. He’d spent most of the past ten years traveling, keeping only a small studio apartment in Los Angeles as a home base. For the amount of time he used the place, it probably didn’t make sense to pay rent and utilities, but he’d been too busy to consider putting his things in storage. And in between trips, he did need to be in LA to work with editors, producers, and film promoters.

  He hadn't seen his father in probably two years, and aside from a few texts and emails every now and then, there had been little communication between them. He and his dad had always lived very separate lives. In fact, there had been many times in his life when he wasn’t sure his father even knew of his existence. As the fifth of seven brothers, he'd definitely been lost in the middle of the pack.

  His oldest brother James had had the advantage of being born first, not that his solo existence had lasted more than two years. James had been quickly upstaged by the twins Gabe and Hunter, and then Max. Luke had followed, with his two younger brothers, Knox and Finn rounding out the family.

  His dad used to say his mom had been determined to have a girl, so they just kept on trying. Unfortunately, she'd never gotten a sweet daughter, just seven wild boys.

  Kathleen Brannigan had been a good mom, he thought, feeling an older ache in his chest. There weren't many things he remembered about his mother. She'd died when he was seven years old in a car accident, but in his head he could still see her putting a wriggling worm on a hook as she taught him and Knox how to fish. She definitely hadn't been afraid to get her hands dirty.

  A sigh moved his chest as sadness ran through him, a pain made worse now by the loss of his father. Even though he and his dad hadn't always seen eye-to-eye, he'd never thought it would end like this—no words, no warning, no nothing.

  His phone vibrated with a text, and he was happy to have a distraction from his thoughts. It was Knox, asking him where he was.

  Getting off the freeway, he texted. Ten minutes.

  After leaving the congested freeway, the taxi made its way up the Pacific Coast Highway to the popular beach city of Santa Monica.

  As the cab pulled up in front of the bar where Knox worked, Luke couldn't help but think of the irony of its name—The Wake. Having grown up in an Irish family, he was not unfamiliar with the tradition. Even though his father hadn’t wanted a service of any kind, he probably wouldn’t mind if they did some reminiscing at a bar.

  He paid the cab, then grabbed his duffel bag and backpack out of the trunk and made his way into the building. At a little before six, the bar had a good crowd going, the scarred, weathered tables filled with a mix of surfers, bikers, tourists, and beachgoers, looking for a cool-down after a hot day at the beach. The Beach Boys played over a state-of-the-art jukebox, perfect for the SoCal vibe.

  Knox tended bar and Luke smiled to himself, watching as his younger brother leaned acro
ss the bar, flirting with a busty redhead wearing short-shorts and a tank top. With his dark hair and brown eyes, Knox had no trouble getting the girls. Not that Luke did, either. He just didn't stay in one place long enough to hang on to any of them.

  He set his bags against the wall and slid into the seat at the end of the bar.

  Knox tore himself away from his redhead and walked over to greet him.

  "About time you got here," Knox said, a hint of shadowy pain behind his words.

  "I got here as fast as I could."

  "Aunt Claire is on her way over. So are Gabe and James. Not sure if Hunter will make it. We'll see who shows up."

  "Has everyone been notified?"

  "Aunt Claire spoke to everyone but Finn. She had to send him an email. Hell of a way for our baby brother to find out his father is dead, but I guess he's flying off some carrier somewhere in the world. I texted him and emailed him, but I haven't heard back."

  He wasn’t surprised. Finn was a pilot for the US Navy, and he was not an easy man to reach. But while he might be the youngest, he was probably the toughest one of them all.

  "How's James doing?" he asked. It was no secret that of all the Brannigan brothers, James was probably the closest to their dad. "He must be pissed that Dad didn't tell him he was sick—unless he made an exception for James?"

  "Not according to Aunt Claire—we were all left out of it. Dad didn't want us to watch him die. I guess that was considerate of him."

  "I'm sure he thought so."

  "You don't?" Knox challenged.

  "I need a drink."

  "Me, too," a man said as he slid onto the stool next to him. "You look like shit, Luke."

  He tipped his head to his older brother Gabe. Gabe looked a lot better than he did in dark-gray slacks, a white button-down shirt, and maroon tie. He could always count on Gabe to have things together. He’d been running a very successful real-estate development company the past five years, and today he looked every inch the successful businessman.