Prologue

THE SMALL WOODEN STAGE creaks loudly beneath his feet as he taps to the beat of the song with his sleek black dress shoe against the parquet floor. He is in his element – microphone in front of him, guitar in his lap, melody caressing his skin. He and Harlan, his sister Cassidy’s husband and his bandmate, harmonize an acoustic set of their most popular songs at the request of one of his other sisters, Everleigh – one of his biggest supporters.

Everleigh’s marriage to their town doctor and her sworn enemy, Brooks, didn’t come as much of a surprise to him. Ryker could always tell that their chemistry and attraction to each other was crazy and off the charts, and he knew that when Everleigh came around, that the two hotheads would make it work. However, he never suspected that they had eloped in Las Vegas after one of his concerts over a year ago.

But, he has never seen her happier. It seems like suddenly all of his siblings have been paired off, leaving himself and his twin brother to fend for themselves. Though, as he glances across the dance floor, his brother Jameson has his arms wrapped around a busty blonde he brought with him to the ceremony.

As they finish up the song, Harlan leans into Ryker’s space. “One more?”

“Sure,” Ryker obliges as he strums the strings to the beat of their newest ballad written by Harlan for his wife.

The song ebbs and flows with the dancing couples, his mom grinning ear to ear as his father twirls her around the floor. From the corner of his eye, he watches as a woman peeks her head into the pavilion, her eyes searching wildly around the space until they land on his twin. Thankful for years of training Ryker is able to continue the song without missing a beat, literally, as he watches the woman rush toward Jameson.

His fascination with her grows as she approaches; her dark waist skimming hair curls slightly, framing the pale skin of her face. A modern-day Snow White, that’s what she reminds him of. Her grip on her navy dress tightens as she slides into Jameson’s back. Naturally, her use of heels has been limited.

Usually, Ryker would chuckle at the antic, but since he is mid-song and her face shows more than just worry, he suppresses the laugh. Ryker watches as Jameson leans into the woman’s space, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly, and whether it be twin’s intuition or merely the change in his brother’s expression Ryker can feel every bit of emotion coursing through his brother. The one that stands out the most is something Ryker never expects – fear. His brother may be a computer nerd, but he has more confidence and self-assurance than most men combined. He also has more muscle mass than most men his age.

Just as quickly as she barges into the space, the two run out of the pavilion alarming a few of the attendees including Jameson’s date which he leaves idly on the dance floor.

With a nudge, Harlan brings Ryker back to reality and they thank the crowd for letting them entertain them for the past hour.

Speaking up Ryker says into the microphone, “I’ve enjoyed sharing these few new songs with you all and Harlan and I are happy to announce that we will be taking a break from touring for the next couple of years. We want to focus on family and ourselves for a while. Thank you all.”

They had discussed it with their band after their most recent tour, all of them wanting to take a break after touring endlessly for the past four years. With their growing fan base, awards, and chart-topping singles, it is well-deserved.

Just as Harlan hops off the stage, his focus set on his wife happily patting her stomach who is in front of their sisters, Ryker can do little to acknowledge the happiness of his eldest sister expecting their first child. Instead, his mind is focused on the beauty that captured his attention from the one thing that had always been his constant – music.

He feels a protectiveness about her, similar to how he expects Jameson to feel with the way he had ushered her from the room. Ryker sets down his guitar and jumps from the stage, following the same trail his brother had left.

He has never fought his brother over anything: toys, the remote, or women. Their interests have always been separately defined. Until now. Until this woman. And for the first time, Ryker holds no shame in the fact he is about to steal something precious from his brother – her. His princess. His Snow White.