After I settled in to my room at the resort, I changed into board shorts and a muscle shirt and decided to look around. No one would miss me. I had promised to meet up with the rest of the clan for a late dinner at ten, but for now I was going to check out the place…and possibly wander onto the nude beach. I knew there was zero chance of encountering anyone in my family there.

I walked along the beach and found the nude section. Bodies of all shapes and sizes greeted me, and before I knew it, I had walked off of the sand and found a nude swimming pool. I stripped off my shorts and shirt, entered, and swam to the pool bar.

“What’ll it be, mon?” the bartender said in his Jamaican accent.

“Rum punch.”

He handed me my drink with a toothy smile. “Enjoy.”

I took a sip of what I expected to be refreshing and sparkling. Instead, it was cloyingly sweet.

What was the big deal about rum punch anyway? Give me a good red wine any day. I drank the rest down and then turned around. Naked bodies were everywhere, including a luscious-looking blonde on the other side of the pool who was checking me out. I gave her a smile.

She swam toward the bar and then stood next to me, her full breasts bobbing on the surface of the water.

“Can I get you a drink?” I asked.

“Sure. I’ll have a Bahama Mama.”

I got the drink from the bartender and handed it to her. “I’m Ryan.”

“I’m Juliet. Where are you from, Ryan?”

“Colorado.”

“Cool. I’m from Cali.”

The blond hair could’ve told me that. “Whereabouts?” I asked.

“LA. I’m an actress.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “Actually a waitress, but I go on lots of auditions. One day I’ll get my big break.”

I nodded. Girls like her were probably a dime a dozen in California. Though she was pretty cute, I’d never been much for blondes. My only serious relationship had had brown hair. Still, Juliet wasn’t bad to look at.

“So what do you do in Colorado?”

“I make wine.”

“Wine? That seems more like California.”

“Colorado has a pretty good winemaking industry. Ever hear of Steel Acres Vineyards?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

I wasn’t surprised. Juliet didn’t really look like a wine lover. Anybody who drank Bahama Mamas the way she was sucking it down no doubt preferred something sweet.

“That’s my vineyard. I’m the winemaker there. It’s part of the Steel ranch. My brothers and sister and I all own it together.”

“Ranchers? Wow. I’ve never met someone from a ranch before.”

I wasn’t sure why she was surprised. California had plenty of ranches. Of course, the only ranches she was probably familiar with were the old Bonanza sets. She’d probably never stepped foot outside LA.

I was quickly becoming bored. Funny, I’d talked to Ruby Lee for hours on the plane ride, and I hadn’t been bored once. Now, when I was trying to pick up a woman—and Juliet was all woman—I was bored out of my mind.

“So are you here with anyone?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’m traveling with a couple girlfriends. One of them is out to dinner right now. I’m not sure where the other is. She probably picked someone up.” Juliet giggled. “We have a system. If one of us is in the room with a guy, we put a sock on the doorknob.”

For the first time, I wondered how old Juliet was. She was acting like a sorority chick. “Do you mind if I ask how old you are?”

“I’m legal, if that’s what you mean.”

That could mean as young as eighteen. Being thirty-two, I wasn’t really interested in hooking up with a teen. Of course, that was all it would be. A hookup.

“Who are you with?” she asked.

“I’m here with my brothers. And my sister. My two brothers are getting married. We’re having a big wedding here in a couple days.”

“Oh,” she gushed. “How romantic. But are you here with a…girlfriend?”

I smiled. “Nope. I’m free as a bird.”

She lit up like a Christmas tree, the softness of the pool lights landing on her luminescent skin. It was nearing November, and even though it was still hot enough here in Jamaica to be in the pool, darkness had set in.

“I assume you have your own room?”

“I do.”

She moved forward and touched my shoulder. No sparks. Not that I expected there to be. If this would be anything at all, it would be a one-nighter. Actually, more like a one-hour-er. She was certainly pretty enough. But man… She was so young.

“Tell me how old you are.”

“I told you. I’m legal.”

“Does that mean eighteen or twenty-one?”

“Silly. The resort doesn’t allow anyone under twenty-one, with the nude beach and all.”

I hadn’t thought of that. “So how much older than twenty-one?”

She giggled. “About three months.”

Just a baby. A baby who shared a room with two others and left a sock on the door when it was occupied. This was sorority central.

To my surprise, I wasn’t interested.

“I think you’re too young for me, Juliet.”

“Why? How old are you?”

“I’m thirty-two. Pretty close to thirty-three, actually.”

“Wow, an older man.” She widened her eyes. “Shay and Lisa will absolutely be green with envy if I bring you to our room.”

Just what I needed. A couple of other teenyboppers jealous over me. “I don’t think so.”

“But you bought me a drink.”

“Correction. I ordered you a drink. This is all-inclusive, remember?”

She turned her lips down into a pouty frown. “What if I got you another? What do you like to drink?”

“Wine. Good wine.”

“Hmm. I don’t know anything about wine. I don’t like it much.”

This was so not happening. Not that I couldn’t handle a woman not liking wine. She was just too young. I held out my hand. “It was great to meet you. I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”

“I hope so. My friends and I are here for a few more days. How long are you here for?”

“A week.”

She smiled sweetly. “Are you sure I can’t convince you? You’ll have fun with me. I promise.” She winked.

I shook my head. “You’re very attractive, but you’re just too young. I’m sorry.”

I turned and walked toward the pool ladder. Sticking around here wouldn’t do me any good right now. I’d never get rid of her. Besides, I had to go back to my room and shower before dinner.

Ruby would be at dinner. Maybe she’d be wearing more flattering clothes. Of course, why did I care what Ruby wore?

I didn’t.

I was here to have fun, vacation, relax after such a busy and tiring wine season, and help my brothers celebrate their weddings.

And that was exactly what I planned to do.

---

Marjorie had made reservations at the Japanese hibachi steakhouse at the resort. There were eight of us, so we took up a table by ourselves. I had put on a pair of black dress slacks and a white shirt, no tie. I needn’t have bothered with any of it, though. Everyone else was dressed in shorts and flip-flops. Casual seemed to be the way of it around here.

“Nice duds,” Talon said to me.

“Yeah, I didn’t get the memo on the dress code.”

“It’s all island wear here, even at dinner,” he said. “Where were you, anyway? We would’ve told you what to wear.”

“I walked over to the nude beach and took a quick swim in the pool.”

Talon laughed. “Hey, guys,” he said to the others. “Ry here already made a visit to the nude beach.”

The razzing from my brothers began. Joe’s friend Bryce joined in as well.

“Where are the ladies?” I asked.

“Jade was still getting ready when I left,” Talon said. “She told me to go ahead.”

“Ditto for Melanie,” Jonah said. “I assume Marj and Ruby will be along with them any minute.”

“Cool.” I sat down and opened the menu. “I don’t imagine they have any decent wines around this place.”

“In your opinion?” Jonah said. “Probably not. But they should have some good wine.”

I perused the list and was pleased to find a few I approved of. I ordered a couple bottles, while Talon ordered a bourbon, Jonah a martini, and Bryce a beer.

“So where’s Henry this week?” I asked Bryce, referring to his nearly one-year-old son.

“With my mother and my aunt.”

“And how’s your mom doing?” I regretted the words as they left my lips. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about that. Then again, if Henry was staying with his mother, surely she was okay.

“She’s better. It helps her to be around Henry. And she’s with my Aunt Vickie too, so between the two of them, Henry’s in good hands. Mom was suffering from a little bit of neurosis and some situational depression after she found out about my father. And then his suicide… To be honest, I think she’s relieved that he’s gone.”

“Understandable.”

“She’s going to stay with Aunt Vickie for a while. They need each other right now. Now that Vickie knows for sure what happened to her son, and my father’s part in it…” Bryce sighed. “Uncle Chase is there. They’ll be all right.” He smiled. “And I plan to call. A lot.”

“Marj sure does adore Henry,” I said. Marjorie had taken care of Bryce’s son a few times. I had never imagined her as the motherly type. She hadn’t been content to stay in the house like a good girl, much to my chauvinist father’s chagrin. She worked right alongside us guys on the ranch. I never imagined her doing anything in the childcare department, but she had really taken to the little guy.

“Here come the women now,” Talon said, smiling. His eyes were glued to Jade, his fiancée.

Jade was beautiful, her golden-brown hair tumbling down around her shoulders, and she wore a pink bikini top—yeah, she was my brother’s woman, but she had an amazing rack—and a black-and-pink sarong tied around her waist.

Melanie, Jonah’s fiancée, had wavy blond hair and was taller than Jade and not as curvy. She looked gorgeous in a casual black dress that showed off her great legs.

Our sister, Marjorie, was the tallest of the lot at around six feet. She was wearing a red sarong tied into a dress.

Coming up behind her was—

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Who the hell was that?

Sleek dark hair with only slight waves hung well below her shoulders, resting on beautiful breasts. A light-blue V-neck tank showed lots of cleavage, and a denim miniskirt hugged her hips. Her legs were shapely, and so were her arms. This woman was athletic—athletic but still curvy and perfect in all the right places. Her full lips were painted scarlet, and her face…

Ruby Lee.

Still no makeup other than maybe some mascara and the red lipstick. Damn, she didn’t need it.

She was beautiful. And God…that body.

Well, she was a cop. She was probably required to stay in shape.

Jonah and Talon smiled.

“You ladies all look beautiful,” Talon said.

Ruby twisted her lips and looked down.

“Let’s see,” Marjorie was saying. “Where shall we all sit? Boy, girl, boy, girl, of course. Let’s go Bryce, me, Talon, Melanie, Jonah, Jade, Ryan, Ruby. How does that sound?”

Sounded great to me. I wouldn’t mind looking at Ruby Lee during dinner. Boy, she sure cleaned up nice.