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Elizabeth Lane

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In His Brother's Place Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Lane (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 62 ratings

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"I want the boy."

For three years Angie Montoya hid her son from her late fiancé's familyuntil his brother tracked them down. Now Jordan Cooper demands she move to his Santa Fe ranchthe boy's birthright. But how can Angie live with the man who called her a gold diggerthe man whose one kiss she's never forgotten?

Racked by guilt since his twin's death, Jordan seeks redemption by raising his nephew. But Angie resurrects a hunger in him that only she can satisfy. Jordan knows he can have her on one conditionthat she never learns the truth about him.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth Lane has lived and travelled in many parts of the world, including Europe, Latin America and the Far East, but her heart remains in the American West, where she was born and raised. Her idea of heaven is hiking a mountain trail on a clear autumn day. She also enjoys music, animals and dancing. You can learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website at www.elizabethlaneauthor.com

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

"You're sure about the boyand his mother?" Jordan's grip tightened on the phone.

"You're the one who has to be sure, Mr. Cooper." The private investigator's voice was as flat as a digitized recording. "The packet's on its way to your ranch by courierbirth certificate, hospital records, the mother's address and several discreet photos. Once you've seen everything, you can draw your own conclusion. If you need follow-up"

"No, there'll be nothing else. I'll transfer your fee as soon as I've seen the documents."

Jordan ended the call with a click. The packet would be arriving from Albuquerque within the hour. If his hunch was right, it would hold enough legal and emotional dynamite to blast his wellordered world into chaos.

Stepping away from the desk, he stared out the window of his study, which commanded a vista of open ranchland stretching toward the horizon. In the distance, the San-gre de Cristo Mountains, rich with autumn color, glimmered in the November sunlight. This was Cooper land, as it had been for more than a hundred years. When his mother died it would pass to him as the sole surviving heir of the family trust. He was the last Cooper heiror so he'd thought. But if the report confirmed what he suspected

Jordan turned away from the window, leaving the thought unfinished. It wasn't too late to back off, he reminded himself. When the packet arrived, he could burn the damned thing unopened or shove it through the shredder. But he'd only be destroying paper. Nothing could erase the memory of Angelina Montoya or change the reality of what she'd done to his family.

Especially now.

Jordan's eyes shifted toward the far wall, bare except for a group of framed family photos. The largest showed two young men grinning over a stringer of freshly caught rainbow trout. Their features were so nearly identical that a visitor would've been hard pressed to tell which was Jordan and which was his twin brother, Justin.

When the picture was taken the two had still been close. Three years later, Justin had fallen for dark-eyed Angie Montoya, hostess in an upscale Mexican restaurant off the Plaza. His determination to marry her had torn the family apart.

Convinced the woman was a gold digger, Jordan and his parents had taken every action they could think of to separate the couple. The resulting schism between the brothers had never had a chance to heal. Rushing home from a ski trip on the eve of Angie's birthday, Justin had flown his Cirrus SR22 plane into a storm and crashed into a Utah mountain.

Grief had dragged Jordan's father into an early grave and made a bitter old woman of his mother. As for Angie Montoya, she had simply vanisheduntil last week when, after nearly four years, Jordan had come across her name. Searching further, he'd found a picture that had him on the phone within the hour with the best private investigator in the state. He'd wanted answers, and now he was about to get them. The report would almost surely confirm what Jordan had suspected.

Angelina Montoya had not only stolen Justin from his familyshe had stolen Justin's son.

Albuquerque

"You've been working hard on that picture, Lucas." Angie swiveled her chair away from the bedroom computer hutch to give her son her full attention. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

Lucas held out the drawingthree lopsided stick figures sketched in crayon on a sheet of copy paper. "It's our family. This short one is me. This one with long black hair is you."

"And who's this, up here at the top?" Anticipating the answer, Angie felt her throat tighten.

"That's Daddy, up in heaven. He's looking out for us, just like you said."

"That's right. Do you want to put this picture on the fridge to remind us?"

"Okay." Clutching his masterpiece, the boy scampered down the hall toward the tiny kitchen. Angie gulped back a surge of emotion. It wasn't easy, living with daily reminders of Justin. But she'd wanted to make sure Lucas didn't feel fatherless. She kept Justin's framed portrait at the boy's bedside and an album of snapshots on the bookshelf, within his reach. His small fingers had worn the pages thin at the corners.

Most of the photos showed Justin and Angie together or Justin alone. There were no pictures of Justin's family. After the way they'd treated her, she wanted nothing to do with any of themespecially Jordan.

It was Jordan who'd come on her birthday to bring the news of Justin's death. He hadn't said much, but Jordan's manner had made his feelings clear. Weeks earlier, the family had offered her fifty thousand dollars to walk away from Justin. If she'd taken it, Justin would still be alive.

Angie would never forget the bitterness in those contemptuous gray eyes. How could two brothers who looked so much alike be so different? Justin had been warm and loving, quick to laugh and quick to forgive. The thought of Jordan conjured up words like cold, judgmental, mercenary

And manipulative. She'd had firsthand experience with that particular trait of his.

The sound of the door buzzer broke into her thoughts. "I'll get it!" Lucas called.

"Stop right there, mister. You know better." Striding into the living room, she scooped him up in her arms. Their cramped two-bedroom apartment was affordable, but the neighborhood wasn't the best. When someone came to the door, Angie made it a rule to send Lucas to his room until she knew the situation was safe. Maybe by next year, if her web design business continued to grow, she'd have the money to rent a small house with a fenced yard. Until then.

The doorbell buzzed again, twice. Setting Lucas on his play rug, Angie closed the bedroom door and hurried back down the hall. She didn't get many visitors here, and she certainly wasn't expecting company. Any unexpected knock tended to raise her suspicions.

Jordan tensed as the light, rapid footsteps approached. Seeing Angie again was bound to be awkward as hell. Maybe he should have sent somebody else firstsomeone who could assess the situation without putting the woman on her guard. But no, whatever waited on the other side of that door, he was duty-bound to face up to it. He needed to do the right thingfor his family legacy, for his brother's memoryeven for Angie, if time had mellowed out her stubborn streak enough to let her see reason.

The dead bolt slid back. The latch clicked. Jordan held his breath as the door opened to the width allowed by the security chain.

Eyes the hue of rich black coffee stared up at himeyes framed by lush, feathery lashes. Jordan had almost forgotten how stunning those eyes could be. He watched them widen, then narrow suspiciously.

"What do you want, Jordan?" Her husky little voice, taut with strain, pricked his memory.

"For starters, I'd like to come in."

"Why?" She made no move to unfasten the chain.

It seemed her stubborn streak hadn't mellowed in the slightest. "So I won't have to stand out here and talk to you through this blasted door."

"I can't imagine we'd have anything worth saying to each other."

Jordan's thin-drawn patience snapped. "You have a choice, Angie," he growled. "Let me in so we can talk like civilized people, or I'll shout loud enough to be heard all over the building. Either way, I'm not leaving until you hear what I came to say." He paused, reminding himself that it wouldn't do any good to threaten her. "Who knows," he added, "this might be something you'll want to hear."

He braced himself for a stinging retort. Instead, she simply closed the door. Jordan waited in the silence. Seconds crawled past before he heard the rattle of the chain. Slowly the door swung open.

He willed himself to look at the apartment first. The living room was bright and clean, the walls freshly painted, the slipcovered sofa decorated with red, blue and yellow cushions. But the place didn't look much bigger than one of Jordan's horse stalls. The building itself was run down with no security system at allanyone could walk in off the street, as he had done. And he had seen what was outsidethe loitering teens, the gang graffiti on the walls. If this was the best Angie could afford, she had to be struggling financially.

There was no sign of her son. Only a battered copy of Goodnight Moon on the coffee table betrayed the presence of a child in the apartment. She would've put the boy out of sight, of course. Maybe that was the reason she'd taken so long to undo the chain latch.

As he stepped inside, closing the door behind him, Angie moved into Jordan's line of vision. She was dressed in a simple black tee and faded jeans that fit her shapely body without being provocatively tight. Her dark hair fell past her shoulders in silky waves. Her feet were bare, the toenails painted a soft baby pink.

She was still seductively beautiful. But Jordan had been aware of that even before his brother fell in love with herand afterward, too.

He braced himself against the replay of that unguarded moment in his car, the taste of her tears, the willing heat of her ripe mouth, the sinuous fit of her curves in his arms. It had been a mistakeone that hadn't been repeated. He'd done his best to block the memory. But forgetting a woman like Angie was easier said than done.

He cleared his throat. "Aren't you going to ask me to sit down?"

"There's room on the sofa." She was clearly ill at ease. He imagined she would have liked to settle herself in a chair on the other side of the room, but aside from the couch, there was nowhere else to sit other than the floor. After Jordan had taken his seat, she perched on the padded arm at the far end, her toes working their way beneath the seat cushion.

Jordan shifted his position to face her. She didn't trust him, and he couldn't blame her. But somehow he had to make her listen. He had to make this rightfor Justin's sake.

If he could help his brother's son and the woman Justin had wanted for his wife, then maybe his brother's soul would forgive himand perhaps someday, Jordan could forgive himself.

Jordan hadn't changed. Angie studied the frigid gray eyes, the pit bull set of his jaw, the unruly brown hair with the boyish cowlick at the crown. If he smiled he'd look a lot like Justin. But she'd hardly ever seen Jordan smile, at least not at her.

The sight of him had sent her pulse careening like a cornered animal's. Jordan had the face of the man she'd loved. But his heart was solid granite. If he'd taken the trouble to track her down, she could be sure it wasn't out of kindness.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"Internet. Your name was on a web site you'd designed for a printing business. Pure chance that it caught my eye, but after I saw it I was curious. I clicked through to your page and saw the photo of you working at your computer. I couldn't help noticing you weren't alone."

Angie's heart dropped as his words sank home. A neighbor had taken the picture. At the last second, Lucas had moved in so close that the lower edge of the frame showed the top of his head from the back.

A sick fear crept over her. She could have cropped the photo. Such a simple precaution. Why hadn't she done it? What had she been thinking?

But the picture couldn't have told Jordan enough to bring him here. Angie's temper flashed as the truth dawned. "You had me investigated, didn't you?"

His jaw tightened. "Where's the boy, Angie? Where's Lucas?"

"You have no right to ask!" She was on guard now, a tigress ready to strike in defense of her cub. "Lucas is my son. My son!"

"And my brother's son. I have a copy of the birth certificate. You listed Justin as the father. I'm assuming that's the truth."

Something crumbled inside her. "I did that for Lucas, so he'd know. But Justin." She gulped back a surge of emotion. "He never even knew I was pregnant. I was going to tell him when he came home for my birthday."

"So you were never married. Not even secretly."

"No. You needn't worry on that account, Jordan. I have no claim on your family's precious money or anything else. So go away and leave us alone."

She studied his face for some sign that her words had made an impact. But his expression could have been chiseled in basalt.

"You might have told us," he said. "It would've meant a lot to my parents, knowing Justin had left a child."

"Your parents hated me! How could I expose my innocent baby to those ugly feelings?"

"I want to see the boy."

No! Angie's heart slammed. She'd had no warning, no time to prepare Lucas for this.

"I don't think" she began. But it was too late. She heard the opening of the bedroom door and the cautious tread of small sneakers. Evidently, Lucas had grown tired of waiting and decided to check things out for himself.

Short of lunging for her son, there was little Angie could do. She watched in mute horror as Lucas emerged from the hallway and caught sight of their visitor.

His brown eyes opened wide. Then his face lit with joyous wonder. "Daddy!" he cried, racing across the room. "Daddy, you came back!"

Daddy?

It was the last thing Jordan had expectedthis pint-size bundle of energy hurtling toward him, flinging eager arms around his knees. A sense of helplessness crept over him. Lord, did the boy think he was Justin?

He lifted his gaze to meet Angie's. She looked as if she'd been punched hard enough to break a rib. With visible effort she found her voice. "He has Justin's picture. I've told him that his daddy's in heaven, but he's so young." The words trailed off. Her eyes pleaded for Jordan's understanding.

With a firm hand, Jordan peeled the boy off his legs and boosted him onto the edge of the coffee table. The investigator had included some pictures in his packet, but they'd all been from a distance, at skewed angles as the photographer tried to avoid attention and stay out of sight. This was his first good, clear look at the boy.

If he'd had any doubts the child was Justin's, they vanished at once. Lucas had his mother's vivid Latina coloring, but aside from that he was all Cooper. The straight nose, the dimpled chin and unruly cowlick at the crown of the head mirrored Justin's featuresand Jordan's.

Identical twins were genetic copies of each other. This boy could be his own son.

Lucas regarded him with adoring eyes, but his lower lip quivered, as if he sensed something was wrong. Maybe he was wondering why his long lost father wasn't happier to see him.

Jordan suppressed the urge to jump up and leave. He'd never spent much time around children, didn't understand them or even like them much, truth be told. But the situation called for some kind of response. He cleared his throat.

"Listen to me, Lucas. I'm not your father. I'm your uncle Jordan, your father's brother. We look alike, that's all. Do you understand?"

A single tear welled, then trickled down Lucas's cheek. Jordan glanced toward Angie. Pain was etched on her lovely, sensual face. From the moment he'd met her, he'd found himself wondering how it would feel to kiss those lush, moist lips. Then he'd found outto his everlasting regret.

"Come here, Lucas." Angie gathered her son close. Clasping him fiercely, she glared at Jordan over the boy's head. "You still haven't told me why you're here," she said in a glacial voice.

Jordan exhaled. Where to start? He'd rehearsed his speech in the car. The words he'd chosen struck him as stuffy and arrogant now, but nothing better came to mind.

"I have a duty to my brother," he said. "Justin would want his son to have all the advantages money can buya home to be proud of, a quality education, social and cultural opportunitiesadvantages you can't afford to give him."

She pulled her son closer. "I can give him love. And when my business picks up I'll be able to give him other things, too. If you think I'd accept one cent of your money"

"Money isn't what I had in mind, Angie."

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009NEMIXQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harlequin Desire; Original edition (January 1, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2682 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 190 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #805,187 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #5,047 in Mothers & Children Fiction
- #13,793 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
- #13,940 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.2 62 ratings

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Elizabeth Lane

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I've been a professional writer for about thirty years, and I love sharing stories with my readers. Mostly I write historical romance, but have ventured into other arenas as well. If you look at my book list you'll see a number of children's books included. For many years I worked as an educational curriculum designer. The children's books were part of my day job.

My newest books are for Harlequin's DESIRE line--I'm so excited to be writing these passionate contemporary stories. My first Desire, IN HIS BROTHER'S PLACE will be a January 2013 release, with more to follow. And I'll be doing more Harlequin Historicals as well.

If you want to know more, here's the text of a recent interview which also appears on the eharlequin site.

On Writing and Reading...

What do you love most about being a writer?

The creative process, and hearing from people who've enjoyed my stories.

What do you like least about being a writer?

Rejections--and yes, I still get them!

Do you have a favorite locale or setting for your novels? What is it and why is it your favorite?

No particular place, but almost all my novels have outdoor settings. My favorite background for a story is any place that's open and wild and beautiful.

Which of the books you have written is your favorite?

My books are like my children--some gave me more trouble than others but I love them all equally.

What are your five all-time favorite books?

After a lifetime spent reading hundreds and hundreds of books, how can I possibly come up with five all-time favorites?

Here, in no particular order, are five books I loved. After I write them down, I'll probably think of five more I liked even better. 

Out of Africa by Izak Dinesen

The Greek Passion by Nikos Kazantzakis

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling

What one specific piece of advice would you give a would-be writer trying to kick-start a career?

Don't go it alone. Network--join romance writers' groups; enter contests; go to regional and national conventions; learn from others.

On Romance...

Describe the ultimate romantic meal.

Anything cooked well by a delicious man, served with wine and followed by chocolate.

What is your all-time favorite romantic movie?

"Casablanca"

What is your all-time favorite romantic song or composition?

"As Time Goes By" (of course)

What is the most romantic gesture or gift you have received?

A sunrise hot-air balloon trip over the mountains.

How do you keep the romance alive in your relationship?

I have many wonderful relationships in my life. I nurture them with kindness and communication.

What tip would you give your readers to make their lives more romantic?

Be the heroine of your own life. Don't wait for adventures to happen; create your own.

Where is the most romantic place you've ever traveled?

Portuguese Macao--before the Chinese took it over and turned it into a gambling mecca. That bit of paradise is nothing but a memory now.

All About me...

Besides writing, what other talent would you most like to have?

I love to dance and I do, but I don't have the talent to do it well. I would like to be a wonderful dancer--like my daughter.

Who is someone you admire and why?

My father, who gave me lifelong lessons in courage, honesty and dignity.

Share one of your favorite indulgences with us.

Iced soy latte flavored with cinnamon

What quality do you most admire in a man?

Compassion

What is the one thing you've always wanted to do, but never had the courage to try?

Scuba diving--not so much for want of courage as for want of a willing partner.

If you weren't a writer, what would you be?

I have a biology degree and wanted to study animals in the wild. Life made me a writer instead.

What quote or personal saying do you live by? Who said it?

"Life is trouble. Only death is not. To be alive is to undo your belt and look for trouble."

--Nikos Kazantzakis in Zorba the Greek

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4.2 out of 5

62 global ratings

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Gloria

A great read by Elizabeth Lane

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

I've read a lot of Elizabeth Lane's books and the title grabbed me. I started out by not liking Jordan Cooper, he was to arrogant by far.
Angie Montoya had a lot of well deserved hatred toward him as well. It was the middle of the book before I started to warm up to him. He's a hero you love to hate and then love to love.

Helpful

NancyCinNC

In His Brother's Place

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

Really wish Goodreads and others would allow rating with half stars along with full stars. I keep going back and forth between 3 & 4 stars. It deserves more than 3 and yet I not sure i want to give it 4. I guess I will give it the 4 because there were no major flaws.

Angie was devastated that her fiancé had been killed in a plane accident, before she was able to tell him that he was to become a father. Having been called a gold digger by Justin Coopers family, among other things she felt no need to let them know either.

By a fluke Justin's identical twin brother Jordan Cooper saw her name on a web design. When he brought her web site he noticed a small child's head in a picture and hired a private investigator to find her. After learning she had a son and listed Justin as the father on the birth certificate, he seeks her out and tells her he wants her and her son Lucas to come live at the ranch, because it is what Justin would have wanted.

Both are attracted to each other and had been before the crash that had taken Justin's life. Both feel guilty and feel they helped set in motion actions that lead to the crash.

At times the story just seemed to drag a little to me. Loved the way the little boy "Lucas" was portrayed. Also loved that Angie was not a pushover and stood up for herself. But yet something just seemed lacking for me and I can't quite put my finger on it.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Alleycat

Fair...but I've read better.

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2013

This book had the makings of a decent story. But no, it's not something I'd read again. And I didn't love it.
I can't say I particularly cared about the characters, either.

The story line kept me interested enough (I did finish the book), but there was too many things that happened "conveniently".
The little boy seemed to fall asleep or walk in(as if on cue) for most of the storyline. It was all too...well, convenient.
What he did depended on what the storyline needed at the moment, but it all seemed so rehearsed and was easily recognized by the reader.

There were no surprises in the book, though I kept hoping or waiting for one. There was no humor or anything else that would hold me to the book. It was very blah, though I felt the writing was pretty good.

Overall, I guess I felt the characterization and plot could've used some work. Sad to say, but I was relieved when I finished reading it...just because it was over. (It was a satisfying ending, though!)

5 people found this helpful

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Cindy

In his brother place

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

This was a great book, I loved the characters, how the story played out, I would recommend this book it was a joy to read.

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BradSF

My mom reads 1 a day!

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

My mom loves this series of books and gets 20 at a time, She reads 1 a day! and they are a good buy!

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Billie

in his brothers place

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2013

Verified Purchase

This was a good book. The way the characters interact was actually believable. The child's reaction to seeing someone who looks like his dead father were genuine. A very good book

One person found this helpful

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renee

great book

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

great book once I started reading it I couldn't put it down till I was done with it great book