Good Twin Gone Country Read online

  Where family loyalties and passions collide.

  Harlequin Desire brings you Dynasties—delicious, dramatic miniseries that span generations, include

  an engaging cast of characters and sweep you into

  the world of the American elite. From luxury ranch retreats to the stages of Nashville, from the sagas of powerful families to the redeeming power of passion...don’t miss a single installment of Dynasties!

  Dynasties: Beaumont Bay

  What happens in Beaumont Bay stays in

  Beaumont Bay. This is the bedroom community

  where Nashville comes to play!

  Twin Games in Music City by Jules Bennett

  —available now

  Second Chance Love Song by Jessica Lemmon

  —available now

  Fake Engagement, Nashville Style by Jules Bennett

  —available now

  Good Twin Gone Country by Jessica Lemmon

  —available now

  Dynasties: The Carey Center

  The Carey family works hard and plays harder as they

  build a performance space to rival Carnegie Hall!

  From USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child

  Available September, October, November and December 2021

  Dynasties: The Ryders

  For this perfect all-American family,

  image is everything. Until a DNA ancestry test

  reveals secrets they’ve hidden for generations...

  From Joss Wood

  Available February, March, April and May 2022

  Dynasties: The Eddington Heirs

  In Point du Sable, this empire is under siege.

  Only family unity and the power of love can save it!

  From Zuri Day

  Available July, August, September and October 2022

  Dear Reader,

  Hallie Banks is starting to feel...well, a little beige. Her identical twin sister is a vibrant pop of color as well as a huge superstar, and now Hannah’s life is moving forward while Hallie is stuck behind the scenes. Hallie has never coveted the spotlight, but she wouldn’t mind having some unscheduled fun...if only she knew how.

  Enter Gavin Sutherland: music attorney by day and playboy by night. At an event where Hallie wears a very un-Hallie-like gown, he mistakes her for her starlet sister and proceeds to mention that Hallie works too much and should cut loose every once in a while. Oops!

  Properly challenged, Hallie makes him an offer. She’ll help with his design woes if he agrees to teach her how to break a few rules. When our good girl gives in to her attraction and surprises Gavin with a kiss, he surprises her back by suggesting they take this challenge into the bedroom. And that’s just the start of the fireworks between these two feisty opposites.

  Thank you so much for joining Jules Bennett and me for the Beaumont Bay series. I’ve had a blast creating these cowboy boot–wearing country boys for you. Be sure to keep in touch by signing up for my newsletter at www.jessicalemmon.com.

  Happy reading!

  Jessica Lemmon

  “You are really shameless, did you know that?”

  “I like to think of myself as confident.”

  If Hallie dared stripping to the skin, Gavin would be forced to do the same. And she loved the idea of calling him on his dare.

  Gavin’s hands landed on her hips. “You’re thinking about it.”

  “Only because I want to give you a taste of your own medicine.”

  “Why don’t you give me a taste of your lips instead?”

  She turned in the circle of his arms, wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and lifted her chin. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, teasing the seam of her mouth with his tongue and then diving in for more.

  She didn’t care if someone was looking out the window or if paparazzi were lurking in the bushes.

  Hadn’t she worried about consequences for far too long?

  So here she was. Going for it.

  * * *

  Good Twin Gone Country by Jessica Lemmon is part of the Dynasties: Beaumont Bay series.

  Jessica Lemmon

  Good Twin Gone Country

  A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design, which is currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing supersexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine) and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

  Jessica is a social media junkie who loves to hear from readers. You can learn more at jessicalemmon.com.

  Books by Jessica Lemmon

  Harlequin Desire

  Dallas Billionaires Club

  Lone Star Lovers

  A Snowbound Scandal

  A Christmas Proposition

  Kiss and Tell

  His Forbidden Kiss

  One Wild Kiss

  One Last Kiss

  Dynasties: Beaumont Bay

  Second Chance Love Song

  Good Twin Gone Country

  Visit her Author Profile page at Harlequin.com, or jessicalemmon.com, for more titles.

  You can also find Jessica Lemmon on Facebook, along with other Harlequin Desire authors, at Facebook.com/harlequindesireauthors!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Homecoming Heartbreaker by Joss Wood

  One

  Damn you, Brené Brown.

  Hallie Banks tugged self-consciously at the bodice of her dress, fretting over her choice for tonight’s soiree. She blamed the TED Talk rabbit hole she’d fallen into last night for her sudden change of heart. Imbued with a second glass of Chardonnay, she had written down several resolutions for the year to come, including the one that inspired her outfit this evening: stand out in a crowd.

  In the strapless, deep plum–colored dress with her hair pinned into a chignon she’d watched no fewer than five tutorials to master, and with her cleavage front and center, she had done a bang-up job of standing out. That bold list summarizing all she wanted to become in the new year had been inspiring in the moment, but in the midst of the crowded rooftop bar, her resolve was beginning to fade.

  “If I see you fuss with your gown one more time, Hallie Banks, I’m going to tie your hands behind your back,” her grandmother Eleanor reprimanded.

  “I’m not fussing,” Hallie argued, unable to keep from yanking at the bodice one last time.

  “You are so. Now, I didn’t bring you here to meet my famous friends so they could watch you having a wardrobe crisis in the middle of their cocktail party.” Eleanor Banks was country music royalty, so she did indeed have incredibly famous friends. Friends who could help Hallie with another item on her checklist: exp
and client roster.

  Still, she found herself murmuring a defeated, “I should have worn the black dress.”

  “Nonsense! It’s about time you wore something befitting of your personality.” Eleanor, dressed in a classy silver-and-white gown decorated with a zillion sparkling beads, certainly didn’t have any issues being in the spotlight. Hallie was far less practiced than her superstar grandmother and famous twin sister. Hallie was more a behind-the-scenes girl, and until a second glass of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay and Brené’s charming, relatable wit had convinced her otherwise, Hallie had been A-OK with staying out of the spotlight.

  “There he is!” Eleanor wrapped her arm around Hallie’s and leaned closer. “Bernard ‘Bernie’ Merriweather. You’re going to want to shimmy over to his good side because his daughter is Martina Merriweather, and she is currently seeking a new manager.”

  Her questionable wardrobe choice forgotten, Hallie slipped into business mode, her eyes homing in on Bernie. His daughter Martina was twenty-four years old, six years Hallie’s junior, and had recently divorced her manager. Literally. The marriage to the older man who ran the young starlet’s career had been quiet, but messy. Gram had shared plenty of details when she’d invited Hallie to this event as her plus-one.

  Hallie understood managerial pressures from a unique vantage point. She’d managed her twin sister Hannah’s career for as long as she could remember—way before Hannah Banks was famous. Before Hannah had a stylist or a hair guy...or a fan base the size of a small country.

  Hallie had put herself in charge of her sister’s success, championing her at every opportunity. Now Hannah and Will Sutherland were married and Hallie, while happy for them, felt a little lost. She still managed Hannah’s career, but it mostly ran on its own steam. It was time for Hallie to branch out and accept more clients.

  “Come on, I’ll introduce you,” her grandmother said. “Grab a champagne on your way over. It’ll give you something to do with your hands.”

  “I’m okay,” Hallie replied, grateful her voice had resumed its usual confident tone. Building a business revolving around superstar clients had come naturally to her, given how her grandmother’s fame had been a constant in her life.

  Hallie put on a smile as Gram introduced Bernie. The older man turned around, his head dipping to address Eleanor. Just as he was extending a hand in greeting to Hallie, she caught sight of a broad Stetson shadowing the face of a man on the other side of the bar. A man who’d been hidden by Bernie’s tall form until just this moment. And that’s when her confidence took for the Tennessee mountains.

  Gavin Sutherland.

  If there was one man on this planet who could turn her into a bumbling, fumbling, tongue-tied mess, it was the youngest Sutherland brother. She’d known him—of him—for years, but now that Hannah and Will were a couple, Gavin had been in Hallie’s circle more than ever. Since she and Gavin had consulted each other on recent contracts, she’d begun noticing all sorts of things about him she hadn’t before.

  Like the way his gray-blue eyes reminded her of a storm rolling in over Beaumont Bay. Or how his hair, longish and slightly wavy on top when he wasn’t wearing a hat, was wrangled into a stylish mess like he’d just rolled out of bed. And then there was the distracting days’ worth of growth on his chin and jawline hinting that a charming cad lurked under his finely tailored suit.

  Whenever she’d popped into the recording studio she couldn’t help lingering while he talked on the phone. Sometimes he’d stand at every inch of his six-foot frame and speak with businesslike authority. Other times he’d lean on his door frame and murmur in a tone that was pure, undiluted sex.

  Thoughts like those kept her from feeling truly comfortable around him. A charming playboy like Gavin scared her straight down to her pearlescent-pink painted toenails. Which was why, in a fit of bravado last night, she’d added Have a drink with Gavin to her ambitious list.

  But now that she’d spotted him smiling at another woman, whose tinkling laugh carried on the air, Hallie’s inner warrior shrank back from the front line.

  “Hallie.” Gram’s insistent tone hinted she’d said it more than once.

  Jerking her attention away from Gavin, Hallie flashed Bernie her most dazzling smile. “Lovely to meet you, Bernie.” She shook his hand, gripping firmly and looking into his eyes. Those were the big three when meeting someone for the first time: lead with a firm handshake, make eye contact and use the person’s name.

  His perplexed frown melted into a smile. “Dimples! I love dimples. Reminds me of my late wife, Cheryl. God rest her soul.”

  “She was a godsend.” Eleanor took Bernie’s hand in her own and they briefly reminisced about his late wife.

  When Gram expertly steered the conversation back to business, Hallie let her awareness of Gavin fade into the background. Her most important task tonight was to find another client or two to represent. Beautiful men with knee-weakening smiles were nice and all, but so far outside of her comfort zone she’d need a passport to reach one.

  She refocused her attention on the elder in front of her, highlighting what she knew of Martina’s career, leaving out the scandal, of course. Eleanor was well practiced at schmoozing, connecting Hannah’s successes to Hallie’s expertise as a manager.

  “And the two of you are an exact match. How fun for you growing up,” Bernie commented.

  Hallie pasted a well-worn smile on her face. Oh, yes. Fun, fun. She loved her twin, but being an “exact match” had its downfalls. She’d learned to foster her own personality at a young age. Hallie was naturally bookish and quiet, extroverted when it came to business, but preferred to blend in with the wallpaper during social affairs. Hannah’s commanding presence made that easy since she was so comfortable in the spotlight—onstage or off. As they grew into adults, Hallie became more focused on business and Hannah on entertaining. Hallie prided herself on her work ethic and often worked on Saturday nights, whereas Hannah never shied away from dating.

  Recently, though, Hallie had felt a pull to break out of her habits, which were beginning to resemble deep ruts on a beaten path. She longed to do something outrageous, if only to prove to herself she could. She’d lived almost in fear of breaking rules lest she suffer the consequences. At the age of thirty, that seemed silly.

  Her vivacious grandmother and Hannah had always put themselves “out there” and their lives were nothing short of magnificent. Why couldn’t Hallie have a bit of unscheduled fun, too?

  Bernie video-called Martina and introduced Hallie. As she chatted to her prospective client, Hallie reconsidered stepping too far out of her comfort zone. She’d count the follow-up appointment she’d scheduled with Martina her win for the night, which, to be fair, was no small feat. There would be another opportunity to run into Gavin and ask him to have a drink. She’d choose her timing carefully. There was no need to cross every item off her list tonight.

  Outside in the crisp open air of the rooftop bar, Hallie admired the stars, their shine somewhat diminished against the city lights below. Beaumont Bay, known as the Nashville bedroom community, was lively and posh, and yet beautiful and homey. She loved this town.

  “Well, darlin’, I’m heading home. Great job tonight.” Gram pulled on her coat and then hugged Hallie. “It’s chilly out here, so don’t linger. Don’t want you getting sick on me.” Her lipstick was in place, her face fresh and eyes twinkling. How did she do it? Hallie had been at the event a few hours and already she was exhausted by the chatter and the crowd.

  “Actually, I’m heading out, as well. I can walk you down.”

  “No, no.” Eleanor waved her off. “Stay and have fun. You’ve made solid connections tonight, but the ones made later are better. Because everyone keeps drinking.”

  With a wink and a wave, Eleanor picked her way through the bar, offering goodbyes without allowing herself to be waylaid by anyone. She was fabulous. Surely, h
er fabulous gene would’ve had to be passed on to Hallie, too, right?

  “Let’s hope,” she told the stars, hearing the scuff of shoes on the concrete patio behind her. A mental tug in the back of her mind whispered Gavin’s name, but she quickly dismissed it. He’d stayed at the bar most of the evening—with that stunning woman—so why would he seek out Hallie?

  “Nice night,” her visitor greeted.

  Gavin’s voice was smooth and rich like dark chocolate but made her hungry for something far more decadent. She sucked in a shallow breath and spun to greet him. Wow. He looked better up close. Tall and solid and smiling. His gray-blue eyes darker beneath the shadow cast from the brim of his hat. Hopefully the dark night sky muted the tinge of her blushing cheeks.

  His smile faltered as he took in Hallie’s dress and heels. “Hannah.”

  The greeting was a splash of cold water onto her rapidly heating pulse. He thought she was Hannah. Which gave Hallie two options. She could either correct him and have what would likely be an awkward, fidgety conversation while she tried to hide her obvious admiration of him, or... She could go along with his assumption and pretend to be her twin sister.

  Granted, pretending to be Hannah was a cowardly plan, but it wasn’t as if this was the first time they’d bailed one another out of a thorny situation by doing just that. And Hallie, already socially fatigued, didn’t have the mental energy to charm the youngest Sutherland son tonight.

  If ever.

  She pulled her shoulders back and softened her voice, easily emulating her twin sister’s smooth cadence. “Hey, Gav. How are you?”

  His eyebrows pinched in a show of doubt for a second before he bought the lie. Rocking back on his boot heels, he tucked his hands into his pants pockets. “I thought you and Will had plans tonight.”

  “We do. We did. I came to, uh—” Hallie racked her brain for a reason her twin might have come out tonight “—see Gram. Before Will and I go out.”

  She schooled her expression, careful not to smile and give herself up—because, dimples—and sipped her champagne. Normally, she knew her sister’s schedule like her own, but Hallie’s brain was a mangled mess. Being this close to Gavin sent her pulse skittering and her thoughts running in Tasmanian-devil circles.