The Last Bride: The DiCarlo Brides, #6

By Heather Tullis

When Gage learned that George DiCarlo thought he would make a great match for his youngest daughter, Gage was not interested. Not even if she was beautiful, talented, kicked butt on hiking trails and could challenge even his love of skiing.

When Jonquil's learns about it a year later, her reaction is exactly the opposite. After watching the rest of her sisters fall in love with the men her father hoped they would connect with, she is curious about the one he had planned for her. But Gage is not making it easy and plenty of problems stand between them—her half-sister, Angela, from her family back in Philadelphia seems determined to keep her on her toes and threats against Gage's family keep them guessing all the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jelly Bean Press
• Release date: Jul 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781630340056

Book preview

Cast of Characters

Chapter 1

Excerpt of Hello Again

Other Works by Heather Tullis

About the Author

Camellia DiCarlo Talmadge (Cami)—the oldest of George DiCarlo’s daughters, born to his wife, head of guest services. Married to Vince.

Sage Parker Watts—Second eldest, head of the resort Spa. Born to Darla Parker. Married to Joel.

Rosemary Keogh—Third eldest of George DiCarlo’s daughters, born to Wanda Keogh, head of resort food services.

Lantana DiCarlo Bahlmann (Lana)—Fourth eldest, second daughter by George’s wife, hotel manager. Married to Blake.

Delphinium Gifford (Delphi)—Fifth eldest daughter by Zelda Gifford, head of resort events.

Jonquil Chestnut—Sixth eldest daughter by Trudy Chestnut, head of the resort floral center.

Cleome Markham—Rosemary Keogh’s daughter.

Vince Talmadge—Landscape architect, best friend of Jeremy and Gage. Married to Cami.

Jeremy Litster—local photographer, best friend of Vince and Gage.

Gage Mathews—head of Deer Mountain, the local ski resort. Best friend to Vince and Jeremy.

Harrison Forest—older half-brother to Sage by another father. Head of hotel HR.

Blake Bahlmann—regional manager of DiCarlo Resorts, stationed out of the Juniper Ridge resort. Married to Lana.

Joel Watts—former Navy SEAL, head of hotel security. Married to Sage.

Jonquil hurried through the crowded Denver airport. Of course, the one time she’s running behind schedule, the plane would arrive early. Wasn’t there a rule against planes running on time or something? She grimaced as she saw her sister waiting at the baggage claim, checking her watch. Angela was almost unrecognizable; her blond hair had been cropped to chin length and dyed black. She pulled out her cell phone and started to dial.

Hi, sorry I’m late, Jonquil said as she rushed up. I got stuck in construction behind a moving van.

Angela smiled and threw her arms around Jonquil’s neck. It’s so good to see you. We missed you at Christmas.

Jonquil ignored the criticism and hugged her baby sister. She had gone home for a few days in January—the only break she’d allowed herself since arriving in Juniper Ridge, Colorado the previous summer. I know. Things at the hotel have been crazy busy.

And all of those weddings in your new family haven’t helped, Angela agreed. She shouldered her little carry-on and an enormous purse, and then grabbed the handle of one of her bags. Will you grab the other one?

Jonquil took the handle of the larger suitcase and attempted to roll it toward the door, but it tipped a little and slid against the floor.

Sorry, one of the wheels broke off last time I flew, Angela said over her shoulder, already moving toward the door. Those baggage handlers are so irresponsible.

Irritated, Jonquil hefted the bag, which was heavy enough it must have been pushing the weight limit. So, how long are you staying? You didn’t mention when you had to return home. She dodged a couple of teenage boys and paused to keep from running into an older woman in a wheelchair, struggling to keep up.

You’re funny. Angela laughed.

What do you mean? Angela’s response had made Jonquil feel stupid. She hated feeling stupid.

Come on, I told you I was staying all summer. We talked about how I was doing summer stock.

Jonquil thought back to their recent conversations as she scrambled to keep up with her new burden. You mentioned in March that you were planning to do summer stock and sending out video auditions. You never said if you got a part.

When Angela looked over at Jonquil, the expression was almost too innocent to be believed. "I told you I got hired at the Juniper Ridge theater, didn’t I? Our rehearsals for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying begin this afternoon and run most of every day until we open in a few weeks. I was cast as Hedy La Rue. I sent you an email with all of the details."

Jonquil racked her brain but didn’t remember a hint of this. If you sent it, I didn’t get it.

Angela’s brow curved up questioningly. No wonder you didn’t respond. Sometimes you just can’t trust those spam filters. They catch the weirdest things. Angela smiled at Jonquil. We’ll have the whole summer together. Of course I’ll be working a lot. We have afternoon performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays in addition to the dinner show so I’ll be really busy, but we’ll still have plenty of time to hang out and do stuff together. If I’m staying with you, we’ll see each other all of the time. Her smile put off about 200 watts. Well, compared to the past year, anyway. The director will keep us hopping.

Jonquil managed to keep setting one foot in front of the other as panic took over. Angela was going to join them for the summer? She’d be around a lot? What was she going to tell the others? And then there was the fact that Angela had invited herself to stay in the house for the whole summer. Though Jonquil’s first reaction was to say she couldn’t stay—a stupid, irrational side of herself—she bit her lip and waited until they had exited to short-term parking and she had a moment to assimilate the information.

Was there any legitimate reason she shouldn’t let Angela stay with her? There was plenty of space at the house now. Most of the bedrooms were empty, since four of the six sisters had married and moved out. And maybe it would give Jonquil a chance to understand her flighty little sister a little better. Stop being so selfish. She’s part of your life every bit as much as the others are. This will be good for you.

She hoped it was true, anyway.

Jonquil hadn’t exactly been thrilled with the prospect of moving to Juniper Ridge the previous summer. Her father’s will had insisted she live with a bunch of half-sisters she didn’t know and work with them to open their father’s latest hotel. When they’d learned about each other at the reading of the will, she had been as shocked as everyone else to find out her father had so many daughters, but things had turned out okay, hadn’t they?

Then Jonquil realized something Angela hadn’t said aloud. You don’t have a car. That theater is clear across town from the house.

Angela looked over. I know you live close to work. I hoped I could use your car or get a ride if I need it. I might be able to get rides from people I work with too. I mean, most of them live in the provided housing for the cast and crew, but there are so many of us in a couple of tiny barracks and I keep hearing about how you have that big place with lots of extra space. You don’t mind putting me up, do you? She all but fluttered her eyelashes as she gave Jonquil her most hopeful, wistful expression.

Jonquil should have guessed. As long as she could remember, her sister had depended on others to take care of things for her. She got herself the job, great, but now Jonquil was going to end up playing taxi. She held in the irritation that zoomed through her. We’ll see what we can work out. There’s always a bicycle. She shouldn’t have said that; there was no way she’d make her sister ride a bike down that busy road to the theater. But she wasn’t feeling quite as generous about the situation as she could have been.

She rubbed her forehead, trying to massage away the headache that inevitably appeared whenever she spent much time with this particular sister. They were seven years apart in age, but sometimes Jonquil thought it may as well have been seventeen. She remembered helping to change Angela’s diapers, babysitting and later wishing they were closer. When Jonquil had been seventeen, the youngest of her siblings seemed far younger than ten. Her own self loathing hadn’t helped as she watched Angela be praised for her quick mind and adorable smile. The flighty way Angela acted as she grew up, always switching from one project to the next, changing her major every semester and never seeming to settle on anything, made Jonquil wonder if Angela would be any more settled at thirty-one than she was now at twenty-one.

So, it’s just you and Delphi in the house now, right? Angela asked. Do you ever see the others outside of work?

Yes, to both questions. And Delphi’s not always there anymore. Jonquil smiled a little as she thought of how happy her sister had been that morning at their executive meeting. She got engaged over the weekend. They stopped at the back of Jonquil’s silver Kia Rio and she popped the hatchback to put the bags away.

Wow, they’re dropping like flies. Doesn’t that leave you as the last one?

Yep, but don’t count on me hooking up anytime soon. The guy she was most interested in seemed to think she was pond scum—and how twisted was it that she liked a guy who obviously disliked her so much? It was another example of how stupid she was sometimes. She told herself that she would find someone else who could appreciate her talents. Such as they were. The others wanted to meet you tonight, if you’ll be back from rehearsals before too late. The anticipation of the introduction had left Jonquil anxious, but she knew Angela would have many more opportunities to spend time with everyone during the summer. That was worse.

I should be done around nine. Will they bring their hot husbands with them? She wiggled her brows and grinned. And do any of them have hot single brothers?

The guys usually are there. Had Jonquil mentioned that the husbands were all extremely good looking, each in their own way, or had Angela just assumed? They hadn’t really talked all that much since Jonquil had moved the previous summer—or all that much in the years prior.

So you’re not dating anyone? Angela asked. You usually have no trouble attracting the men and it seems like you DiCarlo girls are all finding your perfect matches. Angela set the last of the bags in the back and shut the trunk. She shot Jonquil a sideways glance the other woman was not sure how to interpret. Can we stop for something to eat on the way to your home? I’m starving!

Sure. Angela’s barbed comments about being dateless stung a little and Jonquil wondered if she was being overly sensitive. She forced her thoughts to the flower arrangements she’d left her staff to complete. When Angela had called with her flight arrangements the previous afternoon, Jonquil had been shocked that she was actually following through on the invitation to visit during the summer—there had been no comment about when she’d leave or reference to staying at Jonquil’s for months. The fact that she’d had to rearrange her schedule at work to pick Angela up was not a big shock, though.

Jonquil weaved her way through traffic, headed for the interstate. So, tell me how things are going back home. There was no point getting upset until she knew how things were going to go, but it took all of her energy to keep her insecurities at bay.

It was nearing eight that night when Jonquil greeted the last of the DiCarlo sisters in the house their father had built for them. Cami came hand-in-hand with her husband Vince. Rosemary brought a big bowl of some dip she had been tweaking the recipe on. Her daughter, Cleo, who was ten, followed behind with tortilla chips, and Rosemary’s husband, Harrison, brought up the rear.

Sage, Harrison’s half-sister by their mother, and Jonquil’s half-sister by their father, came with her former Navy SEAL husband Joel in tow. She was six months pregnant and really starting to show.

Delphi and Jeremy were already snuggling on the couch, the newest couple, still reveling in their love, and finally Lana came in with her newborn baby son, Ash, and husband, Blake.

Family time always meant a crowd of people.

All of them worked at the hotel in some form or other, though rather than regular staff, Vince’s crew was contracted to handle the landscaping and Jeremy was a photographer they often booked for events. Jonquil’s father apparently had visions of happily-ever-after for his girls and made romantic plans for them in addition to coercing them into working at the resort. The fact that the others had all fallen into line had been happy luck, as far as Jonquil was concerned. The guy she had recently learned her dad picked out for her wasn’t so amenable.

None of the girls had known about the unwritten part of their father’s will—mainly the love and marriage clauses—when they had moved there, and some of the men had been less than willing to begin with as well. George had been right about his daughters, though, and the couples found love despite any previous objections.

Jonquil checked her watch as everyone milled around. She hoped Angela wouldn’t be seriously late. Of course, hanging out with the family wasn’t exactly a chore. The guys joked with each other and teased Cleo, who loved the attention, and several of the women cooed over Ash. Cami and Vince had just announced they were going to have a baby as well, which was fun, sweet and a little depressing.

Jonquil forced a smile and went to sit with Rosemary and Delphi.

So, Rosemary, you’re next in line to announce a pregnancy, Delphi said.

Rosemary’s eye’s narrowed. I have a kid. When you pop one out, I’ll think about it again.

Everyone seemed to pause for a moment when the doorbell rang. Jonquil jumped up. That should be Angela. She smiled in relief when she was right.

Come on in, Jonquil said, reminding herself to have a key made for her sister. Everyone’s excited to meet you.

She had dropped Angela directly at the theater when they reached town that afternoon, so this was her sister’s first look at the house. Angela breezed past her, looking around the room at the wood railings and soaring ceilings, seeming to approve.

Jonquil couldn’t blame her. The house had an open floor plan with a large entry, dining area and enormous kitchen on the main level, and then a huge sunken living room on the left. On the right was a set of floating stairs leading to a railed balcony that fronted the area where the upstairs bedrooms were located. A set of stairs led down to the other three bedrooms, a smaller family room and an exercise room. The house was all done up in wood and tile with deep-pile carpets and a large fireplace in the living room. It was impressive and beautiful. Jonquil had loved the house on sight.

Welcome to the family. Blake was first to stand and introduce himself, greeting Angela as she made the rounds. As always, he oozed Southern charm.

Wow, so this is how the other half lives. No wonder you dumped us for your new family, Angela said to Jonquil as she grabbed a snack after she’d made the rounds of the room. She walked off to talk to Delphi some more.

Jonquil wondered if Angela resented her. Did she have a right to be upset if Angela did? She watched her baby sister move around the group, becoming chummy with the others right off, giving the right kinds of compliments and asking the right questions. She always had a way with people that Jonquil envied.

Jonquil did fine most of the time. She paid attention to body language and intonation, watching others so she could fit in, but it had taken her a few weeks to start to get a handle on what made her five new half-sisters tick. Something Angela managed in about two minutes.

Just another reason to feel like the stupid sister.

The sun was already beating down on them, and it was only May. There were patches of snow in the Colorado Rockies, but for Gage, sitting on top of Al’s roof, pounding nails into shingles, it felt like mid-summer. He paused when he saw Delphi’s car pull in front of the house, rubbed his arm over his forehead to clear away the sweat, and glanced at Jeremy, who grinned at the sight of his financeé’s car.

Gage shook his head and went back to work. Jeremy wore the same stupid grin he’d been sporting all week. And to think a week ago Jeremy had been upset because he thought Delphi was going to leave him to return to New York. Gage pounded in another nail and nearly smashed his thumb when he heard Jeremy’s greeting.

Hey, ladies. Good to see you.

We brought you food. Figured you’ve been working hard enough you deserve a break. It was Jonquil’s voice.

Gage would recognize the honeyed tones anywhere. He pounded in one more nail just to show he didn’t care before looking up to greet her and Delphi. Food is always good. Thanks. Jonquil was always bringing food or setting up snacks for people, so he shouldn’t have been surprised that she was there now, but he was anyway.

She let her gaze slide over his shirtless form and then looked right at him, smiling brightly, and he felt every muscle tense. She always had that effect on him.

You’re welcome. Come on down in a few minutes and we’ll be ready for you, she said.

Sure. He returned to his work, telling himself not to be an idiot. Yeah, she was beautiful, and she always smelled so good, smiled and was friendly. But he wasn’t giving in—her father may have decided Gage and Jonquil were made for each other, but that didn’t mean Gage had to fall in line. Even if George DiCarlo seemed to have matched up his other daughters pretty well. Gage had enough going on without adding a time-consuming relationship to the mix. And he had the feeling that Jonquil would definitely eat up big chunks of a guy’s time before he noticed what was happening.

Finished? Jeremy asked, putting a few nails back into the box they’d brought up.

Just a couple more. Go ahead, I’ll join you in a minute. Gage grabbed a couple more nails and started pounding while Jeremy moved to the ladder. Too soon the shingle was down and he had to face the women.

At the bottom of the ladder, Gage grabbed his T-shirt and slid it back on. He would need all of his armor to protect him once he went inside.

Delphi and Jeremy were wrapped up together, arms around each other, kissing and whispering on one side of the room while Jonquil laughed with Jeremy’s dad, Al, in the middle of the aging living room.

You did not wrestle a mountain lion. Though if you had, I’m sure you would have won, she said to Al. I bet you’d be a good match.

Jeremy’s dad hooted, obviously enjoying having a younger woman flirt with him.

Gage ignored the little voice inside him that said she could be flirting with him if he hadn’t been such a jerk to her before. He hadn’t realized when the girls moved in that they had no idea about their father’s plans for their romantic futures. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that Jeremy had clued Gage in—though if he’d been less defensive and paid more attention, he probably would have figured it out on his own months ago. Instead he’d made a real jerk of himself with her. Not that he wanted a relationship, but it would have been better if they could have at least been friends. Or friendly. Their circles of family and friends had grown more tightly interconnected as the months had passed.

He looked at her again, her tight, lithe form, the long blond curls that teased him every time he got close enough to see the sunlight glinting off of them. Her smile lit her up inside, her blue eyes so big they practically filled her face. No, it was probably better that they weren’t friends after all. She was exactly his type, physically, and he didn’t need one more thing to tie him in knots right now.

She looked up at Gage and smiled. Everything’s ready. Come get a plate.

You did cook this, right? You didn’t let Delphi do any of it? He feigned concern. Delphi’s lack of culinary skills was legendary.

Don’t worry. She’s strictly on mix-and-stir duty. Jonquil began pulling plastic wrap off the salad.

Good to know. Gage filled his plate with sandwiches and pasta salad, slid a couple of cookies into the only clear spot left and took a seat at the table.

How long have you guys been at it? Jonquil asked.

Since noon. There are advantages to being the boss, he said when her brows lifted. He was the owner of the local ski resort, but with the summer coming on, and the ground not quite dry enough for most mountain bikers yet, he was in a short lull between seasons. It had been well past time for the repairs and Gage was happy to help.

I gotta agree with that. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes for a moment. I can’t believe we have a whole weekend without a wedding or anniversary party. I can’t remember the last time I had a weekend off.

He knew she ran the floral department of the resort, but hadn’t realized it kept her that busy. Enjoy it while you can, I guess. I hear your baby sister’s here for the summer. Take her for a hike.

Jonquil snorted. Yeah, she’s about as much into hiking as Cami or Delphi. So not happening. Even if she had appropriate footwear, she’d still whine the whole time about bugs and dirt.

Gage couldn’t understand people who didn’t like to hike or be outdoors, but it took all kinds. Jeremy and Delphi joined them at the table and they started talking about weddings. Al couldn’t be more thrilled to have his son getting married and he and Delphi had hit it off big once they’d finally met. Not interested in weddings, flowers or color schemes, Gage focused on his food—trying not to focus on Jonquil.

His phone rang halfway through the meal and he pulled it out. It was his younger sister, Natalie. Hello, what’s up?

Gage, Mom is having a rough day and I have to go. I have a commitment and she needs someone here. Can you come, please? It’s almost five and you need to leave the office anyway.

He glanced over and saw Jonquil watching him, so he stood and moved out to the front porch for privacy. Natalie, I’m in the middle of things here with Al’s roof. What’s going on?

She’s feeling very weak and needs someone to help her. You know how it is and I have commitments too. I’ve been here with her all day.

Gage rubbed the back of his neck. I need fifteen minutes to get there. If she can’t be alone that long, you’ll have to wait for me.

His mother had episodes, she’d had them long before her actual health problems arose. Most of the time now there was a legitimate medical issue, but sometimes he suspected she just wanted the attention. He never knew which it was, so he had to treat them all as legitimate. He thought of how much more work he could get done on the roof if he stayed. He went back inside to finish his dinner. He would go home, he already knew it. That’s what he did.

What’s going on? Jeremy asked when he returned.

I need to get home to Mom. Sorry, I thought I’d be able to help for a few more hours. Gage picked up his plate and scooped up the last of his salad.

No problem. Check on her and let me know if you need to bow out tomorrow. Jeremy’s eyes held a knowing look. He’d grown up with Gage and knew how things were at home. They had no secrets.

They’d been in and out of each other’s houses since elementary school and Gage always knew he could trust his friends to be there for him. Which made it twice as maddening when Gage couldn’t be there for them. I will. Natalie should be able to take over again in the morning. I hope. He grabbed the end of his sandwich and the cookies and looked at the ladies. Thanks again for the food. It was great.

You’re welcome. Jonquil’s brow furrowed a little in the middle as she watched him.

No problem. I can slap cheese and meat on a sandwich anytime, Delphi said from her place under Jeremy’s shoulder.

Gage felt a twinge of jealousy at how happy they were, but dismissed it. He was happy for Jeremy, and he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that.

As he moved out to his ‘64 Pontiac GTO, he focused on what might be happening back at home. He wondered what event Natalie considered too important to miss even if their mom was sick.

The drive to his mom’s place didn’t take long, but Gage was starting to get anxious by the time he arrived. Natalie said their mom was having a hard time. Did that mean they should take his mom to the hospital? Was it just a normal hard day or was this a false alarm? And what was Natalie doing that was so much more important than spending time with their mother? She complained that she had been there all day, but he seriously doubted she left her suite more than twice to see how their mom was doing.

He pulled to a stop in front of the enormous two-story stone and pine log home his father had built when Gage was still a toddler. It was far larger than a family of four could possibly need, even considering his mother’s penchant for entertaining. It sprawled nearly a hundred foot across and almost as deep with a large walkout basement and a covered pool around back. It cost a mint to heat and cool, but Diane Mathews was stubborn and would never leave it as long as she had a choice.

He had a lot of good memories about the home, though. Playing catch with his father out back on the rare occasion that his father made time for him, pool parties with Vince and Jeremy, making out with Jenny Springer in the bushes during a boring adult party his parents had thrown. And it backed onto the woods, which he knew as well as anyone could by the time he was eight.

Still, he was more than happy to have a home of his own, somewhere he could retreat to and catch his breath when this much bigger place started to close in on him. His mother could still afford to keep the house—barely—but with her growing medical expenses he wasn’t sure how long that would last.

Gage didn’t even make it to the front door before Natalie came out, swinging her purse strap onto her shoulder. "Good, you’re finally here. I have an appointment I have to get to."

He eyed her glittering silver sheath and the four-inch heels. It’s Friday night. What kind of appointment could you have? Gage already knew the answer. She was such a social butterfly.

Natalie eyed him. "I have to have my hair done and then I have dinner with Stanley Marks."

You have a hair appointment and a date. Great. You couldn’t schedule it for a day that you weren’t in charge of Mom? They took turns being ‘on call’ in a manner of speaking. Natalie always seemed to have something come up on her nights. At least when their mom actually needed something. Or maybe it just felt that way to him.

"I’ve been trying to get in to Chrissy for weeks. She made a special appointment for me to

Reviews for The Last Bride

[pam50627 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

George DiCarlo is proving to be quite a matchmaker, even in death. He may have met his match with Gage & Jonquil though. Gage is bound and determined to dislike Jonquil even if she does seem nice & there’s some chemistry there. Jonquil was interested until she realized Gage wasn’t. Now they both are fighting the chemistry & George’s plans tooth & nail. Ms. Tullis has written another enjoyable easy to read romance. Like the others in the series, each story is self contained & has an element of suspense. In this case, Gage’s resort is having an unusual amount of repairs crop up, his family is being threatened & his sister is up to her ears in gambling debts. While Gage is trying to avoid falling for Jonquil, he has to figure out who is behind his troubles. Both Gage & Jonquil have problems with spoiled, jealous, self absorbed younger sisters that like to rewrite history to suit them. I really enjoy this series & the sisters not only falling in love but also finding their way into becoming a family.