“You’re not coming home to Fairbanks during the monthlong summer break in the Senate, Jess?”
Senator Jessup Outlaw moved around his bedroom packing while talking to his oldest brother, Garth, on his cell. “No. I met up with Spencer last month when he was in DC on business. Reggie and I joined him one night for drinks.” Spencer Westmoreland was their cousin from California who owned a huge vineyard near Napa Valley. Reginald Westmoreland was Spencer’s brother and also a fellow senator.
“Spencer invited me to visit him and Chardonnay at the Russell Vineyards. Since many of you are busy right now and will be down there for the anniversary celebration at the end of the month anyway, I decided to accept his invitation.”
“What about town hall meetings with your constituents?” “I held several while home for Sloan’s wedding, so I’m good there. Everyone needs a vacation, even senators.”
Jess, as he was known to his family and friends, was thirty-eight and a senator for his state of Alaska. He also had four brothers and a sister who kept him busy. All Jess’s siblings worked for the family-owned business, Outlaw Freight Lines. He’d worked there as a corporate attorney for over ten years before deciding on a career in politics. Garth had taken over as CEO a few years ago when their father, Bart, had retired, or more specifically, when the company’s board had threatened to oust him.
Garth was the oldest sibling, with only a two-year difference in their ages. Garth and his wife, Regan, would soon be flying to Florida to visit his in-laws for the first time since the birth of their son, Garrison, who was born in the spring.
As of last year, Jess’s brother Cash, who was two years younger, had made his home in Wyoming on the dude ranch he’d inherited. He was married to Brianna and they had twin sons, Cason and Cannon. Jess’s brother Sloan was four years younger and the most recent Outlaw to marry this past June. Sloan and his wife, Leslie, had recently returned from a monthlong honeymoon.
Maverick, Jess’s youngest brother, was seven years younger and was on a business trip to Ireland, while Jess’s sister, Charm, who was eleven years younger, had made plans to visit the Westmoreland cousins in Atlanta. The only other family member left was their father, Bart. They’d talked a couple of weeks ago and Bart had mentioned that during August he and Charm’s mother, Claudia, would be taking a trip to London.
“You’re right. All of us have plans to arrive at the Russell Vineyards at the end of the month for the anniversary celebration, so I guess we’ll see you then,” Garth said.
Spencer and Chardonnay were hosting a seventy-fifth wedding anniversary party for Chardonnay’s grandparents, Daniel and Katherine Russell. It was always a fun time whenever the Westmorelands and Outlaws got together.
“Well, enjoy yourself and give Spencer and Chardonnay my regards.”
“I will and I’ll see everyone at the party.”
A short while later, Jess had finished packing and glanced up at the television when a familiar face flashed across the screen. Grabbing the remote, he increased the volume to hear what the reporter was saying.
A week after illicit photos popped up on social media, actor Kemp Pierson and actress Maya Roadie still refuse to comment. It seems they really got into their roles while in New Zealand filming the movie Midnight Heat. Apparently, they had their own midnight heat going on in spite of Kemp’s serious relationship with actress Paige Novak. Ms. Novak, who just wrapped up filming in Japan, was unavailable for comment. In fact, nobody knows her whereabouts…
Jess flipped off the television and shook his head. If the allegations against Kemp Pierson were true, then the man was an asshole. No one deserved that type of betrayal. Jess, of all people, should know. Thanks to Ava Sampson, he’d experienced a similar betrayal ten years ago, and he wouldn’t wish that sort of heartbreak on his worst enemy.
It just so happened that Paige Novak was the sister of Pam Westmoreland, who was married to his cousin Dillon. Every so often, his and Paige’s paths crossed at some Westmoreland family function. She was a very beautiful woman. A woman he’d been attracted to from the first. But he hadn’t acted on that attraction because the timing hadn’t been right. He’d needed to focus on his campaign. But he could now say that not hooking up with Paige six years ago was a missed opportunity, one he’d come to regret.
If this vacation offered another such opportunity with a beautiful woman, he wouldn’t miss it.
What Happens on Vacation…
Copyright © 2022 by Brenda Streater Jackson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Westmoreland Legacy: The Outlaws #4
For Alaskan senator Jessup Outlaw, a Napa Valley vacation starts out as innocent R and R—until he meets Paige Novak. Their chemistry is explosive! And the temptation to have the Hollywood star for himself proves irresistible… but the spotlight’s trained on her every move. Is the timing finally right for Jess’s personal desires to come ahead of his career? Or will their vacation romance crash into reality with the return of a familiar face from Paige’s past?
Romance Contemporary [Harlequin, On Sale: March 29, 2022, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335735522 / eISBN: 9780369708656]
Does what happens on vacation stays on vacation?
Brenda Jackson is a New York Times bestselling author of more than one hundred romance titles. Brenda lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and divides her time between family, writing and traveling.
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