No Strings Attached

Clara froze mid-step as she caught sight of the man's striking features. "Mr. Brodie? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

Why did Brodie's profile remind her so much of lan's? Not only that, their builds and movements were uncannily similar. She'd mistaken two completely unrelated men for one another. If lan found out, he'd surely be as sour as an overturned jar of pickles.

Brodie offered a gentle curve of his lips. "I've acquired that land. I'm planning to build an eco-friendly farmstead and thought I'd scout the place out."

Clara followed the direction of Brodie's gesture and saw a verdant lake stretching before them.

Nodding in approval, she said, "The lake is surrounded by hills. The environment is really serene, and the water is pristine. You could develop some water attractions. I bet it would be a hit."

Brodie chuckled. "You seem to know quite a bit about development."

"I worked on an eco-estate project with lan once. It's similar to what you have here."

mention of lan, a shadow crossed Brodie's eyes, and his voice deepened a

Reed took a nasty spill, and we couldn't make it." Brodie saw the twinkle in her eyes, like when she was a child and had spotted something she adored. A touch of bitterness flickered across his face, but he managed a small smile. "Clara, if lan's

father's kidnapping have something to do with

his gaze filled with a pained empathy. "It

shimmered with restrained emotion. "It's related, but thankfully, my father's unharmed. I won't hold it against lan. He's his own man. His mother is a different story." The look in Brodie's eyes

and landed a kick in the belly of the

stick from the ground and defended them both, keeping Clara safely behind him. After a tense few minutes, the dog finally

nearly in tears and shaking, asked, "Brodie, are

his composure, wanting to embrace her and comfort her as he had when they were younger. "Don't be scared. I've got you," he would have said. But his hand, raised to touch

girl could never return to how they once were. He forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just got my clothes

a sigh of relief. "Reed's home is just up ahead. Let me take you there

insisted. "It's no bother. My dad's there, too, and we haven't had dinner