Sunset Seduction

by Charlene Sands

  “Let’s go home,” he whispered with quiet urgency.

  Reflecting the soft moonlight, Audrey’s eyes shined with desire. “I’m ready.”

  Luke took her hand. He was heading for trouble, but at the moment, he didn’t give a damn.

  Seven

  On the drive home, Audrey sat beside Luke in his car in wild anticipation of what the night would bring. They were halfway home when Audrey got a text message. “It’s from Casey,” she said, reading the lit-up screen.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s he got to say?” Luke asked quietly, giving her a smile.

  Mercy. She melted into a puddle, and later she would blame his smile for her stupidity in reading the text aloud. “‘I’ll be coming by for a visit soon. Gotta make sure Luke’s taking good care of my…uh, little sis.’” She spoke the last two words with dire dread. She was well aware of the impact that statement could make.

  Luke dropped his easy smile.

  “He’s teasing,” Audrey said softly.

  But it was too late. Luke completely shut down. It was like she’d splashed ice-cold water on his face. He turned three shades of red before guilt and recrimination set in. He refused to hear her out. He refused to listen to any arguments contrary to his own thoughts on the matter. His mind was made up.

  When they arrived at Sunset Ranch, he deposited her at her bedroom door. His face tight, his stance rigid, his words were strained as if he forced them out. “If you think it’s easy for me to walk away from you tonight, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  And then he did exactly that.

  He closed the door and walked away.

  Audrey cursed at the closed door in three different languages. The English words were the most obscene, but she managed to sputter a few choice words in Spanish and French, too.

  Luke hadn’t been her date tonight. Except for the last ten minutes when they’d danced and kissed out on the veranda under the stars. She’d seen a bright new world opening up to her, and hope had sprung into her heart again until Luke had decided what was best for both of them.

  Now she peered at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, drained of any expectation or hope. Her body sagged and her stomach ached. She wouldn’t allow Luke and his stubborn ways to dictate her life anymore. If he wanted it this way, he would have it.

  She glanced at the unopened pregnancy test sitting on her counter. “Not tonight,” she said. She didn’t want to know the outcome. She didn’t want to have to face the reality of what that test would reveal. But just in case, she hadn’t sipped any alcohol tonight. She’d planned on having only one drop of champagne before she’d almost been knocked to the ground.

  The spill could’ve been a premonition, a warning not to imbibe.

  She was too mentally exhausted to ponder that. She changed out of her gown and into her jeans. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and plopped her hat on her head. “Come on, Jewel.” She lifted her lazy cat up and tiptoed out of her bedroom, past Luke’s room, where she heard the shower going. She hoped he needed three cold showers tonight. She continued on and walked out of the house. When she reached the barn with the cat snuggled tight to her chest, she whispered, “Just behave, Jewel.”

  The cat mewled softly as they approached Trib’s paddock. Quietly, Audrey opened the split door. She found Trib asleep on the ground, looking innocent and gentle.

  “Hi, lonely boy,” she whispered.

  He lifted his head.

  “I brought a friend to visit you.”

  Bringing Jewel to the paddock had a profound effect on the horse. Not that Audrey trusted Trib enough to allow Jewel inside the stall. Heavens, both animals were too unpredictable for that, but she held Jewel in her arms and spoke sweet words of encouragement until the curious horse wandered over. The two animals stared at each other. When Jewel made a playful swat at the horse’s snout, Trib didn’t react, except to blink his eyes.

  For the next three nights, Jewel was Audrey’s accomplice. They would wait until the ranch was tucked in for the night to visit Tribute. On some animal level, Trib began to bond with Jewel. Enough so that on the fourth night, Audrey placed Jewel on the eight-inch ledge of the split door, keeping one hand on the cat. Jewel sat there in a regal pose, watching the horse. And Trib, just like all the other times, wandered over to stare at Jewel. Each night they visited, Audrey noticed Trib taking less and less time to decide to make his approach.

  Progress. A bond of trust was developing. During the day, she’d visit the paddock without Jewel, and Trib would respond to her, taking treats from her hand now. Audrey felt she was moving ahead, succeeding in her attempt to tame the wildness out of the horse, yet her own personal life was at a standstill. She’d avoided Luke whenever she could and any I might be pregnant notions were shuffled out of her brain.

  But on the fifth day that week, she took a hard fall off a stepladder, landing smack on her butt in the barn.

  “Oh, no!” A jarring jolt reverberated through her body. But the pain was secondary. Fear engulfed her. What if she was pregnant and she’d injured the baby? The wake-up call rang loud in her head like the shrill alarm of a police siren. Find out, coward. What are you waiting for? You don’t want to endanger the baby, if there is a baby. You need to protect that child and keep it safe.

  That night, after work, she opened the home pregnancy test box, read the instructions and then peed on the stick.

  And immediately, Audrey’s life changed forever.

  She was going to be a mother.

  Luke, the man she’d barely spoken to for the entire week except for ranch matters, was going to be the father of her child.

  A shudder worked through her system. She gripped her stomach as cautious joy swelled in her heart. She stood there, motionless and quiet. Blood pulsed through her veins rapidly, her heartbeats going a little wild. She shouldn’t be surprised. She’d fooled herself into believing it wasn’t so. But she’d had all the symptoms. She’d been more tired than ever lately. She couldn’t explain her slight bouts of dizziness, that one ill-timed fainting spell or the nausea that seemed to come and go. Then there was the teensy-weensy little fact that she’d been late. By at least a week.

  “Goodness,” she whispered.

  She closed her eyes and images appeared of Luke in those early rodeo days. The flashbacks played in her head like a moving picture. Luke sending her a big smile after a nine-second ride. Luke taking her side when Casey was too hard on her. Luke giving her a sweet kiss on the cheek on her birthday. Images played on and on until her legs became wobbly and weak. She made her way over to the bed to lie down. There was no sense fighting her exhaustion. She placed a protective hand over her belly and sank farther into the bed.

  A text alert barked from her phone. Audrey stilled and squeezed her eyes tight. She knew it was Luke, texting her good-night. She wouldn’t answer. Why change now? She’d let him think she was already asleep, like she had for the past five nights in a row.

  The shock of it all overwhelmed her. She had a baby growing and thriving in her belly. She already loved the little thing.

  Too bad the baby’s father was the last man on earth she wanted to speak to right now.

  * * *

  Instead of heading back to the Slade house after work the next day, Audrey waved goodbye to Hunter and Ward at the corral and strode in the opposite direction. A walk would help clear her mind. Her nerves frazzled, her bones weary, she needed to speak to a friend more than anything else. She moved with determined steps toward the cottage that Sophia shared with Logan. Maybe, if she got lucky, she’d catch Sophia alone so that they could talk.

  She wasn’t five yards away from the barn when Jewel appeared and trotted in step beside her. “You feel like taking a walk with me?”

  Jewel kept up with her strides, and she figured that was a resounding yes in cat talk. Jewel was astute. She knew something was up. Cats had that sixth sense about them.

  When Audrey reached the cottage, she knocked on the door. The door
opened slowly and little Edward appeared. Blackie jogged over amiably to rub against Edward’s legs but the second the dog spotted Jewel, his big chocolate eyes rounded and then it was commotion gone wild. Blackie put his nose to the ground, sticking his rear end up, his tail whipping furiously, and took off after the cat. Jewel’s back arched; poised like a big orange rainbow, she sent the dog a scathing hiss. She leaped in midair, jabbed at him with a combo of swats for all she was worth and then ran as fast as Audrey had ever seen her go.

  Blackie seemed unfazed by her method of defense. He darted off after her and the merry chase was on.

  Edward shouted at the dog, “Blackie, stop!”

  The dog ignored him. Jewel raced over a neatly groomed bed of pansies and under hibiscus bushes. Blackie was no slacker. He followed her, barking enthusiastically until Jewel spotted an old oak tree. She climbed it in three seconds flat and by the time the dog reached the tree, it was game over. Blackie lifted up on hind legs, balancing his front paws against the base of the tree and ruff, ruff, ruffed his frustration.

  Audrey had been betting on Jewel the entire time. The cat wouldn’t let a Border collie get the best of her. Jewel sat calmly on a branch ten feet in the air, looking down her nose at the outdistanced dog.

  “S-sorry,” Edward said. “He’s not t-trying to hurt her. He’s only p-playing.”

  “I know,” she replied to the apologetic boy. “I doubt Jewel likes his game, but she’ll get over it.”

  After a few moments, Blackie walked off in defeat, glancing every so often at Jewel’s perch on the tree as he trotted away. No doubt, the dog wanted another crack at her. When the drama was over, Audrey turned back to the boy. “How are you, Edward?”

  The boy shrugged. “I’m o-kay.”

  “Are you having a good summer?”

  He nodded. “I’m w-working.”

  “You are?”

  “I watch Blackie and t-today I’m watering S-Sophia’s plants. I brought in her m-mail, too.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. So Sophia isn’t home, then?”

  “Nope. Mr. Slade t-took her on a little trip. It was a s-surprise and he asked me to w-watch the house so Sophia wouldn’t worry about her plants. He g-gave me the key and everything. My grandma’s coming h-here to pick me up s-soon.”

  Disappointment curled in her belly. Her shoulders slumped as the weight of her secret bore down on her. All the way over here, she’d thought about what she’d say to Sophia and how great it would be to unburden herself by telling her the truth. Sophia probably would’ve taken one look at her and guessed the truth. Oh, who was she kidding? Sophia had known. She’d given her the pregnancy test, recognizing the symptoms before Audrey had.

  Now, Audrey longed for a pep talk and the moral support that Sophia would’ve given her. She needed a friend to lean on, a sympathetic ear and someone to convince her that her life wasn’t a total wreck.

  “I’m sure you’re doing a good job,” she told Edward.

  His eyes lit up, and it made her feel a little bit better seeing how her encouragement gave the boy a sense of accomplishment. He’d had a rough childhood, too. Thankfully, his grandmother had intervened and the boy seemed to be thriving. Audrey had been told his speech was improving every day.

  “Do you know when they’ll be home?”

  “T-tomorrow, I think.”

  “Okay. Well then, I’ll just wait until then to speak with them. Oh, um, Edward. Would you mind calling Blackie? He needs to go back in the house or else Jewel will be sleeping among the oaks tonight.”

  The boy laughed and after Blackie cooperated, Audrey bid them farewell.

  She returned to the Slade home on weak legs and with a touchy stomach, but her worst symptom wasn’t physical. Her emotions were piling up, one on top of the other like a cheerleader pyramid. Any slight shift to the balance would have them all crashing down.

  She entered the house with cautious steps, walking softly and hoping to avoid Luke. A sideways glance into the parlor had her doing a quick double take.

  “Hey, sis.”

  Her brother’s familiar voice rang in her ears. His face, so strong, so caring, filled her heart with love. Forgetting her sluggishness, she raced over to where he stood in the middle of the room and flung her arms around him. “Casey!”

  Sure he could be a bullheaded pain at times, but he was her bullheaded pain and right now her heart sang at the sight of him. His arms, tucking her in close, felt strong and comforting. “It’s good to see you,” she whispered.

  “Same here, squirt.”

  Casey could call her squirt all day long for all she cared. She clung to his neck and hung on. And when she didn’t protest at the nickname that usually gave her fits, he pulled her away to gaze at her curiously. “What did I do to deserve such a welcome?”

  You’re my big bro and I need a friend now. “What? Can’t I hug my big brother?”

  Casey stared at her and then blinked while taking a full step back to give her a good once-over. Her arms dropped to her sides and Audrey felt a keen sense of loss without him hugging her.

  His eyes touched on her pale complexion and then his gaze shifted to scrutinize her body. She tried to lift her sagging shoulders and hide the shakiness of her wobbly legs. A scowl formed on his face and his loving expression immediately transformed to concern. “You don’t look good, sis. What’s the matter, honey?”

  The cheerleader toppled from the top of the heap. All balance was gone. Her pent-up emotions unraveled and tears sprung from her eyes. “Oh, Casey.”

  She fell into his chest and unleashed her sobs.

  Slowly, he brought her into the circle of his arms again. “It’s…okay,” he said as if he didn’t know how to soothe the grown-up version of his little sister. He patted her back and hushed her quietly. “Why are you crying, sweetheart?”

  She continued to sob, her unbanked tears coming as a surprise to her, as well. She wasn’t sure what or how to tell him.

  His booming voice shook. “Are you…ill? Did you come here to hide it from me? Tell me, Audrey Faith. You’re scaring the life out of me.”

  She began shaking her head. Casey feared for her life. Oh, heavens. He’d gotten it all wrong. Her brother always looked out for her. She didn’t always appreciate it but now she realized how much he’d sacrificed for her. How much he worried over her. She caught her breath between sobs. “No…I’m not ill. I’m fine. It’s just that…I’m, I’m…pregnant.”

  It was the first time she’d said the words aloud. They felt strange to her ears and the gravity of her situation and Casey’s reaction—a shift in his body temperature from warm to ice-cold—made her feel it all the more. The news paralyzed him a moment.

  He didn’t move a muscle.

  After long, drawn-out moments, he spoke through clenched teeth. “I’ll crush that Toby Watson.”

  “It’s not Toby’s,” she said in a rush.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement at the parlor doorway. A figure, tall and lean and good-looking as sin, strode into the room to stand beside Casey.

  Luke’s gaze bore down on her. He rasped, “Audrey, you’re having my baby?”

  Audrey faced him. “Oh, Luke.”

  Casey’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t miss the implication. He swiveled his head to glare at the man standing next to him. “You’re asking my sister if she’s having your kid?”

  Luke ignored Casey. His full attention was on her. “Answer me.”

  Audrey opened her mouth, but before she could utter her reply, Casey’s fist met with Luke’s face. “You son of a bitch.”

  Eight

  The punch surprised Luke, and he staggered back. He rebounded quickly and came at Casey with his fists clenched and ready, but at the last minute, he backed off.

  “Come on,” Casey said, waving both hands, egging him on and inviting a fight. “Take a punch so I can knock you to Carson City.”

  Luke glared at Casey and rubbed his face where he’d been hit. His cheek
was swollen. There would be a nasty bruise. “Back off, Casey. I’m not going to fight you.”

  Casey bellowed, “The hell you’re not.”

  Audrey’s tears stopped flowing. She’d made a big mess of everything and she didn’t know how to fix it, but she certainly didn’t want the two men she loved most in the world to have a barroom brawl in the middle of the parlor. “Stop it. Casey, you’re still recovering from a broken back.”

  He granted her a sideways glance. “Hell, Audrey, I’m fine. Now be quiet.”

  “I won’t be quiet. You’re not fine, and you’re not going to beat Luke up.”

  “Like he could,” Luke said, puffing his chest out.

  The two men sized each other up. Both of them were acting like juveniles.

  Casey got in Luke’s face. “You’re a bastard, Luke.”

  “No, he’s not.” Audrey was angry about Luke’s stubborn and far-reaching code of honor, but she wouldn’t stand here and allow Casey to make assumptions about Luke that weren’t true. “None of this is Luke’s fault. It was all my doing.”

  Casey snorted as if she’d handed him a load of manure. “It’s always the guy’s fault, Audrey Faith. No matter what you did, he did worse. I doubt you forced him into it.”

  Oh, but she had. Almost. She’d seduced him. “He didn’t even know it was—”

  “I don’t want to hear details, for pity’s sake.” Casey cut her off, his face pinched tight.

  Luke stepped in between her and Casey and spoke directly to her brother. “You’re right. I’m a bastard. You trusted me and I blew that trust to hell.”