Lonestar Secrets

by Colleen Coble

  Several other horses performed well especiallyTucker's bay mare. Shannon couldn't help admiring the mustang's clean lines and tight circles around the cones. It would be a close race between her and Jack's stallion.

  Tucker was smiling as he rode out of the corral. His gaze locked with hers and he cantered over to where she stood. Would he listen to a plea from her? She hadn't tried a direct assault on the man he used to be.

  "Nice job," she said, returning his smile with as much warmth as she could muster. It must have been enough, because his eyes widened and his eyes brightened. "Care if I walk back to your corral with you?" she asked.

  "Want to ride?" His grin held a smirk.

  "Only if it's by myself. I'm a married woman." She spoke lightly so he didn't take offense.

  "I'll walk with you then." He swung down and looped the reins around his palm.

  Jack's gaze landed on Shannon. He frowned and beckoned to her with his finger. She shook her head and tore her gaze from his. Something had to be done about the situation withTucker, so she had to try. Hopefully she'd have good news to share with him after her talk with Tucker.

  "I assume you've come to make me an offer," Tucker said when they reached his corral behind the barn.

  She stopped and put her hand on his arm. "Not really. I just wanted to talk a minute. I don't want us to be enemies. We were friends once."

  "More than friends," he said, leering.

  Her cheeks burned, but she held his glance. "It was never about sex, Tucker. You were a good friend when I needed one. You cared about me, about when I was hurt and crying. You helped me study for my final that one Easter, remember?"

  He dropped his gaze, and his smile fell with it. "Don't be gettin' all touchy-feely with me, Shannon. It's bad for the image."

  "Tucker, I know you've got good in you. Don't try to hurt me or the girls in your vendetta with Jack. Be a man and walk away and let us have our lives."

  His boots shuffled in the dirt, and he still couldn't seem to meet her gaze. "Aw, Shannon, do you have to put it like that?"

  "Yes, I think I do," she said softly. "Be the person I know you can be, Tucker. For my sake and the sake of the girls."

  He looked up then. "I hate Jack, you know. I've got the perfect weapon and you're asking me not to use it."

  Shannon stared into his eyes and saw a glimpse of the man she'd once cared about. "I'm asking that of you."

  "I'll have to think about it," he said, his voice hard. "They're going to want to know who their daddy is someday."

  "Jack is their daddy. But you're their father."

  He narrowed his eyes. "Someday the girls will want to meet me."

  "I know. Make sure I always have your current address, and when that time comes, I'll give it to them."

  The fire banked in his eyes and he sighed. "You got a release form handy?"

  She did. She whipped it from the back pocket of her jeans and unfolded it. Yanking a pen from the other pocket, she handed it to him.

  The pen paused over the paper. "Pretty confident, weren't you?" He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

  She watched him shrug, scrawl his name on the paper and pass it back to her. "God will bless you for this, Tucker." She tucked the precious paper back into her pocket.

  "Yeah, well I hope he blesses me with a win on Saturday," he grumbled.

  "Shannon? What's going on here?" Jack's voice spoke from behind them.

  Shannon whirled to see her husband standing with his feet apart and his hands on his hips. "Jack, Tucker just signed the papers releasing all rights to the girls."

  "You ready to go see Wally?" he asked in an even tone.

  "The least you could do is say thanks," Tucker grumbled. "I wish I'd never signed that paper." He brushed past Jack.

  THE RIDE TO TOWN HAD BEEN SILENT. SHANNON COULD SENSE JACK'S anger brewing. The visit to the lawyer's hadn't calmed him either. She handed the paper to Wally, and he'd promised to get the adoptions finalized.

  When they got back to the truck, she snapped her seat belt in place, then turned to glare at him. "Just yell at me and be done with it. I can't take this brooding silence anymore."

  He didn't look at her. "I don't know what to say, Shannon. You promised no more secrets. Don't you trust me enough to tell me what you're up to?"

  "I didn't plan it beforehand! You weren't there when I woke up this morning thinking about it. I just decided to flat out ask Tucker to be a man and step aside. I had no real idea it would work, but I had to try. You should be glad he said yes."

  He rubbed his forehead. "I reckon it's going to take me some time to get rid of suspicion," he said. He reached over and took her hand. "No more secrets, Shannon?"

  She turned and faced him. "You know everything now, Jack. Everything. I hadn't planned this until I got up this morning and decided to try, so I took the paper with me. That was it. If you'd been here, I would have told you."

  "And I would have asked you not to. I ... I don't like the way he looks at you."

  He's jealous! She managed to hide her smile, but her spirits lifted. "Why did you leave without even a good-morning kiss?"

  "You were sleeping so peacefully, I wanted to let you rest." His eyes were tender.

  She leaned over and brushed her lips across his. "I forgive you," she whispered.

  Once inside the house, Shannon checked on the girls, who were napping, then went to her room. Her room. She'd thought Jack would ask her to move into his, but he hadn't said anything. Was he still fighting guilt about Blair?

  The leather book she'd found at the old apartment caught her eye, and she picked it up. Shannon turned the ledger over in her hands. There had to be a clue here, but she didn't know where else to look. She'd even tried slitting the back cover in a discreet place to see if Mary Beth had hidden another paper there. Nothing. Just an account book of some kind, with numbers and initials. And the letter written to some lover. She'd tried to find clues in it, but Mary Beth could have written it to anyone. It spoke of a dinner at the hotel and how much she loved him. That was it.

  Shannon flipped to the first page. Jack had wireless in the house, so she flipped open her MacBook and called up Safari. It was probably useless, but she put in several of the unfamiliar letter combinations. What popped up in Google made her jaw drop.

  Horses! Why hadn't she thought of that? She studied the row of initials. KD could be the Kentucky Derby. TP might be the Preakness. Was BS the Belmont Stakes? And the row of numbers was how much had been won. A huge grin split her face. She'd figured out something about it. The smile faded. So what? It still told her nothing.

  She was sure this wasn't Mary Beth's book. She never would have had the money to bet this high. Was this what the man who'd broken into her house had wanted? She flipped to the back of the book and the total there. Nearly eight million. The number jived with what the guy had asked for.

  Jack's figure loomed in the doorway. His gaze went to the book in her hands. "What are you doing with my father's ledger?"

  Shannon glanced down at the leather-bound book and frowned. "It's not your father's."

  He advanced across the pale pink carpet. "Sure it is. Look here." He traced the embossed design on the cover. "This is the MacGowan arms. I've seen him put entries into it for years."

  "He bet at horse races?"

  "Yeah. When our horses race." He opened the book and began to flip through the pages. A frown crouched between his eyes. "Wow, he's made nearly eight million dollars."

  "Is that even possible in horse racing?"

  Jack stared at the book. He didn't seem to hear her question. "I had no idea he had that much money," he muttered.

  "Just from betting on horses?" Shannon asked again. At least he was talking to her.

  "He's done it a lot of years," Jack said. "But you're right that's a lot of money."

  Could Jack Senior have made this money in other ways maybe by running a bookmaking business? But the even bigger question was how had Mary B
eth gotten this book? And why did she hide it? Shannon dreaded the answers to the questions. And why the same sum the big guy had demanded from her?

  Jack focused in on her face. "You never said where you got this."

  Shannon didn't want to tell him. It was going to hurt. She didn't want to see the light in his eyes go out, the questions that were sure to come when he found out. She kept her gaze locked on his, willing him to realize she wasn't involved in any of this. "Remember when I had to go back to my apartment for something?" she asked. "The day we went shopping for the wedding?" She waited until he nodded. "I wanted to see if I could find any clues to what Mary Beth had been up to. I had no idea why I was being harassed. When I got to the apartment, Mary Beth's room had been tossed. But I knew about the hiding place where we'd often put valuables, so I decided to check there and hope the intruders hadn't found it. I found this book there."

  Jack ran his hand over the embossed leather. "Mary Beth had my father's ledger? I don't understand."

  "I don't either." Shannon rubbed her temple. "She volunteered at the Republican headquarters last year. Maybe she met your father there and stole this journal. I'd forgotten about it because it doesn't seem to tell us anything. Or so I thought. I had no idea it was your dad's."

  The color drained from Jack's face. "That would mean my father could be involved with her disappearance." He stared at the ledger. "And the eight million dollars that's the same sum the guy wanted."

  The pain lines around his mouth broke her heart. "This book might have nothing to do with Mary Beth's kidnapping."

  His mouth twisted. "Nice try, Shannon, but I'm smart enough to realize the implications of this. I'm going to take it to my office and look it over." He tucked it under his arm and went down the stairs.

  Shannon winced when the office door closed downstairs. If something bad came out of this, would he blame her? Her fluffy pink room was a prison right this minute, and she paced the plush carpet as she waited to hear his office door open again. When she couldn't take another minute of being alone, she slipped out and went downstairs.

  She found Enrica in the kitchen browning hamburger. With the beans on the counter, she guessed the housekeeper was making chili.

  Enrica wiped her hands on her apron. "Miss Shannon, you not sleep in your bed last night. You take my advice, si?"

  "Yes," Shannon said, smiling. She slid onto a bar stool at the island and leaned on the granite counter. Remembering his manner in the truck on the drive home, she knew he loved her, even if he hadn't said the words yet. He would.

  Enrica wagged an onion-scented finger under Shannon's nose. "You not give up, Miss Shannon."

  "Don't worry, I'm not giving up." Her cell phone played, and she pulled it out from the holster at her waist. The number was local but not familiar. Probably someone with a sick animal. "This is Dr. MacGowan."

  "Shannon, how are you?" her father-in-law asked.

  Walking out of the kitchen, she tried to think why he'd call her. To invite them to a political event maybe. "Fine, sir. How about you?" She stepped out onto the porch and settled onto a chair.

  "Not so good, missy, not so good. Are you alone?"

  "Yes, I'm on the porch. Are you ill?" His voice was tremulous. But why call her if he was sick?

  "No, but I will be. I'd like to talk to you about something very important."

  "Okay."

  "Do you know the old copper mine at the end of Larson Road?" he asked. "There's a mining shack at the end of it. I'll meet you there in two hours. And Shannon, one more thing. Bring my ledger."

  "Sir?" Surely she'd misheard him. He had no idea she had it.

  "Bring my ledger with you. And don't tell Jack."

  "You've got Mary Beth?" Everything she thought she knew about what was going on took a 180-degree shift.

  "It's not what you think," he said.

  "I don't want to know any more than that Mary Beth is safe. I'll bring the ledger if you bring Mary Beth."

  The senator didn't answer, and she heard a faint click. He'd hung up on her. Did that mean he wasn't bringing Mary Beth? Shannon wasn't going to be a fool about it. If the senator thought he could send his goons to get the ledger without giving up Mary Beth, they'd find out they were wrong.

  She went inside and up the stairs to check on the girls. They were playing with their dolls in the little tent they'd made of blankets in Faith's room. She stood watching them a moment. They were more important than anything in her life. The easiest thing to do would be to hand over the ledger and try to forget their grandfather was some kind of crook.

  She went down the steps again to the closed office door and tapped on it. "Jack?"

  "Come on in, hon."

  The doorknob turned under her hand, so he hadn't locked the door. She stepped into the office and found Jack seated at the desk with the leather ledger open.

  "You decipher it yet?" she asked.

  He looked up from his perusal of the ledger and shook his head. "I tried to call Dad to ask him about this, but I had to leave a message on his voice mail. I told him you'd found a ledger I think might belong to him."

  "But if he's involved "

  Jack held up his hand. "What if it was stolen from him? He can help us shed some light on this mess. I've figured out a few things. Rick called. He heard from his friend Brendan. The number that was on the chip in your arm is a Swiss bank account. I think that's where this money is stored. I don't know what your friend Mary Beth was up to. Maybe she was trying to extort the money from my dad." His eyes bored into hers. "Were you in on this scheme, Shannon?"

  "Of course not! I can't believe you would even suspect me." Did last night mean nothing to him? "Jack, I'm your wife. I wouldn't hurt you." She'd come in here with every intention of telling him his father had called, but his reaction proved he'd defend the senator and suspect her. She tried to blame the air conditioner on the sudden shiver that trembled down her back.

  No more secrets. But what if telling him this one destroyed everything they'd built so far? She couldn't believe he even suspected her. She'd given him no reason to think she might be a criminal.

  The accusing light in his eyes faded, and he nodded. "I had to ask. I don't believe my father would do anything to hurt your friend. But he's got powerful enemies. Maybe they were using her. I'm going to have to talk to Dad." He stood and came around the desk. His hands came up as though to embrace her, then they dropped back to his sides when she stepped back. "Wally called, and there was one place on the adoption papers I missed signing. I have to run to town and do that. I'll be back in a couple of hours and then I'll try to find out what this is all about."

  He pressed a kiss on Shannon's forehead before he brushed past her to the door. Shannon hugged herself and felt the prick of tears at the back of her eyes. She blinked furiously. He suspected her of being an extortioner.

  It just went to show that it was never good to have any positive expectations of anyone.

  26

  SHANNON GLANCED AT THE LEATHER JOURNAL LYING ON THE SEAT OF HER Jeep as she drove to the mine. She had to get this done and return home before Jack suspected she'd taken it. She'd promised him no more secrets, but he'd given her no choice. Tears still burned her eyes.

  There's always a choice. The choice to do right.

  The voice that whispered in her head reproached her. She rubbed her forehead. This whole marriage thing was more than she'd bargained for. It wasn't about just living in the same house or even sharing the same bedroom. It wasn't only about feeling loved or wanted. It was about being one. She'd heard that in church, but it had never soaked in until now.

  Her years of independence had to come to an end if she wanted her marriage to Jack to be more than a business arrangement. The excuse she'd used to act alone right now didn't hold water. She'd rationalized during the drive that she wanted the girls to have at least one parent if this plan backfired, but Jack Senior wouldn't harm his own son. She was nearly to the rendezvous spot. She pulled into a nar
row opening in the mesquite and dug out her cell phone.

  She called Jack and got his voice mail. "Jack, I'm sorry but I took the journal. Your father called and wants it back in exchange for Mary Beth's freedom. I'm meeting your dad at the old miner's shack at the end of Larson Road. Please come. I ... I need you."

  The plea for help didn't come easily, but as the words escaped her mouth, she realized how true they were. She hung up and buried her face in her hands. She could finally admit the truth. She couldn't exist without Jack, couldn't function without his love and approval. What she felt was more than love it was need too. She, who had prided herself on being self-sufficient, needed him with every fiber of her being.

  Instead of horrifying her, the realization was almost ... freeing. She closed her phone and it chirped almost immediately. She flipped it open again. "Jack?"

  "Shannon, it's me," Mary Beth's voice whispered. "I need you to come get me before he finds me again."

  "Mary Beth, where are you?" More questions could wait until she had her friend out of danger.

  "I'm at Mitchell Pass." She ended on a sob.

  Shannon sagged in the seat. "What are you doing there? Never mind, I'll come. Where will I find you?"

  "I'll be hiding behind the big rock that looks like a buffalo."

  Shannon knew the spot. And Mitchell Pass. Her parents were buried in the cave there. Coincidence? Or a plot by the senator to make her reveal where the gold was buried? His curiosity about the Spanish treasure couldn't be coincidence.

  It didn't matter. She couldn't ignore her friend's plea. She promised to come right away, then tried Jack again. When she didn't get him, she left another message with the news of where she was heading next. Just as she was about to hang up, the low-battery beep sounded in her ear. Stupid phone was acting up again. Just her luck. She tried to call the sheriff, but the phone was dead before he picked up on the other end.