by Erica Penrod
Those big brown eyes, soft curls peeking beneath the brim of a black felt cowboy hat, and a strong physique prominently displayed in a black tux made her heart sway. And not because they belonged to the famous and wealthy Kip Morgan, but because they were bits and pieces of a man she was fighting not to fall in love with—and she was losing the battle.
* * *
A piece of Kip’s heart lodged in his throat, and he swallowed. Imagination didn’t do justice for the red dress in the ambiance of candlelight. The diamond earrings sparkled with her eyes, and he was grateful for the last-minute thought. Her hair was swept up to reveal the soft skin of her neck, and her lips glistened. Never mind dinner; he wanted dessert first.
Pulling the chair out, he motioned for Cassie to sit down, unable to trust his voice.
“This looks amazing,” she said as she sat.
Kip took the seat next her. “No, you look amazing.”
“Thank you,” she said, her cheeks turning the same shade as her dress.
He had asked to have a place setting for two at one end of the large table and the food accessible from there. Making a mental note to tip the staff generously for their creativity, he took the napkin from the table and placed it on his lap.
“It looks too pretty to eat,” Cassie said.
A tiny growl escaped his lips. “I wish I felt that way.”
Cassie lifted a fork to her salad. “Are you really hungry?” she asked, and placed a bite of fresh vegetables in her mouth.
“You could say that.” He grinned. His dimples deepened with his wide smile. “But not for food.”
She stopped chewing and smiled.
“So you’re famished, too?” he asked.
Cassie swallowed and took a sip of her water. “I am, but for the food.” Enjoying his flirtations, she added, “This salad is just exactly what I’ve been craving.”
Her eyes couldn’t keep up the façade, and they both laughed. Settling into an easy conversation, they enjoyed the meal, and though it turned out better than Kip planned, he couldn’t wait for it to be over. Once it felt appropriate, he set his napkin on his plate and stood up. He held a hand out to her.
“Would you like to dance?”
She looked up at him with inquiry. “Here?”
“Yes, here.” Kip took a small remote from a side table and pushed a button. Music played throughout the surround sound system.
Taking his hand, she stood up, and he took her in his arms. She looked up. “A little George Strait?”
Kip’s face lit up, and he held her tighter. “You recognize George Strait?”
Laughing, she said, “Of course. You can’t live in the Morgan household and not know he’s the king of country music.”
He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I couldn’t love you more than I do right now.”
The words were natural, and he didn’t even think about all of their implications; the last thing he wanted to do was scare her. They’d come so far, and he could be patient, taking things at her pace now he knew that she cared for him, too.
Fear flashed for a second, then it was gone, and her eyes turned a deeper shade. “You love me … or you love that I recognize George Strait’s music?”
Kip pulled away, just far enough to see her face clearly. Maybe it wasn’t the right time for her, but it was him. “You.” He took her face in his hands. “I love you.”
He kissed her slowly, softly, and then retreated to gauge her reaction.
Moments passed before she responded, and he knew her well enough to know she was processing all the reasons why he shouldn’t love her or why things wouldn’t work. “We’ve only known each—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Before you say anything else, I want to know that I’ve loved you in one way or another … since I was twelve years old.”
“What?” she asked.
“Since the day I remember meeting you, I never forgot you, even as a young, stupid kid. I wanted to find you in every girl I dated, and I never dreamed I’d actually see you again, and then …” His thoughts drifted into the past. “That day, I saw your picture on Danny’s desk, and I knew—”
“Wait.” She stepped back. “You saw what?”
Quickly he slammed into the future, crashing into Cassie’s roadblock. Her eyes sharpened into a green weapon. He imagined a shield of armor around her heart.
“You knew Danny?” Tears filled her eyes. “You knew he was my husband, and you didn’t tell me? I thought you just said that to Sanders. I never believed it was true.”
A tear spilled down her cheek, and he reached out to her. She pushed his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.” She wiped at her face. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
15
“No, the money hasn’t been located, but soon.” Sanders ran his hand over his head. “Yes … yes.” He closed his eyes. “I’m glad you’re aware of the consequences.”
Slamming his phone onto his desk, he swore and then swiped a stack of papers onto the floor. He cursed the day he ever hired Danny Carter. Sanders was fooled by the young man’s tenaciousness. Saunders took one look at the intelligent but eager-to-please applicant and believed he could mold Carter into the perfect employee, but he’d never been more wrong. In fact, if he didn’t find that money soon, he could end up dead wrong.
* * *
The balley faced cow crashed into the back fence. Kip bit his tongue to stop a string of curse words. He pulled up on the reins, spun the horse in a circle, headed back towards the herd, and tried to collect himself. A lost cow meant a low score. Even if the cutting had gone well, no amount of prize money could make up for the fact that Cassie wasn’t in the stands.
He hadn’t seen her since last night when she slammed her bedroom door. He couldn’t blame her; he was wrong to think he could keep things from her and expect it not to blow up in his face. If he could make her understand, he would try to help her see why he was afraid to tell her the truth. If he would’ve been honest in the beginning and told her about his acquaintance with Danny, she might not be hiding alone in their suite; but if he had revealed his secrets, she might not be there at all. Too much time had gone by, and he couldn’t go back. He had to find a way to move forward—with her.
Once Kip retired the horse to the stable and discussed financial arrangements with the owner of the two-year-old colt he intended to purchase, his thoughts returned to Cassie. There had to be a way to put things right. He made his way back to the elevator, determined to find it.
He didn’t even bother to change; he smelled like horses and sweat, but he wasn’t about to let another minute go by without trying to fix things. Knocking on her door, he called her name, but there was no answer. He tried again, and nothing. Mumbling something about a hard-headed woman under his breath, he twisted the door handle. Surprisingly, it opened … and the room was empty.
Kip sat at the edge of the bed with his head in hands. What kind of idiot was he? What if he’d already lost her when he wasn’t even sure if he had ever had her?
“What are you doing?”
He looked up and saw Cassie standing in the doorway.
“I was just about to come look for you,” he said, in a shaky voice.
She walked to him and knelt on the floor. Taking his hand in hers, she pulled him to the floor. Wrapping her arms around him, she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“You really messed things up, you know?” Cassie said. She lifted her head and stared into his eyes.
“I know,” he said, and smoothed the hair around her face. “I thought you left and I—”
Seeing his emotions, she reassured him. “It’s okay.”
He looked at her with incredulous eyes.
“I mean, it’s not okay that you didn’t tell me about Danny, but it’s okay in that I’m not going anywhere. I’m done running.”
Pulling her close, he kissed the top of her head. They sat side by side on the floor and leaned against the bed. He held her hand
and stroked her fingers.
“I should’ve told you a long time ago, and I didn’t,” Kip said.
She relaxed against his arm. “Yeah, you should have.”
“I just didn’t know, because let’s face it: you and I have had somewhat of a tumultuous relationship.” He felt her head nod in agreement, and he continued. “So I’m telling you everything now, and you’ll have to forgive me and be patient with me. I don’t know what I’m doing, and, well … I’m immature, and I’m younger than you are.”
She sat up and looked him in the face. “Yes, I know, and thanks for reminding me.” She pulled her knees to her chest. “Maybe we were doomed from the beginning.”
Kip panicked until he noticed her smile. “I don’t think so. You’re not getting out of this that easily.”
“I told you, I’m done trying to run from my emotions. I like the way you make me feel, and I love the way you are with my boys. But we’ll get back to that in a minute. Tell me what you know about Danny and about Sanders,” Cassie said.
“I hired Sanders to help with contracts once I committed to do the show, like I told you earlier. He flew to Texas and met with me on a few separate occasions, but sometimes on my way back to Utah, I stopped by his office in Phoenix.”
“And that’s where you met Danny.”
“Yes, I met him to go over some financial statements and investments. He invited me into his office, and I saw your picture. I knew it was you, even after all those years.”
“Hey.” She playfully socked him in the arm. “I’m not that old.”
Shaking his head, he laughed. “No, I mean, people change a lot between fourteen and twenty-five, and I’d only seen you once.” He gently rattled her leg. “You’re supposed to be flattered, because for me, you really were love at first sight, in a twelve-year-old sort of way.”
“Okay, Romeo, get back to the story.”
“I asked about the picture, and he told me about you. I didn’t mention that I recognized you, and he showed me photos of the boys.” Taking her hand again, he said, “I could tell he loved you, just by the way he said your name. You should know that. No matter what he did, he loved you and his boys.”
Cassie hiccupped a sob, and Kip wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “It’s okay. Cry all you want.”
Tears ran down her face, but she asked him to continue.
“Something was off about Sanders, and I knew it the second I met him. But once I went to his office, I knew they serviced more than fifteen-minutes-famous reality stars. The next time I had an appointment with Danny, I saw Sanders threatening him.”
He paused. “I’m sorry. I should have done something, but I didn’t. I knocked on the door and asked if everything was alright, and Danny said it was just a misunderstanding. They straightened their suits and shook my hand. Sanders left, and I could see Danny was upset, but he got right down to business.”
Kip stood up and found a box of tissues. He handed them to her and then sat down again.
“Only a few weeks later, I heard about his death. I couldn’t believe it, and all I could think about was you, wondering if you were okay and blaming myself for not doing more to help Danny. The accident was too coincidental after what I’d witnessed.”
“You think Sanders killed him?” Cassie asked.
“I’m not sure what happened. I know Sanders has to be involved, but what I don’t know is if he’s acting alone or if someone else is missing a piece of the pie.”
“I don’t know either,” she said. “But I think I know where and what to look for.” She paused and leaned back. “And as long as we’re being honest … you don’t smell very good.”
Kip tipped his head back and laughed.
16
Kip’s side-by-side flew up the red cliff trail he swore he knew like the back of his hand, but somehow that didn’t make Cassie feel any better. Rhett and Ryder were strapped in the back, where their matching black helmets with orange flames bobbed around like apples in a barrel. Cassie squealed, holding onto the sidebar.
“Can’t we slow down?” she asked.
“No! Faster, Momma!” Rhett yelled.
Kip laughed. “I promise, I’m in complete control.”
“I give up,” Cassie mumbled to herself. She decided to focus on the scenery and not her fear.
Once they reached the intended destination, they unpacked the cooler, and Cassie spread a thick quilt on the ground. There was a chill in the air, but with a jacket, it was nice in the sunshine. The boys ran around and climbed rocks. After three attempts to feed them, she gave up and decided they’d eat when they were hungry. She sat with her legs crossed, and Kip lay his head in her lap, his body stretched out and his boots overlapped at the ankles. She took his ball cap off and handed him a ham sandwich.
“No mustard, just the way you like it.”
“Can I just say that I love that you know what I like on my sandwiches?”
“I know. I’m kind of awesome like that.”
“Yes, you are.” He reached up and pulled her to him, placing a kiss on her lips.
Since they had returned to southern Utah from Vegas, things were different in a good way. Kip spent most of his time with Cassie and the boys. They’d become their own version of a family, and the only part Kip struggled with was discipline. He didn’t like being the bad cop, and she giggled to herself whenever the boys were upset, because Kip looked like he might cry right along with them.
For the first time since Danny’s death, she had hope of putting the Sanders mess behind her. She and Kip met with the private investigator a few different times and believed they had enough evidence to take to the police. If things went their way, Sanders would be behind bars for a very long time.
Cassie gave Kip the key she’d discovered hidden in the twins’ ceramic basketball money bank. Danny bought it as a souvenir for the boys when they were still in the womb, and she’d found it when she packed to move to Utah. There was an identification number, and after some research, they located the safety deposit box.
Kip flew to Arizona and retrieved the contents: three separate stacks of cash labeled Cassie, Ryder, and Rhett, along with a hard drive. The hard drive contained account numbers and passwords to offshore accounts. Cassie still didn’t know why Danny had them or who exactly owned them. According to the investigators, once they handed it over to the police, the case would more than likely be turned over to the FBI, but she didn’t care who took care of it as long as she could get on with her life.
“Are you excited to go to Texas?” Kip asked, grabbing a handful of chips.
“Yeah, I am. I’ve never been there before.”
“You won’t believe the horses at the Fort Worth Futurity. It’s the Super Bowl of cutting, and I can’t wait to take you to Quinlan and show you my house.”
“Me either,” Cassie said.
“Although it is a work in progress,” he said, and grinned. “I’m quite the carpenter; I’m just a little slow.”
“I’ll take that into consideration.” She ruffled his hair and touched his nose. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
* * *
The brick pressed into Sanders’s skin, and if he managed to make it out alive, he’d be removing embedded cement for weeks. It was one thing to be verbally threatened, but it was quite another for a man of his position to literally have his back against the wall. Backed against the wall and gasping for air.
He had hired numerous thugs himself, but his assailant looked nothing like the men he paid cash to deliver messages. The custom dark suit, clean shave, manicured nails, and a perfectly straight tie seemed out of character for someone threatening to kill him in an alleyway at noon. No doubt this man could do it with one quick twist of his meaty hands and still make his business lunch by one.
Sanders had worked hard to get where he was, and he didn’t get his hands or his suit filthy. That’s what money was for … which felt ironic now, considering he may die by the ha
nds of one of the wealthiest men in Texas. As he met the violent eyes of his attacker, he looked away, then to the ground, his gold cross swinging from his neck, and he realized Lucchese cowboy boots might be the last thing he’d ever see.
“Sanders,” the man sneered. “You’ve done enough, and believe me—you’ll make it up to me. But for now, stay out of it. I’ll handle it from here.” He let go, and Michael fell to his knees gasping for air. He looked up, and the man dusted his pants and straightened his tie.
“Good help is so hard to find these days,” he said, and then gave Sanders a swift kick to the gut.
* * *
Dallas was much larger than Cassie imagined, and so was Morgan Equine. There were over two hundred employees, and Ben knew each of them by name. After a tour of the plant and the business offices, they drove to Quinlan. It took less than an hour, and the boys slept the entire way. They planned to stay overnight in Kip’s home, which was tighter quarters than they were accustomed to, and would give Cassie and the boys a chance to see the Morgans’ roots.
She loved the house the moment she saw its character and charm, but even more so because it belonged to the man who owned her heart. A little piece of heaven and a wraparound porch.
That night they ordered pizza and played board games. Rhett and Ryder fell asleep on the floor once they put their stick horses in the barn for the night. Kip carried them to his room, and Cassie stayed with the girls while Ben and Grace took the third bedroom. The next morning, they hit the road to Fort Worth.
The Will Rogers Memorial Center was home to the World Championship Futurity. Cutters from all over congregated to crown world champions. Thousands of people mingled through the exhibit hall, with vendors of all things cutting and horses. Cassie held tight to Rhett, and Ryder clung to Kip’s hand while they waited in line for drinks and a snack. Ben, Grace, and the girls were still shopping and would meet them later at the arena.
