Congratulations were effusive, and she lost sight of Riley. She posed for pictures with the mayor and the other honorees.
An awkward hush caught Lisa’s attention. It became clear that someone was saying something that had made people stop and listen.
Standing only five feet away with his hands in his pockets, Caleb Douglas rocked back on his heels. His next words were clear. “Why, she’s probably the only trailer-trash royalty in the state of Montana.”
No one laughed. His derogatory remark dampened the frivolous mood and garnered more than a few stares. A dozen sidelong glances were cast at Lisa to see if she’d overheard.
Her ears burned with anger. She wasn’t ashamed of who she was or where she’d come from. It was the fact that he’d belittled her heritage and her family that got her feathers in a snit.
She turned a glare on him that would have scorched a lesser man. “I may not have been raised in a fancy house and waited on hand and foot,” she told him. “But my grandmother and my aunt loved me and they taught me honesty and integrity. I wouldn’t use another person’s feelings to get what I want, and I would never encourage a child of mine to do the same.”
Caleb seemed surprised by her show of grit and the way people had listened to what she had to say.
“I think that crown’s gone to your head, missy,” he said. “Just like the money did.”
This wasn’t the time or the place to vent her hurt and anger over the Douglases’ manipulations, so she took a breath and counted to ten. Ten wasn’t enough. She opened her mouth to speak, but before anything came out, Riley’s voice interrupted her.
“Lisa’s the last person who would let money go to her head,” he said, speaking directly to his father. “She’s the most genuine, unaffected and trustworthy person I know. That you could have anything ugly to say about her tells me you don’t know her. If you did, you’d know someone with a lot of love to give and very little concern about what money will get her.”
Riley turned, and Lisa met his vivid green gaze. His attention refocused on her.
“If you knew her,” he continued, “you’d have to love her.”
Lisa’s heart staggered and she took several deliberate breaths to make sure she didn’t pass out. This was worse than sneezing on someone’s tie, but she didn’t really care. She wanted to hear what he had to say.
“I got to know her,” Riley said. “And now I can’t think about anything else but loving her.”
Tears welled up and clung to Lisa’s lower lashes until she saw him through a watery blur.
Riley turned to the people beside him, as though explaining to a jury. “I deceived her when we met. I pretended to be interested in her when I was really only concerned about regaining ownership of the gold mine. My values were nothing you’d want to teach your children.”
“What about now?” Heads turned to discover the voice that had spoken that question belonged to Adele Douglas, looking cool and sophisticated as always in a stunning silver dress. The crowd parted for her to move closer to her son. “What are you concerned with now, Riley?”
He glanced from his mother back to Lisa. “I’m concerned with convincing her I can change.” His gaze was warm and beseeching. “With showing her I deserve a second chance.”
“And?” Adele asked softly.
“And with proving that my love for her is real.”
Lisa’s blood pounded through her veins.
“I love you, Lisa,” he said. “Please forgive me. Please marry me. Please…give me another chance.”
In the silence that followed, you could have heard an itch. No one seemed to breathe as anticipation and hope electrified the room.
Lisa couldn’t take her focus from Riley’s face. His cheeks were high with color, but his eyes were pleading and sincere. She knew people were watching and waiting on all sides and she could imagine the look on Caleb’s face, but none of that mattered at this moment.
The most unexpected image came to her unbidden. At that moment she saw Lily Divine’s face as it appeared in her photographs and in the painting. Her great-great-grandmother’s smile of contentment made Lisa yearn to share Lily’s peace with her life choices. Made her desire the same assurance that she was being all she could be and leaving no breathing room for regrets.
Lisa’s nerves had calmed and she was thinking with perfect rationality. She had no guarantee that Riley wasn’t pulling the ultimate scam right at this moment. That he hadn’t staged this for her benefit or even that his father hadn’t been a part of it. But she didn’t think so.
At last Lisa’s gaze faltered and shot to Caleb where he stood. His face was red with anger and his green eyes shot lethal daggers at her. If he was in on a scheme, he would be much more pulled together and look less as if he would burst a blood vessel in his forehead at any moment.
Riley’s expression didn’t seem quite as confident as it would if he thought he’d pulled a fast one. In fact, she thought he’d begun to look decidedly anxious.
“I’ll sign a prenuptial agreement,” he told her, uncannily zeroing in on her last uncertainty.
“I can have one drawn up in five minutes.” Bernadine’s voice had come from several feet away. Her suggestion released the crowd’s tension, and laughter rippled.
Lisa took several steps forward until she stood within an arm’s length of Riley. “There aren’t any guarantees,” she said. “A hundred years ago someone bought a claim to the land where the mine sits, with nothing more than hope as a guide. Then somewhere along the line another somebody gave up. The gold was in there all along.”
“I know this is a long-winded metaphor for something, Lisa, but could you speed it up and tell me how it turns out?” Riley asked.
She grinned. “It turns out that some things happen by chance. Like Erik stumbling into the mine. Like me being related to Lily.”
“Maybe it’s chance,” Riley said. “But maybe it’s not. Maybe there’s a time and a reason for everything.”
“Isn’t that a Simon and Garfunkel song?”
“Not exactly.”
She took a step forward and placed her hand on his arm. “In any case, I’d rather take my chances with love—and trust. I don’t want any regrets.”
Riley slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll see that you don’t have any.”
“You’d better make your second chance good.”
“This time I love you.”
She raised on her toes to meet his kiss. Riley wrapped his arms around her, and she clung to him greedily. She was never going to let go of this man again.
Around them the crowd cheered and whistled.
Lisa was so filled with joy, she could barely breathe. When the kiss ended, she glanced around at the smiles and tears on the faces of the people of Thunder Canyon. She had misjudged a lot of these people. And some of them had misjudged her, as well. She was big on second chances.
A movement caught her eye. Caleb had turned toward the door, and his wife watched as Justin and Katie broke away from the others to follow him.
“Your father hates me.”
“Like I said, he doesn’t even know you.”
“I don’t want to come between you.”
“Right now there are a few value issues between us. If he wants to salvage his family, he’ll come around. I’m not changing. And I’m not giving you up. Not for anything.” His gaze rose to her hair. “You’re the queen of my heart, too.”
She remembered the tiara on her head. “What do you suppose the headlines will say tomorrow?” She glanced around. “Is Chad Falkner here?”
Riley gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. “Saw him back there. Why?”
“I’m wondering if People magazine will put my picture beside Queen Latifah’s this time.”
“Who?”
“Never mind. You’re really going to have to widen your interests and take in a few movies.”
“I’ll take you all the time.”
“We could open a the
ater! Or an old-fashioned drive-in. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“So, you’ll marry me?”
“Yes!”
He squeezed her hand and smiled.
“I’m having my house moved, you know.”
“I’ll live there with you.”
“Will you not bring your furniture?”
“How about my bed?”
“Okay, your bed. We’ll need room for the boys.”
Riley groaned.
Lisa laughed and he crushed her in a hug.
“Montana Woman Has Big Plans. My house at eleven.”
“Local Heiress Gives Thunder Canyon Scion A Second Chance,” he said against her ear. “Montana man has never been happier, and it has nothing to do with gold.”
Epilogue
Lisa glanced around their new backyard—well, acreage, actually. Riley had convinced her to have her grandmother’s house moved to this incredible forested site near a stream on a northeast section of Douglas land with a breathtaking view of the mountains.
No longer did she need dog runs to cage her beloved boys while she was away. This entire section of land had been fenced in so they could run for half an acre and back.
Today the area directly outside the back door was set up with enormous canopies and long tables in preparation for their housewarming party. The celebration had been Katie’s idea, and she waddled between the kitchen, the two caterers’ vans and the tables, making sure everything was arranged perfectly.
She and Lisa had announced their pregnancies at nearly the same time. Katie’s baby was due in eleven weeks and Lisa’s in ten. Lisa was delighted that her child would grow up with a cousin so close in age, an aunt and an uncle and even grandparents. This was the family she’d always wanted, even if some of the relationships still needed a little work.
The side gate opened and Justin and Riley carried flat boxes toward the tables.
“What’re those?” Lisa called.
“More cakes,” Riley answered. “The baker at Super Saver Mart wanted to contribute something to the festivities, so she made these this morning.”
“Goodness,” Katie said. “We already had four cakes.”
“Don’t worry that they’ll go to waste,” Justin told his wife. “Riley invited all the store employees and their families to stop by this afternoon.”
Lisa laughed and gave her husband a hug, which was becoming more difficult with the size of her belly coming between them. Riley rested a hand atop her stomach and kissed her. “How’s little Frodo doing?”
“His name’s not Frodo,” Lisa replied. After they’d watched the entire Lord of the Rings series together, he’d become obsessed with naming their expected child after one of the characters. Last week it had been Aragorn.
“You can name our next pet Frodo, not our child. We could agree on Sam,” she told him for the hundredth time.
Excited barks sounded, and Riley stepped away from her to greet Joey, Piper and Derek. Derek had stayed with them a few months ago when Riley’s father had been in the hospital for bypass surgery, and now Adele brought the poodle at least once a week for a sleepover. She claimed he needed the exercise and companionship, and Lisa’s two retrievers were used to new canines sharing their space.
Riley knelt and gave each dog equal attention, scratching behind their ears and stroking their fur. He’d convinced his mother to let Derek’s fur grow out of the ridiculous pom-pom cut.
“I told you this canine has more dignity and self-respect now,” he said.
Lisa and Katie shared a look.
“What?” he said defensively. “Look at him. He’s one of the guys now.”
“He’s no different, Riley,” Katie told him. “Only his appearance has changed.”
“Improved appearance does bring confidence,” Lisa said.
“Are you people talking about the dog?” Justin asked.
Riley gave Derek a solid pat on the haunches and stood. “Lisa told me once that Derek only has so many years in him, so I’d better make the most of them.”
“I guess that’s true about anything,” Justin said. “Like you and I, Riley. We don’t have a past as family, but you’ve let me into your present and future.”
Riley looked at his half brother. “Your birth wasn’t your fault. I always understood that. I don’t know what I resented more—the fact that our father was deceptive or that you forgave him so easily.”
“I wanted a family,” Justin replied. “More than I wanted to hang on to the anger.”
The conversation had turned more serious, and the two couples glanced at each other.
“Riley’s letting the Derek philosophy spill over to Caleb,” Lisa said.
Riley nodded. “Seeing him in the hospital showed me we didn’t have a lifetime to work through this stuff, so we need to do it now.”
“Did he tell you he was sorry?” Katie asked. “It’s tough to forgive when someone isn’t sorry.”
“Not in so many words,” Riley answered with a shrug. “Right off I made it plain how things would be regarding my wife. He didn’t know Lisa and he was judging her unfairly. Everything has always been about money with him.”
Riley studied his beautiful wife, her eyes bright with the pleasure of life. Tiny ringlets of hair lay against her cheeks and temples. She bothered less and less to straighten it these days, but it didn’t matter. She was all the more beautiful carrying his child.
“Once, it was all about money with me, too.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Until I found out money really can’t buy love or happiness.”
“Sure helped with all the extras, though.” Lisa smiled and touched his cheek.
“I missed a lot by not looking outside my narrow, moneyed life,” he said. “Thank goodness I had another chance.”
“We have a second chance,” she corrected.
Justin wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder and they strolled away from the couple who’d become absorbed in each other.
Piper barked at a squirrel and the three dogs bounded away.
“I have a surprise for you.” He took a red velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it before showing her what lay inside.
Lisa took the plain gold band between her thumb and forefinger. “It’s beautiful, Riley! But I already have a wedding ring.”
“It’s not a wedding ring. It’s made from some of the first gold mined from the Queen of Hearts. It’s just…a symbol.”
None of this would have happened if gold hadn’t been found or if Lisa hadn’t been proven the rightful owner. For once, losing had turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to Riley Douglas.
Lisa slipped the ring on a finger and kissed him.
Her kisses were better than anything money could buy.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Cheryl St.John for her contribution to the MONTANA MAVERICKS: GOLD RUSH GROOMS series.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8754-3
MILLION-DOLLAR MAKEOVER
Copyright © 2005 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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Million-Dollar Makeover Page 19
