Someone had got a shot of her at the rodeo. Renee had actually thought it wasn’t as bad as some of the paparazzi shots and she liked the way Chloe’s jeans had looked on her. But her mother had, of course, felt it necessary to remind Renee how fat and embarrassing she was—especially in those clothes. Sequins were against her mother’s rules, to say nothing of actual blue jeans. The horrors.
Renee hadn’t even finished reading it. She was a grown woman, an expectant mother. She did not have to let her mother into her life anymore. Her parents had never loved her—or Clint. She owed them nothing.
The secretary made more notes and Renee forwarded a screenshot to the lawyer’s email. “What else do you need from me?” Because no one had escorted her to Rikers or arranged for transportation. She was here to plead with Clint, wasn’t she?
The bored prosecutor looked over his notes again and Renee fought the urge to roll her eyes. Finally, the man said, “Ms. Preston-Willoughby, Clinton Preston has accepted a plea deal in which he’ll get a reduced sentence in exchange for testifying against Darin Preston.”
“Oh.” The word rushed out of her. “That’s good. If I may ask...how reduced?”
“He’ll plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of twelve years at a minimum-security prison with the possibility of parole. He might be out in seven.” The prosecutor looked up at her. “I don’t plan on letting your father out of prison in his lifetime, even if he pleads guilty to avoid a trial.”
“Good.” If the man was surprised by this, he didn’t show it. “Will you be able to extradite my mother?”
That got her a faint smile. “If we do, will you be willing to testify against her?”
Renee thought about all those terrifying family dinners with forks repeatedly stabbed into her legs and being blamed for getting blood on her ruined pants and skirts. She thought about a lifetime of manipulation and deceit, of being made to feel small and hopeless and embarrassing.
Then she imagined her mother in the defendant’s table, being forced to listen to Renee poke holes in her story of innocence one precise jab at a time. She smiled. Let her mother find out what real anxiety was like. “I’d be delighted to.”
“I believe we have everything we need,” the prosecutor went on. “If your father’s case goes to trial, we’ll expect your full cooperation.” Renee nodded. That was always the deal. “Please don’t leave the country and keep my office informed of where you are. Otherwise, you are free to go.” He gave her that faint smile again. “Good luck, Ms. Preston-Willoughby.”
She sat there for a moment, stunned. “I can go back to Texas if I want?”
Not that it was a good idea—it wasn’t. She’d walked away from Oliver, after all. And he had paparazzi watching him now. She’d seen the pictures of him entering and leaving his building and Lawrence Energies’s office complex. In every single shot, he was scowling. In all probability, she was probably lucky he hadn’t punched anyone. But at least he wasn’t running. He’d remembered that.
She’d done that. She’d taken away his privacy, not to mention Chloe and Flash’s privacy. The Lawrence family was in the press in a highly public way.
“Of course. Get a job, move on with your life. We won’t be garnishing your wages or any wages of anyone you marry.”
Renee’s mouth almost, almost dropped open at that, but those old damned habits kept her face blank. The prosecutor was just as unreadable but she shouldn’t have been surprised. The man was no idiot.
“That’s good to know. Thank you.”
She and her lawyers stood, as did the prosecutor. Everyone shook hands. “Good luck,” the man said.
She almost laughed at that. She’d been born to privilege and she was lucky enough to have known the love of the Lawrence family. But beyond that?
She’d been lucky enough to have a good month with Oliver. To ask for more than that would be too much.
She said goodbye to her lawyers and then hurried to the ladies’ room. Her bladder seemed smaller every day. Her baby was growing. She could focus on impending motherhood now. That would be enough.
Lost in thought about what kind of job she might be able to get—something anonymous would be great—she exited the elevators into the lobby and headed for the door. She could see the paparazzi milling around outside but she didn’t care anymore.
“I thought you hated the paparazzi.”
That voice. His voice. “Oliver?” Renee stumbled as she whipped around, searching for him. Please, please don’t let her be imagining his voice.
“But here you are, about to walk right out into their waiting cameras.” He guided her to the side so effortlessly that she wasn’t sure her feet touched the ground.
“You’re here,” she whispered as he pulled her into a waiting elevator. His arm went around her waist and he pulled her against his chest. God, she’d missed him. The five days since she’d forced herself to walk away from him had been a new, different kind of misery. She threw her arms around his neck and held on tight as the elevator doors slid shut. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” He hit the button for the garage level and they began to move. “I made you a promise.”
“You did?” She searched her memories and her heart sank.
He’d promised Clint he’d look after her.
Oh, no. He wasn’t here because he couldn’t live without her. He was here because he had a promise to keep. This wasn’t any different than him offering to marry her because it might help. Oliver Lawrence was the most honorable man she’d ever known. Even though she’d walked away from him, he was going to take care of her. Whether she wanted him to or not, apparently.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, her voice too soft. She was too soft when it came to him. Because she’d walked away once with her head up and her shoulders back. She wasn’t sure she could do it again.
“I do.” He lifted her chin so she looked him in the eye. “I promised I wouldn’t leave you without saying goodbye.”
She reared back, but he didn’t let her go. He had promised that, hadn’t he?
“But...” she said, staring at him. “I said goodbye.”
“I didn’t.” Her breath caught in her throat at the sound of his voice, deep and intense. Oliver’s eyes darkened. “What do you want, Renee?”
Before she could come up with an answer, the elevator dinged again and people got on. Oliver shifted so that Renee was standing next to him but his arm stayed locked around her waist and, fool that she was, she leaned into him.
He was really here. He was warm and he smelled like Oliver and he was wearing cowboy boots in New York with his suit, and if she wasn’t careful, she was going to burst into tears.
Her brother had agreed to a plea deal. Her father was never getting out of jail and, with any luck, her mother would be locked up before too much longer.
Renee was free to do whatever she wanted.
So what did she want?
They rode in silence the rest of the way down to the parking garage. He led her to a chauffeured car. The driver hurried to open the back door for her and Oliver guided her inside.
It was only when the door was shut that Renee found her voice. “What...”
“You didn’t really think I was going to let you walk into that crowd of sharks and try to hail a cab, did you?” He shook his head like he’d told a joke.
“Oliver,” she said, aiming for a sharper tone. His eyes softened as he folded her hand in his. “What are you doing here?”
“Coming for you.”
She blinked and then, when nothing changed—he was still staring down at her with those warm brown eyes, still looking at her like he was glad to see her.
How was any of this possible? She’d seen the headlines. The wild—and not always wrong—guesses about the nature of her relationship with Oliver. The firefighters tellin
g how she’d almost burned down the ranch house. Hell, someone had even got Lucille to give a comment. True, it’d been “Private people are entitled to private lives. Now, get off my porch or I’ll shoot,” but still.
“You know if we’re seen together again, it’ll only make things worse for you.”
Everything soft and happy about Oliver hardened in a heartbeat. “Renee, what do you want?”
Her eyes watered instantly and she had to turn to look out the darkened windows of the car. They were out of the garage now and slowly creeping past the paparazzi waiting for her outside the building. She wondered how long they’d wait. Hopefully hours.
“I don’t want to cost you your business,” she said because it was the truth.
He snorted. She jerked her head around to stare at him. “Renee. What do you want? In the next five minutes or the next five years. What you want. Not what you or anyone else thinks you should do.”
Her throat got tight and somehow, a lifetime of training herself not to cry began to fail her now. Because Oliver was the only person who’d ever asked and actually listened to the answer. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Oh, babe.” He moved, pulling her onto his lap. She curled into him. “You know what I want?”
She shook her head against his shoulder.
“I want to take long walks around the park and maybe trail rides on the ranch. I want to see first steps and hear first words. I want to come home to fresh-baked cookies and spend nights in bed with you and wake up in the morning knowing you’ll be right there. I want to be by your side, in sickness and in health, in scandal and in quiet times—hopefully more quiet than this,” he added with a chuckle.
“But why?” She sniffed. “Why would you risk everything for me?”
He tilted her face up and stared into her eyes. “Because I love you.”
Her breath caught. She wanted that life, too. She wanted to raise her baby with him and know that he’d always be there for her. He’d never leave her and never cheat on her because he couldn’t live without her. Not because she was a promise he had to keep.
“I love you, Renee,” he repeated again, putting more force on the words. He tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. “And you know what?”
“What?”
“You’re worth more than any business or house or even swans. I’d give all of it up in a heartbeat, just as long as you were by my side. My father, my siblings—they’re all grown adults. They can take care of themselves. I don’t have to do anything for them. I only have to do what I want. And what I want is to marry you. I want to love you for the rest of our lives. That’s all I want.”
She gasped. As declarations went, that was pretty damned good. Much better than offering to marry her if it’d help. But there was still one giant, huge problem. “I can’t be your problem to solve, Oliver. I can’t. That’s not a life.”
She braced for him to start a running list of why he could protect her, how he could take care of her—just like he’d done when she’d been outed at the rodeo. But instead, he touched his forehead to hers. “I’m always going to do my best to make things easier for you. Not because you’re my responsibility but because that’s what you do for someone you love.”
When she didn’t say anything, he cupped her face and kissed her. “Tell me what you want. Forget the cameras and our families. Just you and me, babe. We’re the only ones who matter.”
“I want it all,” she sobbed. Stupid hormones. “I want to bake and crochet and take care of my baby. I don’t want nannies or chefs or... Well, Lucille is okay. But I just want us. I want to know that you won’t lie to me and I won’t lie to you. I want to know you’ll come home at the end of the day and we’ll spend the evening together as a family. I want to hang out with Chloe and be irritated by Flash. I want...” She was crying so hard she could barely talk. “I want to be a Lawrence. I’ve always wanted to be a Lawrence. I want a big, happy family where everyone is loud and messy and loved and no one hurts anyone. And I want that with you.”
“Oh, babe.” His voice sounded choked as he wrapped her up in a huge hug and let her cry. When she’d calmed down a little, he looked her in the eyes. His thumbs rubbed over her cheeks, erasing her tears. “Renee, I promise you—I will never lie to you or cheat on you. I will always be there for you and make sure you have the space you need to find your own path forward. I’m not going to give up on you and I’m not about to let a little notoriety drive me away. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because you—both of you,” he added, resting a hand against her belly, “will always be family. Because I love you.”
“I love you, too. God, Oliver, I love you so much.”
He kissed her again and again and she lost herself in his touch, his taste, his smell. God, he smelled so good. Renee had no idea how much time had passed before the car made a wide turn, startling her back to her senses. “Where are we going?”
Oliver gave her that smile that, had she been standing, would have weakened her knees. “We’re going home.”
Finally.
Home was with Oliver.
Epilogue
“Up next on ESPN, June Spotted Elk has an exclusive interview with the Princess of the All-Around All-Stars Rodeo, Chloe Lawrence, about how the All-Stars are about to break big.”
Pete Wellington’s head popped up from the report on cattle prices he was working on. Not that there were many cattle left—but even if there were, at these prices, he’d never be able to pay the mortgage off. “What the hell?”
He caught a glimpse of the one woman who could make his blood boil with nothing more than a smile. Because Chloe Lawrence was smiling at the screen and his blood hit boiling in 0.2 seconds.
The camera cut to June, the world-famous bull rider. “Bull riding brings in the big money. How can the All-Stars compete with the Total Bull Challenge?”
Pete’s eyelid began to twitch as the camera cut back to Chloe. She flipped her rich auburn hair over her shoulder, the rhinestones on her shirt—unbuttoned just far enough to hint at the tantalizing curves of her breasts—sparkling in the lights. But nothing outshone her smile. That damned woman simply glowed. “For starters, I’m hoping to get you to ride on our circuit!” The women laughed. “We’ll be introducing more women competitors,” Chloe went on.
God forgive him, she was nothing short of perfect, which only made his ridiculous attraction that much worse. How many people tossed and turned at night because she haunted their dreams with that smile, those lips, that body? How many woke up hard and aching for her?
Probably too many to count. Pete took comfort that he wasn’t alone.
But no one else saw her for what she was. The rest of the world bought into her stupid cowgirl persona.
He didn’t want her. Hell, his life would be that much better if he never heard the names Chloe or Lawrence ever again. Pete’s body might crave hers, but his brain knew the truth.
Chloe Lawrence was no cowgirl. She was nothing but a thieving, cheating liar, from a long line of cheats and thieves. The Lawrence family were little more than con artists and criminals. They’d stolen Pete’s rodeo, his family ranch—his entire life.
Now she was ruining his rodeo. The one her father maintained that Pete’s father had lost fair and square in a poker game. But Pete knew better.
When it came to Chloe Lawrence and her damned family, Pete Wellington had one goal and it had nothing to do with the way he ached for her.
He wanted his life back. And he was going to start by getting his rodeo back.
Even if he had to steal it out from under her nose.
* * * * *
If you loved this family drama and sensual scandal, pick up these other titles from Sarah M. Anderson!
A MAN OF HIS WORD
A MAN OF PRIVILEGE
A MAN OF DISTINCTION
<
br /> PRIDE AND PREGNANCY
NOT THE BOSS’S BABY
Available now from Harlequin Desire!
* * *
If you’re on Twitter,
tell us what you think of Harlequin Desire!
#harlequindesire
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE LOVE CHILD by Catherine Mann.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Desire story.
You want to leave behind the everyday! Harlequin Desire stories feature sexy, romantic heroes who have it all: wealth, status, incredible good looks...everything but the right woman. Add some secrets, maybe a scandal, and start turning pages!
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Desire every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice
OR
EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.
Click here to join for FREE
Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.
The Love Child
by Catherine Mann
One
“Spread your legs wider, please, Mr. Mikkelson.”
His Best Friend's Sister Page 16
