Tilting her chin, she smiled up at him. “Good afternoon, Sheldon.”
Jeremy studied the myriad of emotions crossing Sheldon’s face. His mother had died the year he turned ten; however, he’d been old enough to recognize the surreptitious glances between his parents. Unspoken glances that precipitated retiring to bed before their sons. And the look his father and Renee shared was one usually reserved for lovers.
Sheldon reluctantly pulled his gaze away from Renee and nodded at his son. “Jeremy.”
“Hey, Pop. I’m glad you’re back because I need to talk to you.”
“I’ll be in the den when you’re finished here.”
Jeremy turned to Renee. “Can we finish this another time?”
She blinked as if coming out a trance. “Of course.”
Jeremy stood up and followed Sheldon, the remnants of Renee’s conversation with her brother lingering in his head.
Sheldon entered the den and sat in his favorite chair, while Jeremy took a facing love seat. “What’s up?”
Jeremy studied his father, seeing what he would look like in another twenty years, while hoping he would age as elegantly.
“Ryan and Kevin want to race Jahan at Santa Anita and Kentucky Oaks.”
Leaning forward and clasping his hands between his knees, Sheldon caught and held Jeremy’s gaze. “You don’t trust their decision?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust them, Pop. It’s just that I—”
“You don’t trust them, Jeremy,” Sheldon repeated emphatically, interrupting his younger son. “If you did then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Once I retired and turned complete control of running the farm to you, I’d hoped you wouldn’t second-guess Ryan or Kevin’s decision whether a horse is ready for a race.
“When you and Ryan decided to race Jahan for the International Gold Cup, I conceded because you, Kevin and Ryan overruled me by three-to-one. You’ve been overruled, Jeremy, so leave it at that.”
For a long moment, Jeremy stared back at Sheldon. “Okay, Pop. I won’t oppose them. But, there is something else I should tell you.”
He repeated what he’d heard of Renee’s conversation with her brother, watching Sheldon change before his eyes like a snake shedding its skin. An expression of hardness had transformed his father into someone he did not know—a stranger.
It was Jeremy’s turn to lean forward. “Talk to me, Pop.”
Sheldon’s voice was low, quiet as he told his son what Renee had disclosed about her relationship with Donald Rush. “Are you familiar with the slug?” he asked.
“I know he is a pioneer in the computer game industry.”
“Like those games Sean plays with?”
Jeremy nodded. “Yes. She doesn’t want him to find her, Pop.”
“And he won’t. At least not here. If he steps one foot on Blackstone property he’ll be shot on sight.”
“What are you going to do? Hold her hostage?”
Sheldon shook his head. “No. I’ll protect her. I want you to increase security around the property.”
“Can you actually protect Renee from a man who might sue for joint custody of a child he can prove is his?”
“No,” Sheldon admitted.
“I know another way you can protect Renee without becoming her bodyguard or shooting her ex-boyfriend.”
“How?”
Jeremy watched his father with hooded eyes that resembled a hawk. “Marry her.” The instant the two words were uttered, he girded himself for a violent outburst, but when Sheldon sat staring at him with eyes filled with raw, unspoken pain he regretted the suggestion.
Lowering his head, Sheldon stared at the toes of his boots. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not, Pop?”
His head came up. “Why not?” he repeated. “Because I wouldn’t be a good husband for her.”
“Is it because she’s carrying another man’s baby?”
“No. I wouldn’t have a problem raising her child as my own.”
“Then, what is it?”
A melancholy frown flitted across Sheldon’s taut features. “I wasn’t there for Julia when she needed me. Your mother found a lump in her breast, and had a biopsy without my knowledge; when she discovered it was malignant she swore her doctor to secrecy.”
Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Why wouldn’t she tell you?”
“Because she knew I never would’ve completed the circuit for Boo-yaw’s Derby eligibility. She knew how much I wanted a Derby win.”
“But, Pop. You can’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t control.”
Sheldon buried his face in his hands. “The signs were there, son, but I was too caught up in my own world to notice them.”
Moving to the opposite end of the love seat, Jeremy rested a hand on his father’s shoulder. “What happened with my mother is over, and can’t be undone. But now you have a second chance to make things right.”
Sheldon’s head jerked up. “What are you talking about?”
Rising to his feet, Jeremy turned to walk out of the room. He hesitated, but didn’t turn around. “Look at what you have, and what you could hope to have.”
Sheldon repeated Jeremy’s cryptic statement to himself, refusing to accept the obvious. The minutes ticked off, the afternoon shadows lengthened, the sun dipped lower on the horizon. Dusk had fallen when he finally left the den.
CHAPTER NINE
Renee did not see the shadowy figure sitting on the top stair until she was practically on top of him. If she hadn’t been daydreaming then she would have detected the familiar fragrance of sandalwood aftershave.
The telephone call from her brother had continued to haunt her although she’d told herself over and over that Donald wouldn’t come after her. After all, she was just one in a string of many women he had dated or lived with—one of a lot of foolish women who thought they could hope to become Mrs. Donald Rush.
The only difference between her and Donald’s other women was that it had taken him more than a year to get her to agree to go out with him. And once she did, it was another six months before she agreed to sleep with him. She thought he would give up his pursuit, but he kept coming back. After eighteen months Renee believed he was truly serious about wanting a future together. She hadn’t known that during a wild, uninhibited week in Vegas he’d married a long-legged dancer.
“What are you doing here?” Her query came out in a breathless whisper.
“I live here.”
Renee felt heat sweep over her face and neck. “I know you live here, Sheldon, but I didn’t expect you to be sitting on the steps.” Light from hallway sconces did not permit her to see his expression.
“I was waiting to talk to you.” He patted his knees. “Please sit down.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I need to change for dinner.” His right hand snaked out, caught her wrist and pulled her down onto his lap. Renee squirmed, but she couldn’t free herself. “Please let me go.”
He buried his hair in her hair. “Indulge me, Renee. Just for a few minutes.”
Relaxing in his embrace, Renee luxuriated in the muscled thighs under her hips and the unyielding strength in the arms holding her in a protective embrace. Oh, she’d missed those arms around her; she’d missed Sheldon.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“About what happened two weeks ago.”
She stiffened before relaxing again. “What about it?”
Sheldon pressed a kiss to her fragrant hair. “I want to apologize if you feel I was not supportive of you.”
“All I asked of you was to be a friend, to support me during the good and bad times, but I got a lover instead.”
“I am your friend, darling—friend, lover and protector. I wanted to tell you to forget about Susanna and Valerie, but you were too upset for me to reason with you. They said what they said because they’re jealous.”
“They can’t be jealous of me, Sheldon.”
He pressed a kiss along t
he column of her neck. “They are, sweetheart. We have no control over what another person says or thinks, but if any of what they said about you in that bathroom gets back to me, then there’s going to be hell to pay.”
Covering the hands cradling her belly, Renee shook her head. “I didn’t tell you so that you could fight with someone. I just wanted to let you know why I don’t want to attend any more soirees with you.”
“You don’t have…” Whatever he intended to say died on Sheldon’s lips when he felt movement under his hand. His expression changed, features softening. “When did she start kicking you?”
Renee smiled at Sheldon over her shoulder. “Last week. At first they were flutters, but they’re much stronger now.”
“She’s a frisky little thing,” he said with a broad smile.
“She sleeps all day, then wakes up and performs somersaults half the night.”
“Does she keep you up?”
“Sometimes.” Renee eased Sheldon’s hands away from her belly. “I have to go get ready for dinner.” She moved off his lap; he also rose to his feet.
“I’ll wait downstairs for you.”
“I’m not eating at the dining hall.”
“You’re going out?”
“Yes.”
“Off the farm?”
“Why?”
Sheldon crossed his arms over his chest, deciding on honesty. “Jeremy told me about your telephone call.”
“He had no right to tell you about a personal conversation.”
“If it was so personal, then you could’ve either called your party back or asked Jeremy to leave the room.”
Renee rolled her eyes at Sheldon. “One does not ask one’s boss to leave the room to indulge in a personal telephone conversation during work hours. Besides, he shouldn’t have told you my business.”
“Jeremy told me because as long as you live and work here you are his business. You, thirty-five others, thirty-six including the child you’re carrying, and half a billion dollars in horseflesh. Don’t ever forget that, Renee.
“If you leave the farm, then you will be accompanied either by me or an armed escort. Security has already been tightened around the property. Now, I’m going to ask you again, Renee. Are you leaving the farm tonight?” He had enunciated each word.
There was a long, brittle silence as Renee struggled to keep her raw emotions in check. After ending the call with her brother she’d forced herself not to think about Donald. If he had divorced his wife in order to propose marriage, did he actually believe she would marry him now?
No. She could not and would not even if she were carrying quintuplets. Not when she had fallen in love with another man, a man who had become her friend, lover and protector.
“No, Sheldon. I’m not leaving the farm tonight.”
Moving closer, he cradled her face and brushed a kiss at the corners of her mouth. “Shall I wait up for you?”
Renee wanted to tell Sheldon he was being controlling, but offered him a saucy smile instead. There was no doubt he wanted to make certain she was safe.
“Only if you wish. Perhaps when I return we can have a sleepover.”
Throwing back his head, Sheldon laughed, the sound rich and full-throated. “I’m looking forward to it, princess.”
Rising on tiptoe, she kissed his clean-shaven cheek, then made her way down the hallway to her bedroom. She had been invited to share dinner with Kelly, Tricia and Beatrice Miller, followed by a game of bidwhist.
* * *
Renee rang the doorbell to Kelly and Ryan’s home, pushed open the door and walked into bright light, heat and mouthwatering smells.
Tricia appeared from the rear of the house, a bright smile softening her round face. “Hi. Come on back to the kitchen.”
Renee noticed Tricia’s curly hair was longer than when she’d been introduced to her. Thick black shiny curls fell over her ears and the nape of her neck. Tricia Blackstone was blooming—all over.
She walked into the kitchen and into a flurry of activity. Beatrice Miller stood at the cooking island slicing an avocado, while Kelly browned chicken cutlets in a frying pan. Kelly’s daughter, four-month-old Vivienne, sat in a high chair, patting the chair’s table as Tricia resumed spooning food into her birdlike mouth.
Beatrice, a petite woman with salt-and-pepper hair and smooth dark brown skin had a slender body that rivaled women half her age. A quick smile, soft drawling voice and a gentle manner made her the perfect companion for Gus Parker.
The four women, ranging in age from sixty to mid-thirties, shared a warm smile. “Thank you for coming,” Kelly said.
Renee nodded. “Thank you for inviting me. Can I help with something?”
Kelly shook her head. “Not this time. The first time you’re a guest. The next time you can do something more strenuous like set the table.”
Renee could not stop the rush of heat flooding her face. “I’m pregnant, not physically challenged.”
“Not yet,” chorused Kelly and Tricia.
Kelly stared at Renee’s belly. “By the time you’re ready to deliver you won’t be able to bend over to tie your own shoes.”
“Stop teasing the child,” Beatrice chided softly. “She’s carrying rather nicely.”
“When are you due, Renee?” Tricia asked.
“March third.”
Tricia sucked her teeth. “I’m due the beginning of July and already I can’t fit into my slacks.”
Kelly stared at her sister-in-law. “I told you even before you knew you were pregnant that I dreamt you were holding three fish. And that means you’re going to have triplets.”
Tricia sucked her teeth again, this time rolling her eyes at Kelly. “You and your lying dreams.”
Beatrice nodded. “You know the old folks say when you dream of fish you’re going to hear of a pregnancy.”
“I know for certain I’m having one,” Renee said quietly.
“Girl or boy?” Beatrice asked as she sliced a ripe mango.
“Girl.”
Kelly pressed her hands together. “Wonderful. Now Vivienne will have someone close to her age to play with.”
“May I feed her?” The question was out before Renee could censor herself.
Tricia looked at Renee and smiled. “Sure.”
“Where can I wash my hands?”
Tricia pointed to a door at the opposite end of the kitchen. “A bathroom is over there.”
The three women exchanged knowing glances as Renee went into the bathroom. “She’s going to need the practice before you, Tricia,” Kelly whispered to her sister-in-law.
Renee returned, exchanging seats with Tricia. Vivienne Blackstone was a beautiful little girl. She’d inherited her mother’s looks and her father’s curly black hair; her eye color had compromised. It was gunmetal-gray.
* * *
Over a dinner of chicken piccata, linguine with roasted garlic and oil, a tropical salad of smoked chicken with avocados and mangoes, toasted Italian bread and lemon sorbet, followed by a lively card game, Kelly and Tricia became the girlfriends Renee had left behind in Miami. Beatrice provided the sage advice she occasionally sought from her mother.
Ryan and Sean had returned from the dining hall in time to put Vivienne to bed; they retreated to the family room to watch a movie, leaving the women to their card game.
“Where did you learn to play bidwhist?” Kelly asked Renee.
“I used to watch my mother and aunts. How did you learn?”
Kelly smiled. “From my mother. She and her sorority sisters used to get together and play Sunday afternoons when they were in college.”
“How about you?” Renee asked Tricia.
“My grandmother taught me.”
Beatrice stared across the table at Renee. “Do young people still play?”
“I don’t think so. Some of the college students who worked part-time at the law firm where I worked talked about playing spades.”
Tricia laid down a card. “That’s too bad.
I suppose we’re going to have to keep the tradition going.”
“You’re right,” Kelly concurred. “If Sheldon and his wild bunch can hang out at his cabin to play poker, smoke cigars and drink beer for their annual fall camping weekend, then I suggest we get together every other month for a bidwhist party.”
Tricia stared at her grandfather’s fiancée. “Did you smell cigar smoke on my grandfather when he got back this afternoon?”
Beatrice shook her head. “No. Gus swore he didn’t take one puff and neither did Sheldon, who told the other two guys that they couldn’t smoke inside the cabin.”
“They need to give up the cigars and the beer. It takes them two days to empty a keg,” Tricia grumbled.
“Get out!” Renee gasped. “That’s a lot of beer.”
Kelly put down her cards and placed a hand on her hip. “Why don’t you talk to your man?”
Renee’s eyes widened. “Sheldon’s not my man!”
Kelly lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t mention Sheldon’s name. Gotcha!” she teased, pointing a finger at Renee.
Tricia peered over the top of her cards. “Is my father-in-law your man-n-n-n, Renee?” she drawled singsong.
“I’m not telling,” Renee teased back, flashing a dimpled grin.
Leaning across the table, Kelly and Tricia exchanged high-five handshakes. “Boo-yaw!” they chorused in unison.
Renee laughed until her sides hurt.
* * *
She was still chuckling under her breath as she climbed the porch steps and found Sheldon sitting on a rocker waiting for her. He rose to his feet, extended his arms and she moved into his embrace.
Burying her face in the soft fibers of his sweater, Renee felt safe, safer than she had ever been in her life. Even safer than when she’d slept in the Miami Beach mansion surrounded by gates, guard dogs and high-tech electronic surveillance equipment.
Easing back, she smiled up at Sheldon. “Are you ready for our sleepover?”
He returned her smile. “Yes, I am.”
Renee did not have time to catch her breath as he lifted her off her feet and carried her into the house. Sheldon shifted her body, locked the door and then headed for the staircase.
Sheldon did not walk to the end of hallway, but stopped before they reached his bedroom, lifting a questioning eyebrow. Every time he and Renee made love he had come to her. The only exception had been their first encounter at the cabin. However, the day of reckoning could not be postponed forever. He had to know whether she wanted him in her life as much as he wanted her.
To Take a Chance Page 10
