by Geri Krotow
“It won’t work to do the split custody thing, you know, where the child lives half the time with me and half with you. We live too far apart and it would be awful for school, once they’re old enough.” She spoke more sternly than she felt. Someone had to shake Alastair out of his worry.
His enigmatic expression returned. “We’ll work it out. And there’s a lot of time in between now and when we have to make any of those decisions.”
“I’ll never agree to boarding school.” She blurted the fear she’d ignored, thinking the baby would grow up in the States with her, seeing Alastair during school breaks. How foolish had she been? She looked at her husband again and tried not to panic. She’d married a very powerful man who could turn circles around her with his financial status alone. Plus, he was the most intelligent man she’d ever met, as well as the most attractive.
Why had she allowed him to convince her that she was on the same playing field as him?
Because you are.
“Who said anything about boarding school?” He halted Elvis and leaned forward to better see her.
“You’re in shock, I think. No one is going to take your child from you, Halle. We’re partners in the parenting of this baby.”
As she searched his gaze she desperately wanted to believe him, but she knew how birth and death could irrevocably change a person. “You have no idea how much you’ll love the baby once it’s here. How much you’ll want to spend every minute with them.”
Amusement sparked in his gaze. “No, it’s impossible to know now, isn’t it? But I have an inkling.” He leaned down and planted a firm kiss on her lips. It wasn’t a seduction or even romantic move. It was reverent in nature. “I promise you that we’re in this together, Halle.”
She believed him. Which was scarier than any trip wire.
“I want to get back to the house.” She couldn’t trust herself to say any more. Wanting to sob with relief that she and the baby were okay warred with her defense mechanisms that were on high alert. Alastair was right; she was worked up over the fall. “It must be my body’s natural reaction to a threat to me and the baby.”
Alastair nodded. “You still okay? Any cramps?” He looked her over and his gaze stopped on her knee. “What the hell is that?”
“I scraped it coming off the horse. It’s probably like a road rash. It doesn’t hurt,” she lied, because it stung like hell but that was from the scab forming against the denim. Or so she told herself.
“Come on. We’ll get back as quickly as we can and get you checked out. Then we’re packing for Scotland.” Her Scottish husband didn’t wait for a reply but instead sat straight and jerked the reins, his powerful thighs issuing a quick squeeze to Elvis’s sides. Halle was grateful for the chance to relax her expression, not needing to feel his constant gaze sweeping her face for the least little change.
And she owed him a response, even though he’d demanded she go to Scotland with him. “Maybe a trip to your home in Glasgow is a good idea. For a short while.”
“Thank you.” His response was soft, a glimpse into the tender lover he’d been on the trail.
Still, the entire way back to the ranch, she swore she felt two laser beams boring through the top of her head. Alastair was a man who took his responsibilities seriously, like the baron of industry he was.
Chapter 13
Halle looked out the corporate jet window at the blanket of rolling green beneath them. It was amazing what a little—no, make that a lot—of money could do. It could take her from her struggling ranch in Shadow Creek, Texas, to Glasgow, Scotland, in just under ten hours. No long airport lines and minimal security was the life of a billionaire like Alastair.
She turned from the window to study him in the late morning light. His short hair was tousled from how many times he’d run his fingers through it. Casual in jeans, white T-shirt and one of his endless supply of cashmere pullovers, the T-shirt contrasting sharply with the charcoal gray of the wool. Smudges of exhaustion emphasized the length of his sooty eyelashes. Lashes that when he was awake framed the stormy gray eyes she’d grown too accustomed to. Thank goodness he was sleeping—she needed a bit of a break from Alastair’s ruthless scrutiny. They’d left last night after the EMTs and her midwife checked her over. Jimbo had taken a report and promised to keep Alastair appraised of the situation. She’d slept most of the flight but she didn’t think Alastair had dozed off until the past hour or so.
Judging from the landscape and the digital map readout in the very comfortable, posh cabin, she figured they were over the western part of Scotland and would be landing within the hour. Maybe Alastair was one of those people who slept during a landing. The changes in cabin pressure while descending used to put her father to sleep, too.
Chancellor Ford would have a lot to say about the mess she’d made of her life. The horrible financial state of Bluewood, the physical state of the ranch, getting involved with a guest. Not only catching a roll in the hay with said guest but finding herself pregnant with his baby. Their baby.
But he’d be proud of her courage, and the stubbornness she’d inherited from him. And he’d adore Alastair.
That thought came out of nowhere, startling her with its conviction.
So she’d agreed to a marriage of convenience—so what? It was more like a marriage of financial convenience but she refused to go there. Beating herself up over the failures of Bluewood was one thing, but she and Alastair had used protection when they’d had their fun. It could have happened to anyone. Babies were always a risk with sex.
“Stop staring at me, Halle.” He didn’t open his eyes as she jumped in surprise.
“Geez, let me know you’re awake next time.” How the heck did this man tick? Did he have X-ray vision through his lids?
“I keep telling you that you have nothing to fear from me. I only have your and the baby’s best interests at heart. Honestly.” His eyes opened and he rubbed them.
“Why do you think I’m still thinking about that?”
“Because I’m getting to know you.” He yawned.
“What time did you go to sleep?”
“As the sun came up.”
Since they’d flown into the rising sun, so to speak, that meant he’d caught about three to four hours and not the measly amount she’d suspected. Still, it wasn’t enough. “Do you always sleep so little?”
He yawned again, stretched. “No. I need a good night’s sleep like anyone else, and I’m not a martyr about it. I relish going to bed earlier and getting up with the sun. But the last few weeks, especially these past several days, have been stressful, wouldn’t you agree? Or do you frequently find beheaded steer on your front porch after a run into Shadow Creek?”
She couldn’t help it, she laughed. Alastair’s dry humor was something she was learning to enjoy more each day. Instead of being the dry silliness she thought Scottish humor was in college, Alastair’s wit provided a sense of comfort to her. Her father had had a similar sense of mirth.
“No, I’ve never found a dead animal or even parts after being in town. Of course, there are the leftovers from the hawks’ and owls’ prey, but the turkey vultures usually take care of that. It’s quite the efficient ecosystem when you think about it.”
“Hmm. I don’t want to think about it anymore right now. If I do, I’ll force the plane back around and not stop looking until I find the person or group who did that to your beloved Ernie. As it is, I trust your sheriff Jimbo to take care of it.”
“He’s not my sheriff.” Alastair wasn’t jealous of Jimbo, or any other man where she was concerned. But territoriality was another matter. Still one that she didn’t want to waste time on. “What do you plan for our stay in Glasgow?”
Sharp eyes on her. A blink. “I thought you’d enjoy resting at my parents’ estate. It can get lonely at my place in the city.”
> “Your parents’? Are you kidding me, Alastair? I’m showing up as your new wife. Don’t you think they’ll have some questions as to how and why we met and married so quickly? And once they find out about the baby, there will be a lot more questions.” She wasn’t going to spell it out for him but she was certain his family would look at her as an opportunist.
“We’ll stay in my house on the property just outside of Glasgow. My folks and grandmother each have their own separate houses, as I mentioned earlier.” At her silence he leaned forward, his eagerness to calm her apparent. “My parents are human beings, Halle. And my grandmother is the one you should be concerned about approval from, anyway. But don’t worry, she’ll give you her special blessing as soon as she meets you. Besides, the baby will end a lot of speculation.”
“Great.” She pictured a tiny, wrinkled woman emerging from a yurt, her walking stick topped with a glowing orb. “Maybe she’ll cast a spell on me.”
He waved his hand in front of him. “She’s not like that. Not really.” His funny little grin didn’t reassure her. “Gram just happens to be very protective of the Buchanan clan and the Clyde Whiskey legacy.”
“That’s fair. She’s been there since it began, right?”
“No, that was my great-grandparents. But she was raised by them, at their knee as they perfected the Clyde recipe.”
“And here comes the knocked-up American, breaking up the Scots lineage.”
“You can have fun looking over the family archives. And she’ll be delighted about a great-grandchild. She’s been praying that I’d marry for forever.”
She was going to be disappointed when she realized the marriage was meant for only a year.
“Do you intend to tell anyone that we’ve agreed to only a year together?” She’d meant to play it cool, sound sophisticated and detached. Instead, her voice cracked.
“No.”
Okay, then. She dropped it.
“How long do you plan on staying in Scotland? With me?”
“A week or two. I’d prefer to keep you here for the duration of your pregnancy, away from the danger at your ranch, but I know you’ll never agree.”
“You’re correct about me not wanting to stay here for the next six months. And my ranch isn’t the problem, Alastair. It’s all about some misguided teens pulling pranks. The only real danger at Bluewood is the broken fence and maintenance issues I haven’t been able to afford to fix. Ernie’s demise and the trip wire were deliberate, but the snake could have been a coincidence.” She didn’t have to feel the dip in her belly to know that she didn’t believe any of the crimes were by chance. Someone was trying to scare her away from Bluewood, to sell. If she knew of someone or a corporation that wanted to buy her land, that would help, maybe lend a few clues. But Bluewood had never been approached by buyers, even when the lands around her father’s had been sold off to the highest bidder during the burst of the real estate bubble almost a decade ago.
Alastair looked out the plane window as if bored. “I’ve done market research and while acres upon acres of Shadow Creek were sold to investors a little less than a decade ago, none of the original plans were followed through.”
“I hope you didn’t pay someone to tell you that, Alastair. I know my hometown and the area as well as anyone. Originally the land around our property was slated to be the site of a high-end suburban neighborhood. McMansions but with larger lots, more of a miniranch feel. One of the lots was sold to a luxury condominium developer, too. But nothing happened. Whoever bought the land has sat on it. I recall it changed hands a few times since, but only as investments. No building permits were ever filed.”
“Did you know that all of the land around your ranch, save for Jeremy’s, is owned by the same developer?”
“No, I didn’t know that particularly.” And why hadn’t she? She prided herself on keeping up with all business dealings in Shadow Creek and surrounding areas. “I’m surprised Jeremy hasn’t mentioned that to me.”
Alastair was looking at his phone, tapping away. “I doubt he knew. The most recent purchase was two weeks ago.”
By his frown she knew Alastair thought more about the land ownership’s significance than he revealed. “Spit it out, Alastair. What do you really think?”
His laser steel gaze pinned her to the spot. “I think someone’s trying to own as much of the land around you in order to choke off your business. Add on Ernie’s slaughter, and the trap on the trail, and...” He trailed off and she watched as it looked like he was trying to gather his composure. Alastair, strong as an ox, one hundred percent Scottish and probably a descendant of Viking warriors, looked on the verge of either a huge angry outburst or tears. When he finally opened his eyes and looked at her, a zing of awareness braided with a thread of complete connection hit her in her chest and continued throughout her midsection. “I was afraid you’d been killed out there, Halle. I know you’re made of strong stuff and I trust your horsemanship. But when someone sets a deliberately vile trap like that it’s hard to fight it. I never want to feel that sense of impending doom again.”
“Maybe your concern is misplaced. I’m sure you thought you felt that way, but your concern was for your child.” Her doctor had assured her everything was fine after the fall.
“I’m not always a man of absolutes, Halle, but one thing I’m certain of is that I know my feelings. If I tell you I was afraid you were going to be seriously injured or worse, believe me. If you’d seen how you looked, crumpled in a heap on the ground, with that rattler only yards away from you... I didn’t know if you’d been bitten or not. I figured if the fall didn’t kill you the snakebite would.”
“I’m thinking that’s what our criminal was counting on. Your travel isn’t a secret, as you’ve mentioned. Our marriage was instant news on Everything’s Blogger in Texas. Anyone could have seen us at the courthouse and then in the diner after the ceremony. Has it occurred to you that someone is stalking you, Alastair? You’re a billionaire and you’ve been moving around in more common, regular-folks areas. It makes you an easy target.”
“If they wanted me they would come after me. And the pink handkerchiefs indicate it was someone local, don’t they? Someone who knows about Livia Colton’s history? Because she used to leave pink handkerchiefs in places as her trademark.” He’d obviously paid attention to every part of the cow’s head investigation. “There’s still no denying, however, that now that we’re married, you’re as much a target as me.”
And their baby would become a prime target for a kidnapping once born. Shivers of apprehension raced up and down her spine and she shivered. Alastair leaned over from the leather reclining seat that matched hers and covered her with his blanket. “Take this. We’ll be landing within the next thirty minutes.”
Indeed the plane was slowly descending, the tiny white dots of sheep on the endless green below turning into cotton-ball-sized puffs. “Are we landing at Glasgow Airport, or let me guess—you have a private landing strip on your property?”
Alastair laughed. “No, no landing strip. I do have a helipad, though we won’t be taking the helicopter today. I thought you’d be tired enough of flying. We’ll land at Glasgow and I’ll drive us home. It’ll be about an hour longer.”
“No driver?”
“Do you want a driver?”
“No.” She preferred being in a car alone with Alastair. No matter how confused her feelings toward him were, she was certain of one thing: Halle felt the safest she’d been since her father had died—as long as she was with Alastair.
This made no sense, since incredibly awful things had occurred with him present. But she didn’t blame Ernie’s death on Alastair any more than she did her needing to jump from Elvis.
Someone was coming after Bluewood Ranch and was willing to do whatever it took to get their way. Even if it meant raising the stakes from livestock to human
life.
* * *
Alastair worked while Halle got settled and rested a bit once they arrived at the family estate. He’d had to fight the urge to kiss her, make her his in every way, when they’d arrived. Something about seeing her in his home made his need for her all the greater.
He noticed yet another security sale, again to SullaXS, and he immediately called his securities officer. Their conversation was brief but the somber effect lasting. All signs pointed to a hostile takeover attempt. He’d survived them before, and he would again.
“Alastair?”
He’d been so immersed in his work that he hadn’t heard her come up to the office door. He immediately stood up and walked around the desk.
“You’re still awake.”
She blushed, and he wanted to make her do that with his lovemaking.
“I can’t sleep. I’m too excited to be here.”
“We can’t have that. Let’s show you around.” The depressing state of his business would still be there when he got back. And then he’d tackle it.
Alastair was absolutely delighted to see the sparkle in Halle’s eyes as he toured the house and grounds with her. It kept his mind off his stocks, and the increasing concern of his security team that someone related to SullaXS was behind not only the buyout but the warnings at Bluewood, as well.
“I have a very nice, spacious loft flat in Glasgow, and another in Edinburgh, but I prefer to spend my weekends here. I drive but the train is easy to use, too. It’s no more than an hour into Glasgow proper.” He opened the double French doors onto the terraced back slate patio. “All of the land you can see is ours, well past that house.” He pointed to what looked like a small cottage on the far horizon.
“Ours? As in yours and your parents’?” She assumed it all was Buchanan land, all part of his family fortune.
