Lone Star Secrets

by Cat Schield

“I’ll park and go find him.”

  “Is Cora Lee here?” Megan asked, leaning on Dani, needing both physical and emotional support as anxiety continued to batter her “Cole said she was coming to the hospital, as well. Maybe she’s heard something about Will.”

  “I haven’t seen her yet. The whole situation is really confusing.” Dani looked close to tears as she scrutinized Megan’s battered face. “Can you walk?”

  Megan wiped the back of her hand beneath her eyes, clearing the tears that had rolled onto her face. “I’m fine.”

  Regardless of Megan’s declaration, Dani slid her arm around her friend’s waist and the two women began walking toward the emergency entrance.

  “Cole said you passed out.”

  “It was just... I was overwhelmed at hearing about the accident.” Megan gripped her friend’s hand. “He just can’t be dead.”

  Dani nodded but said no more. Nor did either woman speak while Megan checked in at the reception desk and waited to be called into an examination room.

  From where she sat, Megan could see outside and it appeared as if a couple news crews had assembled near the hospital’s entrance.

  No doubt word had spread that a member of one of the town’s most prestigious families with deep roots in Royal had been involved in a fatal crash. How long before the whole story came out? Megan braced herself as she realized the press would want to talk to her and that as the wife of the imposter, she would come under great scrutiny.

  While people came and went, Megan sat with her hands balled in her lap, her gaze roving constantly as she searched for Cole or one of the FBI agents. Someone. Anyone who could tell her if Will had survived.

  Inactivity and the day’s taxing events began to take its toll on Megan’s endurance. Bile rose in her throat and her head began to spin. As the edges of her vision began to darken, she gripped her chair’s wooden armrests to keep herself upright.

  “Are you okay?” Dani asked, gazing at her sharply. “When was the last time you ate?”

  Megan frowned, her memory blurry. Had she eaten breakfast? “Dinner last night, I think.”

  Dani clucked her tongue. “I’m going to get you something to eat and drink.”

  Megan nodded, and Dani headed toward a bank of vending machines. While she fought fatigue and paralyzing fear, Megan glanced around the waiting area, wondering where Cole and the FBI agents were.

  She spied the other FBI agent involved with the Richard Lowell case exiting the elevator. Determined to get answers, Megan got to her feet and headed straight for Special Agent Marjorie Stanton.

  Megan had heard that the redhead was six months’ pregnant and eager to close the manhunt before going on maternity leave. Still, she didn’t look particularly happy as Megan approached her.

  “Have you heard anything more about Will?” Megan began, searching the special agent’s expression for answers. “Cole told me...” She couldn’t speak the words. “Please tell me he’s not really dead.”

  “Will survived the accident,” Agent Stanton said, her eyes softening slightly as Megan cried out in relief.

  Dani had reached Megan in time to hear this last bit and put her arm around her friend, lending her support. Will was alive! But he’d arrived at the hospital in an ambulance. How badly had he been injured?

  Megan had to know, but it was as if her lungs had seized. She couldn’t gather enough breath to voice the questions swirling in her mind. An incoherent noise rattled in her throat as she struggled.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Dani asked for her.

  “Looks like it. He’s pretty banged up, but should recover. I was told he has a head injury and a dislocated shoulder in addition to potentially several broken ribs. He’s being examined and no doubt they’ll keep him for several days to monitor him. You don’t want to mess with brain injuries, especially when he’s suffered trauma before.”

  Abruptly Megan’s voice returned. “But he’s okay?” She didn’t wait for the agent to answer before she rushed on. “When can I see him?”

  Stanton glanced at the emergency room entrance where more reporters had gathered. “You’ll have to speak to his doctor. Excuse me.”

  Overwhelming relief exploded in Megan, unleashing a fresh wave of tears. Dani folded her friend into a soothing embrace.

  “That’s great news. He’s okay,” the executive chef said, her arms tightening as Megan was battered by sobs. “You’re both okay.”

  Megan leaned on Dani for several minutes, unable to catch her breath or to quell her shaking as everything she’d been through caught up to her. It was all over. Lowell was gone and both she and Will had survived. They might have been dealt serious wounds to body and soul, but if they had each other, they could heal.

  “I never believed he could be dead,” Megan said when she was finally calm enough to speak without breaking down. “I just couldn’t. What if I’d never had the chance to tell him I love him?”

  “But now you can and everything is going to be okay.”

  * * *

  It wasn’t until Megan was upstairs in a small lounge, waiting for Will to finish with a series of tests to determine the extent of his injuries that she remembered what had happened between the two of them in the hour before she’d been kidnapped. The confrontation in his office about their future split after Rich’s rein of terror was over. She’d fled without speaking her heart and wasn’t sure Will even wanted to hear that she’d fallen in love with him.

  At Megan’s urging after finding out that Will was going to be okay, Dani had headed off to take care of her twin boys. Left by herself as the events of the day caught up with her, Megan scooped her feet up beneath her and leaned against the arm of the couch, promising herself she’d only close her eyes for a few minutes.

  When she woke, the sunshine that had painted a corner of the room had gone and the sky had grown dark. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around, wondering why no one had awakened her. Seated in a chair a few feet away was Cora Lee. The older woman looked as tired as Megan felt.

  “How’s Will? Is he in his room?”

  “He’s doing okay for a man who was thrown from a speeding pickup truck.” Cora Lee leaned forward and peered at Megan. “How are you doing? You’ve had a traumatic day, as well.”

  Megan noticed Cora Lee staring at her bruised cheek and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

  “You should go home and rest.”

  “I want to see Will.”

  Cora Lee’s eyes shifted toward the hallway that led away from the waiting area and toward the individual rooms. “I don’t think this is the best time.”

  “What do you mean?” Cora Lee had no right to keep her away, but this wasn’t the moment to defend herself against the allegation that Megan wasn’t good for Will. “I need to see him. To make sure he’s okay.”

  “He’s resting and shouldn’t be disturbed.”

  “Disturbed?” Megan’s temper spiked. “I’m not going to disturb him. Why are you trying to keep us apart? I’m his wife. I should be with him.”

  “You’re not—” Cora Lee broke off and pressed her lips together. With a gusty sigh, she continued. “He doesn’t want to see you right now.”

  “What?” Every bit of fight went out of Megan. “Why not?”

  “He didn’t share his reasons with me. He simply asked that you give him a couple days before you come back.”

  “A couple days?” Megan had no idea what to say. “But I can’t wait a couple of days to tell him how I feel.”

  All at once Cora Lee got to her feet and came over to sit beside Megan. “How do you feel?”

  “I love him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him.” Megan’s throat tightened. “I made a mistake when I married Rich, but the only man I’ve ever wanted was Will.”

  “I believe you.” Cora Lee squeezed Megan’s icy fingers, her own
hands offering much needed warmth. “And I’m sure Will does, as well. Just give him a little time.”

  Megan nodded dully but couldn’t help but worry that the more time it took for Will to make up his mind, the more likely it would be that he’d decide he no longer wanted her around.

  * * *

  Staying apart from Megan these last few days had been one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do, but he’d needed to do some thinking and to come to grips with what the two of them needed to discuss. The end of their pretend marriage. There was no more putting it off. He had to set her free.

  But first she deserved to know the truth he’d been foolishly keeping to himself. That being married to her was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  Will dressed in jeans and a white button-down shirt. Easing his arms into a caramel-colored sport coat, he slid on his favorite boots and checked his reflection in the mirror. Aside from a few bruises and the tension around his mouth from lingering aches and pains in his head and ribs, he looked presentable enough.

  A glint of gold on his left finger caught his eye, and he spun the wedding ring around and around. Despite the all-clear from the authorities, giving him permission to end his pretend marriage, Will hadn’t been able to bring himself to take off the symbol of his union with Megan. While the wedding ring was as much of a pretense as their marriage had been, his instincts told him by taking it off he’d signal that he’d given up. And he couldn’t bring himself to do that.

  The sound of a door closing came from the front of the house, followed by Cora Lee’s voice calling his name. Leaving off staring at his reflection, Will exited his bedroom and headed into the great room. He found his stepmother in the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

  “How are you feeling this morning?” she asked, running a critical eye over him. “You look dressed to go somewhere. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “I have to talk to Megan.”

  “Well, it’s about time. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t speak to her in the hospital.”

  “I didn’t know what to say.”

  “You could start with ‘I love you,’” his stepmother offered, her voice, like her famous lemon bars, a blend of tart and sweet. “Or are you going to continue to behave like a thickheaded idiot?”

  Amusement surged through Will at her blunt words. “If I was less thickheaded, I might not have survived the crash.”

  To his surprise, Cora Lee’s eyes grew bright with unshed tears. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

  Will came around the large island and wrapped his arms around her sturdy form, squeezing her until his ribs shrieked in protest. “I will do my best going forward to stay out of trouble.”

  “Wonderful.” She freed herself from his embrace, wiped all moisture from her cheeks and gave him a no-nonsense nod. “Now to the reason why I came here today.”

  She stepped over to her purse and reached inside. While Will looked on with interest, she pulled forth a ring box and held it up between them with all the flourish of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

  “You brought me a ring?”

  “I brought you my ring.”

  Will regarded the small square box in surprise. Cora Lee had stopped wearing the large diamond ring after his father died, claiming the flashy thing had never suited her, and he’d assumed it had been in her safe-deposit box all these years.

  “Would you like me to put it in my safe for you?” he asked.

  “No.” She gave him a disgusted look. “I want you to give it to Megan. You both need a fresh start and she can’t keep wearing Lowell’s ring.”

  When he made no attempt to take the ring, she gave a huge sigh and took his hand. Her grip tightened fiercely as she set the small box against his palm and closed his fingers around it.

  “I want a fresh start,” he mumbled, feeling the bite of the box’s velvet-covered corners against his fingers. “I’m not so sure Megan feels the same way.”

  “But you’re going to ask her to marry you.” Cora’s bright eyes remained locked on his expression for several seconds before she nodded. “You two so obviously love each other... After everything you’ve been through, don’t let Lowell win.”

  “He can’t win. The bastard’s dead.” Yet wouldn’t his former friend’s ghost linger between Will and Megan as long as they didn’t speak their true feelings? “I’m on my way to see her now.”

  Cora Lee nodded in approval. “Take the ring.”

  He shook his head, thinking back to her concerns when he wanted Megan to move to the Ace in the Hole and wondering when his stepmother’s opinion of his relationship with Megan had transformed. And did it really matter if Cora Lee gave him her blessing when Megan wanted to move forward with her life sans Will Sanders?

  “I’m not sure she wants to stay married to me,” he said.

  “Take the ring,” Cora Lee repeated in that all-knowing, bossy way she had. “It will be better if you’re prepared.”

  Prepared for what?

  * * *

  Will turned Cora Lee’s words over and over in his mind as he drove to Royals Shoes. When he’d made the decision to approach her today, the last thing he’d imagined himself doing was sliding an engagement ring onto Megan’s finger. She’d claimed she wanted to be done with this wretched situation they found themselves in. Yet her reaction to seeing the divorce settlement he’d been working on had told a different story. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

  At Royals, Will followed the receptionist’s directions and headed down the hallway that would take him to Megan’s corner office. He’d called ahead and spoken with her assistant, Lindsay, confirming that she had no meetings scheduled before noon. Having a deeply personal conversation at her company might not be the best idea, but now that he’d decided on a course of action, Will couldn’t wait to get everything off his chest.

  He slowed as he approached Lindsay. “Did the flowers arrive?”

  “They did,” Lindsay said, her eyes glowing with approval. “And it’s a gorgeous bouquet.”

  With a satisfied nod, Will stepped into his wife’s big, elegantly appointed office and agreed with her estimation that she had more square footage. To his left, an enormous bouquet of brightly colored flowers dominated the conference table and scented the air. Although the beautiful arrangement contained some of Megan’s favorites, Will regretted that he hadn’t sent red roses instead. Despite Megan’s aversion to them, nothing said I love you like two dozen fat scarlet blooms adorning long stems.

  Megan sat at her desk, her back to him, her gaze fixed on the small patch of green outside her window. He quietly closed the door and advanced ten feet into the room, unsurprised by the way his heart hammered relentlessly against his ribs, rendering him short of breath. The sheer destiny of the moment immobilized him. He was madly in love with his wife, an outcome that he’d been marching toward since he’d set foot in Royal and found out he was married.

  And yet, thinking about it now, maybe it had been coming a lot longer and he’d just been too foolish to notice a good thing when it was right in front of him.

  “Hi,” he said, his voice lacking his usual crisp confidence.

  Megan swung her chair around and faced him. Her wide-eyed gaze swept over him. “When did you get out of the hospital?” she asked.

  “Late yesterday.”

  Pain flared in her eyes. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have come to get you.”

  “I had some thinking to do.” He shoved his hand into his jacket pocket and felt the hard edge of the ring box.

  “Is that why you refused to see me until now?” Megan got to her feet and slipped out from behind her desk. She strode toward the conference table and eyed the flowers he’d sent her.

  “I wasn’t ready to have this conversation,” Will said.

  She cro
ssed her arms over her chest and her lips drew down at the corners. “What conversation is that?”

  Will fingered the box. “The one where we agreed to dissolve our marriage.”

  “Why wouldn’t you want to have this conversation?” she demanded, her voice raw and angry. “Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for? After all, you were drawing up a settlement agreement even after I told you I wasn’t interested in your money.”

  “Look. You married me—”

  Megan interrupted, “I married someone pretending to be you.”

  Irritation flared. “You married Will Sanders and deserve something for your trouble.”

  “My trouble?” She looked ready to breathe fire. “Being married to you wasn’t a hardship.”

  He’d believe her if she wasn’t glaring at him. “But you were tricked and lied to.”

  “That was Lowell, not you.” Suddenly she deflated. “I liked being married to you.”

  His heart jerked. “I liked being married to you, too. In fact,” he continued, “in a weird way, Lowell did me a favor.” Not that this had stopped him from wanting to see the guy pay for all the lives he’d wrecked. “Before I left on that fateful fishing trip, I wasn’t thinking in terms of marriage and family. Everything that had happened in my life up until that point had been easy and that made me take too much for granted. Family and friends. My business success. And except for when my dad died, I’d never known heartache or loss.”

  “And now?” Despite her luminous expression, a trace of shadow lingered in her eyes. “That’s changed?”

  “I’m a completely new man. And I’ve been thinking a lot about why Lowell chose you. He suspected that I was attracted to you before I’d admitted it to myself and that’s why, after I disappeared, you were the one he targeted. He wanted everything that was important to me. Especially you.”

  “But you never said anything.” Megan looked as if she wasn’t sure she believed him. “You never gave me the slightest hint.”

  “What can I say except that I’ve been a jerk?” Will gave her a sheepish grin. “Jason kept me apprised of your personal life. If any guy had made a move, I would’ve been there to cut him off.”