“I think I’m presentable now. And hungry as a bear,” he added as she spun around.
She didn’t say anything, and she looked worried.
“Megan? Is something wrong?”
“No, of course not.” She hesitated, then added, “At least I hope not.”
He moved to her side. “What is it?”
“The four ladies, the ones you call the matchmakers, are here.”
“They came in here?” he asked, surprised.
“Not to our room. After I took my shower, I came in here to eat so I wouldn’t bother you. And I saw them arrive.”
“Maybe they came to settle the bill.”
“Probably. But I was worried that we didn’t convince the woman that everything was…was normal.”
He thought back to the few minutes the hostess had come into the bedroom. “I think we did.”
“But your dress shoes were in here, by the couch.”
“She’ll probably think I was getting comfortable before we managed to get to the bed.” In fact, if it had been a real honeymoon night, his clothes might’ve been scattered all over the place, and he wouldn’t have cared.
Megan’s cheeks heated up again. He’d never seen anyone blush as much as Megan. And he loved it.
He pulled her against him. “Don’t worry so much. Even if we didn’t convince her, the matchmakers will persuade her. They know the truth, even if they choose not to believe it.”
“I guess you’re right,” she murmured.
Rick loved feeling her against him. She must like it a little, too, because, as when they danced last night, she leaned her head against his shoulder.
Then she pulled back. “You’d better eat. We only have a few minutes before we’re supposed to check out. I’ll pack everything up in our new luggage while you eat.”
“I put my tux in the big suitcase, along with my other things,” he assured her as he started uncovering dishes on the tray. The sight of scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, distracted him.
“Do you use your tux often?”
“Not now,” he said absentmindedly.
“What did you do before you bought your ranch?”
Suddenly, his senses were on alert. Why did she want to know? One of the things he liked about the people of Cactus was their acceptance of him as he was, without questions. “I lived in a city. Why?”
“It seemed odd that you would own your own tux.”
“I bought it for a friend’s wedding. He told me it would be better to buy my own. It was on sale, so I believed him.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
A funny answer. “Yeah.” It made sense as long as she didn’t see the designer label. He was glad he’d already packed the tux, instead of leaving it to her. He had no intention of revealing his past to Megan.
Most especially to Megan.
SINCE MARYBELLE had worked the Thursday morning shift for Megan, and she wasn’t scheduled for the weekend, Megan didn’t have to worry about working again until Monday afternoon. Unless there was an emergency.
She and Rick arrived back at the ranch just a little after noon. When they went in the backdoor, Faith was still at the table with the children, feeding them lunch.
“Hi, Mom,” Megan said, unable to keep a certain coolness out of her voice.
“Aunt Megan!” Torie cried, a relieved smile on her face. “I thought you weren’t coming back!”
Faith said under her breath, “She’s worried all morning.”
Megan pulled out a chair next to Torie and gave her a hug. “Of course I came back. We’re all going to live here with Rick, remember?”
“And Daisy!” Torie added.
Rick raised one eyebrow. “Where is that dog?”
Faith answered. “Jose asked if he could take Daisy with him to work the cows.”
“Good. I need to go see how he’s managing. I’ll take the new luggage upstairs, Meg. Shall I put it in your room? Where’s my things?”
Again Faith answered. “I moved all your things back upstairs, remember?”
“I just wanted to be sure.”
“I moved some of your machines last night, with Celia’s help, but I’m not sure I got them arranged or hooked up the way you would want,” she added.
“Oh, Mom, you should’ve waited,” Megan protested, concerned that her mother might have messed up some of Rick’s fancy equipment, not to mention overexerted herself.
“Uh, it’s okay,” Rick said, but Megan could tell he was nervous about the results. “I’ll move the rest of it this afternoon when I get in.”
Then he hurried from the room, carrying the three suitcases.
“Where did you get the luggage?” Faith asked.
“It was part of the wedding gift,” Megan said, knowing her voice sounded stiff.
Her mother looked at her from beneath her lashes and scooped up another bite of peas for Drew.
“Why didn’t you warn me, Mom?”
“What good would it have done? You would’ve just worried,” Faith said.
“Or been a little better prepared.”
Faith shrugged her shoulders. “They asked me to keep it a secret, and I promised.”
Frustrated, Megan turned to the door leading from the kitchen. Torie stopped her.
“Where are you going, Aunt Megan?”
“Upstairs, to unpack, sweetie. Finish your lunch and then I’ll read you a story before you take your nap.”
“A Pooh bear story?” Torie asked, her gaze filled with hope.
Who could resist? Of course, the fact that it was the longest book Torie owned probably had something to do with her request. “Yes, the Pooh bear story. But you have to eat your vegetables first.”
“Okay,” Torie agreed, immediately cramming a large bite of carrots into her mouth with both the spoon and her hand.
“Torie, your manners!” Faith urged.
Megan slipped from the room without Torie noticing. She climbed the stairs and stopped at the first room, Rick’s.
He’d left the door open.
“Do you want me to hang up your tux so you can join Jose?” she asked.
“No, I hung it up, thanks, Megan. I, uh, I put the suitcases in your room since I emptied the big one. Or I can store them in my closet, after you finish unpacking. I have a bigger closet than you.”
“All right, that would be nice. Did Mom mess up any of your equipment?” she asked, her gaze traveling over several of the machines.
“No, I’m sure she didn’t. But tell her not to move the others. They’re heavy. I’ll take care of them when I get back to the house.”
“I will. I’m sorry for all the inconvenience. I want to tell you again how much we appreciate what you’ve done.”
He moved toward the door and she stepped aside. But he didn’t pass her by. Clasping her shoulders, he leaned toward her and she thought he was going to kiss her.
“Megan, we’re each doing something for the other. Remember how this house looked before you and your mother cleaned it? And all that good food you’ve cooked? I’m not suffering.”
“I hope not,” she muttered, refusing to look at him. He was too close.
So when he did kiss her, she wasn’t prepared.
Fortunately, he only brushed his lips across hers and hurried down the stairs, leaving Megan standing in his bedroom doorway, wishing things were different than they were.
RICK JOINED Jose and worked hard all afternoon, in spite of Jose’s teasing about his honeymoon. He distracted his friend by teasing him right back about the young lady he’d brought to the wedding.
“Maybe you’re planning on heading up the aisle, just like I did?”
“Hey, I just met the lady. Don’t be rushing me. Some of us don’t make decisions as fast as you do.”
“I guess I was a little quick, but I didn’t want her to get away,” Rick assured him, realizing he wasn’t completely lying. Megan needed his help and he felt she deserved a little consideration.
“Besides,” Jose added, “since I have to work for other people part of the time instead of for myself, I’m not ready to take on more responsibility.”
Jose had a small place, but he supplemented his income by working for Rick three days a week. When he could, Jose intended to train horses. He had a natural ability that impressed Rick.
“Yeah, a wife and family are a big responsibility,” Rick said with a sigh.
“You gonna adopt those kids?”
The question shocked Rick. Of course he wasn’t, because the marriage wasn’t real, but he realized if it was, that would be what he wanted. “Uh, Megan and I haven’t discussed it. Things happened too quickly.”
“They’re cute kids.”
“Yeah. And Torie is getting used to me. As long as she can play with Daisy,” he added with a grin.
Rick was still thinking about Torie as he and Daisy headed back to the ranch at sunset. He figured the little girl would ask about swimming in the creek, as he’d promised, when he got to the house.
He’d told Megan he didn’t mind Torie’s fondness for his dog. And he didn’t. As a child, he’d had a pet. Fluffy had been part cocker spaniel and part something else. She’d been a faithful companion as he’d navigated childhood. When his mother had died, Fluffy had consoled him.
Maybe he should get Torie her own puppy. Daisy was a work dog, but if Torie had her own puppy, housebroken of course, she’d have the constant companionship that had meant so much to him.
He’d ask around town, see if anyone had puppies they needed to find homes for.
And maybe he’d better talk to Megan, too. He didn’t want to do anything to upset her. After all, she was the temporary legal guardian for the children.
Should he get Drew a puppy, too? The baby seemed too young yet, but Megan would know. They’d make the decision together.
Like husband and wife.
That thought occupied his mind until he got to the barn. As he unsaddled his horse, he realized they had a visitor, if the car parked beside the house was anything to go by.
And he thought he recognized the vehicle. It looked like Mac Gibbons’s sport utility vehicle.
Mac Gibbons, his wife’s attorney.
Had she already decided to back out of their marriage?
Chapter Nine
“Hey, Mac, how are things?” Rick asked as he entered the kitchen, trying to remain calm.
Mac, who had been seated at the table across from Megan, stood and shook his hand. “Good. How’s married life?”
Rick shot a quick glance at Megan, looking for reassurance, but she kept her gaze fixed on the table, her hands clasped in front of her. Tempting fate, Rick put his hands on her shoulders and leaned over to drop a kiss on her temple.
“It’s wonderful,” he assured Mac.
Mac gave him a well-satisfied smile. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”
“What brings you out here this late in the day?”
Mac looked at Megan, and she gave a faint nod. “I received a call today from Drake Moody’s attorney. He’s fighting the temporary custody.”
Rick pulled out the chair beside Megan and covered her clasped hands with one of his. “Isn’t he still in prison?”
“Yeah. He wants his parents to have custody until he’s out.”
“I thought Megan intended to have the custody hearing here, instead of Fort Worth.” He could feel her hands trembling beneath his and wanted to wrap his arms around her.
“We’ve talked about that. The temporary custody order was issued in Fort Worth and that’s what he wants changed, so we’ll have to deal with that in Fort Worth. We’ve already filed for permanent custody here.”
Rick nodded and waited.
Finally, Mac sighed. “We’re going to need to go to Fort Worth for the hearing. Can you come with Megan?”
“Of course I can. Do we take the kids?”
“No, I don’t think that will be necessary, though they may send a social worker out to check on their situation, to interview Torie, at least.”
“Yeah, Drew’s not much of a conversationalist,” Rick said, hoping to bring some relief to Megan. “When do we go?”
“It’s set for Monday morning, nine a.m.”
“Okay, we can drive down on Sunday.” He looked at Megan for confirmation, but she never moved.
“Or you can fly in with me early Monday morning. Whichever you choose.”
Since Megan wasn’t responding, which was worrying Rick, he murmured, “We’ll talk it over and let you know.”
“Great. Well, any questions, Megan?”
She shook her head no.
Rick stood and offered his hand, thanking Mac for coming out. Then he followed him outside.
“Okay, what has Megan so panicked?” he asked when Mac reached his vehicle.
Mac sighed. “She’d hoped to avoid facing a judge in Fort Worth. Moody apparently has some influence there.”
“Yeah, she told me that. Do we have a chance?”
“Yes, but I need more to work with. Could the two of you afford a private investigator to collect information on Moody? If he’s as bad as Megan says, there’s got to be—”
“Hire one,” Rick said at once.
“I won’t charge for my services, but a P.I.—”
“Expense isn’t a problem, Mac. We’ll pay your bill and the P.I.’s. Just let me know how much.” He paused, then added, “But don’t say anything to Megan. I don’t want her to worry about money.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Mac clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a good man, Rick Astin.”
Rick shrugged off the praise. “You’d do the same for your wife, wouldn’t you?”
“In a heartbeat,” Mac agreed. “There’s just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“There mustn’t be any hint of…if you spend Sunday night in Fort Worth, it has to appear…you’ll have to share a hotel room.”
Rick didn’t know what Mac knew…and didn’t want to know. But he got the message. “No problem.”
Just like last night was no problem. He’d get almost no sleep and be frustrated, but, hey, it was for the kids.
“Great. Let me know when you two are going down.”
“Will do.”
Rick stood watching Mac drive away.
He’d just broken a promise to himself. But there was more at stake here than his pride, or the game he’d been playing. Babies needed to be protected. Megan needed him. His family, even if it was temporary, depended on him.
And it felt damn good.
MEGAN STOOD at the kitchen sink, staring out the window at Mac and Rick talking. What were they saying? Was Mac telling Rick they had no hope?
He hadn’t said that to her, but Megan feared that was what he was thinking. Had she made a mistake, running away from Fort Worth, hiring a local attorney?
Mac was good. She trusted him. But he wouldn’t be on his home turf. Should she hire another attorney? And would she have enough money to see this through?
She looked outside again and realized Mac had left and Rick was nowhere in sight. Probably he’d retreated to the barn, not even the evening meal tempting him to come back in.
The sound of boots had her spinning around to find she’d mistaken Rick’s direction. She couldn’t even form a welcoming smile, fear had such a hold on her.
To her surprise, he headed straight for her. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his long form.
“It’s okay, baby,” he whispered, and Megan lost control completely, her body shaking like a leaf in a storm.
“N-No, it’s not! We’re g-going to lose them. H-He—”
“No, we’re not. Those children are depending on us to keep them safe, and that’s what we’ll do.”
She pushed back a little so she could see his face. “You don’t understand. Drake Moody has money and power. Fort Worth is his territory. I thought if we came here, could ge
t the custody battle moved here, we could—”
“And we will. The judge isn’t going to move the children without a good reason. Thanks to you and your mother, they’ve got a good home. They’re receiving loving care. There’s no reason to move them.”
“That’s what Mac said.”
“And he’s right.”
Some of his reason and the warmth of his body began to invade her, warding off the chill Mac’s announcement had brought her.
Faith peeked around the kitchen door. “May we come in?”
Megan jumped from Rick’s hold as if she’d been doing something illegal. “Of course!”
Rick grinned at his mother-in-law. “You bet. I hope that means we’re going to eat. I’m starving.”
Megan watched her mother respond to those words like an army horse hearing the bugler sound the charge. She settled Drew in the high chair and immediately began to put the dinner on the table.
“I was going to feed the children earlier, but the lawyer came and—”
“Where is he?” Torie whispered, still standing by the door, as if ready for a quick escape.
“Who?” Rick asked.
“The man who made Aunt Megan cry.”
Rick’s gaze immediately shifted to Megan, and she wanted to hide. “Is she talking about Mac?”
“I don’t like him,” Torie protested.
“Sweetie, Mr. Gibbons is a nice man,” Megan hurriedly assured her niece, crossing the room to pick her up.
“H-He said my daddy’s name.”
Megan saw the fear in her niece’s gaze and shuddered. She couldn’t lose this battle. She couldn’t abandon Torie to her father’s sadistic behavior. Or Drew, she added, staring at the baby’s sweet smile as he banged on the tray of his high chair. She couldn’t.
“Your daddy wanted to know if you’re okay,” she said, flashing a warning to her mother and Rick with her gaze.
“I don’t want him to come,” Torie said, her eyes filling with tears.
Megan didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t promise Drake would never come. She couldn’t even promise to keep Torie and Drew safe. Tears gathered in her eyes, too.
Then Rick lifted Torie out of Megan’s arms. She started to protest, but she realized Torie wasn’t.
The Great Texas Wedding Bargain Page 9
