And he didn’t want Megan to know about his wealth. After their annulment, he’d explain. But not before.
He watched the Moodys, clearly distressed by all the attention their case was receiving. Rick cynically wondered if that was because they were private people, or because they feared it would affect the outcome.
When the mayor appeared, a few minutes later, Mr. Moody stepped forward to be greeted. The mayor offered him a curt nod and continued on to Rick, welcoming him with a smile.
“Rick, it’s good to see you again. I’d like to take you to lunch after the hearing. There are several wonderful opportunities you might be interested in.”
“Thank you, Mayor, but I’ve got to get back as soon as possible. My wife doesn’t like to leave the children any longer than necessary.”
“Yes, yes, a dedicated mother. How wonderful. But I’d hoped—”
“Why don’t I have my business manager give you a call? If he thinks they’re good opportunities, then I’ll schedule another visit.” He didn’t want to start another company, but he’d missed some of the aspects of business. He might consider running something from a distance.
And he wanted to keep the mayor on his side.
“It’s almost nine. I’d better join my wife and attorney. Thanks for coming, sir.”
“My pleasure. We want to serve our citizens well.”
Several reporters crowded around, and Rick was able to slip away. When he joined Megan and Mac, he nodded briefly to Mac, hoping to convey the news that everything was going as planned. Just before the court clerk asked everyone to rise, the Moodys and their attorney, the Mayor, and the reporters entered the courtroom.
“I think we should take our places up front,” Mac said hurriedly and led Megan and Rick to one of the tables on the other side of the bar.
“There are the Moodys,” Megan whispered, and Rick took her hand in his.
Frankly, he didn’t see how any man in good conscience could choose such stiff, cold people over Megan for anything, much less the care of two small children. But maybe he was prejudiced.
The judge entered the courtroom and settled into his chair before he looked up. He stared as he noted the crowded courtroom. With a dip of his head he acknowledged the presence of the mayor and the reporters before shooting what appeared to Rick to be a panicked look toward the Moodys.
Megan had been right to be worried. Rick suspected the man had intended to run roughshod over Megan and rule in the Moodys’ favor without much consideration for the children’s interests.
He’d figured the only thing that would stop him would be publicity over a biased decision. After all, he had to run for reelection. And if he wasn’t fair, his opponent would receive a hell of a campaign contribution to help him win.
Mac was smooth in his presentation, stressing the mental health of the children, and the temporary nature of the custody, not hinting at the permanent custody request he’d already filed for his clients in west Texas. Then he put Megan on the stand and questioned her about the welfare of the children.
Though she was nervous, Rick was proud of how well she handled herself. Rick also took the stand to assure the judge he loved the children also. As he prepared to leave the witness chair, the Moodys’ attorney questioned him sharply about their recent marriage.
After Rick answered briefly and in an unconcerned manner, the man then presented the Moodys’ case. When he put the Moodys, first the husband, then the wife, on the witness stand to request their grandchildren, Mac pointed out their lack of concern for the children both before and after Andrea’s death.
Several of the reporters muttered when Mrs. Moody admitted she’d never even called her grandchildren. Mac asked the woman questions about Torie, but she couldn’t give any particulars about her. She couldn’t even give Drew’s exact birth date.
There was a stirring in the courtroom as several reporters made notes. The mayor cleared his throat, and the judge looked nervous.
Rick squeezed Megan’s hand.
Finally, the judge ruled in Megan’s favor, stating that he saw no reason to overturn the ruling of temporary custody, though he would order a visit from social services before the ruling was final.
“But Frank, you promised—” Mr. Moody protested, standing. His lawyer dragged him down into his seat before he could finish his statement.
The judge hurriedly rapped his gavel and left the courtroom. The reporters edged forward, wanting to question Mr. Moody on what exactly the judge had promised.
Mac and Rick, with Megan between them, slipped out the side door and hurried to their rental car.
“We won!” Megan enthused after they got in. “I can’t believe it. We won!”
“Hey, you had a good attorney,” Rick said.
“Those reporters didn’t hurt, either,” Mac said dryly, shooting a glance Rick’s way.
“Why were they there?” Megan asked, frowning. “This case wasn’t important—”
“I think it’s an election year. They were probably investigating the judge,” Rick suggested.
“Well, I’m grateful, whatever the reason.” She slumped against the backseat. “I’m so relieved!”
“How about we grab an early lunch and then catch the next flight out?” Mac suggested.
“Oh, yes,” Megan agreed. “I’m suddenly starving. Oh, and I need to call Mom as soon as we find a phone.”
Mac reached into his pocket. “Here, use my cell phone.”
Megan did so. By the time she’d talked to Faith, Mac had pulled into a famous Tex-mex restaurant in Fort Worth.
During their quick lunch, Rick was relieved to have the true Megan back, the one who smiled and teased and made his heart beat faster.
On the plane home, she insisted she didn’t need him to hold her hand. But as soon as the plane got in the air, she fell asleep, and her head slipped to Rick’s shoulder.
Mac, seated on the other side of her, waited a couple of minutes before asking, “When are you going to tell her?”
“About what?”
“About your background.”
“Never if I can manage it. It doesn’t affect her.”
Mac raised one eyebrow, a silent comment.
“You know the truth about our marriage, Mac, whether you want to admit it or not. We have an agreement. That’s all it is. When it’s over, then we’ll part company.”
“Uh-huh,” Mac muttered, disbelief obvious.
Rick said nothing else. He wasn’t sure he believed his words either. He’d been married less than a week, and he already felt that Megan, Faith and the children were his family.
Was it because he had no family now? His mother had died when he was young and his father had passed away three years ago.
He was supposed to stay married to Megan for at least six months after the permanent custody was granted. That meant close to a year sharing his life with the woman beside him.
Could he walk away? But if he couldn’t, it was even more important that Megan not know about his wealth. He didn’t want to be fooled a second time. He didn’t want to be wanted because he had a lot of money.
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, feeling Megan’s warmth against him, smelling the floral perfume she wore, wishing, for a few moments at least, to forget the questions about the future and enjoy the present.
MEGAN SPENT the evening with the children, playing with and entertaining them, giving her mother some time to herself since she’d had them all day.
Shortly before Drew’s bedtime bottle, Rick joined them, holding the little boy, also taking turns with Torie rolling a tennis ball for Flower. Then he read Torie her bedtime story while Megan gave Drew his bottle.
“Thank you for helping,” she said, feeling almost shy. “You’d already worked hard moving all your equipment this afternoon.”
“’Bout time I got your mother’s room cleaned out. She’s been very patient.”
“Did you have any trouble hooking it all up again?”
<
br /> “Nope.”
She frowned but he said nothing else. Maybe he was really good with electronics. That certainly wasn’t an area of expertise for her. She could use a computer, but she knew nothing about how it worked.
“I think I’ll go on to bed,” she said when he turned on the television in the living room. “It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah. And congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She went up the stairs, thinking about his warm smile. About his support. His kindness. She was ashamed to admit that she was glad today’s ruling was for temporary custody, not permanent custody, because that would mean the end to their marriage.
That was a horrifying thought.
But Rick was becoming as important to her as the air she breathed. He didn’t always do what she thought she wanted him to do. But he did what he thought best. And he was usually right. When they argued, he allowed her her point of view.
Which proved he wasn’t like Drake.
And when he touched her, she could scarcely think of anything else, even the children.
Sharing the house with him for the next six months was going to be very difficult. Unless she gave in to what she now realized she wanted.
She’d never met a man she wanted to surrender to. A man she could trust, respect. A man she believed was honest. But now, she’d found Rick. She was eager to experience the oneness that came from the ultimate sharing.
She closed the door to her bedroom, as if to physically remind her that she mustn’t cross that line. She’d only known the man a short time. She’d be foolish to even think of making that monumental a decision now.
But darn it, it was hard.
AFTER WORKING the morning shift at the clinic with Samantha, receiving her congratulations on Monday’s success, Megan returned home for a late lunch. She and her mother put both children down for a nap.
Then Faith drove into town to meet Florence Greenfield for a shopping trip to Muleshoe. Florence had heard of a great sale in the nearby town.
Still feeling warm and grateful to Rick, Megan decided to spend the afternoon baking. Her first project was a German chocolate cake. When she had it in the oven, she mixed a large batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies. The kids loved those.
Then she started on the icing, the most important part of the cake.
A knock on the front door interrupted her, causing Megan to stare in that direction. No one in Cactus used the front door.
Wiping her hands on the apron she wore over her jeans and T-shirt, she hurried through the house to the front door, followed closely by Flower.
Through the glass she saw a beautiful, sophisticated woman, obviously not a resident of Cactus.
She pulled open the door and greeted the woman.
Instead of returning her greeting, the woman stepped over the threshhold and said, “Please tell Rick I’m here. I’m sure he’s expecting me.”
Megan had had breakfast with Rick that morning and he hadn’t mentioned expecting anyone to come, especially not someone like this woman, dressed in what appeared to be a designer suit, several large diamond rings and a handbag that Megan knew cost as much as their grocery bill for a month.
“Rick’s working. Perhaps he could call you this evening.”
The woman looked down her nose at Megan. “I don’t believe it’s the housekeeper’s business to make that decision.”
Megan considered several answers. Finally, she chose the most polite one, though it took a lot of effort. “Who may I say is calling?”
With a haughty look, the woman said, “His wife, of course.”
Chapter Twelve
It felt good to be in the saddle again.
Yesterday reminded Rick why he’d left the business world to be a rancher. Of course, he used his truck, and a lot of other modern equipment, but there was a timelessness to a man and his horse and dog, working to make a living.
Jose shouted and Rick urged his mount in that direction. A cow was in distress, the birthing not coming easy.
“I think we’ll have to pull it,” Jose said, already dismounted.
Rick did the same, leaving the reins trailing the ground, knowing his horse was trained to stay in place. “Yeah. Well, let’s see what we can do to help this little mama.”
Half an hour later, both men were hot and sweaty and covered in blood and other sundry fluids, but they were congratulating each other on their success, when Rick’s cell phone rang.
He’d started carrying it when Megan and her family had moved in, telling her to call him if there was an emergency. He hurried to his horse and dug the cell phone out of his saddlebag.
“Meg? What’s wrong?”
There was static and he strode a few paces over to higher ground. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”
“I said,” she repeated with exasperation, “there’s a woman here wanting to speak to you. She claims to be your wife!”
Uh-oh. Louann must have seen something in the papers, giving his location. His ex-wife hadn’t known where to find him the past year.
And by the sound of Megan’s voice, he was going to have some fence-mending to do with her when this was over. “Is she tall, blond and dripping in diamonds?”
“Why, yes, she is. How did you know?”
“Just a guess,” he told her, his words as sarcastic as hers. “Put her in the living room and leave her alone. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
He turned to Jose. “I’ve got an emergency back at the house, and I don’t know how long it will take.”
Jose looked at his watch. “I’ll circle the back pasture. If I don’t find any problems, I’ll push the mamas and babies toward the house and come on in.”
“Good enough. Thanks, Jose.”
He tucked the cell phone away and swung into the saddle. He’d like to think he could dismiss his ex-wife in a matter of minutes, but he had his doubts. Once she smelled money, she was hard to dislodge.
He only hoped Megan left her alone. He didn’t want any sharing of confidences between the two women.
That would be a disaster.
MEGAN GAVE the woman Rick’s message, at least the living room part of it.
The woman stood in the room, surveying it, a sneer on her face, and Megan forgot her own dismay when she’d first seen the room. It was out of date, and, at the time, dusty, but she and her mother had cleaned and polished. Now it looked nice.
“Bring me something to drink,” the woman ordered, after sinking onto the couch with a sigh. “A martini would be nice.”
“It might be nice, but all I have to offer is iced tea or grape juice.” And she didn’t even bother to apologize.
Another stare, this one plainly calling her an un-civilized heathen.
Megan shrugged her shoulder and started out of the room.
“Oh, all right, I’ll take some iced tea.”
The ungraciousness of her words made Megan consider spilling the iced tea down the front of her fire-engine red designer suit.
Instead, she counseled herself to have pity on the woman. She must be dumb as a post to have given up Rick Astin as a husband. Maybe she deserved a little pity.
A teaspoonful…maybe.
She carried a glass of iced tea back to the living room, set it down without saying anything and walked away.
As per instructions.
She finished up the icing and began to put it on the cooled cake layers, stopping only to take a tray of cookies from the oven.
She was just finishing up the cake when Torie appeared in the kitchen.
“Mommy, Drew is crying.”
Megan had forgotten to turn on the baby monitor. “Oh, dear. Wait right here, sweetie, while I go get him. Then I’ll fix you some milk and cookies.”
“Can Flower have a cookie, too?” Torie called after her as the dog raced to the little girl’s side.
“No!” Megan called back as she hurried up the stairs.
She changed Drew and brought him back to the kitchen. As she
was putting him in his high chair and warning Torie not to let Flower jump up, the kitchen door swung open and their guest stared at the three of them.
“Children? Where did they come from?”
Megan glared at her and said nothing.
“Who’s that?” Torie asked.
“I have no idea, sweetie. Get in your chair if you want cookies.”
“How long am I supposed to wait in this God-forsaken place?” the woman demanded at the same time.
And to top it all off, the backdoor opened and a smelly, dirty Rick stalked into the kitchen.
Torie chose that moment to complicate matters. “Daddy! Do you want a cookie?”
“Daddy?” the woman shrieked. “What does she mean?”
Torie seemed unaffected by the woman’s anger. “Don’t you have a daddy?”
“Oh, yeah, Torie,” Rick drawled, “she has a daddy. How is Mitchell, Louann? Still partying all over Texas?”
“My father is quite popular,” she said precisely. “Now explain this child’s words.”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you. Our divorce decree made that unnecessary, remember?”
“Could you two take your discussion to the living room before you upset the children?” Megan intervened. She wanted to hear what they had to say, she admitted, but not to the point that the children were upset. They’d had enough anger and fighting in their young lives.
Rick surprised her by bending over and kissing her briefly. “I have to clean up first,” he said, gesturing to himself. “We had to pull a calf. By the way, did you introduce yourself to Louann?”
“No,” Megan said, a grim smile on her lips. “The lady didn’t seem interested in meeting the housekeeper.”
“Well, then, darlin’, you should’ve explained her mistake. You see, Louann, this isn’t the housekeeper. This is my wife, Megan.”
Then he walked out of the room.
Nice exit line, Megan thought as she sighed. Then she realized the woman hadn’t seemed all that surprised, which meant that she already knew who Megan was. And she also knew Rick wasn’t still her husband.
The Great Texas Wedding Bargain Page 12
