He twined his fingers in her long blond tresses and pulled her close. He felt her breasts press against his chest with every breath she drew. The heat settled low in his body.
Full-blown panic raced through Cynthia. How easy it had been for him. A touch, a caress, and she was once again putty in his hands. She broke away and fought to bring her ragged breathing under control. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been as frightened. Her words came out as a breathless whisper. “Don’t. I...” She couldn’t force out any more words. She saw the confusion and uncertainty in his eyes. She turned and ran toward the stairs and the safety of her bedroom.
Isabelle Fortune grabbed her purse from the table and followed Brad Rowan out the front door and into the car.
Brad put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway. His brow furrowed in concentration. “Hmm.”
“What’s the matter, Brad?”
“Have you ever met this Cynthia McCree? It seems to me a bit presumptuous of Shane to ask this favor of you.”
“Cynthia and Shane dated several years ago, before she moved away. I met her a couple of times, but don’t know her that well.”
“You’re sure this isn’t too early in the morning to be arriving at Shane’s house?”
Isabelle glanced at her watch. “He said Cynthia wanted to get an early start to Phoenix, and I should be there no later than seven-thirty. We’re right on time. It’s nice of you to pick me up and drive me over there, especially at this hour. I know how busy you are.”
He smiled at her and reached over to give her hand a squeeze. “It’s my pleasure. Besides, I have something I want to talk to Shane about, and this might be a good time to catch him away from his office at the hospital.”
Soon Brad pulled the car into Shane’s driveway. A moment later Shane admitted them to the house. He gave Isabelle a warm hug, but the handshake he gave Brad was more perfunctory than personal. He ushered them into the kitchen.
“Isabelle, you remember Cynthia.”
“Of course.” Isabelle smiled graciously. “It’s so nice to see you again. Shane tells me you’ve moved back to Pueblo.”
Shane continued his introductions. “And this is Bobby.” He turned his attention to the little boy. “This is my sister, Isabelle. She’s going to keep you company today.”
Bobby stared at Isabelle for a moment, then grinned. “Hi.”
Shane introduced Brad to Cynthia and Bobby. Isabelle poured herself a cup of coffee and joined Bobby and Cynthia. They quickly became engaged in conversation.
Brad edged toward the kitchen door. “I’d like a word with you, Shane, if you have a minute.”
Shane was not pleased with this turn of events. “All right. Let’s go into the den.”
The two men did so, and Shane closed the door behind them so they could talk in private. He turned to face Brad. “So, what’s on your mind?”
“I’m a little worried about all the publicity surrounding your comments concerning Lightfoot Plateau.”
Shane eyed him warily. “And just what is it that bothers you?”
Brad chuckled nervously. “You make it sound like I’m doing something bad just because I won’t sell you the land. I have every intention of giving it to Isabelle as a wedding present—after we’re married.”
Shane set his jaw in a hard determined line, making no effort to hide his dislike for Brad Rowan. “I want that land outright, a nice clean sale with no strings attached and no promises of what you’re going to do someday.”
Brad’s voice took on a matter-of-fact tone. “It’s like I told you—it will be a wedding present to Isabelle—after we’re married. That’s the best I can do.”
“That’s not good enough.” Shane paused a moment to take in Brad’s nervousness. He carefully measured his words. “I will get possession of that land. You will never be able to develop it, because the Fortunes have the where-withal to stop your plans, or at the very least delay them for so long they’re no longer viable.”
Shane started for the door, signaling that their conversation was over. Then he turned back to Brad and fixed him with a cold stare. He dropped his voice to a low timbre, leaving no question about his intent. “And that’s a promise.”
Shane quickly composed himself as he left Brad in the den and returned to Cynthia and Isabelle. He smiled warmly as if to say nothing was wrong. “Have you two ladies worked everything out?”
“We sure have,” Isabelle replied. “Bobby and I are going to spend this afternoon together while Cynthia goes to Tucson, and then we’ll spend the entire day together tomorrow while she’s in Phoenix.” She turned to Bobby. “Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah! We’re gonna go swimming.”
Shane’s brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at Cynthia. “I thought you were going to Phoenix today.”
“This afternoon, then all day tomorrow works out better for Isabelle’s schedule. She’s going to leave now, but she’ll come back after lunch and I’ll drive to Tucson.”
“I guess there’s nothing more I can do here, so if you ladies will excuse me, I need to get to the hospital.” Shane took a final drink from his coffee cup and set it in the sink. He reached over and tousled Bobby’s hair. “I’ll see you tonight, champ.”
As Shane turned toward the door leading to the garage, he caught sight of Brad entering the kitchen. He shot the man one last hard glance, then continued out to his car. He had more-immediate things on his mind.
He wanted to spend some time with Bobby when Cynthia wasn’t around to intervene. He could tell from her protective attitude around her son that she’d never consent to leaving Bobby with him, although he didn’t know why. It was the reason he had drawn Isabelle into it. His curiosity about the boy increased every time he saw Bobby, filling him with questions about who Bobby’s father was and where the man was now. And still the one nagging thought about Bobby’s possible parentage—the concept that continued to lurk in the back of his mind without crystallizing into a clear thought—had a very unsettling effect on him and he didn’t know why.
Six
Cynthia glanced at the clock. Isabelle would be arriving any minute. She cleared away the lunch dishes as Bobby drained the last drop of milk from his glass.
“Can I go swimming now, Mommy?”
“Not right away. You know you have to rest first.” She had long ago given up trying to get the rambunctious little boy to take a nap, but she still tried to get him to spend some quiet time with a book. “If you stay quiet for an hour, you can go swimming.”
She turned toward the sound of the front door opening. “That must be Isabelle now.” She called out, “We’re in the kitchen.” But it was Shane who made an appearance a moment later.
“Am I in time for lunch?”
“I thought you were Isabelle.” She eyed him suspiciously, not sure what to make of his unexpected arrival. “What are you doing here? Yesterday you said you had a very busy schedule.”
“Yesterday I did have a busy schedule. Today, however, is another matter.” He glanced at the dirty dishes stacked on the counter. “Well, it looks like you’ve already eaten. Do you have enough left for another person?”
“I suppose so.” An edge of irritation crept into her voice. “So what happened to your usually busy schedule?”
“Today’s lunch meeting turned into a breakfast meeting for tomorrow morning. So I thought I’d come home for lunch, see if there was anything Isabelle needed.”
“I see. Then you’ll be returning to work after lunch?”
He cocked his head and stared at her for a moment, a hint of puzzlement crossing his face. “Yes. I have patients to see. Is there a problem?”
“No. Of course not. I was just surprised to see you, that’s all.” Her first thought was born of panic. Had Shane shown up thinking she was already on her way to Tucson? Was it an attempt to get close to Bobby? Her anxiety level increased dramatically. Did he suspect the truth? She reined in her runaway thoughts. She could not allow
her fears to jump out of control at each and every little incident. She had to keep the situation in its proper perspective. There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with his deciding to have lunch at home when his business plans changed.
“Hi.” Isabelle’s voice floated in from the entry hall. “I’m here.” A moment later she appeared at the kitchen door.
“Shane—I was surprised to see your car in the driveway. What are you doing here?”
An amused chuckle escaped this throat. “That’s the same thing Cynthia asked me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I wasn’t welcome in my own home.” He shot a look at Cynthia as if to ask if there was some truth to that.
A few hours later Cynthia drove through the entrance of the Saguaro Springs gated community and down the street toward Shane’s house. As soon as she pulled up to the curb, she realized Isabelle’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Had she and Bobby gone somewhere? An uncomfortable sensation pricked at her consciousness. She found the front door unlocked. Her uneasiness jumped to apprehension. She stepped into the entrance foyer. Sounds of laughter came from the backyard.
She hurried through the den, coming to an abrupt halt in front of the sliding glass doors. A hard jolt of panic grabbed her. Isabelle was nowhere in sight. Bobby was splashing around in the shallow end of the pool—with Shane.
It was a scene that would have warmed anyone’s heart—a father and son laughing and playing together—but it left Cynthia unnerved and scared. She tried to swallow her panic, but to no avail. She stepped out onto the patio.
Bobby’s face lit up when he saw her. “Mommy! Watch what Shane taught me.”
Before she could say anything, Bobby ducked beneath the surface, put his arms in front of him and started kicking his feet. He swam underwater to the side of the pool, then popped up. A big grin spread across his face. “Did you see me?”
She forced a smile as she walked across the patio toward the pool. “I sure did. You looked great.”
“Shane taught me how to swim underwater. Isn’t that neat?” He scrambled up the steps, then ran around the edge of the pool. “Here I come—bombs away!” He jumped into the water.
She glared down at Shane in the water, as much annoyed by his expression of innocence as she was frightened about what he and Bobby might have talked about. Shane had obviously been here for a while. Could he have been with Bobby all afternoon, sending Isabelle home as soon as she’d left for Tucson?
She couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice. “What are you doing here?”
Shane put his hands on the decking and pushed himself out of the pool. He sat on the edge with his legs dangling in the water. He looked at her, still the picture of innocence. “That’s the second time you’ve asked me that today. I do live here, you know.”
She swung her gaze to Bobby as he climbed out of the pool. She clenched her jaw and lowered her voice so Bobby wouldn’t hear her. “You know very well what I mean. Your busy day, your need to return to the hospital to see patients following lunch.”
“Oh, yeah, that.” Shane grinned at her, his features taking on the look of someone who’d just pulled off what he thought was the perfect prank, then ended up getting caught.
“Yeah, that.” She fought to keep her expression stern, to make her displeasure with him obvious, but it became more difficult with each passing second. The late-afternoon sun glinted off the water droplets in his raven hair and enhanced the golden hue of his tan. His broad shoulders and chest had not lost any of their muscle tone over the years, nor had his long legs. He was still the sexiest and most desirable man she had ever seen. She tried to steel herself against the powerful pull, as much emotional as physical.
“Well—” he stood up and grabbed two towels from the chair, handing one to Bobby, who’d arrived on the scene with curiosity etched across his features “—it seems that my afternoon caseload wasn’t as heavy as I’d thought. It only took me an hour or so to finish up, so I came back here and let Isabelle go home. Bobby and I spent the afternoon in the pool.”
He grinned at Bobby. “I wouldn’t swear to it, but I think he must be part fish the way he loves the water.”
“Yes, he’s always loved the water. That’s one of the top things I’m looking for in a house—a swimming pool.” The tension spread through her body. She took the towel from Bobby and stooped to dry his back.
Shane and Bobby had spent most of the afternoon together. Bobby didn’t seem upset by anything. In fact, it was blatantly obvious how much the two of them had enjoyed the afternoon. The other thing that was equally obvious was the fact that Shane was doing everything he could to get close to Bobby. What was not as obvious was why. Did he suspect the truth?
Shane looped his towel around his neck, hanging on to the ends with his hands. “Why don’t you put on your swimsuit and come into the water with us?”
Bobby squirmed out of her reach. He stood next to Shane, looping his towel around his neck and holding the ends in the exact same way as Shane. “Yeah, Mommy. Come swimming with us.”
She smoothed back Bobby’s wet hair. Her son’s actions in mimicking his father and the bond that seemed to be forming between them stabbed at her. Waves of guilt swept through her, settling in the pit of her stomach in a sickening swirl. She managed to force what she hoped was an outer calm to her manner. A little shiver moved across the surface of her skin. Her life of late revolved around trying to maintain a facade to hide her true feelings. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough for one day? It’s almost dinnertime.”
“Shane said he’d order pizza for us when you got home. We can play in the water until it comes.” The little boy looked up at her, his eyes pleading. “Can we, Mommy? Huh? Can we?”
“Yes, Mommy...can we?” Shane’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he echoed Bobby’s entreaty. He reached out to take her hand, but she quickly moved out of his reach. His mischievous look changed to a questioning one.
“Maybe some other time.” She saw the disappointment on her son’s face, and it tore her up inside. She swallowed the lump in her throat and quickly blinked away the tears starting to form in her eyes. He was such a good boy and asked for so little, but there was no way that participating in a family playtime in the swimming pool could be for anyone’s benefit. “Go up to your room and get dressed, and I’ll start dinner.”
“Aw, gee.” Bobby stomped off toward the den with a scowl on his face, his displeasure known to one and all.
As soon as Bobby was out of sight, she turned to Shane, making no attempt to hide her irritation. She snapped out her anger. “I’ll thank you not to interfere with my instructions to my son. He’s my responsibility, not yours.”
She regretted the words the moment she said them. She started to apologize, but before she could say anything, Shane cocked his head and shot her a questioning look. Was that skepticism she saw in his eyes?
“I...I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean for that to sound so harsh. It’s just that sometimes it’s difficult raising a child by yourself and...” She didn’t know how to finish.
Shane gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek, then tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She bristled at the intimate gesture. He’d caught her at a vulnerable moment, but that didn’t mean she needed to let him take advantage of it.
“Stop that. If I wanted my hair there, I would have put it there.” She ran her fingers through her hair to bring the stray lock forward again.
He seemed unfazed by her actions. “You’ve done a terrific job with Bobby. He’s a great kid.” He touched her cheek again. The physical contact sent a renewed surge of excitement through her body. She quickly stepped away from the heated temptation before it could totally overwhelm her.
“Yes, he is.” She dropped her voice to a near whisper as the emotion cloaked her words. “He’s the most important thing in my life. I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost him.”
Shane furrowed his brow in confusion. “Lost him? What do you mean by tha
t?” He hesitated a moment before venturing his next question. His words were filled with genuine concern. “Is there some problem?”
“No. Of course not. I only meant that if something happened to him...if he should be in an accident or become seriously ill or...”
Cynthia’s words trailed off. After seeing Shane and Bobby in the pool, seeing the bond forming between them and the way Bobby idolized Shane, a whole new fear had reached out and grabbed her—one that scared her more than the possibility of Shane’s rejection. The tears started to form in her eyes again as a horrible trepidation tried to take hold. What if Shane instituted a custody suit and tried to take Bobby away from her? She quickly turned her head so Shane wouldn’t see her pain and her fear. She hurried toward the door, leaving him standing by the pool.
Shane watched as she disappeared into the house. A mass of conflicting thoughts whirled through his head. There was no question in his mind that some sort of problem existed, but what? If Bobby was ill, it certainly didn’t show. In his professional medical opinion, the boy was strong and healthy.
Could it be that there was some sort of custody suit between Cynthia and Bobby’s father? He had tried to subtly introduce the topic of Bobby’s father during the course of the afternoon, but all he got in return was a vague response from Bobby about his father going away before he was born. The statement left him uneasy, even though he didn’t know exactly how to interpret it.
And still, the nagging thought in the back of his mind kept poking at his consciousness, the one trying to tell him Bobby was more than just Cynthia’s son.
Shane towel-dried his hair as he crossed the patio toward the house. He went straight to his bedroom and dressed in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt. When he emerged from his bedroom, he spotted Bobby at the top of the stairs and caught up to him.
“Sorry about the pizza, champ. Maybe we can do that another night.”
Fortune's Secret Child Page 9
