“Yes,” she said simply, wanting this terrible moment to end.
“Don’t worry, hon,” Paul said as Garrett stood staring dumbfounded at her. “I’m sure Mr. Lord won’t have any trouble finding another ranch hand.”
She spun on her heel and hurried toward Paul’s car, her strained composure on the edge of crumbling.
“Hold it.” Garrett closed the distance between them with three long strides. He grasped Mimi’s elbow and whirled her around. “You’re not going anywhere until you explain what the hell is going on here.”
She licked her lips, her mouth dry as dust. “There’s nothing to explain. I’m leaving with Paul. But I want to thank you…”
He dropped her elbow and took a step away from her. “I don’t want your gratitude.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again, her lower lip trembling as he turned away from her. “I know you don’t understand, but it’s the choice I have to make.”
She stared at his broad back and his stiff shoulders. Pride would prevent him from coming after her again.
Paul opened the passenger door for her as Hubert came running around the corner. He stopped long enough to mark a rear tire, then trotted up to her, his stubbed tail wagging as she settled into the leather seat.
Mimi bent down and placed a kiss on top of his furry head. “Tell Garrett I love him,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I love him so much.”
“Get lost, pooch.” Paul shoved Hubert away from the car with his foot, then shut the passenger door.
Mimi watched Hubert prance toward Garrett, who stood with his back to the car, one white-knuckled hand curled around a fence post.
Paul settled into the driver’s seat, switched on the ignition, then peeled out of the gravel driveway. “Now that we’ve got that heart-wrenching goodbye scene out of the way, I’ll tell you exactly what I want.”
GARRETT GRADUALLY became aware of a tugging at his ankle. He glanced down to see Hubert’s jaws clamped around the hem of his pant leg. The little dog growled, then pulled on the faded denim with all his might. Garrett reached down and scooped him into his arms. Hubert lapped at his chin with his wet tongue.
“Thanks, boy,” he said, wiping dog saliva off his face. “I needed that.”
Hubert barked once, then looked at him expectantly.
“Yes, she’s really gone.” He stared into the corral, watching the massive bull paw at the ground. Wispy white clouds floated in a bright blue sky. A hawk flew high above him, its wings spread wide as it drifted over the south pasture. Garrett had chores to do and cattle to check. This day was the same as any other day on the ranch.
Yet he knew in his heart that nothing would ever really be the same again.
What was it about him that made women want to leave? Last night, Mimi had been warm and loving in his arms. He’d truly believed he’d found his soul mate.
Today, his soul mate had left with another man.
It’s the choice I have to make. Her words reverberated in his ears. Obviously, deciding between a rich city slicker and a cowboy who got his hands dirty working the land had been an easy choice for her to make. After spending a few weeks seeing how the other half lived, she’d chosen to let her fiancé whisk her back to a life of luxury.
He set Hubert on the ground, his anger building as he watched the dog chase a butterfly. Hell, he hadn’t even known her real last name. A game. She’d been playing a silly game these past few weeks. And playing him for a fool.
Yet she’d found his past for him. Earned his respect as a cowhand. Touched his heart with her concern for a one-hundred-year-old love affair.
It wasn’t all a lie. He knew in his bones that Mimi cared about him. But it obviously wasn’t enough.
He wasn’t as slick or as polished as Paul Renquist. And he definitely didn’t move in the Casville social circle. His adoptive parents had left him with a more than comfortable inheritance, but he was determined to make it on his own. He’d never yearned to even rub elbows with the rich and powerful. Or spend any more time in the city than absolutely necessary.
He just wished Mimi had left before he’d fallen in love with her.
Garrett rubbed one hand over his eyes, too exhausted to think clearly. He wanted nothing more than to fall into his bed and surrender to unconsciousness. Then maybe he could block out the memory of Mimi’s eyes. Her kisses. Her soft gasps when he touched her in just the right places.
The screech of the hawk brought him back to reality. He watched it swoop down on its prey, then rise again in the sky, a hapless mouse clutched in its powerful claws.
Chores awaited him. Life would go on as it had before. Early mornings and lonely nights. Nothing had really changed.
Garrett Lord had survived without Mimi before. He’d damn well find a way to do it again.
“THIS IS IT.” Paul hesitated outside the door to Rupert Casville’s study. “Can you at least smile or something? You hardly look like a blushing bride-to-be.”
Mimi stared at him, unable to conceal her disgust. “You’re blackmailing me into marrying you. What exactly do I have to smile about?”
“I think the arrangement I proposed is more than fair. We’ll have a marriage in name only in exchange for no prenuptial agreement.”
She looked at him. “Money? Is that the only reason you’re going to all this trouble?”
“Of course not.” He gave her a wry smile. “I happen to find you irresistible.”
She turned toward the door. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Let me do most of the talking,” Paul admonished. “I already called your father this morning and told him you were coming home. He doesn’t know you found out about his incentive program. And I think it’s best if we keep it that way.”
Mimi arched a brow. “Best for whom?”
“Little Joshua, of course.”
Apprehension skittered over her skin. “This isn’t going to work. My father isn’t a stupid man. He’ll want to know why I’ve been gone so long.”
“I’ve already handled it.”
“How?”
“I simply confirmed his suspicions that you came down with a case of cold feet and were staying with an old college friend because you were so embarrassed.”
“He bought that?”
“Of course.” Paul smiled. “I think you’re underestimating his desire for a grandchild. Questions and doubts might cause a delay. He wants nothing more than for us to be married as soon as possible.”
She tilted her head at him. “And what do you want? It’s more than just money. It has to be.”
“You’re right. It’s something that’s eluded me all my life. Something that people don’t give to the son of an alcoholic father and a mother who makes her living cleaning public rest rooms.” He squared his shoulders. “I want respect.”
“You can’t buy respect, Paul. You have to earn it.”
He snorted. “That’s a good one, coming from you. What have you ever had to earn?”
She knew the answer, though she didn’t voice it. Garrett’s love. Garrett’s respect. She’d won both in a few short weeks. And lost them both in just one day.
“Marrying into the Casville family will give me the respect I deserve,” he continued, straightening his tie. “Paul Renquist will finally be somebody.”
“This isn’t the way, Paul.” She found herself almost feeling sorry for him. “It’s not too late to walk away.”
“Yes, it is.” He opened the door to the study. “Look who I found, Rupert.”
Her father looked up from his desk, then dropped the pen in his hand. “Mimi.”
Her throat tightened. Despite his betrayal, he was still her father, and she loved him. “Hello, Dad.”
“Hello, Dad?” He rose slowly to his feet, then rounded the desk. “Is that all you have to say to me? How about a hug?”
Mimi walked into his arms, inhaling the familiar bay rum scent of his aftershave. He seemed thinner than before, and a little grayer. She c
losed her eyes as he held her tight.
The urge to tell him everything was almost overwhelming. But would that help matters or only make them ten times worse? For her son, Mimi knew she simply couldn’t take that kind of risk.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against her hair.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she replied, and meant it.
Paul cleared his throat, effectively ending their hug. “Mimi and I have some wonderful news.”
Rupert held her at arm’s length. “You do?”
Paul came up behind her and circled his arm around her waist. “We plan to be married this Saturday.”
“That’s wonderful!”
Mimi’s heart sank at her father’s delighted expression. Paul was right. Her father was too caught up in his obsession with having a grandchild to question her abrupt return. Probably because he was afraid to hear the reasons she’d left.
Rupert rubbed his hands together. “Five days isn’t very long. We’ll have to call the caterers and contact all the guests.”
“No,” she said abruptly, then steadied herself. “I want something simple this time. Just family.”
Paul walked up behind her. “I told Mimi she could have whatever she wanted.”
“Of course.” Rupert smiled at his daughter. “Whatever makes you happy.”
“There’s something else,” Mimi said, anxious to escape to the refuge of her room. She needed time to think. Time to figure some way out of this mess. “I don’t want Paul to sign a prenuptial agreement this time. It’s…very important to me.”
Rupert frowned. “That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s the only way I’ll marry him.”
Paul looked sheepish. “Turns out that last prenuptial agreement was part of the problem, Rupert. Mimi didn’t think it was very romantic.”
Rupert’s gaze centered on his daughter. “I think we should talk about this.”
Mimi didn’t have the strength to argue with him. Her stomach was twisted in knots from all the lies, and her head ached. “I’m very tired. I think I need to go lie down for a while.”
Rupert shook his head. “But you haven’t even told me where you’ve been all this time. Or what you’ve been doing. I was worried sick about you.”
“I’ll fill you in on the details, Rupert,” Paul said as Mimi turned and hastily left the room. She closed the door behind her, effectively shutting out the sound of her fiancé’s voice.
Her fiancé.
Mimi leaned her head against the door and closed her eyes. “Oh, Garrett, what am I going to do now?”
THREE DAYS LATER, Garrett sat at his kitchen table with Shelby, Lana, and Michael. “So that’s it,” he said. “The history of the Larrimore family. Our family.”
His three siblings silently stared at the documents spread across the table. Lana had the Calloway centennial book open in front of her. She looked at Garrett, tears gleaming in her eyes. “This is incredible. I feel like I found a small piece of myself that I didn’t know was missing.” She pointed to the photograph. “I can see Michael in this little boy.”
“Our grandfather.” Shelby leaned over to study the picture. “Hans Larrimore.”
“Our name is Larrimore,” Michael said, shaking his head in wonderment. “And we’re part German.”
Shelby picked up Garrett’s teddy bear off the table. “Can you believe this toy belonged to our grandfather? And our father.”
“Gary Larrimore,” Lana said, rolling their father’s name around on her tongue. “I wonder if you’re named after him, Garrett.”
“We’ll never know,” he said quietly. “Until we find her.”
He didn’t have to explain who he meant. The room grew quiet again as all three of them thought about the mother they didn’t remember. The woman who had left them on the steps of Maitland Maternity twenty-five years ago.
“Maybe this is enough,” Shelby said softly, still holding the teddy bear in her hands. “Maybe we should respect her wishes and leave her alone.”
Garrett slammed his hand on the table. “No!”
All three of them jumped. Michael scowled at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Garrett stood up, his chair scraping across the floor. “What about our wishes? What about what we want? Don’t our feelings matter?”
“You don’t have to yell,” Shelby snapped, setting the teddy bear on the table.
Michael rested his chin on his steepled fingers. “I suppose we could hire a private detective to go to Sagebrush County. There’s a chance that someone in the area might know something about LeeAnn Larrimore.”
“I’ll go there myself,” Garrett said, walking to the window. He’d looked out the window many times in the last three days. Too many times. Mimi wasn’t coming back. It was time he accepted it and put her out of his mind.
“I still don’t think we should rush into anything.” Shelby glanced at her watch. “Look, I know we’ve got a lot of decisions to make but I was supposed to meet Gray at the diner twenty minutes ago. How about supper at my house on Sunday? We can discuss it more then.”
Michael nodded. “Jenny and I will be there. I think Dylan and Gray should be there, too. This concerns all of us.”
Shelby picked up the book. “Can I take this with me? I’d like to read it again. Give it a chance to really soak in this time.”
“Sure,” Lana said, then looked at her oldest brother. “You don’t mind, do you, Garrett?”
He turned away from the window, deeply regretting his earlier outburst. “Of course not. Take anything you want.”
“Where did you get all this stuff, anyway?” Michael picked up their father’s birth certificate. “I meant to ask you before, but I got too wrapped up in discovering the long-lost Larrimores.”
“Mimi found it.” It was the first time he’d spoken her name aloud since she’d left.
“Mimi?” Michael grinned. “Hey, is that the new ranch hand Lana was telling us about? I’ve got to meet her.”
“She’s not here,” he replied in a clipped voice.
Lana stood up. “It’s getting late, and you probably have chores to do.”
Shelby walked toward the door. “I’ll expect everyone on Sunday. Six o’clock sharp.”
“Shelby,” Garrett called as she opened the back door. He walked to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Sorry I yelled.”
She smiled at him, then reached out to squeeze his hand. “Forgiven.”
Michael left shortly after Shelby, but Lana lingered in the kitchen.
“Do you want to stay for supper?” Garrett opened the refrigerator door and perused the contents. “I’ve got salami sandwiches on the menu.”
“Maybe next time. Dylan is expecting me home soon.” Lana fidgeted with the Bruner Bear, setting it on the table, then picking it up again.
Garrett closed the refrigerator door. “Is something wrong?”
“You tell me.”
He folded his arms across his chest, determined not to spill his pathetic story to his little sister. “I’m fine.”
“So that’s why you blew up tonight?”
He frowned. “I already apologized for that.”
“I’m worried about you, Garrett.” She moved closer to him. “You look terrible. You haven’t shaved and the kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes.”
“This from a woman who didn’t own a vacuum for over a year.”
“That was when I was a student,” she explained in her own defense. “Besides, my next-door neighbor let me use hers.”
“I suppose I could buy a dishwasher,” Garrett mused.
She narrowed her eyes. “Stop trying to change the subject.”
“You were the one who brought up the dirty dishes.”
“And I guess I’m going to have to be the one to bring up Mimi, too.” She grabbed her purse off the back of a kitchen chair and reached inside. Then she held up a small newspaper clipping. “Did you see Bettina Collingsworth’s latest column?”
He stared at the picture of Mimi. The black and white photograph didn’t begin to do justice to her beauty. The headline hit him like a kick in the gut.
Casville Heiress to Marry Saturday.
He read the item silently, each word burning into his brain.
Mimi Casville, the fugitive fiancée of attorney Paul Renquist, is reportedly ready to attempt another trip down the aisle. A small, intimate family wedding is planned. Sources say the bride will wear a simple silk chiffon tea-length gown with Alencon lace accenting the collar and cuffs.
Garrett closed his eyes, unable to bear reading any more.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Lana said. “I thought her name was Banyon.”
He tossed the newspaper clipping onto the counter. “Apparently, she didn’t want anyone to know about her connection to Rupert Casville.”
Her brow furrowed. “Well, whatever her name is, you two seemed so right for each other the night of the barbecue. And the way she looked at you, Garrett.” Lana shook her head. “It’s not the way a woman should look at a man when she’s planning to marry someone else in less than a month!”
“I don’t want to talk about Mimi.”
“Good. Because I think this calls for action, not words.”
He arched a brow. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
“Go to her. Find out if this marriage is what she really wants.”
“Mimi made her feelings quite clear when she rode off this ranch with her fiancé.”
Lana met his gaze. “Look, big brother, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not the best judge of women.”
“Obviously.”
“That’s not what I mean,” she replied. “You always see everything in black and white. But sometimes we can get lost in a sea of gray. That almost happened to me and Dylan. I’d hate to see it happen to you and Mimi.”
“You hardly even know her.”
Lana tipped up her chin. “I know she’s the woman who found the past you’ve been searching for so desperately. I hear the longing in your voice whenever you say her name. And I can see what living without her for just a few short days has done to you.”
Fugitive Fiancée Page 17
