by Leanne Banks
He felt more than heard her soft intake of breath. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
He brushed his fingers lightly over one of her breasts where her nipple stood in turgid arousal. “Your body seems to think it’s a very good idea.”
She pulled back and stared into his eyes, seeming to try to search his soul. “I’m not a teenager. Despite the fact that I appeared to jump into bed with you without a second thought, that’s not my nature.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that it was,” he said. “But you can’t deny there’s something between us. And it’s more than this baby.”
She tore her gaze from his and took a deep breath. “Perhaps,” she said then opened her eyes. “But not tonight.”
Two days later, the Gordons moved into their temporary home and Tina put together a plan for getting her questions answered. As always, first thing in the morning, she flipped through her text messages, shaking her head. “What a nasty temper,” she muttered of her brother. “He needs a wife.” Then she thought better of it. What woman in her right mind would put up with her brother? “A pet,” she thought. “He needs a pet.” She texted him the suggestion, then called her friend Keely McCorkle in Dallas. “I’m in town,” she said. “May I take you and Caitlyn for lunch or pop in for a visit?”
Keely squealed. “Of course. When did you get here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Why aren’t you staying with me?”
Tina laughed, feeling a surge of relief at the sound of her friend’s voice. She also, however, knew Keely would have even more questions once she saw Tina. “We can talk about that at lunch. Where would you like to meet?”
“Oh, come to my place. I don’t want to share you. If we go out in public, they’ll be all over you,” Keely said.
Thank goodness. “Are you sure I can’t bring something?”
“Yes,” Keely said. “Yourself. Now hurry up and get here.”
Tina smiled. Now all she had to do was talk Hildie into letting her borrow her car.
After her shower, she ate every bite on the plate Hildie gave her even though she feared she would pop. “Hildie, I have a favor to ask you.”
Hildie glanced over her shoulder and beamed at Tina’s empty plate. “Good job. Now you’re starting to eat like a mother-to-be should. How can I help you?”
“If I may, I need to borrow something from you please,” Tina said.
Hildie gazed at her expectantly. “What?”
“I have a longtime friend in Dallas. Her name is Keely McCorkle.”
“The name’s familiar,” Hildie said, squinting her eyes thoughtfully. “Brent,” she said. “Brent McCorkle. Great guy. Brent and Zach have been friends for a long time.”
Tina nodded with a smile. “Yes. I’d like to go into town to visit Keely.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. Just give Zachary a call and—”
Tina shook her head. “I want to go today. I want to drive myself.”
Hildie stared at her in disbelief. “Oh, hell, no.”
Tina met Hildie’s gaze without flinching. “I suppose I could rent a car,” she said.
Hildie’s left eye twitched.
“Or I could…what do you Americans call it? Thumb?”
“Omigod, you wouldn’t,” Hildie said.
Tina leaned toward Hildie and used her best confidential royal tone. “I really want to visit Keely today. And I really don’t want to be supervised by Zachary.”
“Mm, mm, mm,” Hildie said with a frown as she sighed. “I’ll drive you,” Hildie said. “But we have to be back before Zachary returns or he will fire me.”
An hour later as Hildie drove into the circular drive in front of the McCorkles’ home, Tina turned to the woman who had muttered in disapproval for the entire drive. “Are you sure you won’t join us?” Tina asked. “I’m certain Keely would love to meet you.”
Hildie shook her head. “No. You two go ahead. The sooner you finish your visit, the sooner we can get back to the ranch. Just remember, we must leave by three o’clock.”
“Three o’clock,” Tina said. “Thank you so very much, Hildie. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Hildie nodded, but muttered under her breath.
Tina closed the passenger door of the car and walked to the front porch. She barely lifted her hand to knock before the door flung open and Keely greeted her with a squeal.
“What a treat!” Keely said, immediately wrapping her arms around Tina. “I still can’t believe you were even thinking of coming to Texas without telling me first so we could plan a visit. Come on in,” she said, taking Tina’s hand. “The baby’s sleeping, so we have time to gab. Are you hungry? I ordered takeout from that café you enjoyed so much the last time you were here. So tell me what you’re doing here,” Keely demanded as she pushed Tina into a chair in the kitchen nook lit by skylights. The table was filled with croissant sandwiches, salads and pastries.
“This looks beautiful. You did too much. As for my visit, it’s complicated. I’ll tell you the story, but I want to hear how you and Brent and Caitlyn are doing first,” Tina said, still not exactly sure how to break the news to her best friend in the world. She was relieved Keely hadn’t noticed her pregnancy. Tina had deliberately chosen a flowy silk top over white slacks to hide her bump.
Keely beamed. “Caitlyn is perfect. She’s sitting up, trying to scoot and crawl. Once she’s mobile, I won’t get anything done but watch her.”
“And Brent?” Tina asked.
“He works too hard, but I hope I can talk him into taking a break in the fall.” She poured iced tea into two tall glasses. “Now tell me about you. I read about Ericka’s wedding. It looked like everything turned out beautifully. I know that was due to you. Is she doing okay?”
“She’s doing great. She seems very happy. I visited her right before I came to the States,” she said.
Keely frowned. “It’s usually all over the news when you arrive, but I don’t recall seeing anything. Although I confess I just got back from visiting my mother in Aspen.”
“That’s great. Did you take Caitlyn with you?”
“Of course,” Keely said. “I would have never heard the end of it if I hadn’t.”
It occurred to Tina, for the first time, that her child wouldn’t have the gift of grandparents. The twist of sadness caught her by surprise.
Keely covered her hand, her brow wrinkled in concern. “Hey, are you okay? You seem a little on edge.”
Tina took a deep breath. No time like the present. “The last time I was here, I met your friend Zachary Logan.”
Keely nodded. “That’s right. We asked him to look after you and then you didn’t show up until the next morning. Brent and I were both going to clobber him for not keeping track of you, but we haven’t seen him since the masquerade party.”
“Well,” Tina said, clearing her throat. “He actually did keep track of me. We spent the night together.”
Keely’s eyes rounded. “Oh.” She turned silent, a rarity for Keely. “You and Zachary,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re so responsible and he’s so…well, still in mourning after all these years.”
Tina’s stomach knotted. “Mourning? Over his parents?”
“I’m sure he was sad when they passed, but no—” Keely shook her head and broke off. “He just can’t seem to get over his wife and baby. I can’t totally blame him….”
Tina heard nothing after wife and baby. “Wife?” she echoed.
Keely met her gaze and nodded. “I guess you don’t know. There’s no reason you should unless you’d gotten to know Zachary better. He lost his wife, Jenny, and their unborn child due to complications from her pregnancy. He totally shut himself off after it happened. We had to call in favors to get him to attend the masquerade. He always has an excuse. Brent told me he wouldn’t even confide in his brother and sister.”
Shell-shocked, Tina tried to absorb the information. So this was what neither Zachary nor Hildie would discuss. This was why
Zachary had been so upset when she’d invited the Gordon family to stay at his home. This was why he was so determined to do the right thing for the baby. Tina realized that in some ways, by getting pregnant, she was Zach’s worst nightmare.
“Tina,” Keely said, patting her hand. “You’ve turned white as a sheet. Tell me what’s going on.”
Tina met Keely’s gaze. “I’m pregnant with Zachary’s baby.”
Chapter Nine
As the afternoon thunderstorm turned into a torrential downpour, Zachary stomped into the mudroom. He could tell this wasn’t going to be a short rain, so he decided to take an early break and return to work later in the afternoon.
Stepping out of his boots, he walked into the hallway listening for sounds of Hildie or Tina. He heard nothing but the tick tock of the old grandfather clock in the front room.
He strode into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Glancing around for a note, again he found none. He did, however, spot Hildie’s cell phone on the kitchen counter.
Uneasiness prickled along the back of his neck. “Hildie,” he called. “Tina.” He climbed the stairs and lightly knocked on the guest room door. Silence followed and he pushed the door open, searching for her. He caught the faintest whiff of her French perfume, but nothing more.
Where were they? he wondered. Hildie wouldn’t take Tina out without letting him know. Hildie knew Zach was trying to keep a clamp on the paparazzi. He rushed downstairs and glanced outside. Hildie’s car was gone.
His heart began to pound in his chest. Had there been an emergency? If so, why hadn’t they called him? He knew the cell coverage on the ranch was sketchy, but Hildie would have at least left a message. He checked his cell phone and saw messages, but none from his housekeeper. None from Tina.
He wondered if Tina had decided to leave. Had he pushed too hard last night? She’d responded to him. She’d wanted him, but she was holding back. For the sake of their child, she had to stay here with him. The possibility of Tina and their child on the other side of the world made him sweat. How could he keep them safe if they weren’t here with him?
Not that he’d been able to keep Jenny and the baby safe, his conscience stabbed at him. Even though the doctor had told him that it wasn’t his fault, Zach had never forgiven himself. He punched the speed dial number for Tina’s cell phone and counted the rings until he received the automated voice mail response.
He swore. Where was she?
“I’m fired,” Hildie said, her white knuckled fingers wrapped around the steering wheel as she and Tina sat stuck in a sea of never-ending traffic. Rain pelted down as the windshield wipers furiously moved from one side to the other.
“That’s ridiculous,” Tina said. “You won’t get fired. All you did was drive a guest of the ranch to visit a friend in town and got stuck in traffic. Zachary can’t fire you for that.”
“You’re not just a guest,” Hildie said, shooting a glance at Tina’s growing abdomen. “You’re carrying his child. Zachary takes that seriously. He would guard you and the baby with his life. He’s still suffering—” Hildie broke off and shook her head.
“I know,” Tina said. “My friend Keely told me all about it. It’s actually the reason I went to visit her.”
Hildie stared at her in shock. “You came to town so you could snoop about Zachary’s past?”
“It wasn’t snooping,” Tina said, feeling her indignation shoot up to heat her cheeks. “He knew everything about me, yet neither you nor he would answer my questions. I sensed there was something, but never this.” Tina felt another dip of nausea in her stomach when she thought of what Zachary had been through. His loss had been devastating.
Hildie was silent for a long moment as she inched the car forward. Then she sighed. “Well, maybe it’s better that you know. Now you’ll understand why he acts the way he does. That doesn’t change the fact that Zachary Logan is going to fire me. If it weren’t bad enough that I drove you into town without telling him, I forgot my cell phone. He’ll be worrying himself sick when he gets in and nobody’s at home.”
“If he were that worried, he would call me, wouldn’t he?” Tina asked as she pulled her cell phone from her purse. She’d put it on silent as soon as she’d sent a text to her brother this morning, preferring to ignore another rant. Glancing at it, she saw three calls from Zach’s phone. “Oh, no,” she murmured.
Hildie shot a quick glance at her. “What do you mean oh, no?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. I’ll go ahead and give Zach a call just in case he’s within range,” Tina said, dialing his number.
The phone rang half a ring before she heard his voice. “Tina,” he said.
The sound of the rough growl of his voice grabbed at her. “Yes, it’s me. I thought I should give you a call since we’re stuck in traffic.”
“We? Does this mean you’re with Hildie?”
“Yes, I tried to talk her into letting me borrow her car, but she was insistent that she take me where I needed to go.”
“And where was that?” he asked with an edge to his voice.
“Just to visit Keely.” A vehicle rammed into the back of Hildie’s car, jerking Tina from the impact. “Oh!”
Hildie started swearing.
“Tina, what the hell—” Zach began.
The vehicle rammed them again. “Oh, what’s the bloody fool thinking?” Tina demanded, momentarily forgetting her decorum as she braced her hands against the dash.
“Tina,” Zach repeated. “What is going on?”
“We had—you Americans call it a fender bender,” she said, her heart still racing. “Lord, I hope he’s done,” she said to Hildie, whose face had turned white. “Are you okay, Hildie?”
“I’m fine,” the older woman said, putting the car in Park. “Where are the cops when you need them? Damn lunatic. I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget.”
Tina watched in shock as Hildie got out of the car and marched to the pickup truck behind them. The housekeeper immediately began pointing at her car and appeared to be giving the driver a complete verbal thrashing. “You weren’t stretching the truth when you said Hildie had fought off a bear, were you?”
“Tina, are you okay?” Zach asked. “Is Hildie okay?”
“I’m fine. Hildie’s fine, but I feel sorry for the man who ran into us.”
An hour later, Zach pulled his SUV into the body shop where Hildie’s car had been towed. His gaze flew to Tina and even though she’d assured him that she was fine, he felt a sliver of relief as she appeared to hover over Hildie, who sat on a bench outside the body shop. The rain had stopped over a half hour ago, and the hot Texas sun had dried everything in sight.
Tina glanced up and gave him a royal wave. Hildie covered her eyes. Zach wasn’t sure what to do about Hildie. He gave and demanded complete loyalty from his employees, and Hildie had stepped over the line. She knew he didn’t want Tina setting foot outside the ranch without his knowledge since he was still trying to protect Tina from the paparazzi.
He got out of his car and Hildie immediately approached him with regret written on her face. “I know. There’s no excuse.”
“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Tina said. “Hildie’s convinced you’re going to fire her. I know you wouldn’t do a thing like that. All she did was drive me to visit a friend.”
Feeling like a bubbling cauldron of emotions, Zach ground his teeth. “Hildie, Tina,” he said as he opened the front and back passenger side doors. “Get in the car. I’ll be back as soon as I talk with the body shop manager.”
Zach took care of business with the body shop and returned to the car. “I’m taking both of you to a doctor to make sure you’re okay.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Tina said.
“I’m fine,” Hildie said.
“Not optional,” Zach said. “Injuries sometimes show up later. It’s better to know sooner rather than later.”
“It was no more than a jerky ride at an amusement park,” Tina protested.
“Which is one more thing you should avoid during pregnancy,” he said, feeling his temper build. “I can’t believe the two of you did this without telling me.”
“I’m sorry,” Hildie said. “There’s no excuse.”
“It’s not as if Hildie took me out for a tour of bars or skydiving. She just took me to see Keely. I asked if I could borrow her car.”
“Oh, my God,” he said, envisioning Tina in Dallas traffic. “Don’t even think about it. You don’t have enough experience.”
“I have a driver’s license. I have experience. I’ve driven in the jungle, for Pete’s sake,” she said.
“But not on the right hand side of the road,” he said.
“When Hildie refused, I told her I would just have to rent a car.”
Zach bit back an oath. “Have you forgotten that you’re trying to avoid the paparazzi? How do you plan to do that if you’re renting cars and lunching in Dallas?”
“Keely had takeout,” Tina said. “Tell the truth. If Hildie or I had told you we planned to visit Keely today, what would you have said?”
“I would have suggested that you wait until I could take you,” he said. “Maybe sometime next week.”
“Exactly,” Tina said. “You have a very busy schedule and you can’t be expected to be at my beck and call. I also cannot be expected to stay at home all day every day.”
Even though he knew Tina was right, his gut told him different. His gut told him to keep her locked in his house. Safe from the paparazzi. Safe from an accident. Safe, period.
He was beginning to realize that he couldn’t control this woman. His best bet was maintaining influence. His goal was marriage. “We can talk about this later,” he said. “Right now, I’m taking you to the doctor.”
Several moments of blessed silence later, he pulled in front of the doctor’s office and helped both Tina and Hildie out of the car. Tina held back while Hildie walked toward the office. She stepped in front of Zach and lifted her chin, her eyes blazing in defiance. “I think you should know that if you fire Hildie, I’ll leave the ranch.”
