by Sara Orwig
His gaze rested on Shannon. She was Lila’s close friend and the one who had talked Lila into helping plan the child center. He liked Shannon; she was a no-nonsense person and a fine rancher. Of all the women who had joined, Shannon probably had the most right to be there because she was a rancher and toiled like the men on her ranch. She ran the place and fit in with other cattle ranchers. A stranger would never guess, because when she left the ranch, she looked all woman.
Lila would help with the center. If she lived here, she would want to join. Beau had definite ideas, but he hadn’t been able to control Lila or raise her to live the way her family did. There were probably some stormy conversations at the Hacket house.
Sam tried to stop thinking about Lila except to acknowledge she was taking over too much of his thoughts.
Once again, he tried to pull his attention back to Gil, who stood relaxed, his black hair combed back and one hand holding a small card that he occasionally glanced at.
In his quiet, efficient manner, Gil had covered the business of the day and Sam had barely heard a word.
“I know some of you opposed the new child-care center, but it’s been voted in and work has started. During the renovations, we’ll have noise and interruptions, but we’ve had that before. The child-care center is going to be reality in the near future. We want a state-of-the-art center.”
Annoyed, Sam thought it would partially be thanks to Lila’s input. In fairness, the billiard room would be renovated into a center for kids whether Lila helped or not. The founders of the exclusive men’s club would be stunned by this latest turn of events. He thought of Tex Langley, the founding father, who might not have even wanted the club if he had known how it would be changed.
As far as Sam was concerned, the club would never be the same. He attempted again to pay attention to Gil, who seemed to remain impartial, although Gil had Cade to raise by himself, so probably, he was happy to see the center open.
“Another reminder, next month Zach Lassiter will be inducted,” Gil said.
Zach was another newcomer and Sam knew nothing about his past except that he had been successful with investments and he had shared an office with Alex Santiago.
Startled, Sam realized he was thinking in the past tense about Alex. What had happened to the man? It was a disturbing mystery that seemed to puzzle everyone in town.
“One last thing before we close our meeting today,” Gil said in a loud voice that quieted everyone. “We all know we have a missing member, one of our newest members, Alex Santiago. Nathan has something to share with us,” Gil said, turning to face Nathan Battle, who rose.
Tall, with a commanding presence, Nathan made a good sheriff. He was a law-enforcement officer the town could be proud of. The men of his family had been members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club for generations and Nathan had broken away from his ranching background to become a lawman. He’d become an asset for Royal.
“This will be brief. We’ve turned up something. My office hasn’t gone public with the news yet and we don’t intend to make an official announcement at this time, but I’ll tell you now—Alex’s truck has been found about fifty miles from town.”
There was a low rumble of remarks, with surprised looks on a few members’ faces.
As soon as Nathan began to speak again, silence fell over the room.
“The truck was hidden in bushes. That may indicate foul play. At this point, we’re not ruling anything out. From all indications, there’s a possibility that Alex was abducted.”
Another shocked ripple of noise erupted.
“Nathan, when will you go public with this? Are we to keep quiet about it?” Dave Firestone asked.
“We’ve been investigating and trying to find out what we can before moving the truck, but several people already know about our discovery. I’m not trying to keep our news secret from the town, but I’ve asked to keep it out of the media at least the rest of today. Alex was a friend and one of our members and I know there’s high interest in his disappearance. At this point, that’s all.”
Nathan returned to his seat and Gil finished the business at hand before closing the meeting.
Shocked by the news, Sam thought about Alex Santiago, a venture capitalist and new to Royal. He’d grown up elsewhere, without Texas roots that went back generations the way so many of the other members’ did. Newly engaged to Cara Windsor, Alex had just recently disappeared. Word got out slowly at first and then swept over the town. Sam glanced across the room at another member, Chance McDaniel, who used to go out with Cara. Chance sat stony-faced, staring straight ahead, a slight frown on his brow beneath his blond hair.
How bitter was Chance over Cara getting engaged to Alex? Sam had wondered about that since people began to openly question what could have happened to Alex.
Jumping to conclusions wasn’t good, but it was impossible to avoid suspecting Chance, who would have a motive for getting Alex out of the way.
At the same time, Sam liked Chance and would hate to see his suspicions bear fruit. He hoped Chance wasn’t involved. Finding Alex’s truck abandoned and hidden was not good news.
After the meeting when Sam was leaving, he stopped in the doorway of the future billiard room. The place was dim inside with muted sounds from the club, the old billiard tables standing empty. Life was changing. Was he as backward in his thinking as Lila had accused him of being? He shook his head. He couldn’t imagine little kids all over the place or that their presence would be great for the club. The TCC could have built a separate building on their property or bought some land near the club and built a separate center and everyone would have been happy. Or at least that’s how he and several other members viewed it, but their idea had been killed before it ever got started.
Yesterday he’d had a business lunch and he was glad he could bring a client to the club just the way it was. Time would tell whether the child center was an asset or a liability. Turning to leave, he spotted something on a chair by the door. He walked over to pick up a small stack of papers with a long mailing tube. Shannon’s name was on the mailing tube, so she had probably left everything while she attended the meeting.
As he turned to go, Lila entered and stopped. “I left some of my things in here and I came back to get them.”
“I just found them. I thought they were Shannon’s.” He handed Lila the stack of papers and the mailing tube. His hands brushed hers only lightly, yet the touch was electric.
“Did the meeting just get out?” she asked.
“It’s been a few minutes. I stopped in to look over the new billiard room.”
“I’m sure you’d prefer no changes to this room, just as you prefer no changes to the original billiard room.”
“You’re wrong there. The room is antiquated and we’ll have a new billiard room. I have nothing against little children. You don’t know me half as well as you think you do. But now we can begin to remedy that. I’d like to hear all about this California job you have and why California is so much greater than Texas.”
“One more big difference between us. I’ll be happy to tell you why California is so great—one thing is I can be independent and on my own. That’s a little difficult to do here in Royal with my dad constantly present everywhere I go.”
“If that’s the problem, I can take you someplace where we can enjoy the shade and your dad won’t be anywhere around. We can discuss that in the bar or outside on the patio where the mist makers are keeping everyone cool. It’s late in the afternoon and it’s nice outside if you’re in the right place. Come have a drink with me and then I’ll take you to dinner. Or even more private, I can take you to my place and I’ll guarantee no one will disturb you.”
“Except you, Sam. You’re disturbing enough,” she said, and his insides tightened and heated. Her eyes sparkled and eagerness made him smile.
“Darl
in’, you take my breath away. You look great, Lila,” he said, gazing into thickly lashed green eyes that he could look at endlessly.
“Thank you, Sam.”
“C’mon. Let’s get that drink. What are we waiting for?”
He could tell the moment the wall came up between them. Her expression changed only slightly, but the sparkle left her eyes and she looked as if she were on the other side of a glass wall. She shook her head.
“That’s a tempting offer, Sam, but I need to head home.”
As she started to move away, he touched her arm lightly. “I promise. Stay and you’ll have more fun. I can take you home later if you want and bring you back tomorrow to get your car.”
“Sorry, Sam. Thank you, but I need to get home. I’ve promised to make suggestions regarding the center for Shannon. I’ll see you around,” she said briskly. He dropped his hand as she gathered her things and left the room.
Puzzled, he watched her walk away. Why was she avoiding him? There were moments she had been responsive and then she had closed off as if he were a stranger. What was bothering her and what had changed between them since that weekend they had been together? Switching off the lights in the billiard room, he stepped into the hall and slowly followed, still watching her walk away.
They had a big difference in their attitudes about the club and the child center, but he didn’t think that was what was holding her back.
At a loss, he watched her go out through the front doors. Was it something he had done? Was it because she was scared to be attracted to someone from Royal and get involved when she lived in California? Not for one second did he think she had to go home to study child-care centers for Shannon. There was something else that had caused the rift.
He couldn’t think of a reason. One more puzzle in his life, only this one was personal. While he wanted to get to know her better, she had made it obvious she wasn’t going to let him. The only reason he persisted was that she still responded to him some of the time.
Three
Lila hurried to her car. Prickles ran across her back because Sam was behind her and she had the feeling if she turned she would see him watching her. If only she could stop flirting with him. For a moment she had wanted to just toss aside worries and go sit with him and let him cheer her up because he could. In spite of his old-fashioned notions, he entertained her.
She suspected her mother had thought the same thing about her father at some point. Sam was too much like her father for her to get close to him. Yet it was too late. She had gotten up close and intimately personal and someday she would have to let Sam know about his baby, but she wanted to be on the verge of leaving for California when that happened.
Passing mesquite and cactus, she finally curved around the drive and saw the sprawling, familiar house on the Double H ranch. The place would always be home. Pots of colorful flowers hung beneath the rafters of the wraparound porch. Her mother had made a comfortable haven on the West Texas plains.
That night over a steaming roast with potatoes and carrots, her dad talked about his day. Momentarily, Lila wished she had been able to accept Sam’s dinner offer, because it would have been far more fun than listening to her dad complain about too many things.
“In our meeting today, Nathan made an announcement. They haven’t gone to the media about it yet, so it isn’t public knowledge,” Beau said, looking at his wife and then at Lila. “He said they found Alex Santiago’s abandoned truck hidden in some bushes outside town.”
“That can’t be good,” Barbara remarked, frowning.
“No, it sure as hell isn’t,” Beau replied. “They’re investigating. Sounds to me like someone kidnapped Alex or worse.”
“Was it random or someone who knew Alex?” Barbara shook her head. “I know no one has an answer to that question, but it’s disturbing. Your friend Sophie worked for him, didn’t she?”
“Works for him,” Beau corrected.
“Sophie still keeps the office running. Zachary Lassiter shares the office with them, too,” Lila said.
“You be careful, Beau, when you’re out on the ranch alone. Until we know who or why—”
“Don’t worry about me. My pistol is in the truck and I’m careful. I have my phone and most of the time I’m not out without others with me.”
“One of the men disappearing is frightening. Imagine that happening here.”
“Things happen everywhere, Mom,” Lila said.
“You’re the one who lives in a hotbed of crime in a big city,” Beau remarked, helping himself to more roast beef while Lila struggled to eat a little. She had lost her appetite, but she didn’t want to bring it to her dad’s attention.
“We haven’t talked about it, but I heard you’re helping with the children’s center,” Beau said, focusing on her.
“Shannon asked if I would just look over the plans they have and see if I can think of anything else needed.”
“A new location would be nice,” Beau said, and laughed at his own joke. “It’s sort of embarrassing to me to have you a part of this children’s center. Actually, sort of embarrassing to the whole family.”
“Beau, she’s merely looking at pictures and notes to make suggestions,” Barbara said sweetly. “Don’t be persnickety the little time we have her home with us.”
“Yep, it’s good to have you here, baby. I wish you’d just get a job in Royal and stay put, marry one of the locals before you meet some Californian and he carries you away from us for good.”
“If that happens, I want your room,” Hack said.
“Hack, for heaven’s sake,” Barbara chided. “No. Lila will always have her room and you have a perfectly good room, sitting room and bath that are as large as hers.”
Ignoring her brother, Lila smiled at Beau. “It’s nice to be home, Dad,” she said.
After dinner Beau sauntered away to watch television while their cook, Agnes, cleared the table.
“Mom, I’m going to my room. I’m worn out and I want to look over the material Shannon gave me.”
“Sure, Lila. I’ll come up in a little while.”
In her room Lila switched on her laptop and looked up the best child-care centers in the United States to see what comprised each one. About an hour later she pulled out the plans of what already had been decided on for the TCC center.
Lila began to make notes of a few changes she would make if it were all left to her. A light knock on the door was followed by her mother thrusting her head into the room. “Can I come in?”
“Sure. Want to look at the drawings?”
Barbara crossed the room to sit close to Lila and look at the drawings while Lila pointed out various things.
“Looks very cutting-edge. I’m glad you’re helping. How are you feeling?”
“Good. I get tired, but otherwise I’m okay.”
“Lila, you’re going to have to decide what you’ll do. I’d like you to come home to have your baby.”
“I don’t know, Mom. I’m thinking about it.”
“Please come home. I can take care of you and the baby. Also, honey, sooner or later you’ll have to tell Sam about the baby. Sam and your father.”
“I know I will. I have to tell Sam face-to-face. Hindsight is really great, isn’t it?”
Barbara just smiled and waited.
“I have to tell him while I’m here, but I intend to do it right before I leave for California.”
“That will suffice. Although I don’t think the distance between California and Texas is going to slow Sam Gordon down. Those two boys grew up with a tough rancher father. They built their own successful construction business. Lila, Sam is going to want to marry you. Having raised two children, I want you to think about it before you turn him down.”
“Mom, you know what Sam Gordon wants in a wife. A
woman like you. You’re sweet. You humor Dad. I know you get what you want and Dad doesn’t even realize that he’s been manipulated—”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I manipulate your father.”
“Of course you do,” Lila said sweetly, smiling. “He can’t see it so he doesn’t object. But you don’t work outside home and he would have a fit if you did. I love my job. I don’t want to give it up to come home and live in Royal.”
“Just think it over. It’s difficult to raise a child, and a single parent has a hard time.”
Lila thought of Gil Addison and Cade. Sometimes Gil looked harried, while other times he had a fleeting, forlorn expression—was it the lack of a mother for Cade and a wife for him?
“If you turn him down, you better be ready for a battle. Sam Gordon doesn’t strike me as the type to give up. He’s eaten a lot of dinners at our house. He’s a nice man, Lila.”
“I know he is, Mom. That helps.”
“And on the subject of announcing your pregnancy—you have to tell your father.”
“I told you I will before I leave, but I want to make decisions about what I’ll do. Dad will want to take over totally. And there’s no doubt he’ll want Sam to marry me. I can’t bear to think about that one. Also, I don’t want to hear Hack’s smart remarks.”
“I could break the news first to your dad and he will take care of your brother.”
“Let me think about what I’ll do,” Lila said, while she wished she could go right back to California.
Barbara stood and hugged Lila. “Don’t worry. I’m glad you’re home. Of course, if I have to, I’ll go to California when the baby is born.”
“I understand.”
“Whatever you do, you know I’ll back you up.”
Lila squeezed her mother’s hand. “You’re still the best mom in the whole world.”
