Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Series Books 16-20

by Brenda Jackson

  An hour later Chloe still sat curled up on Lucia’s sofa. Lucia had finally left to go have Sunday dinner with her parents. Chloe felt she needed this time alone to go back over and over in her mind what happened earlier that day at Ramsey’s house, and everything else that had transpired from the moment she’d driven onto his property over two weeks ago.

  She thought of the angry words he had spoken to her before he’d left his home, ordering her to pack up and leave before he got back. A part of her had wanted to rebel and be there when he returned to have it out with him. But then there was nothing she could say that she hadn’t already said.

  And he hadn’t believed her.

  It had been a teary ride from Ramsey’s ranch all the way to Lucia’s home, and now she knew she couldn’t remain in Denver. It was clear as the nose on her face that there was nothing here for her anymore. But a part of her refused to run.

  Chances were her and Ramsey’s paths would not cross anytime soon, so that would give her the time she needed to recover from a broken heart.

  * * *

  His men were watching him and Ramsey was well aware that they’d been watching him off and on for the past couple of weeks. Today he would do something he usually didn’t do. Ignore them.

  And for good reason. They wanted something he could not deliver. They wanted Chloe back. Nellie had returned and although he’d had a talk with her before allowing her back in his kitchen, after one good week she was sliding back into her old ways. The men, like him, were comparing what they had now with what they’d had for two weeks.

  A part of Ramsey wanted to shout at them, to tell them that although Chloe’s cooking skills were superb, she was not a cook. She had done it for fun. It had been all a part of her deliberate scheme to get him indebted to her.

  His cell phone rang and he welcomed the excuse to leave the table and answer it in private. He had stepped into the living room when he spoke into his cell after checking the Caller ID. “Yes, Dillon?”

  “I was asked to call and talk to you. To try and convince you to get that chip off your shoulder you’ve been carrying around for almost ten years but has gotten most noticeable the last two weeks.”

  Ramsey rubbed his hands down his face. He could imagine which one of his relatives had called Dillon. It could have been any one of them. He hadn’t been in the best of moods and they all knew it. And they had no idea as to why.

  “I don’t need this, Dillon.”

  “Okay, but can I ask you one thing?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you love her?”

  The question, to Ramsey’s way of thinking, came out of the blue. It was one he definitely hadn’t expected. But with Dillon he would be honest because even now, his very heart, every part of his body, knew the true answer.

  “Yes, I love her.”

  Dillon was silent for a moment and then he said, “She might have set out to deceive you. However, you did admit that she wanted to confess all, but you talked her out of saying anything.”

  “Yes, but only because I assumed she wanted to talk about something else.”

  “Does it matter? I can’t help but remember the woman who for two solid weeks got up before five o’clock every morning and cooked two meals a day for your men. She befriended them. And when you think about it, she really could have left you in a bind. Even you admitted the guys worked harder while she was there and that they broke all kinds of shearing records.”

  Ramsey threw his head back. “Is there a point you’re trying to make, Dillon?”

  “Just a suggestion.”

  “Which is?” Ramsey said in a hard tone.

  “Basically the same one you gave me a few months back. You were the one who told me that in some things you need to know when and how to adjust your thinking, to be flexible. Especially if it’s a woman you want.”

  “I don’t want, Chloe. At least not in my life.”

  “You’re absolutely sure about that?”

  Ramsey knew that, but now, he wasn’t sure. When it came to Chloe, the woman still had him tied in knots. And he wasn’t sure about anything, other than the fact that he still loved her.

  He pulled in a deep breath. The truth of the matter was that he hadn’t been able to adjust his thinking when it came to Chloe. It had been a while since he’d had a woman in his life and over the years he’d gotten pretty set in his ways. But what Dillon said was right. She hadn’t had to hang around preparing those meals for his men for two weeks. She could have bailed after the first day. But she hadn’t.

  She had told him that she loved him, but he’d never told her that he loved her as well. Instead he had asked her to leave. What if she’d left town? Suddenly he didn’t want to think about that possibility.

  But he did. He thought about it a lot. He was still thinking about it later that evening when he and Callum got together to shoot a game of pool over at one of the local pool halls they frequented. The thought that if she were to leave Denver he would not be able to find her grated on his mind. As well as the thought that he needed to let her know that he had appreciated what she’d done for two weeks, feeding his men good food, letting them know they were appreciated. She had gone out of her way to put a little sunshine in their days.

  All right, he would be the first to admit he probably did still carry around that chip on his shoulder that might have caused him to overreact. After all, she had tried telling him something that day, but he hadn’t wanted to hear anything she’d had to say, fearing the worst and not wanting to deal with it. And although her original intentions might not have been honorable, she had stayed around, hung in and made a difference.

  His thoughts shifted back to the possibility that she had not remained in Denver. Not being able to take not knowing any longer, he turned and handed his pool cue to Callum. “I’m going after her.”

  Callum accepted the cue stick and merely rolled his eyes. “About time.”

  Ramsey raised a brow. “And you think you can talk?”

  Callum gave him a sly smile. “Yes, now that I’ve made up my mind about something.”

  Ramsey would have taken the time to inquire just what that something was had he not been so eager to head out the door.

  * * *

  Chloe pushed away from her desk and glanced out the window. It was hard to believe it had been three weeks since she had left Ramsey’s ranch. Three solid weeks and this morning her suspicions had been confirmed. She was pregnant.

  If she thought hard enough she figured there were a number of times they had gotten careless, like one of those times in the shower. But it really didn’t matter when it happened, the fact remained that it had happened. Now she had to decide whether she would tell him before returning to Florida. He had a right to know, but whether she would tell him now or later, she just wasn’t sure.

  She had had lunch with Ramsey’s sisters last week. Evidently, he was in rare form and they figured his less-than-desirable attitude lately had had something to do with her. Chloe was surprised he hadn’t told them the entire story and fighting back tears she’d ended up telling them everything. How she had initially deceived him and then fell in love with him. Instead of taking their brother’s side as she had figured they would do, they ended up crying right along with her. They were convinced she loved Ramsey and that it was a shame he couldn’t see it for himself. They were convinced once he thought things through he would see the truth for himself. If only she could believe that.

  Chloe stood and walked over to the window to continue to look out. Her work here in Denver was finished and Lucia would be handling things from here on out. Her east coast staff was presently looking for a new prospect for the October issue of Simply Irresistible, and that was fine with her. She was ready to move on.

  Going back to her desk, she picked up her cell phone to call Lucia who had left that morning for Atlanta to sit in on a leadership workshop with a few of Chloe’s other employees. She got Lucia’s answering machine. “Lou, I’m not feeling wel
l, so I’m going to leave early for your place. That’s where I’ll be if you need me for anything. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow when you return.”

  Feeling tired and sleepy, Chloe took a long nap as soon as she got home. When she awoke, she saw it had gotten dark outside and she felt hungry. Reminding herself that although her pregnancy was in the very early stages, that whenever she ate she was eating for two, she went into the kitchen and prepared a meal.

  Hours later she had showered, changed into her favorite yellow sundress and had grabbed a book to read when the doorbell sounded. Chloe went to the door and glanced through the peephole. Her breath caught in her chest and she pressed a hand to her throat. Standing on Lucia’s front porch was the man who’d captured her heart, the father of the baby she carried in her womb. Ramsey Westmoreland.

  * * *

  When Chloe opened the door, Ramsey could only stand there and stare at her. At that moment he thought the same thing he had that first morning he’d seen her: She was beautiful.

  He did recall that morning. He remembered how he’d tried getting away from her once he saw how attracted he’d been to her. That was something that had not been her fault. And he had done something that morning so unlike him. He had raced off in his truck, leaving his front door open to a stranger. He had assumed she was the cook and he hadn’t given her time to state otherwise.

  Once he’d knocked the chip off his shoulder and had taken the time to analyze the situation, sort out the mess, he saw he had contributed to the misunderstanding. She was right in saying that although her original plans may not have been honorable, she had hung around and helped him out. He could just imagine how things would have turned out if she hadn’t.

  “Ramsey, what are you doing here?”

  Her question brought his attention back to the present. “I’d like to talk to you, if at all possible.”

  He saw the wary look in her eyes before she nodded, opened the door wider and then moved aside.

  When he passed her the first thing Chloe thought was that Ramsey certainly smelled good. And he looked good, too. He was wearing a pair of jeans, a western shirt and boots. He had removed the Stetson from his head once he’d entered the house.

  Not asking him to sit, she turned to him. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I owe you an apology. You did try to level with me that day and I stopped you from doing so. Actually, I was afraid to let you.”

  Chloe lifted a brow. “Why?”

  “If you recall, it was the same day my three sisters came to visit and I, of all people, know how overwhelming they can be. I thought that perhaps they may have tried boxing you into a corner about a relationship with me. I haven’t been involved with a woman in a while and was afraid you might have begun feeling forced into a situation you weren’t quite ready for, and I didn’t want to hear you say it. Especially after I’d made plans to ask you to continue a relationship with me once your time was up at the ranch.”

  Chloe’s reaction to his words was a total surprise. “You wanted to continue a relationship with me?”

  She saw the intensity in his eyes when he said, “Yes.”

  Happiness swirled in her veins and the intensity was back in his eyes. But still…

  She searched his face. “Why, Ramsey? Why did you want to continue a relationship with me?”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment, but the look on his features basically said it all. There were emotions there she hadn’t seen before, emotions he’d never revealed to her until now. But still, she needed to hear him say the words.

  He must have known what she needed. Placing his hat on the rack, he then walked the few feet over to her to stand in front of her. She sucked in a deep breath and lifted her face to meet his gaze when he did so.

  “The reason I wanted to continue a relationship with you, Chloe, is because I had fallen in love with you.”

  He reached out and took her hand in his. “I know for us to be in love is not a cure-all. But at least it’s a start and is more than most people have. I do love you, Chloe, and I want for us to be together. I don’t want it to sound like I’m rushing things, but I want to marry you. I want to give you my babies one day. Bring you to the ranch to live with me as my wife. But I know those have to be the things you want. I’m not asking you to give up anything for me, for our love. When you have to go away and travel for your magazine company, I’ll modify my schedule to travel with you. I—”

  Chloe held up her finger and placed it on his lips. “If nothing else, these past two weeks have shown me I have people capable of managing the magazine without me. Besides, I rather like the idea of living on your ranch, being your wife and the mother of your babies.”

  The brilliance of his smile touched her. “So you will marry me?”

  “Yes.”

  “And if you want, we can have a long engagement,” he said pulling her into his arms.

  Chloe chuckled, shaking her head. “Now there’s the kicker. A long engagement might not work for us, unfortunately.”

  He lifted a brow. “Not that I’m complaining, but why wouldn’t it work?”

  She paused and then she reached out and took his hand in hers and carried it to her stomach. “Already, your baby is here,” she said in a whisper.

  Chloe thought the look on his face at that moment was priceless. His mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re pregnant.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “No, we’re pregnant.”

  Filled with more joy that he could stand, Ramsey didn’t care how such a thing could have happened when they had used protection. It didn’t matter. He wanted their baby. He pulled her closer into his arms and captured her mouth with his. The kiss was hungry, it was intense and, Chloe thought, it was full of love.

  When he released her, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “We’re getting married as soon as it can be arranged.”

  She looked up at him. “We don’t really have to, you know. Women have babies out of wedlock all the time and—”

  “My child will be born a Westmoreland.”

  She chuckled. “If that’s what you want.”

  “That’s what I want. Will you go back to the ranch with me tonight so we can make plans?”

  She lifted her brow. “Is that the only thing we’ll make when we get there?”

  Now it was Ramsey’s turn to smile. He answered honestly, “No.”

  Chloe wrapped her arms around Ramsey’s neck. “Um, I didn’t think so.”

  When Ramsey bent his head to hers, she was ready and knew that this was just the beginning.

  Epilogue

  No one had asked why Ramsey and Chloe wanted a rather quick wedding. They were just happy to see Ramsey finally tying the knot. It was a beautiful day in May and all the Westmorelands came.

  Chloe was overwhelmed at the huge family she’d married into. And there were several celebrities—national motorcycle superstar Thorn Westmoreland, well-known author Stone Westmoreland (a.k.a. Rock Mason), and Princess Delaney Westmoreland Yasir, wife of Sheikh Jamal Ari Yasir. Everyone welcomed her into the family with open arms. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking it was a small world in that her father had already met the young, up-and-coming Senator Reginald Westmoreland at a fundraiser for a Georgia congressman last year. And Chloe was practically beaming in delight that Ramsey had also told her a few weeks ago that he would pose for the cover of her magazine.

  Deciding they didn’t want a huge wedding, Chloe had worn a beautiful tailored white pantsuit and with Ramsey by her side they walked around Shady Tree Ranch, where the beautiful outdoor wedding had taken place, greeting their guests. She got a chance to talk to one of Ramsey’s elderly relatives, James Westmoreland. He was the one responsible for bringing the Atlanta and Denver Westmorelands together.

  Chloe enjoyed talking to James and after talking with him she knew most of the story about Raphael and the mystery about the man’s life that was yet to be solved.

  A short whi
le later, Ramsey took Chloe’s hand in his and led her away from their guests. Even his men had come to the wedding and had brought their wives. She thought they looked good in their Sunday best.

  “So, we don’t know if those women were wives of Raphael or not.” She noticed Ramsey was leading her farther and farther away from their guests.

  Ramsey threw his head back and laughed. “I can only vouch for one of them and that’s my great-grandmother Gemma. I know they got married because we have a copy of their marriage certificate. The others…we shall see.”

  “Is there anyone else besides Dillon even interested in finding out?”

  “Yes, Megan. But she plans to do things differently. Unlike Dillon, she doesn’t want to do the research herself but plans to hire a private detective to solve the mystery for her.”

  Ramsey stopped walking and turned to her. “I didn’t bring you out here to talk about Raphael.”

  Chloe glanced around and saw they were a distance from the house. “And why did you bring me out here?”

  He pulled her into his arms. “To say in private what I said in front of everyone today. I love you, sweetheart, and for the rest of my life I promise to show you just how much, and I will love and honor you always.”

  Tears sprang into Chloe’s eyes. “And I love you.”

  The moment Ramsey had pulled her into his arms, Chloe knew that their lives would be filled with love, passion and plenty of hot Westmoreland nights.

  WHAT A WESTMORELAND WANTS

  BRENDA JACKSON

  Prologue

  Callum Austell sat in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him as he stared at the man sitting behind the huge oak desk. He and Ramsey Westmoreland had become friends from the first, and now he had convinced Ramsey that he was the man who would give his sister Gemma the happiness she deserved.

  But Callum knew there was one minor flaw in his plans. One that would come back to haunt him if Gemma Westmoreland ever discovered that the trip to Australia he would offer her would be orchestrated for the sole purpose of getting her off familiar turf so that she would finally come to realize just how much he cared for her.