In the commotion, Brie slipped something into his pocket. “When I called the TCC center, they said Danika has been asking for me. I’m going to take her home for a nap.”
Vaughn frowned. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, no,” Brie said. Her gaze didn’t quite meet his. “You have to be here for your family. It’s a big day for the Blackwoods.”
She went up on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “Tell Sophie that Danika loved her gig. Goodbye, Vaughn.”
People jostled on both sides. He reached for Brie’s arm, but she eluded him, getting lost in the crowd.
Vaughn cursed. But he was trapped. He and Kellan were both supposed to dance with the bride in a moment, during what was usually the father/daughter dance. Brie was right. He couldn’t go.
In the ballroom, the crowd thinned out, lining both sides of the dance floor. Sophie and Nigel had the first dance, of course. Then it was Kellan’s turn. Vaughn wanted to see what Brie had tucked in his pocket, but he was in a visible position and had to play his part.
When Vaughn took Sophie in his arms, his immediate frustration eased. “Have I told you how gorgeous you look, Soph? It was a great day.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, smothering a yawn. “And it’s not over yet. Nigel and I have to finish packing a few last-minute items. Our flight to Europe leaves tonight at six.”
“And the Townshend entourage?”
“They’ll all be heading out in the morning.” Sophie leaned back and studied his face. “Are you okay, Vaughn?”
“Of course,” he said automatically.
“Are you and Brie...” She trailed off, clearly unwilling to press him.
“I don’t know what Brie and I are,” he admitted.
“You’re my brother. I want you to be happy.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m as happy as I deserve. Don’t worry about me, sis. I always land on my feet.”
The song ended, and a chunk of the guests surged onto the floor, eager to join the fun.
For Vaughn, this was his cue to cut out. Unobtrusively, he made his way toward the exit, pausing now and then for quick conversations when he couldn’t completely elude someone.
At last, he made it out into a quiet corridor.
When he pulled an envelope from his pocket, his heart stopped. It was a piece of hotel stationery. The seal had barely held because of something bulky inside.
He ripped it open, catching the aquamarine and diamond ring that tumbled out. He wasn’t entirely surprised. Brie had never wanted to keep it from the beginning.
With shaking hands, he unfolded the single piece of paper inside.
Dear Vaughn,
I hope you have a safe and pleasant return flight to Dallas/Fort Worth. Once your life is back to normal, please give some thought to the Danika situation. I won’t judge you, whatever you decide. Your choice has to come from the heart. If you feel unwilling or unable to play a role as her father, I understand.
I’m returning the ring. Please tuck it away in a safe somewhere. Perhaps you’ll want to give it to Nika one day.
I have signed the McCready papers and left them at the front desk. But I didn’t want to take a chance with something as valuable as the ring.
Wishing you all the best,
Brie
Vaughn was in shock. This was a goodbye note, plain and simple. Brie had no intention of ever seeing him again.
And what the hell were the McCready papers?
He dashed to the lobby and had to cool his heels for fifteen minutes, waiting. One couple checking in, two checking out. At last, it was his turn.
He practically snatched the manila envelope from the desk clerk and found a semiprivate corner behind a potted plant. When he got his first look at the contents, despair washed over him. These were the documents Trent Matthews had tried to get him to sign at the lawyer’s office after the meeting with Cal McCready. The papers Vaughn had flat-out refused.
But Brie didn’t know that.
Vaughn shot to his feet, fury replacing his despair. He was going to fix this. Now. Fortunately for him, Trent Matthews happened to pick that very moment to slip out the front door. Vaughn followed on his heels.
“Going somewhere?” he asked menacingly.
Matthews turned and gasped. Every ounce of color left his face. “Blackwood. I thought you were at the party.”
“I’ll bet you did. You gate-crashed, right?”
The idiot lawyer had the balls to bristle with indignation. “It’s not a crime. I’ll pay Sophie for the meal if that’s a problem.”
“And Brie?” Vaughn asked silkily. “What will you do about Brie?”
Matthews goggled. “I didn’t do anything to your woman. You can ask her. I was super polite.”
Vaughn kept approaching. Trent kept backing up. Now the circular fountain blocked his escape. The large expanse of driveway with concrete and brick pavers was oddly empty save for two bored valets a couple hundred yards away who were smoking and trying to stay out of the sun.
“What did you say to her?” He took Matthews by the shirt collar and lifted him two inches.
Even then, the clueless lawyer tried to brazen his way through. “I told her you wanted her to sign the papers. She asked if you had seen them. I said yes. I did you a favor, man. You need to keep your eye on the prize. Broads and babies? They’re nothing beside the money you can make on this deal.”
“Damn you to hell, Matthews. You’re fired. But I don’t suppose that matters to you, because I’m pretty damn sure you’re on McCready’s payroll. Am I right?” The guilty flicker in Matthews’s furtive gaze gave Vaughn his answer and blinded him with rage. He gave the slick lawyer a quick blow to the chin, toppling him over the low wall into the bubbling water.
Matthews cursed and floundered.
Vaughn’s chest heaved. “And because you’re on McCready’s payroll, I’m texting him right now to let him know that his lackey is no longer employed by me.”
Trent clambered to his feet, dripping and pathetic. “No, no. Don’t do that. We’ll work something out.”
Vaughn hit Send. “Too late. There’s nothing to work out. You and I are through, Matthews. The deal is off. Some things in life are more important than money.”
While Vaughn strode toward the valets and produced his claim ticket, his brain whirled. When the car was brought around, he seated himself behind the wheel and squealed out of the exit. He had to fix this. But how?
He knew where to find Brie. Or he was fairly certain he did. She would be home by now, and Danika would be napping.
The reading on his speedometer slowed him down. Literally. He pulled off in a public parking area and tried to formulate a plan. First he needed to take care of some urgent business. Twenty minutes wouldn’t make the situation better or worse. Brie wasn’t going anywhere.
After two brief phone calls and three longer conversations, he felt the constriction in his chest ease. Now, at least his close friends and associates knew not to trust McCready and Matthews. The slimy duo had messed up badly this time. They might still be able to operate, but word was out. No reputable businessman or woman would give them the time of day.
Vaughn shifted into gear and pulled back out onto the highway. Ten minutes later, Brie’s little house was a welcome sight. Her car, thankfully, was in the driveway. He parked behind it, hemming her in. No reason to give her an escape route.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this nervous. As a rule, he was the one who made other people nervous.
Did he know what he was going to say? If he had to guess, he was pretty damn sure this was his last chance with Brielle Gunderson. A flub-up at this juncture would ruin everything.
He wiped his damp palms on his pants legs, got out and locked the car. Then he strode up the sidewalk and rang the bell. The baby
slept with a small fan in her room for white noise. She wouldn’t hear.
When the door opened without ceremony, his heart cracked wide-open. Brie had been crying. Dear God. And all because of him. Because he had given her no reason to doubt that he would draw up those papers or ask her to sign them.
“May I come in?” he asked quietly.
* * *
Brie had nothing left. Emotionally. Physically. This day had taken whatever energy and joy she had and flushed it down the drain.
As soon as Nika had fallen asleep, Brie lost the battle to keep her emotions under control. She had sobbed uncontrollably, grieving the loss of a dream that was never real in the first place.
She had hoped her note to Vaughn would be an end to things. Apparently, he still had something else to say.
“You’ll miss your flight,” she pointed out, not opening the door any wider.
He was gray faced and haggard, his posture slumped. She had never seen him like this. “Please, Brie. Let me in.”
She lifted her shoulders and let them fall in a shrug of resignation. “Fine. Suit yourself.” She had peeled out of her beautiful dress as soon as she got home. Now she was wearing faded gray sweatpants and an old concert T-shirt. If she had deliberately tried, she couldn’t look any worse.
Not that Vaughn noticed. Once she let him in and moved toward the living room, he prowled, pacing back and forth.
Brie waited him out. She had said everything she had to say. If he was looking for an apology, he was out of luck.
Finally, after wearing a rut in her carpet, he sat in the chair opposite her spot on the sofa, leaving the coffee table between them. It reminded her of the coffee table where Nika had played soon after Vaughn discovered he had a daughter.
Today there was no child to defuse the tension.
Vaughn rubbed his face with his hands. “First off, those papers weren’t from me.”
She blinked. “Your name was on them.”
“Not on the signature lines,” he said curtly. “Matthews showed the papers to me the morning after the gala in Dallas. I told him to destroy the contract, plain and simple. He and McCready were worried that I was being distracted by personal matters, so when I said no, they went behind my back. As it turns out, McCready had Matthews on his payroll, too, and was pulling the strings. Do you believe me?”
The fire in his eyes was more like the Vaughn she knew. “Yes,” she said. “I believe you. As it turns out, I wasn’t willing to accept Matthews at face value, but when I asked him outright if you had seen the papers and he said yes, he really didn’t seem to be lying. I didn’t know what else to think.”
“I did see them—so the only lie he told you was that I wanted you to sign them. His blend of truth and fiction must have been convincing.”
She swallowed. “Yes. It was.”
“I am sorry that happened to you,” Vaughn said. “Sorrier than you know.”
“I was humiliated,” she admitted, wincing at the memory.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, Trent Matthews ended up in the fountain at the Bellamy. I hope his humiliation outlasts yours. The skunk deserved it.”
“How did he end up in the fountain?”
Vaughn shifted his gaze away, looking as guilty as a kid caught stealing a candy bar. “I might have punched him. Just once,” he said hastily. “It wasn’t a brawl.”
Even in the midst of Brie’s bleak grief, the image made her smile. “Fair enough. I should thank you, I guess.”
“We need to talk,” he said soberly.
“You mentioned that before, but I’m not sure why. You and I both know where things stand.”
“No,” he said carefully. “Not anymore.”
“I’m confused.”
Vaughn stood and paced again. “In my father’s will, he said that I was the child who turned out most like him. When I read those words, I was furious. Shocked. Hurt. I’ve been processing that information for weeks now, and as much as it pains me to admit it, the old man was right. I didn’t see it—but now that I do, I know I don’t want to be this way anymore. It’s not easy to turn things around. Even now, I’m struggling to change. But I want to, Brie. I don’t want to be my father. I won’t.”
His eyes glittered with emotion when he turned back to face her.
Seeing him so hurt and vulnerable destroyed her. Despite everything he had done to break her heart, she couldn’t bear to witness him like this. She went to him and hugged him the way she would comfort a hurting friend.
“You’re not your father,” she said. “I could have told him that. And for the record, Miranda and Kace never thought you were, or they wouldn’t have released your portion of the inheritance.”
“Maybe. Or maybe Miranda was tired of dealing with it.”
“You’re a good person, Vaughn. Single-minded, perhaps, but that quality has served you well in the business world.”
He stepped back, breaking the embrace. But he took both her hands in his. “I’d like another chance with you.”
Her heart sank. “To what end? Everything will wind up exactly the same. We’re too different.”
“I’ve made some changes,” he said slowly.
“I know. And it’s been wonderful watching you with Nika. She brings out your softer side. I’ve enjoyed seeing your gentler, nurturing qualities.”
“But?”
She pulled away, putting the distance of the room between them. “We’ve been over this a dozen times. I can’t have a long-term affair with you. I have a daughter who has to be my first priority.”
“And what if you and I were married?”
A sob lodged in her throat, making it hard to speak. “It wouldn’t matter. A piece of paper won’t solve our problems.” The prospect he had raised was so unbelievably sweet that she wanted to throw caution to the wind. But it was dangerous.
His voice was low and determined when he spoke again, as if to underline the importance of what he was saying. “I resigned as vice president of the Dallas TCC this afternoon. I’ve called several of my key business associates and told them I’ll be leaving the Fort Worth area, possibly selling off a big portion of my company.”
“I don’t understand.”
He gave her a sweet, uncomplicated smile. “I’m moving back to Royal, Brie. To be near my daughter and the woman I love.”
Her jaw dropped. “You love me?”
“Dear lord, sweetheart, you shouldn’t even have to ask. I can’t believe I messed up so badly that you don’t believe me when I finally say it. I’m the slowest man on the planet, but I can be taught, I swear. Yes. I love you. I’m fairly certain I always have. That’s why it hurt so much when you ended our relationship and moved away. I told myself I didn’t care. I kept on doing the things I knew how to do. But underneath it all, I was turning more into my father every day. Cold. Distant. Alone. I’m so sorry I let you down three years ago.”
“Oh, Vaughn.” She put her hands to her cheeks, caught up in a maelstrom of emotions. “You can’t move to Royal. Your life is in Dallas and Fort Worth.”
“It was,” he conceded. “Now it’s not. For one thing, apparently I own a bank.”
“Small potatoes for a man like you.”
He grinned. “Maybe I’ll turn it into a financial empire. Once I sell off a chunk of Blackwood Energy, I’ll have plenty of capital to invest. It will be a challenge.”
“I see.”
“Don’t you want to ask me why I’m really moving back?” he said gently, closing the distance between them.
“I’m afraid to,” she admitted.
He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head with a long, weary sigh. “Don’t be afraid, my sweet love. Not now. When the time is right, I’d like to marry you. And claim Danika legally. I want us to be a family. We’ll build a big-ass house or maybe buy
another ranch and give Kellan a run for his money. Whatever you want. In the meantime, I plan to make life a little easier for a full-time vet and a single mom.”
She searched his face. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.”
He pinched her butt. Hard.
“Ow,” Brie said.
“Are you convinced this is real?” His lopsided smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
“Kiss me, Vaughn. Make me believe it.”
His lips were warm and firm, his body hard and perfect against hers. They were incredibly different as human beings, but where it counted, their hearts were perfectly in sync.
The kiss lingered, deepened.
Vaughn shuddered. “How much longer until Nika wakes up?”
Brie chuckled ruefully. “Not long enough.”
“Damn.” His long-faced expression amused her.
“But we have tonight,” she reminded him. “If you can wait that long.”
“Tonight and every night,” he said, the words sounding like a vow. “Whatever life throws at us, Brielle Gunderson, we’re a team now. I plan to love you until we’re both old and wrinkled and cranky.”
“Cranky?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“That will probably be me. But you’ll always know how to tame your grumpy spouse, my love.”
She looked him straight in the eyes, trying to communicate what was in her heart. “I don’t want to tame you, Vaughn. I fell in love with the hard-edged guy who destroys me in the bedroom. You are who you are, and I adore you.”
He kissed her again, hard and sweet and passionate all at the same time. “We’ll compromise, then,” he promised. “I’ll be fully domesticated as a husband and father and upstanding member of the community.”
“But when the lights go out?” she teased.
“All bets are off, Brie. All bets are off...”
* * *
Don’t miss a single installment of
Texas Cattleman’s Club: Inheritance
Tempting the Texan
by USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen Child
Rich, Rugged Rancher
Too Texan to Tame Page 16
