by Smith, Bobbi
"He's a womanizer . . ."
"That's certainly the pot calling the kettle black!" she interrupted snidely.
"He's never settled down with any one woman before," Beau went on, trying to remember everything he'd overheard from the conversation those three women had had.
"Neither have you."
"Well, I wasn't the one you were making love to, damn it!" He was losing the thread of control he had on his temper now.
"I'd hardly call a few simple kisses 'making love,' Beau Hamilton! You have a dirty mind."
She started to spin around to turn her back on him, but Beau caught her by her arm and forced her to look at him.
"You're right about one thing, Becky. I'm just like Courtois, and that's why I know him so well. You may not have thought anything would have come of that little interlude I just put an end to, but let me tell you, you're wrong. Dead wrong." At the thought of the other man taking her innocence, Beau unknowingly tightened his hold on her.
Becky's eyes widened as she felt the bite of his grip on the tender flesh of her arm. "Beau, you're hurting me," she spoke the words softly.
Beau blinked, and slowly realized what he'd been doing. "I'm sorry," he murmured as he loosened his hold somewhat. "The last thing I'd ever want to do is hurt you, Becky."
As if spellbound, Beau slowly drew her closer until she was in the circle of his arms. His eyes caught and held hers. There was a flare of some emotion in the depths of her gaze, but he could not quite grasp its meaning.
Becky was afraid to speak. She was afraid something might break the magic of the moment. Beau was holding her! Beau was being tender with her! Beau had been jealous! She'd never suspected a slight flirtation with Edward would bring such marvelous results. Vaguely, she wished she had tried that tactic long ago.
"I know, Beau," Becky finally whispered huskily.
Beau groaned as he gave up the fight to refrain from kissing her. Damn, but she was the most confusing woman he'd ever known. One minute she was spitting at him like a fiery she-cat, and the next she was hot velvet surrender in his arms. Pushing all thoughts from him, he lowered his head to hers, claiming her mouth in a firebrand of excitement.
Becky met him willingly in that exchange. This was what she'd always wanted. This was the man she'd waited her whole life for . . . Beau . . . Looping her arms about his neck, she clung to him. He was the essence of her being. He was the love of her life. Now was her chance to show him just how much he meant to her.
Beau felt his desire rage out of control as she melted against him. He had never known such ecstasy. She was a vibrant flame in his embrace. Her innocence lured him, but her passion branded him her own. He caressed the length of her back, bringing his hand to rest at her hips and urging her closer to the proof of his need for her.
Becky gasped at the contact and then settled more tightly against him. He felt so big, so strong, and so good to her. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. She wanted to taste of his love. She wanted to make him hers in all ways, to bind him to her for all time. She loved him.
When Beau lifted a hand to caress her breast, she shifted position to allow him freer access to her womanly curves. Her willingness sent his passion soaring. Slipping his hand within her bodice, he caressed the satiny orb.
Becky felt her knees buckle as rapture flooded through her. Edward's caress, though pleasant, meant nothing compared to Beau's. Beau's touch was pure power, sapping her strength until she was trembling helplessly against him.
"Beau . . . Oh, Beau. . . ."
"I know, love," he told her gruffly as he picked her up into his arms and kissed her. He was about to lay her down upon the loveseat in the corner when a knock came at the study door, freezing him in midstride.
"Beau?" It was Adam.
"Yes, what do you want?" he asked, the annoyance in his voice easy to discern.
"Is Becky with you? Edward said you two were in there talking. . . ."
Beau glanced down at her as he slowly set her back upon her feet. Her eyes were sparkling with wicked humor. Becky was glad that Edward had only thought they were talking. With a self-possession she little felt, she walked to the door and opened it for her brother.
"You wanted me?"
"Yes . . ." Adam was disconcerted as he glanced from his sister to his best friend. Having heard the turn of the lock, he wondered what had been going on in here between the two of them. Becky looked radiant, though, and since he trusted Beau implicitly, he didn't worry.
"Well?"
"I was about to make an announcement, and I'd like you to be there."
"An announcement? What kind?" Becky was instantly curious.
"You'll see." Adam came into the room and filled up his glass with another large portion of bourbon. "Coming?"
Becky glanced back at Beau and then started from the room after her brother. When Beau reached her side, she gave him a brilliant smile.
"I think there's some unfinished business between us, Beau Hamilton," she said in low tones for him alone to hear.
Beau suddenly became nervous. Adam's interruption had tempered his passion, and cool-headed thinking had returned. The realization of what had almost happened in the privacy of the study startled him. "Becky—" he began.
"No, don't say anything." She paused at the ballroom door to face him squarely. "I love you, Beau. I always have and I always will."
With that, Becky swept on into the room ahead of him to hear what her brother had to say.
Chapter Nineteen
A small smile curved Lianne's lips as she saw Becky reenter the room looking ecstatically happy and then saw Beau following right after her. When Edward had returned to the ballroom a short time before he had seemed quite flustered about something. At the time Lianne hadn't paid much attention, but now, noticing the way Beau was hovering near Becky, she wondered just exactly what had transpired between the three of them.
For Becky's sake, Lianne hoped that Beau had finally come to his senses and recognized what a beautiful young woman she really was. If anyone deserved the happiness of getting the man they really loved, it was Becky. Lianne loved her like a sister and wanted only the best for her.
Lianne was surprised when Becky came to her. Her friend's face was alight with an inner joy. She looked radiant, happy and loved.
"You'll never guess what happened . . ." Becky whispered excitedly before Beau joined them.
"Oh, I think I have a good idea." Lianne smile widely. "Are you happy?"
"Beyond all my wildest dreams," she confided just as Beau came to her side.
"I'm glad for you, Becky. I really am."
It was just then that Adam raised his voice above the din of mellow conversation in the ballroom.
"Excuse me, everyone. I'd like to have your attention for a moment, if I may?"
A hush fell over the room, punctuated by only a few curious whispers.
"I have an announcement to make tonight . . ." he began, casting a fond look toward Suzanne.
Lianne frowned at this, trying to figure out exactly what it was Adam could be announcing.
"Becky? What's this all about?" She tried to sound casual, but something intuitive inside her warned her to get control.
"I don't know," Becky answered honestly. "The first I'd heard about it was when Adam came to get us in the study a minute ago."
Adam took Suzanne's hand then as they all looked on and drew her close to his side. "I'd like to let everyone know," he said in calm, measured tones, "that Suzanne Labadie has accepted my proposal and has agreed to become my wife."
The pain that sliced through Lianne at his proclamation was unbelievable, and, though horror stabbed at her heart, her only betrayal of emotion was in her eyes as they widened in soul-wrenching disbelief. Adam was going to marry Suzanne . . . Adam was going to marry Suzanne . . . she repeated over and over to herself as she stared at him in mute confusion. Lianne tried to deny what she'd heard. She tried to tell herself that this couldn't be happening, that the
man who had fathered the child she was carrying was not going to wed her most hated enemy. But when Adam took Suzanne in his arms and kissed her warmly before the gathered crowd, it was burned into her consciousness forever. A part of her shattered as the bleakness of her life engulfed her. Complete and utter despair threatened her very sanity.
When Adam released Suzanne from his lover's embrace, she looked for Lianne in the crowd of now-cheering well-wishers. Their eyes met across the width of the room, and Suzanne gave her a very smug, self-satisfied smile.
Suzanne was thrilled with what she perceived as her victory over Lianne. Not only had she made Adam hers, she would also ultimately be the mistress of Belle Arbor, and the first thing she was going to do when she moved in was to throw the Ducharmes out. Her smiled widened at the thought.
When Suzanne looked away, a violent wave of nausea drained all the color from Lianne's face. Suzanne was going to be the mistress of Belle Arbor. Suzanne was going to marry Adam. Suddenly, the room seemed to be closing in on her, and Lianne was desperate to escape. She had to get away. She had to think!
Becky was standing beside Lianne, stunned by her brother's completely unexpected announcement of impending nuptials. She couldn't believe it. Adam was going to marry Suzanne? She turned on Beau, her expression reflecting both outrage and hurt. She knew Beau was aware of just about everything Adam did, and she was ready to demand an explanation from him when she noticed the direction of his gaze. For some reason Beau was intently watching Lianne.
"Becky . . ." he said softly, nodding toward Lianne.
Becky glanced at her friend and realized immediately that something was terribly wrong.
"Lianne?" Becky spoke her name, but, even as she did, Lianne fled the room through the french doors without a backward glance.
As Adam, with Suzanne clinging to his arm, was surrounded by those offering their congratulations, he suddenly, perversely, needed to see Lianne. He looked up, his gaze combing the crowd for her, but he could find no trace of her. Reluctantly, he returned his attention to Suzanne and the lavish felicitations being bestowed upon them by his guests.
In her flight, Lianne paused on the veranda and looked wildly around. She had to get away . . . she had to escape. Shivering uncontrollably, she dashed down the steps and out into the garden. She was thankful that everyone was inside, for the last thing she needed was to run into anyone right now.
Lianne ran madly down the winding garden paths without thought to her dress or hair. Branches from the shrubbery seemed to be trying to reach out and snare her, but she ignored the scratches and the tugging at her clothing. She ignored everything. Crushed . . . shattered . . . despondent, she charged on. Her breathing rasped painfully in her throat and her chest tightened in agony, yet she kept going.
Only when Lianne reached the reflecting pool did she stop her headlong flight to stare about herself in horrified disbelief. The pool! Her mindless escape had taken her back to the scene of her greatest degradation, to the scene of her greatest heartache. It was here that she had given Adam her most precious gift, and it was here now that she had to face the humiliation of her folly.
"Lianne!"
Becky's distressed call came to her through the night, but Lianne refused to answer. She didn't want to be found. She didn't want anyone to know her shame.
"Lianne, where are you? I know you're out here somewhere, and I'm going to find you."
Still, she remained silent.
"Lianne . . ." Becky's tone turned pleading. "I know how difficult this must be for you . . ." She emerged from the garden to see her friend sitting at the water's edge. Without another word, she rushed to her side and dropped to her knees beside her. "Lianne, I'm sorry about all this. Really, I am. I had no idea that Adam planned to marry Suzanne. In fact, the very thought of it leaves me furious. I wish he had warned me so I could have tried to talk him out of it."
Lianne didn't speak for a long time as she stared out across the pond with unseeing eyes. She was so still, so quiet, that she seemed almost a marble statue in the silvery moonlight. Only when she began to tremble visibly and drew a deep, shaking breath did she appear alive again.
"It doesn't matter, Becky. Really it doesn't," she lied, still not looking at her friend. She wished she would go away and leave her alone. What she had to face now, she could only face alone.
"If you think I believe that for one minute, you're wrong," Becky replied firmly. "If it didn't matter to you, you wouldn't have run out of the ballroom that way. I saw your face, Lianne. I know how badly this hurt you."
"You really have no idea, Becky. None . . ." Lianne's whisper was strangled.
"Can I help? Can I make this easier for you somehow?" Becky felt helpless in the face of her desolation.
"No." Her answer was flat. "No one can. What I have to do is take Alex and leave here as quickly as possible." Lianne turned to her, her emerald eyes wild.
"I thought we'd agreed that you were staying here until your money became available." Becky could understand Lianne being a little upset over finding out that Suzanne would be the mistress of Belle Arbor, but she didn't understand why her friend was reacting with such complete panic. "Adam and Suzanne haven't even announced a wedding date yet. There's no reason for you to leave now."
"You don't understand, Becky!" Lianne cried, and then could have cursed herself for revealing too much.
"I don't understand what, Lianne?" Becky demanded. "Tell me what it is I don't understand."
"If I don't leave here right away, there might not be any wedding."
"Now I'm really confused. Why would your staying on here affect Adam's plans for marriage?"
Lianne's gaze darkened as she faced her fully. "You must promise me that you'll never reveal to another soul what I'm about to tell you . . ."
"Lianne . . ." Becky was incredulous. "What is going on?"
"Promise me, Becky, or so help me I'll get up from here and walk away and never look back."
"Lianne . . ."
"Swear to it, Becky. Promise you'll keep my secret!"
"All right, I promise," she answered in exasperation. "Now, what are you talking about?"
Lianne twisted her hands nervously in her lap as she gathered her courage to tell Becky the truth. Finally, lifting her chin in a regal move, she spoke. "I'm pregnant, Becky. I'm pregnant with Adam's child."
She could only stare at her in shock. "My God . . ." Lianne — pregnant? All of her earlier suspicions had been true. Adam had been attracted to her, but what had happened? "But how? When?"
At Lianne's strained look, Becky realized how ridiculous her first question had been.
"There's no need to go into any of the details. What happened was a mistake." Lianne hated herself for using Adam's own words to describe their loving. "We both know it was wrong. We both know it should never have happened."
"How can you say that it was just a mistake?" Becky asked urgently as she took her hand supportively. "You're carrying my brother's baby. A baby's no mistake! A baby is a blessing!"
Lianne wanted to feel that way . . . she loved children. But there had been no love in her dealings with Adam, there had just been irresistible desire and then hate.
"Becky, I shouldn't have told you." Lianne suddenly regretted sharing the news.
"No, no! I'm glad you did. Now that I know . . ." Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out what to do next.
"Now that you know, you'll do nothing."
"Then you'll do it. You have to tell Adam," she declared.
"I meant to. I really did. I was going to talk with him tomorrow. But don't you see, Becky, it's pointless now. He doesn't love me. It's Suzanne he wants . . ."
Becky's anger over Adam's engagement to Suzanne had mellowed to more confusion than anything else now. She wished she knew exactly what had precipitated his proposing to her, but Adam had not chosen to confide in her about this at all. That in itself hurt, and she tried not to think about it.
"All I want you to do
is to help me get away," Lianne was saying. "I know I don't have the right to ask this of you, but if you could just loan me enough money to last me until the trusts are paid, I swear, I'll pay every cent back with interest." She was earnest in her plea as she tried to plot her escape from the misery of her current situation. "Alex and I could leave town. No one would ever have to know. I'm sure Suzanne wants us out of here anyway, and probably the sooner the better. We won't be missed, Becky."
"I'd miss you," she stated fiercely.
Lianne felt tears burn her eyes. "Thank you."
Impulsively, Becky threw her arms about her and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, Lianne. I'll think of something." When she let her go, she smiled. "You sneak on upstairs and try to relax. If anybody asks me where you are, I'll just tell them you weren't feeling well."
"Thanks Becky. I don't know if I could handle going back in and facing everyone after the way I ran out of there."
"No one saw you but Beau and me. The rest were too busy offering their congratulations."
Lianne nodded, glad that she hadn't made a fool out of herself. They got to their feet and headed back to the house. Lianne entered the back way and went up the rear stairway to make certain that she didn't run into anyone, while Becky brushed her skirts clean and went back inside to find Beau. She was definitely going to need his help to solve this problem.
It was late. The last of the guests had departed some time before, and Suzanne rejoiced in being alone with Adam. He was standing at the open french doors in the study, sipping from a tumbler of bourbon as he looked out across the moonlit countryside.
"It's going to be all ours one day soon," she said throatily as she set her drink aside and rose from the loveseat.
Adam was feeling tense. Ever since the engagement had been made official, he'd felt trapped, and he didn't understand why, because the trap was of his own making. This was his plan. It was working beautifully, and it was only a matter of time now until it was over.
Suzanne came to stand behind him and slipped her arms about his waist. "Together we're going to do great things with these two plantations, Adam. I can hardly wait to move in here with you . . ."
