Authors: MAUREEN CHILD,

Tags: #ROMANCE

BEAUTY AND THE BEST MAN (5 page)

BOOK: BEAUTY AND THE BEST MAN

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Life could change in a blink. End in a moment. As for those who
were left behind, their lives could be rearranged, altered forever in the span
of a single heartbeat.

When the doorbell rang, she set her coffee cup down on the
kitchen table and walked to answer it. Finding Matt on her front porch sent her
reeling.

“I thought you were gone,” she blurted.

He snorted. Pushing past her into the house, he grumbled, “You
thought I would leave again? Without talking to you?”

“I haven’t seen you in days,” she countered, closing the door
and following him into the living room. God, he looked good.

“I had some thinking to do.”

“And you had to do that away from me?”

“Yeah, this time, I did.” He looked at her and she felt his
gaze on her as powerfully as she would have a touch. She’d missed him with a
bone-deep ache that just seeing him again was already easing.

“Okay,” she said. “What was so important? What were you
thinking about?”

“Really?” He shook his head. “You can ask me that? I was
thinking about you, Kayla.
Us.
”

“Us?” Her heartbeat jumped and a flurry of nerves awakened in
the pit of her stomach.

“Of course us.” He pushed one hand through his hair. “Ever
since the night J.D. died, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about us. Hell,
I put off the trip to California because I couldn’t leave without settling some
things between us.”

She took a deep breath and held it. Her gaze locked on him, and
she couldn’t have looked away for anything.

“But you haven’t even spoken to me in days, Matt. You didn’t
even call me back after I called you.”

“I know.” He shook his head again. “You’ve got a right to be
pissed, but hear me out first, at least.”

Last time, they hadn’t talked. This time, Kayla told herself,
she wanted to hear everything he had to say.

“Coming back to Cheyenne,” he said, “I knew I wanted to
reconnect with you. I even had a
plan.
”

“What sort of plan?” Kayla watched him and saw emotions dart
across the surface of his eyes in a rush too quick for her to identify any of
them.

“Doesn’t matter now. Oh, I thought it was brilliant. I’m good
at plans,” he muttered thickly, once again pacing the confines of the small
living room. “Ask anyone. I know how to land a big account for Lassiter Media. I
know how to build a career and make millions. I know how to buy a damn art
gallery secretly.”

“You bought an
art gallery?
”

He snorted and shot her a quick look. “Yeah. It was supposed to
be a surprise for you. Once my plan was finished.”

That unsteady feeling she’d been experiencing only got worse as
the whole world seemed to shift and slide beneath her feet.

“It was a surprise but it’s not now?” Confused, she kept
watching him and couldn’t help thinking that this was the first time since she’d
known him that Matt seemed...unsure of himself.

“Well, since I just told you about it, it’s not a surprise,” he
grumbled. “But more than that, the plan’s not going to be finished because I’m
done with the plan.”

“Why don’t you tell me what the ‘plan’ was.”

“Simple. I was going to take it slow with you. No fast moves.
Earn your trust. Make you believe in me—us—again.” He snorted. “But hell...”

“So,” she said around a knot that settled in her throat. It
seemed this was just going to get worse and she wouldn’t have thought that
possible. Her heartbeat slowed and dread gathered in her chest. “You don’t want
me anymore.”

His gaze snapped to hers. “Are you crazy? You’re
all
I want, Kayla. The rest of the world could drop
into the ocean and I wouldn’t care as long as I had
you.
”

Dread dissolved and hope rose up, fluttering wildly in the pit
of her stomach. She took a breath and held it, afraid to listen. Afraid to not
listen.

“No, it’s the
plan
I’m done with,”
he said tightly. “Like I said, I was going to take my time. Prove to you that
you could trust me. No rush. No hurry. I thought that was the best way. See, I
know I love you—”

She reached out and grabbed hold of the back of a chair, just
to keep herself steady. There it was. The three words she most wanted to hear.
But he hadn’t even noticed the effect they’d had on her because he was still
talking. She hadn’t expected this. Hadn’t thought to hope for it. A smile
hovered at the corners of her mouth, but she forced herself to listen.

“I knew you’d need time to believe me. Hell,” he snorted, “I
pretty much guaranteed that by leaving without even talking to you nine months
ago. There’s no way you would just take my word for it if I told you what I felt
for you. Why should you?”

“Matt...” She tried to interrupt, to tell him that she loved
him, too. That she didn’t want to waste another moment with doubt, mistrust. She
wanted to grab hold of life—and him—and never let go. She wanted to say so much,
but he was on a roll and kept right on talking.

“I wanted you to be
sure.
To love
me back. To know that I’d never leave you again.” Shaking his head in disgust,
he stopped at the coffee pot, poured them both a cup, then didn’t bother to
drink his.

“So what changed?” she asked. “Why are you done with the big
plan?”

He snapped her another fierce look. “J.D. died. He wasn’t
expecting it. Hadn’t made a
plan
for it. He was just
standing there toasting his daughter and boom. Gone.”

“I know, Matt, but—”

“No.” He shook his head and laid both hands on her shoulders.
“No
buts.
That night I saw just how quickly things
could change. End. I realized that by taking my time with you, I might be
risking everything. So screw it. I’m not going to take my time. I’m going to
tell you how it’s gonna be between us.”

“Is that right?” She was so happy, she felt like dancing,
singing, cheering. And a part of her knew that in the midst of the sadness
they’d felt days before, the urge to be happy was a victory in itself.

“That’s right. I love you. Always have. I was too much of a
coward to admit that nine months ago, but I’m not now.”

“Matt—”

“Let me finish.”

“Okay.” Her heart was beating so fast it was a wonder he
couldn’t hear it.

“I bought a house in Malibu last month. It’s on a cliff,
overlooking the ocean.”

“Sounds beautiful.”

“There’s a room that’s perfect for an artist’s studio. Plenty
of natural light and the view is pretty stupendous.”

“Artist’s studio?” Her heart was hammering in her chest.

“For you, Kayla.” He came to her, dropped both hands onto her
shoulders and looked down into her eyes. “You can paint all day if you want to.
Or you can take over that gallery you used to work in after college. You
remember?”

“Of course I do. I loved that little gallery.” It was where
she’d learned everything she really knew about art and artists. “What do you
mean I can take it over?”

“I bought it,” he blurted. “Finalized the deal this morning
over the phone.”

She swayed a little, but his hands on her kept her steady.
“That’s the gallery you bought? For me?”

“Of course for you!” He yanked her in close, so close that she
could feel
his
heart thundering as fast and
furiously as her own. “I love you. I want you with me. In L.A.”

“L.A.?”

“Cheyenne is home, too. I get that, now more than ever. Staying
away was hard on me.” He bent his head to hers. “We’ll keep both our houses if
you want to and we’ll spend time every year in both places. But yeah. My job for
the Lassiters keeps me in L.A. and I need you there with me, Kayla. More than
need even, I
want
you there with me.”

“You want me to move to L.A. with you.”

God, uprooting her entire life? Could she do it? Did she want
to? Looking into Matt’s eyes, she knew the answer to that last question was a
resounding yes. What did she really have in Cheyenne? Some good friends and a
good job at someone else’s gallery. Moving to Los Angeles would give her the man
of her dreams, her own gallery and maybe even the chance to start painting
again. L.A. didn’t have the same appeal as Cheyenne, but it did have Matt.

“No. Well, yes. We can get married on the coast.”

“We’re getting married?” She laughed and shook her head. This
was all so much, her head was spinning.

He kissed her hard, then took a breath and said, “I messed this
up completely. Yes. I want us to get married. I’m asking you to marry me, even
though I’m not doing a good job of it. To take a chance. To believe I love you
and that you can trust me. Forever.”

“Yes.” One simple word but the only one she needed. The only
important word in the world right now. Funny, it was so easy when it really came
down to it. She had wondered and worried for months over what she felt for Matt.
What she might do if he came back. And now he was here and it was all
so...simple. She loved him. And now, she knew he loved her, too.

Being with him was all that mattered. L.A. Cheyenne. Wherever
they were, if they were together, everything would be perfect.

“Yes?” He looked at her and love shone in his eyes so brightly,
Kayla had the answer to every question she might have had.

“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she whispered, reaching up to cup his
cheek in her palm. “I love you, Matt. I always have. I was just so angry and
hurt.”

He turned his face into her palm and kissed it. “I know. And I
will always regret putting you through that, but I can promise you it will never
happen again, Kayla. I love you more than anything in the world.”

“I believe you,” she said and went up on her toes to kiss him.
“And I don’t want to miss another minute of life with you.”

“Thank God,” he murmured and wrapped her in his arms before
kissing her until they were both breathless. Finally, he lifted his head, looked
down into her eyes and whispered, “You’re everything to me, Kayla. I love you
now and forever.”

“That’s all I need to know, Matt. I love you, too, and I can’t
wait to see the artist studio you have waiting for me.”

He grinned. “You can see it in a few hours. We’re flying out
tonight on the Lassiter jet.”

“Tonight?”

He cupped her cheek in his palm. “We’re not wasting another
minute, Kayla. Let’s start our lives together now.”

“But the gallery, I’ve got to hand in my resignation. And
there’s Angie, I shouldn’t leave her right now.”

He held her in a hard hug, then looked down into her eyes.
“We’ll both be there for Angie and Evan. Once things here settle down some,
they’ll be coming back to L.A., too. Until then, there are a few things I have
to take care of in L.A. but we can fly back here together next weekend. And then
we’ll stay as long as they need us. Okay?”

They really could have the best of both worlds. His cliffside
place in L.A. and her cottage here in Cheyenne. She wouldn’t really be giving up
anything to move; instead, she would be gaining everything.

She was going to take that leap of faith. Kayla knew that being
with Matt would make her life happier than she’d ever dreamed possible.

She smiled up at him, reveling in the promise of love and life
and a future that looked brighter than any she could have dreamed of. “Let me
get my purse.”

* * * * *

Find out how J.D.’s death rocks the foundations of the
Lassiter family as
DYNASTIES: THE LASSITERS
continues in
THE BLACK SHEEP'S INHERITANCE
by
USA Today
bestselling author
Maureen Child,
now available from Harlequin Desire.

Then don’t miss a single story in the series!

THE BLACK SHEEP'S INHERITANCE
by Maureen Child
FROM SINGLE MOM TO SECRET HEIRESS
by Kristi Gold
EXPECTING THE CEO'S CHILD
by Yvonne Lindsay
LURED BY THE RICH RANCHER
by Kathie DeNosky
TAMING THE TAKEOVER TYCOON
by Robyn Grady
REUINITED WITH THE LASSITER BRIDE
by Barbara Dunlop

A family of tempting tycoons and rich ranchers comes to a crossroads in Harlequin Desire’s Dynasties series: DYNASTIES: THE LASSITERS

If you loved the Lassiter story you just read, then keep reading to follow the scandals, secrets and seductive affairs in the entire Lassisters miniseries!

Beauty and the Best Man (novella)
by Maureen Child (April 2014)
The Black Sheep’s Inheritance
by Maureen Child (April 2014)
From Single Mom to Secret Heiress
by Kristi Gold (May 2014)
Expecting the CEO’s Child
by Yvonne Lindsay (June 2014)
Lured by the Rich Rancher
by Kathie DeNosky (July 2014)
Taming the Takeover Tycoon
by Robyn Grady (August 2014)
Reunited with the Lassiter Bride
by Barbara Dunlop (September 2014)