Harlequin American Romance October 2013 Bundle: Twins Under the Christmas Tree\Big Sky Christmas\Her Wyoming Hero\A Rancher's Christmas (38 page)

Everything a person needed was right here, reminding her of the tiny home she'd once lived in with her grandmother in Point Judith, Rhode Island, where she'd been happy. It was there she'd met Winn.

The Blue Attic Book Shop where she'd worked had an outdoor display of discounted books. She'd been busy taking them all inside when Winn had walked by and begun chatting her up. He'd taken out one of the family yachts from Bar Harbor and had sailed down the coast with his friends. They'd pulled in at Point Judith to eat dinner. But he hadn't told her that information at the time and had only explained he and some buddies had been out sailing.

Kit had fallen hard for him and they'd married soon after. He'd taken his nineteen-year-old bride home to meet his family in Maine. They'd ended up living there in a controlling world of wealth and privilege she grew to detest.

It devastated her that the twenty-two-year-old man with the sun-kissed blond hair, smiling eyes and dark tan she'd fallen in love with had changed so much after they'd exchanged vows. Once under his parents' thumb, nothing she'd done had been right. The way she'd looked and behaved hadn't satisfied him.

In an effort to please him, she'd transformed herself into the woman he'd seemed to want, a style maven like his mother Florence, or his two older married sisters, Corinne and Sybil, who considered themselves the original aristocrats of Bar Harbor. Still, Kit had never fit in.

After Andy had been born, Winn hadn't shown as much interest in her except when they'd gone to the family's various exclusive clubs where they'd been seen in public. Then it had all been show. They'd grown so far apart, she'd begged for them to get a home of their own. His sisters and their husbands had their own homes. But Winn had told her there was no reason for them to move when they were living in the mansion and offered every luxury.

The years had gone by—empty years for her. Winn's long deployments in the military had driven them further apart. When she'd found the courage to tell him she wanted a divorce, he'd told her the Wentworths didn't divorce. If she filed, she'd lose Andy because he wouldn't let her take him anywhere.

As a member of the family now, she had the responsibility of carrying on as his wife and widow. The man she'd married had disappeared, never to return. The best part of him, the part she preferred to remember, lived in Andy.

But her son's life had been strung out with long periods of waiting for his father to come home on leave. Even when he came, they hadn't spent enough quality time together because his parents had had other plans for him. For the long months in between visits, Andy had been expected to mind his grandparents who ruled his life.

She'd cried herself to sleep at night for years worrying about her darling son. Though he would be good-looking like Winn when he was grown, it wouldn't be long before he turned into a clone of his rigid grandfather.

Kit had kept her demons hidden from Andy the best she could, but now that they were here, she would have the conversation with him she'd been waiting for since Winn's death. Maybe tomorrow or the next day when he'd had a good sleep and was more relaxed.

She went in the bedroom to open one of the suitcases. After gathering up some items, she put them on the bedside table in their room. Besides a pocket radio, there was a photograph of Winn and another of her grandmother. She carried some treasured books to the living room. Kit planned to read aloud to Andy if he'd let her.

Once that was done, she went to the bathroom to brush her hair. When she came out she said, “I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's walk to the ranch house.” He mumbled something and went out the door. She followed with the cabin card key Mr. Livingston had left on the table and made sure the place was locked before starting off.

The magnificent Tetons were right there in her vision, stunning her with their beauty. They headed for the fabulous ranch house in the distance. She was reminded of one like it on the cover of one of her favorite Louis L'Amour Western novels. That was among the books she'd packed for this trip.

Kit had loved books in her early teens and had grown into a voracious reader. Her grandmother had gotten her hooked on all kinds of fiction, especially Westerns. One of the rooms in the house she'd rented had been turned into a virtual library.

After her grandmother died, Kit had kept a few favorites and donated the rest to the bookshop where she'd worked. The owner had allowed her to establish a lending library with the understanding that Kit would take the collection back when she had her own place. Winn didn't want them at the mansion. It almost killed her when last year she'd found out the shop had been sold and turned into a restaurant. All those precious books were gone....

Just seeing the ranch house with the pines clustered around the side brought back fond memories for the girl who'd grown up on the cape of Point Judith with her sweet grandmother and her books. But besides horses, this Western scene included the Jeep and all sorts of modern vehicles that must have belonged to the staff.

They followed some other guests inside and entered a large foyer. The mid-twenties guy behind the front desk flashed her a friendly smile loaded with a lot of male interest, the flattering kind. “Hi! Can I help you?”

“Yes. I'm Kit Wentworth, and this is my son, Andy. Mr. Livingston told us to meet him here for dinner.”

His eyes widened. “You're our special guests from Maine?”

She smiled. “That's right.”

“Welcome to the ranch. Here's another card key so you can both have access to your cabin.”

“Thank you.” She handed it to Andy, who looked surprised before putting it in the pocket of his shorts. “We're very grateful to have been invited.”

“I guess you haven't had the grand tour.”

“Not yet.”

“The dining room's right through the great room across the foyer. There's a games room at the other end, and beyond the doors you'll come to a swimming pool with a lifeguard on duty. Go ahead and look around. I'm sure he'll be along shortly.”

“Thanks so much.”

They walked through the next room past the massive fireplace and into the dining room filled with the regular dude ranch guests, many in Western gear. One of the first things on her list was to buy them some fun cowboy stuff so they'd fit in around here.

Andy looked up. “They've got wagon wheels for lights!”

Her gaze went to the vaulted ceiling. “These are the kind of chandeliers I prefer any day. Pretty cool, don't you think?” Red-and-white checkered cloths covered the tables. She liked the yellow-and-white daisy centerpieces that reminded her of their cabin's colors.

“I guess.” Though he played it down, the fact that he'd noticed gave her hope he was starting to thaw a little at having to be here.

She found them an empty table over on one side of the room. They each took a menu and studied it. “What do you think you want, honey?”

“A hamburger?” Hamburgers weren't on the menu at the Wentworth mansion. She had come to dread their five-course meals where the inevitable question-and-answer period lasted at least an hour. She knew Andy hated the length of time they had to stay at the table.

“That sounds good to me, too, with lots of French fries. Shall we splurge and get chocolate malts for dessert?”

“Can we?”

Why not? This was a night of celebration. “We can have anything we want here.” She eyed him with concern. “This dude ranch isn't turning out to be such a bad place. Right?”

He looked away without answering, but when the friendly waitress came over, he gave her his order instead of just sitting there silently. This was the Andy she needed to see come back.

“How are you feeling by now? I know that medicine made you feel kind of strange.”

“I hate the way it makes me so sleepy.”

“I know, but at least it kept you from throwing up.”

Before long the waitress returned with their food. He swallowed his in no time. It was surprising to her, considering he hadn't shown much appetite on the cruise. She was only halfway through her meal but could tell he was already restless. Who wouldn't be after their long flights?

“While I finish eating, why don't you go have a look around? The man at the desk mentioned a games room and swimming pool.”

“You mean you'll let me?”

His grandparents had kept him on a short leash. “Sure.”

He eyed her in surprise. “Thanks.” Kit hadn't heard that word from her son in a long, long time.

Kit watched him dart away with more energy than she'd noticed in ages. Relieved to see him behave like a normal boy for a few minutes, she ate some more French fries and kept an eye out for her host. Just when she decided something must have detained him, she saw him walk through the door from the kitchen.

His dark brown gaze panned the room. The male charisma oozing from him took her breath. Judging by the female guests in the room, they had the same reaction. Though there were quite a few men seated around, none of them affected her like Ross Livingston. Marine or cowboy, he seemed a breed apart.

He still hadn't seen her and started walking through the tables. As he drew closer, she called to him. His head turned in her direction. The second their eyes met, it grew into one of those moments when the world stood still for her. It was happening again. That awareness...

Ross moved toward her. Without his cowboy hat, his head of wavy black hair and arresting male features pretty well dazed her. She wondered who the lucky woman was who'd captured this attractive man's attention. There had to a woman, maybe a wife, even if he didn't wear a ring, and she would be exceptional.

“I'm sorry I was too late to eat with you. Business detained me.” He sounded disappointed.

“Please don't apologize for anything.” The pulse in her throat was throbbing so hard, she couldn't finish the last bites of her meal.

“Where's Andy?”

“When he was through eating, he went out exploring. I'm almost done and was about to look for him.”

“Then let's go together.”

“What about your dinner?”

“I had a snack already and will eat later.”

* * *

R
OSS
WALKED
HER
out into the warm air. The sun wouldn't be going down for a while. There were half a dozen people in the pool. He nodded to the lifeguard.

“Hey, Uncle Ross—over here!”

A dripping wet Johnny Lundgren stood by the diving board talking nonstop to none other than their latest guest. Johnny was a little short for his age. Andy seemed to be tall for a nine-year-old. But the difference in height and age didn't mean a thing to Johnny. He was the friendliest kid on the planet. Ross smiled at the scene.

“That's Carson Lundgren's adopted son talking Andy's ear off,” he said in an aside to Kit. “He's already adopted me and Buck as his uncles.”

“How sweet,” she murmured with genuine tenderness. She'd just described Carson's son. They walked to the end of the pool.

“Johnny? This is Andy's mom, Kit. They're from Maine.”

“Hi, Johnny,” she said with warmth.

“Hi! I just asked Andy if he wants to come riding with me and Jenny in the morning. He's never ridden on a pony before.”

“I think that sounds fun, but we don't know what Ross has planned for us yet.”

Johnny turned to Andy. “He'll probably take you fishing, but I think riding is more fun. Do you want to get in the pool and swim with me?”

If anyone could make a dent in Andy's armor, it was Johnny, who'd just given Ross an opening he'd take. “Why don't we all swim? I'll go inside and put on my suit. It's the perfect temperature out here.”

“Hooray!” Johnny cried in excitement.

Andy turned to his mother. In a quiet voice he said, “I don't want to.”

“Then you don't have to, but after sitting on a plane for hours, I feel like a swim. I'm going to run to our cabin for my suit.”

“Mom—”

“I'll be right back, honey.”

Ross could see and feel Andy's frustration as she disappeared. The fact that she'd taken Ross up on the idea meant she wasn't about to coddle her son. Again he gave her marks for expecting Andy to deal with this new situation despite his unhappiness.

“Don't you guys have fun without me!” he said to the two of them.

Johnny laughed. “You're funny, Uncle Ross.”

No sound came out of Andy. He just looked at him in bewilderment before Ross took off. At least that was a change from the scowl he'd worn during the drive from the airport.

Ross reached his room and changed into his black trunks. After grabbing a towel, he hurried back down and belly flopped next to Johnny on purpose, causing him to laugh. Ross noticed Andy sitting in a deck chair by himself.

“Come on, Johnny. Let's go talk to him.” As he hoisted him on his shoulders, he saw Kit come out on the patio carrying a rolled-up towel.

“Hi, everybody!” In seconds she removed her wrap. Ross's breath caught to see her shapely body clad in a light blue bikini dive into the deep end of the pool from the side. When she surfaced, she swam over to her son. “I brought your suit in the towel. If you change your mind, use the cabana.”

When he didn't respond, Ross said, “We're going to play sharks and minnows.”

Johnny's head jerked around. “Hey—I haven't played that game before.”

“It's a new one I've been waiting to teach you. I'm the shark and you guys are the minnows. I'll be at the end of the pool. You and Kit get up on the side of the deck. I'll call out, sharks and minnows, one two three, fishies, fishies swim to me. That's when you'll dive in and swim to the other side. If I don't catch you, then you'll be the shark for the next round. If I do, then you'll stay a minnow.”