Lonestar Secrets (14 page)

"Only because it's the most logical way to make sure both girls are taken care of. Allie told you, didn't she? About my MS? I can't risk him using all these problems against me in a custody battle."

"She told me. But Jack isn't that kind of guy, Shannon. You've got him pegged wrong. I know he did something stupid in school, but didn't we all?"

Shannon shrugged, then turned to climb into the plane. She spoke over her shoulder. "I can't risk it. Not yet." She settled into the back with the girls while Rick took another walk around the plane.

Allie turned around in the front passenger seat and lifted the oxygen mask from her face for a moment. "What were you and Rick talking about? You both looked tense."

Shannon glanced at the girls, but they were busy talking. She leaned forward and spoke in Allie's ear. "He wanted me to tell Jack about the break-in and the demand for money."

Allie gave a mock shudder. "A fate worse than death." Her smile dropped off. "You are marrying the man. Don't you think he should know about this? What if the guy follows you there?"

"And face Jack's arsenal? Not likely. He'd have to get in the gates, get past all of Jack's employees, then get into that mammoth house that's probably locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I just have to stay safe until after the wedding. Just a week. I can do that. He hasn't tried anything while I've been at your house."

"It's only been one night," Allie said dryly.

Shannon sat back and didn't answer when Rick climbed into the plane. Allie put her mask back on, and he started the engine. They were soon flying over the peaks and valleys of the desert. From the air, it appeared even more desolate. The girls peered in rapt attention out the windows.

Were the Baileys right? If Shannon thought either of her daughters was in danger, she'd tell anyone who would listen, even Jack. But Mary Beth was the one in danger. Still, just because Jack had been disloyal, did that mean she had to be as well? She chewed on her lip and wished she knew the answer.

Kylie climbed into her lap. Shannon pointed out the window. "Look, there are the sky mountains," she said, gesturing to the Chisos and Sierra del Carmen Mountains.

"Why do they call them that, Mommy?" Kylie asked. It was her first time in an airplane.

"I know," said Betsy. "They're supposed to be holding up the sky, but it's not true. The mountains don't do that God does."

Shannon smiled at her. "Exactly right, but it's fun to know the myths and legends around the place where you live. And there are lots around here."

"Tell me a story, Mommy," Kylie demanded. "About the gold in the hills."

"How do you know about the gold?"

"Mr. Larue asked me if you'd ever taken me to see it. Have you seen it, Mommy?"

Tucker had talked to Kylie. Everything in Shannon tensed. "When did he ask you about it?" she demanded.

Kylie squirmed. "Don't squeeze me so tight," she whimpered.

Shannon loosened her grip on her daughter's arm. "Sorry, sweetie. When did Mr. Larue ask you about it?"

"When I was outside looking for the unicorn. Yesterday." Kylie slid off Shannon's lap and scooted over to sit by Betsy.

The unicorn? Had Kylie seen jewel? Shannon huddled into the corner and tried to think above the roar of the plane. How did Tucker talk to Kylie without anyone seeing? Kylie's trusting nature scared Shannon. "You're not supposed to talk to strangers," she told Kylie. "How many times have I told you that?"

"He said he was your friend."

Shannon's fingers gripped Kylie's chin and she forced her daughter to look her in the eye. "If someone is my friend, I'll introduce you. Understand?" Kylie nodded and puckered. Shannon hugged her tight.

How did Tucker know about the gold? Or that Shannon might know where it was? He might use Kylie as leverage to get her to talk. She rubbed her forehead and wished she'd never seen that cave.

Kylie tugged on her arm. "Do you need to rest, Mommy?"

Shannon smiled at her daughter. Kylie was intuitive and noticed when her MS was kicking up. "I'm okay, sweetheart. I'll just close my eyes for a minute."

Kylie put her finger to her lips and turned back to whisper with Betsy. Shannon smiled and rested her head against the window. Today would be a long day. Shopping was not her favorite thing in the world.

Rick landed at the small field airport. Within half an hour, they were in a rented car and heading to a bridal shop. The little girls were in heaven looking at the frilly white dresses.

"What colors do you want?"Allie asked, flipping through the racks.

Shannon gazed around the packed store. She'd only been out of the city a few days and already it felt like another planet. "I ... I have no idea. Let's do bright periwinkle if we can find it. The girls would look darling in that."

"Not pink?"

"Too vapid for them. And for you." Shannon reached for a splash of bright fabric. "Here, this would look great on the girls."

Allie held the dress under Kylie's chin. "Darling. It makes her eyes look brighter. I'll have her try it on while you look for yourself."

Shannon drifted toward the women's dresses. A smiling woman came toward her and directed her to the informal styles, then promised to be back to help her. Shannon touched the chiffon of a beautiful creamy gown. It fell from a high empire waist in soft folds.

This wasn't the way she'd thought she might be picking out a wedding dress someday. In her dreams, she'd thought maybe her fiance's mother or sister would go with her since she had no family of her own. Allie was a good friend to have made this trip with her, but Shannon still had no love waiting for her at the end of the aisle. There was no excitement propelling her through these tasks, no gigging late-night chats with a gaggle of attendants, no parties given by friends and family.

Allie and the girls rejoined her. Shannon smiled at Kylie. "You look so pretty, sweetie. Do you like it?" Her daughter nodded and kept craning her neck to stare at herself in the banks of mirrors around the store.

Allie caressed the chiffon dress. "Let's try this on. It's so you." She and the girls followed Shannon to the huge dressing room.

Shannon shucked her jeans and T-shirt, then slipped the dress over her head. She turned for Allie to zip her up and found herself staring at her image in the mirror. A stranger stared back. One with a soft, tremulous mouth as though she really were a bride whose groom waited with open arms.

She averted her gaze from her face and stared objectively at her silhouette. When had she last worn a dress? Maybe to her graduation from veterinary school. No, that had been a pantsuit. She'd wanted to look professional. Turning this way and that in front of the mirror, she admired the drape of the gown and the way her neck appeared longer.

"It's perfect! You have to have it," Allie said.

"If you say so. Now let's find you a dress."

Anything so she didn't have to dwell on the reality facing her. Seven days of freedom left. Shannon made sure her hands didn't tremble.

THE WOMAN WAS ENOUGH TO DRIVE HIM TO DRINK. JACK WOYE THROUGH the San Antonio traffic toward the bridal shop. He'd called Rick to find out where they were heading, then called in a favor from a friend with an airplane. Faith was in her booster in the backseat. He could see her face in his rearview mirror, but he still didn't know how he was going to tell her he was getting remarried.

And telling his daughter that Shannon was her real mother would have to wait until later. Much later.

He found the bridal shop with no problem. After he parked, he got into the backseat of the rental car with his daughter. Faith had already unfastened her seat belt and was ready to get out.

She stared up at him with a question in her eyes. "Aren't we going shopping for a dress, Daddy?"

"Yes, we are, baby girl. In just a minute. I wanted to talk to you about something first." With her big blue eyes fastened on him, he wasn't sure how he'd find the words to tell her their lives were about to change. "It's a special dress we're buying. Miss Shannon and Kylie are inside too."

Faith slipped out of her seat and started to climb over him. "I want to see Kylie! She's my bestest friend."

She',s so much more than that. Jack gulped and grabbed his daughter so she couldn't escape the vehicle. "In a minute. That's not all I have to tell you. We're going to buy you and Kylie dresses so you can be in a wedding."

Her smile widened. "Like flower girls? Me and Kylie both?"

He nodded. "Just like that."

"Who is the bride?"

"Miss Shannon."

Faith wrinkled her nose. "She doesn't have an engagement ring. Maybe her bridegroom is poor. Schmendrick was poor. I'm going to marry someone rich like Prince Lir."

"This isn't a movie like The Last Unicorn. And she's not marrying someone poor. I just didn't get her an engagement ring. There wasn't time." Too late he realized he'd blurted it out. "I mean, Miss Shannon is going to marry me."

"And move into our house?"

He nodded. "But you don't have to share your room with Kylie. We'll redo the bedroom right next to yours."

"She can share my room. We'll be just like sisters!" Faith wiggled to get down. "I want to go see her! I like Miss Shannon. She's nice. But she's not my mommy."

Jack found himself wanting to agree with her, but he said nothing. Now wasn't the time to go into that. His daughter would need to hear the truth in small sips, not in one gulp. "Let's go find Kylie," he said. Taking his daughter's hand, he wound through the parking lot to the store.

He'd never entered a place like this. Faith paused to stare at the mannequins in the store window, and he cringed at the sight of the white dresses. A peek beyond the display didn't reassure him. A store packed with women browsing rows and rows of dresses.

Hardly a place for a cowboy.

Even the quick gulp of air didn't help, tinged with exhaust as it was. He opened the door and led his daughter inside. And ran right into Shannon. Literally. His hands came up to steady her when she rocked back on her heels and clutched at the bagged dress she carried. "Sorry."

She pulled away. "What are you doing here?"

"I tracked down Enrica, and Faith has never been known to turn down a chance to go shopping. She's like her mother that way." Too late he realized he'd blown it again. He rushed on and averted his gaze from Shannon's face. And her cheeks that had reddened as though he'd slapped her.

The girls rushed into one another's arms. "We're going to be real sisters," Kylie said.

The girls' giggling and squealing were attracting attention. Jack would rather be mucking out stalls than encountering the curious female faces. "So are you already done here?"

"We are. Rick is bringing the car around." Shannon went past him to the door.

Allie smiled at him as she went past, and Jack saw the sympathy in her eyes. At least someone knew how hard this was. He grabbed the girls' hands and followed the women. The relief of being outside again was enough to let loose with a yell, but he didn't.

He saw Shannon with Allie by a white Taurus. He waited for traffic, then crossed to the parking lot to join them.

Rick leaned against the front fender and waved when he saw Jack. "Glad you could make it," he said when Jack reached the car.

"Not in time. Where we headed to now?" He intercepted a glance between Rick and Shannon. She'd narrowed her eyes in a warning glare at Rick. What was going on?

"Actually, you're here just in time," Rick said. "I'm going to take Allie and the girls out for lunch, and Shannon needs to run an errand. I'm sure you won't mind taking her."

"Rick!" Shannon protested.

Rick spread his hands out. "It's the best way," he said, glancing at the girls. He turned his gaze back to Jack. "I'll let her explain it. You have a booster seat for Faith?"

Jack glanced at Shannon's red face. What was going on?

"I'll get it." Whatever Shannon's errand was, she didn't want him to know about it.

10

THE BAILEY FAMILY AND THE TWINS LEFT WITH A WAVE. SHANNON COULD strangle Rick. She'd have to handle this very carefully so she didn't have to explain to Jack what was going on. "I need to run by my old apartment," she said.

Jack folded his arms across his chest. "That's all? I expected to find Rick's throat slashed after that glare you shot him. Or is it you just don't want to be in my company?"

"It's complicated," she muttered, glancing around. "Where's your car?"

"Over there." He pointed and she headed toward it. He unlocked it before she got there. "Where are we going?" he asked once they were buckled in.

"My apartment isn't far. Turn left out of the mall." Her mind raced through how she might handle this. Maybe she could get him to wait in the car. That would work. She told him where to turn, and fifteen minutes later, he parked on the street outside her old apartment in the projects.

One big problem. She didn't have a key any longer.

When she made no move to open her door, Jack glanced at her with a question in his eyes. "You're not going in?"

"Sure, just thinking. You can wait here. I won't be long."

"Fine." He tugged his cowboy hat forward, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

Whew, she'd dodged that bullet. She hurried toward the building, an aging structure missing chunks of brick. The old tile floors were chipped and loose inside the main door. Her apartment was on the second floor, and there was no elevator. She stared up the dirt-caked flight of stairs. All the way up the steps, she prayed to find Mary Beth inside the apartment.

By the time she reached the second floor, she was panting and her leg was hurting. The apartment was at the end of the long, poorly lit hallway. There were few long-term renters in the building, and none on this floor, so there was no one she could ask for help.

Her old life suddenly didn't seem so far away. The sound of a child crying was followed by a slap and even louder wailing. Paint flakes crunched under her feet. The odor of marijuana wafted around a teenager with sullen eyes who brushed past her.