Lonestar Secrets (32 page)

She rose and went up the stairs to her room. Glancing around at the pale pink carpet, the beautiful four-poster bed, the feminine wallpaper, she knew she couldn't spend her life alone in this room. If it took laying bare her heart, she had to do it. When the years passed and nothing changed, she would regret not trying.

She shut the door and opened her dresser. The scent of cedar from the new dresser rushed to her nose. She moved her cotton pajamas out of the way and smiled as she always did at the Scottish terriers in the pattern. They'd been a gift from Mary Beth. Her smile faded at the thought of her friend.

There'd still been no word on her whereabouts since she'd told the man about the stocks. Curt still claimed to know nothing. Shannon was beginning to fear Mary Beth was dead. She dug down to the bottom of the drawer, under two more sets of pajamas, to reveal the beige lace gown Allie had bought for her during the outing in San Antonio. She lifted it out and held it up. Did she dare? Her lungs squeezed. There was only one way to find out Jack's reaction.

She shucked her jeans and T-shirt, then raced to the bathroom, where she took a quick shower. Glancing at the shampoo, she decided she would take time to wash and dry her hair since Jack seemed to like the smell of her hair products.

Half an hour later, she tugged a comb through her freshly dried hair. She stared at her reflection again, then tucked her hair behind her ears. No, that showed too much of her face, so she combed it again. Makeup might help. She dusted on a trace of powder and blush, then stroked some subtle color on her lids.

Padding across the carpet to the bed, she told herself to have courage. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. She dropped the gossamer nightgown over her head and tugged it into place. Surveying herself in the full-length mirror, she eyed her pale face and tremulous mouth. She tried a smile on for size. Better, but the fear in her eyes was still there. If he noticed that fear, maybe it would inspire him to be gentle with her heart. She grabbed a tube of lip gloss that had a hint of color.

If she didn't know better, she'd think the gown was a corset, she was having such trouble catching her breath. Glancing at her watch, she knew it was now or never. She took a deep breath and turned to the door. She eased open the door and listened. The news was playing on the TV downstairs, Jack's final ritual of the day. He'd be up to bed after the newscast showed the football scores, another fifteen minutes. There was still time to chicken out.

Shannon bit her lip. Maybe Enrica was wrong. Shannon rejected the thought. The way he'd kissed her today spoke more of attraction than irritation. He might not be willing to admit he had feelings for her, but a woman always knew. She had to cling to that hope.

On her way down the hall, she peeked in on the girls. They slept entwined in Kylie's bed. Shannon tugged the blankets around them, then dropped a kiss on each soft cheek. She was doing this for them too. For all of them.

She stepped back into the hall and tiptoed to the door at the end. Jack's room. She stepped into the room and flipped on the bedside lamp before glancing around. Her gaze fastened on the bed. She didn't have the courage to wait there. It was too bold a move, even for her.

She tore her eyes from the king-size bed and moved to the easy chair by the window. He might not see her the second he came into the bedroom, and she'd have time to gather her courage after the reality of his presence unnerved her. The chair welcomed her, and she hid herself in its embrace. Panic seized her and she nearly fought her way out of the grip of the chair. She should leave now, before she faced utter humiliation. She hadn't even practiced what to say. Or even how to go about seducing her own husband.

She wet her lips. This was all wrong. Better to hurry back to her room, tear this nightgown off, and forget this whole plan. She had half risen when she heard Jack's tread on the steps. Even if she left now, he'd see her exiting his room and interrogate her. Sitting back down and placing her palm on the pit of her stomach, she drew in a deep breath. Adrenaline surged through her. After tonight, no one would ever say Shannon MacGowan feared anything.

Jack entered the room and shut the door. She observed him again, his shock of dark hair a black MacGowan as he'd be known in Scotland. Muscular shoulders and arms. Legs as strong as tree trunks. A man who turned heads, both male and female. A fierce love and possessiveness swept over her. He was hers. Neither of them believed in divorce, so what she planned was right and good. She clung to the belief when he turned toward the bathroom.

His eyes lit on her, and his mouth dropped as she rose. "Shannon?"

Was that hope in his face? She saw his eyes darken. She rose and faced him. "The horses okay?" she said in a voice that was barely a throaty whisper.

He took a couple of steps closer. Shannon knew he was no fool. He would have known why she was here the second he noticed the gown with no robe. She took hope in his response and matched his steps.

His gaze never left her face. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

Shannon took several more steps until she was in his personal space, close enough to inhale the scent of hay clinging to his shirt. She reached out and touched his chest, and he flinched.

His hands gripped her arms and he stared into her face.

"Don't send me back to my room," Shannon whispered. "We're married, and the girls need to see a normal marriage modeled."

His throat worked. "Is that the only reason you're here?"

It would be so easy to nod, to keep her pride intact, but she wasn't a coward. It was all or nothing. She shook her head. "I love you, Jack." The blood roared in her ears as she waited to see if he would hold her or thrust her away.

A groan escaped his lips. His fingers bit into her arms, then he crushed her to his chest and his lips found hers.

Th

THE DIM LIGHT OF APPROACHING SUNRISE WOKE JACK. HE ROLLED OVER and found himself nose to nose with a woman. Shannon. He studied the delicacy of her closed lids, the long lashes fanning her cheeks, the blush of color on her face from sleep. It had taken a lot of courage for her to come to his room and force them to face their feelings.

Had he even told her last night that he loved her? Maybe not. Today he'd make sure she knew how much he loved her and how happy he was they were a real family. Maybe they'd even have another child. His smile faded. It still seemed disloyal to Blair to be contemplating a new life with Shannon.

Still, it was up to him to make sure their family stayed intact. He'd visit Wally and see if he could hurry the adoptions along. Find out what their options were about Larue and how much they should offer the guy. The Mustang Makeover was coming up at the end of the week, and he had a lot of work still to do with his horses. So much to do this week.

Shannon sighed and rolled over, and he realized she was going to sleep for a while. She'd gotten a call about a foaling mare in trouble and had gone out around one, then come back at two thirty and crawled back into his arms. He had a feeling this was going to be their lives, and the middle-of-the-night stuff was going to take some adjustment.

He slipped out of bed, pulled on his jeans, grabbed his boots, and tiptoed out of the room. The rest of the house slumbered on too. Jack glanced at his watch and realized it was only six. He could go to work with the mustangs early, then take a break and run to town to see Wally. Passing the kitchen, he grabbed a couple of boiled eggs out of the fridge, then went out to his truck.

When he reached the camp and got to his corral, the mustangs nickered at his appearance and Dancer trotted to thrust her nose in Jack's hand. They were tamed well enough that they'd do him proud on Saturday.

Buzz put a boot on the fence rail beside him. "You're here early, partner."

"I have an errand later today. Thought I'd get an early start."

Buzz chewed on his unlit cigar. "They look good. You're ready."

"How are the rest looking?" His main goal was to find homes for the mustangs. The prize money meant nothing to him.

"Good. We'll be the media stars for our thirty seconds of fame."

"Hopefully it's enough to place a lot of horses."

Buzz nodded to the two horses. "You takin' these two?"

Jack grinned. "How'd you know?"

"Never seen you pass up a horse that grew on you." Buzz spit out the tip of his cigar. "You and the little lady gettin' along okay?"

Jack couldn't help the huge grin that split his face. "Hunky-dory."

"What about Larue?"

Larue was the main worry on his mind. He eyed Buzz's furrowed brow and the concern in his eyes. "What about him?"

"Say you beat him. He might get vindictive."

"No might about it." Which was why Jack had to nail down the adoption before the competition this Saturday.

"Got an idea, Jacky." Buzz took another bite of his cigar and spit it out. "What if you let him win?"

The idea was so ludicrous Jack laughed. At first. Until the wisdom of Buzz's words soaked in. The money and beating Jack might be enough to salve Larue's wounded ego.

"How do you know about the situation with him?"

"He's a blowhard. He's told half the camp he's got twins. It didn't take much to put two and two together. He's been talking to the media too. I reckon there will be an article in the paper."

No wonder the reporter had left off harassing him and Shannon. He had a pipeline to the other side of the problem. A newspaper article should answer the questions flying around town about whether Jack had an affair with Shannon. It went against the grain to let Larue win. Jack wanted his mustangs to do well to prove gentle training methods were best. If he let Larue win, ranchers might hire him to work with their horses. Did Jack go with his gut or with Buzz's wisdom?

"I'll think about it," was what he finally could promise.

SHANNON STRETCHED AND RUBBED HER EYES. BRILLIANT LIGHT SHONE IN her windows. She must have overslept. When she looked around, she realized she wasn't in her own bed, and the memory of the night before flooded back. Heat rushed to her cheeks as joy did the same to her soul. Jack loved her. He hadn't said the words, but she knew it.

She rolled over to kiss him good morning and found him gone. An indentation of his head in the pillow told her it was no dream. But he'd left without a word, left her sleeping. Surely he'd left a note. She sat up and felt the covers, searched the bed table. Nothing.

Her euphoria dissipated, but she refused to give in to the hovering depression. He'd probably wanted to let her sleep. She awakened deciding to appeal to Larue's better nature. Jack would scoff at her, but she had to try.

Scrambling out of bed, she got ready for work and hurried down the steps. When she asked Enrica where the girls were, the housekeeper told her they were at the barn with two of Jack's most trusted hands. She forced down a bit of Enrica's omelet, stopped to kiss the girls goodbye, then bolted for her car. Usually she and Jack rode to work together, so his leaving her behind without a word was even more inexplicable. Didn't he realize a woman needed some reassurance?

She made a detour to Wally's office to ask him for a release-ofrights form. His secretary said he wasn't in yet, but the woman had a standard one available. Shannon stuffed it in her purse and ran for the door. She was already way late.

The camp already bustled with activity when she wove her way through the cowboys and horses. Today was supposed to be one of three "dress rehearsals," as Buzz called them. The trainers would put the horses through their hoops as if the country were watching. Shannon climbed a fence to watch.

Jack's horses were third in line. He caught her eye and smiled, and Shannon's fears melted way. The horses performed well, the black stallion especially. With Jack on his back, the big mustang galloped around the cones in record time. He'd be a great rodeo mount.

Several other horses performed well especiallyTucker's bay mare. Shannon couldn't help admiring the mustang's clean lines and tight circles around the cones. It would be a close race between her and Jack's stallion.

Tucker was smiling as he rode out of the corral. His gaze locked with hers and he cantered over to where she stood. Would he listen to a plea from her? She hadn't tried a direct assault on the man he used to be.

"Nice job," she said, returning his smile with as much warmth as she could muster. It must have been enough, because his eyes widened and his eyes brightened. "Care if I walk back to your corral with you?" she asked.

"Want to ride?" His grin held a smirk.

"Only if it's by myself. I'm a married woman." She spoke lightly so he didn't take offense.

"I'll walk with you then." He swung down and looped the reins around his palm.

Jack's gaze landed on Shannon. He frowned and beckoned to her with his finger. She shook her head and tore her gaze from his. Something had to be done about the situation withTucker, so she had to try. Hopefully she'd have good news to share with him after her talk with Tucker.

"I assume you've come to make me an offer," Tucker said when they reached his corral behind the barn.

She stopped and put her hand on his arm. "Not really. I just wanted to talk a minute. I don't want us to be enemies. We were friends once."

"More than friends," he said, leering.

Her cheeks burned, but she held his glance. "It was never about sex, Tucker. You were a good friend when I needed one. You cared about me, about when I was hurt and crying. You helped me study for my final that one Easter, remember?"

He dropped his gaze, and his smile fell with it. "Don't be gettin' all touchy-feely with me, Shannon. It's bad for the image."

"Tucker, I know you've got good in you. Don't try to hurt me or the girls in your vendetta with Jack. Be a man and walk away and let us have our lives."

His boots shuffled in the dirt, and he still couldn't seem to meet her gaze. "Aw, Shannon, do you have to put it like that?"

"Yes, I think I do," she said softly. "Be the person I know you can be, Tucker. For my sake and the sake of the girls."