Sheltered by the Millionaire (12 page)

Even if he told her his real reason for buying the wetlands, that wouldn’t change who he was. “You’re employed by a non-profit organization and get paid a salary. I own a business where people only get paid if I make a profit. That’s how life works.”

She held up a finger, her hand shaking with restrained emotion. “Don’t speak to me like I’m a child. There are plenty of people who make a profit without compromising their values.”

“I follow the letter of the law in my business practices.” He wasn’t like his father, damn it.

“Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s morally right.”

Okay, now she was stepping over the line.

“And what makes you the authority on right and wrong? There can be a middle ground if you’ll stop being judgmental and—”

Gasping, she backed up a step. “Is that what you think of me? That I’m uptight and judgmental just because I live my life by a moral code that isn’t identical to yours?”

He looked into her eyes and didn’t see any room for changing her mind. She’d dug in her heels deeply. He recognized the look from the three years he’d known her. These past few weeks had been an anomaly. She wasn’t interested in a real relationship with him.

“I think you’re just looking for a reason to break it off with me. I think you’re so locked onto the past that you’re convinced every man is like your dad or Evie’s dad. So much so, that you never really gave me a chance. Not three and a half years ago and not now.”

“That’s not fair,” she whispered.

“None of this is.” His hand gravitated to the ring box in his pocket again by habit, but he left it inside. He met her gaze and willed her to see the love in his eyes, to understand how he felt. To trust him.

To trust
in
him.

For an instant, he could have sworn he saw her stance softening and he reached to caress her arm.

The taxi rolled to a stop at the front entrance.

She pulled her hands in tight again, closing herself off from him, from what they could have had together. “Goodnight, Whit. I just...I can’t do this.”

Looking so damn beautiful that she took his breath away and broke his heart, Megan rushed past him and slid into the cab.

The taxi’s taillights disappeared into the night like fading Christmas lights. His big night with Megan was over and he’d botched it from the start. He’d been so busy making plans for them, looking for angles to persuade her and win her over. All the while missing the most important thing of all.

This wasn’t about winning a deal like some business merger. This was about having Megan in his life forever. This was about being in love with her. Somehow, he’d never once used that all-important word and because of that, he’d lost her.

Twelve

A
fter a sleepless night, Megan took out her frustration by trying to restore order to some part of her world. She grabbed the bottle of disinfectant and moved on to spritz the next cat kennel. Her gloved hands scrubbed with a vengeance.

She’d spent most of the night crying and second-guessing herself. Today was supposed to be a day off. She should have been spending it with Whit. Evie had even asked to go to a friend’s house to play, her costumes and fears fading. Which left Megan alone in her too quiet house. So she’d come to the shelter to get her mind off things, but it wasn’t working.

Somehow she and Whit had shifted from considering moving in together to broken up in the span of one dinner, and all because of a land purchase.

A land purchase they had been at odds over for months.

She should have seen the signs, but she’d been so blinded by how much she enjoyed being with him. Her eyes watered again. She sniffled and rubbed her wrist under her nose.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor and she blinked faster to clear her eyes—as if that would make any difference given how puffy they were. God, she hoped whoever it was wouldn’t stop and talk. She just wanted to clean and clean until she dropped into an exhausted sleep and didn’t have to think.

The footsteps stopped right outside the doorway.

“Soooo?” Beth’s voice called. “How did your big date with Whit go last night?”

Megan could have diverted an employee or regular volunteer. But there would be no escaping Beth.

Eyes stinging from the sharp scent of bleach, she spoke over her shoulder, keeping her face averted. “The meal was five-star quality.”

“Everyone knows the place is great.” Beth pulled up alongside her. “It’s one of those restaurants where guys take women to propose. Megan? Sweetie? Are you okay?” Beth dipped her head to make eye contact.

Megan flinched and scrubbed harder. “Would you like to help me here? I’m expecting a call from a grant writer any minute.” Her words tumbled over each other as she sought to distract. “The guy’s going to donate his services to help us put in a proposal to help fund a voucher spay/neuter program.”

Beth grabbed a second bottle of antiseptic spray and tore off some paper towels. “Abigail and I can finish up here. On one condition.”

She tucked her head into the steel kennel. “What’s that?”

Her friend rested a hand on her shoulder. “Can you take off the glove so I can see the ring?”

Is that what her friend thought? This day just got worse.

Megan knew the moment had come. She couldn’t hide anymore. “There’s no ring.”

She couldn’t even begin to think about all that didn’t happen between them last night. All her hopes...up in flames.

“Oh. Really? I could have sworn that he planned to...” Genuine confusion was stamped on Beth’s face. “I mean...”

Seeing her friend’s certainty was bittersweet. “Just because he takes me out to eat doesn’t mean he planned to propose.”

Beth took Megan by the shoulders gently and turned her. “Those are dark circles under your puffy eyes. Were you crying? Honey, what’s wrong?”

Megan sagged back against the empty kennels they used for new cats to get acclimated before going into the free roaming facility. “We had a...really bad argument, and, well, it’s over between us.”

“No,” Beth whispered, “that’s not possible.”

But it was. She knew that all too well. “I heard about his land grab...the wetlands.”

Beth’s eyes narrowed. “Who told you that?”

“Colby Richardson. We crossed paths at the restaurant last night.”

“What did Whit say when you asked him for his side of things?”

“I said I...I mean, we talked about it.” She chewed her bottom lip, thinking back over their argument and trying to remember when things really went off the rails. “He didn’t deny it.”

Beth nodded, but stayed silent.

Alarms jangled in Megan’s mind. “You’re trying to say there was a good reason for what he did?”

She thought back over the evening. It had been the perfect setup for a proposal. He’d even asked her to move in on the drive over. He was clearly serious.

Reflecting on how quickly things had spiraled out of control, she started to question why she hadn’t asked rather than just assume. At the time it had seemed as if asking would have given him a chance to lie. But now she wondered if she had subliminally sabotaged the evening because deep down, she was afraid to trust any man again. Just as Whit had accused her of doing.

She looked at Beth, guilt stinging over the way she’d jumped to conclusions when Whit had done nothing but try to see and meet her needs. Her eyes watered again and she didn’t bother hiding the emotion from her friend. “I should have asked him about the land purchases.”

Beth hugged her close. “Sweetie, it’s hard to push aside a lifetime of insecurities. I understand that well.” She angled back and smiled. “But the risk is so very much worth it.”

Megan eyed her friend suspiciously. “You wouldn’t happen to know why he bought the wetlands?”

Beth shrugged. “You should be asking him.”

“I’m asking you, because I think you know the answer.”

“And if I did?” Beth replied enigmatically, “I think it would be wrong for me to tell you. A relationship needs to be built on trust and if I give you the easy answer, then you will have missed an amazing chance to make things right between you.”

Beth’s words sunk in. Deep. As Megan looked back over her time with Whit, once she’d gotten to know him, he’d been honest, thoughtful, generous. Loving.

The way she’d assumed the worst and walked away had to have hurt him. He had plenty of friends, but no family that had ever come through for him. His father had let him down time and time again.

Even skipping out on bills.

And God, she’d accused Whit of being dishonest. She squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head against the cool steel kennel. At every turn since the tornado, she’d seen his quietly philanthropic spirit. He wasn’t the type to shout his good deeds from the rooftops. He didn’t seek thanks or accolades.

He was a good man.

And she’d messed up, big-time.

She’d been so afraid of getting hurt, she’d turned her back on the love of a lifetime. As she peeled off her gloves, she made up her mind—she owed Whit an apology. She was done being scared.

* * *

In his greenhouse, Whit dug his hands into the dirt and pulled the catnip from its original pot. The plant had taken off, outgrowing the small container. He’d come out here today to get his thoughts together. About halfway through the night he’d gotten past his pride. Sure, he’d hoped for more trust from Megan. But he’d pushed too much too fast. He needed to back up and regroup.

He wasn’t a quitter. He’d worked to build a better life for himself and now he realized how narrow his view of success had been. It wasn’t about the house. It was about the people. He just had to figure out the right way to win her back.

He dropped the catnip into a larger container and scooped more potting soil around the exposed roots. He’d made a lot more headway with Megan when he’d given her simpler gifts. But damn it, he’d thought buying the wetlands for her and leaving them untouched was the right decision.

Damn it, he still did. He just needed to find the right time to try again.

The greenhouse door opened and he called out for the deliveryman, “You can leave the crate of plants by the door.”

“I don’t have any plants to offer.” Megan’s voice carried down the long walkway. “Can I stay anyway?”

The sound of her, here, where they’d shared such an amazing night, was like water poured on parched soil. Incredible relief. Hope for new life. But he needed to tread carefully rather than steamrolling her as he’d done too often in the past.

Whit pulled his hands out of the dirt and grabbed a rag. “Did you leave something here last week?”

She walked toward him, every bit as gorgeous in jeans and a T-shirt as she’d been in her lace gown last night. “I did, actually.”

Damn, disappointment kicked through him. “What did you leave? I’ll keep an eye out for it.”

“You already have it in your hands, Whit.” She stopped in front of him and pressed her palms to his chest. “I left my heart here with you.”

Had he heard her right? “Megan, about last night and the wetlands—”

“Wait.” She tapped his lips. “Let me finish. It’s important. I brought something for you, but I need to say some things first. I want you to know that I trust you. I know you have an answer and a reason for whatever you’ve done. We may not agree, but I do respect your right to do as you see fit. We are different, you and I. And that’s a good thing too.”

“You really mean that.”

He was stunned to
his
roots that she gave him her trust so fully. He’d been so used to working like hell for everything in his life. He’d never expected something so perfect, so incredible to land so smoothly in his arms.

“Absolutely.” She sounded so sure of herself. Of him. The constant worry in her green eyes was nowhere in sight.

“God, Megan, I l—”

She tapped his mouth again. “I’m still not finished. I need for you to listen. I know I said some unforgivable things last night and I’m sorry. I should have asked for your side of the story rather than assuming.”

He held her with his eyes. “I haven’t given you a lot of time to trust me. I realize trust has to be earned.”

“And you’ve done that. More times than most people in this town know and probably far more than I’ve realized.” She stroked his face. “I looked back and realized that you use your money and influence to help so many people without ever taking credit.”

He shrugged off those words. “It’s easy for me to help. Doesn’t put a dent in my bank balance. That’s not a sacrifice.”

She shook her head. “I think for a kid who was homeless a few times, it probably is a lot tougher to let go of the security of extra money in the bank than you let on.”

God, she humbled him and amazed him and made him fall in love with her all over again. “You see me through far nicer eyes than I deserve.”

“And you see yourself through a much harsher lens than you should.”

Relief shuddered through him as he began to accept that she’d given him a second chance. He wrapped his arms around her waist, hauled her to his chest and just held her, a simple pleasure he would never take for granted again.

He nuzzled her hair, her cinnamon scent tempting his nose and giving him ideas for something new to add to his garden. “What made you change your mind? Who told you about my plans for the wetlands?”

“No one told me about your plans.” She angled back to look at him. “I meant it when I said I’m here because I trust you.”

“Megan,” he said hoarsely. “I bought the tract of land to give to you. It will stay just as it is as a tribute to how damn lucky I am to have you in my life.”

Her eyes went misty and then bright with tears. “Are you kidding? Oh my God, Whit.” She hugged his neck, kissed him, hugged him again, then dabbed her eyes. “I’m so sorry for doubting you. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. You’re here.” He stroked along her back, loving the way she felt in his arms. Loving her, period. “You said you’d brought something for me. What is it?”

“Oh, right.” Her tears vanished and she smiled mysteriously. “A couple of things actually for your—our?—house.” She reached into her purse and passed him two silver picture frames. The first had a photo taken at the ice rink in Colorado of him with Megan and Evie. The second picture was of Evie on the sofa holding Tallulah, with Truffles, Pixie and Scooter sleeping along the back, while Piper and Cosmo stood by the coffee table set for a tea party.

A lump rose in his throat.

He hauled her close with a ragged sigh. “God, Megan, I love you so damn much. The thought of spending another night wondering if I’d lost you forever...”

“You’ll never have to wonder again.” She arched up on her toes and brought her lips close to his. “I love you, too, Whit Daltry. Today, tomorrow and forever. Me, you, Evie and our menagerie of animals—we’re a family.”

“I like the sound of that.” A lot. Deciding to leave his heart very much in
her
hands, he knelt on one knee in front of her. “Megan Maguire, will you do me the honor of being my wife, my lover, my love for the rest of our lives? Will you allow me the honor of being a father to Evie and any brothers or sisters we might give her in the years to come? Because there is nothing more that I want than to build a life with you by my side. I love you, Megan. I have a ring too, inside—”

“Yes, yes, with or without a ring, yes.” She sank to her knees and took his hands in hers. “Of course, I’ll marry you, live with you, love you, for the rest of our lives.”

He reached for that quilt he’d never gotten around to putting away and snapped it out onto the floor, then remembered what a mess he was. “We should shower. Together. In the interest of conserving water, you know.”

She whispered against his lips. “Oh, we will. But first I have some plans for you and those oranges.”

He had some plans for her too. And a lifetime to fulfill them right here in Royal, Texas, where finally he’d put down real roots, thanks to Megan’s love.

* * * * *

TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB:
AFTER THE STORM
Don’t miss a single story!

STRANDED WITH THE RANCHER
by Janice Maynard
SHELTERED BY THE MILLIONAIRE
by Catherine Mann
PREGNANT BY THE TEXAN
by Sara Orwig
BECAUSE OF THE BABY...
by Cat Schield
HIS LOST AND FOUND FAMILY
by Sarah M. Anderson
MORE THAN A CONVENIENT BRIDE
by Michelle Celmer
FOR HIS BROTHER’S WIFE
by Kathie DeNosky

Keep reading for a special excerpt from THE SECRET AFFAIR by Brenda Jackson.