Treasuring Amber: The Temptation Saga: Book Five (15 page)

Of course, the site could go back up at any time. At least they’d taken care of disposing of Amber’s photos. He hoped to God Donetto had made sure the rest of the photos were trashed.

He wished he could be sure. For Amber. It was what she wanted. He regarded her lying on his bed, her platinum hair fanned on the pillow, her hands clasped together as if she were praying.

She looked like an angel.

He nudged her gently. “Wake up, Amber.”

She opened her gorgeous gold eyes and yawned. “What time is it?”

Harper checked his watch. “Ten thirty a.m. Crap, I’m late. I have to pick someone up at the airport in an hour.”

“Okay.” Amber rubbed her eyes. “Who?”

“Your father.”

D
uring the ride
to the airport, Harper told Amber about the previous night.

Amber tensed in the passenger seat. Her hand itched to reach over to Harper’s, but she held it back. She couldn’t believe Harper and Blake had both put themselves in such danger for her. And she hated the idea of Paul Donetto being involved. What if he came after them?

“Blake doesn’t think that’ll happen,” Harper said when she voiced this concern. “Now that Blake’s debt is paid, we’re even. Sure, Donetto got us out of the mess with the others, but Blake says that was a payoff—for letting him in on what they were doing. Donetto doesn’t like others impinging on what he thinks is under his control.”

“What does Blake know about it?”

“I have no idea, but he knows more than I know, that’s for sure. Besides, we’re all going back to Bakersville. There’s no debt hanging over our heads like there was for Blake. We’re small potatoes to someone like Paul Donetto.”

Amber should have been thrilled that her photos were gone and the web site was down. Truly, she was, but her tummy fluttered and her hands were fidgety.

They were about to pick up Thunder Morgan.

Her father.

What would he say?

Harper hadn’t told him why he wanted him to come down, just that it was important. Thunder clearly respected Harper enough to take his word for it and fly in.

Would he think
this
was important?

Would he be angry?

Would he demand a DNA test?

Would he tell Amber to stay out of his life?

Fear and uncertainty gripped her like icy fingers again. Why did Harper feel he had to do this? For her? For Karen? For himself? For Thunder?

She had no idea. He’d made it clear enough that she had no future with him. Yet here he was, taking care of her again. She’d never asked him to take care of her, so why did he do it? Maybe he thought if he got her father to take over, he’d be off the hook.

Thing is, he was never on the hook to begin with. True, she loved him, but he didn’t know that. She’d never told him.

And she never would.

“
T
hank you for lunch
, Harp,” Thunder Morgan said, touching his napkin to his lips. “The small talk’s been great, and it was great seeing both of you, but now I’ve gotta ask why you had me come down here.”

Amber stiffened.
Here it comes. Now or nothing.

Harper cleared his throat. “I’m thinking Amber should tell you.”

Amber’s chin dropped to the table. Seriously? He might have warned her.

“Well, pretty lady, what’s goin’ on?” Thunder asked.

“Um…well. I’m not sure where to start.”

“Always best to start at the beginning,” Thunder said.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” she hedged. “Do you remember a woman named Karen Hedstrom?”

Thunder’s forehead wrinkled. “Hedstrom? Can’t say it rings a bell.”

“She was a cocktail waitress here in San Antonio about twenty-three years ago. Very light blond hair, clear blue eyes.”

Thunder’s amber eyes lit up. “Karen? Ah, yes. Gorgeous thing. I remember meeting her. Never saw her again when I came through here. She must’ve stopped waitressing.”

Amber cleared her throat. “Yeah. She did. She…uh…had a baby.”

“Did she? I never knew what happened to her. I’m glad she settled down and got married.”

“She didn’t actually get married.”

“Oh? Well, single motherhood works these days. Lots of women are doin’ it.”

“Yeah.” Amber shrugged and looked at Harper.
Now what?

“Go ahead,” he urged. “Thunder’s a good guy.”

“Sure I’m a good guy. But what’s that have to do with anything?”

“You see…” Amber swallowed and gathered every ounce of courage she possessed. “
I
was that baby Karen had. And you’re my father.”

Thunder didn’t react at first. He simply stared. Second by second passed, until Amber didn’t think she could bear one more, when Thunder finally spoke.

“Say what?”

There went that shrink-wrapped feeling again. Her guts would squeeze out of her skin any minute now. “You’re my daddy. Your name’s on my birth certificate. Morgan Cross.”

“That’s my name all right, but that don’t mean nothin’. Karen coulda put any old name on there.”

“She swears I’m yours. We can…do a DNA test if you want.”

Thunder stared at her intently. “You’re the spittin’ image of Karen all right, except for the eyes.” He kept staring. “God damn it if those aren’t
my
eyes. Funny your mother named you Amber. People always tell me my eyes are amber. Did she name you after your eye color?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Amber said. “I never thought about it. Aren’t all babies’ eyes blue when they’re born anyway? They must’ve turned later.”

“If you’re truly mine, why didn’t your mother contact me?”

Harper raked his fingers through his beautiful brown hair. “That’s why we called you, actually,” he said. “Karen told us that she tried to contact you after Amber was born, but some woman told her you’d have them both killed if she didn’t leave you alone.”

Thunder’s golden eyes turned to saucers. “What?”

“Mama swears it’s true,” Amber said. “She swears she wasn’t going to ask you for anything. She just wanted to let you know you had a little girl, but whoever took the call scared the hell out of her. She never tried to contact you again.”

“I would never have said anything like that.”

“I know,” Harper said. “And Amber doesn’t believe it either, do you?”

“No, of course not. I mean, I had met you. You seemed like such a nice guy.”

“How old are you, darlin’?” he asked.

“I’m twenty-two.”

“Well, the timing’s right.” Thunder scratched his head. “I wonder… I was livin’ with a woman around that time. She was my assistant and she had a thing for me. We weren’t involved, but she wormed herself into everything. One of her jobs was to take phones calls. She…was obsessed with me. I ended up having to get a restraining order.”

“She must be the one who took Karen’s call,” Harper said. “I knew there had to be an explanation.”

“That must be what happened. Damn it!” Thunder pounded the table with his fist. “That woman caused me more trouble. And if I missed out on a child… God damn it!”

“It’s okay,” Amber said. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Thunder’s eyes glazed over. “She was a mighty fine-lookin’ woman, your mother. How is she?”

Amber sighed. “She’s not good, I’m afraid. She’s an alcoholic, and I don’t think she’s right mentally. It could all be part of the alcoholism. I don’t know.”

“Well, were you happy? Did you have a good life?”

“My life was fine.”

“Tell him the truth, Amber,” Harper said. “He deserves to know.”

“Yes, darlin’, please. The truth.”

She sighed. “The truth is I grew up in a poor neighborhood, but Mama kept me clothed and fed. I even got riding lessons from a local breeder who Mama kept house for. I loved riding…” She sighed wistfully. Those were good years. “Once the drinking got out of hand, though, times were tough. She made me leave when I was sixteen.”

“Christ,” Thunder said. “Go on.”

“I was lucky. My friend Laura took me in and I was able to finish high school. I learned how to do nails at the vocational high school, and I graduated with honors. Unfortunately, as soon as we graduated Laura’s mom kicked us both out.”

“I’m so sorry, darlin’. But you’ve obviously done well for yourself.”

Amber didn’t want to get into the whole Rachel’s thing right now. She hoped Harper wouldn’t bring it up.

“I’ve done all right. I have a good job now in a nice town.”

“I’d like to see Karen,” Thunder said. “If this is true, I have a lot to make up for.”

“No, you don’t,” Amber said. “Please, I don’t want you to feel that way. I’d love to be a part of your life, but I don’t want you feeling guilty for not being there before. It’s not fair.”

“I’m sorry your life was hard,” Thunder said, “but you came out wonderful. Your mama must’ve done a few things right.”

Mama and the school of hard knocks.
But Amber wasn’t going to say that. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”

“Still, I feel responsible.”

“Please don’t. That’s not what any of this is about. I didn’t even know Harper asked you to come down here till this morning.”

“That’s true,” Harper said. “She didn’t.”

“Young lady, I don’t need a DNA test. Those eyes are mine. I’m sure of it. And I did have relations with your mother. One time, but as we all know, that’s all it takes sometimes.

“This is all a lot to digest. One thing I missed by bein’ on the road all the time was havin’ a family. I especially miss it now that I’m retired. If you choose to be a part of my life, Amber, I would be honored.”

Tears welled in Amber’s eyes. She rose and went to her father. He embraced her in his arms. Warmth spread over her body. She felt safe. A different kind of safe than she felt in Harper’s arms.

“Daddy’s here, darlin’. Daddy’s here.”

H
arper and Blake
went back to Bakersville the next day, after alerting the police about the situation with Oscar and Donetto. Hopefully they’d have a hard time starting up the operation again. The cops would keep their eyes open.

Amber said goodbye to Harper without tears, though she’d cried herself to sleep that night in her hotel room.

She stayed a few more days to take care of her mother. Thunder stayed with her. Together they got Karen admitted to a Medicaid-approved substance abuse facility where she’d receive weekly therapy for her mental issues as well.

“I’m leaving Bakersville,” she told her father. “I need to be close to Mama. She needs me now.”

“Leaving Bakersville? But you have friends there. A job.”

“I’ll have to go back in a few months for the opening ceremonies of the rodeo. I’m rodeo queen, and I have to hand the crown over. But I need to get down here now and secure a job so I can help Mama. Be here if she needs me.”

“If you could do anything you wanted…anything at all, would it be manicuring?”

She shook her head. “No. That was something I could learn in high school, and I’m good at it. What I’d really love to do is ride horses.”

“Well, your newfound father just happens to own a small ranch on the western slope of Colorado. What say you move there? If you need extra cash you can do nails in the city, and I have horses you can ride.”

Joy spread through Amber. Living on her father’s ranch and helping him run it would be a dream come true. “But Mama…”

“Once her treatment is complete, she can come to my ranch too.”

She hadn’t expected that. How could she turn this opportunity down? “Are you sure you have the room?”

“I’ve got four bedrooms and a small guest house. And I’m all alone there. You do the math.”

“But this is your retirement. You don’t want to be saddled with two more people.”

“Darlin’, I’m all alone now. I was never lonely on the road. There were more than enough people around to keep me company. Now, all I’ve got is a few ranch hands. It’d sure be nice to have your pretty face around.”

“But I can’t impose. And my mother… She’s a handful.”

“I’m not rollin’ in gold, but I was a champion bronc buster, remember? I’m well enough off to take care of my daughter and her mother. It would please me to do so.”

Tears misted in her eyes. Her father had come into her life, and he was everything a girl could want in a dad. Her mother was getting the care she needed, and hopefully she would heal so Amber could heal her relationship with her. She could ride horses. Life was finally coming around. Except for one thing.

She’d never have the man she loved.

A
few days later
, Amber sat in her small apartment packing boxes.

“I’m sure going to miss you,” Catie said, holding Violet.

“I’m going to miss you too.” Amber wrapped a mug in newspaper and placed it in a box.

“I wish things had worked out with you and Harp.”

So do I.

But she didn’t say it. “Oh, well, things are for the best. I’m going to get to know my daddy after all these years.”

“Yeah, who’d have thought? Thunder Morgan is your daddy. That’s something else.”

“I know.”

Amber had stopped ruminating on how different her life might have been if her father had been there when she was growing up. She had him now. That’s what was important.

“I’m so sad that Violet won’t grow up knowing her Auntie Amber.”

“I’ll be back in two months for the rodeo,” Amber said. “And I’ll be on the western slope. You’ll come out to visit. I mean, you’ll be out to visit Angie anyway. And I’ll be there.”

“I know,” Catie said, “but it won’t be the same. First Angie leaves, now you.”

“We’re not far away.”

But Catie was in the mood to sulk, obviously. Violet got cranky and Catie nursed her. Amber taped up the last box.

“That’s it,” she said. “Judy’s taking me to the airport tonight to catch the red-eye outta here, and the movers are coming tomorrow for my stuff. It should be on the slope in a few days.” She grabbed her suitcase. “I’m all set.”

“I hope you find what you’re looking for on the western slope with your dad,” Catie said. “And I hope things work out with your mom.”

“Things’ll work out one way or another,” Amber said. “They always do.”

H
arper paced
around Chad McCray’s ranch house. He hadn’t known where else to turn. He’d come over to see Catie but found out from Chad that she and Violet had gone into town to help Amber finish packing up.

“She’s leaving for Grand Junction tonight on the red-eye,” Chad told Harper.

“Damn.”

“What’s goin’ on with you?”

“I just…aw hell, I don’t know. I don’t want her to leave.”

Chad shook his head. “I gotta say I’m surprised. I could swear that woman was not your type at all.”

“She’s not,” Harper said. “Thing is, she is. She’s gotten under my skin. She’s been through some stuff that I can’t talk about. I don’t know if she’s told Catie.”

“About Rachel’s? Yeah.”

But about the web site and the photos? Probably not, and Harper didn’t want to break her confidence.

“Yeah, Rachel’s.”

“Can’t fault a girl for makin’ a livin’,” Chad said.

“And I don’t.”

“But you’re havin’ trouble processing the fact that you’re in love with a stripper, right?”

“No. Yes. Hell, I don’t have a clue. I’ve treated her badly, Chad. She won’t want me now.”

“How do you know that? And would you sit your ass down? You’re gonna wear holes in my rug.”

Harper plunked on the couch.
She’s not the woman you thought she was.
The voice echoed in his head.

How often he’d heard that voice. He’d been so wrong. She
was
that woman. She was strong, so strong, to have lived with her alcoholic mother, to finish school when she’d been kicked out of the house, to do what she had to do to make a living. She’d never asked another soul for anything. And she was ethical. She hadn’t been satisfied to merely have her photos taken down. She’d wanted to protect the other girls as well.

He was in love. Probably had been since that first night.

“I love her,” he said quietly.

Chad sat down across from him in an armchair. “Do you? Or is that you just can’t resist another damsel in distress?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s kind of your MO, ain’t it?”

Harper cocked his head, confused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Chad.”

“When your father died, you became the man of the family. You and you alone were the one he trusted with news of his illness. He didn’t tell Catie or Angie. At that point, you began taking care of your mom and of Angie. You’d always taken care of little Catie. Well, now Catie has me. She doesn’t need you looking after her anymore. Angie has Rafe. And even your mother is falling in love again. Or for the first time, near as I can tell, with your Uncle Jeff. And here you are, used to taking care of all the women in your family, with suddenly no one to take care of. Enter Miss Cross. Never mind how sweet, beautiful, and downright hot she is. She’s got something else you just can’t resist, Harp.”

“And that is?”

“She
needs
you.”

Harper paused. Could Chad possibly have a clue? He did seem to have a propensity for taking care of women—his sisters, his mother, now Amber.

But he cared for his sisters and his mother. They were special to him. His father had taught him to care for those he loved. To man up when necessary.

It wasn’t that they were damsels in distress. His sisters and his mother were all strong women.

And so was Amber.

Yes, he wanted to take care of her, but that wasn’t all.

He loved her. He was knee-deep hopelessly in love with Amber Cross.

“I’m aging here,” Chad said.

“You’re wrong.” Harper shook his head. “I’m not trying to rescue Amber. At least not just for the sake of rescuing her.” He cleared his throat. “I love her, man.”

A wide grin spread across Chad’s face. “Then go get her, Harp.”

Harper did a double take. “What? You want me to go get her? You believe I love her?”

“Sure I do. It’s written all over your lovesick puppy dog face.”

“Then what was all the crap about ‘are you sure you’re not just into her because she’s some damsel in distress?’”

“I was playing the devil’s advocate, you moron. Didn’t they teach you that stuff at that highfalutin law school you went to?”

Harper let out a loud sigh. “I ought to let you have it, McCray.”

“But you won’t, because if you mess up my pretty face your baby sister’ll never speak to you again.”

“True that.” Harper laughed.

“So what are you standin’ here for? Go get her.”

Harper was already gone.

C
atie and Violet left
, and Amber decided to walk over to Rena’s for some coffee. She’d need caffeine to stay up for her late night flight.

She opened the door and Harper stormed into the small studio.

“You were going to leave me!”

Amber shuddered. His anger filled the room, as though it were a presence rather than an emotion.

“Harper? What’s going on?”

“Damn you!” He paced the room, his fists clenched. “How did this happen to me? How did you get…
inside
me like this? How am I supposed to live like this?”

Harper punched his fist into the wall. Dry wall cracked with a thud, and a droplet of scarlet oozed down the white surface. He was bleeding.

Amber ached to run to him. To tell him how much she loved him, how much she wanted to be with him. Instead, she said, “Judy’ll make you pay for that.”

“Crap. I’m sorry. I just can’t bear the thought of you leaving.”

“I’m sorry, Harper. I want to get to know my father, but I never
wanted
to leave here.”

“Then why are you?” He advanced, like a wolf stalking his prey. His brown eyes were feral, primal.

“It’s too painful to stay here. You don’t want me. I’m not the woman you thought I was.”

“What?”

“You know my past now. All my sordid secrets. That last time we made love, it scared the hell out of you that we’d forgotten the condom. You thought I was”—she swallowed—“dirty.” The memory cut through her like a knife.

“I’m sorry about that. I just… I’ve never had unprotected sex before and… Oh hell, there’s no fucking excuse.” He thunked his head against the wall. “I was wrong, Amber. So very wrong, and I’m sorry. I should never have doubted you.”

Amber warmed. It wasn’t a confession of love as she’d hoped, but it
was
an apology, and she believed it was sincere. “Thank you, Harper. I accept your apology. It means more than you know.”

“But still you’re leaving.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Why?”

“I want to get to know my father. What better way than living on his ranch?”

He sat down on a large box. “I guess I can’t compete with that.”

“Compete with my daddy? Why would you want to?”

“Why would I want to?”

He rose again, and she wondered if he would hit another wall. Instead he paced back and forth between boxes.

“Damn it, I ran all over the state of Texas to get you out of a jam. I found your daddy for you. I took care of your mother.”

Yes, he had. But not for her. “You did all that for Angie, as a favor.”

“Angie? Are you serious?” He raked his fingers through his beautifully disheveled hair that now touched his shoulders. “I love my big sister, but not enough to traipse all over God’s creation after one of her friends.”

She gulped. Her heart did a flip-flop. “But that’s not what you said. I didn’t think you wanted me. Not after—”

“Didn’t want you? I tried. I tried, Amber. But you’ve infected me. You’re like a virus inside me that my body can’t shake.”

A virus? Hardly the stuff of love letters. But Amber’s heart was pounding. Emotion flooded her.

Run to him. Run to him.

Her feet stayed locked in place.

“I ought to take you right here.” He stalked toward her, his eyes smoking. “Right here among all these boxes, on the floor, like animals.”

“I—”

“I ought to make love to you so violently that you’d never even consider the idea of leaving me again.”

“Harper—”

He silenced her with his kiss. A primal, ferocious kiss. A kiss that marked her. Labeled her as his.

They kissed with abandon, their lips grinding and mashing together, their tongues tangling, until finally Amber broke the suction to take a breath.

“Harper.”

“Amber, God damn it, don’t leave me.”

“Harp—”

“I love you, baby. I love you so damn much.”

Warmth flowed through her like sunshine. The blood in her veins turned to boiling honey. “You love me?”

“God, Amber, yes. I love you. You’re my greatest treasure. Please don’t leave me. Stay here. Stay here with me. Be my wife.”

“You want to marry me?”

“Please. Please marry me.” His dark eyes pleaded with hers. “I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t.”

Amber smiled. As much as she wanted to live on her father’s ranch, Harper was her true dream. She and Thunder would still get to know each other. “I guess I could marry you. I mean, it’ll save a lot of walls.”

Harper looked over at the drywall he’d damaged. “I’m sorry about that, baby. I’ll fix it tomorrow.”

“Okay. Just let me know what time you’ll be by. I guess I have some unpacking to do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll just move all this stuff over to my house.”

“But Harp, I can’t marry you just yet.”

“Why the hell not?”

“I’m rodeo queen, remember?”

“Oh right.” He smiled. “Well, the good folks of Bakersville will just have to deal with their rodeo queen living in sin.” He lifted her in his strong arms. “I’m taking you home.”