But she didn’t want him to go. This was a test, she told herself. She could spend the evening by herself, reading or binge-watching some new series.
Her heart practically leaped out of her chest when she opened the bathroom door to find Shep asleep on her bed.
He was on his back, one of her fashion magazines open on his chest. He’d taken off his shoes and socks and his legs were crossed at the ankles. A fine shadow of stubble coated his jaw and his hair was messy, like he’d been running his hands through it.
He’d changed into clean clothes, a white T-shirt that made his skin look even more golden and faded jeans. Even though his features were relaxed, she could still see the tension in him, as if even sleep didn’t give him reprieve from whatever was going on in his life. She wanted to know everything and hoped he’d find a way to trust her enough to share his troubles.
But trust was a two-way street and she’d have to own up to the things she was keeping from him, as well.
As she walked closer to the bed, his eyes blinked open. His gaze raked over her, seeming to snag on the bottom edge of the towel that covered her body.
“I fell asleep,” he said, voice hoarse.
“I see that, Goldilocks.”
“I was waiting to talk to you,” he explained.
She pulled the towel tighter around herself. It would be smart to back away now and put on her pajamas or at the very least a robe. But something about the way he looked at her pinned her in place. There was a sense of wonder in his eyes, like he found her truly beautiful.
“About what?” she asked.
He shrugged, a faint smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “I can’t remember. Waking up to you standing in front of me like that has sent every last brain cell I have racing south.”
Paige lifted a hand and tugged off the towel holding her hair. It fell to the carpet, and her damp curls cascaded over her shoulders.
“Now, that’s playing dirty,” he whispered, sucking in a breath.
“I just got out of the shower,” she countered. “Technically, I’m clean.”
“You interested in getting dirty?” He sat up on the bed, resting his back against her wrought iron headboard.
“Maybe,” she lied. Her body was already burning for him, heat pooling between her legs and her breasts growing heavy with need.
“I think you should drop that towel, sweetheart.”
She did without hesitation, the breeze from the ceiling fan making her shiver.
Shep crooked a finger. “Come closer.”
“You’re still dressed,” she pointed out.
“We’ll get to that soon enough,” he promised.
She moved forward, sucking in a breath when he reached out and trailed one finger from the base of her throat down between her breasts then farther along her belly to the apex of her thighs.
“You are perfection,” he murmured.
“I’ve never felt that way before you,” she admitted.
He smiled, obviously pleased with her words. “It’s good to know at least I’m doing one thing right in my life.”
Despite his teasing tone, there was a hollow ring to the words that made her heart stammer. Paige understood not feeling like she measured up, and she wanted Shep to know that she believed in him even if he couldn’t believe in himself.
She bent and fused her mouth to his, climbing onto the bed to straddle him at the same time. His big hands cupped her breasts, thumbs grazing over the tips of her nipples in a way that made her moan low in her throat.
She ran her hands down his chest to the hem of his shirt, tugged it up and over his head.
“You do lots of things right,” she told him, cupping his face and willing him to believe her.
“Oh, I know, darlin’,” he said, affecting a convincing Southern drawl. “In the bedroom I’m quite the master.”
“In life,” she corrected. “With me and with Rosie. Your company. The men on your crew at the ski resort.”
He closed his eyes like her words pained him. Why was it so difficult for this man to see the good in himself?
“You’re not your father,” she whispered and felt him flinch.
He blew out a breath, opened his eyes and gave her a crooked smile. “This is definitely not a conversation I was planning to have in your bed with you naked on top of me.”
“I thought we’d already established that I like to talk when I’m naked.”
That earned a laugh. “And I love listening, but let’s save the conversation for later.” He wrapped his arms around her and flipped her so she was under him on the bed. Then he kissed her as his big hands roamed her body, driving her into a frenzy of need.
When she couldn’t stand the sweet torture any longer, Paige pushed at his chest. “Too many clothes.”
As Shep straightened from the bed to strip out of his jeans and boxers, Paige pushed down the covers until she was lying only on the bottom sheet. She grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer, and once it was on Shep, she welcomed him into her body again.
They moved together and the wish of leaving the rest of the world behind was blessedly granted. There wasn’t room for anything else in this moment but physical sensation and the need pulsing through her.
Except there was more. More than the way he made her body come alive. Her heart was deep in the mix and with each moan, sigh and whispered endearment, she fell harder for him.
He looked into her eyes as they found their release together, and all of her doubts were chased away by the intensity she saw there. It was everything she needed from him communicated without a single word.
After, as Shep snuggled her against him in the dark, she fell asleep with her heart full, believing she finally had a chance at true happiness.
* * *
The next day Paige drove toward The Bumblebee, looking forward to an afternoon alone in her house. The inn had been so busy over the past couple of weeks, from Shep, Rosie and Janet, to Carly as she made sure details were in place for guests to arrive.
The official reopening was planned for mid-September, but they were hosting a trial weekend with friends and members of Crimson’s tourism committee who’d been invited to stay for free. Shep had been oddly supportive of it, as if he was coming to care as much about her dream as his.
Although Paige’s nerves fluttered at the thought of her dream becoming a reality, she felt confident that all her hard work over the past year was finally going to pay off.
Today, Janet had taken Rosie to a toddler tumbling class at the community center, Shep was at the resort and Carly had driven to Grand Junction to pick up the travel-size toiletries they’d ordered from a local soap maker in the neighboring town.
Paige planned to enjoy the quiet, perhaps the last she’d have in the house that had come to represent so much to her.
Several pickup trucks were parked in the driveway as she approached the house. An oversize dumpster had been placed directly in front of the porch, one end of it crushing the shrubs she’d planted this past spring.
She threw her car into Park and dashed toward the house, where a man in a tailored button-down and neatly pressed slacks stood, clearly overseeing whatever was happening to her house.
“Excuse me,” she called, her stomach tightening sharply as he turned.
The man was around her age, late twenties, and by all accounts appeared quite handsome with tanned skin, a lean physique and hair that looked like it had been styled by a professional. But his dark eyes were cold, almost calculating, as if he’d been waiting for her to show up.
“What are you doing to my house?” she asked, her voice coming out so high she wondered why neighborhood dogs didn’t start howling in response.
Assuming they could hear her over the noise from truck engines idling in her driveway and men’s voices carrying across the property.
; “Your house?” The man feigned surprise. “I was under the impression this property was owned by Shepherd Bennett of Trinity Development.”
“Well, yes,” Paige stammered. “But Shep and I have an understanding.” She paused, drew in a steadying breath. “Who are you, anyway? Does Shep know you’re here? I left my phone in the car. I need to call him and—”
“I’m Vincent Delorca,” the man said smoothly, holding out a hand.
Paige took it automatically but got the distinct impression that some sort of a reptile was touching her instead of a man.
“I work with Shep at Trinity.” He gave her a puzzled look. “It’s odd that you mention an agreement because I have...” He pulled out a piece of paper from the file folder he was holding. “A signed agreement that Trinity Development will lease a portion of this property from Shep in order to gain access to the back side of the ski mountain.” He held out the paper, and she stared at it like he was gifting her a venomous snake. She’d known Shep’s plans for the inn, but he’d also known hers. And he’d let her believe he had the power within his company to change things if she succeeded with her goal. Maybe they’d never talked about the future outright, but he’d understood what this meant to her.
“It’s a legal document,” he explained as if she wouldn’t realize that on her own. “Binding and enforceable if you’re concerned with that sort of thing.”
Paige felt all the blood rush from her head, and she forced her knees not to give way. There was no way she was going to let this man watch her break.
“I need to talk to Shep,” she whispered.
Vincent’s lips pursed and he made an obviously fake sound of sympathy. “It would seem so.” He waved a hand toward the inn. “It’s a quaint little place you have here, although not exactly my normal taste. Shep’s either. He and I have worked on several projects together. Normally he goes for a much swankier vibe. Upscale, you know what I mean?”
He didn’t wait for her to answer, which was helpful since Paige didn’t think she could manage to put even once sentence together at the moment. “It’s a shame you and Shep had that miscommunication. I don’t really get it. He’s known all along the fate of your inn. I’m not sure what he’d have to gain by keeping the whole truth from you.”
Paige understood nausea. Her months of chemo treatments had sent her rushing to the bathroom more times than she could count. But the queasiness surging through her now was different. It was like a monster had come to life inside her, engulfing her until she was a shell of a person.
An image of Rosie flashed in her mind. All the diapers she’d changed, the stories she’d read to the girl, then watching Rosie take her first steps along with Shep. Had all of that been a lie? A manipulation so that he’d get what he needed from her?
Oh, no. She pressed a hand to her stomach, pushing hard against the tidal wave of disappointment and betrayal gathering inside her.
“Leave,” she whispered, glaring at Vincent Delorca.
“You really need to take a look at the contract,” he said, shoving the paper into her hands. “It explains—”
“Get off this property,” she screamed, stalking forward and pointing at any man who would make eye contact with her. “All of you, leave. Right now. I want you gone. I want your trucks out of the driveway.” She sucked in a breath. “Now.”
After a prolonged moment of staring at her like she had a second head growing out of her body, the men scattered like cockroaches in a beam of light. She turned to Vincent. “You, too,” she told him.
He didn’t argue, but he also didn’t move to do her bidding like the rest of them. “I appreciate that this is a shock, and I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. We’ll leave for today, but the guys will be back. Shep’s in over his head with this one and it’s clear he’s thinking with his...” His slimy gaze raked over Paige in a way that made her skin crawl. “Not his brain in any case.”
“Leave,” she repeated, praying with every fiber of her being that he’d go. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold it together.
“I’m heading back to the ski mountain,” he said. “Want me to say hi to Shep for you?”
The mention of Shep was too much for her to stand. Paige rushed past him to the house, let herself in then slammed the door behind her. She was certain Vincent would leave after she’d gone. What reason would he have to stay once she’d taken herself out of the line of fire?
But she couldn’t say for sure because all she could hear was the sound of her own sobs as she fell to her knees on the hardwood floor, her dream and her heart both shattering around her.
Chapter Fifteen
“I’m home,” Shep called as he walked in the front door late that afternoon. The words made warmth expand in his chest. This house had truly become a home to him, mainly because of Paige. Even the town of Crimson felt like a place he could put down roots.
He’d finally gotten in touch with one of Trinity’s board members, who had assured Shep that they weren’t trying to run him out of the company.
It was hard to be convinced when Vincent had returned to the resort after a long lunch with an obnoxious cat-who-ate-the-canary grin that Shep had wanted to wipe off the other man’s face.
But he’d requested a formal meeting with the board, face-to-face, to talk about progress on the renovation, a marketing plan for the ski mountain and his desire to change the terms of the contract he had regarding the Bumblebee property. He wasn’t sure how he’d deal with taking Rosie back to California next week but hoped Janet might be convinced to go with him. Or even Paige, which would be fantastic, although he doubted she’d have time with preparations for her reopening.
The house was eerily silent as he walked through it. He heard a noise from upstairs and found Janet and Rosie in the girl’s bedroom, playing with a puzzle.
“Hi, ladies,” he said with a smile, bending to kiss the top of Rosie’s head. She handed him a puzzle piece with the toothy grin he’d come to look forward to seeing on her face.
Janet greeted him with a small nod, her brows furrowing.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes,” she said but her tone wasn’t the least bit convincing.
“Where’s Paige?”
“Gone.”
Shep stilled, something in her tone making unease whisper through him. “Gone where?”
Janet shrugged. “Denver.”
“Denver? Why?” Shep ran a hand through his hair. “Does this have anything to do with the dumpster sitting out front? I can’t think of anything that large Paige has to get rid of at this point.”
“You,” Janet whispered, keeping her gaze on Rosie.
“What does that mean?”
Before the older woman could answer, Shep heard his name called from the first floor.
“Give me a minute,” he said, holding up one finger, then headed for the stairs.
Carly Maldero stood at the bottom of them, hands on hips, looking like some kind of modern-day Amazon warrior with her dark hair, angry brown eyes and designer pantsuit. The woman seemed to have no intention of adapting her style to fit Crimson’s casual vibe.
“I knew you were a snake the first time I saw you,” she said. “I know your type. Use people to get what you want with no thought to who ends up hurt in the process.”
“Does this have something to with the dumpster?” he asked, hands in the air, palms up. “Or with Paige going to Denver? I can’t figure out—”
Before he knew what she was about, Carly took a step forward and poked him hard in the chest. He stumbled back a step, tripping over the edge of the rug and landing on his backside. Something was majorly wrong, that was certain.
“What the hell?” he demanded and he scrambled to his feet.
“I hope that’s where you end up,” she shot back, her glossy mouth pulled into a thin line. “After what
you did to Paige, you deserve—”
“What did I do?” He rubbed two fingers against his shirt, his chest suddenly tight and not from where she’d poked him. “I haven’t even seen her today.”
“No,” Carly agreed, “but your little henchman messenger has. You were using her this whole time.” She paced toward the front door, turned and stalked back to him. “I almost understand. You’ve got the kid, and you’re doing the single dad thing. You need help. That makes sense. But leading Paige on the way you have doesn’t.”
“I didn’t—”
“She’s got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. A couple weeks of working with her and I feel like she’s the sister I never had. She would have helped you even if you’d told her the truth. That’s how she is, but you had to lie and manipulate.” She poked a finger into his chest, and Shep automatically backed up until his legs hit the bottom step. “I’m going to find a way to stop you. I know people. I have contacts. This house is historic. We can—”
“Enough.” Shep held up his hands again. “What are you talking about? Where is Paige? I didn’t use her. Hell, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and not just because of Rosie. But I can’t fix whatever’s wrong when I have no idea what it is.”
Carly crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed, staring at him like she couldn’t decide whether he was telling the truth or lying.
“She went to her mother’s house,” she said finally.
“When?” Shep asked. “Why?”
“Today.” Carly shook her head. “Shortly after Vance or Vince or—”
“Vincent,” Shep muttered, a sick pit opening in the center of his gut. “What did he say to her?” Shep thought about the dumpster out front and almost groaned. “The agreement with Trinity.”
“Exactly,” Carly agreed. “Your buddy left the contract for Paige to peruse. The legally binding agreement that states you’ll begin demo on the house within thirty days of owning it and commits you to leasing this property to them to use for access to the ski mountain.”
“I signed that deal long before I met Paige,” he offered weakly. “Before I’d even come to Crimson. It was after Rosie came to live with me, and I wanted some sort of guaranteed income each month. The lease agreement seemed like an easy way to get it.”
Anything for His Baby Page 16