Duty Or Desire (The Westmoreland Legacy Book 5)

by Brenda Jackson

  “Hey, we traded one type of horsepower for another,” Riley said jokingly, as he drove his two-seater sports car down the interstate. When Pete didn’t respond to his jest, he said, “I hope what’s going on at police headquarters is not too bad.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Figured as much,” Riley said. “So what had you sitting on that stump and looking into space?”

  Pete decided to be honest with the man who for years had been one of his best friends. “Women and their secrets.”

  Riley chuckled. “They all have them. Alpha reminds me of that often.”

  Alpha was Riley’s wife. The one who’d turned the once womanizer into a one-woman man. The one who’d made Riley burn his playa card and decide he wanted marriage instead.

  Pete glanced over at Riley. “But when it’s a case of their life being threatened...”

  “You know what I think, Pete?”

  He truly didn’t want to know because the last thing he wanted was a Riley Westmoreland lecture, especially after that phone call he’d gotten from Lewis. “What?”

  “At some point you need to stop blaming yourself for Ellen’s death. Yes, maybe things might have turned out differently had she told you she was being harassed by that guy, but things could have taken another turn, and I think she knew it and tried to avoid it.”

  Pete lifted a brow. “What other turn?”

  “You had just gotten accepted into the police academy and were still in training. Had she told you, being the hothead that you still were at the time, you would have gone after that guy and whipped his ass. Of course you would have told me and Derringer about it. Then we would have whipped his ass right along with you and all three of us would have gotten into trouble.”

  “Yes, but at least Ellen would still be alive.”

  “We won’t ever know that for certain, Pete. There’s no telling how he would have retaliated. Personally, I think he would have gone after the both of you. If you recall, Sheriff Harper also found that box of explosives in his house. Harper figured the bastard planned on blowing up the church the day of your wedding.”

  Pete always thought that as well, especially when the address of the church was found on a slip of paper in a drawer in the man’s apartment. But although the man admitted to throwing the firecracker, he wouldn’t confess to anything he had planned with the explosives.

  “I’ve watched you with Myra, Pete. Don’t you think it’s time to admit how you feel about her?”

  “You’re late, Ry. I have admitted it to myself.”

  “But not to her?”

  Pete shook his head. “No.”

  A frown touched Riley’s face. “You haven’t told her?”

  Pete drew in a deep breath. “No, I haven’t told her.”

  “Damn, man. What are you waiting on?”

  Pete didn’t say anything. He’d planned to tell her tonight and now he knew those plans hadn’t changed.

  * * *

  Myra stood at the kitchen window and looked out. Pete had been gone for a while now. Where was he? His truck was parked outside, which meant he hadn’t gone back to work. Wherever he’d gone it was on horseback and it was now getting dark.

  Ciara had awakened from her nap and Myra had played with her while listening for Pete. Maybe he’d found what she’d told him so repulsive that he’d left. What she needed to tell him was what she’d been trying to tell him all along. It wasn’t his problem. It was hers and she would deal with Baron when she would have the upper hand. Not a minute before.

  She fed Ciara dinner and then played with her some more before giving her a bath. Pete still hadn’t returned. She knew he could take care of himself but that didn’t stop her from worrying and caring. She loved him and couldn’t help being concerned.

  “Da-da.”

  She glanced over at Ciara, who was standing in her crib. The little girl knew this was usually the time of day when her uncle would come in and rock her to sleep while singing her a lullaby. After a while, sleep took over her and Ciara slumped down in the bed and dozed off.

  Myra had taken her own bath and was in her bed when she heard the sound of Pete returning. Footsteps passed her bedroom door headed for his bedroom. Then she heard him come out of his room and walk back down the hall. He knocked on her door.

  Pulling up in bed, she switched on the lamp on the nightstand and after pushing her hair away from her neck, she said, “Come in.”

  He opened the door and stood in the doorway looking handsome while staring at her. “Why aren’t you in my bed?”

  In his bed?

  Myra frowned. Did he not see things weren’t the same now? Why was he acting like they were? Before she realized what he was about to do, he entered the room and swept her into his arms.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Pete?”

  “Taking you to my bedroom where you belong.”

  Where she belonged?

  “But you don’t want me there now.”

  “Don’t know what gave you that idea,” he said, leaving her bedroom and heading to his. He closed his door with the heel of his boot before placing her in the center of the bed. “We need to talk.”

  “You left when we were talking.”

  Sitting on the edge of the bed he rubbed his hand down his face. “I know and I apologize for that.”

  “I know what I told you repulsed you. I know it’s hard to believe one sibling can harbor that much dislike for another one.”

  He reached out and took her hand. “You didn’t repulse me and it’s not hard to believe. As a police officer I’ve seen and heard things even more far-fetched.”

  “Then why did you leave like that?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “Because listening to what you were saying reminded me of Ellen and how she died. At that moment, I was feeling like I’d let the both of you down.”

  “Ellen? Your fiancée?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would you feel that way? Your fiancée died in a horse accident.”

  He shook his head. “It wasn’t an accident but an intentional act by a guy she’d rebuffed for weeks.” He shared what had happened with Ellen.

  “Oh, no!” Myra tightened her hand on his. “I am so sorry, Pete.”

  He didn’t say anything for a minute and then he continued, “The hardest thing for me to accept was that she hadn’t told me anything about him. I had no idea her life had been threatened. That someone had targeted her. I felt as if I’d let her down in that she didn’t come to me. I now know why she did it. Mainly because she didn’t want me to get into any trouble. But still, as the woman I loved, I felt I should have known to protect her.”

  Pete paused again. “Do you have any idea how I felt listening to you telling me about your brother? About how you’ve been hiding here, trying to keep a low profile so he wouldn’t find out where you were?”

  “It’s not the same, Pete.”

  He’d loved Ellen, but he didn’t love her. He might feel responsible for her since she was living in his house, but still, it wasn’t the same. Besides, Baron wouldn’t hurt her that way. He was ruthless, true, but he mainly wanted to scare her into staying away. He wouldn’t physically harm her.

  “And why isn’t it the same, Myra?”

  Why did he need her to spell it out for him? Okay, if she had to, then she would. “First of all, Ellen was your fiancée, the woman you loved. Second, she was murdered. Baron might be ruthless but he isn’t violent. The reason I was in hiding was because I didn’t want to be bothered with him until I was good and ready, which would have been after my birthday. The only reason Baron is looking for me is because he wants to know where I am at all times.”

  Pete shook his head. “No, it’s a little more serious than that, Myra.”

  She lifted a brow. “What do yo
u mean?”

  “One of my detectives picked up that guy who’d been looking for you. Under interrogation, he revealed the plan your brother had in store for you.”

  “Plan? What plan?”

  “It seems that one of his associates convinced Baron that he could keep the company beyond your twenty-fifth birthday if you signed everything over to him.”

  She shook her head. “I would not have done that.”

  “He intended to force you to do it.”

  “How? By blackmailing me with a video that he was going to get Rick to film? One of me in a compromising position? As if I’d let Rick get within ten feet of me again. Baron’s wife, Cleo, overheard him making those plans with his friends and told me about them. That’s when I left Charleston.”

  Pete lifted a brow. “Who’s Rick?”

  She released a deep breath. “My one mistake in life. He was older, worldly, a guy I thought I could fall in love with. He got rough with me and I didn’t like it. When I tried to leave, he told me the only reason he was wasting his time with me was because my brother had encouraged him to seduce me.”

  Myra saw the way Pete’s jaw tightened. “So that’s why you had this thing against older men?”

  “Yes. All Baron’s friends were older and undesirable. And that’s why I freaked out the night in your man cave when you inched your hand under my skirt. It reminded me of Rick.” She paused and then asked, “So how was Baron supposed to get me to sign everything over to him, Pete?”

  Pete didn’t say anything for a minute, and then he said, “By having you kidnapped and taken to some private island in the Caribbean that’s owned by someone his mother knows. They would have drugged you up enough to make you do anything. Even say you were happy there and never intended to return to the States.”

  Myra stared at Pete. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, I wish I was. The guy we picked up, a friend of your brother’s, doesn’t relish any time in jail and has provided enough proof for us to bring in the FBI on attempted kidnapping charges. So far, the Feds have validated much of his claim, including the exchange of money, text conversations and where the island is located.”

  She shook her head, not wanting to believe that. “But that is ludicrous.”

  “Greed will make some people do unbelievable things, Myra.”

  She fought back tears at the thought that Baron would go that far. “I guess I was wrong about him.” A tear she couldn’t hold back fell down her cheek.

  Pete reached up and gently swiped it off. “You were wrong about something else you said.”

  Mentally, she wasn’t sure she could take much more. “What?”

  “That the situation with you and the one with Ellen are different because I loved her. Well, I love you, too, Myra.”

  She blinked. “What did you say?”

  “I said that I love you and as the woman I love, I would have done whatever I could to protect you. Now that I know what’s going on, I am doing that. Your brother will not get away with anything.”

  She swallowed as she stared into his eyes. “You love me?”

  “Yes, with all my heart. I honestly think I fell halfway in love with you the first time I saw you. That day you walked into my kitchen. I got pushed the rest of the way when I saw how you interacted with Ciara and what a great job you were doing taking care of her. Taking care of me.”

  “Oh, Pete, I love you, too. I truly do.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. When he finally released her mouth, he held her close. So close she could feel his heart beat against hers.

  “I can’t imagine my life without you and didn’t want to tell you how I felt for fear you weren’t feeling the same way. But I had made up my mind to tell you tonight regardless and take my chances. Then I got the call about that man in town asking questions about you.”

  He paused and then said, “I want a life with you. I want me, you, Ciara and any kids we have together to be a family. Will you marry me, Myra?”

  Happiness exploded within her and, swiping at her tears, she said, “Yes! I will marry you, Pete.”

  He pulled her back into his arms and held her, and at that moment she knew how it felt to love someone and feel their love in return. When he pulled back to look at her, she smiled up at him. “I love you so much, Pete.”

  “And I love you, too.” He then pulled her back into his arms for another kiss.

  Epilogue

  “You look absolutely beautiful, Myra.”

  Myra smiled at the man who held her in his arms while they danced at the Westmoreland Charity Ball.

  Last night, in this same ballroom, she and Pete had exchanged vows to become husband and wife. It had turned out to be the perfect plan since most of his friends had already arrived in town for the ball. Miss Bonnie had returned to town, as well. Wallace was the one who’d given her away. He and Pete had hit it off the moment they’d met. She and Pete would leave tomorrow on their honeymoon, a week in Honolulu. That was the longest they wanted to be away from Ciara.

  “Thank you, and I think you look rather handsome yourself.”

  He grinned at the compliment. “Are you happy?” he asked her.

  “Immensely. Especially since that matter with my company has been resolved.”

  The situation involving Baron had been more serious than Myra had known. It seemed the FBI already had Baron, Charlene and his cohorts under their radar. Baron’s friend, the one he’d sent to grab her in Denver, had taken a plea deal. The man’s confession and evidence had resulted in the arrests of Baron, Charlene and several of Baron’s friends. The FBI had uncovered a number of their extortion schemes. It was also discovered that the island where they’d intended to take Myra was known as a depot for human trafficking.

  Pete had accompanied her back to Charleston where she claimed total control of her company and then turned the head job over to Wallace, just like her father had wanted. Christmas morning had been wonderful, waking up to celebrate their birthdays together. Miss Bonnie had baked a huge chocolate cake for them. Later that day they had joined the Westmorelands for dinner at Dillon and Pam’s home.

  “That woman is absolutely gorgeous,” she said, looking over Pete’s shoulder.

  “Who?”

  “Garth Outlaw’s date.”

  He chuckled. “Regan isn’t actually his date. They’ve known each other for years. She took over as his pilot when her father retired. I understand he’d been the Outlaws’ personal pilot for over forty years. And by the way, I happen to think you’re absolutely gorgeous, as well.”

  She looked at him and smiled. “Thanks, sweetheart.” She then returned her attention back to the couple. Like them, Regan and Garth were on the dance floor. “That might be the case, but I still think they look good together. And I can’t get over how much Garth looks like Riley.”

  Pete chuckled. “I know. Anyone who thinks the Westmorelands and Outlaws aren’t related just has to look at those two. Same thing with Dillon and Dare Westmoreland from Atlanta. Those are some strong Westmoreland genes.”

  Myra had to agree. And regardless of what Pete said about Garth and his pilot, she could detect a romance brewing between those two, even if they couldn’t detect it themselves. She gazed back into her husband’s eyes and at that moment she knew that he was her joy and her happiness.

  She had loved being the sheriff’s nanny and now she looked forward to forever being the sheriff’s wife.

  * * *

  Don’t miss Garth’s story, coming December 2020,

  only from New York Times bestselling author

  Brenda Jackson and Harlequin Desire!

  And if you love the Westmorelands and their friends and family, you’ll also love the Steeles,

  another family of alpha men from award-winning

  and bestselling author Bre
nda Jackson!

  Mercury Steele meets his match in

  Seduced by a Steele

  available from Harlequin Desire

  in April 2020, and Mercury’s brother Gannon

  gets his own story in May 2020!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Tempting the Texan by Maureen Child.

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  Tempting the Texan

  by Maureen Child

  Prologue

  Kellan Blackwood was pissed.

  His father, Buckley Blackwood, was dead and gone and yet the old man was still pulling strings. Only Buck could manage that from the grave.

  Kel glanced at his brother and sister and silently admitted they didn’t look any happier than he felt. Vaughn’s intense green eyes were narrowed thoughtfully and he was half-sprawled in his chair. Sophie, their baby sister, wore black, and her long auburn hair was pulled back from her pretty face. Her brown eyes were teary, but she still looked as if she were torn between sorrow and anger.

  Kel couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t easy on any of them, but there was no way to avoid what was coming. But at least they had each other to lean on. All three of them had had complicated “relationships” with their father. Buck had never been concerned with his kids or what they were doing. So the three of them, as children, had formed a tight bond that held strong today.