by Cindy Kirk
“And?” he prompted.
“What do you mean?”
“What about education?”
“I want her to get the most out of her classroom experiences, and as much as I’m able, I want to give her good life lessons.” Lia glanced at him. “What about you? What goals do you have for your child?”
“The same as yours,” he said, quickly picking up the deck, his blue eyes giving nothing away.
Lia considered challenging the lukewarm response, but decided to let it go. If Shane Fortune didn’t want to answer, she wasn’t going to pry it out of him.
She lifted a brow. “Are you going to just hold the cards, or draw one?”
With an exaggerated sigh, he pulled a card. His eyes darkened. His lips pressed together.
“What does it ask?” she prompted.
“‘Who do you think you are most like in your family?’” he read.
“That’s an interesting question,” Lia observed. “Who is it for you?”
“My father.” Shane spat the word as if it was bitter on his tongue. “We’re driven in the same way about business. We have the same management style, though he can be a bully at times. In other ways, we’re not alike at all.”
Lia could feel the conflicting emotions bubbling up inside him. It was obvious Shane didn’t want to be like his father. But why? From what she’d read, James Marshall Fortune was the successful founder of JMF Financial, married for many years to his wife, Clara. Father of four boys and one girl.
“Was he a good father?” she asked in an offhand tone as if it didn’t matter if he answered or not. The truth was, she wanted to know what kind of role model Shane had experienced growing up.
“He was,” Shane admitted, almost grudgingly. “Though he was always busy with work, he took time for us. Dad is very athletic and, consequently, all of us kids were active in sports when we were young. Our vacations were always centered around activities like white-water rafting, skiing, hiking.”
“Sounds like fun,” Lia said wistfully, thinking of her brothers and how much they’d missed by having an absent father.
“It was.” Shane’s lips curved up in a slight smile before the mask descended again. “But times change. People change.”
“Do you really believe that?” Lia took another sip of cocoa, pondering the thought.
“Your ex-boyfriend changed.”
“Did he? Or was it that I saw in him only what I wanted to see?” She shook her head. “It’s so easy to be fooled and to think someone is different than they really are.”
Shane’s gaze traveled over her. “Are you saying he fooled you?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Or perhaps I only saw the good and didn’t pay enough attention to the bad. If I ever get involved in another relationship, I won’t be willing to take a man at face value.”
“What do you mean ‘if’ you ever get involved? How old are you? Early twenties?”
“I’m twenty-five.”
“You’re too young to be giving up on men.”
“You forget. I’ll soon have a child to raise. She’ll be my priority.” Lia waited, though she wasn’t exactly certain just what she wanted him to say.
Perhaps that he would be there to help. Or that she really wasn’t in this alone, because she had him. But he didn’t say anything like that, which, given his ambivalence, might be for the best anyway. Because they’d be empty words.
“But what if the perfect man happened to drop right in your lap?”
“I’d be instantly suspicious.”
He grinned unexpectedly. “Why?”
“Because there are no perfect men.”
“Only perfect women?” he teased.
She smiled and shook her head. “I doubt there are any of those out there, either.”
“But what if a good man, or someone who appeared to be a good man, came into your life? Are you saying you wouldn’t give him a chance?”
“I’m not saying that at all.” She met his gaze. “I’m just saying that when you’re assessing anyone’s character, you have to keep your eyes wide open. And to always remember that actions speak louder than words.”
Chapter Nine
“Do you recall the time Dad took us white-water rafting down the Colorado River?” Shane asked his brother Sawyer over lunch at Red.
Sawyer looked up from his burrito. Unexpectedly he grinned. “How could I forget? We went something like two hundred kilometers in six days. It was crazy.”
“Yeah.” Shane glanced down at his food, remembering all the fun they’d had sleeping in tents and eating food they’d cooked over an open fire. “Crazy.”
His brother’s tone grew curious. “What made you think of that trip?”
Shane shrugged but met his brother’s gaze. “I’ve been trying to figure out just when Dad changed. And how we didn’t notice.”
Sawyer had been as disturbed as Shane by the notion that their father might have had another family squirreled away all these years. “The thing I can’t figure out is when he had the time.”
“You and I both know how busy he’s always been. When he did have free time, he was doing stuff with us or taking Mom on some kind of trip.” Shane wasn’t sure what had brought up this sudden need to revisit his father’s guilt, but the pieces didn’t all fit.
“Unless,” Sawyer said slowly, “those business trips weren’t business trips. He might have used some of that time to see her.”
Shane reluctantly conceded that could be the case. “It’s possible.”
“What got you thinking of this again? I thought we’d talked this subject into the ground.”
“Lia.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened. He dropped his fork to his plate. “You told her about Dad?”
“Of course not,” Shane snapped. “We were playing this card game and the subject of trust, or something like that, came up.”
“What card game was that?”
“A girlie one.”
“I can’t believe you agreed to play.”
“I thought it would be a way to get to know her better.”
“Did it work?”
Shane took a sip of cola and grudgingly nodded. “It’s still too early for any conclusions.”
“Has the attorney heard anything from the detective?”
“Not yet. I should get a report in the next day or two.” Shane wondered what Lia would think if she discovered he had a detective snooping into her background.
“I’d like to fire her,” Sawyer said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Every time I think how she’s trying to shake you down, it makes me angry.”
“Don’t fire her,” Shane said immediately. “You need the help.”
“Not that badly.” A hard look filled Sawyer’s eyes. “I can find someone else.”
“I’m telling you, don’t do anything, Sawyer.” Shane’s tone brooked no argument. “Lia needs the money you’re paying her to survive.”
Sawyer narrowed his gaze. “You sound as if you care for her.”
Shane kept his face expressionless. “She might be carrying my baby.”
“From what you’ve said, the odds are she’s not.”
“But if she is, I want her to be able to take care of herself.” Shane paused. He was still considering another option and hadn’t planned on mentioning his thoughts to his brother yet. But they were alone and this was probably as good a time as any. “I’m thinking of asking her to stay at New Fortunes Ranch for the rest of her pregnancy.”
“Are you nuts?” Sawyer’s voice rose, but he paused when Shane shot him a quelling glance. “Why would you do that?”
“We have room.”
“That’s not the point. It’s like asking a thief to move in with you and, hey, while you’re at it, giving her the combination to the safe.”
“Lia is not a thief.” Shane’s voice held a steely edge.
“She’s trying to force a baby on you that isn’t yours.”
“We don’t know that for sure.” S
hane pointed out, “The fact is she may be carrying my baby. On the off chance that she is, I don’t want her living in that hovel downtown. That area isn’t safe, especially not for a woman living alone.”
Sawyer’s jaw lifted in a stubborn tilt. “I don’t like where this is going.”
“Think about what the attorney said. We need to keep her close. We need to find out her weaknesses so we can exploit them. If that baby girl is mine and she tries to fight for custody, we’ll need that information.”
“That part makes sense,” Sawyer said grudgingly then paused and cocked his head. “She’s having a girl?”
“That’s what the doctor thinks, but wasn’t willing to say for sure.” Shane had to admit when he’d heard the baby was a girl, he’d found himself wondering what it would look like if it were his child. Dark hair for sure. But would she have his blue eyes? Or Lia’s beautiful chocolate-brown ones? He shook the image from his brain. “I’m going to ask her tonight to move in. I’ll let you know what she says.”
Sawyer made a scoffing sound. “Of course she’ll say yes. Turn down a chance to live at the ranch for a dump on Main Street? A woman would have to be crazy to say no.”
* * *
“No.” Lia looked up from her computer screen and met Shane’s gaze. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not interested.”
“I don’t understand,” Shane said. “You’d have a big, beautiful room here. The adjoining bathroom even has one of those rain showerheads you liked so much in the hotel room. Think of the rent money you’d save. Think of how nice it’d be to not have to drive back and forth to work. A few steps out the front door and you’d be in your office.”
Lia saved the entries she’d just made on the spreadsheet and gave Shane her full attention. He’d surprised her by unexpectedly showing up this afternoon. She thought he’d simply wanted to say hello. Then he’d asked her to move into the ranch house.
“Thank you for thinking of me. It’s a generous offer. And I know it would be nice.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. While she wanted him to know she appreciated the offer, there was no way she was going to agree. “At this time, I think it’s important for me to have my own place.”
“Are you still going to live in that dump after the baby is born? What if the test determines the child is mine? Are you still going to refuse my help?”
“The baby is yours, Shane.” Lia rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “And we’ll deal with the issue of your support once you accept that fact.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Lia saw Sawyer going through a file cabinet in the other room. From where he stood, she knew he could hear every word being said. She stood and retrieved a small canvas tote from under the desk. “Let me change my shoes. We’ll go for a walk.”
“We haven’t finished our discussion.”
“That’s what we’ll do on the walk.” Lia slipped off her pumps and quickly put on a pair of lightweight bamboo socks and a pair of red canvas shoes.
“That’s quite a fashion statement.” Shane’s lips quirked upward as he gazed at her bright-yellow-and-white-striped dress with the red shoes.
“I have my own style lately, that’s for sure,” Lia muttered.
“I’m glad to see you’re not taking any unnecessary risks.”
Lia lifted a brow. “Risks?”
“Of falling.” He glanced pointedly at the heels she was stuffing into the canvas bag.
There appeared to be genuine concern in his eyes. Just like the other night over hot cocoa, the sense of camaraderie she’d experienced with him on New Year’s Eve returned.
But instead of reassuring her, Lia worried. She’d been serious when she’d told Shane that she was going to be careful who she trusted in the future.
She’d always thought of herself as a strong woman, but lately she’d begun to worry she might be weak.
She’d wanted a degree in fine arts, yet she’d let her brother Eric talk her into a degree in business.
She’d felt twinges of concern during her relationship with David, yet she’d ignored them. Why? Had it been simply easier to believe his excuses on why he was spending so much time in San Antonio?
Shane...well, he confused her. Sometimes she had the feeling he genuinely cared. Other times, she got the impression he was playing some kind of game that only he understood.
With her daughter’s—or son’s—life and happiness at stake, she must proceed with caution.
Shane held open the door and they stepped from the cool air-conditioned building into the warmth of the day.
“Wow, it’s hotter out here than I realized.” Thankfully a large cypress tree bore the brunt of the bright sun.
Shane held out his arm. “We’ll talk in the house. No one will disturb us there.”
She took his arm. “That would be nice.”
“Do you have dinner plans this evening?” he asked conversationally on their way to the sprawling ranch house.
“Some friends and I are getting together at one of the bars downtown. They have free appetizers on Wednesday night and half-price drinks.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Do you want to come?” The second the invitation popped out of Lia’s mouth, she wished she could call it back.
“I don’t think—” he began and she released the breath she’d been holding.
“That’s okay,” she said quickly. “It’s not your kind of place anyway.”
He lifted a brow, suddenly looking intrigued. “My kind of place?”
“It’s not fancy,” she said, sending up a mental apology to the owners of Pappacito’s for what she was about to say. “In fact, it’s kind of a dive. But a nice dive. Definitely not the Red Rock Country Club.”
“But you like it.” His blue eyes glittered in the sunlight. “And you go there...frequently?”
She nodded then shrugged. “They have great food. But it can be noisy and crowded.”
“Not the place to discuss why you won’t move into the ranch house.”
Lia shook off the rest of her unease. “Definitely not.”
Shane smiled. “Then we’ll discuss it now, so tonight we can just have fun.”
When they reached the steps of the house, he opened the door and motioned her inside. If they had more time he’d have given her a tour, but she was still on the clock and would want to get back to work before long. Shane ushered her into the kitchen and got them each a glass of lemonade.
The house was cool and quiet, the lemonade ice-cold. They sat across from each other at the small white table in an alcove off the kitchen.
“It’s pretty in here.” Her gaze lingered on the yellow gingham place mats and the riotous bouquet of wildflowers spilling from a copper coffeepot in the middle of the table.
“It’s comfortable.” She’d given him an opening and Shane was going to run with it. “You’d like it here.”
“I’m sure I would.” Lia took a long drink and set the tumbler on the table. “That’s not the issue.”
He merely cocked his head.
“I have a place to live—”
She stopped, frowned at the derisive snort that had escaped before he could stop it.
“Let me finish.” This time when she spoke her tone was cool. “As I was saying, I have a place to live. And, as long as I pay my rent, it’s mine.”
Though Shane wanted to point out she wouldn’t have any rent if she moved in here, something in her eyes told him to remain silent. He offered an encouraging smile.
“From the time I’ve been old enough to work, I’ve made my own way. I’m a strong person.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze, as if daring him to say differently. “I’m not some damsel in distress who needs a man to rescue her.”
“You are strong,” Shane said honestly. “Still, there’s no reason you have to do this alone. I want to make things easier for you.”
She raked a hand through her hair and there was weariness in the gesture. “I can handle it.”
Shane told himself to let it go. He’d offered. She’d given him her decision. But she mattered to him...in a way he didn’t fully understand. Reaching across the table, he grasped her hands with a sense of urgency. “Let me help.”
He expected her to pull away. Instead she gazed down at their joined hands. When she looked up, a smile lifted her lips. “You have already.”
Baffled, he could only stare.
“Just by being here,” she told him, giving his hands a squeeze. “And letting me know you care.”
* * *
Shane must have passed the small café and bar on Sycamore Street many times before, but it hadn’t made enough of an impression to warrant him remembering it.
The sign on the front of the building was in need of painting and the frontage was small and nondescript. When he opened the front door and Lia stepped inside, the combination of the noise from a mariachi band and the din of conversation assaulted his senses.
A long U-shaped bar was to the left. Though it was still early, every stool around the highly polished bar was filled. Patrons who hadn’t been lucky enough to get a seat milled around with drinks in their hands.
Lia stood on her tiptoes and glanced around the area, looking for her friends.
In her multicolored skirt and bright green shirt she looked ready to party. She’d pulled her hair back from her face with two clips adorned with brightly colored stones. Bright red hoops dangled from her ears.
When he’d stopped by her apartment to pick her up and she’d said it was close enough to walk, he’d taken one look at her shoes and shaken his head.
The green wedge sandals had to be at least three inches high. But she’d waved away his concerns, telling him if she got tired of walking, they could get a cab.
Surprisingly, she hadn’t experienced any difficulty until they were almost at the café, when she’d tripped on an uneven piece of concrete.
She’d lurched forward but his hand had been there to steady her. When she’d smiled her thanks, he’d experienced an almost overpowering urge to pull her close and kiss her.