by Cindy Kirk
Wincing, Sawyer sat back in his chair. “Actually, bringing those two into the picture was my idea.”
She started to sputter, but he held up a hand. “On the off chance the baby was a Fortune, it seemed prudent to make sure Shane would have the opportunity to raise his child.”
“I understand him having some concerns at first, but after he got to know me...”
“I can’t speak to that—” Sawyer began but stopped when the bells over the door jingled and Shane walked in.
For a second Lia wondered if this was some sort of planned tag-team effort, but Sawyer appeared startled to see Shane.
“Is this a private party or is anyone invited?” There were dark shadows under Shane’s eyes and lines of fatigue bracketed his lips. His smile appeared strained.
“The party is over.” Lia pushed back her chair and awkwardly rose to her feet. She turned to Sawyer. “I appreciate your honesty. It’s a refreshing change.”
Sawyer glanced at his brother’s rapidly darkening expression before turning back to Lia. “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
“There is one thing.” Lia kept her eyes off Shane and firmly on Sawyer. “Walk me to my car.”
* * *
“She wouldn’t even talk with me,” Shane fumed, watching the taillights of Lia’s car disappear into the distance. “And you, you walked her to the car like some goddamn bodyguard.”
“We just mended our fences, so to speak,” Sawyer said, not sounding apologetic at all. “How could I refuse?”
“You could have said, ‘No, Lia, you need to stay and talk with my brother.’” Shane shoved his hands into his pockets and scowled. “How can we make up if she won’t talk to me?”
Sawyer stroked his chin, his gaze turning thoughtful. “It appears to me that some kind of grand gesture is necessary.”
If his brother was thinking of flowers or candy or spending a boatload of money on her, Shane knew those gestures would never work. Lia had decided she couldn’t trust him. Which didn’t bode well for him having a life with her or the baby in the future.
Shane set his jaw. “Call the attorney and tell him I want him out here by seven.”
“Do I look like your secretary?” Sawyer responded with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Shane gave him the big-brother stare that had worked since they were boys. “Call him, Sawyer.”
“Okay, okay. Don’t get your shorts in a wad.” Sawyer pulled out his phone and punched in some numbers. “Tom’s going to ask why you want to see him.”
“Just get him out here.” Shane clenched his jaw tight. In a crisis a man needed to be decisive. He hoped Lia would understand that he’d simply run out of options.
* * *
The rest of the week passed quickly with no further visits from Shane, either at work or at home. Oddly, being angry and disappointed didn’t stop Lia from missing him. While she may not have seen Shane, Sawyer had been very solicitous, bringing her nutritious midday snacks and ice-cold bottles of water.
She couldn’t help feeling glad their friendship was back on track. He seemed happy about it, too. When she asked him for Friday afternoon off for a doctor’s appointment in San Antonio, he told her to take the whole day.
As Lia sipped the ice water and nibbled on the gourmet wafers and cheese in a small bistro not far from the large medical plaza, she tried to tell herself it was no big deal to go to her appointment alone. After all, she’d gone by herself to all the previous ones.
The only difference was, when she’d made the appointment for the 3-D ultrasound with Dr. Gray, Lia had envisioned Shane at her side, oohing and aahing over the images of their growing baby.
“Would you like something else besides the herb crisps and Brie, miss?” the perky young waitress asked. Lia blushed, wondering if the waitress had heard her stomach growl. “No, thank you.”
The nurse at the office had told her to bring something sweet to drink during the exam, but to steer clear of sweet foods and drinks for an hour prior to the appointment.
Lia glanced at her watch and grimaced. She still had twenty minutes to kill until her appointment. She took a sip of water just as her phone rang.
Seeing the name on the screen, Lia answered immediately, grateful for the distraction. “Hi, Steph. How’s your day going?”
“I’ve got the most exciting news.” Her friend’s voice shook with excitement.
“You and Paul?”
“Ah, no.” There was hesitation in the bubbly voice now. “This guy is an Italian, big in the oil industry. He’s in the States for three weeks and there’ll be all sorts of parties—”
“He’s a client.”
“He’s a very important man who needs someone to attend parties with him and—”
“Sleep with him.”
“I thought you’d be happy for me.”
“I was happy when I heard about Paul,” Lia said slowly. “Have you talked with him?”
“You mean did I tell him how I make my living?” Steph gave a little laugh. “No, because I decided it wouldn’t have worked out anyway. I like fancy parties and flying in private jets. I was crazy to think I could give it up.”
Lia knew the choices her friend made weren’t really any of her business, but the last time they’d seen each other, Steph had seemed sincere about wanting to start a new life. “Don’t you want more?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me that. Like your life is so appealing.” Steph snorted, her tone turning derisive. “Living in a dumpy apartment, buying last season’s clothes at consignment shops and convincing yourself you’re in style. Oh, and I forgot, being pregnant and alone. Yeah, that’s what I want.”
Several tears slipped down Lia’s face before she could stop them. Put that way, her life did sound pretty pathetic. She blotted her eyes with the napkin retrieved from her lap.
For several heartbeats there was silence at the other end of the line.
“I’m sorry, Lia,” Steph said softly. “That was just plain mean. I guess I hoped you’d be happy for me.”
“I want you to be happy” was the best Lia could manage.
Some of the excitement returned to Steph’s voice. “This is really a fabulous opportunity. I’ll call you once the assignment is over.”
As the call disconnected, a wave of sadness washed over Lia. She remembered so vividly those two young girls with pie-in-the-sky hopes and dreams. Now it looked as though Steph was too scared to let go of the perks of a fast-paced lifestyle to pursue true love. And Lia, well, her true love had hired a detective to take her baby from her.
Lia motioned for the waitress to bring another order of cheese and crackers. The additional plate had just been delivered when Shane walked in the door. Lia’s traitorous heart flip-flopped. It was understandable given the circumstances. He looked good enough to eat in a hand-tailored black suit, crisp white shirt and black oxfords.
She knew the instant he spotted her. He crossed the room in several long strides, pulled out a chair and sat down. “Mind if I join you?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Lia scowled, wishing she wasn’t so glad to see him. “Until the baby is born and the DNA test is completed, I have nothing to say to you. If you have questions, you can talk with my attorney.”
“Do you have an attorney, Lia?” he asked gently.
“I hired one yesterday.” She saw no need to tell him that her new attorney didn’t have a fancy office with an impressive address. Or that he worked for legal aid doing pro bono work.
“Good,” Shane said, surprising her. “Then you can have him look at this.”
He pulled a document out of his coat pocket and handed her several sheets of official-looking paper.
Her stomach churned at the sight of the documents. For a second she thought she might be sick. She took several shallow breaths until the nausea passed. She didn’t need to read them to know what they said. He wanted her to relinquish custody.
Lia took a noisy sip
of water, the glass unsteady in her shaking hand. Slowly and carefully she placed it back on the table. Somehow she needed to make him understand the mistake he was making. “A baby needs its mother, Shane. I know you can hire a nanny or a nurse, but it won’t be the same. And no employee will love this child the way—”
His hand unexpectedly closed over hers. He gave it a squeeze. “Read the document, Lia.”
The warmth of his touch was nearly her undoing, but she slipped her fingers from his and focused on the paper before her. She read silently, widening her eyes as the words sank in. When she’d finished, she looked up in disbelief.
“You’re waiving your right to custody.” As happy as she was to read those words, her heart twisted. “You don’t want the baby after all. Was all this just a game to you?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I worried that’s what you’d think.”
“What else am I supposed to think?”
“First, I absolutely want to be a part of our child’s life.” The fervor in his tone took her by surprise. “But I needed you to know that I have no intention of taking our baby from you. This was the only way I could think to make that clear.”
She glanced at the paper. “It looks legal.”
“It is.” Shane smiled and for a second she found herself smiling back. “Have your attorney check it out.”
Lia didn’t know what to think. The feelings of relief welling up inside her made it difficult for her brain to process everything that had happened in the past ten minutes. Beginning with him showing up at this out-of-the-way bistro.
“How did you know I was here?” she asked right before the answer slapped her up the side of the head. “Oh, that’s right. The detective.”
She grimaced, the word bitter on her tongue.
“I’m sorry about that, Lia.” His blue eyes were serious and intense. “I should have called him off long ago. And I did. That same night you and I last talked.”
“If the detective is off the payroll, how did you find me?”
“GPS.” He glanced at the table. “You’re using a company phone.”
“Have you had a chance to look at the menu, sir?” the waitress said in a cheery tone as she strolled up.
Shane smiled. “Just coffee. Black.”
Once the waitress had left, Shane’s eyes turned thoughtful. “You looked upset when I walked up.”
“I was talking to Steph.” Disappointment clogged Lia’s throat. “She was telling me about her latest...assignment.”
“Oh” was all he said.
“Don’t you want to ask if I’ve ever taken those kind of assignments? No?” she said to his continued silence. “You were certainly interested in the answer to that question the other night. You kept asking and ask—”
“Lia,” Shane said softly. “I know the answer.”
She lifted her head. “What if I told you I’d once worked as an escort?”
“If that were true, I’d say both of our pasts are littered with things we look back on with regret.” He squeezed her hand again. “But it’s a moot point because your moral character wouldn’t allow you to go down that road.”
“I slept with you the same night I met you.”
Shane flashed a smile. “That’s because I’m irresistible.”
Lia chuckled and the tightness in her chest began to ease.
“Seriously,” he said. “I should have never asked that question. It was an insult.”
Her lips lifted in a sly smile. “I’m sure my performance in bed would have been a whole lot better if I had been an escort.”
“You were perfect. No complaints from me.” Shane released her hand and sat back as the waitress reappeared with his coffee.
“Anything else I can get you?” she asked.
“We’re good,” Shane said then refocused his gaze on Lia once the waitress sauntered off. “I love you, Lia. I want both you and the baby in my life.”
Lia took a bite of the wafer. Oh, how she wanted to believe him. “You hired an investigator to dig up dirt on me.”
“At the time it seemed the prudent thing to do. You weren’t the first woman to make such a claim. I was angry, Lia, and in shock. And...disappointed. I’d already started falling for you.”
“Even if that was true, after we started seeing each other, you didn’t call him off.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think much about him,” Shane said. “I knew he wouldn’t find anything.”
“You didn’t trust me. You—”
“I did trust you.”
“No.” She shook her head from side to side. “If you would have trusted me, you wouldn’t have kept secrets from me about the important things going on in your life.”
“Ah,” he said. “Jeanne Marie.”
“Her coming here was important to you.” Lia’s voice shook with emotion. “Yet, you shut me out. You’re still shutting me out. That’s why it’s difficult for me to believe you when you say you love me.”
“You’re right. I owe you the truth. A year ago, I never knew Jeanne Marie Fortune existed.” Shane’s eyes took on a faraway look and he went on to tell Lia the whole story. About how secretive his father had been. How they’d discovered the woman had been going by the last name Fortune. And how they’d feared their dad had a whole other family.
“Until she got here, none of us even knew my father had any siblings other than his brother, John Michael,” Shane concluded. “It’s so intensely private and I’m not used to sharing family stuff, but I know I can trust your discretion.”
“Oh, Shane, I can’t imagine what that must have been like, wondering if your father was a bigamist.”
“I was wrong there, too. That shouldn’t have been one of the first things I thought of as a possibility.” Shane cleared his throat, looking both uncomfortable and contrite. “My father is an honorable man.”
“You know his heart.”
Shane nodded. “I know yours, too, Lia. And I want it to belong to me.”
“Oh, Shane,” she said, smiling through her tears. “It already does.”
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Chapter One
New Year’s Eve. A night of mystery.
Just like she was mysterious. Beautiful. Exotic. And definitely mysterious.
Dark, auburn hair spilled in waves down her back, kissing the golden spine revealed by the cut-down-to-there black cocktail dress that clung to her lithe figure. Her companion’s dark blue gaze was focused intently on her face...dropping to her lips as she took a small sip of her martini. Slightly dirty, just the way she’d ordered. She lowered the cocktail and leaned a little closer to him, feeling more than slightly naughty. Beneath the table, she slipped her foot out of her sinfully high black heels and subtly slid her toes along his ankle...
“Excuse me, miss. Miss? Miss?”
The fantasy spinning inside Sarah-Jane Early’s head popped like a bubble of spent soap and she focused on the tuxedo-clad man standing in front of the hostess station she was manning at Red, looking none too patient. She was there not to daydream, but to help see to the needs of every guest of the wedding reception that had commandeered the popular Mexican restaurant for the night, and she quickly smiled. “Yes, sir, how can I help you?”
The man tugg
ed at his skewed bow tie, casting a glance off to one side. “How do I get to the Red Rock Inn?” His question was hurried, and muttered half under his breath. She could have told him he needn’t have bothered trying to be so quiet. For the past three hours, the music from the reception had made conversations nearly impossible. She leaned a little closer to give him the directions to the hotel. He nodded, and took time to thank her before moving away to hold out his hand to the woman he’d obviously been waiting for.
In seconds, they were hurrying out the front door of the restaurant, the man’s arm wrapped possessively around the woman’s hips. It was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head that the couple couldn’t wait to be alone.
She knew there was no point in envying a couple in love...or even a couple in lust, or she’d be spending her life in a constant state of envy. Still, Sarah-Jane sighed and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
Fantasizing about wearing killer heels was one thing. Actually doing it was another. She wished she’d have just worn a pair of shoes from her own closet. She had a pair of black pumps. Admittedly they were nearly ten years old, purchased by her mother who had insisted that Sarah-Jane needed to wear the modestly-heeled things for her high school graduation. But they were leather and having been worn only a few times since, were still in good condition.
She glanced down at the shoes she was currently wearing. If she were honest, the only thing in common these shoes had with the old ones in her closet were that they were black. She twisted one foot this way and that, and sighed again, a little wistfully. The shoes that Maria Mendoza had insisted she wear were beautiful. The velvety suede was as black as midnight and certainly suited the clinging black cocktail dress she was wearing better than her sensible old pumps.
Just thinking about the dress had Sarah-Jane’s fingertips twitching at the hem of it, as if she could eke out another few inches of cloth where there was none. The hem of the dress stayed midway down her thighs, where it had been since she’d donned the garment earlier that day. She couldn’t do anything about the hem anymore than she could do something about the diagonally-slashed cutout neckline that exposed much more of Sarah-Jane’s cleavage than she liked. If she weren’t positively devoted to Maria, who not only owned the restaurant along with her husband but also owned the knitting shop where Sarah-Jane really worked as an assistant manager, there’s no way she’d have worn something so unsuitable out in public. She was a lot more comfortable in the pullover shirts and khaki pants that she wore at The Stocking Stitch. She wouldn’t win any fashion awards, but at least she didn’t have to worry that people might think she believed she could carry off such a look.