“Actually,” Miranda said, folding her arms across her breasts, “I have every right. Do I have to remind you that Buck left the Hollow to me?”
He slapped his hat against his upper thigh. “No, you don’t. But doesn’t mean I’m not going to be right here, Miranda, fighting you every step of the way.”
The other people in the room seemed fascinated by the confrontation. Irina saw amusement on the women’s faces, and barely suppressed glee in the cameramen’s expressions. And, Irina thought, Kellan probably hadn’t noticed that the cameras were running. That everything he and Miranda were saying to each other was going to be preserved forever for the sake of the show.
Moving up to him quickly, she laid one hand on his forearm. “Kellan...”
He threw a quick glance at her and shook his head. “Irina. What’re you doing here?”
She cast another look at their audience. “Trying to keep you from saying something you’ll regret.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” he assured her. “I won’t regret any of this.”
Miranda laughed a little and Irina sighed. Then she held on to his arm and tugged at him until he moved aside with her. Once she had his complete attention, she said, “The cameras are on, Kellan. They’re recording you right now.”
“What?” His head whipped around and he glared at the man whose camera was pointed at him. The other guy had shifted his focus to capture the women’s reactions.
“Perfect,” he muttered. Looking at Irina, he murmured, “Thanks for the heads-up. I didn’t even notice. But they’ll need a signed release from me to use any of it. And I’m not signing.”
Before she could urge him to end this, though, he turned back to Miranda. Voice low, controlled, he said softly, “Miranda, I don’t want you filming your silly show in my family home.”
The other woman smoothed her hands down the front of her short black skirt. “It’s my home now, Kellan. And the show isn’t silly. It happens to have very high ratings.”
He snorted. “From people with nothing better to do than watch you spend your ex-husbands’ money?”
“You know,” Fee pointed out from the other room, “there is more to us than that.”
Kellan barely spared her a glance. “I don’t care. I don’t want it here. In my family home.”
“I’m not arguing with you over this, Kellan,” Miranda said patiently but condescendingly, as if explaining something confusing to a three-year-old.
“Good.” He waved one hand. “Then, until this is all settled in the courts, get these damn people out of our house.”
“Kellan...” Irina kept her hand on his arm and gave him a little squeeze. “Just stop for now. This isn’t the time.”
“She’s right,” Miranda said, pitching her voice lower as her gaze met Kellan’s. “You don’t like the crew here? Well, you’re giving them quite a show at the moment, Kellan. If you’ll just leave, we’ll be finished with the shot in no time.”
“Finish now.”
“No,” Miranda said and Irina watched sparks fly in Kellan’s eyes.
Irina grabbed his attention again. “Kellan, why don’t you go talk to Clint? I saw him when I pulled up.”
“Taking her side, are you?”
“No,” she said. “But I’m not on yours, either. I just think neither of you will look particularly good on television if you don’t stop.”
His mouth worked as if he wanted to argue. His jaw was so tight it was a wonder the bones didn’t snap. And his eyes were molten pools of fury. What did it say about Irina that she found him even more attractive than usual? Kellan was usually so controlled, so in charge, seeing him like this was exciting.
When her ex-husband had been furious, Irina had made every effort to keep out of his way. But Kellan wasn’t a violent man at all, so she’d never been afraid—or wary of him—as she had been of Dawson. Instead, she felt more drawn to him than ever. Did that mean she was stronger now?
Or was it just a measure of Kellan’s innate appeal and sexual magnetism?
After what seemed like forever, Kellan said, “Fine.” He kept his voice down and his gaze averted from the cameras. Then he shot one look at Miranda. “But this isn’t over.”
“I never for a moment thought it was,” she whispered. Then, ignoring him completely, she turned to Irina and smiled.
Speaking more loudly, for the benefit of the cameras, Miranda said, “Irina, I’m so glad you’re here. You’re actually the reason we came to the house today.”
“Me? Why?” Suddenly, she was the center of attention. Irina hadn’t been expecting this. She looked at everyone in turn, then finally, back to Miranda, who was still smiling broadly.
“Because you’re an amazing woman and I think the world should know it,” she said with enthusiasm.
“Oh, for—” Kellan’s muttered words broke off quickly when Miranda kept talking.
“When I was looking for you earlier,” she said, “I found your manuscript pages on your bed. And since you did say I could read the first chapter, I did.
“Your book is wonderful, Irina. And I think it’s going to have a lot of meaning for thousands of women.”
A flush of pleasure rose up in Irina. No one but her agent and editors had seen any of her work, so hearing Miranda rave about it meant more than the woman could have known.
“Come on now, you’re a guest on our show and I want to tell the whole country about your book and when to watch for it!”
The whole country. Irina knew that the Ex-Wives show was popular, but she’d never really considered just how popular until right that moment. Millions of people would see her on this show. And though that thought was intimidating, she also realized that if even a small fraction of that audience bought her book, it would be amazing.
Dropping one arm around her shoulders, Miranda guided Irina into the great room, and introduced her to the women she hadn’t met yet. Irina was suddenly relieved that she’d taken the time to dress well before going to see Kellan. And then she wondered if anyone looking at her would be able to see that just a half an hour ago, she’d been in Kellan’s bed.
“This is Irina Romanov,” Miranda said, showing her off as she would a prize puppy. “She works here at the ranch while she attends law school, and she’s written a book that I’m sure will be a huge hit.”
“Miranda...” She couldn’t look away from the steady red light on the camera aimed at her. She felt like a rabbit being hunted. Or a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Irina hadn’t expected this opportunity and didn’t know what to do with it now that it had happened. While she was both relieved and happy that Miranda had read and liked part of her book, she didn’t know how to act in front of a television camera. When she was younger, she’d posed for pictures, but speaking on camera, meeting a roomful of strangers all at once was a little overwhelming.
She looked over her shoulder at Kellan and he was staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. No. It was more than that. The expression on his face spoke of betrayal. As if she’d somehow been in on Miranda’s plan from the beginning. Like she’d arranged for this and somehow tricked him into making an ass of himself on television.
And the more she thought about that, the angrier she became. In spite of how close they’d been, it seemed he didn’t know her at all.
His eyes bored into hers and Irina straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin in silent defiance. She wouldn’t apologize for something she hadn’t done. She wouldn’t rush off to smooth the feathers of a man who was overreacting in the first place.
Those eyes of his were on fire and she could feel the heat despite the distance separating them. All around her, the women were chattering, throwing questions at her and Miranda gave her a nudge as if to wake her up. But Irina was wide awake already. She could be nothing else while staring into Kellan’s eyes.
Her body coiled and tightened inside, because it didn’t matter what her brain was thinking, her body’s reaction to the man was simply instinct.
When he slammed his hat down hard onto his head and stalked to the front door, she watched him go and a piece of her went with him. That, too, was outside her control. Seven years ago, it had nearly killed her to watch him walk away. Not this time. She wouldn’t surrender her heart to a man who had made it plain that he wasn’t interested in keeping it.
She had built a life without him and now it was time to take the next step.
“Why don’t you tell us about the book, Irina?” Miranda was saying, and her tone said it wasn’t the first time she’d made the request. Tugging Irina over to sit on the brown leather couch, she continued, explaining to her friends and most of America, “Irina was once a mail-order bride from Russia. She came here with nothing, isn’t that right?”
Irina nodded, but didn’t have a chance to speak because Miranda rolled right on.
“When her marriage ended, she reinvented herself and built a life.” Miranda flashed her a bright, proud smile. “And I know that women everywhere will be inspired by her story.”
Irina took a deep breath. Kellan was gone. She was on her own—just her and a few million people. That thought made her smile and Miranda beamed in approval. Lulu handed her a cup of tea and winked at her. Fee leaned in, grinned and asked, “So what was the mail-order husband like? And don’t leave out any details.”
Irina—overwhelmed, a little unsure of herself in the spotlight—laughed and took the next step.
Seven
It had been a long week.
Kellan hadn’t seen Irina since that day at the Hollow when she’d joined Miranda and her traveling circus. The memory of Irina walking into the midst of those women and their cameras was still fresh and it still cut at him. Was she really so eager to sell her book that she was willing to work with the woman who had stolen his family’s legacy?
He didn’t have any answers and he hadn’t had any damn peace since that day, either. When he managed to get a few hours of sleep, Irina was there. In his dreams. Naked. Moving with him—over him, under him—and then he’d wake up, frustrated and furious that she could have that much of an effect on him.
Kellan had met with Kace LeBlanc to talk about the will, and so far it looked like it wouldn’t be an easy fight. But then, nothing about Buck Blackwood had ever been easy. The old man was dead and gone and still stomping on his kids.
“Earth to Kellan...”
Still simmering, he came up out of his thoughts and faced his little sister, sitting across the white-cloth-covered table from him. The Blackwood siblings were having dinner at the Texas Cattleman’s Club and, since Vaughn was late, Kellan and Sophie were having a drink while they waited. It was early, so the dining room wasn’t crowded, though a few of the old guard were comfortably seated at their usual tables.
The TCC had gone through a lot of changes in the last several years.
First and foremost, women were members now, too. A few of the old diehards had had plenty of issue with that. But the men who actually lived in the twenty-first century had applauded the change. The women had introduced other changes to the club that had been long overdue.
Now there was a day care center, and the interior of the club was brighter and less like a man cave, thanks to a much-needed paint job and an extensive remodel. The old building now had much bigger windows and higher ceilings, giving the whole place a feeling of openness it had really needed.
“Yeah, sorry, Sophie.”
He caught one of the waiters checking his little sister out and Kellan sent him a scowl that had the man scuttling away for the safety of the kitchen. Hard to admit that his little sister was a beauty. Also hard to ignore since everywhere they went, men were constantly admiring her. Tonight, she wore a dark red dress that was a little too short for Kellan’s comfort and dipped a little too low over her breasts. Her long auburn hair was pulled back from her face to fall in a thick wave down her back, and her brown eyes were sparkling.
A sign that he hadn’t spent enough time in Royal over the years. When he first moved away, Sophie was only twenty years old. In the time he’d lived away from Royal, she’d become a beautiful woman and Kellan felt as if he’d missed more than he’d ever wanted to. Vaughn had changed, too. He’d become more insular, more separate from Royal and the family. Had he taken a cue from Kellan? He didn’t like the thought of that.
“I don’t even want to know who you’re scowling about,” she said, then stopped. “No. Wait. I do want to know. Irina?”
“No.” He fired a hard glare at her. He was specifically avoiding thinking of Irina. When he could. “Where’d that come from?”
She shrugged. “Vaughn told me he caught you two in bed, so I figured you guys were together again.”
“Vaughn’s got a big mouth,” he muttered, then added, “We were never ‘together.’”
“Not how I remember it,” she said, picking up her dirty martini, “but whatever helps you sleep at night.” She took a sip of her drink, then set the glass down again. “Anyway, like I was saying before you zoned out, thinking about Irina—”
“I wasn’t—”
She ignored that and rushed on, “For all my big plans of snooping around town to get dirt on Miranda? I haven’t been able to find out anything.” Disgusted, she toyed with the stem of her drink glass and admitted, “I’ve asked everyone I can think of. Heck, just hanging out at the diner, I can usually overhear plenty of gossip, but the only thing people are talking about is the television show and how exciting it is because someone they know—Miranda—is on it.
“And the other women on the show? I kind of like them, especially since they have no problem gossiping about anything under the sun... But they don’t know anything about Buck’s will or why he left everything to Miranda.” She sighed dramatically. “Apparently, if there is a secret, she hasn’t shared it with her friends.”
“It’s only been a week, Soph,” he said, sipping at his scotch. Though he had to admit that his sister should have picked up on something in that time.
“I know. It’s just frustrating.” She tapped her dark red nails against the table. “Gossip is usually much easier to come by in Royal. And gossip about the television show does me zero good.”
But did it? Irina leaped into his mind again. He couldn’t help remembering how she had sailed into the ranch house and right onto the TV show like it had all been scripted. Had it? Was she somehow in cahoots with Miranda in all of this?
Why the hell else would she have been so cavalier about sex? That wasn’t the Irina he knew. She was definitely the hearth-and-home type—but now she was suddenly live and let live? No. Something else was going on.
Maybe she’d been working with Miranda right from the beginning. He suddenly remembered those files of his father’s that she’d shown him. Well, she’d shown him only his own file, but he’d spotted three others in that briefcase. She’d said that Buck had kept a file on each of his children... But there had been four files, not three. So what the hell was that about?
“Are you even listening to me?” Sophie demanded.
“What? Sure. Of course.”
She rolled her eyes. “Nice recovery. So what’s going through your head that isn’t me and my complaints?”
He wasn’t about to dump all of what he was thinking onto his little sister, so he said only, “Miranda. It always comes down to Miranda. She and that film crew are all over town.” And now they had him on camera and he knew damn well they would use the footage.
He’d talked to a lawyer about the fact that he hadn’t signed a release. Apparently, that would have been enough to force them to cut Kellan from the show if he’d pressed the point. But he’d reconsidered at the last minute. Sure, he wouldn’t come off looking great, but neither would Miranda. And it suited
him to have the whole damn country knowing exactly what he thought of his gold-digging ex-stepmother.
“Yeah, I know. Vaughn and I talked about it. He pretends he doesn’t care about Blackwood Hollow, but he does,” Sophie said, taking another sip of her drink.
“Maybe.” Kellan shook his head as if to dislodge the dozens of random thoughts scuttling through his mind. It didn’t help. His eyes were gritty and there was a constant tightness in his chest. Facing Irina again after all this time had been harder than he’d thought it would be—not to mention dealing with all this other stuff. “Anyway. Like I said, it’s only been a week. It’ll probably take even you longer than that.”
“Thanks. I think.” Sophie’s fingers trailed up and down the stem of her glass. “But I was thinking...”
“Never a good thing.”
“Funny.” She nodded to him. “What do poor, lonely women do when they don’t have brothers to irritate them? Anyway, if I can’t discover anything here, I think I’ll go to New York. Talk to Miranda’s friends. Maybe go to the studio, see what I can find out.”
Frowning thoughtfully, he said, “They’re not going to let you into the studio. Or tell you anything once you’re there.”
“Please.” She waved that off. “People always talk to me. Especially men.”
He held up one hand. “I don’t want to hear that.”
She grinned. “Anyway, I think New York is where we might get some answers.”
“Fine. But give it another week or so. Poke around some more in Royal, see what you get.”
She sighed. Sophie had always been the impatient one. She wanted things done and done now. But in this, she’d have to slow down, Kellan thought. All of them had to agree to a plan before they made a decision.
“All right. A week.”
“Maybe wait until after Christmas,” he said suddenly.
“I’m sorry. Did you just say you’re going to be here through Christmas?” she asked.
He hadn’t planned on it, but now... He couldn’t see going back to Nashville before he got this mess settled. And he was already here, so why not? “Yeah. Probably.”
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