Lonestar Secrets

by Colleen Coble

  She dialed the bank's automated number and followed the prompts to get to her balance. Three hundred twenty-six dollars and two cents. Hardly worth terrorizing her and Mary Beth for. And exactly what her bank register said. She closed her phone and sighed.

  "Everything okay?" Jack's voice spoke above her head. "You were scowling."

  She scrambled to her feet and dusted her jeans. "You would, too, if you had a bank balance like mine," she said before she could stop the words.

  "Listen, we're practically married. If you need money, I'd be glad to help."

  "I don't need anything, but thanks."

  They stood staring at one another. Shannon wished she could tell him about the problem, but the last time she'd shared anything with him, he'd ruined her life. She couldn't risk it again.

  SHANNON'S DEADLINE TO DELIVER THE MONEY HAD COME AND GONE WITHout a hint that the intruder's threat was real. But Mary Beth's failure to call Shannon kept her mind focused on the worst. There'd been no text message answer from her, no phone call. Only silence.

  Could her own ignorance make her responsible for the death of her friend?

  Saturday morning, Shannon and Allie decided to go shopping for dresses. Kylie had taken the news that she was marrying Faith's daddy with her usual enthusiasm. It was all she talked about.

  "There's nowhere to buy a nice dress around here,"Allie said, tying a bow at the end of Betsy's braid. "I think we should go to San Antonio."

  "That's over six hours away!" Shannon wanted to look nice, but she didn't plan to spend the entire weekend on a shopping trip for a sham marriage.

  Allie cast a sly glance at Rick. "Not when your husband has a plane."

  By plane, San Antonio would be a short hop. Many large ranchers had small planes, but she hadn't suspected Rick did. A plan began to form in Shannon's head. She glanced at Rick. "Would you have time to take us?"

  Rick's gaze settled on his wife's swollen belly. "I can make arrangements. At least then I'll make sure Allie isn't overdoing it. I got her an oxygen setup when I found out she was pregnant so she can fly with no problems."

  Allie brushed a kiss across his lips. "I thought you'd see it that way."

  He draped his arm over her shoulders. "When do you girls want to leave?"

  "As soon as you can get the plane ready. I need to call Jack and see if I can take Faith."

  "It's ready. I was planning on offering my services." He grinned when Allie gently punched his stomach. He stooped to scoop up Betsy. "Let's get out of here."

  Shannon smiled, but a hollow sensation settled between her shoulder blades. She'd never seen a more tender look than Rick bestowed on Allie. She would never experience loving banter or have a man want to protect her. Her marriage wouldn't change a thing. Only her last name and her place of residence.

  One other important thing would change, she thought, glancing at Kylie. Her daughter would have a father. And that was worth everything.

  She picked up the cordless phone. "Give me a minute to call Jack." She punched in the number, surprised to find she knew it by heart already.

  Jack's deep voice answered. "MacGowan."

  "Jack, good morning. I'm, um, I'm going to go buy the dresses for next Saturday." She couldn't bring herself to say the word wedding. "I wondered if Faith would like to go? I don't have to take her since she and Kylie are the same size, but I thought she might enjoy the outing." A long pause followed, and she was beginning to wonder if they'd lost the connection before he finally answered.

  "She's not here. Enrica took her over to play with her granddaughter. I don't think I can contact them. Enrica refuses to have a cell phone. She thinks they're dangerous." He cleared his throat. "Nice of you to think of her."

  "She's my daughter. Of course I think of her." He seemed to forget that fact so easily. Shannon longed to do so many things with Faith.

  "And mine," he said with an edge to his voice. "You should have called earlier to make plans. Besides, I haven't told her about the wedding yet."

  "Why not?" Shannon failed to keep the disappointment from her voice. Moses nudged her hand, and she rubbed his ears.

  "I was waiting for the right time. I'll tell her when she gets home."

  Did he think Faith would be upset? Faith seemed to like Shannon, so surely she'd be happy. And the girl already loved Kylie. "Can I bring the dress over for her to see tonight?"

  "My parents are coming for dinner, and I don't want to subject you to them yet. How about Sunday? You can come over for dinner after church."

  So he was ashamed of her. Her eyes stung. "Fine. I've got to go."

  "Wait, Shannon. Maybe I can track down Enrica. Give me an hour."

  "Everyone is ready to go. Rick is flying us to San Antonio, so we can't really wait. I wish we could. I'd love to have had her with us." And it was her fault. She should have called last night, but she'd put it off.

  For just a moment, she thought about asking him to come with her. She wanted to tell him about the guy who wanted something from her. But would he even believe her? Maybe he'd think she was making it up to get his sympathy. Besides, if he still thought her imagination had the better of her, he might back out. In the end, she said nothing until he finally spoke.

  "Okay, sorry," he said, really sounding as though he meant it. "I'll see you later."

  Shannon put the phone down. She could have kicked herself. It wasn't like her to let fear rule her, but she'd let it make her put off the call. "Let's go," she told the Bailey family. "Time's a-wasting" She followed Rick and his family out to a small hangar behind the barn. The plane was already outside on the sand. "No runway?"

  Rick opened the plane door and deposited Betsy inside. "The desert makes a fine one." He helped Allie into the plane and held out his hand to Shannon.

  "I have something else I need to do," she said in a voice too soft for Allie to hear. "I'd like to go by my old apartment." She had told him about what the guy said when he broke in.

  "You forget something?"

  She shook her head. "I want to see if Mary Beth is there. If she's not, maybe I can find clues to what's going on. Maybe there's something in her room."

  Rick frowned, then gave a reluctant nod. "You should ask your fiance to go with us."

  "I haven't told him," she said, pressing her lips together. Shannon saw the condemnation in his eyes and sighed. Her guilt about not telling Jack was bad enough without Rick adding to it. "I don't trust him, Rick."

  "You're marrying him," he pointed out.

  "Only because it's the most logical way to make sure both girls are taken care of. Allie told you, didn't she? About my MS? I can't risk him using all these problems against me in a custody battle."

  "She told me. But Jack isn't that kind of guy, Shannon. You've got him pegged wrong. I know he did something stupid in school, but didn't we all?"

  Shannon shrugged, then turned to climb into the plane. She spoke over her shoulder. "I can't risk it. Not yet." She settled into the back with the girls while Rick took another walk around the plane.

  Allie turned around in the front passenger seat and lifted the oxygen mask from her face for a moment. "What were you and Rick talking about? You both looked tense."

  Shannon glanced at the girls, but they were busy talking. She leaned forward and spoke in Allie's ear. "He wanted me to tell Jack about the break-in and the demand for money."

  Allie gave a mock shudder. "A fate worse than death." Her smile dropped off. "You are marrying the man. Don't you think he should know about this? What if the guy follows you there?"

  "And face Jack's arsenal? Not likely. He'd have to get in the gates, get past all of Jack's employees, then get into that mammoth house that's probably locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I just have to stay safe until after the wedding. Just a week. I can do that. He hasn't tried anything while I've been at your house."

  "It's only been one night," Allie said dryly.

  Shannon sat back and didn't answer when Rick climbed into the plane. Alli
e put her mask back on, and he started the engine. They were soon flying over the peaks and valleys of the desert. From the air, it appeared even more desolate. The girls peered in rapt attention out the windows.

  Were the Baileys right? If Shannon thought either of her daughters was in danger, she'd tell anyone who would listen, even Jack. But Mary Beth was the one in danger. Still, just because Jack had been disloyal, did that mean she had to be as well? She chewed on her lip and wished she knew the answer.

  Kylie climbed into her lap. Shannon pointed out the window. "Look, there are the sky mountains," she said, gesturing to the Chisos and Sierra del Carmen Mountains.

  "Why do they call them that, Mommy?" Kylie asked. It was her first time in an airplane.

  "I know," said Betsy. "They're supposed to be holding up the sky, but it's not true. The mountains don't do that God does."

  Shannon smiled at her. "Exactly right, but it's fun to know the myths and legends around the place where you live. And there are lots around here."

  "Tell me a story, Mommy," Kylie demanded. "About the gold in the hills."

  "How do you know about the gold?"

  "Mr. Larue asked me if you'd ever taken me to see it. Have you seen it, Mommy?"

  Tucker had talked to Kylie. Everything in Shannon tensed. "When did he ask you about it?" she demanded.

  Kylie squirmed. "Don't squeeze me so tight," she whimpered.

  Shannon loosened her grip on her daughter's arm. "Sorry, sweetie. When did Mr. Larue ask you about it?"

  "When I was outside looking for the unicorn. Yesterday." Kylie slid off Shannon's lap and scooted over to sit by Betsy.

  The unicorn? Had Kylie seen jewel? Shannon huddled into the corner and tried to think above the roar of the plane. How did Tucker talk to Kylie without anyone seeing? Kylie's trusting nature scared Shannon. "You're not supposed to talk to strangers," she told Kylie. "How many times have I told you that?"

  "He said he was your friend."

  Shannon's fingers gripped Kylie's chin and she forced her daughter to look her in the eye. "If someone is my friend, I'll introduce you. Understand?" Kylie nodded and puckered. Shannon hugged her tight.

  How did Tucker know about the gold? Or that Shannon might know where it was? He might use Kylie as leverage to get her to talk. She rubbed her forehead and wished she'd never seen that cave.

  Kylie tugged on her arm. "Do you need to rest, Mommy?"

  Shannon smiled at her daughter. Kylie was intuitive and noticed when her MS was kicking up. "I'm okay, sweetheart. I'll just close my eyes for a minute."

  Kylie put her finger to her lips and turned back to whisper with Betsy. Shannon smiled and rested her head against the window. Today would be a long day. Shopping was not her favorite thing in the world.

  Rick landed at the small field airport. Within half an hour, they were in a rented car and heading to a bridal shop. The little girls were in heaven looking at the frilly white dresses.

  "What colors do you want?"Allie asked, flipping through the racks.

  Shannon gazed around the packed store. She'd only been out of the city a few days and already it felt like another planet. "I ... I have no idea. Let's do bright periwinkle if we can find it. The girls would look darling in that."

  "Not pink?"

  "Too vapid for them. And for you." Shannon reached for a splash of bright fabric. "Here, this would look great on the girls."

  Allie held the dress under Kylie's chin. "Darling. It makes her eyes look brighter. I'll have her try it on while you look for yourself."

  Shannon drifted toward the women's dresses. A smiling woman came toward her and directed her to the informal styles, then promised to be back to help her. Shannon touched the chiffon of a beautiful creamy gown. It fell from a high empire waist in soft folds.

  This wasn't the way she'd thought she might be picking out a wedding dress someday. In her dreams, she'd thought maybe her fiance's mother or sister would go with her since she had no family of her own. Allie was a good friend to have made this trip with her, but Shannon still had no love waiting for her at the end of the aisle. There was no excitement propelling her through these tasks, no gigging late-night chats with a gaggle of attendants, no parties given by friends and family.

  Allie and the girls rejoined her. Shannon smiled at Kylie. "You look so pretty, sweetie. Do you like it?" Her daughter nodded and kept craning her neck to stare at herself in the banks of mirrors around the store.

  Allie caressed the chiffon dress. "Let's try this on. It's so you." She and the girls followed Shannon to the huge dressing room.

  Shannon shucked her jeans and T-shirt, then slipped the dress over her head. She turned for Allie to zip her up and found herself staring at her image in the mirror. A stranger stared back. One with a soft, tremulous mouth as though she really were a bride whose groom waited with open arms.

  She averted her gaze from her face and stared objectively at her silhouette. When had she last worn a dress? Maybe to her graduation from veterinary school. No, that had been a pantsuit. She'd wanted to look professional. Turning this way and that in front of the mirror, she admired the drape of the gown and the way her neck appeared longer.

  "It's perfect! You have to have it," Allie said.

  "If you say so. Now let's find you a dress."

  Anything so she didn't have to dwell on the reality facing her. Seven days of freedom left. Shannon made sure her hands didn't tremble.

  THE WOMAN WAS ENOUGH TO DRIVE HIM TO DRINK. JACK WOYE THROUGH the San Antonio traffic toward the bridal shop. He'd called Rick to find out where they were heading, then called in a favor from a friend with an airplane. Faith was in her booster in the backseat. He could see her face in his rearview mirror, but he still didn't know how he was going to tell her he was getting remarried.

  And telling his daughter that Shannon was her real mother would have to wait until later. Much later.

  He found the bridal shop with no problem. After he parked, he got into the backseat of the rental car with his daughter. Faith had already unfastened her seat belt and was ready to get out.

  She stared up at him with a question in her eyes. "Aren't we going shopping for a dress, Daddy?"

  "Yes, we are, baby girl. In just a minute. I wanted to talk to you about something first." With her big blue eyes fastened on him, he wasn't sure how he'd find the words to tell her their lives were about to change. "It's a special dress we're buying. Miss Shannon and Kylie are inside too."

  Faith slipped out of her seat and started to climb over him. "I want to see Kylie! She's my bestest friend."

  She',s so much more than that. Jack gulped and grabbed his daughter so she couldn't escape the vehicle. "In a minute. That's not all I have to tell you. We're going to buy you and Kylie dresses so you can be in a wedding."

  Her smile widened. "Like flower girls? Me and Kylie both?"

  He nodded. "Just like that."

  "Who is the bride?"

  "Miss Shannon."

  Faith wrinkled her nose. "She doesn't have an engagement ring. Maybe her bridegroom is poor. Schmendrick was poor. I'm going to marry someone rich like Prince Lir."

  "This isn't a movie like The Last Unicorn. And she's not marrying someone poor. I just didn't get her an engagement ring. There wasn't time." Too late he realized he'd blurted it out. "I mean, Miss Shannon is going to marry me."

  "And move into our house?"

  He nodded. "But you don't have to share your room with Kylie. We'll redo the bedroom right next to yours."

  "She can share my room. We'll be just like sisters!" Faith wiggled to get down. "I want to go see her! I like Miss Shannon. She's nice. But she's not my mommy."

  Jack found himself wanting to agree with her, but he said nothing. Now wasn't the time to go into that. His daughter would need to hear the truth in small sips, not in one gulp. "Let's go find Kylie," he said. Taking his daughter's hand, he wound through the parking lot to the store.

  He'd never entered a place like this. Fai
th paused to stare at the mannequins in the store window, and he cringed at the sight of the white dresses. A peek beyond the display didn't reassure him. A store packed with women browsing rows and rows of dresses.

  Hardly a place for a cowboy.

  Even the quick gulp of air didn't help, tinged with exhaust as it was. He opened the door and led his daughter inside. And ran right into Shannon. Literally. His hands came up to steady her when she rocked back on her heels and clutched at the bagged dress she carried. "Sorry."

  She pulled away. "What are you doing here?"

  "I tracked down Enrica, and Faith has never been known to turn down a chance to go shopping. She's like her mother that way." Too late he realized he'd blown it again. He rushed on and averted his gaze from Shannon's face. And her cheeks that had reddened as though he'd slapped her.

  The girls rushed into one another's arms. "We're going to be real sisters," Kylie said.

  The girls' giggling and squealing were attracting attention. Jack would rather be mucking out stalls than encountering the curious female faces. "So are you already done here?"

  "We are. Rick is bringing the car around." Shannon went past him to the door.

  Allie smiled at him as she went past, and Jack saw the sympathy in her eyes. At least someone knew how hard this was. He grabbed the girls' hands and followed the women. The relief of being outside again was enough to let loose with a yell, but he didn't.

  He saw Shannon with Allie by a white Taurus. He waited for traffic, then crossed to the parking lot to join them.

  Rick leaned against the front fender and waved when he saw Jack. "Glad you could make it," he said when Jack reached the car.

  "Not in time. Where we headed to now?" He intercepted a glance between Rick and Shannon. She'd narrowed her eyes in a warning glare at Rick. What was going on?

  "Actually, you're here just in time," Rick said. "I'm going to take Allie and the girls out for lunch, and Shannon needs to run an errand. I'm sure you won't mind taking her."