by Marin Thomas
* * *
THE AIR HAD grown a little cooler, but that wasn’t the reason Kit had the shivers as she showered and washed her hair. What she’d just said to Ross had sounded too personal, but she couldn’t seem to control her thoughts or feelings. There’d been times in the pool when the way Ross had looked at her had sent a weakness through her limbs.
During their swim their bodies had brushed against each other. Every time there’d been contact, it had felt as if she’d been branded with liquid fire. If she wasn’t mistaken, she noticed Andy starting to form an attachment to him. But Kit had a different problem because attached wasn’t a strong enough word for what was happening inside of her whenever he came near.
She wanted him to kiss her, hold her.
You want him, Kit.
It was true, and there was no point in denying it. But she was mortified. These retired marines had honored Winn’s memory by inviting her and Andy to the ranch for a week of fun-filled activities. Yet here she was, behaving as anything but her husband’s grieving widow.
When she’d first met Winn, there’d been a strong physical attraction, but within a few years of their marriage it had died. To experience desire this powerful after years of feeling dead inside was so painful in its intensity, she was alarmed by it.
Over the years of charity work she’d done, there’d been a lot of attractive men she’d worked with. She could say the same for many of the waiters and staff at the various country clubs the family frequented. Several of the golf pros who’d given her lessons were exceptionally charming. The captain and crew of Charles’s favorite yacht were big flirts and a subject of conversation with the women of her in-laws’ social circle invited on board.
Most of the men coming and going or passing through Kit’s life under those circumstances were open to a flirtation and gave off signals. If she’d ever been inclined and hadn’t clung to a strong set of morals, she could have had affairs with any number of them. That included some of Charles’s own male friends who stayed over on weekends and had grown bored with their own wives.
Yet it was the tall, striking Wyoming cowboy communicating his seeming disdain of her the minute she’d met him in the terminal yesterday who’d set off hormones she didn’t know she had. For an aloof stranger to have that kind of power over her—to care what he thought—meant something monumental had happened to her.
She had to do something to fight these feelings for him, starting right now! He was the kind of real man a woman dreamed about—a man so far out of her reach it was ludicrous.
“Mom?”
She wheeled around with her hair brush in hand. “Hey—had enough swimming?”
“Yeah. Ross sent me in here to get dressed. He wants us to hurry before all the food is gone.”
“They won’t run out of food. He was just teasing.”
“I know.”
Her pulse raced at the thought of being with Ross. Unfortunately she couldn’t stop her nervous system from reacting over anything to do with him. In two days of being on the Teton Valley Ranch with him, she’d run a gamut of emotions that now included her own brand of hero worship coupled with an ache for him that was building inside her.
“Why don’t you take a quick shower while I finish doing my hair?”
“Okay.”
In a minute they were ready. She left the cabana with her book under her arm. Lots of suntanned, happy guests seated around enjoying the candlelit barbecue nodded at them as they made their way to the banquet table.
Kit noticed Ross over at one of the larger tables with his partners and their families. Her heart skipped a beat as he waved to her. She smiled back before remembering she wasn’t going to pay him any undue attention.
The smorgasbord featured everything from barbecued ribs to steaks and all the trimmings. Kit found she was hungry. “Let’s take a little of everything, Andy. What you don’t want, I’ll eat.”
With their plates full, they walked over to Ross’s table. He introduced Kit to Alex, Buck’s wife, a lovely chestnut-blonde woman, then he helped her and Andy to be seated. When she felt his hand graze her shoulders, it almost melted her on the spot.
The fun dinner conversation helped her to relax. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that her son seemed to be enjoying himself. During the delicious dessert of fresh huckleberry pie, Tracy brought up the plans for the next day.
“Alex and I thought it would be fun to take the children into Jackson for lunch and a movie. After tomorrow there won’t be any more matinees. We thought we’d make an afternoon of it to celebrate the end of summer before they have to go back to school. If you and Andy would like to come, you’d be welcome.”
She waited for her son to whisper he didn’t want to go, but he didn’t say anything.
“Thank you, Tracy. Will it be all right if we tell you in the morning?”
“Of course. We’ll be leaving around eleven-thirty in the van.”
“Sounds fun,” Carson said, kissing Tracy’s cheek. Kit could tell they had that rare kind of love. Her glance fell on Buck who’d brought his wife another helping of food. The tender way they looked at each other was truly something to witness. As for Ross and everything he was doing for Kit and Andy, there were no words.
She thought back to her marriage with Winn. It had failed before it ever got off the ground, but she shouldn’t be comparing him to these men. Her husband had been raised under such difficult emotional circumstances it was amazing he’d survived to adulthood.
Now had come the time for her and Andy to make their own escape to survive. That’s what she wanted for her son whom she hadn’t seen this animated since he was a much younger boy. Her gaze lit on Ross who was making it all possible. Right now he was using his phone so Andy could look at the list of movies playing in Jackson.
There was no finer man anywhere. It would take an exceptional woman to win his heart. Whoever she was, she’d be the luckiest person on earth. Kit knew deep down in her soul she could never be that woman. She was Winn’s widow, and she already had a growing child.
Apparently the rare woman he needed to meet hadn’t come along yet. He deserved one who’d never been married. Ross could start his own family with her. Someone who didn’t have all Kit’s baggage. Being Charles Wentworth’s daughter-in-law presented problems no man would want to deal with. She lowered her eyes and drank the rest of her coffee.
Carson was the first one to get up. “It’s time for a bedtime story from Kit. Let’s go to the games room.”
Kit watched Andy walk with the kids instead of holding back and telling her he didn’t want to do anything. The change in him was too remarkable to be an aberration. She knew the reason why....
While the others took their places on the two leather couches, Andy sat on the love seat next to Ross. That left Kit, who sat in the big leather chair. She opened the book and laid the groundwork for the story about the dog named Buck. Kit had been afraid she’d lose the kids’ attention, but they sat there intrigued by the animal’s thoughts of his wonderful life with Judge Miller.
Halfway through the first chapter she shut the book, knowing it was better to quit while the children were still enjoying the story. They protested of course.
Jenny was totally caught up in it. “Something bad is going to happen to him, huh, Kit?”
“We’ll have to keep reading to find out.”
“Will you read to us tomorrow night?” Johnny asked.
“I’d love to. I’d rather read than just about anything.”
Everyone got up. Carson thanked her. “That’ll give us something to look forward to tomorrow night. Say good-night, kids.”
Ross nodded to her. “If you’re ready, let’s go.”
She turned to Andy. “Would you run to the cabana and get our suits and towels, please? We’ll meet you at the truck.�
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“Sure.” He took off.
As Ross walked her outside and helped her into the cab, his hand gripped her upper arm. “Kit? We need to talk.” All of a sudden his voice sounded an octave lower than usual.
She turned her head to look at him. Obviously something was wrong. How could anything be wrong on this beautiful night? “What is it?”
Long black lashes half shuttered the enigmatic look coming from his dark eyes. “After the phone call I received earlier from the timber king Charles Cavanaugh Wentworth, maybe it’s just as well his grandson isn’t around to hear this.”
Oh, no.
The long reaching arm of her father-in-law didn’t miss anything or anyone.
Chapter Five
Ross’s news caused her to lose color. That as much as anything verified his suspicion that something ugly was going on.
Beneath her fetching brunette hair, still damp from a shampooing, he found himself staring into a pair of the same sea-green eyes that had beguiled him from the beginning, but right now they looked haunted.
“You know about him.”
“I know his ancestor amassed a fortune in timber in the mid-1800s and his legacy grew from there.”
“What did he say to you?” she asked quietly.
Though he’d managed to frighten the hell out of her, he had to admire her for maintaining her dignity. Nothing but the truth, Livingston. This was no time for games. “He wanted to make sure nothing happens to his grandson and ordered me to make sure you fly home midweek, or else....”
“Oh, no—” He felt the shudder that passed through her body. “W-What did you tell him?” she stammered.
“I told him we know how to keep our guests safe. Before I rang off, I explained that the decision for you to leave was up to you.”
Her dark head reared back. “You hung up on him?”
The fear in her voice hit him in the gut. “In a manner of speaking.”
A small cry escaped her lips before she turned away. Slipping into marine mode, Ross grasped her other arm, forcing her to look at him.
She presented a pinched white face to him. “Please, let me go before someone sees us.”
“Not yet,” he ground out. “I understand you’re in some kind of trouble.”
Panic filled her eyes. “I wish to heaven he hadn’t called the ranch, but now that he has, this mustn’t become your problem. I couldn’t bear it.”
“I’m afraid it already is.” After witnessing her shock, he saw all the signs of someone planning to cut and run. He’d done it himself years ago and could relate.
“Please, don’t say that.” Her voice shook.
“I have to. After Andy’s in bed asleep and we’re alone, you’re going to tell me what’s going on. For the moment you need to present a calm front so he doesn’t get alarmed. When we get back to the cabin, ask me to come in and watch TV with you. Hopefully he’ll get tired and go to bed.”
Another shudder wracked her lovely body before the fight went out of her, and she nodded. Reasonably confident she could see the wisdom in his plan, he let go of her arm and walked around to get in the truck. Andy was back in a flash and they were off.
When they drew up to the cabin, it was her son who asked him if he’d come in and watch the movie Shrek with them.
“I haven’t seen that one.”
“There’s a donkey in it that’s pretty funny.”
“A donkey? That I have to see.”
Andy preceded them into the cabin carrying the plastic bag with their swimsuits.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed first, honey?”
“Okay.”
For the next hour and a half Ross watched the entertaining film and laughed in the same parts with Andy. Kit pretended to be involved, but Ross knew she wasn’t seeing anything. When it was over, she got up and turned it off.
“Time for bed, honey.”
“I know.”
Ross stood. “See you in the morning at breakfast, Andy. If you want to go fishing, Buck will take you.”
He nodded. “Thanks.”
“Good night.”
Kit gave her son a hug. After he disappeared into the other part of the cabin and shut the door, she walked back and sat down on the couch with a wooden expression.
With his voice lowered, he said, “Before I ask you anything else, I need to know something. Has your father-in-law ever laid a hand on you or Andy?”
She smoothed the hair out of her eyes. “No,” she answered in a quiet tone. “He’s not like that and doesn’t need to use physical force. He can merely guilt you into doing what he wants.”
Those were the same tactics Ross’s father had used on him. Though it shouldn’t mean anything of a personal nature to him, he felt a sense of relief hearing it. “I may not know all the facts, but it’s clear you’re in a tense situation.”
She got up from the couch again, hugging her arms to her waist. “We are, and I’m sorry you’re involved in any way after inviting us here out of the kindness of your hearts. It isn’t fair to you.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that.”
“When your letter came, I was deeply touched to think you soldiers would do such a wonderful thing for Andy. It meant so much to me, even if he doesn’t truly understand the great honor you’ve shown us. I wanted to come more than you know and prayed my father-in-law wouldn’t try to stand in the way.”
Ross shook his head. “He’s that controlling?”
“He’s always been controlling, but since Winn’s death he’s been much worse. They have two married daughters, but Winn was their only son. They’ve been so grief-stricken, they’ve started to think of Andy as their own son.
“When I received your letter, I told him we were going to accept. He told me I couldn’t because they had that cruise in Norway planned. It was just an excuse, of course. He didn’t want us going anywhere. That’s why I called the ranch and asked if Andy and I could come for the first week of September. Mr. Lundgren was wonderful about it.
“While we were in Norway, my in-laws tried to get me to cancel my plans. They worked on Andy, knowing he didn’t want to come to Wyoming. It’s my opinion that for him to think of being around some retired marines who’d survived the war was simply too painful for him. At that juncture I took matters into my own hands.
“After we returned to the hotel in Oslo, I left a note for them at the front desk telling them Andy and I had flown back to the States and would be in Wyoming for the next week. Because it was an earlier flight, that’s why we arrived in Jackson at three instead of six-thirty.
“Andy was unhappy about it, but I gave him no choice. Since our arrival, all that has changed and he’s becoming a different child.”
Ross rubbed his lower lip with his thumb. “I’m glad to hear it. Go on.”
“What do you mean?”
“What else aren’t you telling me?” he questioned. “You’ve already let me know that Mr. Wentworth isn’t physically violent with you, so what’s really happening here?”
“I’d rather not get into it. I’m ashamed enough as it is. Already I’m sure you’re sorry that you ever invited us.”
Ross grimaced. “Forget about that. Since genes don’t lie, you two are definitely mother and son. Now I need the answer to another question.” He hated asking it, but he had to know before he made another move.
“Do your in-laws have custody of Andy? Remember that lying to me at this stage won’t do you any good. Is that why he was warning me about you?”
“Warning? In what way?”
“He said you needed watching and he shouldn’t have let you come.”
She drew in her breath, as if she was holding herself in check. “Charles will stoop to any level to achieve want he wants.”
“What does he want?” Ross prodded her.
“He wants Andy to be the son he lost!”
“There’s more to it than that for him to phone the ranch asking for one of us in charge.”
A tortured moan escaped her. “No—I mean there is a reason, but it’s not what you think.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“I—I don’t know where to start,” she stammered. “It’s complicated.”
“Nightmares usually are. I’ve got all night, and you’re my responsibility while you’re here.”
“I don’t want you mixed up in this.”
His temper flared. “I already am. Does he have a case against you for being an unfit mother?”
He heard her sharp intake of breath. “In his mind he does.”
Ross felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. “On what grounds?”
“Grounds?” she cried out. “Winn married me without his parents’ approval. I was beneath their social class and not the woman they’d picked out for him. Because of guilt, he insisted we live with them at the mansion to make up for it.
“They wanted the marriage annulled, but by then I was pregnant. I thought our living situation was temporary, but it turned out to be permanent. I was a nineteen-year-old without an education from Wellesley or Vassar. I didn’t have the right stuff. I didn’t come from a family with money or connections.”
Ross was listening. In the lofty circles of the Wentworths and the Livingstons, the right background was of vital importance. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment. He got it. Because of his own highly privileged background, Ross got it with a vengeance.
“That made me an unfit mother for a Wentworth, but they adored Andy and took over the parenting, especially when Winn was away. Since his death, everything has been so much worse. I told them I planned to get Andy and me a place of our own because we need to be independent.
“The thought of it has upset them so much, they’ve refused to discuss it. He has warned me that if I leave the mansion, he’ll cut me off without a penny. That wouldn’t bother me, but I have to think of Andy’s future. I argued with Charles and Florence about it before the trip to Norway. He called tonight because he’s afraid I might actually move out.”