Nightfall had descended on Blackstone Farms like a translucent navy-blue veil when Sheldon stepped out onto the porch to find Renee sitting on the rocker waiting for him.
His eyes widened in appreciation as she rose gracefully to her feet. She had pinned her hair atop her head, adding several inches, and a pair of three-inch black pumps added further to her diminutive height. A black dress and matching jacket pulled her winning look together. A pair of magnificent diamond earrings adorning her lobes supported Renee’s claim that she could support her child on her own.
Sheldon forced himself to concentrate on her face and not her legs. A light breeze stirred the perfume on her body, and he froze. The fragrance had been Julia’s favorite.
Renee saw his startled look. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said a little too quickly. “You look very nice.”
A wave of heat washed over her face, settling in her cheeks. “Thank you. So do you.” Sheldon’s dark suit looked as if it had been tailored expressly for his tall frame.
He moved closer, extending his arm, and he was not disappointed when Renee curved a hand over the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Thank you very much.”
Renee was certain Sheldon could feel her trembling. There was something about the man that disturbed her—in every way, and she knew an attraction to him would be perilous to her emotional well-being. She hadn’t missed the smoldering flame of awareness in the gray orbs when he’d stepped out onto the porch. The flame had flared to life before he’d successfully shuttered his gaze.
Sheldon looked good, smelled good and felt even better. Her hand rested lightly on his sleeve, yet she felt the power in his arm as hard muscle flexed under her light touch.
“Aren’t you going to close the inner door?” she asked as he escorted her off the porch.
Sheldon covered her hand with his free one, squeezing her fingers gently. “My door always stays open until I retire for bed. The same goes for everyone who lives on the farm. That is one of the few mandates everyone is expected to follow.”
She glanced up at him as he led her to a luxury sedan parked in the driveway behind his pickup truck. “What are the others?”
“One is that you leave the key to your vehicle in the ignition in case it has to be moved in an emergency, and the most important one is all residents must check in with one another during violent weather.”
Sheldon opened the passenger side door and she slid onto the leather seat, mentally filing away the mandates. There was no doubt her life on the farm would be vastly different from the one in Miami.
Her mouth went suddenly dry as she watched Sheldon remove his jacket and hang it up on a hook behind his seat. Suddenly everything about him seemed so much larger, broader. He sat down and turned on the ignition and automatic seat restraints lowered over their chests and waists.
Turning his head, Sheldon stared at Renee. “Is the belt too tight for you?”
She met his gaze, the lights from the dashboard illuminating his eyes. “It’s fine, thank you.”
She was relieved that she had revealed her pregnancy; however, she did not want Sheldon to make allowances for her because of her condition.
Sheldon shifted the car into gear and backed out of the driveway. Within minutes they arrived at the area where tiny white bulbs, strung over fences, around branches of trees and the poles holding up a massive white tent, sparkled like flawless diamonds. He maneuvered into a parking space. Taped music flowed from large speakers set around the party perimeter in anticipation of an evening of dining and dancing under the autumn sky.
Sheldon slipped into his jacket, then came around the car to assist Renee, his right hand going to the small of her back. She stiffened slightly before relaxing her spine against his splayed fingers.
“I want to introduce you to my daughters-in-law before it gets too crowded,” he said close to her ear. Lowering his arm, he reached for her hand, holding it gently and protectively in his warm, strong grasp.
Renee followed Sheldon as he led the way across the tent to a table where two women sat laughing hysterically. Sheldon cleared his throat and their heads came up at the same time.
Both were pretty, but the one with dark slanting eyes in an equally dark brown face was stunning. Her short curly hair was cut to complement her exquisite features.
Sheldon released Renee’s hand, reached out and gently pulled Tricia Parker-Blackstone from her chair. Lowering his head, he kissed her cheek. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you and Jeremy.”
Smiling broadly, Tricia hugged Sheldon. “Thank you, Pop.”
He held her at arm’s length. “How are you feeling?”
“Not too bad. The nausea comes and goes.”
He noticed the direction of Kelly’s and Tricia’s gazes. Shifting, he extended a hand to Renee. He wasn’t disappointed when she placed her hand in his. “Kelly, Tricia, I’d like for you to meet Renee Wilson, our new administrative assistant. Renee, these are my daughters, Kelly and Tricia. Kelly is headmistress of Blackstone Farms Day School and Tricia is the school’s nurse.” The three women exchanged handshakes.
Kelly Blackstone had draped a red silk shawl over a flowing black tank dress. She smiled at Renee. “It looks as if you came on board at the right time. Blackstone Farms is renowned for hosting the best pre-race party in Virginia’s horse country.”
The words were barely off Kelly’s lips when a booming voice sliced the night. “Hey, Blackstone! I heard that you have a wonder horse better than the legendary Affirmed.” A tall, florid-faced man with tousled silver-blond hair nodded to Tricia and Kelly. “Ladies.”
Renee watched Sheldon’s expression change, become somber. It was obvious he wasn’t too fond of the middle-aged man.
“Someone has been lying to you, Taylor,” Sheldon said quietly. “I’m certain you’ve seen the odds.”
Kent Taylor, owner of Taylor Stables, stared boldly at Renee. “That’s only because no one outside Blackstone Farms has seen him run.”
“You’ll see all you’ll need to see tomorrow afternoon,” Sheldon countered.
When it was obvious Sheldon wasn’t going to introduce Renee, Kent Taylor’s too-bright grin faded. “Are you saying I should put some money on Shah Jahan?”
“No, I am not.” Sheldon’s voice was a dangerously soft tone, his southern drawl even more pronounced. “I suggest you bet on something that is a sure thing.”
Kent sobered. “Now that sounds like a challenge to me.”
A mocking smile crinkled Sheldon’s eyes. “That’s why we have horse races, Taylor.”
Kent nodded in agreement. “Tonight I’m going to enjoy your food and liquor. Sunday afternoon I’ll return the favor when I host the post-race victory celebration.”
Sheldon’s face was marked with loathing as his closest neighbor turned and walked away with an exaggerated swagger. He did not know why the man always attempted to turn the sport of horse-racing into a back-alley brawl.
Kelly grunted softly under her breath. “Now I see why he’s been married so many times. No normal woman would be able to tolerate his overblown ego for more than a week.”
Tricia waved a hand in front of her face. “He smells as if he’s been sampling his own liquor cabinet before he got here.”
Within minutes of Kent Taylor’s departure Ryan and Jeremy arrived, carrying plates for their wives.
“Taylor just passed us, talking trash as usual,” Ryan said, as he set a plate on the table in front of Kelly.
“He’s a blowhard,” Sheldon spat out.
Jeremy, leaning on a cane, extended his free hand to Renee. “Hello again, and welcome to Blackstone Farms.”
She shook his hand before repeating the gesture with Ryan. Sheldon’s sons had inherited his dramatic good looks and c
ommanding manner.
Sheldon’s arm moved up and around Renee’s shoulders. He lowered his head and asked, “Hungry?”
Her head came up, her mouth within inches of his. “Starved.”
Smiling, he winked at her. “Good. Come with me.”
Renee lay on her side in the darkened bedroom, smiling. She was tired, but too wound up to sleep. Her first day at Blackstone Farms had become a memorable one. She’d attended her first pre-race party, met people whom she would get to know in the coming weeks and she’d found herself drawn to a man whose roof she would share until her own house was ready to move into.
She closed her eyes, a whisper of a sigh escaping her parted lips. Renee remembered, before sleep claimed her, the power in Sheldon Blackstone’s arm whenever it circled her waist. There had been nothing sexual in the gesture, even though his touch communicated comfort and protection: two things she would need in the coming months.
Chapter Three
When Renee had gotten up earlier that morning she did not know she would become a participant in a spectacle resembling a fashion show rather than a horse race. She’d called her brother to let him know she had arrived safely, then waited another hour before calling her mother. Her mother had remarried two years before and had relocated to Seattle, Washington, with her new husband and stepchildren.
The weather was picture-perfect for a horse race. A bright blue sky with a few puffy white clouds, temperatures in the midseventies, moderate humidity, no wind and a slightly damp track from an early morning shower set the stage for Virginia’s annual International Gold Cup.
She sat in a private box at the Great Meadow racetrack with Sheldon, Ryan, Kelly, Jeremy, Tricia and Kevin Manning, the trainer. Those in the grandstand representing Blackstone Farms had pinned red and black boutonnieres to their lapels.
Renee felt Sheldon’s muscled shoulder as she leaned into him. “Why didn’t you tell me I’d have to walk the red carpet to get to your box?” Many of the women occupying the private boxes were decked out in haute couture and expensive jewelry.
Sheldon gave Renee a sidelong glance. She had worn her hair down and the ends curved sensuously under her jaw, framing a rounded face that had enraptured him from first glance.
“There was no reason to say anything to you,” he said close to her ear. “You have exquisite taste in clothing, and your natural beauty is a refreshing alternative to these plastic women with their designer labels, baubles and surgically altered features and bodies. Some of them have nearly bankrupted their husbands and boyfriends because they view aging as a terminal disease.”
Renee did not have time to react to Sheldon’s compliment as the voice blaring through the public address system garnered everyone’s attention. The horses competing for the International Gold Cup were being led into position at the starting gate.
She peered through a pair of binoculars at the horses. A shiver of excitement coursed through her as she spied Cheryl Carney’s petite figure in black-and-red silks atop the magnificent black stallion.
An eerie hush descended over the track as jockeys settled their horses. After several anxiety-filled minutes the gates opened and the horses and riders shot forth.
Renee was on her feet like the others in the box, mouth gaping, heart pounding, legs trembling. Shah Jahan streaked around the track in a blur, his hoofs seemingly never touching the earth. Jeremy and Ryan were shouting at the top of their lungs while Sheldon pounded the railing of the box with both fists. Kevin stood paralyzed, eyes closed, hands fisted, praying silently.
Halfway around the track it was evident the other horses would never catch Shah Jahan. Recovering her voice, Renee screamed along with everyone else. Cheryl and Jahan raced across the finish line eight lengths ahead of the second-place winner, and Renee found herself lifted off her feet and her mouth covered with an explosive kiss that sucked oxygen from her laboring lungs.
Her arms came up of their own volition and curled around Sheldon’s neck. She lost herself in the man and the moment. Without warning the kiss changed from shared jubilation to a soft, gentle caress and then to an urgent exploration that left her mouth burning with a fire where she literally swooned in Sheldon’s arms. Somehow she found a remnant of strength to pull away. Her head dropped to his shoulder as she inhaled to clear her head and slow down her heartbeat.
“Sheldon.” She’d whispered his name.
“Yes?” he gasped as he buried his face in her fragrant hair.
“Please, Sheldon,” Renee pleaded, “let me go.”
Slowly, deliberately he did let her go. Sheldon stared over Renee’s head, his gaze meeting and fusing with Ryan’s.
A smile inched up the corners of the veterinarian’s mouth as he winked at his father. “We did it, Pop.”
Sheldon set Renee on her feet and nodded. “Yes, you did.”
Jeremy leaned over and pounded Sheldon’s back. “We’ve just broken the track record!”
The words were barely out of his mouth when the employees of Blackstone Farms pumped their fists, shouting, “Boo-yaw!” The grandstand reverberated with their victory cry.
The chanting continued as Sheldon leaned over and handed Ryan two betting slips. “Take care of these after you and Jeremy stand in for me in the winner’s circle.” Kevin had left the box, heading for the winner’s circle.
Ryan shook his head. “We can’t, Pop. We’re not the owners.”
“Today you are,” Sheldon countered. “You and Jeremy better go join Kevin and Cheryl.”
Jeremy stared at his father. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?” He had expected Sheldon to leave the box and pose for photographers and talk to reporters from major cable sports channels, magazines and newspapers.
Sheldon shook his head. “No, I’m not.”
“You can’t, Pop!”
His eyes darkened like angry thunderclouds. “Please don’t tell me what I can or cannot do.” His expression changed like quicksilver, softening as he lowered his chin, smiled at Renee and reached for her hand. “Renee and I will meet you back at the farm.”
Those in the Blackstone box stood numbly, watching as Sheldon led Renee away.
Jeremy stared at Ryan. “What’s up with them?”
Ryan shook his head at the same time as he shrugged a broad shoulder under his suit jacket. “Beats the hell out of me, little brother.”
Kelly looped her arm through Ryan’s. “Stay out of it, darling.”
He gave her a questioning stare. “Do you know something I don’t?”
Kelly pressed a kiss to his smooth cheek. “I’m pleading the Fifth.” She had noticed Sheldon staring at Renee, a look she was more than familiar with whenever Ryan looked at her.
Ryan opened his mouth again, but she placed her fingertips over his lips. “They are expecting the Blackstones to join their winning horse and jockey in the winner’s circle.”
Ryan grasped his wife’s hand and followed Jeremy and Tricia out of the box. He shook his head, grinning broadly. “Pop and a woman,” he whispered to Kelly. “I suppose there is hope for the old man after all.”
Sheldon helped Renee into his car before rounding the sedan to sit behind the wheel. His decision not to talk to the media was based upon his initial opposition to enter Shah Jahan in the International Gold Cup race. He’d felt the Thoroughbred wasn’t ready to compete, but Ryan and Jeremy had overruled him and therefore the victory was theirs.
He started up the car and left the parking area, heading for the interstate. Once he set the cruise control button, he chanced a quick glance at Renee. She sat motionless, eyes closed and her chest rising and falling gently in an even rhythm. He returned his gaze to the road in front of him before risking another glance at her flawless face. Being pregnant agreed with her. She was exquisite, her skin glowing like brown satin.
He recalled the violent expletives he’d spewed after Jeremy suggested Renee live with him until her bungalow was ready. He guarded his privacy with the zealousness of a leopard secreting his kill from marauding scavengers. He did not want someone to monitor his comings and goings. Ryan had become accustomed to his declaration of “I’m going to be away for a few days.” He had made it a practice of spending two or three days each week at his mountain retreat, but that would change because of the petite woman sitting beside him.
A smile stole its way across his face as he recalled the taste and softness of her mouth and soft fullness of her breasts when he kissed her. The action had begun impulsively before it changed into a deliberate, purposeful need to possess her mouth and more. The more wasn’t sleeping with her—that he could do with other women, but an inclination to take care of her.
Why Renee, he did not know. But in the coming months he was certain he would find out.
A slight smile played at the corners of Renee’s mouth as she turned her head slightly and stared from under lowered lids at the man sitting beside her. He had discarded his suit jacket and tie, and unbuttoned the collar to his crisp white shirt. He was so virile and masculine that she forced herself to glance away.
The memory of his kiss still lingered along the fringes of her mind. The initial joining of their mouths was shocking, unexpected. But everything had changed once she kissed him back with a hunger that had belied her outward calm. The caress of his lips and the solid crush of his body had sent spirals of desire through Renee that she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge, because Sheldon was her boss—a man who wore his masculinity like a badge of honor.
“Where are we going?” she asked after seeing a road sign indicating the number of miles to Staunton. The farm was in the opposite direction.
“Somewhere to celebrate.” Sheldon winked at Renee when she gave him a questioning look. “Do you like ice cream?”
The Blackstone Promise Page 3