Living With Lies Trilogy (Books 1, 2, and 3 of The Dancing Moon Ranch Series)

by Watters, Patricia

  "So, what made you decide to go ahead?" Sam asked.

  Brad shrugged. "I took a chance because I love her. I've never regretted it, and never looked back, but I'm not suggesting you do the same."

  "Yeah, I didn't think so," Sam said. "If you were, you'd be the only one around here."

  "You said Jayne hasn't been with anyone in eleven years," Brad commented. "Why not?"

  "I don't know, I didn't ask, and she didn't volunteer," Sam replied, "although, something happened, something she doesn't want to talk about."

  "Do you think she was raped?"

  Sam shook his head. "She likes being intimate... definitely no hang-up there."

  "How old is she?"

  "Twenty-nine."

  "Then she was eighteen the last time she had sex, and maybe it was the first time too. First love, dumped. Maybe had sex with someone and he was killed. Maybe married. Who knows? Kids are vulnerable at that age. Why don't you just ask?"

  "I will at some point," Sam said. "A baby was involved somehow."

  "How do you know?"

  Sam filled Brad in on the incident with Jayne and the baby. "She claimed she was upset because her biological clock was running out, but she's only twenty-nine, so I'm not buying it."

  "Well, you'd better find out if you're thinking about marrying her," Brad said. "You don't want to end up with a woman who has some kind of a sexual hang-up that might come back to haunt her, and you too. I know about post-traumatic stress. She could have experienced something so traumatic she's kept it buried because it's too hard to face, like losing a child. But if she had one, she'd have stretch marks. Did you see any when you were with her?"

  Sam tried to visualize Jayne as she'd been at the spring, and all he could remember was how she'd looked at him, like she wanted him in a way Susan never had. He shook his head.

  "When will you be with her again?" Brad asked.

  "Tonight," Sam replied. "We're meeting at the cabin, but we won't have the lights on. We don't want anyone to know we'll be there, for obvious reasons."

  Brows drawn in consideration, Brad said, "Justine's never had kids so I don't know much about a woman's anatomy after giving birth. Maybe the vaginal opening's wider, or maybe you could feel stretch marks on her stomach. Do a little exploring."

  "Or maybe I could do like you said and ask," Sam said. "But if it is about her biological clock ticking and wanting a child, I can't do a thing about it."

  "You can adopt," Brad said. "Justine adopted Sophie and you'd never know she wasn't Sophie's biological mother. The two are closer to each other than Sophie is with me. Justine's the model mother and wife. I'm a lucky man. So, do I get to meet her?"

  "Yeah, I suppose." Sam caught Jayne's eye when she looked their way, and motioned for her come over. Grace left the women and went out the back door, and Jayne and Justine walked over to join them. Justine kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch, then tucked her long legs beneath her and leaned against Brad, resting her hand on his thigh. Brad put his arm around her and gave her a little kiss on the forehead, and said, "How are you doing, honey?"

  "Fine. Ricky and Sophie went to the barn to play doctor." Justine gave Brad a wry smile. "And yes, Ricky had his black bag, and his stethoscope was around his neck. They're going to check the heart rates of the barn cats."

  "This is the last visit they'll be playing doctor," Brad groused, "unless you intend to play nurse and go along with them."

  Justine looked at Jayne and winked. "Heaven help our daughter if she ever has a boyfriend." Then she kissed Brad on the cheek and said, "I love you sweetheart, as impossible as you are at times, where Sophie's concerned."

  Sam dragged a chair over and patted the seat. After Jayne settled beside him, Brad said to her, "So Jayne, Sam tells me you have this place running right."

  Jayne laughed, and replied, "It just took a touch of organizational skills."

  "Honey, you're being modest," Sam said, laying out his position with Jayne, catching Justine's look of surprise when he did. He glanced at Brad, and added, "After setting up a website for the ranch, Jayne set in place a week-long-stay plan, and within two weeks had trails put in and Indian mound flyers for self-guided hikes, and now the place is filling with guests. This will be our best season in years." He reached over and took Jayne's hand and gave it a squeeze and added, "Yeah, she's a remarkable woman."

  Jayne withdrew her hand from his and said to Brad and Justine, "Many guest ranches operate on a weekly basis. Sam just needed to be convinced."

  She smiled at him, and Sam felt his heart give a huge ka-thump. He glanced at his watch and mumbled under his breath, "Three hours."

  He hadn't realized he'd said it aloud until Brad said, "Three hours until what?"

  Sam looked at Brad with a start, then at Jayne, whose face was flushed, and said, "Until... umm... Jayne's done with the guests for the day." When he looked at Justine and Brad, there was no question, they understood. He shrugged, deciding it was pointless to try and fool these two, especially since Brad already knew what was going on, and said, "Jayne and I will have about an hour tonight if we're lucky, right honey?" he glanced at Jayne for confirmation.

  She nodded. "I suppose, if there aren't any emergencies."

  "Sam never mentioned where you're from," Brad said. "Did you grow up in Oregon?"

  Jayne stared at Brad, unblinking, as if searching for an answer. Then her lips twitched into a nervous smile, and she said, "East Portland. The Hawthorn area."

  "Are your folks still there?" Brad asked.

  "Well, yes," Jayne replied, though somewhat hesitantly.

  Sam eyed her curiously. She looked troubled. He glanced around to see if there was someone in the room who could make her feel anxious, maybe Ricky, but saw no one.

  "What do your parents do?" Brad asked.

  Again, Sam watched her, and waited, wondering why she didn't answer. It was an ordinary question. "Honey, is everything all right?" he asked, when she seemed at a loss for words.

  Her eyes shifted nervously, and she replied, "I get kind of rummy when I'm tired." She looked at Brad then. "You were asking about my father. He's in insurance."

  "That's interesting," Brad said. "So is mine. Which company?"

  "He's, umm, retired now," Jayne said. "He and my mother are traveling around the country." She glanced at her watch and stood. "I have to go."

  But before she could leave, Sam took her arm, and said, "Before you rush off, we are still meeting at nine, aren't we?"

  Jayne nodded vaguely then left in haste.

  And Sam made a decision to get some answers tonight. He wouldn't dig into things like babies and past relationships. He'd stick to basics. Where exactly did her parents live? What exactly did they do? Where were they traveling to? It was clear that Jayne was even avoiding answering the most basic questions, and there seemed no logical reason why.

  But tonight, he intended to get answers to at least those simple questions.

  ***

  Through the front window of the lodge, Jayne looked out at the winery. The cedar siding was complete, and the workmen were hammering away at the last of the trim around the windows. Other workmen were inside finishing the interior. Sam was among them. She hadn't talked to him since the afternoon before, when Brad started asking questions. Because she'd been evasive, she knew Sam would have pressed her for answers to what seemed like innocent questions, but questions she couldn't answer because she had no idea where her parents were. She'd gone by their house a couple of years back to watch from a distance, as she'd done in the years prior, only to find strangers living there. When she'd asked where the former residents had moved, the people claimed they didn't know. So she'd been avoiding Sam all morning.

  She had no idea how long he must have waited at the cabin, but she wasn't ready for the barrage of questions she knew he'd expect her to answer. She'd concocted some simple answers now, but she felt uncomfortable lying to him, or even telling him half-truths. She wanted to tell him everything
. It had been gnawing at her. Until meeting him she'd managed to put the past behind because it didn't matter, but Sam loved her and wanted to marry her, and the idea of becoming Mrs. Sam Hansen and living with Sam at the ranch had taken root. But what she had to tell Sam could not be told in a few minutes. She'd need time alone with him, and not in a place like the cabin where they'd both be distracted.

  "Miss Hamilton," a small voice came from the hallway outside the office. Jayne looked up to find a little blond-headed girl, with big blue eyes, standing in the doorway. She'd seen the little girl with her parents earlier and knew she was Sophie Meecham, Brad and Justine's daughter.

  "Hi, honey," she said. "You're ready for the hike, aren't you?"

  Sophie nodded. "All the kids are waiting. They sent me to find you."

  "Then we'd better go." Jayne grabbed the handouts she'd made for the children, and she and Sophie left the lodge and went to join the kids. The trail they'd be following crossed the creek by a footbridge and made a nice leisurely loop through the woods on the opposite side of the creek and back to the lodge, about a twenty minute hike, which would extend some with stops along the way to search for mushroom fairy rings, and iridescent beetles, and a salamander if they were lucky, and to identify plants growing on the forest floor beside the trail.

  On arriving at the bridge where the kids were waiting, Jayne noted that one child was missing. "Where's Ricky?" she asked Sophie.

  Sophie shrugged. "He said he wasn't coming."

  "That's too bad," Jayne said. "Each of you will be given a list of things to collect along the way, and when we get back, whoever has found at least six items on the list will get a chocolate egg. I know Ricky likes chocolate. Maybe you'd like to find him and see if he might change his mind. We can wait a few minutes for him."

  Sophie turned and headed straight for the winery, and a few minutes later, returned with Ricky, and Sam trailing behind. Jayne wasn't ready to explain things to Sam, but she had no choice. But to bide a little time, she made a point of being within the circle of children when Sam approached. Focusing on the kids, she said, "This is a list of things to look for as we hike." She passed out sheets of paper with drawings of plants and fir cones, and a check list for bugs and a salamander. "And you can put what you find in these bags, as long as it doesn't crawl." She gave each child a small bag with a short pencil inside. "There are twenty items on the list. Anyone who finds six gets a chocolate egg."

  While the children were studying their lists, Sam walked up to Jayne, and said, in a voice that held a distinct edge of impatience, "We need to talk."

  "This is a bad time," Jayne replied, then turned from him to focus on the children, as if she had no choice but to be closely involved with them at this particular time.

  "It won't take long. We can either talk here, or I'll come with you on the trail, or we can go over by the bird feeders now and talk there. Take your pick," Sam said, getting his point across.

  Jayne looked at the gathering of kids, who were waiting to leave on the hike, and said to Sam, "Okay, but I have to say something to the kids first. This is really a very bad time."

  When Sam made no move to let her go without hearing what he had to say, Jayne turned to the kids, and said, "I'll just be a minute. Study the pictures on the paper and read what's written about everything." She headed for the bird feeders. When they were out of hearing range of the kids, she turned to face Sam, who started right in. "I waited for over an hour last night. I suppose you have a reason for not showing up?"

  "Yes," Jayne replied. "I had to print out the lists for the nature walk."

  "You had those printed two days ago. I saw them," Sam said. "Next excuse."

  "I was tired?" Jayne offered, knowing that was a very lame excuse.

  "You were in your office until ten," Sam said. "The only reason I didn't come in was because I thought you were tied up with guests."

  "I've had time to think about what happened at the spring and how wrong I was to set aside my ring on the finger rule before sex, and that's what you had planned," she said, giving him a partial truth. "You were even counting the hours. I'm sorry if I left you frustrated, but if we start meeting in the cabin we'll eventually get caught and I already feel like the ranch tramp."

  "Oh man, I'm sorry, honey. I didn't think of that," Sam said, and looked at her with total remorse, as if he hadn't even considered it, which made Jayne feel guilty for making him feel that way when it had nothing to do with the real reason she didn't meet him at the cabin.

  "It's okay," she replied, and tried to sound sincere.

  "No, it's not okay," Sam said. "And you're right. I've been acting like all I want is to get you in bed and you know that's not true. Well it is, but, you know what I mean."

  "Yes, I do know," Jayne said, in all honesty.

  "Then let's do things right," Sam said, "Ricky will be with Susan this weekend, and I know a quiet little French restaurant in town that's off the main drag. At least we can talk there without anyone seeing us, and without me attacking you. When I'm alone with you it's hard not to."

  Jayne smiled. "I'd like that. Meanwhile, I need to get back to the kids, and you need to get back to the winery."

  Sam started to reach for her, then dropped his arm, and said, "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now."

  "Maybe I do," Jayne replied.

  Sam touched her face, then turned and left.

  As Jayne watched him walk off, for the first time since they'd met she was ready to come clean. Sam deserved the truth. Having dinner at a quiet little restaurant would set the stage, and once back at the ranch they'd go to his house, where she'd tell him the whole hideous truth. And she was ready to accept whatever decision he'd make when she was finished.

  CHAPTER 7

  As Sam was on his way from his house to the lodge, he caught sight of Jack in his peripheral vision. He wasn't in the mood to placate his twin about anything, but from the determined way Jack was closing the gap between them, he knew he had something to say and intended to say it now. Still, he lengthened his strides, hoping Jack would get the idea that now wasn't the time to hash things out, and go back to whatever he'd been doing.

  "Where are you going?" Jack asked, while falling into step beside him.

  "Obviously to the lodge," Sam clipped, "not that it's any of your business."

  "Look, I'm sorry about the things I said about Jayne," Jack said, surprising the hell out of Sam. Jack wasn't one to offer apologies unless he was certain he was wrong about something, and even then, he didn't do it too readily. "She seems to be working out fine."

  "She's more than working out fine," Sam said. "She's got this place running again because she's smart and competent. Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

  "No," Jack said, "I was wondering what the status was with the two of you."

  "Why?" Sam stepped up his pace.

  Jack matched his strides. "Look, I said I was sorry. I misjudged her, okay?"

  "Maybe, maybe not," Sam said, not in the mood for Jack's company at the moment. Sometimes the man could irritate the hell out of him. Just because Jack had the perfect life now, he thought he could run everyone else's. "Did it ever occur to you that I might be able to decide on my own who to make my life with?"

  "Yeah, it occurred to me," Jack said. "You taking her out tonight?"

  "No, I just dress like this to go to the feed store," Sam said, with irony, then regretted it. Jack was actually being reasonable, and maybe it was time to clue him in on what was happening. Jayne had more than proved herself up to the job, and Jack was no longer pressing for a background check. "Sorry," he said. "Yeah, I'm taking her out to dinner. We started everything out backwards with what happened at the spring. That wasn't either of us. Now we're going to take it slow. She wants a ring on her finger before sex, so that's what I plan to give her."

  "Wait a minute," Jack said, clamping a hand on Sam's arm to stop him. "You're not planning to give her a ring tonight are you? That would be ins
ane."

  "Yeah, well maybe I am insane right now," Sam said, "but I want her for my wife."

  "Hell, Sam. We're back to square one," Jack said, his hand still firm on Sam's arm. "You just told me you were going to take things slow. Or is it that you just want a ring on her finger so you can have sex with her again?"

  Sam shook off Jack's arm and glared at him. "You still don't get it, do you?"

  "Yeah, I get it," Jack said. "You're doing what I did with Lauren. You've got the hots for a woman, and you've got that thing in your pants running your life right now."

  Sam didn't know when he'd clenched his fist or thrown the punch, but Jack managed to duck it, sending Sam lurching forward and stumbling. Jack had always been the faster of the two, which also aggravated the hell out of him. "I'm sorry I missed," he said. "Next time I won't. And don't ever compare Jayne to Lauren or Susan again. Either wish me well with her or stay the hell out of my life." He stepped up his pace, and Jack didn't follow.

  When he entered the lodge, he found Jayne standing at the check-in desk. She was wearing a sun-back dress in patterns of turquoise and brown, and with her hair its usual disarray of black waves framing her face, he was sure there wasn't a woman alive who could match her in beauty, or her brains, and she was his woman… would one day be his wife. He looked around, and seeing no one, pulled her into his arms and kissed her the way he'd been fantasizing for days, and she returned the kiss with an urgency that continued to surprise him.

  "Honey, you look beautiful," he said, wondering if there was any way he could possibly love a woman more. But he wouldn't keep reminding her of that. She wanted to take things slow, and he would, after he gave her the ring. Images of having her in his home, and in his bed, and making love as husband and wife had been dominating his thoughts.

  Thirty minutes later, in a quiet corner of Chez Maurice, Sam sat across from Jayne at a table small enough that he could comfortably hold her hand. They'd already decided what they wanted, but no one had come to take the order, but as Sam gazed across the flickering flame of the candle in the center of the table, while Jayne talked about listing the ranch on websites as a way to generate business, he glanced beyond her, and stared in shocked surprise.