by Lori Foster
“Did everyone know?”
“Not at first. She got over being mad and just started pleading with me to take her back. She fought the damn divorce tooth and nail. I tried to be considerate with her, but I was also in the middle of med school and I had my hands full. When she went into labor, she begged me to go the hospital with her.” He got quiet as he remembered that awful day, his guilt, his feelings of helplessness. His family had wanted to be supportive, but no one knew what to do. The entire town had watched the drama unfold, and it was painful.
“There was no one else,” he murmured, “and I couldn’t leave her there alone. So I went. And after they handed me Casey, Ashley told me she was putting him up for adoption.”
He shook his head, once again feeling the utter disbelief. After holding Casey for just a few short hours, he knew he wouldn’t let him go. It wasn’t the baby’s fault his mother had been discontent in her marriage, and while wonderful adoptions existed, he wouldn’t put it to the chance.
He pulled away from Honey and went to stare blindly at a photo of Casey as a toddler. In a hoarse tone, he admitted, “I signed the birth certificate, claiming him as my own, and dared her to fight me on it.” His throat felt tight, and he swallowed hard. “We’re not without influence here. My family has been a force since my father’s days, and Ashley knew in a battle she didn’t stand a chance. She hadn’t wanted Casey, and I damn sure did, so she reluctantly agreed. For awhile, she was bitter about it. I don’t know who all she complained to, but everyone around here knew the whole private story within days. They knew, but they didn’t dare say anything.”
Honey didn’t approach him this time. She kept her distance and spoke in a whisper. “Where’s his mother now?”
“I’m not sure. She got ostracized by the town, not because of me, because I swear I tried to make it easy on her. But she was bitter and that bitterness set everyone against her. She moved away, and last I heard, she’d remarried and moved to England. That was years ago. Casey knows the truth, and I’ve tried to help him understand her and her decisions. And my own.”
“You feel responsible.”
He turned to face her. “I can’t excuse myself from it, Honey. I played a big part in her actions. She resented my sense of obligation to others, and I resented her interference in my life. I like taking care of people, and I like being a doctor, yet that’s what drove her away. She wanted more of my time, and I didn’t want to give it to her, not if it meant taking away from my family and the community.”
“And you don’t ever want a wife to…interfere that way again?”
“I don’t want to run the risk of another scandal. I haven’t changed.”
Her smile was gentle as she crossed the floor and hugged herself up against him. “There’s no reason you should. You accept the influence of your name, but also the responsibility of it, like a liege lord, and you handle that responsibility well. If Ashley didn’t understand, it’s not your fault.”
“She was my wife.”
“She was also a grown woman who made her own terrible decisions. I can only imagine how you felt, with everyone knowing the truth, but I’m sure no one blames you.”
“I blame myself.”
She burrowed against him, her small body pressed tight to his own. Damn, but he wanted her.
All his life he’d been surrounded by family and neighbors and friends. That wouldn’t change, but he knew when Honey left, he’d feel alone. And for the first time in his life he felt vulnerable, a feeling he instinctively fought against.
He wrapped his fist in her hair and turned her face up for his kiss. She tried to dodge his mouth, wanting to talk, to instruct him on his sense of obligation, but he wouldn’t allow it. With a low growl, he held her closer and roughly took her mouth, pushing his tongue inside, stemming any protest she might make.
Just as she always did, Honey kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. Her hands clutched his shirt, and she went on her tiptoes to seal the space between them.
Sawyer groaned. He pulled his mouth free and kissed her throat, her chin. “I hate feeling like this,” he said, meaning the way his need for her consumed him beyond reason. There were so many other things to consider right now, and all he wanted to do was get inside her.
Honey pressed her fingers to his mouth, and though she smiled, her eyes looked damp. “You feel responsible for me, and you’re trying to do the right thing, because that’s who you are. You help people by giving. You take in strays, both people and animals.”
“The animals are Jordan’s.”
“But they’re accepted by you. By all of you. Your wife was a stray. I’m a stray.”
He grasped her arms and shook her slightly. “Dammit, Honey, I care about you.”
She gave a soft, sad chuckle. “You care about everyone, Sawyer. But I don’t want or need anyone to take care of me. This time, you aren’t responsible.”
“I wasn’t making comparisons, dammit.” His frustration level shot through the roof as he tried to find a balance for the feelings.
“I know.” Her hand cupped his jaw, her eyes filled with emotion. “I won’t lie and tell you I don’t want a family. I was willing to marry a despicable creep like Alden for it, and he couldn’t offer half what you do with your nosy, domineering brothers and your incredible son and your unshakable honor. But I have no intentions of clinging to a loveless relationship. I tried that with Alden, and look where it got me.” She smiled, then shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I decided I deserve to be loved. I deserve a family of my own, and a happily ever after. I would never settle for anything less now.”
Her words left him empty, made him want to protect her, to ask her to stay forever. But the one time he’d tried marriage it had been for all the wrong reasons. Now, he wanted Honey horribly, but he just didn’t know about love, not a romantic, everlasting love. All he knew for certain was the uncontrollable lust that drove him wild.
She looked up into his face, her eyes soft, her expression softer, then she sighed. “Don’t look so stern, Sawyer. You haven’t done anything wrong. You didn’t make me any false promises, and you didn’t take advantage of me.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “All you did was show me how men can and should be. And for that, more than anything, I thank you.”
She stepped away and drew a deep breath. “So, now that we’ve cleared that up, what do you say I make that phone call?”
He wanted to say to hell with it; he wanted to shake her for being so nonchalant about her own feelings.
Trying for a detachment he didn’t possess, he glanced at his watch. “Morgan should be home soon. Then we’ll call.”
From the open doorway, Morgan growled, “I’m home now.”
Sawyer looked up and saw his brother lounging there, arms crossed belligerently over his chest, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set. He looked like a thundercloud. How much had he heard? Obviously enough, given his extra-ferocious scowl.
First Gabe, and now Morgan. They didn’t approve of his methods, his urgency in getting the issue resolved. Despite what he’d told Gabe and Honey, Morgan had argued with him over the idea of contacting Alden. Morgan had called him an ass for denying that he cared. Sawyer had countered that he’d only known her for a little over two weeks, which had made Morgan snort in derision. You knew Ashley for a short lifetime, but that didn’t make the relationship any better. Truthful words that had been gnawing at him all day.
Sawyer abruptly headed for the doorway to call Gabe and Jordan in, determined to blot Morgan’s warning from his mind. Once the brothers were all collected, Sawyer noticed Honey wouldn’t quite meet his gaze. It was as if she’d shut him out, already removing herself from him. He hated it, but told himself it was for the best.
The brothers were setting up the extra phones in the room so they’d all be able to listen in the hopes of catching a clue. Casey had Honey’s collection of music pulled toward him, idly thumbing through CDs and tapes. Sawye
r doubted there’d be any dancing tonight, but he understood Casey’s need for a distraction.
Then Casey nudged Honey. “What’s this?”
Absently, she glanced down, frowning at a plain tape with the word Insurance written on it. “I don’t know.”
Sawyer, hoping to ease her tension, said, “We’ll be a few minutes yet if you want to check it out.”
Casey carried the tape to the stereo and put it in. With the very first words spoken on the tape, a crushing stillness settled over the room. Murmured conversations and quiet preparations ceased, as slowly, everyone stopped what they were doing to listen.
Her gaze glued to the stereo as if transfixed, Honey whispered, “Sawyer,” and he was by her side in an instant, taking her hand, as appalled as she.
The voices were unrecognizable to Sawyer, other than being male. But what they were discussing was painfully obvious: murder. And the fact that Honey knew the voices was easy to see by her horrified expression.
So you’ll do it?
It won’t be a problem. But we’ll need some good-faith money upfront.
I can give you half now, the rest after she marries me and her father is gone. But remember, you have to wait for my instructions. If you kill the old man before the legalities are taken care of, I won’t get a damn thing. Which means you won’t get a thing.
How long are we talking?
A week or two. It’s already in his will, but I want to make sure there won’t be any mix-ups.
Honey turned wounded eyes to Sawyer. “That’s Alden.”
Sawyer pulled her closer, but her face remained blank, white with hurt and disbelief. One by one, his brothers and Casey gathered around her until she was listening to the tape from behind a wall of protective men.
You just make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch. I don’t want to be wasting my time here.
I can handle the bride. Don’t worry about that.
What if she objects to her daddy being snuffed? Will the conditions of the will alter if she divorces you?
No, she’s completely clueless to my plans, so don’t worry about her. She won’t have any idea that I was behind it all. If anything, she’ll want me to comfort her.
There was some masculine chuckling over that, and one of the men mumbled, An added bonus, huh?
Sawyer shot to his feet, his fists clenched, the corners of his vision clouded by rage. “I’ll kill him.”
Morgan grabbed Sawyer’s shoulder. “Don’t be stupid.”
“Or so human,” Gabe added, staring at him in fascination. “It shocks me. You’re usually such a damn saint.”
Honey slowly stood and faced them all. “I…I have to call the police.”
Sawyer squeezed his eyes shut and tried to find his control. Gabe was right—he was acting out of character. He was the pacifist in the family, yet all he wanted to do was get Alden close enough to beat him to a pulp.
Morgan stepped around Sawyer. “Honey, I think you should still make that call.”
She blinked owlishly, as if coming out of a daze. Feeling grim, Sawyer nodded. “We need to find out who the hell he hired.”
Casey stood beside Honey, one arm around her waist. “He made the tape for insurance, just as it says, didn’t he? He couldn’t take the chance that the men he’d hired would go against him. Or maybe he planned to blackmail them later with it.”
Morgan shrugged. “Who the hell knows. The man’s obviously an idiot as well as a bastard.”
“But why were they after me?”
She looked so lost, everyone was quiet for a moment, trying to find a gentle way to explain it to her.
Sawyer cleared his throat, taking on the duty. “Honey, when you left Alden, you fouled up all the plans. Not only did you make it impossible for him to recoup the money through the marriage, but when you packed up, you evidently took his tape by mistake.”
“It…it was with my things. I just sort of shoved everything into a box. I was angry and not really paying attention.”
“Exactly. I don’t know why he would have hidden the tape among your things, but—”
“Oh, God, he didn’t.” She clutched at Sawyer, eyes wide. “When I pulled the stereo out, there was a tape shoved up against the wall behind it. Alden only has CDs so I assumed it wasn’t his, and I just threw it in with the others.”
“But now you have it, and it’s evidence not only against the men after you, but against Alden, too. I imagine he had to tell them about it, knowing you’d find it sooner or later and they’d all go to jail. They have to get you, to get the tape.”
Honey covered her mouth with a hand, then turned for the phone. “I need to call my father to make sure he’s okay. And my sister—”
She looked so panicked, Sawyer gently folded her close, despite her struggles, and held her. “Baby, listen to me. You spoke with Misty yesterday, remember? If anything had been wrong, she’d have told you.”
He felt her relax slightly, the rigidity seeping out of her spine. “Yes, of course you’re right.”
She drew a deep breath, and slowly, right before his eyes, Sawyer watched her pull herself together. She’d been given a terrible blow, but already her shoulders were squared, her expression settling into lines of determination. She stepped away from him. “Let’s get this over with. I want to talk to Alden, to find out what I can, and then we can have the police pick him up. The tape will be enough evidence, don’t you think?”
Morgan gave one hard nod. “Damn right, especially with the break-in at your sister’s and the way you’ve been chased. But with any luck, he’ll incriminate himself further on the phone, and we’ll all be witnesses. Don’t worry, Honey. It’s almost over with. I have friends with the state police who can handle everything.”
Sawyer didn’t want to let her go, didn’t want her to so much as speak to Alden, much less carry on a deceptive conversation, but she was adamant. When she turned her back and walked away from him, it was all he could do not to haul her back up to his side and tote her out of the room.
Honey took a seat by the phone, looking like a queen surrounded by her subjects, and she dialed Alden’s number. It took several rings for him to answer, and when he finally did, Honey closed her eyes. “Hello, Alden.”
There was a heavy pause. “Honey? Is that you?”
“Yes.”
Another pause, then, “Where the hell have you been?”
Honey started, but in the next instant she scowled and tightened her hand on the phone. Sawyer felt a swell of pride for her courage.
“Have you been looking for me?”
“You’re goddamned right, I’ve been looking for you. For God’s sake, Honey, I thought you were dead.”
* * *
HONEY STARED at the phone, her entire body trembling with rage. “Why would you think that, Alden? I left because I didn’t want to marry you. Didn’t you read my note?”
Her calm tone seemed to sink in to him. She heard him breathing heavily in an effort to control himself. “Yes, I read it. Where are you, Honey?”
She stared at her hands on the desk, not at the men who watched her so closely. “I’m afraid, Alden. Someone has been chasing after me.”
He muttered low, then said in sugary tones, “Have you spoken with anyone?”
“About what? Our breakup?”
“About…Dammit, never mind that. Where are you living now? I’ll come get you.”
“I’m not living anywhere.” In a calculated lie, she said, “I’ve been so afraid, just running from whoever is after me. I haven’t had a chance to unpack. My clothes were all left at my sister’s, but everything else is still in boxes in my trunk. I shouldn’t have left, Alden. My father doesn’t believe someone is after me, so I can’t go to him.”
“I know,” he answered in soothing tones. “He’s never been overly concerned for you. But I am, sweetheart. You know that. I wanted to marry you long before I learned about his will. If you want, we’ll make him change it. He can leave everything
to your sister. I don’t care about the money, I just want you back with me, safe and sound. Tell me where you are so I can come get you.”
“I don’t know….” She tried to put just the right amount of hesitation into her tone.
“Listen to me, damn you!” He made a sound of pain and cursed. “People are after you, and they’re dangerous. I know because they already put me in the hospital once. I spent almost a week there and I can tell you it wasn’t pleasant!”
Honey glanced at Sawyer and saw his dark eyes glint with satisfaction. She held no sympathy for Alden, either, but knowing they’d hurt him scared her spitless. She didn’t want the men anywhere near Sawyer or his family. “Why would anyone hurt you, Alden?”
“I don’t know. I think it might have something to do with a shady deal your father made to buy some inside corporate information.”
Honey raised her brows. That was an excellent lie, because it was one she would have believed. She made sounds of understanding, and Alden continued. “They won’t hesitate to do the same to you, Honey. Let me bring you home where I can protect you while we sort this all out.”
Sawyer covered the mouthpiece. “Tell him to meet you here tomorrow.” He handed her a piece of paper that Morgan had slipped to him. Honey stared down at the address, recognizing that the location was an area on the outskirts of Buckhorn. Numbly, she shook her head, knowing he planned to put himself in danger. “No.”
“No what?” Alden tried cajoling. “Listen to me, Honey. I know you feel betrayed. And I’m sorry. I really do care for you—”
“Let me think, Alden!”
Sawyer walked over to her and gripped her shoulder. He shoved the paper toward her again, then whispered low, “Trust us, Honey. Tell him.”