by Cat Schield
A pause. Megan’s throat tightened as she waited for what was to come next. When Will spoke again, his low voice was troubled.
“I can’t trust her feelings for me because I’m not sure she knows what she wants.”
Megan winced as she absorbed the blow. He was right to be wary. Her feelings for him were crystal clear one second and mired in doubt the next. And all through her tangled emotions ran the sharp bite of physical attraction that knocked her off balance.
“But you’re not going to back off,” Cora Lee continued.
“Not about doing what’s right for her. And that’s why I want her to stay here with me until Lowell is caught.”
From her hiding place, Megan nodded as the sensible part of her kicked in. If his family was actively counseling him to be wary of her, she might be running headlong into dangerous territory.
Yet even knowing that didn’t stop her from longing to snatch whatever time she could get with Will. No doubt the odds were against anything developing between them. With Rich Lowell still at large, the dangerous situation they were in could awaken false feelings of affection.
Was she really ready to risk her heart again? Megan placed her palm against the treacherous organ and figured she had two options here. She could keep second-guessing what the future held or she could make something happen. The latter seemed the more empowering and attractive alternative.
While she’d been thinking, Will and his stepmom had stopped speaking. This was her opportunity to get that cup of coffee she so desperately needed after a restless night. She stepped out of the hallway and into the kitchen.
To her relief, Will was alone. He grinned upon seeing her and an electric jolt sent her heart into overdrive.
“Good morning.” She gave him a bright smile. “I hope there’s a cup of coffee with my name on it.” While she advanced, he picked up the glass pot and poured dark liquid into a waiting cup.
“Do you need cream and sugar?”
“No, I like it black.”
He nodded. “How did you sleep?”
“Really well once I drifted off.” She inhaled the coffee fragrance before taking a sip. “Unfortunately that took me a while.”
“I stared at the ceiling for a long time, as well. It’s damn frustrating that Lowell is still on the loose after all this time. Especially with so many people looking for him.”
“He’s cagey.” Megan took another sip of the coffee, appreciating the bracing dark roast. “He wouldn’t have successfully impersonated you as long as he had if he wasn’t.”
“I never noticed that about him,” Will mused. “I’ve been thinking about him a lot since...and I realize how little I really knew him. I don’t know why I missed so much.” Will fell silent. His expression grew thoughtful. “Maybe we weren’t as tight as I believed. I completely missed whatever twisted thing caused him to hurt so many people. I should’ve seen it.”
Megan considered her own failings and shook her head, absolving him of blame. Still lost in thought, Will didn’t notice. She reached out, setting her hand on his arm, intending to offer comfort. His gaze flashed in her direction, emerald heat flickering to life.
“Can we not talk about Rich?” she asked, wanting instead to explore the attraction pulsing through her veins.
She longed for him to take the lead. To sweep aside her misgivings and kiss her like he’d perish in the next second without the taste of her lips. If he gave even the slightest indication that surrendering to desire was a good idea, she could follow his lead free of doubt.
At least for however long their passion remained hot.
“Sure.” Will studied her for a long moment, his inscrutable expression awakening butterflies in her stomach. “Are you hungry? I think we have some cereal or eggs.”
Megan shook her head. Lingering would only twist her confused emotions into tighter knots. She needed some time away from Will to ponder everything that had happened since last night.
“I’ll grab something at home,” she said.
“I spoke with Sheriff Battle this morning and there was no activity at your house last night, but he’s going to leave one of his deputies there until you leave for work just in case.”
“Thank you.” Megan hadn’t relished heading alone to her house. No matter what she’d claimed, she’d been spooked by Rich showing up last night and trying to make her go with him. “I guess I’d better get going.”
“Listen, before you do, I want to talk to you about staying on at the ranch until Lowell is caught. As I’ve mentioned before, I think you would be safer here and I know it would be peace of mind for me.”
Even though she’d expected the offer after listening in on his conversation with Cora Lee, hearing the words gave Megan a little thrill. She quickly tamped down the emotion and shook her head.
“I’ll be fine. I have a good security system and the police will give me back my gun in a couple days.”
Will made a face. “That doesn’t reassure me. Lowell has demonstrated that he wants you and I don’t think he’ll stop until he gets his way.”
“What makes you think he’s even still around?”
“Believe me, I know,” Will replied, his grave tone making Megan shiver. “And since it’s only a matter of time until the bastard is finally caught, you’d only have to stay here for a little while.”
“I’ll think about it.” But she already knew her answer needed to be no.
If she moved to the ranch, the temptation to jump into bed with Will would be too much. How could she ensure that she’d make sensible decisions about him with her hormones raging out of control whenever they were in close proximity? She wanted trust and emotional intimacy. Sex wasn’t necessarily a conduit to those things.
Will nodded but looked unhappy to be put off.
Deciding it was time to go, Megan fetched her purse, and he walked her out to her car. She unlocked and opened the door, but before she could slide in, Will caught her elbow.
Her breath caught as his gaze flickered to her lips and held there for a heartbeat. She was on the verge of tilting her head in expectation of his kiss when he met her gaze.
“Call me when you get to work.” His firm tone brooked no argument. “I need to know you got there safe.”
“I’ll be fine.” Megan sighed in exasperation but saw he wasn’t going to be put off. Before reason could prevent her, she set her palm against his cheek. Her thumb played over the rough stubble on his chin. “Okay, I’ll call you.”
And then he was stepping back with a satisfied nod, his features inscrutable. Megan got into her car, feeling slightly lightheaded at her boldness. Had he interpreted the gesture as mere fondness or could he read the yearning in her to connect with him?
With a quick smile and a friendly wave, Megan put her car in gear. Forty minutes later she pulled into the parking lot where she’d encountered Rich the night before. Her phone rang as she searched for an open space.
“Just checking to make sure you arrived at work okay,” Will said.
“I’m parking even as we speak.” Megan noticed she was grinning. Honestly, even talking on the phone with the man sent her emotions into overdrive.
“Did everything go okay at your house?”
“All was quiet and it didn’t appear as if Rich had been there looking for me.”
After Will’s surprise appearance at his own funeral and Megan’s discovery that the man she’d married was an imposter, she’d had all the locks changed on the house and her security system updated. Up until now, those measures had allowed her to feel safe in her home although sometimes the isolation led to her feeling much like a prisoner. And in a crazy way, she was a captive of circumstances.
“I’m sure he wasn’t looking to take you on twice in one night,” Will said.
Megan basked in the approval she heard in his voice. “Or he knew I�
�d go straight to the sheriff and that they’d have deputies looking out for me.”
Or had he not bothered to head to her house because he’d known she’d stayed with Will? It wouldn’t be the first time she’d wondered if Rich was keeping tabs on her. While they’d been married he’d been possessive of her time and attention, subtly cutting her off from family and friends until the two of them existed in their own little world.
“Given any more thought to my offer?” Will asked.
“A little.”
Despite the September sun blazing down on the fifty or so cars lined up in neat rows around her, Megan noted a pang of anxiety as she parked her car in the first open spot she came to.
“And?”
“Honestly, I’m fine.”
Automatically, she made a swift check of her mirrors as she shut off the car, refusing to be caught off guard again. All was quiet as she stepped out of the sassy red Porsche and strode toward her building.
“What if I tell you that I’m feeling the need for a bodyguard and I could use your services?”
“I’m hanging up now.”
Her phone started ringing again as she neared the front sidewalk. She ignored a stab of disappointment as she glanced at the screen and spied Aaron’s face.
“Hi,” she said as she neared the building. “What’s up?”
The glass door, emblazoned with the logo for Royals Shoes, reflected a smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a gray-tweed business suit and electric royal blue pumps embellished with silver vines. Business on top, party on her feet.
“Are you kidding me?” Her brother’s characteristic control didn’t seem in evidence this morning. “Lowell attacked you at work last night and you didn’t call me?”
Megan stopped dead in her tracks. She didn’t want to have this conversation in front of all her employees as she walked the halls on the way to her office.
“I reported it to the sheriff’s department,” she explained. “How did you find out?”
“Will called me.”
Megan ground her teeth together. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
“He’s worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted.
“He said he wants you to stay with him until Lowell is caught.”
“Oh, he did?” Megan blew out a breath in frustration. “And did he also mention that I said I’d be fine?”
“You were attacked last night.”
“And I got away. Did Will also mention that I shot Rich?”
“Yes.” Aaron growled. “When did you get a gun?”
“A few weeks ago. And if you recall, Daddy taught me to shoot. In fact, I was more accurate than either you or Jason.”
“That was target shooting,” Aaron reminded her. “Not shooting at a live person who is trying to attack you.”
“And yet that’s what I did last night.” Megan pushed through the front door. “Look, I don’t have time to argue this with you now. I’ll talk to you later.” And with a great deal of satisfaction, she hung up on her older brother.
Yet as she marched into her shoe company, some of Will’s and Aaron’s concerns began to undermine her confidence. Was she risking her safety because she was afraid of her growing feelings for Will?
Unbidden, the memory of the previous night’s kiss rose in her mind. At least she’d been able to play it cool afterward. Still, he’d filled her thoughts for hours as she’d tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bed, longing to hear a knock on the closed door, or better yet, the turn of the doorknob followed by the quiet pad of his bare feet across the rug toward her.
Not that Will would ever sneak up on her like that. He understood all too well what she’d been through these last few months and would recognize she’d be opposed to any and all surprises.
Megan settled into her office chair and booted up her computer. It was only nine in the morning and yet fifty emails awaited her attention. She had no time to debate whether she would stay at her house and possibly endanger her safety or move to Will’s ranch and put her heart in peril.
She’d worked her way through a dozen communications, either tabling or answering each email, before opening one that stopped her breath. It was a photo of her and imposter Will on their wedding day. She looked impossibly happy as she stared up at her new husband. Megan’s throat ached as she stared at the photo and remembered that day.
There was no caption or message with the photo. Only a subject line.
I’m not giving up.
Megan picked up her cell phone and opened the messaging app. She sent a single line of text.
You’re right. I’m safer with you.
Five
The sun was starting to slide toward the horizon when Will strode into the living room where Megan was watching a documentary about wild horses in France. They’d finished dinner a short time earlier and Will was feeling restless. It was the second night Megan would stay at the ranch and he hadn’t yet settled into a routine with her.
If Lucy and Brody had been around, he might have gone to his office to catch up on paperwork or joined them to watch a little television. They’d all lived together for years and enjoyed a comfortable coexistence. With Megan, however, he couldn’t decide if he was supposed to leave her alone or entertain her.
“What are you working on?” he asked, joining her on the couch.
She sat cross-legged on the soft cushions with a large sketch pad on her lap and several colored pencils nearby. When he leaned over to take a better look, their shoulders brushed.
Tonight she was wearing the same navy slacks and white blouse she’d donned to go to work that morning. The neckline gaped on the silky top as her hand drew lines on the paper, offering Will a peek at the upper curve of her luscious breasts. He felt like a lecherous jerk as his gaze traced the lacy edge of her white bra, but it was hard enough to keep his hands off her much less his eyes.
“Some sketches for next year’s fall line,” she explained, tipping the sketch pad his way so he could see what she’d done.
Although he had no idea if the designs were any good, her artwork demonstrated that she knew what she was doing.
“I didn’t realize you were an artist as well as a businesswoman.”
“Shoes have been my passion for a long time.”
Will took the sketch pad and went through several pages. “These are quite good.”
She regarded him with a trace of mockery. “I didn’t realize you knew so much about women’s shoes.”
“I don’t. I was talking about your artistic ability.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip and played with the pencil in her hand. “Well, thank you. I really enjoy this side of the business. And mostly these are just ideas. I have actual designers that take my concepts and turn them into gorgeous finished products.”
“What does this mean?” He pointed to the word gold that she’d written and then drawn arrows toward the heels.
“Each season I try to have a theme. I’ve decided that all styles for next year’s fall line will have gold accents. Either filigree embellishments or vines or snakes twisting up the heels. I’m envisioning it as my gold line.”
“I’m sure it’ll be very successful.” Will handed back the sketch pad. “Feel like doing something a little different tonight?”
“What did you have in mind?”
Megan’s eyebrows were raised in curiosity, but it was the enticing slant of her lips that had Will rethinking his proposition.
He had to clear his throat before he could answer. “I thought we might go for a ride. I know a great place to watch the sunset.”
“I haven’t been on a horse in years,” Megan said. In a blink the smoky expression in her eyes vanished, leaving them sparkling with delight. “Sounds like fun.”
Feeling glum, like he’d missed a prime op
portunity for something wonderful, he said, “Go get your jeans and boots on.”
Fifteen minutes later they were headed up a small rise to a place Will had often gone as a kid. Although he had grown up on the ranch and lived there now, he actually didn’t own it. When his father had died, he’d made it clear he wanted Will’s stepbrother, Jesse, to take over the ranch and for Will to run the energy company.
“From the start I think my dad recognized that Jesse had the passion for the ranch that I lacked,” Will explained, answering Megan’s question why Roy Sanders had divided the family holdings the way he had.
“But Jesse is your stepbrother and not related to you by blood,” Megan said. “Did it ever bother you that your dad left him one of the largest spreads in Royal?”
“Never. One thing about my dad, he never considered Jesse or Lucy as his stepkids. He treated them like his own.”
Megan was regarding him with a certain measure of awe. “How is it that you can be so fair when there’s so much money at stake?”
It wasn’t the first time Will had faced questions regarding his opinion on how his dad had doled out his fortune.
“It’s only money,” he said. “Why should I expect to inherit everything when Spark Energy Solutions is all I need? Besides, by focusing all my attention on the business, I can turn it into a corporation the likes of which my father never dreamed possible.”
“I don’t know a whole lot of people that would agree with you. It seems like most would have a problem sharing such a huge fortune with stepsiblings. You’re pretty amazing.”
Will shook his head. “I was young when Cora Lee married my dad. Jesse and Lucy are a part of my earliest memories. As far as I ever knew, Cora Lee was my mom. Jesse and Lucy were my brother and sister. When my dad died, Jesse stepped right in and did a pretty good job filling Dad’s shoes.”
“You lost both your biological parents so young.” Megan’s expression grew sorrowful. “That’s really tough. And yet you turned out to be this great guy with no issues.”