The oversize stone flashed with light buried in its depths, but when Rick leaned in to kiss her, she saw real stars and felt her life click perfectly into place.
That lasted about an hour.
Which was when the big argument started.
Sadie was showing Abby her ring when Brad stormed up to them.
“Are you serious?” he demanded, ignoring his sister to focus on the redhead glaring at him. “I heard you were actually thinking about running for president of the club. It’s a joke, right?”
Whoever was in charge of the stereo shut it off and the abrupt absence of music was startling enough to have everyone in the room turning to watch what would happen next.
With Rick at her side, Sadie spoke softly. “Brad, maybe now isn’t the time…”
“You stay out of this,” her brother snapped.
“Hey now!” Rick warned, stepping in between Sadie and her brother. “You want to watch how you talk to my fiancée.”
“Fiancée?”
More excited whispers raced through the crowd and Sadie rolled her eyes. Trust her brother to speak up and spoil her having the chance to make her own announcement.
“You’re getting married?”
“Since when?” her father demanded as he came up to join the fracas.
“Since about an hour ago,” Sadie told him proudly and waved her ring in her father’s face.
“It’s about time,” Robert said, fixing Rick with a disapproving stare.
“This isn’t about Sadie,” Brad said, his voice rising to carry over the crowd’s murmuring. “This is about Abby Langley and just what she thinks she’s up to.”
“I don’t owe you an explanation for anything, Bradford Price,” Abby told him.
“I want a damn answer,” Brad ground out as a few of the older club members drifted up to stand behind his father.
Abby went toe-to-toe with him, tipped her head back and speared him with a glare. “I was going to wait until next week to say this, but you want an answer now? Fine. It’s not a joke. I am running.” Then she raised her voice to match his so that everyone present would hear her. “I’m officially declaring myself a candidate for president of the TCC. Anyone besides Brad have a problem with that?”
Instantly, the crowd was electrified and divided into two separate camps. Snatches of comments rose up into the air.
“Good for her!”
“A woman running the club?”
“That Abby was always a troublemaker.”
At that comment, Abby and Sadie both turned to fire off angry glances at the speaker. The older man who had spoken a bit too loudly slunk back into the crowd.
“He’s just saying what everyone’s thinking,” Brad told her.
“Is that right? Well, maybe it’s time for a troublemaker. At least then,” Abby countered, “every meeting won’t be so boring the members fall asleep half way through.”
“This is what’s wrong with women being admitted to the club as members,” Brad declared and several of the men nodded. “Change for change’s sake is stupid. You want to ditch tradition in favor of progress and I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but nobody agrees with you.”
“I do,” Sadie announced.
He brushed her comment away with the wave of a hand. “No one asked you what you thought, Sadie.”
“Maybe you should have, Bradford Price. Instead, you’re behaving like a spoiled child,” Sadie snapped, pushing past Rick to face her brother. “If this is how you behave, then you shouldn’t be the president!”
“Sadie!” Robert Price’s horrified gasp carried over the crowd.
Sadie knew she’d stepped in it now, siding with an outsider against a member of her own family—in public no less. But Brad was wrong. Why shouldn’t she call him on it?
“Sadie’s right,” Rick said. “You’re being a jackass, man. This isn’t the way to handle things. You don’t want her to be president? Then win the election.”
She looked up at her marine and grinned. It felt wonderful to have his support. To know that he would always be by her side. When he looked down at her, she whispered, “My hero.”
“My pleasure,” he assured her.
“Oh, for God’s sake.” Brad looked disgusted with all of them. His gaze snapped from Rick to Sadie and, finally, to Abby. “I plan to win. Lady, get used to the idea of losing.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” Abby said with a sneer.
“You want war, Abby? You got it,” Brad said.
Bradford Price was still furious days after the Founder’s Day dance. Abby Langley had become the proverbial thorn in his side and he hadn’t yet found the way to dig her out. Still, to be fair, it wasn’t just Abby getting under his skin. He was on edge all the damn time now. Getting anonymous, vaguely threatening letters in the mail was enough to make any man uneasy.
Which was why he was here at the TCC today. He’d decided to be proactive in figuring out who it was that was harassing him. From the corner of his eye, he caught movement and glance up in time to see Rick Pruitt leaving the club dining room. Briefly, Brad wondered if the man was the right one for his sister. But a second later, he reminded himself that that particular problem wasn’t what concerned him today.
He looked at the two men at the table with him. Mitch Taylor he’d known most of his life. The interim president of the TCC, Mitch was a star in Texas football, home now recuperating from an injury. Mitch’s cool brown eyes met Brad’s and he nodded. Mitch already knew about the letters and had suggested he use the club lounge for this meeting with the man Brad hoped would solve the issue.
Zeke Travers was new in town, but he was Darius Franklin’s new partner in his security firm. So that was a hell of a recommendation as far as Brad was concerned. If Darius trusted the man, Brad knew he could, too.
Zeke’s head was shaved, and his brown eyes were sharp as he watched Brad, waiting. His white shirt accented his dark skin and his black slacks had a crease sharp enough to draw blood. He was all business and Brad could appreciate that.
“Look,” he said, lowering his voice as he braced his forearms on the table. “Mitch knows why I asked you to meet me here, Zeke. I’ve got a situation.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ve been getting letters.” He dipped one hand into his jacket pocket and drew out a single sheet of paper. Sliding it across the table, he waited as Zeke picked it up and read it.
It didn’t take long. The letters were short. Always the same.
Your secret will be revealed.
Zeke’s eyes narrowed as he folded the letter again. “Can I hang on to this?”
“Sure.”
“How many have you been getting?”
“One a day for weeks now,” Brad admitted, shoving one hand through his hair. “I’ll admit it’s starting to get to me.”
Zeke nodded. “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. You want me to look into this for you?”
“That’s why we’re here,” Mitch said, speaking up for the first time. “Darius is a friend of ours and he trusts you.”
Zeke smiled briefly and gave a quick nod to Mitch. “He does. So can you.”
Brad nodded.
“I’ll see what I can do with this,” Zeke told him. “I’ll get the guys in the lab to go over it. See what they can find out.”
Brad released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. It was good to have someone on his side in this. “Appreciate it,” he said.
Zeke held out his hand and Brad shook it. “Don’t get your hopes up, though. This letter’s been handled so much, it’s doubtful we’ll get much information on it.”
When Brad solemnly nodded, Zeke added, “But it’s a start.”
Standing up, he said simply, “I’ll be in touch.”
He left and Brad thought that with Zeke Travers in his corner, he could breathe a little easier.
Royal was taking sides.
Taking the twins shopping on Main Street, Sadie was stopped a half a
dozen times by women who were absolutely furious with their husbands. All of the women wanted to talk about Abby running for president of the TCC and were thinking of ways they could help get her elected.
The men were up in arms, too. Her own father was hardly speaking to her and she hadn’t seen Brad since the night of the dance, three days ago.
But she didn’t mind that too much. With her engagement ring on her finger and a smile on her face, she was much more interested in spending every moment she could with Rick before he had to go back to base.
Just thinking about living two months without him was depressing. But once that was done, he’d be home to stay and she’d finally have the kind of marriage and family she’d always wanted.
Sarabeth Allen came bustling out of her flower shop when she spotted Sadie through the window. “Sadie, honey,” she crooned, leaning in for a hard hug. “How you doing?”
“I’m fine, Sarabeth,” she said, a little confused.
“Good for you, honey,” Sarabeth said as she gave a passing woman a hard look. “You pay no attention to wagging tongues, you hear me? Some of these old biddies have nothing better to do than spread rumors.”
A small twist of worry tugged at the pit of her stomach. “Thanks, Sarabeth. I’ll remember.”
“See you do,” she said, then pulled a hankie from the sleeve of her shirt and wiped her eyes as she looked down at the smiling twins. She muttered, “Poor little mites,” just before turning and heading back into her shop.
“What in the world?” Sadie shook her head and continued to the diner. She pushed open the front door and stepped into the blissful cool. She was already late for lunch with Abby. The hazards of having to get three people ready before going anywhere.
The women at the booth closest to her dropped their gazes and lowered their voices. That twist of worry tugged a little sharper. But Sadie was determined to not let anything spoil her happiness.
She felt everyone watching her as she walked down the narrow aisle between the red leather booths and the spinning stools at the counter.
“Poor thing,” someone whispered a little too loudly.
“He’s a no-account,” another voice added. “Just like her last man.”
Sadie’s stomach started spinning.
“Those poor children…”
In the stroller, Wendy and Gail were babbling to each other and slapping their toys against the stroller tray.
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Such pretty girls, too…”
A little irritated as well as worried, Sadie slid onto the bench seat opposite her friend with relief. She threw a wary glance back over her shoulder, then leaned forward and asked, “What’s going on, Abby? What’s everyone talking about?”
Abby scowled at the people in the diner and shook her head. “Sweetie, it’s just the Royal gossips picking up a juicy tidbit to chew on.”
“About me?” she asked, handing a soda cracker each to the twins to keep them happy.
“In a roundabout way,” Abby said on a sigh. “Sadie, it’s all over town, so you have to know. Someone claims to have seen Rick in Midland a couple days before the dance. Having what looked like a cozy lunch with a beautiful brunette.”
Sadie felt a hard punch to the center of her chest. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. “No. I don’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head.
Abby sighed heavily. “I wouldn’t, either. Rick just doesn’t strike me as the cheating kind.”
But then, Sadie told herself grimly, her ex-husband hadn’t seemed like a cheater either and turned out, he was the cheat to end all cheats. Worry bounced around in the pit of her stomach like a crazed ping-pong ball.
Had she pushed Rick into this marriage? Was he only claiming to love her to get her to agree to marry him? She bit into her bottom lip and chewed at it as nerves rattled through her system.
“Sadie…”
She shook her head. “I’ve got to go, Abby. I need to think.”
“Honey, don’t do anything drastic.”
Like give Rick back his ring before she made another horrific mistake?
She glanced at the diamond sparkling on her hand and felt the bottom drop out of her world. She didn’t want to believe the gossips. Didn’t want to think that what was between her and Rick was nothing but smoke and mirrors.
But could she afford to take the risk?
Twelve
It wasn’t a risk.
It was a nightmare.
Sadie hadn’t wanted to believe the gossips. Hadn’t wanted to pay any attention at all to the rumors flying around town. But the pity-filled looks and the whispers she’d faced at lunch with Abby had convinced her to face the problem head-on.
She wasn’t the same woman she had been when Taylor Hawthorne had made her a laughingstock. She was strong enough now to face Rick with what she’d heard. To ask him for an explanation.
Which was why she was here now, feeling her heart shatter in her chest.
Sadie’s car was parked on the road outside Rick’s ranch. She kept the engine running. She wouldn’t be staying.
Behind her, in their car seats, the girls shouted, “Daddy! Want Daddy!”
Every word peeled another little slice of her heart away. She swallowed back the urge to cry, blinked to clear her blurred vision and focused on the view of her fiancé standing in the front yard of his ranch house, arguing with a beautiful brunette. Though the ranch was set far back from the road, there was a wide view of the house and, sadly, Sadie had a front-row seat.
“You wanted proof,” Sadie told herself sadly.
Even in her stunned shock, even through the pain, Sadie could admit that whoever the woman was, she and Rick looked good together. They looked very familiar with each other, too.
When Rick reached out to grab the woman’s shoulders, Sadie hissed in a small, wounded breath. Seeing his hands on another woman was just another tiny stab of an emotional blade. The brunette shook her head at him. She looked furious. Well, Sadie thought, she should join the club.
Rick started talking again and whatever he said must have gotten through to the woman because she nodded and smiled just before throwing her arms around Rick’s neck and plastering herself against him for a long hug.
The worst part…Rick hugged her back.
“Oh, God.” Sadie swiped away a tear rolling down her cheek.
“Daddy!” Gail shouted. “Want Daddy!”
“Wenne, too!” Wendy cried.
Sadie hardly heard the plaintive cries. She was too busy trying to smother her own as she watched the man she loved hugging another woman in his front yard.
The Royal rumor mill had been right, she thought dismally.
He wasn’t even hiding his woman away, the bastard. He was right out in the open. Obviously, he didn’t care if Sadie found out about her.
“Just like Taylor,” she whispered.
She looked down at the diamond sparkling on her finger. Sunlight caught the facets and dazzled her eyes. For three lovely days, she had been happy. Secure in the knowledge that Rick did love her. Did want a future with her for all of the right reasons. Turned out, though, that he was simply a better actor than she might have given him credit for.
A pretty ring and promises obviously didn’t mean a damn thing if she couldn’t trust him.
And clearly, she couldn’t.
Anger mixed with hurt churned in her stomach and roiled into a toxic stew. If she hadn’t had her daughters with her, Sadie would have confronted him. She’d have walked right up to him and his bimbo and told them both exactly what she thought of them. But she wouldn’t do that to her babies. No point in scarring them at this tender age. They would find out in time on their own that their father was no good. She wouldn’t have to tell them.
“Sorry, babies,” she said aloud, throwing the car into gear again with one last look at the man she loved. Thankfully, he hadn’t taken his eyes off the brunette long enough to notice her car idling on the road in front of his place. “We’re not g
oing to Daddy’s house. We’re going to take a trip, okay?”
“Want Daddy,” Gail whined, kicking her feet against the car seat.
“No go way!” Wendy wailed.
Shaking her head, Sadie winced as a shaft of light danced off her ring and speared into her eyes. Deliberately, she tore the diamond from her hand and tossed it onto the passenger seat beside her. Without the love and promise it represented, that ring was nothing more than a shiny rock.
Pain wrapped itself around her, but she didn’t cry. Her eyes burned, but remained dry. There was an emptiness inside her that felt as wide as the sea. She’d found herself. Found her own confidence and now, even that had been shaken. She’d believed in Rick. Trusted him. Allowed herself to love him completely, and losing all of that now was more painful than anything else she had ever known.
Clutching tight to whatever strength she had left, she drove off without a backward glance—so she didn’t see Rick look up at the sound of the engine.
She didn’t hear him calling after her, either—and wouldn’t have cared if she had.
Two hours later, Rick was at the Price mansion, waiting for someone to open the damn door. He glanced around, saw cars in the driveway—though not Sadie’s. He was hoping she had parked in the garage, but something inside him had fisted into a knot so tight he was choking on it.
So far, this day had gone from bad to worse. And the bad feeling he had lodged in his chest told him it wasn’t going to get any better real soon.
“Damn it, Sadie,” he shouted, “open the door!”
Still nothing and the silence was starting to freeze him out in spite of the West-Texas sun blasting down on him from a merciless sky.
He’d tried to call Sadie a dozen times since he’d seen her driving away from the ranch. Rick had known immediately what she must be thinking and he’d wanted nothing more than to kick his own ass for hurting her.
He knew damn well what she must be thinking. Hell, what she’d seen, from her point of view, had probably looked bad. She’d seen him with another woman—hugging another woman—and taking into consideration the fact that her last husband was a cheating no-good snake, Rick knew she was probably now convinced that he was no better.
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