Secrets and Lace (Lonely Lace #2)

by Bonnie R. Paulson

  She blinked back her tears, resolving to stop crying over Robbie. No more. “Come on, Mac. We need to get going. Uncle Ronan doesn’t even know we’re coming yet.”

  But could she bring herself to go to Ronan for a place to live? She didn’t have anywhere else. Living with Robbie wasn’t an option. Not when every time she saw his face, she’d see him naked with Bethany James. The mental image triggered her gag reflex and she desperately longed to lean over and throw up on the heated driveway.

  Slate lifted Mac into the booster seat Amelia had transferred from her car to the truck. “Do you want me to drive the car over tomorrow? I’d hate for you to be dependent on Ronan for transportation.”

  She smiled at the man she considered more a brother than her flesh and blood sibling. “That’s okay. I’ll make Ronan do it. He won’t mind. I can only imagine how ecstatic he’s going to be that we’re moving back.” He’d probably rub it in her face for the next decade how he’d told her Robbie was no good and just a heart breaker.

  Slate grabbed her shoulder, desperation in his tight grip. “Don’t go, Amelia. You guys are my family. Please.”

  In a sudden burst of vulnerability, Amelia stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I feel the same way.” Immense sadness brought more tears.

  She pulled away and wiped her cheeks, laughing to cover her need to cry. “It’s not like I’m moving across the country, Slate. I’m going to Ronan’s.”

  “It might as well be across the world.” He offered her a side smile. “If you change your mind, you come right back. I’m serious. No questions asked.”

  She nodded fast and climbed into the truck. Revving the engine after turning it over gave her a sense of power, even if it was an illusion. She waved cheerily at Slate through the tinted glass and shushed Mac as he cried in the back.

  But the tears started when she passed the end of the driveway, and soon she and Mac were crying in unison. Forget resolve, her heart was breaking.

  Hitting the beginning of the curve that would take them to Lacey Caverns’s drive, Amelia decided to turn back. She didn’t give a damn about Robbie and his actions. Not if leaving Slate and the only home Mac had ever known was going to rip them apart so terribly. They were each other’s family and Slate helped round that out.

  And who knew how long Robbie would be around anyway?

  She slowed the truck to a stop. Rummaging through the dash compartment and the console for a tissue to wipe her face, Amelia murmured to Mac. “Just a second, honey. I’ll fix it. Hold on. Mommy can’t see.” Not through all the tears anyway. Relief at her new plan that didn’t hurt quite so bad, helped the tears abate.

  Sitting up, Amelia glanced out the windshield and screamed. Then she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on the steering wheel, rolling from side to side.

  Robbie astride the mountainous horse looked like a villain from an old western with his dark duster and even darker Stetson pulled low over his eyes. The breeze ruffled the black tendrils of hair at his neck. And even with his constant betrayal, Amelia’s insides quivered at his nearness. Damn girl parts anyway.

  His horse shifted to the side, closer to the driver door. Amelia rolled down her window. “Can you move please?”

  “Where are you going?” His deep voice sent chills down her spine. Like the day they’d first met and every moment together since.

  She thumped her hand on the seat. “None of your business, MacAllister.”

  “Mommy, I didn’t do anything.” Mac sniffed in the backseat, sounding as if he might lose it altogether.

  Turning to him, Amelia put on a soft smile. “No honey, not you. You’re being an angel.”

  “It is my business, Amelia. You and that boy are my business and nobody else’s.” He nudged his horse closer to the window until he was right on level with it. The horse calmly held his spot. “You’re more my business than you realize.”

  “Really? When did you decide this? When you were busy…” She glanced over her shoulder then back to him. “… entertaining that woman? Or when you left me four years ago without even a goodbye?” Her anger wilted with her tirade. “Your actions argue with what your words say, Robbie.”

  Robbie nodded and pulled his hat from his head, running his fingers through his thick hair. He raised his blue eyes to hers. “What happened so long ago didn’t play out how either of us thought.”

  “Don’t even try to turn this around. I know you weren’t there all of a sudden and I was pregnant and alone.” Tears tracked down her cheeks again. Finally, she had the guts to tell him off like she’d planned so many times. And it was in her brother’s truck. “And I was labeled the harlot. Even my own parents were disappointed in me. Did you know that’s how they died? They were on their way to see me in the hospital after having Mac. Died in a damn car crash. Did anyone tell you that? I dealt with that alone, too, because it was a while before Ronan forgave me for that.” The pain from that time resurfaced, soldering together the loss of her parents, the birth of her son alone, and the constant rejection from Robbie.

  She lifted her shoulders, exasperation with herself slowly pushing through the pain. “How many times do you need to turn me away before I’ll learn, right?”

  “Hey,” He reached through the window and brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheeks, wiping away her tears. “I didn’t leave you. Ronan drove me to the bus station and gave me the promise ring I’d given you.” Robbie’s vulnerability added credence to his claim. “He said you couldn’t do it in person because it hurt too bad. And that your parents were right and you were going to go along with their ultimatum.” He closed his eyes and lowered his arm to rest on the car. “I can still see Ronan’s damn hand outstretched to me, holding that double twisted rose ring.”

  Amelia had loved that ring. Two tones, one white gold and the other yellow, the metals entwined to look like one specially created vine. “Don’t you dare lie to me. I lost that ring… around the time you left. I couldn’t find it. I wanted to throw it in the damn river, I was so mad and hurt.” She clenched her teeth against begging him to love her anyway. She had to be through letting him in just so he could leave again.

  “You swore you’d never take it off, remember? So I believed him when he told me you didn’t want me. Why would you? You’re so… pure. And I’m just… me.” He reached into his jacket and withdrew some paper. “Here, read this.”

  Amelia stared at the planes of his face for the space of ten heartbeats before taking the paper. “What’s this?”

  “It won’t take you long to read, go ahead. I’ll wait.” He adjusted in the stirrups, standing, and then sitting again on the saddle.

  Looking down, Amelia recognized Ronan’s scrawl with confident loops and strong straight lines. And confessing script. Holy crap. Each truth – paying Robbie to appear to have slept with Bethany, knowing that he’d tranquilized her, and having Amelia meet him so that she would want a divorce, too, and then, at the bottom, his admission of guilt to having lied to them both and sending Robbie away before Ronan knew Amelia had been pregnant.

  The truth. Unadulterated and pure. Simple. And so easy to write down.

  But the weight it lifted from Amelia’s soul couldn’t be measured. She couldn’t cry or laugh. She didn’t have a way to physically define the emotions dancing within her. She glanced at Robbie and there it was in his outstretched hand – the beautiful circular rose forged of two tone gold could not be mistaken.

  “I thought for sure the only way Ronan had gotten your ring was if you’d taken it off and given it to him. I loved you.” He clenched his jaw, swallowing. “No, dammit, Amelia, I love you still. And you had my boy when you didn’t have to. And you still chose me over that family of yours. Even when I abandoned you.”

  A sob broke from Amelia as she tried to form the words. “But according to this, you didn’t abandon me.” And she’d never told him about Mac. She was such a fool. “I’m so sorry.”

  “No. I’m sorry. I should’ve known bet
ter than to believe anything —”

  “— Ronan says. He’s heartless. I’m just sick right now.” She returned the paper to Robbie, debating whether or not to continue her drive to Ronan’s house and giving him a piece of her mind or not.

  “Look, I don’t know him well anymore, but after what Bethany did to him, I think he deserves a break. He’s going to work with us against the Caracus gang. And what you didn’t read was the release of the land debt, freeing Lonely Rivers for our use, permanently.” Robbie studied her face intently enough to bring a blush to Amelia’s cheeks.

  Could it be a new beginning? Could they start over? “So, does this mean maybe we can start over? Or…” Amelia bit the inside of her lip. She’d never stopped loving him. Would never be able to completely get over him, if he wanted them to go their separate ways.

  He shook his head, his eyes trained on her. “No. We can’t start over. How could we?”

  Her heart dropped into her stomach and burned. She’d almost had their first date planned as a family, but he wasn’t interested. They’d—

  “Marry me. We have a lot of time to make up for. I don’t want to waste any by starting over.” Robbie reached for her hand, pulling her fingers into the heat of his palm. “I want all of you now, you and my boy, and more if we can have them. I want our family together immediately.”

  Tears stung at her lids again, but not from sadness. More from a happiness she’d never understood. “What? Really?”

  “Is that a yes or do you need to think about it?” He winked. “Don’t think long, that’s my son in the back I need to hug along with his mother.”

  Amelia smiled. “First, can we agree to no more secrets?”

  Robbie nudged his horse forward, out of the way of the door. He slid off the saddle and climbed onto the runner, pulling open the door. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her against his chest. “Amelia, if you marry me, I’ll make sure you’re too busy and too loved for either of us to ever have time for secrets.” He slid the ring on her finger and it fit like it’d never come off.

  They paused in their movement toward one another, their lips centimeters away. Robbie’s eyes sought permission and Amelia didn’t know how to give it.

  “Kiss her, Dad. Kiss Mom.” Mac’s laughter and squeals filled the truck, acting as the perfect catalyst to the rest of their lives.

  Happiness… the best way to start a family.

  The end of Book #2, Secrets and Lace

  Read more of Ronan and Kelsey’s story in Sorrows and Lace, Lonely Lace Series book #3 and find out just what keys Kelsey holds for the town of Colby and the man who rules Lacey Caverns like a kingdom.

  From the Author:

  Hello awesome Reader!

  Thank you so much for joining me on the second book in this western journey.

  I couldn’t have done this without my amazing husband and his support and editing skills, or Kammie Roylance who always has my back. Of course, M.R. Polish and her awesome critique skills. Thank you so much!

  Robbie, sigh, Robbie. He’s so much fun. I just love a wounded hero, don’t you? Well, we started with Slate who is almost perfect, right? And now we see his twin, Robbie, and how he has handled things in his life. If you’ve made it through book #2, you know what I’m talking about!

  What do you think of the amazing horses so far? Pig and Revenge. Wait ‘til you meet Ronan’s horse. She’s a special breed and very feisty.

  Stay tuned, my friend. I’ll be seeing you soon.

  I look forward to hearing from you and I hope you’ll follow me on Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter, Bonnie’s Inside Track, to keep up on what’s happening in my world.

  Keep revvin’ on my friends.

  And thank you so much, again, for taking the time to let me into your world. If you only knew how much I appreciate you, you’d feel hugged.

  Stay alive!

  Bonnie

  Please join my mailing list so you’ll be aware of my latest releases.

  Other titles by Bonnie R. Paulson

  Into the End Series:

  Into the End (#1) FREE

  Through the Flames (#2)

  Out of the Ashes (#3)

  Into the End Boxed Set

  Barely Alive Series:

  Barely Alive (#1) FREE

  Falling Apart (#2)

  Mostly Dead (#3)

  Viral Intent (Short prequel)

  Boxed Set

  Lonely Lace Series:

  Spurs and Lace (#1) FREE

  Secrets and Lace (#2)

  Sorrows and Lace (#3)

  A Date to Die for: Serial

  #1 Speed Dating

  #2 Oh No, He Didn’t!

  #3 Dinner for Two

  #4 Don’t Look Back!

  Stand alones:

  Odd Man Out

  Breathe Again

  Psycho Inside Me

  Dictating Death (2015)

  About the Author

  Bonnie R. Paulson is all about survival. Do you have what it takes to turn the page?

  Find Bonnie at

  Twitter: @bonnierpaulson

  Facebook: http://facebook.com/bonpaulson

  www.bonnierpaulson.com

  bonnierpaulson@yahoo.com