Loving Laney

by Evans, Harmony

  He clasped her hand next to his heart. “Laney, I’ve been attracted to you from the very beginning.”

  Her eyes fluttered open and she felt a pleasure shiver in her belly. “You never said anything to me. In fact, you barely said anything at all.”

  He shrugged. “What can I say? I’m shy,” he replied with a half grin.

  His deep voice resonated through her body and she tore her hand away from his.

  “You? Shy?” She slapped him on his shoulder playfully. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Remember when I came to town a year or so ago and met with your mother? Can I tell you a secret?” At her eager nod, he continued. “I liked you then.”

  She giggled. “And here I thought you only wanted to buy one of my mother’s horses.”

  “And I did. That was one of the most expensive purchases I’ve ever made. But at least I got a chance to see you. Briefly.”

  “I was in training,” she huffed pleasantly. “Can you blame me for not sticking around for a long conversation?”

  He kissed her hand. “No. Not at all. And I had to forgive you for snubbing me in London when I saw you with that gold medal around your beautiful neck on television.”

  She shivered as he drew one finger into his mouth and sucked. “I sent you a thank-you note for the roses. Even though I had to give them to one of my teammates.”

  Her finger popped out of his mouth. “At the time, I didn’t know you were allergic.”

  “You know now.”

  He nodded and pulled her close to him. “I know a lot about you now. But I’d like to know more.”

  She kissed him on the nose. “I want to know more about you, too, Austin. The baby is—”

  “—a wonderful miracle,” Austin interrupted. “But even if he, or she, hadn’t happened, I still wanted to be with you. I just hadn’t figured out how to get your attention off your horses and on me.”

  Austin grew quiet and pensive. He ran his thumb across her chin and she shivered with delight. “No matter what happens, let’s always remember how we got here.”

  His serious tone made grateful tears spring to her eyes and yet, as he slowly started to make love to her again, she couldn’t help but be afraid that their feelings were as fragile as the life she held within her.

  Chapter 8

  “I’m having an attack of déjà vu,” Laney said, as she wrenched the seat belt over her body and buckled herself in.

  She looked over at her home, where she and Austin had spent most of the weekend in bed, and sighed. He’d proven himself again and again to be a sensitive and urgent lover, and a part of her wished they didn’t have to leave.

  She turned back to Austin, who was putting on his own seat belt.

  “I’ve already had my checkup and my next appointment isn’t until a few weeks from now,” she protested.

  “This is just a precaution,” Austin reassured her.

  “But I’m fine,” she insisted. “Just because all of a sudden I have two left feet, that doesn’t merit an emergency trip to the doctor.”

  Austin put the key into the ignition and started the car, his mouth set in a firm line.

  He turned to her. “You tripped and almost fell twice in the house in the past twenty-four hours. I think we should get you checked out. Just to make sure that the baby is okay.”

  “But my new doctor said he was booked, remember? If I wasn’t Laney Broward, gold medalist, I don’t think I would have even been able to get an appointment with him, even with a referral. The man is that busy.”

  Austin gunned the engine and shifted the vehicle in Reverse, and then turned it around. “We’re not going to see him. We’re going to see a new doctor in Granger. And don’t worry, I made sure she has admitting privileges to the hospital in Helena, just in case.”

  Laney raised a brow. “‘She’?”

  “Dr. Jenna Taylor, a family-practice physician whose father is a client of mine back in Dallas. I’m not sure when she arrived in town, but she had an appointment and that’s all that matters to me.”

  He eased the Land Rover onto the dirt road, which was empty of trucks, tractors and roadkill, and headed west into town.

  Austin put his hand on her thigh. “I know you think I’m being overprotective here, but I just want you and the baby to be safe.”

  Laney leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I know and I’m grateful for it.” She snuggled back against the seat and sighed. “I guess I’m going to have to get used to this kind of treatment.”

  Austin grinned. “In the words of the former governor of Alaska, ‘You betcha!’”

  Laney burst out laughing. “You know, I can’t wait to introduce you to Brooke, my brother’s new wife. Sometimes she’s as corny as you are!”

  He flashed her a hurt look. “Trying to get rid of me already?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Never. You’re stuck with me, and she’s totally in love with Jameson.”

  “That’s a good thing,” he answered and she wondered idly if he’d ever thought about marriage. Instead of asking him, she turned and admired the scenery flowing outside her window.

  “Have you ever thought about leaving here?”

  Laney shifted in her seat and gave him a horrified look. “Granger? No way. It’s my home.”

  “But don’t you ever get bored?”

  “Only when there’s no work to do. For a Broward, that’s never. Sometimes it’s hard for me to just relax.” She leaned her head back. “Ever since my brothers and I were little, my father drummed into our heads the value of a hard day’s work. Jameson and I took to the ranching lifestyle like moths around a light, but Wes? Not so much. He actually sold his part of the homestead to Samara Lionne!”

  Laney was surprised and pleased when Austin made a face. “I bet your dad didn’t approve of that,” he commented.

  She shook her head. “No way. He’s extremely driven and he sacrificed a lot to raise heritage cattle and build the BWB to what it is today. He’s taught all of us to do the same in our own endeavors, but I know he was hurt when Wes turned his back on ranching.”

  Austin frowned. “What’s Wes going to do now?”

  She shrugged. “No one knows. He and his fiancée, Lydia, are traveling. Not many people know this, but she is, or rather was, Samara Lionne’s personal assistant.”

  Austin arched a brow. “Really? What happened?”

  She dropped her voice a notch. “When Samara heard that Lydia was quitting her job to be with Wes, some people said her scream was louder than a coyote’s howl.”

  Austin laughed. “Do you really believe that?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know what to believe about Samara. Nobody does, least of all my family. Everyone thinks that’s why she’s having this ball. To appeal to the good sense of the Browards and for the community.”

  “Sounds to me like Samara’s trying to get in good with your father and mother,” Austin alleged.

  Laney nodded in agreement. “But there are a lot of people in Granger who wish she would just get out of town.”

  * * *

  Austin dropped Laney off at the doctor’s office, parked his truck and strolled into the local drugstore. He paid for his purchases in cash and was walking out when he spotted the local newspaper. He picked up it and read the headline.

  Oh, God, he thought. Laney.

  He stuffed the brown paper bag with his purchases under his arm and scooped up all the newspapers, knowing it wouldn’t do much good, but he had to do something. He turned back to the cashier, who was with another customer, and tossed a bill on the countertop.

  Austin was already halfway out the door when he heard the young woman cry out, “Sir! We don’t take one-hundred-dollar bills here.”

  He ignored her a
nd kept walking toward his car, only stopping to dump the pile of newspapers into a trash can.

  All but one.

  * * *

  When Laney walked out of the doctor’s office, Austin was there leaning against his truck, frowning.

  Her heart sank. “What’s wrong?”

  He shook his head. “You first. What did the doctor say?”

  “Everything’s fine. The baby’s fine. Now why don’t you tell me why you look like your prized horse just lost a race?”

  Austin pushed himself away from the truck and he twisted his head to the left and the right, looking down both sides of the street.

  She followed his glance, saw nothing of importance, but felt a faint tremor down her spine.

  Then he gestured toward her with one arm, as if he wanted to protect her from something. She went to him and he put his arm around her, pulling her close.

  “I have something to show you, but you have to promise me that you won’t overreact, and most of all, that you won’t blame me.”

  Laney shrank away from his touch, scared by the serious tone in his voice. “I won’t promise anything blind, without any information to go on,” she said, trying to keep calm. “What is it that you need to show me?”

  “Wait here,” he instructed.

  She watched as he circled around her to the driver’s side, opened the door and quickly slammed it shut.

  He pivoted back and handed her the newspaper.

  She read the headline and she felt the blood drain from her face.

  TARNISHED GOLD?

  Laney Broward, the famed horse breeder and member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, may have won her gold medal as a result of efforts not thoroughly her own.

  Sources allege that Austin Johns, a Broward family friend and the man purported to be the father of her unborn child, may have had undue influence in her win.

  A potential investigation into the allegations is currently being evaluated, which could result in Ms. Broward being stripped of her gold medal.

  “Laney Broward felt it necessary to hide the fact that she was pregnant. It’s clear she can’t be trusted,” said a Granger resident, who spoke to a reporter on condition of anonymity.

  Johns, who is a world-renowned horse breeder and owner of The Perfect Shot, one of the most successful and lucrative thoroughbred racehorses in the country, has been spotted in Granger over the past several weeks. He is rumored to be renting a home in the area as he awaits the birth of Laney Broward’s child. Phone calls to his Dallas home yesterday were not returned.

  The article was accompanied by a picture of Laney, one of Austin and a red question mark in the middle of them.

  The nightmare is starting all over again, she thought, willing herself not to cry. “Where did you get this?” she demanded.

  He pointed to the left. “At Fitz drugstore, right down the street.

  She moaned, folded the newspaper and handed it to him.

  He tucked it under his arm again. “I immediately bought all the copies that were leftover and, except for this one, dumped them all in the trash. I don’t know how many more were bought this morning, though.”

  Now she knew.

  So this was the reason for the funeral hush when she’d walked into the waiting room, the sidelong glances and the whispering that started immediately after the nurse had called her for her appointment.

  “When will this end?” she cried out in frustration and to no one in particular. “Why is somebody trying to persecute me?”

  Her success was the result of years of training, hard work and sacrifice. She’d put the sport she’d loved since she was a child ahead of everything, including her family and even her romantic life. To think that someone would allege that her gold medal win was a complete sham was almost beyond her comprehension.

  Laney was so upset by the article that it felt like the blood in her veins seared hot through her body, yet she shivered uncontrollably with hurt and anger.

  Austin put both hands on her shoulders and tried to hold her. “Don’t let it upset you.”

  She wrenched away from his embrace and took a step away. “What are you talking about? My entire name is being smeared like a cow patty on the bottom of somebody’s shoe, and you tell me not to be upset.”

  She was nearly shouting now. A mother and her young son, both of whom had the wide-eyed look of tourists, stared at her while passing by on the adjacent sidewalk. Laney gave the woman a hard stare and they quickly hurried away.

  Austin noticed and said, “Why don’t we get in the car and talk about this on the drive home?”

  At first, Laney stood her ground and refused to get into the car. She was tired of running, tired of hiding and more than that, tired of what she deemed was an invasion of her privacy. But after a few minutes, she nodded reluctantly.

  However, when Austin tried to open the door for her, she pushed his hand away. “I got it,” she muttered, tugging it open herself.

  She waited until Austin was behind the wheel and pulling out of the parking space before asking, “Is it true? Did you talk to the judges? Pay them off?”

  He glanced over, a hurt look in his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re even asking me that question.”

  “Why were you in London anyway?” she asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion she felt in her voice. “You had no business there, none of your horses were in the events.”

  Austin made a left turn and glanced over at her. “What...so now you’re telling me that because of a stupid article that I’m not allowed to go to London?”

  She ignored his comment. “Just tell me why you were there, Austin. The real reason.”

  “To see if London Bridge was really falling down,” he quipped. “Why do you think I was there?”

  “Ha-ha, very funny,” she snapped. “I don’t know, Austin. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

  They were out of downtown Granger and back on the country road that led to Laney’s home. Suddenly there was the harsh sound of tires crunching gravel as Austin pulled the truck over on the side of the road.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, looking around. “Why are you stopping the car?”

  Austin braked, leaned forward and draped his arms over the steering wheel.

  “Trying to get you to see what’s right in front of you.”

  She stared out the front window, perplexed and angry, his words barely a ripple in her mind. All she could see were the headlines blaring, the townsfolk of Granger whispering and her reputation being trampled to death.

  All because of one man.

  A man who she thought cared about her deeply.

  The threat of being stripped of her medal wasn’t the worst part, although that would hurt her deeply. Nor was the fact that she probably wouldn’t ever be able to compete in any equestrian event ever again, amateur or professional. As a new mom, it would probably be a while before she felt up to competing again anyway.

  What bothered her the most was that her reputation, and that of the Broward family, was hanging in the balance.

  What scared her the most was that someone out there, perhaps that “anonymous Granger resident,” was watching her every move.

  How else could they have known that Austin was in town, let alone the fact that he was the father of her baby? She’d only told her family. It was nobody else’s business.

  “Laney, listen to me, please. I had nothing to do with this article, nor did I have anything to do with influencing anyone. The whole idea is ludicrous. You have to believe me.”

  She turned to Austin, and her eyes didn’t see the man who had made love to her so passionately. They only saw a man who seemed bent on hurting her.

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore. Just take me home,” she said curtly.

 
“Do you mean to tell me after all we’ve been through, especially in the past forty-eight hours, that you would throw that all away because of one stupid article?”

  Laney sighed, and a part of her knew that he had a point. But she couldn’t take the risk. Not anymore. “I’m not throwing anything away. I’m just trying to be careful. I need time to investigate these allegations and until I find out the truth, we should probably stay away from each other.”

  “Stay away from you? How can I do that when I—” Austin laid his forehead on the steering wheel. “God, I care about you so much, can’t you see that?”

  All Laney wanted to see was the backside of his truck, driving far away from her.

  “Take me home, Austin.”

  Without another word, he slammed the vehicle in gear and drove. When he reached her house, she had a little trouble unbuckling her seat belt, so that when she finally did, Austin was already out and had opened the passenger-side door.

  He offered her his hand, but she alighted without his help and made her way to the front porch.

  She opened the door, and was about to close it in his face when he stopped it with his hand.

  “Don’t do this, Laney.”

  Tears made her eyes smart, yet she held them back, not wanting him to see how much she wished things between them could be different.

  “Go home, Austin. I promise I won’t fight you on joint custody.” Her voice broke, but somehow she pushed through the pain. “Just go home to Dallas, where you belong.”

  She closed the door, and for the first time in a long time, she locked it. Too bad she hadn’t done the same with her heart.

  Chapter 9

  This is crazy, Austin thought as he braked his Land Rover to a stop. On his way up the private road to the BWB Ranch, he had counted ten stables, but he knew there were probably more. The Browards were among the largest landowners in the state of Montana. The massive structures were hundreds of feet long and housed the family’s heritage cattle and prized thoroughbreds.