She felt him pulsing inside her, and her heart filled until she thought it would burst. She didn’t care if everyone at work knew she’d had an affair with the man she was sent to investigate. She didn’t care if they fired her from her job. She didn’t care if she never worked in accounting again. She didn’t care about anything except being here, with John, right now.
And for the rest of her life.
His big body rested so comfortably on hers. “...So much.”
She wanted to laugh, but couldn’t find the energy. All the anxiety and worry and tension of the last few days had been wrung out of her by their lovemaking. The aftershocks of her orgasm trickled through her, sending a silly giggle to her chest. “What have you done to me? I feel like a completely different person when I’m with you.”
“With me you’re exactly the person you’re supposed to be. Me, too. I was so caught up in trying to make money and avoid any romantic entanglements that I was running every minute. You were so caught up in trying to be Little Miss Perfect that you needed someone to trip you right up and stop you in your tracks.”
“And catch me as I fell.”
She felt his chuckle vibrate through both of them. Then he rolled gently off her until they were side by side, hugging each other. “To catch you and hold you tight so you couldn’t slip away.” His soft kiss sent yet another smile spreading across her lips.
She remembered the ring on her finger and pulled her hand up to stare at it. One stunning diamond in a minimalist platinum setting.
“I wanted something classic and perfect, with no unnecessary embellishment. Like you.”
“It’s so gorgeous. It must have cost a fortune.” The diamond itself was set so that it didn’t stick out or look ostentatious, but on close inspection she could see it was very large.
“What’s the point of having a fortune if you can’t spend it on the really important things? And you’re the most important thing that has ever happened to me.” His voice had a raw, honest edge to it that made tears spring to her eyes.
“I feel like I should give you something, too.” What did you give the man who had everything? And if he didn’t have it yet, he could buy it tomorrow.
“You are. You.” He pulled her fingers gently to his lips and kissed them.
The truth of his words shocked her little. In agreeing to marry him she had given herself to him, which, she knew, meant giving up her life in Ohio and moving to Massachusetts, away from all her friends and family. She’d have to quit her job even if they didn’t fire her.
“What’s the matter?” He stroked her cheek.
“I’m thinking about all the changes ahead. Where will I work?”
“Well, the New Dawn has been accused of nepotism, and with good reason.” He winked. “We do like to employ family members.”
She frowned. “What would I do there?”
He pulled back and looked at her with a serious expression. “Whatever you think is important and interesting. Your financial expertise could certainly be put to good use. You could even take over that part of the daily operations from me so I can focus on booking celebrities and hustling some good PR. I suspect I’ll be better at that than Uncle Don was.”
She inhaled sharply. “I still can’t believe that he went to the press about us.”
“He can be a real ass sometimes. Especially since he didn’t even know we actually were involved.” He ran his thumb over her lips. “I’m providing him with the best legal counsel so hopefully he won’t spend the next few decades in jail, but he might wish he was safely behind bars by the time I’m done letting him know what I think about his behavior.”
“You’d be surprised by how many people don’t pay taxes.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “They think that they earned the money, and it should be theirs to keep. Even people who have millions just think they can keep silent about it on their returns and nothing will happen. Yet they’re still driving on roads and sending their kids to schools paid for by our taxes.”
“Human nature. It’s a constant battle for some of us to pretend to be civilized.” He winked. “And trust me, I don’t pay any more taxes than I have to myself. It’d probably be part of your job to finesse that, as well.”
“I’ve been doing that for much bigger corporations for years. Maybe I’d like to do something else.”
“Like what?”
She bit her lip and thought for a minute. The idea was outrageous, but then so was everything else about being here. “I always wanted to teach. My parents told me that the schools are full of unteachable, rowdy hoodlums and that I’d be miserable, which is why I pursued a career with numbers, but sometimes I wonder if I made the wrong choice.”
“Interesting.” He peered at her. “Now that we are gathering tribal members from far and wide, we have a lot to teach them about the business. Maybe you could start there, then get your teaching credentials and branch out to teaching in the schools.”
“I like that idea.” Her mind was racing, which was funny since her body still hummed with the aftereffects of their lovemaking. “It would be nice to work with people instead of numbers for a change.”
“I think you’ll be great at it.” He kissed her softly on her mouth.
“I’ll resign tomorrow. I wonder if they’ll make me work for a final two weeks, or if they’ll escort me out the door with my possessions in a cardboard box.”
His eyes twinkled. “Once they know you’re marrying me, probably the latter.”
She felt a grin spread across her face. “I guess that’s a good thing, under the circumstances.”
“It most certainly is.”
Epilogue
Thanksgiving
“Some people say that Native Americans shouldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving.” John stood at the head of the crowded table in the dining room of their meticulously renovated farmhouse. The fine cherry table was laden with fresh local turkey, roasted corn, chestnuts, maple-glazed squash with walnuts and glistening cranberry sauce. “They say that it was a foolish mistake of our ancestors to show the Pilgrims how to eat and survive in our land. They think it would have been better to let them starve to death.”
He paused and looked around at the gathered guests. His grandparents beamed proudly and Constance wondered if they’d heard this speech before. “I disagree. Every choice we make in life shapes who we become and I’m proud to be a descendant of those who chose to offer the hand of friendship. I prefer to hope for the best and that’s how I live my life. Our people have certainly been through many trials and tribulations since then, but we’re still here and we’re looking forward to a vibrant future.”
He raised his champagne flute, and Constance lifted hers. She still couldn’t believe this tall, handsome man was her husband. “And that future has just grown a little bit brighter...” He glanced at her and she smiled back. They’d talked about when to make their announcement and decided this was the perfect time. She felt butterflies in her stomach, fluttering around the tiny baby growing there. “Because we’re expecting a new member of the Nissequot tribe, who should be joining us sometime in June.”
His grandmother gasped and turned to her husband. “A baby? Oh, John, did you hear that?”
“I heard it.” He beamed and patted her hand. “That’s wonderful.”
The round of congratulations made Constance blush, and a sudden rush of emotion propelled her to her feet. A hush fell over the room as she looked around, feeling such a strong connection to the people gathered there. “These last few months have been a whirlwind. In May I was still living quietly in my childhood bedroom in Ohio, in June I got the assignment that would bring me here for the first time and now, in November, I’m an expectant mother, married to an amazing man, living in a lovely farmhouse in Massachusetts and pursuing a teaching license. I’m still a bit shell-shocked by it all, but I’m so grateful for the way you’ve all welcomed me into your midst and made my transition to my new life so easy and enjoyable.”
; Even her parents were smiling. They’d driven up here for the wedding, and now for Thanksgiving, and John’s relentlessly charming grandfather had taken over the task of winning their hearts for the Nissequot tribe and casino. Although he still had a way to go, he’d made impressive progress.
John raised his glass. “I already find it hard to remember what life was like before you came here. Every day I’m grateful for the BIA investigation that brought you into our lives.” A chuckle rumbled around the room. “Even Don says he’s glad Constance caught up with him before he dug himself into an even deeper hole. He’s lucky to have got off with only a six-week sentence.”
The casino had shrugged off the scandal and the publicity from it brought in more people than ever, so New Dawn was growing from strength to strength. “Next year we should be able to complete the purchase of seven hundred acres along our eastern border and break ground on the water park.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes as he looked at Constance. The water park had been her idea. She liked the idea of expanding in a family-friendly direction and offering summer camps there for kids from all over the region. “Every day around here is a new adventure and I’m glad to be sharing them with my soul mate.”
“I love you,” she said softly.
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He spoke the words just to her, and emotion flowed directly between them despite all the people gathered around them. “And I’m thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She felt tears well in her eyes and was about to blame the pregnancy hormones when she noticed that she wasn’t the only one having that reaction. “Sometimes there’s so much to be thankful for that it’s hard to know where to start, so I suggest we all enjoy this delicious meal before it gets cold,” she said.
John’s grandfather chimed in. “I like the way you think. We give thanks to the Creator for this fine meal and the pleasure of sharing it together. Let’s eat!”
* * * * *
Don’t miss these other stories from Jennifer Lewis:
THE CINDERELLA ACT
THE DEEPER THE PASSION...A TRAP SO TENDER
AFFAIRS OF STATE
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Keep reading for an excerpt from STRANDED WITH THE RANCHER by Janice Maynard.
Ten years ago one devastating night changed everything for Austin, Hunter and Alex. Now they must each play their part in the revenge against the one man who ruined it all.
Austin Treffen has the plan… Hunter has the money… Alex has the power!
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Scandalize Me by Caitlin Crews (July 2014)
Expose Me by Kate Hewitt (August 2014)
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One
Drew Farrell glanced at the sky. Storm clouds roiled and twisted, setting his mood on edge. He shoved the truck’s gearshift into park, jammed his Stetson on his head and strode across the road. Dust billowed with each angry step, coating his hand-tooled cowboy boots.
Deliberately, he crossed the line that separated his property from his neighbor’s. Beth Andrews. His beautiful, long-legged, sexy-as-hell neighbor. After two years of butting heads with her at regular intervals, you’d think he would be immune to her considerable physical appeal.
But no. Her naturally curly blond hair and green eyes hit his libido at a weak spot. Sadly, there was no twelve-step program for men wanting women who drove them nuts.
He approached Beth’s organic produce stand and ground his teeth when he saw she had multiple customers waiting. Cooling his heels, jaw clenched, he courted patience. But he wanted to lambast her with righteous indignation while his temper was hot.
Like every day recently, at least a dozen cars had parked haphazardly up and down the private lane, causing congestion and spooking Drew’s prize-winning thoroughbreds in the adjoining pasture. This morning, his men had been forced to move seven horses to a grassy field on the opposite side of his property, for no other reason than because Beth had started selling pumpkins.
Pumpkins, for God’s sake. The traffic she had created during the summer—selling squash and tomatoes and a dozen other vegetables—had increased tenfold since she’d put up signs all over Royal advertising fall harvest decorations. At least during the summer months the crowd was spread out. But come October first, it was as if everyone within a fifty-mile radius of Drew’s ranch had decided they had to buy one of Beth’s fat, healthy pumpkins for their porches.
As Drew waited impatiently, several of the patrons loaded up their purchases and drove away. Finally, only one woman remained—a young blonde. Very pregnant. From what Drew could tell, she had picked out the largest pumpkin she could find. Beth and the customer squatted to lift the pumpkin from its perch on a bale of hay. The big, orange orb slipped out of their hands, nearly rolling onto their feet.
Oh, good grief. Snapping out of his funk, Drew strode forward, determined to stop them before somebody got hurt. The thing must weigh forty pounds.
“Let me do that,” he said, elbowing them out of the way. “One of you has a baby to consider and you, Ms. Andrews, ought to know better.” The spark of surprise and irritation in Beth’s eyes made him want to grin despite his surly mood. The pregnant woman’s car sat only a few feet away in the handicapped parking spot. For Halloween, Beth had designated the space beside the shed with a sign and a skeleton holding a crutch. She was creative—he’d give her that.
Hefting the pumpkin with ease, he set it gently in the trunk. Fortunately, the base of the thing was pretty flat. Given its weight, there was little chance it would roll over unless the driver made a reckless turn.
The customer smiled at him. “Thanks for your help.” Unlike Beth’s sunshiny curls, this woman’s straight blond hair was so fair it was almost white. Her skin was pale as well. Despite her advanced pregnancy, she was thin, almost frail.
He dusted his hands on his pants. “No problem. Get someone to help you lift that thing when you get home.”
“I will.” She paused, one handing resting protectively on her rounded abdomen. “I always loved Halloween as a kid. I thought it would be fun this year to carve a jack-o’-lantern for my daughter and put pictures of it in her baby book.”
Beth glanced at the woman’s belly. “Are you due that soon?”
“No. I have another eight or nine weeks to go. But she’s already a person to me. I talk to her all the time. I guess that sounds crazy.”
“Not at all.”
Beth’s smile struck Drew as wistful. Maybe if her biological clock ticked loud enough, she’d meet some guy and move away. Then Drew could buy the land she had stolen from him. Oddly, that notion was not as appealing as it should have been.
Beth spoke up again. “Wh
o’s your master carver? The baby’s dad?”
A flash of anguish darkened the woman’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly Drew thought he might have imagined it. “I’m going to do it. I’m trained in graphic design, so this is right up my alley. I should go,” she said, as if suddenly realizing that the weather was going downhill fast. “Don’t want to get caught in the rain.”
Drew stood shoulder to shoulder with Beth as they watched the car disappear into the distance. “Did she look familiar to you?” he asked, frowning.
“Maybe. Why?”
“I don’t know. Just an odd feeling that I might have seen her before.”
At that moment, a strong gust of wind snatched the plastic banner and ripped it off the top of Beth’s produce stand. The bright green lettering spelled out GREEN ACRES. Drew seldom had time to watch TV, but even he got the reference to the old sitcom where the wealthy Manhattan couple moved to the country and bought a farm. It was easy to imagine Beth wearing an evening gown and heels. She was tall for a woman, at least five seven. But Drew had half a dozen inches or more on her.
He helped her capture the surprisingly heavy sign and roll it up. “You might as well put it away for now,” he said. “The wind is not going to die down anytime soon.”
When they had stashed the sign beneath a plywood counter, Beth shook her head and stared at him. “I’d be happy to sell you a pumpkin, Drew, but somehow, I don’t think that’s why you’re here.”
The derision in her voice made it sound as if he were the most boring guy on the planet. “I decorate the ranch for fall,” he said, wincing inwardly when he heard the defensive note in his voice.
“Correction. You have people who do that for you. It’s not the same thing at all, Drew.”
He’d grown accustomed to her barbs. In fact, if he were honest, he occasionally enjoyed their heated spats. Beth gave as good as she got. He liked that in a woman. Now, when he didn’t shoot back immediately with a retort, she watched him with a wary gaze, her arms wrapped around her waist in a cautious posture.
A HIGH STAKES SEDUCTION Page 17