"Don't you want kids?"
"I'm not the antimaternal career woman from hell that Laney has always painted me." Her face softened. "I'd love to have children. Two, maybe three." She smiled. "Definitely not nine."
"That's okay with me. Having nine kids is one McGrath legacy I don't care to repeat. In fact, none of us do."
"Thank heavens, we agree on something."
"We agree on a lot of things, Shelby. We've already listed why we're right for each other and how good we'll be together. Let's stop wasting time and get to it."
His refusal to even consider doing things another way annoyed her. And Shelby was not one to suffer her irritation in silence. "This is the way you run Family Fun Inns, isn't it? Once you've targeted an area, you blow aside all reasons to the contrary and just get to it. You're ensconced before the opposition knows what's hit them. The Blue Springs Resort and all those other places didn't stand a chance against you. Well, getting married and putting up a motel are two very different issues, Garrett, and I think you're confusing them."
"I am perfectly capable of separating business from my personal life, Shelby," Garrett said impatiently. "My corporate self is not my private self and I've never confused the two. As for the Blue Springs Resort, I'm sick of hearing about the place. It would suit me to never have it mentioned again."
"Well, that's unfortunate as well as impossible," Shelby retorted. "Since you own it, you're going to have to—"
Garrett took a deep breath. There were some facades that were no longer useful to maintain and this was definitely one. "I don't own the Blue Springs Resort, Shelby. I didn't buy it and I never said that I did," he said baldly.
She stared at him in confusion. "But Paul said … I thought … you certainly indicated that—"
"There have been some false assumptions about me buying the Blue Springs Resort, which I didn't bother to correct," Garrett interrupted, shrugging. "I was sure you'd jump all over them, Shelby. I'm surprised you haven't yet. Think about it. Why on earth would I buy the Blue Springs? Its niche was the high-end market and it has lost its value there. It's right next to a Family Fun Inn, in an increasingly touristy area that has cost the resort its exclusivity and its snob appeal. Even worse, the two properties would be competing against each other, which certainly wouldn't be profitable for us. I would never throw away the company's money—my family's money—on such a loser deal."
Shelby felt a chill run through her. He was smiling a shark's smile, his blue eyes held a predatory gleam. It flashed to mind that in all the time she'd spent with him, she had severely underestimated his strategic cunning and his manipulative skills. In the playful and sexy relationship that had developed between them these past weeks, she had considered herself his equal in every way. Sometimes she'd even felt she held the upper hand. After all, she was the one who had been born into a high-end hotel family and would inherit a famous exclusive resort. Garrett McGrath ran a thriving company, it was true, but it was at the low-end of the market and he'd built it from scratch, with no classy birthright to help him attain his position.
And achieving such success demanded qualities, strategies and tactics that someone born to the Halford House would not need to possess or even know about.
Suddenly she didn't feel quite so superior. Or even equal. It was as if she'd slipped down some metaphorical ladder and was hanging on by a shaky rung, while Garrett loomed far above her, poised to dislodge her completely. She shook her head, as if to dispel the image.
Garrett took her cold hand in his big warm one, lifting it to his lips and kissing her palm. "Forgive the lecture," he said, his gaze warm and affectionate. He displayed no signs of predatory sharkness now. "Sometimes I get carried away and think I'm giving a seminar in Business 204—Knowing Your Market. I teach that as a night course once a year at the community college here," he added.
"I didn't know that," Shelby murmured. There was a lot she didn't know about him; she was just beginning to realize exactly how much.
"I donate my fee to the local children's hospital. I wanted to give something back to the community, you know? And I've been given plenty of opportunities to do so. Since Family Fun Inns has become so successful, the McGraths, are sought after to serve on the boards of every charity and public service institution in the city."
Shelby pictured him sitting on various boards, a rich and powerful man directing funding and making important decisions, a major player with major clout in his hometown. It seemed so at odds with the man she'd come to know in Florida, the irreverent rogue in funny T-shirts who patronized junk shops and challenged her to raft races in the ocean and made wild sweet love to her for hours.
She tilted her head and gazed at him. He was wearing a Buffalo Bills jersey and jeans and he looked just like the Garrett McGrath she'd fallen in love with. She was being foolish, she admonished herself. She was just spooked by his unexpected rush for a wedding, a little unnerved at the prospect of meeting all those McGraths.
"What are you thinking?" Garrett demanded, pulling her close. He nibbled on her earlobe, his teeth worrying the small gold hoop earring.
"I guess I was thinking that I've underestimated you," she admitted. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I've been underestimated by others throughout my career," Garrett said cheerfully, completely without rancor. "I even encourage it. I've found that being underestimated is a priceless gift."
Shelby was shocked. "But I hate being underestimated! I've always considered it insulting."
"You have to make it work to your advantage." Garrett kissed her forehead, then set her away from him and started the car. "You've been rather insulated, honey. And if you want me to continue to shelter you, I'll be glad to do it. On the other hand, if you want me to teach you what I've learned in the trenches, I'll have fun doing so. Your choice."
"Here's my choice. I want to spend the day with you," she said softly. "I want you to show me around and for us to have fun together like we've been doing in Florida. And I don't want to talk about blood tests or licenses or weddings. Please, Garrett?" Shelby looked up at him, her hazel eyes pleading.
Garrett felt his heart lurch. It occurred to him that when she looked at him in that certain way and addressed him in that particular tone of voice, he would be unable to resist giving her whatever she wanted or doing whatever she wanted to do. It was a disconcerting thought. He had never been so captivated by a woman, so attuned to her wishes and needs. He'd always thought that having five sisters had immunized him against feminine wiles; whether charming or manipulative, he'd seen them practice firsthand and remembered what he had learned. Nothing had diverted Garrett McGrath from his chosen course of action until he'd met Shelby Halford.
He cleared his throat. "Have you ever been to Niagara Falls?"
Shelby shook her head and grinned at him. "Let's go."
* * *
There were myriad tourist excursions in Niagara Falls and Shelby and Garrett did them all, including the famous Maid of the Mist, a boat ride in the water near the thunderous cascade of the falls, the Cave of the Winds in which a wooden walkway led up and under the falls, and a heart-stopping ride in an aerial car high over the wild waters of the whirlpool They stood on the rocks of Three Sisters Island near the swirling, dangerous rapids flowing directly over the falls. They ended their tour with a stop at the museum that preserved a meticulous record of all those rides over the falls, intentional or accidental, fatal or not.
"Disaster as entertainment. This reminds me a little of the hurricane museum in the Keys," Shelby said dryly. "Are you going to buy a T-shirt?"
"I have dozens from this area with every theme imaginable. But I'll be happy to buy one for you. You can wear it to dinner tonight. Mom invited the whole clan over for her specialty—takeout pizza from Luigi's. It's an Italian restaurant in the shopping plaza a few blocks from home."
"You're kidding, right?"
"About Mom's idea of a home-cooked meal? Nope. She's always hated to cook. Now she doesn't e
ven pretend to try. But she loves getting the whole family together. Everybody will be there tonight except the three youngest. Aidan and Brendan are away at college and Caitlin is in veterinary school in Pennsylvania."
"So that leaves Glenn, Gracie, Fiona, Eilish and Devon." Shelby recited the names in one breath. "And you're each just two years apart," she added, awed by the length of the unbroken chain of siblings.
"Staircase kids, Gran called us. She also thought that Mom and Dad should have stopped with the first three G's. I remember her telling my father, 'You can't afford all these children.' But the folks went on to have the rest of the alphabet gang."
He swung the car off the main road into an open woodsy area. Shelby, turning her attention from their conversation to her surroundings, was surprised to find them heading through the open gates of a cemetery. She glanced questioningly at Garrett.
"I thought we'd pay a visit to those McGraths who won't ever be able to meet you," he said huskily.
He was bringing her to visit the grave of his father, Jack McGrath, Shelby realized. She was touched. She knew Garrett had adored his father, who had died far too young from complications of kidney disease. Garrett spoke of ten of his father, crediting him with having the idea of a motel chain that was visually fun and extra cheap, catering especially to families with children and not much money to spend for a vacation. Jack McGrath hadn't lived long enough to see his dream realized, the dream that had been achieved with astounding success by his eldest son and had benefited the entire McGrath family.
Garrett parked the car and guided her among the headstones to the McGrath family plot, several feet away from a towering oak tree. "There's Grandfather McGrath—" he pointed to a headstone "—and my dad's older sister Mary, who never married, and here's my father, Jack McGrath."
Shelby gazed respectfully, noting the dates and the comforting biblical inscription. Her eyes flicked to the left of the headstone to a smaller one that had a baseball bat and glove carved into it along with the words Beloved Son. The name read Glenn McGrath and the dates of his birth and death were inscribed below it. A quick calculation revealed that he had been twelve years old when he'd died.
Shelby was stunned. Garrett had mentioned his sisters and brothers from time to time but he had never mentioned that one of them happened to be dead. She gaped at him, at a loss for words.
"I have trouble talking about it … his death. About him," Garrett said haltingly.
"Glenn," Shelby said his brother's name.
"Glenn," Garrett repeated thickly. "After all this time, it still gets to me. I guess that's why I rarely come here. I haven't been for years. Mom and Gran are here every Sunday without fail, though."
"Maybe coming here brings them some sort of comfort or peace," Shelby suggested quietly.
"I guess so. But it depresses the hell out of me. Still, I … I wanted you to see. To know."
Shelby put her arms around him and hugged him tight. "What happened to Glenn, Garrett?"
"He loved to play baseball." Garrett nodded toward the sad etchings on the tombstone. "He was good, too, a real competitor. From the time he was little, he could hit the ball farther and harder than kids who were a lot older than him." There was a note of brotherly pride in his voice. Shelby's eyes moistened.
"One night in July, a bunch of us neighborhood kids were playing ball in the street," Garrett continued. "Glenn ran after the ball, determined to get it so the hitter would be out. You can guess the rest. He ran right into the path of a car."
"Oh, Garrett," Shelby murmured sadly. "I'm so sorry."
Garrett nodded. "He was killed instantly. I saw the whole thing." He shook his head. "I can remember it as if it had happened yesterday. Glenn lying there, the driver, an older man, getting out of the car in hysterics. He hadn't been speeding but he didn't have a chance to stop. Glenn had just run into the street without looking."
"I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for you," Shelby whispered.
"Losing him was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. We were best friends, we shared so many interests. We were the two older brothers in a family with five younger sisters." He smiled slightly, reminiscing. "We used to tease the girls by barring them from our room. Mom had given birth to Brendan a month before Glenn was killed and we were so glad to have another brother. We told the girls we were finally starting to even the odds against us. Grade was particularly incensed when Glenn and I would take the baby into our room, saying it was strictly for men only and girls were forbidden to enter. She would stand outside the door arguing how unfair it was and Glenn and I would crack up laughing."
"She took the bait every time, hmm? What a pair of older brothers you were."
"Yeah, we were a pair." He felt the old pang of loss but didn't allow it to linger for more than a few seconds. He'd learned long ago how to relegate the past, its sorrows and its joys, to a place in his mind that was accessed only when he chose and only for as long as he chose. He decreed that brief interlude to be over now. It was time to return to the present, a time he much preferred. He could influence and control the present.
Garrett's smile broadened, the stark sadness disappearing from his eyes. "I suppose it was inevitable that Grace would grow up to be a lawyer, dedicated to fighting sexist discrimination against women. She watches Family Fun Inns like a hawk, ready to nail us if we ever step out of line. So far we've met her standards, but other companies haven't and she zealously pursues them. Her husband Jeff is our general counsel and he believes the issue of sexual discrimination in the workplace has been exaggerated. Grace is always saying that he just doesn't get it. As you can imagine, the two of them have an interesting marriage."
"As interesting as living in a war zone," Shelby said dryly. "Grace and Jeff fight like cats and dogs but they seem to thrive on it. They even had a baby last year. But don't worry, motherhood has not mellowed our Grade's fervor for justice in the least."
"She sounds awfully formidable. Should I be scared to meet her?"
"Nah! Just complain about my T-shirt collection and she'll love you. Grace is always lecturing me on my tacky T-shirts. She thinks I should lounge around in designer polo shirts or crisp, preppy sport shirts. She actually bought me this awful plaid one once."
"She is courageous. Tell me about the others. I know their names but not much else about them."
They walked toward the car, their arms around each other. Shelby noticed that Garrett cast a brief glance over his shoulder at the McGrath headstones, then tightened his grip on her, determinedly hastening her to the car.
He filled her in on the others as they drove along the highway that had become congested with commuter traffic. "Fiona is very sweet, never raises her voice and never gets angry. She's an angel. Somewhat boring, but an angel. I think I already told you that she's married to Ray who designs and builds playgrounds and equipment. Their twins are Glenn and Sean. Which brings us to the letter E and my sister Eilish. Eilish is…" He paused, laughing. "How to describe Eilish? Well, her role model is Grace and they're a lot alike. Eilish is bright, fierce and dedicated to her work, which happens to be Family Fun Inns. All her drive and energy are devoted to the company. She wants to run it with me someday."
"Are you going to let her?" Shelby asked curiously. "Or are girls still barred from the room, according to your strictly-men-only policy."
"Ouch, I think." Garrett threw her a look. "You're going to hit it off with Eilish just fine."
"I've already met Devon and her kids," Shelby prompted.
"Ah, yes, Devon, the family underachiever. She used to ditch school regularly and hang around with an appalling group of losers. She married two of the biggest jerks I've ever met and I swear she did it because I warned her not to."
"And you were right about the jerks both times?" Shelby surmised.
"Naturally." Garrett sighed. "Devon loves her children, but she still has a lot of growing up to do. I've already told her that I'm picking out her next husband for her."
"Garrett McGrath, that's disgustingly paternalistic and patronizing! I bet your sister Grace read you the riot act when you handed down that edict."
"No, she didn't. She agreed with me. Devon drives Grace crazy—she calls her 'The Rebel Without a Clue'."
"Poor Devon," Shelby murmured. "What about Caitlin and your two younger brothers?"
"Caitlin and Aidan are excellent students." The familiar note of familial pride was back in Garrett's voice. "She's studying to be a veterinarian and he's interested in becoming an environmental engineer. You already know that Brendan isn't much of a student but he sure can golf. The younger three still seem like kids to me," he added thoughtfully. "I don't know them as well as I'd like. I was out of the house and working during most of their growing-up years. I regret that."
He reached across the seat and took Shelby's hand. "It taught me a valuable lesson, though. I'm not going to work eighteen-hour days and be on the road four days a week while our own children are growing up. I don't want to miss those years with them. My dad was one of the best. He might not have made much money but he was always there for us."
"I'm sure you'll be a good father, Garrett," Shelby said huskily.
"I also intend to be a good husband. And I'd like to get started right away."
"I know. Like this Saturday." She was starting to get used to the idea, Shelby decided. Really, what was the point of a long engagement? She was certain that she wanted to marry Garrett. Especially after this afternoon. He'd shown her a side of him that she knew he had never revealed to anyone else. She felt both grateful and privileged and more in love with him than ever.
"Can we make the announcement to the family tonight at dinner?" Garrett pressed. "I can call in a favor or two and get that license so we can still be married on Saturday."
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