His exaggerated shudder and horrified expression had her laughing so hard, she found it hard to breathe. “Not in this lifetime. Just the thought of getting ‘cozy’ with that old bat is enough to make a man swear off women for good.”
She couldn’t stop laughing. Clara was at least twice Shane’s age and always looked as if she had just sucked on a lemon.
His expression suddenly turned serious. “Lissa, I want you to know that although the pregnancy brought about our decision to get married, you don’t have to worry. I give you my word that I’ll always be a good provider and a faithful husband.”
Taken aback by his unexpected proclamation, she stared at him. “I’ll be a good, faithful wife to you. But what brought this on?”
“I know that my reputation of moving from one woman to the next is only slightly better than Trevor’s,” he explained. “I just wanted you to know that I honor my commitments. You never have to worry about me going out and finding someone else.”
After spending so much time with him in the past couple of weeks and seeing him interact with Cactus, she knew for certain Shane wasn’t that kind of man. “It never crossed my mind that you wouldn’t be anything but faithful to our marriage.”
The sudden knock on the door came as no surprise. The spa had been extremely busy all day with guests getting ready for the dinner tomorrow night.
Reluctantly leaving Shane’s arms, Lissa walked over to open the door. “Is there a problem, Rita?”
“I hate to bother you, but Joanie just got sick and had to go home,” her assistant manager explained. “She has two half-hour facials booked and I’m afraid all of the other girls’ schedules are full. Will you be available to take her place or should I cancel the appointments?”
“I’ll be right there, Rita.” When the woman went back to the reception desk, Melissa closed the door and turned to Shane. “I’m really sorry, but I have to get back to work. We’ve really been slammed today. It looks as if I’m not going to get out of here for at least another couple of hours.”
He picked up his hat from the couch and walked over to where she stood by the door. “I need to go anyway.” He gave her a tender kiss, then reached for the doorknob. “I have to pick up my tux at the cleaners and then I have a couple of things Cactus wanted me to get before we go back to the ranch for dinner.” Shane grinned. “He’s planning on making you his world-class beef stew and sour-dough biscuits.”
Just the thought made her mouth water. “That sounds scrumptious.”
Nodding, Shane opened the door. “I’ll be back to pick you up this evening around five.”
Walking out into the reception area, Melissa sighed as she watched Shane leave. She loved him and if she hadn’t known that before, she would have after his reassurance that he would be a good husband.
Cowboys had a reputation for their word being their bond. If it was important enough for him to tell her he would be committed to their marriage, then he fully intended for it to work out between them.
It hadn’t been the declaration of love she would have preferred, but it was enough to give her hope. Maybe one day he would say the three words she longed to hear.
“When would you like to get married? Shane asked as he and Lissa sat in front of the Willow Lodge fireplace. After having dinner with Cactus, he had driven them back to the cabin for a nice quiet evening alone in front of a crackling fire.
“So much has happened over the past couple of weeks, I haven’t had time to give it a lot of thought,” she said, snuggling against him. “But I’d like to wait until after Erica and Christian’s wedding. I don’t want to take anything away from their special day.”
He nodded. “I can understand that. When is it?”
“Christmas Eve.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “What would you think of a New Year’s Eve wedding?”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Do you want a big wedding?”
“Not really.” She sat forward and reached for her mug of hot cocoa. “I think I’d like something small with just family and close friends.”
“Whatever you want, angel.” He grinned as he leaned over to kiss away a smudge of melted marshmallow from the corner of her mouth. “I guess the next question would be where do you want the ceremony?”
He watched her look around the great room of the lodge. “I think right here would be nice.”
“You don’t want to get married at Jarrod Manor?” He’d thought she would want to have it at the family mansion.
“No.” Her emphatic answer surprised him.
They stared at each other for several silent moments before he asked, “Why not, Lissa?”
She hesitated, then just when he thought she was going to avoid answering his question, she shook her head. “I don’t have a lot of pleasant memories there.”
“But that’s where you grew up.” He reached for her cup of cocoa to set it on the coffee table, then took her hands in his. “What was there about it that made you unhappy, angel?”
“There wasn’t any one thing,” she said, sighing. “It just never felt like much of a home to me.”
“Why is that?”
He watched her shrug one slender shoulder before she met his questioning gaze. “I think you’ve probably figured out by now that I wasn’t overly close with my father.”
Shane nodded. From what she’d said about her dad wanting his children to start learning about the resort at such an early age and her obsession with how other people’s opinions of her could reflect badly on Jarrod Ridge, he’d come to the conclusion that Donald Jarrod had placed his business above all else and taught his children to do the same.
“I’ve been told that when my mother was alive my father wasn’t as focused on Jarrod Ridge as he became after her passing,” she said quietly. “But for as long as I can remember, he never had time for us. He was always too busy either working or traveling to promote the resort.” Her expression turned resentful. “And he expected us to make Jarrod Ridge our number-one priority, as well.”
He had dealt with Donald Jarrod on several occasions through the investors group, as well as when the man bought horses for the resort stables, and he didn’t think he’d ever met a bigger workaholic. But surely Jarrod had realized his family was more important than business.
“Maybe he was unaware—”
“Oh, I think he knew.” She rose from the couch to walk over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of the great room. “Unfortunately, it’s too late now to do anything about repairing our relationship.”
Shane got up from the couch to walk up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her back against him. “I’m sure your dad was just trying to be a good provider for you and your brothers, angel.”
She sighed. “That might be, but tell that to a child wanting nothing more from her father than his love and attention.”
Although Shane’s dad had lost interest in almost everything in life after his wife left, he’d still been there to raise his son. And, in his own way, Shane was certain his father had loved him. But apparently Lissa hadn’t had that assurance.
“You at least had your brothers,” he said, tightening his arms around her.
Nodding, she rested the back of her head against his shoulder. “I did, but they were all older. Besides, they were boys and didn’t want to play with dolls or have tea parties.”
Shane chuckled. “No, I can’t imagine any of your brothers wanting to do that.”
She turned within the circle of his arms to face him. “Just the thought is pretty amusing, isn’t it?” she asked, the ghost of a smile curving her coral lips.
He nodded. “Blake would have probably shown up in a suit and tie and Trevor would have invariably brought a date.”
Her smile broke through. “Of course.”
Happy to see that her mood had lightened considerably, Shane pressed his lips to hers. “So it’s decided, then. We’ll get married here on New Year’s Eve with family and clos
e friends.”
Resting her head against his chest, she nodded. “I think I’m going to invite Hector and Michael. They’re two of my closest friends in Malibu, and besides, I’d like to talk to them about running the spa for me with the option to buy after a specified length of time.”
“Are you sure you want to get rid of your business?” It pleased him that she intended to make her move to Colorado permanent, but he hated to see her give up a business she’d built from the ground up and was obviously quite proud of.
“It’s not so much that I want to get rid of it,” she admitted, yawning. “But I grew up with a father who was more absent than not and I don’t want that for our child from either of his parents. Besides, I’ll have Tranquility Spa, and if we stay as busy as we are now, I’m going to talk to Blake about expanding.”
“Uh-oh. It looks like the sandman is about to pay you a visit,” he said, chuckling when she yawned again. “We had better get you to bed.”
“I hope I can stay awake during the investors’ dinner tomorrow evening,” she said when he rose and guided her toward the hall.
“Yeah, it would be a shame to fall asleep during one of the speeches.” Shane laughed.
“Maybe I better plan on taking a nap tomorrow afternoon,” she said as they entered the bedroom.
“I’ll plan to take one with you,” he said, giving her a wicked grin.
“You’re insatiable, Mr. McDermott,” she said, shaking her head.
He took a step toward her. “And I intend to show you just how ravenous I am as soon as we get into bed.”
As he and Lissa walked into the Jarrod Ridge Grand Ballroom for the festivities, Shane knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was with the sexiest, most beautiful woman in attendance. Lissa had put her long blond hair up in some kind of soft, feminine twist, exposing her slender neck. He would like nothing more than to kiss every inch of it.
But the long, shimmery black evening dress she wore was what had his libido shifting into high gear. Slinky and form-fitting, it emphasized every one of her delightful curves and each time she moved it reminded him of a sleek jungle cat’s elegance and grace.
Remembering where they were, he tried to rein in his unruly hormones. If he didn’t get things under control soon, everyone in the whole damned place would know exactly what he had on his mind.
He spotted Clara Buchanan on the other side of the room and concentrated on how she would react to the evidence of his wayward thoughts. That was enough to take the wind out of any man’s sails.
“There’s Blake and his secretary, Samantha,” Lissa said, bringing him back to reality. “They’ll be seated at the head table with Erica and the rest of my brothers.”
“What about us?” he asked. “Is that where we’re sitting?”
“No. As an investor, you’ll have your own table and I told Guy to have the kitchen staff put my place card next to yours.”
“You’re both looking very nice tonight,” Trevor said, walking up to them. Lissa’s brother had a pretty, young brunette clinging to his arm.
“Good to see you again,” Shane said, shaking Trevor’s hand.
After a few minutes of exchanging small talk, Trevor and his date moved on. “I wish he would settle down a bit,” Lissa said quietly. “I’ve seen Elmer and Clara watching him, and they don’t look all that pleased.”
Putting his arm around her bare shoulders, Shane kissed her temple. “I agree that your brother is known to play it pretty fast and loose with the ladies, but it’s really none of Elmer’s or Clara’s business what he does or how he chooses to conduct his life.”
Before Lissa could respond, several of the regular resort guests came over to greet them and pay their compliments to Lissa’s family on another spectacular event.
“The food in past years has been very good, but the cuisine this year is outstanding,” George Sanders, a food critic from Los Angeles, said enthusiastically. “As soon as I find him, I intend to let Guy know the resort’s pursuit of culinary excellence will be the focus of my next column. The crème brûlée is to die for.”
“I’m sure Guy will be very pleased to hear that,” Lissa said, smiling.
Once the portly gentleman stopped gushing about the food and moved on, Shane placed his hand on Lissa’s back. “Why don’t we find our table and see who our dinner partners are?”
He could use a reprieve and he was sure Lissa felt the same way. Besides, hearing himself repeat the same greeting at least twenty times, his face felt as if it had frozen in a permanent grin.
When they found their table close to the main table at the front of the room, Shane held Lissa’s chair, then settled himself onto the one beside her. “It looks like we’re hosting the politicians,” he said, glancing at the place cards on the elegantly set table.
She nodded. “I just hope they put their political differences on hold for the evening.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that,” Shane offered. “I happen to know that Senator Kurk and Representative Delacorte are both into fly-fishing. If it looks like the conversation is going to turn into a debate, I’ll invite them both to go fishing next spring on the Rainbow.”
“Thank you,” she said, looking grateful. “I would really like for the evening to remain free of controversy.”
“Shane, my boy, I hoped I would see you here this evening,” Senator Kurk said, approaching their table. “I think you know my wife, Beatrice?”
Shane stood up while the older woman sat down. “It’s nice seeing you again, Mrs. Kurk,” he said nodding. He shook the senator’s hand, then sat back down. “I’m glad you could join us.”
“The way I hear it, congratulations are in order. A little bird told me you’re planning on taking a trip down the aisle,” the man said, smiling at Lissa. “Is this lovely girl your bride-to-be?”
“Senator Kurk, Mrs. Kurk, I would like for you to meet my fiancée, Melissa Jarrod,” Shane introduced them.
“Melissa?” Beatrice Kurk exclaimed, disbelievingly. “I didn’t recognize you, dear. You’re all grown up. I think the last time we saw you, you were getting ready to leave for college.”
As Lissa and the senator’s wife exchanged pleasantries and caught up, Representative Delacorte and his wife arrived. Dinner was served shortly afterward and to Shane’s immense relief, the two politicians seemed to have put their opposing political views aside for the evening.
While the women asked Lissa about new services at the spa and plans for their upcoming wedding, Shane found himself enjoying the men’s stories of fishing for trout in the various rivers and streams in the Rocky Mountains. He was even surprised to learn the men were pretty good friends when they weren’t at loggerheads over political issues.
As they waited for dessert to be served, the two men and their wives politely excused themselves. Shane knew they were going to work the room and try to secure votes for the upcoming elections before the event’s closing speeches began.
Relieved to once again be alone with her, Shane turned to Lissa. But her attention was trained on her brother Trevor seated at the head table with her other siblings and their respective dinner companions.
“I can’t believe what he’s doing,” she said, shaking her head. Seated beside a shapely redhead, the brunette that had been clinging to Trevor earlier was nowhere in sight. “I can only imagine what Elmer and Clara are thinking right now.”
Watching his future brother-in-law whisper something to the redhead, then while her head was turned, wink at a blonde seated a few tables to the left of the head table, Shane had to admit the man was asking for a boatload of trouble. He saw nothing wrong with a single man playing the field. Hell, he’d had his own share of women before he met Lissa. But Shane had at least had the good sense to limit himself to being with one woman a night.
If Trevor wasn’t careful, he was going to set himself up to be right in the middle of a class-A catfight. And once the women figured out he’d been playing all of them, they would stop blaming
each other and turn on him with claws bared.
“Shane, could I speak with you in private for a moment?” Senator Kurk asked, standing at Shane’s shoulder. Engrossed in the show at the head table, he hadn’t seen the man approach.
“Of course,” Shane answered, somewhat puzzled by the senator’s serious demeanor. Rising from the table, he kissed Lissa’s cheek. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
He hated leaving her alone, but relieved to see Avery Lancaster heading toward their table, Shane turned his full attention to the man walking beside him. He had never seen Patrick Kurk look as serious or as determined as he did at that moment.
When Avery sat down in the chair next to her, Melissa couldn’t help noticing the scene playing out just beyond her friend’s shoulder. Her brothers Guy and Gavin had walked up behind Trevor at the head table. One of them spoke to him, then all three men left the room.
“What’s going on?” she asked, turning to her friend.
“Guy and Gavin are going to strongly suggest that Trevor use a little more discretion with the female guests here tonight,” Avery answered quietly.
“I’m glad,” Melissa said, meaning it. “He’s not doing the resort’s reputation any favors.”
“You mean ‘come to Jarrod Ridge and get your heart broken by one of its handsome owners’ isn’t going to be the resort’s new slogan?” Avery asked sardonically.
Melissa loved Avery’s quick wit. “I somehow doubt that would help business,” she said, laughing.
“Where’s Shane?” Avery asked, looking around.
“Senator Kurk wanted to speak to him in private about something.” Unconcerned, Melissa took a sip of her water. “He’s probably hitting Shane up for a campaign donation or wants him to volunteer to hold some kind of fundraiser.”
Avery nodded. “It’s not enough that politicians want our vote, they also want our money.”
“Are Guy and Gavin having their talk with Trevor?” Erica asked as she joined them.
Melissa smiled at her sister. “I’d say it’s hitting the fan, even as we speak.”
Erica winced. “I’d hate to be in poor Trevor’s shoes right now.”
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